ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Josiah Gray got the Opening Day assignment based off his 2023 campaign. MacKenzie Gore got the hype based off his reputation and knack for the occasional dominant outing. But the member of the Nationals rotation who had the best spring and most looked poised to break out might well have been Jake Irvin. Three months later, th

Jordan Westburg and Austin Hays were unavailable for last night’s game due to knee soreness. However, Westburg is playing second base tonight and Hays could start Sunday against Rangers left-hander Andrew Heaney. Westburg was on the field with head athletic trainer Brian Ebel early today performing agility drills and stretching. He’s recovered from

Infielder Connor Norby, the No. 6 prospect in the organization per MLB Pipeline, is on the Orioles’ taxi squad. However, it’s a precaution and might not include his return to the active roster. Norby went 3-for-14 with a home run before the Orioles optioned him to Triple-A Norfolk. He’s batting .286/.380/.498 with 20 doubles, a triple, 11 home runs

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – As scared as he was in the moment Friday when his right knee got tweaked and he fell to the ground in pain, Jesse Winker was confident by night’s end he wasn’t seriously injured and hoped he might even feel well enough to rejoin the Nationals lineup Saturday afternoon. Sure enough, Winker is back in there today, starting in l

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – We’ve still got more than two weeks to go until the All-Star break, but technically speaking the second half of the season begins today for the Nationals, who have now played 81 games. At 38-43, they’re probably a little better than most people expected, though they also have to acknowledge they could be even better given how

The Texas Rangers were trying to come from two runs down and the wildness of the O’s bullpen gave them a great chance. They had cut the O's 2-0 lead to 2-1 in the seventh inning and a key batter, leadoff hitter Marcus Semien, batted with the bases loaded and two outs. O’s righty Jacob Webb threw him a 2-2 fastball and he hit it hard toward third ba

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The sting of a 3-1 loss to the Rays was still fresh, not to mention the frustration of a losing streak that has now reached four games and dropped the Nationals from a temporary spot in the National Leauge’s final wild card slot to a spot well below that key standing. But as Jesse Winker contemplated where this team stood upo

Anthony Santander didn’t purposely begin tracking the All-Star Game balloting to see where he stood among outfielders in the American League. It’s just so hard to avoid. “Social media right now, it’s all over the place,” he said yesterday with a smile. “And actually, the last update I said, ‘I don’t know if my mom is doing a really good job because

Albert Suárez figured it out. A two-start slump circled the drain tonight, with Suárez regaining the effectiveness that made him so valuable to a club with a bundle of pitching injuries. Súarez shut out the Rangers over a season-high six innings, Colton Cowser homered for the second time in two nights and the Orioles claimed a 2-1 victory before an

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Help is on the way for the Nationals’ power-starved lineup. But it’s not scheduled to arrive until Monday, leaving the current group to have to try to get the job done this weekend against the Rays. And if tonight’s series opener was any indication, it’s going to continue to be tough sledding until James Wood joins the bunch.