Norris done after Dunn home run (O's lose 4-2)

Norris done after Dunn home run (O's lose 4-2)
Bud Norris turned in his shortest start as an Oriole today, lasting only 4 1/3 innings before coming out of the game. Adam Dunn hit a two-run homer in the fifth, the ball bouncing along Eutaw St., to give the White Sox a 4-1 lead. Jeff Keppinger lined to short for the first out, and manager Buck Showalter popped out of the dugout and signaled for left-hander T.J. McFarland. Norris threw 100 pitches, including 64 for strikes. He just wasn't sharp today. Norris allowed four runs and nine...

Game update and more notes (Jones homers)

Game update and more notes (Jones homers)
The Orioles were 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position after the first inning today, in case anyone is keeping track. Manny Machado and Chris Davis walked with one out, but Adam Jones struck out and Nate McLouth flied to deep center. McLouth had one plate appearance this season as the No. 5 hitter before today's game. The White Sox took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning on Conor Gillaspie's one-out single and Dayan Viciedo's RBI double. Bud Norris, going for his career-high...

Urrutia won't make trip to Toronto

Urrutia won't make trip to Toronto
Cuban outfielder Henry Urrutia won't accompany the Orioles on their trip to Toronto next weekend, according to manager Buck Showalter. As part of his work visa, Urrutia isn't allowed to leave the country. Urrutia will fly down to Sarasota and rejoin the Orioles in Boston for the series that begins on Sept. 17. The Orioles have signed 16-year-old Dominican pitcher Olelky Peralta, a 6-foot-4 right-hander with a fastball clocked at 93-97 mph. They think he can move quickly through the...

Orioles and White Sox lineups

Orioles and White Sox lineups
The Orioles will try to complete a four-game sweep of the White Sox today and put together their first four-game winning streak since they won five in a row from July 14-22. They took the first game before the All-Star break and the next four after the season resumed. Brian Roberts is the designated hitter today, with Ryan Flaherty starting at second base. Nate McLouth moves up to fifth in the order. For the Orioles Brian Roberts DH Manny Machado 3B Chris Davis 1B Adam Jones CF Nate...

Urrutia and Wright receive organizational awards

Urrutia and Wright receive organizational awards
The Orioles announced today that outfielder Henry Urrutia has been chosen as the organization's top minor league player and right-hander Mike Wright has been selected as the top minor league pitcher. The winners will be honored in an on-field ceremony before today's game against the White Sox at Camden Yards. Urrutia, the Brooks Robinson Minor League Player of the Year, hit a combined .347/.406/.506 with 31 extra-base hits, 50 RBIs and 49 runs scored in 81 games with Double-A Bowie and...

Looking back and ahead

Looking back and ahead
I'm still trying to digest yesterday's 10-inning win and my breakfast. Insert your own joke here. One of the key moments of the game occurred in the bottom of the 10th inning, and I'm not referring to Matt Wieters' two-out, two-run single that ended it. Nick Markakis stole second base as Nate McLouth took a called third strike, putting the potential winning run in scoring position. Did the White Sox forget about him? Did they think his run didn't matter? Have they completely checked out?...

Showalter speaks after 4-3 win

Showalter speaks after 4-3 win
Just another victory while going 2-for-18 with runners in scoring position. Happens all the time, right? The only statistic that interested the Orioles today was the final score. They defeated the White Sox 4-3 in 10 innings on Matt Wieters' two-run walk-off single. Here's a sampling from manager Buck Showalter's post-game session with the media: On whether he felt fortunate to get the win: "I thought we deserved it. It was frustrating, but we finally break through there at the end. Our...

Chen leaves with score tied in 7th (O's win 4-3 in 10th)

Chen leaves with score tied in 7th (O's win 4-3 in 10th)
Before today, Orioles left-hander Wei-Yin Chen had allowed eight earned runs in the seventh inning this season for an unsightly 9.82 ERA. Chen escaped a jam in the top of the sixth today after Paul Konerko doubled with one out. Darren O'Day and Francisco Rodriguez were warming in the bullpen. The writing was on the wall. Chen, with his pitch count at 99, wouldn't return for the seventh. He also won't get the win because the Orioles continue to squander opportunities to break a 2-2...

Davis double gives Orioles the lead, and other notes (Roberts homers)

Davis double gives Orioles the lead, and other notes (Roberts homers)
Chris Davis proved today that the Orioles don't depend entirely on home runs to do their scoring. Manny Machado raced home on Davis' two-out double into left-center field in the first inning, giving the Orioles a 1-0 lead against White Sox left-hander Hector Santiago. Davis has 124 RBIs, tying Eddie Murray for fourth on the club's all-time single-season list. Next up are Jim Gentile (141 in 1961), Rafael Palmeiro (142 in 1996) and Miguel Tejada (150 in 2004). Danny Valencia led off the...

A few pregame notes from Camden Yards

A few pregame notes from Camden Yards
Orioles manager Buck Showalter wanted to rest Matt Wieters after a night game, and he decided to start Chris Snyder against White Sox left-hander Hector Santiago. He would have considered Steve Clevenger against a right-hander. Clevenger has impressed Showalter and bench coach John Russell with his hitting skills during workouts. "He has a nice flat bat," Showalter said. "It reeks of hit and run when you watch his swing. He doesn't strike out much. Puts the ball in play. He reminds me of...

Orioles and White Sox lineups

Orioles and White Sox lineups
Left-hander Wei-Yin Chen will try to rebound today from two poor starts in a row, and the Orioles will try to win their third consecutive game in their series against the White Sox at Camden Yards. It would be the Orioles' first three-game winning streak since Aug. 6-9 - a span that included an off-day between trips to San Diego and San Francisco. Chen has allowed 11 runs and 12 hits in 7 2/3 innings, with eight walks and 10 strikeouts. In two career starts against the White Sox, Chen is...

What will the Orioles do with Wada?

What will the Orioles do with Wada?
While the Orioles continue to gradually expand their roster, left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada remains in Sarasota. Away from the team. His major league debut still an uncertainty. Other players have hopped on planes to join the Orioles. For Wada, only his future is up in the air. Here's what I know: There are people in the organization who would like for Wada to pitch for the Orioles this month in some capacity. There also are some folks who don't think it's a good idea to experiment in a pennant...

Hearing from Feldman, Wieters, Davis and Valencia

Hearing from Feldman, Wieters, Davis and Valencia
The Orioles have taken the first two games of this four-game series against the Chicago White Sox, allowing only one run in the process. Scott Feldman tossed his first career complete-game shutout and only his second complete game, the other coming on May 1, 2013 against the Padres. "It's my first shutout, so any time something like that happens, it's something I'll always remember," he said. "Also, I'll remember all the plays the guys made behind me. I think B-Rob (Brian Roberts) made...

Showalter speaks after 4-0 win

Showalter speaks after 4-0 win
Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he couldn't remember the last time one of his pitchers tossed a complete game. Did it happen this season? Sure didn't seem like it. Showalter probably knew the exact date - June 16, 2012 - but reporters supplied the answer anyway. Scott Feldman was the first to do it since Jason Hammel, going the distance to blank the White Sox 4-0 at Camden Yards. "He had command of all his pitches," Showalter said. "Got ahead in the count. I don't think he ever got...

Feldman gets complete-game victory

Feldman gets complete-game victory
Scott Feldman took the mound in the ninth inning tonight with Jim Johnson and Brian Matusz warming in the Orioles bullpen. He hadn't allowed a run. His pitch count was up to 101. But he was staying in the game. Manager Buck Showalter was going to let Feldman try for a complete-game shutout, but he also had two relievers ready to match up if the right-hander ran into trouble. It wasn't necessary. Feldman retired the White Sox in order to cap a 4-0 victory at Camden Yards. Feldman turned in...

Valencia continues the longball barrage (Davis and Wieters homer)

Valencia continues the longball barrage (Davis and Wieters homer)
Danny Valencia is in the Orioles lineup again tonight because the Chicago White Sox sent another left-hander to the mound. Just as they did last night. Just as they will do on Saturday. John Danks retired the first eight Orioles before Valencia stepped to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the third. Danks tried to blow a fastball past Valencia on a 2-2 count, and it landed in the left field seats for a 1-0 lead. Valencia was batting .333 against left-handers before tonight, .172...

Orioles defense doesn't rest (Dickerson added to expanded roster)

Orioles defense doesn't rest (Dickerson added to expanded roster)
How good is the Orioles' defense this year? You may already know that their 40 errors in 139 games puts them on pace to commit 47, shattering the 2003 Mariners' record of 65 over a 162-game season. But there's more. According to STATS, the Orioles are the first team in major league history to post 100 errorless games by the end of August. They had 101. The Orioles set a new club record with 106 errorless games this season. The previous mark was 104 in 1998, when the defense included Cal...

Notes on Adair and Pearce

Notes on Adair and Pearce
Orioles manager Buck Showalter had lunch today with pitching coach Rick Adair. Adair took a personal leave of absence from the team on Aug. 16. He returned to Baltimore this morning and packed up a few belongings before heading to to Birmingham, Ala., to be with his father, who's ill. Showalter didn't know whether Adair would rejoin the Orioles later this month or return in 2014. "I think everything else kind of becomes academic until that situation is taken care of in his mind and in...

Orioles and White Sox lineups

Orioles and White Sox lineups
Nick Markakis is back in right field tonight for the Orioles after being used as a defensive replacement last night. Michael Morse is in left field and Danny Valencia is the designated hitter. Orioles starter Scott Feldman has a lifetime 5.16 ERA in September/October, compared to 3.98 in August. He's 4-2 with a 4.09 ERA in 15 career games against the White Sox, including nine starts. White Sox left-hander John Danks is 5-4 with a 4.08 ERA in 11 career starts against the Orioles and 1-1 with...

This, that and the other

This, that and the other
While wondering whether the Ravens will ask to borrow the Orioles' defense... I'm going to make a bold prediction here, so stay with me. The Orioles will not rely on home runs for all of their scoring in their remaining 23 games. A single might do the trick. Maybe a double. Heck, they may bring back the sacrifice fly that was all the rage for two nights. The Orioles are on pace to hit 219 home runs, the second-highest total in club history. They belted 257 in 1996. This year's club is...