In a season where they are on a pace to lose over 100 games, tonight, for one night at least, the Orioles posted an impressive victory.
They spotted the first-place Texas Rangers a 4-0 lead in the third inning, yet rallied to win 6-4 in the opener of a four-game series.
Texas began the night with a 50-34 record and leading the AL West by six games. They were 31-15 at home and 17-6 since June 12th.
Scott Moore hit a solo homer in the 5th and the O's scored two in the 7th, one on a Felix Pie...
The O's began their four-game series at Texas tonight and it isn't going well so far. They trail 4-0 after three innings.
Like last night, the opposing starter is picking up a lot of early strikeouts. Righty Tommy Hunter, who pitched to an ERA of 4.05 at Triple-A, but is 5-0, 1.98 in six Major League starts, has fanned six in three shutout innings. He has allowed a Tejada double and Lugo infield single.
Meanwhile, Jeremy Guthrie, who enters tonight with a mark of 0-6, 6.17 over his last...
After today's afternoon game in Frederick, the Orioles promoted Keys first baseman Joe Mahoney and closer Jose Diaz to Double-A Bowie.
Mahoney, in 72 games, is batting .299-9-49 with 18 doubles and an OPS of .823. He is batting .341 with runners in scoring position.
The 26-year-old Diaz is 3-0, 1.69 and went 12 for 12 in save chances for the Keys. Over 26 2/3 innings he walked nine and fanned 33 and allowed a batting average against of just .216.
Even though Robbie Widlansky and Joel...
There has been some really good relief pitching on the farm this year for the Orioles.
Near or at the top of that list would be right-hander Brandon Cooney, who has excelled at Frederick and now is pitching very well at Bowie.
Between the two clubs this year, the 24-year-old, a 30th-round draft pick in 2007, is 4-0 with six saves and an ERA of 0.99 in 30 games.
Cooney gave up three runs in his first outing with the Baysox on May 19, but has not allowed an earned run since. That is 19 1/3...
The Orioles fourth-round draft pick, Auburn outfielder Trent Mummey, has gotten off to a solid start in his pro career.
The 21-year lefty hitter and Aberdeen center fielder is the IronBirds' leadoff batter. He is hitting .306-1-4 in his first 11 pro games with four doubles, four walks and five strikeouts in 49 at bats. He has eight hits over his last four games.
"It's been really fun, I've enjoyed every bit of it. When you sign, you don't really know what to expect so you open up your...
Right-hander Max Scherzer, who had allowed just 2 ER over his previous three starts, continued his recent stellar pitching vs. the Orioles on Wednesday night.
Scherzer improved to 6-6, 4.61, as he gave up just six hits and one run over seven innings as the Tigers beat the Orioles, 4-2.
Detroit completed a three-game sweep as the O's fell to 1-5 on their current road trip and 25-59 on the year.
Jim and Mike talk with Juan Samuel about the O's 4-2 loss to Detroit
Scherzer, who struck out...
Tigers right-hander Max Scherzer has thrown some overpowering fastballs in the mid to high 90's early in tonight's game with the Orioles.
He fanned four of the first six batters tonight and six of the first ten he faced. He has thrown just 50 pitches through four innings and has given up just one hit, a Nick Markakis infield single in the fourth.
How can a pitcher with an ERA of 4.88 be so strong?
Well, he was a first-round draft pick of the Diamondbacks from 2006, the 11th overall pick. ...
Brian Roberts has certainly not given up hope that he will be on the field for the Orioles before this season ends.
In fact he hopes to return to the club long before the season is over.
"I'll definitely be back before the end of the year, if we don't have any setbacks. Well way before the end of the year," Roberts said today on the Scott Garceau show on MASN and O's flagship station, 105.7 the Fan during his MASN Brian Roberts segment.
"My goal would be to be back before August 1st...
Kipp Schutz didn't get his chance to make his mark with the Delmarva Shorebirds this season. But he seems to be making up for lost time now with the Aberdeen IronBirds.
Schutz went into last night's game batting .403 to start the year and the O's 19th-round pick from the 2009 draft was the leading hitter in the New York-Penn League. His average dropped a few points last night but he remains the leading batter in the league today.
It was disappointing for him when the 22-year-old lefty...
O's lefty Michael Gonzalez pitched a 1-2-3, top of the sixth tonight here at Aberdeen, getting a strikeout and two groundouts. He threw 13 pitches, eight for strikes, in his seventh injury rehab performance.
Gonzalez, whose fastball was clocked between 89 and 91 on the Ripken Stadium radar gun, felt quite good about his one-inning stint against the Lowell Spinners. Another gun reading had Gonzalez topping out at 94.
"Every time I'm going out it feels a lot better, man. Breaking pitch is...
Michael Gonzalez just retired the Lowell Spinners 1-2-3 in a quick top of the sixth. He threw 13 pitches, eight for strikes.
Gonzalez struck out number three hitter, Boston's first-round draft pick, Kolbrin Vitek on a 2-2 pitch. Then he got Bryce Brentz, batting fourth on a high chopper to short and then got the number five batter to ground out to short as well.
His fastball ranged from 89 to 91 on the gun here at Ripken Stadium.
Michael Gonzalez is now warming up and will pitch for Aberdeen in the top of the sixth.
The IronBirds still lead 3-0 and starter Justin Anderson gave up just three hits in five shutout innings.
Aberdeen scored a first-inning run tonight and leads Lowell 1-0 through two innings here at Ripken Stadium.
The IronBirds Austin Knight, who went to high school at Baltimore's Boys Latin, singled with one out. Kipp Schutz then hit a ground single to right and Knight went to third on a misplay by the right fielder. He scored on a passed ball for a 1-0 edge.
Schutz began tonight leading the New York-Penn League in batting at .403 and now has nine hits over his last 14 at bats.
Aberdeen...
Lefty Michael Gonzalez, who will pitch here tonight at Aberdeen, will likely come into this game during the 6th or 7th inning.
He is scheduled to follow starter Justin Anderson to the mound, unless Anderson gets knocked out early in the contest. Gonzalez could come in during an inning and will not necessarily enter for a clean inning at the start.
This will be his third appearance at Aberdeen and his 7th on his injury-rehab assignment. He has allowed three runs on seven hits over 6 1/3...
Be sure to check out O's XTRA tonight at 6:30 on MASN before the O's-Tigers game. L.J. Hoes and Xavier Avery of the Frederick Keys will be interviewed live on set by Jim and Rick.
These are two young and up and coming prospects in the O's system.
Avery is batting .286-3-39 with 20 steals. Hoes, who missed some time with an illness, is back now and batting .255-1-23. Both are holding their own as first-year players in the Carolina League at the age of just 20 years old.
I am in the...
I am looking forward to a trip to Ripken Stadium tonight to check in on the IronBirds and also to watch Michael Gonzalez make his 7th injury rehab appearance.
Gonzalez is expected to pitch in relief tonight vs. the Lowell Spinners, a Red Sox affiliate.
Gonzalez has pitched to an ERA of 4.27 in six games with the GCL O's, Aberdeen and Bowie. Over 6 1/3 innings he has allowed seven hits and three runs with no walks, seven strikeouts and two homers.
Meanwhile, the IronBirds are 8-10 and have...
Ty Wigginton is headed to the All-Star game and I have absolutely no problem with that.
To me, it came to three or four O's with a chance to make it. Jason Berken, Nick Markakis, Adam Jones and Wigginton.
Berken may have been most deserving of all, but they just don't pick relievers that are not closers, so that just about eliminated him.
For all the good stats Markakis has, the four homers and 27 RBI at the halfway point was just not enough production for him to make it. I know he is...
When Kevin Millwood got off to a solid start this year pitching for the Orioles, that was good to see. It meant he was helping the club, but also boosting his trade value for the trade deadline.
A lot has changed since then.
Millwood is now struggling badly in the first inning of his starts and that's not the only inning that has been an issue for him.
All the key numbers for him are very poor over his last seven starts, capped by his outing today when he gave up five runs in the first...
One of the hottest bats right now in the O's minors belongs to Frederick Keys right fielder Ronnie Welty.
He is batting .429-0-10 during an 11-game batting streak which has featured nine games of two hits or more. Welty has raised his average on the year from .247 to .279 with the hot streak.
On the season, the O's 20th-round pick from 2008 is batting .279-9-46.
The one stat that is glaring on his record is a whopping 95 strikeouts in 73 games and he leads the Carolina League in that...
Some fans were critical when I wrote last week that Brian Matusz was doing just fine this year and that he was making progress.
I wrote that he was holding up well as a young pitcher on the team with the worst record in baseball, especially given his lack of run support and his winless streak dating to April.
Don't worry, I won't gloat after Matusz's outing on Sunday at Boston, but I do think I was correct in what I wrote after his last start before Sunday's game.
The seven-inning outing...