A coach says goodbye, and some improved pitching stats

A coach says goodbye, and some improved pitching stats
When Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias confirmed recently that 14 members of the O's player development department will not be returning next year, it was a tough day. But Elias needs to be able to bring in his own people, and he said that change is needed to improve the Orioles. The moves are hard but not totally unexpected. He inherited a lot of his staff last November. The reshaping of it comes now. Last week, one of those 14 reached out and wanted to thank...

O's game blog: Time to regroup in Detroit

O's game blog: Time to regroup in Detroit
Well, at least the Orioles don't have to wait long to try and erase the taste of last night's loss in Detroit. The quick Saturday night to Sunday afternoon turnaround puts the O's back on the field today about 13 hours after last night's defeat. The Orioles lost 8-4 to the Tigers in 12 innings on a walk-off grand slam by John Hicks. In the eighth inning the Orioles were down 2-0 when Trey Mancini hit a go-ahead three-run home run. But with two outs in the last of the ninth, Mychal Givens...

The manager who had his eyes on Anthony Santander in 2016

The manager who had his eyes on Anthony Santander in 2016
During the 2016 season, a young outfielder for the Single-A Lynchburg Hillcats of the Carolina League had a huge season. Over 128 games he hit .290/.368/.494 with 42 doubles, 20 homers, 90 runs and 95 RBIs. He led the league in doubles and extra-base hits and was third in homers and RBIs. He was really good in games against the Orioles' Single-A Frederick Keys team and the manager in the Frederick dugout took note. So after the season when it was getting close to the time for the Rule 5 draft,...

O's game blog: Looking for two in a row in Detroit

O's game blog: Looking for two in a row in Detroit
The Orioles (48-99) beat the Tigers 6-2 last night to open a four-game series that continues tonight at Detroit's Comerica Park. The Orioles are 2-1 the last three games, but 3-10 over the past 13. With that win they improved to 14-34 in series-opening games. Right-hander Aaron Brooks got the win, allowing two runs over 5 1/3 innings. Trey Mancini's RBI single in the first inning gave the Birds a 1-0 lead, and his two-run homer (No. 31) in the seventh extended a 4-2 Baltimore lead. DJ Stewart...

Double-A Bowie's season ends in Game 4 loss in Eastern League final

Double-A Bowie's season ends in Game 4 loss in Eastern League final
BOWIE, Md. - When the long grind of a professional baseball season ends it can be abrupt and jarring. There can be sadness that it ended and about how it ended. The Double-A Bowie Baysox players, staff and fans, no doubt, felt some of that last night. On a cool night at Prince George's Stadium, some of the magic we saw from the Baysox during the long, hot summer was not there. They hosted Games 3 and 4 in a series that left Trenton tied 1-1, but lost both games at home as the Thunder secured a...

Trenton beats Bowie to win the Eastern League championship

Trenton beats Bowie to win the Eastern League championship
BOWIE, Md. - Held to three hits and one run last night, the Double-A Bowie Baysox were no-hit through five innings tonight. When they finally got something going, it was not enough and too late. The Trenton Thunder beat Bowie 5-2 tonight to win the Eastern League Championship Series three games to one. Trenton wins its fourth Eastern League championship and first since 2013. Bowie, which won the title is 2015, is denied a second Eastern League championship. After a very poor 7-23 start to its...

Bowie notes: Cedric Mullins' bat heating up in playoffs

Bowie notes: Cedric Mullins' bat heating up in playoffs
BOWIE, Md. - He began the season as the center fielder for the Orioles and is ending it in center with Double-A Bowie. But with the season about to end on the farm, 24-year-old outfielder Cedric Mullins is finally getting his bat going and maybe that's the first step to turning around what has been for him a rough 2019 season. Mullins hit just .094 with the Orioles in 19 games to start the season before he was sent to Triple-A Norfolk on April 22. With the Tides he hit .205 in 66 games and was...

O's game blog: The series in Detroit begins

O's game blog: The series in Detroit begins
After losing two of three at home to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Orioles (47-99) begin a four-game series in Detroit tonight at Comerica Park. The Birds lost 4-2 to the Dodgers on Thursday and were held to two hits. They went 1-6 on the homestand. They finished the season going 7-13 in interleague play. The Orioles' next loss will be No. 100 and they will have back-to-back years of 100 or more losses for the first time in team history. The 1954 Orioles lost 100, the 1988 club lost 107 and...

Lefty Alex Wells threw a gem, but Bowie lost in Game 3

Lefty Alex Wells threw a gem, but Bowie lost in Game 3
BOWIE, Md. - The box score says that Double-A Bowie lefty Alex Wells was the losing pitcher in Game 3 of the Eastern League Championship Series last night. Trenton beat Bowie 2-1 at Prince George's Stadium to take move to within a win of the Eastern League title. But Wells' performance on the field said something very different. He was in command and control and dealing from the outset. Only a rare steal of home put him and his team behind and put that "L" next to his name in the box score....

Trenton beats Bowie in Game 3 of Eastern League finals (quotes added)

Trenton beats Bowie in Game 3 of Eastern League finals (quotes added)
BOWIE, Md. - With the Prince George's Stadium crowd cheering loudly for a strikeout in the top of the seventh to get Double-A Bowie out of big jam, Trenton instead got a run - and the batter didn't have to do a thing. Trenton got the lead in a manner not often seen in baseball anymore. A steal of home. It led Baysox lefty Alex Wells to a very tough luck loss as the Thunder beat Bowie 2-1 tonight to take a 2-1 lead in games in the best-of-five Eastern League Championship Series. Bowie will...

Bowie notes: Diaz heats up, Lowther update and more

Bowie notes: Diaz heats up, Lowther update and more
BOWIE, Md. - It seems the longer the Eastern League playoffs go, the better outfielder Yusniel Diaz is swinging the bat for the Double-A Bowie Baysox. Diaz and his Baysox teammates will host Trenton tonight at Prince George's Stadium. It's Game 3 of the best-of-five Eastern League Championship Series, which is tied at a win each after Bowie beat Trenton last night. Diaz was limited to 76 regular-season games this season by injuries. He dealt with a hamstring issue in April and a quad injury...

O's game blog: Looking for a series victory

O's game blog: Looking for a series victory
The Orioles are 4-11 this season in rubber match games and they play one tonight against the National League West champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Jonathan Villar hit a tiebreaking 443-foot three-run homer in the seventh inning last night as the O's won 7-3 to even the series at a win each. The Orioles (47-98) snapped a six-game losing streak as they matched the 2018 team win total. They are 23-51 at home and 30-27 when hitting multiple homers. The O's are 7-12 in interleague games and the...

Jonathan Villar crushes tiebreaking homer in seventh in O's win (with quotes)

Jonathan Villar crushes tiebreaking homer in seventh in O's win (with quotes)
It was a home run to admire and Orioles shortstop Jonathan Villar did just that. He blasted a ball to left-center with two men on in the O's seventh and slowly took a few steps toward first as he admired his work. Villar crushed a three-run shot 443 feet as he turned a 2-2 game into a 5-2 O's lead. The O's won 7-3 over the newly-crowned National League West champion Los Angeles Dodgers to end a six-game losing streak. At 47-98, they match the win total of the 2018 Orioles. Villar's blast...

O's Mike Elias talks offseason, 2020 rotation and more (Bowie wins)

O's Mike Elias talks offseason, 2020 rotation and more (Bowie wins)
When the offseason begins for the Orioles soon, they'll have a general manager in place to hit the ground running for the fall and winter. O's executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias was hired last year on Nov. 16. So he was not here as the offseason began after 2018 and had to play catch-up. That is not true this year. A few days ago Ben McDonald and I interviewed Elias on the pregame show on the Orioles Radio Network. Here are a few of the questions and answers. What are...

O's game blog: Out to end a losing streak

O's game blog: Out to end a losing streak
The Orioles' last win was in Game 1 of a doubleheader a week ago yesterday on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays by a 4-2 score. They have lost six in a row since. The last three of this streak, they've lost by a combined 26-11 score. In those three games the O's starters - Aaron Brooks, Asher Wojciechowski and Ty Blach - pitched a combined seven innings, allowing 21 hits and 17 runs (16 earned) along with three home runs. Meanwhile, O's batters have scored 11 runs over the past three...

For Hanser Alberto, low strikeouts led to high batting average

For Hanser Alberto, low strikeouts led to high batting average
As play begins in Major League Baseball tonight, the Orioles' Hanser Alberto ranks fourth in the American League and ninth in the major leagues with a batting average of .320. Not bad for a hitter that before this year had a total of 192 plate appearances spread over parts of three seasons with Texas and hit just .192. One reason that Alberto has hit for a high average is a low number of strikeouts. He never struck out more than 49 times in a year in the minors and this year has fanned just 43...

Bowie loses Game 1, O's loss streak reaches six

Bowie loses Game 1, O's loss streak reaches six
On the first night of the Eastern League Championship Series, the Double-A Bowie Baysox took a 2-0 lead three batters into the game. The Baysox had some early momentum. But then they failed to score the rest of the night and lost the series opener 6-2 at Trenton. The Thunder scored two in the third to tie it and one in the fifth to get the lead. A three-run Trenton sixth put the game away as Trenton took the lead in the best-of-five finals. In that inning, Kellin Deglan hit a two-run triple for...

O's fall behind big early as Dodgers win to clinch NL West (updated)

O's fall behind big early as Dodgers win to clinch NL West (updated)
The Orioles fell behind right-hander Walker Buehler and the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 tonight in the first inning. That was not going to be a formula to knock off the National League's winningest team and one of the league's best pitchers. Buehler allowed just four singles in seven scoreless innings as Los Angeles beat the Orioles 7-3 to open a three-game series at Oriole Park. The win also is the one that clinched a seventh straight NL West championship for the Dodgers (94-52). Los Angeles has...

Trey Mancini on the Heart and Hustle Award

Trey Mancini on the Heart and Hustle Award
The Orioles' Trey Mancini will receive a nice honor tonight at Camden Yards. He'll be presented with the Orioles 2019 Heart and Hustle Award. Awarded by the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association (MLBPAA), this esteemed award honors active players who demonstrate a passion for the game and best embody the values, spirit and traditions of baseball. Tonight, Mancini will be presented his award by Orioles Hall of Famer Al Bumbry. Bumbry was the 1973 American League Rookie of the Year...

O's game blog: O's open a series with the Los Angeles Dodgers

O's game blog: O's open a series with the Los Angeles Dodgers
The soon-to-be National League West champion Los Angeles Dodgers (93-52) are in Baltimore tonight to begin a three-game interleague series. The Dodgers have a magic number of one to clinch their seventh straight NL West crown and officially advance to the playoffs. With a lead of 17 1/2 games over Arizona, it's been in the bag for a while and now it's about to become official with their next win or Diamondbacks loss. On the mound facing them tonight is lefty Ty Blach (1-2, 10.95 ERA). He is...