Josh Land

Andrew Stetka: Time to let Gausman pitch uninterrupted

July 07, 2014, 4:59am

Orioles

Andrew Stetka: Time to let Gausman pitch uninterrupted

It's no secret that the Orioles' Achilles heel this season has been starting pitching. It's a team with flaws, but more than anything, you can point to an inability to have starters go deep enough in games as one of the biggest reasons for a struggle. The offense has sputtered at times, the bullpen has seen its hiccups (like blowing a large lead on Sunday in Boston), but deep down starting pitching has been the big issue. This is why the Orioles' treatment of Kevin Gausman over the past...

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Orioles recall right-hander Kevin Gausman; Right-hander Ramon Ramirez designated for assignment

July 06, 2014, 9:12am

Orioles

The Orioles today announced that they have recalled right-hander Kevin Gausman from Class-A Aberdeen and designated right-hander Ramon Ramirez for assignment. Gausman is expected to start today's game at Boston. Gausman, 23, is 3-2 with a 3.86 ERA (28.0IP, 12ER) in five starts for the Orioles this season. Ramirez, 32, made one scoreless appearance for the Orioles (1.0IP, BB, 2K) after having his contract selected on June 30.

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Nationals agree to terms with four international free agents

July 05, 2014, 11:42am

Nationals

The Washington Nationals have agreed to terms with four international free agents: right-handed pitcher Tomas Alastre, right-handed pitcher Pedro Avila, left-handed pitcher Gilberto Chu and right-handed pitcher Christian Flores. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo and Director of International Scouting Johnny DiPuglia made the joint announcement. Alastre, 16, is a 6-foot-4, 170-pound native of Venezuela. He began his career at shortstop, but recently...

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Patrick Reddington: Clippard finishes off one impressive battle against Rockies slugger

July 04, 2014, 7:13am

Nationals

Patrick Reddington: Clippard finishes off one impressive battle against Rockies slugger

A half-inning after Ian Desmond's solo home run off Colorado Rockies right-hander Matt Belisle put the Nationals up 4-3 in the series finale in the nation's capital on Wednesday night, Nats set-up man Tyler Clippard took the mound with the top of the Rockies order due up. The Nationals' 29-year-old reliever came out of the bullpen to face Charlie Blackmon, Drew Stubbs and Justin Morneau, but if any of the three reached base, Troy Tulowitzki was due to bat fourth. Blackmon lined out to left....

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Matthew Taylor: Hearing the call of Orioles Magic

July 04, 2014, 6:40am

Orioles

Baseball in Baltimore doesn't involve near the level of mythology that it does in bigger cities. We don't have ghosts in our stadium and the only curses fans express involve neither the Bambino nor goats. If there's any bit of enduring mystical lore around this team, it's Orioles Magic, which has taken on different forms the past few seasons to be about something other than miraculous victories. Earlier this week, I wrote about Orioles Magic in terms of comeback wins and walk-offs. Those...

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Opposite dugout: Red Sox still scuffling on offense entering big series vs. Birds

July 04, 2014, 5:56am

Orioles

Opposite dugout: Red Sox still scuffling on offense entering big series vs. Birds

Manager: John Farrell, second year Record: 38-47 Last 10 games: 4-6 Who to watch: DH David Ortiz (.252/.351/.483, 19 HR, 53 RBIs); 1B Mike Napoli (.277/.397/.460, 10 HR, 32 RBIs); LHP Jon Lester (9-7, 2.92 ERA, 1.18 WHIP); RHP John Lackey (9-5, 3.62 ERA, 1.21 WHIP) Season series vs. O's: 5-5, 32 runs scored, 39 runs allowed Pitching probables July 5 (Game 1): Jon Lester vs. Miguel Gonzalez, 1 p.m., MASN2 HD July 5 (Game 2): John Lackey vs. Ubaldo Jimenez, 7 p.m., FOX July 6: Jake Peavy vs....

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Opposite dugout: Cubs send out top three starters, meet Nats for second time in three series

July 04, 2014, 4:44am

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Cubs send out top three starters, meet Nats for second time in three series

Manager: Rick Renteria, first year Record: 37-46 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: 1B Anthony Rizzo (.281/.392/.502, 17 HR, 44 RBIs); SS Starlin Castro (.288/.334/.470, 25 doubles, 11 HR, 48 RBIs); RHP Jake Arrieta (5-1, 1.81 ERA, 1.01 WHIP); RHP Jason Hammel (7-5, 2.98 ERA, 1.01 WHIP) Season series vs. Nats: 2-2, 14 runs scored, 15 runs allowed Pitching probables July 4: Jason Hammel vs. Tanner Roark, 11 a.m., MASN HD July 5: Jeff Samardzija vs. Gio Gonzalez, 4 p.m., MASN HD July 6: Jake...

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David Huzzard: The Nationals and international free agents

July 03, 2014, 5:16am

Nationals

The Nationals and international free agents go together like fire and Frankenstein, or at least that is how it has been in the past. Few Nats fans will forget Yunesky Maya, who was once touted as the third-best arm in the system behind Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann. I don't think we even need to compare those careers to know that Maya was nowhere near either of them in talent. Then there is Katsuhiko Maekawa, and if that name doesn't sound familiar, don't feel bad. The 29-year-old...

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Zach Wilt: A well-rounded approach at the plate

July 03, 2014, 5:03am

Orioles

Zach Wilt: A well-rounded approach at the plate

I'm no meteorologist, but it's getting hot in Baltimore. I don't need my car thermometer, which hit triple digits on Wednesday afternoon, to convince me. All I have to do is look at the balls flying out of Camden Yards. After a slow start to the season, the Orioles' power bats have started producing in a big way. In April, the O's hit just 16 home runs, ranking 25th in Major League Baseball. Last April, they belted twice that total. The Orioles offense just finished June with a major...

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Nationals agree to terms with five International free agents

July 02, 2014, 3:23pm

Nationals

The Washington Nationals have agreed to terms with five international free agents: outfielder Yoel Andujar, shortstop Bryan Bencosme, outfielder Juan Evangelista, shortstop Adanlis Martinez and outfielder Brailin Mesa. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo and Director of International Scouting Johnny DiPuglia made the joint announcement. Andujar, 16, is a 6-foot-3, 185-pound native of the Dominican Republic. He is a right-handed hitter with a large frame...

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Rachel Levitin: Espinosa proves his value to Nats

July 02, 2014, 5:36am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: Espinosa proves his value to Nats

It's July, it's almost the All-Star break, and infielder Danny Espinosa is still on the Nationals' 25-man roster. After being sent down to the minors in 2013, he had a choice - either embrace the situation and work harder than ever before or settle for where he'd been sent to. Espinosa chose to embrace the situation and seems to have made his way back to the majors with a reputation for being consistent defensively and occasionally productive offensively. Once 2014's spring training was...

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Jon Shepherd: Do minor league players deserve minimum wage salaries?

July 02, 2014, 5:05am

Orioles

Jon Shepherd: Do minor league players deserve minimum wage salaries?

Professional baseball players are pretty lucky. They have been granted amazing talent from genetics and probability. They have taken that talent and applied considerable amounts of hard work. The recent draft will result in about 750 new professional baseball players. Roughly a third of those new hires will have received a signing bonus greater than $100,000 before taxes. The remaining two thirds have a mean signing bonus of $1,000 before taxes. For their three-month first season, the most they...

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All-Star voting: No Nationals appear among top vote-getters

July 01, 2014, 5:00pm

Nationals

One thing is for sure: The Nationals will not have a player start in the 2014 All-Star Game. For the first time since online All-Star balloting began in early June, the Nats do not have a single player in the running for a starting gig on July 15. Bryce Harper, who has consistently appeared among the top-vote getters, was not listed in the most recent results announced on Tuesday. Harper had missed nearly two months recovering from surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb, but...

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Orioles reinstate outfielder Nolan Reimold from the 60-day disabled list and designate him for assignment

July 01, 2014, 1:34pm

Orioles

The Orioles today announced that they reinstated outfielder Nolan Reimold from the 60-day disabled list and designated him for assignment. Reimold, 30, was placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to March 26, with cervical spine fusion surgery. He was transferred to the 60-day DL on April 7.

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Stuart Wallace: Turning attention to Nats in the All-Star balloting

July 01, 2014, 5:03am

Nationals

Stuart Wallace: Turning attention to Nats in the All-Star balloting

With the turn of the calendar from June into July, baseball collectively diverts its attention, albeit briefly, from the games on the field to the ballots for the All-Star Game, which will be played July 15 at Target Field in Minneapolis. It is theoretically a matchup pitting the best of the best of each league against one another for not only bragging rights, but also for home-field advantage in the World Series (thanks, Bud Selig!). It's a heavily hyped process and endeavor, but also one...

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Daniel Clark: Inconsistency and missed opportunities marked O's month of June

July 01, 2014, 4:40am

Orioles

Daniel Clark: Inconsistency and missed opportunities marked O's month of June

The month of June has flown on by and the Orioles walked away with a winning record of 16-12. Despite the wins though, the final week of the month may come back to haunt them later in the season as the Birds missed numerous opportunities against sub-.500 opponents in the White Sox and Rays. This failure to seize the opportunity cost them the chance to overtake the struggling Blue Jays for first in the American League East. The month produced many talking points, with some players dominating...

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All-Star voting: Adam Jones within reach of final outfield spot

June 30, 2014, 4:22pm

Orioles

All-Star voting: Adam Jones within reach of final outfield spot

Adam Jones is close. He's real close. With three days left in online All-Star voting, Jones is one of three players vying for the final American League outfield starting spot on July 15. The Orioles outfielder trails the A's Yoenis Cespedes (1,941,553 votes) and the Blue Jays' Melky Cabrera (1,929,506), but currently sits in fifth with 1,853,268 votes. Jones has continued to produce in June, hitting .339/.371/.615 with 37 hits, eight home runs and 19 RBIs. In the most recent balloting, Jones...

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Orioles select contract of right-hander Ramon Ramirez, option right-hander Evan Meek to Triple-A Nofolk

June 30, 2014, 2:21pm

Orioles

The Orioles today announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Ramon Ramirez from Triple-A Norfolk and optioned right-hander Evan Meek to the Tides. Ramirez, 32, has pitched 8.0 scoreless innings for the Tides in five relief appearances this season, striking out 14 without allowing a walk. He is 23-21 with a 3.42 ERA (433.2IP, 165ER) in 423 major league games over eight seasons with Colorado (2006-07), Kansas City (2008), Boston (2009-10), San Francisco (2010-11, '13) and...

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Statement from Orioles on the passing of former executive vice president Frank Cashen

June 30, 2014, 1:15pm

Orioles

The Orioles were saddened to learn today of the passing of Frank Cashen. Frank served the Orioles as Executive Vice President from 1965 to 1975 during the team's most successful on-field era, winning two World Series championships, four American League pennants, and five AL East titles. It was during his tenure that the Orioles acquired Frank Robinson and named Earl Weaver manager, two of the most significant moments in club history. His record of success with the Orioles earned him the...

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Opposite dugout: Rockies pit powerhouse offense against Nats' major league-best pitching staff

June 30, 2014, 5:15am

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Rockies pit powerhouse offense against Nats' major league-best pitching staff

Manager: Walt Weiss, second year Record: 36-46 Last 10 games: 2-8 Who to watch: SS Troy Tulowitzki (.353/.445/.618, 16 doubles, 18 HR, 46 RBIs); LF Corey Dickerson (.343/.403/.623, 13 doubles, 10 HR, 33 RBIs); 1B Justin Morneau (.307/.342/.516, 19 doubles, 13 HR, 58 RBIs); LHP Tyler Matzek (1-2, 4.24 ERA) Season series vs. Nats (2013): 3-4, 29 runs scored, 27 runs allowed Pitching probables June 30: Yohan Flande vs. Jordan Zimmermann, 7 p.m., MASN2 HD July 1: Christian Friedrich vs. Stephen...