Many hitters are in trouble when the count reaches two strikes against most big league pitchers. At that point, that pitcher has done a lot of the heavy lifting to get ahead and now tries to execute a put away pitch to end the at-bat, either with weak contact or with a strikeout. Among all Orioles players, catcher Adley Rutschman is the best hitter

MILWAUKEE – Josh Lester hadn’t heard from the Orioles on Tuesday and took it as a positive sign. They needed to make a corresponding move while reinstating left-hander Danny Coulombe from the bereavement list. Lester’s contract was selected over the weekend with Coulombe leaving the club, giving the Orioles 14 position players. Sending Lester back

MILWAUKEE – Kyle Gibson struck out Brice Turang on a curveball to end the bottom of the first inning and didn’t break stride on his way back to the dugout. He blew past catcher Adley Rutschman, who tried to meet him along the third base line and had to reach out to give him an encouraging pat. The 35 pitches thrown and two runs allowed didn’t give

For the second straight game, Davey Martinez pulled a struggling starter in the middle innings and entrusted a struggling reliever to keep a close game against a quality opponent close. And for the second straight game, that struggling reliever not only couldn’t keep the game close, he couldn’t even keep it close enough for his Nationals teammates

With a 20-10 road record on the year, the Orioles open a series at Milwaukee tonight looking for yet another series win and another road series win. On the season, the Orioles are 13-5-1 in series play and they are 8-2 in road series. They lost their first road series of the season at Boston and have lost just one road series since then, at Atlanta

MILWAUKEE – Gunnar Henderson took batting practice this afternoon and fielded ground balls to test his lower back. Henderson remains out of the lineup but said earlier that he should be in the lineup Wednesday night. “It’s getting better,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “We’re hoping he’s going to be back in there in the next day or two.” Ramón Urías i

The Nationals made the first of what could be several moves in coming days to address a bullpen that has become the roster’s weakest link, designating Andrés Machado for assignment and recalling Jordan Weems from Triple-A Rochester. Machado, who was tagged for four runs and gave up a pair of killer homers during Sunday’s loss to the Phillies, was o

MILWAUKEE – Orioles third baseman Gunnar Henderson said he expects to be in Wednesday night’s lineup against the Brewers. Henderson was removed from Saturday’s game in San Francisco with lower-back soreness and he didn’t play Sunday. Ramón Urías is playing third base tonight. “It’s actually feeling pretty good today,” Henderson said. “It was just g

The Nationals and Diamondbacks engaged in a highly entertaining series one month ago in Phoenix, the D-backs ultimately winning two of the three games (though one only after storming back to win in the bottom of the ninth). Now the surprise National League West leaders come to D.C. for a three-game series against a Nats club that continues to compe

MILWAUKEE - Left-hander Danny Coulombe is back in the Orioles bullpen tonight after his reinstatement from the bereavement list. Infielder Terrin Vavera was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk as the corresponding move. The roster has returned to the usual alignment of 13 pitchers and 13 position players for the series opener against the Brewers. Coulombe