Roch Kubatko

Which free agents will re-sign with the Orioles?

October 20, 2013, 5:39pm

Orioles

While wondering if Orioles manager Buck Showalter can relate to the heat that John Harbaugh is catching from Ravens fans this season ... I'm heading back home this morning after a weekend filled with love, laughs and calories. Nothing beats family. The Orioles will begin interviewing candidates this week for the vacant pitching coach position. I'm not going to anoint a favorite because we don't have the complete list and there are so many factors in play, including the impression made...

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This, that and the other

October 19, 2013, 5:05pm

Orioles

I can't say whether Cal Ripken Jr. would make a great manager. Won't know until he gets the chance. But let's keep in mind that Mike Matheny didn't coach or manage at any level until taking over the Cardinals before the 2012 season. Now they're in the World Series. No knock on Matheny, but he doesn't know more about the game than Ripken. I can't sit here and measure which one is better at handling people. My point is that Ripken's lack of experience coaching and managing shouldn't...

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Griffin waiting for chance to interview with Orioles

October 18, 2013, 7:07pm

Orioles

Mike Griffin didn't know that Rick Adair wasn't returning as Orioles pitching coach until early Thursday morning. Now, he's waiting for a call that will enable him to interview for the vacant job. The Orioles will consider their in-house candidates, though they're expected to make a hire from outside the organization. "We have under consideration some internal candidates who we know," said executive vice president Dan Duquette. That list includes Griffin, Bill Castro, Scott McGregor...

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Showalter on Adair

October 18, 2013, 11:39am

Orioles

The Orioles have officially announced that Rick Adair will not return as pitching coach in 2014. They sent out a tweet a few minutes ago. Adair had one year left on his contract. The Orioles will begin interviewing candidates next week. They've scheduled a meeting on Tuesday with Phillies pitching coach Rich Dubee. Also, the Orioles are interested in Rangers bullpen coach Andy Hawkins, but they haven't set up an interview with him. They would need to receive permission from the...

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Adair talks about leaving the Orioles and his future (updated)

October 18, 2013, 8:31am

Orioles

Rick Adair offered further confirmation today that the Orioles will change pitching coaches in 2014. The club apparently won't make an announcement until a replacement is hired, which may not occur until the end of the month or beyond. Adair took a personal leave of absence on Aug. 15, in part to be with his terminally ill father, who passed away in September near Birmingham, Ala. He met twice with manager Buck Showalter after the season. "I feel good about it," Adair said. "There was a...

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A few leftovers for breakfast

October 17, 2013, 9:09pm

Orioles

I wrote yesterday that the Orioles had scheduled three or four interviews next week with candidates for pitching coach. I also heard that a "high-profile" candidate would interview Tuesday. That would be former Phillies pitching coach Rich Dubee, as The Sun reported last night. Dubee is intriguing because he worked with studs like Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels. He also has strong ties to executive vice president Dan Duquette, though it's ultimately manager Buck Showalter's...

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A few notes on the Orioles' search for a pitching coach

October 17, 2013, 1:48pm

Orioles

Days tend to stretch to weeks, and weeks to months, when it comes to the Orioles announcing changes to their coaching staff. We should have plenty of time to speculate about candidates and hires. Unfortunately, you're going to come across some names that don't belong. It happens. It's "Guesses Gone Wild," with industry types offering opinions based on a variety of factors. Logic doesn't always lead to truth. I'm hearing that three or four candidates already are lined up for interviews...

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Ripken: "I'm in the next phase of my life and I could be open to a lot of things"

October 17, 2013, 8:52am

Orioles

Ripken: "I'm in the next phase of my life and I could be open to a lot of things"

Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. still hasn't been contacted about interviewing for a managing job next season despite the continuing speculation that he will return to the dugout. Ripken, currently working the National League Championship Series for TBS, remains open to the idea. Nothing has changed in that regard. "When I do these things, I get asked that kind of question and I try to answer as honestly as I can," Ripken said during a phone interview with MASNsports.com. "I've always said...

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Adair not returning as pitching coach (updated)

October 16, 2013, 6:16pm

Orioles

Adair not returning as pitching coach (updated)

Rick Adair will not return as the Orioles pitching coach in 2014, according to industry sources. The Orioles have been compiling a list of candidates in case a change was deemed necessary. According to one source, they're not likely to name Bill Castro or Scott McGregor as the replacement, though a final decision is pending. Castro was named pitching coach on Aug. 15 after Adair took a leave of absence for personal reasons that included his father's terminal illness. His father passed away...

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How much for Hammel?

October 16, 2013, 1:22pm

Orioles

The Orioles' list of pending free agents includes right-hander Jason Hammel, who made $6.75 million in 2013. What's he worth in 2014? You could argue that the Orioles have gotten one really good half-season out of Hammel in the two years that he's spent in the organization following his arrival from the Rockies. Hammel was 8-5 with a 3.47 ERA in 17 starts before the 2012 All-Star break, and was named a finalist for the MLB Fan Vote in the American League. But he later went on the...

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Orioles release 2014 spring training schedule

October 16, 2013, 11:25am

Orioles

The Orioles begin their 2014 Grapefruit League schedule with a Feb. 28 game against the Rays in Port Charlotte. Their home opener is March 1 against the Blue Jays at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota. This will be the Orioles' fifth consecutive spring in Sarasota. No date has been announced for pitchers and catchers to report, but it's expected to be Feb. 13. Also, the Orioles most likely will play their Triple-A affiliate in Norfolk after breaking camp. The Orioles will face eight different...

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Catching up with the 1983 World Series MVP

October 16, 2013, 7:44am

Orioles

Catching up with the 1983 World Series MVP

Thirty years ago today, the Orioles won their last World Series by defeating the Phillies in five games. Does it seem that long ago? Not to the MVP. "It seems like it was only yesterday," said former catcher Rick Dempsey. "This is what time does to you when you get older. These events, you don't think about them and then all of a sudden they're in your face. You hear, 'This is the anniversary,' and you think, 'Oh, my God. It's been 30 years?' I didn't think I'd live 30 years past...

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On this date in 1983 ...

October 15, 2013, 8:05pm

Orioles

The Orioles still haven't announced whether Scott McGregor will remain the bullpen coach or return to his previous job as pitching rehab coordinator. But on this date in 1983, the left-hander stood on the mound as shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. squeezed Garry Maddox's line drive for the final out in the World Series. Can't take that away from him. The images of Ripken shaking the glove over his head and McGregor receiving a bear hug from catcher Rick Dempsey are forever etched in the minds of...

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Celebrating Jim Palmer on his 68th birthday

October 15, 2013, 10:19am

Orioles

Celebrating Jim Palmer on his 68th birthday

How does a Hall of Famer and three-time Cy Young Award winner celebrate his 68th birthday? Jim Palmer gets to the gym at 6 a.m. He might hit a bucket of golf balls later this afternoon. "I'm wearing black," he told me. "I'm in mourning in the morning." It's still morning in Corona del Mar, a town in the affluent city of Newport Beach, Calif. Palmer won't be there much longer, though. He's shipping his car to Florida and heading to New Jersey this weekend for a card show. And he's...

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Some of this, some of that

October 14, 2013, 4:28pm

Orioles

As long as I'm making predictions in October, I may as well deliver one regarding third baseman Manny Machado following last night's update on his left knee surgery. The Orioles aren't conceding that Machado will begin the 2014 season on the disabled list, but that's my guess. The full six-month recovery period would take Machado into mid-April. If he's ready in five months, I'm still skeptical that Orioles manager Buck Showalter will feel comfortable putting him in the lineup on March...

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Updating Machado's surgery

October 14, 2013, 2:47pm

Orioles

The Orioles announced this evening that Manny Machado's knee surgery went "as expected" in Los Angeles. Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who performed the surgery at the Kerlan-Jobe Clinic, estimated the recovery time at approximately six months, which would jeopardize Machado's availability for the March 31 season opener at Camden Yards. The 75-minute procedure included an arthroscopy and open reconstruction of the medial patellar femoral ligament. A hamstring tendon was used to graft a replacement...

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Starting the early talk about the rotation

October 13, 2013, 6:03pm

Orioles

Starting the early talk about the rotation

Manny Machado will undergo surgery today at the Kerlan-Jobe Clinic in Los Angeles to repair a torn medial patellofemoral ligament in his left knee. I'll beat the rush and pass along that it's going to be a "successful" surgery and the time frame of a four- to six-month recovery period will remain unchanged. Five months would put Machado in the middle of March, still enough time to get ready for opening day at Camden Yards. In the meantime, he can work on his upper-body strength. Going...

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More about Markakis

October 12, 2013, 9:36pm

Orioles

During yesterday's "Wall to Wall Baseball" show on MASN, a viewer asked the expert panel - comprised of Tom Davis, Dave Johnson and yours truly - whether Nick Markakis should lead off next season. It's never easy to discuss the lineup without knowing the composition of the 25-man roster. If the Orioles re-sign Nate McLouth, he figures to bat first against right-handers. If they re-sign Brian Roberts, he immediately becomes a candidate to move atop the order. The Orioles were 60-48 with...

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Springing ahead with a few exhibition dates (updated)

October 12, 2013, 11:29am

Orioles

Springing ahead with a few exhibition dates (updated)

The Orioles are expected to release their spring training schedule next week. In the meantime, I've pieced together a few dates from the Grapefruit League's tentative master schedule. Yes, it's a slow news day. And let's keep it that way. No surprise surgeries, please. Maybe it's the crappy weather that's got me thinking about Sarasota. And you'll notice that I've conveniently skipped past the winter meetings, though they're being held in Orlando in December. Still the worst...

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A scout's take on Rodriguez and Wright

October 11, 2013, 10:16pm

Orioles

I talked to someone in the Orioles organization earlier this week who pointed out the advantage of having a true No. 1 starter. Look at the Cardinals with Adam Wainwright, the Dodgers with Clayton Kershaw, the Tigers with Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. Yeah, the Tigers have quite an advantage. It's all laid out for us in the playoffs. The bigger the stage, the bigger the performances. But how is a team like the Orioles supposed to get its hands on arms of that caliber? They won't dish...