The Orioles create their own breaks and catch a few along the way. Or at least, it appears that way. Doesn’t always lead to a win, but it happens. Going for the three-game sweep yesterday in Houston, they were tasked with trying to beat Cy Young candidate Justin Verlander. The major league leader in ERA and OPS, and tied for the lead in WHIP. A tou

HOUSTON – It seemed improbable that the Orioles' run of great starting pitching could last against one of the best hitting teams in the majors on the road. But it did. The Orioles were not scoring runs on their end, however, and the game went into the late innings with a 0-0 score at Houston's Minute Maid Park. This after the Orioles had beaten Hou

It hadn’t happened in 43 games, 43 long games without a member of the Nationals rotation leaving the ballpark with a win added to his season total. It had long since surpassed the 1949 Senators (35 games) as the longest such winless streak in modern major league history, and though there had been several reasons beyond the rotation for this, it sti

HOUSTON – After allowing just one run on eight hits, and despite scoring just five runs themselves, the Orioles can complete a three-game sweep of the Houston Astros today at Minute Maid Park. This would be quite the achievement for the improved Orioles. Consider this: * Houston began the series with the best record in the American League at 81-45.

HOUSTON – The Orioles' pitching has carried them to two wins at Minute Maid Park. As they go for the three-game sweep today they’d like to generate more offense. First baseman Ryan Mountcastle, struggling in the second half, showed some signs of breaking out last night, when he hit one ball 102 mph and another 105 mph on line outs. It was a good si

Cade Cavalli will make his next start for the Nationals on Thursday afternoon, giving the organization’s top pitching prospect two home outings to begin his career before he makes his road debut. Cavalli is slated to start the finale of a three-game series against the Athletics, with Erick Fedde and Aníbal Sánchez pitching Tuesday and Wednesday nig

The Orioles are trying for their second three-game sweep in Houston in two seasons. The rotation has tied a season high with four quality starts in a row, posting a 1.26 ERA during that stretch. The ERA is 2.25 in the last 11 games. The Astros have been held to one run in the first two games. Kyle Bradish and Dean Kremer have combined for 15 2/3 in

A homestand that was supposed to provide the Nationals an opportunity to win some games against fellow non-contenders hasn’t exactly gone as hoped so far. With back-to-back losses to the Reds, the Nats already have dropped this weekend series and now need a victory today just to avoid getting swept. Which means the pressure’s on Patrick Corbin, and

HOUSTON – Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias is with the team, at least to start, on this road trip. He's back in Houston, where he helped turn the Astros into big winners before he got hired by the Orioles. He’s been very visible on the field the last two days pregame, catching up with old friends from here and he rema

Kyle Bradish came up with a nice solution Friday night to the bullpen’s recent struggles that raised concerns about its ability to hold up through the rest of the wild card chase. Stay on the mound for eight innings and don’t allow any runs. So simple. Why didn’t anyone else think of it? Dean Kremer ran with the idea last night, holding the Astros