The Orioles can't win their division. They can't finish above .500. They can't seem to avoid weather-related delays. They can't slow down the Red Sox. There's always the task of avoiding a four-game sweep at home before jumping into the arms of another off-day. Yefry Ramírez followed his shortest career start last weekend in Texas with one of his finest tonight in Game 2 of a doubleheader. But he was capped off again at five innings and a tie transferred to the bullpen. Cody Carroll...

CHICAGO - There are few hitters havens in baseball like Wrigley Field, provided the wind isn't blowing in and the temperature isn't 43 degrees. But there's no park in the majors that has haunted Ryan Zimmerman like the Friendly Confines on the corner of Clark and Addison, at least in recent years. Ever since he became manager of the Cubs in 2015, there is no member of the Nationals lineup Joe Maddon has been more willing to pitch to than Zimmerman. So much so that he once walked Bryce Harper...

The Orioles have lost the first two games of this series with Boston by scores of 19-12 and 5-0. Tonight they host the Red Sox in game three of the four-game series at Oriole Park. Baltimore (35-82) has lost seven of nine, eight of 11 and 23 of its past 34 games. The Orioles are 20-37 at home and 2-12 versus the Red Sox. They were shutout for the 10th time this year in today's first game. Boston (83-35) has won eight of nine, 12 of 14 and 27 of its last 33 games. The Red Sox are 41-20 on the...

Jace Peterson is starting at second base and Jonathan Villar has moved over to shortstop for Game 2 of today's doubleheader against the Red Sox. Villar is batting second behind Peterson. Manager Buck Showalter has made a few other tweaks to his lineup, including Trey Mancini starting at first base and Chris Davis serving as the designated hitter. Mancini is batting cleanup ahead of Davis, who struck out three times in Game 1. Cedric Mullins has moved up to seventh in the order after batting...

CHICAGO - The Bryce Harper-Ryan Zimmerman 1-2 punch doesn't exactly have a storied history at Wrigley Field. This, of course, is the venue where two years ago the Cubs did everything they could to avoid pitching to Harper and instead go after Zimmerman, who simply could not make them pay for the strategy. So when Anthony Rendon was scratched from today's game with a bruised left wrist, it may have surprised some that Davey Martinez decided to tweak his lineup by moving Harper into the No. 3...

Well, there were not 31 runs scored today in the first game of this day-night doubleheader. Boston lefty David Price kept the Orioles from scoring any as the Red Sox won 5-0 to improve to 83-35. Price went six scoreless on four singles and a double to improve to 12-6 with a 3.75 ERA. He did not walk a batter and fanned 10, throwing 94 pitches. His ERA is 1.03 his past four starts, with three runs allowed over 26 1/3 innings. Orioles right-hander Jimmy Yacabonis, recalled as the 26th man for the...

Because baseball tends to repel any form of logic, Jimmy Yacabonis joined the Orioles today as the 26th man and starter in Game 1 of a doubleheader after back-to-back duds with Triple-A Norfolk and plowed through a Red Sox lineup through four innings as if it were made of straw. Because baseball also can be incredibly fickle and elite teams have a tendency to counterpunch with steel gloves, the Red Sox mashed a couple of two-seam fastballs in the fifth inning, put three runs on the board and...

CHICAGO - When Anthony Rendon was hit by a pitch on his left hand in the top of the first Friday afternoon, the Nationals third baseman waved off a trainer and remained in the game. Rendon played all nine innings of the Nats' 3-2 loss to the Cubs. He batted three more times, driving a ball to the warning track in left field that was caught. He made three plays in the field. All appeared to be fine. But after the game ended, Rendon could be seen leaving the visitors' clubhouse at Wrigley...

After allowing their most runs since the 2012 season in a 19-12 loss to Boston last night, the Orioles host the Red Sox this afternoon. It is the start of a long day of baseball with a day-night doubleheader that continues tonight at 7:05 p.m. Boston crammed 19 runs into five at-bats last night with 16 hits. The Red Sox scored three in the first, two in fourth, six in the sixth, three in the seventh and five runs in the eighth. The Orioles had 17 hits, went 5-for-12 with runners in scoring...

CHICAGO - Another day, another opportunity for the Nationals to change the script of a season that has pretty much followed one path. And not the path this team wanted to follow. After their latest agonizing loss, the Nats will try to reverse the trend this afternoon at Wrigley Field and take the second game of this weekend series. They'll be hoping Tanner Roark can continue his recent reversal of trends - 3-0, 0.82 ERA his last three starts - and do his part to help beat the Cubs. It's...