The left side of the infield has been a red-hot topic of conversation during the Orioles' frigid start to the 2018 season. Returning Manny Machado to shortstop upon his request, experimenting with Tim Beckham at third base, the plays that haven't been made while the losses piled up.
Manager Buck Showalter said at FanFest that the change could be reversed in spring training, though the commitment made to Machado didn't figure to come with a March expiration date. The Orioles will stick with...
Trey Mancini underwent an MRI on his right knee tonight and his spot in the lineup and atop the order is in jeopardy for Saturday afternoon's game against the Indians.
Mancini sustained a couple of "punctures" in the knee, according to manager Buck Showalter, and he's likely to receive stitches to close the wounds. Nothing more serious was included in the update following a 3-1 Orioles victory at Camden Yards.
Yonder Alonso's fly ball into foul territory drove Mancini near the left field...
Dylan Bundy handled the role of stopper tonight, which comes with the staff ace territory, and an offense that's now showing signs of life rose up in the middle innings to squash a losing streak.
Bundy held the Indians to one run over six innings before his elevated pitch count forced manager Buck Showalter to call upon the bullpen, and the Orioles' skid stopped at six games with a 3-1 victory before an announced crowd of 20,004 at Camden Yards.
Trey Mancini broke a 1-1 tie in the fifth...
As the Orioles get reacquainted with their home surroundings tonight, they're also trying to end a six-game losing streak and regain their footing after absorbing a hard fall on the road.
Asked earlier today what message he would send to his team and the fans, manager Buck Showalter replied that there was nothing to "sum up." It couldn't be done as a quick hit.
"What does that mean? To sit here with two sentences? I think there's a lot more to it than that," he said.
"It's frustrating,...
The Orioles keep receiving positive news on closer Zach Britton, who threw off a half-mound today for the first time since undergoing surgery on his right Achilles tendon.
Twenty four-seam fastballs and not a single regret.
"Felt really good," he said. "It was the first bullpen, so I had to think about that, too. My arm felt really good and really just thinking about getting over that foot, no hesitation whatsoever, especially as we got going. Maybe the first couple of throws. But once we...
The Orioles added a second left-hander to their bullpen this afternoon by recalling Tanner Scott from Triple-A Norfolk and optioning infielder Engelb Vielma to the Tides.
Vielma went 0-for-3 Wednesday afternoon against the Tigers in his only major league start. He appeared in three games.
Manager Buck Showalter complimented Vielma for his work ethic, good hands and intelligence.
"His ball security has gotten real good," Showalter said. "He kind of knows what we're looking for. I think he's...
Luis Sardiñas gets another start at second base tonight and Pedro Ãlvarez is batting second as the designated hitter while the Orioles open their 10-game homestand against the Indians.
Anthony Santander is in right field and Chance Sisco is catching.
No roster move has been announced.
Manny Machado is a career .333 (37-for-111) hitter in 28 games against the Indians, including 10 doubles, seven home runs and 18 RBIs. In 163 games against teams from the American League Central, Machado is...
What's next for the Orioles besides a 10-game homestand that starts with four against the Indians and the task of preventing a losing streak from reaching seven?
Included among the losses should be the "it's still early" narrative, because seasons have imploded well before the break. A sense of urgency isn't misplaced. This is an important series. No one is recommending wide-spread panic, but the Orioles need to get on a roll and cleanse themselves of this mess.
A roster move apparently is...
Alex Cobb will get crushed on social media again today because he lasted only 3 1/3 innings, a shorter outing than his debut in Boston, and left with the Tigers ahead 7-3. One fan on Twitter referred to him as "garbage." Meanwhile, Cobb couldn't get a strike call from plate umpire Larry Vanover down in the zone and the Tigers dinked and dribbled him to pieces in the first two innings before Jeimer Candelario's two-run shot in the fourth.
Cobb's second start with the Orioles concluded with...
The Orioles have announced a series of theme nights later this summer at Camden Yards.
The following is a partial schedule, which requires the purchase of a limited special ticket package in order to participate. Additional details will be made available for each event at a later date:
* Star Wars Night: The first-ever Star Wars Night at Camden Yards will be held on May 11, highlighted by a ticket package containing a limited-edition O'Day-Wan Kenobi Bobblehead, featuring Orioles reliever...
Facing a right-handed starter today, the Orioles have found spots in the lineup for Pedro Ãlvarez, Anthony Santander and Chance Sisco.
Ãlvarez is batting second against the Tigers' Jordan Zimmermann as the Orioles try to avoid being swept on their road trip.
Luis Sardiñas, who hit a game-tying home run yesterday in the top of the ninth inning, is playing second base this afternoon and batting sixth.
Trey Mancini is batting .346 (18-for-52) with a .414 on base percentage in 12 games...
The Orioles are 12-34 since the start of September, the latest blow yesterday's 6-5 walk-off loss to the Tigers. When it rains, it pours - even when a game is played beneath a blue sky.
Rally to take a 4-2 lead in the top of the eighth inning, immediately fall behind 5-4, get a game-tying leadoff home run from unlikely hero Luis Sardiñas in the ninth and give up Dixon Machado's leadoff shot in the bottom half on only the second pitch from Rule 5 pick Pedro Araujo.
As I've stated in the...
Engelb Vielma gets the start today at second base as the Orioles try to win for only the second time in eight games.
Craig Gentry is in right field again and Danny Valencia is the designated hitter. Caleb Joseph is catching.
Kevin Gausman is 1-1 with a 4.11 ERA and 1.200 WHIP in six career starts against the Tigers. In his only start at Comerica Park, he allowed three runs and seven hits and struck out seven batters over six innings.
Victor Martinez is 1-for-18 against Gausman. Nick Castellanos...
Seventeen games have proven to be an ample sample size for fans who already are declaring the season to be the worst in Orioles history.
Some of the verdicts came in much earlier. After the club was swept in Houston in the first road series. Or, going back further, after pitchers and catchers reported to spring training.
Nerves continued to fray and more hairs were ripped from scalps last night with a 4-2 loss in Detroit, the sixth for the Orioles in the last seven games to lower their record...
The Orioles have selected infielder Luis Sardiñas' contract from Triple-A Norfolk and he's starting tonight at second base.
The 40-man roster is full.
Sardiñas was 6-for-30 with two doubles, one home run and three RBIs with the Tides. His last major league game was May 20, 2017 with the Padres.
Sardiñas is making his 26th start and 47th appearance at second base in the majors. He made five starts at second and three at shortstop with Norfolk this year.
Tim Beckham moves back to third...
The Orioles can't get away from bad weather. Only the cities change.
Following Monday morning's postponement in Boston, the Orioles have agreed to allow the Tigers to move Wednesday's game at Comerica Park from 6:40 p.m. to 1:10 p.m. due to "impending inclement weather."
Major League Baseball granted approval to adjust the start time with the latest forecast in Detroit calling for a 70 percent chance of rain in the evening.
What's one more wintry mix?
The game will air on MASN and 105.7...
I had to dig my glove out of basement storage after arriving home late last night - flight delays providing the appropriate ending to the trip - to handle all the questions about the Orioles that have been hit to me. The experience is making me a contender for a job as utility infielder.
What's wrong with the rotation? What's wrong with the offense? What's wrong with the defense?
Otherwise, everything is good through the first 16 games of the season.
I'm not fretting over the rotation...
BOSTON - The Orioles are preparing to make another adjustment to their roster in Detroit, where they begin a three-game series Tuesday night.
Unable to play today due to rain, the Orioles announced that they optioned right-hander David Hess to Triple-A Norfolk one day after recalling him. No word on the corresponding move.
Hess arrived in Boston yesterday while the Orioles optioned Donnie Hart to Norfolk. Hart wasn't going to be available for a few days after pitching in back-to-back games and...
BOSTON - With no morning game at Fenway Park due to a forecast that didn't provide a window to play, the Orioles are able to make adjustments to their rotation for the Tigers series that begins Tuesday night.
Andrew Cashner is pushed back to the opener at Comerica Park, followed by Kevin Gausman on Wednesday night and most likely Alex Cobb on Thursday afternoon.
The Orioles will withhold making a decision on the finale until Cobb's workday. Meanwhile, the Orioles appear to be skipping Chris...
BOSTON - The weather couldn't keep the Orioles from playing today. It couldn't disturb Dylan Bundy, who operated as if conditions were normal. Fastball, slider and maybe a few shivers, but nothing he couldn't handle.
Out of his control were a couple of plays behind him in the sixth inning that allowed batters to reach. Mistakes that the Red Sox parlayed into another lead and a win.
Two unearned runs off Bundy and a muted offense were the difference in the Orioles' 3-1 loss to the Red Sox at...