guestblogger

Domenic Vadala: ReOpening Day recalls memories of Fantastic Fans Night

May 12, 2015, 4:12pm

Orioles

Domenic Vadala: ReOpening Day recalls memories of Fantastic Fans Night

Perhaps I'm a bit biased, but Baltimore has always had the best fans - always. Some might point to the empty seats at Camden Yards in losing years as evidence against that, but work with me. On Monday, we witnessed what was termed "ReOpening Day" in the wake of the civil unrest just a couple of weeks ago. And speaking for myself, it brought back a great memory from my childhood. For those who are too young to remember, the 1988 Orioles started 0-21. Believe me, as a 7-year old who was...

Comments

Tags:

domenic vadala fantastic fans night guest blogger guestblogger orioles orioles buzz reopening day

Matt of Matt's Bats: For Harper, maybe the best is yet to come

May 12, 2015, 5:08am

Nationals

Matt of Matt's Bats: For Harper, maybe the best is yet to come

"He swings and hits a long drive to deep right-center! Going back is the center fielder! See you later! Another homer for Bryce Harper! This one wins the game!" That's how Saturday's game ended: Nationals 8, Braves 6, on a walk-off home run by Bryce Harper. He killed a Cody Martin offering to right-center to end the game. Harper has hit more than just a few home runs this past week. The Miami Marlins came to town, and Wednesday it was boom, boom, boom. Three home runs in one game. After an...

Comments

Tags:

bryce harper guest blogger guestblogger matt nationals nationals buzz

Matt Kremnitzer: What should we know about Jimmy Paredes?

May 11, 2015, 7:21pm

Orioles

Matt Kremnitzer: What should we know about Jimmy Paredes?

Jimmy Paredes has never been nearly this good at the major league level. Right now, he has a batting line of .363/.386/.675 (193 wRC+) in 83 plate appearances. He's never received more than 179 plate appearances in any single season, and he has a career batting line of .259/.294/.383 (85 wRC+). But that hasn't mattered, as he's been a vital cog in the Orioles' offensive attack this season. In mid-February 2014, the Orioles selected Paredes off of waivers from the Miami Marlins. A couple of...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger jimmy paredes matt kremnitzer orioles orioles buzz

Andrew Stetka: It's still too early to panic

May 10, 2015, 12:46pm

Orioles

Andrew Stetka: It's still too early to panic

Every Orioles fan is feeling a little down today. The team seems to be in a rut, a funk, some kind of a ditch that is causing wheels to spin while the car stays put. It looks grim after five losses in six games, especially since it followed five wins in six games. There is always light at the end of the tunnel, though. The especially relieving part is that the Orioles are still at the very start of the tunnel, and it isn't caving in on them in the slightest. Last place doesn't look good on...

Comments

Tags:

andrew stetka guest blogger guestblogger orioles orioles buzz

Matthew Taylor: Going deep to find members of exclusive Orioles club

May 08, 2015, 5:37am

Orioles

Minnesota Twins rookie Eddie Rosario homered on the first big league pitch he ever saw on Wednesday. Rosario became the 29th player to knock the first pitch of his first at-bat out of the park. No Orioles player has ever homered on the first pitch they ever saw; however, two O's players homered in their first at-bat. Meanwhile, one former Orioles pitcher homered on the first pitch of his first career at-bat after he departed Baltimore. Let's talk about Buster Narum, Lou Montanez, and Esteban...

Comments

Tags:

benny ayala buster narum chris richard esteban yan guest blogger guestblogger lou montanez matthew taylor orioles orioles buzz

Zach Wilt: What are the Orioles missing?

May 07, 2015, 5:05am

Orioles

What are the Orioles missing? A veteran outfielder, a big-time slugger and a shutdown reliever. That's what the Orioles lost during the offseason to the free agent market. After nine seasons in black and orange, Nick Markakis signed on with the Atlanta Braves. Nelson Cruz, who was arguably the best free agent signing last offseason, cashed in on his 40-homer season with a $57 million contract out west in Seattle. Andrew Miller headed north to put on the pinstripes for the division rival New...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger orioles orioles buzz zach wilt

David Huzzard: Bryce Harper and putting the ball in play

May 06, 2015, 6:35pm

Nationals

David Huzzard: Bryce Harper and putting the ball in play

If you've made it this far through the Internet. I'm certain that you're tired of reading about Bryce Harper's big day, but it isn't every day that a 22-year-old four-year major league veteran hits three home runs in one game. I'm also not going to write about that. I'm going to write about something far less interesting. History is exciting and when it happens for your team it can be fun to read about or write about, but you know the saying a picture is worth a thousand words? Well a...

Comments

Tags:

adam dunn bryce harper david huzzard guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz

Domenic Vadala: Dealing with injuries and their aftermath

May 06, 2015, 6:27am

Orioles

Domenic Vadala: Dealing with injuries and their aftermath

Every Major League Baseball season is different, and there are no ifs, ands, or buts about that. However, I would submit that if there's one thing that has kind of marred the first month of this year, it's been injuries. This is true regarding the Orioles, and it's true of other teams. If anything, the Orioles are probably luckier than most teams in that J.J. Hardy and Ryan Flaherty are currently doing rehab assignments, where some teams are starting to get bitten by the bug now. As we've...

Comments

Tags:

domenic vadala guest blogger guestblogger orioles orioles buzz

Rachel Levitin: Solis a welcome addition to improving bullpen

May 06, 2015, 6:53am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: Solis a welcome addition to improving bullpen

Tuesday night was a tough one for Stephen Strasburg and the Nationals. He did his best to try and push through the night against the Miami Marlins but, three innings in, that was it for the night. Strasburg's right shoulder blade discomfort caused the early exit, but created an opportunity for left-landed reliever Sammy Solis, a recent call-up. The southpaw has pitched five scoreless innings in two major league appearances since being called up and manager Matt Williams was impressed by how...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz rachel levitin sammy solis

Matt of Matt's Bats: May will be a good test for the Nationals

May 05, 2015, 5:55am

Nationals

Thankfully, April is over. Now that it's May, the Nationals are winning. Winning is what Nats fans expected; it just has not been how we planned it. After a full month, the Nats sit just below .500 at 13-14. The Nats looked like they were going to end April on a losing streak. On April 27, they were on a six-game skid. However, to end the month, they turned up the gas and won three in a row against the Braves and Mets. Between Tuesday and Thursday, the bats heated up to produce 34 runs in...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger matt nationals nationals buzz

Matt Kremnitzer: Miguel Gonzalez is at it again

May 04, 2015, 7:11pm

Orioles

Matt Kremnitzer: Miguel Gonzalez is at it again

Orioles pitching has been better lately, and Miguel Gonzalez's solid performance on Saturday (7 2/3 scoreless innings of four-hit ball with a walk and six strikeouts) played a part in the turnaround. It's been easy to routinely overlook Gonzalez, who always seems to be mentioned as a bullpen option instead of a lock for the rotation. I'm certainly guilty of that. But after five starts of posting a 2.59 ERA and a 3.89 FIP this season, Gonzalez is again chugging along and doing what it takes...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger matt kremnitzer miguel gonzalez orioles orioles buzz

Marty Niland: Pitchers take over as Nats find footing

May 04, 2015, 5:05am

Nationals

Marty Niland: Pitchers take over as Nats find footing

This is the Nationals pitching staff we've been waiting to see. Since coming back from 9-1 and 10-2 deficits to beat the Braves 13-12 last Tuesday in a game that may well be remembered as the defining moment of the 2015 season, the Nats have won four of five games behind starting pitching that has been just about lights out. In this latest turn through the rotation, Jordan Zimmermann, Stephen Strasburg, Max Scherzer, Gio Gonzalez and Doug Fister have gone 4-1 with a cumulative 1.65 ERA. They...

Comments

Tags:

doug fister gio gonzalez guest blogger guestblogger jordan zimmermann marty niland max scherzer nationals nationals buzz stephen strasburg

Andrew Stetka: Paredes' place on the roster

May 04, 2015, 4:50am

Orioles

Andrew Stetka: Paredes' place on the roster

Baseball rosters fascinate me - the way they are constructed, they way certain players must pass through waivers or be optioned to the minor leagues. It's all a messy and complicated puzzle. Now that we are through the first month of the season, the most intriguing part to the Orioles puzzle is Jimmy Paredes. I wonder every day how that puzzle piece fits into the bigger picture long term. The biggest problem with Paredes going forward is the fact that he doesn't really have a position. He's...

Comments

Tags:

andrew stetka guest blogger guestblogger jimmy paredes orioles orioles buzz

Matthew Taylor: Digging deeper for hope and inspiration

May 01, 2015, 5:21am

Orioles

Matthew Taylor: Digging deeper for hope and inspiration

I started blogging about the Orioles in 2006. I chronicled six of the final 14 losing seasons in Baltimore; to date, I have written about a heck of a lot more losing than winning. Various motivations have helped me to keep at it for as long as I have, some of which make sense and others that are simply foolish. At the core of it all has been the simple truth that I love this team, which was something of a birthright in my family. In the not-so-distant past, when having a winning baseball team...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger matthew taylor orioles orioles buzz

Zach Wilt: Outside gates, hearty fans locked out but not down

April 29, 2015, 8:00pm

Orioles

Zach Wilt: Outside gates, hearty fans locked out but not down

You'll never hear a louder bat crack or be able to listen in as Adam Jones calls off Alejandro De Aza on a fly ball hit to left-center field like you were able to on Wednesday afternoon outside Camden Yards. The Orioles' matchup against the White Sox - which took 2 hours, 3 minutes - was one for the record books featuring a crowd of zero, a pre-recorded national anthem and John Denver's "Thank God I'm A Country Boy" played during the seventh-inning stretch for only the players, a few...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger orioles orioles buzz zach wilt

David Huzzard: Would losing benefit the Nationals in the near future?

April 29, 2015, 3:01pm

Nationals

It is still early in the baseball season and no amount of struggling by the Nationals will change that. There are still just over five months and 140 games left until the end of the season. It is a tiring refrain to hear that it's early, but no matter what happens these games are going to be played. War or work stoppage are the only forces that have ever halted a baseball season before its conclusion, and no matter how poorly the Nationals play, Major League Baseball isn't simply going to...

Comments

Tags:

david huzzard guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz

Domenic Vadala: Orioles in position to help Baltimore heal

April 28, 2015, 7:15pm

Orioles

Let me preface this by saying that in no way am I comparing what's happened in Baltimore the past few days to the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, or any other situation. I'm just not qualified to say which situation is worse or anything along those lines. What I can say is that both were community issues at their grass roots. In the wake of the tragedy at the Boston Marathon two years ago, we saw the city of Boston become galvanized and unified, perhaps more so than at any other time since...

Comments

Tags:

domenic vadala guest blogger guestblogger orioles orioles buzz

Matt of Matt's Bats: No way around it, injuries have hurt Nationals

April 28, 2015, 4:57am

Nationals

It's been a tough week for Nationals fans. Following a series loss against the Cardinals, the Nats arrived in Miami to face the Marlins. Even though Miami has one of the best sluggers in baseball, Giancarlo Stanton, who is just starting to get hot, many doubted the Marlins had the fire to win against the Nats. Coming off the week they just had where they won five out of six, you'd think the Nationals would have a chance to win the series or even sweep the Marlins. Wrong. The Marlins took the...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger matt nationals nationals buzz

Matt Kremnitzer: Some valid concerns about Orioles pitching

April 27, 2015, 7:39pm

Orioles

Some things are more important than baseball. Actually, lots of things are more important than baseball. But baseball is what we're here to discuss, though it's worth noting the O's situation at home this week is up in the air. So while hoping for the best in Baltimore, let's get to it. At 9-10, the Orioles are treading water in a division full of teams that are treading water. So far, every American League East team has at least nine wins and is within a few games of either first or last...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger matt kremnitzer orioles orioles buzz

Andrew Stetka: After tumultuous weekend, a sense of civic pride for hometown

April 26, 2015, 6:44pm

Orioles

Andrew Stetka: After tumultuous weekend, a sense of civic pride for hometown

It was a weird weekend in Baltimore. The Orioles lost the first of a crucial three-game series with the Red Sox before bouncing back to win the next two and take the series. It all came amid a cloud of turmoil surrounding the city. We talk baseball here, but it's important to recognize when bigger things are going on and impacting others. I was fortunate enough to be able to attend Friday's game at Camden Yards. I say fortunate because I've lived in Arizona now for about four years, and any...