Orioles closer Zach Britton will receive a stem cell injection in his left knee on Thursday afternoon and is expected to be shut down for the last nine games of the season, which continued to turn sour with tonight's 9-0 loss to the Red Sox at Camden Yards. The Orioles will monitor how Britton responds to the injection, but also where they stand as they move through their final homestand and hit the road for series in Pittsburgh and St. Petersburg, Fla. "The plan is do that now and then see...

ATLANTA - They labored all night to even give themselves scoring opportunities. Until finally the Nationals figured out the best way to score runs against the Braves pitching staff: Stop swinging. Four consecutive walks issued by Atlanta's bullpen - three of them via Arodys Vizcaíno with the bases loaded - highlighted a wild, six-run rally in the top of the eighth that turned a tight Nationals deficit into a comfortable 7-3 victory at SunTrust Park. There were some actual hits during the...

For a while, Orioles lefty Wade Miley was holding the Boston Red Sox at bay. He pitched out a bases-loaded jam in the third and had not allowed a hit to that point. Earlier this season, he held Boston to two runs in 12 innings over two starts. But that run of success quickly came to a stop as Boston homered twice in the fourth to lead 4-0. The Red Sox went on to a 9-0 win tonight behind Chris Sale to improve to 88-64, sweep the three-game series and restore their American League East lead to...

Wade Miley escaped a bases-loaded jam in the third inning tonight and walked straight into an ambush in the fourth. No one could save him. No one can save this season. Miley served up two-run homers to the Red Sox's Mookie Betts and Deven Marrero in the fourth and the Orioles lost for the 12th time in 14 games, 9-0, before an announced crowd of 16,906 at Camden Yards. Did anyone believe that Chris Sale would hand back a four-run lead, or the six-run margin in the fifth? Extra innings weren't...

Coming off a pair of 11-inning losses by 10-8 and 1-0 scores, the Orioles need to win tonight to avoid getting swept three straight by Boston. Although the Red Sox swept series of two and four games in Baltimore last season, their last three-game sweep at Oriole Park was from Sept. 18-20, 2009. Boston (87-64) has won 10 of its last 13 games and leads New York by 2 1/2 games atop the American League East after the Yankees won this afternoon. Boston is a season-high 23 games over .500 and is...

ATLANTA - The way Bryce Harper has progressed and looked in his on-field workouts the last few days, it's only natural to wonder if the Nationals slugger may be on the verge of returning from his scary-looking left leg injury. That may prove to be the case, but manager Dusty Baker also has some words of caution for those who are ready to throw Harper right back into his starting lineup. "You don't want to jump the gun too much just because of what we've seen," Baker said. "The tendency is...

Manager: Kevin Cash (2nd year) Record: 74-78 Last 10 games: 4-6 Who to watch: LF Corey Dickerson (.277 with 26 HR, 60 RBIs), 3B Evan Longoria (18 HR, 83 RBIs), 1B Logan Morrison (36 HR, 82 RBIs), RF Steven Souza Jr. (30 HR, 78 RBIs), RHP Alex Cobb (11-10, 3.63 ERA), RHP Chris Archer (9-11, 4.02 ERA), RHP Alex Colomé (45 saves) Season series vs. Orioles: 6-6 Pitching probables: Sept. 21: RHP Matt Andriese vs. RHP Gabriel Ynoa, 7:05 p.m., MASN Sept. 22: RHP Alex Cobb vs. RHP: Ubaldo...

Manny Machado is absent from the Orioles lineup tonight and manager Buck Showalter is considering whether to send him home due to an illness that's also struck a few other players in the clubhouse. "It's something that we've been dealing with for, I guess, two weeks," said Showalter. "He's pretty sick. So that's what that's about. "He's got total body ... his body's aching all over. I don't know if you all saw him in the clubhouse. We're actually thinking about sending him home,...

With seven hits, including three extra-base hits his last four games, Orioles outfielder Austin Hays will put that hot streak to the test tonight against Boston left-hander Chris Sale (16-7, 2.84 ERA). The rookie will be facing a pitcher that has finished in the top six of the American League Cy Young vote in the last five years. A pitcher that leads the league with 287 strikeouts over 201 1/3 innings. He needs 13 more strikeouts to become the first AL pitcher with 300 since Pedro Martinez for...

The Orioles may shut down closer Zach Britton for the last 10 games of the season due to lingering concerns about his knee. Britton underwent his exit physical and team orthopedist Dr. Michael Jacobs will discuss the results of an MRI with manager Buck Showalter before the club makes a decision. Surgery isn't considered a possibility at the moment. Showalter said whatever is causing the discomfort should "heal itself" in the offseason. Britton continues to wear a brace on the knee, as he's...