O's game blog: Road trip begins in Texas
O's game blog: Road trip begins in Texas
Steve Melewski
Orioles
After losing six of seven games during the season's first homestand, the Orioles are back on the road tonight. They begin a two-city, five-game road stint at Texas versus the Rangers. It's their first trip to Arlington, Texas, since June 4-6, 2019. The Orioles (5-8) lost a doubleheader to Seattle on Thursday and they are tied for fourth in the American League East and are four games back of first-place Boston. The Orioles, who scored just three runs over the two seven-inning games yesterday,...
Corbin still searching, Lester still building, Avilán lands on IL
Corbin still searching, Lester still building, Avilán lands on IL
Mark Zuckerman
Nationals
Davey Martinez stayed up late Thursday night, stayed at Nationals Park til 12:30 a.m., went home and then stayed up until 2 a.m. pondering the state of his team, specifically his pitching staff. The Nationals manager was simultaneously trying to figure out what's going on with Patrick Corbin and Stephen Strasburg and how to get both veteran starters back into a recognizable form while also making sure the rest of his staff was prepared and available for tonight's game against the...
Orioles lineup vs. Rangers
Orioles lineup vs. Rangers
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
DJ Stewart remains in left field and Ryan Mountcastle is the designated hitter as the Orioles begin a three-game series tonight against the Rangers in Arlington, Texas. Stewart gets a turn batting third. Trey Mancini is the cleanup hitter and Mountcastle continues to bat sixth. Jorge López needs a good start. He's allowed 11 runs and 11 hits in 8 2/3 innings and opponents have hit three home runs. López has made one career start against the Rangers and he surrendered five runs and seven...
Game 12 lineups: Nats vs. Diamondbacks
Game 12 lineups: Nats vs. Diamondbacks
Pete Kerzel
Nationals
Today's matchup pits two pitchers coming off their best performances of the young season, and both Erick Fedde of the Nationals and Luke Weaver of the Diamondbacks will be hoping to continue their success. At stake for the Nationals: A win today will give them consecutive victories for the first time this season. On the heels of another dominant effort by Max Scherzer on Friday night, the Nats need another strong outing by a starting pitcher. Fedde didn't get ouf of the second inning in his...
Game 11 lineups: Nats vs. Diamondbacks
Game 11 lineups: Nats vs. Diamondbacks
Mark Zuckerman
Nationals
The Nationals have slogged their way through a few clunkers in the last week. The good news: They've bounced back in each case to play well the following day and win. So perhaps that portends better things tonight when they face the Diamondbacks and try to erase all memory of Thursday night's fiasco. It starts, of course, with Max Scherzer, who is desperately needed tonight not only to pitch well but to pitch as deep into the game as possible after Patrick Corbin was knocked out two innings...
Friday morning Nats Q&A
Friday morning Nats Q&A
Mark Zuckerman
Nationals
It's been far too long since we've done one of these. But now that we're 10 games into the season, with no shortage of topics to discuss, it seems like a good time open up the phone lines and hear what you have to say about the Nationals and their not-so-ideal start to the 2021 campaign. What's happened so far? Well, there was the COVID-19 outbreak, which postponed the first four games and sidelined five players for the opening series and four more for the next series as well. There have...
Another ragged start by Corbin leaves Nats in a lurch (updated)
Another ragged start by Corbin leaves Nats in a lurch (updated)
Mark Zuckerman
Nationals
Once was perhaps cause for concern but potentially forgivable. Twice is cause for alarm and potentially disastrous for a Nationals club that is built to win behind a dominant rotation but has now seen two of its top three starters get rocked in the last week, one of them twice. Stephen Strasburg, for the moment, isn't the Nats' greatest concern. Patrick Corbin is after another cringe-inducing start tonight in which the left-hander was battered for 10 runs in only two innings during a 11-6...
Leftovers for breakfast
Leftovers for breakfast
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
The starters need to get deeper into games. The bullpen needs to get more outs. The defense needs to tighten. A team doesn't slide into last place if these three areas are secured. But there may not be a heavier weight dragging down the Orioles than a light-hitting lineup. The Orioles went 7-for-47 (.149) in yesterday's doubleheader and scored only three runs while being swept by the Mariners. They've registered a .218 average in 13 games, the sixth-lowest in the majors as they boarded their...
Baseball's latest effort to get more action in the game (plus O's notes)
Baseball's latest effort to get more action in the game (plus O's notes)
Steve Melewski
Orioles
Major League Baseball is a taking a distance that was kind of sacred in baseball and changing it later this year. Not in the American League or the National League, but in August in the independent Atlantic League. That is when 60 feet, six inches becomes 61 feet, six inches. MLB will experiment with one of its partner leagues when its second half starts Aug. 3. The pitching rubber will be moved back one foot in the Atlantic League. This is expected to lead to more balls put in play, fewer...
Orioles bats go silent again in doubleheader sweep (updated)
Orioles bats go silent again in doubleheader sweep (updated)
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
The comparisons and contrasts keep jabbing at the Orioles like heavyweight fighters. Sticking and moving, sticking and moving. And there's the occasional big blow that sends them to the canvas again. Rio Ruiz strikes out to end the second inning, flips his bat to the ground, drops his helmet and gloves and walks away from the pile in disgust. Seattle's Dylan Moore leads off the next inning and hits a home run on the first pitch thrown by Bruce Zimmermann. Mariners starter Justin Dunn strikes...