orioles buzz

Thirty-four years ago tonight, Orioles Magic was born

June 22, 2013, 9:33am

Orioles

Today marks a significant anniversary in Birdland. Thirty-four years ago, on June 22, 1979, Orioles Magic was born. That's the night that third baseman Doug DeCinces crushed a game-winning two-run homer - back in the day, we didn't call them walk-offs - in the ninth inning off the Tigers' Dave Tobik for a thrilling 6-5 victory before 35,456 at Memorial Stadium. Here is Bill O'Donnell's call of the decisive blast, with additional commentary by Chuck Thompson and Charley Eckman. Years...

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The other Ruth's Cafe

June 21, 2013, 8:54am

Orioles

Anyone who's ever taken the Camden Yards tour knows this little nugget of Babe Ruth trivia: A cafe owned by the Babe's father, called Ruth's Cafe, operated on West Conway Street, roughly where Adam Jones currently patrols center field during home games. But did you know there was another Ruth's Cafe, also run by the Sultan of Swat's father and reportedly bought and paid for with the Bambino's winner's share from the 1915 World Series? The building still exists, and alcohol is still...

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Matthew Taylor: Approaching club record, no double trouble for Machado

June 21, 2013, 6:17am

Orioles

Matthew Taylor: Approaching club record, no double trouble for Machado

One of the nice things about great individual performances are that they bring attention to past player accomplishments. Such is the case with Manny Machado and Brian Roberts. Machado hit his major league-leading 33rd double of the season this week, which tied Roberts' Orioles record for most doubles prior to an All-Star Game. Machado is likely to break that 2008 mark as soon as this weekend and has Roberts' single-season franchise record for doubles in his sights. After setting an Orioles...

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Anthony Amobi: Orioles flying high and in control of their destiny

June 20, 2013, 7:14am

Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles have been on quite a run this week, taking two of three from the Detroit Tigers and before that, taking three of four from the rival Boston Red Sox. In the offseason, a lot of experts doubted that the Orioles could repeat what they did in 2012 this season. So far, they have proven the naysayers wrong. As of this morning, 73 games into the 2013 season, the Orioles are 11 games over .500 and their record stands at 42-31. Baltimore trails Boston in the American League East...

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Neal Shaffer: All-Star voting indicates O's gaining national prominence

June 19, 2013, 6:05am

Orioles

Neal Shaffer: All-Star voting indicates O's gaining national prominence

Of all of the positive developments we've witnessed in Birdland over the past 18 months or so, the best one (outside of the playoffs) might be this year's All-Star voting results. As of Monday, four Orioles - Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, Chris Davis, and J.J. Hardy - were in position to start the All-Star Game. Not just make the team. Start. One more player - Manny Machado - is a near lock to be selected even if he isn't voted a starter (he's currently second behind Miguel Cabrera at third...

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Zach Wilt: I'd rather not see Chris Davis in the Home Run Derby

June 18, 2013, 5:25am

Orioles

Zach Wilt: I'd rather not see Chris Davis in the Home Run Derby

We've seen Chris Davis hit home runs with a broken bat and with one hand. He's pulled them over the right field wall and flicked them the opposite way. He's launched towering fly balls out of the yard and hit screaming line drives just over the top of outfield fences. We've seen 101 home runs come off Davis' bat in his six years in the big leagues and they have come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Baseball's league leader in the longball category has obviously been a topic of...

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Domenic Vadala: Are Orioles the best team in AL East?

June 17, 2013, 5:25am

Orioles

I spoke last night with a friend of mine who's one of these people who takes and analyzes everything literally. I might also throw in that this guy is not in any way, shape or form, a baseball person. His opinion of baseball is that the pitcher throws, and the batter hits and runs. According to him it's that simple. Luckily we all know better. In fairness, when this person mentioned that he watched yesterday's series finale with Boston, he said that he was impressed with the Orioles. I...

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Two walk-offs, two lift-offs (with pictures)

June 14, 2013, 9:17am

Orioles

Two walk-offs, two lift-offs (with pictures)

The date September 12, 2012 may not stand out in your mind, but for many Orioles fans, the highlights of that night's game are fresh in their minds. Tied 2-2, the Rays and Orioles headed to the ninth in front of a crowd of 26,076. After two outs from Jim Johnson, Evan Longoria stepped to the plate. After working the count full, he hit a weak grounder to the third base side. Manny Machado fielded the ball, but with not enough time to get the runner headed to first. So, what did he do?...

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Anthony Amobi: Can Strop figure it out?

June 14, 2013, 6:00am

Orioles

Wednesday afternoon was a case study in frustration if you are an Orioles fan. The Orioles faced the Los Angeles Angels and were hoping a series sweep. Despite their talent level, the Angels have been lackluster this season, but they took advantage a Baltimore pitcher during the top of the seventh inning. The pitcher on the mound for the Orioles: Pedro Strop. That name has caused fans to react with occasional outbursts of anger all season long. When Strop came into the game, the Orioles...

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The calm after the storm

June 13, 2013, 5:20pm

Orioles

We all know spring in Maryland brings unpredictable weather, but today was exceptionally whimsical. In the late afternoon, many of us in the Baltimore area saw all of the flash flood and tornado warnings on our phones and televisions. Around that time, it seemed near impossible that the Orioles would be able to play their series opener against the Red Sox. By game time, it was near-perfect weather for a night at the yard, but Mother Nature wasn't done yet. Around the fourth inning, we...

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Neal Shaffer: Is it easier to talk O's baseball now than when team was losing?

June 12, 2013, 5:21am

Orioles

Neal Shaffer: Is it easier to talk O's baseball now than when team was losing?

There's only one item on the agenda today and it's a pretty simple one. It takes the form of a question: Is it harder to talk about the Orioles now than it was when they were losing? It is, a little bit, for me. When they were losing, I loved digging in on what ifs and maybes because the rest of the world treated Birdland as an afterthought or a joke. I loved uncovering new angles. I loved placing long bets and playing the long game. I didn't love the baseball a lot of the time, but I...

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Take on Adam Jones in the CareFirst Fan Challenge

June 10, 2013, 7:37pm

Orioles

Take on Adam Jones in the CareFirst Fan Challenge

As he is currently leading all American League outfielders in All-Star Game votes, one thing is for certain: Adam Jones is a tough competitor on the field. But what about off the field? Well, it's up to you to find out. MASN is giving Orioles fans the chance to meet Jones and compete head-to-head with the center fielder during the CareFirst BlueCross Blue Shield Adam Jones Fan Challenge. Maybe you want to challenge him to a bubble-blowing contest, a competitive eating contest or a game of...

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Zach Wilt: Chris Davis and the adjustment period

June 11, 2013, 5:54am

Orioles

Zach Wilt: Chris Davis and the adjustment period

Baseball is a game of constant adjustments. This offseason, Chris Davis worked on fixing the holes in his swing and the adjustment resulted in a league-leading 20 home runs in his first 52 games. Now the rest of baseball has adjusted to Davis and it's his job to take back that advantage and start crushing baseballs over the fences of ballparks across the country again. Davis, the leading vote-getter at first base for the American League for the All-Star Game, hasn't homered since May 29 and...

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Domenic Vadala: The relative unfairness of the AL East

June 09, 2013, 11:03am

Orioles

Domenic Vadala: The relative unfairness of the AL East

I've said numerous times on Birds Watcher that the birth of the current Orioles came on Sept. 28, 2011, when the O's beat Boston on the final day of the season. We all know the story: Robert Andino's RBI double, combined with Evan Longoria's walk-off homer, knocked Boston out of the playoffs that year. The Orioles followed that up with an impromptu playoff birth in 2012, and withstanding this past weekend's series in Tampa, the Orioles are in the hunt again this year. In fact, going into...

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Technical difficulties in St. Pete

June 09, 2013, 9:21am

Orioles

Because of a major electrical malfunction in the production truck at Tropicana Field at St. Peterburg, Fla., you might notice a few changes on today's Orioles-Rays broadcast on MASN. While we're working to correct the problem, it's possible we may start today's game by utilizing the FOX feed from SunSports, the Rays network. That means you'll be seeing game coverage with Rays-related graphics on-screen. We're endeavoring to get our broadcast team of play-by-play man Jim Hunter and color...

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Videos of Hunter Harvey, Josh Hart, Chance Sisco

June 07, 2013, 5:55am

Orioles

Videos of Hunter Harvey, Josh Hart, Chance Sisco

The first two rounds of the First-Year Player Draft (which, by baseball verbiage, is officially called the Rule 4 draft) are in the books. The Orioles went prospecting for young talent, choosing three high school players - right-hander Hunter Harvey in the first round with the 22nd overall pick, center fielder Josh Hart in Round A of the competitive balance draft with the 37th overall pick and catcher Chance Sisco with the 61st overall choice in the second round. MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko...

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Matthew Taylor: How a second wild card might have rewritten O's history

June 07, 2013, 4:48am

Orioles

Matthew Taylor: How a second wild card might have rewritten O's history

It's June, and I'm scoreboard watching. I've actually been doing so since early May. It's not the best way to weather periodic losing streaks, blown saves or even a rival's hot streaks. Nevertheless, I do it all the same. The process is made more enjoyable by the realization that for much of the recent past there was no reason to scoreboard watch at any point in the season for us Orioles fans. Scoreboard watching, regardless of when it takes place, has become a little less stressful with...

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Anthony Amobi: O's will need a consistent Chris Tillman if they're going to win

June 06, 2013, 6:07am

Orioles

Anthony Amobi: O's will need a consistent Chris Tillman if they're going to win

For the past several seasons, Chris Tillman has been a very promising young arm for the Baltimore Orioles. However, from time to time, he is inconsistent, confounding and frustrating to watch on the mound. On Tuesday night, the Orioles defeated the Houston Astros 4-1, and Tillman was excellent, only allowing one run in seven innings of work. The Astros - universally predicted to be awful this season - were flying high and had won six straight games before facing Tillman and the Orioles. I...

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Neal Shaffer: Don't become what we've lamented

June 05, 2013, 5:03am

Orioles

Neal Shaffer: Don't become what we've lamented

So we know that times are changing in Birdland. Winning doesn't seem so weird. The Orioles no longer rank among the bottom feeders. With that comes renewed interest in the team, and with that comes more activity on game day. That means it's time to sound a clarion call for all O's fans to hear: Act like you know. When I read about the recent altercation down at Camden Yards between a couple of supposed Orioles fans and a guy in a Yankees hat, I got a sinking feeling in my gut. I'm no...

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Zach Wilt: Who's a bigger surprise, Chris Davis or Manny Machado?

June 04, 2013, 5:45am

Orioles

Zach Wilt: Who's a bigger surprise, Chris Davis or Manny Machado?

Chris Davis leads Major League Baseball with 20 home runs, and he's on pace to hit 57 this season. Across the diamond, Manny Machado leads the league in doubles with 25. Over at BaltimoreSportsReport.com, in our little corner of the internet, we have been debating the biggest surprise on the O's roster this season. Is it Davis or Machado? On Monday, Davis was named the American League Player of the Week for the second time this season after hitting .481/.500/.963 with four home runs and six...