orioles

Roberts rolling along, Simon information (and more)

April 04, 2011, 12:37pm

Orioles

Roberts rolling along, Simon information (and more)

So when did Brian Roberts become an RBI machine? Doubles machine, yes. Stolen base machine, yes. This is something new. Roberts belted his second three-run homer in three days, his 388-foot shot to center field off Rick Porcello breaking a 1-1 tie in the fifth inning. Earl Weaver has got to be loving it. Roberts has eight RBIs on the young season, easily the most on the club. He's registered three multi-RBI games, one more than he mustered in the 2010 season, when he appeared in 59...

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Observations on Wieters and Lee

April 04, 2011, 11:55am

Orioles

The Tigers tied the Orioles, 1-1 in the third inning on a one-out double by Brandon Inge and singles by Austin Jackson and Will Rhymes. Center fielder Adam Jones got a late jump on Jackson's fly ball into shallow left-center field. He appeared to take a step back before racing into the gap. Nick Markakis is 2-for-2. Matt Wieters isn't fast. There's no debating that point. He's one of the slowest players in baseball. But he tagged and took third on Jones' long fly ball to right, and he...

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Arrieta off to good start, Berken talks about his outing

April 04, 2011, 11:21am

Orioles

Arrieta off to good start, Berken talks about his outing

Jake Arrieta struck out Tigers leadoff hitter Austin Jackson. That's the way to kick off the home opener. Will Rhymes walked after falling behind, 1-2, and he stole second despite a great throw from Matt Wieters. Arrieta retired the next two batters, striking out Miguel Cabrera on a 93 mph fastball and bringing yet another loud ovation from the predominantly orange-clad crowd here at Camden Yards. Before the game, Jason Berken reflected on yesterday's outing at Tropicana Field. Pitching...

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Showalter's home-opening remarks

April 04, 2011, 10:05am

Orioles

It's taking every ounce of discipline for me to avoid starting each blog entry with a Florida dateline. I'm back in Baltimore, right? Here are some comments from manager Buck Showalter: On how much he's thought about this day: "Certainly you give it some thought. We were so busy on the plane preparing for Detroit. I think this time of year it's such a whirlwind, it's tough to slow down a little bit and take in a moment. But I'm pretty good at that, so I will. The rest of them are just...

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Random notes and Tigers lineup

April 04, 2011, 8:48am

Orioles

I'll pass along a few notes before the Orioles kick off the home portion of their schedule. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy bringing them to you. Luke Scott is still hoping to play Wednesday after sitting out yesterday's game at Tropicana Field with a strained groin muscle. He's not in today's lineup, but he's available to pinch hit if needed. "It feels much better," Scott said. "The real test comes when I put some effort into it, but I'm optimistic." Justin...

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Only 159 wins from perfection

April 03, 2011, 5:14pm

Orioles

I almost put a Tampa dateline on this blog entry, since I typed its first words after my Southwest flight took off for home tonight. I needed to get a head start. The morning is going to be a hectic one. I'll have to re-introduce myself to my daughter, who's going to love the spring training hooded sweatshirt that I bought for her at the Orioles store at Ed Smith Stadium. I'm proud that she did laundry, ironed, cooked her meals and ran the dishwasher while I was gone. Now I'm prepared for...

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Britton and Connor talk about today's outing

April 03, 2011, 1:27pm

Orioles

Britton and Connor talk about today's outing

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Orioles hadn't swept the Rays at Tropicana Field since 2005. Zach Britton became only the second visiting pitcher to win his debut here since Marlins left-hander Scott Olsen on June 25, 2005. Let's hear from Britton: "I was really excited," he told reporters after finishing his interview on MASN2. "It really wasn't as bad. I remember spring training with Philly when I was really just everywhere. It wasn't that bad. After that first inning I started to get a...

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Showalter time (corrected)

April 03, 2011, 1:17pm

Orioles

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - I scanned the Rays' postgame notes, saw a line about Zach Britton becoming the first Orioles pitcher to debut with six scoreless innings since Chris Waters, and ran with it. Then I realized he gave up a run and I made the correction. That's the beauty of a blog. You can go back and fix it. Now it's fixed. And now you've forgiven me. Manager Buck Showalter talked about Britton and hit on a few other topics after today's 5-1 victory over the Rays. On...

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J.J. Hardy talks about Britton and being 3-0

April 03, 2011, 12:50pm

Orioles

J.J. Hardy talks about Britton and being 3-0

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Lots to pass along following today's 5-1 victory that completed a three-game sweep of the Rays. The Orioles are 3-0 for the first time since the 1997 wire-to-wire season. Just saying... Here's shortstop J.J. Hardy on the sweep: "It's big. We had all the confidence in the world going through spring training and as many expectations as we've had on ourselves. It's nice to get off to a good start like this." J.J. Hardy joins the O's Xtra crew to talk about his big...

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Davis gone, Britton in line for win (updated)

April 03, 2011, 11:35am

Orioles

Davis gone, Britton in line for win (updated)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Orioles broke a 1-1 tie with three runs in the top of the seventh, and they're still batting. Cesar Ramos replaced starter Wade Davis after J.J. Hardy lined a two-run double into the left field corner. Matt Wieters led off with his second hit - yes, it was a good idea to bat him fifth - and Adam Jones followed with a single. Mark Reynolds doubled to break the tie and collect his first RBI as an Oriole. Felix Pie bounced to short against a drawn-in infield, but...

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Britton allows first run

April 03, 2011, 10:44am

Orioles

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Zach Britton already knows the dangers of walking batters, but he got another reminder today. Britton opened the third inning by walking the last two hitters in the Rays lineup, Matt Joyce and Sam Fuld. Joyce scored with one out on Elliot Johnson's safety squeeze bunt. Joyce didn't break for home until Johnson laid down the bunt, so it wasn't a suicide squeeze. Britton caught two breaks in the inning. B.J. Upton appeared to drop a single into right field after the...

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Lineup move pays off (updated)

April 03, 2011, 10:04am

Orioles

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Manager Buck Showalter had to change his lineup today with Luke Scott unable to play because of a strained groin muscle. One of the adjustments raised Matt Wieters from eighth to fifth in the order. Wieters was hitting .167 with no homers or RBIs after the first two games of this series, but Showalter played a hunch. Wieters responded with a bloop single into left field with two outs in the first inning that scored Brian Roberts and gave the Orioles a 1-0 lead. I'll...

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Pre-game Showalter

April 03, 2011, 8:50am

Orioles

ST. PETERSBURGH, Fla. - I'm heading to the visiting television booth at Tropicana Field for my O's Xtra segment on MASN2, but I wanted to pass along a few pre-game quotes from manager Buck Showalter. On Luke Scott: "He's day-to-day. Hopefully, we got ahead of it a little bit. He was feeling it a little bit earlier. He said it wasn't a big deal. He got it wrapped. When he came out of the batter's box on the potential double play, he was a little tender with it. We hope we kind of caught...

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Duchscherer undergoing back procedure, Damon scratched

April 03, 2011, 8:30am

Orioles

Duchscherer undergoing back procedure, Damon scratched

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Orioles officially placed left-hander Brian Matusz on the disabled list today with a strained left intercostal muscle. Zach Britton takes his place on the roster and in the rotation. Pitcher Justin Duchscherer will undergo an ablation this week on his lower back, which is a procedure that uses radio frequency to heat up the nerves, interrupts the nerve signals and decreases the pain. It's not an invasive procedure, and a player usually is shut down for four or five...

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Rays lineup and Scott quotes

April 03, 2011, 7:34am

Orioles

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Third baseman Evan Longoria is out of the Rays' lineup after leaving last night's game with a strained oblique. Zach Britton must be smiling. For the Rays: B.J. Upton CF Johnny Damon LF Ben Zobrist 2B Manny Ramirez DH Kelly Shoppach C Sean Rodriguez 3B Elliot Johnson SS Dan Johnson 1B Sam Fuld RF Wade Davis RHP Luke Scott told reporters this morning that he felt some tightness in his groin over the last few days, but it worsened last night as he left the batter's...

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Scott update and today's lineup

April 03, 2011, 7:19am

Orioles

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Luke Scott remains sidelined with tightness in his right groin, but he's fairly optimistic that he'll avoid the disabled list. Scott, who left last night's game with the injury, is aiming for a Wednesday return. Unfortunately, that means being out of the lineup for tomorrow's home opener. Here's today's lineup vs. the Rays: Brian Roberts 2B Nick Markakis RF Derrek Lee 1B Vladimir Guerrero DH Matt Wieters C Adam Jones CF Mark Reynolds 3B Felix Pie LF J.J. Hardy...

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Postgame chatter after O's 4-1 win

April 01, 2011, 6:43pm

Orioles

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The news on Brian Matusz is unfortunate, to say the least, but we shouldn't focus entirely on the negative after a 4-1 win over the Rays. Jeremy Guthrie was superb, blanking the Rays on three hits over eight innings. No way he was coming out for the ninth with his pitch count at 94. "We were able to throw a lot of secondary pitches in good spots for strikes," Guthrie said. "I always work on those pitches as much as I can. Both the curveball and changeup are pitches...

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Matusz talks about his injury

April 01, 2011, 6:14pm

Orioles

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - I'd point out that Brian Matusz is snakebit, but that's about the only bad thing that hasn't happened to him in Florida. Matusz said he began noticing some discomfort in his back last week, and it grew progressively worse until he couldn't throw this afternoon. "It really did sneak up on me," he said after tonight's 4-1 victory over the Rays. "About four or five days ago, I was feeling some soreness in my lat area. Typical soreness, just like I'd feel after any...

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Matusz going on DL, Britton coming up

April 01, 2011, 5:41pm

Orioles

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Brian Matusz has been diagnosed with a strained intercostal muscle, which will force him on the disabled list and bring Zach Britton to the majors. Manager Buck Showalter confirmed that Britton, who dazzled in spring training, will make Sunday's start. And president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail estimated that Matusz could miss anywhere from three to six weeks. Buck Showalter announces Zach Britton will pitch Sunday against Tampa Bay "With the duration that we...

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Tillman starting tomorrow (updated twice)

April 01, 2011, 5:00pm

Orioles

Tillman starting tomorrow (updated twice)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - It's official: Chris Tillman will start tomorrow night's game against the Rays. Tillman was scheduled to start on Sunday, but he's needed tomorrow after Brian Matusz was scratched. Matusz underwent an MRI this afternoon on his sore back, and we're still waiting for the results. No word on Sunday's starter. Mark it down as TBA. It's possible that Brad Bergesen gets the call after throwing two innings in Wednesday's simulated game. Update: Jeremy Guthrie is...