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Anthony Amobi: Role finally solidified, Reimold on a roll

April 19, 2012, 5:08am

Orioles

Anthony Amobi: Role finally solidified, Reimold on a roll

As most fans know, it has been an extremely tough road for Nolan Reimold during the past few seasons. Life is always full of ups and downs, but the true test of someone's character depends on how they persevere. So far, Reimold is passing that test - at least professionally. During the early weeks of the season, he has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball, batting .341 with four homers - all in key spots - with eight RBIs. As it is, you can say that Reimold has had a critical role in...

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A little more from Showalter (updated)

April 18, 2012, 4:10pm

Orioles

CHICAGO - Darren O'Day got out of a huge jam last night after replacing Wei-Yin Chen in the sixth inning, entering with runners on the corners and one out and preserving a 3-2 lead. He's made three straight scoreless appearances over 3 2/3 innings. O'Day figures to be tough on right-handers with his sidearmed delivery, and he's held them to a .214 average over his career. However, left-handers are batting only .246 against him lifetime, including .229 in 2010. His value to manager Buck...

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Memo to O's fans: Enjoy this good start

April 18, 2012, 7:51am

Orioles

I know what you were thinking when the ball was hit to Wilson Betemit with two outs and the bases loaded in the last of the ninth last night. You were thinking that third base has been a disaster for the Orioles on defense this year and now the White Sox hit the ball to the third sacker with the game on the line. Yikes, anywhere but that! But Betemit made a very nice play and the Orioles won again to improve their first place record to 7-4. After 11 games my advice to the Orioles fans is...

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Noteworthy day

April 18, 2012, 10:27am

Orioles

CHICAGO - A victory tonight would put the Orioles a season-high four games above .500 and assure a series win over the White Sox. Since Sept. 12, 2011, the Orioles are 6-1-1 in their last eight series. They're 18-10 in their last 28 games. The Orioles are 16-10 in their last 26 road games since Aug. 22, 2011. Seven of the first 11 games this season have been decided by one or two runs, and the Orioles have gone 5-2. The Orioles' 20 home runs rank second in the majors behind Texas'...

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Markakis serving as DH tonight

April 18, 2012, 12:44pm

Orioles

CHICAGO - Endy Chavez will start in right field tonight, with Nick Markakis serving as the designated hitter. Markakis is in a 3-for-35 slump. For the Orioles: Nolan Reimold LF J.J. Hardy SS Nick Markakis DH Adam Jones CF Matt Wieters C Endy Chavez RF Mark Reynolds 3B Chris Davis 1B Robert Andino 2B Tommy Hunter RHP

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Showalter on Markakis

April 18, 2012, 3:39pm

Orioles

CHICAGO - Rain is in the forecast tonight and tomorrow. A few drops fell during batting practice. Apparently, it's really supposed to be bad tomorrow, when I'm scheduled to fly out of here at 8:05 p.m. I can't afford a lengthy delay. The Kubatko luck strikes again. Orioles manager Buck Showalter was asked about his decision to use Nick Markakis as the designated hitter tonight. "We'll move it around," he said. "One of the assets we have in not having it locked down. I've got a...

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What's next for Markakis?

April 17, 2012, 9:34pm

Orioles

CHICAGO - Nick Markakis collected five hits in his first seven at-bats, with a triple, two homers and four RBIs, and the baseball world excitedly proclaimed that he was completely recovered from his abdominal surgery and the worried masses could exhale and relax. Markakis is mired in a 3-for-35 slump, and it might be time to inhale and stress. That's probably an overreaction. Markakis wasn't going to maintain his early pace and he isn't going to keep going 0-fer, as he did again last night...

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The bullpen is pulling its weight

April 18, 2012, 5:43am

Orioles

Maybe somewhat lost during the Orioles 7-4 start which has featured some longball bashing and solid starting pitching is that the Orioles' bullpen has been pretty solid this year as well. Outside of that Kevin Gregg meltdown Sunday in Toronto the bullpen has been very good. The 'pen ERA on the year is 2.75 and if you take away Sunday's game that lowers to 1.82. In last night's 3-2 win, four pitchers combined for 3 2/3 scoreless innings. It was all needed as Darren O'Day, Troy Patton,...

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Showalter talks about Exposito and Bell (updated)

April 17, 2012, 4:56pm

Orioles

Showalter talks about Exposito and Bell (updated)

CHICAGO - Orioles manager Buck Showalter explained earlier today why the Orioles wanted Luis Exposito, who was claimed on waivers from the Red Sox. "He's a catcher," Showalter said, grinning. That'll do it. "We're pretty thin there depth-wise," Showalter continued. "I'm not sure exactly where they're going to send him or what the plan is, but we've had some good reports on him, the majority of them. I'm sure the Red Sox know him a lot longer than we do. They've had him a lot...

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Reimold and Hardy go back-to-back

April 17, 2012, 8:07pm

Orioles

CHICAGO - I'll close the blog tonight with comments from Nolan Reimold and J.J. Hardy, who hit back-to-back home runs in the sixth inning to break a scoreless tie. Reimold has four home runs in his last four games played. He sat out Sunday's game. The key to his hot streak? "Staying calm," he replied. "No real secret to it. It's just kind of happening. I've just been feeling good, keeping my swing short, not moving my head too much. Get the pitch and don't miss it." Reimold made a...

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Another excellent outing tonight for Dylan Bundy (update, O's beat Chicago)

April 17, 2012, 3:50pm

Orioles

Another excellent outing tonight for Dylan Bundy (update, O's beat Chicago)

Orioles top pitching prospect Dylan Bundy just completed his third outing as a pro and he has now pitched the equivalent of a nine-inning no-hitter over his three games for the Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds. In the first inning tonight versus Hagerstown, the 19-year-old right-hander got a strikeout, followed by a pair of ground outs. In the second inning he got a fly out and then a pair of strikeouts. In the third he retired the first two hitters on ground outs before allowing a two-out walk...

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Neal Shaffer: A dream of 2005 all over again

April 18, 2012, 5:00am

Orioles

Neal Shaffer: A dream of 2005 all over again

The Orioles' hot start here in 2012 should not give rise to indulgent thoughts of a winning season. That much has to be said up front. It's true that there's plenty to enjoy so far, but let's take it game by game. Odds are, this team will still eventually lose more than they win. Let's say for the sake of argument, however, that they keep this up. Let's say that April turns into May and the win total is still in the black. Would then it be wise to dream of 82 wins, or more? Alas, no....

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Reimold still homer happy, Hardy joins him (O's win 3-2)

April 17, 2012, 5:38pm

Orioles

Reimold still homer happy, Hardy joins him (O's win 3-2)

CHICAGO - Nolan Reimold decided not to wait until the ninth inning to hit a home run tonight. Reimiold broke a scoreless tie in the sixth by following a Robert Andino single with a two-run shot to left field off White Sox starter John Danks, his fourth homer in five days and his fourth in his last four games played. Got all that? Reimold didn't play Sunday in Toronto because of cramping in his left leg - now known as Hammygate by reporters who share a strange sense of humor. Luke Scott was...

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Orioles help Chen celebrate his first major league win

April 17, 2012, 7:54pm

Orioles

CHICAGO - Taiwanese left-hander Wei-Yin Chen learned a new American custom tonight related to major league baseball. Get your first win, get covered in shaving cream and a sports drink. Chen walked out of the bathroom after tonight's 3-2 victory over the White Sox and discovered that Luis Ayala and Tommy Hunter were waiting for him. Ayala had the shaving cream, Hunter had the blue Gatorade. You can picture the rest. "It just happened," Chen said through his interpreter, a wide grin on...

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Matt Wieters with some impressive homer stats

April 17, 2012, 3:23pm

Orioles

Matt Wieters with some impressive homer stats

Here are some impressive home run stats for Orioles catcher Matt Wieters. He started hitting more homers late last year as you may recall and, in fact, he had 12 of his 22 homers in 2011 in the season's final two months. If you combined that with his fast start this year - he has four homers already - Wieters has now hit 16 home runs over his last 45 games. That is a 57-homer pace over 162 games. He hit 12 in his last 36 games last year and has four in the first nine games this season. He...

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Bundy's not perfect, but he's still unhittable (with O's notes)

April 17, 2012, 3:54pm

Orioles

Bundy's not perfect, but he's still unhittable (with O's notes)

CHICAGO - Dylan Bundy allowed a baserunner tonight. Better keep him in the South Atlantic League until he figures it out. Making his home debut, Bundy walked Hagerstown center fielder Billy Burns with two outs in the third inning - the only runner to reach against him in three starts. Bundy struck out three more batters, giving him 15 in nine innings. He still hasn't surrendered a hit. The fourth-overall pick in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft got two ground balls and a strikeout in the...

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Reynolds back at DH tonight, Ohlman suspended

April 17, 2012, 12:27pm

Orioles

Reynolds back at DH tonight, Ohlman suspended

CHICAGO - Mark Reynolds will serve as the designated hitter again tonight against White Sox left-hander John Danks, with Wilson Betemit starting at third base. Reynolds has started at third only once in the last five games. For the Orioles: Nolan Reimold LF J.J. Hardy SS Nick Markakis RF Adam Jones CF Matt Wieters C Mark Reynolds DH Wilson Betemit 3B Chris Davis 1B Robert Andino 2B Wei-Yin Chen LHP Minor league catcher Michael Ohlman has received a 50-game suspension after a second...

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Noteworthy achievements from last night

April 17, 2012, 11:31am

Orioles

CHICAGO - Before we turn our focus to tonight's game, let's continue to linger around last night's 10-inning victory. I'm just not ready to let go. According to Elias, Matt Wieters' grand slam in the 10th inning was just the fifth in extra innings for the Orioles in the last 50 years, and the second against the White Sox. All of them came in the 10th. The others were produced by Brooks Robinson (July 7, 1970 versus New York), Tommy Davis (July 27, 1975 at Milwaukee), Joe Nolan (August...

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Orioles claim Luis Exposito, Josh Bell designated for assignment

April 17, 2012, 10:15am

Orioles

CHICAGO - The Orioles have claimed catcher Luis Exposito on waivers from Boston Red Sox. To make room on the 40-man roster, infielder Josh Bell has been designated for assignment. Bell's been on the 40-man bubble. It finally popped. Exposito, 25, is a career .268/.324/.420 hitter in seven minor league seasons, all of them spent in the Red Sox's farm system. He was a 31st-round pick in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft. Bell, 25, batted .200/.221/.264 in 79 games with the Orioles in 2010...

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Waiting for Chavez and Johnson to spring ahead

April 17, 2012, 8:31am

Orioles

Waiting for Chavez and Johnson to spring ahead

CHICAGO - Managers keep warning reporters not to fall in love with spring training or September stats. Small sample sizes, extenuating circumstances, whatever you want to call it. Jake Fox is a beast in February and March. He belongs in the Grapefruit League Hall of Fame. But he still can't stick in the majors, which makes him the unfortunate poster child for the above-stated theory. Endy Chavez and Nick Johnson are proven commodities, so they don't fall in that same category. Their shelf...