Steve Melewski

After arriving in Baltimore, Gausman looks forward to his big league debut

May 22, 2013, 12:17pm

Orioles

After arriving in Baltimore, Gausman looks forward to his big league debut

Kevin Gausman got the news last night that he was headed to join the Orioles. He arrived in the Orioles clubhouse just after 3 p.m. today and later talked about his start tomorrow night when he will make his major league debut at Toronto. "Obviously, it is going to be real exciting," Gausman said. "You know, trying not to think about it too much and just keep doing what I've been doing, throwing strikes. Just try to pitch my game." So who did he first call after getting the good news...

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After rough stretch, Jason Hammel looks to turn it around tonight

May 22, 2013, 9:02am

Orioles

After rough stretch, Jason Hammel looks to turn it around tonight

In his first six starts this season, Orioles right-hander Jason Hammel pitched to an ERA of 3.79 and American League batters hit just .244 off him. In his last three starts, his ERA is 10.43 and opponents are batting .409. Hammel gave up seven runs in just 4 2/3 innings Friday against Tampa Bay. Over the past three starts, he has gone 14 2/3 innings, allowing 27 hits and 17 earned runs. What is going on with the O's opening night starter right now? For one thing, Hammel insists his struggles...

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Kevin Gausman has been on a fast track to the majors almost from the start

May 21, 2013, 10:31pm

Orioles

Kevin Gausman has been on a fast track to the majors almost from the start

Almost from the day the Orioles drafted him last June, right-hander Kevin Gausman has been on a fast track to the major leagues. Last Aug. 12, I was at Aberdeen's Ripken Stadium for Gausman's second pro outing for the Orioles. He was so impressive that day for the short-season Single-A IronBirds that the organization quickly changed its initial plan for him to only pitch at Aberdeen last summer and he would make his next start for Single-A Frederick and then ended the 2012 season pitching...

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Jim Johnson, Miguel Gonzalez and Nate McLouth talk after win over N.Y.

May 21, 2013, 7:29pm

Orioles

Jim Johnson, Miguel Gonzalez and Nate McLouth talk after win over N.Y.

After he pitched a 1-2-3 10th inning tonight and then became the winning pitcher on Nate McLouth's walk-off homer leading off the 10th, Jim Johnson was ready to talk more about other players than his one-inning outing. "There are a lot of good things to talk about than a guy that pitched in the 10th inning tonight," Johnson said after the O's 3-2 win over the Yankees. "Look at the guys that pitched before me. (Miguel Gonzalez) pitched a heck of a game, Tommy (Hunter) did what he did,...

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Kevin Gausman expected to start Thursday for Orioles (update)

May 21, 2013, 7:00pm

Orioles

The Kevin Gausman era for the Orioles is about to begin. An industry source confirmed tonight for MASNsports.com that Gausman is likely to make the start for the Orioles on Thursday at Toronto. The club's top pick last year is 2-4 with an ERA of 3.11 in eight starts this year for Double-A Bowie. He is coming off a start Friday at Trenton where he allowed four hits and one run over six innings. He walked one and fanned a season-high 10 in that game. On the season, he has pitched 46 1/3...

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Walk-off win ends the losing streak

May 21, 2013, 6:04pm

Orioles

One batter, one swing, one win. That was all it took in the last of the 10th as Nate McLouth homered on a 1-1 pitch from lefty Vidal Nuno to give the Orioles a 3-2 win over the Yankees in walk-off fashion to end their six-game losing streak. It's McLouth's second career walk-off homer. The first was on April 20, 2010 for Atlanta. It was McLouth's fourth homer of the year. Jim Johnson pitched the top of the 10th, recording a 1-2-3 inning to get the win. Tommy Hunter pitched two scoreless...

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Back in rotation, Miguel Gonzalez looks for another good outing against N.Y. (updated)

May 21, 2013, 3:05pm

Orioles

Back in rotation, Miguel Gonzalez looks for another good outing against N.Y. (updated)

Miguel Gonzalez returns to the Orioles rotation tonight for the first time since May 3 when he left after six innings and 80 pitches in Anaheim with a right thumb blister. He was activated off the disabled list today and will face a team he has had success against in the New York Yankees. In 2012, Gonzalez went 2-0 with a 2.63 ERA in two regular season starts at New York, posting wins July 30 and Aug. 31. He became the first rookie starter to beat the Yankees on their own field twice within a...

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Adam Jones talks about stealing bases

May 21, 2013, 1:43pm

Orioles

Here is a surprising stat: The Orioles now lead the American League in stolen bases with 34. Last season, they ranked last in the AL with 58. At this pace, the Orioles would steal 125 bases this season. While no one is confusing him with Ricky Henderson out there, Adam Jones has stolen three bases in the last two games and is now 8-for-8 on the year in stolen base attempts after going 16-for-23 last year. After stealing just one base in April, Jones is now 7-for-7 in 17 games this...

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Clubhouse supports Jim Johnson

May 21, 2013, 1:08pm

Orioles

How could there not be some tension in any big league team's clubhouse after a stretch of six straight losses that has featured three straight blown saves by All-Star closer Jim Johnson? But if the Orioles are feeling any extra pressure right now, they are not showing it and they are certainly talking like that is not the case. Adam Jones addressed that topic this afternoon. "People are going to point fingers, but we win and lose as a team," Jones said when asked specifically about...

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Orioles bullpen has a 7.94 ERA on this homestand

May 21, 2013, 9:01am

Orioles

One concern some fans have expressed here is that if Orioles starters continue to struggle to get deep into games, it will eventually have an impact on a bullpen that will have to pitch more innings. Manager Buck Showalter has discounted the notion that the O's bullpen is having to throw too many innings a couple of times during recent days and he feels that is not an issue yet. It certainly may not be, but the bullpen, and not just Jim Johnson, has struggled in recent games. The bullpen...

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Some stats and some thoughts on struggling closer Jim Johnson

May 20, 2013, 9:44pm

Orioles

Some stats and some thoughts on struggling closer Jim Johnson

Of course, Jim Johnson is going to be the main topic of conversation for Orioles fans today - and he will be in this blog entry, too. But first, a few other points to make. Of the five relievers the Orioles used last night, three gave up runs and a fourth let in an inherited runner. The batters went 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position. A runner was at second base in the last of the ninth with two outs, but the O's couldn't come up with the hit to produce the walk-off win. The blame...

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Jim Johnson talks about his third straight blown save

May 20, 2013, 7:27pm

Orioles

Jim Johnson talks about his third straight blown save

After talking about his recent struggles after tonight's game Jim Johnson was asked about the Orioles' losing streak that has reached six games. "Three of them are my fault," he said. "The other guys do their job. If I do mine we are not standing here. I think everyone is doing a great job, I'm not pulling my weight, but I'll figure it out. "Ball was up. That seems to be a common theme lately. Not making an adjustment. I'm doing everything to work though it and just need to execute....

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Jim Johnson suffers third straight blown save as Yankees beat Orioles in 10

May 20, 2013, 6:39pm

Orioles

The Orioles' losing streak reached six games tonight and each loss seems more gut-wrenching than the last. Tonight the Orioles came back to gain a 4-3 lead and took that edge to the ninth only to see closer Jim Johnson suffer a third straight blown save as the Yankees tied it then and won it 6-4 in 10 innings. Travis Hafner's one-out solo homer off Johnson in the ninth made it a 4-4 game. Hafner had just three hits over his past 24 at-bats and was hitting only .147 in May when he launched...

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Can the O's get past Sabathia this time? (updated)

May 20, 2013, 3:05pm

Orioles

Can the O's get past Sabathia this time? (updated)

You may not remember this now - not after what happened in the American League Division Series last year - but the Orioles fared pretty well against CC Sabathia in the 2012 regular season. Sabathia made three starts against the Orioles then and went 0-2 with an ERA of 6.38 allowing 13 earned runs and four homers over 18 1/3 innings. But then he won Games 1 and 5 of the ALDS against the Orioles going 2-0 with an ERA of 1.53 and WHIP of 0.85 in those two games. He also beat the Orioles this...

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Chris Davis on the losing streak and facing the Yankees

May 20, 2013, 1:43pm

Orioles

Chris Davis on the losing streak and facing the Yankees

The Orioles have lost five in a row for the first time since May 26-June 1, 2012, when they lost six in a row and they have dropped six straight at home for the first time since April 9-14, 2010. The last time the Orioles lost seven in a row at home was August 22-September 7, 2007 when they lost 11 in a row. Right now they are sitting on a winless homestand at 0-5 and the last time they started a homestand going 0-5 was was also April 9-14, 2010, when they lost three each to Toronto and Tampa...

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After simulated game and side session, Miguel Gonzalez is ready to re-enter rotation

May 20, 2013, 1:12pm

Orioles

After simulated game and side session, Miguel Gonzalez is ready to re-enter rotation

Miguel Gonzalez said this afternoon he is ready to re-enter the Orioles' rotation and pitch against the Yankees tomorrow night. He has been on the disabled list with a right thumb blister since May 9 which was backdated to May 4, the day after his last start. He never made a minor league rehab start but Gonzalez threw in a simulated game at Camden Yards on Friday and got back on the mound Sunday. "I threw a little bit yesterday," he said. "Spinned a couple (threw curveballs) and just...

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How will the Orioles stack up the next three nights against New York?

May 20, 2013, 8:04am

Orioles

So how will the Orioles match up with the Yankees over the next three nights? Last season, these teams matched up very well. They split 18 regular season games and the Orioles scored 92 runs to New York's 90. They met in a hard-fought playoff series that was decided in the fifth and final game. But right now, as they get set to open a three-game series at Camden Yards tonight, the Orioles have lost five in a row and their rotation has pitched to an ERA of 6.95 over the last nine games. Even...

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Back in Double-A, Xavier Avery works to get back to where he was exactly one year ago (updated)

May 19, 2013, 5:36pm

Orioles

Back in Double-A, Xavier Avery works to get back to where he was exactly one year ago (updated)

On this date last year, Xavier Avery started for the Orioles and went 2-for-4 against the Washington Nationals. At that point, he was batting .313 after just eight major league games. He was called up quickly to the bigs last season, barely after a month in his first go-around at the Triple-A level with Norfolk. But Avery ended last season struggling at bat, the Orioles acquired a few outfielders to provide minor league depth over the winter and he began the 2013 season back at Double-A...

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Postgame comments from Markakis, Jones and Tillman

May 19, 2013, 1:50pm

Orioles

Postgame comments from Markakis, Jones and Tillman

Nick Markakis said he wasn't sure exactly where that ball that was eventually ruled a home run hit exactly. It was ruled a homer for Matt Joyce off Chris Tillman in the top of the sixth as Tampa Bay beat the Orioles to complete the sweep. "I wasn't even looking where the ball landed. I was looking to the spot I needed to get to where I thought it would bounce to. I just knew down in that area it's a concrete wall and I was just trying to create an angle to the ball. Once the ball didn't...

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O's lose series finale, are swept away by Tampa Bay

May 19, 2013, 12:50pm

Orioles

O's lose series finale, are swept away by Tampa Bay

After using offense to win the first two games of this series, Tampa Bay today turned to the American League co-leader in wins, and lefty Matt Moore outdueled Chris Tillman as the Rays beat the Orioles 3-1 to complete the three-game sweep. The Orioles have lost five in a row and are 0-5 on this homestand. It's the Rays' first three-game sweep in Baltimore since May 6-8, 2011. The Orioles were 10-3 in their last 13 home games versus Tampa Bay coming into this series. Moore gave up just five...