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...

The Orioles are back home tonight for a three-series homestand after going a combined 0-6 in Anaheim and Oakland. They're 5-10 at Camden Yards. According to STATS, the Orioles have gone winless on back-to-back road trips with at least two games in each series only three times in club history. It also happened in June 1987 and June/July 1998. The last team to go winless on back-to-back road trips was the 2016 Rays, who were 0-7 from June 20-26 and 0-3 from July 8-10. Also according to STATS,...

SAN DIEGO - The Nationals have a chance tonight to win their third consecutive series, and Jeremy Hellickson has a chance tonight to actually receive his first decision of the season and maybe even face an opposing lineup a third time. Hellickson has pitched quite well for the Nats, posting a 3.00 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in four starts. But he has yet to complete six innings, mostly because Davey Martinez has deployed a really quick hook on the right-hander, not wanting to let him face a lineup the...

Beginning this homestand, the Orioles will introduce Monkton-based Roseda Black Angus Farms gourmet burgers at the new Roseda Farm Grill on Eutaw Street near Gate H. Roseda beef is a premium, award-winning gourmet product that is produced from local, all-natural, dry-aged Black Angus beef. All Roseda cattle are pasture-raised, grain-finished, and the meat contains no routine antibiotics or growth hormones, artificial color or flavoring, chemical preservatives, or other synthetic ingredients....

The Orioles will happily welcome back one of their key players tonight. Second baseman Jonathan Schoop returns to the lineup, batting fourth at second base against Kansas City. Yep, he goes right into the cleanup spot. Schoop has been out since he got injured April 13 at Boston. He suffered a right oblique strain and the Orioles went 3-17 without him. He played in rehab games since Friday at Double-A Bowie, Triple-A Norfolk and Single-A Frederick, going 2-for-13. "I'm real excited. Excited to...

The Orioles will announce their corresponding roster move for second baseman Jonathan Schoop after batting practice. They want to make certain that Schoop doesn't have any setbacks in his recovery from an oblique injury. Infielder Engelb Vielma is expected to be optioned to Triple-A Norfolk to make room for Schoop, who's batting cleanup tonight. Update: Vielma was optioned. It should benefit the Orioles to have Schoop directly behind Manny Machado, who needs better protection in the...

Jonathan Schoop is back on the Orioles' active roster tonight and batting cleanup for the series opener against the Royals at Camden Yards. The corresponding move hasn't been announced. Adam Jones is in center field after sitting out Sunday's game in Oakland and Trey Mancini is leading off and playing left field. Chris Davis is batting sixth. Danny Valencia is playing third base. For the Orioles Trey Mancini LF Adam Jones CF Manny Machado SS Jonathan Schoop 2B Mark Trumbo DH Chris Davis 1B...