A frustrating 21 months since being named the 2019 World Series Most Valuable Player continues for Stephen Strasburg, who once again experienced neck pain while throwing during his latest bullpen session. The veteran right-hander was able to throw a bullpen session and then long toss earlier this week, but his second bullpen session caused more discomfort in his neck and forced the Nationals to keep him from throwing for now while they try to work out the next steps. "So Strasburg, once again,...

The Orioles needed just one rehab game for third baseman Maikel Franco to decide that he should be reinstated from the injured list. Franco had three plate appearances Tuesday morning with the Florida Complex League's orange team, going 0-for-1 with a walk and sacrifice fly, and he's in tonight's lineup against the Nationals. "On the road trip he had been taking batting practice with us, doing a running progression, taking ground balls every day," said manager Brandon Hyde. "Went down to...

The Orioles' top two draft picks are at Camden Yards today. They've already been officially signed and have already spent a few days working out in Sarasota, Fla. And this afternoon, outfielder Colton Cowser, the No. 5 overall pick in round one from Sam Houston State, and infielder Connor Norby, taken No. 41 overall in round two from East Carolina, were presented jerseys in a brief on-field ceremony with O's executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias. Their families joined them...

The Orioles reinstated third baseman Maikel Franco from the injured list this afternoon and he's in the lineup for the series opener against the Nationals at Camden Yards. Roster space for Franco was cleared yesterday with infielder Kelvin Gutiérrez optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. Franco hasn't played for the Orioles since spraining his right ankle June 30 in Houston following back-to-back three-hit games. He's batting .221/.265/.376 with 18 doubles, nine home runs and 42 RBIs in 309 plate...

This season's edition of the Battle of the Beltways concludes this weekend in Baltimore after the Nationals swept the Orioles in D.C. in May. Manager Davey Martinez has been asked a lot recently about how he can use Josh Bell and Ryan Zimmerman in the same lineup, with Bell getting some reps in left field during batting practice recently and Zimmerman trying to get his swing back from earlier in the year. That won't be a problem this weekend, though, in an American League ballpark. Bell is...

There may no prospect in baseball, certainly no pitching prospect, whose stock has risen around the sport this season more than Cade Cavalli. The Nationals felt all along they had something special in their 2020 first-round draft pick. Now the rest of the industry is catching on and recognizing the right-hander's immense talent and potential, which was on full display during the All-Star Futures Game in Colorado last week. Cavalli is not, however, a finished product yet. Not even close, given...

We know that the Orioles starting rotation has not covered a lot of innings this year, said Captain Obvious. Through Wednesday's games, the Baltimore rotation has thrown 430 2/3 innings to rank last in the majors. That is 15 fewer innings than Kansas City, although the Royals had played one fewer game than the Orioles. The Baltimore bullpen has had to cover 389 2/3 innings, which ranks as the third most in the majors. So we have a bit of an imbalance here. The O's need more starter innings,...

The ability of Alexander Wells to give the Orioles 5 2/3 innings Wednesday on such short notice, with only three runs allowed, doesn't guarantee the rookie a second major league start. Not until someone in the organization is willing to make the commitment and there's still some uncertainty in the rotation. The Orioles don't know the length of Keegan Akin's absence after his placement on the 10-day COVID-19 injured list. It doesn't come with a minimum requirement. No one knows whether Akin...

An off-day for the Orioles didn't deter them from making a roster move. The club announced today that it optioned infielder Kelvin Gutiérrez to Triple-A Norfolk. The second half of the transaction is withheld until Friday, when the Orioles begin a three-game series against the Nationals at Camden Yards. Gutiérrez showed off a strong arm at third base but was 4-for-23 (.174) with two RBIs, two walks and nine strikeouts in eight games. The Orioles purchased his contract from the Royals on...

The All-Star break ended one week ago, and suffice to say, it's been an awfully eventful first week back for the Nationals. There's been some good. There's been some bad. And there's been some chaos, as well. This is a critical stretch of the season for the Nats, who begin the day six games back of the Mets, still five games under .500 at 45-50. They've got a day off, then open a three-game weekend series in Baltimore on Friday as the final push to the July 30 trade deadline...