Orioles manager Buck Showalter said the reason he returned shortstop J.J. Hardy to the leadoff spot is "two-fold." Hardy's put together good at-bats, which will be needed against red-hot Rays pitcher Jeremy Hellickson, and Felix Pie seems more comfortable batting lower in the order.
First baseman Derrek Lee is eligible to return to the Orioles on Sunday, but he's still expected to join them in Toronto for the series that begins Tuesday. Lee was extremely close to his grandfather, and he's...
Utility infielder Jake Fox cleared waivers and will be outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk later today.
The Orioles couldn't work out a trade for Fox, who hit .188 with two homers in 19 games.
Fox was the talk of spring training after belting 10 home runs - 11 if you count the intrasquad game - and he beat out Craig Tatum for the backup catching job. The Orioles weren't satisfied with his work behind the plate and recalled Tatum, and Derrek Lee's return from the disabled list further cut into...
Jason Berken made his fourth start for Triple-A Norfolk today, going five innings and leaving with the Tides trailing Pawtucket, 2-1.
The Orioles want to stretch out Berken, and he cooperated by throwing 93 pitches today. However, I'm sure they want him going deeper into the games.
Berken allowed two runs and six hits, with two walks and five strikeouts. He threw 56 strikes among his 93 pitches before left-hander Mark Hendrickson replaced him.
Berken threw 84 pitches over 5 2/3 innings in...
The Orioles swept Oakland by scores of 4-2, 4-0 and 3-2. According to Elias, it's the first time in nine years that they won three straight despite scoring four runs or fewer in each game.
The three starting pitchers back in 2002 were Travis Driskill, Jason Johnson and Sidney Ponson.
You can look it up.
Update: The A's fired manager Bob Geren this morning and replaced him with former Orioles catcher Bob Melvin. A nine-game losing streak will do that to you.
It might not have gained much...
Here are some quotes that flowed in the Orioles' clubhouse tonight and splattered on my laptop:
Zach Britton talked about his outing:
"I thought it was pretty good, obviously better than the previous couple outings. It felt good to kind of get back in a groove and make some good pitches, especially after they gave us some runs. I was a little frustrated that I gave up some more hits right there, started falling behind guys, but to get out of that inning was big for me."
On listening to...
The Orioles swept the Athletics in a three-game series for the first time since Aug. 15-17, 2005. They hadn't swept the A's in a three-game series in Baltimore since July 21-23, 1998.
Didn't the A's sweep the Orioles in Oakland two weeks ago?
Yes, they did, but they've now lost nine games in a row.
Buck Showalter talks to the media about riding this win streak
"I didn't bring it up and I've got to tell you, until somebody told me before we started the series, I hadn't really...
Double-A Bowie pitcher Dan Klein, a third-round pick out of UCLA last year, will undergo an MRI on his right shoulder Monday when the Baysox return home.
Klein was officially placed on the seven-day minor league disabled list earlier today with tendinitis in his shoulder. He was shut down over the weekend, and a team official said the soreness continued today. The MRI was scheduled as a precaution.
The Orioles wanted Klein to pitch three innings in his next outing and move up to Triple-A...
Orioles pitcher Chris Jakubauskas has a little discoloration near his left foot today after being hit by Cliff Pennington's sharp grounder up the middle last night, but he said there's no pain and he's fine.
Jakubauskas faced one more batter to complete the fifth inning and pass along the shutout to Clay Rapada.
The Orioles will need a fifth starter again on June 18 in Washington, and Jakubauskas figures to get the assignment. With five scoreless innings, he did nothing to cause manager...
Second baseman Brian Roberts will spend a few days with the team before heading back to the minor league complex in Sarasota.
Roberts received some encouraging news yesterday from Dr. Michael Collins, the concussion-specialist in Pittsburgh. Though he still isn't cleared to begin baseball activities for two more weeks, his symptoms are less severe.
"I think anytime that they say you're getting better, that's always good," Roberts said. "Two weeks had gone by. If I went up there and he...
Nick Markakis remains in the second spot in the lineup, with Adam Jones batting third. He's looking for his first extra-base hit since May 15, a span of 84 at-bats. His average is down to .236 with four homers, 19 RBIs, a .298 on-base percentage and a .304 slugging percentage. He's totaled at least 40 doubles in each of the last four seasons, but he's stuck on four this year.
I'm watching Markakis take batting practice now and he's launching a few balls into the right fields seats and...
First baseman Derrek Lee will leave the team tomorrow to attend his grandfather's funeral. Lee expects to be gone through Sunday, which means he'll miss three games.
The Orioles will place Lee on the bereavement list that covers three days, including tomorrow's open date on the schedule. Technically, Lee could return Sunday, but he's informed the team that he'll be gone through the weekend.
Right now, the Orioles are leaning toward bringing up a position player, with Triple-A Norfolk...
Rhyne Hughes tied a Triple-A Norfolk record last night by striking out five times. Then he hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 13th inning to give the Tides a 4-3 win over Pawtucket.
Left-hander Troy Patton improved to 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA by allowing one hit over four scoreless innings. He retired nine straight batters and 10 of the last 11 that he faced. Then he flew to Baltimore, sat at one of the lockers for a few hours and flew back to Norfolk.
Pedro Viola threw two scoreless...
Chris Jakubauskas held the Athletics to three hits over five scoreless innings, walking one and striking out five to earn his first win since Aug. 12, 2009.
He also came away with a bruise on his left shin, courtesy of Cliff Pennington's smash up the middle, but he stayed in the game long enough to record the final out in the fifth.
"It hurt pretty good right off the bat," he said. "I threw it, he hit it, I was like, 'Let it miss me,' but it didn't. As Buck (Showalter) said on the...
Nolan Reimold wasn't available tonight because of neck spasms. He could only pinch-run, but the Orioles are hoping that he returns to the lineup tomorrow night against Oakland left-hander Josh Outman.
The Orioles won the series over Oakland after losing the last eight. Their last series win over the Athletics came in July 2007.
Looking for nights to attend games at Camden Yards? The Orioles are 5-0 at home on Tuesdays.
By the way, the Orioles will face Jeremy Hellickson, David Price and...
Two days after receiving a cortisone injection in his ailing shoulder, Luke Scott returned to left field and rediscovered his power stroke.
Scott homered onto Eutaw St. for the sixth time in his career, the most in Camden Yards history, to give the Orioles a 2-0 lead in the fifth inning. The ball traveled an estimated 418 feet.
Scott hadn't hit a home run since May 3 in Kansas City. He sat out the past two games after receiving the injection, and with the opposition starting...
J.J. Hardy didn't have an official at-bat as a leadoff hitter in the majors until tonight. On the second pitch thrown to him, Hardy homered to left field to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead.
It wasn't supposed to work out that way, but manager Buck Showalter will take it.
Baseball-reference lists Hardy as appearing in the leadoff spot in one game, but not having an at-bat. Hardy can't remember the circumstances. Maybe he was part of a double-switch.
Hardy jumped on an 0-1 pitch tonight from...
Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts won't be cleared to begin baseball-related activities for at least two more weeks after being reexamined today by Dr. Michael Collins, a concussion specialist based in Pittsburgh.
Roberts reported that he's feeling a little better, and he could begin light activities, such as cardiovascular exercises, during this two-week period.
"I wouldn't call it bad news," manager Buck Showalter said. "We knew the process and precautions that we have."
Roberts...
In the 17th round of the First-Year Player Draft, the Orioles selected right-hander Nick Carmichael of Palomar (Calif.) College.
In the 18th round, they took third baseman Bradley Roney of Wetumpka (Ala.) High. And in the 19th round, they selected Central Arkansas left-hander Dustin Ward.
Yes, eighth-round pick Johnny Ruettiger, a center fielder from Arizona State, is the nephew of Daniel Ruettiger, the walk-on Notre Dame football player whose story inspired the movie "Rudy."
I've been...
Justin Duchscherer left today's extended spring training game in the third inning with a sore hip, yet another setback that reduces that chances that he'll pitch for the Orioles this season.
Duchscherer went four innings in his last outing and was supposed to go five today, but he didn't make it. The Orioles would have considered sending him on an injury rehab assignment if he had completed his start.
Duchscherer is being paid $700,000 this year, and he would earned an extra $400,000 for...