orioles

It's a glove story for Andino (updated)

June 11, 2011, 4:07pm

Orioles

When did Robert Andino become a Gold Glove second baseman? His struggles at the position in spring training 2010 caused the Orioles to acquire Julio Lugo late in camp and outright Andino to Triple-A Norfolk. He doesn't look like he's struggling anymore. Andino made another fine play tonight, ranging up the middle to backhand Casey Kotchman's ground ball and flipping to J.J. Hardy for the force to end the third inning. Jeremy Guthrie had walked Evan Longoria with two outs, and he needed...

Comments

Tags:

orioles frontfeatured_orioles robert andino

Hardy leading off is the right thing

June 10, 2011, 8:29pm

Orioles

A win tonight would put the Orioles back at .500 for the first time since May 26, right before that horrific West Coast trip. David Price is quite a hurdle, but the Orioles weren't supposed to clear Jeremy Hellickson last night. They didn't fall on their faces. They didn't even skin a knee. Manager Buck Showalter can break out his right-handed lineup against Price, and that has to include J.J. Hardy atop the order. Right? Felix Pie and Robert Andino used to be the leadoff options, but Pie...

Comments

Tags:

orioles frontstory_orioles1 featured_sidebar j.j. hardy

Hearing from Markakis and Arrieta

June 10, 2011, 8:10pm

Orioles

Nick Markakis hadn't collected an extra-base hit since May 15 until hitting a grand slam and a two-run double tonight and setting a career high with six RBIs. Nick Markakis talks about his six-RBI night in the Orioles' 7-0 win over the Rays "I guess you could say it was a relief for me, but it was a relief for the whole team," he said. "We got a big hit in a big situation and we had great pitching and great defense. You play good defense and you pitch, most of the times you win the...

Comments

Tags:

orioles frontfeatured_orioles featured_sidebar frontstory_orioles3 jake arrieta nick markakis

Showalter speaks after 7-0 win

June 10, 2011, 7:55pm

Orioles

The Orioles posted their fifth shutout of the year and their second on this homestand. The three hits allowed were the fewest this season. The Orioles improved to 17-3 at home when scoring four runs or more. Overall, they're 24-8 when scoring four or more. The winning streak has reached four games, and the Orioles are only one below .500. Let's hear from manager Buck Showalter: Buck Showalter meets with the media following the Birds' 5th shutout of the season On Nick...

Comments

Tags:

orioles frontstory_orioles1 featured_sidebar j.j. hardy jake arrieta nick markakis robert andino

Orioles solve Hellickson riddle (Hardy and Markakis updates)

June 10, 2011, 6:22pm

Orioles

Tampa Bay pitcher Jeremy Hellickson was 3-0 with a 1.25 ERA lifetime against the Orioles before tonight. They were batting .205 against him. Hellickson allowed five earned runs in May. He was nothing short of dominant. Then he showed up at Camden Yards for tonight's game. The Orioles scored five runs off him in the first two innings, on J.J. Hardy's leadoff homer and Nick Markakis' grand slam. He exited after 5 2/3 innings with the Orioles leading, 5-0. Jake Arrieta was cruising until...

Comments

Tags:

orioles frontfeatured_orioles j.j. hardy jake arrieta nick markakis robert andino

Markakis slams extra-base hit slump (updated twice)

June 10, 2011, 5:00pm

Orioles

Markakis slams extra-base hit slump (updated twice)

Nick Markakis collected his first extra-base hit since May 15. And yes, he did it in grand fashion. Markakis homered onto the flag court in right field with the bases loaded and two outs in the second inning, his first extra-base hit in 89 at-bats. The last one also came against the Rays, and it also was a home run - in the fifth inning at Tropicana Field. Markakis has three career grand slams, the most recent one coming on April 17, 2009 in Boston. That's the skinny on Markakis. (See what...

Comments

Tags:

orioles frontfeatured_orioles joe mahoney mark reynolds nick markakis

Hardy does it again

June 10, 2011, 4:28pm

Orioles

Is there any reason to drop J.J. Hardy from the leadoff spot? Maybe when Brian Roberts is activated from the disabled list. Otherwise... Hardy has made two career starts as a leadoff hitter. He's homered in the first inning in both games. If that isn't a pattern, I don't know what qualifies. Hardy jumped on a 1-0 pitch from Tampa Bay's Jeremy Hellickson tonight and drove it an estimated 388 feet into the left field seats. Three nights ago, he homered on an 0-1 pitch from Oakland starter...

Comments

Tags:

orioles frontstory_orioles1 j.j. hardy

Pregame tidbits, new Rays lineup (and quotes)

June 10, 2011, 12:40pm

Orioles

Pregame tidbits, new Rays lineup (and quotes)

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...

Comments

Tags:

orioles frontstory_orioles1 derrek lee nolan reimold

Jake Fox clears waivers (Snyder recalled)

June 10, 2011, 9:20am

Orioles

Jake Fox clears waivers (Snyder recalled)

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...

Comments

Tags:

orioles frontfeatured_orioles jake fox brandon snyder

Quick Berken update (with Lee update)

June 09, 2011, 10:03am

Orioles

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...

Comments

Tags:

orioles frontfeatured_orioles frontstory_orioles1 derrek lee zach britton

This, that and the other (and more)

June 09, 2011, 8:23am

Orioles

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...

Comments

Tags:

orioles frontstory_orioles1 jim johnson nolan reimold

Hearing from Britton and Reynolds

June 08, 2011, 6:26pm

Orioles

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...

Comments

Tags:

orioles brad bergesen mark reynolds zach britton

Showalter speaks after sweep

June 08, 2011, 6:13pm

Orioles

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...

Comments

Tags:

orioles featured_sidebar frontfeatured_orioles frontstory_orioles2 mark reynolds zach britton

Klein will undergo MRI

June 08, 2011, 5:04pm

Orioles

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...

Comments

Tags:

orioles frontstory_orioles3 dan klein

Leftovers for dinner (updated twice)

June 08, 2011, 3:23pm

Orioles

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...

Comments

Tags:

orioles frontstory_orioles1 chris jakubauskas

Roberts on Roberts

June 08, 2011, 1:41pm

Orioles

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...

Comments

Tags:

orioles frontfeatured_orioles brian roberts

Trying to solve the Markakis mystery

June 08, 2011, 12:59pm

Orioles

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...

Comments

Tags:

orioles frontfeatured_orioles nick markakis

Lee leaving team tomorrow, another local kid drafted

June 08, 2011, 12:26pm

Orioles

Lee leaving team tomorrow, another local kid drafted

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...

Comments

Tags:

orioles frontstory_orioles3 derrek lee

Leftovers for lunch (31st-round pick and Terp taken)

June 08, 2011, 6:58am

Orioles

Leftovers for lunch (31st-round pick and Terp taken)

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...

Comments

Tags:

orioles frontfeatured_orioles brian roberts

Hearing from Jakubauskas, Hardy and Scott

June 07, 2011, 6:35pm

Orioles

Hearing from Jakubauskas, Hardy and Scott

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...