If you were riding the Twitter roller coaster yesterday, you believed in the morning that Orioles reliever Zach Britton was staying, then by early afternoon you were convinced that he was a goner - most likely to the Astros, who reportedly were "close" to a deal - then told again that he was staying. Maybe you raised your arms instead of holding onto the bar. Maybe you found a bar and turned it into a drinking game.
The Orioles fielded offers for Britton. They weren't satisfied with the...
			
			
	
	The non-waiver trade deadline passed this afternoon and the Orioles played their first game as confirmed buyers, with the pending arrival of infielder Tim Beckham following Friday night's acquisition of starter Jeremy Hellickson. No one is being flipped for prospects. The bullpen is intact. The only stripping takes place before showering.
The newbies couldn't impact tonight's game. Beckham isn't on the 25-man roster and Hellickson won't make his debut until Wednesday night. Pitcher Yefry...
			
			
	
	The Orioles have placed outfielder Mark Trumbo on the 10-day disabled list with a strained right ribcage and transferred shortstop J.J. Hardy to the 60-day disabled list. They placed pitcher Jeremy Hellickson on the 25-man roster and optioned pitcher Yefry RamÃrez to Double-A Bowie.
Executive vice president Dan Duquette said today that he spoke to the majority of contenders as the non-waiver trade deadline approached. He wanted to add to the club, however, believing it's still a contender...
			
			
	
	The Orioles completed a trade this afternoon that sends short-season Single-A Aberdeen pitcher Tobias Myers to the Rays for shortstop Tim Beckham, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 draft.
The deal was completed just prior to the 4 p.m. non-waiver deadline and announced 40 minutes later.
Manager Buck Showalter declined to comment on the trade during his session with the media because it hadn't been made public.
Beckham, 27, is batting .259/.314/.407 with five doubles, three triples, 12 home...
			
			
	
	Though it doesn't quality as huge non-waiver trade deadline news, the Orioles have acquired right-hander Yefry RamÃrez from the Yankees today in exchange for international signing bonus slots.
RamÃrez, 23, is 10-3 with a 3.41 ERA and two complete games in 18 starts with Double-A Trenton. He's walked 38 batters and struck out 91 in 92 1/3 innings.
RamÃrez has gone 30-26 with a 3.43 ERA in six minor league seasons, with 74 starts among his 98 appearances. He was an infielder in the...
			
			
	
	The non-waiver trade deadline is 4 p.m. today, the last chance for teams to deal players without first passing them through waivers.
Nothing has really changed with Zach Britton's situation. There are numerous teams checking on him and the Orioles want a hefty return. No one is certain whether he's going to be traded. It could go either way, depending on the offers.
Does any of this sound familiar?
How much more can be written about Britton?
The Dodgers, Astros and Cubs have been serious...
			
			
	
	The Orioles have selected the contract of Triple-A Norfolk outfielder Craig Gentry to fill out their 25-man roster.
They were down to 24 players with outfielder Hyun Soo Kim traded to the Phillies. New pitcher Jeremy Hellickson won't report to the team until Monday.
The 40-man roster had a couple of openings before today's transaction.
The Orioles are listing Ubaldo Jiménez, Dylan Bundy and TBD as starters for their series against the Royals that begins on Monday at Camden Yards....
			
			
	
	Manager Buck Showalter remains noncommittal about Jeremy Hellickson's debut with the Orioles and whether he's going with a five- or a six-man rotation. Reporters in Texas couldn't pry the answer from him.
Hellickson will join the club Monday in Baltimore. In the meantime, the rotation received another boost last night from Kevin Gausman, who came within an out of a complete-game shutout and has allowed only one run in his last 20 2/3 innings.
The Orioles surrendered another minor league...
			
			
	
	Caleb Joseph is behind the plate tonight as Kevin Gausman takes the mound at Globe Life Park and the Orioles try to stop a three-game skid.
Seth Smith is in right field again, with Trey Mancini in left.
The Orioles aren't listing their starters beyond left-hander Wade Miley on Sunday afternoon. No word yet on Jeremy Hellickson's debut following last night's trade with the Phillies.
Also, no roster move has been announced. The Orioles have an extra pitcher and are short a bench player with...
			
			
	
	Last night's trade with the Phillies that brought Jeremy Hellickson to the Orioles was born out of need and frustration.
The Orioles need someone to give them a chance to win every five days and they're frustrated with a rotation that keeps providing early deficits and is lugging a 5.98 ERA.
Executive vice president Dan Duquette sent outfielder Hyun Soo Kim, Double-A Bowie left-hander Garret Cleavinger and international signing bonus slots to the Phillies for a veteran starter who can become...
			
			
	
	The Orioles lost another game tonight, but they gained a veteran starter for their rotation.
Right-hander Jeremy Hellickson was acquired from the Phillies along with cash for outfielder Hyun Soo Kim, Double-A Bowie left-hander Garrett Cleavinger and international signing bonus slots.
Hellickson was scratched from tonight's start. He's 6-5 with a 4.73 ERA 1.255 WHIP in 20 starts and has struck out only 65 batters in 112 1/3 innings.
In eight major league seasons, Hellickson has gone 67-63 with...
			
			
	
	If you've paid close attention to the rundown of available Orioles at the non-waiver trade deadline, you've noticed how reliever Mychal Givens is nowhere to be found. He doesn't enter the conversation. The door to that room seems to be locked and bolted.
It would take a special offer to pry away Givens, who may be the closer-in-waiting as the Orioles remain open to moving Zach Britton, Brad Brach and Darren O'Day. Britton and Brach can become free agents following the 2018 season.
Someone...
			
			
	
	The Orioles begin a three-game series tonight against the Rangers with a pretty standard lineup.
Trey Mancini is in left field and Seth Smith is in right against Rangers right-hander Andrew Cashner. Welington Castillo is catching.
Jonathan Schoop is hitting .333 (30-for-90) this month with three doubles, seven home runs and 23 RBIs. His RBI total ranks second in the American League, his home runs are tied for third and his 30 hits are fifth.
Orioles catchers lead the American League and rank...
			
			
	
	As the Orioles continue to talk about finding another starter to upgrade their rotation, they've got a schedule set up for left-hander DL Hall to begin his professional career.
Hall can't provide immediate assistance to the Orioles, but he has to start somewhere. It's happening, as expected, in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League.
Hall will make his debut on Aug. 4 at noon against the GCL Rays at the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota.
The 21st overall pick this year out of Valdosta (Ga.)...
			
			
	
	The Orioles will have a locker set up today for closer Zach Britton in the visiting clubhouse at Glove Life Park. He's still with the team. The Orioles still haven't jumped into the trade activity as the non-waiver deadline nears.
Scouts are following the Orioles - you'll find them in every ballpark - and Britton has proven to be a difficult read. There are lingering concerns among some of them regarding Britton's health, though his velocity is up and there are no signs of the forearm...
			
			
	
	There's something almost sinful about wasting a quality start from Ubaldo Jiménez, who's registered five of them this season among his 16 outings. It's like the canteen scene in "Three Amigos" with Chevy Chase gargling and spitting out his water and dumping the rest in the desert sand while Steve Martin and Martin Short are practically dying of thirst.
(YouTube it if the reference is lost on you. Martin's expression is priceless.)
Jiménez made one bad pitch or none yesterday,...
			
			
	
	ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - This one can't be laid entirely on Ubaldo Jiménez's shoulders.
The home run was costly, but Jiménez offered quality. He was the good version of himself. But the offense didn't reach the same level.
Evan Longoria hit a two-run homer off Jiménez with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning and the Orioles were rationed to Jonathan Schoop's solo homer in a 5-1 loss to the Rays before an announced crowd of 18,430 at Tropicana Field.
The Orioles drop the series...
			
			
	
	ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Orioles are starting Chris Tillman, Kevin Gausman and Wade Miley in the three-game series against the Rangers that begins on Friday at Globe Life Park.
The Rangers are listing Andrew Cashner for Friday and left-hander Martin Perez for Sunday. They haven't announced Saturday's starter.
Manager Buck Showalter also confirmed that Dylan Bundy will be pushed back to Tuesday night against the Royals at Camden Yards. That would leave Ubaldo Jiménez for Monday night if...
			
			
	
	ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - First baseman Chris Davis has returned to the Orioles lineup after missing the last two games with a stomach virus.
Seth Smith is in right field. Caleb Joseph is behind the plate as the Orioles try to win the series against the Rays.
The Orioles are 4 1/2 games back for the second wild card and six games behind the first-place Red Sox.
For the Orioles Adam Jones CF Manny Machado 3B Jonathan Schoop 2B Chris Davis 1B Mark Trumbo DH Trey Mancini LF Seth Smith RF Caleb Joseph...
			
			
	
	ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Orioles have one game remaining today against the Rays before flying to Dallas and inching closer to the non-waiver trade deadline that arrives on Monday.
They're not conceding the 2017 season or the one that follows. They're not going to do a full teardown of the club like the great roster purge of 2000. They remain in the market for a starting pitcher, believing that an upgrade to the rotation could push them into the playoffs.
There's enough room for two labels...
			


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