First things first: Nats remain committed to Adams as catcher
First things first: Nats remain committed to Adams as catcher
Mark Zuckerman
Nationals
Riley Adams wants you to know he's a catcher, and he wants to continue being a catcher. And the Nationals coaching staff wants you to know it considers Adams a catcher and wants him to continue being a catcher. So why is Adams taking ground balls and learning proper technique at first base right now? "Just trying to get comfortable over there, and in an emergency situation or something like that to be able to go out there and play, feel comfortable," he said in an interview outside the...
Orioles rally for lead and relinquish it in ninth in 4-3 loss (updated)
Orioles rally for lead and relinquish it in ninth in 4-3 loss (updated)
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
Gary Sánchez drove a fastball to deep center field tonight in the second inning, flipping his bat on the backswing, and began his trip around the bases. Where else was he going after making that kind of contact? Cedric Mullins sprinted to the ball, timed his leap at the fence and reached high above it, came down, hopped twice to his left - sticking the landing wasn't important in this event - and flipped it to Austin Hays. Hays would flip the lead later and watch it spin back. John Means...
Notes on Mancini, Severino, Means, Mullins, Mountcastle and more
Notes on Mancini, Severino, Means, Mullins, Mountcastle and more
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
Trey Mancini was written into today's lineup as the designated hitter, but he swung in the cage, felt more discomfort in his right oblique/abdomen and moved to the bench for the game. "Just still feels it a little bit," said manager Brandon Hyde. "We're not going to push him on this and the right thing to do is to give it another day or two and just kind of evaluate it every single day. I'm not going to throw him out there if he still feels it a little bit in kind of a sensitive area...
Bullpen gives up eight to ruin Rogers' strong start (updated)
Bullpen gives up eight to ruin Rogers' strong start (updated)
Mark Zuckerman
Nationals
The baseball that was displayed for 3 hours and 53 minutes this afternoon at Nationals Park was not of a caliber many in the announced crowd of 16,309 could have found satisfactory. The Nationals and Marlins took turns trying to out-underperform each other, from the Nats' inability to produce with runners in scoring position to the Marlins' inability to play clean defense to both bullpens' inability to protect leads. (Or, in Miami's case, throw strikes with the bases loaded.) It all made...
Grayson Rodriguez on mound tonight as Bowie closes in on playoffs (updated)
Grayson Rodriguez on mound tonight as Bowie closes in on playoffs (updated)
Steve Melewski
Orioles
BOWIE - Led by a recent run of strong pitching, the Double-A Bowie Baysox have reeled off nine straight wins. Tonight, they send their ace to the mound here as they look to take another big step toward wrapping up a playoff berth in the Northeast. Two teams will make the league's best-of-five championship series next week, and Bowie holds the No. 2 spot heading into tonight's games. .623 - Akron (71-43) .609 - Bowie (70-45) .605 - Somerset (69-45) If Bowie keeps winning, the Baysox will be in...
Orioles lineup vs. Yankees (updated)
Orioles lineup vs. Yankees (updated)
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
The Orioles will try to end a four-game losing streak with Trey Mancini staying in the lineup and Pedro Severino removed from it. Mancini came out of last night's game after one plate appearance with right abdominal soreness. Severino struggled to get up the first base line on a double play grounder in the sixth inning due to soreness in his leg/groin area, and Austin Wynns replaced him. Mancini is the first Oriole to walk in eight consecutive games since Brian Roberts in 2009. Ryan...
Martinez, coaches honor Clemente with No. 21 jerseys
Martinez, coaches honor Clemente with No. 21 jerseys
Mark Zuckerman
Nationals
Davey Martinez won't be able to walk up the dugout steps and stand on the field for today's national anthem. After a follow-up procedure on his left ankle Tuesday, the Nationals manager remains in a cast and will again need to watch today's game from a perch in the dugout (preferably in the shade on this hot and muggy afternoon). Those who can see Martinez, though, surely will notice the special jersey he's wearing, with the number 21 on the back in honor of Roberto Clemente. For the second...
O's game blog: John Means faces the Yankees at Oriole Park
O's game blog: John Means faces the Yankees at Oriole Park
Steve Melewski
Orioles
In the first two games of their four-game losing streak, in a doubleheader on Saturday against Toronto, the Orioles led before losing. But they have fallen behind big in the last two losses and will look to reverse that tonight when hosting the New York Yankees. The Orioles trailed 16-4 after the third inning Sunday on their way to a 22-7 loss to the Blue Jays. And they trailed 5-0 after the third last night in losing the series opener 7-2 to the Yankees. New York right-hander Gerrit Cole got...
Game 146 lineups: Nats vs. Marlins
Game 146 lineups: Nats vs. Marlins
Mark Zuckerman
Nationals
The nexus of the universe stands at the corner of South Capitol Street and Potomac Avenue SE this afternoon, where both the Nationals and Marlins will be sending left-handed pitchers to the mound named Rogers. OK, so this is hardly cosmos-bending stuff, but it is a funny little quirk about the matchup for today's series finale at Nationals Park. Josh Rogers gets the start for the Nats, his third since his promotion from Triple-A Rochester. And he's been pretty good in each of his previous two...
Bell holding his own in outfield, Soto chasing another batting title
Bell holding his own in outfield, Soto chasing another batting title
Mark Zuckerman
Nationals
Ryan Zimmerman produced the most memorable hit of Tuesday night's 8-2 win over the Marlins when he launched a fastball from Jesús Luzardo 442 feet to right-center field, into the second deck at Nationals Park. But Zimmerman's presence in the lineup was made possible in part by Josh Bell's ability to remain in the lineup himself while moving out to left field for the night. It was the fourth game Bell has started in the outfield this season, and he may be back there today when the...