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Right-handed pitcher Bobby Bundy, who has been one of the best starters in the Orioles minor leagues this year, will be promoted to Bowie soon and make his next start for the Double-A Baysox. The 21-year-old Bundy, the Orioles' eighth-round pick in 2008, is 11-5 with a 2.75 ERA over 20 starts at Single-A Frederick. In 121 innings, he allowed 102 hits with 31 walks,
For the second time in a row on this road trip, the Orioles won the first game of a series, but then lost the rest. The Orioles went 1-2 at Toronto and won Friday at New York behind Jeremy Guthrie. But they lost the final three games at Yankee Stadium with the series ending today as New York beat the Orioles 4-2. The Orioles were
The Orioles' ever-changing roster changed again today. As for the pitching staff, as Jason Berken got optioned out, Mike Ballard joined the team and Pedro Viola rejoined the team. I recently wrote about how Ballard's pitching had been a big part of Bowie's recent winning ways and talked with Baysox pitching coach Kennie Steenstra about his. Ballard, a 27-year-old lefty, began the season with Triple-A
On a day they gave up 25 runs, 35 hits, 12 runs in one inning and lost a doubleheader, I guess it wasn't all bad on Saturday for the Orioles. Most fans seem excited about the acquisitions the Orioles got from Texas for Koji Uehara in Chris Davis and Tommy Hunter. No, they are not stars and no one knows if they will prove to
Jim Duquette is a pretty well-respected guy in baseball circles. The former Orioles vice president of baseball operations from late 2005 through 2007 said the Orioles got very good value in return from Texas for Koji Uehara with the acquisitions of Chris Davis and Tommy Hunter. "I think the value is great," Duquette said. "I was surprised. I have called a couple of scouts in
Acquiring a young pitcher and a young first baseman that have already had some major league success for Koji Uehara looks like possibly a great trade at this point for the Orioles. The O's acquired pitcher Tommy Hunter and Chris Davis for Uehara, who heads to the Rangers. The sides have reached an agreement on the deal, first reported by The Baltimore Sun, but it
Chris Tillman retired the first six Yankees on just 24 pitches today with four strikeouts. But New York scored eight runs over its next three at bats this afternoon to beat the Orioles 8-3 in game one of a day-night doubleheader. Buck Showalter talks about the O's loss in the first game of a doubleheader in New York After the Orioles got RBI groundouts by
Has a pitcher ever been sent to the minor leagues where his ERA was 1.33 in his last four starts? Yes, Chris Tillman in May by the Orioles. I had to double check, but Tillman's ERA in those final four starts before he was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk was that good. But he was continually struggling to get deep into games and unable to be
I have heard some fans say they feel that one reason some of the Orioles' young pitchers have struggled this year is that they were rushed to the major leagues. Some might feel that way about Zach Britton, who began this year in the majors after making just 12 starts and pitching 66 1/3 innings last season for Triple-A Norfolk after moving up from Double-A
Who knows how the rest of the weekend will go for Jeremy Guthrie, what with that trade deadline looming and all, but he sure had a good night Friday night at Yankee Stadium. He gave up just one run and four hits over seven innings, throwing 114 pitches in the Orioles' 4-2 win over New York. Guthrie was good from the start, retiring the first
With the Orioles struggling so badly at the major league level, the Orioles' minor league and player development departments are getting some criticism from the fan base. It certainly does not correlate directly to the amount of prospects the organization produces, but the Orioles do have an overall winning record as of today of 273-263 among all their farm clubs. While Triple-A Norfolk is 27
It would not be an upset ranking on the level of Super Bowl III, but the odds seem long that the Orioles actually win the series this weekend in New York. For one, two wins would not get it done, they'd need to take three of four. For two, the Orioles are playing so poorly right now. They are 0-7-1 in their last eight series
If there is one beef we hear often from the fans about the Orioles, it is that they are losing with some older players on the roster. It is one thing to lose, but fans seem very frustrated right now to see players like Derrek Lee and Vlad Guerrero in the lineup every night. I don't think it is anything personal against them at all,
The Orioles have a chance to put three different series losing streaks and stretches to an end with a win tonight at Toronto in the series finale. This season, they are 0-6-1 in their last seven series since taking two of three from the Reds from June 24-26. A win would also end the O's current nine-series road losing streak. The Orioles are 6-22 on
The Double-A Bowie Baysox have gotten some decent pitching all season. Bowie is 56-46 and just a game and a half out of first place behind a pitching staff with an ERA of 3.57 that is second best in the Eastern League. Two members of their current rotation are veterans who have been at this level before, but they should get credit for the seasons
To me, it is impressive that Jose Bautista returned to the Toronto lineup tonight. Not only did he, but he singled to left in the last of the first to give Toronto a 1-0 lead against the Orioles and Alfredo Simon. Bautista was hit in the head by a Jake Arrieta pitch in the third inning last night and left the game. Bautista told MASN's
The Orioles' J.J Hardy is batting leadoff these days, but he is hitting homers like a cleanup batter. Hardy now has 16 homers on the season and he is tied for 16th in the American League in homers. He is averaging a homer every 17.8 at-bats and that ranks 12th best in the AL. His slugging percentage of .500 is 15th in the AL. Since
Derrek Lee had four hits and a season-high five RBIs last night. Lee has been on an RBI binge lately. He has eight RBIs in his last seven games and, over his last 16 games, Lee has hit five homers with 17 RBIs. He has five multi-RBI games in that time. He was batting just .157 on the year with runners in scoring position, but
The Orioles may have a tough decision to make this week: whether to trade or keep Jeremy Guthrie. I'm sure it will simply come down to the quality of the offer they get from another team. Is that club willing to part with maybe two good young pitching prospects or perhaps a top young position player? If the Orioles hear an offer like that for
As they begin a 10-game road trip with a series at Toronto tonight, road woes still plague the O's. Consider: * The Orioles have lost nine straight road series since taking two of three at St. Pete against Tampa Bay from May 13-15. Since then, they are 5-21 and have lost their last seven road games. * The Orioles actually have a better road winning
Brian Matusz sounds upbeat about the time he is spending with the Triple-A Norfolk Tides. He seems confident that his velocity will come back and remains convinced that he is a big part of the Orioles' future. Those were some of the impressions I got from an interview Matusz gave on 105.7 The Fan in Baltimore last night. Matusz was a guest on the "Baltimore
In his last major league start, Zach Britton gave up eight runs in the first inning on July 8 at Boston. Last night, pitching for Double-A Bowie at home against Harrisburg, he took a shutout into the fifth inning and then gave up eight runs to that club. There was an error that hurt his cause, but Britton gave up eight runs (four earned) and
A couple of quick thoughts for an off-day and night. Feel free to leave your comment and/or question. * Matt Wieters was an All-Star and J.J. Hardy had a great run at bat for a while there and has been stellar at short, but Adam Jones has been the Orioles best player this year. Over the last nine games, he is batting .333 with five
In mid-May, Zach Britton was 5-2 with an ERA of 2.14 over his first nine major league starts. No one could have predicted then that less than two months later he would be back in the minor leagues. His time at Double-A Bowie could soon be coming to an end, though, as Britton gets set to make his third start for the Baysox at home
BOWIE, Md. - Both Vlad Guerrero and Cesar Izturis got four at-bats with one hit each and left the game in the seventh inning tonight at Double-A Bowie. Both later said they felt good and they are hoping the Orioles decide to activate them in time to play Tuesday at Toronto. Izturis had several duties here tonight: player, postgame interview subject, then interpreter for Guerrero's
BOWIE, Md. - In his first game since July 10 at Boston, Vladimir Guerrero is 1-for-3 tonight here at Prince George's Stadium for the Double-A Bowie Baysox against Trenton. He and Cesar Izturis are playing for Bowie on injury-rehab assignments. They could soon return to the Orioles, possibly as early as Tuesday at Toronto. Guerrero grounded out to short in the fifth after he lined
BOWIE, Md. - In his first minor league at-bat since May 23, 2009, Vladimir Guerrero lined a single to left here tonight in the first inning on a 1-0 pitch for the Double-A Bowie Baysox. Guerrero has been on the disabled list with a fractured right wrist and could return to the Orioles soon. He is batting .279 with seven homers and 31 RBIs on
BOWIE, Md. - Orioles left-hander Zach Britton is here with the Baysox and will make his third Double-A start here Monday night against Harrisburg. It appears that could be Britton's final start in the minors this year before he possibly returns to pitch Saturday for the Orioles at Yankee Stadium. Britton is 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA in two starts over seven innings with the
BOWIE, Md. - He hasn't played in a major league game since May 12, but Cesar Izturis is just about ready to return to the Orioles. He will play in his third game here tonight on his injury-rehab assignment, batting first and playing shortstop for Double-A Bowie against Trenton at 6:05 p.m. Izturis went on the disabled list on May 18, retroactive to May 13,
Adam Jones hit just .218 in April. But he got his offense really going in May and he wants to put the finishing touches on his best season yet in Baltimore in the season's final 65 games. "I want to have a big second half," Jones said. "I was a little frustrated going into the break. This game is bigger than me. Just want to
Just minutes after he picked up just his second win of the year, Brad Bergesen was passing around credit to his teammates. Adam Jones talks about his two-RBI game as the O's defeat the Angels 3-2 "I think Craig Tatum throwing out those guys tonight was huge for me. You get a guy on and you find those little breaks and he came up huge
Brad Bergesen took the mound tonight with just one win all year over 10 starts and 18 appearances. Then, he went out and picked up No. 2. Bergesen, with some help, pitched the Orioles to a 3-2 win over Los Angeles in front of 20,311 Saturday night at Camden Yards. He entered with a 1-6 record and 5.74 ERA in his 10 starts on the
Adam Jones hit another homer for the Orioles tonight. His solo shot in the last of the fourth cut the Los Angeles lead to 2-1. It was his 17th of the year and maybe the one that traveled the shortest distance. Jones crushed a liner down the left-field line that just made it into the stands, 338 feet from home plate. He likes to homer
Josh Bell got a single for the Orioles as a pinch hitter in Monday's game and then actually played an inning in left field. It was his only day here as he briefly replaced Alfredo Simon on the Orioles' roster in what turned out to be a one-day appearance. He then took a day or two off and had time to have two wisdom teeth
Luke Scott confirmed today that his season is over. He has been placed back on the disabled list after going 0-for-3 last night and he said he will not play anymore in 2011 due a torn labrum in his right shoulder. "Yeah, there is nothing I can do," Scott said. "It will not heal on its own. I've been playing with it since the beginning
Consistency is not the Orioles' strong point this season. Probably not shocking you with that announcement. Now that they have put together a few good starting pitching performances lately, they have seen the bats fall off. The Orioles starters have pitched to an ERA of 3.05 the last three games and 4.04 over the last six games. Nothing exceptional about that, but much better than
The last time the Orioles faced Angels starter Ervin Santana before tonight, they got to him for 12 hits and nine runs over 3 2/3 innings. That was last August. He did a little better this time. He held the Orioles scoreless into the last of the eighth and pitched Los Angeles to a 6-1 win in the series opener in front of 24,823 at
When Jeremy Guthrie and Jake Arrieta each pitched seven innings in the final two games of the series against Boston, it was just the second time on the season that O's starters went seven or more in two or more consecutive games. May 12: Zach Britton, 9 IP vs. Seattle May 13: Jeremy Guthrie, 8 IP at Tampa May 14: Brad Bergesen, 9 IP at
As I wrote earlier, Luke Scott plans to play the next three to five days and if things don't improve with the torn labrum in his right shoulder, he will possibly shut himself down for the season. At that point, he could opt to have surgery or go through a rehab process to heal the shoulder. He knows the clock is ticking, because whichever decision
Luke Scott may have hit two homers for Double-A Bowie last night, but don't take that as a sign that the torn labrum in his right shoulder is feeling better. Scott, who was activated off the disabled list and will start for the Orioles tonight, said discomfort and issues with the shoulder are still there. He said he has reached the point where he must
Early this season, it looked like Orioles minor league pitcher Dan Klein might be at Triple-A or possibly even with the Orioles by now. But instead, he is spending these days in Sarasota, Fla., rehabbing a small SLAP tear in his right labrum. The doctors say surgery is not necessary and Klein, who last pitched in a game June 1 for Double-A Bowie, is in
Early in the season, Double-A Bowie outfielder Xavier Avery was piling up the stolen bases. He now has 26 to rank second in steals among O's minor leaguers. Now Bowie's Greg Miclat is showing the way with 32 stolen bases. That, by the way, is in 32 attempts. Yes, Miclat is 32-for-32 and has not been caught stealing this year. Miclat stole four bases in
He can't be sure how long his time in the major leagues will last, but after playing more than 500 games in the Orioles' farm system, outfielder Matt Angle was excited to get his first call to the big leagues over the weekend. The 25-year-old Angle, a seventh-round draft pick out of Ohio State in 2007, was batting .266 with seven doubles, four homers, 20
After getting shutout in a game where the opponent starter walked six batters, Adam Jones was not a happy camper. "We should have had runs off their starter. We put ourselves in the (right) situation, that's all you can ask for," Jones said. He was asked if it was tough to pick up the ball out of the hand of Boston starter Andrew Miller, who
After a four-start stretch where he didn't pitch past five innings, Jake Arrieta produced his first quality start since mid-June today in the Orioles' 4-0 loss to Boston. "Think overall, did a good job of pounding the zone and forcing the issue of contact," Arrieta said after giving up nine hits and three runs over seven innings. "Making them earn their hits and they put
Presented with a chance to win a series against the American League East leaders, the Orioles could not get any runs today off Andrew Miller, a pitcher with a career 5.83 ERA that is averaging nearly six walks per nine innings this year. The Red Sox won the series finale 4-0 in front of 35,174 on a sun-splashed afternoon at Camden Yards. The Orioles were
You have to wonder, if, as this game goes on, the Orioles will be able to make Red Sox starting pitcher Andrew Miller pay for his wildness. Miller had walked nine batters without a strikeout over 7 2/3 in his last two starts, one of which was against the Orioles. He walked the bases loaded with one out today in the last of the second,
Orioles pitcher Jake Arrieta will take the mound this afternoon against Boston looking to pitch the Orioles to a series win over the AL East leaders. After a stretch where he has given up 14 earned runs over 14 1/3 innings his past three starts, Arrieta has been working on some slight mechanical adjustments with his windup with pitching coach Rick Adair. Manager Buck Showalter
For a change it had to be nice for the Orioles fans in the crowd of 32,314 to watch those in red walk out of Camden Yards unhappy. If this were hockey, my three stars from the Orioles 6-2 win Tuesday night over Boston would be Matt Wieters (third star), Jim Johnson (second star) and Jeremy Guthrie (first star). Wieters scored two runs and his
Prior to tonight, the Boston Red Sox had hit .350 and scored 47 runs in their last five games against the Orioles. But tonight, Jeremy Guthrie held that team to just two runs over seven innings as the Orioles beat Boston 6-2, to end a seven-game losing streak against the Red Sox. Guthrie, who had given up 12 runs in his last two starts over
A quick note or two on tonight's game. * When Matt Wieters gave the Orioles a 3-0 lead with a third-inning single, he improved his average on the year to .381 when batting with runners in scoring position. He hit just .213 with RISP last year. * Mark Reynolds' RBI double in the second inning gave the O's a 1-0 lead and was his 50th
The Orioles 2011 fourth-round draft choice, pitcher Kyle Simon, has been added to the short-season Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds roster. Catcher Kyle Moore has also been transferred from the Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds to Aberdeen. Simon just wrapped up his junior season at the University of Arizona. He was an All-Pac-10 honoree after going 11-3 with a 2.72 ERA and an 86-to-11 strikeout to walk ratio. Here
Since the start of their series with the Orioles in Fenway Park on July 7, Boston has won five of five games between these teams, scoring 47 runs in that time. In those five games, the Red Sox are batting .350 as a team against Baltimore pitching with 14 doubles, two triples and 13 homers. They are batting .348 with runners in scoring position in
The torn labrum in Luke Scott's right shoulder it seems, is not getting better and for now will not allow Scott to come off the disabled list and rejoin the Orioles. He played two games for Double-A Bowie the last two days, going 2-for-6 with a homer, two walks and two strikeouts. He could have been activated today, but will not and appears headed back
Matt Hobgood's next start for the short-season Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds is scheduled for Thursday at Brooklyn. The 20-year-old, 2009 first-round pick remains on the comeback trail from a strained rotator cuff. He spent most of this season rehabbing in Florida until joining the Gulf Coast League Orioles in mid-June. In five games there, over 10 1/3 innings, he gave up 10 hits, five earned runs
Some thoughts and observations after Boston beat the Orioles 15-10 Monday to take the first of a three-game series: * The Red Sox are having their way with Orioles pitching. That has become pretty obvious. Three times in the last five games, Boston has scored double-digit runs in beating the Orioles, scoring 47 runs total in those five games. Hard to believe the Orioles won
After a promising start to this series - Derrek Lee gave the Orioles a somewhat rare first inning lead with a two-run triple - the Orioles now trail Boston 5-2 in the top of fifth. Lee's two-run triple in the first gave him 10 RBIs over his last 10 games and was his first triple since August 17,2009 when he was a Cub. Brad Bergesen
Orioles pitcher Michael Gonzalez has still not had the appeal of his three-game suspension heard and is active for the Boston series that begins tonight. Gonzalez said he doesn't expect any lingering bad blood between the teams after the hit batters and the ejections from the series last weekend. "Definitely not. It's water under the bridge already. What's done is done. It's over. We're starting
The gathering of media at manager Buck Showalter's pregame press conference today was larger than usual, with more local media and Boston media in attendance. Showalter was asked about his team standing up to a club like Boston and was there any significance to what Mike Gonzalez and Kevin Gregg did in the series at Boston. "I think how you stand up to them is
After agreeing to begin serving his suspension tonight as it was reduced from four games to three, Orioles pitcher Kevin Gregg once again talked about standing up for his team when he pitched inside to David Ortiz in the last series against Boston. "They're a good club," Gregg said. "But they look at us and when we try to pitch in and I think we've
Here is the best way for the Orioles to tick off the Red Sox and their fans starting tonight: Beat them. The Orioles were swept in a four-game series at Boston last weekend by a combined 32-13 score. They came up short on the scoreboard. They also came up short in the baseball justice department. They hit fewer batters, but had more ejections and suspensions.
With his team trailing 3-1, Mark Hendrickson took the mound today in the top of the fourth inning looking to put up some zeroes and give his team a chance to come back. "We still had a lot of game left, just wanted to give our offense a chance. Sometimes the role I'm in usually doesn't come with a lot of attention but I just
Many times over the last month or so, an Orioles starting pitcher gave up early runs and the team could not climb out of the early hole. Today, after falling behind 3-0 in the first, the Orioles rallied to beat Cleveland 8-3 in front of 17,754 at Camden Yards to split the four-game series. The Orioles have back-to-back wins for the first time since June
A couple of notes from the O's minors to pass along. Outfielder Kyle Hudson has returned to Triple-A Norfolk to take the roster spot of Matt Angle, who joined the Orioles today. Hudson was batting .308 in 28 games at Double-A Bowie. He was with the Tides earlier and between May 20 and June 26, hit .188 in 24 Norfolk games. Billy Rowell remains on
I would say I had too much time on my hands, although that is really not the case, but I have still put together some stats for your perusal. Some may actually be interesting or informative in some way. * The Orioles had just one single last night among their hits and had a season-high seven extra-base hits. They had six doubles and a homer
Troy Patton will admit that there was some frustration for him recently. He was putting up really good numbers for Triple-A Norfolk but watching other pitchers get called to Baltimore. That included other lefties like Pedro Viola and Mark Hendrickson. Patton was happy for those guys, but wondering if his chance would come. It has and now he is back with the Orioles, officially recalled
Moments after an Orlando Cabrera three-run double in the ninth cut the Orioles' 6-2 lead to 6-5 last night, lefty reliever Michael Gonzalez started jogging toward the mound. You know many Orioles fans had to be holding their breath as they have seen Gonzalez struggle for much of his two seasons on the team. Brought here to serve as a closer, he had blown three
Trying to help his team end a long losing streak and help a pitching staff that had allowed 81 runs the last 10 games, Alfredo Simon did both tonight, going seven strong innings as the Orioles beat Cleveland 6-5. Simon gave up just three hits and two runs and became just the second O's starter (after Jeremy Guthrie) to pitch seven innings in the last
The Orioles needed a good starting pitching effort in the worst way and got one tonight from Alfredo Simon. They also needed a win in the worst way and got one as well. Nick Markakis hit a solo homer in the last of the sixth to break a 2-2 tie as the Orioles beat Cleveland 6-5 in front of 24,835 at Camden Yards to end
Alfredo Simon is pitching a good one for the Orioles tonight. Probably don't need to remind any O's fan how badly needed this is - and has been. He has a 3-2 lead on the Indians through six and a half frames. He has allowed just three hits and two runs through seven innings. The O's have had just one pitcher go seven innings over
Here is an impressive note about Nick Markakis, who reached the 1,000 career hit mark last night at Camden Yards with a third-inning single: Markakis got to 1,000 hits quicker than Hall of Fame Orioles Cal Ripken Jr. and Brooks Robinson and teammate Brian Roberts. Markakis: 1,000th hit in career game No. 875. Ripken: 1,000th hit in career game No. 894 at Yankee Stadium. Roberts:
So the question to J.J. Hardy today was a pretty obvious one to ask. How did he weigh agreeing to his new three-year contract with the Orioles against the possibility of being a free agent at the end of the year? If he were a free agent, he could hit the open market and seek to play for a better team or go to the
After last night's game, Orioles pitcher Jake Arrieta seemed to second-guess himself on how he approached and pitched to some of the Cleveland hitters. "I think the main thing about tonight is guys were too comfortable in the box," Arrieta said. "I didn't do a good job of establishing the inner half to lefties well enough and they were diving over the plate, and even
Orioles DH Vladimir Guerrero is not in the starting lineup for the third day in a row. Guerrero told reporters before batting practice today that his right hand has not gotten better and he did not expect to test it with any swings today. Does he expect to go on the disabled list? "He doesn't know and hasn't been told. Yes, it is broken, but
The Orioles have locked up their shortstop for the next three years. The Baltimore Sun reported that the club has agreed with J.J. Hardy on a new contract for three years which will pay him between $22 to $22.5 million during the length of this deal which runs through 2014. The club had a decision to make with Hardy: sign a player that played very
There were two outs and none on when Nick Markakis stepped into the batter's box in the last of the third. He then singled to right off Cleveland's Josh Tomlin to pick up his 1,000th career hit. Markakis gets to 1,000 at age 27 and in his sixth season in the majors. They posted an impressive stat last night during the MASN O's Xtra post-game
It's a bit of a stretch I know, but will some Jake Arrieta stats work in his favor tonight as he and the Orioles look to break an eight-game losing streak versus Cleveland? Arrieta and the Birds lead 2-1 after the second inning after Matt Wieters and Nolan Reimold hit solo homers in the last of the second. Wieters' homer to right-center leading off the
Here are Buck Showalter's pregame comments today about Vladimir Guerrero, who has a small crack in a bone in his right hand and will not start for the second game in a row tonight against Cleveland. "He thought he might be able to play today, but went in the cage and that did not go well," Showalter said. "Comes a decision now on how long
So during his pregame session with the media today, I had the chance to ask Orioles manager Buck Showalter if there were any players the team would consider taking a closer look at during the rest of the season. Either someone currently on the roster or someone perhaps now in the minors. Showalter answered my question with a question back to me. "Who would you
Jake Arrieta is the next Orioles starter to try and give his team a quality start. He takes the mound tonight at Camden Yards against Cleveland. The Orioles have had just two of them, one by Jeremy Guthrie and one by Mitch Atkins, in the last 17 games. At one time, it seemed Arrieta was cranking out quality starts. Over his first nine starts, he
It was just about 10 p.m on the dot last night and I grabbed the headphones and pulled up to the microphone. I was about to begin another night of my baseball radio show, talking for two hours about the Orioles on 105.7 FM The Fan in Baltimore. With the team just minutes away from an eighth straight loss, I had to wonder - would
For the Orioles, the second half has started like the first half ended, with a starter having issues and the club falling behind early in a game. Some notes as they try to dig out of a 3-0 hole against Cleveland here tonight and snap a seven-game slide. * The current Indians roster had a total of just one homer versus Jeremy Guthrie coming into
Orioles catcher Matt Wieters used words like "exciting" and "cool" to describe his first All-Star experience. He got into the game as a reserve in the sixth inning and went 0-for-1 at bat and also was charged with a passed ball after not being charged with one all season to that point. He later found out he was slated, as the third catcher on the
Orioles pitchers Kevin Gregg and Michael Gonzalez are appealing their suspensions handed down today by Major League Baseball for their actions in the Boston series. Gregg was suspended for four games with the suspension scheduled to begin today. Gonzalez was suspended for three games, which was scheduled to begin on Monday, the day the O's begin a series with Boston. Kevin Gregg and Mike Gonzalez
The Orioles have promoted right-handed pitcher Oliver Drake from Single-A Frederick to Double-A Bowie and he will start for the Baysox tonight. Drake, a 43rd-round draft pick in 2008, was 8-3 with a 2.14 ERA for Frederick with a WHIP of 0.99 and groundout-to-flyout ratio of 2.18. This will be another crack at Double-A for the 24-year-old righty, who allowed 11 runs over four innings
Earlier today, I posted an entry about the Orioles' starting pitching struggles. They have been significant and probably the biggest reason for the club's 6-21 record over the past 27 games. But the O's inconsistent offense has been just that recently as well. During that 27-game stretch, the O's are batting just .195 (43-for-221) with runners in scoring position. The Orioles have had just one
Too bad a baseball season is not like a Saturday round of golf with your friends. Maybe the Orioles could take a mulligan on their first half, when they went 36-52. Over the last few weeks, each time I thought things could not get worse for the team, they did. That said, I am almost afraid to say that, in losing 12 of 13 to
Now, more of my recent conversation with Orioles manager Buck Showalter about the team's minor league system and player development. Showalter said the minors are where a coach and manager can have a real significant impact on a player. "It's a fun and gratifying job where you can see a return for your work quicker," Showalter said. "In the minors, you can see day-to-day improvement
Buck Showalter spent seven seasons in the minor leagues as a player and five as a manger. He helped start the Arizona Diamondbacks franchise from scratch. He knows a little something about player development. While he has to be most concerned with the players on the Orioles' 25-man roster, he also spends part of his day checking out reports on the club's minor leagues. That
Ben Badler is a reporter and writer for Baseball America. He covers the minor leagues but also focuses heavily on the international signings front and is among the best at covering that market. Last week I talked with him at length about the Orioles and their international efforts. Here is that interview. Ben, what is your take on the Orioles international efforts? "They seem to
Earlier today, Part One of an interview with Orioles president Andy MacPhail was published in this space. It is a two-part interview with MacPhail about the O's signing and scouting of international players since he took over in his current position. Tomorrow, I will feature here an interview with Baseball America's Ben Badler with his analysis of the O's efforts on this front. Now, Part
One topic that Orioles fans often ask me about is the club's poor record in signing international players. We all know the team has a poor history, for instance, of producing home-grown Dominican talent and that the Orioles have not been among the teams offering big signing bonuses for international talent in recent years. It is believed that the Orioles spent somewhere around $1.2 million
It is kind of hard to remember the Orioles began this year going 6-1. Or that a month ago they were 30-31 and an out away from getting to .500. Another season is unraveling daily amidst injuries, poor starting pitching, a lack of clutch hitting and some young players that are failing to make progress. With 11 losses in the last 12 games and a
No runs, not many hits and no hit batters. That was part of the Orioles' scorecard tonight. At least they didn't give up 10 runs this time. The Orioles were held to just four hits and shut out for the fourth time on the season. John Lackey entered his start against the Orioles tonight with an ERA of 7.47 on the year and a batting
The Red Sox have now hit a major league leading 50 batters on the year after John Lackey hit Derrek Lee with two outs and no one on in the Orioles seventh. It was a pretty obvious purpose pitch and both benches were warned afterwards even though no Boston batters have been hit tonight. Lackey just left the game to a big ovation. He has
For a pitcher making his first big league start of the season tonight, Alfredo Simon has pitched a good game for the Orioles. The Birds and Boston are 0-0 after four innings at Fenway. Simon has allowed four hits with one walk and strikeout so far, throwing 59 pitches. David Ortiz is 0-for-2 as he grounded into a double play with the bases loaded in
There was some early drama in tonight's game as David Ortiz came to bat with the bases loaded and one out in the last of the first against Alfredo Simon. After he walked to the plate to a rousing ovation, he took the first two pitches to get ahead 2-0 on the count. But then he bounced one toward second base where Robert Andino fielded
Well, this game tonight has garnered a little more interest than it would have before Kevin Gregg and David Ortiz went at it last night. Nothing against Alfredo Simon, but Buck Showalter probably wishes say, Jeremy Guthrie was on the mound tonight. Simon probably doesn't need any extra pressure but now he has some as he takes the mound tonight. His command isn't the greatest
He was just named the Orioles organization's minor league Pitcher of the Month for June: Right-hander Oliver Drake is on quite a roll right now as he heads into his next start for Single-A Frederick tonight at home against Potomac. Drake has put together a current streak of 22 consecutive scoreless innings. That counts a two-inning stint on June 23 for Triple-A Norfolk and 20
Orioles scouting director Joe Jordan has yet to sign his first-round pick, pitcher Dylan Bundy, or second-round pick, Vanderbilt third baseman Jason Esposito, but he has agreed to terms with 15 draft picks so far. He has signed six of his top 10 picks, all pitchers, including Mike Wright (round 3), Kyle Simon (round 4), Matt Taylor (round 5), Trent Howard (round 7), Devin Jones
So this is what it took for some Orioles fans to get behind Kevin Gregg? Based on calls to my radio show last night and some posts on here since the benches-clearing incident that started between David Ortiz and Gregg last night, most fans are thrilled with Gregg's actions on the field. Some are just as pleased with his post-game comments. When Gregg said "we
I guess we learned one lesson from the first inning tonight at Fenway Park: Never think it can't get worse. The Orioles entered tonight as a team that had lost nine of the last 10 games and looked that bad and worse in an awful bottom of the first inning tonight. They pitched poorly and fielded worse as Boston batted 13 men, knocked Zach Britton
Okay, I know how rough the last few weeks of Orioles baseball have been. But I have found a positive stat that may surprise you. The Orioles actually have a winning record in their last 21 games against Boston, going 11-10. They are 2-3 this year against the Sox and went 9-9 last year. They lost the first two games with Boston then but are
They are two of the best prospects in the Orioles' organization and both are just 19 years old. But, after putting up some big stats in the South Atlantic League, both Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop have struggled in the Carolina League. They will both play in the Futures Game this Sunday. Here is how they have done this year: Machado at Delmarva: .276-6-24 in
Can lightning strike twice for the Orioles? Last year they went to Texas for the last series before the All-Star break and swept that four-game series. Tonight they begin a four-game series in Boston that leads into the break. I'm pretty sure most fans are not expecting four O's wins over the next four days, but last year's team did lose six of seven before
We don't yet know whether Andy MacPhail will return after this season as the Orioles president of baseball operations. But if he does, MacPhail made it clear during an interview this week that he'd like director of scouting Joe Jordan to return on his staff. The contracts of both men are up after this season. Jordan took his current position in November of 2004 and
The Orioles have come to terms with their 10th-round draft pick, University of Virginia right-handed pitcher Tyler Wilson. He went 10-0 with an ERA of 2.24 this year as a senior for a Cavalier team that made the College World Series. The Orioles have now signed six of their top 10 picks getting pitchers Mike Wright (round three), Kyle Simon (round four), Matt Taylor (round
You have to figure J.J. Hardy has the upper hand right now in any contract negotiations he and his agent will have with the Orioles. For one, he is having a super season and playing at a very high level. For two, he can simply choose to be a free agent at the end of this year and have several teams pursuing him. For three,
Two Orioles pitching prospects that are on the comeback trail from injuries are expected to soon join the short-season Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds. Right-handers Matt Hobgood and Ryan Berry are expected to pitch one more time for the Gulf Coast League O's, probably July 11, and then move to Aberdeen. The 20-year-old Hobgood, the Orioles' top pick in the 2009 draft, is rehabbing a strained right
Here are some Mark Reynolds homer notes after he hit Nos. 19 and 20 in Monday's game. * Reynolds' last five hits have been homers and seven of his last eight hits are home runs. * With 20 homers, Reynolds became the first Oriole since Charles Johnson in 2000 to hit 20 or more homers before the All-Star break. Johnson hit 20 in 2000. According
After getting nine at-bats late last year with Double-A Bowie, Orioles prospect LJ Hoes began this season back with Single-A Frederick. But on May 23, he moved back to Double-A and this time he is staying there. Hoes currently is wielding one of the hottest bats on the O's farm and in 35 Baysox games, he is now batting .320 with no homers, 17 RBIs
You have to wonder if Vlad Guerrero's time as the Orioles' cleanup hitter is coming to an end. Manager Buck Showalter talked about his concern over Guerrero during the O's last homestand and made similar comments to reporters in Texas yesterday, indicating that if he needs to make an adjustment there, he will. The time has pretty much come for that. I still remember the
The Short-Season Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds today added three Orioles top-10 draft picks from the 2011 class. The IronBirds added third-round pick RHP Mike Wright, fifth-round pick LHP Matt Taylor, and ninth-round pick RHP Devin Jones. They join seventh-round LHP Trent Howard, and the IronBirds now have four of the Orioles' top-10 draft picks on their roster. Wright made 16 starts this past spring for Eastern
The Orioles begin a series in Texas tonight against the Rangers. The Orioles really enjoyed their last visit to Arlington. They swept four straight, July 8-11 last year right before the All-Star break, from a Rangers team that would go on to win the American League. They won by scores of 6-4, 7-6, 6-1 and 4-1. This was the Orioles' first four-game sweep at Texas
Mark Reynolds can sure fill up a stat sheet. He now has 18 homers to lead the Orioles. He has 46 RBIs and that ties Adam Jones to lead the club. He is also first on the Orioles or tied for first in doubles (15), runs (43) and walks (50). His 50 walks are more than twice the next highest total on the club and
Batting fourth for the first time all year, Mark Reynolds hit another homer, and this one helped get the Orioles a win. After the Birds blew a 3-0 lead, Reynolds' two-run blast to left off Scott Proctor in the seventh, gave the Orioles a 5-4 lead and win today by that score as they salvaged the final game of the series in Atlanta. The Orioles
When rookie lefty Zach Britton was 4-1 with an ERA of 2.84 at the end of April, his first month in the majors, who would have thought he'd have just six wins total with the All-Star game approaching? But Britton posted just one win in May and one win in June. It certainly wasn't because he had pitched poorly. His ERA is 3.38 through 16
Those that were expecting the Orioles to have a tough 10-game road trip are probably not surprised at the losses the last two nights in Atlanta. The Orioles got shut out on one hit in losing Friday. They got three homers and 13 hits and still lost last night. They have that look and feel again. That look of a team heading south and the
Mark Reynolds hit two homers tonight in Atlanta and Nick Markakis added another for the Orioles. But, thanks in part to a play that was not made in Atlanta's fourth inning, the Orioles lost 5-4 to the Braves tonight. With two outs and none on in the Atlanta fourth, Chipper Jones doubled and Freddie Freeman walked. Then Dan Uggla hit a liner to left. Luke
Orioles third base prospect Josh Bell left Game One of Triple-A Norfolk's doubleheader tonight with a left knee injury. He had just one at-bat in the Tides' 4-2 loss to Charlotte. Bell is leading all O's minor leaguers in home runs. On the year he is batting .256 with nine doubles, two triples, 13 homers, 36 RBIs and an OPS of .733. A club official
As Jake Arrieta takes the mound tonight at Atlanta, here is an interesting Arrieta stat. He is the toughest Orioles' starter to get a base hit off of. Opponent batters hit just .233 off Arrieta while that number is .251 against Zach Britton and .263 against Jeremy Guthrie. There are some observers that feel Arrieta has the best "stuff" on the staff. He has a
When the All-Star game reserves are announced on Sunday, my guess is that Adam Jones will be selected to the American League team for the second time. He would be my pick and, in my opinion, has been the Orioles' best player this year. Until I looked it up, I almost forgot he hit just .218 in April. But in May and June, Jones hit
Congratulations to one of the real good guys in the Orioles minor leagues. Single-A Frederick Keys manager Orlando Gomez posted his 900th career minor league managing victory this week. He got the milestone win Thursday night in a 4-0 win at Lynchburg as Nick Haughian pitched six scoreless innings. Gomez then picked up number 901 in last night's 6-1 win over Lynchburg as Bobby Bundy
Things can change fast in baseball. A struggling team or player can turn things around with one good night or one good series. The Orioles need that in the worst way right now. Most of Oriole Nation seems to be predicting doom and gloom for the 10-game road trip against the Braves, Rangers and Red Sox that begins tonight at Atlanta. Here are some daunting
In taking stock of the recent struggles of the Orioles' starting rotation, I took a look at some of the recent stats and found that the O's starters were struggling really for the entire month of June. In the last six games, all at home, O's starters pitched to an ERA of 9.21 and they didn't have one starter go longer than 5 2/3 innings.
