A Q&A with Joe Jordan as the signing deadline nears

A Q&A with Joe Jordan as the signing deadline nears
As we head into the final weekend before the deadline at midnight Monday to sign picks from the First-Year Player Draft, the Orioles have come to terms with 34 of their 49 selections. They have agreed on deals with 10 of their 14 picks in the first 15 rounds. The four remaining unsigned among those picks include first-round selection, prep shortstop Manny Machado. They also have yet to agree with sixth-round pick, pitcher Dixon Anderson, seventh-round pick, pitcher Matthew Bywater and...
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Klein headed for Aberdeen

Klein headed for Aberdeen
O's third-round pick Dan Klein, the UCLA pitcher, is on his way to Baltimore for a physical and then is expected to join the Aberdeen IronBirds. Klein has been been throwing and keeping in good shape so it could be only the matter of a few days before he pitches in a game. The O's agreed to terms with Klein on a signing bonus last night after scouting director Joe Jordan met with Klein and his parents in California on Saturday. Meawhile, fifth-round pick, infielder Conner Narron and...
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The rare complete game

The rare complete game
The complete game has almost disappeared in Major League Baseball. Where Jim Palmer once had 25 complete games all by himself, in 1975, last night's two-hitter for Brad Bergesen was just the O's second route-going effort all year and the first to go nine innings. Kevin Millwood was credited with an eight-inning complete game on April 21 in a losing effort at Seattle. Bergesen needed just 102 pitches to get his CG and he got there by getting quick outs throughout the night. He needed just...
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O's close in on agreement with Klein

O's close in on agreement with Klein
The deal is not completely done, but the Orioles are closing in on an agreement with their third-round draft pick, UCLA pitcher Dan Klein. The 22-year-old Klein was a redshirt sophomore for the Bruins, who made the College World Series this year. He was the 85th overall selection in the draft. This season for the Bruins, Klein was 6-1, 1.90 and ten saves. Over 52 innings he gave up 39 hits with 11 walks, 55 strikeouts and a .204 batting average against. The Orioles have said they would...
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Bergy with two-hit gem as O's top Tribe, 3-1

Bergy with two-hit gem as O's top Tribe, 3-1
The Orioles have been getting solid work by their starting pitchers for manager Buck Showalter. Tonight's outing topped them all. Brad Bergesen pitched a complete-game two-hitter as the Orioles topped Cleveland 3-1. Bergesen, now 4-9, 5.84, threw just 102 pitches in recording his second career complete game. He pitched a five-hitter in topping Atlanta last June 14. He missed out on throwing the Orioles first one-hitter since Daniel Cabrera had one on September 28, 2006 in New York vs. the...
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Erbe headed for surgery

Erbe headed for surgery
O's pitching prospect Brandon Erbe will undergo shoulder surgery on Friday to repair a torn labrum. Erbe was seen by Dr. Lewis Yocum today, and as a result of that exam, Friday's surgery has been scheduled. They won't necessarily know the extent of the injury until the procedure or how much time Erbe will miss. The 22-year-old right-hander from Baltimore has not pitched since a July 24 injury-rehab start with Aberdeen and was on the road back to Triple-A when he was sent to...
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Another pitcher's duel? (updated)

Another pitcher's duel? (updated)
After last night, when these teams combined for 22 runs, one more than the O's and White Sox had combined to score during their entire four-game series, maybe the O's and Cleveland will return to a pitcher's duel tonight. The O's lead 2-0 after four on a Luke Scott RBI groundout in the first and a Cesar Izturis RBI single in the fourth. Brad Bergesen is off to a good start. The Indians do not yet have a hit and he has thrown just 42 pitches. He has gotten two double plays behind him...
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No worries about Avery to Double-A

No worries about Avery to Double-A
I see where some fans think the Orioles may be rushing 20-year-old outfielder Xavier Avery by promoting him to Bowie, a story we reported here yesterday. To that I say, don't worry about it. The O's are providing a player who has had a solid year with a new challenge and a chance to get his feet wet at the level he would likely be sent to next year anyway. In a best-case scenario, he does well and starts next season full of confidence beginning it at Bowie and maybe ending up making...
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Callis on Machado and the O's unsigned draft picks

Callis on Machado and the O's unsigned draft picks
If you missed my story yesterday with Jim Callis of Baseball America, he believes very strongly that the Orioles will sign their top draft pick, prep shortstop Manny Machado, by next week's Monday midnight deadline. The Orioles have five players unsigned among players they drafted in the first 15 rounds: Round one pick Manny Machado Round three pick Dan Klein Round six pick Dixon Anderson Round seven pick Matthew Bywater Round 11 pick Alexander Gonzalez The club has not officially announced...
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The booming bats: O's rout Cleveland 14-8

The booming bats:  O's rout Cleveland 14-8
This time, no quality start was necessary. The Orioles hit four homers and scored a season high in runs in a 14-8 romp over Cleveland Tuesday night in game one of a six-game road trip. The Orioles improve to 7-1 under new manager Buck Showalter and are 8-4 over the last 12 games. Jim Hunter talks with Buck Showalter following the O's 14-8 win over the Indians The Birds scored four in the fourth to lead 4-1 only to see Cleveland storm back for a 6-4 lead in the last of the fourth. But the...
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Callis confident O's will sign Machado (w/Avery to Bowie update)

Callis confident O's will sign Machado (w/Avery to Bowie update)
If Baseball America draft expert Jim Callis is right, and he usually is, the Orioles will sign their top draft pick, number three overall selection Manny Machado. But, as has been expected since the day they selected the Miami prep shortstop, the negotiations are expected to go down to the deadline, next Monday at midnight. "I'd be shocked if they didn't sign him. If you take a guy like that at number three and you know how good he is and you know who his agent is, you know you are going...
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Now that's more like it

Now that's more like it
In Bull Durham, didn't Annie Savoy say something like, "For one glorious week, our Durham Bulls played like champions." O's fans can relate this morning. When Brian Roberts made like Crash Davis last night, the O's walked-off jubilantly with another win, and in just a week's time, you get the feeling watching this team now that something good, not bad, will happen. For one glorious homestand, the Birds put it all together. They swept a good team and took three of four from the...
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Roberts talks about his game-winning homer

Roberts talks about his game-winning homer
As Brian Roberts remembers, this was just his second Major League walk-off homer. He hit one on June 28, 2005 in the tenth inning vs. the Yankees and he connected for the win in the tenth tonight vs. the first-place White Sox. "Just got a 1-0 fastball and, at that time of the game, I was trying to figure out whether to take a strike or not. But I was pretty sure I would get a heater at that point, 1-0 and leading off the inning. I was just fortunate enough to get a pitch to hit." He...
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A Roberts walk-off blast for the win

A Roberts walk-off blast for the win
Even when the Orioles get deflated, they seem to win these days. The Birds completed their best homestand of the year tonight when Brian Roberts hit a booming homer over the right-field scoreboard on a 1-0 pitch leading off the last of the tenth. It gave the O's a 3-2 win over the AL Central-leading White Sox. It was the O's first walk-off homer of the year as the team concluded a 6-1 homestand for new skipper Buck Showalter. The last four wins all came by one run and the Orioles improved...
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Joe Mahoney interview

Joe Mahoney interview
Joe Mahoney, first baseman for the Double-A Bowie Baysox, was a guest of Jim and Rick on MASN's O's XTRA tonight before the game here at Camden Yards. Joe is becoming quite the rock star. I've been told he was a pretty popular guy with autograph seekers after he got off the TV set out in left center here at the ballpark.
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Two in a row anyone?

Two in a row anyone?
Not two wins, two series. The Orioles, who have won just five of 35 series all year, can win two in a row for the first time in over a year if they beat Chicago tonight. After sweeping the Angels to start this homestand, they have taken two of the first three in this four-game set with AL Central-leading Chicago. The last time the O's won back-to-back series was from July 7-12 of 2009 when they took two of three at Seattle and then won two of three at home vs. Toronto. With a 5-1 mark, the...
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Tatum returns, and talks about it

Tatum returns, and talks about it
When last seen in the Orioles clubhouse Craig Tatum had a sore hand and overall, he was, well, sore about an O's roster decision. The decision made that day, July 25th, was to option Tatum to Triple-A when Matt Wieters came off the DL so the club could keep 13 pitchers. Tatum didn't hide his disappointment as he headed out to join Norfolk. The night before he had left the game with the Twins in the seventh inning after taking a foul ball off his right hand. He suffered a bruise and...
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Buck's take on Matusz

Buck's take on Matusz
It's been a bumpy ride at times this season for Orioles 23-year-old lefty Brian Matusz. After going 5-2, 4.63 in eight starts last year, he is 4-11, 5.26 in 22 starts this season. On July 4th, Matusz pitched seven innings of two-hit shutout ball at Boston. But then he gave up 18 ER over 13 innings in a four-start stretch. That poor run ended when he beat the Angels Wednesday night in Buck Showalter's second game. He gave up just one run over six innings. Tonight, he pitches here at...
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Big day for Izturis: How many more will he have with the O's?

Big day for Izturis: How many more will he have with the O's?
For a player who is rather quiet and never seems to be in the limelight or the center of attention, this was different. When Cesar Izturis hit a bloop single to center in the second inning Sunday, the fans erupted in cheers and so did the players in the O's dugout. It was the 1,000th career hit for Izturis, who suddenly, at least for a short time, was in the spotlight. "To get that 1,000th hit is something special for me. That moment is something you look for all your career. Today was a...
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Guthrie: "To see it happen in the last week is a great sign."

Guthrie:  "To see it happen in the last week is a great sign."
Jeremy Guthrie began his recent roll of solid pitching July 17 vs. Toronto when he gave up just one run over 6 1/3. Now his ERA is 1.78 over his last five starts and today he matched his longest outing of the year and got the win as the Orioles beat Chicago, 4-3. "I'm just trying to be more aggressive. That's about the only thing I can put a finger on. Throw more strikes and my goal is to walk zero guys each game and make them hit the ball." Guthrie gave up just one run and six hits...
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