It was for sure a pleasant sight to see Matt Wieters rip a three-run double to left center to give the Orioles a 4-0 lead after a half inning at San Diego.
Wieters began today hitless in his last 13 at bats and with just one hit over his last 22 at bats as his average dipped to .222 and some fans were calling for him to be sent back to Triple-A.
Maybe that one swing, having come in a real clutch, two-out, bases loaded situation, can get him going.
Wieters had just 3 RBI over his previous 19...
The Orioles top pick in last June's draft, right-hander Matt Hobgood has not pitched for the Delmarva Shorebirds since June 11, but is expected to make his next start when the Shorebirds season resumes later this coming week after the upcoming All-Star break.
Hobgood was skipped one turn due to slight shoulder soreness that is not believed to be anything more serious than that. When the Shorebirds reset their rotation after the All-Star break, the 19-year-old hurler is expected to be in...
The latest Orioles draft pick to agree to terms is fourth-round pick Trent Mummey, an outfielder from Auburn that was taken with the 118th overall selection.
Mummey is expected to take his physical in Baltimore on Monday and, if all goes well there as expected, he will then officially sign and soon after likely join the Aberdeen IronBirds.
Mummey missed the first 28 games of Auburn's season with an ankle injury, but then hit .366-17-54 in just 36 games. He was a first-team all SEC selection...
Kevin Millwood is finally a winner in 2010.
Wonder how his stomach was feeling in that last of the ninth. It had the look of many others that got away from the Orioles this year and the latest was in that park just last night.
But Alfredo Simon stranded the tie run at third as he picked up the final two outs, and, even though he gave up a run in the ninth, the O's got a 5-4 win to even the series.
Millwood, after giving up three runs in the first with the help of a botched rundown that...
The four starting pitchers tonight at the O's full-season affiliates combined to give up just one earned run and pitch to an ERA of 0.38 this evening.
Here is the rundown:
Norfolk's Troy Patton: 5IP, 6H, 3R, 1ER
Bowie's Zach Britton: 6IP, 2H, 0R
Frederick's Ryan Berry: 5IP, 2H, 0R
Delmarva's Kenny Moreland: 8IP, 2H, 1R, 0ER
That is 1 ER and 12 hits over 24 innings for the four.
Patton has now pitched to an ERA of just 1.84 over his last five starts, lowering his ERA for the year...
Well, you knew San Diego would score after the Orioles botched that rundown between second and third in the last of the first.
Cesar Izturis was chasing the runner toward third base and just needed to keep running at him and there likely would have been two runners at third and an easy third out. But he made a throw he didn't need to make and a return throw was too late and the O's botched a basic rundown.
Jim Palmer and Eddie Murray sounded amazed and stunned in the booth.
Nick Markakis...
Delmarva and Frederick play games today and tomorrow and that will end their respective first halves and bring those two clubs to their All-Star breaks.
Delmarva is playing well and takes a five-game win streak into tonight's home game vs. Lexington. The Shorebirds have allowed just nine runs during their season-high win streak. Delmarva has now won eight in a row at Perdue Stadium, its longest home win streak since taking ten in a row there in July and August of 2005.
Kieron Pope...
The latest Orioles draft pick to agree to terms is fourth-round pick Trent Mummey, a lefty hitting outfielder from Auburn that was taken with the 118th overall selection.
Mummey is expected to take his physical in Baltimore on Monday and, if all goes well there as expected, he will then officially sign and soon after join the Aberdeen IronBirds.
A Baltimore Sun report said Mummey was signed to a $252,000 bonus.
"It was a slot signing," O's scouting director Joe Jordan said. "We feel...
When I hear the term "two-strike approach" I think of a batter and how they want to protect the plate and swing at anything close when the count is 0 and 2.
But maybe O's pitchers need a better "two-strike approach."
The stats say the O's hurlers are among the worst in AL when the count is 0-2.
Worst batting average against, 0-2 count:
.227 - Oakland
.205 - Orioles
.204 - Minnesota
Only Oakland gives up a higher batting average this year on an 0-2 pitch than the O's. The Yankees...
Well, it's official.
The Orioles have now lost more games when leading after eight innings in just 67 games this year then they did in all 162 games last year.
They are 14-5 this season when leading after eight in blowing tonight's 2-1 lead heading to the last of the ninth. Last year, they were 55-4 when leading after eight.
The Orioles have the worst save percentage in the AL now at 47.8 percent. They have saved 11 games in 23 chances. Only four teams in the league are under 68...
It should come as no suprise that of the seven pitchers in the AL getting the worst run support, three start for the Orioles.
Here are the seven getting the worst support in the league. This is for the run support average over nine innings.
2.38 - Kevin Millwood, O's
2.56 - Dallas Braden, Oak
2.93 - Zack Greinke, KC
3.02 - Ben Sheets, Oak
3.24 - Gavin Floyd, CWS
3.28 - Jeremy Guthrie, O's
3.36 - Brian Matusz, O's
The O's starting pitching ERA this year is now up to 5.11. On May 19 it...
The Aberdeen IronBirds began their ninth season of play in the New York-Penn League tonight with a win in the season opener, 5-2 at home vs. Hudson Valley.
The IronBirds used six extra-base hits and a three-pitcher, three-hitter to send 6,671 fans home happy from Ripken Stadium.
Starting pitcher Justin Anderson got the win allowing just one hit, a solo homer, over six innings. T.R. Keating pitched two scoreless and Brian Parker gave up a run in the ninth.
L.J. Hoes began his rehab...
The Delmarva Shorebirds have announced that they will host the 2011 South Atlantic League All-Star Game on June 21, 2011 at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium.
"We are extremely excited to host the 2011 All-Star Game, and to showcase Arthur W. Perdue Stadium and Delmarva's attractions to the rest of the league," said General Manager Chris Bitters. "We're also excited to partner with Perdue and use this opportunity to highlight the importance of the three local food banks. This partnership is...
From the O's good news department as they get set to begin a series in San Diego tonight, four of the young pitchers are throwing well right now.
Brian Matusz, who starts on the mound tonight at Petco Park, and Jake Arrieta have pitched to a ERA of 2.70 over their last five combined starts.
After going through a four-start stretch where his ERA was 9.50, Matusz has pitched to an ERA of just 2.66 over his last three starts and pitched a career-high eight innings in his last outing vs. the...
Even the most diehard observer of the Orioles minor leagues may not know his name.
That's okay with Lance West. And this will probably be a real good season for him with Aberdeen this summer even if he doesn't get one hit.
Because, for the first time in his life, he'll be playing baseball with sight in both eyes.
"I was blind in my left eye, my dominant eye. I had a rough season last year, so I went to see a doctor and found out I had a lazy eye I was born with and it never...
I decided to put together a list of some minor league players that are enjoying good seasons with mostly little fanfare. They are flying a bit under the radar right now. Some may be considered prospects, others may not, but all seem to be doing well on the field this summer.
Armando Gabino: The 26-year-old righty was claimed off waivers from Minnesota and is 4-0, 2.62 at Norfolk. His last four appearances have come as a starter. The league has hit just .218 off him and right-handed...
Some people have read the few public comments Bobby Valentine has made about his interview for the Orioles manager's job and read those comments to say he has little interest in the job.
I don't see it that way.
I see where he said this job would be a "big challenge" and that the "Orioles standings don't look like they will turn around very quickly."
What I didn't read or hear or see him or Andy MacPhail say is that he is not interested in the job or is withdrawing his name from...
Another day where the Orioles got few clutch hits, left many on base and lost.
San Fran beat the Birds 6-3 on Wednesday as the Orioles still have won just two series all year. The O's had 11 hits, all singles, and left 13 men on base.
They are 2-18-2 in series on the year.
Other notes from the O's 48th loss:
Sit down when you are looking at these numbers: The Orioles have now lost 17 of 20 and 19 of their last 23. They are 6-24 over the last 30 games.
After beginning the year 2-16,...
Earlier this week, Aberdeen IronBirds manager Gary Kendall said Justin Anderson could be his opening night starting pitcher on Friday, but he was not for certain at that point. Today, it has been confirmed that Anderson will get the ball on Friday night at 7:35 p.m. when the Birds host Hudson Valley at Ripken Stadium.
Anderson was drafted in the 24th round last June by the O's. He spent the majority of last season with the Bluefield Orioles going 2-1 with a 2.50 ERA and 34 strikeouts in...
Shortstop Mychal Givens, the Orioles second-round draft pick last June, underwent surgery on his left thumb last week and will miss the rest of this season.
It was expected that Givens would be out several weeks due to the procedure. Now the plan is for him to begin some rehab around mid August and likely go to the O's instructional league workouts in September.
The 20-year-old Givens was playing at extended spring training this year before being sent to the Delmarva Shorebirds. He got...