CHICAGO – Tony Mansolino was the Orioles third base coach and infield instructor last summer, not their interim manager, when Kyle Bradish tossed seven hitless innings in the White Sox’s home ballpark. The details are a bit fuzzy.

Rain delayed the start of the game for 1 hour and 40 minutes. Bradish matched his career high with 11 strikeouts and came out after 103 pitches. The first batter to face reliever Danny Coulombe ruined the drama by homering.

“How do I not remember this?” Mansolino asked this afternoon during his dugout media session.

“I hope he does it again tonight.”

Bradish walked the leadoff hitter, struck out the next two and surrendered back-to-back singles to give the White Sox an early lead. He wouldn’t chase history. The goal was much more simple. Just do the job well enough to give his team a chance to win.

The National League East standings suggest the Nationals aren’t much worse than the Braves, entering the night trailing their division foes by a mere four games in the battle to finish fourth at the end of a miserable season for both clubs.

The baseball that was on display tonight, though, offered up little evidence these two teams deserve to be lumped into the same category. This 11-3 loss felt far more like the lopsided losses the Nats routinely suffered at the hands of the playoff-bound Braves the previous four years.

At the plate, the Nationals were overwhelmed by a young flamethrower in an Atlanta jersey, in this case the resurgent Spencer Strider, who dominated over seven innings. On the mound, a Nats left-hander finishing out the string of a ragged season was battered around by experienced hitters, in this case Mitchell Parker taking the punishment.

It all made for a familiar, frustrating night on South Capitol Street, where the home team was overmatched in every way by the opposition, even if their respective positions in the standings suggest that shouldn’t have been the case.

"We didn't hit today," interim manager Miguel Cairo said. "They just hit better than us today. They were better. They beat us."

CHICAGO – Albert Suárez started yesterday in Toronto, allowed a run over three innings, threw 53 pitches and was lost for the rest of the month.

That’s also a wrap on his 2025 season.

Suárez went on the 15-day injured list this afternoon with right elbow discomfort and is scheduled to undergo an MRI tonight. He made one appearance this season, on March 28 at Rogers Centre, and missed about five months with a rotator cuff strain.

In four September appearances, Suárez allowed two runs and four hits over nine innings and won twice. Yesterday was his first start since Sept. 29, 2024.

“After the third inning right there, just kind of where he was at, it was kind of, see how he felt, and he said there’s a little bit of tightness in the forearm, so wisely pulled the plug in that situation with Big Al,” said interim manager Tony Mansolino.

Jarlin Susana had surgery last week to repair his right lat muscle, a procedure that could impact the top pitching prospect’s availability for Nationals spring training.

Susana, the organization’s third-rated prospect behind shortstop Eli Willits and fellow right-hander Travis Sykora, injured himself during an Aug. 30 start for Double-A Harrisburg, departing after allowing three runs on one hit, three walks and a hit-by-pitch in 1 2/3 innings. A subsequent MRI revealed a lat strain, the Nats announced Sept. 5, though they were still consulting with doctors to determine a course of action.

The final determination was that the strain was significant enough to require surgery, which was performed last week. The Nationals did not offer a timeline for his recovery, but pitchers who need lat surgery typically miss a considerable amount of time.

Mets left-hander AJ Minter had season-ending lat surgery in early May. Brewers right-hander JB Bukauskas has missed the entire season following lat surgery in late February.

According to Major League Baseball’s injury glossary, Grade 1 lat strains are considered mild and require only 2-3 weeks of recovery, Grade 2 strains are considered moderate and require a month of recovery and Game 3 strains are considered severe because the muscle ruptures, requiring surgery with a considerably longer recovery period.

CHICAGO – The Orioles made another flurry of roster moves this afternoon in Chicago.

Relievers Chayce McDermott and Yaramil Hiradlo were recalled from Triple-A Norfolk. Albert Suárez was placed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow discomfort, ending his season, and Carson Ragsdale was designated for assignment.

Ragsdale was optioned yesterday before the DFA.

The Orioles also claimed left-hander José Castillo on waivers from the Mariners, but he hasn’t reported.

Infielder Jordan Westburg is with the club and said he’s ready to go, but the Orioles didn’t announce a move with him.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Recalled RHP Yaramil Hiraldo and RHP Chayce McDermott from Triple-A Norfolk.
• Claimed LHP José Castillo off waivers from the Seattle Mariners. He has not yet reported.
• Placed RHP Albert Suárez (right elbow discomfort) on the 15-day Injured List.
• Designated RHP Carson Ragsdale for assignment after optioning him to Triple-A Norfolk after yesterday’s game.

The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 40 players.

We’ve reached the final two weeks of the season, with only four series remaining on the Nationals’ schedule. And while they will face an interleague opponent (the White Sox) to wrap up 2025, before that they’ve got three straight series against fellow National League East opponents, two of them against the Braves.

And this first series vs. Atlanta is a four-games-in-three-days series, with a day-night doubleheader on the docket Tuesday. First up, though, is tonight’s 6:45 p.m. opener. It’ll be Mitchell Parker on the mound, hoping to pick up where he left off in Miami last week when he allowed just two runs over 7 2/3 innings in his best start in weeks. The left-hander was OK in two back-to-back starts against the Braves back in May, allowing seven runs over 10 innings but emerging with a win in one of the games and a no-decision in the other.

Spencer Strider was Parker’s opponent for the May 20 meeting between these teams, and the Nationals jumped all over him for three runs in the first and another in the second. Strider was making only his second start off the injured list at the time. And while it’s been a rocky road for the hard-throwing right-hander, he has been better of late, posting a 3.00 ERA over his last three outings.

ATLANTA BRAVES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 77 degrees, wind 9 mph in from right field

BRAVES
LF Jurickson Profar
1B Matt Olson
RF Ronald Acuña Jr.
2B Ozzie Albies
SS Ha-Seong Kim
C Drake Baldwin
DH Marcell Ozuna
CF Michael Harris II
3B Nacho Alvarez Jr.

Williams will be recognized in a pregame ceremony ahead of Monday’s 6:45 p.m. game vs. the Atlanta Braves.

Washington Nationals pitcher Trevor Williams has been named the Club’s nominee for the 2025 Roberto Clemente Award presented by Capital One, Major League Baseball announced today. Williams is recognized for his continuous work with Project 34, which aims to improve the lives of spinal cord injury survivors and caregivers by providing financial relief to families, as well as his support of the Nationals’ military initiatives. As part of the league-wide celebration of Roberto Clemente Day, Williams will be recognized in a pregame ceremony before Monday’s 6:45 p.m. game vs. the Atlanta Braves.

In honor of the late humanitarian Roberto Clemente, Major League Baseball annually bestows the prestigious award to the player who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions – both on and off the field. Fans are eligible to vote for Williams at mlbtogether.com/ClementeAward through the end of the regular season, Sunday, Sept. 28.

Inspired to action when a spinal cord injury left his Arizona State University teammate Cory Hahn paralyzed in 2011, Williams and Hahn established their nonprofit, Project 34, in support of those who have suffered similar life-altering injuries and faced rehabilitation journeys. In 2024, Project 34 provided more than $220,000 in aid to 144 individuals and is on pace to exceed those marks in 2025. With nearly $600,000 in grants awarded since its founding, Project 34 has improved the quality of life for hundreds suffering from spinal cord injuries, restoring hope, independence, and a focus on living fulfilling, empowered lives. Working closely with Washington Nationals Philanthropies, the Club’s charitable arm, Williams has also facilitated an annual Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Day at Nationals Park. Each year, the Nationals support Project 34’s efforts by designating proceeds from the 5050 Raffle to the nonprofit’s fundraising efforts, as well as hosting individuals living with spinal cord injuries at Nationals Park.

In addition to his work with Project 34, Williams has committed to volunteering his time and support for our nation’s active-duty military service members and veterans. He has participated in the Nats on Base leadership forum, made base visits to military personnel and has built heartfelt connections with families from the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), including a recent pregame meet-and-greet before the Nationals annual Heroes Day celebration on Friday, Sept. 12.

The Baltimore Orioles and Major League Baseball today announced that infielder JORDAN WESTBURG has been named the Orioles’ 2025 nominee for the esteemed Roberto Clemente Award. The most prominent individual player award bestowed by MLB, the Roberto Clemente Award, presented by Capital One, is the annual recognition of a Major League player from each club who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy, and positive contributions, both on and off the field.

The Orioles will join Major League Baseball in honoring the 24^th annual Roberto Clemente Day on Monday, September 15, as they take on the Chicago White Sox at 7:40 p.m. ET at Rate Field. This commemorative day was established by Major League Baseball to honor Clemente’s legacy and to officially acknowledge local club nominees of the Roberto Clemente Award. As part of the league-wide celebration, the Roberto Clemente Day logo will appear on the bases and official dugout lineup cards, all players will wear a “21” patch on their jersey (with 2025 nominees being notated on their patch), and a special tribute video will be played in ballparks. Once again this season, each team’s Clemente nominee will wear ”21” on their uniform, joining players and uniformed personnel from Puerto Rico, previous nominees, and those who have worn “21” on prior Roberto Clemente Days.

The Orioles will recognize Westburg in a special on-field ceremony at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Saturday, September 20, against the New York Yankees. In addition, Major League Baseball will make a donation to a charity of Westburg’s choice.

Since making his major league debut in 2023, Westburg has showcased all the qualities that the Roberto Clemente award was created to honor. Westburg’s leadership extends beyond the diamond and into the Orioles clubhouse, where his values and integrity set the tone. During Spring Training, he helped organize and lead team-wide Bible study sessions, creating an inclusive and encouraging space for teammates to grow in their faith and support one another in their spiritual journey.

Westburg is also active in the greater Baltimore community, which included his volunteer work at several non-profits during the Orioles’ 2025 Birdland Caravan. His efforts included wrapping diapers at ShareBaby, organizing books at the Maryland Book Bank, preparing athletic gear for underserved youth with Leveling the Playing Field, and assembling Narcan kits and foster care bags with Break a Difference. Westburg’s dedication to serving the community he calls home is evident. His wife, Anna Claire, later returned to volunteer with ShareBaby during the season, reflecting the couple’s shared dedication to service.

The call came down to the bullpen as the bottom of the eighth was about to get underway Sunday afternoon. The Nationals and Pirates were tied 3-3, but Clayton Beeter was informed he should start warming up, because if his teammates scored that inning, he was going to be pitching the ninth.

Yes, in a save situation for the first time in his career. And how did the 26-year-old rookie handle that news?

“It felt pretty much the same,” he insisted. “Obviously, I knew what it was. But I felt confident that I was going to go out there and keep doing what I’ve been doing.”

Which is precisely what Beeter did do. Though he put two runners on base with two outs, the right-hander responded by striking out Pittsburgh’s Bryan Reynolds to end the game, preserve a 4-3 victory and lock up his first career save.

How was it that Beeter found himself in this unlikely situation?

Center fielder Slater de Brun, chosen by the Orioles with the 37^th overall pick in this year’s draft, draws comparisons to Arizona’s two-time All-Star Corbin Carroll based on his tools and stature.

There’s also got to be a musical comp for de Brun, who’s a duel threat as a baseball player and musician/producer.

The 5-foot-10 de Brun carries big aspirations on and off the field. He goes by “Lil Slayyy” when he’s in music mode, putting out country singles like “Break My Heart” and “Find Me a Bar” – the irony, of course, being that he’s too young to get served.

“Music is like an outlet for me, it’s a creative outlet for me, and it helps me get my thoughts not on paper but out of my head,” he said last week at Camden Yards. “Also, I like when people listen to my music because it shows that I’m like a vulnerable person. I’m not just a baseball player but I’m more than that. So I think it probably brings more people around me, I would hope, and that’s why I like music.

“We have time on our hands right now in the afternoons in Sarasota, so there’s a lot of extra time in professional baseball and you’ve got to fill that doing productive things, and for me, that’s a very productive thing.”

They waited it out all morning and early afternoon, the game tied since the end of the second inning, just looking for some kind of break to take the lead for good.

And when that break came in the form of another misplay in center field by Oneil Cruz, the Nationals took full advantage and then rode a makeshift bullpen to a 4-3 victory over the Pirates.

Daylen Lile provided the long-awaited club hit with a one-out double to left-center in the bottom of the eighth. And when Cruz (who already let one hit scoot under his glove earlier this weekend) did it again, James Wood (who started the rally with a walk) was able to race all the way home from first with the go-ahead run.

"At first, I was just thinking double. I thought it was going to be second and third," said Lile, who finished 2-for-2 with two walks, the rookie raising his OPS to .796. "And as soon as I saw it get past Cruz, I just kicked it into second gear, get to third base, and I saw James score."

Clayton Beeter, pressed into surprise closer service, then finished it off in the top of the ninth, overcoming a two-out walk and subsequent single to earn the first save of his career, capping an impressive game for the Nationals bullpen.

TORONTO – On a given day in 2024, you never knew what you would see from Albert Suárez. 

On May 22 of last year, he tossed two-thirds of an inning against the Cardinals in high-leverage bullpen work. Three days later, he started against the White Sox, tossing four scoreless. 

It was the same story later that season. To kick off August, the right-hander came out of the bullpen for an inning and two-thirds only to follow it up with five shutout innings with six strikeouts against the Toronto Blue Jays. 

That’s exactly what the O’s are hoping for out of Suárez this afternoon, who starts in Toronto after appearing in the 10th inning in his last outing. 

“If you get him up to five, I think you’re probably doing a pretty good job right there,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said of Suárez’s upcoming outing. “I think he got up to five in one of his rehab starts. That’s a while ago. He hasn’t built up that high. I think here with us, probably, three innings is what he’s got. Albert has a tendency to be efficient at times and he can get some outs quick. If all goes well and he gets to the fifth, that would be great. If something went crazy and somehow he got into the sixth, it would be incredible.” 

Cole Henry’s impressive rookie season has come to an unfortunate and premature end.

The Nationals placed Henry on the 15-day injured list this morning with a back strain, bringing an abrupt halt to the reliever’s first big league season with exactly 15 days remaining on the schedule.

Orlando Ribalta, who had just been optioned to Triple-A Rochester three days ago to clear a spot for MacKenzie Gore’s return from the IL, was recalled and will be back in the bullpen for today’s series finale against the Pirates.

Henry struggled during a high-leverage appearance Saturday afternoon. Entrusted with the top of the eighth with the Nats leading 1-0, he walked two of the three batters he faced, throwing only seven of his 18 pitches for strikes before getting pulled in favor of left-hander PJ Poulin, who allowed both inherited runners to score during what became a four-run rally for Pittsburgh.

It was Henry’s third consecutive shaky outing. He gave up three runs (two earned) on two hits, a hit-by-pitch and a wild pitch Monday in Miami, then returned to the mound two nights later and walked two during a scoreless inning.

The Orioles brought up another new pitcher this morning, recalling right-hander Carson Ragsdale from Triple-A Norfolk and placing Shawn Dubin on the 15-day injured list with right elbow discomfort.

Ragsdale will wear No. 83. He’s waiting to make his major league debut after posting a 3.47 ERA and 1.157 WHIP in seven games (five starts) with Norfolk.

Ragsdale, 27, began the season with Triple-A Sacramento in the Giants’ organization. The Orioles claimed him on waivers Aug. 3.

If Ragsdale gets into a game, he’ll be the 68^th player used by the Orioles this season.

Dubin made seven relief appearances and allowed three runs in eight innings. He pitched Friday and was charged with three runs and four hits in 1 2/3.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Recalled RHP Carson Ragsdale from Triple-A Norfolk. He will wear No. 83 and his first appearance will be his MLB debut.
• Placed RHP Shawn Dubin (right elbow discomfort) on the 15-day Injured List, retroactive to September 13.

Who’s up for some Sunday morning baseball? Yes, the Nationals and Pirates will kick off this NFL Sunday with a special 11:35 a.m. first pitch on South Capitol Street. But it’s not one of those early Roku games. We’ve got you covered in full on MASN for this one, which has the extra early start because it’s the annual Nats on Base Abroad game.

Two members of the 2019 World Series roster (Adam Eaton and Brian Dozier) will be watching the game from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar alongside U.S. service members stationed there. Given the time difference, the Nationals got permission to move the start time up two hours from the usual Sunday first pitch.

As for the game itself, the Nationals and Pirates square off in the rubber match of the weekend series, each of the first two games won with late offense (Friday by the Nats, Saturday by the Bucs). The Nationals hope to continue to get quality starting pitching with Cade Cavalli on the mound. The right-hander makes his eighth big league start of the season, having just faced the Marlins twice in a row and allowed two runs in five innings each time, earning the win each time.

Pittsburgh sends Mike Burrows to the mound. The rookie right-hander has solid numbers (3.99 ERA, 1.237 WHIP, 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings) but he’s been restricted to no more than five innings and no more than 80 pitches since the end of July.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 11:35 a.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 79 degrees, wind 4 mph in from right field

The Orioles didn’t map out an extensive offseason plan for Ike Irish, their first pick in the 2025 amateur draft. He was able to determine necessary areas of improvement just by visiting Camden Yards last week.

Put a bunch of major league players around a 21-year-old in his first professional season and it becomes clear.

“I think it’s the big things, like you’ve got to get more physical,” he said during a media scrum in the Orioles’ dugout. “Just for myself, standing around these big leaguers, I’m a little smaller than they are, so get a little more physical. And then just fine-tune the talent and get better in all aspects of the game, because I have to.”

Irish obviously didn’t let his draft status go to his head.

The Orioles had four draft picks within the top 37 and chose Irish 19^th overall out of Auburn University, thrilled that one of the top hitters in the draft fell to them.

After the surprising brilliance of Andrew Alvarez and the clutch performances of Dylan Crews and Robert Hassell III, the Nationals found themselves in position this evening to win a game in which they didn’t put a single man on base until the sixth inning.

It would’ve made for quite the uplifting outcome at the end of what was shaping up to be a disastrous day at the plate against Pirates rookie flamethrower Bubba Chandler.

Instead, the disaster came not at the plate but on the mound in the top of the eighth when three Nats relievers combined to allow four decisive runs via a flurry of walks and well-placed singles, the difference in a 5-1 loss on South Capitol Street.

What began as a scoreless pitchers’ duel between rookie starters Alvarez and Chandler, the latter of which was perfect through five innings, turned into a late bullpen meltdown, something the Nationals’ relief corps hadn’t experienced in a while.

"You're not going to be perfect all the time," interim manager Miguel Cairo said of a bullpen that has been among the majors' best units over an extended stretch. "The bullpen has been outstanding the last 3-4 weeks. Sometimes, you're just not going to have it. And you've got to move on, come back tomorrow and be good."

TORONTO – For the last few weeks, the Orioles had been the ones doing the walkoffs. 

In fact, Baltimore had won four consecutive games in that fashion back at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. 

This afternoon in Toronto, though, Baltimore was on the other side of things in a 5-4 loss. 

The Gatorade was far less cold.

Alejandro Kirk was the hero for the Blue Jays with a walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth as Toronto stormed back with four runs in the final two innings of play.