PITTSBURGH - The games still count for the Orioles, but so do the impressions made by young players who are getting an opportunity to compete with nothing on the line beyond pride. The Orioles can distract themselves from another defeat by focusing on the production offered tonight by catcher Chance Sisco and outfielders Anthony Santander and Austin Hays. They can peer into the future while the present continues to disappoint. Gabriel Ynoa allowed runs in all three of his innings before being...

The Orioles minor leagues had a good year in 2017. That is the opinion of several national analysts I have spoken to in the last week. Starting today we'll roll out some of their opinions and comments on the O's farm from those interviews. It was a year where outfielder Austin Hays moved from Single-A Frederick to Double-A Bowie and then to the majors. He was a finalist for Baseball America's Player of the Year award. The Orioles had four players ranked among the top 20 prospects in the...

PITTSBURGH - Jeremy Hellickson confirmed this afternoon that he's not expecting to make a start this weekend. The Orioles are shutting him down. Hellickson has some tightness in his back that surfaced on Sept. 16 in New York. He turned in a quality start in his last outing against the Rays at Camden Yards, allowing three runs over six innings in a 9-6 loss. Wade Miley is starting Friday night's series opener at Tropicana Field and Kevin Gausman is likely to start on Sunday. Hellickson isn't...

The Orioles have four games to play to wrap up the 2017 season. After a 10-1 loss at Pittsburgh last night, the Orioles play at PNC Park tonight to conclude a brief two-game series. Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen hit his first career grand slam Tuesday night and collected a career-high eight RBIs while going 4-for-4 with four runs scored. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, McCutchen became the third Pirates player since 1920 (when RBIs were first officially recorded) to record at least...

PHILADELPHIA - Brian Goodwin probably won't be returning to play for the Nationals in the regular season. Which doesn't mean he might not still return to play for them in the National League Division Series. Goodwin, out since Aug. 13 with a strained groin, has left the club and is now in West Palm Beach, Fla., playing in instructional league games. The outfielder will stay there through the weekend, manager Dusty Baker said, and could use that as a springboard to joining the active roster...

PITTSBURGH - So much for Kevin Gausman making his final start last night. Gausman is expected to pitch Sunday against the Rays at Tropicana Field to wrap up the 2017 season. He'd be working on regular rest after allowing six runs last night in four innings. "He'd like to pitch one more time," said manager Buck Showalter. "We'll see how we get through. That's one of the things we're contemplating." Gausman has equaled his 2016 innings total with 179 2/3. He's made 33 starts, three more...

PHILADELPHIA - Hello from Citizens Bank Park, where the Nationals and Phillies wrap up their season series tonight. Many thanks to Byron Kerr for covering the last two games; he's back home tonight hosting "Nats Xtra" on MASN, so I made the drive to Philadelphia to cover this final road game of the regular season. The Nationals have been very good away from home this year, with a 50-30 road record that is best in the National League. And, get this: If the Nats win tonight, they'd become the...

PITTSBURGH - Pedro Álvarez is playing first base tonight as the Orioles close out their two-game series against the Pirates. Chris Davis is on the bench. Adam Jones and Tim Beckham also are missing from the lineup. Austin Hays remains the center fielder and leadoff hitter. Chance Sisco continues to catch and Rule 5 pick Anthony Santander gets another start in right field. The all-rookie outfield returns for a second night. The Orioles and Blue Jays are tied for last place in the American...

Manager: Clint Hurdle (7th season) Record: 73-85 Last 10 games: 5-5 Who to watch: CF Andrew McCutchen (87 RBIs, 28 HR), LF Starling Marte (20 steals), 1B Josh Bell (87 RBIs, 25 HR), RHP Gerrit Cole (1.239 WHIP), LHP Felipe Rivero (20 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: 2-1 Pitching probables: Sept. 28: RHP Ivan Nova vs. RHP Edwin Jackson, 7:05 p.m., MASN Sept. 29: RHP Gerrit Cole vs. RHP Stephen Strasburg, 7:05 p.m., MASN Sept. 30: RHP Jameson Taillon vs. RHP Max Scherzer, 7:05 p.m., MASN Oct....

The Baltimore Orioles are currently 75-83, tied with the Toronto Blue Jays for last place in the American League East division. This is the club's first losing season since 2011, and first under executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette. The Birds gave the fans something to cheer and hope for heading into September, but the last month has been a pure disappointment. If there's anything good about getting officially eliminated from playoff contention early, it's that there...