The Orioles will again experience life without closer Félix Bautista.

Bautista underwent shoulder surgery yesterday to repair a torn rotator cuff and labrum. The club announced that Dr. Neal ElAttrache handled the procedure in Los Angeles and termed it "successful."

That last part is the only positive news. A season that's brought tremendous disappointment just delivered another devastating blow.

The initial prognosis on Bautista is a recovery period that will sideline him for at least the next 12 calendar months. A second full season is expected to proceed without him. He missed 2024 after recovering from ligament-reconstructive surgery in his right elbow.

Today's update wasn't unexpected but still hit hard. It's grossly unfair to the 2023 All-Star reliever and to the Orioles, who again must search for a closer during the offseason. They tried veteran Craig Kimbrel last year, offering a $12 million contract and releasing him in September with a 5.33 ERA over 57 appearances.

Last night’s game did not go well at all for the Nationals, on either side of the ball. On the mound, Jake Irvin got roughed up by the Mets for six runs (five of them coming in the top of the third). At the plate, the lineup was absolutely carved up by David Peterson for the umpteenth time. Put it all together, and you’ve got a completely lackluster, 8-1 loss.

What does tonight have in store? If nothing else, it will be interesting to see how Brad Lord fares in his 12th big league start, his second against the Mets. The rookie right-hander tossed only four innings that April night during a 2-0 loss. He’s fully built up for a longer workload tonight, provided he’s effective enough to warrant remaining in the game. The good news: He has been quite effective since rejoining the rotation, posting a 2.77 ERA and 1.154 WHIP in five starts.

At the plate, the Nationals simply have to put together better at-bats than they did last night against Peterson. The problem: They’ve had very little success in two previous cracks at Kodai Senga this season, including 5 2/3 innings of one-hit ball in June. Like Peterson, Senga can be really deceptive. The onus is on the Nats’ hitters to be patient and take what’s given to them, which means hitting the ball the other way if he keeps everything down and away.

NEW YORK METS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 82 degrees, wind 8 mph in from right field

METS
SS Francisco Lindor
RF Juan Soto
LF Brandon Nimmo
1B Pete Alonso
2B Jeff McNeil
DH Mark Vientos
3B Brett Baty
CF Cedric Mullins
C Luis Torrens

Thursday, August 21

Healthcare Appreciation Night – Orioles.com/ThemeNights

First Pitch – Solo Ball, UConn Men’s Basketball                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Most major league managers don’t participate in the nightly exchange of lineup cards prior to first pitch, preferring instead to hand off that assignment to various members of the coaching staff. When it came time for the traditional ritual Tuesday night at Nationals Park, both team’s skippers absolutely made sure they were the ones making their way toward home plate.

For the Nationals’ Miguel Cairo and the Mets’ Carlos Mendoza, this was no ordinary ballgame. This was history: The first time two Venezuelans managed against each other in a major league game. And when they greeted each other shortly before first pitch at 6:45 p.m. and posed for photos, it absolutely meant something to each man.

“I got chills,” Cairo said following the Nats’ 8-1 loss. “Because it was cool to see countrymen being managers in the big leagues at the same time playing together.”

There have been only four Venezuelan-born managers in big league history. Ozzie Guillén was the most well-known, the bombastic former shortstop managing the White Sox from 2004-11 and the Marlins in 2012. Al Pedrique took over the Diamondbacks during the 2004 season after Bob Brenly was fired but wasn’t retained that winter.

Cairo has now twice been promoted from bench coach to interim manager, first in 2022 with the White Sox after Tony La Russa went on medical leave, and of course this summer with Nationals after Davey Martinez was fired. Mendoza, meanwhile, was hired by the Mets last year and proceeded to lead them to the National League Championship Series.

BOSTON – The Orioles didn’t bring their smoke machines and disco lights to Fenway Park. The ballpark is so old, the equipment might have blown out the fuses or started a fire. But you could hear players through the walls celebrating after Monday night’s win.

Voices were loud. Veteran pitcher Trevor Rogers made a speech praising 21-year-old rookie catcher Samuel Basallo on his first major league game behind the plate. Basallo didn’t understand every word but appreciated the kindness, smiling through most of his postgame interview at his locker.

The words coming from the stereo last night were understood and not suited for a post-game television broadcast. The music had to be turned down, but you couldn’t kill the party.

This group is having fun again.

Coping with adversity is a big part of it, including the latest round of physical setbacks.

BOSTON – One of their best hitters limped to his locker this afternoon and back to the trainers’ room, leaving behind a walking boot for his injured right ankle. The two-time All-Star catcher was scratched from the lineup with discomfort in his right side.

The interim manager had two healthy players on his bench, both rookies with a combined 16 games of major league experience, and no idea who would close in a save situation - if the Orioles were able to create it.

“I feel like we’ve got a chance to go play a good game,” said Tony Mansolino, armed with a healthy supply of optimism.

What’s lacking is experienced and reliable late-inning relief, but Mansolino worked around it in a 4-3 11-inning victory over the Red Sox before an announced crowd of 37,435 at Fenway Park.

Samuel Basallo registered his fifth RBI in three games with a swinging bunt against Garrett Whitlock in the top of the 11th that scored automatic runner Jeremiah Jackson. Corbin Martin was summoned, Connor Wong laid down a sacrifice bunt, but automatic runner Nate Eaton held on a medium-range fly ball to Colton Cowser in left-center. The throw home was way off the mark. 

There are few surer things in baseball right now than David Peterson mowing down the Washington Nationals.

Stick the Mets left-hander on the mound against this particular lineup, and you probably know the results before he ever throws a pitch. Just let Peterson throw his tantalizing assortment of 90 mph sinkers, breaking balls and changeups and watch as the Nats continue to flail away, making precious little solid contact.

It’s happened before. It happened again tonight. And unless the Nationals’ position players actually do something to adjust, it’s pretty much guaranteed to happen again the next time they meet.

Tonight’s 8-1 loss might have stood out if not for the fact it was a near-repeat of Peterson’s last start against the Nats, when he tossed a six-hit shutout at Citi Field.

They didn’t score off him the time before that, either. All told, Peterson had thrown 25 consecutive scoreless innings against the Nationals before they finally broke through in the bottom of the eighth tonight. And the dominance isn’t confined to this current inexperienced lineup. During a career that began in 2020, Peterson has now faced the Nats a total of 14 times (11 of them starts). The Mets’ record in those games: 13-1.

BOSTON - Interim manager Tony Mansolino sat down in the dugout this afternoon for his daily media scrum and said, “Whatever you guys have got, I’m ready to go.”

Orioles injuries tend to be the main topic. Notepads are recommended. Memories can't be trusted. 

Infielder Jordan Westburg exited last night’s game in the first inning with discomfort in his right ankle and he’s out of tonight’s lineup. He’s avoided a second trip to the injured list and the Orioles will reevaluate his status after Wednesday’s break in the schedule.

“Came in sore today but not quite as sore as we thought he might be, which was a positive sign,” Mansolino said. “It’s hard to be overly optimistic until probably after the off-day, so I think we get to Thursday we’ll have a pretty good idea if we’re gonna kind of keep him day-to-day and keep him off the IL and what that kind of looks like. Doesn’t mean he’s gonna play Thursday, but if we’re able to just kind of suck it up four or five days and then play him.

“If Thursday he comes in and there’s not a lot of improvement, then we’re gonna have to consider the IL.”

Andrés Chaparro’s last stint with the Nationals didn’t include much playing time, to put it mildly. He appeared in only four games during three weeks on the big league roster in June.

This time around, there should be considerably more at-bats for the 26-year-old first baseman/designated hitter, who was recalled from Triple-A Rochester in a roster swap with infielder José Tena.

“He’s going to be playing against left-handed pitchers,” interim manager Miguel Cairo said. “I’m going to try to mix it up. It depends how he does. But we want to see him, and he should have an opportunity to show what he can do.”

Sure enough, Chaparro is in tonight’s lineup against Mets left-hander David Peterson, batting seventh and starting at first base, with Josh Bell back in the DH role after several starts at first base over the weekend.

The Nats saw glimpses of Chaparro’s production late last season, when he totaled 12 doubles and four homers in 33 games. But he went just 1-for-11 in his earlier stint this summer, stuck on the bench behind both Bell and Nathaniel Lowe.

BOSTON – Adley Rutschman was scratched from tonight’s Orioles lineup with right abdominal discomfort.

Rutschman didn’t play last night, with Samuel Basallo making his first start behind the plate. Alex Jackson is catching tonight.

The lineup shuffling has Jackson batting ninth and third baseman Luis Vázquez moving up from eighth to second.

Jordan Westburg was limping in the clubhouse earlier today and had a walking boot at his locker. He exited last night’s game in the first inning after twisting his right ankle.

So far, he's avoided the injured list. Interim manager Tony Mansolino will provide an update later. 

The Orioles have made the following roster move:

• OF Jordyn Adams has cleared outright waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A Norfolk.

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

BOSTON – Jordan Westburg is out of tonight’s Orioles lineup after injuring his right ankle last night in the first inning.

An update is coming later.

Samuel Basallo also is on the bench. Luis Vázquez is starting at third base. Dylan Beavers is in right field. Ryan Mountcastle is the designated hitter.

Coby Mayo is playing first base.

Tonight marks Tomoyuki Sugano’s 24^th major league start. He’s posted a 4.13 ERA in 126 1/3 innings, and he’s only the 10^th Japanese-born pitcher to win 10 games as a rookie.

The Washington Nationals recalled first baseman Andrés Chaparro from Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday and optioned infielder José Tena to Triple-A Rochester following the game on Sunday. Nationals Interim General Manager Mike DeBartolo made the announcement.

Chaparro, 26, hit .274 with 14 doubles, 15 home runs, 48 RBI, 34 walks, one stolen base and 32 runs scored in 53 games between Triple-A Rochester and the FCL Nationals in 2025. He led qualified Nationals farmhands with a .574 slugging percentage and a .956 OPS from May 14 through Aug. 17. Despite playing in just 53 games, he ranks among Nationals Minor Leaguers in home runs (3^rd), extra-base hits (T6^th) and RBI (7^th) this season.

Chaparro joins the Nationals after reaching safely in 21 of his last 22 games and hitting safely in 19 of the 22. He hit .329 (28-for-85) with seven doubles, eight home runs, 22 RBI, 17 walks, one stolen base and 18 runs scored during this stretch that included a 20-game on-base streak and an 11-game hitting streak.

Acquired at the 2024 Trade Deadline from the Arizona Diamondbacks, this marks Chaparro’s second Major League stint of the season. He appeared in four games for Washington from June 10-20, going 1-for-11 (.091) with a double and walk. In 2024, Chaparro hit .215 with 12 doubles, four home runs, 15 RBI, seven walks, one stolen base and 12 runs scored in 33 games during his first Major League season.

The Nationals survived the first of four consecutive series against playoff contenders from Philadelphia and New York, splitting their four-game series with the Phillies. Next up, it’s the Mets, who come to town in a bit of a tailspin, having lost 14 of their last 17 while dealing with all kinds of injuries. They did manage to win two in a row over the weekend against the Mariners, including Sunday night’s Little League Classic in Williamsport. So perhaps they’re on the mend. Either way, they can’t afford to lose this series to the Nats.

One of the surprising stalwarts of the New York rotation has been David Peterson, the veteran left-hander who has always resided at the back of the rotation but has ascended into a top starter this year, earning his first career All-Star selection. Peterson has been outstanding against the Nationals throughout his career, going 6-1 with a 2.64 ERA in 13 games (10 starts). That includes a six-hit, zero-walk shutout earlier this season at Citi Field.

Peterson’s opponent for that June 11 was Jake Irvin, who gave up four runs over five innings to take the loss. That was in stark contrast to Irvin’s April 25 start against the Mets, when he went 7 1/3 innings giving up only one run. He also dominated this lineup twice last season, memorably tossing eight innings of one-hit ball last July 4 and then also going 7 1/3 allowing only one run last September in Flushing.

Which version of Irvin shows up tonight? The Nationals would love for him to get back on track against an opponent he’s enjoyed success against more than once before.

NEW YORK METS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Chance of rain, 71 degrees, wind 9 mph in from right field

The Orioles have made the following roster move:

• OF Greg Allen elected free agency in lieu of accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk.

The Nationals were down 6-0 in the top of the third Sunday afternoon. It was hot. It was muggy. They’d already clinched at least a four-game weekend split with the Phillies. And it would’ve been easy at that moment to be content with that.

But when Trea Turner lined a two-out single to right field, Dylan Crews charged the ball and did what his baseball instincts told him to do, no matter the score. He fired the ball toward the plate, hoping to get it there in time to nab Harrison Bader, who was trying to score from second.

The throw was on time. It was on target. And it one-hopped perfectly into the mitt of Drew Millas, who applied a swipe tag just as Bader was trying to slide into the plate. Umpire Jacob Metz ruled him out, and the Nats ran off the field with a much-needed emotional boost.

“I think any moment, you’re just trying to find a spark to get everybody going,” Crews said. “Luckily, I was in a position to get a spark going and was able to get the guy out at home to flip over the inning. It could be anybody that could be that spark, and luckily I was there to help us with the momentum.”

The throw, clocked at 95.4 mph, was impossible to ignore.

BOSTON – Those moments during the season when it felt like the Orioles were scrambling to fill out their roster have disappeared like one of Samuel Basallo’s home run balls in the minors.

The crab cake analogy fits again – less filler makes for a better product.

Manager Tony Mansolino has a plan, devised by the group, and it’s going to get Basallo, Dylan Beavers and Coby Mayo in the lineup on most nights. Mayo and Adley Rutschman sat last night because Basallo needed to catch and Ryan Mountcastle needed to get some reps at first base. Players can rotate into the designated hitter role, with Jeremiah Jackson taking his turn against the Red Sox.

“It’s exciting,” Mansolino said. “It’s a good problem to have.”

Much better than those constant headaches.

BOSTON – One day after the Orioles scored a dozen runs in a shutout in Houston and celebrated the infusion of young prospect talent and energy on the roster, Jordan Westburg limped off the field and reminded everyone that the 2025 season is a cruel mistress.

Take the good, and there’s much more of it lately, but prepare to get hurt again. It’s a package deal.

Westburg came out of the game with right ankle discomfort, but the Orioles didn’t let it spoil their evening. Trevor Rogers produced another gem with one run in seven innings and the Orioles prevailed 6-3 over the Red Sox at Fenway Park for their fifth win in six games.

Rogers lowered his ERA to 1.41 and WHIP to 0.80 with his 10^th quality start in 12 appearances. Gunnar Henderson hit his 15^th home run in the third inning to create a three-way tie with Westburg and Jackson Holliday for the team lead, and he added a run-scoring triple in the seventh. Samuel Basallo collected his first major league extra-base hit and added a two-run single in the ninth. Dylan Beavers had his first RBI and reached base four times.

Ryan Mountcastle returned to first base, singled three times and flied to the center field wall at 404 feet and 107.2 mph.

BOSTON – Orioles outfielder Tyler O’Neill started baseball activities today at Fenway Park as he works toward a return from a right wrist injury.

O’Neill went on the injured list retroactive to Aug. 6 due to the inflammation.

“Threw the baseball for the first time today,” he said while standing at his locker in the visiting clubhouse. “So now it’s buildup and baseball progression, and hopefully it goes quick.”

Rosters expand on Sept. 1, but O’Neill might be able to return later this month.

“I haven’t had a specific date set in mind,” he said. “I could see that being reasonable. Hopefully, things progress quickly and I’m back before that, but you never know during the buildup. It might be a little longer. But what I know right now is I’m feeling good, I’m pretty much pain-free. It’s just getting back to baseball shape now.”

BOSTON – The Orioles have won four of their last five games and are sending out another lineup tonight ripe with top prospects.

Samuel Basallo is catching his first major league game, with Adley Rutschman on the bench. Dylan Beavers is in right field.

Coby Mayo also is on the bench. Ryan Mountcastle gets the start at first base. Jeremiah Jackson is the designated hitter.

Left-hander Trevor Rogers has a 1.43 ERA and 0.808 WHIP in 11 starts. And it all began with his start at Fenway Park in Game 2 of a May 24 doubleheader, when he allowed two hits in 6 1/3 scoreless innings.

Hoyt Wilhelm (1.25 in 1959) is the only Orioles pitcher with a lower ERA in the first 11 starts in a season. Jim Palmer is third at 1.68 in 1975.