We're a few minutes away from first pitch at Camden Yards. The rain has stopped, the tarp is off the field, the infield has been raked, players are getting loose in the outfield and the humidity is cranked up.
Just another summer night in Baltimore.
Buck Showalter had no idea that today marked his five-year anniversary as Orioles manager until a reporter told him this afternoon. He didn't have time to get nostalgic or reflect on his tenure.
Showalter was hired as the 19th manager in franchise...
We're under 48 hours until the non-waiver trade deadline and there's no news on the Orioles.
Executive vice president Dan Duquette is trying to acquire a corner outfielder and improve his pitching depth, and opposing teams are trying to pry away Kevin Gausman, Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop.
That's called a deal-breaker.
Double-A Bowie reliever Mychal Givens also is drawing significant interest, but the Orioles are hesitant to part with him and have turned away multiple suitors. They...
Nolan Reimold is in left field tonight and Manny Machado stays at the top of the lineup as the Orioles go for the sweep of the Braves tonight at Camden Yards.
Ryan Flaherty is playing first base and Jonathan Schoop is at second.
Five years ago today, the Orioles hired Buck Showalter as manager. Does a broom make a nice anniversary present?
Only for a manager, I'm sure.
For the Orioles Manny Machado 3B Jimmy Paredes DH Adam Jones CF Chris Davis RF Matt Wieters C J.J. Hardy SS Nolan Reimold LF...
Chris Davis will try to maintain his roll tonight in the series finale against the Braves.
Davis homered in the first and second innings last night in the Orioles' 7-3 win over the Braves. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the only other players to homer in the first two innings this season are Orioles third baseman Manny Machado on June 16 and Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant on July 4.
Before this season, the only Orioles player to homer in the first two innings of a game at Camden Yards...
Don't look now - or maybe just peek through your fingers - but the Orioles are only two games behind the Twins for the second wild card spot.
They still trail the Yankees by seven games in the American League East, but hey, they're alone in second place and ... there's also the wild card race.
A win tonight would give the Orioles a sweep of the Braves and lift them two games above .500 for the first time since July 10. They haven't won five in a row since a six-game winning streak on June...
Chris Davis hit two home runs tonight and Ubaldo Jimenez worked seven innings.
Which one is more surprising?
I'll go with the latter, since Jimenez allowed two runs and four hits in the first inning. He also hit a batter and threw 25 pitches.
Jimenez retired 18 of the last 20 batters and won for the first time in the second half, and the Orioles won their fourth game in a row, defeating the Braves 7-3 before 28,592 at Camden Yards.
"I told Wally (Dave Wallace) after he was done, 'We could...
Chris Davis crushed a 91 mph fastball tonight from Braves starter Julio Teheran, his three-run homer giving the Orioles a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the first inning.
Davis easily reached the seats in center field for his team-leading 23rd home run to go with his team-leading 63 RBIs. And the Orioles aren't interested in trading him at the non-waiver deadline.
Neither team is interested in picking up the pace of this game.
The Orioles sent nine batters to the plate in the bottom of the first...
Two trades were completed in Major League Baseball since Orioles manager Buck Showalter last met with reporters. The Rockies sent shortstop Troy Tulowitzki to the Blue Jays and the Athletics sent infielder/outfielder Ben Zobrist to the Royals.
Showalter keeps track of every deal and he has special interest in the Blue Jays transactions due to their status as a division rival. He's also a big fan of Zobrist.
"He's a good player. I like him a lot," Showalter said.
"They're giving up some...
Manny Machado returns to the leadoff spot tonight as the Orioles attempt to run their winning streak to four games.
Travis Snider is in left field and Chris Davis is in right, putting David Lough and Nolan Reimold on the bench. Chris Parmelee is playing first base.
Ryan Flaherty has moved from first base to second. Jonathan Schoop is on the bench.
Left-hander Brian Matusz has allowed one earned run in his last 14 outings, with 21 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings.
The Orioles are trying to move...
The Orioles are facing a right-hander tonight, Atlanta's Julio Teheran, which brings more curiosity regarding their choice of leadoff hitter.
Will it be David Lough, who batted first in the last two games at Tropicana Field? He hits from the left side.
Will it be Nolan Reimold, who batted first last night against Braves southpaw Alex Wood in the series opener? He hadn't been atop the order since May 2013.
Could Manny Machado move back up to first, where he's hit in 72 games?
I don't expect...
Matt Wieters wasn't in Sunday's lineup because of some back tightness. He catches 11 innings tonight and hits a walk-off home run to give the Orioles a 2-1 victory over the Braves at Camden Yards.
Go figure.
Wieters has four career walk-off home runs. Wieters, Jonathan Schoop and David Lough have hit walk-off homers this season.
Wieters was 0-for-14 before a single in the seventh inning. He also singled in the ninth and sent everyone home in the 11th.
No worries about the back.
"He was...
Former Oriole Nick Markakis received a prolonged ovation tonight upon being introduced for his first at-bat, fans standing in unison, not a single dissenting voice heard in the crowd.
It was a warm moment on a muggy night at Camden Yards that raised a few goosebumps.
Starter Kevin Gausman moved to the back of the mound as the applause built, and Markakis finally stepped out of the box and removed his helmet. The ovation grew louder.
Markakis doesn't usually let his emotions show. To say he's...
Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette continues to sound optimistic that he'll be able to make a trade by Friday's non-waiver deadline, though he knows that other deals can be consummated next month.
It's a deadline. It's not a brick wall.
"We're always talking and trying," Duquette said today during batting practice. "We're a good week away from having people being really enthusiastic about our ballclub again."
Duquette remains in buyer mode and shows little interest in...
Nick Markakis is leading off tonight for the Braves in his return to Camden Yards.
Orioles manager Buck Showalter expects Markakis to receive a warm ovation from fans when he's introduced.
"He'll be received very well. We've got really intelligent fans and they know the contributions Nick made not only to the organization, but to the city on and off the field," Showalter said. "He and his wife and family are very ingrained.
"We all know he's going to get about nine hits the next three...
Nolan Reimold is leading off tonight for the Orioles as they begin a three-game series against the Braves at Camden Yards.
Reimold owns a .339 (21-for-62) career batting average in the first inning. Tonight will mark his 21st major league start atop the order.
Reimold went 72 starts between three-hit games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He had a two-run double yesterday as part of a 3-for-3 afternoon at Tropicana Field.
Ryan Flaherty remains at first base. Chris Davis is in right field...
Triple-A Norfolk first baseman Christian Walker has been rewarded for his recent surge at the plate.
Not with a promotion to the majors. He has to wait for a return trip. However, Walker was named the International League's Batter of the Week.
Walker hit .414, going 12-for-29, and led the league with three home runs, 10 RBIs and seven extra-base hits. He also collected four doubles and scored nine runs.
He has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games, batting .372 (16-for-43) with five doubles,...
The Orioles are home tonight for the first time since July 12, the final game heading into the All-Star break. It's been that long.
They were a .500 team after losing their final two games to the Nationals. They can reach .500 again with a win tonight over the Braves.
The Orioles went 4-5 on their road trip, sandwiching series wins in Detroit and St. Petersburg around the Yankees' three-game sweep in the Bronx. Win two of the three series and it's still not good enough in the heat of a...
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Maybe the sky isn't falling.
It's hard to tell inside a dome.
The Orioles were swept in The Bronx, but they also took two of three from the Tigers and Rays to move within a game of the .500 mark. However, they failed to gain any ground on the Yankees.
Wei-Yin Chen allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings and the bullpen tossed 3 2/3 scoreless innings in a 5-2 win over the Rays at Tropicana Field.
The Orioles scored five or more runs in consecutive games for the first time...
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Rays are celebrating "Christmas In July" today at Tropicana Field. They cranked up the air conditioning and the holiday tunes.
My decision to carry mistletoe in my laptop bag year-round is really paying off. Now who looks foolish?
David Lough returns to the leadoff spot today after collecting a single and triple last night and scoring twice in a 5-1 victory over the Rays. He's batting .230/.269/.363 with a double, triple, four home runs and 12 RBIs in 66 games this...
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Matt Wieters is out of today's lineup due to back stiffness that cropped up during last night's game against the Rays.
Wieters would have made his second career start at first base. He's 8-for-14 with a double and two home runs lifetime against Rays left-hander Matt Moore.
"Just another thing with the turf," said Orioles manager Buck Showalter. "He's a lot better today. I think he'll be fine to catch tomorrow, but I don't want to put that in jeopardy.
"Matt...