Again taking the fun out of fundamentals (Hardy homers)

Again taking the fun out of fundamentals (Hardy homers)
Mark Reynolds just got doubled off first base on a routine fly ball to right field. Reynolds singled to lead off the top of the fifth inning, his ground ball sneaking into left field, but he began trotting back to first on Ryan Adams' fly ball to former Oriole Jose Bautista. Then he sped up. Then it was too late. Bautista made the catch and gunned a throw to first. Reynolds made a late slide and was out. Manager Buck Showalter stood motionless in the dugout, his hand resting on his...

Three-man booth on weekend O's-Nats broadcasts will feature Hunter, Flanagan

Three-man booth on weekend O's-Nats broadcasts will feature Hunter, Flanagan
When the Orioles travel to Washington, D.C., to face the Nationals in an interleague series beginning Friday night, MASN viewers will again have the opportunity to enjoy a rarity in broadcast sports television: a three-man booth featuring a collection of play-by-play announcers and color analysts from both teams. Orioles play-by-play veteran Jim Hunter and his D.C. counterpart, Bob Carpenter, will both call portions of the game. Carpenter will work the first two and a half innings, followed by...

Ryan Adams starting at second base

Ryan Adams starting at second base
Manager Buck Showalter has posted his lineup in Toronto, and Ryan Adams is batting eighth and playing second base. Catcher Matt Wieters sits in a day game following a night game. For the Orioles: J.J. Hardy SS Nick Markakis RF Adam Jones CF Vladimir Guerrero DH Luke Scott LF Derrek Lee 1B Mark Reynolds 3B Ryan Adams 2B Craig Tatum C Jeremy Guthrie RHP

Can O's beat a pitcher making his ML debut today?

Can O's beat a pitcher making his ML debut today?
When the Orioles try to break their 16-game losing streak in Toronto this afternoon, they will face a pitcher making his major league debut. Who knows if 24-year-old, right-hander Zach Stewart will be nervous and struggle or pumped up and blow the Orioles away. Stewart has had decent, but far from great numbers pitching for Double-A New Hampshire this season. He is 4-3 with an ERA of 4.39 in 12 starts. He worked to an ERA of 2.92 over his first four starts, but he has an ERA of 5.20 in the...

O's 15 straight losses in Toronto is a lot, but 16 would be a team record

O's 15 straight losses in Toronto is a lot, but 16 would be a team record
Another loss tonight at Toronto for the Orioles would make 16 straight losses at Rogers Centre since they last won there Aug. 7, 2009. It would also set a franchise record for most consecutive road losses against one club. Believe it or not, the Orioles have three times lost 15 straight on the road versus an opponent. Here are the two others. * 15 straight losses at Seattle from June 2, 1999 to May 24, 2002. * 15 straight losses at Cleveland from April 30, 1955 to July 27, 1956. On the...

Heath Bintliff: Late-inning heroics are absent in 2011

Heath Bintliff: Late-inning heroics are absent in 2011
As the Orioles' ninth-inning rally fizzled out last night to extend their losing streak in Toronto to 16 games, it made me wonder how the team has fared late in games this season. I didn't remember a lot of come-from-behind victories for Baltimore this season and the numbers for the offense kind of show you why. OPS for Baltimore broken down by inning for 2011: Inning OPS 1st .592 2nd .688 3rd .683 4th .663 5th .814 6th .702 7th .798 8th .723 9th ...

Different night, same result for the Orioles in Toronto

Different night, same result for the Orioles in Toronto
For the Orioles, this was a not-so-sweet 16. Toronto defeated the Orioles 4-1 to take the first two games of this series, beating the Orioles for the 16th consecutive time at Rogers Centre. The Orioles have not won there since Aug. 7, 2009. The Orioles have lost 21 of their last 22 and 25 of the last 27 games in Toronto. Gary Thorne talks with Buck Showalter about the Birds' 4-1 loss to Toronto Ricky Romero improved to 6-6 and took a three-hit shutout to the ninth. He was pulled after...

News and notes

News and notes
Before finding out if the Orioles can end a 15-game losing streak in Toronto tonight, here are some random news, notes and takes. * The Orioles have struggled so much to score runs this year that it's tough to lose when they do put up some runs. They are now 24-11 on the season when scoring four runs or more. However, they have lost the last three games in which they scored more than four runs, putting up five, six and five runs, respectively, in those games. No great outburst, but they...

O's place Simon on DL, recall Berken

O's place Simon on DL, recall Berken
The Orioles announced today that they have recalled right-handed pitcher Jason Berken from Triple-A Norfolk and placed right-hander Alfredo Simon on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to June 13, with a right hamstring strain. Berken was with the Orioles earlier in the season until being optioned to Norfolk on May 20 after pitching to a 7.94 ERA (17.0IP, 15 ER) in 15 appearances. He was 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA (16.1IP, 7 ER) in four starts with the Tides. Simon has appeared in five games for...

Orioles lineup against the Blue Jays

Orioles lineup against the Blue Jays
Matt Wieters continues to bat fifth for the Orioles, one spot ahead of Derrek Lee. Robert Andino makes another start at second base. 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 Jake Arrieta RHP

Unveiling the Orioles' fan-selected all-time lineup

Unveiling the Orioles' fan-selected all-time lineup
Over the past month, we've been taking a look at the all-time Orioles lineup. Each day on the MASN Orioles page on Facebook, we went through each position and had readers and followers vote and debate on the greatest Oriole to ever step foot on the diamond. It was a process that was well-received, with more than 1,000 comments from fans and players' names stretching from 1960 to 2011. Some spots were easier to fill than others, but now that the polls have closed, let's take a look at who...

Trying to understand Ryan Adams' lack of playing time

Trying to understand Ryan Adams' lack of playing time
Here is something that is confusing to me: If the Orioles were not planning to play Ryan Adams much at all, why did they call him up from Triple-A? He has played some, but Adams has been on the team for 22 games now and has made just five starts at second base. A caller to my radio show last night said his theory was that Buck Showalter had major concerns about Adams on defense. To me, if that was the case, and I am not saying it is at all, why not just leave him in the minors until his...

Pitching coach Mark Connor resigns (updated)

Pitching coach Mark Connor resigns (updated)
In a shocking development, the Orioles have announced that pitching coach Mark Connor resigned for "personal reasons." Connor was in his first season as pitching coach, having replaced Rick Kranitz over the winter. Bullpen coach Rick Adair has been named pitching coach. Former hitting coach Terry Crowley replaces Adair on an interim basis. Connor, 61, was in his 36th season in professional baseball after serving the last two years as a special assistant in the player development...

Orioles and Blue Jays lineups

Orioles and Blue Jays lineups
No big surprises here. J.J. Hardy continues to lead off and Derrek Lee is back at first base. For the Orioles: J.J. Hardy SS Nick Markakis RF Adam Jones CF Vladimir Guerrero DH Matt Wieters C Derrek Lee 1B Luke Scott LF Mark Reynolds 3B Robert Andino 2B Chris Jakubauskas RHP For the Blue Jays: Escobar SS Patterson LF Bautista RF Lind 1B Arencibia C Encarnacion DH Hill 2B Davis CF Nix 3B Villanueva RHP

Jakubauskas takes another turn (Lee reinstated)

Jakubauskas takes another turn (Lee reinstated)
Chris Jakubauskas wasn't expected to rejoin the rotation until Saturday, when the Orioles needed a fifth starter, but he's taking the ball tonight in the series opener in Toronto. Manager Buck Showalter bumped rookie left-hander Zach Britton to Friday's game in Washington, which might seem puzzling. Wouldn't he want Britton going against a division rival? Well, it's a small sample size, but the Blue Jays scored seven runs off him (five earned) in five innings in a June 3 start at...

O's pitching coach Mark Connor resigns; Adair named pitching coach

O's pitching coach Mark Connor resigns; Adair named pitching coach
The Orioles today announced that pitching coach Mark Connor has resigned for personal reasons. Bullpen coach Rick Adair will assume pitching coach duties while Organizational Hitting Instructor and Evaluator Terry Crowley will serve as interim bullpen coach. These changes will be effective starting with tonight's game in Toronto against the Blue Jays. Adair, 53, joined the Orioles' staff this season after working the past two seasons as pitching coach with the Seattle Mariners. He oversaw...

Take two: Mahoney hoping second return to Bowie brings health and hits

Take two: Mahoney hoping second return to Bowie brings health and hits
For first baseman Joe Mahoney, this has been a frustrating season with most of his time spent on the disabled list in a rehab mode. Now he looks forward to having some fun. After two stints on the disabled list with a quad injury, Mahoney is expected to play for Double-A Bowie for the first time tonight since May 3. After several weeks of rehab in Sarasota, Mahoney came north over the weekend and played three games for Single-A Frederick, going 4-for-8 with two doubles, two RBIs and four...

O's reinstate Derrek Lee from bereavement list

O's reinstate Derrek Lee from bereavement list
The Orioles announced today that they have reinstated first baseman Derrek Lee from the bereavement list. Lee has batted .229 (40-175) with four home runs and 15 RBI in 45 games for the Orioles.

Will O's finally pick up some wins in Toronto?

Will O's finally pick up some wins in Toronto?
The Orioles begin a nine-game road trip tonight at Toronto. It's pretty much about time - or maybe past time - that the Orioles post some wins there. They begin this series having lost 14 straight and 23 of their last 25 at Toronto. They went 3-15 against the Jays last year, including an 0-9 mark in Canada. The Orioles' records the past five seasons there are 3-7, 3-6, 3-6, 1-8 and 0-9. Yes, that is 1-17 the last two years at Toronto. Perhaps making the Orioles' job more difficult in...

Judging whether to keep Hardy

Judging whether to keep Hardy
I devoted a segment of my "O's Xtra" appearance on MASN yesterday to the possibility of the Orioles negotiating a contract extension with shortstop J.J. Hardy, and more specifically, whether it was too soon to consider making such a commitment. My friend Jeff Zrebiec at The Sun beat me to the punch today - after we teamed up to take two of three sets in doubles this morning - but I wanted to address the topic in blog form. The Orioles have held internal discussions about extending Hardy's...