To no one's surprise, Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer was this afternoon named as the starting pitcher for the National League in Tuesday night's All-Star Game in Miami. NL manager Joe Maddon of the Cubs made the announcement Monday afternoon in a press conference televised live on MLB Network. Maddon said he'd have chosen Scherzer over Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw even if Kershaw hadn't taken himself out of the running for the assignment by pitching a complete game in a 5-2 win...

He saw 720 players taken ahead of him in the First-Year Player Draft and he's never been on anyone's top prospects list. But there is one list where he ranks No. 1 right now. He is the league leader in ERA in the prospect-laden Double-A Eastern League for the Bowie Baysox. A 24-year-old right-hander taken by the Orioles in round 24 in 2014, Lucas Long has had one impressive season for Bowie. He is 5-3 with a 2.10 ERA. Over 73 innings, he has given up 61 hits and just two home runs, with 16...

Orioles minor league outfielder Austin Hays has been hitting well pretty much since his first day in the organization. He hasn't been slowed down much since they selected him in the third round of the 2016 draft. His rapid rise through the farm system and recent promotion to Double-A Bowie has some wondering how soon he can get to Baltimore. Taken with the No. 91 selection out of Jacksonville University, Hays, who just turned 22 last Wednesday, hit .336 last season with short-season Single-A...

The bullpen was called upon to keep the Nationals in the game Sunday and it did its job. Starter Joe Ross was held to just 3 1/3 innings, leaving with what manager Dusty Baker described as "triceps tenderness." Left-hander Matt Grace followed, and along with four other relievers, held the Braves to two runs the rest of the way, a span of 5 2/3 frames. Grace ended up finishing 2 2/3 innings, allowing two hits and only one earned run (two runs overall) with one walk and one strikeout. It was...

When the Nationals convened at Oakland Coliseum way back on June 2, having just enjoyed a lovely day off in the Bay Area, they knew they were about to begin a particularly difficult and prolonged stretch that would take them right up to the All-Star break. Staring at the Nats at that moment were 20 games in 20 days, then after one day off, another 17 games in 17 games before they at last could enjoy a breather. It was daunting, but this also was a team that not only was playing well but was...

MINNEAPOLIS - When does four games below .500 at the All-Star break feel like a positive development? When the Orioles were six below with two left. Too bad there's really no such thing as momentum in baseball based on games won. The next day's starting pitcher dictates it. And four days will pass before the Orioles resume play. They need Kevin Gausman to come out strong on Friday against the Cubs. They need the entire rotation to step up or they have no shot at contending. The starters are...

We write here often about some of the top players in the O's minors. Often they are players well-known because they were high draft picks and/or have played well for a long time. Today let's take a look at a few players flying under the radar. This is by no means a complete list but some of these players should start getting noticed more. At Single-A Frederick, young outfielder Ademar Rifaela from Curacao has had a solid season. He is putting up better numbers than in his previous four...

MINNEAPOLIS - The fire alarm didn't sound at Target Field today. It only looked like a drill as the Orioles rushed to get out of the ballpark and catch their flights home for the All-Star break. Stragglers were in danger of being left behind. The Orioles ended the first half with two consecutive wins, including today's 11-5 romp over the Twins to leave them 42-46 and in fourth place in the American League East, 7 1/2 games behind the first-place Red Sox and four out of the wild card. "It's...

The diminished velocity was noticeable from the outset, with the radar gun at Nationals Park consistently flashing "89" or "88" on Joe Ross' fastballs, with only an occasional "90" or "91" sprinkled in there. But because Ross coasted through his first two innings against the Braves with little trouble, there wasn't much reason for those inside the home dugout to start asking questions. It was the top of the third when the Nationals began to have some concerns about Ross' health, when...

One key to the Nationals' big lead in their division heading into the All-Star break is the heart of their order. Their 3-4-5-6 hitters in the lineup have established a nice core of their offense which is difficult for any opposing pitcher to navigate. Sunday, they added their No. 7 hitter to the mix of lethal bats and that was too much for the Braves in a series-ending 10-5 Nats win. The 3-4-5-6 hitters in the lineup - Bryce Harper, Ryan Zimmerman, Daniel Murphy and Anthony Rendon - combined...