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After he talked about today's game and his homer against Cleveland, Chris Davis was asked about the Orioles adding Jim Thome to the team. "I think it's exciting. He's a guy I loved to watch play growing up. I have a lot of respect for him and I'm excited to have him here, not only as a player, but as kind of a mentor. He's
OK, first question. Did the Orioles give up too much for Jim Thome in trading prospects Kyle Simon and Gabriel Lino? Simon, their fourth-round pick out of Arizona last year, is a 21-year-old righty that was with Single-A Frederick. He is 2-8 with a 3.96 ERA over 14 starts. In 72 2/3 innings, he has walked 21 and fanned 49. Simon was supposed to start
During a press conference after his statue ceremony today, Earl Weaver remembered a phone call he got around the All-Star break in 1968. It was from then-Orioles general manager Harry Dalton. "We were sitting by the pool relaxing. I was first base coach at the time and it was the first time I didn't have to worry about making up a lineup and I was
The Orioles hit another home run with their statue ceremony today for Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver. It was so well done and seeing Earl on stage, and players like Cal Ripken, Frank Robinson, Eddie Murray and Jim Palmer sitting in the front row, would make any O's fan feel a sense of pride. "Just looking at that first row there, how could I
Xavier Avery's phone has been busy since late last night. He's been hearing from a lot of family and friends after hitting his first major league homer in the eighth inning Friday against Cleveland. "I got a lot of calls and texts. People have been tweeting me. I got a lot of calls from my family telling me congratulations," he said. Avery drove the ball
Left-hander Dana Eveland will make his 12th Orioles appearance and second start today when he takes the mound this afternoon against Cleveland. Eveland has been pitching well, allowing just one earned run on five hits over his past four games, covering 8 2/3 innings. He has walked just one and fanned five in that time, lowering his ERA to 3.00 on the year. Is he
ESPN's Buster Olney says the Orioles would be a good fit for the Phillies' Jim Thome, and I agree with him. The question always is, at what price? What would it cost in a trade to get a 41-year-old slugger to see if he has one last push left to help an offensively challenged club? Olney posted this on his Twitter account tonight: My speculation
For the third time in the last five games, Robert Andino will make a start at third base tonight. You have to wonder if Andino might not be the club's best option at third now, a position that has been error-filled for the Orioles this year. With some uncertainty for the team at the hot corner, does Andino think he could be the guy right
It is looking unlikely, but Orioles right fielder Nick Markakis still has hopes to return to the active roster before the All-Star break. The Orioles will send Markakis to short-season Single-A Aberdeen next Monday and Tuesday, and to Double-A Bowie Wednesday through Friday. He may not play in games there, but will continue to receive treatment from the medical staffs at those two affiliates while
The Orioles reached contract agreements with three draft picks today, coming to terms with second-round pick Branden Kline, a pitcher from the University of Virginia, along with fourth-rounder first baseman Christian Walker and seventh-round pick pitcher Matt Price. Both Walker and Price played at the University of South Carolina. Kline, from Thomas Johnson High in Frederick, Md., went 7-3 with a 3.56 ERA this year
After 14 starts this year, the Orioles remain extremely pleased with the season their top pitching prospect Dylan Bundy is having. The 19-year-old from Oklahoma, who has been limited to five-inning starts so far, will soon will be allowed to go deeper into games. First, though, Bundy will take a small step back in his next start, which will come Wednesday at Potomac, when he
Even facing a team that had lost five games in a row while scoring just 11 runs wasn't enough to lead the Orioles to a victory. Instead, the Cleveland Indians hit a pair of three-run homers to end that losing streak in a 7-2 win at Camden Yards to start a four-game series. Johnny Damon delivered a three-run shot off Wei-Yin Chen in the second
Buck Showalter admitted today that at least one reason he selected Dana Eveland to start Saturday here against Cleveland is because he is left-handed. The Orioles will start three lefties in this series including Wei-Yin Chen, who is on the mound tonight. Cleveland has a record of 5-16 this year against left-handed starters and 32-21 against right-handers. Against southpaws, the Tribe bats .216 as a
After leaving last night's game after just one at-bat, Nick Johnson has been placed on the 15-day disabled list today by the Orioles with a right wrist sprain. Johnson is batting .207/.324/.391 with four home runs and 11 RBIs in 38 games. He has had multiple surgeries on that wrist before, and will have an MRI tomorrow to make sure the injury is just a
For the first time since May 28 in Toronto, Xavier Avery will be back in the Orioles lineup tonight. He'll bat second and play left field. "It's always a surprise (to get called up) because you never know what can happen. It's a big surprise," Avery said of returning to the Orioles. He was with the Orioles from May 13-28, batting .217 in 15 games.
The Orioles have lost six of eight games and given up 20 runs the last two nights against the Angels. For some that stray toward the negative, they may feel the other shoe is finally dropping and that the Orioles are falling. It was about a month ago that the Orioles lost nine of 11, when these questions and concerns surfaced for the first time
Well, this could have gone better for the Orioles. After not giving up an earned run on just six hits over his last two starts covering 17 innings, Jason Hammel gave up eight runs tonight to match his career high as the Angels routed the Orioles 13-1 at Camden Yards. The Angels have now won six of their last seven and 13 of 17 as
Single-A Delmarva infielder Nicky Delmonico, who just eight days ago was named the MVP of the South Atlantic League All-Star game, now is headed for the disabled list with a knee injury. Delmonico left Delmarva's game last night, today had an MRI and the Orioles are awaiting the results of what is a medial meniscus injury. Delmonico will likely see Orioles orthopedist Dr. John Wilckens
While the Orioles will honor one Weaver here on Saturday (Earl), tonight they want to beat another Weaver (Jered). The Angels right-hander comes into this game with a record of 7-1 and a 2.40 ERA that ranks third in the American League. His .189 batting average against is tops in the AL. This is Weaver's second start since a stint on the disabled list with
Jason Hammel has matched Scott Erickson. Now he can take a look at equaling Jim Palmer and perhaps later Tom Phoebus. Hammel's last two starts have resulted in a shutout and eight innings, allowing just one unearned run on Friday against Washington. According to Elias, it was the first time an O's starter had consecutive starts of eight innings or more without allowing an earned
On the night of June 14, the Orioles played the Pirates at Camden Yards. They scored 12 runs in that game and went 8-for-17 when batting with runners in scoring position. It is kind of hard to believe, but in the 10 games since, they have a total of just five more hits with runners in scoring position. Here is the rundown with RISP since
After last night's loss, the Orioles now have an even run differential. Their record is nine games over .500 at 41-32 but they have scored 310 runs this year and given up the same number. Their are eight American League teams with a better run differential than the Orioles but just two with a better record (the Rangers and Yankees). Winning close games has clearly
The odds of an Orioles win may not be very great tonight. You have an O's team that has been slumping at the plate facing one of the league's best pitchers in C.J. Wilson of the Angels, who happens to be pitching very well in recent starts. Some Wilson stats: * Wilson is 8-4 with a 2.44 ERA that ranks second in the AL. *
On June 2, Brian Matusz tossed 7 1/3 innings and pitched the Orioles to an important win on the road against Tampa Bay. But over his last three starts, he has pitched a total of 12 1/3 innings, allowing 11 earned runs for an ERA of 8.03. After those outings, where he lasted just two innings, 5 2/3 and 4 2/3, losing all three games,
After a stay on the disabled list since May 11, Matt Lindstrom could be back on the Orioles' active roster officially at some point today. He has pitched four times in the minors on an injury-rehab assignment and is back in the Orioles' clubhouse today waiting to find out if he's getting activated in time for tonight's game. "I'm in here being evaluated by the
There has been some talk recently about Chris Tillman. Could the 24-year-old right-hander help the Orioles' rotation if he gets the call to Baltimore? Tillman has given up just one earned run over 11 1/3 innings in his past two starts. Over his last six starts, he is 4-2 with an ERA of 2.19 and opposing batters are hitting just .175 off him in those
Chris Davis may be a little light on hits recently, but his sense of humor remains strong. After talking with a few reporters Sunday about his recent batting slump he said, "Hey, thanks, guys for bringing all this up." He joked that he has pitching to fall back on if he needs it. Don't take any of this to mean Davis is not taking his
Remember when the Orioles came home for a series with Texas in early May with a 19-9 record and some people were disappointed that the first two games of that series drew a total of 23,201 fans on a Monday and Tuesday night? Well, the Orioles are doing a little better at the gate these days. In fact, Orioles' attendance is up an average of
Some thoughts, notes and stats after a weekend of mid-Atlantic region hardball at Camden Yards: Good news for the Orioles: To me the biggest development of the weekend for the Orioles was seeing Jake Arrieta pitch a third straight good game. I know he gave up a grand slam in New York but the guy has otherwise been pretty rock solid over his last three
Matt Wieters was the man that produced the one swing that everyone will remember from today's 2-1 Orioles win, but after the game he said it was a lot of quality pitches that allowed the Orioles to give up just five runs this weekend and take the series from the Nationals. "That is the reason we were able to win two games," Wieters said. "
With one swing, Matt Wieters ended about eight games worth of Orioles offensive frustration. The Birds went to the last of the eighth today trailing Washington 1-0 and they had left seven men on base in their previous four at-bats. But Wieters sent a 0-1 pitch from lefty Sean Burnett over the wall in left-center to give the Orioles a 2-1 win over the Nats
Today's live blog: The Orioles and Nationals meet today in the third and deciding game of this series. The Orioles are 40-31, and the Nats are 41-28. Will today be the day the Orioles get some offense going? They are just 13-for-60 (.217) in this series, and they are batting just .174 with 15 runs over their last eight games. The Orioles have scored two
The Orioles have two young outfield prospects at Triple-A Norfolk right now, and both of them are swinging hot bats at the moment. Xavier Avery is batting .440 over his last seven games, and L.J. Hoes is hitting .480 in that time. With the Orioles still looking for some consistent offense and down two starting outfielders right now, you have to wonder if the team
Orioles right-hander Jake Arrieta is hoping that he has begun to turn around his season. For a seven-start stretch starting May 8, Arrieta pitched to an ERA of 9.64. But over his past two starts, Arrieta has allowed five earned runs over 14 innings for an ERA of 3.21. Arrieta said he made some changes and adjustments and that he believes he has seen the
After another loss where the Orioles didn't score much, Adam Jones talked about the club's recent struggles. The Orioles have scored just 15 runs over the last eight games and three runs in this series against the Nationals. "Hitting is contagious," Jones said. "We are just not swinging the bats the way we want to. It's baseball. It happens. Edwin (Jackson) threw a great game.
It was another night where the Orioles were shut down by a good pitcher and failed to score many runs or get key hits with runners in scoring position. Edwin Jackson gave up just four hits and one run over 6 1/3 innings, as the Nationals beat the Orioles 3-1 in front of 46,298, the fifth sellout of the year at Camden Yards. Jackson has
Another live blog night: You all know the drill by now when I do a live blog like I will for tonight's game. I'll add some notes, stats and comments here during the game, so come back often and hit refresh for the latest. I hope you will add your own questions and comments often tonight and keep it going through the whole game. So
Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette and manager Buck Showalter had another "State of the Orioles" address today with season ticket holders here at Camden Yards. There were no big pronouncements or news to come out of it, but here are a few questions and the answers they gave. The pair was asked if the Orioles will make any changes by the trade deadline. "People
The Orioles' roster crunch of pitchers at the higher levels of their minor leagues has led to right-hander Sean Gleason basically being loaned to Cancun of the Mexican League for the rest of this season. Gleason was removed from the Double-A Bowie roster last night when outfielder Jai Miller was officially added to the Baysox. He was 2-1 with a 5.97 ERA in 17 games,
Jason Hammel continues to make us all wonder how he had a career ERA of 4.99 and record of 34-45 before this season. He had seven wins all of last year, his career high is 10 and he's now an eight-game winner after his outing last night. It was not only another impressive performance by Hammel in the win over the Nats. But he did
A few words about tonight's starting pitchers: Jason Hammel, who is 7-2 with a 2.87 ERA makes his 14th start of the year for the Orioles. He is coming off of pitching the 33rd one-hitter in O's history when he beat Atlanta 5-0 with eight strikeouts last Saturday. In 20 games (15 starts) since he was moved to the Colorado bullpen last Aug. 24, Hammel
The Orioles return home to Camden Yards tonight after a 2-4 road trip, looking for some wins and some runs. They scored just 12 runs total during the trip to Atlanta and New York. Now their next five games are against a Washington team leading the majors in team ERA and a Los Angeles club that ranks first in the American League in team ERA.
It was a nice honor for Manny Machado and Dylan Bundy yesterday to be named to play for the U.S. team in the upcoming Futures Game. The game seems to get more attention each year and it showcases the best prospects in the sport. No matter what their stats or recent performances might indicate, this duo remains among the top prospects out there and is
After three starts for Triple-A Norfolk, the Orioles may be coming to a point where they have to make a decision about 49-year-old lefty Jamie Moyer and whether they will add him to the rotation. Moyer is 1-1 with a 1.69 ERA for the Tides and Norfolk pitching coach Mike Griffin has been impressed. Griffin was a guest on my radio show, "Baltimore Baseball Tonight,"
The Orioles were able to avoid a third straight shutout tonight, but not a third straight loss at New York, as they lost 4-3 to the Mets, who completed a three-game sweep at Citi Field. Wilson Betemit hit a two-run homer with none out in the eighth to end the Orioles' 28-inning scoreless streak. Had they been shut out, it would have been just the
It's probably too soon to call this a trend, but already I can sense some O's fans getting a real confident feeling when Jason Hammel or Wei-Yin Chen take the mound and a feeling much less confident when anyone else starts. Going back about three turns through the rotation, the Orioles are 6-0 in games started by Hammel and Chen and 3-5 when anyone else
Here is the question a lot of fans have been asking lately: Will the Orioles have enough starting pitching to continue their good season, to stay in contention to the end? Despite the O's pitching back-to-back shutouts over the weekend in Atlanta, their rotation ERA of 4.54 ranks just 10th in the AL and is behind the league average of 4.35. The Orioles got off
Frustration is now setting in for the Orioles' hitters and their fans. The Orioles were shut out for the second night in a row, as they lost 5-0 to the Mets tonight at Citi Field. This is the first interleague series the O's have lost after winning their first four. The Orioles have not scored in their last 21 innings, dating to Sunday at Atlanta.
In the first four games of their current road trip, the Orioles have scored just nine runs on 17 hits, with a team average of just .152 in Atlanta and New York. The Orioles have come up with, in order, six, six, four and one hits in the four games of the trip, and they have not homered in four straight for the first time
Tommy Hunter makes his 13th start of the year for the Orioles tonight. He is 3-3 with a 5.58 ERA this year and often times has pitched well early in games, but has not been able to sustain it. Over the first four innings of his starts this year, Hunter has pitched to an ERA of 3.45. But his ERA over the fifth and sixth
The Orioles didn't produce much offense on their recent nine-game road trip to Toronto, Tampa and Boston and they haven't produced much on this current trip to Atlanta and New York. In between those trips, the Orioles scored 44 runs with a .310 batting average during a six-game homestand. Why did the team hit so well and go 5-1 at home, but struggled to hit
R.A. Dickey has been the best pitcher in baseball over his last five starts coming into tonight's outing and this evening, the Orioles found out why. The 37-year-old right-hander had his knuckleball dancing again tonight pitching a one-hitter as the Mets beat the Orioles 5-0 in game one of a three-game series. Dickey has now pitched back-to-back one-hitters becoming the first pitcher to do that
Through four innings the Orioles have looked pretty helpless at the plate against Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. Their only baserunner was Jake Arrieta, who drew a two-out walk in the third. Other than that, the Orioles have grounded out seven times and struck out five times against the right-hander. The offense has failed to hit the ball out of the infield through four innings. Dickey
The American League East is winning in a head-to-head battle with the National League East. The two divisions are the best in each league so far, and each features four teams currently at .500 or better. The AL East actually has five with Boston's win last night. AL East clubs have a record of 31-20 against the NL East and have won 12 of 17
The Aberdeen IronBirds will open their New York-Penn League season tonight playing at Hudson Valley and the IronBirds will host the same team in their home opener Wednesday night at Ripken Stadium. Aberdeen's manager is Gary Allenson, the Orioles' Triple-A skipper the last five seasons at Norfolk. His pitching coach is former Oriole Alan Mills and the batting coach is former Double-A Bowie manager Brad
Wei-Yin Chen pitched a gem and the Orioles made the most of a pair of doubles to beat the Atlanta Braves 2-0 today at Turner Field, taking the series two games to one. Coupled with Jason Hammel's one-hitter last night, the Orioles posted back-to-back shutouts over a Braves team that is third in the National League in runs scored. O's pitching shut out the Braves
It's not a one-hitter but Orioles left-hander Wei-Yin Chen is having a good outing today at Atlanta, blanking the Braves through six innings. He has a 2-0 lead with the O's looking to get the series victory. He gave up four singles over the first three innings, but got double-play balls to help him out in each of those innings. That included a nice play
Live blogging again today: Same drill as last night. I'll post notes, stats and commentary here during today's game and invite you to do the same. Keep the comments and questions coming starting now and going for nine innings. Check back often and hit refresh for the latest from me and the readers. Chen out after seven: Chen is out and Darren O'Day comes in
So Jason Hammel had been there before, in terms of flirting with a no-hitter. In fact, it happened on the first Sunday of the year against Minnesota in his first career Orioles start. But that day he gave up a Justin Morneau double to start the eighth to lose the no-hit bid and last night it was a Jason Heyward single with two outs in
He didn't get a no-hitter tonight but Jason Hammel pitched the Orioles' first one-hitter since September 28, 2006 when Daniel Cabrera did that at New York. He pitched the O's to a 5-0 win at Atlanta to even the weekend series at one win each. Hammel took a no-hitter into the seventh and walked Dan Uggla with two outs to snap a stretch of retiring
Post your comments here tonight: Let the live blogging begin. I'll be posting some stats, notes and commentary on tonight's game in this entry throughout the Orioles-Braves game. I hope you the readers do the same. Post any comments and/or questions here and keep the dialogue going. I'll try to answer questions and keep it interesting during the game. Each time something new is added,
Here are a couple of updates on some currently injured minor league players: * Triple-A Norfolk's Ryan Adams has been out since mid-May with a fractured right thumb. He could begin a minor league rehab injury assignment on June 25 with short-season Single-A Aberdeen. * Norfolk catcher Luis Exposito, who has been out with a hamate bone injury, should return around July 15. * Double-A
The Orioles have traded minor league left-handed pitcher Cole McCurry to the Atlanta Braves for cash. McCurry had been with the Orioles since they drafted him in round 43 of 2007. The trade was culminated late last night and came about for two main reasons. One reason is that the Braves have had interest in McCurry before, and two, the Orioles have a roster crunch
I heard someone say once that you can't win 'em all, and so the Orioles' five-game win streak came to an end last night with a 4-2 loss in Atlanta. There were a few differences between the O's 12-6 win on Thursday and last night's loss: The Orioles went from 16 to six hits. They went from 10 extra-base hits to just two. But maybe
The Orioles used a double and two Braves errors to get two runs in the top of the fourth at Atlanta tonight to take a 2-1 lead after three and a half innings. That followed some frustration on offense tonight in the early innings in Atlanta. They hit three rockets off Tommy Hanson in the top of the first, but one went for a groundout
The short-season Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds begin a new season on Monday at Hudson Valley and then open at home at Ripken Stadium next Wednesday against that same team. Aberdeen's manager is Gary Allenson, the Orioles' Triple-A skipper the last five seasons at Norfolk. His pitching coach is former Oriole Alan Mills and the batting coach is former Double-A Bowie skipper Brad Komminsk. Right-hander Sebastian Vader,
Here is an interesting contrast in stats for the Orioles' offense. They scored just 25 runs during a nine-game road trip that preceded the homestand that ended last night. But they scored 44 runs during the six games at Camden Yards. In the three-game series against Pittsburgh, the Orioles scored 27 runs on 44 hits with a .396 team batting average along with 12 doubles
To see a player drive in five runs in one game is pretty rare. Before tonight, the Orioles had one player do it this season when Matt Wieters knocked in five on April 16 at Chicago. Tonight they had two players do it in one game as the Orioles beat Pittsburgh 12-6 in front of 29,995 at Camden Yards to sweep the three-game series. Both
The Orioles' offense has been putting some runs together during the homestand that ends tonight and that was even before they scored four runs in the first inning in this game off Erik Bedard. After scoring just 25 runs during a nine-game road trip, the O's have scored 32 times in the first five games of this homestand. They are batting .291 during that time
Steve Tolleson has had a few interesting and active days recently. Sunday: Hits a game-tying, three-run homer against Cliff Lee in an extra-innings win over the Phillies. Monday: Finds out he is being optioned back to Triple-A Norfolk by the Orioles. Wednesday: Drives with his wife and young daughter from Baltimore to Norfolk, arriving there at 4 p.m. and then they unpacked their bags. Today:
Whether he plays in the field or starts as the designated hitter, Chris Davis has been doing some major damage at bat recently for the Orioles. He is 9-for-24 with three homers and eight RBIs during a six-game batting streak. Over a longer stretch, his past 21 games, he is batting .350 with seven homers and 16 RBIs. Davis' last 10 starts have come as
The Orioles' scouting staff and scouting director Gary Rajsich have been very busy lately. Not only did the club draft 40 players last week but the team has already come to contract terms with over 20 players, MASNsports.com has learned. The team has only officially announced the signings of six players but that is just because they wait until the contracts have been approved by
Maybe he will now be in the rotation on a start-to-start basis, but after he pitched well last night against Pittsburgh, Jake Arrieta should stay in the rotation. Arrieta needed to pitch well and did in last night's 7-1 victory. Yes, the Pirates are the lowest-scoring team in the majors, but they put up six runs the night before and were 12-3 over their last
Well, that bullpen stint for Jake Arrieta didn't last very long. With Brian Matusz's start pushed back to Friday, Arrieta will get the ball tonight, five days since his last outing when he gave up a career-high nine runs over four innings at home against Philadelphia. Here are the recent numbers on Arrieta: *He has an ERA of 13.15 over his past three starts. *Opponents
For today at least, Orioles outfielder Endy Chavez will avoid his second trip this year to the disabled list. He suffered a strained right hamstring injury when he hit the first base bag awkwardly last night after a bunt single in the last of the sixth inning. "I feel better today but it's still sore," Chavez said. "I'm getting some treatment to see how it
Brian Matusz said he could have started tonight for the Orioles, but the decision has been made to push his start back now to Friday night in Atlanta. Matusz suffered a nose contusion yesterday here when he tried a bunt a ball and it hit him in the nose. "Yeah, pushed back to Friday," Matusz said. "I woke up this morning and felt good. I
On June 1, the Orioles lost 5-0 on the road against Tampa Bay. They trailed 5-0 in the first inning and never got on the board as they lost for the ninth time in an 11-game stretch. There was, for some fans, a feeling of impending doom and that the other shoe had, in fact, dropped at that point. Some fans said, "It's been fun,
Seldom has a player appreciated getting a shaving cream pie in the face so much. Brian Roberts seemed to be soaking everything in yesterday and appreciating all of it. For more than a year, he didn't take the field for the Orioles, and never knew for sure if he'd return to the team and get his career back. Last night, he did and the whole
Brian Roberts returned to the Orioles' lineup tonight and went 3-for-4 with an RBI as Baltimore beat Pittsburgh 8-6 in Game 1 of a three-game series at Camden Yards. Roberts singled in the first, struck out in the third, singled in the fourth, hit a sac fly to right in the sixth and singled in the eighth. It was his first major league game since
After spending most of last year, and all of this one up until now, with Robert Andino as his double-play partner for the most part, Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy has Brian Roberts to his left tonight against Pittsburgh. He was asked what Roberts' return means to the Orioles. "A lot," Hardy said. "I mean other than the fact that he is a great player, there's
The Orioles have made the move official to reinstate Brian Roberts and from the 60-day disabled list. To make room for Roberts on the roster, the club has optioned Steve Tolleson to Triple-A Norfolk and transferred Nolan Reimold to the 60-day disabled list. Roberts has been on the disabled list with a concussion since May 17, 2011. He batted .238/.340/.429 with five doubles, a home
For the first time since last May 16, Brian Roberts name is atop the Orioles' lineup at second base for tonight's game at Camden Yards against Pittsburgh. While Roberts has not been officially activated yet, he will if the game is played. He's waited a while for this day and noted he now could possibly have to wait yet another day. "Praying the rain goes
The Orioles are expected to announce the signings today of between 10 and 12 picks taken last week in the First-Year Player Draft. The Orioles have begun contract negotiations with their second-round pick, University of Virginia right-handed pitcher Branden Kline, who I profiled in this story. They hope to begin talks with their top pick, LSU pitcher Kevin Gausman, by late this week. The most
Orioles 2010 top draft pick Manny Machado, a player rated by Baseball America as the sport's 11th-best prospect in February, is struggling badly at bat in the last few weeks. On May 21, Machado had a batting average of .279 and an OPS of .810. Now he is batting .234 with 15 doubles, two triples, three homers, 18 RBIs and a .695 OPS. Machado is
He pitched on the mound at Camden Yards yesterday and tonight he agreed to a contract with the Orioles. The Orioles this evening came to terms with a local Baltimore product, 19th-round draft pick Josh Hader, a left-handed pitcher from Old Mill High in Anne Arundel County, MASNsports.com has learned. The 6-foot-3, 160-lb. Hader had tremendous stats this season, going 10-0 with an ERA of
There are so many great things about baseball and maybe at the top of the list is some of the people you meet along the way. I have met many memorable characters in this game and today I was sad to hear the news that one I met has passed away. Brooklyn Cyclones radio broadcaster Warner Fusselle died Sunday from an apparent heart attack. He
The Orioles have now won nine extra-innings games in a row for the first time in team history. Here is what Matt Wieters said after yesterday's game when asked the key reason for the streak: "You know, it's the bullpen. The bullpen is doing a great job of just keeping teams where they are at. If you keep the other team from scoring, eventually someone
Not long after his third hit on the day ended today's game in the tenth inning, Matt Wieters talked about his walk-off RBI double off Joe Savery that gave the Orioles a 5-4 win over Philadelphia. "The first two (pitches) I was a little late on and a little behind, so I wanted to shorten up with two strikes especially and find something on the
If Brian Roberts returns to the Orioles' active roster on Tuesday night, some player will have to go to make roster room. Steve Tolleson is very aware of the situation and that the player to leave could be him. If he does go, he made a nice last impression, (for now at least), hitting a game-tying three-run homer off Cliff Lee today in the Orioles'
For the second day in a row, the Orioles came up with a walk-off win over the Phillies. Today, Matt Wieters' RBI double off the scoreboard in right ended it, as the O's won 5-4 in ten innings. With one out, Adam Jones reached on an error by third baseman Ty Wigginton, and Wieters brought him in with his third hit of the day. The
A couple of notes as this game gets into the middle innings with Philadelphia leading the Orioles 4-1 in front of another huge crowd at Camden Yards: * The first two games of this series drew a total of 87,070 fans, and last night produced the second sellout of the year with 46,611 on hand. Today looks to be another crowd of 40,000 plus, and
Cliff Lee can relax. Josh Bell is not in the Orioles' lineup today. The last time Lee pitched against the Orioles, here with Texas on August 21, 2010, he got ripped for eight runs and 10 hits in 5 2/3. Bell hit two homers to right-center, driving in five runs off him. Ty Wigginton, his current teammate, and Luke Scott also homered off him that
Today is the last game of the series between the Orioles and Phillies, but it is also possibly the last game the Orioles will have to play without Brian Roberts. His injury rehab assignment ends Monday, and it's possible Roberts could be in the Orioles' lineup here Tuesday for the first time since last May 16. If Roberts is back Tuesday, catcher Matt Wieters said
Adam Jones entered Saturday's game with just three hits in his last 24 at-bats and with just one RBI over his last eight games. He was also in a season-long, 14-at-bat hitless stretch that reached 18 at-bats when he finally got a base hit with a single in the last of the ninth. Three innings later, Jones did better than that. He hit the second
Adam Jones hit a game-winning homer in the last of the 12th today as the Orioles beat the Phillies and won another extra-inning game. The Orioles are now 8-2 on the year in extras with eight wins in a row, which ties the team record for most consecutive extra-inning wins. The 1997 and 2010 teams also won eight in a row. "I think we just
Adam Jones entered his at-bat in the bottom of the ninth today in an 0-for-18 drought. He broke that with a two-out single. Jones topped that in the last of the 12th today when he hit a two-run homer to end the game as the Orioles beat the Phillies, 6-4, in 12 frames. The Orioles are now 8-2 in extra-inning games with eight consecutive wins
By getting an out in the fifth inning today, Tommy Hunter has lasted longer than O's starters have the past two games when Brian Matusz and Jake Arrieta combined to give up 13 earned runs over six total innings. Hunter is, at least, throwing many fewer pitches than that pair. Matusz needed 67 in two-plus innings on Thursday, and Arrieta threw 83 in four innings
After he met with manager Buck Showalter and was told he was staying in the big leagues for now but being moved to the bullpen, Orioles right-hander Jake Arrieta told reporters he was embracing the move. Was he surprised to get that news? "Not really," Arrieta said a few minutes ago in the Orioles clubhouse. "Being in a situation like going to the 'pen right
Checking in some Orioles topics after the Birds lost Game 1 of a weekend series with the Phillies, 9-6, last night. Arrieta's struggles: It is hard to believe the pitcher I saw pitch seven shutout innings on opening day in Baltimore in April was the same guy on the same mound last night. But he was, and Jake Arrieta has struggled badly since beginning the
For struggling Orioles starter Jake Arrieta, it went from bad to worse tonight, as he got an early exit against the Philadelphia Phillies in a 9-6 loss to start the weekend series at Camden Yards. It is almost hard to remember that Arrieta looked so great on opening day in Baltimore, pitching seven shutout innings against Minnesota, or that he had an ERA of 2.66
If ever there were a game where the Orioles could get behind by seven runs and still have hope, this might be it tonight. That is, if Jake Arrieta can start putting up some zeroes after giving up seven runs in the first two innings. It would be hard to imagine many pitchers coming into a start against the Orioles struggling as much as Phillies
Steve Pearce was drafted in round eighth by Pittsburgh in 2005 and that was the only organization he knew between the 2005 and 2011 seasons. But he moved this year to the Yankees organization and was batting .321 with 15 doubles, 11 home runs, 30 RBIS and a .996 OPS in 52 games for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre when some things changed last weekend. He could have
From Rule 5 pick to the starting lineup. For the third game in a row, Ryan Flaherty is in the Orioles' starting lineup. He'll bat eighth and start in right field tonight after patrolling left in front of the Green Monster the past two nights. While Flaherty is batting just .183 in 29 games and 60 at-bats on the season, he came up with three
The Orioles are certainly aware that their third-round draft pick, high school shortstop Adrian Marin, announced last night via Twitter that he has signed with the club. But don't expect an announcement on that from the Orioles until early next week after he takes his physical and officially signs his contract. The club does not announce signings until that part is completed. When Marin's agreement
With last night's loss at Boston, the Orioles are now 5-11 since they were a season-high 13 games over .500 on May 19. They won the series in Boston, but had lost four in a row before that. So as they begin a series with Philadelphia tonight, the Orioles are looking for some wins, and to get them, they'll likely need to start scoring some
The Orioles have reportedly come to contract terms with their third-round draft pick, high school shortstop Adrian Marin. That word comes from the player himself. He proclaimed this via his Twitter page on Thursday night: "Officially signed a contract with Baltimore!!" Click here for the link to that Twitter announcement and picture. The speedy, 5-foot-10, 165-lb. Marin played at Gulliver Prep near Miami. He
Brian Matusz's return to pitching respectability took a hit tonight at Fenway Park in Boston. Matusz lasted just one batter into the third inning tonight as Boston beat the Orioles 7-0 to avoid a three-game sweep. Matusz struggled pretty much from the first pitch tonight, walking two batters in the first inning and three in the second. After he gave up a leadoff single in
The Orioles have two young outfielders struggling a bit right now at the plate at Triple-A Norfolk. It is not any cause for alarm, as they are both playing at that level for the first time. One is Xavier Avery. He is not struggling that badly, but in 11 games since he was optioned back to Triple-A on May 29, Avery is batting .220, 9-for-41,
With each good outing, Brian Matusz, who can pitch the Orioles to another sweep at Fenway Park tonight, continues to distance himself from his terrible 2011 season when he had an ERA of 10.69. It wasn't that long ago - from last June 12 to this April 20 - that Matusz went 0-12 with an ERA of 11.64 and an opponent batting average against of
With their win last night in Boston, the Orioles moved back into sole possession of first place in the American League East. But while the Orioles own the AL's second-best record at 32-24, they rank just eighth in run differential at a plus-three. Run differential is the amount that a team outscores its opponents by on the year. While Texas is an impressive plus-70 and
The Orioles selected University of Virginia right-handed pitcher Branden Kline in round two of the draft, making him the 65th pick overall. His head coach for the past three years believes the Orioles got a good player and person. Kline went 7-3 with a 3.56 ERA this season with 94 strikeouts in 93 2/3 innings and a .241 batting average against. He was rated by
For the first time in Baltimore Orioles history, the club has a seven-game winning streak at Boston's Fenway Park. The Orioles won a tense pitchers' duel 2-1 over Boston tonight, as Wei-Yin Chen got the win and the O's came up with a two-run rally against Josh Beckett in the top of the sixth after they were shut out on one hit through five innings.
So the Orioles enter tonight's game with a six-game win streak at Fenway Park. They last won seven in a row there - well, actually never. Here is note tonight via Twitter from Stats LLC: The #Orioles haven't won 7 straight in Boston since the St. Louis Browns beat the Boston Americans at Huntington Ave. Grounds in 1906. #MLB Neither Roch or I covered that
At a time when the Orioles are adding some promising pitchers during the First-Year Player Draft, today they put a hurler taken early in last year's draft on the disabled list. Pitcher Mike Wright, the Orioles' 2011 third-round pick who was just recently promoted to Double-A Bowie, today was placed on the DL, retroactive to Monday, due to a hamstring injury. The severity of the
You've certainly heard the saying, "The friendly confines of Fenway Park." Well, the Orioles are sure finding the place friendly this year. They are now 4-0 this season at the Fens and that is more wins at that ballpark than they have had in five of the last six entire seasons and keep in mind they play nine games a year there. The Orioles at
After drafting 15 players over the first 15 rounds of the First-Year Player Draft the last two days, Orioles scouting director Gary Rajsich said he is quite pleased with the club's haul of talent so far. "I feel really good," Rajsich said. "You know, this draft was considered a very shallow draft and I couldn't be happier with what we were able to come up
In the fifth round of the First-Year Player Draft, the Orioles selected a left-handed pitcher from a Texas high school. They selected Colin Poche with the 162nd overall pick. Poche is a 6-foot-3, 190-lb. hurler from Marcus High School in Flower Mound, Texas. He has a college commitment to the University of Arkansas. He was rated as the 99th-best prospect in the state of Texas
Now that he has selected a pitcher - LSU's Kevin Gausman - with his first-round draft pick, does that make Orioles scouting director Gary Rajsich more likely to take a position player today in the draft's second round? "No. I'm not inclined either way (pitcher or position player). I don't think the pick before will influence the next one. In the early rounds, I still
Kevin Gausman, the LSU pitcher drafted fourth overall by the Orioles tonight, has heard scouting reports that call him quirky. He doesn't dispute that notion. "My quirkiness, well, I've always been a little weird, really," the 20-year-old right-hander said. "You know I like sci-fi movies. I eat four donuts in between every inning. So you know, that's a little weird. It is something I started
Orioles scouting director Gary Rajsich was asked tonight on a conference call with Baltimore reporters about his decision to select LSU right-hander Kevin Gausman with the fourth pick in round one tonight. Stanford pitcher Mark Appel fell down the board and was available at four. What was the deciding factor between the two pitchers for Rajsich? "There were appealing things about both pitchers, although we
The Orioles tonight selected LSU right-handed pitcher Kevin Gausman with the fourth pick in round one of the First-Year Player Draft. Gausman pitched LSU to a 7-1 win Sunday over Oregon State in the NCAA regionals, going eight innings and allowing seven hits and one run, throwing 129 pitches. In 16 starts this year with the Tigers, he is 11-1 with an ERA of 2.72
As of about 3:30 this afternoon, it appears that Orioles officials are still not certain who the top three selections in tonight's First-Year Player Draft will be and they are hoping to learn that before the draft starts so they can determine their best move with the fourth pick. In some past drafts, those top few picks were known among scouting directors with hours to
As I wrote last night, if the top three picks in the First-Year Player Draft tonight are Mark Appel, Byron Buxton and Mike Zunino, the Orioles appear to have zoned in on a group of four from which to make the fourth overall selection. In alphabetical order they are: Puerto Rican high school shortstop Carlos Correa, high school lefty pitcher Max Fried, LSU right-handed pitcher
With less than 24 hours to go now until the first round of the First-Year Player Draft, the Orioles appear to be centering on a list of four players to choose from with their No. 4 overall selection pending, of course, what the three teams that select ahead of them do with their picks. In the latest mock draft published on its Web site Friday,
Jake Arrieta continued to frustrate and baffle Orioles fans and likely Baltimore coaches as well again today. In his last start against Toronto, he retired the first six batters but then allowed runs in three straight innings. Today, he retired the first nine batters against Tampa Bay, but then allowed runs over the next two innings as the Orioles lost 8-4 to the Rays at
The Orioles have officially added Steve Johnson to the 40-man roster today and that obviously comes as good news to the Baltimore native who is having a solid year at Triple-A. Johnson had been on the disabled list since May 19 with a groin strain, but he came off the DL this weekend and is pitching right now for Norfolk in Game 1 of a
Beyond ending a losing streak on Saturday, which was pretty important, another aspect of Brian Matusz's strong start against Tampa Bay was that it brought the Orioles' late-inning relief back into play. It had been a while since the team turned to Pedro Strop and Jim Johnson to protect a late lead. But that duo, and the rest of the bullpen, has been doing that
In looking back at the days leading up to last June's First-Year Player Draft, Baseball America's Jim Callis was very high on high school pitcher Dylan Bundy. He said if the Orioles got the right-hander, they might be winding up with the best player in the draft with the fourth overall pick. Here is what Callis said about Bundy last June after the O's did
The Orioles lost again tonight, and this time, things went wrong just about right from the start. The Orioles trailed 5-0 after one inning and lost by that same score to Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field. The Orioles' losing streak has reached six games and with the latest defeat, they fall out of a first-place tie with Tampa Bay. They are now one game back.
Here are some of the numbers during the Orioles' recent stretch that has seen them lose five in a row and eight of 10 games. During the five-game skid, the Orioles have scored just 14 total runs with 43 left on base and a batting average of just .139 (5-for-36) with runners in scoring position. During the current 2-8 stretch, the Orioles are batting .243
Jim Johnson has been one of baseball's best closers this year - now if the Orioles can just give him a save opportunity. Johnson, who is 16-for-16 this year in saves, has not recorded a save since May 22 and that was eight games ago. The O's 2-8 slide has taken their bullpen out of play some nights in that they haven't had a late
In 2007 and 2008 right-hander Brandon Erbe, 24, was making his way up through the Oriole minor league system, pitching for Single-A Frederick with the Keys. Now he is back and he's delighted to be with Frederick as his comeback from labrum surgery in August of 2010 continues. It's been a long road back for the Baltimorean and Orioles' 2005 third-round pick. Erbe pitched in
