O's game blog: The road trip begins at the Trop
O's game blog: The road trip begins at the Trop
Steve Melewski
Orioles
The Orioles begin a two-city, seven-game road trip in St. Petersburg, Fla. at Tropicana Field tonight with the start of a series against the first-place Tampa Bay Rays. The Orioles will play three games this weekend at the Trop and then four games starting Monday at Cleveland. Tampa Bay (39-24) leads the American League East by one game over the Boston Red Sox. The Rays are 20-5 since May 13 with a plus-77 run differential. They are 34-16 since April 16 after going 5-8 to start the year. The...
Game 59 lineups: Giants at Nats
Game 59 lineups: Giants at Nats
Pete Kerzel
Nationals
Well, the Nationals will try again tonight to send Max Scherzer to the mound to open a four-game series against the Giants. The Nationals have a ragged bullpen, even with an unscheduled off-day from Thursday night's rainout, and need length from Scherzer, and that has a good chance of happening. For his career, the right-hander is 4-5 with a 3.86 ERA and 1.131 WHIP in 10 career starts against San Francisco. In nine of his 12 starts this season, Scherzer has thrown at least six innings, and...
Friday morning Nats Q&A
Friday morning Nats Q&A
Mark Zuckerman
Nationals
Given the events of the previous 48 hours, the Nationals couldn't have been too disappointed when Thursday night's series opener against the Giants was rained out. The team was exhausted after a nine-game road trip, which ended with an 11-inning win at Tampa Bay and an overnight flight home that didn't get them to bed until 6:30 a.m. Thursday. With the bullpen already taxed, the idea of playing Thursday wasn't all that appealing. Now, everyone got an extra day of rest and a full night's...
More on Harvey and the Orioles rotation
More on Harvey and the Orioles rotation
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
The Orioles resume their season tonight after yesterday's break and reset following a 14-1 loss to the Mets, now faced with a stretch of playing 20 days or nights in a row. Seriously, who's responsible for a schedule that keeps lumping off-days together and then withholding them as if the commissioner's office is hoarding? The latest off-day had to be savored, and it allowed the bullpen to recover after Matt Harvey worked just three innings Wednesday night. Manager Brandon Hyde said...
Cedric Mullins' climb from Double-A to AL All-Star candidate
Cedric Mullins' climb from Double-A to AL All-Star candidate
Steve Melewski
Orioles
When you find his name, seventh as of yesterday, among the OPS leaders in the American League, Cedric Mullins is keeping very good company. One spot ahead of him was Boston's J.D. Martinez and one spot behind was Xander Bogaerts of the Red Sox. A few spots ahead were players like Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. A few behind were the likes of José Ramírez, Carlos Correa and Nelson Cruz. The Orioles center fielder is indeed keeping very good company. He is among the...
Orioles option McKenna to Triple-A Norfolk (updated)
Orioles option McKenna to Triple-A Norfolk (updated)
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
Outfielder Austin Hays isn't in Triple-A Norfolk's lineup for tonight's game in Jacksonville. The Orioles just announced that they optioned outfielder Ryan McKenna to the Tides. The dots seem fairly easy to connect unless a curve is thrown while the outfield picture is adjusted. Hays has been on an injury rehab assignment after his left hamstring healed. He strained it during a May 23 game in D.C. This is the second appearance for Hays on the injured list. He suffered a strained right...
Bleary-eyed Nats tried to rest up before postponed opener
Bleary-eyed Nats tried to rest up before postponed opener
Mark Zuckerman
Nationals
The Nationals' 11-inning win Wednesday night in St. Petersburg, Fla., ended at 11:30 p.m. The team bus departed Tropicana Field about an hour later and headed for the airport, where a charter flight awaited. That plane landed at Dulles International Airport maybe an hour before the sun rose, and by the time Davey Martinez was back in his home and put his head on his pillow, morning rush hour was in full swing. "I didn't go to sleep 'til 6:30, woke up at 11:30, rip-raring to go," the...
BetMGM partners with Nationals to debut BetMGM sports betting app at Nationals Park
BetMGM partners with Nationals to debut BetMGM sports betting app at Nationals Park
Pete Kerzel
Nationals
BetMGM announced today the expansion of its market-leading sports betting app into Washington, D.C. in partnership with the Washington Nationals, making BetMGM the only mobile sports betting app available at Nationals Park. Today's news is part of BetMGM's multi-year, exclusive partnership with the Washington Nationals, which also includes a retail BetMGM Sportsbook connected to Nationals Park, scheduled to open later this year. "Launching in Washington, D.C. at Nationals Park sets the stage...
Game 59 lineups: Nats vs. Giants
Game 59 lineups: Nats vs. Giants
Mark Zuckerman
Nationals
Hello from Nationals Park, which hasn't hosted a ballgame in 11 days. Yeah, it's been a while. The Nationals return home from a nine-game road trip in which they went 4-5, used up a lot of pitchers and took a very late-night flight back from St. Petersburg, Fla., to get here for tonight's series opener against the Giants. They may be a bit bleary eyed at this point, and the forecast of on-and-off showers won't help. Here's what will help: For the first time since the 2019 World Series,...
Rainey rewards Nats' faith with first career save
Rainey rewards Nats' faith with first career save
Mark Zuckerman
Nationals
Not once in his previous 101 major league relief appearances had Tanner Rainey been handed the ball with his team leading by three or fewer runs and needing only three more outs to secure a win. Certainly there were times in 2020 when the Nationals right-hander seemed deserving of such an assignment. But it hadn't happened. That it did finally happen Wednesday night in St. Petersburg, Fla., with the Nats leading the Rays 9-7 in the bottom of the 11th, was rather shocking. Because Rainey...