With a five-game losing streak on their minds and an exhausted set of relievers in their bullpen, the Nationals tonight turned to the kind of guy who is hardwired to solve all of his team's woes in one brilliant pitching performance. Max Scherzer is the ace of this club, and the National League's back-to-back Cy Young Award winner for a reason. And that reason was on full display tonight before 19,528 brave souls who sat through another frigid evening at the park but were rewarded with a 2-0...

The 1-2-5 double play executed yesterday by the Orioles in the 12th inning was the first in club history and certainly the first involving Tim Beckham, who's making only his 16th career start tonight at third base. Beckham alertly covered the bag as reliever Brad Brach fielded Aaron Judge's comebacker with the bases loaded, no outs and the Orioles clinging to a one-run lead. Brach fired to catcher Caleb Joseph, a calm and accurate throw given the intense situation and his two walks and...

Nationals starter Max Scherzer set the tone early by striking out two in the first: Ozzie Albies swinging and Freddie Freeman looking. Then the Nationals offense did likewise in their half of the first. Anthony Rendon doubled and Bryce Harper walked. With two outs, Howie Kendrick lined a double down the left field line to score two. The Nationals have scored at least one run in the first inning in eight of their 10 games. Update: Scherzer allowed a single to Kurt Suzuki in the second, but no...

After a road trip where they went 0-3 at Houston and 3-1 at New York, the Orioles get a brief chance to play a few games at home starting tonight. They'll host Toronto for a three-game series at Camden Yards before they go back on the road. The Orioles produced a couple of wild extra-inning wins at Yankee Stadium to take that series after going 2-8 there last season. Right-hander Dylan Bundy (0-0, 0.69 ERA) makes his third start of the season tonight. Bundy began the year pitching on opening...

Assuming all goes well during a brief rehab assignment with Single-A Potomac, the Nationals expect to have Matt Wieters back on their active roster Thursday when he becomes eligible to return from the 10-day disabled list. At which point they are going to face a dilemma involving the emerging Pedro Severino. Wieters, out since April 2 with a mild left oblique strain, worked out on the field at Nationals Park early this afternoon, taking batting practice from both sides of the plate and throwing...

Nationals center fielder Michael A. Taylor has yet to get into a nice groove early in 2018, but he showed some signs of consistency in a couple of at-bats in Sunday night's 6-5 loss to the Mets. After starting the game 0-for-2, Taylor singled in the fifth and then added an RBI single in the seventh that tied the game at 5-5. Unfortunately, he struck out in the ninth with the bases loaded and one out. The pitches that got him off of Mets reliever Seth Lugo were a slider, a curveball and then a...

The Orioles didn't announce today's roster move until the media was out of the clubhouse, but there were rumblings about Hunter Harvey being at Camden Yards. And a fresh arm certainly made sense after another extra-inning game yesterday in New York. It just happened to be attached to the top pitching prospect in the organization. Harvey turned 23 in December and he hasn't pitched beyond the low Single-A South Atlantic League, where he made 17 starts with Delmarva in 2014 and three last year....

It would be one thing for the Orioles to win a big game in Yankee Stadium with the middle of their order doing most of the damage and/or Dylan Bundy or Zach Britton on the mound, but it was quite another on Sunday in the Bronx. The Orioles pulled out the 12-inning, 8-7 win with two Rule picks 5 contributing big in outfielder Anthony Santander and pitcher Pedro Araujo. Backup outfielder Craig Gentry made a game-saving catch in the 10th and later produced the winning single. And there were so...

Alex Cobb will make his Orioles debut on Saturday against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Cobb is flying out of Florida later today and will have a work day at Double-A Bowie. He went six innings today in an extended spring training game against the Twins. Mark Trumbo also is leaving Florida and will play in Bowie the next two nights. The Orioles will decide whether he remains on his injury rehab assignment through the weekend. Trumbo played first base today in Sarasota, going 2-for-3 with a home...

Chris Davis is back in the Orioles lineup tonight for the series opener against the Blue Jays at Camden Yards. Davis sat out yesterday's game in New York due to an illness. Danny Valencia is the designated hitter against Jays left-hander J.A. Happ and Anthony Santander stays in right field. Caleb Joseph is behind the plate. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the 1-2-5 double play executed yesterday in the 12th inning was the first in Orioles history and the first in the majors since...