Roch Kubatko

Orioles lineup vs. Yankees

July 29, 2020, 11:38am

Orioles

Chris Davis is out of the Orioles' lineup tonight for their first home game of the 2020 season. Renato NÃºÃ±ez is playing first base and Dwight Smith Jr. is the designated hitter. Davis was 1-for-11 with an RBI double in Boston. JosÃ© Iglesias continues to bat third. Anthony Santander is one spot ahead of him. DJ Stewart is in left field. Orioles pitchers haven't issued a walk in the last two games. The club record is three straight on July 1-3, 1980. For the Orioles Austin Hays CF...

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Orioles trade VelÃ¡zquez to Astros for PTBNL (plus other notes)

July 29, 2020, 8:37am

Orioles

Already outrighted off the 40-man roster and removed from the player pool, reliever Hector VelÃ¡zquez is now leaving the Orioles organization. He never got to throw a pitch for them in a spring training, summer exhibition or regular season game. The Orioles traded VelÃ¡zquez to the Astros this afternoon for a player to be named later. Claimed off waivers from the Red Sox on March 8, VelÃ¡zquez managed to throw a bullpen session at the Ed Smith Stadium complex before baseball shut down due...

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Orioles resuming season against team that tortured them in 2019

July 28, 2020, 6:24pm

Orioles

Momentum in baseball is the next day's starting pitcher. We must remind ourselves as the Orioles sit on their back-to-back wins in Boston. They could have rolled into Miami and been toppled by Pablo LÃ³pez, who registered a 3.39 ERA, 1.084 WHIP and .229 average against in 11 home starts last summer, compared to a 7.36 ERA, 1.448 WHIP and .299 average-against in 10 starts on the road. Of course, we'll never know because both games at Marlins Park were postponed. The softer part of the...

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Davis: "I would say I'm definitely a little bit more concerned"

July 28, 2020, 5:43pm

Orioles

Davis: "I would say I'm definitely a little bit more concerned"

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde was able to joke tonight about his experience Monday at the team hotel in Miami, how he ordered a delicious cheeseburger for lunch with a side of sweet potato fries. He definitely recommends the fries. Hyde was preparing for a game but instructed his players to stay near their phones. Don't leave their rooms. And take advantage of the 24-hour food service. Guys are trying to keep it light, but the last few days have been unsettling. The reports on the positive...

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Orioles could be hosting Yankees this week (updated)

July 28, 2020, 10:32am

Orioles

The 2020 season is about to get weirder. The Marlins have been shut down this week due to an increasing number of positive tests for COVID-19, which forced the postponement of both games against the Orioles in Miami. The teams are supposed to play Wednesday and Thursday night at Camden Yards, but more postponements are in the works. Rather than stay idle, the Orioles could be hosting the Yankees for the next two nights. The Yankees had their game against the Phillies postponed again today at...

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Orioles left playing waiting game rather than Marlins

July 27, 2020, 3:48pm

Orioles

Safety comes first. Before a winning series, before the standings, before anything relating to balls and strikes. The Orioles were stuck in their hotel in Miami yesterday unsure whether they'd play the following night or receive clearance to fly back to Baltimore. Less than a week into a truncated season that offers little flexibility, they had gone from summer training camp to the danger zone. The team boarded a charter flight last night and left the state of Florida, one of the pandemic hot...

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Manfred says Orioles and Marlins won't play Tuesday night

July 27, 2020, 3:35pm

Orioles

The Orioles won't be the visiting team against the Marlins in their home ballpark. Commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed tonight on MLB Network that Tuesday's game also has been postponed and won't be moved to Camden Yards. Manfred indicated that the next game could be played Wednesday night, which begins the Orioles' first home series of the truncated season, if COVID-19 testing on the Marlins produces favorable results. This is based on the assumption that government officials will allow the...

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Orioles-Marlins game has been postponed (latest update)

July 27, 2020, 6:02am

Orioles

The Orioles made it through three games before COVID-19 impacted their schedule and perhaps a truncated season. Tonight's game with the Marlins in Miami has been canceled, with confirmation coming from a team official. The clubs were supposed to play twice in Miami before the home-and-home series shifted to Baltimore. But at least 14 Marlins have tested positive, including 12 players, according to an ESPN report. Major League Baseball's greatest fear is coming to fruition. An outbreak shortly...

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More on Iglesias batting third and whether Cobb is a trade chip

July 26, 2020, 5:10pm

Orioles

More on Iglesias batting third and whether Cobb is a trade chip

JosÃ© Iglesias might not have noticed the reaction on social media to the Orioles' opening day lineup. Impossible for me to miss it. Twitter had a field day with manager Brandon Hyde's decision to bat Iglesias third. Fans and media partied on it. The lineup should have been written on a cornhole board. What does it say about this team that Iglesias is the No. 3 hitter? A guy with a career .687 OPS who's valued for his glove? I'll ask again: Who's laughing now? Iglesias probably won't...

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Orioles leave Boston with two wins (updated)

July 26, 2020, 12:50pm

Orioles

Maybe an expanded postseason field in 2020 doesn't impact the Orioles because they would have kept playing into October no matter the setup. They don't need any favors. Or maybe it's just a series win in Boston. Whatever. A team that posted the second-worst record in baseball last summer and is engaged in a lengthy and painful rebuild process is having a little fun and some early success. Wade LeBlanc dominated for most of his Orioles debut, Rio Ruiz and Anthony Santander homered and JosÃ©...

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Elias on player pool, alternate camp and Mountcastle (plus notes)

July 26, 2020, 9:28am

Orioles

Elias on player pool, alternate camp and Mountcastle (plus notes)

The Orioles are discussing how they'll proceed with their 60-man player pool that currently has five open spots. The next meeting is going to be held on Monday, according to executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias. The vacancies exist by design as the club determines how to fill them in order to provide insurance for the major league club and instruction for prospects. "We visit the topic regularly," Elias said during a Zoom conference call. "I think we wanted to see how...

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Orioles lineup vs. Red Sox

July 26, 2020, 6:09am

Orioles

Orioles third baseman Rio Ruiz moves up to the cleanup spot for today's rubber match in Boston. Ruiz is batting in the fourth slot for the 10th time in his career. Manager Brandon Hyde is going with his left-handed-hitting lineup against Red Sox right-hander Ryan Weber. Hanser Alberto moves down to fifth in the order, with Chris Davis sixth. Chance Sisco is behind the plate and DJ Stewart is in left field. JosÃ© Iglesias, with two more hits yesterday, remains in the third slot. For the...

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Phillips veers away from injured list during shutdown

July 25, 2020, 4:36pm

Orioles

Phillips veers away from injured list during shutdown

The manipulation of a prolonged baseball shutdown and the changes created in roster projections has a glowing example residing inside the Orioles bullpen. Evan Phillips is sitting in it. Phillips was a slam-dunk resident of the injured list back in March, when elbow soreness led to an MRI, a second opinion from Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles and some bleak news. No surgery was the only encouraging development. But Phillips was going to be sidelined for a while and have to slowly work his...

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Cobb dazzles in 7-2 win, Means provides positive news (updated)

July 25, 2020, 12:40pm

Orioles

Cobb dazzles in 7-2 win, Means provides positive news (updated)

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said that he wanted to flush last night's loss. His team almost clogged the bases early this afternoon. Alex Cobb, making his first start since April 26, 2019, was handed a three-run lead before he stepped on the mound and carried a shutout into the sixth in a 7-2 victory over the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Cobb had pinpoint control of his fastball while allowing one run and four hits with no walks and six strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out Rafael Devers with...

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Notes on Harvey, lineup trend, bullpen, Cobb and more

July 25, 2020, 7:54am

Orioles

Notes on Harvey, lineup trend, bullpen, Cobb and more

Orioles reliever Hunter Harvey won't come off the 10-day injured list when he's eligible on Thursday, with manager Brandon Hyde noting that the right-hander is improving but still facing a number of tests. Players on the injured list, including John Means and Dillon Tate, have moved to the alternate camp site in Bowie. Harvey is shelved with a right forearm strain that's been described as arm fatigue. "He's still in a progression," said Orioles manager Brandon Hyde. "He's going to start...

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Orioles lineup vs. Red Sox

July 25, 2020, 6:08am

Orioles

Hanser Alberto moves up to second in the Orioles lineup today versus a left-handed starter and Anthony Santander shifts to left field and bats cleanup. Cedric Mullins is the right fielder against the Red Sox, who are sending left-hander MartÃn PÃ©rez to the mound. Pat Valaika is replacing Rio Ruiz at third base. Ruiz homered last night in a 13-2 loss. Chris Davis moves down to seventh in the order. Alex Cobb is making his first start since April 26, 2019. He's posted a 3.84 ERA and 1.342...

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A different kind of opening day

July 24, 2020, 7:56pm

Orioles

Well, that was weird. But also the beginning of a new routine. I can't remember the last opening day spent at my home. Maybe in 1996 because I wasn't on the beat, though I could have been part of the overflow coverage at my former newspaper. More likely in 1995 with the Orioles in Kansas City. The openers at Camden Yards, Tropicana Field and Yankee Stadium ensured a seat in the press box. Breaking camp in Sarasota and driving to St. Petersburg simplified the travel process. The pandemic...

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Orioles drop opener to Red Sox 13-2 (updated)

July 24, 2020, 6:51pm

Orioles

The Orioles formed a row along the third base line tonight while waiting for the playing of the national anthem. One of baseball's long-standing traditions that brought each of them to one knee. They clutched the long black ribbon that's been unfurled in ballparks as a symbol of the racial reckoning that's happening in the United States. Rising to their feet, the Orioles moved closer together and linked arms as another gesture of unity and equality that didn't require or demand social...

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Notes on rotation, taxi squad, opening day, Davis' outlook and more

July 24, 2020, 1:49pm

Orioles

Notes on rotation, taxi squad, opening day, Davis' outlook and more

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde is trying to set up the rest of his rotation without No 1. starter John Means, who's on the injured list with left shoulder fatigue. He appears to have made decisions through the first road trip. Alex Cobb and Wade LeBlanc start the last two games in Boston and Asher Wojciechowki gets the ball for Monday night's series opener against the Marlins in Miami. Hyde is leaning toward using Kohl Stewart the following night before the Orioles head back to Baltimore. The...

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Orioles and Red Sox lineups, Hector VelÃ¡zquez outrighted

July 24, 2020, 11:46am

Orioles

The Orioles are opening their season in Boston tonight for the first time since 1966 and they're sending out a lineup that includes Austin Hays leading off and JosÃ© Iglesias batting third. Iglesias has hit third in two career games before tonight. Anthony Santander is slotted in between Hays and Iglesias. Chris Davis is fifth and Hanser Alberto sixth. DJ Stewart gets the start in left field and is batting ninth. Tommy Milone and Nathan Eovaldi are making their first career opening day...