When the Orioles made the American League playoffs in 2012, they ended a 14-season drought with no playoff baseball. On Sunday, the San Diego Padres clinched their first playoff berth since 2006. That ends a run of nine consecutive losing seasons and 13 straight seasons without seeing the postseason. O’s fans can relate to how Padres fans must feel this year, ending the long postseason ... read more
It was a game that had some of us - OK, me - checking the record book on several occasions. At various times Sunday I wondered about the O’s record for consecutive strikeouts, about the record for strikeouts by a pitcher in one game and the team record for strikeouts in one game. On Wednesday night, lefty Keegan Akin fanned six straight Atlanta Braves. It ... read more
Most days, Orioles left-hander John Means features a solid fastball. He throws it about 49 percent of the time and averages around 94 mph. Today, the velocity was there as usual, but the results were not usual at all. Means was showing an at times elite fastball as the Orioles edged Tampa Bay 2-1 to take the final game of this five-game series. Means usually ... read more
The Orioles (22-31) will play their final home game of the 2020 season this afternoon when they host the Tampa Bay Rays (35-18) to wrap up a five-game series. The Orioles need a win to avoid a five-game sweep after Saturday night’s 3-1 loss. The Birds are 11-9 against National League teams, but 11-22 against the American League, facing only East Division teams this season. ... read more
The Orioles rotation has gotten younger, but the best news is that it has gotten better in recent weeks. Three rookies have made their debuts in Keegan Akin, Dean Kremer and Bruce Zimmermann. Akin and Kremer have combined to go 2-1 with an ERA of 2.01 in their seven starts. And even at a time when the Orioles are not scoring much, they are 4-3 ... read more
The Orioles’ last homestand of the 2020 season got off to a promising start. They took two of three games from Atlanta and held the very strong Braves offense to seven runs. But the Orioles have lost the last three games by 3-1, 10-6 and 2-1 to the Tampa Bay Rays. Tonight the clubs play the fourth game of a five-game series that ends Sunday. ... read more
Simply put, they are making the best of a rough situation. In a year without minor league baseball games, two Orioles top 30 prospect pitchers are still getting some innings in and trying to advance their careers. They have to work on their own but the Orioles are keeping tabs on them closely. This week I spoke with 20-year-old lefty Drew Rom and 22-year-old right-hander ... read more
The Orioles (22-29) have nine games remaining in the 2020 regular season. Their last home series of the year continues tonight as they host the Tampa Bay Rays (33-18) in the third game of a five-game series. The Rays swept Thursday’s doubleheader by 3-1 and 10-6 scores. The Orioles fell to 3-4 on the season against the Rays. The clubs are 6-6 in the last ... read more
