OAKLAND – Using an opener tonight didn’t work for the Athletics. Bringing in a rookie behind him didn’t work. The idea of a Jerry Garcia tie-dye promotion also backfired, with the Orioles truckin’ around the bases. The Orioles scored three times in the first inning, built on their lead with Gunnar Henderson’s long two-run homer in the second, and d

There was juice at Nationals Park tonight, the kind of energy that comes not merely from a large crowd but from a highly competitive game between an opponent trying to reach the World Series for the second straight year and a home team trying to prove to everyone they’re not as far away from reaching that goal as most would’ve believed not long ago

After an off-day, the Orioles' road trip moves on to Oakland tonight for the start of a three-game weekend series.  The Orioles (74-47) lead the American League East by two games over Tampa Bay, which also plays on the West Coast tonight against the Los Angeles Angels.  The Orioles lost their last two games at San Diego. But over longer stretches t

OAKLAND – Orioles manager Brandon Hyde didn’t know which pitcher would start for the Athletics tonight until receiving a text message yesterday afternoon from manager Mark Kotsay. “Pro move by him,” Hyde said. Hyde’s club would face an opener, left-hander Francisco Pérez, who’s never started in the majors. Pérez made four relief appearances with th

It’s purely a coincidence of timing that so many injured Nationals relievers were ready to begin rehab assignments within days of each other. Intentional or not, the team is more than happy to monitor a bunch of these assignments, knowing each pitcher is getting close to returning to the active roster. Mason Thompson and Carl Edwards Jr. got the pr

OAKLAND – Aaron Hicks remains out of the Orioles lineup as they resume their West Coast trip with three games against the Athletics. Jordan Westburg is batting ninth and playing third base. Adam Frazier is the second baseman. Adley Rutschman stays in the leadoff spot, followed by shortstop Gunnar Henderson. Ryan Mountcastle is the designated hitter

The Nationals faced Michael Lorenzen nine days ago, and it didn’t exactly go so well for them. Like, they didn’t even record a hit off the Phillies right-hander, who became the first pitcher to ever throw a no-hitter against the Nats since they arrived in D.C. So wouldn’t you know Lorenzen’s next start would just so happen to come tonight against t

There was a time earlier this year when Davey Martinez would go out of his way to avoid having Stone Garrett face a right-hander. Garrett was one-half of the Nationals’ left field platoon, and he was only going to match up against those opposing pitchers he figured to have the most success against. How far he’s come. These days, it doesn’t matter w

BOWIE, Md. – Jackson Holliday, shortstop at Double-A Bowie and the No. 1 ranked prospect in baseball, is working hard in the hours leading up to game time so that when first pitch arrives every night, he is ready to unleash his considerable talent and skills on opponent pitchers. In a recent interview at Prince George’s Stadium, Holliday said he co

OAKLAND – An analytics department that’s grown exponentially since the Orioles revamped their front office, and the entire operation, following the 2018 season can’t measure every aspect of a young player. What’s inside isn’t as easy to decipher, dissect and quantify as the tools. Advanced data and modernized techniques – gasp - have their limits.