Home, sweet home! After going 3-7 over a three-city road trip, the Nationals have finally returned home to South Capitol Street.  Tonight kicks off an 11-game homestand over the next 10 days (thanks to a doubleheader against the Phillies a week from today), starting with three games against the Brewers. The Nats will be looking for a little payback

35,000 FEET ABOVE THE EAST COAST – Good morning from the friendly skies. Following a not-so-appreciated, getaway night game in Miami, your trusty reporter is currently flying home to Washington on less than full sleep. But don't worry, I won't be napping on this 2 1/2-hour flight north. I'll be working. Working for you, dear readers. The Nationals'

The Orioles have three more games to play in Kansas City before heading to Toronto. I was supposed to be on the current trip, but was switched to Rogers Centre. My first visit since the 2016 wild card game. More on that later. The mailbag is allowed in Canada, but I’ll leave it home. Much lighter than its current condition. Welcome to the latest se

The Orioles starting rotation, which got off to a strong start this year in the season’s first few weeks, now has been springing some leaks in the last few. It is proving to be a challenge for a team that has gotten a strong performance all year from its bullpen but is trying to keep that bullpen fresh at a time when they have to cover so many inni

KANSAS CITY – With each swing, Carlos Santana was getting closer. A 277-foot flyout in the second inning, a 354-foot flyout in the third.  Santana had seen 14 pitches from Jordan Lyles. None were sinkers. But the 15th was. Lyles left a 90 mph sinker over the heart of the plate with one on and no out in the bottom of the fifth inning of Thursday’s g

MIAMI – This was never going to be Strasmas II, and anyone who went into tonight’s game believing it might hasn’t been paying close enough attention. He wasn’t going to strike out 14. He wasn’t going to approach anything close to triple digits on the radar gun. He wasn’t going to wow the baseball world with pitching dominance. No, when Stephen Stra

The Orioles begin a two-city eight-game road trip tonight at Kauffman Stadium against the host Royals. The Orioles were rained out at home versus the Cubs last night, so they went 3-4 on what was scheduled to be an eight-game homestand. The Orioles went 1-2 against the Mariners and Guardians to begin the homestand before hitting five homers in Tues

KANSAS CITY – Pitchers like Jordan Lyles are a dying breed. Organizations are more cognizant of pitch counts than ever, and inning-eaters like the 31-year-old Lyles are increasingly hard to find. But manager Brandon Hyde isn’t eager to assist in their extinction. “I love the fact that he does not want to come out of the game,” Hyde said while speak

MIAMI – Needing to clear a spot on the active roster for Stephen Strasburg in advance of his return to the mound tonight, the Nationals optioned Sam Clay to Triple-A, sending the reliever back to Rochester only one day after he was called up. Clay wound up not appearing in a game during this brief stint after pitching in five games in April during

The Washington Nationals returned from rehabilitation assignment and reinstated right-handed pitcher Stephen Strasburg from the 10-day Injured List and optioned left-handed pitcher Sam Clay to Triple-A Rochester on Thursday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Strasburg, 33, went 1-1 with