The Orioles announced this afternoon that they selected the contract of first baseman Christian Walker from Triple-A Norfolk.
It's official.
Walker will wear No. 18, which still reminds me of first baseman Jeff Conine.
Walker, 23, was named the 2014 Brooks Robinson minor league Player of the Year after hitting a combined .288/.357/.489 with 53 extra-base hits, 96 RBIs and 73 runs scored in 139 total games with Double-A Bowie (.301/.367/.516 in 95 games) and Norfolk (.259/.335/.428 in 44...
With the division title in hand and an opportunity to rest key players heading into the postseason, the Orioles will select the contract of first baseman Christian Walker from Triple-A Norfolk and add him to their expanded roster.
Walker should be at Camden Yards before tonight's game. It's a relatively short flight from Sarasota, where he's been part of the taxi squad at the Ed Smith Stadium complex.
Manager Buck Showalter told reporters last night that the club likely would add another...
There will be another game tonight at Camden Yards, another lineup to post and more matchups to dissect.
The regular season hasn't ended. It just felt that way last night.
Bud Norris opposes J.A. Happ, and this game also counts in the standings. The Orioles are vying for home-field advantage. There's still a carrot dangling in front of them before they sink their teeth into the American League Division Series on Oct. 2.
Manager Buck Showalter may rest some of his regulars, especially with...
The party started in the outfield at Camden Yards, spilled onto the infield, moved to the clubhouse and returned to the field.
Players sprayed champagne and beer. Adam Jones pied pretty much everyone in sight and finally got a taste of his own confection.
It was pure bedlam, as you'd expect after the Orioles won their division for the first time since 1997 and clinched with a win at home for the first time in 45 years.
"We're going to party like it's 1969," said executive vice...
I've got plenty of quotes to pass along from my champagne-soaked recorder.
Here's a sampling from manager Buck Showalter, who truly loved every minute of the time he spent on the field - exchanging hugs with players, coaches and family members, and waving to fans as they kept chanting his name.
"You get older, you want to get a good angle and a good seat and see good people get a return for what they put into it and what they're trying to achieve," Showalter said. "And this is a huge...
If you told Orioles manager Buck Showalter before tonight's game that he'd get five innings of two-run ball out of starter Ubaldo Jimenez, he probably would have signed up for it in blood, to borrow one of his favorite expressions.
Jimenez threw 30 pitches in the first inning and 30 more in the second. He faced 12 batters in two innings and issued four walks, but the Blue Jays scored only the two runs off him.
Jimenez, making his first start since Aug. 16, retired the last 10 batters that...
The 2014 Orioles are the 20th team in club history to win at least 90 games.
A win tonight gives the Orioles their ninth American League East title. They've clinched at home only twice, in 1979 and 1969.
They clinched in Washington in 1970, New York in 1971, Milwaukee in 1973, Detroit in 1974 and Milwaukee again in 1983 and 1997.
The Orioles have clinched four of their 11 playoff series wins in Baltimore - the 1997 Division Series, 1970 Championship Series, 1970 World Series and 1966 World...
On the surface, the players inside the home clubhouse at Camden Yards this afternoon are going about their business in the usual manner. It's just another day, right?
"That may be the way it looks to you," said Orioles manager Buck Showalter, "but that ain't right."
OK, maybe they just mask their excitement better than most.
"Let's face it, the locker room for quite a long period is an interview room, and I understand it," Showalter said. "That's why the sport is so popular. Thank...
The Orioles will try to shave off the final game of their magic number tonight and celebrate their first division title since 1997 - and the first clinched at home with a win in 45 years.
Ubaldo Jimenez is making his first start since Aug. 16. He's 2-3 with a 4.89 ERA in seven career starts against the Blue Jays.
Toronto right-hander Drew Hutchison is 3-0 with a 1.16 ERA in six career starts against the Orioles. Nelson Cruz is 2-for-15 with five strikeouts against him. Adam Jones is...
I'm sitting here wondering how many waterproof garments I can stuff into my laptop bag before heading to Camden Yards this afternoon.
I may scotchgard my entire body.
I'm too big to be laminated. I already checked.
I'm also contemplating what's worse: Rookie Marcus Stroman's fastball behind Caleb Joseph's head last night or the Blue Jays trying to defend it. I'll go with the fastball. Postgame comments can't kill a man.
I exchanged emails earlier today with Mike Soukup, who met...
As the Orioles gradually expanded their September roster and assigned pitchers and position players to their taxi squad in Sarasota, right-hander Steve Johnson was one of the more prominent names missing from either list. He wasn't coming to Camden Yards and he wasn't working out at the Ed Smith Stadium complex.
Johnson, 27, was bothered this summer by tendinitis in his shoulder that forced him onto the disabled list and limited him to 13 appearances at Triple-A Norfolk. His innings and...
The Orioles' magic number for clinching the American League East is Al Bumbry.
The Orioles held their composure tonight and defeated the Blue Jays 5-2 before 25,061 at Camden Yards. A win on Tuesday night gives Baltimore its first division title since 1997.
The Yankees lost tonight and were eliminated from the race.
Wei-Yin Chen won his 16th game, Zach Britton earned his 35th save, manager Buck Showalter tied Billy Martin for 36th place on the all-time wins list with 1,253 and the Orioles...
The Orioles are trying to win a game tonight while not losing their composure.
This is going to be a challenge.
Blue Jays shortstop Jose Reyes became angry at catcher Caleb Joseph in the top of the fifth inning after diving across the plate to score on Danny Valencia's two-out single. Reyes' left hand slammed into Joseph's foot, leaving him in obvious pain.
Reyes apparently felt that Joseph was illegally blocking the plate, and he did some yapping on his way back to the dugout. At one...
As Wei-Yin Chen takes the mound tonight for the Orioles, let's point out that the rotation has registered a 1.59 ERA and 11 quality starts in the last 13 games.
No pressure.
Last night, Kelly Johnson delivered the Orioles' 10th walk-off win of the season.
The 10 walk-offs, against seven teams, are tied for fourth in the majors with the Pirates and Angels. They trail the Padres, Marlins and Indians, who each have 11.
Anyone surprised by who's atop the leaderboard?
Nine different players...
Orioles manager Buck Showalter said Chris Davis will report to the Sarasota complex between Friday and Monday.
Davis is flying back to Texas first before heading to Florida for workouts and instructional league games. The Orioles also can set up simulated games.
Showalter may adjust the rotation following Thursday's off-day. He already met with Chris Tillman after last night's game.
Also, the Orioles could add a player to their roster for the weekend series against the Red Sox that...
Kelly Johnson remains at third base tonight as the Orioles open a three-game series against the Blue Jays at Camden Yards.
Johnson hit a walk-off double last night to beat the Yankees 3-2 and lower the Orioles' magic number to three.
The number will go down to one if the Orioles win tonight.
The Orioles lead the season series 7-6, going 3-4 in Baltimore and 4-2 in Toronto.
Ryan Flaherty is starting at second base. Jonathan Schoop is in a 1-for-31 slump in his last eight games.
For the...
As we continue to speculate about the Orioles' postseason roster, making the bold assumption that they wrap up the division, it's obvious that outfielder Alejandro De Aza must be included on it.
Of course, that's assuming he avoids an injury or a suspension, and that he doesn't vaporize.
De Aza hit safely in his first eight games with the Orioles, batting 13-for-33 (.394) with a double, two triples, two home runs, six RBIs, five runs scored a two stolen bases. He singled and scored the...
The Orioles' magic number is three following tonight's dramatic 3-2 walk-off win over the Yankees at Camden Yards.
The Blue Jays come to town, and the Orioles can clinch the division by taking two of the three games.
Kelly Johnson delivered a walk-off double in the ninth off Yankees closer David Robertson, who was pitching in his third consecutive game.
"It feels like a first-place team," Johnson said. "Bounced around just a little bit now, and you just kind of get a feel that it's...
Chris Tillman won't get a win tonight against the Yankees. One run allowed in 6 2/3 innings gets you a no-decision with the Orioles also held to one.
Tillman has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 19 consecutive starts to tie Milt Pappas (1965) for the third-longest streak in franchise history.
Manager Buck Showalter removed him from tonight's game with two outs in the seventh inning and Chris Young at third base. Left-hander Andrew Miller struck out pinch-hitter Carlos Beltran to end...
I'm told that Chris Davis is allowed to play in instructional league games in Sarasota. Not surprising, but it was worth checking.
The first game is Monday vs. the Rays. The schedule concludes on Oct. 7.
Manager Buck Showalter will let us know when Davis plans on heading down to Florida.
To honor Derek Jeter before his final game at Camden Yards, the Orioles presented the Yankees shortstop with the following:
1. An official U.S. Navy Captain hat, presented by Rear Admiral Mercado.
2. A...