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ATLANTA - Three players who had yet to appear in a Nationals game in 2018 came up big in an 8-1 series-opening victory over the Braves at SunTrust Park.
Tanner Roark, Pedro Severino and Shawn Kelley made significant contributions, coupled with a mammoth three-run homer by Bryce Harper, lifting the Nats to their fourth straight win to begin the season.
The Nationals are 4-0 for the first time in franchise history.
Roark (1-0) tossed seven innings, allowing only one run. Kelley fired a shutout...
HOUSTON - Orioles right-hander Chris Tillman remains convinced he will be a much better pitcher in 2018 than he was last year. While his results tonight looked too much like 2017, he doesn't feel his season will ultimately go poorly again.
Tonight, Tillman allowed back-to-back doubles to start his night and he gave up four runs over four innings plus one batter as Houston beat the Orioles 6-1 to start the club's seven-game road trip.
Tillman felt like he might be settling in tonight. Down 1-0...
HOUSTON - The Orioles came here looking to jump start their offense. Chris Tillman took the mound looking to reclaim his pre-2017 form. Neither happened however as the Orioles lost the series opener to the defending World Series champion Astros.
Tillman allowed a run two batters into his night and gave up four runs on the evening as Houston beat the Orioles 6-1 at Minute Maid Park. The Orioles fall to 1-3 and they've been outscored 19-3 with just 12 hits in the last three games.
A sellout...
ATLANTA - A struggle early for Braves left-hander Sean Newcomb. His defense did not help him. In the first, Trea Turner reached on a fielding error by Freddie Freeman. Turner went to third on Newcomb's throwing error. Anthony Rendon's groundout to shortstop scored Turner.
Unable to find the strike zone in the first, Newcomb then walked Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman.
Howie Kendrick followed with a run-scoring double off the right field wall. Harper slid under the tag and bobble of Braves...
ATLANTA - Daniel Murphy moved from the treadmill to running on the field today, another positive update as the veteran recovers from offseason microfracture right knee surgery that has placed him on the disabled list to begin the season.
"I thought it went well," Murphy said of running on the field. "Well, the grass doesn't really move. But obviously it's more realistic. As far as being limited in my pace I would say no. Yeah, same pace."
Murphy said his rehab focus continues to be about...
Breaking camp as the fifth starter in a rotation already creates a layer of uncertainty. When does he debut? How does the rainout day following the opener potentially influence him? How often is he going to be pushed back or skipped?
Try walking in Mike Wright Jr.'s shoes while Alex Cobb is throwing down in Sarasota and preparing to join Double-A Bowie's roster. .
Wright steps on the mound tonight at Minute Maid Park, in those shoes, focused only on his current assignment against the World...
It's been a busy transactional day for the Orioles before they open a three-game series in Houston.
Already making two earlier moves involving outfielder Michael Saunders and pitcher Stefan Crichton, the Orioles announced early this evening that they acquired left-hander Luis Ysla from the Dodgers for pitcher Jesus Liranzo and assigned him to Double-A Bowie.
Ysla, 25, went a combined 1-5 with a 5.28 ERA and 1.71 WHIP in 36 relief appearances at Double-A Portland and Tulsa. He walked 39 batters...
ATLANTA -- Starting catcher Matt Wieters has a mild left oblique strain and has been place on the 10-day disabled list. Nationals manager Davey Martinez said the injury was suffered in the fifth inning of Wieters last game against the Reds.
"We don't want to take a chance," Martinez said. "He's got a very slight, mild strain in his oblique. Rather than let it become a really big issue, we figured we'd give it the 10 days and get it taken care of and get him going again."
Wieters said he...
HOUSTON - Orioles right-hander Alex Cobb is inching closer to his first game action for the Orioles. He threw his latest bullpen session yesterday in Florida.
He has thrown a pair of simulated games, one for three innings and his second for four innings. That last outing was a 48-pitch effort last Friday. His next game in Florida will be on Wednesday.
"The decision will be made after his workday following that start whether he'll pitch (his next start) for us or wait another turn," manager...
HOUSTON - The Orioles, to say the least, are ready to move on from yesterday's postgame comments out of the Minnesota clubhouse. The Twins, particularly second baseman Brian Dozier, criticized O's catcher Chance Sisco for bunting against the shift in the ninth inning. Sisco singled to start a bases loaded rally in the 7-0 loss to the Twins.
One of the O's veterans that Dozier said would "address that" with Sisco is first baseman Chris Davis. He did address it with the young O's catcher,...