And the winner is...

And the winner is...
Oakland closer Andrew Bailey has been named the AL's Rookie of the Year. Bailey received 13 first-place votes. Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus finished second, one point ahead of Detroit pitcher Rick Porcello, after garnering eight first-place votes (one more than Porcello). Jeff Niemann was fourth, followed by Gordon Beckham and Brett Anderson. Florida outfielder Chris Coghlan won the NL award.
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Quick AFL check

Quick AFL check
Third baseman Josh Bell hit his second home run tonight in the Phoenix Desert Dogs' 11-1 win over Mesa. Bell also doubled, walked and drove in three runs. He's batting .329 with seven doubles and 18 RBIs. The double came against former Oriole Randor Bierd. Bell homered off right-hander Tim Kiely. Matt Angle, batting leadoff and starting in center field, went 1-for-3 with an RBI, run scored and walk. Josh Perrault lowered his ERA to 1.86 with a scoreless ninth.
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Latest on Hendrickson

Latest on Hendrickson
The Orioles placed a call yesterday to reliever Mark Hendrickson's agent, Joe Urbon, and were waiting to hear back from him. There isn't much to report beyond that little nugget. Teams no longer will hold exclusive negotiating rights with their free agents after Thursday. Hendrickson would like to re-sign with the Orioles, who are interested in keeping him. Manager Dave Trembley speaks highly of the left-hander, who became a valuable member of the bullpen as the season progressed -...
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Heavy Cy

Heavy Cy
Major League Baseball will announce the AL's Cy Young Award winner later today, and judging by the title of this entry, you probably think I'm choosing CC Sabathia. Well, you'd be wrong. I'm guessing that Kansas City's Zack Greinke takes home the hardware after going 16-8 with a 2.16 ERA and 242 strikeouts in 229 1/3 innings. Greinke had six complete games, which used to be routine back in the Palmer/McNally/Cuellar/Dobson days. Not so much now. He also tossed three shutouts. Voters...
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And the winner is...

And the winner is...
Kansas City Royals pitcher Zack Greinke received 25 of a possible 28 first-place votes to win the AL Cy Young Award in a landslide. Seattle's Felix Hernandez, the runner-up, received two first-place votes. Detroit's Justin Verlander had the other first-place vote and finished third. CC Sabathia and Roy Halladay were fourth and fifth, respectively. Greinke also had three second-place votes.
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Quick AFL check

Quick AFL check
Josh Bell went 1-for-5 with a double in the Phoenix Desert Dogs' 5-4 loss to Scottsdale. Bell (.321) started at third base and batted cleanup. Right fielder Matt Angle led off for the Desert Dogs and went 0-for-4 with a walk and run scored. Eddie Gamboa allowed an unearned run and two hits in the bottom of the eighth, which proved costly when Phoenix rallied for three runs in the top of the ninth. Then again, Phoenix already clinched the East Division title and will play in the championship...
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They Bop

They Bop
I had no idea that Delino DeShields spent the summer as hitting coach for the Billings Mustangs of the Pioneer League. So you can imagine my reaction when I read yesterday that he was named manager. Delino DeShields? Yep, that guy. I never thought of DeShields as manager material, but the Cincinnati Reds obviously disagree. Perhaps a baserunning instructor, but definitely not a motivational speaker. DeShields, nicknamed "Bop," did a lot of pouting during his three seasons with the...
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Minor matters

Minor matters
Major League Baseball will announce its Managers of the Year in the AL and NL later today. I'm predicting that Minnesota's Ron Gardenhire is honored after leading the Twins to the Central Division title, with Texas' Ron Washington and Seattle's Don Wakamatsu also collecting votes. The Twins looked like toast after Justin Morneau was shut down, but they made the playoffs. And it's not like they loaded up on pricey free agents over the winter. After revealing the Orioles' interest in...
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And the winners are...

And the winners are...
The Angels' Mike Scioscia was named the AL's Manager of the Year after receiving 15 first-place votes, 10 for second and one for third. Minnesota's Ron Gardehire was the runner-up. He received six first-place votes, 12 second and six third. The Yankees' Joe Girardi (four, three, five) finished third. Seattle's Don Wakamatsu and Texas' Ron Washington also received first-place votes. Detroit's Jim Leyland garnered two third-place votes. In the NL, Colorado's Jim Tracy took home the...
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40-man moves (updated)

40-man  moves (updated)
The Orioles have added six players to their 40-man roster: pitchers Brandon Erbe and Luis Lebron, and infielders Josh Bell, Pedro Florimon, Rhyne Hughes and Brandon Snyder. The roster is at its capacity. Teams must submit their rosters to the MLB office by Friday afternoon. The Orioles could create more room by the deadline and protect other players from the Rule 5 draft on Dec. 10 in Indianapolis, but it's not expected to happen. For now, at least, they've settled on their...
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Berken has been workin' so far

Berken has been workin' so far
There are not a lot of Orioles producing quality stats so far. It's a short list. But pitcher Jason Berken is on it. In a mild surprise, Berken made the Opening Day staff as a long reliever. After going 6-12, 6.54 in 24 starts in 2009, this role is new to him. In 69 career minor league outings, the 2006 sixth-round draft pick made 66 starts. Last Tuesday, Berken pitched a scoreless inning vs. Tampa, then Wednesday, after Brad Bergesen's early exit, Berken pitched five innings of...
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Post-game notes: The losing streak reaches eight

Post-game notes:  The losing streak reaches eight
Telling a sad tale: Oakland beat the Orioles 4-2 Friday night and has taken the first two games of this four-game series. The Orioles are 0-2 on a ten-game road trip. That's a 1-10 start and eight losses in a row for the Orioles. They are 1-4 in road games. The Orioles fall to 1-5 in games decided by two runs or less. The Orioles have lost now eight in a row at Oakland dating to July of 2007 and are just 1-12 in their last 13 vs. the A's. Oakland is 67-28 vs. Baltimore since 1999. No...
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A's top O's: That's a 1 and 10 start

A's top O's:  That's a 1 and 10 start
For the Orioles, it was another night of little offense and no victory. The Birds fell to 1-10 with eight losses in a row in a 4-2 loss at Oakland. The Orioles were held to a season-low five hits and went 0 for 4 tonight with runners in scoring position. The only Orioles runs came on Ty Wigginton's two-run homer in the 5th. The Orioles have scored two runs or less in six of their last seven games. They have scored three runs or less eight times in 11 games. Winning pitcher Dallas Braden...
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Players need to take stock

Players need to take stock
There isn't anyone who saw this coming. The Orioles' slow start is shocking and disappointing. The team that broke spring training was expected to be competitive - and still can be. But the players have to take stock and step it up in all phases of the game, especially with their approach. Physical mistakes are part of the game and happen to every team. But the Orioles have hurt themselves in this early part of the season with too many mental mistakes. It's time to refocus and increase...
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Tough night on the farm (also O's update)

Tough night on the farm (also O's update)
The excellent pitching to start the year by O's minor league clubs came to a halt tonight as Norfolk allowed 14 runs and Delmarva gave up 15. Durham had 20 hits in a 14-7 win over the Tides, who fall to 4-5. Norfolk starter Troy Patton lasted just one-third of an inning and 28 pitches. He gave up six hits and six runs, including two homers. Norfolk began the night with an ERA this year of 2.97 by its starters. Rhyne Hughes had a triple in four at bats to extend his batting streak to eight...
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Even more on the RISP stat

Even more on the RISP stat
Any O's fan could probably recite the numbers. The Orioles are hitting just .135 this year (10 for 74) when batting with runners in scoring position. They are hitting just .028 (1 for 36) with runners in scoring positon and two outs. Here's the RISP stat breakdown by game and player: Game 1 at TB: 1 for 12, 10 left on base Game 2 at TB: 2 for 9, 7 left on base Game 3 at TB: 3 for 11, 8 left on base Game 4 vs. Tor: 2 for 8, 7 left on base Game 5 vs. Tor: 0 for 6, 7 left on base Game 6...
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Checking in on the minors

Checking in on the minors
The Orioles four minor league affiliates are off to a combined 21 and 10 start. That is tied with Cleveland for the best combined minor league record in baseball right now. Norfolk: The Tides are 4-4 and have scored 15 runs in winning two in a row. Troy Patton pitches tonight at Durham. Josh Bell is hitting .214 and Brandon Snyder is at .200. Rhyne Hughes is 10 for 25 during a seven-game hitting streak. He's batting .400, 4th best in the league. Norfolk starters ERA is 2.97. Tides...
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Breaking it down with Bergesen

Breaking it down with Bergesen
I recently had a chance to sit down with right-hander Brad Bergesen to talk about how his experiences from last season have translated to the mound this year and how looking back at a poor outing can help prepare Brad for his next start. We also touched on the overall success of the O's starting rotation, despite the team's struggles so far this season. Finally, watch the interview with Bergesen below to hear how the young Oriole knows which pitches will work best for him from one outing...
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A full schedule of O's events at the ESPN Zone this summer

A full schedule of O's events at the ESPN Zone this summer
The ESPN Zone in Baltimore's Inner Harbor has announced its summer schedule of Orioles activities, which include monthly player Q&As, a second annual Orioles Cook-off, another Battle of the Birds, and Brian's Baseball Bash. Each of the seven player Q&As will feature a current Oriole, and each round will be hosted by an O's broadcaster. Expect to learn a little more about some of your favorite Orioles, the chance to win Orioles tickets (by knowing your O's trivia!), and an autograph...
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When will this all end?

When will this all end?
I'd say I don't remember a worse Orioles start ever, but I do. I remember 0 and 21 in 1988. I also remember the 1978 season when the Orioles were blown out in three straight games vs. Milwaukee. They were outscored 40 to 11 and Eddie Murray played third base. That didn't last long. Eddie at third or the losing. That team won 90 games. This team looks like it will lose 90. I don't think you could have dreamed up a worse start to the year. The team can't get a clutch hit, the...
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