The Frederick Keys host Potomac tomorrow night at 7 p.m. in game one of a best-of-five Northern Division playoff series. Oliver Drake (6-6, 4.36) will pitch vs. Potomac's Daniel Rosenbaum (3-2, 2.09) in the series opener.
Here is the schedule for this series:
Game one, Wednesday: Potomac at Frederick, 7 p.m.
Game two, Thursday: Potomac at Frederick, 7 p.m.
Game three, Friday: Frederick at Potomac, 7:03 p.m.
Game four, Saturday: Frederick at Potomac, 6:35 p.m. (if necessary)
Game five,...
When Joe Mahoney looks back on his 2010 season, bet he will fondly remember that month of July.
Not only did he get promoted from Frederick to Double-A Bowie on July 9th, but Mahoney took the Eastern League by storm and, for a few weeks, became the talk of the entire Orioles organization.
He went 3 for 3 with a homer in his first Bowie game, and, 14 games later was batting .453-6-14.
"It seemed like they were throwing everything down the middle and I wasn't missing pitches. Sometimes when...
Sweeping Los Angeles was nice. Winning games from the White Sox and Texas was a good accomplishment.
Winning versus AL East teams is most impressive of all.
The Orioles have now won three in a row from Tampa and New York, maybe the two best teams in the game, and are now 4-3 in a nine-game run versus Boston, Tampa and New York.
The Yankees have lost just four of 23 home series this year. That will become five if the O's win one of the next two games.
It wasn't just winning at New...
On a day when he appeared in discomfort several times throughout the game, Brian Roberts still went 3 for 5 with 2 RBI as the Orioles, behind Brian Matusz, beat the Yankees 4-3 in New York.
The O's got several clutch performances on a day where they knocked off the AL East leaders and the team with baseball's best record.
After a Roberts single gave the O's a 4-3 lead in the top of the seventh, the Baltimore pen kept New York off the board in the final three frames.
Matt Albers pitched a...
A funny thing happened to the Bowie Baysox on the way to the playoffs.
They may not make it.
Trailing Harrisburg by one game for a playoff berth, they are trailing Richmond 4-3 in the last of the 8th in their final game of the regular season. With three more outs left, if they lose, they are eliminated from the race.
Mr. clutch, Joel Guzman is 3 for 4 today with 2 RBI and Brandon Waring has a solo homer, his 22nd. Caleb Joseph has two doubles.
Richmond scored four in the 4th. Now I'm ...
Somes notes on the Yankees and Orioles as the teams begin a three-game series today at New York.
*The Yankees are 86-51 and own baseball's best record. They are 30-19 in the second half and 29-21 vs. AL East clubs.
*Toronto's 7-3 win Sunday ended New York's eight-game win streak. The Yankiees are 14-5 over their last 19 games.
*They are 48-23 at home and are 16-4-3 in 23 home series this year. They are 105-47 (.691) since the start of last year at home and are 6-1 on their current...
It seems hard to believe, but it was 15 years ago today that Cal Ripken broke a record they said would never be broken.
He played in consecutive game number 2,131, surpassing Lou Gehrig's 56-year-old record.
The two-day celebration of 2130 and 2131 at Camden Yards was amazing and was voted Most Memorable Moment in baseball history by a fan vote.
Ripken threw out the first pitch on Sunday in Baltimore and later remembered that special time and those special two days.
"It was a...
The Bowie Baysox picked a bad time for their offense to go south.
Bowie was held scoreless on just two hits Sunday in a 1-0 loss at Richmond. Coupled with Harrisburg's 13-3 romp over Binghamton and Bowie is now one game back of the Senators for the final Eastern League playoff berth with one game to go.
Bowie needs to win Monday's Noon game at Richmond while Harrisburg loses its 1 p.m game at Binghamton. If that happens, the teams finish the regular season tied for second in their...
Some quotes from Chris Tillman, Nick Markakis and Corey Patterson after the Orioles 8-7 win over the Rays on Sunday.
It was the O's first series win this year vs. an AL East team other than Boston.
Tillman on his outing: "I felt good. Overall, I thought it went well. I think all my pitches were there. It kind of rolled over from Norfolk and I think that's a good thing.
"I just want to go out there and do my best, carry it over from Norfolk what I had going, and I think we're playing...
For most of the time since Buck Showalter has been O's manager, when the team won it usually had a lot to do with the pitching.
Sunday, the O's out-slugged Tampa in an 8-7 win to take the three game series, two wins to one, in front of 28,268 at Camden Yards.
Buck Showalter meets with the media after the O's 8-7 win over the Rays
Five different O's drove in runs as the Orioles posted thier first series win this year vs. an AL East opponent other than Boston and they improved to 5-10 vs....
Some of the longest and loudest ovations heard at Camden Yards are those reserved for Cal Ripken Jr.
There was another today when the Hall of Famer threw out the ceremonial first pitch on the 15th anniversary of his playing in consecutive game number 2,130 to tie Lou Gehrig's record.
"I keep milking it for whatever it's worth. It seems like time has gone by really fast. I only realize it when I look at the age of my kids. In many other ways it seems like that whole night was just a...
The Orioles ended their first three-game losing streak of the Buck Showalter era in resounding fashion tonight.
Jeremy Guthrie pitched seven strong innings to gain his 9th win while the O's had 15 hits in an 8-4 win over Tampa.
The victory was the 900th of Showalter's managerial career. He becomes the 64th manager in baseball history to reach the 900 mark and is 9th among active managers in wins.
The Orioles are 18-13 since Showalter took over on August 3rd.
Buck Showalter talks with the...
Nick Markakis entered tonight's game without an RBI or homer this year vs. Tampa.
That first-inning, two-run shot to right took care of both of those. Markakis was 7 for 51 in his first 13 games on the year vs. Tampa. He had a batting average of .137 and slugging percentage of .255 vs. Rays pitchers.
But he is 2 for 3 with two RBI so far as the O's lead 7-2 after five innings.
Wieters is 2 for 3 and had a two-run double in the third that gave the O's a 5-1 lead.
Wieters is now 11 for...
The Bowie Baysox and Harrisburg are now tied for the final Eastern League playoff spot with identical 75-64 records with three games to go.
Bowie is playing at Richmond tonight while Harrisburg is at Binghamton.
Should the teams finish tied for second place and that last playoff spot, they will play a one-game playoff contest on Tuesday at Bowie.
Eddie Gamboa (7-5, 3.70) is tonight's Baysox starter. He is coming off 6 1/3 scoreless innings in his last outing and is 1-1, 2.45 vs. Richmond...
Brandon Snyder has been here for three games now without an at bat. It's becoming apparent that, despite his callup, he will likely not get too many starts.
I asked Buck Showalter today if Snyder can gain something here, even if not playing much and if he can evaluate some things about Snyder without seeing him play much.
"I know there's never any substitute for actual game participation, but as we get into a couple of clubs that won't be involved in the playoffs, we'll get some looks...
On July 19, Chris Tillman gave up eight runs in just 2 2/3 vs. Tampa Bay.
For him, the rematch and the resumption of his Major League career comes tomorrow here at Camden Yards.
Tillman will make his 7th big league start of this season Sunday vs. the Rays. This is his third stint with the Orioles after going 11-7, 3.34 in 21 starts with Norfolk.
"I have to just go out and do what I know I can do. I've been pretty consistent down in Norfolk. That's been the thing I wanted to work on...
It's probably going to be an unpopular opinion, but I admire Kevin Millwood.
Yes, I admire a pitcher with a 3-15 record, a new career high in losses and ERA of 5.38. The pitcher that leads the American League in losses.
I remember that he pitched the first two months of this season without a win, despite a 3.89 ERA. That was the lowest ERA for a starter who opened the season with 11 straight winless decisions since Rick Langford had a 2.62 to open the 1978 season with Oakland.
He...
It would be hard to blame Luke Scott for this loss or the lack of offense vs. Matt Garza in Tampa's 4-1 win tonight.
He reached base all three times he was up vs. Garza with a single and two walks. Perhaps Garza tread lightly with him after he homered off him twice in that July game vs. the Rays.
Here is what Scott about the Garza and this game:
"Garza had good stuff and has a plus arm. For the most part he stayed out of the middle of the plate. He's got a power arm but he finessed...
No one got hit. But the Orioles didn't get many hits either, off Matt Garza.
This time they didn't hit four homers off him like they did back on July 20th.
Garza gave up just one run and five hits over 5 2/3 pitching Tampa Bay to a 4-1 win over the Orioles in the opener of the weekend series.
Buck Showalter meets with the media following the O's 4-1 loss to Tampa Bay
Garza, now 14-7, 3.46, walked and fanned three, throwing 98 pitches. He has allowed one earned run or less in six of his...
The O's trail Tampa and Matt Garza 4-1 through five innings.
No one has shoved anything down anyone's throat that I have seen, but I have noticed the O's not getting any clutch hits off Garza. At least, so far.
They had runners on second with just one out in the 3rd and 5th and failed to score. They got two hits and a walk in the 4th and scored just one run.
The O's are 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position through five.
Garza, who pitched a no-hitter July 26 vs. Detroit, had an...