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Orioles (60-93) at Cleveland (62-91)
When two baseball teams working on long losing steaks collided Friday night in Cleveland, the Indians ended their frustration while the Orioles must wait at least a few more hours.
A loss Friday and Cleveland would have equaled its longest streak ever - 12 games in May of 1931.
But the Indians took advantage of O's mistakes and Baltimore's lack of clutch hitting to post a 4-2 win on Friday. That was game one of a three-game...
RHP Jason Berken (5-12, 6.41) tonight makes his 23rd start of the year, his 10th on the road and his 2nd vs. Cleveland.
After a five-start stretch where Berken went 3-0, 4.23, the right hander took the loss Sunday vs. Boston. In three innings, he allowed ten hits and six runs.
Right-handed hitters are batting .312 against him and lefties hit .337. The O's are 6-16 when Berken starts, but are 3-3 over the last six games.
Berken, 2009 season:
First half: 1-6, 5.87, 9 starts
Second half: ...
Jhonny Peralta's RBI single in the last of the 9th gave Cleveland a 9-8 walk-off win over the Orioles Saturday night, after the Birds had rallied to tie it in the top of the ninth.
Luis Valbuena singled off Jim Johnson leading off the 9th and advanced to second on a grounder. Peralta's 2nd RBI of the night was the game winner.
The Orioles have now lost nine games in a row.
Gary and Jim ask Dave Trembley about the O's 9-8 loss to Cleveland
The O's went to the 9th down 8-6, but the first...
The pen was not mightier - The O's struggling bullpen continue in that fashion on Saturday night. The Tribe rallied for four runs in the 7th vs. Sean Henn and Chris Ray and scored in the 9th to beat Jim Johnson.
The O's pen tonight allowed seven hits and five runs in 4 2/3 innings. The bullpen ERA is 7.99 over the last seven games.
The O's losing streak has reached nine in a row since a 4-2 win over Tampa on September 16th. For the second time in four games, the O's opponent won in...
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Orioles (60-94) at Cleveland (63-91)
After 4-2 and 9-8 losses the past two nights vs. Cleveland, the Orioles will need to win this afternoon at 1:05 p.m. to avoid a three-game sweep.
Chris Tillman (2-4, 4.71) pitches for the O's vs. Cleveland's David Huff (10-8, 5.98).
The Orioles are 0-5 on this ten-game road trip and are 24-52 in road games on the season.
The Orioles have now lost nine games in a row since beating Tampa on September 16th. Four of the nine losses have come...
RHP Chris Tillman (2-4, 4.71) today makes his 12th start of the season, his 7th on the road and his 2nd this year vs. Cleveland.
Two starts ago, Tillman gave up just one run over 6 2/3 vs. Tampa. In his last start he gave up four runs and six hits in five innings Monday, in taking the loss at Toronto.
In four September starts, Tillman is 1-2, 5.56.
Right-handed batters are hitting .336 against him while lefties bat just .242. The Orioles are 4-7 when Tillman starts, 2-2 this...
Chris Tillman gave up six runs in the first inning today at Cleveland and lasted just two innings. His previous shortest start this year was his first start, July 29 vs. KC, when he went 4 2/3 innings.
Tillman may have tired here at the end of the year. His ERA in September is 7.30 after it was 5.79 in July and 4.04 in August.
Tillman today: 2IP, 6H, 6R-ER, 1B, 2K, 1HR......53 pitches.
Brian Bass came on in the third.
Meanwhile, David Huff has sailed through four innings for Cleveland on...
The Cleveland Indians scored six runs in the first inning Sunday off Chris Tillman, on their way to 9-0 win over the Orioles and a sweep of the three-game series.
The Orioles have lost ten in a row, matching their longest losing stretch since September of 2008.
Asdrubal Cabrera had a two-run double in the 1st and Kelly Shoppach's three-run homer capped the inning. Cabrera went 4 for 5 with three RBI.
Tillman lasted just two innings, allowing six runs and six hits. He falls to 2-5,...
Tough time for Tillman - Chris Tillman took the loss Sunday, pitching just two innings, in his shortest start of the year. His previous shortest start was 4 2/3 vs. Kansas City in his Major League debut July 29th.
Today he allowed six runs in the first inning and threw just 53 pitches in falling to 2-5, 5.40.
Tillman has allowed 10ER in seven innings over his last two starts. In five September starts, he is 1-3, 7.30.
Dave Trembley talks with the media after the O's 9-0 loss to the...
The Orioles have not yet announced their pitching rotations for three of their four full-season minor league clubs. But at this point, it's worth taking an educated guess at what we might see on the mound starting next Thursday.
A few days ago, O's skipper Dave Trembley told reporters that Chris Tillman, Jake Arrieta, Brandon Erbe, Troy Patton and Alfredo Simon would begin the year in the Norfolk Triple-A rotation.
The order of the rotation has not been announced.
Here are some guesses at...
The Orioles are not confirming anything yet, but it appears there have been internal discussions about moving Billy Rowell from outfield back to the infield.
Rowell, who played third base his first three seasons in the organization, played right field last year for the Class-A Frederick Keys.
The 21-year-old Rowell struggled at bat the last two years with Frederick, but also had a tough time last season adjusting to right field.
The O's 2006 first-round draft pick, he made 15 errors with a...
Mike Cuellar, one of the greatest pitchers in Orioles history, died today in Orlando, Florida. The Cuba-born Cuellar, who won 143 games with the Birds, was 72.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, Cuellar had been in failing health since January and was dealing with the effects of a brain aneurism and stomach cancer.
Cuellar was a mainstay in the Orioles rotation during some of the club's glory years and pitched in three straight World Series from 1969 to 1971.
He was nicknamed "Crazy...
The O's can only hope the saying "it's darkest before the dawn" might apply to baseball as well.
It's getting pretty dark around here lately. Until this ten-game losing streak, the Orioles were not only competing with but they were beating good teams.
They took two of three from Texas and won back to back series over the Yankees (on the road) and vs. Tampa.
That all happened in September, although it seems years away now.
With some recent blowout losses, the teams' effort can be...
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Orioles (60-95) at Tampa (79-76)
After going winless at Toronto and Cleveland, the O's play at Tampa tonight. It's the start of the final week and final road series of the year.
The Orioles are 0-6 on this trip and have lost ten games in a row.
Tonight, the Rays host the Orioles in the opener of a four-game series at Tropicana Field at 7:08 p.m.
Pitching Matchups - Tampa series:
Mon, 7:08p - Mark Hendrickson (5-5, 4.37) v. Jeff Niemann (12-6, 3.81)
Tues, 7:08p - Jeremy...
LHP Mark Hendrickson (5-5, 4.37) tonight makes his 10th start of this season, his 5th on the road and his 4th vs. Tampa Bay.
Hendrickson pitched well, but did not get a decision Tuesday at Toronto. Over six innings, he gave up four hits and two runs, throwing 68 pitches.
Hendrickson, 2009 season:
As starter: 1-5, 5.73, nine starts
As reliever: 4-0, 3.44, 42 games
The Hendrickson-Niemann pitching matchup tonight features a pair of 6'9" hurlers.
Hendrickson pitched with Tampa from...
The O's got a decent outing from a starter and six runs on offense, but their struggling bullpen could not hold on again.
Tampa pushed across a run in the last of the 8th to snap a 6-6 tie and beat the Orioles 7-6, handing the Birds their 11th straight loss.
It's the longest losing streak since the O's lost 12 in a row from August 16-28, 2004.
Ben Zobrist doubled off Chris Ray leading off the 8th and moved to third on a groundout. Danys Baez came on and Pat Burrell's sac fly put Tampa...
The pen falters again - The O's bullpen went from bad to worse Monday night. The pen could not protect a 6-3 lead after six and a half innings. Willie Aybar's three-run, pinch hit homer tied it in the 7th and Tampa scored the winning run in the 8th.
Tonight the O's pen allowed four hits and four runs over three innings. The pen ERA on this road trip is 8.37. The bullpen ERA over the last 29 games is 6.77.
Dave Trembley talks with Gary and Jim after the O's 7-6 loss
Starter Mark...
There was a time when it seemed like the Orioles were one of the favorites to sign Dominican shortstop Miguel Angel Sano.
That no longer seems to be the case, but the O's aren't out of it yet, either.
John Stockstill, the O's director of international scouting said, "We have had talks with Sano in the past few days."
While the signing of Sano by any team doesn't seem imminent, Stockstill added, "Things have stepped up in recent weeks."
Baseball sources indicate something that has...
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Orioles (60-96) at Tampa (80-76)
You need to get 27 outs to win a baseball game. The way the O's bullpen is performing recently, those final few outs have been hard to pick up.
The O's pen blew a 7th-inning, 6-3 lead Monday night and Tampa beat the Orioles 7-6 extending the season's longest losing streak to 11 games.
That's no where near the club record 21-game streak set in 1988, but it is the 6th losing streak of 11 or more games in franchise history.
The last time the...
RHP Jeremy Guthrie (10-16, 5.10) tonight will make his 32nd start of this season, his 16th on the road and the 9th of his career vs. Tampa.
Guthrie is 0-3, 6.38 over his past three starts. This follows a four-start stretch where he went 3-1, 1.33.
Guthrie is the AL leader in losses, earned runs and homers allowed with 32.
Guthrie, 2009 season:
First half: 6-8, 5.35, 18 starts
Second half: 4-8, 4.80, 13 starts
Guthrie needs to work 5 2/3 tonight to reach a career high 191 innings.
He has...