BOSTON - Anyone know what happened to Odrisamer Despaigne?
I'm not campaigning for his return, just seriously wondering about him, since the Orioles designated him for assignment on Sept. 5 to make room for Brian Duensing on the 40-man roster.
Duensing pitched last night and surrendered two runs in the seventh inning in a 12-2 loss to the Red Sox. Despaigne apparently is in baseball limbo.
Wade Miley may no longer be in the Orioles rotation. His next turn in a six-man rotation would come...
BOSTON - Wade Miley hadn't faced the Red Sox in his career before tonight's start at Fenway Park. He'd like to wipe the slate clean and try again.
Baseball implemented instant replay, but not do-overs.
Miley doesn't want to spend much time reviewing his brief tenure with the Orioles, which includes an 8.41 ERA in eight starts following tonight's 12-2 loss to the Red Sox.
Asked to assess how he's pitched since the July 31 trade, Miley replied, "Obviously, that's not really a good...
BOSTON - How much longer will Wade Miley stay in the Orioles' rotation?
Six starters for five spots. The numbers work against Miley. All of the numbers.
Miley turned in his shortest start with the Orioles tonight, leaving after 1 1/3 innings and five runs on the board. Vance Worley inherited a bases-loaded mess in the second and walked Hanley Ramirez with two outs to force in a sixth run.
The Red Sox scored in each of the first seven innings and the Orioles lost 12-2 before 37,551 at Fenway...
BOSTON - Pitcher Chris Tillman had "normal soreness" this afternoon following yesterday's start in Detroit, his first since coming off the disabled list. Nothing to alarm the Orioles.
"I don't think people realize the transition from the day you pitch to the next day you pitch," said manager Buck Showalter. "They go through periods of soreness. But his shoulder feels good, so he'll take the day completely off and see how tomorrow goes. That was good to hear."
Darren O'Day remains...
BOSTON - Orioles center fielder Adam Jones has heard the praise and he expects some pushback for comments appearing this morning in a USA Today article regarding minorities in baseball and how it's a "white man's sport."
Jones spoke yesterday with reporter Bob Nightengale about San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sitting, and later kneeling, for the national anthem during the NFL exhibition season. The topic extended to baseball and why its players don't take a similar stance...
BOSTON - Drew Stubbs is playing right field and batting ninth tonight for the Orioles in the series opener against the Red Sox at Fenway Park.
Steve Pearce is in left field and batting second. The season series is tied 6-6.
Zach Britton has 41 saves and a 0.63 ERA. According to Elias, the only other pitchers in history with at least 40 saves and an ERA under 1.00 in the same season are Dennis Eckersley in 1990 (0.61, 48 saves) and Fernando Rodney in 2012 (0.60, 48 saves).
Mookie Betts is...
One big series ends and another one begins. No time to lower your guard and relax. The next challenge is right around the corner.
The Orioles took two of three from the Tigers, the team hounding them for the second wild card. They flew to Boston last night for a three-game series against the team that holds a two-game lead in the American League East.
Moving into a second-place tie in the division is an accomplishment that won't carry much weight if the Red Sox sweep the Orioles at Fenway...
As the Orioles attempt today to win their series against the Tigers, Michael Bourn is starting in right field and batting second based on his past success against Justin Verlander.
Bourn is a career .371 hitter versus Verlander.
Hyun Soo Kim is in left field and Mark Trumbo is the designated hitter. No Pedro Alvarez today.
Caleb Joseph is catching Chris Tillman, who came off the disabled list this morning.
According to Elias, Matt Wieters joined Chris Hoiles and Gus Triandos as the only...
The Orioles have won the season series against the Tigers, an important point if we're talking about tiebreakers. They're one game ahead for the second wild card and trail the Red Sox by two in the American League East.
I wondered yesterday which Ubaldo Jimenez would take the mound for the Orioles and offered both sides of the veteran pitcher. They got the right one. He held the Tigers to two runs over seven innings for his fourth consecutive quality start, lowering his ERA to 5.98.
Mind...
The Orioles and Tigers are tied for the second wild card in the American League, further increasing the importance of tonight's game at Comerica Park.
Steve Pearce is starting in left field instead of Hyun Soo Kim. Pearce is 4-for-11 with two doubles and two home runs against Jordan Zimmermann.
Jonathan Schoop is batting second and Pedro Alvarez is hitting seventh. Matt Wieters is eighth.
Adam Jones is batting .302/.333/.505 with 21 home runs in 88 games as the leadoff hitter. He batted...
Which Ubaldo Jimenez will take the mound tonight for the Orioles?
Will it be the Jimenez with the 2.70 ERA in his last four starts? The Jimenez who's allowed seven runs and walked only three batters in his last three starts over 21 2/3 innings? The Jimenez who's lowered his ERA from 6.94 to 6.19?
Or will it be the Jimenez who surrendered five runs, four of them earned, and nine hits over five innings in a May 12 game against the Tigers? The Jimenez who's 5-11 with a 5.68 ERA and 1.550 WHIP...
Chris Davis returns to the Orioles lineup tonight for their series opener against the Tigers at Comerica Park.
Davis sat out Wednesday's game at Tropicana Field with lingering soreness in his left hand.
Jonathan Schoop is batting second behind Adam Jones, whose hamstring isn't preventing him from remaining in the lineup.
Hyun Soo Kim is batting ninth again and playing left field.
For the Orioles Adam Jones CF Jonathan Schoop 2B Manny Machado 3B Chris Davis 1B Mark Trumbo RF Matt Wieters C...
There's something different about September baseball, and it's more than the expanded roster.
The Orioles aren't approaching a must-win series in Detroit, but it most definitely could impact their playoff chances. Every game, every inning, seems to take on greater significance, and that's especially true when the opponent also is in the wild card chase.
The Tigers are one game behind the Orioles for the second spot. The Orioles are two behind the Red Sox, their next opponent, for first...
The Orioles have unveiled a Korean-themed T-shirt giveaway to honor outfielder Hyun Soo Kim's heritage, the gesture tied to their upcoming Fan Appreciation Weekend.
Kim just keeps gaining in popularity.
The No. 25 shirt features "Kim Hyun Soo" on the back and "Orioles" on the front written in Kim's native Korean script. It will be given to all fans attending the Sept. 23 game against the Diamondbacks at Camden Yards.
Yes, the Diamondbacks are coming to Camden Yards this month. One of...
TAMPA - The Orioles have so much going on that they're probably still percolating on their day off.
The rotation is listed as day-to-day with six starters in the fold after Chris Tillman comes off the disabled list for Sunday's series finale in Detroit. The bullpen will gain Darren O'Day next week, but Jayson Aquino no longer is expected to be part of it, with manager Buck Showalter saying the left-hander will head down to Sarasota as part of the minicamp or taxi squad or whatever we're...
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Orioles took three leads today against the Rays. Shutdown innings weren't on the menu. Three leads in their quest to complete the sweep and perhaps move into a first-place tie in the American League East.
An inability to hold the leads proved their undoing, and the last-place Rays took a 7-6 victory before another intimate gathering at Tropicana Field.
How much this one hurts won't truly be known until later, but it had to sting that a winnable game dissolved into...
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A makeshift lineup today that included Michael Bourn and Drew Stubbs in the outfield produced six runs for the Orioles.
Just not enough to win a game and complete a sweep. Not with The Trop bringing more trouble to Dylan Bundy.
Bourn hit his first home run since the Aug. 31 trade and Stubbs came through with a tie-breaking RBI single in the fifth inning, but the bullpen was forced into action by the fourth and couldn't hold up in a 7-6 loss to the Rays before...
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Kevin Kiermaier homered off Dylan Bundy with one out in the bottom of the first inning to give the Rays a quick 1-0 lead over the Orioles.
Bundy gave up three home runs in the first three innings at Tropicana Field in his first major league start on July 17.
The Orioles are looking forward to further expanding their roster next week by adding starter Chris Tillman and reliever Darren O'Day.
Both bullpen sessions were "very encouraging," according to manager Buck...
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla - Chris Tillman will throw a light bullpen session on Friday and make Sunday's start against the Tigers at Comerica Park.
Reliever Darren O'Day also will throw another bullpen session on Friday, take off a few days and pitch in a simulated game. He's expected to come off the disabled list next week.
Obviously, their sessions today were successful.
O'Day threw 26 pitches and said it "went good."
"Felt good, no pain, so that's good," he said. "It's the best it felt...
ST. PETERBURG, Fla. - Chris Davis is not in the starting lineup for today's series finale. Davis left last night's game in the fifth inning with soreness in his left hand, though manager Buck Showalter said the move was just a precaution. Steve Pearce will start at first base.
Michael Bourn and Drew Stubbs are making their first starts since joining the Orioles. Bourn will bat second and start in left field, while Stubbs will bat eighth and start in right field.
The Orioles are trying for...