Ralph Warner, 11, loves baseball. It's obvious from the way he talks about Major League Baseball players he idolizes, his favorite team - the New York Mets, and his youth baseball team. Warner recently traveled to Maryland from his home in Midland Park, N.J., to compete in the Cal Ripken Experience Turn Two Tournament. He was on the mound in a championship bracket game when he was struck by a line drive. He was rushed to Johns Hopkins Hospital and put in the intensive care unit with a...

Your pitchers can't get you a win if you don't score any runs. By all means, a starting pitcher that goes at least six innings and only gives up two or three runs should not be an automatic loss. It's not the greatest start of their life, but they're keeping the other team in arm's reach. That's not a lot of runs for a starter to give up, especially if they're going long, and in theory the offense should be able to produce enough runs to at least make it a net zero. But that hasn't been...

Quick, which Orioles minor league affiliate do you know the least about? Odds are, about half of you said the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League Orioles and the other half probably said either the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Orioles or the short-season Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds because you've never heard about the Dominican Summer League Orioles. The DSL Orioles got their season underway on June 2, and today I thought I would update you on some early standouts thus far. In the Dominican...

Endurance is the most remarkable trait of professional athletes. Whether it's Alex Ovechkin grinding through 13 National Hockey League seasons before winning the Stanley Cup or Nationals ace Max Scherzer powering through eight innings to strike out 13 batters, remarkable displays of strength and stamina make for compelling competition. On June 12, 1967, 41 years ago Tuesday, Senators catcher Paul Casanova showed such tenacity, working 22 innings behind the plate and driving in the winning run...

There's no use trying to sugarcoat what the Orioles are going through this season. It's bad, and has the potential to get worse. They remain the only team in baseball without at least 20 wins nearly midway through June. They are near the bottom in run differential along with every major offensive category and many of the pitching and defensive categories, as well. The snowball is officially rolling down the hill. Many have already called for the young guys to come up and take the place of...

Manager: Alex Cora (1st season) Record: 44-22 Last 10 games: 5-5 Who to watch: DH J.D. Martinez (.316 with 21 HR, 54 RBIs); LF Andrew Benintendi (.293 with 71 hits, 10 SB); 1B Mitch Moreland (.296 with 10 HR, 13 2B); SS Xander Bogaerts (.277 with 9 HR, 54 hits); LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (7-1, 3.68 ERA); LHP Chris Sale (5-4, 2.83 ERA); RHP Craig Kimbrel (2.00 ERA, 20 saves) Season series vs. Orioles: 6-1 Pitching probables: June 11: RHP Steven Wright (2-0) vs. RHP Dylan Bundy (4-7); 7:05 p.m.,...

Playing the "on pace for" game is dangerous for any sports fan. A team that reels off a bunch of wins early could be on pace for one of the best seasons ever. Remember the Dodgers last season? They had a 44-7 stretch that went from June to August and put them on a pace to win more games than any team in history. They finished 2017 12 wins shy of 116. Sure, it was a good season, but it wasn't what we were all expecting. We see this type of stuff all the time when hitters get hot at the plate....

This week, Major League Baseball held its annual First-Year Player Draft, with more than 1,200 players selected over three days. Much like new television shows, most of these players will not be hits and being chosen on draft day will likely be their career highlight. But a few, like new YouTube show "Cobra Kai," blossom into breakout performers. With May sweeps barely in the rearview mirror, I use my favorite sitcoms to help introduce the 2018 Nationals draft class. "Head of the Class":...

"The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America" by George Packer was published in 2013, but it is just as important now as it was then to understanding where our inner soul is as a nation. Packer is a staff writer for The New Yorker and the author of other books that reflect on recent history in the U.S. In the prologue to this work, Packer says, "No one can say when the unwinding began - when the coil that held Americans together in its secure and sometimes stifling grip first gave...

Manager: John Gibbons (11th season) Record: 26-35 Last 10 games: 2-8 Who to watch: 3B Yangervis Solarte (.251 with 12 HR, 36 RBIs); 1B Justin Smoak (.253 with 9 HR, 33 RBIs); CF Kevin Pillar (.254, 58 hits, 20 2B); LHP J.A. Happ (7-3, 4.08 ERA); RHP Aaron Sanchez (3-5, 4.48 ERA) Season series vs. Orioles: 2-1 Pitching probables: June 7: RHP Andrew Cashner (2-7) vs. LHP Jaime García (2-4); 7:07 p.m., MASNJune 8: RHP Kevin Gausman (3-5) vs. LHP J.A. Happ (7-3); 7:07 p.m., MASN2June 9: RHP...

The Orioles have named Troy Scott as the club's Vice President of Ballpark Operations. Scott will oversee and coordinate the facility operation of Oriole Park at Camden Yards and the accompanying B & O Warehouse and will drive the strategic and operational initiatives of the ballpark, including all ongoing security, event operations, and guest experience programs.Since 2013, Scott has served as the Vice President of Stadium Development and Operations for D.C. United Soccer, where he was...

While the Major League Baseball All-Star Game is more than a month away, the minor league All-Star Games will be here before you know it. The low Single-A South Atlantic League is where the Delmarva Shorebirds play, and on Tuesday, three Shorebirds were named to the All-Star Game: outfielder Zach Jarrett, first baseman Seamus Curran and third baseman Trevor Craport. This year's South Atlantic League All-Star Game will be the 59th edition and will be held at First National Bank Field in...

Max Scherzer is the best pitcher in baseball right now, and he's accomplished things that other pitchers would only dream of ever touching. He has two immaculate innings, two no-hitters and a 20-strikeout game. He has three Cy Young Awards, and is the two-time incumbent winner in the National League. He looks to be well on his way to a third straight, and there's no question about it. Scherzer is crushing the National League in just about every pitching category, leading a dominant Nationals...

Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals took the D.C. by storm on Monday night, and with the First-Year Player Draft taking place, some of the Nationals took in the eventful evening at Capital One Arena, cheering on the Washington Capitals as they moved closer to eliminating the Vegas Golden Knights with a 6-2 victory. The Capitals attempting to make history and win the club's first StanleyCup and Washington's first major sports championship in a quarter of a century. The @Nationals' Ryan...

Manager: Kevin Cash (4th season) Record: 28-30 Last 10 games: 5-5 Who to watch: 1B C.J. Cron (12 HR, 32 RBIs), SS Daniel Robertson (.272), C Wilson Ramos (.301 with 7 HR, 29 RBIs), 3B Matt Duffy (.308), RHP Sergio Romo (5.96 ERA), RHP Ryne Stanek (3.97 ERA) Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (2-1 in 2015) Pitching probables: June 5: RHP Nathan Eovaldi (1-0) vs. RHP Max Scherzer (9-1), 7:05 p.m., MASN2June 6: TBA vs. RHP Tanner Roark (2-6), 1:05 p.m., MASN2 Inside the Rays: The Rays...

Did you know that in 1951 the St. Louis Browns' Ned Garver received a call from a reporter with the Washington Post to congratulate him on winning the MVP award? A day later it was announced that Yogi Berra won the award. Did you know that in the 1944, in the movie "Going My Way," Bing Crosby wore a St. Louis Browns jacket and cap? How about the fact Don Larsen of World Series no-hit fame was the last former Browns player to play in the majors? Me either. Bill Borst, Bill Rodgers and Ed...

Washington baseball fans still love Ken McMullen. The former Senators third baseman's 76th birthday was June 1, and there were dozens of likes and comments on a post recognizing the occasion on two D.C. Baseball History Facebook pages. The post included a photo of McMullen wearing a Senators uniform, in a fielding pose and wearing a batting helmet. McMullen came to the Senators in the same seven-player blockbuster that brought Frank Howard to the nation's capital, and McMullen flourished...

The first time I attended a baseball game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, I didn't comprehend what I was doing there. I was merely a youngster, who couldn't have understood the magnitude of the stadium. I knew I enjoyed it. I knew it was majestic and it was part of what caused me to fall in love with not only the Orioles, but with baseball as a whole. There are certain things about it that draw you in. It's the gardens outside home plate plaza, which always seem to be blooming with bright...

It is always such a treat to have a fellow broadcaster join us to talk about a book he has written. Today it is Steve Physioc of the Royals broadcast team. Steve has been in the professional play by play business since 1983 with the Reds, Giants, Angels, ESPN and now the Royals. With the support of his family, he undertook a long look at the history of Lucca, Italy, and the story-filled history of the place. From that examination came this novel. I have not yet read this book. The release came...

Orioles Managing Partner Peter Angelos issued the following statement on the death of longtime Orioles scout Bruce Kison, who passed away last night. "Our entire Orioles family is deeply saddened to learn of Bruce Kison's passing. For nearly two decades, Bruce played an integral role in all aspects of our organization as a pitching coach, a scout, and a trusted advisor. Bruce will be remembered for his tremendous work ethic, professionalism, and personality, as well as his dedication to the...