After breaking camp with the Orioles following an impressive spring training, outfielder Joey Rickard quickly won the hearts of O's fans. He opened up the season with a seven-game hitting streak in which he slashed .370/.367/.556 with a 152 wRC+. From the beginning of the season through April 21 against the Blue Jays, he slashed .350/.359/.483 with a 135 wRC+. As of lately, he hasn't been as fortunate, gathering two hits - one being an infield single - over his last 20 at-bats. On the season,...

Every time Bryce Harper does something that seems straight out of a video game, we wonder the same question: Will there ever come a point where opposing teams simply don't give the young slugger any opportunity to swing the bat in any situation of consequence? We got a bit of a taste last night what that would be like, when the Phillies walked Harper three times (twice intentionally). Even then, though, manager Pete Mackanin couldn't follow through all the way with his game plan and wound up...

Stephen Strasburg has allegedly thrown 58 sliders this season. After four games, that number seems neither noteworthy or indicative of anything. That is unless you compare it to the last few seasons. First, the number. In the last 56 starts he made prior to the beginning of 2016, he threw 18 sliders in total. This year, he's averaging 14 per start. On Sunday, he threw 20. That's a big difference. So did Strasburg learn a new pitch? Well, it's actually not first time he's thrown a bunch of...

ST. PETERBURG, Fla. - Given the responsibility of closing out games for the Orioles, left-hander Zach Britton also wants to shut down the steady stream of criticism directed at the organization for failing to develop its young pitchers. It's become a sensitive topic. Jake Arrieta has thrown two no-hitters and won a Cy Young Award since the Orioles traded him to the Cubs three years ago. It was supposed to happen in Baltimore, for the team that selected him in the fifth round of the 2007 First...

Max Scherzer is annoyed, but he's not upset. He's not pitching the way he has and knows he can, but he doesn't believe he needs to completely overhaul everything to get himself back in form. "Everything is not broke," the Nationals right-hander said following tonight's 4-3 loss to the Phillies. "This isn't a time where you just beat everything around and throw your glove around. The pitches are there. It's just a little fine-tuning. That's the difference between dominance and being...

Right-hander Matt Belisle believes he has reaggravated a right calf strain he had originally suffered in the offseason in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Phillies. Belisle was summoned to begin the top of the eighth Tuesday against the Phillies. David Lough hit a grounder that Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman easily grabbed and stepped on first for the out. Belisle tried to make a move towards first on the play and quickly realized he had hurt his calf again. "The reaction to break to the...

The Kansas City Royals and Tampa Bay Rays have good pitching, and the Orioles can attest to that. In losing four of five on this road trip to those two teams, the O's scored four runs total in those losses. The offense that looked so special to start the season has slowed and it has really been for more than just a few games. Over the last nine games, the Orioles have scored four runs or less eight times and they've done that 10 times in the last 12 games. It will not get any easier for the...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - One run in 26 innings. The story of another loss tonight can be told in many ways, but the main plot continues to center on an offense that can't catch a break or break out. The Orioles dropped their second series in a row, losing to the Rays 3-1 at Tropicana Field. They'll try to avoid the sweep on Wednesday before heading home. Chris Davis led off the fourth inning with a hustle double and scored on Mark Trumbo's single into left field. The next two batters reached...

The Phillies' Andres Blanco and Cesar Hernandez had three hits apiece, while Makiel Franco's run-scoring double proved to be the difference in a 4-3 win over the Nationals in D.C. It marked the Phillies' second straight win over the Nationals, dating back to April 17. Early on, the Nationals' ace right-hander Max Scherzer had trouble again. Scherzer allowed two runs in the first inning. Opponents scoring early has been an unfortunate recurrence in his April starts. In the top of the first,...

The Orioles are still looking to get their suddenly cold bats going. That, along with a poorly located 0-2 pitch, led to their latest loss tonight. After winning their first three series against American League East opponents, the Orioles will not win this series. Since their 7-0 start, the Orioles are 4-8 after falling tonight 3-1 to Tampa Bay. The Orioles are 1-4 on this six-game road trip. In the four losses on the trip the Orioles have scored four total runs. In the eight losses since the...