orioles buzz

Matt Kremnitzer: Brach's leverage in O's bullpen is improving

June 01, 2015, 7:26pm

Orioles

Matt Kremnitzer: Brach's leverage in O's bullpen is improving

There's no single, effective way to build a bullpen. Some teams throw money at high-priced relievers to fill holes. Some target young relievers early in the major league draft, hoping they'll be able to contribute to the club in a hurry. Many teams convert failed starting pitching prospects into one- or two-inning relief options, while most frequently seek out overlooked or underwhelming pitching options and hope they figure something out. That's how someone like Kevin Gregg keeps finding...

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Opposite dugout: Will home cooking help Astros avenge earlier series loss to O's?

May 30, 2015, 1:59pm

Orioles

Opposite dugout: Will home cooking help Astros avenge earlier series loss to O's?

Manager: A.J. Hinch (1st season) Record: 31-20 Last 10 games: 4-6 Who to watch: 2B Jose Altuve (.296/.344/.417 with 25 RBIs, 15 SB), LF Colby Rasmus (8 HR, 17 RBIs), RF George Springer (7 HR, 17 RBIs), DH Evan Gattis (11 HR, 31 RBIs), LHP Dallas Keuchel (7-1, 1.76 ERA), RHP Luke Gregerson (3.74 ERA, 13 saves) Season series vs. Orioles: 1-2 Pitching probables: June 1: RHP Ubaldo Jimenez vs. LHP Brett Oberholtzer, 8:10 p.m., MASN2 June 2: RHP Mike Wright vs. RHP Collin McHugh, 8:10 p.m., MASN2...

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Andrew Stetka: Questions aplenty surrounding Wieters' return

June 01, 2015, 4:58am

Orioles

Andrew Stetka: Questions aplenty surrounding Wieters' return

The impending return of Matt Wieters to the Orioles is going to create more questions than answers for the short term and the long term. As many know, Wieters has been rehabbing in the minors following Tommy John surgery. He's set to come off the disabled list later this week, but following some comments from Buck Showalter yesterday, I immediately question his role. Wieters could join the club Thursday in Houston and serve as the designated hitter, or Friday in Cleveland to be the catcher....

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Opposite dugout: Tampa Bay scuffling, has dropped season-high five straight games

May 29, 2015, 8:25am

Orioles

Opposite dugout: Tampa Bay scuffling, has dropped season-high five straight games

Manager: Kevin Cash (1st season) Record: 24-24 Last 10 games: 4-6 Who to watch: LF David DeJesus (.322, 18 RBIs), 3B Evan Longoria (.284, 5 HR, 23 RBIs), 2B Logan Forsythe (21 RBIs), RF Stephen Souza Jr. (7 HR, 17 RBIs), RHP Jake Orodizzi (3-5, 2.31 ERA), RHP Brad Boxberger (13 saves, 2.95 ERA) Season series vs. Orioles: 3-3 Pitching probables: May 29: RHP Nate Karns vs. RHP Miguel Gonzalez, 7:05 p.m., MASN May 30: RHP Erasmo Ramirez vs. LHP Wei-Yin Chen, 4:05 p.m., MASN May 31: RHP Jake...

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Opposite dugout: White Sox return to Baltimore for doubleheader after April postponements

May 27, 2015, 6:58pm

Orioles

Opposite dugout: White Sox return to Baltimore for doubleheader after April postponements

Manager: Robin Ventura (4th season) Record: 20-24 Last 10 games: 3-7 Who to watch: 1B Jose Abreu (.284/.346/.497 with 8 HR, 29 RBIs, 10 BB), RF Avisail Garcia (.327/.365/.456 with 48 hits and 18 RBIs), SS Alexei Ramirez (40 hits, 20 RBIs), LHP Chris Sale (3-2, 54 K), RHP David Robertson (9 saves) Season series vs. Orioles: 0-1 Pitching probables: May 27: LHP Chris Sale vs. RHP Tyler Wilson, 1:05 p.m., MASN (Game 1)May 27: RHP Chris Beck vs. RHP Mike Wright, TBA, MASN (Game 2) Inside the White...

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Matthew Taylor: Measuring historical dominance by Orioles pitchers

May 29, 2015, 5:36am

Orioles

Which Orioles pitchers have had the most dominant individual outings by modern statistical measures? That's one of the questions that came to mind for me as I read Joe Sheehan's article "The Case for ... The Pedro" in the May 25 edition of Sports Illustrated. Sheehan discusses Corey Kluber's May 13 outing for the Cleveland Indians, during which he struck out 18 batters and walked none, and makes the case that, "To strike out a lot of hitter, while walking few or none ... is the pinnacle...

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Zach Wilt: The Orioles' balance of power

May 27, 2015, 7:37pm

Orioles

If the Orioles could go back and time and play the 2012 version of themselves, I'm certain that the series would like identical to what we just watched against the Astros. A.J. Hinch's club reminds me exactly of what I watched here in Baltimore two seasons ago. The 'Stros are a scrappy group of power hitters who deliver clutch hits, are never out of games and win by a close margin. It was fun to watch on this end, but now I can totally understand why the 2012 O's frustrated their...

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2015 live chats kick off with Adam Jones and Chris Davis

May 27, 2015, 5:58am

Orioles

2015 live chats kick off with Adam Jones and Chris Davis

An old veteran of the MASNsports.com live chat sessions, Adam Jones joined host Courtney Connor for the first edition of the 2015 season. He wielded fans' questions submitted to MASN's Twitter, Facebook and website. While some of the questions were hard-hitting baseball questions, others were hilarious, off-the-field questions for the center fielder. @masnOrioles if you were given one of the Buck garden gnomes where would you keep it? #AskAJ #AskCrush -- Michael Jabs (@VTmjabs) May 26,...

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Domenic Vadala: Is it time for O's to get creative at first base?

May 26, 2015, 7:06pm

Orioles

Domenic Vadala: Is it time for O's to get creative at first base?

I was a bit shocked when I saw the lineup hours prior to Monday's game against Houston. Aside from the time when he was suspended, when's the last time the Orioles' starting lineup didn't include Chris Davis? Sitting Davis on the bench is something that was lauded by many fans, and understandably so. Hovering around the Mendoza line isn't exactly what one would have expected going into this year. But my question is whether or not it's time to get creative with first base. And by creative,...

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Matt Kremnitzer: Joseph has been a pleasant surprise in 2015

May 26, 2015, 5:57am

Orioles

Matt Kremnitzer: Joseph has been a pleasant surprise in 2015

Heading into the 2014 season, Caleb Joseph was a few months from turning 28, yet he'd never played in a single major league game. But early in the season, Matt Wieters was placed on the disabled list with an elbow injury, and soon was lost for the season. Steve Clevenger made the club out of spring training as the team's backup catcher, but it quickly became evident that the Orioles didn't think he was suitable for even part-time catching duty. Joseph was promoted to the majors on May 7, and...

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Opposite dugout: Surprising Astros are a study in statistical contrasts

May 23, 2015, 4:40pm

Orioles

Opposite dugout: Surprising Astros are a study in statistical contrasts

Manager: A.J. Hinch (1st season) Record: 29-16 Last 10 games: 7-3 Who to watch: 2B Jose Altuve (.294/.345/.428 with 5 HR, 25 RBIs, 14 SB), CF Jake Marisnick (.281 with 16 RBIs and 9 SB), LF Colby Rasmus (8 HR, 17 RBIs), LHP Dallas Keuchel (6-0, 1.67 ERA), RHP Luke Gregerson (12 saves) Season series vs. Orioles: First meeting (3-4 in 2014) Pitching probables: May 25: LHP Dallas Keuchel vs. LHP Wei-Yin Chen, 1:35 p.m., MASN May 26: RHP Scott Feldman vs. RHP Chris Tillman, 7:05 p.m., MASN May 27:...

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Andrew Stetka: A look at the O's secondary pitching prospects

May 25, 2015, 6:50am

Orioles

Andrew Stetka: A look at the O's secondary pitching prospects

As the Orioles offense continues to plod along through May, the organization's pitching depth is also being tested. The young arms are passing the exam so far. Over the last week or so, we've seen Mike Wright, Tyler Wilson and Oliver Drake make their major league debuts with the Birds. These are three O's draft picks that aren't nearly as highly touted as the three No. 1 choices that have been ranked at the top of the team's farm system. We're talking, of course, about 2011 pick Dylan...

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Opposite dugout: Reeling Marlins feature slugging Stanton, GM-turned-manager Jennings

May 20, 2015, 8:46am

Orioles

Opposite dugout: Reeling Marlins feature slugging Stanton, GM-turned-manager Jennings

Manager: Dan Jennings (1st season) Record: 16-26 Last 10 games: 1-9 Who to watch: RF Giancarlo Stanton (.239/.324/523 with 12 HR, 39 RBIs), SS Adeiny Hechevarria (.297 with 20 RBIs), CF Marcell Ozuna (.276 with 3 HR, 12 RBIs), RHP Dan Haren (4-2, 3.47 ERA), RHP A.J. Ramos (0.90 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 26 Ks in 20 IP) Season series vs. Orioles: First meeting (2-1 in 2010) Pitching probables: May 22: RHP Ubaldo Jimenez vs. RHP Henderson Alvarez, 7:10 p.m., MASN2 May 23: RHP Mike Wright vs. RHP Dan Haren,...

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Matthew Taylor: When wooden foul lines factored into a wager between pitchers

May 21, 2015, 7:21pm

Orioles

Matthew Taylor: When wooden foul lines factored into a wager between pitchers

Orioles pitchers Hoyt Wilhelm and Billy O'Dell each entered the 1959 season with one career home run. Wilhelm's homer came during his rookie campaign with the New York Giants in 1952; O'Dell's blast was in 1958 for the Orioles. The players made a bet about who would hit the most home runs in 1959. The anniversary of O'Dell winning that bet, thanks to a quirky assist from Memorial Stadium's wooden foul lines, passed earlier this week. O'Dell became one of the approximately 10 major league...

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Zach Wilt: Putting faith in the arms while O's lumber slumbers

May 21, 2015, 4:57am

Orioles

Zach Wilt: Putting faith in the arms while O's lumber slumbers

When your favorite team has lost four of their last seven games, it's easy to be nitpicky. When they're in fourth place in the AL East on May 21, it's even more easy to just be flat out negative. Watching Nelson Cruz blast a three-run homer in his return to Charm City was painful, not only because of the dozens of replies I received on Twitter from angry O's fans, but also because the Birds have lacked a bit of the power they've had over the past few seasons. As a team, the Orioles have...

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Domenic Vadala: With Wright, Orioles are doing things the right way

May 20, 2015, 5:37am

Orioles

For starters, the debut of Mike Wright on Sunday was about as awe-inspiring as a debut can be. Seriously, I can't imagine what must have been going through his mind walking off the mound in the 8th inning to a standing ovation like he did. And he indicated as much after the game, saying that you really couldn't draw it up any better than that. However, Buck Showalter said something that piqued my interest in his postgame press conference on Sunday afternoon. He said that in Wright's case,...

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Orioles attend second annual Manny Machado BaseBOWL Tournament

May 19, 2015, 10:33am

Orioles

On a rare off-day, the Orioles still came together to participate in the second annual Manny Machado BaseBOWL Tournament on May 19. Machado's teammates attended the sold-out event at Mustang Alleys Bar, Bowling and Bistro in Baltimore to showcase their bowling skills alongside Orioles fans to help raise money and awareness for Baltimore City's Department of Recreation and Parks. "They're going to be able to bowl, interact with the players," Machado said. "There's going to be some auction...

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Opposite dugout: Cruz crushing homers, but Mariners yet to put it together

May 18, 2015, 12:41pm

Orioles

Opposite dugout: Cruz crushing homers, but Mariners yet to put it together

Manager: Lloyd McClendon (3rd season) Record: 17-20 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: LF/DH Nelson Cruz (.340/.395/.694 with 15 HR, 30 RBIs), 3B Kyle Seager (5 HR, 21 RBIs), LHP J.A. Happ (3-1, 2.98 ERA), RHP Fernando Rodney (5.65 with 9 saves) Season series vs. Orioles: First meeting (2-5 in 2014) Pitching probables: May 19: RHP Taijuan Walker vs. RHP Miguel Gonzalez, 7:05 p.m., MASN2 May 20: LHP Roenis Elias vs. LHP Wei-Yin Chen, 7:05 p.m., MASN2 May 21: LHP J.A. Happ vs. Chris Tillman, 12:35...

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Matt Kremnitzer: Looking at the O's corner outfielders

May 19, 2015, 6:14am

Orioles

Matt Kremnitzer: Looking at the O's corner outfielders

The Orioles have a corner outfield problem: The team's assortment of corner outfielders has been underwhelming When it comes to the Orioles outfield, there's Adam Jones in center field, and then there's a lot of spare parts. That doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing, except when those parts all aren't playing well. And right now, they aren't. Jones is second in the majors among all qualified center fielders with a 153 wRC+. Meanwhile, O's left fielders currently have a combined...

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Opposite dugout: Yankees benefiting from resurgent offense, lockdown bullpen

May 06, 2015, 7:46am

Orioles

Opposite dugout: Yankees benefiting from resurgent offense, lockdown bullpen

Manager: Joe Girardi (8th season) Record: 17-11 Last 10 games: 7-3 Who to watch: CF Jacoby Ellsbury (.355/.427/.409 with 11 SB), LF Brett Gardner (.309/.444/.404 with 13 RBIs, 8 SB), 1B Mark Teixeira (10 HR, 23 RBIs), DH Alex Rodriguez (6 HR, 16 RBIs), RHP Dellin Betances (3-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 SV, 26 Ks in 15 1/3 IP), LHP Andrew Miller (0.00 ERA, 11 SV, 23 Ks in 13 2/3 IP), RHP Michael Pineda (4-0, 2.97 ERA, 38 Ks in 37 1/3 IP) Season series vs. Orioles: 1-2 Pitching probables: May 7: RHP Chris...