HOUSTON - The Orioles' road trip has begun with back-to-back losses here. They need a win this afternoon at Minute Maid Park to avoid getting swept before the trip moves on to Yankee Stadium. Opening day starter Dylan Bundy returns to the mound this afternoon, pitching with an extra day of rest. Against the Twins on Thursday, Bundy threw seven scoreless innings in a no-decision. The Orioles won in 11 innings on Adam Jones' walk-off home run. Bundy gave up just five singles in the opener. He...

ATLANTA - The Nationals continue to stretch out veteran right-hander Jeremy Hellickson in West Palm Beach, Fla., and he is on schedule to be game-ready in the next week or two. "He actually pitched two days ago," manager Davey Martinez said. "He did good. Six innings, 92 pitches. He's doing well. His next start is Saturday. He's basically just trying to get ready. We want him to be consistent, stretch him out, so that he's ready to go. "Now it's just getting him consistent. Six innings,...

Welcome back to baseball. You hear that sound in the air? The sound of home runs leaving the park, bags being swiped and an umpire ringing up a strike three call? That means the Nationals are at it again. They've been hitting, running and, most importantly, pitching. The Nationals arguably have the best four-man starting rotation in the National League, and after the first turn through the rotation, the starting pitching was on display. The group of Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Gio...

The 2018 minor league season will kick off Thursday, and I for one am extremely excited because the state of the Orioles' farm system has vastly improved over the past few years. Today, I want to highlight two pitchers that most O's fans are not very familiar with, but are prospects that I am very excited about. First up is a lefty who almost wasn't even an Oriole. Cameron Bishop, 22, was selected by the Orioles in the 26th round of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft out of Cal-Irvine. His...

ATLANTA - The Nationals have raced out of the blocks with a 4-1 record, scoring 35 runs in their first five games. The lineup has been outstanding and has found ways to hit in several situations. Many could point to the work of hitting coach Kevin Long and how quickly he has become acclimated to his new team. "It definitely helps," said Nationals manager Davey Martinez of the relationship Long has with this hitters. "He's another guy. We talk about building relationships. He came in and...

HOUSTON - Orioles right-hander Mike Wright Jr. was making his first start for the club since June 17, 2016. Taking the mound with a career ERA of 6.32 in 21 previous major league starts, the expectations were not exactly high among some in Birdland as Wright prepared to face the defending World Series champs. But when Mychal Givens replaced Wright to start the last of the sixth last night, Wright was in line to be the winning pitcher. The winner in a game where the other starter was Justin...

HOUSTON - The Orioles scored as many runs tonight as they had in the previous four games. And right-hander Mike Wright Jr. allowed one fewer run than Justin Verlander. But in the end, the Orioles could not stop the defending World Series champions from doing what they do best - piling up runs. Rule 5 pitchers Pedro Araujo and Nestor Cortes Jr. were put in a very tough spot tonight: facing Houston late in the contest with the game tied. They began the night with a combined three major league...

ATLANTA - For the first time in 2018, the Nationals arrive in the rubber match of a three-game set as they take on the Braves on getaway day. Today's game follows their first loss of the season, a 13-6 setback Tuesday night against the Braves, highlighted by a pair of three-run shots from Freddie Freeman and Preston Tucker. The Nats actually hit more home runs in the game (three), including the first of the year for Ryan Zimmerman and the fourth of the season for Bryce Harper. Right-hander Max...

ATLANTA - Right-hander A.J. Cole struggled with consistency in his first start and the Braves took full advantage. Highlighted by a pair of three-run homers from Preston Tucker and Freddie Freeman, Atlanta scored nine runs in the first three innings and cruised to an emphatic 13-6 win. It was the Nationals' first loss of the season. The Braves pounded out 15 hits, including two homers and four doubles. It was the most runs the Nats had allowed since a 13-0 loss to Atlanta July 8, 2017 at Nats...

HOUSTON - Mike Wright Jr. pitched capably and left with a lead. Adam Jones homered and drove in three. The Orioles finally scored off a starting pitcher. But would it add up to a victory? Not tonight for the Orioles. With the game tied 5-5 entering the last of the seventh, Houston scored five times off Rule 5 pitchers Pedro Araujo and Nestor Cortes Jr. to rally for a 10-6 win. The Orioles fall to 1-4 and have lost eight in a row at Minute Maid Park. Houston is 5-1. The Orioles got the lead...