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Notes from the Majors and Minors

July 17, 2010, 9:28am

Orioles

The Orioles are still looking for their first win this year vs. Toronto and are now 0-7 after Friday's 4-2 loss to the Jays. The O's lost 7-6 to Toronto in the first game this year between the clubs. They have scored just seven runs in their past six games with the Jays and have been out-homered this year 15 to 1 in the season series. The O's are batting .216 on the season with 13 runs scored vs. Toronto. The Birds bullpen posted three innings of shutout, one-hit ball vs. Toronto last...

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Win streak ends as second half begins

July 16, 2010, 5:51pm

Orioles

This time there was not a well pitched game by an O's starter and this time there was not a comeback win. The O's opened their longest home stand of the season, a ten gamer, with a 4-2 loss to Toronto on Friday night at the Yard. Losing pitcher Brad Bergesen, now 3-7, 6.37, gave up single runs over the first three frames and gave up four runs in six innings on the night. Brad Bergesen talks with the media about his start in the O's 4-2 loss to the Jays Winning pitcher Ricky Romero...

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Young pitchers provide a lift for O's

July 16, 2010, 8:43am

Orioles

Chris Tillman and Jake Arrieta provided something very important for the O's fans when they pitched so well over the final two games of the first half. No not wins, though those were nice, as was seeing the O's sweep four from a first-place team on the road. What they really provided was hope. Hope that the O's big three young pitchers, to include Brian Matusz, just might really turn out to be good and might become three-fifths of the O's pitching rotation that helps turn this franchise...

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An impressive minor league stat

July 16, 2010, 5:02pm

Orioles

The Delmarva Shorebirds are at home tonight vs. West Virginia and the score is 0-0 after five innings. That is not the impressive stat, but here it is. Counting five scoreless innings pitched tonight by Pat Kantakevich, Delmarva starting pitchers have now allowed just three earned runs over their last ten games. That's in 59 2/3 innings. That works out to an ERA of 0.45 for the Shorebird starting pitchers over that stretch. Over the 59 2/3, through the fifth of that game tonight at Perdue...

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Romero reversal

July 16, 2010, 4:03pm

Orioles

No, that is not a wrestling move. But Ricky Romero has retired the first nine O's in order tonight on just 31 pitches. Shouldn't the O's have been swinging and not taking pitches like this during the last game before the break and not the first one after. Romero, who held the O's to just one run in a complete-game win on May 30th, threw 10 pitches tonight in the first and second innings and needed just 11 to complete a quick bottom of the third. The reversal for him is how well he is...

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Wiggy talks about the All-Star game

July 16, 2010, 12:35pm

Orioles

He did get to take part in his first Major League All-Star game, even if his appearance was brief. Ty Wigginton of the Orioles entered the game at third base, but never got to bat for the American League on Tuesday night at Anaheim. That did not diminish his experience at all, he said. "It was fun. It's a hectic couple days, but I tried to enjoy it as much as I possibly could. It's definitely a cool honor, a unique experience and I'll treasure it forever. "The game was actually the...

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Plenty of praise for Showalter

July 15, 2010, 8:49pm

Orioles

Among those that think Buck Showalter is the right man to become the next manager of the Orioles is ESPN's Tim Kurkjian. Kurkjian was on the Scott Garceau show Thursday that airs on MASN and O's flagship station, 105.7 the Fan. He told co-hosts Jeremy Conn and Pete Medhurst that Showalter is the right guy to lead the Orioles. "I think he will manage the Orioles and I think he's the perfect man for the job. I know Buck better than most, having sat next to him on Baseball Tonight many...

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Is winning important at the minor league level?

July 10, 2010, 4:48pm

Orioles

Is winning important at the minor league level?

So how important is winning at the minor league level? You will likely get a similar answer from most people on this question. They say winning is nice, but not if it gets in the way of developing Major League players. Here is Andy MacPhail's take on this topic: "It's preferable but not at the expense of developing players. In other words, you are not going to play a 27-year-old third base filler at A ball if he's standing in the way of a 20-year-old that you think potentially one day...

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A manager's opinion

July 11, 2010, 7:27am

Orioles

As we continue our series of stories on the O's minor leagues today we look at the Orioles farm through the eyes and thoughts of an insider - Someone who has managed in that farm system since 2007 - current O's interim third base coach Gary Allenson. Until he took that position last month, Allenson had managed at Triple-A Norfolk since 2007, seeing most of the club's top prospects come his way at one time or another. "I think we've developed some pretty good players. It's still...

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Promoting players

July 11, 2010, 7:13am

Orioles

One of the biggest decisions teams make for their minor leaguers is when to promote players to higher levels. When is the time right? What if the player doesn't succeed at that level? How fast should prospects move through the system? O's president Andy MacPhail worked with David Stockstill when he headed up the O's farm system and now works with his brother, John, who is the current director of player development. The O's may be going through some subtle changes in philosophy in how...

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Q&A with John Stockstill

July 11, 2010, 1:21pm

Orioles

John Stockstill has been with the Orioles for five years. He joined the club in December of 2005 to oversee the O's Major League and pro scouting. He has also served as the club's director of international scouting. Since early April of this year he has worked in his latest role with the club as director of player development. In that role he oversees the development of players at all levels of the organization, to include overseeing the workings in the O's minors. Here are some...

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After the All-Star break

July 14, 2010, 12:34pm

Orioles

When baseball resumes after the All-Star break, the O's kick off the second half with a 10-game homestand against Toronto, Tampa, and Minnesota. During that homestand, things will be busy here in Birdland. Check out the list of O's events and promo nights coming up in the days just after the All-Star break: Fri, July 16: Fireworks Night Sat, July 17: Replica Brooks Robinson Jersey (Click here for info on a change to this giveaway) Sun, July 18: Kids Batting Helmet Tue, July 20: Jason...

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Where in the Yard? (Updated w/Answer)

July 12, 2010, 6:52am

Orioles

If you're thinking it feels like a long time since the O's have brought fans of Birdland together at the Yard, you're not the only one. The Birds embarked on a ten-game road trip following the completion of a nine-game homestand against the Marlins, Nats, and A's that ended on July 1. With the All-Star break upon us, it'll be a few more days before we're back at the Yard for Orioles baseball, but we make sure to visit Oriole Park here in the Orioles Buzz every Monday morning with the...

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Ranking the Orioles

July 10, 2010, 10:02pm

Orioles

Earlier today, I presented comments from Baseball America's Will Lingo on the O's farm system. Lingo and Baseball America ranked the O's farm in the top third of baseball earlier this year. "We rated them ninth coming into the season in our Prospect Handbook. For our midseason update, I wouldn't say they are one of the top organizations right now, but I would say they are in the middle of the pack," Lingo said. But if the O's were ninth then and now are in the middle of the pack, are...

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An opinion from Baseball America

July 10, 2010, 10:11pm

Orioles

Yesterday, we began our series of stories around this All-Star break on the Orioles minor league system and how well - or not - it is performing. After getting Andy MacPhail's take, today we solicit an outside and independent, but very well informed, opinion. I interviewed Baseball America's Will Lingo, who has followed the O's minors closely for years and who puts together the publication's Orioles top prospects list every year. How are the O's doing on the farm right now at the...

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Do the O's have enough scouts?

July 11, 2010, 5:05pm

Orioles

As we continue our series on the O's minors, how about scouting and the number of scouting positions a club uses? Fans have pointed out that, according to the Baseball America directory, the Orioles rank last in the AL East in the number of scouting positions. Here is what Baseball America reported: Baltimore: Director, International Scouting - 1 Director, Professional Scouting - 1 Major League Advance Scout - 1 Major League Scouts - 2 Pro Scouts - 7 Director, Amateur Scouting - 1 Scouting...

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Six games, 35 runs

July 10, 2010, 10:13am

Orioles

Don't look now, but the offensively-challenged Orioles have scored 35 runs over their past six games with a team average of .316 during the stretch. They have scored 13 runs on 25 hits with four homers in the first two games of the series at Texas. Let's see if they can keep that going, or some semblance of it, tonight vs. Cliff Lee. It's been such a tough year for Chris Tillman that even when he gets to return to the O's mound, this time it's to face a former Cy Young winner. Here are...

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Assessing the O's minor leagues: Andy MacPhail's take

July 10, 2010, 4:34pm

Orioles

Assessing the O's minor leagues: Andy MacPhail's take

When it comes to how the Orioles are doing in the minor leagues these days, the general consensus seems to be good - not great, but better than in some past years. The O's farm system has sent several players to the Majors over the past few years, including some like Brian Matusz and Matt Wieters, who were high draft picks that are projected to be All-Star caliber Major Leaguers during their careers. Today, we begin a series of stories here looking at the Orioles and how they are doing at...

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O's produce first four-game sweep at Texas in 34 years

July 11, 2010, 2:35pm

Orioles

O's produce first four-game sweep at Texas in 34 years

The Orioles beat the Texas Rangers 4-1 this afternoon, to complete their first four-game sweep at Texas since June of 1976. Jake Arrieta followed up Chris Tillman's stellar outing Saturday with one of his own today. Arrieta allowed six hits and one run over 6 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out three, throwing 90 pitches. He improved to 3-2, 4.38. Arrieta has allowed just 5 ER over his last three starts, pitching to an ERA of 2.41. He has recorded five quality starts among his...

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Minor league notes on Widlansky and Britton

July 11, 2010, 11:42am

Orioles

Minor league notes on Widlansky and Britton

It appears that Robbie Widlansky of the Double-A Bowie Baysox will be out for the rest of this season. He suffered what is believed to be a fractured right ankle on Thursday during a game at Erie and is expected to miss at least six weeks, meaning the soonest he would be back is at the very end of the minor league season. Widlansky, who won the Carolina League batting title last year while at Frederick, is batting .269-5-30 in 74 games with the Baysox. He was just two for 21 in July at the...