Let me preface this by saying that in no way am I comparing what's happened in Baltimore the past few days to the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, or any other situation. I'm just not qualified to say which situation is worse or anything along those lines. What I can say is that both were community issues at their grass roots. In the wake of the tragedy at the Boston Marathon two years ago, we saw the city of Boston become galvanized and unified, perhaps more so than at any other time since...

As the city of Baltimore tries to regain some sense of normalcy, so will its baseball team. The Orioles are scheduled to take the field this afternoon at 2:05 p.m. against the Chicago White Sox even though no fans will be in the ballpark. It figures to be a strange and surreal scene. Some challenges have been thrown the Orioles' way, but they pale in comparison to the challenges for the city and its residents. But for a baseball team, they will be challenging. What was once a nine-game...

ATLANTA - It was a tough major league debut tonight for Nationals starter A.J. Cole. The 23-year-old rookie was battered for nine runs on nine hits as he lasted only two innings. The Braves' approach was relentless against Cole as they battered fastballs all over Turner Field. Cole did have a chance to lessen the damage with two outs in the second and the Nats down 4-1. Braves third baseman Alberto Callaspo hit a bouncer to first baseman Ryan Zimmerman. Cole sprinted over to cover the bag, but...

Let's hit the books with one of this country's most influential writers on matters of race relations in the United States - James Baldwin. "If Beale Street Could Talk" was written in 1974, but it could have been written today, and we would recognize the story as one of current events. A young black man is wrongly charged with rape and the story of his fight for freedom is told through the eyes of his pregnant fiancée. The characters are painfully real without exaggeration. One feels the...

In ranking the most potentially bizarre scenes, I'm not sure whether to place a walk-off home run in an empty ballpark ahead of a walk-off home run in a road venue. Nothing make sense to me anymore - on the field and in the streets. The Orioles and White Sox will play today at 2:05 p.m., in a game that's closed to the public and, unless I'm missing something, guaranteed to set the record for lowest attendance. I've experienced it during intrasquad games in spring training, when you may find...

ATLANTA - Infielder Anthony Rendon's minor league rehab stint is on hold again at Double-A Harrisburg. Last night, Rendon was a late scratch after having trouble loosening up his injured left knee. He won't play tonight due to a completely new issue. "Today he reported to the stadium and felt a little tightness kind of in his side, so we want to make sure we don't mess with stuff like that," Nationals manager Matt Williams said. "I think he's fine, it's just a question at this point of...

ATLANTA - Right-hander A.J. Cole is set to make his major league debut at Turner Field tonight. His task: Beat the Braves and stop the Nationals' six-game freefall. The 6-foot-5 Cole is one of baseball highly regarded pitching prospects. The Nationals originally selected the 23-year-old in the fourth round of the First-Year Player Draft in 2010. He was sent to Oakland as part of the trade to acquire left-hander Gio Gonzalez and then brought back to Washington in three way trade involving first...

Monday and Tuesday's games rescheduled for single-admission doubleheader on May 28 After consultation with Major League Baseball and city and local officials, tomorrow's game between the Orioles and the Chicago White Sox will begin at 2:05 p.m. ET and will be closed to the public. The Orioles will also play their three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays, scheduled for May 1-3, at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. while serving as the home team. All fans with tickets to games on...

The Orioles intend to play the final game of their series against the White Sox at 2:05 p.m. Wednesday, and it will be closed to the public but air on MASN. Coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. Also, the three-game series against the Rays slated to begin Friday has been moved to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. The Orioles will serve as the "home" team and receive the gate. The postponed games between the Orioles and White Sox this week, impacted by the rioting in the city, will be made up as...

The Washington Nationals recalled right-handed pitcher A.J. Cole from Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday and optioned right-handed pitcher Rafael Martin there. Cole will start Tuesday night's game against the Atlanta Braves. President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Cole, 23, entered the 2015 season ranked as the Nationals' No. 6 prospect, and the No. 91 prospect in all of baseball, according to Baseball America. The hard-throwing right-hander, who was...