Orioles double down today in Boston (Guilmet 26th man for nightcap)

Orioles double down today in Boston (Guilmet 26th man for nightcap)
BOSTON - Let's play two - without the rain. The Orioles and Red Sox have a doubleheader scheduled today following yesterday's postponement caused by Tropical Storm Arthur, which apparently did not get caught between the moon and New York City. I know it's crazy, but it's true. The postponement was the right call. Rain began to fall around 1 p.m. and didn't stop. If there was a window, it had streams of water running down it. Today's forecast is 79 degrees and sunny. Much better. The...

Reimold placed on waivers

Reimold placed on waivers
BOSTON - The Orioles continue to conduct business today while waiting to play their next two games on Saturday. Outfielder Nolan Reimold has been placed on outright waivers after the Orioles were unable to work out a trade. Any team may sign him and assume the remainder of his $1.025 million salary. The Orioles reinstated Reimold from the 60-day disabled list on Tuesday and designated him for assignment. He's out of minor league options and the club doesn't have a spot for him on the active...

Gausman to start Sunday, and other notes

Gausman to start Sunday, and other notes
BOSTON - Miguel Gonzalez will start Game 1 of Saturday's split doubleheader against the Red Sox at Fenway Park, with Ubaldo Jimenez starting Game 2. Manager Buck Showalter didn't change the order of his rotation. Jimenez is 0-5 with a 10.55 ERA in five day games this season, and 3-3 with a 2.53 ERA in 12 night games. Easy decision. Kevin Gausman will be recalled Sunday and start the final game of the series. He threw two innings Wednesday at short-season Single-A Aberdeen, allowing an...

Orioles-Red Sox game postponed (updated)

Orioles-Red Sox game postponed (updated)
BOSTON - Today's game between the Orioles and Red Sox at Fenway Park has been postponed due to inclement weather associated with Tropical Storm Arthur. The teams will play a day-night doubleheader on Saturday with Game 1 scheduled for 1:05 p.m. and Game 2 at 7:15 p.m. The first game will air on MASN2 HD and the second game on FOX. The Orioles haven't confirmed their starters, but it's expected to be Miguel Gonzalez and Ubaldo Jimenez, who was slated to pitch on Saturday. Kevin Gausman...

Gonzalez vs. Lester in series opener in Boston

Gonzalez vs. Lester in series opener in Boston
BOSTON - Red Sox left-hander Jon Lester has a 2.92 ERA in 17 starts this season. Lester has a career 2.92 ERA in 26 starts against the Orioles. Does anyone else find that odd? What about coincidental? I'm not going with ironic. Lester is 15-4 lifetime against the Orioles and held them to two runs over seven innings on opening day, walking one and striking out eight. However, he went 1-2 with a 4.70 ERA in four starts in 2013 and 0-1 with a 4.26 ERA in three starts in 2012. Nelson Cruz is...

Orioles sweep Rangers and sweat their travel plans

Orioles sweep Rangers and sweat their travel plans
BOSTON - If you happen to check the American League East standings, you may notice that the Orioles are listed first. They swept the Rangers in a four-game series to conclude their homestand. Four games without third baseman Manny Machado, whose suspension ends on Saturday. They played nine innings uninterrupted, which isn't how Rangers manager Ron Washington pictured it happening while scratching starter Yu Darvish. Did the lines of weather communication get crossed? The Orioles need to...

Lough keeping spirits high

Lough keeping spirits high
The tarp remains on the field as a light rain falls at Camden Yards. The ceremonial first pitch was thrown in front of the Orioles dugout. Another lineup card was posted today that didn't include outfielder David Lough. Lough checks it to make certain, knowing that he's more likely to be used as a pinch-runner or defensive replacement in the late innings. Lough has made one start since June 16 and two since June 10. He's appeared in 59 games, batting .191/.268/.287 with three doubles, a...

Updates on Norris, Wieters, Johnson and Urrutia

Updates on Norris, Wieters, Johnson and Urrutia
The storm is approaching Camden Yards and the grounds crew has just placed the tarp on the infield. The Orioles and Rangers have one common off-day if tonight's game is rained out - Aug. 21 during a break in the Orioles' series against the White Sox and Cubs in Chicago. How convenient. The Orioles would have to play 27 consecutive days without a break, which I'm pretty sure would be an issue with the union. The forecast in Boston on Friday isn't promising. Lots of rain. If tonight's game...

Orioles and Rangers lineups

Orioles and Rangers lineups
No surprises in the Orioles' lineup tonight as they try to complete a four-games sweep of the Rangers at Camden Yards. Ryan Flaherty is starting at third base. Jonathan Schoop is at second base. You've seen it a few times since Manny Macahdo's suspension. For the Orioles Nick Markakis RF Steve Pearce LF Adam Jones CF Nelson Cruz DH Chris Davis 1B J.J. Hardy SS Jonathan Schoop 2B Ryan Flaherty 3B Nick Hundley C Wei-Yin Chen LHP For the Rangers Shin-Soo Choo DH Elvis Andrus SS Alex Rios...

Revisiting the rotation and tonight's game

Revisiting the rotation and tonight's game
While wondering if I'm the only person who imagines Tropical Storm Arthur as a short drunken millionaire in a top hat or a cartoon aardvark ... Each day seems to bring another review of the Orioles' rotation, and this morning is no exception. I'm still expecting Kevin Gausman to start Sunday afternoon in Boston after he worked two innings last night for short-season Single-A Aberdeen. His fastball touched 98 mph in the first inning, according to the IronBirds. T.J. McFarland can back him...

Showalter speaks after 6-4 win

Showalter speaks after 6-4 win
The Orioles have won all three games while playing with a 24-man roster following third baseman Manny Machado's suspension. A win Thursday would give the Orioles their first four-game sweep of the Rangers at Camden Yards since 2004. Manager Buck Showalter knew he'd need contributions from everyone this season, and not only with Machado off the roster. Ryan Flaherty stepped up tonight with a tie-breaking home run in the seventh and several good plays at third base. "We talked about how we...

Patience pays off for Orioles, Flaherty homer gives them lead (O's win 6-4)

Patience pays off for Orioles, Flaherty homer gives them lead (O's win 6-4)
Ryan Flaherty led off the bottom of the seventh inning tonight by homering to right field off Rangers left-hander Neal Cotts and giving the Orioles a 5-4 lead at Camden Yards. Flaherty has four home runs this season, including one on Sunday. They've all come at home. The Orioles finally got rid of Rangers starter Miles Mikolas in the sixth inning, and they did it by keeping the bat on their shoulder while plate umpire Toby Basner tried to figure out the strike zone. Mikolas, in his first...

Game update and notes on Norris and Yoon (Jones homers, Tillman done)

Game update and notes on Norris and Yoon (Jones homers, Tillman done)
Chris Tillman gave up three singles in the top of the first inning tonight, the last by Alex Rios that scored Shin-Soo Choo and gave Texas a 1-0 lead at steamy Camden Yards. It's 87 degrees here, but it's a wet heat. None of the balls were hit particularly hard, but they counted just the same. Tillman has allowed 16 runs in the first inning this season. He retired the Rangers in order in the second to leave his pitch count at 25. Making his first major league start, Miles Mikolas retired...

More notes and Showalter on Norris and Davis (not the radio tandem)

More notes and Showalter on Norris and Davis (not the radio tandem)
With a win tonight, the Orioles would move six games over .500 to match their season-high from May 10, when they were 20-14. They also would move above .500 at home for the first time since being 9-8 on May 12. Steve Pearce has hit three home runs in his last two games. He's never homered in three consecutive games. Pearce has collected 10 homers in 46 games and 150 at-bats. He needed 192 games and 488 at-bats to hit his first 10 in the majors. The Orioles have hit multiple home runs in...

Davis on his slump and the nightly shifts

Davis on his slump and the nightly shifts
Bud Norris threw his bullpen session today at Camden Yards and manager Buck Showalter said he should have an update later today. Norris is eligible to come off the disabled list on Monday. Showalter indicated that the right-hander would need to pitch in a rehab or simulated game before the club activated him. Norris won't go directly from a side session to the Orioles rotation. First baseman Chris Davis took some swings off a tee while Showalter and hitting coach Jim Presley offered...

Orioles lineup vs. Rangers

Orioles lineup vs. Rangers
Ryan Flaherty remains at third base tonight and Chris Davis stays at first, as the Orioles try to improve to 3-0 during Manny Machado's suspension and guarantee a series win against the Rangers at Camden Yards. Davis is batting .205/.324/.402 with nine doubles, 13 homers, 41 RBIs, 39 walks and 87 strikeouts in 68 games. He's hitless in his last 19 at-bats, 7-for-62 in 18 games and 10-for-80 in 23 games. In 27 games in June, Davis was 17-for-97 (.175) with two doubles, six homers, 16 RBIs, 16...

Tillman vs. Mikolas tonight at Camden Yards

Tillman vs. Mikolas tonight at Camden Yards
The Orioles have won the first two games of their series against the Rangers, and they're scheduled to face a pitcher tonight who's making his first major league start. Heck, T.J. McFarland already had one before last night. He's a seasoned pro by comparison. Miles Mikolas, brought up yesterday after left-hander Joe Saunders was designated for assignment, is the 11th different Texas pitcher to start this season - the most in the American League and one behind the Rockies. Mikolas, 25, is 3-1...

More on McFarland, monthly stats, All-Star guesses and a few notes

More on McFarland, monthly stats, All-Star guesses and a few notes
To the fans who kept asking why Orioles manager Buck Showalter chose the "awful" T.J. McFarland to start last night, I'll challenge them to look up his June stats - since the ones I posted apparently went ignored - and to come up with a better solution at Triple-A Norfolk. McFarland was fortunate to surrender only two runs, but the bottom line is he gave Showalter five much-needed innings and left with an 8-2 lead. He induced ground balls, as Showalter anticipated when he put Ryan Flaherty...

Showalter on McFarland and an 8-3 victory

Showalter on McFarland and an 8-3 victory
Orioles manager Buck Showalter isn't ready to name a starter for Sunday. He's only willing to include T.J. McFarland in the mix. It's a small mix. McFarland or Kevin Gausman. McFarland stated his case tonight by allowing two runs over five innings in the Orioles' 8-3 win over the Rangers at Camden Yards. "He pitched as well as we thought he could," Showalter said. "One of the reasons why we wanted to be as good as we could in the infield was because we felt like if he's doing well,...

McFarland gives Orioles five innings (O's win 8-3)

McFarland gives Orioles five innings (O's win 8-3)
Orioles manager Buck Showalter would have signed up for it in blood. Left-hander T.J. McFarland, pulled from the bullpen tonight to make his second major league start, lasted five innings and gave up two runs. Showalter didn't call upon his first reliever until Ryan Webb headed to the mound in the top of the sixth. McFarland had one clean inning, retiring the Rangers in order in the fourth on two strikeouts and a ground ball. Texas was 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position and failed to...