Steve Melewski Archive
There are a number of reasons to anticipate the Hot Stove season this winter. For one, the O's won't be giving up ten runs a game, since it'll be the offseason. For two, the O's may make a run at free agent slugger and local product, Mark Teixeira. I'm all ...
Even though he missed 26 games while with the Orioles, Lou Montanez STILL wins the Eastern League's Triple Crown. That's amazing and he is the first to do so in the Eastern League since 1975. He becomes the League's 5th Triple Crown winner. Coming into today, Erie's Ryan Roberson needed ...
A lot of people are talking about and speculating about Dave Trembley, his mood and his motivation during Sunday's post-game press conference. Some wondered if he was being condescending to the press when he said something like "only intelligent questions, okay ?" There was nothing wrong with Trembley and he ...
Orioles reliever Chris Ray continues to make steady progress in his comeback from Tommy John surgery last August 16th. Ray returned to the O's clubhouse Saturday to work out with his teammates but not yet to be activated. He continues on a Minor League rehab program that has seen him ...
The Orioles officially welcomed their first-round draft pick, left-handed pitcher Brian Matusz, to Baltimore today at a press conference with the Baltimore media before Friday's game. Matusz will head to Aberdeen to work out with the IronBirds, but he will not be activated to play with the team. The plan ...
It was very late in the 2006 season. Bowie Baysox fans and players felt their playoff drought was about to end. Bowie's last go in the Double-A, Eastern League playoffs had come nine seasons earlier, in 1997. But now the second-place Baysox were hosting third-place Altoona in a four-game series ...
George Sherrill was put on the 15-day DL today with left shoulder imflammation. He had an MRI earlier today. The O's are hopeful he can be back when his DL time is up. The MRI did not find any major problems at all, just inflammation. Sherrill picked up his 31st ...
When he hit his second homer of the game in the 8th inning Sunday, Melvin Mora tied an O's single-game record. He is 5-6 today with two homers, two doubles and a career-high 6 RBI. He ties the club's single-game record for total bases with 13. Here are the other ...
The Orioles have consistently hinted, if not come right out and said, that Matt Wieters will not be a September callup. Today on his radio show on WHFS, 105.7 FM in Baltimore, manager Dave Trembley was asked if Wieters will be called up in September. "No. I'm hoping Bowie makes ...
The O's did not get 44th-round pick Kevin Brady signed before the midnight deadline. So the hard-throwing RHP will head to Clemson. The O's did sign two more picks after they finished the Matusz deal. They signed their 25th-round pick catcher Xavier Lopez from a high school in Puerto Rico. ...
Brian Matusz may not be the only draft pick the Orioles sign today. Scouting director Joe Jordan told me moments ago the O's are still negotiating with 18th round pick, 6-7 LHP Keith Landers from a Massachusetts high school. They are also still talking with 44th round pick, RHP Kevin ...
Just in case we got caught up in Aubrey Huff's hitting streak, Melvin Mora's RBI production or Brian Roberts' run at 60 doubles, Nick Markakis has reminded us in recent days of this fact - he's still the best player on this team. I'll give Nick the slight nod over ...
Andy MacPhail told MASNsports.com today that the player to be named later in the Chad Bradford trade to Tampa will not be known until this off-season. "I would not get fans expectations to the level that this is someone you will see in the big leagues in the short term, ...
If you had the exacta of Chris Waters and Lou Montanez not only getting called up days apart, but helping the O's instantly, head to the counter to cash big. Waters wasn't on anyone's radar and Montanez, we thought, was positioning himself for a September callup. But here they are ...
Keys No-Hitter Three Frederick Keys pitchers combined to pitch a no-hitter tonight as the Keys beat Salem 5-0 at home. Brandon Erbe went the first six innings with three walks and seven strikeouts. He improves to 9-10, 4.19. Ryan Ouellette pitched just 1/3 of an inning with two walks, then ...
Red-hot hitting Lou Montanez of the Bowie Baysox today was named the player of the week in the Eastern League for the week ending Sunday. Last week Montanez, a 26-year-old outfielder, hit .581 (18-31) with 3 homers, 15 RBI, 13 runs and a slugging percentage of 1.065. Montanez is having ...
The Red Sox have been getting some credit this week for ridding themselves of a problem - Manny Ramirez. I give them zero credit. They created the problem in the first place. I'm not saying Manny was a saint before he got there. But the Red Sox are the ones ...
The non-waiver trade deadline came and went at 4 p.m. Thursday and the Orioles did not complete any deals. "It was pretty quiet, I was a little surprised," team president Andy MacPhail said. "We had on our board some guys we thought would be dealt that were not. There were ...
After watching their starting pitchers struggle for weeks, the Orioles are now taking steps to improve the rotation. With Radhames Liz headed back to Triple-A, that opens one rotation spot. It also appears that Brian Burres will not make his next start, scheduled for this Wednesday in New York. So ...
O's infielder Alex Cintron, out since July first with a left hamstring strain, began a minor-league rehab assignment on Thursday when he played short and went 1-2 at Bowie. "It was good to get at bats and try and get my timing back. First time I struck out but then ...
In a game that started Thursday morning at 11, Jamie Walker pitched and allowed three runs in the seventh inning for Bowie in its game with Harrisburg. Walker allowed 5 hits, 3 runs, all earned, with no walks or strikeouts. After giving up a three-run homer to Seth Bynum, he ...
The O's 1983 World Champs will be honored here tonight. A pregame ceremony will begin at 6:40 so get to your seats early. The first 25,000 fans through the gates get a 25th anniversary World Series pennant. During the game the current players will wear throwback jerseys from the 83 ...
Jamie Walker pitched to live hitters today before batting practice, throwing about 25 pitches and it went well. "I felt good, I threw maybe one or two pitches up in the zone, but it felt good," Walker said. "I'll probably find out tomorrow the next step. My elbow feels good, ...
O's center fielder Adam Jones was a late scratch from the lineup on Sunday due to an injured ankle. His foot hit first base in an awkward manner in the second inning of Saturday night's game, and Jones came up injured, although he finished the contest. "He was in the ...
Lefty Jamie Walker, on the DL since June 30th with left elbow inflammation, is targeting Sunday or Monday for his return to the active roster. "I can extend my arm now, so obviously the shot worked. I do need to face some hitters to make sure. Right now the elbow ...
The Orioles have now signed 29 of their 50 draft picks. The latest to sign was 11th-round pick, P Nathan Moreau, who has been assigned to Aberdeen. The O's have also signed five non-drafted free agents. They are RHP Kenneth Moreland (Christopher Newport U), LHP Brian Sisk (Lamar), RHP Brian ...
Other than the fact that he didn't make it into Derek Jeter's All-Star party when the doorman didn't find his name, George Sherrill's time in New York at the 79th All-Star game went very well. Sherrill pitched 2 1/3 innings giving up just one hit and no runs. He struck ...
Norfolk catcher Omir Santos went 0-1 in last night's Triple-A All-Star game. The PCL beat the IL, 6-5. Bowie pitchers Brad Bergesen and David Hernandez pitched scoreless innings in the Double-A Eastern League All-Star game as their South squad lost 5-3 to the North. Bergesen was the South's starting pitcher ...
The Orioles' fourth-round pick in June's First-Year Player Draft, outfielder Kyle Hudson, recently suffered a broken hand and will miss at least a month and possibly the rest of the season. Hudson, a left-handed hitter with good speed out of the University of Illinois, was playing with Aberdeen. He injured ...
George Sherrill has been picked for the All-Star game and is the only Oriole selected. Sherrill is 2-3 with an ERA of 3.62 and has 27 saves in 37 1/3 innings. AL batters are hitting just .201 vs. Sherrill. Brian Roberts is one of five finalists for the AL squad, ...
After being designated for assignment once by the Orioles this year, back on April 29, Greg Aquino returned to the club after pitching well at Triple-A Norfolk. Ryan Bukvich, who had a 6.75 ERA in four games with the Birds, was designated for assignment today. Aquino appeared in six games ...
RHP David Hernandez and 3B Jeff Nettles were named the organizational player and pitcher of the month for June by the O's Minor League department. Nettles, the son of Graig Nettles, hit .319 with 19 runs, three doubles, five homers and 20 RBI in the month. Hernandez went 1-0, 2.16, ...
Matt Albers has decided against getting surgery on his injured right shoulder and instead will try the rehab route which could get him back on a mound before this season is out, although there are no assurances of that. He has a labrum tear. O's president Andy MacPhail said O's ...
It's easy to find a scapegoat in the O's last two losses. It's George Sherrill of course, who suffers two blown saves, while the O's fall to 41-40, instead of finishing the first half 43-38. But keep in mind that seldom does one player account for a win or loss. ...
I haven't felt this bad after an O's loss since the Mother's Day Massacre. The O's were one strike away from accomplishing so much. The win would have given them a series win this weekend, a winning road trip, the chance to go four games over .500 and post 16 ...
Mattaliano Finally Got His Chance As the First-Year Player Draft drew to a close last June, pitcher Mick Mattaliano was excited. The Virginia Commonwealth right-hander was coming off a big senior year and felt confident he would be drafted, even if it didn't happen until the late rounds. But the ...
The Orioles today placed RHP Matt Albers on the 15-day DL with right shoulder inflammation. They have activated RHP Fernando Cabrera from his rehab assignment at Triple-A. Cabrera had an ERA of 0.69 (1ER - 13IP) with the Tides. He began this season on the DL after undergoing off-season elbow ...
Hammering Mike Mussina in the first inning at Yankee Stadium was nice. Taking two from Boston at home in May was sweet. Beating the Yankees May 27th in extra-innings, in a game where the Orioles trailed twice by four runs, was kind of amazing. But Tuesday's 7-5 win at Wrigley ...
George Sherrill got out of a major jam in the 9th and Brian Roberts picked up the 1,000th hit of his career, as the Orioles beat the Cubs 7-5 Tuesday, ending Chicago's 14-game home winning streak. The Cubs loaded the bases with no outs in the 9th vs. Sherrill, but ...
Despite just having lost six in a row, the Double-A Bowie Baysox have been in or near first place in the Southern Division of the Eastern League most of this season. They stand third now, 4 ½ games out with a 41-33 record. The Baysox solid record has been built ...
Prince Fielder hit two of the Brewers four homers as Milwaukee beat the Orioles 7-3 Sunday to take the series two games to one. The Orioles are 1-2 on this road trip and 38-36 on the season. The Brewers, who won for the 6th time in seven games and are ...
Brewers pitcher Seth McClung held the Orioles without a hit for four innings and without any runs over six as Milwaukee beat the Birds, 3-2 Saturday, ending the Orioles' four-game winning streak. McClung improved to 5-3 and gave up just two runs over 6 2/3. He threw 103 pitches and ...
Aubrey Huff had two homers among his four hits and the O's bullpen pitched seven shutout innings as the Orioles beat Milwaukee, 8-5, in the first game of a nine-game road trip. George Sherrill came on in the last of the 9th, and the first three batters reached to load ...
This time the comeback came early. The Orioles trailed 2-0 in the second inning, moved into the lead by the fourth and beat Houston 7-5 tonight to complete a three-game sweep. The Orioles completed a 5-1 homestand and are 37-34 on the season. Kevin Millar and Jay Payton had two ...
Kevin Millar's RBI single in the 10th inning gave the Orioles a 2-1 win over Houston. Jose Valverde came on to pitch in the last of the 10th. With one out, Melvin Mora singled and the next batter, Aubrey Huff singled to left. Mora, running on the pitch, made third ...
The comeback Orioles have come back to win again. The Birds trailed Houston by 5-3 after six innings, but scored the game's final three runs for a 6-5 victory. It's the Orioles' Major League leading 16th comeback win when they were down by two runs or more. Houston lost for ...
Wieters working magic on the farm He began his O's Minor League career with a two-homer game his first night and he hasn't stopped hitting since. Matt Wieters, the Orioles 2007 first-round draft pick, has lived up to all the hype and then some. ...
This time the O's comeback fell one run short. They rallied from behind, 4-0, to eventually tie the game in the ninth, only to see Pittsburgh push across a run in the 10th to win the game, 5-4. The Orioles fall to 34-34 on the season and are now 1-10 ...
Ramon Hernandez's RBI single in the last of the 9th capped an O's two-run comeback and they beat Pittsburgh 8-7, Saturday night. Freddie Bynum walked and stole second and came in with the winning run. Oscar Salazar led off the 9th with a homer off closer Matt Capps to tie ...
The Orioles trailed the Pirates 6-1 after three innings Friday night. They then scored the game's final eight runs to post a 9-6 victory and pick up their 18th comeback win of the season. The Birds scored six unanswered runs over the middle innings to lead 7-6 and Luke Scott's ...
Mike Lowell's Grand Slam in the 5th inning turned a close game into a 5-0 Boston lead. The Sox added two more homers in a 9-2 rout of the O's in the deciding game of the three-game series. It was Lowell's 10th homer and landed in the first row atop ...
There would be no Orioles comeback this time, although they made it close at the end. Boston took a 5-0 lead in the first inning, which was capped by Jason Varitek's three-run homer, as the Sox evened this series at a win each with a 6-3 victory. Boston is now ...
