Anthony Amobi: Future is uncertain, but Britton's present is certainly enjoyable

Anthony Amobi: Future is uncertain, but Britton's present is certainly enjoyable
It's way too soon to christen Zach Britton the ace of a pitching staff. However, based on his starts for the Orioles so far, he may be it. As of right now, it is accurate to say that he is exceeding expectations. Most thought that Britton would be solid, perhaps go through the school of hard knocks at the major league level. Rather than coming off as a fresh-faced rookie - which Britton basically still is - he's pitching like a tenured, proven major league veteran at the moment. To win...
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Baltimore left quite an impression on ex-Oriole Jackie Brandt

Baltimore left quite an impression on ex-Oriole Jackie Brandt
For his involvement in some of baseball's most memorable moments and his associations with some of the game's greats, ex-Orioles outfielder Jackie Brandt's career as a baseball journeyman was anything but ordinary. As a rookie in 1956, he lockered next to Stan Musial with the St. Louis Cardinals. As a San Francisco Giant, he played in the outfield alongside Willie Mays. In Baltimore, Brooks Robinson was a teammate. Ted Williams' fabled home run in his final career at-bat in 1960 sailed...
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Anthony Amobi: Are Roberts' injuries an ominous sign?

Anthony Amobi: Are Roberts' injuries an ominous sign?
It's been a frustrating past two seasons for Brian Roberts. For the most part, he's one the most prominent faces of the franchise and the longest-tenured Oriole on the roster. However, he's not played much due to back issues, concussions and various illnesses that have popped up. It's been a hard road for the second baseman and I'm sure Roberts must be far angrier by the state of his own affairs than even the most ardent Orioles fan. At the moment, he is on the seven-day disabled list...
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Anthony Amobi: Guerrero has been an entertaining addition for O's

Anthony Amobi: Guerrero has been an entertaining addition for O's
Most fans know that Vladmir Guerrero will be headed to the Hall of Fame at some point. Guerrero's tenure with the Baltimore Orioles will be a pit stop en route to baseball immortality in a career filled with a World Series appearance, big hits, a golden arm and the ability to hit the ball thrown anywhere within a hitter's zone, or out of it. At one time, he rivaled anyone in the sport's history before his knees gave out. Any coach in the sport would never teach Guerrero's approach at the...
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Monday Memory: When battles between Baltimore, D.C. were commonplace

Monday Memory: When battles between Baltimore, D.C. were commonplace
The first weekend of interleague play is over, and any further bragging rights associated with the Battle of the Beltways will have to hold off until the Orioles travel to the banks of the Anacostia River to face the Nationals June 17-19. It's going to take some time before Major League Baseball gets it wish, a thriving rivalry between two teams separated by about 35 miles of the Gladys Noon Spellman Memorial Parkway (or the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, Route 295, to those of you who didn't...
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Heath Bintliff: Why I'm enjoying this team

Heath Bintliff: Why I'm enjoying this team
This is going to sound strange after the last three games, but I'm going to say it anyway. I like this team. Sure, the Orioles have their flaws. Yes, I would probably have slightly different personnel on the roster if I were the general manager, but all in all, I like this team. Here are a few reasons why: I like the homegrown rotation. This rotation has had and will continue to have growing pains. But it's virtually all homegrown talent. When's the last time the Orioles could say that?...
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Heath Bintliff: Orioles need some Yankee killers

Heath Bintliff: Orioles need some Yankee killers
As the Orioles struggled to put up runs in a 15 innings struggle last night, it got me thinking that we really needed a Yankee killer to come to the plate and put this one away. Someone. Anyone to get that big hit. So who are/were the greatest Yankee killers in Oriole history? I looked up the Baltimore players who racked up the most big games against the Bronx Bombers in Orioles history Multiple HR games Boog Powell 4 Brooks Robinson 2 Ramon Hernandez ...
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Anthony Amobi: As O's near the quarter-pole, is .500 within reach?

Anthony Amobi: As O's near the quarter-pole, is .500 within reach?
The question on my mind - and a lot of fans' minds - is this: Can the Orioles finish at or above .500? As we're close to the one-quarter mark of the 2011 (unofficially) season, there have been a lot of ups and downs with this team. We all know the Orioles have struggled since the end of the 1990s and this year is centered with focusing on the development of the young arms, but also to some respect - wins, losses and being competitive. As of May 18, there is some good and bad with the 2011...
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Heath Bintliff: Orioles bullpen has been a money pit

Heath Bintliff: Orioles bullpen has been a money pit
Monday night in Boston, $16.5 million worth of relievers conspired to give up eight runs and blow a 6-run lead. You would think that the Orioles would have learned by now. You can't fix your bullpen by spending big buck in free agency. And trying to do so has contributed a bunch to the 13 years of losing. A look at some of the free agent relievers over the last 10 years: G ERA Total Salary (in millions) Mike Gonzalez 44 5.54 ...
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Heath Bintliff: Ranking the pitchers in the Orioles Hall of Fame

Heath Bintliff: Ranking the pitchers in the Orioles Hall of Fame
Based off a couple comments from my previous post about Jeremy Guthrie, I decided to revisit the great Orioles pitchers, more specifically, the pitchers that have been voted into the Orioles Hall of Fame. Of the pitchers in the O's Hall of Fame, I have included those who spent a significant percentage of their Orioles career as starters. The lone exception will be Hoyt Wilhelm, who made only 43 starts over his four-plus years in Baltimore, but the reasons for that will become apparent. I am...
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Premature end of promising career broke heart of "Dr. Longball"

Premature end of promising career broke heart of "Dr. Longball"
The only regret Ken Dixon has about his baseball life is the way it ended: with a mysterious shoulder ailment that short-circuited what was shaping up to be a promising major league career. Dixon went 26-28 from 1984-87 with the Orioles before being traded to Seattle in the December 1987 deal that brought pitcher Mike Morgan to Baltimore. The right-hander was primarily used as a starter, though he also pitched in relief, recording five saves in his final season as an Oriole. What brought his...
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Meet MASNsports.com's Steve Melewski at Hightopps on Monday, May 16

Meet MASNsports.com's Steve Melewski at Hightopps on Monday, May 16
Meet MASNsports.com's Steve Melewski at Hightopps Backstage Grille in Timonium on Monday, May 16 from 7-8 p.m. He'll be at HIghtopps, 2306 York Road (just north of the Timonium Fairgrounds) to meet and greet O's fans, watch some of the 7 p.m. Orioles-Red Sox game airing on MASN/MASN HD and give away some prizes. HIghtopps boasts some of the frostiest cold beverages and tastiest food this side of Camden Yards, and the atmosphere is decidedly family friendly, so feel free to join in the...
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Matthew Taylor: Recalling O's first trip to The Trop

Matthew Taylor: Recalling O's first trip to The Trop
The third-place Orioles head to Tampa Bay this weekend looking to avenge last week's three-game sweep at the hands of the Rays. Thirteen years ago, the Birds flew south for their first-ever series in St. Petersburg from May 8-10, 1998. The O's took two of three at The Trop that weekend behind their veteran players. Baltimore batted around and scored five runs in the seventh inning of the series opener to break open a tight ballgame they ultimately won 8-2. Eric Davis got things started with...
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Postponed April 22 Yankees-Orioles game to be made up Aug. 27 at 1:05 p.m.

Postponed April 22 Yankees-Orioles game to be made up Aug. 27 at 1:05 p.m.
The Orioles have announced that the Yankees-Orioles game that was postponed by rain April 22 has been rescheduled for Saturday, Aug. 27 at 1:05 p.m. The makeup will be the daytime portion of a day/night doubleheader at Camden Yards that will require separate admissions. The nightcap will be the regularly scheduled 7:05 p.m. game. Tickets dated April 22 will be accepted only at the Aug. 27 1:05 game; fans should simply bring their tickets from the April 22 game to the ballpark gates that day...
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Matthew Taylor: Will Adam Jones ever homer against Seattle, his former team?

Matthew Taylor: Will Adam Jones ever homer against Seattle, his former team?
Adam Jones has seven hits in 10 at-bats in the past two games against the Mariners. With four singles, two doubles and a triple, he's nearly hit for the cycle in this series. All that's missing is a home run, which should come as no surprise. Jones has never homered in 29 games versus the Mariners, who made him a first-round draft pick in 2003. It's a quirky outlier among Jones' career numbers. He has homered at least once against every other team that he's faced more than six times. So...
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Matthew Taylor: O's walk-off against Mariners extends streak that began in 1954

Matthew Taylor: O's walk-off against Mariners extends streak that began in 1954
The Orioles earned their first walk-off win of the 2011 season Tuesday night with a two-run rally in the bottom of the 13th inning against the Mariners. The victory keeps alive a streak that has been in existence as long as the team itself. The Orioles have had a least one walk-off win every year since the St. Louis Browns moved to Baltimore in 1954. They don't call it Orioles Magic for nothing. Seattle was among the Orioles' walk-off victims last year, as well, thanks to Adam Jones'...
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Matthew Taylor: Will Mariners-O's series tilt toward pitching or hitting?

Matthew Taylor: Will Mariners-O's series tilt toward pitching or hitting?
If you're looking for offense, you may want to avoid Camden Yards for the next few nights. If, on the other hand, you're a connoisseur of quality pitching, the ballpark is just the place for you. There were two no-hitters in baseball last week. With the Orioles and Mariners squaring off, you might see two in the same game. The Birds currently rank 25th of 30 major league teams with a .233 team average and have scored three runs or fewer in six of the past seven games. The Mariners rank 27th...
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Heath Bintliff: O's have more than one great shortstop prospect at Delmarva

Heath Bintliff: O's have more than one great shortstop prospect at Delmarva
Over the weekend, I drove up to Asheville to watch the Delmarva Shorebirds, (ow Single-A affiliate of the Orioles, take on the Asheville Tourists in a matchup of two of the better teams in the South Atlantic League. My original intent was to see the Orioles' 2010 first-round pick and wunderkind shortstop Manny Machado play. But a knee injury last week meant that the only Machado action I saw was him crutching his way from the Shorebirds' dugout to the clubhouse. As consolation, I was...
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Matthew Taylor: O's Mother's Day highs and lows

Matthew Taylor: O's Mother's Day highs and lows
When you think of the Orioles and Mother's Day, which game comes to mind? There are two most likely answers that reflect very different eras of baseball in Baltimore. First, there's the miserable Mother's Day of four years ago when the Orioles, leading by five runs with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning at Fenway Park, surrendered six runs to squander the victory and a series win against the rival Red Sox. It was the first of many bullpen meltdowns during the 2007 season, none...
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Monday Memory: Tom Hanks channels Wild Bill Hagy at Camden Yards

Monday Memory: Tom Hanks channels Wild Bill Hagy at Camden Yards
Newcomers to Birdland might be surprised to learn that Camden Yards was once a mecca for all sorts of stars and personalities. Almost as soon as the downtown ballpark opened in April 1992, a steady stream of celebrities, entertainers, athletes and heads of state have made a beeline for Oriole Park to watch the Birds, chow down on Boog's and take in the Baltimore skyline. Rocker Joan Jett was a familiar presence in the years immediately after Camden Yards opened. Before he was a "Celebrity...
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