To say the least, a few waves were made around Birdland the other day when former Oriole Mark Reynolds was designated for assignment by Cleveland. A lot of fans felt that the Orioles should have looked to re-sign Reynolds, and the thought crossed my mind, as well. However, I'm not sure that Reynolds is precisely what the Orioles need right at this moment. We all know who Reynolds is on the field, so there's no use in going into it here.
Last offseason, I said on Birds Watcher that I felt the...
Fans of plate discipline and on-base percentage, this blog post is for you. Today is the anniversary of Bobby Grich's record-setting ability to get on base without hitting the ball. Grich established a team record for walks in a game with five on Aug. 9, 1975. Grich ended the day 0-for-0 and scored three times, the most of any Orioles player that day, in a 12-6 victory against the White Sox.
Grich finished the 1975 season with 107 walks. Meanwhile, Ken Singleton had 118 walks to establish a...
When Manny Machado made his debut with the Orioles in 2012, many things changed. The callup from the minors for the then 20-year-old gave the team a much-needed boost in early August and helped push the O's to their first playoff berth in 15 years. The Birds were 60-51 prior to Machado's promotion, but went 33-18 afterwards.
At the time, the move was made as a bit of a necessity. The combination of Wilson Betemit and Mark Reynolds at third base was not working out defensively. A solid game...
It's been going on all season, pretty much. Maybe not a lot during the first month, but full-swing since sometime in May. If you're on Twitter or you listen to sports talk radio, you know it. You might even be guilty yourself.
"It," of course, is complaining.
We're no stranger to complaining here in Baltimore. Prior to last year, we endured a solid decade of nothing but (we had 14 total years of losing, sure, but it took time for the pattern to settle in).
This was not without reason....
On Sundays, I usually have lunch with some friends before the game at one of the fine Baltimore establishments across the street from Camden Yards.
Before this season, the topic of conversation would have centered on what the Ravens and the other teams in the NFL would be doing considering the Hall of Fame game (a preseason contest) was on yesterday.
The topic only came up only once that day. This has been a huge change since last season.
However, we are worried about one Baltimore team: the...
This past weekend, we saw something that we see every year (generally in August), as the Orioles had their annual Hall of Fame induction. Every team has a Hall of Fame in some manner, and while getting elected to your team's hall might not be as prestigious as Cooperstown, it's quite an honor. Some people seemed to question the election of second baseman Roberto Alomar this year. For sure, he barely slid in under the main qualification (three years of service to the team). However, my...
Looking back on our first month of MASN's "Touch 'Em All" Orioles Rewards Program, we saw fans battle it out on social media. We've seen so many great tweets, Facebook shares, Instagram pictures and more.
In July, we awarded five players with autographed Buck Showalter balls, with one participant being randomly selected to win an autographed Showalter jersey.
This month, we're at it again. You have chance to win autographed gear from sidearmer Darren O'Day!
If you haven't done so...
SALISBURY, Md. - If the grind of his first full pro season is weighing on Single-A Delmarva shortstop Adrian Marin, he's hiding it well. Though back tightness has caused the 2012 third-round draft pick from playing in the Shorebirds' past five games, the 19-year-old Marin has certainly withstood the rigors of a longer campaign that frequently saps the energy and threatens the confidence of young players.
Marin expects to be back in the lineup tonight when the Shorebirds host the Greensboro...
The pressure was on Orioles vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette over the past few weeks. A lot of trust has been placed in Duquette to help build a ballclub that will compete deep into October and have a chance at a World Series. The July 31 non-waiver trade deadline has come and gone and after acquiring three pitchers in a month, Duquette has to be applauded for not allowing any top prospects to depart. That's been the philosophy of the team even before Duquette arrived in...
Remember Buck Showalter and Jim Johnson's MLB Fan Cave prank last year in which they convinced Darren O'Day that he shouldn't be riding his Solowheel around Yankee Stadium?
O'Day does.
In his live chat today, O'Day recounted the prank, saying that Showalter "is very believable."
Watch his reaction to the prank below.
Also, check out the original MLB Fan Cave video of O'Day getting pranked by Showalter. It's hilarious every time.
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The non-waiver trade deadline traditionally marks the beginning of the home stretch for baseball season, which makes now a great time to indulge in the fun of making a few Orioles predictions. Of course, the usual disclaimers apply: I wouldn't bet on me being right so you shouldn't, either.
With that, here we go:
* Chris Davis will break the 50-home run mark, but not 60
As amazing a first half as that was we all knew he wasn't going to keep up the pace. The good news is he's already had...
Jon Lester and the Red Sox shut out the Orioles in the finale of the three-game series in Baltimore, highlighting one of the O's few offensive weaknesses - their numbers against left-handed pitching. The Birds were held to four hits against Lester, walked just twice and struck out eight times. They were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and grounded into three double plays.
Forty-one of the Orioles' 58 wins have come against right-handed pitching, and they have gone 17-15 this season...
This Tuesday, we will be hosting another monthly video chat, which airs live on MASNsports.com. However, this month's will be a special doubleheader, in which both Adam Jones and Darren O'Day will be answering your questions.
In order for this event to be successful, we need your help. Submit your questions on Twitter with the hashtags #AskAJ and #AskDarren or leave them in the comment section below.
Maybe you're wondering which team Jones thinks is the O's toughest foe. Curious about...
In looking back through franchise history, I have no doubt that the Erik Bedard-for-Adam Jones trade will be looked at as the turning point in this era. However, I think we often forget that there were other players involved in that trade, namely Chris Tillman. Of course, at the time of the trade, Tillman was only a prospect, and he was immediately inserted into the Orioles' minor league system. I attended his major league debut in July 2009, and I can't say that I wasn't impressed.
If you...
When an Oriole has a shaving cream pie smashed in his face after a game, he knows he had a great game.
Usually, in his postgame interview, the star of the game is greeted by Adam Jones' shaving cream pie delivery to the face.
Well, tonight the tables turned. After turning in two home runs and three RBIs in his 2-for-4 night at the dish, Jones got a taste of his own medicine with two pies to the face.
However, these were not normal deliveries; first base coach Wayne Kirby pied Jones, and...
The first-place Red Sox are coming to town this weekend, but I have the Tampa Bay Rays on my find. I've feared that the Rays are the biggest threat to win the American League East ever since David Price returned to form. Price came off the disabled list in early July and the Rays are 15-3 since his return. Overall, the Rays pitching staff has five complete games in July, which MLB.com tells us is the most in the month since the Mets had five in August 2010.
As I sat at my computer Thursday...
There's little doubt to any Orioles fan about who the leader of the team is. Since Adam Jones arrived in Baltimore prior to the 2008 season, fans have slowly fallen in love with the outspoken center fielder. When Andy MacPhail pulled off the trade to acquire Jones from the Seattle Mariners, I'd guess that few predicted the impact that he could have on the organization. That impact is growing deeper each day, and it's something that could put him in a class few have joined.
Jones went...
A few days' rest seems to have gone a long way for Matt Wieters. The Orioles catcher entered the All-Star break having hit .232/.291/.408 in 88 games played in the "first half" of the season. Since the All-Star break, Wieters is 8-for-17 with two walks, two strikeouts a run scored and two RBIs. Last season, we saw a similar trend from Wieters, who hit .247/.327/.431 in the first half and .251/.331/.440 after the break.
Part of Wieters' struggles this season have been his declining numbers...
First off, it's really good to be back in the states! I always have a great time when I return to visit my relatives and my grandparents' house in Italy, but there's no place like home. Other countries have many things that they can offer to us, as well as us to them - not the least among them is the great sport of baseball!
Now that the All-Star break is behind us, the next big hurdle in the season is the non-waiver trade deadline next Wednesday. I'm sure that many writers will feverishly...
When the Orioles win, Baltimore rejoices.
As a kid, I knew immediately by glancing at the cartoon bird on the front page of The Sun, where Jim Hartzell's creation left little doubt whether the beloved Birds had won or lost the night before. Granted, things got tricky for late-night games or West Coast tilts, but you get the idea.
Hartzell's bird heralded every game result on the paper's front page from 1966 until 1979. It debuted in 1954, when the St. Louis Browns moved to Baltimore and...