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MSB Weekly Magazine – 2026-08-30

Maryland’s Weekly Sports Magazine • August 23 – August 30, 2026

Maryland Sports Blog Weekly

Ravens crush Commanders 41-3 in Battle of the Beltways preseason finale

By Brian Hradsky The Baltimore Ravens closed the preseason with an emphatic statement Friday night, dominating the Washington Commanders 41-3 at M&T Bank Stadium….

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Brian’s Take: The Week That Was

Brian's Take recaps 20 MSB opinion takes published during the week. These are the key conclusions from MSB's reporting, analysis and game coverage.

1

Taveras Drives in Three as Orioles Hold Off Athletics, 5-3

The Orioles are finding ways to win games they probably would have lost earlier in the season. Saturday was a perfect example. Baltimore did not dominate offensively. The Orioles had seven hits, went through several innings without generating much offense and watched a four-run lead shrink to one. The Athletics put runners everywhere against the bullpen. But Baltimore never gave up the lead. Cano's performance in the seventh was enormous. Coming into a bases-loaded, one-out situation and striking out Gelof and Butler back-to-back may have been the difference in the game. Taveras deserves just as much credit. Baltimore needed production from the bottom of the lineup, and after entering the game hitless in his previous…

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2

Orioles outlast Athletics 4-3 in 10 innings behind Mayo, Encarnacion-Strand

This was not the prettiest Orioles win of the season, but it might have been one of the more important ones. Baltimore had several chances to let this game slip away. The Orioles blew a 2-0 advantage. Their offense went quiet for most of the night. The Athletics tied the game in the eighth and then pulled within one run during the bottom of the 10th. Baltimore still found a way. Brandon Young deserves a ton of credit. Seven innings and one run is exactly the kind of performance the Orioles need from their starting rotation, and his continued development has been one of the more encouraging stories of Baltimore's season. Coby Mayo also continues…

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3

Orioles Reinstate Blaze Alexander From Injured List, Option Luis Vázquez to Triple-A Norfolk

Blaze Alexander may not be the biggest name on the Orioles roster, but Baltimore absolutely missed him. A .312 average and .807 OPS from a player capable of starting at six different positions is extremely valuable. Alexander had developed into one of the Orioles' most reliable players before the fractured hand interrupted his season. The Orioles have put themselves in a difficult position at 65-68, so there is little room for error during the final month. Getting Alexander back does not solve everything, but it makes the roster deeper, gives Albernaz considerably more lineup flexibility and returns one of Baltimore's best contact hitters. Now the Orioles need Alexander to pick up where he left off….

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4

Big Al is back again: Albert Suárez returns to Orioles organization after briefly electing free agency

At this point, the Orioles might as well keep a locker for Albert Suárez at Camden Yards. The entire situation is almost comical. Baltimore designates Big Al for assignment. He clears waivers. Sometimes he accepts Norfolk. Sometimes he elects free agency. Then a few days later, he is an Oriole again. But underneath the unusual transaction history is something important: Suárez keeps pitching well enough that Baltimore does not want to lose him. A 3.93 ERA over 55 major league innings is useful production. His 2024 season proved he could handle a starting role, and his work this season has shown he can transition into a multi-inning bullpen role. The Orioles also know exactly what…

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5

Trey Mancini is coming home: Orioles fan favorite will retire as a Baltimore Oriole

This is exactly how Trey Mancini's baseball story should end. He won a World Series with Houston. He played for the Cubs. He fought his way back to the majors with the Angels this summer. But Trey Mancini is an Oriole. Years from now, when Baltimore fans hear his name, they probably will not immediately think about 129 career home runs or a .263 batting average. They will remember No. 16. They will remember the home runs during some extremely difficult Orioles seasons. They will remember the 2019 breakout. They will remember the Home Run Derby. Most of all, they will remember F16HT. Mancini fought Stage 3 colon cancer, underwent chemotherapy and returned to play…

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6

Orioles head west for crucial three-game series against injury-riddled Athletics

There really is no excuse here. The Orioles are trying to make the playoffs. The Athletics are 53-81, missing several of their most important players and starting three pitchers with ERAs of 4.98, 6.68 and 6.08. Baltimore is favored by ESPN Analytics in all three games — 52.5% Friday, 59.6% Saturday and 58.7% Sunday — and the Orioles have the better starting pitcher on paper in every matchup. That does not mean Oakland will simply hand Baltimore three wins. The Athletics have won consecutive series and their young players are playing for future jobs. That is exactly why Baltimore needs to attack this series with urgency instead of assuming the wins will come. The Orioles…

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7

Orioles rally late but fall short in 7-5 loss to Cardinals

This was a frustrating loss, but it was not a disastrous one. The Orioles should have wanted the sweep. At this point in the season, every opportunity matters, especially when Baltimore is chasing teams in the Wild Card race. But taking two of three on the road is still productive. The biggest concern Thursday was Trevor Rogers. He did plenty of things well. Seven strikeouts and one walk normally indicates a pitcher controlling the game. Unfortunately, the two mistakes he made ended up in the seats and accounted for five runs. That cannot keep happening. The positive story was Coby Mayo. A 446-foot three-run homer against a left-handed pitcher is exactly the type of swing…

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8

Orioles Survive Cardinals Comeback, Win 8-7 on Encarnacion-Strand’s Ninth-Inning Double

This was one of the strangest Orioles wins of the season. Baltimore looked like it was going to cruise to another blowout after scoring seven runs before the end of the second inning. Instead, the Orioles found themselves tied after a disastrous fifth. The encouraging part was the response. Baltimore could have completely folded after blowing a seven-run advantage on the road. Instead, the bullpen immediately stabilized the game and gave the offense four more innings to find a way to win. Encarnacion-Strand did exactly that. His four-hit performance was impressive enough, but delivering the game-winning double in the ninth made it even bigger. Holliday's defensive play in the bottom half should not be overlooked…

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9

Orioles Offense Goes Quiet as Rays Salvage Series Finale, 3-1

Baltimore's pitching gave the Orioles a chance. Baz was locked into a legitimate pitchers' duel with Martinez for five innings, and even after Tampa Bay finally broke through, the deficit remained manageable. The problem was simple: the Orioles could not hit. Three hits and zero walks are not going to win many Major League Baseball games, especially against the team with the best record in the American League. Cowser provided almost all of Baltimore's offense, but one hitter cannot carry an entire lineup. Still, taking two of three from Tampa Bay is a positive result considering how the homestand began with three straight losses against the New York Yankees. The Orioles now need to turn…

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10

Joe Fagnano Wins Ravens’ Third Quarterback Job as Baltimore Finalizes 53-Man Roster

Joe Fagnano earned this. The Ravens probably entered camp hoping to keep two quarterbacks and stash a developmental passer on the practice squad. Fagnano ruined that plan by being too good. Completing 74.7% of his passes for 509 yards with three touchdowns and only one interception was not a fluke performance from one game. He consistently looked comfortable, decisive and in control throughout the preseason. Baltimore could have rolled the dice. The Ravens could have released him and hoped 31 other teams passed. Instead, Eric DeCosta protected an asset. That is the right move. Baltimore knows exactly how important quarterback depth can become during a 17-game season. Huntley provides the immediate veteran insurance behind Jackson….

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11

Ravens Trade Rookie Offensive Tackle Diego Pounds to Chiefs for Conditional Draft Pick

This is the type of move the Ravens should make when they have legitimate roster depth. Pounds played well enough that simply cutting him would have been disappointing. He showed legitimate promise during the preseason and gave Baltimore another developmental tackle worth keeping around. The problem was finding a place for him. With Stanley and Rosengarten established and Vinson pushing for the swing-tackle job, Baltimore apparently decided Pounds was unlikely to have a significant role on the active roster. Rather than expose him to waivers and receive nothing, the Ravens found a team willing to pay for him. A conditional 2028 sixth-round pick may not look significant today, but draft capital has value. Baltimore has…

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12

Ravens Trade Defensive Lineman C.J. Okoye to Giants for 2028 Draft Pick

This is good business by the Ravens. C.J. Okoye has been a great developmental story, and his performance against Washington showed that he belongs in the NFL. But Baltimore has to build the best 53-man roster possible, and there simply are not enough spots for every player who performed well this summer. If the Ravens were leaning toward cutting Okoye, getting a seventh-round pick is unquestionably better than losing him for nothing. It is also a good move for Okoye. He goes to a Giants organization led by John Harbaugh and Dennis Johnson, two coaches who already know his strengths and understand how far he has come since entering the league through the International Player…

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13

Ravens crush Commanders 41-3 in Battle of the Beltways preseason finale

Nobody should overreact to a preseason score, particularly when Washington sat 41 players and Baltimore rested most of its established starters. But 41-3 is still 41-3. The Ravens' backups looked faster, deeper and considerably more prepared than Washington's for most of the night. What should excite Ravens fans most was not necessarily the 41 points. It was another outstanding defensive performance. Baltimore allowed just one touchdown during the entire preseason, and the younger players consistently looked comfortable in Jesse Minter's defense. Joe Fagnano also deserves plenty of credit. Every preseason seems to produce a player who forces his way into the conversation, and Fagnano did everything possible to make Baltimore's quarterback decision interesting. For Washington,…

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14

Battle of the Beltways, Battle of MSB: Ravens and Commanders Close Preseason in Baltimore

Do not judge Friday night's game by the final score. For the established players, the biggest victory is simply getting to the regular season healthy. For everyone else, this is essentially a championship game. Baltimore has looked particularly impressive defensively through the first two preseason games and during its joint practices, while Washington has several fascinating young players and roster competitions worth following. The rivalry angle makes it enjoyable. The Maryland connection makes it relevant. The roster battles give it meaning. And even if the third preseason Battle of the Beltways turns into three hours of punts, field goals and players fighting for the 52nd and 53rd roster spots, there is still something pretty great…

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15

Hershey Bears Sign Forward Kyle Jackson to One-Year AHL Contract

This is exactly the type of low-risk depth signing that has helped the Hershey Bears remain competitive year after year. Kyle Jackson does not arrive as a guaranteed top-six AHL forward, but there is plenty to like about the production. Putting up 140 points in 158 ECHL games before turning 24 is significant, and he has improved enough to earn increasingly longer looks in the AHL. Jackson also has good size at 6-foot-2 and showed during his junior career that his offensive numbers are not simply the product of one strong professional season. The question is whether he can make the next jump. If Jackson can bring some of his ECHL scoring touch to Hershey,…

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16

Mount St. Mary’s Men’s Soccer Falls 2-0 at Duquesne

The final score does not completely capture how long Mount St. Mary’s stayed in this game. Duquesne clearly had the better attacking numbers, but the Mount went into halftime tied 0-0 and remained only one goal down until the final seconds. Against an undefeated Duquesne team that has yet to allow a goal this season, that is not a terrible performance for a Mount roster incorporating so many new Division I players. The concern is the offense. Two games, no goals and only limited shots on target means the Mountaineers need to find more ways to get Morales Silva and the rest of their attackers into dangerous areas. Defensively, however, there is something to build…

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17

Coppin State Volleyball Battles Virginia Tech Before Falling in Four Sets

The 1-2 record does not tell the entire story of Coppin State's opening weekend. The Eagles beat William & Mary, took Kent State to five sets and then won a set against Virginia Tech on the Hokies' home court. That is a challenging way to begin a season, particularly for a team that knows the most important matches will come later in MEAC play. Coppin State's defense already looks like it can be a strength. Figueroa remains one of the conference's premier defensive players, and the Eagles actually finished Saturday with more digs and service aces than Virginia Tech. The biggest difference was at the net. Virginia Tech's 14-6 blocking advantage and .268-.086 edge in…

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18

Morgan State Rallies Past North Carolina A&T, 17-7, to Open 2026 Season

This was not necessarily a pretty win for Morgan State, but it might have been exactly the kind of win the Bears needed. Morgan State lost the possession battle, was outgained and spent most of the night playing from behind. None of it mattered when the fourth quarter arrived. The defense deserves the biggest praise. Holding any opponent scoreless for the final three quarters is impressive, and doing it while North Carolina A&T possessed the ball for nearly 36 minutes makes it even better. The Bears bent without breaking and gave the offense enough opportunities to eventually change the game. Cameron Edge also passed his first major test. Morgan State named him the starter because…

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19

House, Kent Power Nationals Past Marlins in 9-2 Rout

The final score is impressive, but the biggest story from this game is Jackson Kent. For a rebuilding team, nights like this matter more than simply adding another victory to the standings. Washington needs to find players who can become part of its next competitive roster, and Kent gave the Nationals another reason to believe he deserves an extended look. Seven innings and one earned run against a divisional opponent is exactly what Washington wants from one of its young starters. The offense was just as encouraging. House, Crews, Ford and Lile all played major roles. Those are the names Nationals fans want to see producing as this organization tries to build something sustainable. House's…

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20

Nationals pound Marlins 9-2 as Jackson Kent earns first major league win

This was exactly the kind of game Nationals fans should want to see over the final month of the season. The standings are what they are, but Washington needs its young core to start showing tangible progress. Friday night, that happened everywhere. Jackson Kent earning his first major league win with seven innings of one-run baseball is the biggest story. Young starting pitching remains one of the most valuable commodities in baseball, and Kent gave the Nationals a reason to keep watching him closely. Brady House blasting a 445-foot home run matters too. So does Harry Ford going deep. So does Dylan Crews continuing to reach base consistently. Those are the players Washington needs to…

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By the Numbers

40

Full stories

6

Sports sections

20

MSB Takes

7

Days covered

This Week in Maryland Sports

Full Issue

Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore Ravens

Washington Capitals and Hershey Bears

Maryland College Sports

Maryland High School Sports

Washington Nationals

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