BOWIE, Md. - Today Alex Cobb took the mound in an empty ballpark at Double-A Bowie. It was one last bullpen session before the season begins for the new Orioles right-hander. But it will be very different Saturday. He'll take the mound in Fenway Park, most likely in a packed stadium and in a much different atmosphere, and face the current American League East-leading Boston Red Sox for his Orioles debut. Signed by the O's to a four-year deal worth $57 million with deferrals on March 21,...

Chance Sisco is behind the plate again tonight as the Orioles try to avoid being swept by the Blue Jays at Camden Yards. Sisco also caught last night. Craig Gentry is in right field. Jonathan Schoop continues to bat third while battling a slump that's lowered his average to .189. He has 10 hits on the season, but seven of them came in Houston and he's 0-for-13 with seven strikeouts with runners in scoring position. Tim Beckham has reached base safely in eight straight games and scored six...

Right-hander A.J. Cole allowed a home run on the fourth pitch of the game. Ozzie Albies hit a solo homer over the right-center field wall to give Atlanta the early lead. Coming off an April 3 start in Atlanta in which he allowed 10 runs on 10 hits, there was cause for concern that a game like that was in the offing. After that, Cole settled down and retired 8 of the next 9 batters he faced. The Nationals were the victim of double plays in the first and second frames. It marked only the third...

The Nationals announced before Wednesday's series finale against the Braves that they have placed outfielder Adam Eaton on the 10-day disabled list and purchased the contract of outfielder Moisés Sierra from Triple-A Syracuse. Eaton has a bone bruise in his left ankle. Manager Davey Martinez said the Nats will operate very carefully with Eaton due to his injury history. "I think for the most part we are going to be very, very cautious," Martinez said. "One is, it's the ankle he hurt...

Matt Wieters is back on the Nationals' active roster. That doesn't necessarily mean he's back as their unquestioned No. 1 catcher. The Nationals activated Wieters off the 10-day disabled list this morning, but also made the mildly surprising decision to designate veteran Miguel Montero for assignment and keep 24-year-old Pedro Severino in the big leagues, where he'll continue to get significant playing time. Wieters, who had been out since April 1 with a mild left oblique strain, caught...

The Orioles are prepared to make a roster move for the fifth day in a row and this one involves a utility infielder. Engelb Vielma isn't in Triple-A Norfolk's lineup this afternoon and I'm hearing that he's headed to Baltimore. The club hasn't announced it. Vielma, 23, is on the 40-man roster after the Orioles acquired him from the Giants on Jan 26 for a player to be named or cash. He had a busy offseason going from the Twins to the Giants to the Phillies to the Pirates and back to the...

The Washington Nationals recalled from rehab and reinstated catcher Matt Wieters from the 10-day disabled list and selected the contract of outfielder Moisés Sierra on Wednesday. Additionally, they placed outfielder Adam Eaton on the 10-day disabled list (retroactive to April 9) with a bone bruise to his left ankle and designated catcher Miguel Montero for assignment. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements. Wieters, 31, returns to...

What a different 48 hours makes. When this series began, the Nationals were reeling from a five-game losing streak, with questions about the big picture starting to percolate. Now, thanks to back-to-back dominant performances from Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg, they're seeking a series sweep of the Braves and a whole new outlook on life. In order to pull that off, though, they'll need a far better performance from A.J. Cole this afternoon than they got last week in Atlanta, when he was...

There were question marks in the air during spring training over who the Nationals' backup catcher would be. The team answered that question by sending Pedro Severino to Triple-A and choosing Miguel Montero to back up Matt Wieters on opening day. However, the Nationals caught the injury bug, Wieters went on the DL, and Severino was quickly recalled. Not only that, but Montero eventually went on paternity leave, and throughout that time, Severino was the primary starter. And, boy, has he...

The 2018 minor league season is in full swing now for the Orioles' four full-season affiliates, and while there is plenty of talent throughout the affiliates' rosters, the low Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds are the standouts thus far. I knew the Shorebirds were going to have a good pitching staff thanks in large part to having seven pitchers currently in the Top 30 Orioles' prospects list per MLBPipeline.com. Their offense was anticipated to be solid, but had some unknowns in it, as well. Thus...