The Orioles, through 21 games, are playing .667 ball at 14-7. They are on a pace to win 108 games this season. It’s a pretty solid start, to say the least. They are second in the AL East, 4.5 games back of a 19-3 Tampa Bay team, but 1.5 games ahead of both the Yankees and Blue Jays and three games up on the Boston team they host tonight. Birdland h

MINNEAPOLIS – During the final days of the 2022 season, Mason Thompson entered Davey Martinez’s office for the same kind of exit interview everyone on the Nationals roster was given before leaving for the winter. It was a chance for Thompson to discuss what he felt he did well and what he did not do well in his first full big league season. And, mo

The Orioles have won 14 of their first 21 games to tie for the third-best start in club history. And they don’t want to hear about soft schedules and beatable opponents. It used to be them. Remember? They were tagged as the easy marks during the rebuild. They were the team that the rest of the league was supposed to view as providing a breather dur

MINNEAPOLIS – The Nationals aren’t going to score 10 runs every day. They know that. They know as much fun as Saturday’s lopsided win over the Twins was, that’s not often going to be their path to victory. For these Nationals to win, execution in key moments is imperative. If they only provide themselves with a handful of legitimate scoring opportu

The first inning didn’t hurt Grayson Rodriguez today. He punched back before it could leave marks. A leadoff single by Akil Baddoo wasn’t a “here we go again” moment for the rookie. He struck out the next three batters for his only scoreless opening frame in four major league starts. Rodriguez didn’t retire the side in order until the fifth, which

After 2-1 and 5-1 wins the last two days over the Detroit Tigers (7-12), the Orioles can complete their first three-game sweep of the 2023 season with a win this afternoon at Oriole Park. O’s pitchers have allowed just two runs and seven hits this weekend with five walks and 23 strikeouts. Right-hander Kyle Gibson allowed one run and two hits over

MINNEAPOLIS – Two members of the Nationals lineup started each of the season’s first 20 games. Only one of them will have started each of the first 21 games. Lane Thomas is not playing today’s series finale against the Twins, the right fielder finally getting a chance to rest more than three weeks after Opening Day. “Just felt like giving him a day

Orioles reliever Dillon Tate said this morning that he’ll probably need five or six appearances on his injury rehab assignment before he’s ready to be activated and make his 2023 debut. Tate is joining high Single-A Aberdeen on Tuesday in Wilmington, Delaware, the newest test to determine whether he’s fully recovered from the right elbow flexor str

MINNEAPOLIS – Do you remember the last time the Nationals swept a three-game series? Here are some hints: 1) Kyle Schwarber was their leadoff hitter, 2) Ryan Zimmerman was a pinch-hitter, 3) Brad Hand got the save. If you said June 16, 2021, when the Nats beat the Pirates to complete a three-game sweep in D.C., congratulations! Yes, it’s been a lon

A late scratch from last night’s lineup, shortstop Jorge Mateo is starting this afternoon’s series finale against the Tigers at Camden Yards with no rain in the forecast. Manager Brandon Hyde reconsidered yesterday with rain falling throughout the day, worried that Mateo might reinjure his right hip. Mateo, who hasn’t played since leaving Wednesday