Roch Kubatko

Notes before tonight's Orioles-Red Sox game

July 26, 2013, 1:27pm

Orioles

The Orioles have won 14 of their last 19 games against the Red Sox, and 24 of their last 34. Infielder Jonathan Schoop has been activated from the minor league disabled list and rejoined Triple-A Norfolk for tonight's game at Rochester. He homered twice and drove in seven runs last night at short-season Single-A Aberdeen. To make room for Schoop, the Orioles released infielder Brandon Wood, who batted .215/.250/.309 with nine doubles, a triple, two home runs and 23 RBIs in 48 games after...

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Orioles using familiar lineup against Red Sox

July 26, 2013, 11:01am

Orioles

Though the offense scuffled over the last three games in Kansas City, Orioles manager Buck Showalter didn't make any drastic changes or do any tweaking with his lineup for tonight's series opener against the Red Sox at Camden Yards. Chris Davis continues to bat fifth while searching for his first home run since the All-Star break. Matt Wieters is hitting sixth, J.J. Hardy seventh, Henry Urrutia eighth and Brian Roberts ninth. Been there, done that. Urrutia is making his Camden Yards...

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Pearce plays in first rehab game, Red Sox lineup

July 26, 2013, 10:48am

Orioles

Pearce plays in first rehab game, Red Sox lineup

Orioles outfielder Steve Pearce started his injury-rehab assignment today with the Gulf Coast Orioles. Pearce, leading off and playing left field, went 2-for-4 with an RBI. He also committed a fielding error. Pearce hasn't played since June 19 in Detroit. He was batting .235/.311/.383 with three doubles, three homers and nine RBIs in 28 games before going on the disabled list with left wrist tendinitis. He had seven walks and 20 strikeouts in 81 at-bats. Pearce underwent an MRA on his left...

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What's the next move for the offense?

July 25, 2013, 8:10pm

Orioles

The Orioles haven't been home since July 14. They probably would have gone anywhere to escape Kansas City, where they lost three straight games to close out their road trip. They were outscored 14-6 in those defeats and batted .214. They were 1-for-17 with runners in scoring position, placing the focus back on their offense. Maybe it's an overreaction. They scored 23 runs in the first four games of the road trip. But unless I missed it, there's nothing in the latest collective bargaining...

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Gonzalez lacking quality in his start (O's lose 7-1)

July 25, 2013, 5:55pm

Orioles

Gonzalez lacking quality in his start (O's lose 7-1)

It's one of those nights for the Orioles. One of those nights that indicates that a split of their four-game series in Kansas City isn't in the cards. Not unless there's dramatic shift. Not unless someone changes the deck. The Orioles rotation had posted seven straight quality starts and 10 in their last 11 games, but Miguel Gonzalez left tonight's game after 4 2/3 innings. He couldn't keep the ball down and the Royals wouldn't let him up. Troy Patton let an inherited runner score,...

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Game update and rotation change for Red Sox (O's down 3-1)

July 25, 2013, 4:52pm

Orioles

Game update and rotation change for Red Sox (O's down 3-1)

Orioles starter Miguel Gonzalez retired the first two Royals he faced in the first inning tonight and gave up a cheap double to Billy Butler. I say "cheap" because Butler slapped at the ball and sent it bouncing down the right field line. Looked pretty harmless leaving his bat. Turned out to be quite harmful. The next two batters delivered RBI singles - Salvador Perez to center field and David Lough to right - to put the Orioles in an early 2-0 hole. The Orioles also fell behind in the...

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Orioles and Royals lineups (Phils not near deal for Dickerson)

July 25, 2013, 12:59pm

Orioles

No surprises in the Orioles lineup tonight as they attempt to gain a split of their four-game series in Kansas City. Henry Urrutia remains the designated hitter against a right-handed starter, in this case former Oriole Jeremy Guthrie. Brian Roberts continues to play second base and bat ninth. For the Orioles Nate McLouth LF Manny Machado 3B Nick Markakis RF Adam Jones CF Chris Davis 1B Matt Wieters C J.J. Hardy SS Henry Urrutia DH Brian Roberts 2B Miguel Gonzalez RHP For the...

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Pitching matchups vs. Red Sox and notes on Wieters and Gonzalez

July 25, 2013, 11:32am

Orioles

Pitching matchups vs. Red Sox and notes on Wieters and Gonzalez

The Orioles will face two right-handers in their three-game series against the Boston Red Sox that begins Friday night at Camden Yards. Does Henry Urrutia get the start at designated hitter in all three games? Stay tuned. Here are the matchups: Friday: Chris Tillman (12-3, 3.84 ERA) vs. Ryan Dempster (5-8, 4.28 ERA) Saturday: Scott Feldman (2-1, 4.73 ERA) vs. Brandon Workman (0-1, 4.40 ERA) Sunday: Jason Hammel (7-7, 5.20 ERA) vs. Jon Lester (9-6, 4.50 ERA) Tillman will attempt to become...

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Updates on Clevenger, Wada and Hoes

July 25, 2013, 10:47am

Orioles

Catcher Steve Clevenger, the Baltimore native acquired from the Cubs with Scott Feldman for pitchers Jake Arrieta and Pedro Strop, played in his first game today since recovering from a strained oblique. Clevenger was behind the plate for the Gulf Coast League Orioles and went 0-for-3 with a strikeout before being replaced. He had been rehabbing at the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota. Clevenger was assigned to Triple-A Norfolk, but didn't report because of the injury. Chris Snyder and...

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A little of this, a little of that

July 24, 2013, 8:03pm

Orioles

According to various reports, the Orioles are still scouting starting pitchers and have been keeping close tabs on the Houston Astros. Not a big surprise, since executive vice president Dan Duquette is always in the market for pitching. He goes to an actual market and has "left-hander" listed after "bananas" and "milk." If he succeeds in bringing in another starter, it would have to be as a replacement for Jason Hammel. It's not like Wei-Yin Chen, Chris Tillman, Miguel Gonzalez and...

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Orioles suffer another one-run loss

July 24, 2013, 6:52pm

Orioles

The Orioles gave up three runs in the last two innings tonight and lost to the Royals 4-3. They need a win Thursday night to salvage a split of the four-game series. David Lough singled off Orioles right-hander Darren O'Day with one out in the bottom of the ninth, the ball ricocheting off the reliever and second base, and Alcides Escobar followed with a double off the top of the left field fence. Lough came around to score, as O'Day surrendered a run for only the second time in his last 11...

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Wieters gives Orioles lead, Chen gives up first HR in first inning (game tied)

July 24, 2013, 5:12pm

Orioles

Catcher Matt Wieters is back in the Orioles lineup tonight after resting on Tuesday. And his hot streak continues. Wieters just belted a two-run homer in the top of the fourth inning to give the Orioles a 2-1 lead over the Royals. Wieters is now 10-for-23 with two doubles, two homers, four RBIs and six runs scored in his last six games. The first inning has been much kinder to Orioles left-hander Wei-Yin Chen compared to last season. Until tonight. Chen posted a 5.91 ERA and allowed seven...

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Orioles announce Alvarez signing

July 24, 2013, 3:30pm

Orioles

Cuban outfielder Dariel Alvarez has passed his physical and officially signed with the Orioles. Alvarez, 24, will be assigned to Single-A Frederick after reporting this week to the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota. Alvarez, who signed for $800,000, played for Camaguey in the Cuban League from 2007-11 and Tuxpan in Mexico in 2012. In five seasons with Camaguey, he batted .297 (341-for-1,147) with 37 home runs and 180 RBIs. In 2011, he set career highs by batting .363/.404/.613...

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Orioles option Valencia

July 24, 2013, 2:14pm

Orioles

The Orioles are adding a reliever for tonight's game in Kansas City and subtracting a bench player. To make room for right-hander Francisco Rodriguez on the 25-man roster, the Orioles have chosen to option corner infielder/designated hitter Danny Valencia to Triple-A Norfolk, according to a team official. The move leaves the Orioles with a three-man bench and eight-man bullpen. Valencia is 0-for-22 since June 17. He's batting .200/.243/.443 with five doubles, four homers and eight RBIs in...

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Orioles and Royals lineups

July 24, 2013, 12:53pm

Orioles

As expected, Henry Urrutia is serving as the Orioles designated hitter for tonight's game in Kansas City. Still waiting for an announcement on the corresponding roster move for reliever Francisco Rodriguez. For the Orioles Nate McLouth LF Manny Machado 3B Nick Markakis RF Adam Jones CF Chris Davis 1B Matt Wieters C J.J. Hardy SS Henry Urrutia DH Brian Roberts 2B Wei-Yin Chen LHP For the Royals Lorenzo Cain CF Eric Hosmer 1B Billy Butler DH Salvador Perez C Miguel Tejada 3B David Lough...

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It's Chen vs. Santana tonight

July 24, 2013, 11:19am

Orioles

Orioles left-hander Wei-Yin Chen is seeking his third consecutive win tonight since coming off the disabled list. He also could intensify the debate over which Orioles starter qualifies as the ace. Is it Chen, Chris Tillman or Miguel Gonzalez? Chen has allowed two runs and 11 hits in his last two starts covering 13 1/3 innings - both against the Rangers. He's posted seven quality starts among his 10 outings, and he was headed for another on May 12 with five scoreless innings in Minnesota...

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Taking another look at the Rodriguez/Delmonico trade

July 23, 2013, 7:07pm

Orioles

Taking another look at the Rodriguez/Delmonico trade

The Orioles will add newly acquired Francisco Rodriguez to their bullpen for tonight's game in Kansas City, subtracting reliever Jairo Asencio or a bench player. Sending down Asencio would be the logical move, but MASN's Gary Thorne suggested multiple times during last night's broadcast that infielder Danny Valencia is more likely to be optioned. Nothing against Asencio, but I think most of us would agree that Rodriguez is an upgrade for a team that's trying to win the division and make a...

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Hammel keeps struggling and escaping (O's lose 3-2)

July 23, 2013, 5:22pm

Orioles

Hammel keeps struggling and escaping (O's lose 3-2)

I don't know whether to criticize Jason Hammel for allowing a run in each of the first three innings or praise him for minimizing the damage. Admonish him for the nine baserunners or admire his escape routine. I'll choose all of the above. Hammel has allowed three runs and eight hits in three innings, with one walk and two strikeouts. He's thrown 54 pitches, 33 for strikes. He forced manager Buck Showalter to phone the bullpen, where T.J. McFarland began to warm up. However, the Royals...

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Orioles finally fall behind (Machado homers)

July 23, 2013, 4:39pm

Orioles

Before tonight, the Orioles hadn't trailed in 36 innings since the All-Star break and hadn't fallen behind in the last 45 innings overall. Their last deficit came at the end of the July 13 loss to Toronto. All good things must come to an end. The Royals loaded the bases with no outs against starter Jason Hammel, and Alex Gordon scored on Billy Butler's double play grounder to third. Hammel is fortunate that he only surrendered one run after the first two Royals reached on singles and...

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Orioles acquire reliever Francisco Rodriguez from Brewers

July 23, 2013, 4:23pm

Orioles

Once the Orioles traded for starter Scott Feldman, their focus shifted to acquiring a veteran reliever, which they did tonight. The Orioles announced that they obtained right-hander Francisco Rodriguez from the Milwaukee Brewers for minor league infielder Nicky Delmonico. Rodriguez will join the team Wednesday in Kansas City, at which point they will make a corresponding move to clear space on the 25-man roster. Jairo Asencio figures to be optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. The Orioles...