The Orioles will open and close their 2019 exhibition schedule with home games at the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota. The first Grapefruit League game in spring training will be played on Feb. 23 against the Twins. The Orioles finish up against the Mets on March 25. Pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 13, with the full squad required to be at the complex by Feb. 18. The Orioles will face nine different opponents among their 17 home games, including the Twins four times and the Red Sox,...

There are 4 1/2 weeks to go in the 2018 regular season, not to mention a month's worth of postseason games for those franchises fortunate enough to advance, but Major League Baseball has already unveiled the entire 2019 schedule, including spring training now. MLB released the Grapefruit League and Cactus League schedules this afternoon, far earlier than has been typical in previous years. It's perhaps appropriate, then, that the spring schedule will start and conclude early as well. With...

The Orioles have a chance for a 2018 first tonight. They can complete their first sweep of any three-game series. They have beaten Toronto by scores of 7-0 and 12-5 over the past two nights, generating plenty of offense while getting wins from rookie pitchers David Hess and Josh Rogers. When this series began the Orioles were 1-12 this year against Toronto and they had lost the last 10 games played between the teams. Now they can sweep tonight. Not only have the Orioles not had a three-game...

To say that this season has been a roller coaster for the Nationals would be an understatement. They've struggled to find consistency. Sometimes they score double-digit runs and sometimes they get shut out multiple games in a row. Finding rhythm has been difficult. The pitching has been up and down, the offense has been up and down. But there's one thing the Nationals have been very consistent at all year, something they've done very well all year long: defense. Sure, they're going to have...

PHILADELPHIA - With another dramatic win over the Phillies 5-4 Tuesday night, the Nationals are now six games back of the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League wild card race with 29 games remaining. They trail the Atlanta Braves by eight games in the NL East race. The Nats take on the Brewers at Nats Park for three games beginning Friday night. But they still have one more game against the Phillies here tonight. Anthony Rendon hit a two-run shot in the ninth and the Nats ended the game with...

An 11th-round draft pick of the New York Yankees in 2015, left-hander Josh Rogers made it to the Double-A level with Trenton in the Eastern League in the 2017 season. But it was just for seven starts and he assumed he would begin this year back in that Double-A rotation. But Rogers got a surprise and he began the 2018 season in the rotation with Triple-A Scranton. Then he got another surprise. He was traded to the Orioles and would pitch for Triple-A Norfolk. Then came his latest surprise. He...

While the Orioles set their September roster by deciding on the number of call-ups, they also will continue to chart the innings accumulated by various pitchers while determining which ones eventually will be shut down to eliminate any risk of injury or fatigue. Manager Buck Showalter stated yesterday that no one in the current rotation besides Josh Rogers, who made his major league debut last night, is in danger of an early dismissal. He could choose to provide additional rest on occasion, but...

PHILADELPHIA - The second matchup between Max Scherzer and Aaron Nola went down much like the first. Until Anthony Rendon saved the day in the ninth inning. And even had a hand in the final out. Rendon's dramatic two-run homer in the top of the ninth, his 17th belt on the season, after he started the at-bat 0-2 against the Phillies' nasty reliever Pat Neshek, helped the Nats to complete a stunning comeback and win 5-4. "Oh man, just trying to get down early and see a pitch," Rendon said of...

Left-hander Josh Rogers made a successful major league debut at Camden Yards tonight. He went five innings to get a 12-5 win over Toronto. And an Oriole team that entered this series 1-12 this season against the Blue Jays is 2-0 in this series. Rogers, called up from Triple-A Norfolk, became the first lefty to start on the mound this year for the Orioles. Over five innings he gave up seven hits and three runs with one walk and two strikeouts. Acquired by the Orioles from the Yankees in the Zach...

The Orioles assigned Josh Rogers one of the lockers closest to the entrance that allows the media inside, and he already was planted in his seat today at 3:10 p.m. as the door swung open. He made eye contact with a reporter and began to rise before realizing that there wouldn't be an introduction. Never talk to the pitcher on the day that he's starting. It's an unwritten rule that applies to veterans and rookies. Rogers would be surrounded later in the night, of course, after making his...