Steve Melewski

An inning-by-inning look at Dean Kremer's strong debut

September 06, 2020, 11:59am

Orioles

An inning-by-inning look at Dean Kremer's strong debut

Right-hander Jorge LÃ³pez pitched well in an Orioles win on Friday night, lefty Keegan Akin did so in a victory last night and O's right-hander Dean Kremer made an outstanding major league debut this afternoon and got his first major league win. It was a strong display of starting pitching that helped the club to three straight wins. Kremer allowed just one run and hit over six innings as the Orioles beat New York 5-1 to take the last three games against the Yankees. Yep, they were close to...

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O's game blog: Dean Kremer makes his major league debut

September 06, 2020, 8:29am

Orioles

O's game blog: Dean Kremer makes his major league debut

Right-hander Dean Kremer will make his major league debut this afternoon as the Orioles wrap of a four-game series with the New York Yankees. A win today would give the Orioles (18-21) a series win and three straight victories over the Yankees (21-18). Kremer was part of the Manny Machado trade of July 18, 2018. The Orioles sent Machado to the Los Angeles Dodgers and in return got Kremer, outfielder Yusniel Diaz, pitcher Zach Pop, and infielders Rylan Bannon and Breyvic Valera. A 14th-round...

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Keegan Akin's second MLB start was even better than the first

September 05, 2020, 6:03pm

Orioles

Keegan Akin's second MLB start was even better than the first

On a night when Yankees ace Gerrit Cole fanned eight of the first nine Orioles he faced, an O's rookie left-handed starter was not bad either. Not bad at all as Keegan Akin threw 5 1/3 scoreless for the Orioles in his second major league start. And it was a night when Akin showed that some of the work he did last year to improve his secondary pitches may have paid off. He did not get a decision, but after the Orioles exploded for five runs in the last of the sixth off Cole, the Orioles got a...

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O's game blog: Keegan Akin faces Gerrit Cole and the Yankees

September 05, 2020, 2:02pm

Orioles

O's game blog: Keegan Akin faces Gerrit Cole and the Yankees

After beating the New York Yankees last night for the first time since March 31, 2019, the Orioles look for two in a row against the Bronx Bombers tonight at Camden Yards. The O's lost the opener of Friday's doubleheader 6-5 before winning 6-3 in the nightcap. The Orioles (17-21) ended a 19-game losing streak to New York, improving to 1-3 in the season series. They are 8-15 at home and 9-14 versus American League East opponents. New York (21-17) has lost four of six and 11 of the past 16...

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A look at the MLB Network special on Cal Ripken Jr. with Tom Verducci

September 05, 2020, 1:20pm

Orioles

A look at the MLB Network special on Cal Ripken Jr. with Tom Verducci

The story of Cal Ripken Jr. and his amazing consecutive games streak would no doubt be a source of pride for Orioles fans if Ripken had been born in Florida or California. But because he is a local product and his family has such strong ties to the team make this story all the more special and sweet for O's fans. It's almost homegrown overload. The kid from Aberdeen plays his entire Hall of Fame career for his hometown team. And his brother plays with him and his father is his manager for a...

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Did O's 'pen provide a glimpse of the future in opener?

September 05, 2020, 12:00pm

Orioles

Did O's 'pen provide a glimpse of the future in opener?

It may have happened during one of the toughest losses of the year. But as the Orioles were struggling for the clutch hit that never came in the opener of yesterday's doubleheader, their new-look bullpen was throwing gas. It was definitely a look at the immediate and perhaps long-term future for a Baltimore bullpen that has lost Richard Bleier, Mychal Givens and Miguel Castro in trades since Aug. 1. The group of five of Branden Kline, Evan Phillips, Dillon Tate, Hunter Harvey and Tanner Scott...

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Jim Callis with props for O's draft, plus other notes

September 04, 2020, 9:57pm

Orioles

Jim Callis with props for O's draft, plus other notes

When I interviewed MLBPipeline.com's Jim Callis this week it was apparent he is very high on the O's 2020 draft, where they selected six players over the draft's five rounds. Here is a review of the Orioles' draft: * Round 1 (No. 2 overall) - O's selected University of Arkanas outfielder Heston Kjerstad. He was signed to a bonus of $5.2 million, which was well under the slot amount of $7.79 million. * Competitive Balance Round A (No. 30 overall) - They selected Mississippi State shortstop...

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O's game blog: Orioles and Yankees meet in doubleheader

September 04, 2020, 11:00am

Orioles

We haven't been able to say this often in recent years, but it's a struggling New York Yankees team that comes to Camden Yards tonight as the Orioles' homestand continues. They'll play a doubleheader to begin a four-game, three-day series through Sunday. The New York Mets beat the Yankees 9-7 in 10 innings Thursday on Pete Alonso's two-run, walk-off homer. New York (20-16) is tied with Toronto for second in the American League East, both five games behind Tampa Bay. The Orioles (16-20) are...

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MLBPipeline.com's Jim Callis on O's organizational ranking and more

September 03, 2020, 3:54pm

Orioles

MLBPipeline.com's Jim Callis on O's organizational ranking and more

MLBPipeline.com's Jim Callis has been analyzing and covering baseball prospects for a long time. He said one of the most subjective things he takes part in each year is organizational rankings of farms system in Major League Baseball from No. 1 through No. 30. Until recently, his outlet didn't rank all 30, just the top 10 or 15. But now they include every big league club's farm system and in that ranking of all 30, the Orioles moved up from No. 13 to No. 8 in ratings released Sept. 1. It was...

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What does a season without games on farm mean for pitchers' innings?

September 02, 2020, 5:35pm

Orioles

What does a season without games on farm mean for pitchers' innings?

This unique 2020 season, a year without minor league games, is going to provide teams throughout baseball with challenges in handling their pitching prospects moving forward. Some of these young arms will get some innings in at alternate camp sites around the major leagues or maybe even get some quality innings in while throwing to hitters on their own. But what will it mean toward their innings if we have a normal 2021 minor league season? Look at O's lefty DL Hall, for instance. He threw 94...

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A mixed bag for John Means as O's lose to New York

September 02, 2020, 3:08pm

Orioles

A mixed bag for John Means as O's lose to New York

There was some good and some not so good for O's lefty John Means today. He went 5 1/3 innings and that was a season high, topping the 4 2/3 innings he threw Aug. 4 against Miami. He also threw a season-high 81 pitches. That is seven more than in his last outing against Toronto. So, he continues to get stretched out and that part of his day was a positive. But he gave up two more homers this afternoon, and that was not a positive. It got the Orioles' pitching off to a so-so start today, and...

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O's game blog: Going for a two-game sweep

September 02, 2020, 11:23am

Orioles

O's game blog: Going for a two-game sweep

After an offensive breakout last night, with three homers and 15 hits, the Orioles beat the New York Mets 9-5. They will try for a two-game series sweep this afternoon at Oriole Park. The O's (16-19) improved to 7-13 at home, 8-6 versus the National League, 4-8 in series-opening games and won their second in a row after a five-game losing streak. The Mets (15-21) have lost five in a row. The Orioles have scored 5.71 runs per game against NL opponents, going 8-6. And they average 4.53 runs per...

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After whirlwind offseason, Valaika settles in with Orioles

September 02, 2020, 8:48am

Orioles

Pat Valaika is settling in nicely with his new team. Injuries to other players opened up some playing time for him and as more at-bats were coming, so have more hits. He went 4-for-4 last night in the Orioles' 9-5 win over the New York Mets. Last season with Colorado, Valaika had four different stints with the big league team, getting 86 total plate appearances over that time. He already has 86 plate appearances with the Orioles. He's batting .275/.318/.488 with two doubles, five homers, nine...

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Games or not, O's turn Bowie site into strong player development experience

September 01, 2020, 8:48pm

Orioles

Games or not, O's turn Bowie site into strong player development experience

Were this a "normal" baseball season, players would be getting into games on the farm and getting plenty of at-bats and innings in during minor league games. It would provide chances to improve their skills and advance their careers. Without that this year, the Orioles have tried to develop a strong Plan B at their alternate site at Prince George's Stadium, home of the Double-A Bowie Baysox. Players get at-bats and innings, but against players from their own farm system and organization. But...

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O's game blog: The homestand begins

September 01, 2020, 11:19am

Orioles

After a stretch of playing 13 straight games against American League East teams, the Orioles begin a two-game home series against the New York Mets tonight. This begins a stretch of 12 straight games through Sept. 13 against New York teams. They will meet the Mets four times and play the Yankees eight times. The Orioles went 3-10 in the stretch of games against Boston, Tampa Bay and Toronto. They are 8-13 this season against AL clubs and 7-6 versus the National League. They are 7-2 against the...

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There are reasons to not give up on Cole Sulser

August 31, 2020, 4:46pm

Orioles

There are reasons to not give up on Cole Sulser

On a team that didn't have a true closer going into the 2020 season, right-hander Cole Sulser, a veteran before this year of only 7 1/3 major league innings, was thrust into the role. He's had some big blow-ups recently and now has been moved out of the closer's role. But in my humble opinion, he certainly should not be moved off the team. The Orioles need to give him lower-leverage situations to pitch in and get him back on track, and that is the new plan. One wrinkle in the mix is that the...

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A closer look at Keegan Akin's start, plus a trade note

August 31, 2020, 12:57pm

Orioles

A closer look at Keegan Akin's start, plus a trade note

Orioles lefty pitching prospect Keegan Akin threw a very strong game today against Toronto in Buffalo. In fact, he became just the third O's starter on the year to not allow an earned run. He gave up two unearned runs in 4 1/3 innings in a no-decision. The Orioles broke a five-game losing streak and avoided a four-game sweep and winless road trip. They beat Toronto 4-3 in 11 innings on RBI doubles by JosÃ© Iglesias and Bryan Holaday in the 11th. In the last of the 11th, Toronto scored one...

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O's game blog: Keegan Akin makes his MLB starting debut

August 31, 2020, 8:29am

Orioles

O's game blog: Keegan Akin makes his MLB starting debut

Through the season's first 30 games, the Orioles did not suffer a walk-off loss. But that has happened twice in the last three games and in the same series against the Toronto Blue Jays. Today the Orioles (14-19) will need a win in Buffalo to avoid a second series sweep by Toronto (18-14) this year. This would be a four-game sweep and Toronto is already 6-0 versus the Orioles. When not playing Baltimore, Toronto has a 12-14 record. When not playing Toronto, the Orioles have a 14-13 record. The...

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Another tough loss caps eventful day in Birdland

August 30, 2020, 6:00pm

Orioles

Another tough loss caps eventful day in Birdland

When the local nine lets a lead get away in the eighth inning and gets tied and in the ninth inning and loses, let's just say there have been better days in Birdland. But it was an active day and certainly not without some potentially very positive developments. * Let's start with Ryan Mountcastle. He hit two homers and each one gave the Orioles the lead. It looked like he had some guy chasing balls out near the highway beyond left field. His first homer went 420 feet and his second 410 feet....

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Yep, it happened again: O's lose in a walk-off

August 30, 2020, 1:54pm

Orioles

Yep, it happened again: O's lose in a walk-off

On the day Ryan Mountcastle hit his first two homers, both giving the Orioles the lead, would it be enough to end a four-game losing streak? Mountcastle blasted No. 1 on a 2-2 changeup off Tanner Roark in the second. That gave the O's a 1-0 lead. He hit No. 2 off a Roark fastball with a man on in the sixth. That gave the O's a 4-3 lead. But after Toronto tied it 4-4 in the last of the eighth, the O's had to take the lead again. And they did in the ninth on an infield RBI single up the middle...