orioles

Orioles release 11 minor leaguers

February 02, 2011, 8:44am

Orioles

The Orioles recently released 11 more minor league players, bringing the total number of players released to 33 since the end of last season. The club has two fewer minor league teams now after dropping its Bluefield affiliate and cutting back to one team in the Dominican Summer League. Probably the most well-known of the latest group of players released were infielder Tyler Stampone and pitcher Mick Mattaliano. The 23-year-old Stampone played two seasons for the club and batted .247 with 30...

Comments

Tags:

orioles steve melewski frontstory_orioles3

Orioles' Brandon Snyder looks to get the magic back in his bat

January 31, 2011, 6:32pm

Orioles

It has been an eventful offseason for Brandon Snyder. He bought a house, added a puppy to the family and got engaged. A fall wedding is planned. Now he wants to have an eventful season and get back to spraying line drives like he did at Single-A Frederick and Double-A Bowie; he's been unable to do that consistently yet at Triple-A Norfolk. In the summer of 2009, Snyder's star was on the rise. The year before, he had hit .315 with 13 homers and 80 RBIs at Frederick and then he started...

Comments

Tags:

brandon snyder orioles steve melewski frontfeatured_orioles

Hendrickson staying in organization (with quotes)

January 31, 2011, 8:15am

Orioles

Hendrickson staying in organization (with quotes)

The Orioles have reached agreement with free-agent left-hander Mark Hendrickson on a minor league deal with a spring training invitation, according to a team official. Just when Hendrickson thinks he's out, they pull him back in. Actually, the York, Pa. resident never wanted to leave. Hendrickson will try to join Michael Gonzalez as the second left-hander in the bullpen. He'll get competition from Clay Rapada, also signed to a minor league deal over the winter. The Orioles re-signed...

Comments

Tags:

orioles clay rapada mark hendrickson michael gonzalez frontstory_orioles1

Simon denied bail, will remain in prison

February 01, 2011, 6:24am

Orioles

Simon denied bail, will remain in prison

According to an Associated Press report in the Dominican Republic, Orioles pitcher Alfredo Simon has been denied bail and will remain in prison following the shooting death of his cousin. Here's the story. Defense attorney Dinosa Dilone plans to appeal Tuesday's ruling, according to the report. Simon is accused of firing a shot on New Year's Eve that killed 25-year-old Michel Castillo and injured his brother, 17-year-old Starlling Castillo, in the city of Luperon in Puerto Plata. Simon...

Comments

Tags:

orioles alfredo simon frontstory_orioles3

More Orioles minor league signings

February 01, 2011, 3:09pm

Orioles

According to Baseball America's Matt Eddy, the Orioles have signed three more pitchers to minor league deals. It's not believed that anyone in the group has been invited to spring training, though the complete camp roster hasn't been released. The Orioles reached agreement with right-handers Chris Jakubauskas and Mark Worrell, and left-hander James Houser. This is what you call minor league pitching depth. Houser, a former second-round pick of the Rays, posted a 3.67 ERA for the Marlins'...

Comments

Tags:

orioles frontstory_orioles1

Will Matusz be the man in 2011?

January 30, 2011, 4:54pm

Orioles

If you took a fan vote and asked which O's starter is the best pitcher of the bunch, I bet Brian Matusz would win the vote. He sure ended last year doing a lot of winning on the field. After he picked up just three wins in his first 21 starts through the end of July, the 24-year-old lefty won seven of his final 11 starts of 2010. Matusz went 6-1 with a 2.25 ERA in his final 10 starts after Buck Showalter took over as manager and was 6-0 with a 1.57 ERA over his final eight starts. The...

Comments

Tags:

orioles steve melewski frontfeatured_orioles brian matusz frontstory_orioles2

A clearer view of the 25-man roster

January 31, 2011, 1:44pm

Orioles

Now that the Orioles have reached agreement on a one-year deal with pitcher Justin Duchscherer and a minor league deal with left-hander Mark Hendrickson, the 25-man roster comes a little more into focus. However, there are still some fuzzy patches. It's sort of like looking at the flash on a camera. I'm still seeing spots. The 12-man pitching staff is much clearer. Though it isn't a certainly, it's likely that the rotation will consist of Duchscherer, Jeremy Guthrie, Brian Matusz, Brad...

Comments

Tags:

orioles frontfeatured_orioles frontstory_orioles3

Duchscherer's agent talks about the Orioles' appeal

January 31, 2011, 8:04am

Orioles

One of the primary reasons that pitcher Justin Duchscherer chose the Orioles over the Nationals and the other teams interested in signing him was their "serious commitment to winning," according to his agent, Damon Lapa of All Bases Covered Sports Management. "And there's also the fact that the club, at least on paper, has become a formidable lineup," Lapa said. "Any pitcher wants to end up on a team and in a city that can score runs and has veterans behind him and plays good defense. We...

Comments

Tags:

orioles justin duchscherer

Duchscherer move likely means Triple-A for Tillman, Britton

January 30, 2011, 7:54pm

Orioles

Duchscherer move likely means Triple-A for Tillman, Britton

A quick early-morning thought on what the acquisition of Justin Duchscherer late Sunday night means for a couple of the Orioles' young pitchers. It means Chris Tillman and Zach Britton are very likely to start the 2011 season in Triple-A Norfolk. For those that say Tillman doesn't have anything left to learn at Triple-A, I don't agree. He was 11-7 with a 3.34 ERA last season at Norfolk - good but not dominant stats. He is still not going to be 23 until April 15 and while he has already...

Comments

Tags:

orioles steve melewski chris tillman frontstory_orioles1 justin duchscherer featured_sidebar frontstory_orioles2 zach britton

Jason Berken's in much better condition

January 29, 2011, 11:54am

Orioles

I should have just combined the Josh Bell and Jason Berken entries. I'm working on the same theme here. Berken said he's lost about 30 pounds this winter by increasing his training, running more and eliminating certain foods from his diet. Fellow reliever Jim Johnson provided the first dose of motivation after the season by advising Berken to cut out fried foods. Berken also stopped drinking sodas and pulling his car into fast-food lanes. "It was really important for me to utilize my...

Comments

Tags:

orioles frontstory_orioles2

More on Duchscherer's decision

January 30, 2011, 4:20pm

Orioles

Now that we've diverted our eyes from Vladimir Guerrero for a few minutes, we can focus on the Orioles' latest acquisition. They reached agreement late Sunday night with pitcher Justin Duchscherer on a one-year contract that could pay up to $4.5 million in salary and incentives based on number of starts. The Orioles had become the overwhelming favorites in a relatively short amount of time. They offered him a major league deal and a chance to start. He wanted a major league deal and a...

Comments

Tags:

orioles frontfeatured_orioles justin duchscherer

Once again, FanFest served as a great kickoff to a new season

January 30, 2011, 4:01am

Orioles

Once again, FanFest served as a great kickoff to a new season

If FanFest is about a great day to talk Orioles baseball and get excited for a new baseball season in Baltimore, then mission accomplished. Once again, more than10,000 fans packed the Baltimore Convention Center and it seems many of us left the building wishing today were opening day. Fanfest was: * Seeing Buck Showalter walk to the main stage shortly after 10 a.m. to a standing ovation from season ticket holders. * Hearing Brandon Erbe talk about the steady progress he is making since his...

Comments

Tags:

orioles steve melewski frontfeatured_orioles frontstory_orioles1

Duchscherer offered major league deal (and accepts it)

January 30, 2011, 1:02pm

Orioles

Duchscherer offered major league deal (and accepts it)

An Orioles source confirmed tonight that the club has offered free-agent pitcher Justin Duchscherer a major league deal for the 2011 season. The Orioles are one of the finalists for Duchscherer and could learn of his decision early this week. Duchscherer threw for an Orioles scout Friday in Arizona and obviously made a strong impression. If he signs, Duchscherer will compete for a spot at the back of the rotation. He's also been a reliever in his professional career, but the Orioles aren't...

Comments

Tags:

orioles frontfeatured_orioles

Orioles remain in running for Duchscherer

January 30, 2011, 10:38am

Orioles

I'm hoping to provide at least one Justin Duchscherer update every day, just so I can learn to spell his name without having to look it up. It's J-U-S-T-I-N. Seriously, I did the same thing with Scott Kamieniecki. Not sure why I kept calling him "Justin." Anyway, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal speculates in this tweet that the Orioles made a major league offer to Duchscherer. ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweets that the Orioles and Nationals are among four finalists for Duchscherer. President of...

Comments

Tags:

orioles frontfeatured_orioles

Leftovers from FanFest

January 30, 2011, 5:11am

Orioles

Good morning to everyone. I'm nursing my FanFest hangover this morning, and it has nothing to do with alcohol. That was quite a scene yesterday at the Baltimore Convention Center. The crowd exceeded 10,000, but fell short of the 12,000 that poured into the facility last year. Members of the media, and some Orioles officials, agreed that it seemed like more people were in attendance - probably because the venue was smaller. But I can vouch for the long line that wrapped around the building...

Comments

Tags:

orioles adam jones andy macphail buck showalter frontfeatured_orioles jason berken jim johnson luke scott

The new double play combination speaks

January 29, 2011, 8:34am

Orioles

Shortstop J.J. Hardy and second baseman Brian Roberts stepped behind the stage to meet with reporters a few minutes ago. Hardy is impressed by today's fan turnout. "This is pretty good," he said. "I don't know how many people it is. They said about 10,000. It sounds like everyone is pretty excited." That includes Hardy. "This offseason, I didn't know what was going to happen," he said. "I felt like I was going to get traded. I didn't know where. With all the moves that the...

Comments

Tags:

orioles frontstory_orioles1

Wieters aiming for offensive resurgence in 2011

January 29, 2011, 9:14am

Orioles

Wieters aiming for offensive resurgence in 2011

Matt Wieters hopes to put up better numbers on offense this year, and when he analyzed his game after the 2010 season he came to the conclusion that he chased too many pitches last season. "It's consistency, getting pitches to hit and not chasing them out of the zone. In the minors, I prided myself on discipline at the plate and last year I got away from that a little bit, tried to do too much. You have to give yourself the best chance," he said. "I went out of the zone I am comfortable...

Comments

Tags:

fanfest frontstory_orioles2 matt wieters orioles steve melewski

Reimold happy he's still an Oriole

January 29, 2011, 10:54am

Orioles

Nolan Reimold is at FanFest - and happy to still be an Oriole. During the Winter Meetings, it looked like Reimold would get dealt to Tampa Bay in a move that would have made shortstop Jason Bartlett an Oriole. "I woke up one morning and got a text from my agent to call him and that's how I found out I was about to get traded. But I'm happy that fell through and I'm still in Baltimore," he said. "I thought it was almost a done deal and then it fell through. That's the first time my...

Comments

Tags:

frontfeatured_orioles nolan reimold orioles steve melewski

Guthrie, Orioles have discussed long-term contract

January 29, 2011, 8:16am

Orioles

Orioles starting pitcher Jeremy Guthrie said today at FanFest that he and the club have had a conversation about the possibility of a long-term contract. "I don't think the parties agreed on the length of it, but I love Baltimore. I love pitching here and anytime you can provide your family with security, it's a great option. I'm very happy to also play it out year-by-year and have the motivation to go out and do the best that I can. Whatever happens, I'll be a good spot," Guthrie...

Comments

Tags:

frontfeatured_orioles jeremy guthrie orioles steve melewki

Josh Bell's in much better condition

January 29, 2011, 11:17am

Orioles

Josh Bell looks noticeably thinner since he's been working out with former Oriole Brady Anderson. He can't tell you how much weight he's lost, but he brought a different body to FanFest. "I haven't jumped on a scale yet," Bell said. "I'm going to wait to surprise myself. I feel great. I'm running well. Everything's stronger." Bell started his winter in Arizona and has since relocated to Florida and California. He's spent the last two weeks with Anderson in California. Bell is...