The Orioles have an offensive identity that they've worn like a heavy backpack for a few years now. Because it's a heavy one, it slows them down. It makes them less versatile and only allows them to do so much. They've been an offense that relied on free swingers and the three-run homer, or the "Earl Weaver special," if you will. In recent memory, it has served them fairly well. From 2012-2017, the Orioles ranked second, first, first, third, first and fifth in home runs in the major...

Right-hander Erick Fedde has worked out and rehabbed alongside right-hander Stephen Strasburg as they have both look to return to the Nationals. Strasburg will get his return start Wednesday night against the Phillies, according to manager Davey Martinez. Strasburg has been on the shelf since July 22 with a cervical nerve impingement. Fedde has been out since July 5 with right shoulder inflammation. Fedde will make a minor league rehab start tonight for Double-A Harrisburg. His locker mate to...

It's the most pervasive question in Washington this summer, at least in the realm of sports: What happened to the Nationals? The answer isn't nearly as simple as many would like. If only there was one concrete reason for the Nationals' slow descent from division favorites to a sub-.500 club trying to hang on for dear life. But the truth is, a combination of things had to come together this season to create this mess. Alter any one of them, and the story of the 2018 Nats might be totally...

CLEVELAND - The Orioles threw a curveball more than four hours after their game ended. Joey Rickard has been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk, which creates an opening on the 25-man roster for Adam Jones' return from the bereavement list. Jones is supposed to join the team later tonight in Toronto. The surprising element involves Mark Trumbo, who is expected to be placed on the disabled list Monday with inflammation in his right knee. Trumbo's removal from the roster would have cleared a spot for...

CLEVELAND - The Orioles will be making another roster move later today in Toronto with outfielder Adam Jones coming off the bereavement list, Mark Trumbo headed to the disabled list with inflammation in his right knee and Joey Rickard optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. Outfielder John Andreoli, claimed off waivers Saturday from the Mariners, will be Trumbo's replacement and become the latest player to make his Orioles debut in 2018 unless he's glued to the bench. Andreoli batted .287/.397/.401...

This could prove to be a unique year in Major League Baseball. It could turn out to be the first one we've ever seen where there are more strikeouts than base hits. Years ago, there was no chance we would see that. But in an excellent column recently in the New York Times, Tyler Kepner wrote this: "This could be the first season in major league history to feature more strikeouts than hits, a slowdown that worries many league officials. Thirty years ago, batters compiled nearly 13,000 more...

The Nationals lost 12-1 to the Marlins Sunday afternoon. It was a struggle for left-hander Gio Gonzalez as he gave up eight runs. But his offense could not get going against the Marlins José Ureña and the defense behind Gonzalez struggled after the first inning. Adam Eaton made a nice play on a fly ball that Marlins third baseman Brian Anderson hit down the right field foul line. But Bryce Harper, who went 0-for-3 at the plate, had some trouble in the outfield on a couple of different...

CLEVELAND - The Orioles apparently will be able to make room for Adam Jones on the 25-man roster without optioning or designating a player. Mark Trumbo will return to Baltimore tonight rather than accompany the team to Toronto. The pain in his right knee has intensified again and he's expected to undergo an MRI and be placed on the 10-day disabled list. Team orthopedist Dr. Michael Jacobs will examine Trumbo on Monday. "His knee flared up on him, barking pretty good," manager Buck Showalter...

The Nationals desperately want their 12 remaining games with the Phillies and Braves to be meaningful. The way they've been playing against the Marlins suggests those games with the National League East's top two contenders aren't going to matter. In their latest - and most aggravating - performance vs. the division's cellar-dwellers, the Nationals were trounced by Miami 12-1 this afternoon, capping an ugly weekend with one of the ugliest losses of a season that is on the verge of being...

CLEVELAND - The Orioles will keep giving Yefry Ramírez starts, and the rookie will continue to be limited as long as he can't harness his pitch count. Twenty-six pitches in the first inning, 44 through the second and 66 though the third. The Indians already had collected four hits and three walks, and Ramírez hit a batter and threw two wild pitches. Ramírez faced 17 batters and eight of them reached base, but he surrendered only two runs on a couple of two-out hits. It boggled the...