HOUSTON - The Nationals again got off to a nice start in the opening game of a road series, dropping the American League West-leading Astros 4-3. The Nats are 27-14 (.659) this season in series openers. On the road, they are 15-6 (.714) in series openers, including four straight wins at Miami, Chicago against the Cubs, San Diego and Houston. With a win tonight, the Nats would improve to 13-7-1 in road series. They have won a National League-best 40 games on the road this season. The Nats have...

Left-hander Vidal Nuño has been outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk after clearing waivers, which opens a spot on the 40-man roster. Nuño has pitched twice since the Orioles optioned him on June 20, working one-third of an inning on Friday and an inning on Sunday after coming off the inactive list. He underwent multiple MRIs to determine the cause of discomfort in his oblique. The Orioles said each test came back clean. Nuño allowed home runs in all three appearances after the Orioles...

Orioles right-hander Dylan Bundy has been pretty good when pitching on extra rest this year. He takes the mound today with 10 days rest as he tries to pitch the Orioles past Oakland in the third and deciding game of this series. Bundy's last start was Aug. 12 against the same Oakland team he faces today. He got the win that night, allowing three runs over six innings. In his last three starts, Bundy is 3-0 with a 2.14 ERA. In four starts with six days or more rest in 2017, Bundy is 3-1 with a...

Reliever Miguel Castro is at Camden Yards and off the bereavement list. The bullpen continues to hold six relievers. Ryan Flaherty is starting in right field today as the Orioles close their series against the Athletics. Manny Machado is batting .341 (31-for-91) this month with five doubles, a triple, nine home runs, 30 RBIs and 16 runs scored. Jonathan Schoop needs one RBI to reach 94 and tie Roberto Alomar for the club record for second basemen. The Athletics switched starters for today. They...

Prior to the All-Star break, Orioles left fielder Trey Mancini looked like he was Rookie of the Year-worthy, if not for Yankees' Aaron Judge posting Most Valuable Player caliber numbers. The 25-year-old rookie posted a .312/.354/.538 slash line with 14 homers and a 133 wRC+. Orioles superstar Manny Machado was on a different path, however, slashing .230/.296/.445 with 18 home runs and a 90 wRC+ through the first half of the season. Since the All-Star break, these two players are producing...

HOUSTON - Tanner Roark battled with a first place American League lineup Tuesday, taking each punch in the first three innings, but never allowing a knockout blow. The Astros scored three runs in three innings to begin, but then nothing else as the Nationals mounted a comeback 4-3 victory. Matt Wieters' two-run shot erased their final deficit and Roark did not allow a run in his final 2 2/3 innings of work to improve to 10-8. It marks the third season of the past four that Roark has reached...

HOUSTON - The Nationals began their series with another first-place team in the Astros on their home field and came away with a hard-fought 4-3 win. The Nats took the lead 4-3 on a Matt Wieters fourth-inning two-run homer. Thanks to a resurgent Tanner Roark, the bullpen and some timely defense, the Nats held Houston to no runs on three hits over the final six innings. A big reason for the win was the effort turned in by the bullpen. Over the final 2 2/3 innings, Oliver Pérez, Joe Blanton,...

Over their last five series, counting the current one versus Oakland, the Orioles are 5-0 in series-opening games. They are 1-9 in all other games in those series. Yikes. They have not won any of the previous four series but could win this one if they beat Oakland behind right-hander Dylan Bundy this afternoon at Camden Yards. Anyone that has been even remotely paying attention the last week or so could probably tell the Orioles rotation has taken another turn south. This follows a stretch...

Dylan Bundy is preparing today for his 24th start of the season, ranking him third on the Orioles behind Kevin Gausman (27) and Wade Miley (26). It hasn't been a level playing field for Bundy, who has gone extended stretches between outings. Manager Buck Showalter wants to provide extra rest for his starters, and his methods mostly impact Bundy, the former first-round pick who's in his first full season in the rotation. Bundy logged 109 2/3 innings last season as a rookie, the first half...

Last night, left-hander Wade Miley provided the Orioles with what has lately been a rare quality start. But they could not get two in a row tonight. Right-hander Ubaldo Jiménez allowed five runs and three homers over five innings as the Oakland Athletics beat the Orioles 6-4 at Oriole Park. A late-game O's rally fell short. They pulled within 5-4 on Jonathan Schoop's two-run single in the last of the eighth. But a solo homer in the ninth by the A's Khris Davis off Darren O'Day accounted...