MINNESOTA - A game that started with back-to-back home runs for the Orioles, that began with such promise that a six-run lead was attached to it like ribbon, deteriorated into one of the worst losses of the season. The fact that it doesn't immediately vault to No. 1 without debate speaks volumes. Kevin Gausman failed to record an out in the fifth inning, another sizeable margin punctured under his watch, and the Orioles fell to the Twins 9-6 before an announced crowd of 28,668 at Target...

They endured through a miserable Thursday night (and Friday morning) at the ballpark that included a controversial rain delay, the injury of their center fielder and a loss to the Braves. And then they endured through eight frustrating innings tonight in which they couldn't produce against a 42-year-old knuckleballer and were on the verge of another loss. And then came one of those magical bottom-of-the-ninth rallies that can completely change your opinion of a long night at the ballpark....

Max Scherzer has been very good but had one little slip-up. R.A. Dickey, meanwhile, has been near-perfect. And so the veteran right-hander on the mound tonight at Nationals Park making a run at history isn't Scherzer, but rather Dickey, who has tossed four no-hit innings so far to lead the Braves to a slim lead over the Nationals. Dickey and Scherzer each retired the first nine batters he faced before anyone finally broke through in the fourth. Scherzer opened that frame allowing a leadoff...

The Orioles are 0-4 on a seven-game road trip and look to begin to change that tonight. They play at Minnesota in the second game of a four-game series that leads into the All-Star break. Minnesota won 6-4 last night scoring six runs in the last of the third off Dylan Bundy. The Orioles had 11 hits but went 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position. They have scored just seven runs on this trip, batting .148 (4-for-27) with runners in scoring position. Bundy is 2-3 with an ERA of 8.53 over his...

MINNESOTA - Orioles manager Buck Showalter has chosen left-hander Wade Miley to start Saturday afternoon's game against the Twins at Target Field. Miley is taking his regular turn. It was in doubt as Showalter debated whether to start Chris Tillman, who returns on Saturday from paternity leave. Tillman is flying into Minnesota late tonight. "I just didn't like the idea of ... he hasn't really done much," Showalter said. "I don't think it's in his best interest or ours. And I think Wade...

They lost Adam Eaton to a season-ending ACL tear on April 28. They lost Jayson Werth to a bone bruise on the inside of his left foot on June 3. And now that they've lost Michael A. Taylor to a strained right oblique muscle, the Nationals are finding their outfield depth tested like never before. With Taylor officially placed on the 10-day disabled list this afternoon, the Nationals will turn to their third-string center fielder for the immediate future: Brian Goodwin. And they'll turn to a...

MINNESOTA - Whether Chris Davis is ready for more baseball activities won't be clear until the Orioles first baseman wakes up on Saturday and determines that the soreness hasn't returned to his right side. Davis took batting practice, threw and fielded ground balls earlier today and said he responded favorably to it. Still no setbacks as he tries to return from a strained oblique. "I think the biggest test is probably going to be tomorrow, what I feel like tomorrow, from what I hear. But I...

MINNESOTA - Orioles first baseman Chris Davis took live batting practice this afternoon and fielded ground balls while increasing the intensity of his baseball activities. Davis hadn't hit live pitching since going on the disabled list with a strained right oblique. He's expected to play Monday afternoon at Single-A Frederick and Wednesday night at low Single-A Delmarva, work out with the Orioles on Thursday and return to the active roster the following day. Jonathan Schoop played his first...

The sun is shining, the tarp is all rolled up, everybody is (sort of) refreshed after sleeping in this morning and the Nationals and Braves are preparing to play the second game of their four-game series tonight. The Nationals have issued a public apology for their handling of last night's (non-)rain delay and have begun to take some other steps toward appeasing those who were impacted by their decisions. They still have more to do to make things right. In the meantime, the Nats and Braves...

Today is the final day to sign selections from the 2017 First-Year Player Draft. The deadline is 5 p.m. Eastern time. But the Orioles are not going to sign their lone remaining unsigned top 10 pick, right-hander Jack Conlon from Clements (Texas) High School in Sugarland, Texas. He was taken in the fourth round with the 128th overall selection. Had the Orioles signed Conlon, they would have reached agreements with their all of their first 16 selections over the first 15 rounds. So far, they have...