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Announcing our rotation of guest bloggers for season's second half

July 07, 2011, 12:45pm

Orioles

Announcing our rotation of guest bloggers for season's second half

By now, you're used to coming to MASNsports.com each morning for the best in Orioles coverage. That includes our initiative of welcoming guest bloggers to our pages, and their contributions during the season's first half added both new voices and divergent viewpoints to our ongoing discussion of all things orange and black. Guest bloggers - those who reside into what's become knows as the "blogOsphere" - will continue to be a part of our site after the All-Star break, too. But instead of...

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Thoughts at the All-Star break

July 11, 2011, 4:46am

Nationals Orioles

Here are one writer's thoughts as baseball shifts to the All-Star break: * The Orioles' season is in shambles. The only way to fix it is to get more pitching into system, and the only way to do that is to make everyone available before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, and hope that market will allow pitching to come their way. The Orioles' biggest trade chips are Jeremy Guthrie, Jim Johnson, Koji Uehara and J.J. Hardy, assuming he doesn't sign. * The Nationals should try to trade...

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Taking a look back as the first half comes to an end

July 10, 2011, 6:12am

Orioles

Taking a look back as the first half comes to an end

It is kind of hard to remember the Orioles began this year going 6-1. Or that a month ago they were 30-31 and an out away from getting to .500. Another season is unraveling daily amidst injuries, poor starting pitching, a lack of clutch hitting and some young players that are failing to make progress. With 11 losses in the last 12 games and a 6-20 record over the last month, it's not a pretty picture right now. With that as a backdrop, today I am taking a look back at what has happened since...

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No runs and no win tonight for the Orioles at Boston

July 09, 2011, 5:58pm

Orioles

No runs, not many hits and no hit batters. That was part of the Orioles' scorecard tonight. At least they didn't give up 10 runs this time. The Orioles were held to just four hits and shut out for the fourth time on the season. John Lackey entered his start against the Orioles tonight with an ERA of 7.47 on the year and a batting average against of .304. He had given up six runs or more in six of his 13 starts and gave up seven in his last outing versus Toronto. His home ERA on the year...

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While waiting for the lineups (and here they are)

July 10, 2011, 6:02am

Orioles

While waiting for the lineups (and here they are)

For the Orioles: J.J. Hardy SS Nick Markakis RF Adam Jones CF Vladimir Guerrero DH Matt Wieters C Derrek Lee 1B Mark Reynolds 3B Nolan Reimold LF Robert Andino 2B Mitch Atkins RHP For the Red Sox: Ellsbury CF Pedroia 2B Gonzalez 1B Youkilis 3B Ortiz DH Reddick LF Varitek C Drew RF Scutaro SS Weiland RHP Orioles starters have completed seven innings just once in the last 25 games and have a 7.41 ERA in 119 innings. In the last 15 games, the starters are 2-11 with a 9.00 ERA in...

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Another early deficit (O's take lead)

July 10, 2011, 10:00am

Orioles

The Orioles didn't turn a double play. They didn't come up with a sharp ground ball. They didn't put a batter away after getting ahead in the count. They didn't keep the game scoreless in the bottom of the first inning. Yes, the Orioles will play from behind again today. The Red Sox scored twice off Mitch Atkins in the first inning to take a 2-0 lead at Fenway Park. Robert Andino couldn't turn a double play on Dustin Pedroia's sharp grounder that followed Jacoby Ellsbury's leadoff...

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HBP scoreboard tonight: Boston 2, Orioles 0 after Lee gets pluncked

July 09, 2011, 5:22pm

Orioles

The Red Sox have now hit a major league leading 50 batters on the year after John Lackey hit Derrek Lee with two outs and no one on in the Orioles seventh. It was a pretty obvious purpose pitch and both benches were warned afterwards even though no Boston batters have been hit tonight. Lackey just left the game to a big ovation. He has mostly been an $82 million bust for the Red Sox with an ERA of 5.17 in two years and 7.47 for Boston this year. But he left after striking out Mark Reynolds...

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Simon solid so far plus minor league notes (update, not in the fifth though)

July 09, 2011, 4:29pm

Orioles

Simon solid so far plus minor league notes (update, not in the fifth though)

For a pitcher making his first big league start of the season tonight, Alfredo Simon has pitched a good game for the Orioles. The Birds and Boston are 0-0 after four innings at Fenway. Simon has allowed four hits with one walk and strikeout so far, throwing 59 pitches. David Ortiz is 0-for-2 as he grounded into a double play with the bases loaded in the first and flied out to deep center in the fourth with Adam Jones making a nice running catch near the wall. The Orioles have just two hits...

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Ortiz: Two outs, one pitch

July 09, 2011, 3:34pm

Orioles

There was some early drama in tonight's game as David Ortiz came to bat with the bases loaded and one out in the last of the first against Alfredo Simon. After he walked to the plate to a rousing ovation, he took the first two pitches to get ahead 2-0 on the count. But then he bounced one toward second base where Robert Andino fielded it and started a 4-6-3 double play. No bad blood. No inside pitches. No incidents. Just two outs on one pitch and the Orioles and Boston go to the second...

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A few pregame notes

July 09, 2011, 10:42am

Orioles

The Orioles didn't allow 10 or more runs in their first 37 road games this year before allowing 10 or more in four of the last five. They've surrendered 10 or more hits in 19 of their 42 road games and are 1-18. The Orioles have allowed 81 hits in the last six games, including at least 10 hits in six straight. They've been outscored 50-18 during the current five-game losing streak. According to Elias, Zach Britton is only the third Orioles starting pitcher to allow at least eight runs...

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An Orioles draft update from scouting director Joe Jordan

July 08, 2011, 12:50pm

Orioles

Orioles scouting director Joe Jordan has yet to sign his first-round pick, pitcher Dylan Bundy, or second-round pick, Vanderbilt third baseman Jason Esposito, but he has agreed to terms with 15 draft picks so far. He has signed six of his top 10 picks, all pitchers, including Mike Wright (round 3), Kyle Simon (round 4), Matt Taylor (round 5), Trent Howard (round 7), Devin Jones (round 9) and Tyler Wilson (round 10). "It's going fine," Jordan said of the progress of the signings. "We've...

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Will it be Round Two in Boston?

July 09, 2011, 2:38pm

Orioles

Well, this game tonight has garnered a little more interest than it would have before Kevin Gregg and David Ortiz went at it last night. Nothing against Alfredo Simon, but Buck Showalter probably wishes say, Jeremy Guthrie was on the mound tonight. Simon probably doesn't need any extra pressure but now he has some as he takes the mound tonight. His command isn't the greatest to start with and if he buzzes a Red Sox hitter tonight we may have to wonder if it were on purpose or he just missed...

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Orioles purchase contract of Mark Hendrickson, option Zach Britton to Double-A Bowie

July 09, 2011, 2:26pm

Orioles

The Orioles today announced that they have selected the contract of left-handed pitcher Mark Hendrickson from Triple-A Norfolk. To make room for Hendrickson on the 25-man roster, the Orioles optioned left-handed pitcher Zach Britton to Double-A Bowie. Hendrickson, 37, went 2-4 with a 2.87 ERA (47.0IP, 15 ER) in 19 games for the Tides. He did not allow an earned run in seven of his last eight outings for Norfolk. Hendrickson is 7-11 with a 4.74 ERA (180.1IP, 95 ER) in 105 games for Baltimore...

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Oliver Drake is not pitching like a 43rd-round draft pick (Bascom note added)

July 08, 2011, 9:43am

Orioles

Oliver Drake is not pitching like a 43rd-round draft pick (Bascom note added)

He was just named the Orioles organization's minor league Pitcher of the Month for June: Right-hander Oliver Drake is on quite a roll right now as he heads into his next start for Single-A Frederick tonight at home against Potomac. Drake has put together a current streak of 22 consecutive scoreless innings. That counts a two-inning stint on June 23 for Triple-A Norfolk and 20 innings with Frederick. On the year, the 24-year-old Drake is 7-3 with an ERA of 2.24. Over 88 1/3 innings he has...

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Orioles look awful in first inning at Boston

July 08, 2011, 3:57pm

Orioles

I guess we learned one lesson from the first inning tonight at Fenway Park: Never think it can't get worse. The Orioles entered tonight as a team that had lost nine of the last 10 games and looked that bad and worse in an awful bottom of the first inning tonight. They pitched poorly and fielded worse as Boston batted 13 men, knocked Zach Britton out of the game after 2/3 of an inning and took an 8-0 lead. There was one error scored in the inning, but clearly was at least one more that...

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Orioles trying to rally (Boston expands lead)

July 08, 2011, 4:57pm

Orioles

The Orioles scored three runs in the fifth inning off Boston starter Josh Beckett, the first on Derrek Lee's leadoff homer. Red Sox 8, Orioles 3. Nick Markakis and Adam Jones had RBI singles, but Vladimir Guerrero stranded two runners by striking out. Dagger. Brad Bergesen was diagnosed with a bruised right forearm. He also took a liner off his arm in an exhibition game this spring. And we'll never forget Billy Butler's shot off his shin on July 30, 2009. His days as a target need to...

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When it rains, it floods (and gets deeper and deeper)

July 08, 2011, 3:42pm

Orioles

When it rains, it floods (and gets deeper and deeper)

The Orioles are already trailing the Red Sox, 7-0, with two outs in the first inning and Zach Britton is out of the game. Only the circumstances seem to change. Tonight, it was a sharp ground ball that eluded shortstop J.J. Hardy and opened to door for the outburst, and a mental cramp from second baseman Robert Andino that expanded the lead and again turned bad into embarrassment. It didn't take nearly as long tonight. Hardy had a chance to start a double play after back-to-back one-out...

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Orioles recent record with Boston is solid

July 08, 2011, 2:20pm

Orioles

Okay, I know how rough the last few weeks of Orioles baseball have been. But I have found a positive stat that may surprise you. The Orioles actually have a winning record in their last 21 games against Boston, going 11-10. They are 2-3 this year against the Sox and went 9-9 last year. They lost the first two games with Boston then but are 11-10 since. Before this 21-game stretch however, the Orioles lost 25 of the previous 28 games versus Boston. Here are a couple of other stats as the...

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Orioles and Red Sox lineups

July 08, 2011, 11:34am

Orioles

No surprises in tonight's lineup. Felix Pie gets the start in left field against Boston right-hander Josh Beckett. For the Orioles: J.J. Hardy SS Nick Markakis RF Adam Jones CF Vladimir Guerrero DH Matt Wieters C Derrek Lee 1B Mark Reynolds 3B Felix Pie LF Robert Andino 2B Zach Britton LHP In his only start against the Red Sox on April 26 in Baltimore, Britton picked up the win by holding them to one run and five hits, with two walks, over six innings. The Orioles are batting .111...

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No concerns over Machado & Schoop

July 08, 2011, 4:52am

Orioles

They are two of the best prospects in the Orioles' organization and both are just 19 years old. But, after putting up some big stats in the South Atlantic League, both Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop have struggled in the Carolina League. They will both play in the Futures Game this Sunday. Here is how they have done this year: Machado at Delmarva: .276-6-24 in 38 games with .859 OPS Machado at Frederick: .209-1-3 in 13 games with .616 OPS. Scoop at Delmarva: .318-8-34 in 51 games with...