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I'll make two fearless predictions about the Orioles now that we know Nick Markakis is headed to the disabled list and set for surgery on his right wrist Friday morning. I think there is a good chance that J.J. Hardy will be moved to the third spot in the batting order and I will guess that Lew Ford gets called up from Triple-A to take
Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette will oversee his first draft with the club next week. Duquette, it appears, has taken a more active role in the draft than his predecessor, Andy MacPhail. Duquette has even been scouting some of the amateur players himself in recent weeks. "The draft is important as far as building a good team," Duquette said. "It's important
Gary Rajsich, who was hired as the Orioles' director of scouting in November, is now days away from his first draft with the O's, who have the fourth pick in round one Monday night. Rajsich has several of his top staff members with him in Baltimore this week in final preparations for next week's draft. While he is not going to volunteer to any reporter
Well, at least Adam Jones stayed in the game after getting hit by a pitch on his left hand tonight. Other than that, not a lot went right again this evening for the Orioles in a 4-1 loss at Rogers Centre. Toronto swept the three-game series by a 18-9 score and is 33-7 against the Orioles in the last 40 games between the two teams
The runners in scoring position (RISP) stat has been a key one for the Orioles this year. The team is hitting .241 on the season when batting with runners in scoring position. Over the last four games, all losses, the Orioles are batting just .121 (4-for-33) when hitting with RISP. RISP stats for the Orioles the last four games: *Went 0-for-2 Saturday against KC. *Went
This would probably fall under the heading of team business and not be something necessarily shared with a reporter but when Jonathan Schoop, one of the Orioles top prospects, was removed from Double-A Bowie's game this afternoon, I wondered if there had been an injury. There was no injury and it appears that Schoop was taken out of that game at Akron because he attempted
When it comes to projecting what might happen in the First-Year Player Draft, few are more clued in and informed then Jim Callis of Baseball America. With the first-round of the draft set for Monday night, Callis is projecting that the Orioles will wind up with a college pitcher with the fourth pick in round one. "So much can change between now and the draft,"
The Orioles lost another game tonight and they earned this one. They got poor starting pitching, left 11 runners on base and made three errors. Jake Arrieta lasted just 4 1/3 innings, as Toronto beat the Orioles 8-6 to take the first two games of the series at Rogers Centre. The Orioles have now lost a season-high four in a row to fall to 29-21
Here is the Orioles' quicky scouting report tonight in facing Toronto lefty Ricky Romero, who is 5-1 with an ERA of 3.86 over 10 starts. He has never given up fewer hits but more walks. Patience and taking some pitches, not too often an O's team trait on offense, could be important in this game. First off, Romero is tough to hit with very good
Orioles minor league pitcher Steve Johnson is having a good year at Triple-A Norfolk. He is 1-3 with an ERA of 2.62 over eight games and has a batting average against of just .191. Johnson has been on the disabled list since May 19 with a groin strain, but he has thrown two bullpen sessions recently and should be ready to rejoin the Tides rotation
Here it is: Over their last 22 games, Orioles starting pitchers have worked to an ERA of 5.53. That is a troubling statistic. Orioles rotation this year: * A 3.38 ERA in 27 games, with 15 quality starts through May 5. * A 5.53 ERA in 22 games with 10 quality starts since May 6. Over those first 27 games, the Orioles went 18-9 and
Tommy Hunter entered this start winless since April 24 with a 6.17 ERA over his past four starts, and things didn't get any better for him tonight in Toronto. Hunter was knocked out even before getting an out in the bottom of the fourth as the Blue Jays beat the Orioles 6-2 at the Rogers Centre. The Orioles have now lost three in a row
Tonight, the Orioles are trying to avoid matching their season-long losing streak, which is just three games. That came when they got swept in a three-game series by New York in the second series of the year. The O's lost the last two games of the Kansas City series and scored just five total runs in those games. They left a combined 19 runners on
Tommy Hunter takes the mound tonight for the Orioles in Toronto. Hunter is 2-2 on the year over nine starts with an ERA of 5.07. He has recorded four quality starts. Hunter has proven to be a very good pitcher at times - especially in the first four innings of his starts. His ERA this year is 2.75 during the first four innings, but goes
In looking back on this past weekend, we saw the Orioles lose two of three against Kansas City. On the field, they've had better weekends, but if you look at what happened off the field at Camden Yards, the club had a pretty good few days. I was lucky to be on hand for two events within a span of about 16 hours that may
It was a key moment in today's game. The score was tied 2-2 with the Royals batting in the top of the sixth. Jeff Francoeur, who was having a big series, came to the plate and delivered a go-ahead solo homer off Brian Matusz to propel the Royals to a 4-2 win over the Orioles. Matusz fired to the plate, hoping to get the pitch
Orioles relief pitcher Stu Pomeranz had just returned from the minor leagues on Friday for his second stint with the Birds this year. Now, it appears he is headed for his first stint on the disabled list after coming up with an injury in his left side while warming up in the bullpen in the late innings of today's game. "Yeah, I was warming up,"
Brian Matusz provided the Orioles with a decent outing and a quality start today, but this time it didn't lead to a win. Kansas City scored twice off Matusz in the top of the sixth to break a 2-2 tie this afternoon on its way to a 4-2 win over the Orioles in front of 33,919 at Camden Yards. The Orioles lost the rubber game
Matt Wieters' name was not in the original lineup that was posted today, but he was later added. We haven't heard yet exactly what changed that, but Wieters is out there for today's game with Kansas City. Backup catcher Ronny Paulino told reporters he was not hurt, so Wieters playing had nothing to do with Paulino or his status apparently. Right now, maybe Wieters just
If today's Orioles game goes as well as the Adam Jones press conference, the O's have a great chance to get a win today. There were some very sincere and heartfelt comments made by Jones, O's vice president Dan Duquette and manager Buck Showalter. "This commitment by the Orioles reflects that Adam Jones is more than a fine player. He's a leader in our community,
FREDERICK, Md - Frederick manager Orlando Gomez has been around baseball for many, many years but he admits that tonight's game was special as Dylan Bundy made his Carolina League debut, getting the win as Frederick beat Salem 5-3 in front of 9,833 fans crammed into Harry Grove Stadium. "Everyone was excited to see him pitch. Everyone. The people that came here to see him
FREDERICK, Md - Life in the Carolina League could prove tSo be more challenging for Orioles 2011 top draft pick Dylan Bundy. It was tonight as the 19-year-old right-hander made his debut for the Frederick Keys and gave up a homer and earned runs for the first time as a pro, but he did leave tonight's game at Harry Grove Stadium with a 4-2 lead
FREDERICK, Md - Welcome to Harry Grove Stadium where a huge crowd is filing in to watch tonight's game and see Dylan Bundy's Carolina League debut. I will run this live blog tonight from here, updating it often. So check back here several times tonight and hit refresh often to get the latest from Frederick. Feel free to leave any questions or comments in the
FREDERICK, Md. - When Dylan Bundy pitches for the Single-A Frederick Keys tonight in his Carolina Leaue debut, it is clear we should expect him to throw a higher percentage of non-fastballs than he did in his most recent start at Hagerstown on Sunday. The Orioles want Bundy to work specifically on his changeup but also on his curveball. For the first time, in that
After 30 innings without allowing an earned run in the South Atlantic League, beginning tonight Carolina League hitters will take their shot at Orioles top pitching prospect Dylan Bundy. Bundy will make his debut at Single-A Frederick when the Keys host the Salem Red Sox at 6 p.m. at Harry Grove Stadium. The Keys say an over-capacity crowd is expected and fans are encouraged to
There was a festive mood at Camden Yards today with the news that the Orioles are close to signing Adam Jones to a contract extension. Then the game started, and the O's kept the good feelings going. Jason Hammel pitched out of a few jams, Jones knocked in two runs and the O's scored five in the last of the fifth. Chris Davis added a
If you are the worrying sort, the current state of the Orioles' rotation could be some cause for concern for you. Over the last five games, the Orioles have just one quality start, and the starters' ERA is 6.51 with 20 earned runs allowed over 27 2/3 innings in that stretch. The Orioles are 21-1 on the year when their starting pitcher gives them a
Orioles catcher Matt Wieters said that Adam Jones getting a contract extension would be well-received throughout the Orioles' clubhouse. "I think everybody would be very happy for Adam and very happy for the Orioles," Wieters said. "It would mean a great deal for both parties. You know, Adam is a great player, and it's moving in the right direction when you can get players like
Adam Jones said his agent is in town, but Jones told reporters a few minutes ago that, as of this hour, he has not agreed to a new contract with the Orioles. "I wish I could tell you more. But there is nothing to tell you because there is nothing being done right now. I wish I had bells and whistles to tell you, trust
Well, Dan Duquette did say repeatedly last year at the Winter Meetings, not long after taking the job here in Baltimore, that Adam Jones was a player to build around. Now the Orioles reportedly are doing just that. This morning's reports from Ken Rosenthal and Jon Morosi of FOX Sports that the Orioles are close to signing Jones to a contract extension should come as
As it turns out, not only will Dylan Bundy stay pitching in a six-man rotation when he makes his first start for Single-A Frederick on Saturday night, but starting this weekend, three Orioles farm teams will be using six-man rotations. As Bundy moves to Frederick, right-hander Mike Wright moves from Frederick to Double-A Bowie to start tomorrow night and Zach Britton makes his first outing
BOWIE, Md. - Even though he batted twice without once swinging at a single pitch, Brian Roberts was pleased with his first game back tonight at Double-A Bowie as he began a 20-day rehab assignment that he hopes leads him back to the major leagues. "Exciting. Fun," Roberts said of getting back in the batter's box for the first time since May 16, 2011. "You
BOWIE, Md - In his first at-bat since May 16, 2011, Brian Roberts drew a five-pitch walk to lead off the bottom of the first for the Double-A Bowie Baysox tonight. You might have been looking for something more dramatic than that, but Roberts watched five consecutive pitches from Richmond Flying Squirrels lefty Mike Kickham and then ran down the line to take first base.
BOWIE, Md. - It was nice to see the familiar swing of Brian Roberts in the batting cage earlier today at Prince George's Stadium. Roberts sprayed some line drives around the ballpark batting left and right-handed. Richmond is starting a lefty tonight in Mike Kickham, who is 2-4 with an ERA of 4.04 and Roberts will leadoff and play second base for the Double-A Baysox.
BOWIE, Md. - Hello from Prince George's Stadium, where the Bowie Baysox host the Richmond Flying Squirrels tonight in Eastern League baseball at 7:05 p.m. It is here where the Orioles' Brian Roberts will begin his 20-day minor league rehab assignment, playing in a game for the first time since May 16, 2011. He has missed 166 games since that time, playing in just 98
Brian Matusz's comeback from last year's 1-9 season and 10.69 ERA picked up more steam last night when the left-hander gave up just two hits and one run with one walk and nine strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings in a 4-1 win over Boston. Some fans probably doubted Matusz when he began this year 0-3 with an ERA of 7.98 over his first three outings.
It wasn't that long ago that Orioles lefty Brian Matusz was dealing with a 12-game losing streak. Tonight, he pitched a gem against Boston and won for the fourth time over his last five starts. Matusz gave up just one run on two hits over 6 1/3 innings tonight, pitching the Orioles to a 4-1 win over the Red Sox. He gave up a homer
Tonight, the Orioles are trying to get back to 12 games over .500 with a win over the Red Sox. Even with last night's loss, the Orioles have won seven of their last nine and eight of their past 11 games against Boston. But the Red Sox have now won nine of their last 11 games overall, outscoring their opponents, 64-31 with a team ERA
To say the least, the improvement of 22-year-old outfielder Xavier Avery has been impressive. He has played nine big league games now and been hitless in just three. One of those was last night, but he still scored a run and drove in a run with an impressive bases-loaded walk against Boston. Avery's numbers were up pretty much across the board this year at Triple-A
It now appears that Dylan Bundy's next start will still be with the Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds and it could come this Sunday, and not Saturday as originally scheduled. The Shorebirds were rained out last night and now some pitchers, Bundy included, could have their next starts pushed back a day. This would allow for the starters there to get an extra day of rest and
The big development at Camden Yards yesterday really took place before the game, when Brian Roberts spoke for more than seven minutes with reporters about his impending return to the diamond. Roberts has not played for the Orioles since May 16, 2011, but said yesterday that he should be able to begin a minor league rehab assignment very soon. The exact date has not been
If you missed it over the weekend, the Single-A Frederick Keys had a weekend of stunning starting pitching. Three Orioles 2011 draft picks in Mike Wright (round 3), Kyle Simon (round 4) and Trent Howard (round 7) combined to pitch 18 innings without allowing a run on just seven hits against a good-hitting Salem team. Salem batters went just 7-for-57 (.123) against the Keys' trio,
After making seven straight scoreless appearances covering 9 1/3 innings, that streak ended for pitcher Kevin Gregg tonight and the runs he gave up led to an Orioles loss. Boston pushed across a pair of runs in the seventh against Gregg on an Adrian Gonzalez sac fly and a Will Middlebrooks single to break a 5-5 tie before adding a run against Troy Patton in
The Orioles tonight are looking for their sixth win over the last seven games, their 14th win in 20 games and to improve to 20-8 over the last 28 games. They used three singles and three Clay Buchholz walks to take a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the third tonight. Buchholz retired the first six batters he faced, but looked more like the pitcher
Orioles reliever Matt Lindstrom is eligible to come off the disabled list this Saturday but it could take a little longer than that for his return. Lindstrom has a partial tear in a ligament in the middle finger on his right hand and provided reporters with an update this afternoon. "The latest is that my finger is pain-free," Lindstrom said. "The biggest thing they told
Speaking about his possible return to the Orioles a few minutes ago in the O's clubhouse, Brian Roberts said he thinks he can begin a minor league rehab assignment sometime within the next few weeks. "I would hope so, yeah. I don't have a day, but I would like to think so, yeah," Roberts said of that time frame. He said his long road back
In looking at how well the Orioles have played this year, probably the biggest factor in having a record 12 games over .500 is the club's improved play within the American League East. This comes as a big development since the Orioles are going to play more than 70 games in the division again this year. Since 2009, here are the O's records against the
With another outstanding start under his belt, Orioles top pitching prospect Dylan Bundy now appears to be closing in on a promotion to a higher level. His next start will likely be Saturday - and it still could be for Single-A Delmarva - but the Orioles brass is expected to meet soon to discuss if now is the time to promote Bundy. "Dylan has clearly
After his latest outstanding outing, this afternoon at Hagerstown, it appears that Orioles top pitching prospect Dylan Bundy is finally closing in on a promotion to a higher level. His next start will likely be Saturday - and it still could be for Single-A Delmarva - but it appears the Orioles brass will be meeting soon to discuss if now is the time to promote
Not today for the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles were looking for a three-game sweep in the Battle of the Beltways and when they took an early 3-0 lead this afternoon against Stephen Strasburg, it looked within reach. But the Nats came back with nine unanswered runs to beat the Orioles 9-3 at Nats Park. Today's game drew 41,918 fans and the three-game series drew 120,929
Dylan Bundy retired the first 12 batters he faced today and pitched five shutout innings at Hagerstown this afternoon to keep his ERA at 0.00 now through 30 professional innings. Bundy was facing a pretty good hitting club today. Hagerstown, with a 23-16 record, began the day leading the South Atlantic League in homers, second in runs scored and fourth in batting average. Today, Bundy
Once again today I will post some stats, opinions and notes here in this entry during today's game as we feature a live blog this afternoon. I hope many of you add your own questions and comments today starting right now. Nats get the lead with the longball: The Nats got back-to-back homers with two outs in the fourth from Jesus Flores and Stephen Strasburg
For all the Orioles fans that can remember when it seemed like a .500 record was much too much to ask for, what must they be thinking now watching their team at 27-14 and leading the American League East by two games? Everyone is chasing the Orioles right now, who own the AL's best record. Heavy stuff for a team working on a 14-season losing
It seems like the Orioles have had to come up with a big play or big hit in late innings to win a lot of recent games. Tonight, they came up with some big hits early, and then had to hold off the Nationals late in the game. Adam Jones and Nick Markakis homered again - this time each hit two-run shots - as the
Tonight's live game blog: We'll be trying something new here tonight and filing notes, opinions and stats about tonight's game as it goes on. Everything I add will appear at the top of the text right after this blog introduction. So check back here often during tonight's game and hit that refresh button to get the latest from here. Please feel free to post your
The 2011 season was sure a good one for Orioles minor league catcher Brian Ward. He hit .254 for Single-A Frederick, but it was his defense that drew rave reviews for his work behind the plate and for handling the Keys pitching staff that led the league in ERA on its way to the Carolina League championship. Then, after the season, Ward played in the
Once the Orioles got the Nats to extra innings, they had them right where they wanted them. The Nick Markakis homer in the top of the 11th and the Pedro Strop escape act in the bottom half helped the Orioles to a 2-1 win Friday night at Nats Park. Coupled with a loss by Tampa Bay, the Orioles moved to 26-14 and out to a
Here is a pretty stunning stat: The Orioles have gotten a quality start this year from their pitchers 20 times and they are 19-1 in those games. That is a winning percentage of .950. But lately, Jake Arrieta has struggled to do that for the Birds. If two starts qualifies as a slump, Arrieta may be in one. Since that dominant start May 2 at
When the Orioles and Nationals play, no hype for this series is needed for the first time. The teams have taken care of that and both are playing so well that they've turned this into a big series with the winning. The Orioles lead the American League East at 25-14. They have the best record in the AL, are 17-7 over the last 24 games
I said streaky player, not sneaky player. Although when he got on the mound, Chris Davis proved to be sneaky fast. If you go back over his last 29 games, you can see two real hot streaks and two real cold streaks at the plate for the Orioles first baseman. Davis may be about to make that three hot streaks in getting five hits the
I guess we could say this about Jim Johnson and J.J. Hardy: They are who we thought they were. Somewhat overlooked in the Orioles' amazing run to first place by the sometimes surprising contributions of others, we can no longer look past the All-Star caliber seasons the O's are getting from that duo. Johnson has taken the drama out of the ninth inning. That is
For the second day in a row, the Orioles fell behind in the game at Kansas City. But, for the second day in a row, the Orioles won. The Birds beat the Royals 5-3 today as they rallied from a 3-0 deficit to sweep the brief two-game series. The Orioles, who began the day tied for first with Tampa Bay at 24-14, have now won
To say the least, it has been a strange year for Kansas City right-hander Luke Hochevar. He enters today's start against the Orioles with a record of 3-3 and an ERA of 7.20. On the stat sheet, it looks like the O's have a great chance to score a bunch of runs today. Yet, in four of his seven starts, Hochevar has allowed two earned
What is it about Adam Jones and extra-inning homers? He bashed the three-run shot in the 17th at Fenway Park and hit the solo blast in the 15th inning that just landed somewhere in Kansas City last night. According to Elias, Jones is first player to hit two game-winning homers in the 15th inning or later in the same season since Mark McGwire in 1988.
Entering tonight's game, the Orioles were 10-1 when Adam Jones hit a home run this season. Make that now 11-1. And it only took 15 innings. The Orioles have produced some impressive comeback wins and they can now add tonight's in Kansas City to the list. Jones hit a long homer to left off Nate Adcock in the top of the 15th to give the
If it feels to you like the Orioles have been getting off to better starts in games this year, you are right and there are the stats to prove it. The Orioles have a plus-15 run differential this year - that is, they have scored 15 more runs than their opponents - and that figure is a plus-14 over the first three innings of their
After the end of the 15-game run of playing against Boston, New York, Tampa Bay and Texas, tonight the Orioles begin a two-game series with the Royals in Kansas City. To some it may seem like a brief break from a rough schedule and that tonight the Orioles are stepping down in class a bit in taking on K.C. But the Royals are playing good
Just about 24 hours after we wondered if the Orioles were teetering on the brink, we return this morning to pass out the deserved accolades to the club. I thought going into this 15-game stretch against Boston, New York, Tampa Bay and Texas that the Orioles would go about 6-9 against the four high-level opponents. Playing them consecutively over a two week run was just
Orioles 2006 first-round draft pick Billy Rowell told MASNsports.com tonight that he failed a drug test for marijuana and that is what led to his 50-game suspension after a second violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program for a drug of abuse. The suspension was announced by MLB on Monday. Rowell said he also had a positive test for marijuana in 2009.
The Triple-A Norfolk Tides put infielder Ryan Adams and pitcher Joel Pineiro on the disabled list today. Adams, who got into 29 games with the Orioles last year, is expected to miss three to five weeks with a fractured right thumb. He was batting .210 this year for the Tides. Pineiro was 1-1 with an ERA of 3.65 over his first two starts for Norfolk
Like some of you, I am having a feeling that the Orioles are teetering on the brink a bit right now. You have to wonder if the club hasn't hit a bump in the road that might turn into a longer tailspin now that the starting pitching has started to struggle and the team has had to make so many recent roster moves. Some of
The Orioles have a 12-7 record against the American League East this year. That includes a mark of 10-2 against every team but New York and a 2-5 record against the Yankees. Mark Teixeira hit a two-run, tie-breaking homer off Luis Ayala in the top of the seventh tonight, as New York beat the Orioles 8-5 in front of 16,492 wet fans at Camden Yards.
For the first time in his pro career, Dylan Bundy pitched five innings tonight. He also allowed two hits for the first time and one run, but it was unearned against Lakewood. Bundy left in a 1-1 tie so he will not get a win or loss tonight and his ERA remains 0.00 through 25 innings for the Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds. Bundy came into this
Xavier Avery has played a lot of baseball games in his young career and has not been nervous during many of them. But he admits that he was Sunday when he made his major league debut, going 0-for-4 in the leadoff spot while playing left field against Tampa Bay. "It was great in that I got my feet wet. But I was nervous for about
Even though he doesn't seem to get much publicity and is not considered by the experts to be among the Orioles best pitching prospects, lefty Jake Pettit was off to a strong start in his first year at Double-A Bowie. But now he is on the disabled list. Pettit felt some elbow soreness after his most recent start on Friday, May 4 against Akron. He
Even on a day where they lost and saw a seven-game win streak against American League East opponents come to an end, the Orioles did some impressive things. They rallied from down 7-1 to within 7-6, but Tampa Bay had enough in the end to hold off the Orioles for a 9-8 win, denying the Birds their first three-game home sweep of the Rays since
Did you know: * That the Orioles have won seven games in a row against the American League East by a score of 44-19 since a 2-1 loss April 30 at New York. The Orioles are also 10-1 in their last 11 games within the division. * The Orioles are 12-5 this year against the AL East and are 22-10 versus the AL East since
If you want to go through the Orioles' 2012 schedule, you could probably say they have faced adversity twice already. They got swept at home by the Yankees in the second series of the year and they lost three of four to Texas this week, giving up 36 runs in the process. They responded to the first test by winning four of their next five
On a night when the Tampa Bay Rays tied a team record by making five errors, the Orioles took advantage to score three unearned runs in a 5-3 win over the Rays in front of 32,862 at Camden Yards. Brian Matusz got his second win of the year, Adam Jones drove in two runs, Bill Hall provided a late solo homer for an insurance run
After he had hit .259 with 156 strikeouts last year with Double-A Bowie, there was some talk that outfield prospect Xavier Avery would have to go back to Double-A for the 2012 season. But the Orioles instead sent him to Triple-A Norfolk, where he has been hitting well, and tonight, after just 33 games with the Tides, Avery is getting on a plane in Indianapolis
It took place out of public and media view, but a nice thing happened this week at Camden Yards. The Texas Rangers organization took time to thank several current Orioles for helping their team win the American League championship last year and they presented several of those players with their 2011 AL championship rings. Here is the list of Orioles that were on that 2011
With last night's comeback win, the Orioles moved into sole possession of first place in the American League East at 21-12. They are now 13-5 over the last 18 games and that includes the series where they lost three of four to Texas. The Orioles have 17 hits the last three games and eight of them are homers. They are bashing homers at quite a
Nick Johnson picked a great time for his first homer as an Oriole. Johnson, who began tonight batting .122, hit a two-run shot in the last of the seventh to give the O's the 4-3 lead and a 4-3 win tonight over Tampa Bay. Johnson took a pitch from Joel Peralta out to right field to bring the Camden Yards crowd of 26,669 to its
Dana Eveland is making his Orioles debut tonight in the series opener between the O's and Tampa Bay. The Orioles are Eveland's seventh major league team since he was drafted in the 16th round of the 2002 draft by Milwaukee. Last September, Eveland went 3-2 with an ERA of 3.03 with the Los Angeles Dodgers after spending most of the 2011 season at Triple-A. Tonight,
After four seasons playing for the Baltimore Orioles, Luke Scott returns tonight to play against the Orioles at Camden Yards. He will bat fourth as the Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter. He was a fan favorite when he played here and often heard the "Luke" chant when he came to bat. Maybe he will hear some of that here tonight. "I have just tremendous memories
If the Orioles are thinking about putting pitcher Jason Hammel on the disabled list as a way to open a roster spot for tonight's starter Dana Eveland, it sounds like Hammel doesn't think that move would be necessary. Hammel did not make his scheduled start last night because of a sore right knee, but said today he is optimistic that he can start either Monday
For years, they competed in the American League East. They competed for fourth place with the loser gaining the right to finish in the AL East cellar. But in an attempt to turn the AL East standings upside down, the Orioles host Tampa Bay this weekend at Camden Yards with first place on the line. The clubs are tied for the division lead with identical
The Texas Rangers came up with two runs in the top of the fifth to take the lead, and three more in the seventh, to pull away tonight to beat the Orioles 7-3 and gain a split of the doubleheader at Camden Yards. The Orioles won the opener 6-5 in a game where they hit three homers to start the game and five on the
Just minutes after he had pitched so well against the hot-hitting Texas Rangers, Orioles left-hander Wei-Yin Chen said this was the best of his six outings so far this season. "Yeah, definitely this was my best outing," Chen said through his interpreter. "This was definitely the best outing of this year." Chen kept Texas off the board until the fourth inning and wound up pitching
After watching Josh Hamilton set an American League record with 18 total bases in one game on Tuesday night, the Orioles set an American League record in the first inning of Game 1 of the doubleheader today. The Orioles became the first AL team to ever hit three straight homers to start a game in a 6-5 win over the Texas Rangers behind left-hander Wei-Yin
The Orioles signed Steve Tolleson as a minor league free agent in November. After showing a hot bat in some recent games with Triple-A Norfolk, the 28-year-old was added to the O's roster yesterday, and he figures to play in a utility role while here. This will be his second time in the majors. In 25 games with Oakland in 2010, Tolleson hit .286 over
It has been a frustrating start to the season for Orioles reserve outfielder Endy Chavez. After hitting .301 last year with Texas, he is batting just .133 in 20 games with the Orioles and now he is headed for the disabled list. Chavez will be officially put on the DL at some point today, likely after Game 1, to allow the Orioles to recall Tommy
The big question is: Can the Orioles slow down the Texas Rangers offense today when the teams play a doubleheader starting at 4:05 p.m.? It has been a while since the Orioles have done that. They have lost seven in a row against the Rangers and have been outscored 70-18 in those games, giving up 13 runs or more four times. In that stretch, Texas
Former Oriole Brandon Snyder, now with Texas after being sold to that club by the Orioles in a cash transaction in January, had a good view of Josh Hamilton's historic four-homer game here on Tuesday night. "It was awesome," Snyder said. "I got to the see the first two from the dugout and actually the last two from the bullpen. We were sitting there saying
Orioles relief pitcher Matt Lindstrom was asked today what the Orioles pitchers should try to do the next two nights in this series to slow this hot-hitting Texas Rangers team. "I know that people are making a big deal out of this whole hit by pitch thing and what is on purpose and what's not on purpose, but the fact of the matter is, we
A four-homer game is pretty impressive. Josh Hamilton did that last night at Camden Yards. A six-homer game is not bad, either. That happened in the college ranks 13 years ago today and there are some similarities between the two players that hammered all those longballs. Josh Hamilton hit four homers on May 8, 2012 in Baltimore. Marshall McDougall hit six homers on May 9,
Thanks to Philip Humber of the Chicago White Sox and Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers, the 2012 season has become the first in major league history to feature both a perfect game and a four-homer game. To think, in his first five plate appearances Monday night, Hamilton went 0-for-3 with two walks. But since the ninth inning of that game, he is 6-for-6 with
Josh Hamilton put on a remarkable show tonight at Camden Yards. The Orioles have now lost the first two games of their series against division-leading Texas. Hamilton became the 14th major leaguer with four homers since 1918 and led Texas to a 10-3 romp over the Orioles. Hamilton went 5-for-5 with a double, four homers and eight RBIs as the Rangers won the first two
Lefty pitcher Zach Phillips was back in the Orioles clubhouse today. After being among the last roster cuts at the very end of spring training, Phillips has been activated tonight and recalled from Triple-A Norfolk in time for the game versus Texas with Jason Berken returning to Triple-A Norfolk. Phillips was acquired by the Orioles last July for minor leaguer Nick Green and pitched to
Orioles outfielder Nolan Reimold has been on the disabled list since May 4 (retroactive to May 1) with a herniated disk in his cervical spine. He is eligible to come off the DL on May 16 and will likely play in some minor league games before his return to the active roster. "Right now, I feel alright," Reimold said this afternoon. "As far as all
After a stretch where he has just one hit over his last four games and 17 at-bats, Nick Markakis is now batting .230 on the year with three homers, 11 RBIs and an OPS of .687 in 29 games. After driving in 60 runs in 2010 and 73 last year, Markakis has just three RBIs over his last 13 games and is not giving the
Here is a daunting stat: Texas has won six games in a row against the Orioles and has outscored the Birds 60-15 in those games. Yes, that is an average of 10 runs per game. In three of those games, Texas scored 13 runs on the Orioles and last night they did that one better. Last year, in going 5-1 against Baltimore, the Rangers had
Minutes after his team had lost last night to the Texas Rangers by 11 runs, Buck Showalter could have said his club was tired and his pitching staff taxed after playing 39 innings over three days in Boston. There was an excuse to be had for the loss there if Showalter chose to use it. He did not. "I know that's a real easy area
The Orioles came home after a 5-1 road trip with the best record in the major leagues at 19-9, but tonight a former Oriole had a big night against them as Texas beat the Orioles 14-3 at Camden Yards. The Orioles' five-game win streak ended as they lost for just the second time in nine games and third time in 14 games. Brandon Snyder, the
Single-A Delmarva's Dylan Bundy gave up his first run in his sixth start as a pro tonight, but it was unearned on the road at Charleston. After pitching around a two-out double to left in the first and striking out the side in the second, Bundy gave up that run in the last of the third. With two outs and no one on, he struck
Pitcher Stu Pomeranz seemed pretty low-key today when talking about his fast rise this season - from a pitcher with Double-A Bowie that just got to Triple-A about 10 days ago and now is with the Orioles and has been activated today. When he gets into his first Orioles game, he will make his major league debut at 27. He had some personal issues and
With the media crowd that was gathered around Chris Davis' locker a few minutes, you had to figure he must have done something big lately. "I had about 60 texts after the game from people just giving me a hard time, (saying) I should have been pitching this whole time and the usual stuff. But everyone said they were proud of the way I hung
Have the Orioles found a diamond in the rough with Stu Pomeranz? Not only does it appear that they may have, but his fast rise from Double-A Bowie to Triple-A Norfolk now is taking him to the major leagues as Pomeranz is expected to be in Baltimore later today and is quite likely to be added to the Orioles roster to help its taxed bullpen
As the Orioles and the rest of us all move on to the remainder of the 2012 season tonight, the prevailing feeling I have looking back at Sunday is what a great performance we saw on the mound by Chris Davis. You hear managers often tell a player having a tough game at the plate to hang in there and keep grinding because they might
Well, that was just amazing and remarkable. In a game that took 17 innings and more than six hours, the Orioles beat the Red Sox 9-6. It ended with Chris Davis getting the win on the mound and because Adam Jones hit a three-run homer off outfielder Darnell McDonald, who pitched the top of the 17th for the Red Sox. It was won because the
Here is a stat that gets your attention: Through today's fourth inning - with the Orioles leading 5-1 at Boston - the Orioles have outscored the Yankees and Red Sox on the road by a combined score of 31-8 since Tuesday. * Tuesday won 7-1 at New York * Wednesday won 5-0 at New York * Friday won 6-4 in 13 innings at Boston *
On Sept. 1, 2007 Boston right-hander Clay Buchholz pitched a no-hitter against the Orioles in just his second major league start. That seems pretty unlikely to happen today with the Orioles' offense starting to percolate and Buchholz pitching very poorly this year. The Orioles have scored 42 runs over their last seven games and Buchholz is 3-1 with an ERA of 8.69 over five starts.
The Orioles' amazing run to a record of 18-9 and a four-game win streak this week at New York and Boston has been led by the pitching. But now there are signs that the Orioles' offense is about to get into the act. The Orioles still lead the American League in team ERA at 2.76 and the rotation ERA is 1.99 over the last 12
After the Orioles' latest victory, who should I give more credit to, the hitters or the starting pitcher? Jason Hammel gave the Orioles another quality start and the hitters backed him with a seven-run third inning as the Orioles routed Boston today 8-2 at Fenway Park. By taking the first two games of this series, the Orioles have a chance, with a win tomorrow, for
Here are some notes from each of the Orioles' full-season affiliates: Triple-A Norfolk's Ryan Adams enters today's 5:05 p.m. contest with Durham riding an eight-game hitting streak, during which he's hit .344 (11-for-32) with two home runs, three doubles, two RBI and six runs scored. Eleven of Adams' 23 hits have gone for extra bases, as he is tied for second in the International League
With the passing of each game, it seems worthwhile to update the run of amazing pitching by the Orioles. Wei-Yin Chen gave up four runs over five innings last night and it was just the second time in the last 11 games that the Orioles did not get a quality start. Still, over those 11 games, the starters' ERA is 1.92. In winning nine of
The Orioles got their weekend series in Boston off to a great start with Friday's hard-earned, 13-inning win. There were a lot of heroes but this morning I'll cite two pitchers who impressed me again on Friday. First, Wei-Yin Chen. It was far from his best outing, as he gave up four runs in five innings, and it was just the second time in the
The Orioles finally pulled out the win in Fenway Park, thanks to another great performance by the bullpen and another big hit from Chris Davis. The 6-4 win in 13 innings gives the Orioles a record of 17-9 and they are eight games over the .500 mark for the first time since July 18, 2005. The Orioles continue to show some character and that they
The news tonight that the Orioles will bring Miguel Tejada to Sarasota, apparently to give him a tryout of sorts, was quickly met by some angst from fans. I am getting it from all sides on Twitter. I might have to take a week off and get a beer. Or several. First of all, I haven't talked with anyone from the team to find out
The Orioles today released right-handed pitcher Luis Lebron. The 27-year-old Lebron had a mid-to-high 90s fastball before undergoing Tommy John surgery in May 2010. He never recovered his fastball velocity or command after the surgery and did not pitch at all during the 2010 season. He got into just 10 2/3 innings last year between the Gulf Coast League and short-season Single-A Aberdeen. Lebron had
The strong pitching start by the Orioles will get another test this weekend at Fenway Park. The Red Sox are first in the American League in doubles; second in runs, batting average and slugging; fourth in on-base percentage; and sixth in homers. Boston has scored 71 runs over its past 11 games. The Red Sox are averaging 5.5 runs per game. That is a pace
When I was in Salisbury recently to watch Dylan Bundy pitch, I had a chance to talk with Shorebirds pitching coach Troy Mattes. He is in his third season with that club and, at just 36, is the young coach that has been entrusted to work with and help develop some of the Orioles' most promising young pitchers. The Single-A Delmarva staff is off to
The Orioles began a grueling part of their schedule Monday. It began with the three games they just played in New York to be followed by three games this weekend in Boston. They then return home for four with Texas, three with Tampa Bay and two more with New York. That is a stretch of 15 games against four teams that all could win 90
If you're an Orioles fan, you can pinch yourself this morning -but it might hurt, because the Orioles really did win a series in the Bronx by outscoring the Yankees 12-1 the last two nights. They left New York with a record of 16-9, going seven games over .500 for the first time since July 19, 2005. They continued their season-opening run of good baseball
It was a night the Orioles could enjoy in New York. Jake Arrieta pitched the Orioles past the Yankees tonight 5-0 as the Orioles take the series two wins to one after losing the opener Monday and they also hand Ivan Nova his first loss since last June 3. Matt Wieters and Nick Markakis hit solo homers to back Arrieta as the Orioles improved to
On April 16, the Orioles scored 10 runs at Chicago in a win over the White Sox. But then they scored a total of just 30 runs over their next 10 games. That stretch ended with another 10-run outburst, this one Saturday at Camden Yards against Oakland. With seven more runs last night, the O's offense is showing signs of possibly breaking out a bit
Orioles minor league right-handed pitcher Stu Pomeranz may be off to the best start of any pitcher on the farm right now not named Dylan Bundy. In his first two outings with Triple-A Norfolk, since moving up from Double-A Bowie, Pomeranz has pitched 3 2/3 shutout and hitless innings with nine strikeouts. So of 11 Triple-A outs he has recorded, nine have come via a
Last night, the Orioles' Brian Matusz picked up his first win since last June 6. Tonight, the Orioles will try to hand Yankees right-hander Ivan Nova his first loss since last June 3. Over his last 20 starts since that loss to the Angels on the road, Nova is 15-0 with an ERA of 3.61. The Yankees are 17-3 in those 20 games which includes
So in a matchup of 25-year-old pitchers looking to rebound from poor 2011 seasons, the Orioles' Brian Matusz took a big step forward and the Yankees' Phil Hughes struggled again and gave up more homers. No one is saying Matusz is fully back, but it looked like he was making progress earlier this year but not getting the results to show for that. Over his
Not only did Brian Matusz end his long losing steak tonight, but he did it against one of baseball's best offenses in their home park. Matusz gave up just one run over 6 1/3 innings as the Orioles beat the Yankees 7-1 to even this three-game series at Yankee Stadium. For Matusz, it is his first win since June 6 of last year against Oakland.
The Orioles have had a better first month of the season in 2012 than in 2011, both on the stat sheet and in the standings. After April last year, they were 12-13, in third place and 3 1/2 games out. Now they are 14-9 and in second place, one game out of first. Here are other comparisons: * The 2011 team hit .236 and averaged
Even with four losses in four games so far this year against the Yankees, the Orioles are 14-9 and just one game out of first place as the calender turns to May in baseball's toughest division. There have been some stories written already this year, especially after Boston's poor start, that the American League East is slipping a bit, but the standings after one month
There was plenty of frustration for the Orioles last night in New York. They lost another game to the Yankees. They lost another close game to the Yankees. They are winless this year against the Yankees at 0-4. The last three losses have been by one, two and one run. The frustration for the offense started in the first inning last night, when two balls
