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James Baker: Facing grim reality

July 28, 2011, 7:22pm

Orioles

Last night Brad Bergesen struggled - again. Pitching three terrible innings, giving up six runs and effectively putting the Orioles out of it before they even had a chance to be in it. The Orioles bullpen did not help either. All in all it was just another all-too-familiar sight for Orioles fans. This weekend, the Orioles will play four games in three days against the New York Yankees in The Bronx. Young Orioles starters Chris Tillman and Zach Britton have been recalled to start the day-night...

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Take a lead, give up a lead (and lose by three)

July 28, 2011, 3:42pm

Orioles

Take a lead, give up a lead (and lose by three)

J.J. Hardy and Vladimir Guerrero homered in the top of the first inning to provide an early cushion for starter Brad Bergesen. It deflated in a hurry. The Blue Jays scored twice in the bottom half of the inning, a bases-loaded walk producing the first run. So much for early momentum. I won't search for excuses for Bergesen. I don't know what's in his head tonight. But if my wife were due to give birth this weekend, I'd be seriously challenged to focus on the task at hand. More power to...

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Orioles can end a few series losing streaks tonight (updated, O's lose 8-5)

July 28, 2011, 11:14am

Orioles

The Orioles have a chance to put three different series losing streaks and stretches to an end with a win tonight at Toronto in the series finale. This season, they are 0-6-1 in their last seven series since taking two of three from the Reds from June 24-26. A win would also end the O's current nine-series road losing streak. The Orioles are 6-22 on the road since taking two of three in St. Pete against Tampa Bay from May 13-15. The Orioles can also end a nine-series losing run at...

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Reimold returns to lineup (more on DH and Izturis)

July 28, 2011, 12:14pm

Orioles

Reimold returns to lineup (more on DH and Izturis)

Nolan Reimold is starting in left field tonight for the series finale against the Blue Jays. For the Orioles: J.J. Hardy SS Nick Markakis RF Adam Jones CF Vladimir Guerrero DH Derrek Lee 1B Matt Wieters C Mark Reynolds 3B Nolan Reimold LF Robert Andino 2B Brad Bergesen RHP For the Blue Jays: Escobar SS Rasmus CF Bautista 3B Lind 1B Encarnacion DH Thames RF Hill 2B Snider LF Arencibia C Villanueva RHP Hardy is 4-for-6 lifetime against Villanueva. Reynolds is 3-for-7 with a...

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Filling out the rotation

July 27, 2011, 8:46pm

Orioles

I'm always entertained by the trade speculation that builds during the last week of July. B.J. Upton isn't included in the Rays' lineup last night, a few Nationals regulars take a seat on the bench, and it's assumed that the two clubs are on the verge of finalizing a deal. Maybe it will happen, but Upton was spotted in the trainers room and manager Joe Maddon told reporters that the center fielder was a little "beat up." I'm starting to get punchy. I hear it's Edwin Jackson's...

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O's release anti-bullying public service announcement

July 28, 2011, 5:19am

Orioles

O's release anti-bullying public service announcement

Any way you slice it, bullying isn't welcome - in school, on teams, in the workplace, in life. The Orioles have released an 80-second anti-bullying public service announcement in support of the It Gets Better Project and The Trevor Project. O's pitchers Jake Arrieta, Jason Berken, Zach Britton, Michael Gonzalez and Kevin Gregg appear in the PSA, delivering encouragement to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered youth who are being bullied. The Orioles join the San Francisco Giants,...

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Heath Bintliff: There's little defense for these Orioles

July 27, 2011, 4:59pm

Orioles

The Orioles are playing at right about the level they usually do in late July, jockeying for position for one of the top three picks in the amateur draft for 2012 and basically filling the role of American League doormats. The fans are pointing fingers at the pitching staff - rightly so since they are dead last in ERA among American League teams, and it's not really close. Some also point fingers at an anemic offense which, while not as abysmal as the pitching, is slightly below league average...

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It never fails

July 27, 2011, 7:06pm

Orioles

The Orioles scored 12 runs last night and reached double digits in hits during the anthem. You knew what was coming next. A shutout. Four hits ... and a shutout. The Orioles offered little resistance tonight against Blue Jays left-hander Ricky Romero. And their modest two-game winning streak at Rogers Centre came to a screeching halt. Well, a two-game streak doesn't really screech. The air bags won't deploy. But it's definitely come to a stop. Buck Showalter tells Gary Thorne how hard...

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Bautista returns to lineup and gives Toronto the lead (O's lose 3-0)

July 27, 2011, 3:34pm

Orioles

Bautista returns to lineup and gives Toronto the lead (O's lose 3-0)

To me, it is impressive that Jose Bautista returned to the Toronto lineup tonight. Not only did he, but he singled to left in the last of the first to give Toronto a 1-0 lead against the Orioles and Alfredo Simon. Bautista was hit in the head by a Jake Arrieta pitch in the third inning last night and left the game. Bautista told MASN's Gary Thorne that he thought he was able to turn his head just enough at the last second so that he did not feel the full force and energy of the pitch as it...

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Notes on Hardy, Norfolk and Frederick

July 27, 2011, 2:15pm

Orioles

The Orioles' J.J Hardy is batting leadoff these days, but he is hitting homers like a cleanup batter. Hardy now has 16 homers on the season and he is tied for 16th in the American League in homers. He is averaging a homer every 17.8 at-bats and that ranks 12th best in the AL. His slugging percentage of .500 is 15th in the AL. Since June first, he has hit 14 homers in 46 games and homered once every 13.7 at-bats on average. To put that in perspective, Mark Teixeira, second in the league with...

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Parting with Guthrie might not be easy for the Orioles to do

July 27, 2011, 4:50am

Orioles

The Orioles may have a tough decision to make this week: whether to trade or keep Jeremy Guthrie. I'm sure it will simply come down to the quality of the offer they get from another team. Is that club willing to part with maybe two good young pitching prospects or perhaps a top young position player? If the Orioles hear an offer like that for Guthrie, they may well have to make the move. Readers here and callers to my talk-show on 105.7 The Fan in Baltimore are quite mixed on a trade of...

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Pie in left field tonight (and Jays lineup)

July 27, 2011, 12:26pm

Orioles

Pie in left field tonight (and Jays lineup)

Maybe the Blue Jays will be too distracted by today's trade activity to concentrate on the Orioles. The Blue Jays acquired outfielder Colby Rasmus from the Cardinals as part of a three-team trade that also involved the White Sox. The Cardinals acquired starter Edwin Jackson, which likely ends their interest in Jeremy Guthrie. They also obtained relievers Octavio Dotel and Marc Rzepczynski, which likely ends their interest in Koji Uehara. For the Orioles: J.J. Hardy SS Nick Markakis RF Adam...

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Stats eliminate start for Reimold

July 27, 2011, 2:19pm

Orioles

Just a quick note before I start ordering off the menu (yes, dinner plans tonight): Nolan Reimold is fine physically. His exclusion from tonight's lineup, after he homered last night, is based on statistics. Reimold is 1-for-13 lifetime against Toronto left-hander Ricky Romero. Also, left-handers are hitting .285 lifetime against Romero. Right-handers are batting .242. Felix Pie gets the start. Reimold gets a seat on the bench. Don't shoot the messenger.

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Orioles release PSA in support of "It Gets Better" Project and the Trevor Project

July 27, 2011, 11:13am

Orioles

The Orioles today announced that they have released an 80-second anti-bullying video public service announcement (PSA) in support of the It Gets Better Project and the Trevor Project. Produced by Orioles Productions, the video features pitchers Jake Arrieta, Jason Berken, Zach Britton, Kevin Gregg and Mike Gonzalez delivering encouraging messages to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth who are being bullied. The Orioles' message can be viewed at www.itgetsbetter.org/orioles and...

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Lee picks up the RBI pace

July 27, 2011, 9:31am

Orioles

Derrek Lee had four hits and a season-high five RBIs last night. Lee has been on an RBI binge lately. He has eight RBIs in his last seven games and, over his last 16 games, Lee has hit five homers with 17 RBIs. He has five multi-RBI games in that time. He was batting just .157 on the year with runners in scoring position, but is up to .181 after adding two hits in those situations Tuesday night. In 11 games since the All-Star break, Lee is batting .318 with two homers, 11 RBIs and an OPS of...

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Simon under the dome - if it's closed

July 26, 2011, 7:34pm

Orioles

The Orioles couldn't win at Rogers Centre. Now they can't lose. They've won two straight games in Toronto after losing 16 in a row, proving that baseball really does go in cycles. I'm just used to the Orioles blowing out a tire. They'll have Alfredo Simon on the mound tonight, trying to register his third consecutive quality start. Do you remember Simon's last visit to Rogers Centre on Sept. 26, 2010? He was ejected after drilling Jose Bautista, who left last night's game after being...

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Scott says surgery "went well"

July 27, 2011, 8:24am

Orioles

Orioles outfielder Luke Scott says via a text message that yesterday's surgery on his right labrum "went well" and provided a clearer explanation why his swing was hindered before the club shut him down for the season. Renowned orthopedic specialist Dr. James Andrews performed the surgery in Pensacola, Fla. Scott wrote that he's feeling "so-so, more disappointment than anything, but they fixed the problem." "It was more posterior than SLAP, which was not revealed as much on the...

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Matusz on Norfolk, his fastball and the future

July 26, 2011, 5:17am

Orioles

Matusz on Norfolk, his fastball and the future

Brian Matusz sounds upbeat about the time he is spending with the Triple-A Norfolk Tides. He seems confident that his velocity will come back and remains convinced that he is a big part of the Orioles' future. Those were some of the impressions I got from an interview Matusz gave on 105.7 The Fan in Baltimore last night. Matusz was a guest on the "Baltimore Baseball Tonight" pregame show with Bob Haynie, Jen Royle and Joe Orsulak. "It's been a tough year," Matusz said. "Going into this...

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Daniel Moroz: The bases are loaded, but nobody's coming home

July 26, 2011, 5:15pm

Orioles

Daniel Moroz: The bases are loaded, but nobody's coming home

I think it's a common sentiment amongst Orioles fans to consider the offense as very poor at turning baserunners into runs on the scoreboard. On multiple, unrelated occasions in recent weeks, I've heard people refer to leaving the bases loaded without scoring a run as "pulling an Orioles." When I asked people on Twitter what they thought "pulling an Orioles" meant, every O's fan with an actual response said stranding runners. Does the reality match up with these perceptions though?...

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Quick Matusz update (O's win 12-4)

July 26, 2011, 5:14pm

Orioles

Brian Matusz lasted five innings tonight in his fifth start with Triple-A Norfolk since being optioned. He allowed four runs (three earned) and seven hits, with three walks and no strikeouts. He threw 97 pitches, 56 for strikes. I don't have any radar readings. He's mostly been 87-88 mph in his last few starts, though he's touched 90. I'm not sure how he avoided giving up a run in the fourth. Brandon Inge doubled and apparently stopped at third base on Clete Thomas' one-out...