Steve Melewski

Nick in the day (updated with Tillman's line)

May 05, 2011, 12:04pm

Orioles

Nick in the day (updated with Tillman's line)

The long-awaited resurgence of Nick Markakis' bat may be underway. Maybe now I won't get any comments from fans that want him waived to help the club get out from under his contract. After driving in two runs last night, one with a homer, Markakis has singled in his first two trips this afternoon at Kansas City. His average is now at .229, meaning plenty of more hits should be forthcoming as well over the next few weeks. Have I mentioned six or eight or 20 times recently that I feel no...

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A lead that didn't last long

May 05, 2011, 11:15am

Orioles

The Orioles took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first today at Kansas City. But the Royals came right back and got four off Chris Tillman in the last of the first to lead 4-1. Nick Markakis singled in the first with one out and later scored on an Adam Jones single. It's Jones' 16th RBI. He now has eight hits over his past 15 at bats. But the first three hitters reached for the Royals as they took the lead. Chris Getz led off with an infield single to short. Robert Andino double-clutched...

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Some notes as the O's and K.C. get set for day baseball

May 05, 2011, 6:02am

Orioles

Some notes as the O's and K.C. get set for day baseball

Having already secured a winning road trip at 4-2, the Orioles play at Kansas City this afternoon at 2:10 p.m. in the final game of this trip. Here are some notes on the Orioles: * The Orioles picked up their 14th win last night. Last year, they didn't win their 14th game until May 21.They improved to 7-7 on the road last night and last year didn't win their seventh road game until June 15. * Nick Markakis entered Wednesday's game with just one extra-base hit and just three RBIs during his...

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Arrieta with another good outing as O's top K.C.

May 04, 2011, 8:04pm

Orioles

Arrieta with another good outing as O's top K.C.

When Orioles pitcher Jake Arrieta threw a staggering total of 35 pitches in the second inning Wednesday night at Kansas City, it sure didn't look like he would be able to pitch seven innings in the game. But from the third through fifth innings, Arrieta needed only 35 more pitches and he was on his way to another solid outing for the Birds. Arrieta pitched a season-high seven innings, allowing just three hits and one run in the Orioles' 3-2 win. He threw 105 pitches and fanned eight, one...

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Lee and Markakis with early RBIs for the Orioles

May 04, 2011, 4:59pm

Orioles

Nick Markakis and Derrek Lee tried to quiet their critics with RBIs in the early innings tonight at Kansas City. The Orioles lead 2-1 in the third inning. Lee's sac fly in the first scored Brian Roberts, who had doubled and advanced to third on a fly ball. It was Lee's seventh RBI on the year and his fifth over the past seven games. Markakis had an RBI single in the second which, at that point, gave the O's a 2-0 lead. He entered tonight with just three RBIs over his last 17 games and in a...

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Mummey's tweet

May 04, 2011, 1:58pm

Orioles

There are some encouraging words late this afternoon coming from Single-A Frederick Keys outfielder Trent Mummey after his scare during today's game at Harry Grove Stadium. Mummey tweeted this via his Twitter account a few moments ago: Thanks for all the wishful thoughts! Scary moment but I'm thanking god that everything is going to be ok. #countingmyblessings Mummey's head hit the outfield wall in the top of the second as he dove for a ball. He was down for several minutes and taken off...

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Another look at the offense

May 04, 2011, 12:33pm

Orioles

The Orioles offense continues to be a mixed bag of some good and some not so good. After last night's loss in Kansas City, the team batting average is .238 and the club is averaging 4.2 runs per game. The Orioles have scored 29 runs in the five games of the road trip. After getting double-figure hits just five times as team over the first 20 games, they have had 10 or more hits five times over the last eight games. They still don't steal many bases, but Adam Jones got one last night. The...

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Joe Mahoney likely headed back to the disabled list (updated)

May 04, 2011, 9:16am

Orioles

Joe Mahoney likely headed back to the disabled list (updated)

This has been a brutal Wednesday in the Orioles minor leagues. Earlier, I posted the info on Trent Mummey leaving the Single-A Frederick game and Jesse Beal's surgery. Now comes word that Billy Rowell has been placed on the seven-day disabled list at Double-A Bowie with a left ankle injury and Joe Mahoney, the Orioles' 2010 minor league Player of the Year is probably headed there, too. Mahoney is still having discomfort because of a quad injury that earlier had him sidelined from April...

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Mummey taken from field in Frederick; Beal has surgery

May 04, 2011, 8:53am

Orioles

Mummey taken from field in Frederick; Beal has surgery

Some of the news coming out of the Orioles minor leagues today is not good. Single-A Frederick is playing Winston-Salem at home right now in a day game and center fielder Trent Mummey has left that game in the second inning after crashing into the center-field wall. He was taken by ambulance from Harry Grove Stadium. If there is further word later, I will pass it along. Meanwhile, Jesse Beal, a promising young right-handed pitcher that was at Single-A Delmarva last summer, had surgery...

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Kyle Hudson moves to Double-A Bowie

May 04, 2011, 7:43am

Orioles

Single-A Frederick Keys center fielder Kyle Hudson has moved today to Double-A Bowie. This will be the first crack at Double-A ball for the 24-year-old left-handed batter. He was hitting .279 in 23 games with the Keys with no homers, two RBIs and eight steals. He played all last season with Frederick and recently Trent Mummey was moved from Single-A Delmarva to Frederick, giving the Keys essentially two center fielders. Mummey can now move to center for the Keys. Hudson will now join a team...

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Frustration in Kansas City

May 03, 2011, 8:14pm

Orioles

Whenever you lose by one run, you can often point to a lot of things that went wrong. Tuesday night in Kansas City, a lot of things went wrong. Brad Bergesen pitched a scoreless first, but got rocked during a three-run second. He can't seem to find any consistency right now. Derrek Lee made a baserunning blunder. In the fourth he hit a bloop single to right. But, with the Orioles behind 3-0, he tried to stretch that into a double on right fielder Jeff Francoeur and he was thrown out. Lee...

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Tracking the O's hitters versus Jeff Francis

May 03, 2011, 4:36pm

Orioles

Tracking the O's hitters versus Jeff Francis

Here is a pretty surprising stat. The four hitters batting second through fifth for the Orioles tonight - Nick Markakis, Derrek Lee, Vladimir Guerrero and Mark Reynolds - are a combined 21-for-41 in their careers at gametime against Jeff Francis, who is starting for the Royals tonight. The rundown: Markakis is 2-for-3 with a homer Lee is 7-for-12 with a homer Vlad is 3-for-4 with two doubles Reynolds is 9-for-22 with two doubles So, of course, that foursome went 0-for-4 the first time...

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Another honor for Machado

May 03, 2011, 12:47pm

Orioles

After being named South Atlantic League player of the week yesterday, today, shortstop Manny Machado of the Class-A Delmarva Shorebirds was named the Orioles' minor league player of the month for April. The 18-year-old that was the Orioles 2010 first-round draft pick hit .338 with four home runs and 18 RBI in the month. In 21 games in April, Machado also had 27 hits, including six doubles and two triples. He also showed great patience at the plate with 16 walks and only 11 strikeouts and...

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Are Nick and D. Lee getting ready to break out on offense?

May 03, 2011, 7:03am

Orioles

Are Nick and D. Lee getting ready to break out on offense?

Here is a bad stat that simply must get better for the Orioles and certainly should get better. Derrek Lee and Nick Markakis are batting a combined .133 with runners in scoring position at 6-for-45. Lee is 2-for-22 and Markakis is 4-for-23. I am going to go out on a limb here and say there is no way that number continues too much longer. There are signs recently both are starting to get their offense in gear and that would be pretty big for this team since they bat second and third in the...

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Saying goodbye to my biggest fan

May 02, 2011, 3:35pm

Orioles

Some of you may have noticed that I have not been filing the usual number of blog entries and stories recently. That is because I have been busy with something else over these past few days. Last Friday morning at 6:35 a.m., my Mom died. She and our family had been dealing with Mom's Alzheimer's disease for more than 10 years. It was, as some have labeled it, a long goodbye. The last few years were such that our Mom didn't know our names and we could not even really have a conversation...

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Orioles news and notes

April 30, 2011, 6:50pm

Orioles

A couple of Orioles stats and facts to check out as Zach Britton takes the mound in Chicago today in Game 3 of a four-game series in search of his fifth win. * When starting pitcher Chris Tillman gave up just one earned run over five innings last night, it was the sixth time over the last 11 games an O's starter allowed two earned runs or fewer. They have had eight quality starts in that stretch and the starters' ERA is 3.29 over the 11 games. * In this series, the Orioles' bullpen has...

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Orioles top White Sox 6-2 to take first two games of series

April 30, 2011, 5:53pm

Orioles

The Orioles have started a seven-game road trip with back-to-back wins at Chicago after tonight's 6-2 victory. The Orioles end April with a record of 12-13 after going 5-18 through April last year. The Birds have won four of their last five games. Not a bad April record, considering they lost eight in a row at one point in the month. Buck Showalter talks with Gary Thorne about Michael Gonzalez's outing in the O's 6-2 win Chris Tillman allowed just one run over five-plus innings in his...

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Gonzalez, Tillman and Andino come up big as O's lead 2-1 in seventh

April 30, 2011, 5:03pm

Orioles

Gonzalez, Tillman and Andino come up big as O's lead 2-1 in seventh

Struggling reliever Mike Gonzalez just did a very nice job in the last of the sixth as the Orioles were able to hold onto a lead tonight in their game at Chicago. The O's are up 2-1 in the seventh. Gonzalez came on for starter Chris Tillman with the bases loaded and none out in the sixth. He got Adam Dunn looking and then Alex Rios hit a fly ball to medium center field. Adam Jones made the catch and a nice one-hop throw home, but Jake Fox could not hang on to the throw and a run...

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Orioles' minor league teams are playing well now

April 30, 2011, 9:40am

Orioles

Charlie Sheen would like the Orioles' minor league affiliates these days as they have been doing a lot of winning lately. Triple-A Norfolk has won four of its last six games to get to 7-15 on the season. Double-A Bowie is 6-3 over its past nine games to get to 11-10. Single-A Frederick has won five of six to get to 10-10 and Single-A Delmarva has won eight in a row to improve to 13-9. That is the Shorebirds' longest win streak since a nine-gamer in May of 2006. At Norfolk, Brandon Snyder is...

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Check out this audio of Machado's latest homer (updated with minor league moves)

April 28, 2011, 8:28am

Orioles

Check out this audio of Machado's latest homer (updated with minor league moves)

It was the sixth inning last night at Perdue Stadium in Salisbury. The Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds trailed the Savannah Sand Gnats by a 2-1 score. Orioles 2010 first-round draft Manny Machado came up to bat. He had homered the last two nights. The count went to 3-0. Shorebirds broadcaster Bret Lasky then called the play-by-play for what happened next on 960 AM The Sports Animal. Machado hits tape-measure homer by smelewski Bret tells me that long-time followers of the Shorebirds say...