orioles buzz

Domenic Vadala: O's not standing pat in pursuit of postseason

September 01, 2013, 4:58pm

Orioles

Domenic Vadala: O's not standing pat in pursuit of postseason

I appeared on a New York podcast late last week to talk Orioles-Yankees going into the weekend. Out of the 45 minutes of questions they asked, two stood out: Will the Orioles make a move before the waiver trade deadline, and which player(s) are you watching the closest as the pennant race heats up and the season winds down. My answer to question one was that indeed I did believe the Birds would make a deal. My response to the second question was that whoever the Orioles did pick up in a trade...

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Matthew Taylor: Comparing 2012 and 2013 in terms of bullpens and bats

August 30, 2013, 6:16am

Orioles

Matthew Taylor: Comparing 2012 and 2013 in terms of bullpens and bats

How are the 2013 Orioles different from the 2012 Orioles? If you answered that the bullpen isn't as good this year, you're right. If you said this year's team doesn't hit as well with runners in scoring position, you're wrong. And if you concluded that this year's team is a heavier hitting bunch, you're both right and wrong. Let's address each one in order. First, the bullpen. The 2012 Orioles bullpen was lights-out while the 2013 version is more of a dimmer switch. O's...

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Andrew Stetka: The future of Brian Roberts

August 29, 2013, 4:21am

Orioles

Andrew Stetka: The future of Brian Roberts

The Orioles are going to have a couple of interesting decisions to make going into the offseason. I'm not for a second proclaiming the Birds out of the running for a postseason berth, but whether there is October baseball in Baltimore or not, the offseason will come about. The lineup seems pretty set for this team going into 2014. Aside from finding an everyday designated hitter (if that's something the team wants to do), only two positions are really up in the air - left field and second...

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Neal Shaffer: A tale of coming close

August 28, 2013, 5:10am

Orioles

If given the choice, how would you want to fail? Failing miserably - which is to say not even being in the mix for whatever you're after - sucks. On balance, though, it's better than coming up just short. Failure itself is absolute. The final marker is always either "you did" or "you didn't." Within that construct, however, there exists a hierarchy. One that has little bearing on the end results but plays a major role in how we feel about them. Coming close hurts because it teases...

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Zach Wilt: Make or break stretch ahead for O's

August 27, 2013, 5:09am

Orioles

Zach Wilt: Make or break stretch ahead for O's

On Friday, I opened up my mailbox to see an envelope from the Orioles with my season ticket holder postseason order form. This was both exciting and nerve-racking as a guy who has experienced the many highs and lows of the 2013 season to date. I want my money to go toward more games this season, not a down payment for 2014. It's funny how quickly spoiled the Orioles have made me after having such low expectations for the majority of my life. This time last year, I was counting down the games...

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Domenic Vadala: Making adjustments at the right time

August 25, 2013, 2:06pm

Orioles

Domenic Vadala: Making adjustments at the right time

If the Orioles end up going to the postseason, Wednesday's victory over Tampa Bay might be looked back upon as one of the bigger wins of the year. First off, it goes without saying that the entire series was tough on the Orioles and on the fans. Dropping two of three to a team that you're chasing in the standings is never a favorable result. The mere fact that the Orioles salvaged one game was a moral victory. However, that game should be looked upon as one where the Orioles finally stepped...

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Matthew Taylor: Rewritten history shouldn't be forgotten

August 22, 2013, 8:34pm

Orioles

Matthew Taylor: Rewritten history shouldn't be forgotten

Chris Davis has tied Jim Gentile for third on the Orioles' all-time single-season home run list. Barring injury or an unimaginable power outage, Davis will hit his 47th homer and push Gentile further down the list he once topped. This is familiar territory for Gentile, who established at least a half-dozen team records in 1961. The past half-century has been an extended exercise in removing pieces of that magical 1961 season from the record books, one by one. Rather than diminishing the...

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Andrew Stetka: These O's are better than last year's version despite what you may see

August 22, 2013, 5:40am

Orioles

Andrew Stetka: These O's are better than last year's version despite what you may see

If there is one part of the 2013 Orioles that has been steady from the start, it's without question been defense. The O's are on pace to break records for both fielding percentage and fewest errors in a season. Of the three major elements in baseball - pitching, hitting and defense - the latter is the one part where there are simply no worries. It's those other two that have had ups and downs throughout the season. Whether it's the starting pitching, the bullpen arms, or the inconsistent...

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Neal Shaffer: Sky isn't falling, but O's need to step it up a notch

August 20, 2013, 7:35pm

Orioles

Neal Shaffer: Sky isn't falling, but O's need to step it up a notch

Anyone who has read even a handful of my work here or over at The Loss Column (where I'm not posting as much as I want to), knows that I'm bullish on the Orioles. Not optimistic per se, but certainly inclined to point out when the sky is not falling. I also do my best to be honest. Just because the sky's not falling doesn't mean all is well. Right now, all is not well. There comes a point toward the end of every season - usually around now - when you get a feeling about things. The...

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Zach Wilt: Baseball is a funny game

August 20, 2013, 5:04am

Orioles

I'm sure you've heard people say "baseball is a funny game." It's typically the cliche saying that fans throw out when they can't explain the outcome of the three-hour sporting event they dedicate their life to over the course of 162 days between April and September. For me, that inexplicable nature is part of the reason I love this game so much. Though, I can certainly understand it driving some people absolutely bonkers. On Tuesday night, the Texas Rangers clobbered the Houston Astros...

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Matchbox Twenty's Kyle Cook joins MASNsports.com for special live video chat at 3:30 p.m.

August 19, 2013, 7:35am

Orioles

Matchbox Twenty's Kyle Cook joins MASNsports.com for special live video chat at 3:30 p.m.

What do you do if you're the lead guitarist of a touring rock band and you've got an off-date between stops in Mansfield, Mass., and Salisbury, Md., on a Monday in August? If you're Kyle Cook of Matchbox Twenty, you squeeze in a baseball game. And since Camden Yards is close to the Wicomico Civic Center, site of Tuesday's show with Goo Goo Dolls, Cook is detouring to Charm City, where he'll perform the national anthem before tonight's game and watch the Orioles battle the Tampa Bay Rays...

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Showing their heart, Orioles take on lead role for 30th annual Baltimore Heart Ball

August 19, 2013, 6:55am

Orioles

A substantial amount of heart is a key ingredient in any baseball season. Teams have to have it to withstand the rigors of a six-month marathon. Fans have to have it - in abundance - to navigate the highs and lows of any campaign. Players need it, too, so they can ride the roller coaster of streaks and slumps but still prosper. So heart is vitally important, on and off the field. In fact, it was one of the key themes to the 1955 Broadway play "Damn Yankees," and gave the musical comedy a...

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Domenic Vadala: Hoping for a repeat performance

August 19, 2013, 5:40am

Orioles

Domenic Vadala: Hoping for a repeat performance

I think it'll be a long time before people forget last August and September at the yard. I would submit that those games were about as much fun for Orioles fans as we've ever seen. Granted, that was only the third playoff season for the Birds since they moved into Camden Yards in 1992, but in both 1996 and 1997, there wasn't the potential for the Orioles' fate to be decided in the last days of the season, as happened last year - and also potentially this year. They were far ahead of the...

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Social Media Weekend wrap

August 18, 2013, 6:00pm

Orioles

While the Orioles got the series win over the Rockies, we gave fans their own chance to win. MASN's Social Media Weekend, styled by Hair Cuttery, gave our loyal fans opportunities to win through our different social media outlets. By following us on Twitter, Facebook, mobile and Instagram, fans at Camden Yards were given the chance to win seat upgrades and autographed gear. Before Saturday's game, our mobile followers were invited to a photo session with Darren O'Day. In front of a bright...

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Social Media Weekend wraps up on Sunday

August 10, 2013, 6:56am

Orioles

One of the most wonderful times of the year starts Friday: Social Media Weekend. Thanks to our friends at Hair Cuttery, Social Media Weekend will begin Friday, Aug. 16. Fans will have the opportunity to win exclusive Orioles prizes and experiences. We have seen the loyalty that fans have shown us by tweeting us, interacting with us on Facebook and sharing pictures on Instagram. And we'd like to reward you for your loyalty. Starting Friday, we'll be set up inside the gates of Oriole Park...

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Matthew Taylor: Jim Johnson, meet Don Aase

August 16, 2013, 5:58am

Orioles

Matthew Taylor: Jim Johnson, meet Don Aase

The Orioles are coming off a demoralizing three-game sweep at the hands (actually, the bats) of the Arizona Diamondbacks, who won each game in walk-off fashion. I don't need to tell you that Jim Johnson recorded blown saves in the final two games of the series. Johnson currently ranks as the major league leader in both saves (39) and blown saves (nine). In the same season that he tallied his club-record 35th consecutive save, Johnson appears to be on the verge of setting an ignominious team...

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Andrew Stetka: The good, bad and ugly from O's West Coast swing

August 15, 2013, 5:21am

Orioles

Andrew Stetka: The good, bad and ugly from O's West Coast swing

A whole lot will be written and even more will be said following the Orioles' recent 4-4 road trip to the West Coast. There was a whole lot that went down on the field that led to a 4-1 start to the swing but saw it finish with three devastating walk-off losses to the Diamondbacks in Arizona. Let this be a bit of a break from all of the on-the-field talk and chatter. I was able to attend four out of the eight games on the trip and had an outstanding experience everywhere I went. As an...

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Oriole Bird meets his score-announcing cousin at Charlestown

August 14, 2013, 12:05pm

Orioles

Oriole Bird meets his score-announcing cousin at Charlestown

Remember the cute little tale from a few weeks ago about the small plush Orioles mascot that alerts residents at the Charlestown retirement community in Catonsville about whether the O's win or lose? Well, the Charlestown bird had a visit today from its larger feathered namesake who usually roosts at Camden Yards. The Oriole Bird visited Charlestown as part of the kickoff for the "Swim for Service" lap-a-thon fundrasiser today and made a point out of seeking out the small town crier who...

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Neal Shaffer: There but for the grace of the baseball gods ...

August 13, 2013, 8:22pm

Orioles

Neal Shaffer: There but for the grace of the baseball gods ...

Today, let's talk about a team. A team with more than a couple of young, All-Star-capable players and an overall talent level that grades out better than average. One with a decorated, veteran manager. They were very bad for a long time but they made a playoff run last year and, in doing so, laid the foundation for a strong future. We're talking, of course, about the Washington Nationals. Maybe you're one of those Baltimore fans who harbors a weird hatred of D.C. I'm not. I loved watching...

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Zach Wilt: Who would start a wild card game for O's?

August 13, 2013, 4:42am

Orioles

Zach Wilt: Who would start a wild card game for O's?

It's becoming increasingly more difficult to not compare the 2013 Orioles to their 2012 squad. I can't promise that I won't do this every week for the rest of this season. As of Aug. 13, the Orioles find themselves five games back of the first-place Red Sox in the AL East with their 65-53 record. On this date a season ago, the Orioles were also in third place in the division with a 62-53 record, six games behind the leading Yankees. While drawing these comparisons, I began to ponder Buck...