Pregame notes on Nats facing debuting starter, Negro Leagues stats and Cavalli’s rehab

ATLANTA – The Nationals have another tough pitching matchup in tonight’s game against the Braves. Not because it’s another established major leaguer like Charlie Morton or Max Fried. But because it’s a 23-year-old making his first major league start. Right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach had his contract selected to the Braves roster this morning to m
The last time the Orioles lost an AL East series was April 9, 2023 when they dropped two of three at home to the New York Yankees. They will need a win tonight to keep that run going after splitting the first two games against Boston.  Since that result with New York, the Orioles have played 17 consecutive AL East series without losing one, going 1
The 95.5 mph sinker that crashed into Jordan Westburg’s right-hand last night threw a scare into the Orioles. He didn't toss him onto the injured list. Westburg is out of tonight’s lineup to give him an extra day to heal. X-rays came back negative, and Thursday’s off-day should improve his chances of playing Friday night against the Rays at Camden
X-rays on Jordan Westburg’s right hand and wrist came back negative after he was hit last night by a pitch. However, he’s out of tonight’s lineup against the Red Sox. Westburg leads the club with 12 multi-RBI games. James McCann is catching and batting ninth. Adley Rutschman is on the bench. Ramón Urías gets the start at third base. Ryan O’Hearn is
ATLANTA – Two down, two to go. After splitting the first two games, the Nationals now have a chance in the next two days to at least split this four-game set, if not win it. Although the Nats have outscored the Braves 8-6 so far, all eight of their runs came on Monday, having been shut out in last night’s loss. They’ll try to get past their struggl
The Orioles' Gunnar Henderson has been piling up some walks lately. In the season’s first 31 games, he drew only eight walks. But in the last 22 games he has 19 walks. He got walked nine times in seven games on the recent road trip and then drew one walk in Monday’s series opener with Boston. So what is at work here? Is Gunnar looking to walk more?
ATLANTA – The final score wasn’t what they wanted, but the Nationals loved what they saw from Jake Irvin in last night’s 2-0 loss to the Braves. The 27-year-old did his part by keeping the Nats in the game with six shutout innings and a career-high 10 strikeouts. A dominant performance against one of the more potent offenses in the major leagues, e
Kyle Bradish was supposed to be the biggest worry in the Orioles’ rotation. Bradish was the pitcher diagnosed with the sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. He was the pitcher receiving the platelet-rich plasma injection in January, with the possibility of surgery that would end his 2024 season. We’re a few days away from moving in
ATLANTA – Eight-run outbursts are all well and good. But sometimes you have to win the low-scoring, close games, too. As much as the Nationals would have liked to replicate their offensive production from Monday’s win, tonight they ran into a pitchers’ duel between their own Jake Irvin and the Braves’ Max Fried. But despite Irvin’s best efforts, in
Chafed by his career-high five walks in his last start in Chicago, Grayson Rodriguez used the word “atrocious” to describe his fastball command and overall performance. Well below his standards. Easier to tolerate, however, because the Orioles won. Rodriguez began tonight’s game with a strikeout, home run, double and run-scoring single to fall behi
ATLANTA – The Nationals offense has averaged a little more than five runs per game over their last eight outings, breaking out of a slump in which they scored two or fewer runs in seven of 11 games. In order for the Nationals to keep that up tonight, they’ll have to produce against left-hander Max Fried, who is coming off a complete game against th