Regional

Means endured the Orioles’ lean years and was an undisputed ace going into last season, when Adley Rutschman and the fruit of the rebuild was set to arrive. Then, an elbow injury cost him more than a year. He finally returns tonight, ready to help with the final push to the playoffs.

Félix Bautista has reason to trust the Orioles, and Mike Elias has evidence that pitchers can be effective after a UCL injury. But fans should still be cautious when they envision what’s next for the All-Star closer.

Regardless of what happens in any other games Monday night, the Orioles need only four wins to secure a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

The All-Star has been out since injuring his UCL on Aug. 25, and the team was monitoring his progress.

Williams is contemplating surgery but could return late in the season, while the Ravens may be down two starters up front against the Bengals in Week 2.

Means was an All-Star and Rookie of the Year runner-up in 2019, and his no-hitter in 2021 was one of the few highlights of a 110-loss season.

The Ravens’ season is long. Their record is unblemished. But one week can change a lot about how to feel about both.

Running back J.K. Dobbins suffered a season-ending injury in Week 1. Here are the other injuries from the season opener.

Zay Flowers set the Ravens record for most catches in an NFL debut, but the rest of a vaunted receiving group struggled in the 25-9 win over the Houston Texans. “It wasn’t necessarily what none of us wanted," Odell Beckham Jr. said.

The Orioles made three errors, including one in the sixth that led to the Red Sox’s 7-3 win.

J.K. Dobbins agitated over the summer for a new contract. In the first game of the season, he was injured, illustrating why he wanted a deal in the first place.

In front of a sellout crowd and with several prominent alumni back to celebrate the start of a new era, the Commanders were sloppy with a pair of turnovers and several penalties along the offensive line that allowed Sam Howell to be sacked six times.

The Orioles will promote the pair from High-A Aberdeen to Double-A Bowie, a source with direct knowledge of the situation told The Baltimore Banner.

The Ravens managed to pull away from the Texans, and showed signs of promise — but mostly the opening game was a mess.

After years of the nonprofit that runs the state fair “living paycheck to paycheck,” Brewster said, he organized volunteers in fundraising campaigns and advocated in the State House to raise more than $10 million.

Lane Thomas, who missed Washington’s three previous games due to a back injury, hit his 24th home run. He has homered in four straight games played.

Roman Hemby's 162 rushing and 55 receiving yards help Maryland win 38-20 after falling behind by two touchdowns.

Monmouth (1-1) led throughout the second half but couldn’t shake Towson (0-2) until Ntoh took a direct snap and scored from 4 yards out for a 35-23 lead with 4:42 remaining.

The Bears had a major upset in their sights until the fumble return saved the Zips in their home opener.