CHICAGO - Good afternoon from the one and only Friendly Confines here at the corner of Clark and Addison on the North Side. There truly is no place in baseball (or really all of sports) like Wrigley Field, and this weekend there's no better place to be, with the top two teams in the sport going head-to-head for a four-game series that is being built up big time by the Chicago media. The Cubs have been utterly dominant so far this season, with a .769 winning percentage and a run differential of...

The Orioles today announced the Birdland Community Heroes for the weekend series against the Oakland Athletics from May 6-8. This new initiative honors Birdland Community Heroes who have inspired others through their spirited commitment to extend a hand in charity, service, hope, and harmony. Each of the honorees will be featured during an in-game ceremony at the conclusion of the fifth inning. On Friday, May 6, when the Orioles host Student Night, Dr. Carla D. Hayden, CEO of the Enoch Pratt...

Hyun Soo Kim gets the start in left field tonight and Rule 5 pick Joey Rickard moves to the bench, as the Orioles conclude their three-game series against the Yankees. Kim, who's 9-for-15, is batting sixth. Manny Machado stays at shortstop and moves atop the order. Machado leads the American League and is tied for the major league lead with 13 multi-hit games this season. Mark Trumbo has hit safely in 22 of his 26 games, batting .333 (34-for-102). For the Orioles Manny Machado SS Adam Jones CF...

CHICAGO - The Nationals have activated Ben Revere off the disabled list and will have their leadoff man and center fielder available to them this afternoon for the first time since opening day. Needing to clear a spot for Revere on the active roster, the Nats optioned Matt den Dekker to Triple-A Syracuse, a decision manager Dusty Baker admitted earlier this week would be particularly tough. A key offseason acquisition from the Blue Jays in the Drew Storen trade, Revere barely got a chance to...

Just over a month into the 2016 season, the Orioles offense is on pace to be one of the game's best. They've hit 36 homers, ranking third in the major leagues in that category (there's a four-way tie for first) and have baseball's third-best batting average with runners in scoring position (.295). We knew this club would score some runs this season, so I suppose these early rankings aren't much of a surprise. What is a surprise though, is that they've been able to put up these numbers...

It isn't difficult to find weakness with the 2016 Nationals, which is a bit odd, because at 19-8 they have the second- best record in baseball. Just ask Nats fans and they'll tell you the team could be even better if it weren't for that darn closer, Jonathan Papelbon. The thing about closers is they all blow saves and they all struggle at times, but theirs is a position that when they struggle their team losses. Of all the Nats closers, the only one that I could think of that maintained his...

The Orioles offense has certainly been streaky lately. In the last four games of the road trip to Kansas City and Tampa Bay, the Orioles scored just five runs. Then they came home and scored 23 runs in the first three games against the Chicago White Sox. Now they have scored just five runs over the last three games. Eight times this year, the Orioles have scored six or more runs in a game. But seven times this year, they have scored two runs or less. That includes last night, when CC Sabathia...

The Orioles won't face another left-handed starter until the Athletics give Rich Hill the ball in Friday's series opener. That's one whole day. A predictable lineup tonight would include Rule 5 pick Joey Rickard in left field, Mark Trumbo in right and Pedro Alvarez serving as the designated hitter. It's been standard, and a three-man bench reduces the odds that changes are coming. Trumbo and Alvarez are set, but a slump obviously brings Rickard's status into question. That's usually how...

The Orioles could not get it going tonight against 35-year-old left-hander CC Sabathia in a 7-0 loss to the Yankees. He gave up six hits over seven innings to improve to 2-2 with an ERA of 3.81. This was Sabathia's first scoreless outing of seven or more innings since April 7, 2013 at Detroit. The O's Chris Davis talked about the lack of offense against him tonight. "Extremely difficult," Davis said of trying to get hits off the veteran Sabathia. "I think over the years he has really had...

Reliever Koda Glover, an eighth-round selection out of Oklahoma State in 2015, has not allowed a run in his first nine games. After stonewalling the Carolina League for seven games, Glover was promoted to Double-A Harrisburg on April 29. In his two games for Harrisburg, Glover has fired three innings without allowing a run. He has struck out five and walked none on just two hits. He pitched in the seventh inning in his first Double-A appearance, then the seventh and eighth innings on May 2...