Zach Britton is at Camden Yards tonight. But to get an award and not pitch in a game, like he had hoped.
Britton was named the winner today of the O's Jim Palmer award, which goes to their Minor League Pitcher of the Year.
Britton went 10-7, 2.70 between Bowie and Norfolk and was hoping he'd pitch for the Orioles this month as a September callup.
"This experience of not coming up here in September is going to light a fire under my butt and push me to try and win a spot in spring...
The Orioles have now made it official with their announcement that Joe Mahoney has won the Brooks Robinson Award as their minor league player of the year.
Zach Britton is the Jim Palmer Award winner as minor league pitcher of the year.
Here is the news from the O's press release:
The Orioles today announced the winners of their player development and scouting awards for 2010, including INF JOE MAHONEY as the club's top minor league player and LHP ZACH BRITTON as the club's top minor...
If baseball passed a rule that stated the standings didn't count this year until beginning with the games of August 3rd, the Orioles would be okay with that.
That is the day Buck Showalter managed his first O's game this year and since then the Orioles are the AL East division leaders - by 3 1/2 games and the Yankees are in fourth place.
Team.......W....L.......Pct........GB
Orioles.... 26-15.......634.........--
Bos/TB.......
They are home-grown, drafted and developed, Orioles' products. One selected out of high school, the other from college.
Later today, the O's will make the announcement official.
Joe Mahoney is expected to be named winner of the Brooks Robinson O's Minor League Player of the Year award and Zach Britton winner of the Jim Palmer Minor League Pitcher of the Year honor.
Both players are expected at Camden Yards tonight and will be introduced to the crowd as they get their awards.
Britton...
After three seasons and 348 games in a Frederick Keys uniform, Billy Rowell is more than ready to play for a different minor league team.
For the first time in a few years, Rowell's career move be on the move upward.
The O's first-round pick in 2006, Rowell hit .275-11-61 this year with 25 doubles in 117 Keys games. His average was up from last season's .225 and his OPS increased from .620 to .756.
"I just wanted to stay consistent throughout the second half. Consistency is part of the...
Blame Yunel Escobar.
If he didn't hit a liner off Brian Matusz's left triceps Tuesday night, the Orioles might have a streak of nine straight quality starts right now.
We don't know how well Matusz would have done had he stayed in that game, but he's been pitching well, so I'd like his chances to get it done.
O's starting pitching has gone from good to great.
Here are the latest numbers:
*ERA of 0.56 in the Toronto series.
*ERA of 0.61 over last five games.
*Starters are 5-0, 1.66 the...
After one inning tonight, Brad Bergesen had thrown 20 pitches and allowed a homer.
We didn't know then that he would need just 75 more pitches over the next eight innings and that he would pitch an at times dominant game vs. Toronto.
But Bergesen produced his second complete game of the year and third of his career, with a 95-pitch, seven-hitter as the Orioles beat Toronto 3-1 to complete a three-game sweep. He threw 68 of his 95 pitches for strikes, with no walks and three...
Kyle Drabek pitched pretty well at Camden Yards tonight in his Major League debut.
But Brad Bergesen was better.
The O's great run of starting pitching continued Wednesday night as the Orioles beat Toronto 3-1 on Bergesen's seven-hitter to complete a three-game sweep.
Bergesen improves to 7-10, 5.03 and pitched his second complete game of the season and the Orioles third.
Buck Showalter talks with the media after the O's 3-1 win over the Blue Jays
He got plenty of defensive help as...
Kyle Drabek sure handled himself well and was pretty impressive in his Major League debut tonight.
He leaves trailing 3-1 to Brad Bergesen and the Orioles as the O's bat in the seventh.
He gave up nine hits and three runs, throwing 88 pitches through six frames. He showed a low 90's fastball and two pretty good curveballs. He limited damage during a couple of jams and fanned five.
Bergesen has worked fast, throwing strikes tonight and his defense has been stellar, turning two double...
Jose Bautista, who did not homer in 11 Orioles at bats in 2004, tonight hit his seventh homer this year against Baltimore pitching.
Bautista has 17 hits this year vs. the O's and 14 have gone for extra-bases after he homered off Brad Bergesen in the first tonight.
He is 17 for 55 (.309) vs. the O's in 2010 with six doubles, a triple, seven homers and 16 RBI. He began this game with an OPS of 1.159 vs. Orioles pitching.
He also has homered six times on the season vs. the Red Sox and...
His father made his first-ever Major League start in Baltimore and Kyle Drabek will do the same tonight, pitching for Toronto vs. the Orioles.
After pitching four times in relief, former Cy Young winner Doug Drabek, who was an Oriole himself in 1998, made his first career start for the Yankees at Memorial Stadium on June 15, 1986. This will be the younger Drabek's Major League debut.
The 22-year-old Drabek was the Eastern League pitcher of the year this season, going 14-9, 2.94 over 27...
The end of this season is turning out better for Robert Andino than the beginning.
Andino was designated for assignment by the Orioles on April 3rd. But he cleared waivers, went to Triple-A and put up enough numbers to get a September recall.
Now he has started the last three games, going 4 for 15 and had a big three-run double in last night's win. He may be playing his way back into the O's picture as at least a candidate for the utility infielder job next season.
"I'm just trying not...
So the Orioles have now won four series in a row for the first time since August 3-15, 2004.
Overall, they have won eight of their last ten and 12 of the last 17 games.
They are 6-1 in their last seven games vs. the AL East.
There are so many positive individual and team stats right now, it is even hard for a reporter like yours truly who enjoys keeping up with stats and trends.
But, hey, I'll work at it.
Then there is this note. The Orioles have now played 40 games under Buck Showalter...
Buck Showalter says players don't get stronger this time of year, some just hold up better than others.
Jake Arrieta seems to be one of those players.
Even though he is now 22 innings over his 2009 total, Arrieta is thriving and tonight pitched six shutout innings in the O's 11-3 romp over Toronto.
He is now 6-6, 4.66 in 18 starts and is 2-0, 2.60 over his past three starts. This was his first start as a Major Leaguer where he did not allow a run.
Jake Arrieta discusses his outing with...
The Orioles used a big inning and a big pitching performance to post another win over Toronto on Tuesday night.
Jake Arrieta pitched six scoreless innings and the O's added to a 3-0 lead with a six-run 7th in an 11-3 romp over the Jays.
The Orioles have now won four series in a row for the first time since August 3-15, 2004.
Buck Showalter meets with the media after the O's 11-3 win over the Blue Jays
An enthusiastic crowd of 16,589 saw it on Buck Showalter T-shirt Tuesday.
The Orioles...
Josh Bell continues to strike out too much.
He has fanned twice tonight vs. Shawn Hill. He has swung at six pitches and missed them all. He has now fanned 49 times and walked just twice in 141 Major League at bats.
Yes, that is an alarming rate of strikeouts.
This is not to bash Bell because his defense has improved and over the last few weeks he made a few plays to help this team win. And I can still remember sitting in this exact press box seat when he mashed two homers off Cliff...
The Orioles will announce their minor league player and pitcher of the year award winners this Friday and the players will be introduced to the crowd that night when the O's host the Yankees.
Barring an upset, it appears that Joe Mahoney is the top candidate for the Brooks Robinson player award and Zach Britton for the Jim Palmer pitcher honor.
The 23-year-old Mahoney, a sixth-round pick in 2007, hit .307-18-78 this year with 30 doubles between Frederick and Bowie.
After his promotion to...
Brian Matusz said today he hasn't yet met with Rick Kranitz and/or Buck Showalter to discuss whether he will make his next start.
He and the O's expect that he will after Matusz suffered a left triceps contusion last night vs. Toronto and pitched just one inning vs. the Jays.
"It feels good, still a little bit swollen and bruised up a little bit. We are going to continue to do treatment with ice, stim and go from there. Keep a pressure pad on it to get the swelling down. I am not going...
Luke Scott was the last hero for the Orioles in their 11-inning win over Toronto Monday night, but Rick VandenHurk was likely the most important.
When Brian Matusz left his start after one inning with a left triceps contusion, VandenHurk entered the contest on short notice.
It was his fourth O's appearance, but he had pitched just one inning over the previous 17 days.
He took the mound to start the second inning and quickly looked in mid-season form for a guy trying to knock rust off. He...
Brian Matusz took the mound tonight and could have become the first O's pitcher to win five consecutive starts since Erik Bedard did it in July of 2007.
But Yunel Escobar's line drive changed those plans.
When Escobar, the second batter of the game, hit one back at the mound, Matusz took the liner on his left arm and suffered a left triceps contusion.
He faced three more batters but was pulled after one scoreless inning.
"Squared me up in the tricep. I felt fine. Honestly, at first, it...
