Showalter updates Gonzalez and Norris injuries

Showalter updates Gonzalez and Norris injuries
ARLINGTON, Texas - Orioles manager Buck Showalter said the club is leaning toward placing pitcher Miguel Gonzalez on the 15-day disabled list. Gonzalez underwent an MRI this afternoon after complaining of pain on his right side. The results were more favorable than anticipated, but he's still expected to go on the DL. A decision will be made by Friday. Left-hander T.J. McFarland and Kevin Gausman are the other candidates to start Saturday. "MRI was better than we thought it might be, so...

Norris hit on arm, Beltre keeps hitting the Orioles (O's win 6-5)

Norris hit on arm, Beltre keeps hitting the Orioles (O's win 6-5)
ARLINGTON, Texas - Orioles starter Bud Norris stayed in tonight's game after taking a shot off his right forearm from Rangers first baseman Mitch Moreland in the bottom of the fifth inning. The next batter, Adrian Beltre, hit his second home run of the night and his third of the series to tie the game 5-5. Norris threw three pitches to test the arm before sending head athletic trainer Richie Bancells and manager Buck Showalter back to the dugout. Beltre dug in and drove a 93 mph fastball an...

Gausman, Santana and game updates (Davis homers)

Gausman, Santana and game updates (Davis homers)
ARLINGTON, Texas - Johan Santana is scheduled to throw five innings or 75 pitches Friday at extended spring training in Sarasota. The rest of Santana's schedule must be determined, but he could report to Triple-A Norfolk to begin a rehab assignment. Kevin Gausman worked one inning and threw 26 pitches tonight for Norfolk, allowing three runs and two hits, walking one, striking out two and serving up a home run. He was removed from the game in case the Orioles need him to start Saturday night...

Pregame notes on Tillman, Gonzalez, Hunter, Urrutia and more

Pregame notes on Tillman, Gonzalez, Hunter, Urrutia and more
ARLINGTON, Texas - Chris Tillman took his normal work day yesterday and is ready to pitch on regular rest Thursday night in the series finale against the Rangers. Tillman is taking Miguel Gonzalez's turn, leaving Saturday's starter a mystery. "This is normal rest and everything," Tillman said. "I was throwing as much in between if I was starting that day anyway." The Orioles are waiting on the results of Gonzalez's MRI, braced for the possibility that he's headed to the disabled list...

Gonzalez having MRI, Tillman to start Thursday

Gonzalez having MRI, Tillman to start Thursday
ARLINGTON, Texas - The Orioles rotation for their upcoming series with the Athletics still has not been set. Wei-Yin Chen is set to start on Friday and Ubaldo Jimenez on Sunday, but the starter for Saturday's game is still unknown. Chris Tillman was originally supposed to start Saturday, but his spot is now listed as TBA. Tillman's health is fine, but he has been moved to start Thursday on normal rest because Miguel Gonzalez woke up yesterday with pain in his right side. Gonzalez is...

Orioles and Rangers lineups (and rotation note)

Orioles and Rangers lineups (and rotation note)
ARLINGTON, Texas - Nelson Cruz is serving as the Orioles' designated hitter again tonight against the Rangers. David Lough is in left field. Caleb Joseph gets another start behind the plate after going 2-for-4 with a tie-breaking double. For the Orioles Nick Markakis RF Manny Machado 3B Nelson Cruz DH Adam Jones CF Chris Davis 1B J.J. Hardy SS Jonathan Schoop 2B David Lough LF Caleb Joseph C Bud Norris RHP For the Rangers Shin-Soo Choo LF Luis Sardinas SS Mitch Moreland 1B Adrian Beltre...

Tonight's pitching matchup and notes on Joseph and Pearce

Tonight's pitching matchup and notes on Joseph and Pearce
ARLINGTON, Texas - Bud Norris has faced the Rangers once in his major league career. Nick Martinez has never pitched against the Orioles. Not a lot of history in tonight's matchup at Globe Life Park. Norris is 1-4 with a 4.71 ERA in six road starts this season. In his only outing against the Rangers on March 31, 2013, he picked up the win in Houston after allowing two runs over 5 2/3 innings. Norris hasn't pitched since May 28 because manager Buck Showalter decided to tweak his rotation...

Cruz in control against former team

Cruz in control against former team
ARLINGTON, Texas - It began as an uneventful homecoming tonight for Nelson Cruz at Glove Life Park. He received a warm ovation before his first at-bat and went hitless in four trips to the plate before getting another chance in the eighth. The Orioles already had scored three runs to break a 2-2 tie. Cruz tacked on three more with his 21st home run of the season. He won't soon forget his return to Arlington. "It feels good. It's just different," he said. "It was kind of weird. It was...

Hearing from Showalter, Joseph and Jimenez after 8-3 win

Hearing from Showalter, Joseph and Jimenez after 8-3 win
ARLINGTON, Texas - Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he almost removed Nelson Cruz from tonight's game due to leg cramps that surfaced around the fourth inning. Good thing he chose to stick with Cruz, who made a slow trot around the bases after his three-run homer in the eighth contributed mightily to the Orioles' 8-3 victory over the Rangers at Globe Life Park. Showalter wondered before the game whether Cruz would be amped up facing his former team for the first time. "It was just the...

Joseph takes turn as hero, Cruz homers against former team (O's win 8-3)

Joseph takes turn as hero, Cruz homers against former team (O's win 8-3)
ARLINGTON, Texas - Show of hands if you were sitting at home tonight yelling for Orioles manager Buck Showalter to send up a pinch-hitter for Caleb Joseph in the eighth inning. A bar, your car or a friend's house also count. The point is, you questioned why he was batting with runners on first and second and one out in a tie game. Now you wonder whether an apology will suffice. Joseph lined a double into right-center field off Texas reliever Alexi Ogando to score Delmon Young and give the...

Jones, Beltre homer in tonight's game (we're tied)

Jones, Beltre homer in tonight's game (we're tied)
ARLINGTON, Texas - Adam Jones produced the first run of tonight's game with a home run to right field, the ball glancing off the foul pole to give the Orioles a brief 1-0 lead. Doesn't that make it a fair pole? Don't overthink it. Leading off the top of the fourth inning, Jones saw four straight fastballs from former teammate Joe Saunders. He lined the last one, clocked at 92 mph, to right field for his first homer since May 18 in Kansas City, when he connected off Aaron Crow in the...

Showalter on an injury in bullpen, Hunter and Santana

Showalter on an injury in bullpen, Hunter and Santana
ARLINGTON, Texas - Are the Orioles poised to make another roster move? Manager Buck Showalter hinted at it during today's pregame session with the media. Apparently, there's a health issue in the bullpen. "You get to the park and there's one or two things you weren't expecting," he said. "We've got a couple we're kind of looking at that may alter some things. But not tonight. One of them potentially might. We'll sit down with Dave (Wallace) and Dom (Chiti) after we get through with...

More notes and Cruz meets the press

More notes and Cruz meets the press
ARLINGTON, Texas - Orioles manager Buck Showalter left open the possibility of going with a six-man rotation if Johan Santana is ready to come off the disabled list later this month. The Orioles had projected Santana to join them on June 18, but it's been pushed back a day after they purchased his contract yesterday from Triple-A Norfolk and placed him on the DL. Showalter figures that Santana could use the extra rest between starts, and the two-time Cy Young winner isn't a candidate for...

Updating Hunter and Wieters throwing sessions

Updating Hunter and Wieters throwing sessions
ARLINGTON, Texas - Orioles reliever Tommy Hunter threw 25 pitches in today's bullpen session at Globe Life Park and said he hasn't felt discomfort in his groin in four or five days. Catcher Matt Wieters made 30 throws from varying distances today, starting at 70 feet and moving past 90 for the last 10 tosses. He remains encouraged by how his elbow is responding. So far, so good. Hunter was in his typically playful mood with reporters, joking that he will need one or 10 rehab games before...

A few pregame notes and Orioles-Rangers lineups

A few pregame notes and Orioles-Rangers lineups
ARLINGTON, Texas - Nelson Cruz is back in the Orioles lineup tonight, and will be facing his former team for the first time. Cruz exited Sunday's game in Houston in the third inning with a bruised and swollen left hand, but he gripped a bat yesterday without discomfort and should play. Over eight seasons with the Rangers from 2006 to 2013, Cruz batted .268 with 157 homers and 489 RBIs in 796 games and was an All-Star in 2009 and 2013. Cruz lost out to Toronto's Edwin Encarnacion today for...

Bundy tosses four perfect innings in extended spring training

Bundy tosses four perfect innings in extended spring training
ARLINGTON, Texas - Dylan Bundy turned in his best outing today at extended spring training, tossing four perfect innings against the Twins and facing two extra batters to raise his pitch count. The only hit off Bundy came after the fourth. He struck out six batters and threw 56 pitches before coming out of the game. Bundy's fastball sat at 91-93 mph and touched 94 mph. In his previous start on May 29, Bundy threw 50 pitches over three hitless innings in Fort Myers. He walked the leadoff...

Orioles get Saunders and flashbacks tonight in Arlington

Orioles get Saunders and flashbacks tonight in Arlington
ARLINGTON, Texas - Tonight's game between the Orioles and Rangers has a "Throwback Tuesday" feel to it. The Orioles are facing former teammate Joe Saunders, making only his third start for the Rangers this season after spending time on the disabled list with a bruised foot. Manager Buck Showalter gave Saunders the start in Texas in the 2012 American League wild card game despite the left-hander's horrific numbers. Saunders is now 4-10 with a 6.39 ERA in 16 career starts against the Rangers...

Cleaning out my notebook

Cleaning out my notebook
ARLINGTON, Texas - So much for a quiet and relaxing off-day. Nelson Cruz found out that he's leading all designated hitters in All-Star voting. Then, he learned that Major League Baseball named him the American League's Player of the Week. Then, he gripped a bat without pain in his left hand. Johan Santana opted out of his minor league deal with the Orioles and landed on their 15-day disabled list. He could be pitching for them in a couple of weeks. How would the Orioles make room for him?...

Orioles place Santana on disabled list

Orioles place Santana on disabled list
ARLINGTON, Texas - The Orioles have purchased the contract of veteran left-hander Johan Santana from Triple-A Norfolk and placed him on the 15-day disabled list while he recovers from left shoulder surgery. Santana had a provision in his contract that he could request his unconditional release if not added to the major league roster by May 30. The Orioles already had an opening on their 40-man roster, which Santana will fill, after they outrighted reliever Evan Meek. "His rehab took a...

Updating Cruz's hand and playing status

Updating Cruz's hand and playing status
ARLINGTON, Texas - The swelling in Nelson Cruz's left hand has lessened to the point where he can grip a bat without pain, according to team officials. If he gets through batting practice on Tuesday, he should be in the Orioles lineup for their series opener against the Rangers. Manager Buck Showalter may wait to post his lineup, which he's been known to do, until making certain that Cruz gets through BP without a hitch. Cruz, named the American League's Player of the Week earlier today,...