If you didn't get a chance to hear Andy MacPhail interviewed Wednesday on 105.7 the Fan FM in Baltimore, you missed a good, wide-ranging interview with the Orioles' team president. He appeared on the Ken Weinman and Vinny Cerrato show that airs each weekday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m on the Fan.
Many topics were addressed and here are some excerpts from the interview.
MacPhail was asked about Brian Matusz:
"He's healthy. For whatever reason, from where he was in spring training to the time he...
For the Orioles, this was a not-so-sweet 16.
Toronto defeated the Orioles 4-1 to take the first two games of this series, beating the Orioles for the 16th consecutive time at Rogers Centre.
The Orioles have not won there since Aug. 7, 2009.
The Orioles have lost 21 of their last 22 and 25 of the last 27 games in Toronto.
Gary Thorne talks with Buck Showalter about the Birds' 4-1 loss to Toronto
Ricky Romero improved to 6-6 and took a three-hit shutout to the ninth. He was pulled after...
Another loss tonight at Toronto for the Orioles would make 16 straight losses at Rogers Centre since they last won there Aug. 7, 2009.
It would also set a franchise record for most consecutive road losses against one club. Believe it or not, the Orioles have three times lost 15 straight on the road versus an opponent. Here are the two others.
* 15 straight losses at Seattle from June 2, 1999 to May 24, 2002.
* 15 straight losses at Cleveland from April 30, 1955 to July 27, 1956.
On the...
Before finding out if the Orioles can end a 15-game losing streak in Toronto tonight, here are some random news, notes and takes.
* The Orioles have struggled so much to score runs this year that it's tough to lose when they do put up some runs. They are now 24-11 on the season when scoring four runs or more. However, they have lost the last three games in which they scored more than four runs, putting up five, six and five runs, respectively, in those games. No great outburst, but they...
Here is something that is confusing to me: If the Orioles were not planning to play Ryan Adams much at all, why did they call him up from Triple-A?
He has played some, but Adams has been on the team for 22 games now and has made just five starts at second base. A caller to my radio show last night said his theory was that Buck Showalter had major concerns about Adams on defense.
To me, if that was the case, and I am not saying it is at all, why not just leave him in the minors until his...
Lefty relief pitcher Cole McCurry is joining the Triple-A Norfolk Tides after pitching with great stats this year for Double-A Bowie.
The 25-year-old McCurry was a 43rd-round draft pick in 2007. This season for the Baysox, he went 4-0 with an ERA of 0.80. Over 33 2/3 he allowed just 18 hits and three earned runs. He walked 14, fanned 44 and had an opponent batting average against of just .155.
McCurry actually was even better versus left-handed hitters. They are just 2-for-35 (.057) against...
One team will end a losing streak tonight at Rogers Centre.
The Orioles have lost 14 straight in that park and are just 1-19 in their last 20 games in Canada. They have lost 23 of 25 there.
The Orioles' last win in Toronto was August 7, 2009 by a 7-5 score. Jason Berken got the start and win while Jim Johnson got a save. Nolan Reimold and Nick Markakis had two RBIs each.
Meanwhile, Toronto has lost four games in a row being outscored 38-8 in that time. Toronto has lost five in a row at...
For first baseman Joe Mahoney, this has been a frustrating season with most of his time spent on the disabled list in a rehab mode. Now he looks forward to having some fun.
After two stints on the disabled list with a quad injury, Mahoney is expected to play for Double-A Bowie for the first time tonight since May 3. After several weeks of rehab in Sarasota, Mahoney came north over the weekend and played three games for Single-A Frederick, going 4-for-8 with two doubles, two RBIs and four...
The Orioles begin a nine-game road trip tonight at Toronto. It's pretty much about time - or maybe past time - that the Orioles post some wins there.
They begin this series having lost 14 straight and 23 of their last 25 at Toronto. They went 3-15 against the Jays last year, including an 0-9 mark in Canada.
The Orioles' records the past five seasons there are 3-7, 3-6, 3-6, 1-8 and 0-9. Yes, that is 1-17 the last two years at Toronto.
Perhaps making the Orioles' job more difficult in...
When the short-season Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds begin a new season on Friday night at home against Hudson Valley, 19-year-old right-hander
Let's check in with a few Orioles stats and notes after a disappointing end to the weekend. It began with the Orioles blanking Tampa Bay 7-0 Friday, but they lost a late lead and the game Saturday night and fell behind early in losing Sunday.
* Vlad Guerrero had back-to-back games on May 15 and 16 with two doubles each. But in the 22 games since then, Guerrero has just three total extra-base hits. His homer yesterday was his sixth of the year and first since May 22 versus Washington....
The Orioles don't ever want to lose any player to injury, but now that Mark Reynolds is hitting homers, they'd really like to keep his bat in the lineup.
Reynolds is confident he can play Tuesday after leaving today's game in the eighth with a left forearm contusion. He took a shot off the bat of Sean Rodriguez off that arm in the fifth inning and had it taped after the game.
Reynolds said X-rays on his arm were negative.
"I think the day (off tomorrow) will do some good," he said....
Brian Matusz may have had a rough day today and a short outing, but it had nothing at all to do with being hurt or any injury.
"I'm 100 percent healthy," Matusz said.
It was the shortest non-injury start of Matsuz's career, and he gave up four runs and four walks over just 1 1/3 innings today in a 9-6 loss to Tampa.
"From the get-go I didn't get a good feel warming up in the bullpen," Matusz said. "Just one of those days where you have to battle without your good stuff. They were...
The Orioles won two of their first three series this year against Tampa Bay, and when they beat the Rays 7-0 on Friday, three out of four was looking quite realistic.
But the Orioles could not close out the game last night and Brian Matusz exited early today as the Rays won 9-6 to win the series.
Matusz faced 13 hitters and 10 reached base on five hits, four walks and an error. He gave up four runs in just 1 1/3, throwing 52 pitches. He falls to 1-1 this season with an ERA of 5.11 after three...
Maybe it was a combination too good for Tampa Bay to pass up. A pitcher who can be slow to the plate with runners on base and a catcher that, well, is not Matt Wieters.
Tampa Bay took advantage of that to steal four bases in the top of the first inning today against Brian Matusz. It looked like they had a fifth in the top of the second but Johnny Damon was called out.
While today's short start of just 1 1/3 innings could raise concerns about Matusz and topics like fastball velocity could...
The term June swoon does not apply to Mark Reynolds. After starting June hitless in five at-bats in the month's first two games, he is 8-for-24 with five homers and 11 RBIs.
His June OPS is 1.244 after he picked up his first two-homer game as an Oriole last night. It was his 10th career two-homer game.
After picking up five hits, three of them homers, over the last three games, Reynolds is now batting .205. This is his highest average since he was at .212 on April 19.
The month has also...
Orioles lefty Zach Britton said it was not unexpected news. He was told today by manager Buck Showalter that his next start will likely be Friday in Washington and not Tuesday in Toronto.
Britton has already pitched 82 innings and the club knew at some point Britton would pitch too many innings this year if he continued to go every fifth day. He pitched 153 innings last year between the minors and majors.
"Obviously I don't want to skip starts, but I know they are doing it for a good...
For Ryan Adams, the last few weeks have been a bit of a mixed bag. He's been through the excitement of getting his first call to the major leagues. But also, for the first time in his life, he has not played much.
"It's just kind of part of it when you get called up," Adams said in the Orioles' clubhouse. "(Robert) Andino's been playing really well and it's most about the experience and learning for me right now anyway. I've been here trying to work hard and enjoy every moment and...
On the night the Orioles selected his brother Dylan in the first-round of the draft, Bobby Bundy picked up his sixth win for the Single-A Frederick Keys with another strong outing last Monday.
But after walking just 13 batters in 62 2/3 innings in his first 11 starts, Bundy struggled with his control last night and took the loss as Lynchburg beat Frederick 3-2 in front of 6,752 at Harry Grove Stadium.
"I was really trying to keep the ball down. I had a couple of calls that could have gone...