Steve Melewski

Wrapping it up on the radio

August 26, 2011, 9:09am

Orioles

I hope some of the readers here have had a chance to listen to my radio show this year. I've been hosting the Baltimore Baseball Tonight Postgame show on 105.7 FM The Fan in Baltimore each weeknight this season talking about the Orioles and taking listeners' phone calls. If you have not heard the show yet, you have one more chance tonight. But, just one more. The show airs from 10 p.m. to midnight. Tonight is our last show as the station transitions to some other programming and increases...

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Takes on Adams, Wieters and the future of No. 46

August 25, 2011, 8:38pm

Orioles

Takes on Adams, Wieters and the future of No. 46

A few notes and opinions as the Orioles get set to host the Yankees in what figures to be an emotion-filled weekend, where the weatherman will be the most closely monitored person in town. *Did the Yankees tire themselves out yesterday? As the clubs get set to begin a five-game series tonight, New York comes to town off yesterday's 22-9 win over Oakland where the Yankees became the first team in major league history to hit three grand slams in one game as Robinson Cano, Curtis Granderson and...

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The Orioles beat the Twins to complete first-ever four-game sweep in Minnesota

August 25, 2011, 11:50am

Orioles

The Orioles got a fourth straight well-pitched game, along with clutch hits from Craig Tatum and Mark Reynolds, as they beat Minnesota 6-1 this afternoon to complete a four-game series sweep. It's the Orioles' first four-game sweep in Minnesota and the first time they have won four in a row there since April 15 to Sept. 5, 2000. They outscored the Twins 24-4 in the series. Jo-Jo Reyes gave up just one run and five hits over six innings, throwing 107 pitches. All four starters in this series...

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The starters start to pitch well

August 25, 2011, 10:55am

Orioles

There has been a stunning turnaround by the Orioles' starting pitchers in the series at Minnesota. In the first three games of the series - all Orioles wins - the starting pitchers' ERA was 1.35. The staters in the series before today - Zach Britton, Alfredo Simon and Jeremy Guthrie - had combined to give up just three earned runs and 14 hits over 20 innings. Today, Jo-Jo Reyes has given up just one run over the first five innings of a 1-1 tie. Craig Tatum's two-run double in the sixth...

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Earl Weaver and Scott McGregor remember Mike Flanagan

August 25, 2011, 5:31am

Orioles

Earl Weaver and Scott McGregor remember Mike Flanagan

A tough day has dawned for Orioles fans as they are remembering Mike Flanagan and still dealing with the sadness of his passing yesterday. Earl Weaver was a guest on 105.7 FM The Fan this morning, remembering the pitcher that won the American Cy Young Award in 1979. "He came through our system," Weaver said on the "Norris & Davis" morning show. "Mike was quiet and went about his business as well as any pitcher that I've had. Very intelligent person that had a great sense of humor. What...

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Mike Flanagan was a special person and special Oriole

August 24, 2011, 8:16pm

Orioles

Mike Flanagan was a special person and special Oriole

The Orioles family is devastated tonight by the news of the death of Mike Flanagan. I have known Mike many years and am so blessed that he considered me a friend. He listened to radio shows that I hosted on WBAL and this year on 105.7 FM in Baltimore. He often talked about that with me and said he would listen on his drive home. He could not have been more supportive of me and anything I did around the club. I don't know if I've ever met anyone who loved being an Oriole and was more proud...

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Tyler Townsend rejoins the Frederick Keys

August 24, 2011, 3:20pm

Orioles

Tyler Townsend rejoins the Frederick Keys

The Single-A Frederck Keys are getting their first baseman back tonight. The Keys have activated Tyler Townsend and put catcher Kyle Moore on the disabled list. Townsend has been out since July 13 with a recurring hamstring injury. He was hoping to be activated earlier this month but suffered a setback. Most recently, he tested the hamstring by playing five games in the Gulf Coast League. He went 4-for-17 with two doubles, a homer and eight RBIs. In 64 games with Frederick on the year,...

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Will it be three in a row for O's starters tonight at Minnesota?

August 24, 2011, 11:37am

Orioles

Will it be three in a row for O's starters tonight at Minnesota?

What we saw the last two nights has been pretty rare for about two months now in terms of Orioles' starting pitching. Zach Britton and Alfredo Simon each gave up just one run and it's the first time in more than two months that O's starters gave up one earned run or less in back-to-back starts. If you remember the first four games of the season, O's starters were amazing in giving up just two earned run over 26 innings in the first four games. Since then, eight times between game five and...

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Still hopeful for the future of the pitching staff

August 23, 2011, 9:58pm

Orioles

Still hopeful for the future of the pitching staff

As a friend said yesterday afternoon, a day after Zach Britton and the Orioles beat Minnesota 4-1: "So that's what it looks like to get a well-pitched game." Now, O's fans can say that again this morning. The Orioles beat Minnesota 8-1 last night as Alfredo Simon allowed just three hits and one run in a career-high eight innings with a career-high eight strikeouts. This after Simon pitched to an ERA of 7.47 over his previous three starts. Of course, he had pitched to an ERA of 2.81 over...

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Reimold with a three-run homer as O's take early 7-0 lead at Minnesota

August 23, 2011, 5:07pm

Orioles

Reimold with a three-run homer as O's take early 7-0 lead at Minnesota

That three-run shot Nolan Reimold hit in the second inning tonight had to feel good. Reimold's three-run homer to left off Brian Duensing gave the Orioles a 4-0 lead and was followed a few batters by a Matt Wieters RBI double that made it 1-0. The homer was Reimold's eighth of the year, but he had just one over his last 21 games. He had hit just three in 111 at-bats since July 1. I would have to think it was just a coincidence that it came in Reimold's first at-bat after Felix Pie was...

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Minor league notes

August 23, 2011, 10:34am

Orioles

The Double-A Bowie Baysox are trying to become the fourth Orioles farm club to make the playoffs, joining the Gulf Coast and Dominican Summer League teams and the Single-A Frederick Keys. Bowie beat Akron 9-1 last night, snapping a six-game losing streak against that club. The Baysox are now a half-game behind first-place Harrisburg, but two games ahead of Richmond for second place and a playoff spot. Bowie is 70-57 with 14 games to play. The Baysox are 35-28 at home and 35-29 on the...

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A new homer career high for Wieters

August 22, 2011, 10:25pm

Orioles

By homering in each of the last two games, Orioles catcher Matt Wieters now has hit a career-high 13 homers on the year. Wieters hit nine in 2009 and 11 last year. Wieters has homers in back-to-back games for the first time all season. Plus, he has now hit three homers over his last seven games after going 21 games without one. Here is another interesting note about Wieters' hitting this year: He is batting much better this season when he bats right-handed, thus facing lefty...

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Can Britton begin to regain his earlier form tonight at Minnesota? (Britton through three)

August 22, 2011, 11:34am

Orioles

Can Britton begin to regain his earlier form tonight at Minnesota? (Britton through three)

Zach Britton will be back on a major league mound tonight when the Orioles play at Minnesota. He'll be looking to regain the form that saw him win five of his first six Orioles starts and had him being mentioned as an early Rookie of the Year candidate. On May 18, Britton pitched seven shutout against the New York Yankees and, at the end of that night, had an ERA of 2.14 through nine big league starts and a batting average against of .210. Who knew then that down the road he would face...

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There are still at least a few reasons to watch the Orioles

August 21, 2011, 8:25pm

Orioles

This just in: Orioles games have become difficult to watch and some fans are tuning out early. How can that not be true of a team that is 17-46 over its last 63 games and played what sure looked like very uninspired baseball over the weekend? Today, I am going to take a shot at some reasons to continue to watch the Orioles and retain interest in the games. It is not the easiest exercise, but there are some things still worth watching and tracking. Here is my list: * Can Adam Jones finish...

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Swept away by L.A.: O's stumble and bumble way to latest loss

August 21, 2011, 2:13pm

Orioles

Swept away by L.A.: O's stumble and bumble way to latest loss

Probably the best thing that could be said about today's Orioles game is that it's over. In a game that featured a season-high four errors, shaky starting pitching, mental mistakes and overall lackluster play,the Los Angeles Angels beat the Orioles 7-1 to complete a three-game sweep. The Orioles have now allowed 38 runs during a five-game losing streak and fall to 47-77 on the year. They are 17-46 for a winning percentage of just .270 since June 10. Brian Matusz talks to Jim Hunter about...

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It's time to find out if Ryan Adams can play at the major league level

August 21, 2011, 12:24pm

Orioles

It's time to find out if Ryan Adams can play at the major league level

The reporters with the Orioles in Anaheim, Calif., are indicating that Ryan Adams is expected to return to the club for the series in Minnesota. If Adams does rejoin the Orioles, I hope they plan to use him more this time. From May 20 to June 17, Adams was with the club for his first stay in the majors. He had just six starts in the 25 games he was with the club and only 23 at-bats. He went 5-for-23 with one RBI. It has become more than clear that Buck Showalter is a real Robert Andino fan...

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O's pondering AFL decision for Bundy

August 21, 2011, 7:45am

Orioles

It sounds like the Orioles are leaning toward sending their first-round draft pick, pitcher Dylan Bundy, to the Arizona Fall League, although a final decision has not been made. The AFL season runs from Oct. 4 through Nov. 17. If the Orioles make that move with Bundy, I would guess he would not throw many innings there. As they plan the next year for this young talent, they have to work off one fact: He pitched just 71 innings during his high school schedule this season in Oklahoma and did...

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O's possible comeback win turns into a frustrating loss in the 12th at Anaheim

August 20, 2011, 8:58pm

Orioles

O's possible comeback win turns into a frustrating loss in the 12th at Anaheim

For a few minutes, anyway, it looked like the Orioles were changing the script. Down 5-3 after three innings and 6-4 in the eighth, they rallied to tie this game in the eighth and went ahead 8-6 in the top of the 12th on Adam Jones' fourth hit of the night. On came Kevin Gregg and the lead was soon gone and moments later a promising rally had turned into just another loss. Gregg gave up a single and a hit by pitch to the first two batters in the 12th to quickly put the tying runs on base. A...

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Adam Jones comes up with rare road homer

August 20, 2011, 6:55pm

Orioles

Adam Jones comes up with rare road homer

When Adam Jones homered in the top of the fifth at Anaheim tonight, it was a bit of a rare occurrence. Jones' road home run. The solo shot brought the Orioles to within 5-4 in game two of this series. It was his 22nd homer of the year, adding to his career-high, but just his fourth all year on the road. It was his first road homer in just about two months. He hit all three in June, on the 1st at Seattle, the 18th at Washington and the 21st at Pittsburgh. Since then, his last ten homers all...

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Minor league news and notes

August 20, 2011, 3:23pm

Orioles

The Orioles are finalizing plans for their 2011 instructional league camp and workouts. Last year, they held a scaled-down version at Camden Yards while their Sarasota complex was being renovated. This year, the Orioles will hold instructional league workouts in Sarasota and they figure to host around 25 players from mid September to around October 5th or a few days later. The list of players that will take part has not been announced, but it figures to be a mix of some first-year players and...