So how could Orioles right-hander Dylan Bundy pitch so well over his first five starts and so poorly over his last three? It hopefully for him reached rock bottom last night when he faced seven hitters and gave up five hits, two walks and four homers in falling behind 7-0, without getting an out. Bundy is the first pitcher in the modern era (since 1900) to allow four or more homers without recording an out. The Royals tied their club record for most homers in one inning. They went on to score...

SAN DIEGO - It's easy to gloss over Jeremy Hellickson in a star-studded Nationals rotation. He doesn't have the stuff to match Max Scherzer or Stephen Strasburg. He doesn't have the wipeout curveball of Gio Gonzalez. He doesn't have the bulldog reputation of Tanner Roark. Here's what Hellickson does have: motivation. After sitting around all winter and the majority of the spring looking for work on the heels of a frustrating 2017 campaign in Philadelphia and Baltimore, the 31-year-old...

Mike Wright Jr. was in the Orioles bullpen and come-to-the-rescue mode last night with Dylan Bundy failing to retire a batter. Wright covered 4 2/3 innings and threw 80 pitches before Rule 5 pick Pedro Araujo replaced him and let an inherited runner score on Mike Moustakas' two-run shot to center field. Wright's extended appearance likely impacts his candidacy to start Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Rays. The Orioles could consider someone else in the bullpen or shift their...

SAN DIEGO - If Jeremy Hellickson wanted to make sure he gets to face a lineup for the third time, he's sure doing everything he can tonight to keep Davey Martinez in the dugout and the Nationals bullpen quiet. Hellickson has retired the first 15 Padres batters he's faced, cruising through five perfect innings on only 69 pitches. The veteran right-hander, who has pre-emptively been pulled from his last two starts before being allowed to face the opposing lineup a third time through, is making...

Dylan Bundy insists that he's fine physically. Manager Buck Showalter said Bundy dealt earlier with some mild groin discomfort that he's told is no longer an issue. Health may not factor into Bundy's last three outings, but something is wrong. Bundy didn't record an out tonight and surrendered home runs to four of seven batters faced in the Orioles' 15-7 loss to the Royals before an announced crowd of 10,863 at Camden Yards. The Orioles are 8-27 and have lost 13 of 15 games, 19 of 22 and...

Coming home off a second straight winless road trip and with a record 18 games under .500, the Orioles had to hope things would get better on this homestand. Tonight hope went out the window not long after the first pitch. Right-hander Dylan Bundy gave up four homers and failed to get an out in the first inning as the Kansas City Royals hammered the Orioles at Camden Yards. The Royals scored 10 runs on nine hits in the opening inning on the way to a 15-7 blowout of Baltimore. Just when it...

Rwanda is a small nation in east central Africa, dominated by rainy seasons that drench mountains to the west and savannas to the east. Green bananas are a mainstay of the country's agricultural commerce, occupying more than a third of its farmland. Other exported crops include potatoes, wheat, maize and coffee. But if 11-year-old Jack Fones has his way, baseball will soon be introduced to the African country where activities like soccer, cross-country mountain biking and basketball are the...

SAN DIEGO - Managers will always say a pitcher is more responsible for the opposition's success stealing bases than the catcher who actually makes the throws. If a pitcher can't vary his timing and can't deliver the ball to the plate in short order with a runner on base, the catcher can't do much to make up for lost time, no matter how strong his arm. So a good amount of the credit for the Nationals' success at stopping the running so far this season - they've thrown out 48 percent of all...

Add Dylan Bundy to the list of Orioles concerns. Bundy served up four home runs tonight and didn't record an out in his start against the Royals, who sent 14 batters to the plate in the first inning and took a 10-0 lead. Mike Wright Jr. replaced Bundy and allowed three runs on four singles. Fans let loose a sarcastic cheer as Lucas Duda grounded out against the shift for the final out. The inning took 26 minutes to complete. Bundy was done after seven batters and 28 pitches. No other pitcher...

The Orioles have won just one of five home series this year. But after 12 straight road losses, Oriole Park should feel very friendly to the team tonight in the opener of a three-game series with Kansas City. Tonight begins a three-team, nine-game homestand that includes Saturday's single-admission doubleheader with Tampa Bay. The Orioles went 0-6 on a road trip to Anaheim and Oakland, and they scored just one run in losing the last two games versus the Athletics. The Orioles are 2-18 when...