Closer Zach Britton is about to end his tour of the Orioles' minor league affiliates. Britton has pitched once in the short-season Single-A New York-Penn League, twice in the Single-A South Atlantic League and Double-A Eastern League, and once in the Single-A Carolina League, where he retired the side in order last night on 11 pitches at Single-A Frederick. Somehow, he managed to skip the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League. Britton will return to the International League on Monday for the...

With a batting average hovering near .300 and an OPS 130 points ahead of last year, Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop is having his best season. The 25-year-old from Curacao is maturing on offense before our very eyes with a career-best walk rate and is on pace for 31 homers and 100 RBIs. Orioles hitting coach Scott Coolbaugh has watched Schoop raise his game while avoiding pitches down in the zone. Schoop has chased fewer pitches this year and he has sure done damage with those that are...

ST. LOUIS - It was just about the last thing anybody associated with the Nationals wanted to see at that moment: Bryce Harper falling to the ground in a heap in obvious pain after running down the first base line. Given the fact Adam Eaton tore up his knee on a very similar looking play two months ago, and given the fact Trea Turner fractured his wrist only 24 hours earlier, the sight of Harper on the ground in the top of the first inning Friday night elicited some of the worst feelings...

ST. LOUIS - The Nationals have spent the better part of the last three months trying to figure out what's wrong with Tanner Roark. How has one of the majors' most consistent starters since he debuted nearly four years ago has fallen apart in the first half of this season? And after yet another ragged outing in which the right-hander lasted only three innings and set the course for the Nationals' 8-1 loss to the Cardinals, they found themselves right back where they started. What's the...

ST. LOUIS - Bryce Harper gave the Nationals a scare, but turned out to be fine. Tanner Roark, however, has not been fine for a while, and that has become a major concern for the Nats. Roark struggled once again tonight, lasting only three innings and digging the Nationals into an early hole that only got deeper as an 8-1 loss to the Cardinals played out. Hoping to bounce back after three consecutive poor starts, Roark found no answers at Busch Stadium. He issued a career-high five walks,...

The Orioles came within a strike tonight of moving above .500 again and passing the Rays for third place in their division. One measly strike. That's all they needed. Brad Brach blew his fourth save and his first since May 16 in Detroit on a two-out walk, balk, wild pitch and single, and Steven Souza Jr. hit a three-run homer off Darren O'Day in the 10th to give the Rays a 6-4 victory over the Orioles before an announced crowd of 24,398 at Camden Yards. Some losses leave a mark. This one...

One strike away from a win that would have moved them into third place, instead the Orioles suffered a deflating extra-inning loss tonight. Steven Souza Jr.'s three-run homer in the 10th off Darren O'Day lifted Tampa Bay to the 6-4 victory. After Brad Brach suffered a blown save with two outs in the ninth as the Rays tied it, O'Day came on for the 10th of a 3-3 game. He walked Corey Dickerson, who advanced to second on a groundout. Then he intentionally walked Logan Morrison. That set the...

ST. LOUIS - Adrian Sanchez was three innings into Thursday's game with Triple-A Syracuse when he was informed he was being pulled from the game. The 26-year-old infielder had no idea what was up, had no idea what had been learned in Washington only minutes earlier: Trea Turner had a fractured right wrist. The Nationals needed another infielder to get to St. Louis ASAP, and so it was that Sanchez - after a full decade in the organization - learned he was getting his first call to the major...

ST. LOUIS - The Nationals don't know yet exactly how long they're going to be without Trea Turner, but they know they're going to have to make do without their dynamic leadoff man and shortstop for a significant amount of time. And in their quest to make do, they're going to have to ask for multiple things from multiple players. "We've got to carry on," manager Dusty Baker said before tonight's series opener against the Cardinals. "You can't bring the injury back. We can talk about...

Last night the Orioles saw one struggling right-hander pitch a gem to lead them to a win in Toronto. Can it happen for them again tonight as they open a series in Baltimore? Chris Tillman (1-5, 8.39 ERA) will make his 11th start of 2017, looking to jump-start a season that has been running in neutral for him. The Orioles host Tampa Bay in their final home series before the All-Star break. Over his last four starts, Tillman has pitched to a 13.80 ERA and has given up five or more runs each time....