CINCINNATI - If Tanner Roark is going to revert to form and once again become a dependable member of the Nationals rotation, there's no time like the present. With right-hander Joe Ross scheduled to undergo Tommy John ligament replacement surgery Wednesday in Texas, the rotation could use a boost. Lefty Gio Gonzalez and righty Max Scherzer have thrown 14 1/3 scoreless innings in the first two games of this four-game series against the Reds. Now it's Roark's turn. There are reasons to be...

Well on a positive note, catcher Caleb Joseph is still hitting well. He ended the first half swinging a hot bat and has continued it in the Cubs series. Last night at Camden Yards, he went 2-for-3 with a solo homer and RBI single in the Orioles' 10-3 loss to the Cubs. A diving stop by third baseman Kris Bryant in the seventh robbed Joseph of a 3-for-3 night. Over his last nine games, Joseph is 13-for-28 (.464) with two homers and seven RBIs. He has five RBIs his past two games. Joseph is...

In case anyone missed it on Twitter, I'll pass along that teams like players who might be able to help them, but there may not be active discussions between the two sides. Also, everyone likes Zach Britton. There may actually be more inquiries about Brad Brach than Britton. I'm hearing that there's heavy traffic on Brach, who was dangled at the Winter Meetings for the proper return. The Orioles aren't simply going to unload him. Brach also can become a free agent following the 2018 season....

CINCINNATI - What should have been a cakewalk - a feel-good story punctuated by another 10-strikeout start by Max Scherzer and another offensive outburst by Anthony Rendon - turned into another reminder of why the Nationals so desperately need to find a couple of reliable bullpen arms - and fast. First the good news: The Nats won again Saturday night, prevailing in a 10-7 slugfest over the Reds that never should have gotten so close. Now the flip side: Handed a 10-0 lead, rookie Austin Adams...

This is no way to win a series. Orioles' starting pitchers have allowed 15 runs and six homers over 7 2/3 innings the last two games. Kevin Gausman got hit hard Friday night and Wade Miley allowed seven runs over 4 2/3 tonight as the Chicago Cubs beat the Orioles 10-3 at Camden Yards. At least the Cubs fans in a big crowd of 40,258 could head out happy. Now the Orioles are no longer winning home games. They have lost this series and are 1-6 in their last seven games at Oriole Park. They fall...

Two feel-good victories for the Orioles to close the first half have lost their value, erased by two losses coming out of the break that shove them further out of the playoff picture. Jake Arrieta held his former team to one earned run in 6 2/3 innings, Wade Miley couldn't avoid two-out trouble and the Orioles lost to the Cubs 10-3 before an announced crowd of 40,258 at Camden Yards. The Orioles (42-48) are six games below .500 for the second time this season. They're 3-8 in July after going...

CINCINNATI - Yes, the Nationals are interested in obtaining a pair of A's relievers to bolster their beleaguered bullpen. And that should not come as a surprise. Last night's report by Ken Rosenthal of MLB Network that the Nationals are interested in acquiring relievers Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson is indeed accurate and would seem to check a couple of boxes heading into the July 31 nonwaiver trading deadline. It would give the Nats two veteran bullpen arms, both of whom have closed at...

CINCINNATI - If reliever Shawn Kelley can get through throwing long toss and on flat ground today and Sunday, he could be in line to throw a bullpen session early next week "It could be Monday (or) Tuesday," Kelley said. "The bullpen depends on how the next two days of throwing goes." Kelley has been on the 10-day disabled list since June 18 (retroactive to June 17) with a right trapezius strain. It's his second stint on the DL this season, having previously been down with a lower back...

The Orioles continue to bat Jonathan Schoop third, with his 18th start coming tonight against the Cubs at Camden Yards. It seems to agree with him. Schoop is hitting .299/.351/.507 with two doubles, four home runs and nine RBIs in 67 at-bats. He enters tonight's game with a .296/.347/.537 slash line with 24 doubles, 18 home runs, 54 RBIs and 19 walks. Schoop has hit everywhere in the lineup this season except fourth and ninth, the majority of his starts (26) coming in the sixth slot. What...

After the great comeback attempt that fell short, the Orioles (42-47) host the Chicago Cubs (44-45) in the second game of a three-game series tonight at Oriole Park. Down 8-0 after the top of the third inning last night, the Orioles pulled even at 8-8 on Mark Trumbo's two-run homer off Koji Uehara in the eighth inning. But Addison Russell's solo homer off Brad Brach in the top of the ninth gave the Cubs a 9-8 win in their first game in Baltimore since 2003. The Cubs are 7-3 all-time against...