MINNEAPOLIS – It’s a new day, and another opportunity for the Nationals to do something they haven’t done in either of their last two games: Score a run. Yes, they’ve been shut out twice in a row. They haven’t scored a run of any type since Riley Adams’ two-run single in the bottom of the sixth Tuesday night against the Reds. Even if they get on the board early tonight, it would snap a roughly 96-hour scoreless streak.

Miguel Cairo certainly needs more from the top two guys in his lineup. CJ Abrams is 1 for his last 21, with one walk and seven strikeouts. James Wood is 4 for his last 38, with five walks and 19 strikeouts. It’s tough for this team to be good offensively when its top two offensive players aren’t producing.

The Nationals will be facing an All-Star tonight in Joe Ryan, the 29-year-old right-hander who is 10-4 with a 2.63 ERA and 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings. Ryan’s name has come up in trade rumors, so this could be a particularly big start for him leading up to Thursday’s leaguewide deadline.

Mitchell Parker gets the ball for the Nats, coming off a quality start against the Padres and having had a full week of rest, with MacKenzie Gore bumped up to start Friday night’s series opener here.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at MINNESOTA TWINS
Where: Target Field
Gametime: 7:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 89 degrees, wind 9 mph out to left field

The Washington Nationals acquired right-handed pitcher Clayton Beeter and outfielder Browm Martinez from the New York Yankees in exchange for infielder Amed Rosario on Saturday. Beeter has been optioned to Triple-A Rochester. Nationals Interim General Manager Mike DeBartolo made the announcement.

Beeter, 26, struck out 39 batters in 23.2 innings across 21 Minor League outings this season, his first as a full-time reliever. He went 1-1 with two saves, a 3.80 ERA and a .212 opponents' batting average between Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Double-A Somerset and High-A Tampa. From May 23 through June 27, Beeter enjoyed his best stretch of the season, pitching to a 0.73 ERA (1 ER/12.1 IP) with 22 strikeouts and a .143 opponents’ average (6-for-42, 2B) in 11 outings with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

New York's No. 20 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com and its No. 23 prospect, per Baseball America, Beeter made two appearances out of the Yankees' bullpen across two Major League stints this season, going 0-1 with a 14.73 ERA. He made New York's Opening Day roster in 2024 and made his Major League debut on March 29 of that year at Houston. He posted scoreless relief in three appearances, pitching to a 4.91 ERA with five strikeouts and one walk.

Selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in Competitive Balance Round B of the 2020 First-Year Player Draft out of Texas Tech University, Beeter is 13-18 with a 3.67 ERA and 13.00 strikeouts per 9.0 innings and a .206 opponents' batting average in 113 Minor League outings. He represented the Yankees in the 2023 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and finished that season ranked second in New York’s system with a career-high 165 strikeouts and a .216 opponent’s batting average in 131.2 innings. Beeter was acquired by the Yankees from the Dodgers in exchange for Joey Gallo on Aug. 2, 2022.

Martinez, 18, is in his second professional season after signing with the Yankees as an international free agent on January 15, 2024. He's hit .320 with eight doubles, three homers, 35 RBI, 21 walks, 34 stolen bases and 42 runs scored in 56 games for the DSL Yankees over the last two seasons.

Winning matters to Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino and the players who remain in the clubhouse. Time cards aren’t punched. Flight reservations aren’t made in advance. They intend to compete every night.

The games still count.

It’s just a whole lot harder to claim them.

This is the life of a seller, a role which the Orioles haven’t portrayed in the past few years. They didn’t expect to do it in 2025, but they were torn apart again by injuries, underperformed, fired their manager and eventually began to make trades that wouldn’t impact the club this year or probably next.

Bryan Baker going to the Rays brought back the 37^th-overall pick in the draft, who became Oregon prep outfielder and aspiring musician Slater de Brun. “Lil Slayyy” will have his dayyy, but it won’t be anytime soon.

MINNEAPOLIS – If the Nationals believed a day off in the Land of 10,000 Lakes would do them good and allow them to return to action tonight with no residual effects of their shutout loss Wednesday in D.C., they were greatly mistaken.

The Nats batters who dug in tonight against the Twins’ Zebby Matthews looked no better than the guys who dug in Wednesday afternoon against the Reds’ Nick Lodolo. They made quick outs. They drew zero walks. They scored zero runs.

And when it was all over, they had once again wasted MacKenzie Gore’s pitching efforts, trudging out of Target Field on the wrong end of a 1-0 ballgame, their second straight shutout loss.

The Nationals haven’t scored a run in 21 innings now, their last runners to cross the plate coming way back in the sixth inning Tuesday night via Riley Adams’ two-run single. They’ve barely even given themselves a chance to score again since.

"We didn't hit," interim manager Miguel Cairo said. "We got three hits, I think. Sometimes it goes like that. They got three hits, too. They just got one more run than us."

Being sellers doesn’t always equate to being losers. A team can hit four home runs in the first two innings and pretend that stripping the roster of key players isn’t a detriment.

And it can blow a lead and fall to the worst team in baseball, a reminder of why the front office is punting on 2025.

The Rockies overcame a four-run deficit, were tied in the seventh and got a solo homer from Ezequiel Tovar off Andrew Kittredge in the eighth to defeat the Orioles 6-5 before an announced floppy hat crowd of 25,090 at Camden Yards.

Alex Jackson doubled against reliever Jake Bird with one out in the seventh and scored the tying run on Jackson Holliday’s single. Kittredge entered in the eighth, struck out his first batter and surrendered his fourth homer in 28 appearances. Two more Rockies struck out.

"That's a bitter one right there," said interim manager Tony Mansolino. "It feels like here lately we've thrown up some good numbers early in games on that last road trip, and we just haven't been able to hang on. Part of that is pitching and part of that is not adding more runs as the game goes on. We have to add more runs. We had a couple spots we could have. We didn't get it done, unfortunately, tonight. Got to add more runs and got to hold leads."

MINNEAPOLIS – The Nationals signed second-round pick Ethan Petry today and in the process went over their total slot pool for this year’s draft.

Petry, an outfielder from South Carolina who hit 54 homers over the last three seasons, signed for $2.09 million, a source familiar with the deal confirmed. That’s slightly above Major League Baseball’s recommended slot value for the 49th overall pick in the draft ($1,984,200).

Petry was the last of the Nats’ top 10 selections to sign, so they’ve now locked up everyone who was subject to the draft pool. He joins third-round pick Landon Harmon ($2.5 million), fourth-round pick Miguel Sime Jr. ($2 million) and fifth-round pick Coy James ($2.5 million) in receiving above-slot bonuses. Petry is the lone college player from that group.

No. 1 overall pick Eli Willits officially signed last weekend for $8.2 million, a record amount for a high school player but nearly $3 million below slow value for the top choice in the draft this year. The Nationals managed to apply those savings, plus money saved with below-slot bonuses for their sixth through 10th round picks, to lure the three other high school draftees to sign instead of honoring their college commitments.

All told, the Nationals spent $17,365,000 on their top 10 picks, exceeding their MLB-designated draft pool of $16,597,800 by $767,200. That makes them subject to a league-imposed 75 percent tax on their overages, which equates to an extra $575,400 spent this year on draft picks.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Selected the contract of INF Jeremiah Jackson from Triple-A Norfolk. He will wear No. 82 and his first appearance will be his MLB debut.
• C Chadwick Tromp (lower back strain) was returned from his rehab assignment, reinstated from the 10-day Injured List, and elected free agency in lieu of accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk.

The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 39 players.

Another reliever walked out the door today when the Orioles traded Gregory Soto to the Mets for minor league pitchers Wellington Aracena and Cameron Foster. Seranthony Domínguez knows that he could be the next one.

The bullpen is a hot spot in trade discussions.

Domínguez and Soto came to the Orioles is separate trades with the Phillies last summer, the latter on deadline day. Domínguez texted Soto earlier today after receiving the news.

“It’s part of the business,” Domínguez said. “We do what we have to do. I wish him the best and good luck to him.

“It’s hard when you get traded. You’ve got to move from somewhere to another (place) and get new teammates. But I wish the best for him and wait for what happens.”

The Orioles are selecting infielder Jeremiah Jackson’s contract from Triple-A Norfolk and will be short one reliever after trading left-hander Gregory Soto to the Mets.

Jackson, 25, is batting a combined .311/.340/.538 with 30 doubles, 15 home runs and 41 RBIs in 83 games between Norfolk and Double-A Chesapeake. He’s never played in the majors.

Interim manager Tony Mansolino said he won't have an update on closer Félix Bautista (shoulder) until next week.

The Orioles return to Camden Yards for a six-game homestand that begins with three against the Rockies.

Gunnar Henderson is on the bench. He’s leading the Orioles in hits, doubles and triples for the second straight season. Brooks Robinson was the last player in franchise history to do it in consecutive seasons from 1960-62, per STATS.

MINNEAPOLIS – Hello from Target Field, where they fly pennants honoring the 1924, 1925 and 1933 Washington Senators, just as they do at Nationals Park. I’ll let you all decide on your own which franchise you believe has the right to claim those titles, or perhaps you believe both do. It does make for a fun debate, though.

The Nationals are in town to face the Twins this weekend, hoping to build off their series win over the Reds. To get this one off on the right foot, they’ll need MacKenzie Gore to get himself back on track after his worst start of the season. Gore was roughed up by the Padres on Sunday to the tune of eight runs and eight hits in only 2 1/3 innings, his worst outing as a member of the Nats. A return to form would certainly be nice.

The lineup is facing an unknown opponent in Zebby Matthews, a 25-year-old right-hander with a career 6.53 ERA despite 11 strikeouts per nine innings. The key stat, it would appear: Opponents are batting a ridiculous .406 and slugging .531 off Matthews’ four-seam fastball, a pitch he throws 44 percent of the time. The Nationals typically are a good fastball-hitting team. You’d like to think this should be a favorable matchup for them.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at MINNESOTA TWINS
Where: Target Field
Gametime: 8:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 84 degrees, wind 8 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
LF James Wood
2B Luis García Jr.
DH Josh Bell
1B Nathaniel Lowe
3B Brady House
RF Daylen Lile
C Riley Adams
CF Jacob Young

The Orioles today announced that they have acquired minor league right-handed pitchers WELLINGTON ARACENA and CAMERON FOSTER from the New York Mets in exchange for left-handed pitcher GREGORY SOTO.

Aracena, 20, is 1-1 with a 2.38 ERA (64.1 IP, 17 ER) and 38 hits, 35 walks, and 84 strikeouts in 17 games (8 GS) for Single-A St. Lucie. He is one of two pitchers in Minor League Baseball this season to have thrown at least 60.0 innings without surrendering a home run, joining Toronto right-hander Gage Stanifer. In four professional seasons, he’s 7-14 with a 4.53 ERA (87 ER/173.0 IP) and 214 strikeouts in 57 appearances (34 GS). Aracena is currently ranked New York’s No. 19 prospect by MLB Pipeline and No. 28 by Baseball America. The Mao, Dominican Republic native originally signed with the Mets as an international free agent on January 15, 2022.

Foster, 26, is 5-2 with two saves and a 2.97 ERA (10 ER/30.1 IP) with 24 hits (1 HR), eight walks, and 39 strikeouts in 21 games (1 GS) between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse this season. As a reliever, he’s posted a 1.21 ERA (4 ER/29.2 IP). In three professional seasons, he is 13-10 with a 3.78 ERA (77 ER/183.1 IP) with 192 strikeouts in 66 appearances (26 GS). The Houston, Texas native was originally selected by the Mets in the 14^th round of the 2022 First-Year Player Draft out of McNeese State University (LA).

Soto, 30, is 1-3 with three saves and a 4.33 ERA (26 ER/54.0 IP) in 68 games across two seasons with Baltimore, including 0-2 with one save and a 3.96 ERA (16 ER/36.1 IP) in 45 appearances this year. He was acquired by the Orioles from the Philadelphia Phillies on July 30, 2024, in exchange for minor league right-handed pitchers Moisés Chace and Seth Johnson.

The Orioles acquired reliever Gregory Soto at last year’s trade deadline. Today, they’ve moved him to another team.

Soto is going to the Mets for a pair of pitching prospects, according to a source.

The left-hander is the second player moved after reliever Bryan Baker, traded to the Rays on July 10 for the 37^th-overall pick in the draft. The Orioles will receive 20-year-old right-hander Wellington Aracena and 26-year-old right-hander Cameron Foster in exchange for Soto.

Aracena is the Mets’ No. 19 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. The Dominican native had a 2.38 ERA and 1.135 WHIP in 17 games (eight starts) with Single-A St. Lucie in the Florida State League. He didn’t surrender a home run in 64 1/3 innings and averaged 4.9 walks and 11.8 strikeouts.

Over four minor league seasons, Aracena has a 4.53 ERA and 1.497 WHIP in 57 games (34 starts) and has walked 123 batters and struck out 214 in 173 innings. He’s surrendered only six home runs.

Interim general manager Mike DeBartolo has already conceded the Nationals will be sellers at next week’s trade deadline. And he also mentioned he’s not looking to trade the team’s top young players, such as MacKenzie Gore, though he said he would answer the phone if another team called to ask.

That likely just leaves veterans on expiring contracts to be traded as two-month rentals. The price tags for such players are usually low, but teams may become desperate as they look to reload their rosters ahead of playoff runs.

Luckily, the Nats have a handful of such players. And even more fortunately, those players are trending in the right direction at the right time.

Perhaps the most positive development has been Josh Bell’s recent surge.

After slashing just .151/.254/.289 through his first 45 games this season, the switch-hitter is now slashing .298/.374/.497 with an .871 OPS, nine doubles, seven home runs, 23 RBIs and 17 walks to 19 strikeouts over his last 43 games. Even better, he’s slashing .309/.389/.491 with an .880 OPS over his last 32 and has homered in back-to-back games.

Make it 26.

That’s how many different Orioles have gone on the injured list this season, two more than the total in 2021, seven more than in 2012 and 2008, and nine more than in 2024, 2018 and 2015. And we’re not taking into account the repeat visitors like Tyler O’Neill, Zach Eflin and Gary Sánchez.

Félix Bautista became the 26^th yesterday, retroactive to Monday, with right shoulder discomfort. The only good news is that his surgically-repaired elbow is fine.

Trying to put a positive spin on 2025 can create shoulder and elbow pain. What else can possibly go wrong?

Don’t answer.

CLEVELAND – On Monday, the Orioles got out to a 3-0 lead before the Guardians even came to the plate. Ramón Laureano, a catalyst for the O’s all season, kickstarted the offense and drove in two of those runs. 

Cleveland responded, though, pushing three runs of their own across in the bottom of the first. The Guardians went on to win that game 10-5, thanks in large part to a four-run seventh. 

This afternoon, the Orioles got out to a 3-0 lead before the Guardians even came to the plate. Ramón Laureano, a catalyst for the O’s all season, kickstarted the offense and drove in two of those runs.

This time, the Orioles came out on top 4-3.

They did so behind an excellent start from Charlie Morton and a sharp bullpen, one that didn't feature the recently injured Félix Bautista. 

The Orioles have signed all of their 2025 draft picks within the first 10 rounds.

The overall total grew to 14 out of 24 today with center fielder Slater de Brun, the 37^th selection out of Summit High School in Oregon.

de Brun, 18, was the fourth of seven first-day picks for the Orioles, and his selection was lauded by the draft media experts. He batted .370/.586/.603 with nine doubles, one triple, two home runs, 26 RBIs and 22 stolen bases in 29 games during his senior season.

The Oregon native is a left-handed hitter, 65-grade runner and 60-grade fielder, and the Corbin Carroll comps were prevalent leading up to the draft.

Only one of them can claim to be an aspiring musician who goes by Lil Slayyy” and has put out country singles like "Break My Heart" and "Find me a Bar.” de Brun can afford to buy a round for the house, but he isn’t old enough to partake.

The Orioles today signed center fielder SLATER DE BRUN, the No. 37 overall pick in the 2025 First-Year Player Draft.

De Brun, the Bend, Ore. native and Summit High School product, is the 14^th of 24 Orioles draft picks to agree to terms. Baltimore has signed all players picked in the top 10 rounds. The deadline for MLB teams to sign their draft selections is Monday, July 28, at 5 p.m. ET.

CLEVELAND – It hasn’t been the best season for Orioles relievers. 

Entering the final game of their four-game set in Cleveland, the O’s bullpen had the third-worst ERA in the American League at 4.80. This series hadn’t improved those numbers, with the ‘pen allowing 10 earned runs in the last three games. 

Last night, though, the relief corps just allowed one. It was an RBI single off the bat of Steven Kwan in the eighth inning of a tie game. That’s not a spot where you’d normally expect to see Colin Selby, but he’s the Baltimore arm who surrendered the run that ultimately decided the game. It wasn’t the plan to pitch him in that spot. 

Instead, interim manager Tony Mansolino had slated Seranthony Domínguez for that frame and Félix Bautista for the ninth. 

But in the seventh inning, the bullpen relayed a message back to Mansolino that Bautista would not be available. The closer was in the process of getting ready to loosen up for potential game action, and something flared up. That changed the interim manager’s plans and, perhaps, the outcome of the game. 

The Orioles couldn’t go more than a day with only 14 players on the injured list.

Félix Bautista joined it this morning for the first time this season. He’s on the 15-day IL with right shoulder discomfort.

Reliever Kade Strowd was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk.

Bautista alerted the dugout in the seventh inning last night that he was unavailable. Interim manager Tony Mansolino told the assembled media later that “something didn’t feel right” and the club would have more information today.

Bautista threw a season-high 34 pitches Sunday in Tampa after going 10 days without appearing in a game. He earned the save but it was a struggle, with Bautista allowing a run and walking three batters.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Recalled RHP Kade Strowd from Triple-A Norfolk.
• Placed RHP Félix Bautista (right shoulder discomfort) on the 15-day Injured List, retroactive to July 21.