Steve Melewski

Matusz through five

August 25, 2010, 5:37pm

Orioles

Brian Matusz has a two-hitter and 2-0 lead through five innings at Chicago. He gave up two singles in the second, but got an Andruw Jones double play ball to end that inning. Just like with his last start when he pitched eight scoreless vs. Texas, he really is mixing his pitches well and it seems the Sox just don't know what is coming. Guess that is what they call pitching. Matusz has fanned five, four of them on called third strikes. He has thrown 80 pitches through five, needing 36 over...

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Wondering about Wieters

August 25, 2010, 4:59pm

Orioles

For the second time in two days in the Chicago series, Matt Wieters came to bat in the second inning with two runners on and hit into a double play. Wieters is clearly struggling right now. He is 0 for 1 tonight and has just seven hits over his last 38 at bats over 11 games, an average of just .184. He has only 3 RBI in that time. This is not a post to bash or jump on Wieters, but it's a bit puzzling why he is not hitting more than he is at this point. On the double play ball in the...

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Two pitchers leaving Frederick

August 25, 2010, 11:36am

Orioles

With two weeks remaining in the regular season and the playoffs looming, the Frederick Keys will soon have to do without two pitchers that have been in their rotation for at least part of their season. Ryan Berry is headed back to Rice and Nate Moreau to Georgia to return to school. Berry had pretty much reached the limit on his innings for this season anyway and had been pitching out of the bullpen for the last month. He went 2-2, 3.04 in 17 Keys games, 12 starts. Moreau, who pitched a...

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Even under Buck, O's stumble a bit

August 25, 2010, 6:53am

Orioles

For a while, there was great starting pitching, clutch hitting, walk-off wins and a record of 8-1. That was the O's mark in their first nine games under Buck Showalter. It was quite a honeymoon. But the O's are 4-8 since then. Have the real Orioles returned? Last night, with runners on first and third and none out in the second inning, Matt Wieters hit a ground ball to first base. Adam Jones froze at third base and did not score as Chicago turned a 3-6-3 double play. Within a few...

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Beckham's blast carries Sox to a win in series opener

August 24, 2010, 7:07pm

Orioles

Beckham's blast carries Sox to a win in series opener

One swing by Gordon Beckham broke up a good pitchers duel tonight in Chicago. He hit a 2-2 pitch from Jeremy Guthrie for a three-run homer to center in the last of the seventh and that broke a 2-2 tie and put the Sox ahead 5-2 on their way to a 7-5 win over the Orioles on Tuesday night. It was game one of a series and road trip for the Orioles who fall to 12-9 under Buck Showalter. It was the first time they had lost the first game of a series since Showalter took over after going 6-0. Jim...

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Beckham bashed it & Guthrie now out

August 24, 2010, 6:17pm

Orioles

White Sox number nine hitter, Gordon Beckham, hit a three-run homer to center off Jeremy Guthrie in the 7th to break a 2-2 tie and give Chicago a 5-2 lead. Beckham came up with runners on second and third and one out in a tie game. The infield came in. On a night when Guthrie has struggled to command his slider, he missed with a breaking ball on the 1-2 pitch and went fastball on 2-2. Beckham was ready and drilled the belt high pitch out to center for the lead and his 8th homer of the...

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Scott homer notes & Jones leaves game

August 24, 2010, 5:18pm

Orioles

Luke Scott tied his career high with his 25th homer tonight at Chicago. He led off the fourth with a shot to right off Gavin Floyd on a 1-1 pitch as he homers for the third game in a row. Scott has hit eight of his 25 homers on the road this year and now has hit eight in 21 August games. He has more homers this year in August than he had all of last year after the All-Star break. This year he has 13 homers in 127 at bats since the All-Star game while last year he had seven in 216 at bats in...

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Can O's keep perfect mark under Buck intact?

August 24, 2010, 10:27am

Orioles

Can O's keep perfect mark under Buck intact?

No, the O's have not won every game since Buck Showalter has been manager. In fact, the Orioles are 12-8 since his first game as skipper on August 3 versus the Angels. But the Orioles are 6-0 in the first game of every series since Buck took over: 8-3: at O's 6, LAA 3 8-6: at O's 2 CWS 1 (10) 8-10: O's 14 at Clev 8 8-13: O's 5 at Tampa 0 8-16: at O's 5 Sea 4 (11) 8-19: at O's 4 Texas 0 They try to make that 7-0 tonight at Chicago in the first game of the series and road trip. ...

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O's are draft's 4th biggest spenders since 2008

August 23, 2010, 5:40pm

Orioles

O's are draft's 4th biggest spenders since 2008

A report by Baseball America lists the top teams in spending on the First-Year Player Draft from 2008 through 2010. The Orioles are listed fourth on that list, with bonuses totaling 24.8 million over the last three drafts. Top draft spendors, 2008 through 2010: $30.6 million - Pittsburgh $28.3 million - Boston $28.2 million - Washington $24.8 million - Baltimore Baseball America says that the O's $5.25 million bonus that top pick Manny Machado got this year is the 14th largest signing bonus...

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Scott the slugger

August 23, 2010, 6:49am

Orioles

Here are some stats about Luke Scott that may surprise you. This year he is averaging one homer every 14.5 at bats. That is fourth best in the AL and the best ratio of his career. If a player hitting one homer every 14.5 at bats, got 600 at bats in a season, that player would hit 41.4 homers. Scott won't get 600 at bats this year, but that is quite a pace he is on. There is also this stat: Since May 12, Luke Scott is 3rd in the Majors in slugging percentage (.640) and OPS...

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Millwood gives up two homers as Texas takes the series finale

August 22, 2010, 12:31pm

Orioles

Millwood gives up two homers as Texas takes the series finale

O's starter Kevin Millwood has struggled this year when pitching in the first inning. And, he began today tied for fifth in the Majors with 24 homers allowed. Today, he allowed a homer as he gave up runs again in the first. Millwood gave up two, three-run homers to the middle of the Texas order as the Rangers beat the Birds 6-4 to even the four-game series at two wins each. After a single and walk to start the game, Josh Hamilton came up and hit a homer to left for a quick 3-0 Texas edge. ...

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Millwood regroups (for a while)

August 22, 2010, 10:54am

Orioles

After giving up more first-inning runs, Kevin Millwood has settled into a nice groove today through the fourth inning vs. his former team, the Texas Rangers. Millwood gave up a single, walk and three-run homer to Josh Hamilton to start today's game and put the O's in a 3-0 hole. Millwood has now allowed 38 runs in the first inning this year and his ERA is 13.32 in that inning. Opponent hitters are batting .390 in the opening inning vs. the right-hander. But he pitched shutout ball over...

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Trent Mummey to Delmarva (Ripken finale today)

August 22, 2010, 7:44am

Orioles

Trent Mummey to Delmarva (Ripken finale today)

The Orioles have promoted outfielder Trent Mummey from Aberdeen to Delmarva, where he will take the roster spot of Steven Bumbry, who went on the disabled list Saturday with an oblique strain. Mummey, this year's fourth-round pick out of Auburn, was batting .266-3-24 in 49 IronBirds games with 16 doubles and two triples. He played in the New York-Penn League All-Star game. The 21-year-old center fielder got off to a hot hitting start with Aberdeen and was hitting over .300 as recently as...

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Koji closed it, but who is next?

August 21, 2010, 6:53pm

Orioles

There are many things to like about Buck Showalter in his short time as O's manager. Among them, right now, is the fact that he has not labeled anyone as the Orioles closer. It's been frustrating at times this year when the O's seemed to use a pitcher in the ninth, because he had the label as "closer." With Alfredo Simon's recent struggles, that job is open again and if Showalter is in no hurry for one man to claim it, or get that title, that's fine with me. Let him go to the player...

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Bell: "Something I'll remember the rest of my life."

August 21, 2010, 3:49pm

Orioles

Bell: "Something I'll remember the rest of my life."

Before he could get to post-game interviews, Josh Bell was heading out of the Orioles clubhouse to take care of some business. He was looking to get the two baseballs he hit for his first two Major League homers today in the O's 8-6 win over Texas. Two fans sitting near each other in right field had the baseballs. Now each has a Bell bat and ball and he autographed each. Now, where do those baseballs go? "Not sure yet. Probably, somewhere with Mom." Bell knew what to do with them when...

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Digging the longball: Bell homers twice as O's top Texas

August 21, 2010, 2:55pm

Orioles

Digging the longball: Bell homers twice as O's top Texas

The Orioles used a stunning display of power over the third and fourth innings today to beat Texas and Cliff Lee 8-6 in front of 23,041 at Camden Yards. Josh Bell homered twice for his first two Major League homers while Ty Wigginton and Luke Scott went back-to-back for the Orioles, who are 6-1 in their last seven games vs. the AL West leaders. It was a four-homer day for the O's, who can take this series with a win on Sunday afternoon. Here are more notes on Bell and today's power...

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Additional homer notes (Lee now out)

August 21, 2010, 1:59pm

Orioles

Another note or two on the Orioles home run outburst today after just watching Josh Bell single off the top of the fence in right, just missing his third homer of the day. Coming into this game, the O's had hit just one in their last five games and they hit four homers total over the last nine games. Then, they hit four today over the first four innings vs. a pitcher that had given up just nine all year. This is the O's 5th game this year with four or more homers: 5 Homers: May 1 vs....

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That's an amazing stat

August 21, 2010, 1:21pm

Orioles

The Orioles put on a power display with three homers in the last of the fourth today vs 2008 AL Cy Young winner Cliff Lee and have a 7-2 lead on Lee after four innings. Here is the amazing stat. Lee has now given up 13 homers all year and seven have come off the bat of an Oriole. Lee in 2010: *7 homers allowed in 20 1/3 innings vs. the Orioles. *6 homers allowed in 152 2/3 innings vs. everyone else. Josh Bell, who was just 3 for 16 over his previous five games, put on his own one-man power...

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Manny Machado's press conference

August 21, 2010, 11:25am

Orioles

Well, it wasn't exactly a grilling by the Baltimore baseball writers, but top pick Manny Machado did speak with those writers today for the first time since signing his 5.25 million dollar contract with the Orioles. It was a telephone press conference with Machado in Florida answering a few questions from reporters at Camden Yards. Here is how it went. Q: What was signing night like for you and did you feel certain a deal would get done? "Well, that night was just going crazy, with my...

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Minor league updates on Spoone & Bumbry

August 21, 2010, 10:16am

Orioles

The Orioles put Bowie starting pitcher Chorye Spoone on the disabled list Friday due to a tired shoulder, but they have not necessarily shut him down for the rest of the season. The DL move came one day after Spoone's outing Thursday at Trenton, where he allowed a career-high eight walks and hit three batters over a 3 2/3 innings outing. "There is nothing physically wrong with his shoulder, it's just a little tired. We will have him skip one start but he may not be done for the year,"...