Roch Kubatko

Chen saves 'pen (O's win 4-3)

May 09, 2014, 5:07pm

Orioles

Wei-Yin Chen carried a one-run lead into the seventh tonight before Houston's Chris Carter led off the inning with a home run to left field. Just like that, we're tied. And go ahead and insert your "all he does is hit home runs" joke. Chen completed seven innings, tying his season high. He allowed two runs and five hits, walked one and struck out four. Chen threw 101 pitches, 67 for strikes. That's a quality start, no matter the outcome. Chen also worked seven innings on April 26 against...

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Davis to begin rehab at Bowie (Pearce and Machado homer)

May 09, 2014, 3:32pm

Orioles

Davis to begin rehab at Bowie (Pearce and Machado homer)

First baseman Chris Davis will report to the Double-A Bowie Baysox and appear in an injury rehab game Saturday night, the team announced. The Baysox are playing New Britain at 6:35 p.m. at Prince George's County Stadium. Davis may be one-and-done on the assignment after taking live batting practice today and proclaiming himself ready to come off the disabled list. The Orioles will check on him after Saturday's game and make a decision. Davis is on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left...

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Davis takes BP, ready to rehab

May 09, 2014, 1:32pm

Orioles

Orioles first baseman Chris Davis took five rounds of outdoor batting practice today and said he felt great. It showed, judging by how far he was launching baseballs and how he kept smiling each time he exited the cage. Davis homered pretty much in every possible direction - left field, into the bullpen, center field, the flag court in right and onto Eutaw Street. Once he finished, he walked past two reporters with a smile on his face and said, "Still got it." "I felt really good the last...

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Urrutia to undergo sports hernia surgery

May 09, 2014, 1:17pm

Orioles

Urrutia to undergo sports hernia surgery

Orioles manager Buck Showalter announced today that outfielder Henry Urrutia will undergo sports hernia surgery Tuesday in Philadelphia. Urrutia is expected to miss six to eight weeks of the minor league season. Urrutia was batting .220/.250/.293 with six doubles and seven RBIs in 20 games at Triple-A Norfolk. He appeared in 24 games as a rookie with the Orioles last season, batting .276/.276/.310 with a triple and two RBIs. The Orioles chose Urrutia as their minor league Player of the Year...

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Orioles and Astros lineups

May 09, 2014, 10:53am

Orioles

Orioles manager Buck Showalter is keeping Steve Pearce's hot bat and mitt in the lineup as his club opens a three-game series tonight against the Astros at Camden Yards. Pearce homered twice at Tropicana Field, the second time he's hit two in the same series in his major league career. It also happened Sept. 23-25, 2008 in Milwaukee while playing for the Pirates. Nick Markakis is batting .328 (20-for-61) during a 15-game hitting streak. He's four games shy of tying his career high set in...

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Orioles left with unusual split in bullpen

May 09, 2014, 7:36am

Orioles

Goodbye dateline, hello homestand. The Orioles should make it through the day without a roster move unless manager Buck Showalter suddenly grows tired of having four southpaws in his seven-man bullpen, which I still envision to be an issue at some point. Showalter had to use Ryan Webb and Darren O'Day last night. He doesn't want to do it, but circumstances will force his hand. In honor of the NFL draft, we'll refer to the duo as need picks in a 3-1 win. The bullpen allowed only one run in 10...

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Looking back and ahead

May 08, 2014, 8:36pm

Orioles

TAMPA - I'm filing this morning's blog entry from the Tampa Airport Marriott before boarding my flight home. It's a tradition of sorts. Turn in the rental car the previous night, check into a room, get a few hours sleep and stumble to my gate. Showering is optional. It's one way to make certain that the middle seat remains unoccupied. Manager Buck Showalter kept wondering why last night's game wasn't played in the daytime, since the Orioles would be traveling after the final out. It's an...

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Hearing from Jimenez and Pearce

May 08, 2014, 7:35pm

Orioles

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Ubaldo Jimenez didn't give the Orioles a quality start tonight by definition. One run in 5 1/3 innings falls short of it. However, he left Tropicana Field with a victory, which ultimately is all that matters. "I was not 100 percent," he said following a 3-1 win over the Rays that completed a three-game sweep. "I was missing with my fastball and my breaking ball. That's why I threw too many pitches. But I was able to hang in. "It was a good one because when I saw...

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Showalter on Davis' potential rehab assignment and more

May 08, 2014, 7:27pm

Orioles

Showalter on Davis' potential rehab assignment and more

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter says first baseman Chris Davis could begin a brief injury-rehab assignment as early as Saturday. Davis, on the disabled list with a strained left oblique, is scheduled to take live batting practice on Friday. However, the threat of rain could alter those plans. Showalter jokingly told a reporter to "slow down" when it was suggested that Davis would report to a minor league affiliate this weekend. Double-A Bowie and Single-A Frederick are...

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Jimenez outlasts Price (O's win 3-1)

May 08, 2014, 5:41pm

Orioles

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - One start after tossing 7 1/3 scoreless innings, Orioles right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez didn't make it through the sixth tonight. He did, however, exit with a lead that still stands. Jimenez is charged with one run and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings, with two walks, three strikeouts and a hit batter. He threw 117 pitches, one fewer than his season high, including 74 for strikes. Jimenez was removed after back-to-back singles by Wil Myers and David DeJesus. Ryan Webb...

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Game update and more on Davis (Markakis extends streak, O's lead 3-1)

May 08, 2014, 3:53pm

Orioles

Game update and more on Davis (Markakis extends streak, O's lead 3-1)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - I'm predicting that Orioles manager Buck Showalter will refer to Steve Pearce later tonight as "a professional hitter." If the spike fits... Pearce hit a two-out, two-run homer off Rays starter David Price in the top of the second inning to give the Orioles a 2-1 lead. He's 8-for-27 (.296) with two doubles, two homers and five RBIs since re-signing with the Orioles on April 29 and becoming their regular first baseman. J.J. Hardy doubled to right-center field with...

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Pregame notes on Wieters, Young, Showalter, Gausman, Bundy and the 'pen

May 08, 2014, 1:54pm

Orioles

Pregame notes on Wieters, Young, Showalter, Gausman, Bundy and the 'pen

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Though he's serving as the Orioles' designated hitter tonight, Matt Wieters is taking ground balls at first base during batting practice to provide manager Buck Showalter with another option for the lineup. Wieters won't be catching until the discomfort in his right elbow subsides following Monday's MRI and yesterday's exam in Pensacola, Fla. Wieters has played one game at first base, making a start in 2011. Showalter said he wanted to play Delmon Young tonight,...

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Wieters serving as DH tonight

May 08, 2014, 12:05pm

Orioles

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Matt Wieters has returned to the Orioles' lineup tonight as the designated hitter against Rays left-hander David Price. Caleb Joseph will make his second major league start behind the plate. Jonathan Schoop will start at second base after hitting a tie-breaking, two-run homer last night in the seventh inning. Chris Davis took 20 swings in the indoor cage today and said he felt better than before straining his left oblique. He's scheduled to take batting practice...

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Jimenez tries to extend May momentum

May 08, 2014, 10:03am

Orioles

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - It's another gorgeous day here as the Orioles and Rays conclude their three-game series. Too bad the roof doesn't open. Ubaldo Jimenez would likely settle for pitching underground as long as it's May. He's coming off a start where he tossed 7 1/3 scoreless innings in Minnesota to lower his career ERA this month to 3.76 in 35 outings. Jimenez held the Twins to three hits, walked one and struck out 10 to earn his first victory with the Orioles. He was 0-4 with a 6.59...

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This, that and the other

May 07, 2014, 9:18pm

Orioles

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Can the Orioles make it out of Tropicana Field tonight without more intrigue regarding an All-Star player's health? Can they avoid the letters MRI, which are a lot worse than LOB, though they don't show up in the box score? Look for Matt Wieters to serve as the designated hitter tonight against Tampa Bay left-hander David Price, which puts Delmon Young on the bench. Nelson Cruz isn't going to sit, and he's due for a lot more starts in left field if Wieters remains...

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More clubhouse chatter following 4-3 win

May 07, 2014, 7:29pm

Orioles

More clubhouse chatter following 4-3 win

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Adam Jones isn't going to change his aggressive approach at the plate. And he's certainly not going to spit on pitches teed up for him. Jones got two balls to hit tonight in his first two at-bats from Rays starter Cesar Ramos, and he swung for the fences. Two pitches, two home runs. "They were right down the middle, weren't they?" he said. "That's the rule of thumb. I put some good swings on some pitches I should have drove." Jones had one home run before tonight...

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Hearing from Showalter and Hunter after 4-3 win

May 07, 2014, 7:14pm

Orioles

Hearing from Showalter and Hunter after 4-3 win

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter walked up to MASN's Gary Thorne last night to start his post-game interview and mumbled, "Textbook." We got the joke. The Orioles didn't take the easy path to their 4-3 victory over the Rays, allowing a run in the ninth and putting runners on the corners with one out. Closer Tommy Hunter walked the tightrope again, but he didn't fall, recording his 10th save in 11 tries by inducing two line drives that found gloves - the last his...

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Schoop homer gives Orioles lead (O's win 4-3)

May 07, 2014, 5:30pm

Orioles

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Rookie Jonathan Schoop has hit three home runs this season. None of them have been cheap. When he gets hold of one, he really gets hold of it. Schoop's two-run shot to left field off Rays reliever Brandon Gomes in the seventh inning gave the Orioles a 4-2 lead at Tropicana Field. Steve Pearce singled with two outs and Schoop connected on an 0-2 pitch from Gomes, who couldn't get a 90 mph fastball past him. Gomes threw two cutters before going with a two-seamer. Orioles...

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Jones homers, Joseph debuts (Jones homers again, O's up 2-1)

May 07, 2014, 3:52pm

Orioles

Jones homers, Joseph debuts (Jones homers again, O's up 2-1)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Adam Jones hadn't hit a home run before tonight since April 8 in New York, a span of 22 games. The Orioles center fielder was due, folks. Jones belted No. 2 leading off the top of the second inning to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead over the Rays. He jumped on the first pitch from Rays left-hander Cesar Ramos, an 89 mph sinker, and deposited it over the center field fence. Jones was 1-for-8 lifetime against Ramos before tonight's game. He had six hits in his last 37 at-bats...

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Wieters: "I expect to be available later tonight"

May 07, 2014, 2:37pm

Orioles

Wieters: "I expect to be available later tonight"

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Orioles catcher Matt Wieters doesn't have a term for the condition of his right elbow. He's just relieved that the word "surgery" wasn't attached to it. "You'd have to call Dr. (James) Andrews," Wieters said, smiling. "Just discomfort." That's pretty much what Andrews told Wieters and the Orioles. "He's just kind of said that everybody's elbow looks different," Wieters said. "It's more about going by feel, and all the tests we did tested fine for...