On June 1, the Orioles lost 5-0 on the road against Tampa Bay. They trailed 5-0 in the first inning and never got on the board as they lost for the ninth time in an 11-game stretch.
There was, for some fans, a feeling of impending doom and that the other shoe had, in fact, dropped at that point. Some fans said, "It's been fun, but they're done now."
It was looking like an 11-game stretch of losing could turn into a 20-, 30-, 50- or even an 80-game run of futility.
That could still...
Brian Matusz said he could have started tonight for the Orioles, but the decision has been made to push his start back now to Friday night in Atlanta. Matusz suffered a nose contusion yesterday here when he tried a bunt a ball and it hit him in the nose.
"Yeah, pushed back to Friday," Matusz said. "I woke up this morning and felt good. I feel good enough to go, but just talked with Buck (Showalter) and we feel like it was best to give me a couple of extra days and I feel like I should be...
Seldom has a player appreciated getting a shaving cream pie in the face so much.
Brian Roberts seemed to be soaking everything in yesterday and appreciating all of it. For more than a year, he didn't take the field for the Orioles, and never knew for sure if he'd return to the team and get his career back.
Last night, he did and the whole night was amazing.
It was one thing to see him come back and play so well but yet another to be a part of an important win. And still another to see the...
A day without an Orioles roster move is like a day without sunshine.
Second baseman Brian Roberts was activated from the 60-day disabled list yesterday, with Steve Tolleson being optioned to Triple-A Norfolk and Nolan Reimold being transferred to the 60-day disabled list.
That's three in one press release.
Endy Chavez limped off the field last night after straining his right hamstring. Brian Matusz avoided the DL, but Chavez could be headed to it.
Hamstring strains don't usually go away...
The Orioles already were listing their Thursday starter as TBA. Now they've got the same uncertainty with tomorrow's pitcher.
Brian Matusz was scheduled to start before being hit in the nose by a bunted ball during an afternoon drill. X-rays were negative, but the Orioles could push back Matusz until perhaps Friday in Atlanta to give him a little more time to heal.
"For me, I'm mentally prepared to pitch tomorrow and I'm ready to go, but with the nose being something that could swell up,...
Brian Roberts returned to the Orioles' lineup tonight and went 3-for-4 with an RBI as Baltimore beat Pittsburgh 8-6 in Game 1 of a three-game series at Camden Yards.
Roberts singled in the first, struck out in the third, singled in the fourth, hit a sac fly to right in the sixth and singled in the eighth. It was his first major league game since May 16, 2011.
Mark Reynolds hit a two-run homer, his fourth of the year, to give the Orioles a 2-1 lead in the second. Adam Jones had three hits,...
Truly, there is nothing else like baseball.
Countless sporting trends have risen and fallen since this game arrived in our popular culture. Boxing and horse racing, once huge, today fade even from the margins. Auto racing comes and goes in various forms. Tennis had a moment but can't really make a dent anymore despite the fact that three of the greatest players of all time currently ply their trade. Anyone want to take bets on skateboarding or motocross?
Through it all, there has been...
Brian Roberts had bad dreams last night, the kind that shook him out of a sound sleep and made him stare at the ceiling.
In none of them did he collect three hits and drive in a run in his first game back in the majors in more than a year.
"I had to wake up and cross some stuff out of my mind," he said, smiling. "I have no idea why. But I didn't know what to expect. I wasn't expecting three hits. I was just trying to go out there and, as cliche as it sounds, try to have good at-bats and...
I couldn't come up with a "walk the plank" joke, and nothing about an eye patch or a parrot or a hook hand struck me as particularly funny, so I played the headline straight.
Mark Reynolds began tonight's game batting .348/.419/.661 in 112 career at-bats against the Pirates, with seven doubles, two triples, eight homers and 21 RBIs.
You know what happened tonight. He hit a two-run homer off Brad Lincoln in the second inning to give the Orioles a 2-1 lead.
Reynolds is 1-for-2 tonight...
Kevin Gregg made things interesting in the ninth inning after surrendering a two-run homer to Neil Walker, but Jim Johnson picked up his 19th save in 20 tries to preserve the Orioles' 8-6 victory over the Pirates before 15,618 at Camden Yards.
Gregg had posted a 1.32 ERA in his last 12 appearances before tonight.
The biggest story, of course, was Brian Roberts' three-hit, one-RBI return to the lineup. His last single came from the right side of the plate.
"Oh, it was great," said manager...
After spending most of last year, and all of this one up until now, with Robert Andino as his double-play partner for the most part, Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy has Brian Roberts to his left tonight against Pittsburgh.
He was asked what Roberts' return means to the Orioles.
"A lot," Hardy said. "I mean other than the fact that he is a great player, there's the leadership. He's been around our clubhouse, even though he hasn't been able to play. Just going to be nice to have him back on...
The Orioles have posted their lineup for tonight's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates and, weather permitting, Brian Roberts will lead off and play second base. It will be Roberts' first appearance in a major league game since May 16, 2011 in Boston and the culmination of a long recovery from concussion symptoms.
No official roster move has been made, so we'll have to wait for the Orioles to accommodate Roberts' return to the 25- and 40-man rosters.
It's raining right now at Camden...
Brian Roberts received a nice ovation tonight as he walked to the plate for his first Orioles at-bat since May 16, 2011. Many of the fans stood and applauded. It's far from a packed house, but they made a lot of noise.
Roberts looks a little different wearing a specially designed batting helmet with ear flaps on both sides to provide extra protection, but the swing is the same.
Roberts ran the count full against Pirates starter Brad Lincoln and lined a single into center field, bringing...
For the first time since last May 16, Brian Roberts name is atop the Orioles' lineup at second base for tonight's game at Camden Yards against Pittsburgh. While Roberts has not been officially activated yet, he will if the game is played.
He's waited a while for this day and noted he now could possibly have to wait yet another day.
"Praying the rain goes away," he said during a Camden Yards press conference a few moments ago. "It's been a year test of patience, so why not one more day....
The Orioles received a dose of good news and a dose of bad news, so they're playing .500 today.
The bad news is related to left-hander Brian Matusz, who fouled a bunted ball off his nose and might miss tomorrow night's start against the Pirates.
Matusz was preparing for the next round of interleague games on the road, where the pitcher is required to hit. He was squaring up against a pitching machine, since batting practice was cancelled due to the rain.
"It's off the machine," manager...
The Orioles have made the move official to reinstate Brian Roberts and from the 60-day disabled list. To make room for Roberts on the roster, the club has optioned Steve Tolleson to Triple-A Norfolk and transferred Nolan Reimold to the 60-day disabled list.
Roberts has been on the disabled list with a concussion since May 17, 2011. He batted .238/.340/.429 with five doubles, a home run, five RBI and six runs in a 14 game rehabilitation assignment with Single-A Delmarva (two games), Double-A...
The Orioles today announced that they have reinstated 2B Brian Roberts from the 60-day disabled list. To make room for Roberts on the roster, the club has optioned INF Steve Tolleson to Triple-A Norfolk and transferred OF Nolan Reimold to the 60-day disabled list.
Roberts has been on the disabled list with a concussion since May 17, 2011. He batted .238/.340/.429 with five doubles, a home run, five RBI and six runs in a 14 game rehabilitation assignment with Single-A Delmarva (two games),...
Brian Matusz was hit on the nose by a ball while performing a bunting drill, and he may not make tomorrow's start against the Pirates.
The Orioles' corresponding 25-man roster move to accommodate Brian Roberts could hinge on Matusz's status.
Also, Nolan Reimold likely will go on the 60-day disabled list to make room on the 40-man roster. He's having another MRI tomorrow.
Update: OK, sorry for the short blog entry, but I was racing from the press conference to manager Buck Showalter's...
The last time Brian Roberts took the field with his Orioles teammates for something besides batting practice and infield drills was May 16, 2011 in Boston.
I'm expecting to feel a bit nostalgic today when I walk into the clubhouse and glance at the magnetic board across from manager Buck Showalter's office.
Roberts should be batting leadoff and starting at second base against the Pittsburgh Pirates. It would be quite a shocker if he's not activated from the 60-day disabled list.
The...
They say you never forget your first, and I never forgot Dave Boswell, the first major leaguer I ever met and talked with at length.
Boswell died yesterday of an apparent heart attack at 67, and a tweet from Minnesota Twins president Dave St. Peter, followed by a Facebook post from Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven, brought the sad news on an already gloomy morning. I'd spent the past couple of weeks researching Boswell's career - and reminiscing about that long-ago encounter with the...



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