The Twins have arrived at Nationals Park for a three-game weekend series. Then, beginning Monday, the Nationals will have their first day off after 16 straight days of games. The Phillies begin a three-game series here on Tuesday. Every game and series is crucial. But you have to believe that this week is huge considering the daunting road trip that begins April 29. The trek begins in St. Louis, where the Nationals have always had a battle on their hands. Then the Nats go across Missouri and...

Stephen Strasburg's agent Scott Boras told FOXSports.com's Jon Morosi this spring that the Washington Nationals and their 2009 No. 1 overall pick were not actively discussing a deal that could keep him in the nation's capital beyond 2016 and weren't likely to talk about one until the season was over. Strasburg and the Nationals avoided arbitration this winter, agreeing on a 1-year/$10.4M deal, but beyond that, there were no discussions about a long-term deal. "We amicably agreed to a...

Call it something old, something new, with both players wearing Cubbie blue. Milt Pappas died this week. He pitched for the Orioles before being trading away to the Cincinnati Reds in the Frank Robinson deal and ultimately tossed a no-hitter for the Chicago Cubs. Last night, Jake Arrieta, whom the Orioles traded away, tossed a no-hitter for the Cubs. The opponent? The Cincinnati Reds. That, my friends, is baseball. I can't imagine many O's fans actually resent Arrieta for throwing his second...

Yovani Gallardo's quest to record an out beyond the sixth inning continues tonight in Kansas City. Twenty starts have passed since Gallardo's done it. He came close again Saturday night in Texas, but failed to retire the two batters he faced in the seventh as a 4-2 lead dissolved into an 8-4 loss. Gallardo is 1-0 with a 5.63 ERA and 1.500 WHIP in his first three starts as an Oriole, with 10 runs and 18 hits allowed over 16 innings. He's worked five, five and six innings. Gallardo's never...

Michael A. Taylor has had some big hits this young season but has not been as consistent at the plate as some might have hoped when he was moved to the top of the order. Back in early April, center fielder Ben Revere was injured in the first game at Atlanta. It appeared that maybe it was just going to be a couple of days and that Revere was a "fast healer" from what was diagnosed as a right oblique strain. Revere was placed on the 15-day disabled list. Unfortunately, an injury like this can...

The Orioles embark on their second road trip of the season and are another day away from their first roster move. They're going to make it through 15 games and two postponements, destroying another Baltimore tradition. First Natty Boh and now a stagnant roster. Reliever Brian Matusz is expected to come off the disabled list on Saturday while the Orioles are in the middle of their three-game series in Kansas City. Kevin Gausman is expected to be activated on Monday when the Orioles begin a...

Orioles catcher Matt Wieters had calmed down considerably tonight as reporters approached him for comment on his second career ejection. A game was won. That's what truly mattered. "I don't like to get them, but I said some things I probably shouldn't have," said Wieters, who was tossed by plate umpire Dan Bellino after the bottom of the fifth inning for arguing that he checked his swing. "He just hit a nerve a little bit, especially the checked swing, because they do have the option to...

The Orioles' lead in the American League East was down to 1 1/2 games when they lost to Toronto on Tuesday night at Camden Yards. Now it is 3 1/2 games after they posted impressive back-to-back wins over Toronto. A few clutch hits finally came and O's pitching was so impressive the last two nights, just at a time when the staff was getting some major criticism. The Orioles held Toronto to five runs the last two nights and Blue Jays batters went just 2-for-20 with runners in scoring position....

Everyone was in agreement that plate umpire Dan Bellino presented an assortment of unwanted challenges for the Orioles in tonight's game against the Blue Jays. All they could do was push ahead and try to focus on winning their fourth series. They did it, disposing of the Blue Jays 3-2 before an announced crowd of 17,644 at Camden Yards. Chris Tillman had a bad first inning. Bellino had a bad game, punctuated by an ejection of catcher Matt Wieters for arguing a strikeout that ended the fifth...

The Orioles' leading hitter in 2016 got it done again. The guy that can drive the ball far and produce over 100-mph exit velocities put them ahead with a bloop. Manny Machado's flare to short right field went for a double and scored Joey Rickard to break a tie in the bottom of the eighth. The Orioles went on to a 3-2 win over Toronto. Until Machado's hit, the O's were 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position. They won on a night they stranded 13 runners on base. The Orioles improved to...