You can talk about the reasons the Nationals are currently 8-11 and point out that Juan Soto and Stephen Strasburg are currently on the injured list, that nobody in their rotation outside of Max Scherzer owns an ERA under 4.64 or that nine members of the opening day roster were in quarantine on opening day. And all of those are indeed among the reasons the Nats are 8-11 as they spend this off-day on the Florida Gulf Coast in advance of a two-game interleague series versus the Blue Jays at their...

The Orioles' 8-1 win Sunday over the Oakland A's - one that snapped Oakland's 13-game win streak - had a homegrown flavor. The Orioles improved to 9-12 and welcome the Yankees to town tonight to begin a four-game series. The Birds had five homegrown players in the lineup, including Cedric Mullins, Trey Mancini, Ryan Mountcastle, Austin Hays and Ryan McKenna. Those players combined for eight hits and six RBIs. Hays produced his second career two-homer game. And O's homegrown lefties started...

Putting aside the Adley Rutschman obsession for a moment, which I understand is like sliding your hands underneath a cruise ship and telling a friend to "grab the other end," the Orioles are showing a willingness in the right circumstances to push a prospect further than expected. The key is figuring out those circumstances. To read the situation. Ryan McKenna is on the active roster again despite his complete lack of Triple-A experience. He started in right field yesterday and singled, and...

Zac Lowther sat in the Orioles bullpen this afternoon and waited for the phone to ring. A second call in less than 24 hours that would thrill him. That would allow a fourth player on the club to make his major league debut in less than a month. The fly in the ointment was a former All-Star pitcher who's the undisputed ace of the staff. A starter who didn't need a reliever to provide length. John Means was dealing again. Austin Hays was destroying fastballs. Lowther wasn't debuting until the...

The final tally - Mets 4, Nationals 0 - suggested a one-sided game. It suggested yet another rough start for Patrick Corbin and yet another lifeless afternoon at the plate for a Nats lineup that has been shut out five times in 19 games to begin the season. In reality, this had a chance to be a far more competitive ballgame, perhaps even a victory for the visitors. It proved not to be because the Nationals did just about everything in their power to spoil the countless opportunities they had to...

The way he was pitching, maybe Orioles left-hander John Means would not need big run support. As it turned out, he would not get it. But he was a stopper today for the O's. He stopped a three-game losing for the team as they avoided getting swept by Oakland. Means also stopped Oakland's 13-game winning. The run ends one short of the second-best streak in team history when they won 14 in a row from April 23-May 9, 1988. The 20-game run in 2002 is the club record. Means was real good again for...

Zac Lowther is in the bullpen this afternoon as the Orioles close out their series against the Athletics. Whether he stays there, and with the Orioles, can't be answered today. The Orioles recalled Lowther from the alternate training site in Bowie for a specific purpose this afternoon. "The need for somebody who can give us multiple innings," manager Brandon Hyde said in his Zoom call with the media. "And Zac being on roster, throwing the ball well at the alternate site, having a good...

It's not uncommon for Ryan Zimmerman to go an entire week without appearing in a major league game. This is a player, after all, who has dealt with every manner of injury throughout his 16-year career, and has required time off both in the short and long term to get his body right. But never before has Zimmerman missed an entire week while on the Nationals' active roster and, by all accounts, healthy enough to play. Until this week. It's been seven days since the face of the franchise showed...

Pitchers like Keegan Akin, Dean Kremer and Bruce Zimmermann have preceded him. Now 24-year-old lefty Zac Lowther arrives in the majors for the first time. Taken by the Orioles out of Xavier with the No. 74 pick in the 2017 draft, he was added to the big league roster today as Wade LeBlanc was designated for assignment. Lowther's strong minor league resume includes being named O's co-Minor League Pitcher of the Year with Akin 2018 and a stellar 2019 season when he was one of the best pitchers...

In an attempt to pick up their second home win of the season, avoid a three-game sweep and snap Oakland's long winning streak, the Orioles turn to their lefty ace today. John Means (1-0, 1.52 ERA) will make his fifth start. Means went seven scoreless innings on three hits last Sunday at Texas and is pitching on two extra days of rest. He threw 96 pitches last Sunday with two walks and nine strikeouts. Means ended his 2020 season by pitching to an ERA of 1.52 over his last four starts. He has...