Roch Kubatko

Orioles and Mariners lineups

May 04, 2021, 3:49pm

Orioles

DJ Stewart is back in the Orioles lineup tonight as they resume their series in Seattle. Stewart was scratched last night with lower back stiffness and multiple changes in positions brought Pat Valaika off the bench. Ryan Mountcastle is the designated hitter. Chance Sisco is catching. Rio Ruiz gets the start at second base. The Orioles are 14-15 overall and trying to reach .500 for the first time since April 10. They're 10-5 on the road. Jorge LÃ³pez is 1-3 with a 7.48 ERA and 1.431 WHIP in...

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Updating Baumann, Kjerstad, Akin, Ciuffo, Baumler and more

May 04, 2021, 10:25am

Orioles

Updating Baumann, Kjerstad, Akin, Ciuffo, Baumler and more

Mike Baumann's exclusion from a break-camp roster is the result of lingering discomfort in his right arm, leaving one of the top pitching prospects in the Orioles organization at extended spring training in Sarasota, Fla. Baumann, ranked No. 8 by MLBPipeline.com and Baseball America, was shut down last summer at the alternate camp site in Bowie due to a right flexor strain. He was able to throw in spring training, though not competitively. The Orioles placed Baumann on the 40-man roster in...

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carter baumler conner greene heston kjerstad josh rogers keegan akin luis ortiz matt blood mike baumann nick ciuffo orioles spenser watkisn thomas eshelman zac lowther orioles farm report frontstory_orioles3

Remaining Rutschman rumblings and more

May 03, 2021, 5:59pm

Orioles

Adley Rutschman is going to catch DL Hall tonight in Double-A Bowie's opener in Altoona, Pa. He's going to catch a lot of guys. He's the starter and he's lauded throughout the industry for his arm, defensive skills and leadership. But he won't be limited to one position. The Orioles want Rutschman to get some work at first base to keep his bat in the lineup while also giving him a break from the beatings sustained behind the plate. Rutschman played 36 games at first base in his three...

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adley rutschman bruce zimmermann buck britton cody sedlock dean kremer dl hall isaac mattson orioles orioles farm report frontstory_orioles2

Stewart removed from tonight's lineup, Zimmermann optioned

May 03, 2021, 4:31pm

Orioles

Stewart removed from tonight's lineup, Zimmermann optioned

Removing one player from tonight's Orioles lineup led to a massive shuffling of personnel. Outfielder DJ Stewart is a late scratch due to stiffness in his lower back. Manager Brandon Hyde said Stewart is receiving treatment and is "kind of day-to-day right now." When the dust settled, Pat Valaika wound up at second base rather than sitting on the bench among three reserves. Rio Ruiz moved from second base to third and Maikel Franco is the designated hitter, with Trey Mancini at first base...

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brandon hyde bruce zimmermann chance sisco dean kremer dj stewart freddy galvis isaac mattson orioles pat valaika ramon urias featured_sidebar frontstory_orioles1

Orioles and Mariners lineups

May 03, 2021, 3:20pm

Orioles

Rio Ruiz, who had a pinch-hit double yesterday in Oakland, is starting at second base tonight for the series opener against the Mariners in Seattle. Ryan Mountcastle is starting at first base. He's hit safely in seven straight games, going 9-for-26 (.346). Trey Mancini is 9-for-28 (.321) with six RBIs in his last seven games. He's the designated hitter. Pedro Severino, who's catching tonight, is 6-for-18 (.333) in his last five games. He's reached base in 10 straight. Freddy Galvis is in...

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conner greene dean kremer freddy galvis josh rogers orioles rio ruiz ryan mountcastle spenser watkins thomas eshelman trey mancini zac lowther frontfeatured_orioles

Rutschman ready for minor league season and hype

May 03, 2021, 11:16am

Orioles

Rutschman ready for minor league season and hype

Buck Britton knows what's coming. Adley Rutschman knows what's coming. The celebrated return of Minor League Baseball should set off nightly fireworks in Bowie with Rutschman, the top prospect in the Orioles organization and rated among the best in baseball, doing most of the catching in his first full professional season. The attention is going to be intense. It won't worry or distract Rutschman or his manager. "Obviously, I was never at that hype. I was always Zack's brother coming up,...

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adley rutschman buck britton dl hall grayson rodriguez orioles orioles farm report frontstory_orioles2

This, that and the other

May 02, 2021, 4:32pm

Orioles

The month of April gave left-hander Zac Lowther his first introduction to the majors with a surprise call-up and his scoreless ninth inning on April 25. Optioned back to the alternate training site, he rejoined the Orioles as a member of their taxi squad for the West Coast trip that resumes tonight in Seattle. Good times for the pitcher MLBPipeline.com deems the No. 11 prospect in the organization. The only downside to placing him on the taxi squad was his inability to start Triple-A Norfolk's...

Orioles done in by Athletics defense in 7-5 loss (updated)

May 02, 2021, 3:10pm

Orioles

A 25-pitch first inning for Bruce Zimmermann and the two errors on one play and resulting runs didn't fit a team that sought to sweep a series and extend its winning streak to four games. More appropriate were the two rallies in the first five innings that erased deficits and kept alive the quest to reach .500. And a third RBI for Trey Mancini in the seventh that gave the Orioles their first lead. It didn't last long. And .500 was put on hold in jarring fashion. RamÃ³n Laureano made a...

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adam plutko austin hays brandon hyde bruce zimmermann cedric mullins dj stewart jahmai jones maikel franco orioles pat valaika paul fry ramon urias richie martin rio ruiz travis lakins sr. trey mancini featured_sidebar frontstory_orioles3

Orioles lineup vs. Athletics (updated)

May 02, 2021, 10:10am

Orioles

Shortstop Freddy Galvis played five innings yesterday in his return from a sore left adductor, and he's in the lineup again today as the Orioles attempt to complete the sweep in Oakland. Ryan Mountcastle is the designated hitter again and Trey Mancini is the first baseman. The outfield corners are the same, too. Austin Hays in left and DJ Stewart in right. Pedro Severino is catching despite being hit on the right wrist yesterday by a foul ball and a pitch in the same inning. Rookie left-hander...

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austin hays bruce zimmermann dean kremer dj stewart freddy galvis john means jorge lopez orioles ryan mountcastle trey mancini frontfeatured_orioles

Means muting Cy Young murmuring

May 01, 2021, 3:54pm

Orioles

The Baseball Writers' Association of America doesn't begin casting votes for major awards in April and early May. No season is truncated to such a length that it happens. John Means isn't clearing space on a shelf for his Cy Young Award. He's entering a premature discussion without clicking on any links. The talk surrounds him. It's building. And he's doing his best to ignore it. I guess Means has no one to blame but himself. That'll teach him to go 3-0 with a 1.70 ERA, 0.838 WHIP and...

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Orioles ride big inning to 8-4 win (updated)

May 01, 2021, 3:18pm

Orioles

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde watched CÃ©sar Valdez wiggle out of a jam last night to preserve the slimmest of leads, tossed a few compliments at his closer and pointed out how it would be easier on everyone if his club didn't skimp on the runs. "It would be nice," Hyde said, "to score a couple more to give a little breathing room in the ninth for all of our pitchers." Matt Harvey stepped out of the dugout for the bottom of the third today with a six-run lead. A direct path to the mound...

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austin hays brandon hyde cedric mullins cole sulser dillon tate dj stewart freddy galvis maikel franco matt harvey oiroles ramon urias ryan mountcastle trey mancini featured_sidebar frontstory_orioles3

Orioles and Athletics lineups (updated)

May 01, 2021, 10:45am

Orioles

Freddy Galvis has returned to the Orioles lineup today, batting seventh against the Athletics in Oakland. Galvis, previously out with a sore left adductor, is batting .348/.400/.630 (16-for-46) in his last 15 games. He slashed .115/.179/.154 (3-for-26) in his first seven. "He got off to a slow start offensively," manager Brandon Hyde said today in his Zoom call. "Really, like the last week to two weeks before he had a little bit of the groin soreness, I think you started seeing better...

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austin hays cedric mullins dj stewart freddy galvis john means maikel franco matt harvey orioles ryan mountcastle trey mancini zach muckenhirn frontfeatured_orioles lineups pat valaika

Leftovers for breakfast

April 30, 2021, 4:19pm

Orioles

Not only has Orioles hitting coach Don Long noticed, along with everyone else, the spike in offensive production from center fielder Cedric Mullins, he's also enjoyed the changes that aren't evident in box scores. "I was really proud of him last year for his personality emerging," Long said yesterday on his Zoom call with the media. "The first year that he was here, kind of getting to know him, he was fairly quiet. He's not a real boisterous guy anyway, but you could see his personality...

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austin wynns brett cumberland cedric mullins don long luis ortiz matt blood nick ciuffo orioles taylor davis featured_sidebar frontstory_orioles2

Long talks about Mancini and Mountcastle working through slumps

April 30, 2021, 4:06pm

Orioles

Long talks about Mancini and Mountcastle working through slumps

The offensive spurts that hinted at breakthroughs for Trey Mancini were mere teasers until a few weeks ago. Until a four-strikeout game in Texas and more conversations with Orioles hitting coach Don Long. It wasn't one day or just a few words that lifted Mancini. They watched video again on Wednesday, studying his at-bats from 2019. And they kept talking. Mancini has hits in nine of his last 11 games and he's reached base safely in seven straight. He's collected 10 hits in 26 at-bats (.385)...

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austin wynns cedric mullins don long isaac mattson orioles ryan mckenna ryan mountcastle thomas eshelman zac lowther frontstory_orioles2

Orioles and Athletics lineups (updated)

April 30, 2021, 3:21pm

Orioles

Shortstop Freddy Galvis remains out of the Orioles lineup tonight, his day-to-day status extending at least to Saturday. RamÃ³n UrÃas is the shortstop for the series opener in Oakland. Pat Valaika is the second baseman. Rio Ruiz is playing third base instead of Maikel Franco. Austin Hays stays in left field and DJ Stewart stays in right. Ryan Mountcastle gets another start at first base, with Trey Mancini the designated hitter. Left-hander John Means has allowed one run or fewer in eight...

Blood says Orioles "won't rush situation" with Kjerstad

April 29, 2021, 3:47pm

Orioles

Orioles minor leaguers are breaking spring training camp today and heading north, hitting the road and catching flights to join their respective affiliates for the resumption of a season that never got off the ground in 2020. Teams will announce their rosters on Tuesday as an attachment to opening day. Heston Kjerstad is ahead of them, but about to spin in the other direction, leaving the alternate training site in Bowie and resuming his workouts in Sarasota, Fla. The second-overall selection...

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heston kjerstad matt blood orioles orioles farm report frontstory_orioles3

Mullins' sacrifice fly in 10th bails out Valdez in 4-3 win (updated)

April 29, 2021, 12:37pm

Orioles

Mullins' sacrifice fly in 10th bails out Valdez in 4-3 win (updated)

Starting pitcher Jorge LÃ³pez came out of the dugout this afternoon and hopped across the first base line before teammates followed him onto the field. Manager Brandon Hyde was more interested in whether they could get on base. It wasn't the only time they trailed, but it's where you finish that counts. CÃ©sar Valdez was a strike away from stranding two runners after walks and notching his sixth save - though plate umpire Rob Drake was squeezing him - but Gleyber Torres lined an automatic...

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adam plutko austin hays brandon hyde cedric mullins cesar valdez chris holt jorge lopez orioles pat valaika paul fry ramon urias ryan mountcastle tanner scott travis lakins sr. trey mancini featured_sidebar frontstory_orioles3

Updating Galvis and impact of short bench

April 29, 2021, 8:23am

Orioles

Updating Galvis and impact of short bench

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde hopes that shortstop Freddy Galvis will be available to start or come off the bench Friday night when the Orioles begin their two-city West Coast trip in Oakland. Galvis is day-to-day with a sore left adductor/groin, an injury sustained Monday night while running out an RBI double. Hyde said Galvis hit on the field yesterday and did some infield work this morning. Increasing baseball activities also meant jogging up the first base line. "I want to see how that...

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brandon hyde chance sisco freddy galvis orioles pat valaika ramon urias rio ruiz trey mancini featured_sidebar frontstory_orioles2

Orioles and Yankees lineups

April 29, 2021, 7:21am

Orioles

Rio Ruiz, RamÃ³n UrÃas, Pat Valaika and Ryan Mountcastle were grouped this morning for early infield work. Three of the four are in today's lineup as the Orioles close out their series against the Yankees and head to the West Coast. Maikel Franco is the third baseman. Otherwise, UrÃas is playing shortstop, Valaika is the second baseman and Mountcastle is the first baseman. Trey Mancini is serving as the designated hitter. Mancini became the 49th player to record 500 hits in an Orioles...

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austin hays bruce zimmermann cedric mullins dj stewart freddy galvis john means jorge lopez maikel franco matt harvey orioles pat valaika ramon urias rio ruiz ryan mountcastle trey mancini lineups frontstory_orioles1

Analytics assist Armstrong in adjusting arm

April 28, 2021, 6:17pm

Orioles

Analytics assist Armstrong in adjusting arm

If the Orioles are going to make pitching data so readily available, creating a big splash with their plunges into analytics, reliever Shawn Armstrong would have been foolish to stay in the shallow end. To figure out why he was getting hit and losing command after leaving the injured list, Armstrong studied his mechanics and hunted for a solution beyond the standard side work and conversations with director of pitching/pitching coach Chris Holt and assistant pitching coach Darren Holmes. They...