If the Orioles stick with their five-man rotation through a grueling stretch that doesn't bring an off-day until July 1, Matt Harvey would take his next turn Friday night in Buffalo. He'll be opposed by Josh Allen. But seriously, Harvey is lined up to face the Blue Jays in the second game of the series while a segment of the fan base - impossible to measure because the loudest dissenters tend to post more regularly on social media - wonder why he's still in the rotation. Or the...

After losing two of three games to Toronto - and dropping the last two games after Friday's 7-1 win - the Orioles host Houston beginning tonight at Oriole Park. It is a three-game series to complete a six-game homestand. Then the Orioles will play the Blue Jays and Astros again on the road as part of a 10-game road trip that also includes a trip to Anaheim. Tonight's game will not start on time as planned due to a rain delay, but the outlook for the rain to pass looks good for later this...

The Orioles have placed reliever César Valdez on the 10-day injured list with a strained muscle in his lower back and recalled reliever Travis Lakins Sr. from Triple-A Norfolk. Valdez lost his closer's job and is carrying a 5.74 ERA and 1.650 WHIP in 25 appearances and 26 2/3 innings. He surrendered two more runs yesterday in the eighth inning and has allowed six runs and 11 hits this month in only seven innings. The slump has been extensive, with Valdez registering a 1.42 ERA and 1.105...

Anthony Santander is out of the lineup tonight to ease the strain on his sore left ankle, though he's available to come off the bench for the series opener against the Astros at Camden Yards. DJ Stewart is in right field and Austin Hays is in left. Trey Mancini is playing first base and Ryan Mountcastle is the designated hitter. Pedro Severino is behind the plate. Shortstop Freddy Galvis is batting second. Rookie Keegan Akin went a career-high 5 2/3 innings in his last start in Cleveland, but...

Following a week in which he led the National League with six home runs and tied for the lead with 11 RBI, Washington Nationals left fielder Kyle Schwarber was named National League Player of the Week on Monday. Major League Baseball made the announcement on MLB Network. Schwarber tied a Major League record with five home runs in a two-game span, June 19-20 vs. New York (NL). He became only the second player in Major League history to hit five home runs in two consecutive games from the leadoff...

Is it any wonder the greatest power display in one homestand in Nationals history was good enough to be deemed the best performance of the week by anyone in the National League? Kyle Schwarber, who turned Nationals Park into his own personal home run derby venue, was appropriately rewarded for his efforts by being named NL Player of the Week this afternoon. Not that anyone should be surprised by this announcement. In seven total games against the Pirates and Mets, Schwarber hit .385 with six...

As Cedric Mullins climbs up the hits chart in the majors, he also has risen to ninth among American League outfielders in the latest All-Star voting. This is a significant bump from 10th because the top nine outfielders advance to Phase 2. Mullins has collected 86 hits to lead the league, one ahead of Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He's received 366,555 votes to move past Tampa Bay's Randy Arozarena, who trails with 358,742. The Phase 1 voting period ends Thursday at 4 p.m. The...

Kyle Schwarber first said it one week earlier, unprompted, at the end of a Zoom session with reporters in which he was trying to temper recent suggestions the 2021 Nationals were going nowhere fast. "Remember, this is a good team," the outfielder said as he stood up from his chair. "You guys stay with us now, all right? Stay with us." One week later, at the end of the most productive week of his playing career, Schwarber didn't feel the need to try to convince doubters of the Nationals'...

He recently moved into a couple of top 100 prospects lists and now Orioles infield prospect Gunnar Henderson is on the move again, this time further up in the Baltimore farm system. The Orioles announced a series of minor league roster moves and promotions Sunday, which included Henderson's move from low Single-A Delmarva to high Single-A Aberdeen. Henderson did not play in Sunday's Delmarva game, but had a quite a run with the Shorebirds. Over 35 games, he hit .312/.369/.574 with 11 doubles,...

The Orioles are perfecting the technique of announcing their latest minor league promotions in huge waves. Not a splash or two. Shortstop Gunnar Henderson was included yesterday afternoon in a 10-player news drop following the Orioles' 7-4 loss to the Blue Jays. The biggest name of the batch. Henderson, a second-round pick in the 2019 draft, is making the jump from low Single-A Delmarva to high Single-A Aberdeen. In case you missed it, the rest reads as follows: * Outfielder Yusniel Diaz and...