Simon found groove and lost it (updated)

Simon found groove and lost it (updated)
If that headline sounds familiar, I wrote the same one for Brian Matusz last night. Remember how Matusz retired nine in a row in Game 2 before Mark Teixeira singled with one out in the sixth and Robinson Cano followed with a home run? Well, Alfredo Simon retired nine Yankees in a row tonight before Cano singled with one out in the fourth and Nick Swisher followed with his 21st home run. Yankees 3, Orioles 0. Swisher has six homers in his last seven games. He hit No. 20 last night after...

A few pregame notes (and Yankees lineup)

A few pregame notes (and Yankees lineup)
First baseman Chris Davis will swing a bat tomorrow down in Sarasota as he begins baseball activities. Jason Berken will head to Sarasota later this week to begin a throwing program after his wife is induced at 6 a.m. tomorrow. He'll hold his baby girl before holding a baseball. The Orioles want Berken to pitch in a few games in September before he comes off the disabled list, but the minor league seasons end next week. They might have to organize simulated games at the minor league...

Monday Memory: Of flooded dugouts and faux fishing holes

Monday Memory: Of flooded dugouts and faux fishing holes
This weekend's brush with Hurricane Irene got me thinking about some of the waterlogged nights I've spend at Camden Yards and Memorial Stadium over the years. Rain and games don't really mix - even in football, where hearty, big guys boast about playing through just about everything weather-wise. They certainly did at the soggiest sporting event I ever attended, a Canadian Football League game on 33rd Street during the first year of the Baltimore Stallions. The heavens opened and didn't...

Orioles lineup against Yankees

Orioles lineup against Yankees
For the Orioles: J.J. Hardy SS Nick Markakis RF Adam Jones CF Vladimir Guerrero DH Matt Wieters C Mark Reynolds 1B Ryan Adams 2B Nolan Reimold LF Robert Andino 3B Alfredo Simon RHP

This, that and the other

This, that and the other
Zach Britton threw 120 pitches in Game 1 of yesterday's doubleheader. That's the most by an Orioles starter against the Yankees since Sidney Ponson threw 128 on June 1, 2004 in New York. One of manager Buck Showalter's biggest peeves is young players who join the club and don't know how to bunt because they've hit in the middle of the lineup in the minors and assumed it wouldn't be necessary. He isn't aiming this rant at one particular player. He means just in general. A lot of guys...

Matthew Taylor: Crafty lefty could also whiff opposing hitters

Matthew Taylor: Crafty lefty could also whiff opposing hitters
David Price established a Tampa Bay franchise record on Sunday with 14 strikeouts in seven innings of work at Toronto. Price set the mark in his fourth big league season and exceeded by two his previous career high of 12 strikeouts. By his fourth season, former Orioles lefty Mike Flanagan had established what would be his own career-high strikeout total by having twice fanned 13 batters in nine innings of work. During this sad time for the Orioles franchise, it's nice to remember Flanny at...

Britton much better against Yankees (O's win, 2-0)

Britton much better against Yankees (O's win, 2-0)
Remember the last time Zach Britton faced the Yankees? He retired one batter, was charged with six runs (nine total) and seven hits, and put the Orioles in a huge hole in Game 2 of a doubleheader in New York back on July 30. It's been a different story today. Britton is blanking the Yankees on four hits over six innings, with one walk and five strikeouts. Britton has thrown 110 pitches, including 67 for strikes. He just retired Alex Rodriguez on a bouncer to third baseman Robert Andino to...

Comments from Brian Matusz and Mark Reynolds after a loss to NY

Comments from Brian Matusz and Mark Reynolds after a loss to NY
After he had given up six runs over 5 1/3 innings against the Yankees tonight, a reporter asked Brian Matusz if he thought he had made any progress over his last two outings: "Yeah, I've made some progress, being able to be a little more consistent with the fastball," Matusz said after the Orioles 8-3 loss to New York. "Signs of good changeups today, but I've not been able to make the 0-2 pitch or the two-strike pitch and that's been hurting me. Especially to good hitters in tough...

Yankees bash their way to win in nightcap to split the DH

Yankees bash their way to win in nightcap to split the DH
Well, the Yankees were not shutout in the second game of the split doubleheader at Camden Yards. New York hit five homers, three in a row in the sixth, in an 8-3 win over the Orioles after Zach Britton and the Birds had blanked them 2-0 earlier in the day. With the game tied 3-3 in the sixth, Robinson Cano hit a two-run homer off Brian Matusz and Nick Swisher followed with a solo shot. After Chris Jakubauskas came on for Matusz, Andruw Jones greeted him with a solo shot for a 7-3 lead. Brian...

Post-Game 2 Showalter

Post-Game 2 Showalter
J.J. Hardy extended his hitting streak to 11 games tonight. Mark Reynolds has hit in eight straight games, going 13-for-33 (.394). It wasn't all bad. The Orioles lost the nightcap, 8-3, to the Yankees. Brian Matusz gave up three of New York's five home runs, tying his career high, and has lost seven consecutive starts. "He got some balls elevated and had some trouble keeping the ball in the park," manager Buck Showalter said. "Kind of took some of the momentum we had away with (Curtis)...

Matusz found groove and lost it (updated twice)

Matusz found groove and lost it (updated twice)
The Yankees have hit four home runs tonight to account for all seven of their runs. Three of them came against left-hander Brian Matusz. Their ability to go deep has prevented Matusz from doing the same. He's done after 5 1/3 innings. Robinson Cano just broke a 3-3 tie in the sixth with a two-run shot to left, and Nick Swisher followed with a shot to left that forced manager Buck Showalter to go to his bullpen. Andruw Jones greeted reliever Chris Jakubauskas with a home run, the first time...

A couple of game notes from the nightcap

A couple of game notes from the nightcap
The Orioles and Yankees are tied 3-3 in the fourth inning of Game two of this split doubleheader as the Orioles are looking for their first seven-game win streak since an eight-game streak from April 22 to May 1, 2005. Brian Matusz entered tonight's start with a record of 2-3 and ERA of 2.56 in five career starts against New York and a career mark of 4-3 and ERA of 2.49 in 10 career starts against New York and Boston. This is Matusz's third start since coming back from the minors. Over the...

Orioles take early lead (we're tied, 3-3)

Orioles take early lead (we're tied, 3-3)
I'm sure it's just coincidence, but the Orioles are 7-1 when Robert Andino plays third base and 9-3 when Ryan Adams plays second base. Mark Reynolds is batting .413 (12-for-29) with a double, triple, three homers and eight RBIs during his seven-game hitting streak. Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter was a late scratch with a bruised right knee, the result of a foul ball in Game 1. Nobody said so, but I'm assuming he's day-to-day. Jeter is 7-for-17 lifetime against Orioles left-hander Brian...

Orioles-Yankees rescheduled game on Sept. 8 to be played at 1:05 p.m.

Orioles-Yankees rescheduled game on Sept. 8 to be played at 1:05 p.m.
The Orioles today announced that their recently rescheduled August 27 1:05 p.m. game against the New York Yankees will be played at 1:05 p.m. on Thursday, September 8. The time of the rescheduled game had previously been announced as TBA. September 8 marks the second rescheduling of the game originally scheduled for April 22, which was postponed by rain. Tickets dated August 27 at 1:05 p.m. or April 22 will be accepted only for the game on September 8. No exchange is necessary and fans should...

Showalter says Yankees' complaints were "disrespectful to Flanny"

Showalter says Yankees' complaints were "disrespectful to Flanny"
Manager Buck Showalter knows that the Yankees are chafed at the Orioles for refusing to schedule a doubleheader on Friday and costing them the Sept. 8 off-day. And he really doesn't care. Showalter spoke calmly today, but he didn't pull any punches while addressing the topic with reporters before Game 1. He also referenced the tragic death of former Orioles pitcher Mike Flanagan. "The way I understand, I think they approached Andy (MacPhail) less than 24 hours before," he said. "First of...

Britton talks about shutting down the Yankees

Britton talks about shutting down the Yankees
He had a shutout going, but had thrown 110 pitches through six innings today against New York. Zach Britton then went out and got three quick outs in the seventh, felt strong and was hoping manager Buck Showalter would keep him in the game, even after throwing a career-high 120 pitches. "I was about to ask him to go back out for the eighth," Britton said after pitching the Orioles past the Yankees 2-0. "I felt like the last 20 pitches I threw, I felt better than the first 100. That is nice...

Post-Game 1 Showalter

Post-Game 1 Showalter
The Orioles shut out the Yankees for the first time since April 19, 2008, when Brian Burres and Jim Johnson combined to blank New York. The Orioles have won six games in a row for the first time since April 2-8, 2008. They haven't won seven in a row since 2005. Down on the farm, Brandon Waring hit his 43rd career home run for Double-A Bowie to break the franchise record off 42 held by former first-round pick Keith Reed. Buck Showalter talks with the media about Zach Britton's outing and...

Wieters talks about Britton's outing against New York

Wieters talks about Britton's outing against New York
Matt Wieters has been behind the plate a few times this year as Zach Britton had some strong outings, including the May 18 game when Britton allowed just one run (unearned) in seven innings against New York. But Wieters thought Britton's best outing of the season was today, when he blanked the Yankees on four singles over seven innings in a 2-0 win, the Orioles' sixth in a row. "I think that is the best (stuff) he has had with all three pitches all year," Wieters said, after Britton did...

Britton blanks the Yanks as O's take game one of the day-night DH

Britton blanks the Yanks as O's take game one of the day-night DH
It was just about one month ago. Zach Britton did not survive the first inning in a loss at Yankee Stadium on July 30. He gave up nine runs and seven hits in just one-third of an inning. Today, he shut out the same club over seven innings, leading the Orioles to a 2-0 win over New York in game one of a day-night doubleheader. Britton allowed just four hits - all singles - over seven innings, with one walk and five strikeouts. He threw 120 pitches, 73 for strikes. His 120 pitches is a...

Ryan Adams: "It's a huge opportunity for me"

Ryan Adams: "It's a huge opportunity for me"
During Ryan Adams first stay with the Orioles this year, the second baseman had 23 at-bats over 25 games. In his most recent stint, he has 18 at-bats in five games with the club. This time, Adams is getting to play every day and he is 7-for-18 (.389) in the five games since his recall from Triple-A, with three doubles and two RBIs. "I'm definitely excited and it's a huge opportunity for me," Adams said this morning in the Orioles' clubhouse. "My approach right now is to go out there and...