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Zach Wilt: What are the Orioles missing?

May 07, 2015, 5:05am

Orioles

What are the Orioles missing? A veteran outfielder, a big-time slugger and a shutdown reliever. That's what the Orioles lost during the offseason to the free agent market. After nine seasons in black and orange, Nick Markakis signed on with the Atlanta Braves. Nelson Cruz, who was arguably the best free agent signing last offseason, cashed in on his 40-homer season with a $57 million contract out west in Seattle. Andrew Miller headed north to put on the pinstripes for the division rival New...

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Hitting the Books with Gary Thorne: "Fridays with Red"

May 05, 2015, 12:34pm

Orioles

Hitting the Books with Gary Thorne: "Fridays with Red"

Bob Edwards hosted the National Public Radio morning show for years. For 12 of those years, baseball broadcaster Red Barber joined Edwards once a week for an over-the-fence conversation on subjects that ranged from the Brooklyn Dodgers to bird watching to blooming flowers. Barber was retired in Florida during this time. He had concluded one of the most storied broadcast careers in history. For more than 60 years, Barber's voice was as familiar to sports fans, especially those in Brooklyn, as...

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Domenic Vadala: Dealing with injuries and their aftermath

May 06, 2015, 6:27am

Orioles

Domenic Vadala: Dealing with injuries and their aftermath

Every Major League Baseball season is different, and there are no ifs, ands, or buts about that. However, I would submit that if there's one thing that has kind of marred the first month of this year, it's been injuries. This is true regarding the Orioles, and it's true of other teams. If anything, the Orioles are probably luckier than most teams in that J.J. Hardy and Ryan Flaherty are currently doing rehab assignments, where some teams are starting to get bitten by the bug now. As we've...

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Opposite dugout: Mets have cooled off after hottest start in the majors

May 04, 2015, 1:34pm

Orioles

Opposite dugout: Mets have cooled off after hottest start in the majors

Manager: Terry Collins (5th year) Record: 16-10 Last 10 games: 3-7 Who to watch: 1B Lucas Duda (.304 with 2 HR, 12 RBIs), CF Juan Lagares (.324 with 11 RBIs), RHP Bartolo Colon (4-1, 3.31 ERA), RHP Jacob deGrom (2-3, 3.34 ERA), RHP Jeurys Familia (1.35 ERA, 10 saves) Season series vs. Orioles: First meeting (3-0 in 2012, 19-9 all-time) Pitching probables: May 5 - RHP Bud Norris vs. RHP Bartolo Colon, 7:10 p.m., MASN2 May 6 - RHP Ubaldo Jimenez vs. RHP Jacob deGrom, 7:10 p.m., MASN Inside the...

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Matt Kremnitzer: Miguel Gonzalez is at it again

May 04, 2015, 7:11pm

Orioles

Matt Kremnitzer: Miguel Gonzalez is at it again

Orioles pitching has been better lately, and Miguel Gonzalez's solid performance on Saturday (7 2/3 scoreless innings of four-hit ball with a walk and six strikeouts) played a part in the turnaround. It's been easy to routinely overlook Gonzalez, who always seems to be mentioned as a bullpen option instead of a lock for the rotation. I'm certainly guilty of that. But after five starts of posting a 2.59 ERA and a 3.89 FIP this season, Gonzalez is again chugging along and doing what it takes...

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Andrew Stetka: Paredes' place on the roster

May 04, 2015, 4:50am

Orioles

Andrew Stetka: Paredes' place on the roster

Baseball rosters fascinate me - the way they are constructed, they way certain players must pass through waivers or be optioned to the minor leagues. It's all a messy and complicated puzzle. Now that we are through the first month of the season, the most intriguing part to the Orioles puzzle is Jimmy Paredes. I wonder every day how that puzzle piece fits into the bigger picture long term. The biggest problem with Paredes going forward is the fact that he doesn't really have a position. He's...

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Opposite dugout: Bizarro series as hard to predict as Rays' success so far

April 29, 2015, 2:38pm

Orioles

Opposite dugout: Bizarro series as hard to predict as Rays' success so far

Manager: Kevin Cash (1st season) Record: 12-10 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: OF David DeJesus (.277/.386/.383 with 1 HR, 8 RBIs), 3B Evan Longoria (.293/.393/.427 with 7 2B,1 HR, 4 RBIs), RF Steven Souza Jr. (4 HR, 11 RBIs), CF Kevin Kiermaier (.306/.338/.565 with 2 HR, 7 RBIs), RHP Chris Archer (3-2, 0.84 ERA, 37 Ks), Closer Brad Boxberger (2-1, 1.93 ERA, 5 saves) Season series vs. Orioles: 1-2 Pitching probables: May 1: RHP Alex Colome vs. RHP Chris Tillman, 7:05 p.m., MASN2 May 2: RHP...

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Matthew Taylor: Digging deeper for hope and inspiration

May 01, 2015, 5:21am

Orioles

Matthew Taylor: Digging deeper for hope and inspiration

I started blogging about the Orioles in 2006. I chronicled six of the final 14 losing seasons in Baltimore; to date, I have written about a heck of a lot more losing than winning. Various motivations have helped me to keep at it for as long as I have, some of which make sense and others that are simply foolish. At the core of it all has been the simple truth that I love this team, which was something of a birthright in my family. In the not-so-distant past, when having a winning baseball team...

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Zach Wilt: Outside gates, hearty fans locked out but not down

April 29, 2015, 8:00pm

Orioles

Zach Wilt: Outside gates, hearty fans locked out but not down

You'll never hear a louder bat crack or be able to listen in as Adam Jones calls off Alejandro De Aza on a fly ball hit to left-center field like you were able to on Wednesday afternoon outside Camden Yards. The Orioles' matchup against the White Sox - which took 2 hours, 3 minutes - was one for the record books featuring a crowd of zero, a pre-recorded national anthem and John Denver's "Thank God I'm A Country Boy" played during the seventh-inning stretch for only the players, a few...

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Sights and sounds from empty Camden Yards

April 29, 2015, 5:44pm

Orioles

Sights and sounds from empty Camden Yards

On Wednesday afternoon, the Orioles made history by playing a ballgame closed to the public. The decision was made in response to the Baltimore riots. The show must go on. The Birds beat the White Sox 8-2 in front of an empty stadium. It's the first time there have been zero fans in attendance for a Major League Baseball game. Check out all behind-the-scenes looks of the historical game at Camden Yards. MASN cameras will be bringing you live coverage from Camden Yards beginning at 1:30...

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Hitting the Books with Gary Thorne: "If Beale Street Could Talk"

April 28, 2015, 4:29pm

Orioles

Hitting the Books with Gary Thorne: "If Beale Street Could Talk"

Let's hit the books with one of this country's most influential writers on matters of race relations in the United States - James Baldwin. "If Beale Street Could Talk" was written in 1974, but it could have been written today, and we would recognize the story as one of current events. A young black man is wrongly charged with rape and the story of his fight for freedom is told through the eyes of his pregnant fiancÃ©e. The characters are painfully real without exaggeration. One feels the...

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Domenic Vadala: Orioles in position to help Baltimore heal

April 28, 2015, 7:15pm

Orioles

Let me preface this by saying that in no way am I comparing what's happened in Baltimore the past few days to the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, or any other situation. I'm just not qualified to say which situation is worse or anything along those lines. What I can say is that both were community issues at their grass roots. In the wake of the tragedy at the Boston Marathon two years ago, we saw the city of Boston become galvanized and unified, perhaps more so than at any other time since...

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Matt Kremnitzer: Some valid concerns about Orioles pitching

April 27, 2015, 7:39pm

Orioles

Some things are more important than baseball. Actually, lots of things are more important than baseball. But baseball is what we're here to discuss, though it's worth noting the O's situation at home this week is up in the air. So while hoping for the best in Baltimore, let's get to it. At 9-10, the Orioles are treading water in a division full of teams that are treading water. So far, every American League East team has at least nine wins and is within a few games of either first or last...

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Opposite dugout: Free-spending White Sox dodge rotation issues with appeals

April 26, 2015, 10:29am

Orioles

Opposite dugout: Free-spending White Sox dodge rotation issues with appeals

Manager: Robin Ventura (4th season) Record: 8-9 Last 10 games: 5-5 Who to watch: 1B Jose Abreu (.313/.370/.642 with 5 HR, 14 RBIs, DH Adam LaRoche (.210, 3HR, 9 RBIs), LHP Chris Sale (2-0, 2.37 ERA, 16 Ks), LHP Jeff Samardzija (1-1, 3.33 ERA, 17 Ks), RHP David Robertson (2-0, 0.00 ERA, 3 saves) Season series vs. Orioles: First meeting (1-5 in 2014) Pitching probables: April 27: RHP Hector Noesi vs. RHP Ubaldo Jimenez , 7:05 p.m., MASN2 April 25: LHP Jeff Samardzija vs. RHP Chris Tillman, 7:05...

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Andrew Stetka: After tumultuous weekend, a sense of civic pride for hometown

April 26, 2015, 6:44pm

Orioles

Andrew Stetka: After tumultuous weekend, a sense of civic pride for hometown

It was a weird weekend in Baltimore. The Orioles lost the first of a crucial three-game series with the Red Sox before bouncing back to win the next two and take the series. It all came amid a cloud of turmoil surrounding the city. We talk baseball here, but it's important to recognize when bigger things are going on and impacting others. I was fortunate enough to be able to attend Friday's game at Camden Yards. I say fortunate because I've lived in Arizona now for about four years, and any...

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Opposite dugout: Red Sox tied for division lead, but offense and pitching not in sync

April 23, 2015, 12:10pm

Orioles

Opposite dugout: Red Sox tied for division lead, but offense and pitching not in sync

Manager: John Farrell (4th season) Record: 9-7 Last 10 games: 5-5 Who to watch: 2B Dustin Pedrioa (.254/.324/.492 with 4 HR, 9 RBIs), LF Hanley Ramirez (.263/.326/.528 with 5 HR, 12 RBIs), SS Xander Bogaerts (.302 with 8 RBIs), RHP Justin Masterson (2-0, 5.74 ERA), RHP Koji Uehara (1-0, 2 saves, 0.00 ERA) Season series vs. Orioles: 2-2 Pitching probables: April 24: RHP Rick Porcello vs. RHP Miguel Gonzalez, 7:05 p.m., MASN April 25: RHP Justin Masterson vs. LHP Wei-Yin Chen, 7:05 p.m., MASN2...

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Zach Wilt: Still early in the marathon that is 162 games

April 22, 2015, 6:56pm

Orioles

Zach Wilt: Still early in the marathon that is 162 games

The Orioles have dropped three straight and fallen below .500 at 7-8 after Wednesday night's 4-2 loss in Toronto. They're 1-3 against the Blue Jays this season and 2-4 on their current road trip with Chris Tillman going tonight in the finale. The Birds have been outscored 24-9 during their current three-game skid and have committed eight errors over their last five contests. O's starters have gone 5 1/3 innings or less in their last six games. Are you panicked yet? Have I gotten you all...

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Matthew Taylor: Revisiting a date ripe with significance

April 24, 2015, 5:03am

Orioles

Matthew Taylor: Revisiting a date ripe with significance

Thursday night's Orioles game, a 7-6 loss to Toronto that extended the team's losing streak to four games, isn't much worth remembering. April 23 didn't turn out so well for the O's in 2015, so let's look back to a more memorable game that fell on the same date. Today's guest post revisits the Orioles' 3-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers on April 23, 1969. One reason that 1969 game is significant is that it featured the two pitchers who would tie for the Cy Young Award at the end of the...

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Hitting the Books with Gary Thorne: "The Return of George Washington"

April 16, 2015, 10:31am

Orioles

Hitting the Books with Gary Thorne: "The Return of George Washington"

There is a time in U.S. history that we generally take for granted, if we think of it at all. This nation defines its early history through the Revolutionary War and the goings on in Philadelphia in 1776. Despite that history, the United States almost wasn't. In 1787, when the constitutional convention met, the very idea of united states was in issue. Rather than rework the Articles of Confederation, the founding fathers took the convention in a different direction, with great controversy in...

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Domenic Vadala: Ol' blue needs more common sense, better grasp of unwritten rules

April 21, 2015, 7:14pm

Orioles

Domenic Vadala: Ol' blue needs more common sense, better grasp of unwritten rules

We all saw what occurred with Ubaldo Jimenez on Friday night in Boston. I'll be very honest - my initial thought was that I didn't recall the last time (if ever) I had seen a pitcher thrown out of a game totally cold. No warning, no history of trouble, nothing. When the reports of the hard slide at second base started circulating, my personal opinion was that was a copout. In saying that, I mean that any hit batsman by an Orioles pitcher might have culminated in an ejection. Having said that,...