Does Tommy Hunter need to put runners on base before he dials it up and gets hitters out? Is he really the new Don Stanhouse, as MASN's Rick Dempsey said? The new Orioles closer is 9-for-10 in save chances after getting out of a one-out, runners on second and third jam against Tampa Bay last night. Hunter's stats after he gets a runner or runners on base are very impressive. Opposing batters are just 5-for-26 (.192) with nine strikeouts against him when they bat with one or more on base....

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Now it makes sense. The decision to outright infielder David Adams and the unexplained opening on the 40-man roster. Hints that more moves could be coming. The extra rest provided for catcher Matt Wieters. The use of Wieters as the designated hitter last night. He's hurt. Wieters has a sore right elbow, and the idea that the discomfort first surfaced in his forearm conjures up images of Dylan Bundy, who had the same sensations last spring and underwent Tommy John...

Stop me if you've heard this one before: An error opened the floodgates to another disappointing Nationals loss. The Nats entered Tuesday night's game with 27 errors, third-most in the National League, and another pair of fielding miscues resulted in four unearned runs in an 8-3 loss to the Dodgers. Facing reigning Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw, who was making his return following a stint on the disabled list with back problems, was bad enough, but the Nats again gave away runs that...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Orioles catcher Matt Wieters will fly to Pensacola, Fla., Tuesday morning to have his right elbow examined by renowned orthopedist Dr. James Andrews. He's scheduled to come back to the team later in the day, and manager Buck Showalter hopes to have him behind the plate for the second game of the series against the Rays. Showalter didn't provide much information beyond confirming that Wieters had an MRI on his elbow during yesterday's break in the schedule. "He's...

In your first major league start, you hold the Los Angeles Dodgers to no earned runs over five-plus innings. Your fielding error allows the opponent to start a rally. But it is just three runs. Nationals right-hander Blake Treinen took the loss in an 8-3 defeat, but it was not because he wasn't ready or didn't have the stuff to compete. He did. "Obviously, I am excited to get an opportunity to come up here and play with this team," Treinen said. "Not so much nerves, as it was just trying...

Blake Treinen pitched his heart out tonight in the Nationals' 8-3 loss to the Dodgers, allowing just three unearned runs over five-plus innings against a dangerous Los Angeles lineup. Now Treinen will head back to Triple-A Syracuse and try and build off a strong first major league start. The Nationals optioned Treinen back to Syracuse after tonight's game, but they are not yet ready to announce a corresponding roster move. "We don't know that at this point," manager Matt Williams said....

Ryan Flaherty began tonight batting just .194 with just three hits over his last 20 at-bats. But his bases-loaded single in the eighth gave the Orioles the lead and they beat Tampa Bay 5-3 at Tropicana Field to open a three-game series. After Tampa Bay tied the game 3-3 in the seventh, the Orioles scored twice in the eighth. Matt Wieters singled and went to third on Steve Clevenger's double. A walk to Steve Pearce loaded the bases for Flaherty. His single off Joel Peralta made it a 4-3 and...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Orioles have grown accustomed to bizarre occurrences at Tropicana Field. Having the lights go out in the middle of a rally didn't faze them. The Orioles scored twice in the top of the eighth inning to break a 3-3 tie, but only after enduring a 19-minute delay. As Steve Pearce stood on deck following Steve Clevenger's double, the transformer carrying incoming power lines to the facility was struck by lightning. Players headed to their respective dugouts except for...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Orioles loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth inning tonight and settled for one run. They loaded the bases with no outs in the fifth and settled for one run. A 3-2 lead over the Rays doesn't seem sufficient. The Orioles could have delivered a knockout punch to Rays starter Chris Archer. Instead, they've taken a slim lead against him and pushed his pitch count to 100 in five innings. Nelson Cruz and Adam Jones singled to lead off the fourth and Matt...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Matt Wieters is serving as the designated hitter tonight in the Orioles' series opener against the Rays, and the decision is tied to his right elbow. I can confirm that Dr. James Andrews will examine Wieters' elbow on Wednesday, as first reported by Yahoo! Sports. There's apparently a growing concern that Wieters tore a ligament. Caleb Joseph was scratched from Triple-A Norfolk's lineup tonight and is headed to Tampa. Keep in mind that the Orioles outrighted...