Nationals reinstate Joe Ross
Nationals reinstate Joe Ross
Pete Kerzel
Nationals
The Washington Nationals reinstated right-handed pitcher Joe Ross from the 10-day Injured List and optioned outfielder Yadiel Hernandez to Triple-A Rochester on Monday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Ross, 28, went 5-8 with a 4.02 ERA in 16 starts prior to being placed on the Injured List with right elbow inflammation on July 8. His 16 starts to date are his most since starting 19 games during the 2016 season. In six starts...
Game 99 lineups: Nats at Phillies
Game 99 lineups: Nats at Phillies
Mark Zuckerman
Nationals
Just how dire has the Nationals' predicament become? Well, consider the following ... The Nats are 5-15 this month. That's the worst 20-game stretch this team has experienced since June/July 2018. And prior to that, it hadn't happened since 2010, the last time the franchise lost 90 games in a season. What does that mean? Well, there are 64 games now left. The best 64-game stretch in club was 44-20, which came (not surprisingly) during the 2019 season. If the current Nationals somehow go...
Orioles to host crab feast at Oriole Park on Aug. 13
Orioles to host crab feast at Oriole Park on Aug. 13
Pete Kerzel
Orioles
Fans are invited to attend the second-ever Crab Feast, presented by Miller Lite, at Oriole Park on Friday, August 13, from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. While the Orioles are in Boston to take on the Red Sox, fans ages 21 and over can watch the game on the center field video board and enjoy all-you-can-eat crabs and drinks from tables set up on the Oriole Park infield dirt. The Crab Feast includes unlimited crabs and a variety of sides, as well as beer, soda, and water. All fans will also receive an...
Fry on trade talk: "I want to be part of the solution either way"
Fry on trade talk: "I want to be part of the solution either way"
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
A new week is going to reheat the same old trade deadline talk. Which players are chips for the Orioles front office, which ones lost their luster. Who's more likely to leave and who's a longshot. What's become more evident as Friday approaches, executives ordered to put down their pencils at 4 p.m., is how left-handers Paul Fry and Tanner Scott are most likely to be gone. Pick one. This is a common expectation within the industry and who am I to argue? They're bringing the most appeal and...
Ryan McKenna's impact on a win, plus getting the draft picks going
Ryan McKenna's impact on a win, plus getting the draft picks going
Steve Melewski
Orioles
He flashed some power, some speed and he flashed some defense in the outfield. He can fly on the bases. Cedric Mullins, right? Well, yes, but this time we are talking about his teammate, Ryan McKenna, who made a major impact on the Orioles' 5-4 walk-off win over the Washington Nationals on Sunday afternoon. McKenna scampered home from third base with the winning run in the last of the ninth and who else would you have wanted 90 feet away from winning the game than the fastest player on the...
Means works into seventh and O's rally for 5-4 win (updated)
Means works into seventh and O's rally for 5-4 win (updated)
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
The plan for left-hander Johns Means today was to extend him further than his first start after his reinstatement from the injured list. The pitch limit would be stretched beyond 78. His innings in the right scenario would move past the fifth. "I'm going to bump him up," manager Brandon Hyde said earlier in the day. "Hopefully, everything goes well and he'll go deeper in the game." Means kept Hyde relaxed until the sixth, when Ryan Zimmerman hit a three-run homer to erase a 3-1 lead. Trey...
Hand coughs up lead in ninth, Nats are swept by O's (updated)
Hand coughs up lead in ninth, Nats are swept by O's (updated)
Pete Kerzel
Nationals
Caught in a bad riddle with no easy answer, the Nationals can't seem to decide whether they're struggling more to keep opposing hitters at bay or whether their sagging offense is putting additional unnecessary pressure on a pitching staff that's been stretched thin. Actually both are intertwined, and one swing of Ryan Zimmerman's bat almost proved enough to save the Nats from a sweep and momentarily end the debate and halt a three-game skid. Zimmerman hit a go-ahead three-run homer and...
A walk-off win produces a sweep against the Nationals
A walk-off win produces a sweep against the Nationals
Steve Melewski
Orioles
Down 4-3 heading to the last of the ninth today and 0-51 this year when trailing after eight innings, the Orioles scored two runs in the ninth today to stun the Washington Nationals 5-4 and complete a three-game sweep at Camden Yards. Nats closer Brad Hand hit Maikel Franco on an 0-2 pitch to start the rally. Then Ryan McKenna singled, sending Franco to third base, and pinch-hitter Austin Hays walked to load the bases. A Pat Valaika sac fly to right scored the tie run and McKenna tagged, going...
Martinez not losing confidence in enigmatic Robles
Martinez not losing confidence in enigmatic Robles
Pete Kerzel
Nationals
Just because Victor Robles is struggling at the plate and has lost his stranglehold on the Nationals' center field job doesn't mean manager Davey Martinez has lost confidence in the enigmatic 24-year-old. It wasn't that long ago that Robles was atop the club's prospect list - yes, even ahead of Juan Soto - and the fact that he's followed the club's instructions to shed the bulk that created problems for him last year is an indication that he can rebound, Martinez said Sunday. "(It's)...
Orioles and Nationals lineups
Orioles and Nationals lineups
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
The Orioles are going for the sweep this afternoon with John Means making his second start since exiting the injured list. Means allowed five runs in five innings Tuesday night against the Rays and the Orioles held him to 78 pitches. He's made one career start against the Nationals and surrendered three runs and four hits in two-thirds of an inning on Aug. 16, 2020. Ramón Urías gets a break today, with Pat Valaika at shortstop and Domingo Leyba at second base. Trey Mancini is the...