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The Orioles are 12-34 since the start of September, the latest blow yesterday's 6-5 walk-off loss to the Tigers. When it rains, it pours - even when a game is played beneath a blue sky.
Rally to take a 4-2 lead in the top of the eighth inning, immediately fall behind 5-4, get a game-tying leadoff home run from unlikely hero Luis Sardiñas in the ninth and give up Dixon Machado's leadoff shot in the bottom half on only the second pitch from Rule 5 pick Pedro Araujo.
As I've stated in the...
DETROIT - The Orioles came back with late runs. But their bullpen could not keep Detroit from scoring. A wild end to the game featured four runs scored by each team over the last two innings.
But when second baseman Dixon Machado homered to left off Pedro Araujo on the second pitch of the last of the ninth, the Tigers produced a 6-5 walk-off win over the Orioles.
The Orioles remain winless on their road trip at 0-5. They have lost seven of eight games and are 5-13 for the season.
Machado hit...
Manager: Dave Roberts (3rd season)
Record: 8-9
Who to watch: 1B Cody Bellinger (.304/.342/.464), SS Corey Seager (7 RBIs), C Yasmani Grandal (.352/.435/.611with 3 HR, 13 RBIs), LF Matt Kemp (.347/.389/.592, 10 RBI, 3 HR) , LHP Clayton Kershaw (1-2, 1.33 ERA)
Season series vs. Nationals: 1st meeting (3-3 in 2017)
Pitching probables:
April 20: RHP Max Scherzer (3-1) vs. LHP Clayton Kershaw (1-2), 10:10 p.m., MASN2April 21: RHP Stephen Strasburg (2-1) vs. LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (2-0), 9:10 p.m.,...
NEW YORK - The Nationals have taken advantage of their opportunities in the first two games of the series against the Mets, leading to 8-6 and 5-2 wins.
With a win tonight, the Nats will have earned their second series sweep of the season (Reds, March 30-April 1) and will go back above the .500 mark for the first time since April 10. More importantly, a win means their deficit back of the Mets will be down to three games.
The Nationals have made good on three RISP chances in each game, going...
DETROIT - The Orioles strike out a lot. That we knew. But their strikeout rate to date is up over 2017. Through Tuesday's games, the Orioles strikeout rate of 28.5 percent is the worst in the major leagues, with the Chicago White Sox next at 27.3 percent and San Diego third at 26.6. Last year the Orioles ranked ninth in the majors with a 23.0 percent strikeout rate.
"We'd like to not ever strike out," manager Buck Showalter said during his pregame media session. "If you are getting a...
Engelb Vielma gets the start today at second base as the Orioles try to win for only the second time in eight games.
Craig Gentry is in right field again and Danny Valencia is the designated hitter. Caleb Joseph is catching.
Kevin Gausman is 1-1 with a 4.11 ERA and 1.200 WHIP in six career starts against the Tigers. In his only start at Comerica Park, he allowed three runs and seven hits and struck out seven batters over six innings.
Victor Martinez is 1-for-18 against Gausman. Nick Castellanos...
DETROIT - Just 17 games into a new season, the Orioles need to win this afternoon in Detroit or they will already have their second five-game losing streak of 2018.
It has been a miserable road trip for the Orioles. Bad weather and bad baseball. Not a good combo. They are 0-4 in Boston and Detroit and have been outscored 24-9. Since winning a big series at Yankee Stadium, the Orioles are 1-6 and they have scored 16 runs total in that span. The Orioles are already a full 9 1/2 games behind...
When it comes to pitching prospects, both before they are even drafted and after, all of the talk tends to be about how hard they throw their fastball. While I won't argue that it's nice when a guy can throw a mid-to-upper 90s fastball, I'll take a guy who gets outs, pounds the zone and makes a hitter earn his way on base. Orioles prospect Alex Wells, a left-hander, falls into that latter category, and I'm glad he's in the O's system.
Wells, 21, is one of the rare International free agent...
It's not that the Nationals have been burdened with major injuries. But they have been plagued by a couple of nagging minor injuries at once. Daniel Murphy, the big injury, is still recovering from offseason surgery. Adam Eaton, after coming back from a grisly ACL tear, tweaked his ankle and is on the disabled list. Anthony Rendon fouled a ball off his toe and has sat the last few games. Brian Goodwin just went on the DL for a wrist injury. None of these three injuries will likely keep players...
NEW YORK - The Nationals bullpen has allowed only two of 19 inherited runners to score, a 10.5 percent clip, which is tops in the National League and third in major league baseball.
Left-hander Sammy SolÃs arrived in the sixth inning and got out of a two-on, one-out jam to preserve the Nationals' lead in a game they went on to win 5-2. He stuck out pinch-hitter José Reyes and got Amed Rosario to pop out in full territory up the first base line.
SolÃs had gotten up to warm three times...