orioles buzz

D. Bundy to be featured on Sports Illustrated show tonight

July 24, 2012, 7:26am

Orioles

D. Bundy to be featured on Sports Illustrated show tonight

Dylan Bundy is receiving the kind of national press treatment previous phenoms, such as Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper, know all about. Tonight, the Orioles' 19-year-old top pitching prospect will be featured on the premiere episode of the NBC Sports Network's "Sports Illustrated" show at 9 p.m. This afternoon, a Tom Verducci SI feature on Bundy and O's pitching development coordinator Rick Peterson went live on the web. The print edition, which labels the story "The Dylan Bundy...

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Zach Wilt: Comparing 2012 Orioles to their 2005 counterparts

July 24, 2012, 5:28am

Orioles

What a difference a week makes. Just seven days ago, the Orioles appeared to be a team that had slid out of wild-card contention in the American League, their starting rotation was in shambles with Jason Hammel's knee injury and the downward spiral had officially begun. Over the weekend, the Orioles picked up four games in the AL East race thanks to a nifty little winning streak and some help from the Oakland Athletics. As of this morning, the Birds are half-game back in the wild card race...

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Domenic Vadala: Getting cozy with the new concept of contention

July 23, 2012, 5:27am

Orioles

Domenic Vadala: Getting cozy with the new concept of contention

After 14 consecutive losing seasons, there's bound to be angst on the part of any fan base. Bearing that in mind, I think there's something that a lot of fans are struggling with right now: The Orioles are in contention. Back when the season started and things were going so well, my public stance on Birds Watcher was that it was early and we had to see how things played out. Privately, while I kept that advice in the back of my mind, I also felt that this time might be just a bit different....

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Aug. 12 Brian's Baseball Bash canceled

July 21, 2012, 12:17pm

Orioles

Brian's Baseball Bash, the Aug. 12 fundraiser hosted by Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts to benefit the University of Maryland Children's Hospital, has been canceled. According to an announcement on the event's Web site, the fundraiser at Dave & Buster's at Arundel Mills Mall, was canceled "due to uncertainty around Brian's availability and condition after his recent injury." Roberts, who returned to the Orioles earlier this season after missing substantial time because of...

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Matthew Taylor: Deal with Tribe returned Murray to O's nest

July 19, 2012, 6:18pm

Orioles

Matthew Taylor: Deal with Tribe returned Murray to O's nest

It's off to Cleveland for the Orioles after a series split this week with the Twins. Whatever excitement this four-game series may bring, it will be tough to match what happened between the teams on July 21, 1996. Sixteen years ago, the O's reacquired legendary first baseman Eddie Murray in a deal that sent pitcher Kent Mercker to Cleveland. For a nostalgic fan like myself, who grew up delighting in the chants of "Ed-die" at Memorial Stadium, it didn't get much better than welcoming back...

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James Baker: On the Orioles and optimism

July 19, 2012, 6:17am

Orioles

Optimism is the belief that generally good things happen. It is the tendency to see the good in all things, the belief that good will triumph over evil and that this is the best of all possible worlds. If this is all true, then I ask "Why the Baltimore Orioles?" Over the last month, the Orioles have fallen apart in a way I didn't think was possible. Not the fact that they have lost so many games, or that the starting pitching has collapsed, or the hitting went away - all of that was...

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Neal Shaffer: Don't reset your expectations, resolve to abandon them entirely

July 18, 2012, 5:42am

Orioles

Neal Shaffer: Don't reset your expectations, resolve to abandon them entirely

There is something to be learned from a rainstorm. When meeting with a sudden shower, you try not to get wet and run quickly along the road. But doing such things as passing under the eaves of houses, you still get wet. When you are resolved from the beginning, you will not be perplexed, though you still get the same soaking. -- From "Hagakure" If nothing else this season, the Orioles have succeeded at keeping us on the edge. They have been like the summer weather in which they play, at...

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Domenic Vadala: Have faith and stay with what you know

July 13, 2012, 7:30am

Orioles

Domenic Vadala: Have faith and stay with what you know

Greetings, MASNsports.com readers! My name is Domenic Vadala, and I'll be blogging on behalf of Birds Watcher for the remainder of the 2012 season. As we're all aware, the Orioles have exceeded expectations thus far this year, although the first half was ultimately marred by three of the original five starting pitchers being optioned to Triple-A. How is it that the likes of Jake Arrieta, Brian Matusz and Tommy Hunter could have looked so promising, only to fizzle out after so little time?...

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Zach Wilt: Three realistic targets for the Orioles at the trade deadline

July 17, 2012, 6:22am

Orioles

It may be hard to believe if you watched them play last night, but the Orioles would still grab an extra wild card and play postseason baseball for the first time since 1997 (as of this morning, they're a half-game out). It's shocking for a team with a minus-55 run differential (second worst in Major League Baseball), but I guess that's what a 27-14 start will do. Of late, I've seen more tweets declaring the Orioles dead than I have about what Justin Bieber had for lunch - which is saying...

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Ted Leavengood: They'll have to rip the ball out of Strasburg's hands

July 15, 2012, 11:09am

Orioles

Ted Leavengood: They'll have to rip the ball out of Strasburg's hands

Any concern that the Nationals' pitching staff would waver in the second half was dispelled by the first three games in Miami. "Quality start" hardly describes what Jordan Zimmermann, Gio Gonzalez and Stephen Strasburg served up over the weekend. They limited the Fish to three runs in three games which should have been enough for more than two wins. But the All-Star break turned a simmering debate about the Nationals' pitching into an open debate. During a slow sports week, the topic...

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Flashback: Immortalized in bronze, Palmer's always been gold in Charm City

July 14, 2012, 7:51am

Orioles

Flashback: Immortalized in bronze, Palmer's always been gold in Charm City

Here in Charm City, we're so accustomed to Jim Palmer - his brilliant pitching over a 19-year career in Baltimore, the pancake breakfasts when he pitched, World Series victories in three decades, the high leg kick, the mischievous smile, the uncannily accurate memory, the sparring with Earl Weaver, the spot-on analysis - that it's hard to believe that there are some people who don't know who the best pitcher in Orioles history is. I'll let you chew on that for a few seconds. Yes, to some,...

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Of all Orioles memories, magical 1987 sticks out in Sheets' mind

July 07, 2012, 8:26am

Orioles

It's not difficult to pinpoint the most memorable of the six seasons Larry Sheets spent in an Orioles uniform. Just peruse his career stats and his stellar 1987 season - when he batted .316, hit 31 homers and drove in 94 runs - stick out as a high-water mark for a guy drafted 18 picks ahead of Cal Ripken Jr. by the O's in 1978. "It was magical," Sheets, now 52, said recently after participating in the Orioles Alumni Autograph Series. "Unfortunately, I wasn't able to duplicate it after...

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Tweaking the guest blogging rotation for season's second half

July 09, 2012, 8:21am

Orioles

Tweaking the guest blogging rotation for season's second half

The second half of the 2012 season is right around the corner - Friday the 13th baseball at Camden Yards, anyone? - and that's a good time to talk about some changes to our rotation of guest bloggers. Since MASNsports.com introduced the guest blogger initiative at the start of the 2011 campaign, it's been wildly successful. We've been able to highlight the thoughts and opinions of some of the best local and regional Orioles-centric bloggers out there, and our Web traffic and comments...

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Matthew Taylor: As hitters, O's pitchers weren't too shabby

July 13, 2012, 5:12am

Orioles

Matthew Taylor: As hitters, O's pitchers weren't too shabby

Mike Cuellar, Pat Dobson, Dave McNally and Jim Palmer. They, of course, are the Orioles starters who each won 20 games in 1971, matching the 1920 Chicago White Sox as the only teams with four 20-game winners. But how good were those pitchers when it came to hitting home runs? That's the question that occurred to me this week as I researched a Roar from 34 post about Palmer's All-Star outings. The designated hitter wasn't created until 1973, so each of the Orioles' 20-game winners in 1971...

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Neal Shaffer: Best guesses for the Orioles' second half

July 11, 2012, 4:59am

Orioles

Here, at the All-Star break, let's take a moment. I think we need it. The Orioles have not been playing well for something like a month. Yet, as I wrote earlier this week over at The Loss Column, it's important to keep in mind that they're still not only above .500 but in playoff contention, as well. That this is the case despite the aforementioned substandard play is somewhat amazing. Possibly even cause for celebration. Let's not forget that we're in bonus territory here. Now, back...

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Join Roberts for Brian's Baseball Bash on Aug. 12 at Dave & Buster's

July 06, 2012, 5:06am

Orioles

Join Roberts for Brian's Baseball Bash on Aug. 12 at Dave & Buster's

The sixth annual Brian's Baseball Bash, the signature fundraiser for the University of Maryland Children's Hospital hosted by Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts, will be held Sunday, Aug. 12 at Dave & Buster's at Arundel Mills Mall. Admission is $200 for adults and $150 for children under 12. The ticket price includes complimentary parking, a Dave & Buster's game card, dinner, dessert, beverages and the opportunity to interact with Orioles players in attendance. The event will feature...

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Hammel's All-Star aspirations now rest in fans' hands

July 01, 2012, 10:42am

Orioles

Hammel's All-Star aspirations now rest in fans' hands

Anyone who's watched the Orioles this season knows the impact that right-hander Jason Hammel has had on the team's turnaround. Now, Hammel's chances of joining three teammates - Adam Jones, Jim Johnson and Matt Wieters - in Kansas City for the July 10 All-Star Game are in the fans' hands. Hammel is one of five finalists for the Final Vote, a fan-centric competition that will name the final member of the American League squad. From now through Thursday at 4 p.m., fans can cast an online...

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Heath Bintliff: Back to the future with Chris Tillman

July 02, 2012, 5:34pm

Orioles

Heath Bintliff: Back to the future with Chris Tillman

After a 328 day absence, it appears that Chris Tillman is returning to the Orioles rotation Thursday. While Tillman's 2010 and 2011 seasons have been difficult and trying, in 2012 he has turned back the clock to 2009. In 2009, the 21-year old phenom dominated the International League for nearly four months (only Braves 22-year old hurler Tommy Hanson was better). That was the last bit of real success Tillman has had until this season. I was present at a few of those Norfolk Tides games...

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Olivia Witherite: A true designated hitter for the Orioles at Camden Yards

July 01, 2012, 9:56pm

Orioles

About midway through the Saturday afternoon game at Camden Yards, the comment at work was made that the mentions of the Orioles on Twitter were blowing up. Granted, it wasn't for the Birds' game in the least, as they eventually dug their own graves in an 11-5 loss to Cleveland. Instead, attached to every tweet was the name of Jim Thome. A veteran in the truest sense of the word, the 41-year-old is once again on an American League roster and serving as the O's designated hitter. As an...

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Flashback: With Weaver at the helm, O's were perennial winners

June 29, 2012, 10:52am

Orioles

Flashback: With Weaver at the helm, O's were perennial winners

In Baltimore, one of the quirky perks reserved for favorite sports sons is the notion that they're on a first-name basis with the fan base. Say "Brooks," "Cal" or "Boog," and pretty much any Orioles fan will know exactly who you're talking about. No explanation - or last name - is necessary. Same with Earl Weaver, who spent his entire major league managerial career at the helm of the Orioles in two stints and amassed an impressive .583 winning percentage along with the 1970 World...