We already mentioned that Nick Markakis’ first-inning double was his 40th of the season, which makes him the only Oriole in modern history to have four consecutive seasons of 40 or more doubles.

That in itself is impressive. But the Orioles’ PR staff did some digging. And Markakis’ milestone is even more incredible when compared to overall baseball history.

It is tied for the third longest such streak for an outfielder since 1900.

The other three who have had at least four consecutive seasons of 40 or more doubles are Hall of Famers.

St. Louis’ Joe “Ducky” Medwick had seven straight from 1933-39; Detroit’s Harry Heilmann did it five straight (1923-27) and Tris Speaker also did it four straight (1920-23). So the last time it was done was before the United States entered World War II.

When told what company he was in, Nick the Motormouth said, “That’s pretty good.”

Yeah, pretty good.

Here was his overall quote on the milestone:

“It's definitely something to be excited about. You just got to keep plugging away and go about your business. When you go out there and play hard every day ... you're going to have your struggles, but it's always good to get something like that.”

Buy Orioles Gear

Posted by Dan Connolly at 11:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)
        

Right-handed pitchers Scott Copeland and Clayton Schrader were promoted from short-season Single-A Aberdeen to Single-A Delmarva, while right-hander Parker Bridwell and left-hander Aaron Wirsch were sent from the Rookie-level GCL Orioles to the IronBirds.

Norfolk Tides (AAA)

Score: Norfolk Tides 5, Gwinnett Braves 2 (Box score)

Recap: Starting pitcher Chris Tillman (11-7) tossed 6 2/3 scoreless innings as the Tides grabbed a 5-2 victory over Gwinnett at Harbor Park.

Tillman allowed five hits, struck out three batters and issued two walks.

Norfolk first baseman Brandon Snyder was 2-for-3 with a two-run home run, while second baseman Paco Figueroa and center fielder Jeff Salazar each added an RBI.

Closer Dennis Sarfate struck out the side in the ninth for his 19th save of the season for Norfolk. He is 2-1 with a 2.77 ERA in 44 games at Triple-A in 2010.

Bowie Baysox (AA)

Score: Altoona Curve 9, Bowie Baysox 1 (Box score)

Recap: Designated hitter Joel Guzman was 3-for-4 with his 31st home run of the season and a double, but the Baysox were routed, 9-1, by Altoona at Prince George's Stadium.

Bowie starting pitcher Steve Johnson (7-8) was charged with four runs and eight hits in five innings. He collected five strikeouts, issued two walks and hit a batter.

Baysox shortstop Greg Miclat added two hits in the defeat.

Frederick Keys (A)

Score: Kinston Indians 9, Frederick Keys 2 (Box score)

Recap: First baseman Tyler Townsend was 2-for-3 with a two-run home run, but he received no offensive help in the Keys' 9-2 loss to Kinston at Harry Grove Stadium.

Frederick third baseman Billy Rowell added the team's only other hit.

Keys starting pitcher Ryan O'Shea tossed three scoreless frames, while relief pitcher Nathan Nery (5-9) was charged with five runs (four earned) and six hits in 3 1/3 innings.

Delmarva Shorebirds (A)

Score: Kannapolis Intimidators 5, Delmarva Shorebirds 2 (Box score)

Recap: Starting pitcher Matt Hobgood gave up one run and five hits in five innings as the Shorebirds fell, 5-2, to Kannapolis at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium.

Hobgood struck out two batters, issued one walk and recorded 10 groundball outs.

Delmarva catcher Austin Rauch was 2-for-3 with an RBI, and second baseman Gary Helmick added a single and a double.

Relief pitcher Clayton Schrader (0-1), the Orioles' 10th-round selection in this year's draft, gave up three runs and three hits in one inning for Delmarva.

Aberdeen IronBirds (A)

Score: Connecticut Tigers 2, Aberdeen IronBirds 1, 11 innings (Box score)

Recap: Designated hitter Manny Machado hit an RBI double to break a scoreless tie in the top of the ninth, but the IronBirds couldn't hold the lead in a 2-1 loss to Connecticut in 11 innings.

Aberdeen starting pitcher Bruno Sanchez tossed six scoreless innings, while relief pitcher Alex Schmarzo (0-1) gave up an unearned run and one hit in two-thirds of an inning.

Second baseman Mychal Givens added a single and a run scored for Aberdeen.

Bluefield Orioles (Rookie)

Game 1 score: Princeton Rays 10, Bluefield Orioles 4 (Box score)

Game 1 recap: Shortstop Jonathan Schoop hit a two-run home run in the Orioles' 10-4 loss to Princeton in the first game of a doubleheader at Bowen Field.

Bluefield starting pitcher Eiris Ramirez (1-2) gave up four runs (three earned) and four hits in four-plus innings. He issued three walks, hit a batter and collected one strikeout.

Orioles first baseman Corey Thomas added a double, two RBIs and a run scored, while center fielder Brenden Webb walked twice and scored a run.

Game 2 score: Princeton Rays 5, Bluefield Orioles 0, 7 innings (Box score)

Game 2 recap: The Orioles committed six errors during a 5-0 loss to Princeton in the second game of the doubleheader at Bowen Field.

Bluefield starting pitcher Angel Cespedes (3-6) gave up four runs (one earned) and six hits in three innings. He struck out three batters and didn't walk anyone.

Orioles shortstop Javier Santana and center fielder Jeremy Shelby each hit a single as the team managed only two hits in the nightcap.

Posted by Dean Jones Jr. at 10:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Minor leagues
        

Orioles right fielder Nick Markakis went 12 games and 45 at-bats without a double before he connected for one tonight off Red Sox right-hander Josh Beckett with one out in the first inning.

It was his 40th double of the season, the fourth straight campaign where he reached the 40-double plateau. That's the longest stretch of consecutive 40-double seasons in franchise history.

Markakis had been tied with Brian Roberts, who had 40-double seasons from 2007 to 2009.

After the double, Markakis came around to score the Orioles' first run on Luke Scott's one-out single to right.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

The Orioles are well represented on the 2010 roster of the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League.

Representing the club are infielders Ryan Adams (23), Greg Miclat (23) and Tyler Townsend (22), catcher Caleb Joseph (24) and pitchers Kam Mickolio (26), Wynn Pelzer (24), Oliver Drake (23) and Pat Egan (25).

Single-A Frederick pitching coach Blaine Beatty will also serve as the pitching coach for the Scorpions.

The Orioles are also expected to send an outfielder to the Arizona Fall League, but that players apparently hasn't been deterimined. Xavier Avery would seem to be a logical choice, but we shall see.

Buy Orioles Gear

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

The Orioles will recall three position players from Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday when rosters expand.

Outfielder Nolan Reimold, first baseman Brandon Snyder and middle infielder Robert Andino will be promoted in Wednesday’s first wave of call-ups.

At some point after Wednesday, the club is also expected to promote a few pitchers from the Tides: Right-hander Chris Tillman, who starts Wednesday night, is the most obvious candidate. There also likely will be at least one reliever promoted – with former Orioles Kam Mickolio and Dennis Sarfate as possibilities.

Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said this weekend that the club likely would promote roughly 6 to 7 players this September. That could, he said, include a player or two from Double-A Bowie.

Reimold, 26, was the club’s starting left fielder before struggling mightily to start the season. He was sent to Norfolk, where he has hit .251 with 10 homers and 37 RBIs in his first 93 Triple-A games. He has turned it around recently, however, batting .326 in 27 August games.

Snyder, 23, will be making his major-league debut when he gets into a game with the Orioles. The Orioles first-round pick (13th overall) in 2005, Snyder hit .253 with eight homers and 41 RBIs in 97 games with the Tides.

Andino, 26, spent the entire season with the Orioles last year as the club’s utility infielder. But he was taken off the 40-man roster in March when the club acquired Julio Lugo. Andino has hit 13 hrs and drove in 76 RBIs in 131 games with Norfolk.

The club will have to make room on the 40-man roster for Andino. Snyder and Reimold are already on the 40-man.

The Orioles would not confirm specifics of the call-ups, but it is expected that left-handed pitching prospect Zach Britton would not be promoted this season, though that still could change.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

An update on the Orioles lineup tonight versus the Boston Red Sox.

Adam Jones, who hadn’t played since being hit by a Gavin Floyd in the left shoulder a week ago, will start in center.

Brian Roberts, who left Friday’s game with left hip soreness, made it through batting practice and is in the lineup. He is batting first and playing second base. Roberts had a MRI on Monday, manager Buck Showalter said, and everything came out fine.

If Roberts couldn't have started at second base, then Julio Lugo would have. Lugo left Sunday’s game in the first after being hit near the right ear with a Jered Weaver pickoff throw. All his tests cleared, and besides a visible bump, he’s ready to go.

“They said I have a hard head,” Lugo joked today when asked what the diagnosis was.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 4:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Yep, you read that right.

Frank Robinson turns 75 today. First Cal Ripken turned 50 this month and now Frank, 75.

How old do you feel, Birdland?

I had the pleasure to cover Frank ever so briefly as a manager in the Washington Nationals first year. I was on their first road trip before The Sun eventually pulled the plug on covering the Nationals (thankfully).

But it gave me time to be around Frank. And see that menacing stare when a question was asked that he didn't like. The funny thing about Frank, the ultimate tough guy, is that it's hard to cover him without walking away with a tremendous respect for the man. He's an impressive guy. Still is.

Two quick Frank stories: I once asked him what was worse, taking steroids or betting on baseball. I assumed, old school and all, he'd say steroids. But he said gambling, because the possibility is there to damage your own team (if you bet against them, etc). Steroids, he said, was done for the individual to get an advantage, and, ultimately that could help the team. He felt steroid users were cheaters, of course, but gamblers could only have a negative effect on the game. Interesting.

Also, he was asked about hitting 600 homers; he ended with 586. He said 600 wasn't a big deal back then so retiring 14 short never entered his mind. He then said he could have easily reached 600, but his manager in Cleveland didn't play him enough because the guy thought he was washed up. That manager, by the way, was Frank Robinson.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 1:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts and utility infielder Jake Fox will take to the tarmac at BWI-Marshall Airport Wednesday before taking to the field at Camden Yards to play the Boston Red Sox Wednesday.

Beginning at 11 a.m., Roberts and Fox will work for Southwest, the Orioles' official airline, greeting passangers and making gate announcements among other jobs, Southwest announced Tuesday.

Posted by Baltimore Sun sports at 12:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Single-A Frederick first baseman Tyler Townsend was selected as the Carolina League Player of the week for Aug. 23-29 after going 8-for-20 with three doubles, two home runs and seven RBIs during that span.

Norfolk Tides (AAA)

Score: Gwinnett Braves 4, Norfolk Tides 0 (Box score)

Recap: The Tides only collected two doubles in a 4-0 loss to Gwinnett.

Norfolk left fielder Nolan Reimold and shortstop Robert Andino each hit an extra-base hit, while Andino committed his 31st error of the season.

Tides starting pitcher Zach Britton (3-4) gave up four runs (one earned) and six hits in five innings. He struck out three batters and issued two walks, throwing 50 of his 83 pitches for strikes.

Bowie Baysox (AA)

Score: Bowie Baysox 2, Altoona Curve 0 (Box score)

Recap: Starting pitcher Eddie Gamboa (7-5) tossed 6 1/3 scoreless innings as the Baysox notched a 2-0 victory over Altoona at Prince George's Stadium.

Gamboa collected six strikeouts, allowed five hits and walked two batters in the win.

Baysox third baseman Ryan Adams and designated hitter Joel Guzman each contributed an RBI, while second baseman Carlos Rojas added a double and a run scored.

Relief pitcher Jose Diaz tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his third save for Bowie.

Delmarva Shorebirds (A)

Score: Delmarva Shorebirds 5, Kannapolis Intimidators 4 (Box score)

Recap: Shortstop Garabez Rosa hit his fifth home run of the season as the Shorebirds grabbed a 5-4 victory over Kannapolis at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium.

Delmarva catcher Austin Rauch contributed a double, two RBIs and a run scored, while right fielder Michael Planeta and first baseman Tyler Stampone each added an RBI.

Shorebirds starting pitcher Brent Allar gave up four runs (three earned) and four hits in seven innings, while relief pitcher T.R. Keating (2-1) tossed two scoreless frames.

Aberdeen IronBirds (A)

Score: Vermont Lake Monsters 11, Aberdeen IronBirds 5 (Box score)

Recap: As I'm sure you're aware, Orioles first-round draft pick Manny Machado was promoted from the Rookie-level GCL Orioles and made his debut with the IronBirds in an 11-5 loss to Vermont at Ripken Stadium.

Machado was 1-for-3 in his first game with Aberdeen.

IronBirds left fielder Kipp Schutz was 2-for-4 with an RBI and three runs scored, while first baseman David Anderson added two hits and three RBIs.

Aberdeen starting pitcher Justin Anderson (4-5) allowed three runs and six hits in three innings, while relief pitcher Jason Gurka was touched up for seven runs, four hits and three walks in 1 2/3 innings.

Second baseman Mychal Givens was 2-for-4 with a run scored for Aberdeen.

Bluefield Orioles (Rookie)

Score: Bluefield Orioles 6, Johnson City Cardinals 1 (Box score)

Recap: Shortstop Jonathan Schoop was 4-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored as the Orioles cruised to a 6-1 victory over Johnson City.

Bluefield second baseman Moises Ciriaco contributed three hits, including a double, while third baseman Brad Decater added a pair of doubles, an RBI and a run scored.

Orioles starting pitcher Jarret Martin (3-5) struck out eight batters in five scoreless innings. He gave up two hits and issued three walks in the win.

Center fielder Brenden Webb was 2-for-5 with a triple for Bluefield.

Posted by Dean Jones Jr. at 10:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Minor leagues
        

Manny Machado walked into his first news conference looking every bit like an 18-year-old kid, not a multi-millionaire draft pick charged with helping rebuild a franchise.

The baby-faced high school shortstop was dressed in a baggy Aberdeen IronBirds jersey that looked at least a size too big, and it conjured up images of a kid wearing his father's dress shirt to the senior formal. He wore his black IronBirds hat pulled down low on his head so that his ears stuck out. Then Machado smiled, flashing a wide grin for the cameras.

It was a good reminder that although Machado is next in line to audition for the role of franchise savior after signing a $5.2 million deal following the Orioles' selection of him with the third overall pick, he's still a teenager.

"I'm excited for tonight," said Machado, who hit .639 with 12 homers and 68 RBIs in 29 games for the Brito School in Miami. "I've been waiting for this for a long time. It's going to be a good day today."

Machado -- who has already played two games with the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Orioles and hit a two-run home run -- was expected to play at least six innings at shortstop for the IronBirds, the Orioles short-season Single-A affiliate. The team is in the final week of its season meaning anyone wanting to get an early look at Machado will have a limited window. He's not likely to play winter ball.

"For now, I'm just getting used to the professional life," Machado said. "Just going out there every day, giving 100 percent [is my goal]. Next year will be a different goal. But this year will be just going out there, having fun, and getting used to it."

Machado said he hasn't spoken to Cal Ripken Jr. yet, although he admitted that Ripken was one of his idols growing up. Eventually, his admiration for Ripken was overtaken by his devotion to Alex Rodriguez, who like Machado grew up in Miami and has roots in the Dominican Republic.

But Machado never forgot what it was like to watch Ripken when his budding love for the game was in its earliest stages. Ripken is a player he's hoping he'll be worthy enough, someday, of being compared to.

"I'm just going to have to go out there and give 110 percent like he did and if I do get compared to him, it would be good," Machado said.

Machado has been working with former Orioles shortstop Mike Bordick since signing with the team. Bordick recently rejoined the Orioles as their minor league offensive coordinator.

"He's a great guy, he knows his stuff. He's taught me a lot these past couple days I've been with him," Machado said.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter, taking advantage of a rare day off, was even at the park tonight, eager to get a look at the franchise's newest infield prospect. Machado, however, said he didn't expect to be nervous.

"I've never had butterflies in my life," he said. "But I suppose anything is possible."

Machado said the Orioles have been showing plenty of patience with him, and were just easing him into the routine of professional baseball. But he's already dreaming of the day he gets that phone call promoting him to the major leagues.

"I believe I'll be up there young," Machado said. "It's up to me too. It's not only up to the club. I've got to do what I was picked to do. I've got to work hard and show people what I was paid to do."

Posted by Ron Fritz at 6:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

I am getting ready to head back to Baltimore after watching the Orioles sweep the Los Angeles Angels.

The trip was filled with surprises.

One, I was surprised by the lack of discipline and attention to fundamentals demonstrated by the Angels. Mike Scioscia is one of baseball’s finest managers and his teams are always well-schooled. I know these Angels are banged up, but they just didn’t do the little things well in the six games I have seen them this year.

Two, I was surprised by the pop rookie Josh Bell is showing from the right side. We have heard for a year that he can’t hit lefties because he can’t hit with power from the right side. The minor-league numbers back that up. And yet all three of his homers, including one Saturday, have come from the right side and landed around right-center. I chided him Sunday that the book is out on him now – that he has no left-handed power. The quiet kid just smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

Three, I am surprised that the Orioles had never before swept the Angels in a season series in the history of the two teams meeting (that goes back to 1961). Yes, it’s difficult to sweep any team for a full season, because that means winning six straight games at the minimum. But we’re talking 50 seasons here.

Four, I am utterly shocked by the way this club is pitching under Buck Showalter. In his 26 games, the Orioles have posted 18 quality starts, meaning the starter has gone at least six innings and given up three or fewer runs. That’s phenomenal for this group. And the bullpen is contributing, too. The overall staff hadn’t had an ERA lower than 4.62 for any month this season before Showalter took over. The Orioles’ ERA for August is 3.57.

Honestly, I know one of the primary reasons Showalter is 16-10 as the club’s skipper is because the pitching staff has been so good. But what’s the primary reason the Orioles’ pitching has been so good under Showalter? Is it coincidence? Is he handling them better (not sure how much better you can handle starters and get them to pitch longer, though handling the bullpen is, obviously, a different animal)? Are they more focused because they have a new skipper? Are they just feeding off each other?

I want your theories on the Orioles chicken-or-the-egg pitching success under Showalter.

Daily Think Special: What gives with the Orioles’ resurgent pitching?

Buy Orioles Gear

Posted by Dan Connolly at 3:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (47)
        

After walking to lead off the game, Julio Lugo was on first base when Los Angeles Angels pitcher Jererd Weaver attempted a pickoff.

The throw hit Lugo appeared to hit Lugo behind and just below his right ear.

He was motionless on the ground for a few moments, but he said he never lost consciousness. Eventually, Lugo sat up on the base and then walked off on his own power.

He was replaced by Jake Fox in the lineup and Ty Wigginton moved from first to second.

“It scares you when you get hit in the head,” said Lugo, who had a concussion in 2007 when he hit his head against an infielder's knee. “You’ve got to be careful. It just happened so fast, I didn’t know what was going on. … I was stunned.”

Lugo, who was starting his second straight game at second for injured Brian Roberts, was examined by Angels’ physicians and taken for a CAT scan during the game. He said the tests came back negative and he was not diagnosed with a concussion.

“We are going to wait and see what the doctor says tomorrow and the next day,” Lugo said about when he could play again. “I felt dizzy and a little ringing in my ear, but then I was fine.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 3:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Julio Lugo, batting leadoff and filling in for Brian Roberts at second base, was hit by a pickoff throw in the back of the helmet as he dove back to first base in the first inning today.

After conferring with trainer Richie Bancells and manager Buck Showalter, he left the game and was replaced by Jake Fox.

The pickoff throw by Los Angeles Angels pitcher Jered Weaver hit Lugo's helmet and bounced to the batter's box.

Roberts is out of the lineup with a hip injury.

Posted by Ron Fritz at 3:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Ever wonder what a manager thinks of umpires in general?

Well, Orioles new manager Buck Showalter has all kinds of respect for the men in blue., Because he’s been in their shoes, sort of.

Showalter revealed in a pre-game interview this weekend that he used to be a basketball referee. We followed it up this morning in an informal setting and Showalter told us that for about a decade or so in his baseball offseasons, he would referee basketball games as a way to make money – rec league, girls and boys high school, college and junior college.

And he loved it. Said there were few better feelings than walking out of a gym after a close game and not being yelled at by the fans.

He said he kept doing it even when he was coaching third base for the New York Yankees for a brief period.

So when he goes out to argue a call, he knows how hard the umps’ jobs are. Not saying he’s not going to let the umps hear it. But he understands their plights.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 2:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

In the sixth inning of the Orioles’ 5-0 win against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night came a rather surreal moment.

The Orioles pulled off a play that was, well, very Angel-like during this era under Mike Scioscia. And the Angels, well, they tripped and bumbled into a sequence that looked like it belonged on an Orioles’ lowlight reel.

Ty Wigginton doubled to lead off the sixth with the Orioles up 2-0. With one out, Jake Fox hit a bouncer to the left of Angels pitcher Scott Kazmir, who grabbed the grounder. Problem was, Angels first baseman Mike Napoli was heading to his right for the ball, and there was no one covering first.

Fox and Wigginton both saw this – and their baseball instincts kicked into overdrive.

Fox sprinted to first base, sliding into the bag and accidentally upending a diving Kazmir.

“I just ran as hard as I could down the line, and he picked up the ball and was running after me. And as soon as I saw him start to dive, I kind of dove away from him and tried to keep my foot on the bag,” Fox said. “It was kind of a mess. I was running over my head because everyone got there kind of at the same time. And it was just mayhem, a lot of guys falling everywhere.”

Once Wigginton saw where the grounder was headed, he took off for third. But then he rounded the bag, while watching, anticipating what might happen.

“I saw the first baseman out of position and saw it was going to be a footrace,” Wigginton said. “So I slowly crept down the line, and as soon as I saw them both go down, it was time to go.”

Kazmir was on his back when he threw home, but Wigginton raced in for the Orioles' third run. In hindsight, the run didn’t mean anything, because Kevin Millwood and Jim Johnson combined for a shutout.

But, then again, it did mean something. It was the exact kind of hustle play that Orioles fans love to see and, honestly, haven’t seen a whole lot recently. Maybe it’s the Buck Showalter Factor; maybe it was just two hard-nosed players doing what they do.

Regardless, it was good to see from the Orioles, who often are on the opposite side of such moments.

“We are playing hard, we are coming out and playing solid baseball and playing hard,” Fox said, “and I think that is a solid recipe for success.”

The seldom-used Fox couldn’t have been more ecstatic about his seventh RBI of the season.

“It was definitely the luckiest RBI I have gotten this year. I think that was everything I had running down that first base line,” Fox said. “I gave [Wigginton] a hug for scoring on that play. I told him I really appreciated it. Because RBIs these days are hard to come by, so anytime I can get one, I am pretty happy about it.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 1:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

The Orioles announced today that they will end their 53-season relationship with Bluefield, W.Va., where the club has its Rookie-level affiliate.

The Orioles have had a minor league team in Bluefield since 1958, and that's the longest such relationship between one parent club and a baseball town in affiliated baseball.

So in a sense this is a sad day, a historic break for the Orioles.

But let's not get carried away. For the Orioles, Bluefield had outlived its usefulness. The Orioles have two other short-season Single A affiliates in the Gulf Coast League Orioles, who play in Sarasota, Fla., the club''s minor league headquarters, and the Aberdeen IronBirds, who are an easy drive from Camden Yards.

Bluefield is a haul from Baltimore -- six hours plus in a car, I have been told, With most of the other minor league clubs closer, it sort of became the forgotten affiliate.

Bluefield will likely get another major league parent club while the Orioles will cut down their number of affiliates to six, which falls in line with some other teams. That means the Orioles will reduce the number of minor leaguers they employ -- they'll shuffle the Bluefield roster to other affiliates and pare the system a bit. That, too, makes sense. It's about quality, not quantity, and having too many players can be a strain on the development process.

Yes, Bluefield and the Orioles had plenty of history. But it is tough to get too worked up about this one.

Here's Andy MacPhail's prepared statement on the issue:

"On behalf of the Orioles, I wish to express our deepest appreciation to the town and residents of Bluefield for their support of the Orioles organization and over a thousand players who have worn the Bluefield Orioles uniform in the last 53 seasons. While extremely difficult, we believe the decision to end our affiliation with Bluefield is in the best interest of the franchise moving forward. The history of Orioles baseball is not complete without Bluefield, and we have enormous respect and gratitude for the club and the community that helped launch the careers of legends such as Cal Ripken Jr. and Boog Powell. We hope and expect that the next organization in Bluefield enjoys as long and as productive a relationship as we have enjoyed.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 2:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (26)
        

Brian Roberts expects to miss “a couple days” with a left hip strain that he tweaked while swinging at a third strike in the third inning Friday against the Los Angeles Angels.

Right now, he is optimistic that he’ll be back in the lineup soon.

“I would hope so,” Roberts said. “We’ll see how it progresses in the next day or so.”

About a week ago, Roberts said he woke up with some discomfort in his left side, around his hip, and “it has progressively gotten worse.”

“It felt sore, and it kind of plateaued and it was manageable,” Roberts said. “And in the last day or two, it has gotten worse.”

In the third inning Friday, Roberts swung at strike three from Trevor Bell and felt the pain in his side.

“The last swing I took, it was the first time I felt it on a swing,” Roberts said. “Then I went out the very next inning to play defense, and it didn’t feel very good.”

He was replaced in the bottom of the fourth by Julio Lugo, who moved over from third base. Josh Bell came in to play third.

The team does not believe the hip strain is related to the herniated disk in his back that has kept Roberts out for much of the season. That’s the good news, but Roberts is still frustrated that he’s dealing with another injury. He has hit in 10 of his past 11 games, including a double to lead off Friday’s game. He stole third and scored on a Nick Markakis single.

“It’s been a long year. But you take the good with the bad sometimes,” Roberts said. “Kind of hang in there and try to stay as positive as you can.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 1:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Brian Roberts didn’t come out for the bottom of the fourth.

He left with a left hip strain and is considered day-to-day.

Julio Lugo who was getting his first start at third base in roughly four years, moved from third to second and Josh Bell came in to play third.

In the bottom of the fourth, starter Brad Bergesen was called for his second balk of the game. Both have occurred with Hideki Matsui up and at least one runner on base.

The first cost Bergesen a run in the first inning. It was called by home plate ump Tony Randazzo. The second was called by first base ump Paul Nauert.

Bergesen is frustrated, but Buck Showalter didn’t come out to argue.

The game is tied at 1-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 11:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Adam Jones isn’t happy.

His mom came up from San Diego for Friday’s game. His brother is here, too. And Jones isn’t starting – for a third consecutive game – and he doesn’t want to let down his teammates.

Jones is dealing with a left shoulder contusion after being plunked by Chicago’s Gavin Floyd in the fourth inning Tuesday. He was hoping he could play, but he went out before the game and tested it – throwing, running and swinging.

The throwing part doesn’t hurt so much. It’s pumping his left arm while running where the pain peaks. He also said he “can’t get through the ball” when he swings.

“My legs can move, my arms cant, my left one,” he said.

He is improving each day, but sitting on the bench is driving him crazy.

“I am questioning my own personal self, asking if I’m a wimp,” he said. “But I can’t say I can play comfortably.”

His new manager, for one, isn’t thinking Jones is a wimp.

“I don’t think it is in his best interest or our best interest to (start) again. But he’s getting closer,” Showalter said. “But you can tell it’s bothering him and, if you know Adam, he’s not a guy that lets you know every ounce of discomfort he is feeling.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 10:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Manny Machado made his pro debut today for the Gulf Coast League Orioles. He was the designated hitter and batted third against the GCL Rays.

Machado, the organization's 2010 first-rounder and third overall pick in this year's draft, was hitless in three at-bats, including a strikeout, in the GCL Orioles' 1-0 victory. I have a hunch the 18-year-old will have better days.

He now will be assigned to the Short-A Aberdeen Ironbirds. He'll work out with the Ironbirds on Sunday and is expected to be in the starting lineup Monday versus Vermont in Aberdeen.

Connor Narron, a fifth-rounder this year, played shortstop and stole his first professional base.

Parker Bridwell, a 2010 ninth-rounder, started the game and threw one scoreless inning.

Preston Hale, a 2010 44th rounder, had the lone extra base hit, a double. Joseph Donaldson, a 35th rounder, had the only RBI, a single in the bottom of the eighth to score Rojean Cleofa, one of the Orioles' signees from Curacao in 2007.

Yancorix Adrian, a big lefty from the Dominican, threw six shutout innings for the GCL Orioles and 2010 20th rounder Matthew Drummond got the win with two scoreless innings. He struck out four.

The GCL Orioles were 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position (insert Oriole Way joke here).

And that will be your first and last detailed GCL update of the year. Their season ends Saturday, I believe.

And even if it didn't ...

Posted by Dan Connolly at 3:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

It certainly appeared from the pressbox that Ty Wigginton was a little miffed with teammate Nick Markakis for stealing third while he was at the plate with one out in the fourth inning last night.

Wigginton, noticing Markakis got a great jump, took a belt-high fastball down the middle from Edwin Jackson for strike two before ultimately striking out. When the Orioles came out of the dugout for the bottom of the fourth, Markakis stopped to talk to Wigginton at first base before heading out to right field. When that inning ended, Markakis approached first base coach John Shelby on the top step of the dugout and motioned toward third base, and ultimately Adam Jones and Corey Patterson joined in the discussion.

I know some hitters don’t like guys stealing third while they are at the plate because it affects whether they swing or not and it can serve as a distraction. But Markakis, who should run more, did get to third with less than two outs, putting Wigginton in position to get an easy RBI with a fly ball or a ground ball to the right side.

My guess is with the way Jackson was pitching and with the Orioles already trailing 3-0, Wigginton felt that the Orioles were going to need more than just a sacrifice fly to get back in the game. And the one pitch he felt that he could have handled, he let it go once Markakis broke for third.

• Speaking of Markakis, his most ardent backers – and I’m often accused of being one of them – pointed to his on-base percentage and his average with runners in scoring position in the first half in defending his paltry home run and RBI totals.

However in the second half, Markakis’ on-base percentage is under .300 and he’s walked just 11 times in 39 games after drawing 50 free passes in his first 87 contests. His average with runners in scoring position – well over .300 before the All-Star break – now sits at .296. He’s also gone nine consecutive games without an extra-base hit.

You can point to his lack of protection in the lineup, the couple of diving catches or perfect throws that he makes seemingly every series, or his 39 doubles. But it’s hard – impossible actually – to get around the fact that he’s hitting .287 with eight homers and 44 RBIs in late August. If somebody had told me before the season that those would be his numbers at this point, I would have assumed he spent a good chunk of time on the disabled list.

• White Sox starter Mark Buehrle, who accused Felix Pie of stealing signs during Wednesday’s game, said yesterday that Pie was wiggling his fingers to relay information to Oriole hitters and the White Sox apparently have videotape to prove it. I’m not buying it, nor were the Orioles who had a fine time chuckling at the mere suggestion that Pie would relay signs. But I would still love to see the tape.

I have seen Pie wiggle his fingers plenty of times as he extends his lead and gets in his crouch. I never thought anything of it, but perhaps I’m being duped as well.

• The big leagues have a way of humbling you rather quickly. Just ask rookie third baseman Josh Bell. He had what he admitted was a game that he’ll never forget last Saturday when he hit his first two big league home runs off former Cy Young winner Cliff Lee as part of a five-RBI and three-hit afternoon. In four games since, Bell is 1-for-14 with seven strikeouts.

• I’m real interested in seeing how the Orioles handle outfielder Nolan Reimold, if in fact, he is promoted when rosters can expand Sept. 1. Manager Buck Showalter has indicated that he likely will join the club. Do you play him regularly in left field and send Pie to the bench? Do you regularly DH him, which would likely keep Luke Scott or Ty Wigginton out of the lineup? Or do you sub him in for Pie only against tough lefties or when you want to give Markakis or Adam Jones a rare off day? I don’t have the answers, but I’d be very surprised if he saw much time at first base.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (28)
        

Needing to open up a roster spot for reliever Jim Johnson’s activation from the disabled list on Friday, the Orioles demoted struggling right-hander Armando Gabino back to Triple-A Norfolk. Gabino made five appearances for the Orioles, allowing seven earned runs (13.50 ERA) and nine hits, including three homers, in 4 2/3 innings.

That included one inning in the Orioles’ 8-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Thursday night, in which Gabino surrendered a two-run homer to Alex Rios.

Johnson will be available in the bullpen for Friday night’s series opener against the Los Angeles Angels. Reliever Jason Berken (torn labrum) is expected to be transferred from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day DL to accommodate Johnson’s return to the 40-man roster.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Double-A Bowie players Joel Guzman and Ryan Adams were selected as Eastern League postseason All-Stars, the team announced in a news release.

Also, Single-A Delmarva outfielder Kieron Pope was placed on the disabled list, retroactive to Aug. 24. Infielder Tyler Stampone was activated from the disabled list to take Pope's roster spot.

Norfolk Tides (AAA)

Score: Norfolk Tides 7, Charlotte Knights 6 (Box score)

Recap: The Tides trailed by six runs after two innings, but they rallied for a 7-6 victory over Charlotte.

Norfolk catcher Adam Donachie hit a two-run home run to grab the lead in the top of the eighth, while third baseman Blake Davis was 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and three runs scored.

Tides starting pitcher Chris Tillman allowed six runs (four earned) and eight hits in 2 2/3 innings, while relief pitcher Frank Mata (4-3) tossed two scoreless frames for the win.

Designated hitter Rhyne Hughes was 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored for Norfolk, and closer Dennis Sarfate earned his 17th save of the season.

Bowie Baysox (AA)

Score: Bowie Baysox 8, New Britain Rock Cats 6 (Box score)

Recap: Designated hitter Joel Guzman was 2-for-3 with his 30th home run of the season and four RBIs as the Baysox won, 8-6, over New Britain.

Bowie starting pitcher Steve Johnson was charged with four runs and nine hits in 5 2/3 innings, while relief pitcher Wynn Pelzer (1-0) picked up the victory despite giving up two runs in 1 1/3 innings.

Baysox left fielder Tyler Henson was 1-for-3 with two walks and three runs scored, and first baseman Joe Mahoney added two hits, including a double, and a stolen base.

Second baseman Ryan Adams contributed a single, an RBI and a run scored for Bowie, and relief pitcher Jose Diaz earned his first save since being promoted to Double-A.

Frederick Keys (A)

Score: Kinston Indians 9, Frederick Keys 5 (Box score)

Recap: Relief pitcher Nathan Nery (5-8) allowed five runs and six hits in two innings as the Keys squandered a late lead in a 9-5 loss to Kinston.

Frederick first baseman Tyler Townsend was 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored, while third baseman Miguel Abreu and left fielder Bobby Stevens each added two hits.

Keys starting pitcher Luis Noel gave up four runs (three earned) and five hits in five innings. Noel struck out four batters and issued two walks.

Delmarva Shorebirds (A)

Score: Delmarva Shorebirds 11, Hagerstown Suns 6 (Box score)

Recap: Despite committing four errors, the Shorebirds scored seven runs in the fifth inning and held on for an 11-6 victory on the road against Hagerstown.

Delmarva designated hitter Omar Casamayor was 3-for-5 with a double, three RBIs and a run scored, while catcher Austin Rauch added a double, three RBIs and two runs scored.

Shorebirds shortstop Garabez Rosa contributed two hits, including a double, and two RBIs, while second baseman Gary Helmick was 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI.

Starting pitcher Nicholas Haughian (6-3) held the Suns to two unearned runs and six hits in six innings to pick up the win for Delmarva. He collected five strikeouts.

Third baseman Tyler Kelly collected two hits, an RBI and three runs scored for Delmarva.

Aberdeen IronBirds (A)

Score: Brooklyn Cyclones 4, Aberdeen IronBirds 3, 10 innings (Box score)

Recap: Closer Steven Mazur (1-1) allowed two solo home runs -- one in the ninth and one in the 10th -- as the IronBirds suffered a 4-3 loss in extra innings to Brooklyn.

Aberdeen shortstop Michael Rooney was 3-for-4 with a run scored, while center fielder Austin Knight added a sacrifice fly in the defeat.

IronBirds starting pitcher Scott Copeland gave up one run and three hits in six innings, and relief pitcher Dan Klein struck out two batters in a perfect inning out of the bullpen.

Bluefield Orioles (Rookie)

Score: Bluefield Orioles 7, Bristol White Sox 1 (Box score)

Recap: Center fielder Brenden Webb contributed two RBIs in the Orioles' 7-1 victory against Bristol.

Bluefield right fielder Luis Ramirez collected a pair of doubles and two runs scored, while left fielder Kyle Hoppy and second baseman Moises Ciriaco each scored twice.

Orioles starting pitcher Jacob Petitt (3-5) held the White Sox to one run and three hits in six innings. He struck out eight hitters, issued one walk and hit one batter.

Relief pitcher Chris Petrini tossed three hitless innings for his first save since joining Bluefield.

GCL Orioles (Rookie)

Score: GCL Twins 4, GCL Orioles 3 (Box score)

Recap: Shortstop Mychal Givens was 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored as the GCL Orioles were edged, 4-3, by the GCL Twins.

Orioles first baseman Preston Hale was 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI, while center fielder Grolmann Gonzalez added two hits, including a double, and a run scored.

Starting pitcher Luiyi Batista gave up two runs (one earned) and four hits in five innings for the Orioles, while relief pitcher Enrico Jimenez (2-2) allowed two runs and three hits in four innings.

Jimenez, a 21-year-old left-hander, struck out eight batters. He has 72 strikeouts in 57 innings this season.

Posted by Dean Jones Jr. at 10:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Minor leagues
        

It was pretty apparent in the first inning that Orioles rookie starter Jake Arrieta didn't have his best stuff, and nothing has changed since.

Arrieta walked three in a 35-pitch first inning but gave up only the one run on Carlos Quentin's single into center. He had an easy nine-pitch second, but he just allowed two more runs in the third.

Paul Konerko connected for an RBI single and Alexei Ramirez did the same as the White Sox lead 3-0 after three. Arrieta has already thrown 70 pitches.

The Orioles just got their first hit off Edwin Jackson on Nick Markakis' infield single in the fourth. Jackson fanned five of the first seven hitters he faced.

UPDATE: Arrieta just gave way to Rick VandenHurk to start the fifth. Arrieta allowed four runs on seven hits and three walks. He also mixed in a throwing error that contributed to Chicago's scoring a run in the fourth to take a 4-0 lead.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Orioles manager Buck Showalter will meet with president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail this weekend in Anaheim, Calif., to firm up plans for roster expansion Sept. 1. No final decisions have been made yet, but it looks that Chris Tillman will join the club but pitching prospect Zach Britton will not.

Again, this issue still hasn't been finalized, but that's the way things are leaning now. With a bunch of days off in September, Orioles officials don't want their starters going six or seven days between starts so there are only so many additions they can make to the roster.

Showalter said Britton still has two or three more starts to make for Triple-A Norfolk, which should take him close to his innings limit. Britton has logged 142 1/3 innings this season. His career high is 147 1/3.

Showalter said that if Britton were to come up, it's unlikely the Orioles would use him out of the bullpen, and the same is true for Tillman.

In other news, center fielder Adam Jones was in the Orioles' original lineup, but he was scratched as he continues to feel discomfort from his left shoulder contusion. Jones was hit by a pitch in Tuesday's series opener. Jones is having trouble doing everything right now, including running. It might still be a couple of days before his return, but Showalter is hopeful he'll be ready for tomorrow's series opener versus the Angels.

Orioles roving instructor Mike Bordick was down in Sarasota, Fla., to spend some time with first-round draft pick Manny Machado, and he gave really positive reports to Showalter.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

I wrote this in the notebook in today’s paper, but it’s a little easier to follow in chart form. It’s something to consider as the Orioles discuss potentially going to a six-man rotation in September, which would give their starters another day of rest in between starts. It’s probably fair to point out that the Orioles have days off in each of the first three full weeks of September, so it’s likely that their starters would have gotten an extra day of rest anyway, at least early in the month.

Starter           ERA on 4 days' rest           ERA on 5 days' rest

Jake Arrieta         5.00 (10 starts)         3.29 (2 starts)
Brad Bergesen         5.01 (21 starts)         3.55 (14 starts)
Jeremy Guthrie         3.57 (65 starts)         4.93 (39 starts)
Brian Matusz         5.68 (18 starts)        3.57 (12 starts)
Kevin Millwood         4.39 (248 starts)         3.88 (97 starts)

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Earlier today, catcher Austin Rauch was added to Single-A Delmarva from short-season Single-A Aberdeen. He batted .197 with one home run and nine RBIs in 29 games for the IronBirds.

Norfolk Tides (AAA)

Score: Norfolk Tides 6, Durham Bulls 2 (Box score)

Recap: Starting pitcher Zach Britton (3-3) was charged with two runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings as the Tides won, 6-2, on the road against Durham.

Britton struck out five batters and issued one walk, throwing 63 of his 101 pitches for strikes. He also threw two wild pitches and recorded 10 groundball outs.

Norfolk third baseman Blake Davis hit a grand slam in the second inning, and right fielder Lou Montanez was 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored.

Left fielder Jeff Salazar was 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored for Norfolk.

Bowie Baysox (AA)

Score: Akron Aeros 8, Bowie Baysox 1 (Box score)

Recap: Designated hitter Joel Guzman was 2-for-4 with his 29th home run of the season, but the Baysox were routed, 8-1, by Akron at Prince George's Stadium.

Bowie starting pitcher Eddie Gamboa (6-5) was roughed up for six runs (five earned) and nine hits in five innings. He struck out five batters and issued three walks.

Baysox catcher Caleb Joseph was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. Joseph is batting .241 with 11 home runs and 49 RBIs this season after hitting .284 with 12 home runs and 60 RBIs for Single-A Frederick in 2009.

Frederick Keys (A)

Game 1 score: Kinston Indians 4, Frederick Keys 3, 8 innings (Box score)

Game 1 recap: First baseman Tyler Townsend hit a three-run home run, but the Keys were edged, 4-3, by Kinston in the first game of a doubleheader.

Frederick right fielder Ronnie Welty and shortstop Pedro Florimon Jr. each contributed two hits, while designated hitter Miguel Abreu added a double.

Keys starting pitcher Zach Clark gave up three runs (one earned) and five hits in five innings, while relief pitcher Cole McCurry (5-6) suffered the loss after allowing one run and one hit in 2 2/3 innings.

Game 2 score: Kinston Indians 1, Frederick Keys 0, 8 innings (Box score)

Game 2 recap: Designated hitter Billy Rowell was 3-for-4 with a stolen base in the Keys' 1-0 loss to Kinston in the second game of the doubleheader.

Townsend was 1-for-3 with a double and a strikeout.

Frederick starting pitcher Ryan O'Shea tossed six scoreless frames, while relief pitcher John Mariotti (3-5) gave up one run and two hits in 1 1/3 innings.

Mariotti hit Indians right fielder Abner Abreu with the bases loaded for the only run in the game.

Delmarva Shorebirds (A)

Score: Delmarva Shorebirds 4, Hagerstown Suns 3 (Box score)

Recap: Center fielder Trent Mummey was 3-for-5 with a triple, two RBIs and a run scored in the Shorebirds' 4-3 victory over Hagerstown.

Delmarva first baseman Mike Flacco and shortstop Garabez Rosa each contributed three hits and a run scored, while left fielder Levi Carolus was 2-for-4 with a stolen base.

Shorebirds starting pitcher Matt Hobgood gave up two runs and five hits in four innings, but he didn't factor in the decision. He struck out three batters and didn't walk anyone.

Relief pitcher Will Startup (1-0) held the Suns to one run and five hits in three innings to pick up the win for Delmarva. He collected six strikeouts.

The Shorebirds' James Brandhorst tossed two scoreless frames for his fifth save of the season. He allowed one hit and struck out one batter in the outing.

Aberdeen IronBirds (A)

Score: Brooklyn Cyclones 7, Aberdeen IronBirds 4 (Box score)

Recap: Starting pitcher Bruno Sanchez (3-4) was charged with six runs (five earned) and nine hits in the IronBirds' 7-4 loss to Brooklyn.

Aberdeen shortstop Sammie Starr was 2-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored, while second baseman Austin Knight added a double, an RBI and a run scored.

IronBirds center fielder Blair Dunlap walked three times, collected an RBI and scored a run, while first baseman David Anderson and designated hitter Tyler Stampone each contributed an RBI.

Bluefield Orioles (Rookie)

Score: Bristol White Sox 5, Bluefield Orioles 1 (Box score)

Recap: The Orioles managed only five singles in a 5-1 loss to Bristol.

Bluefield starting pitcher Jarret Martin (2-5) was charged with five runs and three hits in 4 2/3 innings. Martin collected six strikeouts, issued four walks and hit one batter.

Center fielder Jeremy Shelby scored the Orioles' only run.

GCL Orioles (Rookie)

Score: GCL Twins 3, GCL Orioles 2 (Box score)

Recap: Catcher Wynston Sawyer was 2-for-3 with his first professional home run in the GCL Orioles' 3-2 loss to the GCL Twins.

Orioles third baseman Michael Mosby contributed three hits, while designated hitter Mychal Givens added a double and an RBI.

Starting pitcher Aaron Wirsch gave up one run and two hits in three innings for the Orioles, and relief pitcher Derek Hanks suffered the loss after allowing one run and two hits in one-third of an inning.

Orioles center fielder Rojean Cleofa hit a double and scored a run.

Posted by Dean Jones Jr. at 11:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Minor leagues
        

White Sox starter Mark Buehrle had plenty to say to Orioles center fielder Felix Pie as he ran off the field following the bottom of the sixth.

Apparently, he was accusing Pie of stealing signs and relaying them to teammates.

Asked about his conversation with Pie, Buehrle told a Chicago Tribune reporter after the game that "I let him know how I felt," without going into specifics. However, several Orioles, who heard the conversation, said Buehrle was warning Pie to quit stealing signs or there would be ramifications for him and his Oriole teammates.

"I don't know what he says," Pie said. "I don't play that game."

Buehrle ran to the mound as soon as the top of the sixth ended and immediately started chirping at Pie. Corey Patterson and Pie both stopped and turned around to listen to the pitcher before heading into the Orioles' dugout. Pie said something back to the lefty, but the incident died down quickly. Buehrle was then removed from the game after the seventh inning and never faced Pie again.

The White Sox are probably a little frustrated that they can't get Pie out. The former Chicago Cub is 5-for-7 with a walk in two games this series, and he also has two outfield assists.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)
        

Here's a couple of quick notes as Brian Matusz and Mark Buehrle are locked in a pitching duel through three innings at U.S. Cellular Field.

Orioles director of player development John Stockstill will head to Japan on Sept. 6, and spend nearly two weeks scouting players. The Orioles want to get a look at five to seven players, according to Stockstill. That list includes heralded pitcher Yu Darvish.

“The idea is to see all the key people a few times,” Stockstill said.

Stockstill is expected to return to the United State around Sept. 19, in time to help run the team’s instructional program, which will be held until Oct. 2 or 3.

In other news, center fielder Adam Jones, who was hit in the back with a Gavin Floyd pitch in the fourth inning in Tuesday’s series opener and later diagnosed with a left shoulder contusion, was held out of the starting lineup tonight. However, Showalter said that he would consider using him as a pinch hitter and he expects him back in the lineup in Thursday’s series finale.

“It hurts, but I can tolerate it,” Jones said.

Reliever David Hernandez (left ankle sprain) threw a bullpen session today in Sarasota and Showalter said that he’s on schedule to throw live batting practice Sept. 1. Hernandez could join Single-A Frederick or Double-A Bowie, if the Baysox make the playoffs, to make a couple of rehab appearances before rejoining the Orioles.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 8:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

The Orioles have decided to activate right-handed reliever Jim Johnson in time for Friday's series opener against the Angels.

Johnson threw two scoreless innings for Double-A Bowie yesterday, allowing one hit and striking out there. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said yesterday that he wanted to see how Johnson responded to that outing today.

He said tonight that Johnson felt good and he has pitched his last game at Bowie.

I spoke to Johnson earlier today as he drove to Prince George's Stadium to get a workout in and he said that he felt good and was ready to go. He, however, wasn't sure whether the Orioles were going to activate him on Friday or wait until rosters expand Sept. 1

"I’ve been encouraged by the way I’ve been responding physically," Johnson said. "I feel like I’m definitely there. I think over the last couple of outings, my pitches have gotten sharper and sharper. I’m starting to really pitch like I’m supposed to be pitching. The ball is coming out of my hand like I want it to. I feel like I’m ready. I can only do so much. They have to make a move here and there and I’ll get a phone call and they’ll tell me where they want me to be."

Johnson, who is on the 60-day disabled list with a right elbow inflammation, will need to be added to both the 40 and 25-man roster. The 40-man move will easy as the Orioles could just transfer Jason Berken (torn labrum) to the 60-day DL as he won't pitch again this year. The most likely 25-man move would be to jettison seldom-used reliever Armando Gabino off the roster.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 2:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

It has been nearly three months since Dave Trembley was dismissed in the middle of his third full season as Orioles manager.

Trembley has cordially declined several interview requests from The Sun since his June 4 firing. However, he agreed to answer a few questions this morning, and here are a couple of comments from his first extensive interview with the Baltimore media.

On whether his firing has gotten any easier to accept as the days have passed: "What you do is you come to grips with what has happened as time goes on. You understand that it has happened to just about everybody who has managed in the big leagues. Whether it has become easier to accept or not, I think that’s questionable. I don’t think you’ll ever get over the fact that something you loved doing, you’re no longer involved in. But you move on. I don’t think you hold any bitterness. I think you appreciate the opportunity that you have and you respect the opportunity a lot more. I think you keep a lot of things that you feel and want to say private because that’s the way it should be. That was one of the things that [president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail] asked me, 'What are you going to say?' There’s really nothing for me to say. I had a tremendous opportunity, I’m very appreciative of being able to have managed the Baltimore Orioles. I made an awful lot of friends, and you have tremendous respect for the players, the fans and the coaches. But it’s not my time. It’s somebody else’s time now. I’d rather go off and be private. I don’t need any headlines. I’m not going to say anything bad about anybody. I hold no bad feelings. I think more times than not, that’s what people want you to do or want you to say. I’m not going to do that."

On whether he still follows the Orioles: "When I first got home, I was checking the scores. I was waking up in the middle of the night checking scores. I make no bones about it. I loved the game. I loved doing what I was doing. I felt very attached to players and coaches. It’s very hard to remove yourself. It doesn’t go away. I’d like to think that it was just put on sabbatical. I’ve not watched full games, but I’ve seen highlights, I’ve read the game stories, I’ve looked at the box scores. But I’ve done that for all the other teams as well. But obviously you do have an awful lot of interest in the guys you are closest to."

On how he has avoided feeling bitterness toward the organization: "Let’s be real upfront about being appreciative about all the opportunity that you had and for all the good things that came in my life and all the experiences that were afforded to me. That far outweighs anything else that can enter into the picture. That is to say woe is me, and everything that has occurred to me, every quality that I had in my life, is because the last 3 1/2 years of managing the Orioles. The easy thing would be to harbor ill feelings and to say something bad and to let something fester. I really don’t see any merit in that at all. I think you rely on some faith, a real good support system, which I’ve had with my family, and knowing in my heart and my mind that the way I was treated, for the most part, couldn’t have been any better."

On the Orioles' hiring of Buck Showalter: "I managed against Buck in 1989 in the Eastern League. He was with the Yankees, and I was with the Pirates. We lost to them in the finals. Obviously, I know what his background is, what a good baseball man is. I think what Andy has done in naming a longtime manager has really helped the players. It’s really been a shot in the arm. It’s put some stability in the organization. The players know who the manager is going to be in the long term. I think it’s been a win-win situation for the Orioles and the players involved. I think now you’ll see the players relax and just play baseball and not wonder every day who the manager is going to be, what moves are going to be made. Now they can really take a look at the organization and what they need to do to move forward. The beneficiary of the whole thing has been the players, and that’s what this is really about."

On his future: "All the teams have been involved in the trade deadline, draft, waiver deadlines, teams are in pennant races. I’m in a situation where when I left, Andy said that he’d love to have me stay in the organization. He asked me what I wanted to do. I told him I wasn’t quite sure, I was going to go home and think about it. That’s where I’m at. I went over to Lakeland [Fla.] because there was an East Coast showcase over there. I’ve been to one Daytona Cubs game. I’ve been very private. I don’t network. I’ve not made a lot of phone calls. We’ll just wait and see what happens. I want to work. I feel like I have something to contribute. I hope there is a fit somewhere. Whether that’s with the Orioles or somebody else, that’s to be determined. But I know what kind of person, I know what I bring to the table."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)
        

The Orioles trailed 7-2 heading into the ninth inning tonight, but scored two runs and then had runners on the corners and no outs with Ty Wigginton at the plate representing the tying run. Right-hander J.J. Putz, who relieved Sergio Santos after he allowed all four batters that he faced to reach, fell behind Wigginton 3-0 and then came out of the game with a knee injury.

With Bobby Jenks on the mound and Luke Scott on deck, Wigginton got the green light and fouled Jenks' pitch straight back. Then on a 3-2 pitch, Wigginton hit a hard one hopper back up the box and Jenks made a nice play to snare it and then turn the double play. That was pretty much it for the Orioles' rally.

"You have a chance to tie the ball game there and Jenks ain’t coming in there throwing balls," Showalter said on giving Wigginton the green light. "He’s going to throw the ball over the plate. He got a good pitch to hit, too. He just missed it. You take your shots when you can. They backed themselves into some problems. I don’t feel like we let them off the hook. He centered the ball there and Jenks kind of stuck his glove up and it went in. Next you know, we’re struggling."

Showalter doesn't know what position players that he'll have available tomorrow. Adam Jones was drilled in the left shoulder by a Gavin Floyd fastball in the fourth inning. He tried to come out for the bottom of the frame but while warming up in the outfield, he was in extreme discomfort and pulled himself out. He was diagnosed with a left shoulder contusion.

"I couldn’t lift my arm," Jones said. "I decided to bring myself out. I tried to do something to [stay[ in but I couldn’t lift my arm. I couldn’t lift it to swing, I couldn’t lift it to throw. It’d be dumb to sit there and try to play like that."

Luke Scott may also not be able to go tomorrow after he fouled a ball off his right foot in the fifth inning. He stayed in the game and got his final two at-bats, but he was not running well at all. Showalter said the team was pondering whether or not to give him X-rays..

One other thing, Jeremy Guthrie, who gave up the decisive go-ahead three-run homer to Gordon Beckham in the seventh inning, was surprised that his plunking of Alex Rios later in the inning led to both benches being warned. Guthrie hit two guys and Floyd hit one.

"In those situations, they scored runs so it looked bad," Guthrie said. "But that’s one of those ones, where if you look at the velocity, my elbow dropped quite a bit. It’s just one of those pitches that came out terribly. That’s why the reaction is, ‘whoa,’ like that is a very bad pitch. That Rios pitch wasn’t anywhere near where I wanted to throw it. They got ot do what they have to do."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

There were some recent transactions in the Orioles' minor league system.

Single-A Frederick relief pitcher Jose Duran was activated from the disabled list Monday, while right-hander Ryan Berry was placed on the temporary inactive list Tuesday for school reasons.

Also, Single-A Delmarva catcher Justin Dalles was placed on the disabled list Tuesday following a collision at home plate in Monday's game. A corresponding move will be announced later, according to the team.

Tonight's game between Frederick and Kinston was postponed, while the second game of a doubleheader between the Rookie-level GCL Orioles and GCL Red Sox was canceled.

Norfolk Tides (AAA)

Score: Durham Bulls 1, Norfolk Tides 0 (Box score)

Recap: Starting pitcher Troy Patton (7-11) only allowed one run and four hits in 6 1/3 innings, but the Tides weren't able to help him offensively in a 1-0 loss to Durham.

Patton collected seven strikeouts, issued three walks and hit two batters.

Norfolk right fielder Lou Montanez was 2-for-4 with a double and a stolen base, while catcher Adam Donachie added two singles.

Bowie Baysox (AA)

Game 1 score: Bowie Baysox 1, Akron Aeros 0, 7 innings (Box score)

Game 1 recap: Orioles relief pitcher Jim Johnson tossed two scoreless innings in his latest rehab assignment as the Baysox won, 1-0, over Akron at Prince George's Stadium.

Johnson struck out three batters and allowed one hit during the outing.

Bowie relief pitcher Brandon Cooney (3-2) threw one scoreless frame to pick up the victory, while closer Pedro Beato retired the final three batters for his 16th save of the season.

Baysox designated hitter Ryan Adams was 2-for-3 with his 13th home run of the season, while left fielder Joe Mahoney contributed the team's only other hit.

Game 2 score: Akron Aeros 6, Bowie Baysox 3, 7 innings (Box score)

Game 2 recap: Shortstop Greg Miclat committed three of Bowie's four errors as the Baysox dropped a 6-3 decision to Akron in the second game at Prince George's Stadium.

Baysox center fielder Xavier Avery was 1-for-3 with a walk and two stolen bases, while right fielder Jonathan Tucker added a double, an RBI and a run scored.

Avery is 9-for-9 in stolen base attempts since joining the Baysox. He was second in the Carolina League with 28 stolen bases -- out of 42 attempts -- for Single-A Frederick when he was promoted to Double-A.

Baysox starting pitcher Ryohei Tanaka (6-12) gave up five runs (one earned) and seven hits, including two home runs, in four innings. He struck out three batters.

Delmarva Shorebirds (A)

Score: Delmarva Shorebirds 11, Hickory Crawdads 6 (Box score)

Recap: The Shorebirds scored six runs in the top of the ninth inning to pull away for a commanding 11-6 victory on the road against Hickory.

Delmarva third baseman Tyler Kelly was 2-for-5 with a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored, while designated hitter T.J. Baxter added two hits, one RBI, two runs scored and his 33rd stolen base of the season.

Catcher Kyle Moore contributed three hits, including two doubles, and two RBIs for the Shorebirds, while right fielder Michael Planeta was 2-for-5 with a double, three RBIs and a run scored.

Starting pitcher Kenny Moreland gave up five runs (three earned) and seven hits in seven innings for Delmarva, while relief pitcher T.R. Keating (1-1) allowed one run and two hits in one inning.

Shorebirds shortstop Garabez Rosa was 2-for-5 with three runs scored, but the 20-year-old infielder also committed his 41st error of the season.

Aberdeen IronBirds (A)

Score: Aberdeen IronBirds 3, Staten Island Yankees 0 (Box score)

Recap: IronBirds pitchers combined to hold Staten Island to one hit in a 3-0 win.

Aberdeen starting pitcher Justin Anderson (4-4) allowed a leadoff single to Yankees left fielder Shane Brown in the first inning. He struck out five batters and issued two walks in five innings.

IronBirds second baseman Sammie Starr was 3-for-5 with two doubles and a run scored, and left fielder Kipp Schutz added three hits, an RBI and a run scored.

Relief pitcher Steven Mazur retired the final six batters, including four strikeouts, to pick up his sixth save since joining the IronBirds.

Bluefield Orioles (Rookie)

Score: Bluefield Orioles 5, Elizabethton Twins 4 (Box score)

Recap: Starting pitcher Eiris Ramirez (1-1) picked up his first victory of the season as the Orioles won, 5-4, over Elizabethton at Bowen Field.

Ramirez gave up three runs and five hits in five innings.

Bluefield shortstop Jonathan Schoop was 2-for-4 in the win, while second baseman Moises Ciriaco and left fielder Kyle Hoppy each added a double, an RBI and a run scored.

Relief pitcher Andy Deain struck out the side in the ninth inning to pick up his second save since being promoted to Bluefield from the Gulf Coast League.

GCL Orioles (Rookie)

Score: GCL Orioles 3, GCL Red Sox 1, 7 innings (Box score)

Recap: Left fielder David Rivera hit a two-run home run to lift the GCL Orioles to a 3-1 victory over the GCL Red Sox.

Center fielder Grolmann Gonzalez added a solo shot for the Orioles, while right fielder Jaynnertt Melenciano was 2-for-2 with a walk in the win.

Relief pitcher Orlando Alfonso (6-1) only allowed one hit in six innings for the Orioles. He struck out three batters and didn't walk anyone.

Orioles ninth-round selection Parker Bridwell only pitched two-thirds of an inning in his professional debut. He gave up one run, one hit and two walks. It's unclear why he was removed from the game after only two outs, but I'll check into it.

Posted by Dean Jones Jr. at 11:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Minor leagues
        

Orioles center fielder Adam Jones was just removed from the game before the bottom of the fourth inning and diagnosed with a left shoulder contusion.

Jones was hit in the upper back by a Gavin Floyd fastball in the top half of the inning. However, he stayed in the game, went from first to third on Felix Pie's single and then scored on Matt Wieters' groundout.

After coming out to the field for the bottom of the inning, however, Jones must have felt some discomfort while making some warm-up tosses. He walked of the field and was met just beyond first base by manager Buck Showalter.

Left fielder Felix Pie moved over to center and Corey Patterson was inserted in the game to play left.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Orioles designated hitter Luke Scott just broke a scoreless tie by smashing a solo homer in the right-field seats in the fourth inning. Scott sent Gavin Floyd's 1-1 pitch 404 feet and just tucked it inside the right-field foul pole.

It was Scott's 25th homer of the season, tying a career high. It was also his third straight game with a homer, the second time he's done that this year. No other Oriole can make the same claim.

The Orioles added one more run in the inning on Matt Wieters' RBI groundout.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Rehabbing reliever Jim Johnson threw two scoreless innings in Double-A Bowie's 1-0 victory over Akron today. Johnson allowed one hit and struck out three.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said the club wants to wait and see how Johnson responds tomorrow before making a decision, but he acknowledged that it's possible he'll be activated Friday for the start of the Angels series.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Things obviously could change in the next couple of days, but the Orioles are currently planning on having shortstop Manny Machado, their first-round pick in June's draft, make his debut on Friday for the Gulf Coast League team.

Machado essentially hasn't played in a game of any meaning since June so the Orioles plan on being cautious with him. It's expected that Machado will serve as the Gulf Coast League Orioles' designated hitter on Friday and that could continue for a couple of games as he knocks off some rust.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

After a consultation this morning with New York Mets medical director Dr. David Altchek, Orioles reliever Jason Berken has decided to stay the course and rehabilitate the torn labrum in his right shoulder rather than have surgery.

He is still expected to miss the rest of the season and be ready for spring training, though surgery would have most likely knocked him out for most of the 2011 season as well.

Berken, 26, went 3-3 with a 3.03 ERA in 41 appearances and was the Orioles’ most effective reliever for the first half of the season, compiling a 1.96 ERA over 50 2/3 innings. However, after the All-Star break, Berken went 1-2 with a 7.71 ERA in nine appearances spanning 11 2/3 innings before he was placed on the disabled list Aug.13 with right shoulder inflammation.

The right-hander saw Orioles team orthopedist Dr. John Wilckens last week, and a magnetic resonance imaging confirmed the labrum tear. However, he was told that surgery wasn’t necessary at this time and the best course of action was a rehab program. He went to New York to see Altchek to get a second opinion.

Berken is expected to be moved to the 60-day DL, opening up a 40-man spot for reliever Jim Johnson, who is on the 60-day DL, or another player called up after rosters expand Sept. 1.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

With the ongoing renovations at both Ed Smith Stadium and Twin Lakes Park, the Orioles are looking to move instructional league a lot closer to home.

Team officials are currently planning a scaled-down version of instructional league next month at Camden Yards. While the logistics are still being worked out, the plan would be for several of the organization’s young minor leaguers, including this year’s first-round pick Manny Machado, to spend two weeks at Camden Yards, going through both hitting and fielding drills and working with Oriole instructors.

“There was a feeling that there was overkill in the past (with the instructional league). That we had to have so much pitching down there just to get through it,” said Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail.

So for two weeks in September at Camden Yards the Orioles will host a “hybrid camp that will focus on position players.”

“We’re going to have a mini-instructional league at Camden Yards for a very few guys that came on board late, like Machado and [Connor] Narron and those guys,” MacPhail said. “We’d like to take a look at them, see them play some and see how that works out. It’s something we are excited about.”

Much of the instruction would go on in the morning, allowing new manager Buck Showalter and other team officials to get a look at some of the organization’s newest additions. Normally, about 35 players are invited to instructional league, but the Orioles would have nowhere near that number.

Some of it will occur while the Orioles are on the road, but there will be “a little overlap” with the big league team at home, according to MacPhail.

It would not affect the guys going to different fall leagues, and guys in rehab programs will remain in Sarasota. Other guys who might have been candidates for instructional league are still expected to play some type of winter ball, MacPhail said.

Fall instructional league typically takes place from mid-September to late October and it allows young players – many of them recently drafted or in the lower levels of the minor leagues or guys making a position change – to get detailed one-on-one instruction on specific skills without the pressure of the sanctioned-game environment.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 1:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

One of the most interesting story lines left in the Orioles’ season is what they’ll do with 22-year-old left-hander Zach Britton.

Former Orioles Nolan Reimold, Chris Tillman and Frank Mata, among others, likely will be back from Triple-A Norfolk when rosters expand in September.

But what about Britton?

He almost assuredly will win the organization’s 2010 Jim Palmer Prize for best minor league pitcher. In stints at Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk he is 9-6 with a 2.70 ERA in 24 games (23 starts). He has struck out 107 batters and walked 46 in 136 2/3 innings pitched.

Bringing him up in September makes plenty of sense on one hand, and not so much on the other.

The pros:

Britton didn’t get a spring training invitation, and wasn’t particularly happy with that. He has outperformed several other pitchers who have received call-ups this year, so it would be a nice reward to bring him to the big leagues. He has a bulldog attitude, and it’s doubtful his confidence would be shaken if he didn’t succeed here in September.

Also, it will be helpful for new manager Buck Showalter to evaluate the kid, his stuff and his demeanor if he sees it on the major league level. He’ll get a much sharper snapshot of him in September than in March against spring training lineups.

The cons:

Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail has said repeatedly that promotions have to be earned, and though Britton’s nine-game stint at Norfolk has been excellent for a 22-year-old -- 2-3 with a 3.08 ERA, 47 hits, 18 walks and 39 strikeouts in 49 2/3 innings -- he’s had just four quality starts in nine outings. He’s had trouble going deep into games and still has some things to work on before consistently facing big leaguers.

He’s also closing in on his career-high innings pitched of 147 1/3 set in 2008 with Delmarva. So you’d be sending him to the big leagues in uncharted territory as far as innings pitched is concerned.

There are also some procedural matters involving his call-up, such as the fact he is not on the 40-man roster, so someone would have to go to make room for him. The club would also have to create a spot in the Orioles’ rotation for Britton, which could mean the release of popular but scuffling starter Kevin Millwood.

It’s an interesting call. I could probably go either way. What do you think? Should they bring him up and see what he has or hand him the Jim Palmer Prize, shake his hand and send him home after a successful season?

Daily Think Special: What should the Orioles do with Zach Britton this September?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (27)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar
        

Norfolk Tides (AAA)

Score: Durham Bulls 8, Norfolk Tides 4 (Box score)

Recap: Left fielder Jeff Salazar was 2-for-5 with his 16th home run of the season and two RBIs as the Tides fell, 8-4, to Durham at Harbor Park.

Norfolk shortstop Robert Andino contributed three hits, including a double, and an RBI, while first baseman Nolan Reimold was 2-for-4 with an RBI, a stolen base and a run scored.

Tides starting pitcher Chris George (5-7) was touched up for four runs and six hits in 2 2/3 innings. He struck out four batters and issued two walks.

Second baseman Paco Figueroa added two hits and a run scored for Norfolk.

Bowie Baysox (AA)

Score: Bowie Baysox 7, Akron Aeros 2 (Box score)

Recap: Left fielder Joe Mahoney hit a three-run home run as the Baysox won, 7-2, against Akron in the first game of the doubleheader at Prince George's Stadium.

Bowie first baseman Brandon Waring added his 20th home run of the season, a solo shot in the third inning, while shortstop Greg Miclat was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.

Baysox left-hander Rick Zagone (2-3) earned the victory after holding the Aeros to one run and two hits in three innings. He collected two strikeouts.

Third baseman Ryan Adams was 2-for-5 with a double for Bowie.

Frederick Keys (A)

Score: Frederick Keys 6, Kinston Indians 4 (Box score)

Recap: Right fielder Ronnie Welty was 2-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs as the Keys held on for a 6-4 victory on the road against Kinston.

Frederick first baseman Buck Britton was 3-for-3 with a triple, a solo home run and two runs scored, while center fielder Kyle Hudson added two hits, two stolen bases and two runs scored.

Keys starting pitcher Oliver Drake (5-6) held the Indians to one run and two hits in 6 2/3 innings. He collected three strikeouts and walked three batters.

Relief pitcher Brett Bordes recorded the final out to pick up his second save of the season for Frederick after right-hander Josh Dowdy failed to shut the door.

Delmarva Shorebirds (A)

Score: Hickory Crawdads 5, Delmarva Shorebirds 1 (Box score)

Recap: Third baseman Tyler Kelly was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI as the Shorebirds suffered a 5-1 loss to Hickory.

Delmarva center fielder Trent Mummey was 1-for-3 with a stolen base and a run scored, while shortstop Garabez Rosa committed his 40th error of the season.

Shorebirds starting pitcher Brent Allar (2-4) gave up five runs (two earned) and four hits in five innings. He walked four batters and collected five strikeouts.

Aberdeen IronBirds (A)

Score: Staten Island Yankees 5, Aberdeen IronBirds 1 (Box score)

Recap: Orioles third-round pick Dan Klein made his professional debut in the IronBirds' 5-1 loss on the road against Staten Island.

Klein retired the side in order in the bottom of the seventh.

Aberdeen catcher Austin Rauch picked up the team's only RBI in the defeat, while designated hitter Tyler Stampone was 2-for-3 with a run scored.

IronBirds left fielder Austin Knight also collected two hits.

Starting pitcher Tyler Sexton (1-6) gave up four runs and five hits in 5 2/3 innings for Aberdeen. Sexton struck out five batters and issued two walks.

Bluefield Orioles (Rookie)

Score: Elizabethton Twins 9, Bluefield Orioles 6 (Box score)

Recap: Second baseman Dudley Leonora was 2-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored in the Orioles' 9-6 loss to Elizabethton.

Bluefield right fielder Luis Ramirez added a pair of doubles, an RBI and two runs scored, while catcher Austin Goolsby and third baseman Brad Decater each collected two hits, including a double, and a run scored.

Orioles starting pitcher Cameron Roth (2-4) was charged with five runs and seven hits in four innings. He struck out three batters and issued two walks.

Posted by Dean Jones Jr. at 9:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Minor leagues
        

Jim Howard, the Orioles' long-time professional scout, was just named a 2010 inductee into the Mid Atlantic Scouts Association Hall of Fame.

Howard will be honored at a Nov. 13 banquet at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen.

Howard has scouted for the Orioles since 1988, including a year and a half stint as the team's advanced scout.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 1:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

It might not happen this week, but at some point soon, the Orioles could have a difficult decision to make on veteran starter Kevin Millwood.

Millwood lost his 14th game Sunday, giving up six runs in six innings to the Texas Rangers, who got three-run homers from Josh Hamilton and Vladimir Guerrero. He has two more losses than any pitcher in the American League. He also leads the AL in earned runs (95) and hits (188) allowed. He has surrendered 26 home runs, tied for the second-highest total in the league and tied for the most he has allowed in any season in his big league career.

I bring up those numbers only because the Orioles and new manager Buck Showalter want to get a look at a couple of the organization’s young starters before the end of the season.

Showalter all but said Chris Tillman, who has strung together three strong starts at Triple-A Norfolk, will rejoin the club when rosters expand in September. There are also indications that left-hander Zach Britton, the Orioles' top pitching prospect yet to reach the majors, could be summoned to make a couple of September starts. Then there’s Rick VandenHurk, who is currently in the bullpen but is another guy team officials want to evaluate.

The problem is finding opportunities for all these guys. Sure, the Orioles could go to a six-man rotation, but starting today, they have five days off in a 32-day span. With a six-man rotation, that stretch would create a situation where guys would go five or six days in between starts, not exactly an ideal way to stay sharp.

They could shut down one of their young starters -- Jake Arrieta would be the most likely candidate because he has already thrown 152 combined innings this year, a professional high -- and insert Tillman, who has logged fewer innings that Arrieta. However, Showalter basically said yesterday that while the team is closely monitoring the young pitcher’s workload, it isn't close to shutting anybody down.

Then, of course, there is the option of simply dropping a current starter, which brings us back to Millwood. His struggles, along with the fact that he probably won’t return next year, make him the most likely candidate, and several of you have been calling for the Orioles to do just that.

However, that decision isn’t as easy as you might think. The numbers are well-documented, but before Sunday’s start, Millwood allowed just five earned runs in 21 innings in his previous three outings.

Millwood has been a great soldier, embracing his role as mentor to the other starting pitchers. He is easily one of the most well-liked guys in the clubhouse. He hasn’t complained one bit that the Orioles have backed him with no offense and very little defense, even when he was pitching well. Millwood also has a good relationship with Showalter built from their days together in Texas.

I know baseball can be a heartless business and Millwood has been well-compensated by the Orioles. As Showalter is fond of saying, “I get it.” But that still doesn’t make it any easier to give a proud and classy veteran who has pitched well at times this season his unceremonious release.

The best-case scenario would be for the Orioles to move Millwood, who has cleared waivers, to a contender looking for a veteran arm over the final month of the season. I’m told that the Orioles would be more than happy to let Millwood move on and have a chance to make the playoffs, essentially at little or no cost in return. But his struggles have kept interest at a minimum.

Let’s hope this works out for the best because Millwood certainly deserves that much.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (39)
        

With their 6-4 loss to the Texas Rangers in today's series finale, the Orioles are now one loss away from clinching a 13th straight losing season. That stretch of futility is matched only by the Pittsburgh Pirates. They recently secured themselves of an 18th straight losing year.

The result was essentially a formality after Vladimir Guerrero's three-run homer in the fifth off Kevin Millwood gave the Rangers a 6-1 lead. Luke Scott cut into the deficit with a two-run homer in the sixth, the 100th of his career. Ty Wigginton then got the Orioles a little closer in the ninth with a solo homer off Neftali Felix. However, Feliz struck out the final three batters, including fanning Felix Pie with a fastball that was clocked at 100 miles an hour to end the game.

Josh Hamilton also hit a three-run homer off Millwood, who was beaten by his old team and is now 2-14 this season.

"They're pretty good," said Millwood. "They've got a pretty good track record. You've got to make good pitches to them. The ball Hamilton hit out and the ball Guerrero hit out weren't good pitches."

What also was troubling was the Orioles didn't make Rangers starter Tommy Hunter work very hard, an assertion that manager Buck Showalter did not dispute. Hunter had gone only three innings in three of his past four starts. However, he needed to throw only 46 pitches to get through the first five innings today.

Heading into the sixth, the most pitches he threw in any inning was an 11-pitch first.

"The last thing you want to do with a day like today heat-wise and day game was to give him some short innings, which he had. ... He didn't really have a tough inning for quite a while," Showalter said.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 5:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Orioles designated hitter Luke Scott just slammed an 0-2 pitch from Tommy Hunter into the right-field seats in the sixth inning.

The two-run shot, which cut the Orioles' deficit to 6-3, was Scott's 24th of the season and the 100th of his career.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Kevin Millwood took the mound against the Texas Rangers after a 22-minute rain delay this afternoon.

He will face Tommy Hunter of the Rangers.

Posted by Ron Fritz at 1:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Just a short while ago, the skies over Camden Yards opened up and the rain has forced a delay to the start of today's 1:35 p.m. game between the Orioles and Texas Rangers.

The tarp is on the field. The Orioles are looking to take three of four games against the AL West-leading Rangers.

Kevin Millwood is scheduled to face the Rangers' Tommy Hunter in today's game.

Posted by Ron Fritz at 1:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The sky just opened up and we are now in for a rain delay. Since I started writing this, the tarp has been removed and first base has been scheduled for 1:55.

It was a pretty uneventful pregame media session with manager Buck Showalter. I guess the biggest piece of news is that slumping center fielder Adam Jones is being held out of the starting lineup.

Jones is 0-for-16 in his last five games since his game-winning bunt single against the Seattle Mariners on Monday. However, Showalter continues to be impressed with how he goes about his business.

"He plays hard. I’ve been very impressed with his effort level. He’s got a lot of want to, desire. He plays all out," Showalter said.

Showalter has already had several discussions with Jones about his positioning in center field and how he goes about playing certain opposing hitters.

"You can tell he takes pride in it," Showalter said. "He thinks it out. It’s not like he’s just going out there and standing wherever somebody puts him. He thinks it out. He takes a lot of pride in what he’s seeing, working with off outfielders. He understands what a center fielder’s role has to be to be good. I’ve been impressed with him."

Showalter went to Bowie last night to watch Jim Johnson pitch in a rehab game. Johnson gave up a solo homer on a changeup, which is one of the pitches the reliever is working on. Still in uniform. Showalter went down to the bullpen during the game to introduce himself to Johnson. The plan is still for Johnson to pitch Tuesday and Wednesday for the Baysox. The Orioles still haven't decided if they'll bring him up before rosters expand on Sept. 1.

Rookie third baseman Josh Bell, who hit his first two big league homers off Cliff Lee on Saturday, was still sporting an ear-to-ear grin as he walked into the clubhouse this morning. He also still had the two home run balls in his locker and he plans to present them to his mother, who will join the Orioles in Chicago this week.

"She’s the motivator, the one that kept me going," Bell said. "She’s my biggest supporter. It’s definitely fun for her to be able to see me play. I know my Dad would always say that he would always want to buy his mom a house. She passed early. Just for my mom to be able to see me play, it is a dream come true."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 1:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Orioles manager Buck Showalter’s not putting a name on his late-inning philosophy.

He’s also not showing his hand.

But here’s a little observation from the Department of Obvious: The Orioles are currently employing a closer-by-committee.

Or as Showalter would probably prefer: A closer-by-specific-situation.

“Each day you take a little different,” Showalter said.

On Saturday, with a couple lefties scheduled to hit for the Texas Rangers in the eighth inning, Showalter summoned lefty Michael Gonzalez.

Gonzalez allowed a run and was shaky, but held the lead. With Gonzalez pitching in the eighth, the assumption was that Alfredo Simon, the club’s saves leader, would come out for the ninth.

But when the bullpen door opened in the top of the ninth with the Orioles up by two runs, it was Koji Uehara who ran toward the mound.

“It’s nice to have some guys with experience at the end, but we felt like the way their lineup was going to set up, (Uehara entering) had a chance to happen if we could get there and score some runs.”

In other words, Showalter was thinking about using Uehara in the ninth Saturday night before the late innings unfolded.

Uehara, through his interpreter, said he had no idea he would be called on in that situation. But he saved 33 games in Japan, including a 32-save season for the Yomiuri Giants in 2007. So he’s not fazed by the pressure.

“I have the experience in Japan, so I didn’t feel like it was something different,” he said. “The fact that I am able to get a save here, in the United States, I am really happy.”

Uehara retired three of the four batters he faced, including the striking out the ever-dangerous Vladimir Guerrero to end the game.

Showalter’s not anointing Uehara the closer now, though he may be the one to get the next opportunity. Then again, it could go to Gonzalez if the need for a lefty arises. Or if Showalter wants a power pitcher, he can always summon Simon.

“(Uehara’s) pitching well. Sometimes that situation may show up differently,” Showalter said. “We have some people capable of (closing). They haven’t been as consistent. He’s certainly been consistent.”

Here’s Showalter’s bottom line:

“I’m more interested in getting in some save situations than who’s going to do it.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 11:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Orioles rookie third baseman Josh Bell made it easy on himself this afternoon.

After enjoying his first career Major League home run in the third inning and then adding his second homer in the fourth — manager Buck Showalter calling the Orioles' 8-6 win over the Texas Rangers "The Josh Bell Show" — all that was left to do was find the home runs balls following the game and doing some bartering. His two shots against Rangers' ace Cliff Lee were over the fence in center — about the same spot.

"Two bats and two balls and I personalized them. I got both of them — they were actually sitting right next to each other," said Bell. "It's one of the exciting things that you're always going to remember and it's still a whirlwind a little bit."

Completing the day for Bell was a deep single that was a foot away from a third home run and also a nifty bar-handed play at third base to help the Orioles protect their lead in the late innings.

Memorable day for Bell. And huge building block.

"I was telling [Jake Fox] is it OK to open my eyes now? It feels great, a definite confidence booster. I'm feeling great at third base and, after today, I'll just take it from there the rest of the season," Bell said.

Posted by Baltimore Sun sports at 7:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Jim Johnson (right elbow inflammation) will pitch again Saturday night at Double-A Bowie. Orioles manager Buck Showalter and director of development John Stockstill hope to drive down after the Orioles game to see Johnson pitch. Johnson is expected to throw in back-to-back days again on Aug. 24 and 25 before a decision is made on his next step.

Manny Machado, the club’s top pick in June’s amateur draft who agreed to a $5.25 million deal three minutes before Monday’s midnight deadline , spoke to reporters during a conference call Saturday afternoon.

I was pretty excited the deal got done,” said Machado, an 18-year-old prep shortstop out of Miami. “But all through the process, I’ve had an idea what I was going to do.”

Machado reports to Sarasota on Sunday to work out with the Gulf Coast League Orioles. He is expected to play in a GCL game on Monday and will remain with the team until its season ends on Aug. 28. Then he likely will be moved to either Single-A Delmarva or Aberdeen for a few more games.

Former Orioles shortstop Mike Bordick, now the organization’s roving instructor, is also headed to Sarasota this week. Bordick hasn’t spent time yet with the GCL Orioles, but will go down to work with Machado and two other young and highly regarded shortstops, 2010 fifth-round pick Connor Narron and 2009 second-rounder Mychal Givens.

Kevin Millwood will make his 400th career start on Sunday. He’ll be one of seven active pitchers to achieve the milestone. Philadelphia’s Jamie Moyer leads all active pitchers with 628 starts. The other five pitchers -- Andy Pettitte, Livan Hernandez, Tim Wakefield, Javier Vazquez and Jeff Suppan – have not reached 500 starts.

“I haven’t really thought anything about it,” said Millwood, 35. “It is definitely a cool thing, being able to stay around that long to get that many starts. To have somebody allow you to get that many starts is definitely a big honor, to reach that milestone.”

Philadelphia’s Jamie Moyer leads all active pitchers with 628 starts. The other five pitchers -- Andy Pettitte, Livan Hernandez, Tim Wakefield, Javier Vazquez and Jeff Suppan – have not reached 500 starts.

Nick Markakis, who was ejected for arguing balls and strikes on Friday by home plate umpire Jeff Nelson, was called out on strikes in his first at-bat Saturday by home plate umpire Mark Carlson.

Rookie third baseman Josh Bell hit his first career homer in the third inning Saturday, a two-run shot against Texas’ ace Cliff Lee. It traveled 394 feet. He hit his second career homer in the fourth, that one went 398 feet to center.

Ty Wigginton and Luke Scott also hit back-to-back homers in the fourth. Lee has given up 13 homers this season; seven to the Orioles

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

It's apparent Texas Rangers starting pitcher Cliff Lee made a lasting impression in Philadelphia. While today's Camden Yards crowd is dominated with orange t-shirts supporting the home team, there's a sprinkling of Lee Phillies' jerseys/T-shirts in the mix.

The Orioles aren't impressed, though. Josh Bell hit his first career home run off Lee in the third inning and a second in the fourth, following back-to-back homers by Ty Wiggington and Luke Scott to give the O's a 7-2 lead. The four homers were a combined 1,660 feet with Wigginton's shot the longest at 442 feet.

Of the 13 home runs Lee has surrendered this season, seven have come against the O's. On July 10 in Texas, Lee gave up three home runs to the Orioles and then has allowed one in his last seven starts prior to today's game. The Orioles have now hit back-to-back homers on five occasions this season. The last came on July 20 against Tampa Bay when Wigginton, Scott and Adam Jones hit three straight.

Glenn Graham

Posted by Baltimore Sun sports at 5:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Josh Bell surely will remember this one.

Bell, the Orioles' 23-year-old third baseman, just hit his first major league home run to give the Orioles a 2-0 lead int he third inning over the Texas Rangers.

It was a shot – a 394-foot blast to deep center.

And it came against Cliff Lee, one of baseball’s best pitchers.

Here’s something weird: Lee also surrendered Cesar Izturis’ lone homer of the season, in July in Texas. Lee just needs to avoid the switch-hitters in the bottom of the Orioles’ order and he’ll be fine.

.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 4:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Orioles rookie third baseman Josh Bell hit his first career home run off Texas Rangers ace Cliff Lee, a former Cy Young Award winner, in the third inning today to give the O's a 2-0 lead.

A switch-hitter, Bell was hitting right-handed off the lefty Lee when he sent the pitch over the wall at Camden Yards.

Posted by Ron Fritz at 4:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

After Friday’s game, a 2-0 loss to the Texas Rangers in which both Buck Showalter and Nick Markakis both were ejected by home plate umpire Jeff Nelson, both the Orioles manager and right fielder had pointed comments about the frustrating night.

Nelson and umpiring crew chief Jeff Kellogg refused to comment when asked after the game.

Here’s what Showalter had to say about his and the club’s frustration: “It was just an accumulation of a lot of things. It’s unfortunate. Obviously, (Nelson) was having a tough night and you’re just looking for a sense of fairness and emotions take over. That’s one thing that can’t happen. You can’t get emotionally involved as an umpire. Ninety nine times out of 100, I come in here and tell you we had a chance to make it not matter. It was really tough tonight.”

Showalter stressed that he felt Nelson let his emotions get the better of him, and that’s what really angered the Orioles manager, whose ninth-inning ejection was his first as an Oriole. It was the club’s seventh this season.

“It got kind of emotional there for him and just not a good situation there at all,” he said. “We’re trying, we’re grinding, just like they are. We’re trying to keep the field level.”

Showalter said he wasn’t surprised that the sixth-inning ejection of Markakis was the first of the mild-mannered right fielder’s career. That spans 747 games.

“You guys know him better than I do as far as confrontations and anything like that,” Showalter said of Markakis. “Certainly, umpires, I’m not sure if they’re aware of anything like that. You see him complaining, you might want to consider the source.”

Showalter said Markakis’ quiet nature may have hurt him in the situation – and in making the point, Showalter also took a parting dig at his old team, the Yankees, too.

“Unfortunately, sometimes the people who seem to be a little more squawky get some of the benefits,” Showalter said. “That’s unfortunate in our game but we see it a lot when we head up toward the Bronx.”

In parting, Showalter said he doesn’t believe he bumped Kellogg when he tried to get around the crew chief to continue yelling at Nelson. If he did, it would be an instant suspension.

“It’s not something I’ll go back and watch the tape of. I don’t think so. I don’t know.”

Markakis said he has no previous history with Nelson, but felt like after he argued the first strike call in the third at-bat, he was doomed to be called out. Markakis was called out on strikes all three at-bats, but he didn’t have as much of a beef with the first two plate appearances. It was the third, when he though all four pitches thrown to him were balls.

“I got down in the hole. The second pitch, I said something to him and he didn’t agree with me and I didn’t agree with him,” Markakis said. “I think it kind of led up to that third pitch. You just got to bite your tongue and move on.”

What did Markakis say that set off Nelson?

“I didn’t use any words against him, I didn’t use any profanity. He may not have liked the tone in my voice, but I didn’t like the strike zone in the last at-bat.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 10:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (22)
        

Buck Showalter was ejected in the top of the ninth, again arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire Jeff Nelson.

Orioles reliever Matt Albers threw two balls to Elvis Andrus to lead off the inning, both potential strikes, and Showalter dashed out of the dugout and began yelling at Nelson.

Nelson, who already had ejected Nick Markakis for arguing balls and strikes in the sixth, quickly thumbed Showalter. It was his first ejection as Orioles manager and seventh Orioles' ejection this season.

Showalter got his money's worth, screaming at Nelson with veins bulging in his neck. Crew chief Jeff Kellogg ran in from second base to separate the two and Showalter moved him aside to shout a few more words at Nelson.

Yes, Showalter looked very Earl Weaver like during the tantrum.

The 18,751 in the crowd cheered mockingly each of the next two times Nelson called a strike in Andrus' at-bat.

Bench coach Jeff Datz is now managing the Orioles.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 9:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Nick Markakis' frustration -- with both home plate umpire Jeff Nelson's strike zone and C.J. Wilson's impressive pitching -- boiled over in the sixth.

And he was ejected, for the first time in his career. It was the sixth Orioles' ejection this year and the second of a player -- Ty Wigginton was the first.

Markakis struck out all three times against Wilson. In the final at-bat, Markakis took a ball for 1-0 and then had three straight pitches called for strikes by Nelson. On TV replays, all appeared to be slightly out of the strike zone. And Markakis complained about each.

On the last one, Markakis shook his head and jawed at Nelson, who turned and responded. Markakis complained again, and was ejected.

The usually stoic Markakis then slammed his bat to the ground while Buck Showlater ran out to argue.

Felix Pie entered the game in right to replace Markakis.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

Texas Rangers lefty C.J. Wilson just struck out the side in the fifth inning – on 12 pitches.

He got Matt Wieters, Cesar Izturis and Josh Bell in the fifth, for eight strikeouts so far through five innings.

Wilson has allowed just two hits – a single and a double to right-handed hitting Julio Lugo, who was inserted in the lineup just to face Wilson, who is death to left-handed hitters.

Wilson’s season high for strikeouts is 10.

Jake Arrieta is holding his own. He has allowed just one run, a second-inning homer to rookie Mitch Moreland. But the Orioles trail 1-0 in sixth.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Here are some of the things we’ve gleaned from today’s pre-game interviews at Camden Yards.

Former Orioles starting left fielder Nolan Reimold is hitting .357 with a .519 on-base percentage and .554 slugging percentage in his first 17 August games at Triple-A Norfolk. And manager Buck Showalter is plenty aware of Reimold’s recent run.

“I can’t say I know him well,” Showalter said. “Listening to some (people) and trying to keep a clear mind about some other things, I do know he is playing well there, consistently and not for the first time this year.”

Reimold was demoted in May after hitting just .205 with a .302 on-base percentage and .337 slugging percentage in 29 games (96 at-bats) with the Orioles. He was attempting to come back from Achilles surgery last year and twice left Norfolk this season for personal reasons.

“I think there have been some issues other than just playing the game itself that challenges all players. You are up here and you are the so-called flavor of the month and everybody is extolling your virtues and then you have some challenges in the game, and it all affects young players on and off the field,” Showalter said. “And I am aware of some of the challenges he has faced and looks like he is starting to turn the corner and get that behind him.”

Showalter wouldn’t go as far as to say that Reimold definitely will get a September call-up, but it would be an absolute shock if the 26-year-old wasn’t back in the majors in the next two weeks

“We all love his potential and what he can bring,” Showalter said. “Hopefully he is at that stage of his career that he is ready to bring it again. He is definitely real strong on the radar.”

Right-hander Jason Berken will go to New York next week and get a second opinion on the partial labrum tear and rotator cuff fraying in his right shoulder. He’ll meet with New York Mets team physician Dr. David Altchek at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

Julio Lugo is batting second and starting in left field tonight against tough Texas lefty C.J. Wilson. Lugo has played 18 games in his 11-season career in the outfield, 11 of those in left. He has started just twice in left field in his career, once in 2006 with the Los Angeles Dodgers and once 2001 with the Houston Astros. T

The last time Lugo has played left field was for one inning with the Boston Red Sox in 2008. But, to get his right-handed bat into the lineup, against Wilson, Showalter went with the unconventional move.

“I talked to him a little bit today about it, too,” Showalter said of Lugo. “At least it gets him in the lineup. He’ll play anywhere, but it’s not something that’s foreign to him. He’s a good athlete.”

His other alternatives were left-handed hitters Corey Patterson, Luke Scott and Felix Pie, who are all on the bench Friday and right-handed hitting Jake Fox, who is the starting designated hitter.

Opposing lefties have a .106 average against Wilson, lowest in the majors. He has a chance to have the second lowest average versus lefties for someone with 20 starts or more in a season since 1974 – Randy Johnson had a .103 average versus lefties for Arizona in 1999.

“I’m trying to give a couple guys a day here and there, and (it’s against) C.J. Wilson, who obviously I know, is pretty tough on left-handers,” Showalter said. “Some of these guys you’ve got to be careful because you’re actually doing them a favor sometimes, taking the left-handers out. With (Wilson), he’s pretty good against both of them to be honest with you. He’s impressive.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

So you’ve been suffering through this consistently disastrous Orioles’ season trying to glean some positives.

Pretty much everything you can muster has to do with new manager Buck Showalter, since the team seems to be playing a whole lot more focused with him at the helm.

But you want something specific about the players, about the young guns who are supposed to brighten your baseball future.

Well, I’ve got one for you, courtesy of Thursday night’s 4-0 victory over the Texas Rangers.

Brian Matusz threw arguably his best game of the year – eight shutout innings, allowing just five hits, one walk and striking out six.

It was even more impressive given that it came against the mighty Rangers’ offense. And that the Rangers had absolutely bashed Matusz two other times this season – seven earned runs in 2 1/3 innings on May 20 in Texas and four earned runs in three innings on July 9.

But here’s taking the positive one step further. After the game both Matusz and manager Buck Showalter heaped praise on catcher Matt Wieters.

“I worked really well with Wieters tonight,” Matusz said.

OK, pitchers often compliment their catchers when they throw a good game. But Showalter also made a point of highlighting the way Matusz and Wieters worked together. And that, suffering Orioles’ fans, is your positive nugget of the day.

“I thought Matt Wieters had a great game behind the plate,” Showalter said. “They were in tune there. You could see the tempo they were working there. They were on the same page. It was almost like they knew where they were going. Keep in mind, too, these are two guys both of them under 24, 23 years old. That doesn’t happen much. That bodes well for our future.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Wish we could give you some juicy post-game quotes after Orioles third baseman Ty Wigginton and Texas Rangers second baseman Andres Blanco jawed at each other in the top of the sixth inning.

But the responses after the game were typically and expectedly muted.

Blanco attempted to turn a leadoff double into a triple in the sixth but was thrown out when Wigginton dropped his right leg in front of the third base bag and blocked Blanco’s hand.

Blanco got up, jawed at Wigginton, who kept raising his arm to indicate Blanco was out. The two were separated by Rangers third base coach Dave Anderson before the chirping could escalate. Some players stepped out of the dugout and several Orioles relievers temporarily left the bullpen and walked onto the outfield grass before halting.

Here’s what Wigginton said after the game:

“I guess he wasn’t happy with the play and that was it,” Wigginton said. “I just know the ump called him out and there was one out and nobody on.”

When asked what specifically he said to Blanco, Wigginton deadpanned, “I just said, ‘You’re out.’”

Blanco also didn’t add much post-game.

“It's just part of the game, trying to get the extra base. You got somebody who blocks the base and you get out. It just happens,” Blanco said. “That's the first time I (got) into something with somebody from the other team.”

Orioles manager Buck Showalter called it a “great baseball play,” by Wigginton and said the tempers flaring was no big deal, but interesting nonetheless.

“You’ve got passionate men that are playing the game at the highest level in the world and they care,” Showalter said. “Both sides care. And that’s why it’s fun to watch. I thought it was handled well on both sides and we went on and played the game.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 11:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

Tonight's game between Rookie-level Bluefield and Bristol was postponed.

Single-A Frederick first baseman Tyler Townsend was activated from the disabled list, but he didn't play in the Keys' game at home against Wilmington.

Norfolk Tides (AAA)

Score: Durham Bulls 8, Norfolk Tides 6 (Box score)

Recap: Shortstop Robert Andino was 3-for-5 with a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored in the Tides' 8-6 loss to Durham at Harbor Park.

Norfolk center fielder Matt Angle added three hits, three runs scored and a stolen base, while designated hitter Nolan Reimold was 3-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored.

Tides starting pitcher Troy Patton allowed three runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings, while relief pitcher Frank Mata (3-3) was charged with four runs and three hits in one inning.

First baseman Brandon Snyder contributed three hits and two RBIs for Norfolk.

Bowie Baysox (AA)

Score: Trenton Thunder 5, Bowie Baysox 2 (Box score)

Recap: Center fielder Xavier Avery hit his first home run at the Double-A level, but the Baysox dropped a 5-2 decision on the road against Trenton.

Bowie starting pitcher Chorye Spoone (7-6) had major struggles with his control in the defeat. Although he didn't allow a hit in 3 2/3 innings, Spoone issued eight walks, hit three batters and gave up three runs.

Baysox second baseman Ryan Adams was 2-for-4 in the loss, while catcher Caleb Joseph added an RBI single in the seventh inning.

First baseman Joe Mahoney was 0-for-4. Despite being hitless in his past three games (0-for-11), he is still batting .356 in 34 games since being promoted to the Baysox.

Frederick Keys (A)

Score: Wilmington Blue Rocks 6, Frederick Keys 5 (Box score)

Recap: Designated hitter Miguel Abreu hit a two-run home run in the Keys' 6-5 loss to Wilmington at Harry Grove Stadium.

Frederick shortstop Pedro Florimon Jr. was 3-for-4 with a run scored, while right fielder Ronnie Welty added a double and two RBIs.

Keys starting pitcher Zach Clark allowed four runs and five hits in seven innings, and relief pitcher Nathan Nery (5-7) gave up two runs and three hits in one-third of an inning.

First baseman Buck Britton contributed an RBI for Frederick.

Delmarva Shorebirds (A)

Game 1 score: Delmarva Shorebirds 4, Hagerstown Suns 3, 7 innings (Box score)

Game 1 recap: Right fielder T.J. Baxter was 2-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored as the Shorebirds edged Hagerstown, 4-3, in the first game of a doubleheader at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium.

In his first game since July 31, Delmarva starting pitcher Matt Hobgood allowed one run and two hits in three innings. He struck out four batters and issued two walks.

Relief pitcher David Walters (2-1) tossed a scoreless frame to pick up the win for the Shorebirds.

Game 2 score: Hagerstown Suns 6, Delmarva Shorebirds 2, 7 innings (Box score)

Game 2 recap: Hagerstown scored four runs in the top of the seventh to salvage a split of the doubleheader with a 6-2 victory over Delmarva at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium.

Delmarva third baseman Tyler Kelly contributed a triple, an RBI and a run scored, while designated hitter Kieron Pope was 1-for-3 with an RBI.

Shorebirds starting pitcher Kenny Moreland (7-7) was charged with five runs and seven hits in six-plus innings. Moreland struck out nine batters in the loss.

Aberdeen IronBirds (A)

Score: Aberdeen IronBirds 3, Hudson Valley Renegades 2, 10 innings (Box score)

Recap: Catcher Austin Rauch hit a walk-off home run to lead off the 10th inning as the IronBirds came back for a 3-2 win over Hudson Valley at Ripken Stadium.

Aberdeen starting pitcher Scott Copeland tossed six no-hit innings before being removed from the game. He struck out six batters and issued one walk.

Relief pitcher Steven Mazur (1-0) allowed two hits in 2 1/3 innings for the IronBirds. He collected three strikeouts and walked one batter.

IronBirds left fielder Kipp Schutz and first baseman Tyler Stampone each contributed two hits and an RBI, while designated hitter Austin Knight was 3-for-4.

GCL Orioles (Rookie)

Score: GCL Red Sox 9, GCL Orioles 6 (Box score)

Recap: The GCL Orioles scored three runs in the top of the ninth, but they couldn't overcome nine early runs in a 9-6 loss to the GCL Red Sox on Thursday afternoon.

Designated hitter Mychal Givens, the Orioles' second-round selection in the 2009 MLB draft, was 1-for-5 with a run scored as he started an injury rehabilitation assignment.

Givens batted .222 (4-for-18) with four RBIs for Delmarva before he was injured.

Orioles right fielder Jaynnertt Melenciano was 3-for-5 with two doubles, two RBIs and a run scored, while second baseman Pedro Rodriguez added two hits and two RBIs.

Starting pitcher Aaron Wirsch (0-2), the Orioles' seventh-round pick in 2009, was roughed up by the Red Sox for six runs, five hits and two walks in two-thirds of an inning.

Orioles center fielder Rojean Cleofa was 3-for-5 with two runs scored.

Posted by Dean Jones Jr. at 9:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Minor leagues
        

Had an interesting little situation in the top of the sixth. Amounted to nothing, but will count as one of the highlights of the night.

In a scoreless tie, Texas’ second baseman Andres Blanco hit a leadoff double to right and attempted to stretch it into a triple. Nick Markakis barehanded the carom, threw a strike to Brian Roberts who in turn threw the ball to Ty Wigginton at third.

Wigginton straddled the bag, blocking the base with his right leg while tagging out Blanco.

An excellent play by Wigginton. But Blanco wasn’t very happy.

After being called out by third base umpire Manny Gonzalez, Blanco, who came up holding his hand gingerly, began chirping at Wigginton, presumably for the block. The spirited Wigginton walked toward Blanco, telling him to go back to the dugout and lifting his right hand in the air to emphasize the out.

Rangers’ third base coach Dave Anderson quickly got between them and Gonzalez walked Wigginton over toward shortstop.

Meanwhile a few players and coaches spilled from the dugout and the Orioles’ bullpen door opened and several relievers came out on the grass but ventured no further.

Order was restored and – two batters later – Cesar Izturis made a great diving play to end the top of the sixth. With two outs in the bottom of the inning, Wigginton doubled off the right-field scoreboard, igniting an approving roar from the announced crowd of 14,635.

He was stranded at second when Luke Scott hit a one-hop liner to first for the final out.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Mirroring Brian Roberts’ injury-plagued season, the preparation for the fifth annual Brian’s Baseball Bash was a little more difficult this year. For one, Roberts missed nearly 3 ½ months of the season, spending significant time at the team’s spring training complex in Florida during that stretch.

The event also lost its home for the first four years as ESPN Zone in the Inner Harbor closed down.

But Roberts made sure that ‘The Bash’ will go on as planned and the Orioles second baseman will host the event on Sunday at Dave and Buster’s in Arundel Mills Mall from 6 to 9 p.m. Proceeds from Brian’s Baseball Bash will support the University of Maryland Hospital for Children’s Pediatric Cardiopulmonary and Child Life Programs.

“It’s been probably a little harder,” Roberts said. “I think it’s out of sight, out of mind sometimes. A lot of people were probably wondering if we were having it. I have a little bit of apprehension again for the first time in a couple of years. I’m hoping people are still going to show up and we’re going to have the same kind of turnout that we always have. I think once we get people in the door, everybody is going to have a great time.”

Roberts’ Oriole teammates along with other local sport stars are scheduled to be on hand for the event, which will include silent and live auctions. Roberts has secured autographed jerseys from Oriole Hall of Famers Cal Ripken Jr., Eddie Murray, Brooks Robinson and Jim Palmer; an autographed jersey from Washington Nationals phenom Stephen Strasburg, an autographed item from golfer Phil Mickelson, along with other memorabilia. A trip to Fenway Park to watch an Orioles-Red Sox series and Maryland football tickets will be among the other items auctioned off.

Tickets to the event must be purchased in advance. They are $200 for adults and $150 for children 12 and under. To order tickets, fans should call the UMHC at 410-328-3637.

It’s certainly a worthy cause as Roberts remains one of the most giving athletes in the city. Roberts, who had open heart surgery when he was a kid, makes unannounced and unpublicized trips to children’s hospitals when the Orioles are on the road. But he spends the most time at UMHC, and ‘The Bash’ has raised some much-needed funds for the hospital.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Hey there, welcome back to the bar.

We weren’t closed. We were just operating a private speakeasy for a while. Actually, I was on vacation last week and Jeff Zrebiec won’t lower himself to grab a rag and get behind the bar. He serves no man.

Me, on the other hand? Tip me a couple quarters and I dance like a sideshow monkey. Or at least I’ll pour you a tall, cold and fictional one without complaint.

I covered the Orioles’ 6-5 loss to the Seattle Mariners last night. It was their second consecutive series defeat, and this one was against a team with a record that nearly matches the Orioles.

I don’t want to ruin a good story – or a stiff drink – with a cold dash of reality, but the Orioles have lost five of seven now after winning eight of nine to jumpstart the Buck Showalter Era.

We all knew the Orioles couldn’t keep up such a torrid pace. They are still undermanned and they are heading into a brutal stretch run, schedule-wise. Regardless, they have looked better, certainly more focused, since Showalter took over. And I expect that to continue.

Given that this season is all but done, and another losing season is almost official – the Orioles (42-79) have to go 39-2 in their remaining 41 games to get to .500 – I am wondering if hard, attentive play is enough for you as the season wanes.

If the Orioles still lose more than they win in the next six weeks, but do the little things -- like run hard and move runners over and have patient at-bats and throw consistent strikes – will that satisfy you in late August? Or do you need more wins to leave this season with a positive, or not completely negative, feeling?

Daily Think Special: How important are Orioles’ wins to you now?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 12:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (26)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar
        

Tonight's game between Single-A Delmarva and Hagerstown was postponed due to rain. The two teams will play a doubleheader Thursday at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium. Each game is scheduled for seven innings and the first contest is set to begin at 6:05 p.m.

Bowie Baysox (AA)

Score: Trenton Thunder 3, Bowie Baysox 0 (Box score)

Recap: The Baysox managed only two hits in a 3-0 loss to Trenton.

Bowie right fielder Jonathan Tucker hit a single, while center fielder Xavier Avery added a single and two stolen bases.

Trenton starting pitcher Adam Warren (4-2) struck out 15 hitters in seven innings, while the Baysox totaled 17 punchouts as a team in the loss.

Starting pitcher Rick Zagone (3-5) gave up two runs and four hits in six innings for the Baysox. He collected three strikeouts and issued three walks.

Frederick Keys (A)

Score: Frederick Keys 4, Wilmington Blue Rocks 1 (Box score)

Recap: Third baseman Billy Rowell was 3-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs in the Keys' 4-1 victory over Wilmington at Harry Grove Stadium.

Frederick left fielder Brian Conley added a two-run shot, while designated hitter Bobby Stevens was 1-for-3 with a run scored in the win.

Keys starting pitcher Oliver Drake (4-6) held the Blue Rocks to one run and seven hits in six innings. He struck out three batters and issued two walks.

Relief pitcher Ryan Berry collected seven strikeouts in three shutout frames to pick up his second save of the season for Frederick. He allowed three hits and issued two walks.

Aberdeen IronBirds (A)

Score: Aberdeen IronBirds 7, Hudson Valley Renegades 6 (Box score)

Recap: Third baseman Adam Gaylord's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth lifted the IronBirds to a 7-6 victory over Hudson Valley at Ripken Stadium.

Gaylord finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored for Aberdeen.

IronBirds first baseman David Anderson contributed his 10th home run of the season and two RBIs, while second baseman Sammie Starr was 2-for-4 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored.

Aberdeen starting pitcher Bruno Sanchez was charged with four runs (three earned) and six hits in 4 2/3 innings, while relief pitcher Clayton Schrader (1-0) threw a scoreless frame for his first professional win.

Designated hitter Tyler Stampone also hit a triple for the IronBirds, while center fielder Trent Mummey, right fielder Blair Dunlap and catcher Dashenko Ricardo each hit a double.

GCL Orioles (Rookie)

Score: GCL Red Sox 6, GCL Orioles 1 (Box score)

Recap: Starting pitcher Luiyi Batista (1-7) gave up three runs and five hits in six innings as the GCL Orioles fell, 6-1, to the GCL Red Sox.

The Orioles had eight singles and no extra-base hits in the loss.

Orioles shortstop Connor Narron was 1-for-4 with two strikeouts. Narron, the team's fifth-round selection in this year's MLB draft, is batting .188 (3-for-16) with one RBI and eight strikeouts in five games so far in 2010.

Catcher Riley Hornback scored the only run for the Orioles.

Posted by Dean Jones Jr. at 11:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Minor leagues
        

It’s rained pretty consistently at Camden Yards today, but the game started at 7:07 p.m., and I’m being told that the rain should hold for the most part tonight.

We’ll see.

There’s some incentive for the Orioles to get this one in. It’s the last game between the Mariners and Orioles this season.

There’s also incentive to try and get Seattle left fielder Matt Tuiasosopo out. This guy is killing the Orioles. In two starts here this series, Tuiasosopo has two homers and seven RBIs in five at-bats. He has one homer and two RBIs in his other 71 at-bats this season.

In the top of the second tonight, Tuiasosopo hit a three-run homer against Jeremy Guthrie to wipe out the Orioles’ early 2-0 lead. He had a homer and a double and four RBIs on Tuesday.

He is responsible for the last seven Mariners runs.

The Orioles trail 3-2 heading into the bottom of the third.

In the top of the third, third baseman Josh Bell fielded all three outs, including a nice barehanded play to get Russell Branyan by a step.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 7:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Newly minted Oriole Manny Machado is expected to arrive in Baltimore tonight and will undergo a physical on Thursday and Friday, but will not be introduced to the crowd at Camden Yards for another two weeks.

Machado, a Miami prep shortstop who signed a $5.25 million deal Monday night as the third overall pick in the 2010 draft, will likely be introduced at Camden Yards during the Orioles-Tampa Bay Rays series on either Sept. 3 or Sept. 4.

That’s when he’ll have his official news conference, though Machado will likely speak to the local media via conference call Friday or Saturday, once his contract is signed.

The delay in his introduction and news conference is because he wants his mother, who recently had surgery and cannot fly, to be part of the festivities.

“He wants her to be present, as she should be, and that’s the delay,“ said Orioles amateur scouting director Joe Jordan. “That’s all it is and we are just accommodating that.”

Because Machado, 18, is under age 21, Major League Baseball requires parental consent for the signing of a contract. Therefore, Machado won’t officially sign the dotted line until he arrives home in Miami either Friday night or Saturday. An Orioles scout will be on hand for the signing.

Machado will then report Sunday to the club’s minor league complex in Sarasota, Fla. He will join the Gulf Coast League Orioles and work out with the team, but there is no timetable as to whether he will play this season.

“We are just getting him in uniform, getting him on the field, getting him to work out, seeing what kind of condition he is in,” Jordan said. “They all think they are in great shape, but like any player, we are going to work him out, and see how his body responds, see if there is any soreness, and that will dictate if and when he will play in a game. We are really in no hurry whatsoever.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 2:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

The Orioles have run basically their whole 25-man roster through trade waivers and so they know who they can and can’t trade in the remainder of August.

Ty Wigginton and Luke Scott are two that will be staying. Sources have told us that both were claimed by another team and the Orioles pulled them back. If the Orioles tried to slip them through waivers again and they were claimed a second time – by any team -- the Orioles would lose their rights to Wigginton and/or Scott.

That’s not going to happen. So Scott and Wigginton will finish out the year as Orioles. We don’t for sure about anyone else, though we’re pretty confident that highly paid pitchers Kevin Millwood, Michael Gonzalez and Koji Uehara cleared waivers.

The trade waiver process is confidential, so it’s tough to confirm who cleared and who didn’t. But president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said he doesn’t expect any trades this month. The only way that changes is if some team has interest in a player who cleared and is not considered a part of the future – like Aubrey Huff last year.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 10:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Earlier today, the Orioles assigned right-handed pitcher Dan Klein, the team's third-round selection in this year's MLB draft, to short-season Single-A Aberdeen.

In order to make room for Klein with the IronBirds, the Orioles promoted right-hander T.R. Keating to Single-A Delmarva. Keating allowed one run and two hits in two innings for the Shorebirds in tonight's game against Hagerstown.

Five IronBirds players helped the American League All-Stars to a come-from-behind victory, 4-3, over the National League All-Stars in the New York-Penn League All-Star Game tonight.

Aberdeen third baseman Adam Gaylord was 2-for-2 with a run scored, while outfielder Trent Mummey scored the eventual game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth.

IronBirds pitchers Justin Moore and Tim Adleman each tossed a scoreless inning, while outfielder Kipp Schutz was 0-for-2 with two strikeouts.

Tonight's game between Rookie-level Bluefield and Princeton was postponed.

Norfolk Tides (AAA)

Score: Norfolk Tides 4, Gwinnett Braves 2 (Box score)

Recap: Right fielder Lou Montanez hit a solo home run -- his first of the season at any level -- as the Tides grabbed a 4-2 victory on the road over Gwinnett.

Norfolk third baseman Scott Moore contributed a double and two RBIs, while shortstop Robert Andino added his team-leading 70th RBI of the season.

Andino, who is batting .258 with 12 home runs this season, is tied for fourth in the International League in RBIs. The 26-year-old infielder is also near the top of the league in several other offensive categories, including runs scored, doubles, hits and total bases.

Hinckley pitched well in his return from the disabled list, tossing 3 2/3 scoreless innings. He gave up one hit, throwing 22 of his 42 pitches for strikes.

Tides relief pitcher Kam Mickolio (3-2) earned the win despite allowing two runs and three hits in 1 1/3 innings, while closer Dennis Sarfate threw 1 2/3 scoreless frames for his 16th save of the season.

Bowie Baysox (AA)

Score: Bowie Baysox 4, Trenton Thunder 2 (Box score)

Recap: Center fielder Xavier Avery hit his first two doubles at the Double-A level and knocked in four RBIs as the Baysox won, 4-2, on the road against Trenton.

Bowie catcher Caleb Joseph was 3-for-4 with two runs scored, while right fielder Joel Guzman added his 17th double of the season.

Baysox relief pitcher Ryohei Tanaka (6-11) tossed a scoreless inning to earn the victory, while closer Pedro Beato threw a scoreless frame for his 14th save of the season.

Starting pitcher Pedro Viola gave up two runs and four hits, but he didn't factor in the decision for the Baysox. He struck out five batters and issued two walks.

Frederick Keys (A)

Score: Frederick Keys 5, Wilmington Blue Rocks 3 (Box score)

Recap: Second baseman L.J. Hoes was 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs in the Keys' 5-3 victory over Wilmington at Harry Grove Stadium.

Orioles relief pitcher Jim Johnson tossed two scoreless frames in his latest injury rehabilitation assignment. He gave up two hits and struck out one batter.

Frederick right fielder Ronnie Welty was 1-for-3 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored, while center fielder Kyle Hudson and shortstop Bobby Stevens each added two hits.

Keys starting pitcher Nathan Moreau (4-3) gave up two runs and four hits in 5 1/3 innings, and relief pitcher Josh Dowdy picked up his third save since joining the team.

Third baseman Billy Rowell collected an RBI for Frederick.

Delmarva Shorebirds (A)

Score: Hagerstown Suns 8, Delmarva Shorebirds 6 (Box score)

Recap: Shortstop Garabez Rosa was 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and two runs scored, but the Shorebirds dropped an 8-6 decision to Hagerstown at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium.

Delmarva second baseman Gary Helmick contributed a solo shot, while center fielder Michael Planeta was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.

Shorebirds starting pitcher Brent Allar (2-3) allowed five runs (four earned) and six hits in four innings. He also walked three batters in the loss.

GCL Orioles (Rookie)

Score: GCL Orioles 5, GCL Twins 3 (Box score)

Recap: First baseman Preston Hale was 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored as the GCL Orioles won, 5-3, over the GCL Twins.

Orioles catcher Tanner Murphy contributed two hits, an RBI and a run scored, while second baseman Anyi Tejeda added an RBI.

Starting pitcher Orlando Alfonso (5-1) gave up two runs (one earned) and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings for the Orioles. He struck out two batters and issued two walks.

Orioles center fielder Martin Serrata hit a sacrifice fly.

Relief pitcher David Richardson recorded the final four outs to pick up his first professional save for the Orioles. He collected two strikeouts.

Posted by Dean Jones Jr. at 10:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Minor leagues
        

Talking to superagent Scott Boras – especially about his clients – is always an interesting experience. I spoke to him for several moments this morning about the Orioles’ newly minted pick Manny Machado, whom the Orioles signed to a $5.25 million deal three minutes before Monday’s midnight deadline.

Here are some Boras quotes:

On Machado: “He has a chance to become a premier major league player. We don’t see that often, much like Wieters, that a player can come to the big leagues with a very short minor league career. He is a very instinctive hitter. And he will be a guy who hits for power, he certainly has the power.

On whether Machado will stay at shortstop or eventually move to third base: “He can hold the middle infield now and he will have the bat to move to third base if and when he gets older and it merits a move off short. …. At this point in time there is nothing to indicate he would have to move from shortstop, but bodies can change at 23, 24. Some players remain lean and some players get thicker.”

On having a track record with the Orioles and quality clients: “With the Orioles, specifically, I like to address the fact that I had Matt Wieters and Jake Arrieta and both of them are players sitting in the big leagues right now. We knew (Manny’s) value, Joe (Jordan) knew his value, and I think this is a great signing for Baltimore, as Wieters was.”

On getting big contracts for amateurs: “You talk about players’ credibility, any amateur player we have gotten $5 million or more for has turned out to be a significant, contributing major leaguer every time. 100 percent.”

On asking for $5 million for amateurs: “In my 30 years or so of doing this we have asked for $5 million (for an amateur) less than 15 times, maybe even less than that. They have to be a very special player, and Manny falls into that class. Skill-wise, attitude and exuberance, who he is is a tried and true baseball player and so this is a very equitable deal for both sides. This is a young player that is going to be a very important part of their future.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 9:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

The Orioles are still working on setting up the physical for first-round draft pick Manny Machado, who agreed to terms on a $5.25 million signing bonus last night.

The Orioles would obviously like to bring him in, get him through the physical and then introduce him to the crowd and the Baltimore media on this current seven-game homestand, which ends Sunday. However, that might not be possible because of some logistical issues.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Reserve catcher Craig Tatum underwent a MRI on his right knee Tuesday, and it showed no damage.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he didn’t believe the situation was serious but wanted to get it checked out immediately.

“We don’t think it is going to be something that is going to land him on the DL or whatever, but that can change depending on what the MRI says,” Showalter said.

The manager said Tatum had “some issues with his knee” while catching Sunday’s game at Tampa Bay. He wasn’t available Monday and wouldn’t play Tuesday.

Showalter said he considered putting Jake Fox at designated hitter on Tuesday but decided not to because Fox is the third catcher and might have to catch if Showalter pinch ran for Matt Wieters late in the game.

Tatum is batting .264 with no homers and five RBIs in 34 games this season for the Orioles.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 4:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Joe Jordan, the Orioles’ director of amateur scouting, hasn’t crunched all the numbers, but he estimates that the club doled out a figure “a little north of nine million” in signing bonuses for this year’s amateur draft class.

That’s a record in Jordan’s tenure as amateur scouting director – since 2005 -- and it’s believed to be the top ever given by the Orioles to an amateur class, though we’re not privy to all those numbers. But according to Baseball America, which tracks these things, the Orioles’ top expenditure since 2003 was $8.7 million in 2009, followed closely by $8 million spent in 2007 when Matt Wieters received a record $6 million bonus.

There are two primary reasons for this being the organization’s high-water spending mark: high school shortstop Manny Machado received a $5.25 million bonus, second highest in franchise history, and the Orioles signed 39 players, most since Jordan took over.

Jordan said the farm system needed reinforcements, but he doesn’t expect to sign so many players next year – or for a while.

“That’s a pretty heavy number. I really like a lot of what we did,” Jordan said. “But we shouldn’t come close with that number anytime in the near future.”

As of early afternoon, the Orioles were in the process of setting up a physical and news conference with Machado later this week at Camden Yards.

Machado’s agent, Scott Boras, said he is hoping to have a teleconference for the media with Machado sometime today.

Yes, I spoke earlier today to Boras, who is exceptionally difficult to get in the week leading up to – and after – signing day. I’ll have more thoughts from him later. But here’s a quick quote from the ever quotable Boras on his $5.25 million client, Machado.

“In my 30 years or so of doing this we have asked for $5 million (for an amateur) less than 15 times, maybe even less than that. They have to be a very special player, and Manny falls into that class,” Boras said. “Skill-wise, attitude and exuberance, who he is is a tried and true baseball player and so this is a very equitable deal for both sides. This is a young player that is going to be a very important part of their future.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 2:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Former interim manager Juan Samuel arrived in the Dominican Republic on Saturday to begin his review of the Orioles’ academy down there. Samuel’s scouting assignment is expected to continue through Sept. 4, and then he’ll give Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail a report when he returns. “Things are going good,” Samuel said this morning. “I’m just evaluating some stuff so I can let them know what is going on. It’s more just taking notes and checking on things.” Samuel said he hasn’t been able to watch too many games since Buck Showalter took over, but he’s following the box scores. “I’ve been pleased to see how they’re playing. You wish you would have seen a little more of that when you were there, but I think getting some guys back has helped, too.”

The Orioles are almost done with the waivers process, and according to a team source, it’s looking unlikely that they’ll make any trades. A couple of their more movable commodities, including Luke Scott, were claimed and have since been pulled off waivers. It’s still not impossible that they’ll do something minor by the end of the month, but it looks like the guys that have been talked about the most – Scott, Ty Wigginton, Jeremy Guthrie – will finish the season as Orioles.

While the first opinion that Jason Berken got on the tear in his right labrum was that surgery is not necessary at this point, the reliever is still expected to get a second opinion. That could happen later this week from New York Mets team physician Dr. David Altchek. Nothing has been set up yet, but that appears the direction the Orioles and Berken are headed.

Nick Markakis’ double in the 11th inning last night was the 200th of his career, moving him into 12th place all-time in doubles among Orioles. Markakis’ teammate, Brian Roberts, is currently fifth. Markakis is four doubles away from tying Rafael Palmeiro for 11th all-time, and 17 away from tying Al Bumbry and cracking the top 10. That’s not a bad feat for a player who still hasn’t finished his fifth year with the club.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (19)
        

Orioles scouting director Joe Jordan walked over to the press box to meet reporters, and he started his talk by saying, "We got a new player." Indeed, they did.

Machado agreed to terms on a $5.25 million signing bonus, the second-largest the Orioles have ever given out. Matt Wieters got the largest at $6 million. On a side note, the Orioles also agreed to terms with 19th-round pick Kenny Wise, a right-handed pitcher out of Santa Fe JC. That means the Orioles signed 39 of their 49 draft picks.

Here are Jordan's thoughts:

Opening statements: "We got a new player. It went like we thought. We had a really good read on the financial side of it, what it was going to take. Again, it played out till the end. We’re very happy. I’m not going to release the terms. They’ll be out there pretty soon, but it’s a good deal for the club and the player."

On when the agreement was reached: "I think there was about three minutes left. It’s one of those things where in these negotiations: It’s very, very tough to stay with what you spent three or four months trying to figure it out. It gets real testy. Andy [MacPhail] did a good job trusting the information that we had. But again, this is a good thing for the player and for us. I think it’s really good."

On whether he ever felt it might not get done: "Part of these negotiations, you obviously have those feelings. You do. We worked really hard on this one as far as trying to figure where it was going to go and what it was going to take, and we just stuck with our guns."

On his main worry from the process: "It’s just the baseball guy in me, I hate that the players aren’t out there playing. I understand it. I know we have to go through this. It’s nice to look forward to the day where we can get a signing deadline that’s a lot earlier than this because the same players that signed tonight are going to sign by the deadline, whether it’s the 15th of July or the 1st of July. You’re going to get your players, and then you’ll have them out playing. But that’s the only thing. It played like we thought it was going to play."

On when the physical is scheduled: "We’re going to get on the phone and try to get all that set up as soon as possible. We’re going to shoot for the end of the homestand. Whether that’s doable or not, I don’t know."

On when Machado will play this year: "If we can him in and get him through his physical, we’re going to have to evaluate what kind of condition he’s in. He’ll go to Florida, go to Ed Smith and be a part of the [Gulf Coast League]. If he’s in good enough condition, we’ll see if we can extend his season, but it won’t be very long, obviously."

On MacPhail's involvement: "He’s always been involved. We’ve been through this enough together. You push buttons at different times. This one kind of played out like we thought."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)
        

Norfolk Tides (AAA)

Score: Gwinnett Braves 11, Norfolk Tides 9 (Box score)

Recap: First baseman Michael Aubrey hit his 18th home run in 86 games this season, but the Tides were outslugged in an 11-9 loss to Gwinnett.

Aubrey is batting .235 this year, and 42 of his 74 hits are extra-base hits.

Norfolk starting pitcher Tim Bascom was roughed up for seven runs and seven hits in four innings, but he didn't factor in the decision. He allowed two home runs.

Relief pitcher Pat Egan (1-1) suffered the loss for the Tides after being charged with two runs and four hits in 2 1/3 innings. He also walked one batter.

Tides third baseman Scott Moore added a two-run shot, while right fielder Lou Montanez and second baseman Paco Figueroa each contributed three hits.

Frederick Keys (A)

Score: Wilmington Blue Rocks 8, Frederick Keys 4, 11 innings (Box score)

Recap: Relief pitcher Brett Jacobson (8-1) lost for the first time this season after giving up a three-run home run in the 11th as the Keys fell, 8-4, to Wilmington at Harry Grove Stadium.

Jacobson was charged with four runs (three earned) and three hits in two innings.

Frederick second baseman L.J. Hoes was 2-for-4 with two doubles, two RBIs and a stolen base, while center fielder Kyle Hudson picked up his Carolina League-leading 36th stolen base of the year.

Keys starting pitcher Luis Noel gave up three runs and eight hits in six innings. He collected three strikeouts, issued one walk and hit one batter.

Catcher Luis Bernardo added two hits and a run scored for Frederick.

Delmarva Shorebirds (A)

Score: Delmarva Shorebirds 4, Lakewood BlueClaws 2 (Box score)

Recap: Right fielder T.J. Baxter was 4-for-5 with two stolen bases and a run scored in the Shorebirds' 4-2 victory over Lakewood.

Delmarva starting pitcher Bobby Bundy (3-5) tossed a complete game, striking out five batters and issuing no walks. He allowed two runs and five hits.

Shorebirds center fielder Michael Planeta was 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI, while left fielder Kieron Pope added a single, double, an RBI and a run scored.

Second baseman Gary Helmick contributed two hits for Delmarva.

Bluefield Orioles (Rookie)

Score: Princeton Rays 6, Bluefield Orioles 5 (Box score)

Recap: Pinch hitter Brenden Webb and left fielder Chris Clinton each hit a two-run home run as the Orioles rallied to tie the game in the top of the ninth.

However, relief pitcher Sam Taveras (2-1) was charged with one run and two hits in the bottom of the inning as Bluefield dropped a 6-5 decision to Princeton.

Orioles infielder Dudley Leonora was 3-for-4 in the defeat.

Starting pitcher Cameron Roth gave up three runs and seven hits in six innings for Bluefield. He allowed two home runs and struck out five batters.

GCL Orioles (Rookie)

Game 1 score: GCL Twins 3, GCL Orioles 1, 8 innings (Box score)

Game 1 recap: Center fielder Martin Serrata was 3-for-4 as the GCL Orioles blew a late lead in a 3-1 loss to the GCL Twins in the first game of the doubleheader.

In his third game, Orioles shortstop Connor Narron was 1-for-3 with his first professional RBI. Narron was the Orioles' fifth-round selection in this year's MLB draft.

Starting pitcher Douglas Ferguson tossed six scoreless innings, striking out seven batters for the Orioles. However, he didn't factor in the decision.

Orioles relief pitcher Jose Mota (1-1) gave up three runs and four hits in two innings. He walked two batters in his third blown save of the season.

Game 2 score: GCL Orioles 1, GCL Twins 0, 9 innings (Box score)

Game 2 recap: Left fielder Rojean Cleofa hit a bases-loaded single to lead the GCL Orioles to a walkoff victory, 1-0, over the GCL Twins in the second game of the doubleheader.

Orioles catcher Wynston Sawyer contributed two hits in the win.

Starting pitcher Yancorix Adrian tossed six scoreless innings for the Orioles, while relief pitcher Sebastian Vader (1-0) earned his first professional victory with two scoreless frames.

Posted by Dean Jones Jr. at 10:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Minor leagues
        

The Orioles just announced that they have agreed to terms with left-handed pitcher Matthew Bywater, their seventh-round pick out of Pepperdine University.

Bywater will get a signing bonus of $195,000. He went 6-5 with a 2.40 ERA in 13 starts for Pepperdine this past season. He struck out 83 batters and allowed 88 hits and 30 walks in 97 2/3 innings pitched.

The Orioles have now agreed to terms with 37 of their 49 picks and eight of their top 10. They also are down to four hours remaining to strike a deal with third-overall pick Manny Machado, a high school shortstop out of Florida.

As of a couple of hours ago, they still had yet to make significant progress with the Machado talks.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Reliever Jason Berken, the Orioles best pitcher in the first half, could miss the rest of the season after a magnetic resonance imaging showed a tear in his right labrum and some rotator cuff inflammation.

"At this point, they think that surgery won't be necessary, which is a good thing," Berken said. "There's some time now for some good rest. I'll be shut down for a little while. If that calms everything down, at some point, I'll start the rehab process."

Berken will get a second opinion later this week, likely from New York Mets team physician Dr. David Altchek.

Berken was put on the disabled list today and Rick VandenHurk, who was acquired from the Florida Marlins for Will Ohman on July 31, was promoted from Triple-A Norfolk.

It's too early to tell if Berken will pitch again this season, but obviously, there's only a month and a half left and the Orioles aren't going to rush things.

"It's a matter of how I respond to it," Berken said. "I'm going to take some good time off and see how my shoulder reacts to that time off. The last thing I want to do is rush back and make things worse. I'm going to be smart about it. Get after my rehab and move forward."

Berken said it wasn't a severe tear, but the MRI obviously showed a little more than just the standard wear-and-tear.

"Hopefully, I can just rehab through this and come back stronger next year," he said. "It's not a clean tear. If surgery isn't necessary, it can't be too extreme, but I've just got to stay positive, work through it and move forward."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 5:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Jason Berken was placed on the 15-day disabled list this afternoon with right shoulder inflammation, and the Orioles promoted right-handed pitcher Rick VandenHurk from Triple-A Norfolk.

Berken, who was 3-3 with a 3.03 ERA and was the club’s best pitcher in the first half, had struggled recently and hadn’t pitched since Thursday in Cleveland. The move will be retroactive to Friday, Aug. 13, meaning he’ll be available to come off the DL on Aug. 28.

Berken had a magnetic resonance imaging on his shoulder this afternoon, and Orioles manager Buck Showalter wouldn’t characterize the injury until after the results were explained to Berken and the medical staff. But the manager said he doesn’t believe it will require surgery or keep Berken from pitching later this season.

“He definitely is going to take this [15-day] period and see where we are at the end of it,” Showalter said.

Berken was 2-1 with a 1.95 ERA in 32 games in the first half but 1-2 with a 7.71 ERA in nine games since the All-Star break. He allowed earned runs in six of those games. His 41 appearances this season are second among active Orioles pitchers behind only Matt Albers.

Showalter said he could tell something was wrong with Berken based on how he didn’t have the crispness and late action on his breaking pitches that made him so effective early on.

“Also, you read the body language a little bit. You can tell when a guy is out there without his bullets,” Showalter said. “I think what is challenging for me here, everybody that has been here knows how well he pitched. I’ve got to make sure he understands I know it, too. Because I don’t want him pushing to get back and jeopardizing the things he might do for us in the future.”

To take Berken’s place on the roster, the Orioles promoted VandenHurk, whom they acquired from the Florida Marlins for left-hander Will Ohman at the July 31 nonwaiver trade deadline.

VandenHurk pitched in two games in relief for the Marlins this season, allowing an earned run in 1 1/3 innings (6.75 ERA). A Netherlands native who speaks five languages, VandenHurk has been effective as a starter for the Tides since the trade, going 1-1 with a 2.18 ERA in three starts.

Initially, VandenHurk will pitch out of the bullpen, but Showalter said VandenHurk could start some games if and when the club decides to limit the innings of its younger starters. VandenHurk, who was on the 40-man roster, will wear uniform No. 54.

He was on the Camden Yards field to stretch by 4:50 p.m. and because he hasn't pitched in several days he would be available if needed on Monday.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 4:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

The Orioles have placed right-handed pitcher Jason Berken on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Aug. 13, with right shoulder inflammation.

To take Berken's place on the active roster, the Orioles have called up right-handed pitcher Rick VandenHurk from Triple-A Norfolk.

Berken was scheduled to have a magnetic resonance imaging on the shoulder Monday in Baltimore. He is 3-3 with a 3.03 ERA in 41 games this season.

The Orioles acquired VandenHurk from the Florida Marlins last month in exchange for left-handed reliever Will Ohman.

VandenHurk was 1-1 with a 2.18 ERA in three starts for the Tides.

Posted by Baltimore Sun sports at 3:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

By now, the countdown has begun to tonight’s midnight deadline for signing draft picks before losing their rights. Both the Orioles and Scott Boras, the representative for third overall pick, Manny Machado, have predictably said little about the negotiations so I’m not aware of what the Orioles are offering or the amount of the signing bonus Machado is seeking.

However, it’s widely expected that Boras will be looking to eclipse the $6.25 million signing bonus that the San Diego Padres gave Georgia high school outfielder Donovan Tate, last year’s third overall pick. Tate is also a Boras client.

On the other side, I’d imagine that the Orioles are thinking about other comps such as Mike Moustakas, a California high school third baseman who the Kansas City Royals took third overall in 2007. The Royals gave him a $4 million signing bonus. The highest signing bonus the Orioles have ever given out was $6 million to Matt Wieters in 2007.

My feeling is that the Orioles and Boras will find a common ground between Moustakas’ $4 million and Tate’s $6.25 million. It will be a lot closer to Tate’s number and there are going to be some anxious moments today as the clock nears midnight, though my guess is it will eventually get done.

Then again, I was told by an Orioles’ official five minutes before the deadline to sign Wieters that it was a lost cause and the switch-hitting catcher was returning to Georgia Tech. We all saw how that one ended up. Nothing will surprise me today other than this deal getting done hours before midnight.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (35)
        

Orioles scouting director Joe Jordan wasn’t joking when he said earlier today that the club was ready to move on to some of their backup plans with sixth-round pick Dixon Anderson (University of California) returning to college and seventh-rounder Matthew Bywater (Pepperdine) threatening to do the same.

Jordan tonight agreed to an over slot $225,000 deal with 28th-round pick, Jaime Esquivel, a right-handed pitcher from South Houston High in Texas. Esquivel, who was planning on attending Rice University, went 6-2 with a 1.45 ERA and struck out 102 batters in 80 innings during his senior season and earned first-team, all-district 22-5A honors.

The Orioles have also agreed to terms tonight with 48th-round pick Alex Schmarzo, a right-handed pitcher out of St. Mary's College (Calif.).

That means that the Orioles have now signed 36 of their 49 picks before Monday’s midnight deadline.

The Orioles are also still talking to Bywater, along with 11th-round pick, Alexander Gonzalez, a right-handed pitcher out of Boca Raton High in Florida. And then of course, there’s third-overall pick Manny Machado, who is represented by Scott Boras. Jordan still is confident that the Orioles will sign Machado, but he has conceded that it may be a late night Monday.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Orioles director of scouting Joe Jordan said this morning that sixth-round pick Dixon Anderson, a right-handed pitcher, had decided to return to the University of California rather than sign with the club.

Jordan also said that it's looking like seventh-round pick Matthew Bywater, a left-handed pitcher, will eschew an Orioles' offer and return to Pepperdine University.

"We still have some ground to cover there," Jordan said. "As of last night, [Bywater] told me personally, if we weren’t able to get together on what his expectations were, then that’s what he has chosen to do. I’m kind of at the point with some of these where we spent some money, we’ve overpaid, mostly to the high-school players. We were overslot to Dan Klein. I’ve got to keep this at a value that I want and I feel like is responsible for our club, our owner. At some point, we have to walk away from these guys."

Jordan said that the Orioles could use the money that was set aside for the two college pitchers and put it toward a toward a couple of high school players they selected later in the draft. Austin Urban, a right-handed pitcher out of Pennsylvania selected in the 27th round, and Jaime Esquivel, a right-hander out of Texas picked in the 28th round, could now get offers.

"We’ll complete our draft with some younger high school players that do want to go play, but have basically been waiting on me to extend an offer to them," Jordan said.

As for top pick Manny Machado, a high school shortstop from Florida taken third overall, Jordan said there have been no developments and very little dialogue with Machado's representative, Scott Boras. The deadline to sign Machado before losing his rights is midnight Monday. Jordan still thinks that the Orioles will get the deal done.

"I'm not concerned at all," Jordan said. "I haven't been surprised by anything that has gone on. It's been what I expected. Again, it’s one of those things that's more the norm. It’s happening all over our industry. There’s more first-round picks, higher picks, that haven’t signed as of right now than ever. Since the deadline has been put into play, it’s become what is expected. It’s unfortunate, and it’s something that will be changed. It’s got to be changed because it’s really not a positive thing in a lot of people’s minds."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 1:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
        

Orioles reliever Jason Berken will undergo an MRI on his ailing right shoulder tomorrow afternoon in Baltimore.

Berken has been getting treatment on his shoulder for much of the season, but it's gotten progressively worse recently despite manager Buck Showalter backing off him.

"As of late, I've been doing treatment and it really hasn't responded the way you have hoped," Berken said. "We're just trying to gather as much information as we can."

Showalter said that Berken's velocity has not gone down, but he's lacked a crispness in his pitches that he had earlier this season.

"We're expecting, hoping for good news," Showalter said.

Berken, a converted starter, leads all American relievers with 62 1/3 innings pitched. The Orioles' best pitcher for the first half of the season, Berken has allowed 13 earned runs in his last 17 1/3 innings pitched. He allowed just eight earned runs in his first 45 innings pitched this season.

Buy Orioles Gear

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

The big swing today in the Rays' 7-3 victory over the Orioles was delivered by catcher Kelly Shoppach, who launched Brian Matusz's 2-2 pitch into the left-field seats for a go-ahead grand slam.

However, there was more discussion in the clubhouse about the previous pitch rather than the 2-2 90 miles per hour fastball that crossed the plate letter high and was promptly redirected into the seats. Matusz clearly believed the 1-2 pitch hit the inside corner and Shoppach should have been headed back to the dugout for the first out.He looked incredulously at home plate umpire Brian Knight after no strike was called.

Here are the thoughts from the participants on that sequence

Matusz: "I would have liked to get that call because I felt like that’s exactly where I wanted to put it on him, but you got to be able to be tough in this game because you aren’t going to be able to get everything. I got to be able to come back and repeat that pitch and I didn't."

Shoppach: "I might have caught a break on the 1-2 pitch. It was really close."

Orioles manager Buck Showalter: "You got to turn the page. That’s part of it. I haven’t looked at it, but I know the pitch you are talking about. You can’t let one pitch do that to you. There’s a lot of opportunities in this game, like I said, to make something not matter. We got a ball on the next pitch [and] you can’t throw it there."

Orioles catcher Matt Wieters: "I don’t think [the home run pitch] had anything to do with that pitch. He just didn’t make a good pitch there on 2-2. It’s something where it was a close pitch and we’d like to have that one, for sure. But you’re not going to get every call so you’re going to have to refocus and make your next pitch. It’s something that you can learn from, that every pitch is just as important as your last one."

My take: I thought it was a strike, but no matter. Shoppach entered the game hitting .195 with one homer and six RBIs and with just one extra-base hit since June 30. You can't let him beat you in that situation and Matusz didn't get it done. Plus, he was erratic with his command his entire outing and often umpires won't give you close calls if you're not consistently in the zone.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Adam Jones gave the Orioles a 3-0 lead with a three-run shot off the foul pole in left field in the third inning. It was his third homer off Andy Sonnanstine in 10 at-bats.

Brian Matusz repeatedly escaped trouble in the first three innings before imploding in the fourth. He just gave up five runs, including a grand slam to Kelly Shoppach, and it could have been worse had Adam Jones not gunned down B.J. Upton at the plate trying to score on Carl Crawford's flyout.

Matusz gave up six hits and walked a batter in the Rays' five-run fourth. The grand slam was just Shoppach's second home run of the year. On the pitch before, Matusz thought that he had Shoppach struck out. But he didn't get the call by home plate umpire Brian Knight and then Shoppach drove his 2-2 pitch into the left-field seats.

It was an 89 miles an hour fastball that Shoppach hit. Matusz has consistently been hitting 88 or 89 on the stadium radar gun.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 5:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Left fielder Felix Pie was able to smile and laugh about it later. After all, his misplay didn’t cost his team any runs because the next batter (Willy Aybar) hit a ball into the left center-field gap that Pie was able to run down just in front of the wall for the final out of the sixth.

It was nice redemption for Pie, who overran Matt Joyce’s flyball and then fell down, turning the easy out into a triple.

“I didn’t lose it. I ran too hard and passed the ball,” said Pie, enjoying a laugh at his own expense. “I tried to turn around and that’s what happened. I fell down. That’s an easy out and I passed it.”

Pie had an impactful night on Friday in the Orioles’ 5-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, and continues to keep fans on the edge of their seats. Offensively, he went 3-for-4 with an RBI, two doubles and a stolen base and raised his average to .302. Defensively, he was tested early and often and the young outfielder – as he is apt to do – made it look interesting.

He made seven putouts in left field and very few of them looked routine as Pie clearly struggled to pick up the ball under the white dome at Tropicana Field. On one ball out to left, he went to his knees before making the catch. On another just in front of the wall, he did a little pirouette before hauling it in.

“Let me tell you something,” Pie said to a group of reporters gathered around his locker. “That fly ball to left field is terrible, [but] you have to catch it.”

Manager Buck Showalter focused on the positives after the game, talking about the other plays that Pie was able to make.

“Balls go up in that roof and it’s a guessing game,” Showalter said. “He made some plays that not many left fielders make, too. He’s not the first guy out there who has had trouble with a ball. The key is not taking your eye off it. You can’t look off ball here. Most great outfielders can look off ball and then re-find the ball. At this place, you can’t do that. That’s part of the experience.

“A lot of people look at him because of how long people have been talking about him as a prospect, like he’s 30 years old. He’s 25 years old. That’s part of the process. You see some of the challenges young [players] face, but you also see why people are so excited about his potential.”

Pie has a hit in seven straight games, and he’s hit safely in 12 of his last 13, going 20-for-51 (.392) during that span. He’s also destroyed the Rays this season with 12 hits in 28 at-bats (.429) including five doubles.

“Yeah, I’m locked in right now,” Pie said. “I’m focusing, so I got my routine every day. And I think that’s what happens like that when I’m more focused at home plate.”

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 8:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

The Orioles, wearing the all orange uniforms of the 1971 team, just jumped on Rays starter James Shields for three runs in the top of the first inning, all scoring with two outs.

Ty Wigginton and Luke Scott hit back-to-back singles and then Adam Jones scored them both with a triple down the right-field line. Felix Pie got the team's fourth straight hit with an RBI double, also down the right-field line.

Shields threw 34 pitches in the frame and got one of the three outs by picking off Nick Markakis at first base following a one-out walk.

Jeremy Guthrie just got out of a jam in the bottom of the first, stranding two runners with the help of a daring catch by Markakis in foul territory.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

Orioles reliever Jim Johnson (right elbow inflammation) has joined Single-A Frederick today and will pitch one inning for the Keys tomorrow.

Johnson, who was placed on the Major League disabled list May 28, pitched a shutout inning for Double-A Bowie last night, striking out one.

"I felt fine," Johnson said. "Things went pretty good. It’s coming along. It’s obviously not there yet. There’s things that used to come naturally to me and I didn’t have to think about it. Now, I have to get to that point again. It’s just a matter of repetitions. I missed a lot of time. I need to play catch up and that’s only going to happen with the more pitches I throw. It’s a lot of feel stuff. I’m not thinking about my arm anymore, which is obviously a huge thing. I’m just trying to learn how to pitch again. Once that comes, I’ll be ready to go."

Johnson said that the reports were that his fastball velocity sat between 91 and 93 miles per hour on Thursday, but that was the least of his concerns.

"The velocity is going to get better," he said. "That’s not the issue right not. That’s not what I’m worried about. You guys are always hung up on velocity. I don’t know why. That’s not the whole story. I need to get to the point where I don’t have to think about things when I’m on the mound. I’ve only thrown five games. It’s going to take some time."

Johnson said that after throwing one inning tomorrow for the Keys, he'll probably take two days off and then throw two innings on Tuesday. For now, he expects to be shuttled back and forth from Frederick and Bowie, and then his rehab assignment will likely last through Aug. 24 or 25.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Orioles manager Buck Showalter acknowledged before last night’s game that team officials have at least discussed the idea of going to a six-man rotation in September, but the conversations haven’t gone very far.

“It’s something that we have kicked around a little bit depending on what the needs of the guys are,” Showalter said. “I don’t think we’re at that point. We’ll try to let them finish off the year and when we get to September, we’ll see what’s best for everybody.”

Going to a six-man rotation would allow Showalter to evaluate one more of the Orioles’ young arms, like Zach Britton or Chris Tillman, or even the recently-acquired Rick VandenHurk, who allowed one run over eight innings for Triple-A Norfolk last night. It also could help limit the innings of rookies Brian Matusz and Jake Arrieta.

However, it also would likely be viewed unfavorably by veterans Kevin Millwood and Jeremy Guthrie, who want to pitch every five days and finish out the season strong. The Orioles also have at least one off day for five straight weeks, starting on Aug.23, making it even more difficult to add another rotation member while still allowing everyone else to get their work.

Matusz, 23, has pitched 125 2/3 innings this season after logging 157 2/3 last season in 27 combined starts for Single-A Frederick, Double-A Bowie and the Orioles. If he stays on track and essentially pitches every five days through the end of the season, he’ll probably have eight or nine more starts remaining, starting with the one on Saturday at Tropicana Field.

Arrieta, 24, has pitched 139 1/3 innings this season in 24 combined appearances for Norfolk and the Orioles. He logged 150 2/3 innings all of last season, so he should be hitting that number in a couple of more starts. The Orioles may be more cautious with him since he pitched nearly 20 fewer innings that Matusz last season.

When rosters expand in September, the Orioles have the option of bringing up a starter and occasionally mixing them in the rotation, allowing one of the youngsters to skip a start pushing their start back for a couple of days.

But as of now, Showalter said, “From what I understand, everybody is in pretty good shape physically right now.”

There has been some discussion in the organization about shutting Britton down early, which could affect whether he’s promoted or not. Now at Norfolk, Britton has pitched 122 1/3 innings after throwing 140 last year for Single-A Frederick and 147 1/3 the previous season for Single-A Delmarva.

Showalter acknowledged that he watched some tape of Britton when he returned to the team hotel in Cleveland on Wednesday night, but he’d like to get a better look.

“All I got was him throwing about 10 pitches from the side,” he said.

Buy Orioles Gear

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)
        

Today's game between the Rookie-level GCL Orioles and GCL Twins was postponed.

Earlier today, Triple-A Norfolk reinstated starting pitcher Troy Patton and placed starting pitcher Chris George on the disabled list, retroactive to Aug. 11, with a left elbow injury.

Double-A Bowie placed outfielder Danny Figueroa on the disabled list and added starting pitcher Rick Zagone to the roster from Single-A Frederick.

Norfolk Tides (AAA)

Score: Norfolk Tides 2, Indianapolis Indians 1, 11 innings (Box score)

Recap: Starting pitcher Rick VandenHurk only gave up one run and three hits in eight innings as the Tides won, 2-1, on the road over Indianapolis.

In his first three starts for Norfolk, VandenHurk is 1-1 with a 2.18 ERA.

Tides designated hitter Brandon Snyder was 3-for-5 with a double and a run scored, while second baseman Paco Figueroa added a single, double and one RBI.

Norfolk relief pitcher Frank Mata (3-2) tossed a scoreless frame to pick up the victory, while closer Dennis Sarfate earned his 15th save of the season.

Bowie Baysox (AA)

Score: Portland Sea Dogs 9, Bowie Baysox 2 (Box score)

Recap: Left fielder Lou Montanez was 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored in his latest rehab assignment, but the Baysox fell, 9-2, to Portland at Prince George's Stadium.

Orioles relief pitcher Jim Johnson retired all three batters he faced in an injury rehab performance. He collected one strikeout in the outing.

Zagone (3-4) was roughed up for six runs (five earned) and 10 hits in 3 2/3 innings after he replaced Johnson. He walked one batter and didn't strike out anyone.

Baysox first baseman Joe Mahoney picked up his 23rd RBI in 29 games since being promoted to Double-A last month. He is batting .376 with seven home runs for Bowie.

Frederick Keys (A)

Score: Myrtle Beach Pelicans 8, Frederick Keys 4 (Box score)

Recap: Right fielder Ronnie Welty was 2-for-4 with his 13th home run of the season in the Keys' 8-4 loss on the road against Myrtle Beach.

Frederick center fielder Kyle Hudson and left fielder Bobby Stevens each contributed a single and a double, while third baseman Miguel Abreu added a double and an RBI.

Keys starting pitcher Nathan Moreau (3-3) gave up two runs and four hits in four innings. Moreau collected three strikeouts and walked three batters.

Second baseman L.J. Hoes and first baseman Buck Britton each had an RBI for Frederick.

Delmarva Shorebirds (A)

Score: Delmarva Shorebirds 2, Lakewood BlueClaws 1 (Box score)

Recap: Third baseman Tyler Kelly contributed a double and an RBI as the Shorebirds grabbed a 2-1 victory on the road over Lakewood.

Delmarva starting pitcher Brent Allar didn't factor in the decision after holding the BlueClaws to one run and seven hits in five innings.

Relief pitcher Aaron Swenson (1-0) tossed two scoreless innings to pick up the win for the Shorebirds, while left-hander Will Startup blanked Lakewood for two frames to earn his first save of the season.

Shorebirds right fielder Brian Conley added a double and a run scored.

Aberdeen IronBirds (A)

Score: Aberdeen IronBirds 7, Batavia Muckdogs 3 (Box score)

Recap: Shortstop Michael Rooney was 2-for-4 with two RBIs as the IronBirds concluded their road trip with a 7-3 victory over Batavia.

Aberdeen second baseman Sammie Starr contributed two singles, two walks and two runs scored, while right fielder Jeremy Nowak was 1-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored.

IronBirds starting pitcher Scott Copeland (2-5) gave up three runs and eight hits in seven innings. Copeland struck out three batters and issued one walk.

Bluefield Orioles (Rookie)

Score: Danville Braves 4, Bluefield Orioles 1 (Box score)

Recap: Starting pitcher Jacob Petitt (2-4) allowed three runs (one earned) and six hits in the Orioles' 4-1 loss to Danville at Bowen Field.

Petitt struck out four batters and surrendered one home run. He didn't walk anyone.

Bluefield second baseman Dudley Leonora was 1-for-4 with an RBI, and designated hitter Luis Ramirez added a double.

Posted by Dean Jones Jr. at 10:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Minor leagues
        

Kevin Millwood's first-inning struggles continued tonight as he allowed a run on Trevor Crowe's infield single in the hole between shortstop and third base. Shortstop Cesar Izturis fielded it cleanly, but first base umpire Brian O'Nora ruled that Crowe beat the throw. Manager Buck Showalter briefly protested the call.

Millwood allowed three hits in a 25-pitch first inning. He has allowed at least one first-inning run in 12 of his past 14 starts.

He wasn't much better in the second, though he did do a nice job of limiting the damage. Jason Donald led off the inning with a single and moved to third on Andy Marte's double. The Indians took a 2-0 lead on Lou Marson's RBI groundout, but they stranded runners on the corners when Millwood retired Shin-Soo Choo to end the inning.

Millwood has already allowed two runs, five hits and hit a batter through two. He has also thrown 48 pitches, so the rested bullpen should probably be on alert.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Orioles minor league baseball will remain in Maryland and Virginia for at least the next four seasons.

Working agreements with minor league affiliates in Norfolk, Bowie and Frederick have been extended through the 2014 season, the Orioles announced Thursday.

“We are very pleased to continue our working agreements with the Norfolk, Bowie and Frederick clubs,” Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said in a news release. “We have formed great partnerships with each of these clubs and look forward to continue developing our talent in the supportive environment that these cities provide.”

The Triple-A Norfolk Tides have been affiliated with the O's for four seasons, while the Double-A Bowie Baysox and the Single-A Frederick Keys have been with Baltimore since 1993 and 1989, respectively. Those were the clubs' inaugural seasons.

“We are extremely excited to continue our partnership with the Baltimore Orioles franchise,” said Ken Young, owner of the Tides, Baysox and Keys.  “The proximity of Baltimore is a natural geographical fit for Norfolk, Bowie and Frederick, and we are thrilled that our fans will continue to get the opportunity to watch their favorite Orioles prospects move up the organizational ladder.  The Orioles have also served as such a valuable force in our community, and we look forward to working with them to ensure the next four years are even more successful.”

Posted by Baltimore Sun sports at 2:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

The Orioles made significant progress last night toward agreeing to terms with third-round pick Daniel Klein, the right-handed pitcher out of UCLA who was selected at 85th overall. The deal is not done, but it is close enough where Klein is en route to Baltimore to take a physical.

When the Klein signing becomes official, the Orioles will have agreed to terms with 34 of their 49 picks from the June draft. The slot value for the 85th pick is $417,600, but Klein is expected to get a deal that is overslot.

Klein was the closer for the UCLA team that lost in the championship of the College World Series. However, the Orioles plan to develop the 22-year-old as a starting pitcher.

The addition of Klein will leave the Orioles with three unsigned picks in the top 10. Those are first-rounder Manny Machado, a shortstop from Brito High in Miami; sixth-rounder Dixon Anderson, a right-handed pitcher from U.C. Berkeley; and seventh-rounder Matthew Bywater, a left-handed pitcher from Pepperdine University.

The deadline for signing 2010 draft picks before losing their rights is midnight Monday.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (17)
        

As you probably know by now, the Orioles beat the Cleveland Indians 3-1 behind a stellar pitching performance from Brad Bergesen, who allowed just one run on two hits in registering his team's first nine-inning complete game this season.

The Orioles have now won four in a row and eight of nine since Buck Showalter took over as manager. They've also clinched three straight series victories for the first time all season. Now, enough of me talking. Here are comments both on and from Bergesen, who finished the game by retiring the dangerous Shin-Soo Choo with a man on in the ninth. Bergesen lost both his no-hit and shutout-bid on Luis Valbuena's two-out single in the fifth.

Showalter: "He was outstanding. Gosh, he had that look in his eye. He had that late life, threw a lot of four-seamers that he hadn’t been doing. Obviously the two-seamer is a big pitch for him, but he really pitches off the fastball. [He threw] enough changeups and got a big out with Choo. That was nice moment for him, a big confidence builder for him next time he’s in that situation."

One more from Showalter: "You could tell by watching them. He never got into a predictability or a rhythm of what he was doing. He had a good tempo, he had a good look in his eye. We talk a lot to the young pitchers about presenting a confident front. Get in, get on the mound and act like you got something that might get them out."

Bergesen on breaking his 12-decision winless streak: "To be honest, the wins, losses aren’t my main focus. My main focus is to go deep in games and keep our team in the ball game. To get that win is great, and I love it. but it’s not a main concern."

Bergesen on being allowed to stay out there to face Choo with lefty Michael Gonzalez ready in pen: "I felt confident that I was going to get one more batter at least. And it was up to me to get that last guy one way or another. I think I was going to be done right there no matter what. Huge relief. That guy is such a good hitter and to be able to get him out right there in that situation, I just feel great right now."

Second baseman Brian Roberts: "When he’s on and he’s pitching like the way he did last year, that’s how he is. He works quick, he throws strikes, he gets groundballs. He gets a lot of quick innings and that’s always fun to play behind. It’s good for his confidence and it’s good for us as a team."

Catcher Matt Wieters: "He had a good feel for what he was doing all night. I was just going to let him go tonight. I think he was attacking the zone. The last three outings especially, he’s really thrown strike after strike and really been able to get ahead of hitters. I think tonight was his best stuff out of the last three outings and that’s why you saw the success that he was able to have tonight."

Pitching coach Rick Kranitz: "He’s had some tough goes of it. I couldn’t be prouder of him. I’m just so happy for him because what he’s gone through and the adversity. It’s been tough, being sent down at a time he was throwing OK and not understanding that part of it. [Then] to get called back up and sent back down and to be put in the bullpen. That’s tough for a young guy to go through. It’s nice to see it all come together."

Indians manager Manny Acta: "He threw a tremendous ballgame. He was very aggressive. He had a lot of movement on all of his pitches. He was pounding the zone with strike one and then he was able to throw his cutter and that turnover type of changeup. We just couldn’t do anything offensively.”

Indians outfielder Shin-Soo Choo: "He threw a lot of strikes tonight and kept the pressure on us. We tried to be aggressive but he has good mechanics. He starts really [in] slow motion and has a quick release. It's hard to get your timing."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Norfolk Tides (AAA)

Score: Indianapolis Indians 7, Norfolk Tides 4 (Box score)

Recap: Former Orioles starting pitcher Brian Burres (5-4) was charged with three runs and six hits in six-plus innings as Indianapolis won, 7-4, over the Tides.

Norfolk starting pitcher Tim Bascom (2-7) allowed seven runs (six earned) and nine hits in six innings. He struck out two batters and issued two walks.

Tides left fielder Nolan Reimold was 2-for-3 with a double, stolen base and two RBIs, while shortstop Robert Andino was 1-for-2 with an RBI and two runs scored.

Right fielder Rhyne Hughes added two hits and a run scored for Norfolk.

Bowie Baysox (AA)

Score: Portland Sea Dogs 8, Bowie Baysox 6 (Box score)

Recap: Right fielder Joel Guzman hit his Eastern League-leading 26th home run as the Baysox fell, 8-6, to Portland at Prince George's Stadium.

Bowie third baseman Ryan Adams was 2-for-2 with a two-run shot, three runs scored and two walks, while shortstop Greg Miclat added three doubles and a run scored.

Baysox starting pitcher Pedro Viola (3-2) gave up five runs and six hits in five innings. He struck out three batters and issued two walks.

First baseman Joe Mahoney added two RBIs in the loss for Bowie.

Designated hitter Lou Montanez was 1-for-5 with a run scored for the Baysox in his latest injury rehab assignment, and center fielder Xavier Avery was 1-for-4 in his Double-A debut.

Frederick Keys (A)

Score: Myrtle Beach Pelicans 5, Frederick Keys 3 (Box score)

Recap: Third baseman Miguel Abreu was 2-for-5 with a solo home run as the Keys lost, 5-3, on the road against Myrtle Beach.

Frederick starting pitcher Luis Noel (3-2) gave up four runs and four hits in five innings, while right-hander Ryan Berry allowed one run and four hits in three innings out of the bullpen.

Keys third baseman Billy Rowell contributed two hits, including his 19th double of the season, while left fielder Bobby Stevens was 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Center fielder Kyle Hudson added his Carolina League-leading 32nd stolen base of the year for Frederick, and right fielder Ronnie Welty hit a double.

Aberdeen IronBirds (A)

Score: Batavia Muckdogs 10, Aberdeen IronBirds 1 (Box score)

Recap: The IronBirds surrendered six runs in the bottom of the first in a 10-1 loss to Batavia.

Aberdeen starting pitcher Justin Anderson (3-4) gave up all six runs, six hits and one walk in the first. His season ERA jumped to 6.60 after the brief outing.

IronBirds right fielder Jeremy Nowak was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI, while center fielder Blair Dunlap contributed two singles.

Third baseman Tyler Stampone added a triple for Aberdeen.

Bluefield Orioles (Rookie)

Score: Bluefield Orioles 2, Pulaski Mariners 0 (Box score)

Recap: Center fielder Brenden Webb hit a two-run home run with one out in the bottom of the ninth to lead the Orioles to a walk-off victory, 2-0, over Pulaski.

Bluefield starting pitcher Cameron Roth tossed seven scoreless innings, and relief pitcher Chris Petrini (2-1) earned the win after two shutout frames.

Orioles second baseman Moises Ciriaco contributed two hits, while right fielder Luis Ramirez added a single and a run scored.

GCL Orioles (Rookie)

Score: GCL Twins 8, GCL Orioles 3 (Box score)

Recap: The GCL Orioles committed five errors -- including four as they allowed six runs in the eighth inning -- in an 8-3 loss to the GCL Twins.

Orioles second baseman Anyi Tejeda was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, while center fielder Rojean Cleofa and third baseman Michael Mosby each added two hits.

Relief pitcher Timothy Berry (0-1) was charged with three runs (two earned) and four hits in 2 1/3 innings for the Orioles. He struck out three batters and issued one walk.

Posted by Dean Jones Jr. at 11:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Minor leagues
        

It's not all good news in Birdland these days.

Triple-A Norfolk pitching prospect Brandon Erbe will have surgery on Friday to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. The surgery will be performed by Los Angeles Angels team doctor Dr. Lewis Yocum.

It's a big blow for Erbe, who was considered one of the Orioles' top pitching prospects. Baseball America ranked him as the Orioles' seventh-best prospect before the season.

This year has been a nightmare as the 22-year-old, who prepped at McDonogh, went 0-10 with a 5.73 ERA in 14 starts for the Tides. He allowed 48 runs (45 earned) and 86 hits in 70 2/3 innings, and opposing batters hit .294 against him.

Erbe, whom the Orioles selected in the third round of the 2005 first-year player draft, went 0-1 with a 4.61 ERA in four starts for short-season Single-A Aberdeen and 5-3 with a 2.34 ERA in 14 starts for Double-A Bowie last season.

The Orioles won't know how severe the labrum tear is until Dr. Yocum performs the surgery, but it goes without saying that this type of injury is career-threatening.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 8:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

By now, there shouldn't be any question to how much leadoff man Brian Roberts means to the Orioles. However, he's offered further proof tonight, going 3-for-3 with a solo homer.

The solo homer just came in the top of the fifth, culminating a classic 12-pitch at-bat against Indians starter Josh Tomlin. It was a 3-2 pitch that Roberts roped just inside the foul pole in right field for his second homer. During the at-bat, he fouled off eight total pitches before finding a pitch that he can drive.

It's 3-0 Orioles heading into the bottom of the fifth as Luke Scott just got thrown out at the plate trying to score from first on Adam Jones' two-out double.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 8:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

I certainly can't get inside Brad Bergesen's head and know his intentions, but it sure seemed to me that he was sending a message when he just plunked Jordan Brown in the leg with one out in the second inning. The ball nearly went behind Brown.

In the top half of the inning, Josh Tomlin had hit Adam Jones in the left shoulder with a pitch.

No warmings were issued, and after hitting Brown, Bergesen got the next batter, Matt LaPorta, to hit into a double play.

The Orioles lead 1-0 in the third on Luke Scott's RBI groundout in the first.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Several Orioles just left the field and headed back to the visiting clubhouse at Progressive Field after getting in some early batting practice. Rookie third baseman Josh Bell was part of that group, but he stayed even longer to get some one-on-one work in with hitting coach Terry Crowley.

It's been a real struggle for Bell, who since his July 31 promotion to take the spot of the traded Miguel Tejada, is just 3-for-29 (.103) with 11 strikeouts. He's also not played well defensively, making three errors and looking very tentative.

Manager Buck Showalter is known for being pretty patient with young players as long as they are going about things the right way so it will be interesting to see how the Orioles will handle Bell for the rest of the season.

I asked that question to Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail earlier this week and he said, "We expected some of this at Triple-A. We’ll continue to let him play. He’s scuffling a little bit. He just needs to relax and try to get in the rhythm of things."

A couple of other notes, the tarp is on the field right now so we'll see how that will affect things the rest of the night. Also, Double-A Bowie has announced that outfielder Lou Montanez and reliever Jim Johnson will join the club on rehabilitation assignments. Montanez will start tonight and Johnson will go tomorrow.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Unquestionably, the most obvious component of the Orioles’ impressive 7-1 run since Buck Showalter took over as manager is the drastic improvement of the starting pitchers, whose streak of seven consecutive quality starts was broken in Tuesday night’s 14-8 win over the Cleveland Indians.

However, after an explosive performance such as Tuesday’s, you can’t ignore the turnaround the offense has made in the past eight games. And a big part of that recent success has been the Orioles’ ability to hit with runners in scoring position — a situation in which they’ve struggled mightily all season.

The numbers are there to back it up, and the difference since Showalter took over isn’t moderate — it’s night and day.

Here’s a breakdown of the Orioles’ team performance with runners in scoring position for each of the first eight games of Showalter’s tenure:

Aug. 3: Orioles 6, Angels 3 — 5-for-11
Aug. 4: Orioles 9, Angels 7 — 6-for-12
Aug. 5: Orioles 5, Angels 4 — 4-for-10
Aug. 6: Orioles 2, White Sox 1 — 2-for-9
Aug. 7: White Sox 4, Orioles 2 — 1-for-3
Aug. 8: Orioles 4, White Sox 3 — 3-for-11
Aug. 9: Orioles 3, White Sox 2 — 1-for-4
Aug. 10: Orioles 14, Indians 8 — 7-for-10

So, over the past eight games, the Orioles have gone 29-for-70 with runners in scoring position, an average of .414. That number is pretty staggering on its own, but it’s downright jaw-dropping when you compare it with the team’s average with runners in scoring position over the entire season — .232, last in the major leagues.

Now, you might be inclined to argue — and rightfully so — that eight games is a small sample size and that the Orioles can’t be expected to continue their recent production, but you also have to acknowledge that the team’s hitting more than 180 points above its season average with RISP over an entire homestand (plus one road victory) is an impressive feat.

To take a closer look, let’s look at some individual numbers. Back on July 7, I broke down the individual averages with runners in scoring position for the mainstays in the Orioles’ lineup. You might recall that, overall, they were — to put it diplomatically — underwhelming.

Here’s a side-by-side comparison of what those same hitters (minus those who are no longer on the active roster or haven’t played a significant amount) have done since the beginning of the Showalter era. (Note: Some players, such as Felix Pie and Brian Roberts, aren’t represented because they weren’t included in the July 7 post as they were still injured then.)

Player _____ RISP through July 7 _____ RISP Aug. 3-10
Nick Markakis, RF _____ .338 _____ .250 (1-for-4)
Adam Jones, CF _____ .253 _____ .333 (2-for-6)
Cesar Izturis, SS _____ .245 _____ .500 (4-for-8)
Ty Wigginton, 1B ______ .235 _____ .500 (4-for-8)
Matt Wieters, C _____ .227 _____ .500 (4-for-8)
Luke Scott, DH _____ .133 _____ .571 (4-for-7)

Again, I acknowledge that the above players’ RISP statistics for the past eight games represent a small sample size, but even so, the numbers speak for themselves.

Of the six players above, five of them have outperformed their RISP average through July 7 while playing for Showalter. Four of them have more than doubled that average in the past eight games. And the red-hot Scott, much maligned earlier in the year for his inability to get clutch hits, has batted a whopping 438 points over his earlier RISP average since the managerial change.

It’s unrealistic to expect that Orioles hitters will be able to maintain their lofty averages with runners in scoring position, but if they can manage to stay anywhere close to them, I think it’s clear you’re going to see a good deal more victories for the rest of the season.

Posted by Steve Gould at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Those words, which haven't been uttered in quite some time, were delivered by starting pitcher Jake Arrieta after the Orioles bashed the Cleveland Indians, 14-8, to win their third straight game and improve to 7-1 since Buck Showalter took over as manager.

Arrieta got the win despite allowing Cleveland to score five times in the bottom of the fourth, but he deserves credit for getting through six innings without further damage. And Showalter deserves credit for allowing him to do that.

But obviously the story was the Orioles' offense, which set a season high with the 14 runs. Their six-run eighth inning, which turned the game into a laughter, tied a season high for runs in an inning.

The Orioles hit four home runs with Felix Pie delivering the big blow, a three-run shot to center in the fifth inning that reclaimed the lead for the visitors. Corey Patterson then hit a solo shot in the sixth off lefty Tony Sipp. Matt Wieters hit a two-run shot in the six-run eighth, and Luke Scott a three-run bomb later in the inning.

"“It’s a lot of fun. It’s a relief,” said Scott, who drove in four. “It just makes the game fun for us whenever we pound out some hits, score a lot of runs. It just does the dugout good. You started seeing guys taking really good, aggressive hacks at balls in the zone. When their pitchers made the mistakes, guys weren’t taking tentative hacks. Guys were getting after it.”

The Orioles' four total homers traveled a combined 1,618 feet, prompting the ever-quotable Showalter to say: "A lot of yardage tonight. That was impressive.”

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

Earlier today, Orioles prospect Xavier Avery was promoted to Double-A Bowie from Single-A Frederick.

In 109 games with the Keys, Avery batted .280 with four home runs and 48 RBIs. The 20-year-old outfielder ranks second -- behind teammate Kyle Hudson (31) -- in the Carolina League with 28 stolen bases.

Avery also ranks second in the league with 73 runs scored. He has 25 doubles and six triples.

Norfolk Tides (AAA)

Score: Indianapolis Indians 10, Norfolk Tides 6 (Box score)

Recap: Catcher Adam Donachie was 4-for-4 with a two-run home run, but the Tides couldn't keep up offensively in a 10-6 loss to Indianapolis.

Norfolk third baseman Scott Moore was 2-for-3 with his second home run in as many nights, a two-run shot in the second, while center fielder Matt Angle was 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Tides starting pitcher Chris George left the game with an apparent elbow injury after recording the first two outs of the game. No word on the details yet.

Designated hitter Michael Aubrey was 2-for-5 with a double for Norfolk, while relief pitcher Cla Meredith (1-2) was charged with the loss after allowing four runs (one earned) and three hits in one inning.

Bowie Baysox (AA)

Score: Portland Sea Dogs 6, Bowie Baysox 3 (Box score)

Recap: Center fielder Jonathan Tucker hit a solo home run, but the Baysox blew a late lead in a 6-3 loss to Portland at Prince George's Stadium.

Bowie starting pitcher Steve Johnson settled down after allowing a two-run home run to former Orioles farmhand Nate Spears in the first. Johnson only gave up the two runs and four hits in seven innings.

The Sea Dogs scored four unearned runs against relief pitcher Raul Rivero (1-1) in the eighth after Baysox first baseman Joe Mahoney committed an error with two outs in the frame.

Designated hitter Joel Guzman was 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored for Bowie.

Frederick Keys (A)

Score: Myrtle Beach Pelicans 10, Frederick Keys 5 (Box score)

Recap: Third baseman Miguel Abreu was 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored in the Keys' 10-5 loss on the road against Myrtle Beach.

Frederick second baseman L.J. Hoes contributed two hits and an RBI, while designated hitter Billy Rowell added a single and an RBI in the defeat.

Keys starting pitcher Ryan O'Shea (6-7) gave up five runs (three earned) and eight hits in five innings. He struck out four batters, but allowed three walks and three home runs.

Delmarva Shorebirds (A)

Score: Lexington Legends 10, Delmarva Shorebirds 3 (Box score)

Recap: Starting pitcher Bobby Bundy (2-5) was touched up for five runs and nine hits in five innings as the Shorebirds lost, 10-3, to Lexington at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium.

Delmarva left fielder T.J. Baxter was 3-for-5 with a two-run home run and his 28th stolen base of the season, while third baseman Tyler Kelly added a double.

Relief pitcher David Walters was rocked for the first time this season, allowing five runs and five hits in two-thirds of an inning for the Shorebirds.

Aberdeen IronBirds (A)

Score: Aberdeen IronBirds 4, Batavia Muckdogs 2 (Box score)

Recap: Left fielder Kipp Schutz was 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and a double in the IronBirds' 4-2 victory on the road over Batavia.

Aberdeen shortstop Sammie Starr contributed three hits, an RBI and a run scored, while first baseman Tyler Stampone was 2-for-4 with a triple and a run scored.

IronBirds starting pitcher Bruno Sanchez (3-3) was charged with two runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings. He collected one strikeout, issued three walks and hit a batter.

Relief pitcher Steven Mazur, the Orioles' 33rd-round selection in this year's MLB draft, picked up his fifth save of the season after tossing two scoreless frames for Aberdeen.

Bluefield Orioles (Rookie)

Score: Pulaski Mariners 12, Bluefield Orioles 1 (Box score)

Recap: Starting pitcher Zach Petersime (1-2) was charged with four runs and six hits in five innings as the Orioles were pounded, 12-1, by Pulaski at Bowen Field.

Bluefield first baseman Corey Thomas collected two of the team's six hits, while right fielder Luis Ramirez added a double.

Shortstop Jonathan Schoop contributed a triple for Bluefield.

GCL Orioles (Rookie)

Score: GCL Red Sox 14, GCL Orioles 0 (Box score)

Recap: The GCL Orioles managed only one hit in a 14-0 loss to the GCL Red Sox.

Orioles designated hitter Lou Montanez was 0-for-3 in his latest injury rehab assignment, while third baseman Michael Mosby contributed the team's only hit with a two-out single in the eighth.

Starting pitcher Aaron Wirsch (0-1) was charged with the loss for the Orioles despite only allowing one unearned run and two hits in two innings. He struck out one batter and issued one walk.

Posted by Dean Jones Jr. at 9:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Minor leagues
        

After the Orioles handed him a three-run lead with a four-run top of the fourth, rookie starter Jake Arrieta gave all the runs back and then some.

Cleveland scored five runs in the bottom of the fourth and now lead 6-4. Arrieta has only himself to blame as he allowed Cleveland to prolong an already two-run inning by hitting No.9 hitter Lou Marson and walking Asdrubal Cabrera to load the bases. Shin-Soo Choo broke the tie with a two-run double to right. Brian Roberts' relay throw cut down Cabrera at the plate to end the inning.

Before Arrieta's outing, Orioles pitchers had posted seven straight quality starts.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 8:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera just made one of the best defensive plays that I've ever seen, robbing Felix Pie of an RBI single in the top of the fourth inning.

With Luke Scott on third and one out, Pie hit a rocket up the middle that deflected off the foot of Indians' starter Justin Masterson. Cabrera, who had made a move toward the middle, stopped and bare-handed the ball while he was on his back. He then made sure Scott held at third before throwing to first to get the second out.

The good news was that Matt Wieters followed with an RBI single and scored Scott to give the Orioles a 3-1 lead, and after a Corey Patterson walk, Cesar Izturis stroked an RBI single to score Wieters.

It's 4-1 heading into the bottom of the fourth.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Orioles manager Buck Showalter doesn't call them save opportunities. He refers to them as "W" opportunities.

Either way, they will likely be spread around more going forward rather than Alfredo Simon getting them all.

"I’m sure Simon will get some more opportunities along the way, but I feel like we have some other people capable of doing it other than him," Showalter said. "We’ll see what each night dictates."

Simon, who gave up the Orioles' one-run, ninth-inning league last night by serving up a solo homer to Paul Konerko, has blown three of his last 10 save opportunities. He's also allwed runs in six of his last 10 outings, and surrendered four home runs in his last 7 1/3 innings pitched.

"Some guys down there have shown that they are capable of getting big outs for us," Showalter said. "We’ll see what the situation dictates. We’ll get a better grip today where Simon is physically and everything, but we’ve got some options."

Michael Gonzalez would be the most likely candidate to take over, but Koji Uehara could get some chances as well. Showalter said Uehara's health is "evolving," which could mean that he could pitch more regularly.

Struggling third baseman Josh Bell is out of the lineup tonight, but Showalter said that the rookie will probably play the next two nights. Bell will spent time before tomorrow's game getting some extra swings with hitting coach Terry Crowley.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 5:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

I’ve heard this comment multiple times over the last week after some of the Orioles’ late-game heroics: “That’s not a game they would have won a couple of weeks ago.” It’s obviously a reference to the difference between Buck Showalter’s Orioles, and the team which was skippered by Dave Trembley and Juan Samuel. However, let’s not forget, the team had several comeback wins in Texas right before the All-Star break. The Orioles have nine total walk-off wins, the most in the league. They also have 10 extra-inning wins, tying the Philadelphia Phillies for the league high. Not all of those have come under Showalter. The Orioles played horribly before Showalter arrived, but I never thought they had quit under either Trembley or Samuel.

After watching Edwin Jackson breeze through the early innings, I thought he was headed for a complete-game shutout. The Orioles did a commendable job waiting out Jackson and then taking advantage of the opportunities that they had. Earlier in the season, guys were pressing and trying to do too way too much at the plate, often to the detriment of the team. The starting pitching has obviously been the biggest difference in the club under Showalter, but the quality of the Orioles' at-bats is a close second.

It’s not going to get any easier on the Orioles, who play the hardest schedule in baseball the rest of the way. Their remaining opponents have a .541 winning percentage.

That left fielder Felix Pie is suddenly getting good jumps, taking better routes to balls and making catches that he was not making during the Trembley and Samuel eras isn’t a huge surprise to those who have watched Pie in batting practice over the last week. Pie has been catching balls off the bat and working on getting better reads and jumps. Perhaps, Pie just got sick of not catching balls that somebody with his speed and athleticism should catch. Or perhaps he realized he is being evaluated by a new and more demanding manager. Either way, there’s no reason he can’t become a good defensive left fielder if he continues to put in the work.

Orioles Director of Scouting Joe Jordan and area scout Gil Kubski met with third-round draft pick Daniel Klein and his family at their California home over last weekend. Jordan said it was an enjoyable visit and he left impressed. However, the Orioles still haven’t narrowed the gap in agreeing to terms with Klein, the right-handed pitcher from UCLA who was taken with the 85th overall pick. They now have less than a week to get a deal done before Monday’s midnight deadline. When the Orioles announce the official signings of Connor Narron (5th round) and Parker Bridwell (9th round) this week, that will leave them with 17 unsigned picks out of 50. That includes five in the top 15. The Orioles expected to go down to the Aug.16 deadline with first-round pick Manny Machado, but it has to be concerning to Jordan and other club officials that they have this much work to do so close to the deadline.

The Seattle Mariners firing of manager Don Wakamatsu yesterday adds one more interesting name in the mix for the anticipated coaching vacancies on Showalter’s staff this offseason. Wakamatsu was a minor league manager in the Arizona organization while Showalter was there, and Showalter thought enough of him to have him as his bench coach in Texas. He also has a catching background to help Matt Wieters. I’d expect Wakamatsu will hear from Showalter at some point, but I’m sure the Orioles won’t be the only one dialing his number. Wakamatsu has a solid reputation despite the mess in Seattle this year. Another interesting name I’ve heard to go along with B.J. Surhoff, Mike Bordick, Billy Ripken, Billy Connors, Nardi Contreras and Bobby Dickerson: Eric Wedge. Yes, the same Eric Wedge who Showalter beat out for the Orioles’ job. After being dismissed by Texas, Showalter served as a senior advisor to baseball operations for the Cleveland Indians, while Wedge was the manager there. I’d be shocked if it happened and Wedge will probably be in the running for some manager jobs, but it is an interesting thought.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

Hey, everyone, I'm back from vacation -- and so are the minor league recaps.

Let's get right into the action.

Earlier today, the Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds added right-handed pitcher Aaron Swenson to their roster. In order to make room for him, Delmarva placed right-hander Tom Phelps on the disabled list.

Also, catcher Adam Donachie was added to the Triple-A Norfolk Tides to take catcher Craig Tatum's roster spot when he was promoted to the Orioles.

Norfolk Tides (AAA)

Score: Norfolk Tides 9, Indianapolis Indians 1 (Box score)

Recap: Center fielder Matt Angle was 4-for-5 with a double, triple and two RBIs as the Tides cruised to a 9-1 victory on the road against Indianapolis.

Norfolk shortstop Robert Andino contributed a pair of triples and an RBI, while third baseman Scott Moore hit a two-run home run in the second inning.

Tides starting pitcher Chris Tillman tossed 6 2/3 innings, giving up one run and eight hits. Tillman struck out nine batters, throwing 72 of his 112 pitches for strikes.

First baseman Brandon Snyder added two doubles and two runs scored for the Tides, and right fielder Jeff Salazar was 1-for-4 with two RBIs.

Frederick Keys (A)

Score: Frederick Keys 6, Myrtle Beach Pelicans 3 (Box score)

Recap: Infielder Miguel Abreu was 3-for-4 with a double and four RBIs as the Keys came from behind for a 6-3 win over Myrtle Beach.

Frederick right fielder Ronnie Welty added two hits, including a double, an RBI and two runs scored, while left fielder Kyle Hudson picked up his 31st stolen base of the season.

Keys starting pitcher Zach Clark (2-1) held the Pelicans to three runs and five hits in seven innings, while relief pitcher Josh Dowdy retired the final three batters for his second save of the year.

Delmarva Shorebirds (A)

Score: Lexington Legends 6, Delmarva Shorebirds 4 (Box score)

Recap: Third baseman Tyler Kelly was 3-for-4 with a stolen base and two RBIs, but the Shorebirds dropped a 6-4 decision to Lexington at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium.

Delmarva catcher Justin Dalles hit a solo home run, while first baseman Mike Flacco and right fielder T.J. Baxter each added a single and a run scored.

Shorebirds starting pitcher Patrick Kantakevich (0-5) allowed three runs and six hits in six innings. He struck out three hitters, issued two walks and hit one batter.

Aberdeen IronBirds (A)

Score: Mahoning Valley Scrappers 4, Aberdeen IronBirds 1 (Box score)

Recap: Starting pitcher Justin Moore was charged with three runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings as the IronBirds fell, 4-1, to Mahoning Valley.

Aberdeen first baseman David Anderson hit a double in the loss, while center fielder Trent Mummey picked up the team's only RBI.

Catcher Austin Rauch scored the only run for the IronBirds.

Bluefield Orioles (Rookie)

Score: Bluefield Orioles 7, Pulaski Mariners 2 (Box score)

Recap: Starting pitcher Angel Cespedes (3-3) held the Pulaski to one run and six hits in seven innings as the Orioles won, 7-2, at Bowen Field.

The Mariners committed eight errors in the game, while Bluefield had two defensive miscues.

Orioles first baseman Corey Thomas was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, while left fielder Chris Clinton and catcher Janensis Guerrero each added a double and an RBI.

Shortstop Jonathan Schoop contributed a double and a run scored for Bluefield.

GCL Orioles (Rookie)

Score: GCL Orioles 5, GCL Red Sox 1 (Box score)

Recap: Right fielder Jaynnertt Melenciano was 3-for-5 with a double, a stolen base, an RBI and two runs scored as the GCL Orioles won, 5-1, over the GCL Red Sox.

Orioles relief pitcher Jim Johnson tossed a scoreless frame, striking out two batters, to start the game for the Gulf Coast League affiliate.

Orioles outfielder Lou Montanez was 1-for-5 with a run scored and a strikeout in an injury rehab assignment. Montanez is 3-for-12 in three games for the GCL Orioles.

Right-handed pitcher Douglas Ferguson (4-2) took over for Johnson and tossed 4 2/3 scoreless innings, while closer Jose Mota recorded the final out for his sixth save of the season.

Orioles second baseman Pedro Rodriguez was 2-for-4 with an RBI in the victory, while designated hitter Gino Moranci added two RBIs.

Posted by Dean Jones Jr. at 10:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Minor leagues
        

Shortly after taking over as Orioles manager last week, Buck Showalter casually mentioned to the media that he would like to get another bench player on the roster rather than carrying 13 pitchers.

He understood the need for so many pitchers but hoped that the performance of his starters could make a couple of his long relievers dispensable. That has happened, and on Monday the Orioles sent left-hander Troy Patton back to Triple-A Norfolk and recalled catcher Craig Tatum.

The move is obviously good news for Tatum, who was playing pretty well when he was demoted last month, but it's even better news for Jake Fox, the utility player (Jake of All Trades?) who was holding the fort as Matt Wieters' backup.

"It gives us a chance for Jake to be Jake, instead of always of holding him because of the catching thing," Showalter said. "Let him bring his value, which is being able to play different places."

Posted by Don Markus at 6:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Reaching 1,000 hits, as Cesar Izturis did in Sunday's 4-3 win over the White Sox, might not be that big a deal, even in Venezuela. The Orioles shortstop became the 27th major leaguer from that country to do so.

But Izturis is used to being overlooked.

"What hit me was when talked about his 1,000th hit, and I was aware of it a couple of days ago, is how underappreciated that he is," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said of Izturis before Monday's game.

"He's just solid. He's not always [a] 'look at me' mentality; he brings it. That's a common description from everybody. He's a guy you can count on. Very durable. I'm happy for him to have [that] moment yesterday. He should have got the next ball for 1,001. It's a good one."

Izturis did not get the ball for No. 1,001, a leadoff double in the eighth that helped give the Orioles a 4-1 lead, but he did collect No. 1,000. He promptly turned it over to his 10-year-old son, Daniel, who was at the game.

"He was following it when I was on the road and was saying, 'Dad, you have nine more, you have eight more, ' " Izturis said Monday. "He kept telling me, 'Hit one for me.' He deserves it. He was excited.' "

The 30-year-old switch-hitter called it the biggest accomplishment of his 10-year major league career.

"It's not easy," said Izturis, who is hitting .297 in his past 38 games. "I can't imagine the guys who have 3,000. For me, it seems like it took forever."

Posted by Don Markus at 5:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Craig Tatum is headed back to Baltimore.

The Orioles on Monday recalled the catcher from Triple-A Norfolk. He will take the spot of left-handed reliever Troy Patton, who was sent down to the Tides on Sunday.

Tatum is batting .271 (23-for-85) in 32 games this season with the Orioles. It's his first year with the club.

Posted by Baltimore Sun sports at 3:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Triple-A Norfolk outfielder Nolan Reimold went 4-for-5 with a double, homer, two RBIs and a stolen base against Louisville last night. In seven August games with the Tides, Reimold is batting .400 with two homers, seven RBIs, three walks and two steals. Overall, he’s batting .238 with 10 homers, 32 RBIs and six stolen bases in 73 games.

It’s obviously been a long and trying year for Reimold, who was supposed to be the everyday left fielder in Baltimore. Instead, he hit .205 in 29 games and has been in the minor leagues since May 12. Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said there has been some discussions about promoting Reimold, but nothing is imminent at this point.

“We have had general discussions but nothing specific yet about how the roster will take shape in September,” MacPhail said. “He’s being considered along with others. We’ll be guided by where there is innings to be pitched or at-bats to be had. [He’s made] some progress. Still not where he was, but some progress. Right now, the outfield is just not an area of need. You just want to make sure when you bring people up, there is a reasonable numbers at-bats available.”

The Orioles also have had similar discussions about Triple-A starter Zach Britton, who has struggled in his last four outings after his first big-league promotion seemed imminent. Britton has allowed 11 earned runs, 24 hits and nine walks over his last 17 1/3 innings. The Orioles also are closely monitoring his innings total – now at 122 1/3 on the season – and that could factor into whether Britton gets a September callup. Rick VandenHurk and Chris Tillman will also be considered.

Pitching prospect Brandon Erbe (McDonogh) is expected to get a second opinion on his ailing right shoulder this week from Los Angeles Angels’ team physician Dr. Lewis Yocum. He will not pitch again this year, but the Orioles are concerned more about his long-term outlook as shoulder surgery appears to be a strong possibility at this point for the 22-year-old. Erbe, who was 0-10 with a 5.73 ERA in 14 starts for Triple-A Norfolk this season, has already been checked out by Orioles’ team orthopedist Dr. John Wilckens, and he didn’t’ get the news that he was seeking.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (25)
        

Jeremy Guthrie had pretty good command today, walking just one batter over eight innings and throwing 76 of his 116 pitches for strikes. However, he was rather erratic when White Sox leadoff man Juan Pierre was at the plate.

Guthrie knocked Pierre down twice and hit him another time, prompting one reporter to ask Guthrie after the game whether "Something is going on with you and Juan?"

Guthrie chuckled at the question and then said: "Nothing is going on between Juan and I. I am very happily married. There are no rumors. I’ve never faced Juan Pierre in my life, but he is a great baseball player. When you need to command the inside part of the plate, you have to pitch there. You don’t try to hit guys, but you try to command that part of the plate.

Guthrie hit Pierre with one out in the fifth inning, and it is unfathomable to believe he'd intentionally put the major league leader in steals on base while trying to protect a 1-0 lead. When he knocked him down again in the seventh inning, the Orioles were leading 3-1.

Guthrie has hit 11 batters this season, second in the American League behind New York Yankees right-hander A.J. Burnett.

"I’m not a very good pinpoint command pitcher, and I’ve got the numbers to prove that," Guthrie said. "You try to throw a pitch inside, if you miss by six inches sometimes, it hits them. If you miss by six inches the other way, it’s right down the middle and it gets hit for a home run. So you can pick your position, but you try to execute pitches. And I knew that one of the places he doesn’t like to hit it, from what I’ve seen, is inside, so you attack it."

Guthrie has already hit two more batters than he did all last season and four more than he did in 2008. It has been obvious since spring training that Guthrie is more committed to pitching inside, and that's a good thing. Guthrie allowed 35 home runs last year in 33 starts. This season, he has surrendered 18 home runs in 23 starts.

His stuff and command are obviously much better this year than they were last season, but it doesn't hurt that the hitters look much less comfortable in the box against him this season. The rest of the Orioles' pitchers should take note and pitch inside more.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 8:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

The Orioles optioned left-handed pitcher Troy Patton to Triple-A Norfolk after Sunday's 4-3 win over the Chicago White Sox.

Patton has been active for the Orioles for eight games this season but has not appeared in any of them.

A corresponding move will be announced tomorrow, but it's expected that catcher Craig Tatum will get the call. That will give manager Buck Showalter a four-man bench and more flexibility.

Patton took the news in stride, saying: "It's really a tough situation. I came up here to be a long-relief guy. and it just happens to be the one week of the season that literally no long-relief guy was needed. I wasn't needed to go in the games. I understand it. It's good that I go back down there and throw a little bit so that if I'm needed in September, I can be fresh."

It's tough that Patton didn't get any opportunities, but being unable to find innings for a long guy can be characterized as a good problem to have. A real good one.

Posted by Steve Gould at 4:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

The Orioles took a 1-0 lead when Felix Pie drilled a Mark Buehrle pitch onto the flag court in right field for his third homer of the season.

Jake Fox, who is getting a rare start at catcher in place of the resting Matt Wieters, then reached base on a throwing error by White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez. Cesar Izturis followed with a bloop single to center, the 1,000th hit of his career.

Izturis got a real nice ovation when the scoreboard recognized his accomplishment, and he tipped his helmet to the crowd and his teammates.

Rookie third baseman Josh Bell then hit a bouncer up the middle that Chicago second baseman Gordon Beckham made a diving stop on just to keep it from rolling into the outfield. Beckham had no play at first base on Bell, but he spotted Fox trying to score and threw him out at home by a mile. Fox obviously thought the ball had gone into the outfield, but I couldn't tell if he ignored third base coach Gary Allenson's stop sign or not.

The Orioles had four hits in the inning and had an additional batter reach on an error, but they managed only one run against Buehrle.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 2:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Orioles shortstop Cesar Izturis got his 1,000th career hit today with a bloop single to center field off Chicago White Sox starter Mark Buehrle.

It came in the second inning.

Felix Pie gave the Orioles a 1-0 lead in the inning with a long home run to right field.

Posted by Ron Fritz at 2:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Orioles manager Buck Showalter met with president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail before the game to discuss going down from 13 to 12 pitches and adding a fourth bench player.

"It’s something we’re considering," Showalter said. "We will see how today goes.Its paperwork and if we need to go back to it, we will go back to it. But it’s something we are considering."

Showalter said the Orioles will back off struggling reliever Jason Berken for a couple of days. Berken, who took the loss last night, leads all A.L. relievers in innings pitched.

"We are going to back off of him for a day or two, try to freshen him up a little bit," Showalter said. "It’s something that we’ve talked about the second day I was here and we talked about it again today."

Luke Scott is dealing with a head cold but he is available to come off the bench later in the game. Corey Patterson is serving as the designated hitter and is batting second.

Reliever David Hernandez (left ankle sprain) remains scheduled to report to Sarasota on Tuesday. He said his ankle is feeling much better and he expects to be ready to come off the disabled list on Aug.20 when he is eligible.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Before last night’s game, Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen had nothing but good things to say about new Orioles’ manager Buck Showalter.

“Those guys are going to play better for him for some reason. Buck is the type of guy who demands players, day in and day out, to play good baseball,” Guillen said. “He only takes that job for a reason. He takes that job because he’s a guy who maybe, hopefully can put those guys back where they want to be. I don’t know him very well but when I see him with the organizations, he does a tremendous job. Believe me, I think they have good ballplayers, if you go player by player. Maybe their pitching staff is going to be better. I don't have anything against Baltimore managers in the past, but to me he seems like the right guy.”

A couple of hours later, Guillen, however, appeared none too pleased by Showalter staying on the field for an extended period to argue first-base umpire Jerry Crawford’s ruling of a catch by Chicago right fielder Carlos Quentin on Felix Pie’s sinking liner in the seventh inning. Crawford, by the way, blew the call as replays showed that Quentin had caught it, but only after it hopped off the ground.

After watching Showalter engage in a long conversation with Crawford while Chicago starter John Danks waited on the mound, a displeased Guillen went out to have words with third-base umpire Chris Guccione. Guillen later told reporters that Showalter was “doing his job” and he didn’t blame him. Instead, he blamed Crawford for allowing Showalter to stay out there so long, and in effect, disrupt Danks’ rhythm.

Showalter appeared to glare in Guillen’s direction as both managers headed back to the dugout.

Two innings later, with Orioles closer Alfredo Simon warming up before the top of the ninth inning, Guillen came out to question the presence of a stadium worker who was standing over the batter’s eye in center field, either hosing down the ivy or helping prepare for the postgame fireworks show.

No further incident took place; however, the next three days could be interesting as Showalter and Guillen have never been the best of friends.

During Guillen’s first year managing the White Sox in 2004, he felt that Showalter showed a lack of respect to him by questioning his knowledge of the rules. That prompted Guillen to say: “Mr. Baseball never even got a hit in Triple-A. I was a better player than him, I have more money than him and I’m better looking than him.”

Asked again after last night's game about Showalter’s effect on the Orioles, who won 2-1 in the 10th inning to improve to 4-0 under Showalter, Guillen said, “Believe me, managers don’t make baseball team. They make them play better, but when you pitch the way they pitched against us and the kind of offense they have, you win games.’’

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 2:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Manager Buck Showalter met with rookie third baseman Josh Bell on Thursday and urged him to take advantage of the opportunity that he's getting and make sure he stays prepared.

Bell missed Thursday's game a day after hamstring cramps knocked him out late in Wednesday's contest. It's the second time this season the switch-hitting third baseman has been knocked out of a game early because of cramps. Bell acknowledged that he has to do a better job drinking water before and during games.

“He pretty much pulled me aside to give me his expectations,” Bell said of the meeting. “Any time a manager sits you down and gives you advice, it’s a good thing. He was telling me he just wanted to make sure he can count on me to be out there every day."

Showalter also wanted to remind Bell how valuable it is to be getting an extended chance to play. Bell was called up to be the everyday third baseman when Miguel Tejada was traded to the San Diego Padres last week.

"You can see why people are high on him,” Showalter said. “Josh has done some real good things down there, but this was the right thing to do in the situation we’re in. I think he understands the opportunity that he’s getting. We’ll see where it takes us. I was talking to him, making sure he understands how important this opportunity is. I’m not putting pressure or anything. I said, ‘I can sit there and tell you to relax all day, but you’re smart enough to understand that these things could be fleeting so make an impression on somebody every day by what you do and the way you carry yourself.’”

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 5:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

After Ray Miller got the call informing him that he would be inducted into the Orioles’ Hall of Fame, he did something that he said that he never had done. He cried.

“The first time in my life I was speechless when they called me,” said Miller, who spent two seasons as Orioles’ manager and had three different tenures as the team’s pitching coach. “I never cried, and I cried just thinking about all the people that were in there. To be acknowledged with those names, it’s phenomenal. All the heroes I had growing up in the area, most of them are in that thing. For you to be put in there with [them], it’s a tremendous honor.”

Miller will be inducted in a ceremony before tomorrow’s game against the Chicago White Sox. Former Orioles manager and player Johnny Oates, who was Miller’s first catcher for Rochester in 1971, will be inducted posthumously. Len Johnston, who served in the Orioles’ player development department as a scout, coach, manager and camp coordinator for more than three decades, will receive the Herb Armstrong award, given to non-uniformed personnel who have made significant contributions to the ballclub and the sport.

“A lot of great memories,” Miller said. “It’s been nerve-wracking trying to figure out a speech because in 35 years, I’m going to forget somebody and everybody. It’s a great honor.”

Miller spent all of or part of 11 seasons as Orioles’ pitching coach with his final stint coming from 2004-2005. He now spends his time at home in Ohio, and is kept quite busy by his mowing and wood business.

“My wife has some illness and I have some illness and we stay pretty close to home and just work,” Miller said. “Everybody says that they can’t believe how many hours I work and I say, ‘That’s because you’ve never been around a Major League schedule.’ This is easy. I was thinking about it yesterday, just getting clothes together and having them in the right place at the right time and carrying an itinerary in your pocket for 30-something years and flying all over the world. You get home and a 9 to 5 job isn’t nothing.”

Miller speaks often to team owner Peter Angelos and still tries to follow the club and some players around the league, including Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts.

“I miss the game. I don’t really miss the politics,” Miller said. “The latter part of my career, with the press, [that was] tough to deal with. I thought some people took everything out of context, but the game I really miss. I got a tape at home that I turn on every once in a while. It’s the ‘79 World Series. I put a tape recorder on top of the dugout and you can just hear the crowd noise and all. I put that on and it still gives me chills. In the background, you can hear Wild Bill Hagy doing the O-R-I and all that stuff.”

When Miller was informed that the current Orioles had some nice young arms that he’d enjoy working with, he said, “I was told that. I talk to Peter quite often and he calls me and tells me about the talent and all. He was telling me that he really hopes he can get things turned around because he believes there are some good arms to work with here. Getting Buck Showalter is a step in the right direction because he’s a winner. He’s a winner everywhere he’s been. He’s a good organizational man.

“I think the only thing that happened here from the Oriole Way to nowadays, the minor leagues and the big leagues are on a little different level. There’s too many different types of teaching instead of one. Earl Weaver was the master of that and I come from that era where whatever the Orioles did that night at 5 o’clock, we worked on tomorrow morning. I think Buck will get back to that and you’ll see a great result.”

Buy Orioles Gear

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

The Orioles won their third straight game Thursday, which, if you hadn’t noticed, just so happened to be the third game in the Orioles career of manager Buck Showalter.

Three consecutive wins have been hard to come by this season. In fact, streaks of three wins or more have occurred just four other times for the Orioles in 2010. And we are in August.

The primary reason for the winning streak is the club’s starting pitchers have been very good during this stretch. They delivered three consecutive quality starts for the first time since mid-May.

But you also have to wonder how much of this is the Buck Showalter factor. Showalter has a presence about him. These young players – and some of the veterans, too – feel the need to impress him. And maybe that comes with just a little more focus, a little more intensity.

I don’t know. Maybe it gives this club something more to play for when it’s buried in the standings.

Catcher Matt Wieters said there is a little bit more energy or excitement right now.

"Anytime you get a change in manager, and the new guy is going to be here for a while … definitely, a little bit of excitement comes along,” Wieters said. “It might have helped the guys – especially pick them up this time of year.”

Then again, it has been only three games. Anything can happen in three games. It’s too small of a sample size to mean anything. And, really, two of the wins were nearly turned into defeats. So maybe it is just luck shining on the Orioles briefly before they go back to their losing ways.

You tell me.

Daily Think Special: Three straight wins: Pitching, luck or Buck?

Buy Orioles Gear

Posted by Dan Connolly at 1:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (34)
        

Jake Arrieta’s no-hit and perfect game bid ended with two outs in the fifth.

Nick Markakis made a tremendous attempt at a dying liner off the bat of Alberto Callaspo, but the ball bounced off Markakis’ glove while he was in a full dive.

Callaspo was stranded at second when Howie Kendrick flied out.

Arrieta has cruised through five innings, facing 16 batters and retiring 15. He is at just 56 pitches.

Dan Haren has been almost as good, and the game is scoreless in the bottom of the fifth.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Orioles right-hander David Hernandez was placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday after he sprained his left ankle while attempting to make a play at the plate in Wednesday’s win against the Los Angeles Angels.

Hernandez has pitched in 33 games this season, going 5-8 with a 4.52 ERA. He has made eight starts, compiling a 1-5 record and a 5.31 ERA. He has been much more effective in the bullpen, where he is 4-3 with a 3.29 ERA and two saves.

Hernandez had become one of the club’s more dependable late-inning relievers, dramatically improving his walk and strikeout totals. He had walked 28 and fanned 27 in 42 1/3 innings as a starter. More relaxed in relief, Hernandez has struck out 33 batters and walked only eight in 27 1/3 innings out of the bullpen.

Hernandez said Wednesday that he expects to be out only the minimum 15 days.

To fill the roster spot vacated by Hernandez, the Orioles promoted Armando Gabino, who was the organization’s Pitcher of the Month for July. He is 7-0 with a 2.12 ERA and two saves in 27 games (seven starts) for Triple-A Norfolk.

Gabino is not on the 40-man roster, but the Orioles have an open spot there, so no corresponding move will need to be made on that roster.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 1:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (19)
        

The Orioles are now 2-0 in the Buck Showalter era, but preserving potential wins may have just gotten more difficult.

Late-inning reliever David Hernandez left the game during the top of the seventh when he threw a wild pitch and then sprained his left ankle on his way to cover home plate.

It was swollen after the game and he had a pair of crutches at the ready in the clubhouse. He said he would like to give it a few days and see if he can pitch on it. But since it is his landing leg, the team will be particularly cautious.

“They said it was a Grade 2 sprain, (athletic trainer Richie Bancells) thinks that’s 10-14 days maybe. Depending on how it heals,” Hernandez said.

So Hernandez, who is 5-8 with a 4.52 ERA in 33 games (eight starts) expects to be placed on the disabled list Thursday.

“Richie was hinting it’s a good possibility,” Hernandez said. “Just because it’s my landing foot and the tendon that’s sore is the tendon that takes the longest time to heal. That’s what they told me.”

Third baseman Josh Bell and second baseman Brian Roberts also left Wednesday’s game prematurely. Roberts was struck in the left shin by a throw in the first inning, and stayed in for five more innings. After a 24-minute rain delay in the bottom of the sixth, Roberts didn’t come out for the seventh.

“I got hit by a ball in the shin and just have a bruise and a little swollen shin,” Roberts said. “But it’s nothing that hasn’t happened before. Hopefully, I’ll be ready to go (Thursday).”

Bell left after his at-bat in the eighth inning with a left hamstring cramp. He had a similar pain in his right hamstring in early July in Boston.

“Same thing in Boston,” Bell said. “I just have to hydrate.”

When asked if he thought the injury could sideline him, Bell said, “not at all.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 11:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

The Orioles and Angels are back playing after a 24-minute rain delay, resuming play in the bottom of the sixth.

When the Orioles took the field in the top of the seventh, there were two obvious absences: second baseman Brian Roberts and pitcher Brian Matusz.

Had to assume Matusz wouldn’t come back after the rain delay, not after throwing 95 pitches (56 strikes) and having a 9-1 lead.

Matusz’s line: 6 IP, 7H, 1 ER, 0BB, 3Ks.

Roberts also was pulled. He suffered a left shin contusion in the first inning when he was hit on the leg on a pickoff attempt. He remained in the game – until the delay.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 9:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Luke Scott just homered in the bottom of the fourth, a two-run shot against Ervin Santana to give the Orioles an 8-1 lead.

It was Scott's 20th homer of the season. It was also his third in three games.

Scott becomes the first Oriole since Felix Pie (Aug. 28 to Sept. 1, 2009) to homer in three consecutive games.

Felix Pie then singled home Adam Jones for his third RBI of the game. The Orioles are now leading the Angels 9-1 and Santana has been chased after allowing 12 hits.

Buck Showalter is readying his trophy case for his third AL Manager of the Year Award.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

The Orioles are nearing agreements with two more of their top 10 picks, both high upside high school players that will get above slot deals to join the organization.

Fifth-round pick, shortstop/third baseman Connor Narron and ninth-rounder, right-handed pitcher Parker Bridwell, are expected in Baltimore later this week to take physicals. That is pretty much all that is left before they finalize their deals.

Narron, the son of former major league player and manager Jerry Narron, is a switch-hitter who was thought to be a solid commitment to play at the University of North Carolina. He hit .317 with seven homers and 30 RBIs in 27 games in his senior season at C.B. Aycock High (N.C.).

Bridwell, a three-sport star at Hereford High (Tex.), had committed to Texas Tech University. The 6-foot-4, 187-pound pitcher went 7-2 with a 2.26 ERA and struck out 116 batters in 65 innings during his season season at Hereford.

When the two deals are completed, the Orioles will have agreed to terms with 33 of their 49 selections from the June draft, including five of their top 10 and nine of their top 15.

Their top two picks – Florida high school shortstop Manny Machado (1st round, 3rd overall) and UCLA right-handed pitcher Dan Klein (3rd round) remain unsigned. The Orioles will have until midnight on Aug. 16 to come to an agreement or they’ll lose their draft rights.

Orioles Director of Scouting Joe Jordan will be in California this week to scout the Area Code games, and could meet directly with Klein and his representative, John Boggs, along with a couple of other draft picks. Two other unsigned top 10 picks – sixth rounder Dixon Anderson, a right-handed pitcher from U.C. Berkeley, and seventh rounder Matthew Bywater, a left-handed pitcher out of Pepperdine – also hail from California.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

Buck Showalter managed his first game as an Oriole on Tuesday night.

And the Orioles won, their fourth victory since the all-star break.

There were a lot of things that were impressive Tuesday. Perhaps what struck me most was the announced crowd of 16,723, which cheered in all the right places without help from the scoreboard.

They roared when Showalter was announced, when he walked to the plate to exchange lineup cards, when he came out to check on a potentially injured Cesar Izturis and when the Orioles handed him his first Baltimore win.

Said starting pitcher Jeremy Guthrie – who pitched well again Tuesday, by the way: “I thought it was a good crowd tonight. They introduced Buck as the manager, and I heard cheering as I was warming up. When he walked onto the field to present the lineups to the umpires, the same thing. So it felt like Opening Day a little bit. It felt like a nice Opening Day for us.”

I don’t want to make too much of Tuesday’s victory. It was just No. 33 on the season, and it’s August. We all get that. But it was a nice night at Camden Yards, regardless.

What interested me most was watching Showalter manage. During the past month, I’ve talked to a bunch of people who have worked under Showalter, and they have all spoken about his preparedness and how he puts his players in a situation to win.

And so I was intrigued by his first real piece of managing: in the ninth inning Tuesday with the Orioles up 6-3. Lefty Michael Gonzalez had already pitched one scoreless inning, and Showalter summoned him to pitch again in the ninth – even though it was a save situation and closer Alfredo Simon was warming up.

Go by the book, and bring in your closer. That’s what every manager I have ever covered would have done. But Showalter left Gonzalez in to face lefty Hideki Matsui, who struck out. Then Showalter stuck with Gonzalez to turn around switch-hitter Alberto Callaspo, and he grounded out.

With one out needed, Showalter called for Simon, even though it was no longer a save situation for the O’s closer. And Simon struck out Howie Kendrick.

Asked about the moves after the game, Showalter said: “The matchup was a lot better. Gonzo, I’ve been watching him throw the ball and talking to [pitching coach Rick Kranitz] and some of the guys. And I liked the switch-hitters turned around. The tough call was Hunter [in the eighth with one on and two outs]. That’s a tie ballgame at worst, though, and we like our chances at home with the last at-bat. Take our chances.”

That’s a guy who is not managing scared.

He followed that up with his best line of the day: “Believe me, I know the save rule and, quite frankly, it doesn’t carry much weight with me. I like the win rule a little bit better.”

That’s a guy with an edge.

And that combination is what I’ll be left with weeks after this game. My first impression is Showalter is a guy who is managing to win and not managing not to lose. My second impression is that he looked a lot like Earl Weaver when he took the lineup card out to home plate.

Daily Think Special: What are your first impressions of Buck Showalter as Orioles manager?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 11:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (37)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar
        

With two on and two outs, Josh Bell hit a Francisco Rodriguez pitch into the left field corner for his first career double.

Felix Pie and Matt Wieters scored, giving Bell the first two RBIs of his career.

Luke Scott had a two-run homer earlier in the inning and now, going into the seventh, the Orioles are up 5-2.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

We'll have more on this online tonight, but Rick Dempsey talked to us about not getting the Orioles' managerial job, which went to Buck Showalter.

It's the fourth time Dempsey has interviewed for the post, which the former Oriole catcher and current MASN broadcaster considers his dream job.

Here's some of what he said:

“I’m very, very disappointed, to tell you the truth,” said Dempsey, the longtime Orioles coach and player who was the 1983 World Series MVP. “I don’t begrudge Buck getting the opportunity. He is going to be a hell of a manager. He has been a hell of a manager. But I will always feel I know more about this ballclub than anybody else.”

Based on his knowledge of the club and his success as a minor league manager, Dempsey said, he believes he should have gotten a chance to lead this team by now.

“I think it is probably the biggest mistake made here in a long time, and I’m not talking just today, I mean over the years,” Dempsey said. “Not being given an opportunity to manage this ballclub. Every organization in baseball would like to have someone who has won, who has played in the World Series for the organization, who has learned to manage from A ball up and come back here. I think with the relationship I have had with the fans and this city, I should have been a slam-dunk years ago. Someone dropped the ball a long time ago.”

That said, Dempsey said he is supportive of Showalter, who has managed 11 seasons in the big leagues and won two American League Manager of the Year awards. He said he feels much better about this choice than he has the other three times he has lost out -- to Mike Hargrove, Lee Mazzilli and Sam Perlozzo.

“The fact that Buck got the job is a good thing,” Dempsey said. “Of all of the managers I have gone up against in the interviewing process, he is probably the highest-qualified of all of them. No doubt in my mind he can turn this around, but he still doesn’t know what I know about this ballclub. But I am at least happy to lose out to someone so qualified for the job.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

Before the clubhouse opened to media Tuesday, both president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail and his new manager, Buck Showalter, held a closed-door meeting with Orioles players, speaking for a total of 15-20 minutes.

“I tried to get a little feedback. Little quiet right now; we’ll do that one-on-one,” Showalter said. “It was good, fun. Fun for me.”

Showalter said he didn’t talk too long or get too complicated. There will be plenty of time for that, said Showalter, who signed a contract that will take him through 2013 as the club’s manager. He'll manage his first game for the Orioles tonight.

He's the club's third manager this season, following Dave Trembley, who was fired June 3 ,and Juan Samuel, who was the interim manager until Monday.

“I tried to keep in mind that, what, this is the third time [this season] they have kind of been through this,” Showalter said. “I am real sensitive to that.”

Showalter arrived at the stadium at about 11 a.m. – after making a wrong turn – and met with a steady stream of coaches and personnel. During batting practice, he walked along the outfield, talking to players. For several minutes, he stopped and spoke with right fielder Nick Markakis and second baseman Brian Roberts, the two veterans who are signed to long-term deals.

Markakis said there were no surprises when Showalter met the team.

“I don’t think there is anything unexpected. He came in, told us how it is going to be, and we are all ready to get it started,” said Markakis, who has now had four managers in his five seasons with the team. “Everyone is different in their own way, but the biggest thing is we have a manager we know is going to be here. That’s one thing we eliminated. We don’t have to worry about that now.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

According to the tentative 2011 Major League Baseball schedule, the Orioles will play their season opener for a second straight year against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. The game will be played Friday, April 1.

After a three-game series against the Rays, the Orioles will return to Baltimore and play their home opener on the afternoon of April 4 against the Detroit Tigers.

The schedules are always tentative at this time of the year, but I don't see those two things changing. It's a little disappointing to me that the Orioles are again opening up at Tampa Bay. It will be the third time in the past four years and the fourth time in the past six that the Rays will be the Orioles' Opening Day opponent. There's something to be said for trying something new.

I'm also surprised that they're starting on the road for a second straight year, although it is certainly convenient with the Orioles' spring training site in Sarasota being about a 45-minute drive to the Trop. I was led to believe that the Orioles will open up at home every other year, but again, apparently that's not so anymore.

I think the Orioles are due to play the National League Central in interleague play this season, but I'll wait till the final schedule unveils their specific opponents.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 1:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

A lot of the questions that Buck Showalter was asked at Monday’s 45-minute news conference concerned issues that likely won’t be settled for months. While this season has pretty much come down to whether the Orioles have a really bad season or a historically bad one, there are still several questions that will be answered over the coming days. Here are four:

1. How will his presence affect performance of players?

It became evident in early April that the Orioles are a deeply flawed team, and a new manager doesn’t change that. But Showalter’s presence in the dugout and the knowledge that he will evaluate the players over the final two months will certainly turn up the heat. Just being around the clubhouse over the weekend, it’s clear that the players realize things are going to change, and many of them know that they are essentially playing for their roles next year. That should always be the case, but the idea has certainly intensified with the arrival of the more-demanding Showalter, who probably won’t be as patient as his predecessors were and who will have much more of a say on the composition of his roster. The Orioles who wilt over the final two months probably won’t be around next season.

2. Will he make an immediate example of somebody?

Showalter’s reputation as a no-nonsense guy who insists on his teams being prepared and playing the game the right way is well documented, and in doing his homework on the Orioles, he has undoubtedly heard plenty about the Orioles lacking effort and energy at times. So what will he do if Julio Lugo jogs to first base or Adam Jones casually plays a single into a double or Felix Pie gets picked off at first base in back-to-back games? Does he immediately pull them from the game and send the message early that such things won’t be tolerated? Or does he wait and see whether such things become habitual? I can’t wait to find out the answer.

3. What will he do with the young pitchers?

Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail has already said the rotation will go one more turn intact so Showalter, who has been watching many of the Orioles' games, can do a little more evaluating. None of the young pitchers is performing well, so he doesn’t have a whole lot of options. Brad Bergesen had a good last start, but that was the exception, not the norm. Brian Matusz and Jake Arrieta are walking too many people and not getting deep into the game. The top two young arms at Triple-A Norfolk – Zach Britton and Chris Tillman – also have strung together a couple of rocky outings recently. So the Orioles’ choices are to keep sending them out there to take their lumps or drop them to Triple-A and send a message that they have to perform to stay in the majors. It’s irrelevant at this point who replaces them because getting these kids right for the future has to be the priority.

4. Who will he use as the closer?

Alfredo Simon has converted 15 of 18 save chances, but most team officials don’t view him as the long-term answer at closer. The Orioles paid Michael Gonzalez $12 million over two years to be that guy, but he blew two of his first three save chances and then went on the disabled list for three months. Since coming off the DL, Gonzalez has allowed one run in 6 1/3 innings. His velocity is getting very close to being back to normal, and his slider has gotten better. Showalter is going to have to decide whether to plug Gonzalez back in to the role or continue to let him work off rust in setup situations. I’d have to think they’d want to see whether Gonzalez could get the job done in the ninth inning again before they head into the offseason.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 10:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (26)
        

In his first rehab outing for the Orioles' Gulf Coast League team, Jim Johnson got knocked around for three runs and five hits, including a homer, in one inning of work.

I'm sure Johnson is quite rusty, having pitched in only one game since May 26 as a result of right elbow inflammation. So the results after one outing shouldn't be too alarming as long as he didn't feel any discomfort in his elbow. And Johnson said today in a text message that he didn't.

"Arm felt good," he said. "Can't really ask for more than that for first outing in a while."

Johnson will likely make a couple of more appearances for the GCL Orioles before he reports to one of the minor league affiliates. He is interested in seeing how his arm responds tomorrow, but as of now, he's scheduled to throw in another Gulf Coast game Thursday.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 5:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Buck Showalter is an impressive guy.

That’s nothing new. Ask anyone who has worked for or with him and they’ll tell you how smart he is, how prepared he is, how considerate he is.

And, given his history of turning around scuffling ballclubs, it’s hard to argue with the Orioles decision to name him manager – something that became official at a news conference Monday.

Tuesday he takes over a club that is 32-73, the worst record in the major leagues. And he is going to attempt to resuscitate a team that, right now, can’t compete with the big boys, and even the medium boys, in the American League East.

The hope – the front office’s belief – is that Showalter will instill a winning attitude and that, eventually, the talent and attitude will merge into baseball success again in Baltimore.

I know many of you aren’t buying the company line, the same one that hinted this season would be more about wins and losses than development. It looks like, right now, 2010 has been about neither.

Forget about beating the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays. I simply want to know if you think Showalter can make any impact with this team, whether it’s in the standings, on the field of play or in the clubhouse.

Daily Think Special: Will Buck Showalter’s hiring make any difference for the Orioles?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (49)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar
        

Here's some of what Juan Samuel had to say about his decision to remain with the Orioles through at least the end of the season, but not as a member of new manager Buck Showalter's coaching staff.

On how thing worked out with president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail: “The communication was very good. I was pleased. The thing with me and him, he was straightforward all the time with what was going on. We had a couple of conversations about the possibility of this happening before the season ended, and it’s understandable. I thought it was going to happen during the All-Star break. You kind of know at some point, things were going to happen. With him doing what he did, reassigning me, is a appreciation of what I did. Some other people would have said, 'Now I don’t have to pay you anything.' It wasn’t about that for me, but it was a nice gesture.

On why he made the decision: “I wasn’t going to be happy with myself if I stayed on [the] staff. I didn’t think it was fair to him, myself and the players. The next thing you know, the players are confused, like, 'What is going on here?' I’m glad that it worked out this way. I’m going to go down to Dominican and see what’s going on there, and then I’m home free to do what I want. That whole time I was in Kansas City, I was talking to people to get different opinions. You didn’t want to do something that you regret. If you leave a situation and people are not happy, it can hurt you someplace else.”

On what he does next: "I think there’s probably going to be some opportunities for me to do both [coaching and managing]. You just see what opens up. Probably once word's out that I’m not under contract with the Orioles, hopefully my phone will start ringing. But I think I’ll probably be coaching somewhere. If it’s a manager’s job, that’s even better. “

Said he was going to leave after season anyway: “I was prepared to leave after this season. You kind of knew things would happen if we didn’t win and they wanted to go in a different direction. If you want to change the culture, sometimes you have to change the personality. But it’s tough because you get attached to these guys.”

On whether bitterness contributed to his decision: “That wasn’t it all. I just didn’t think it would be fair. I’m in the manager’s office, and next thing you know, you’re at third base. You have a reputation in baseball, and I want to keep that. I just didn’t think it would be the right thing. Maybe if it was someone I knew, it could have been different. It’s nothing against Buck. I’ve never met the guy.

"He didn’t have to do this. I didn’t expect this. I was walking away knowing I was going to leave [the rest of his contract] behind. That was not important to me. Me being happy was."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

If former interim manager Juan Samuel tells Andy MacPhail today that he’s decided to leave the organization rather than go back to coaching third -- and that’s the way he was leaning yesterday -- don’t expect Samuel to have a hard time finding a job next year. Samuel is both beloved and widely respected in the Philadelphia Phillies organization. He’s very close friends with Cleveland Indians manager Manny Acta. He still has a ton of admirers in the Detroit Tigers organization. And his name figures to come up in the Toronto Blue Jays' search for a replacement for the retiring Cito Gaston, who has expressed hope that Samuel (his former player) gets an opportunity somewhere. Gaston certainly has enough influence in the Toronto organization to get Samuel consideration. I’d be surprised if Samuel gets a manager’s job so soon, but I can guarantee you that there will be a long line of managers trying to get him on their respective staffs.

Speaking of coaching staffs, it’s probably a little premature to start speculating on the Orioles’ 2010 staff when Buck Showalter hasn’t even managed a game yet. However, several people I’ve spoken to said that they’d be extremely surprised if Brian Butterfield, the Blue Jays’ third base and infield coach, is not part of Showalter’s staff. Butterfield, who coached with Showalter in Arizona and New York, is a very well-respected teacher whom everybody seems to love. Two other names I’ve heard mentioned as possibilities are former Yankees pitching coaches Nardi Contreras and Billy Connors. Both remain in the Yankees organization in different capacities. Current Triple-A Norfolk manager Bobby Dickerson, who has also worked under Showalter, figures to get some consideration, along with some former Orioles like B.J. Surhoff, Mike Bordick and Bill Ripken.

It was pretty obvious watching Josh Bell the past two games that the young third baseman is really pressing in an effort to make a good impression. He was tentative defensively and too anxious offensively, and he’s clearly putting a lot of pressure on himself. After Sunday’s game, in which he hit into a double play with the bases loaded and no outs in the sixth, Bell sat in front of his locker with his head down. Bell has made a really good impression in the clubhouse because he listens and observes, keeps largely to himself and goes about his business. The veterans have noticed. Now, hopefully they can get him to relax and not play every night like it’s a tryout and he needs to prove his status as the everyday third baseman.

The more post-trade-deadline talk I hear, the more I conclude that many reports, including a couple from yours truly, exaggerated the level of interest in Orioles infielder Ty Wigginton. The Texas Rangers were extremely interested, but they also liked Jorge Cantu, whom they eventually got. But aside from Texas, Wigginton’s suitors consisted of a few teams willing to take on his salary if the Orioles wanted to dump him and get nothing of any significance in return. The Yankees were in that group. The Phillies were more interested in Miguel Tejada than Wigginton. Now, with all that being said, Wigginton is the type of player Showalter respects. He’s starting to swing the bat well again, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s a guy Showalter would like to keep around for a few years.

This probably won’t be a popular opinion, but I think one of Showalter’s first orders of business should be reinstalling Michael Gonzalez as the team’s closer. I say that not because I’m down on Alfredo Simon, who has exceeded everyone’s expectations this year in converting 15 of 18 save chances. Simon can be a serviceable reliever but is probably better suited for the seventh or eighth inning. However, I think you have to see whether the guy you paid $12 million for to close games can do just that now that he appears to be healthy. In 6 1/3 innings since coming off the disabled list, Gonzalez has allowed one run on three hits and two walks. His velocity is back between 93 and 95 mph, and his slider is slowly coming back. Am I sold? Absolutely not, and I won’t be until he keeps consistently getting outs for several more weeks. But with the amount of money invested in Gonzalez, you really need to see whether he can close games. If he can’t, you probably need to go out this season and sign or trade for somebody who can.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (25)
        

The Oriole players, who have so much respect and admiration for Juan Samuel, wanted so badly to send the interim manager off with a victory. Instead, they did the same things that they've done all year and lost 5-4 to the Kansas City Royals to fall to 32-73 on the season. They are now on pace to finish with a 49-113 record.

Kevin Millwood allowed three first-inning runs among five runs total over 5 2/3 innings. The offense went just 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and had men on first and second in the ninth with no outs against All-Star closer Joakim Soria. Nick Markakis promptly swings at the first pitch and then grounds into a double play. Two batters later, Royals second baseman Chris Getz makes a diving stop of Luke Scott's potential game-tying single and throws him out to end the game, and Samuel's tenure.

He finished with a 17-34 record.

“You wish it would have ended differently with a few more wins here, but we have nothing to be ashamed of,” said Samuel who will be replaced by Buck Showalter. “These guys played hard. All these games came down to the last at-bat and that’s all you can hope for.”

Well, you can hope for a few clutch hits, a few more early zeroes being put up in the early innings and a few more shutdown relief appearances, but I guess that's asking for too much.

“It’s tough, but we busted our butts. We gave him what we got,” said Markakis. “We just came up short. That’s baseball.”

Samuel will meet with president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail tomorrow morning and he's expected to inform him that he's stepping down, rather than staying on Showalter's staff as the third base coach. It's not impossible that MacPhail or Showalter could convince him differently, but it will take quite an effort as Samuel's mind appears pretty well made up.

“I enjoyed my time here," Samuel said. "It was nothing but a good experience. It puts [my name] out there a little more knowing that I can do this. I appreciate the opportunity that I got here. There’s nothing but positives out of this.”

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Looking to send interim manager Juan Samuel out as a winner, the Orioles, instead, are in a 3-0 hole after just one inning. And Kevin Millwood is again wondering why he cannot put up a zero in the first inning.

Millwood allowed an RBI double to Billy Butler, an RBI groundout to Jose Guillen and an RBI single to Wilson Betemit. He threw 28 pitches in the first.

He has now allowed at least two first-inning runs in 11 of his last 12 starts, and 33 total first-inning runs during that span. Millwood has been a good solider, but in most of his starts recently, he's not giving his team much of a chance.

Update: Luke Scott just cut the Orioles' deficit to 3-1 with a solo shot off Bruce Chen, his 18th homer of the season. Felix Pie ended the inning by getting picked off first base for the second time in as many games. That's something Samuel certainly won't miss.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 2:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Both catcher Matt Wieters and second Brian Roberts are being held out of the starting lineup today as Juan Samuel continued to stick to his plan of giving the regulars an occasional breather even on his final day as interim manager.

I spoke to Roberts, who has been off the disabled list for about a week now, and he really has been encouraged by how his back feels.

"It’s been better as we’ve gone along actually. I wasn’t 100 percent sure what to expect. It took me a couple of days to get back into it, but physically, I am doing a lot better than I even expected to be doing," said Roberts who was on the disabled list for more than three months because of the herniated disk in his back. "I don’t have really too much left that I’m worried about. I’ve done just about everything that probably scared me coming in."

Roberts is also starting to hit. He's 8-for-22 (.364) with two doubles, three runs scored and a stolen base on this road trip.

Troy Patton, who was summoned from Triple-A Norfolk to take Will Ohman's roster spot, is available today. He'll be used in long relief. Ironically, it was Ohman, who suggested to Patton during the youngster's one-day in the big leagues last month, that he should start coming up with an approach to pitch out of the bullpen.

"We were sitting in the bullpen that one day I was up and he was like, ‘They’re thinking about trading me. If I get traded, you need to start thinking about how to approach hitters out of the bullpen instead of as a starter,’" Patton said. "I didn’t take anything too serious, but he was absolutely right."

Samuel also reflected on his time as Orioles' manager, which will end after today. Samuel will meet with President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail tomorrow morning, and it is expected that he'll step down rather than returning to his previous position as the first base coach.

"I am very thankful and I expressed that to Andy many times and I have told him, 'Don’t think that the decision I make, don’t think it’s me being angry,'" Samuel said. "I just don’t want to be in a position where you can be uncomfortable and your players can be uncomfortable at the same time, so you are probably looking at the best decision for the club and the whole organization really."

If he goes out and it would take a heckuva sales pitch by MacPhail for him to stay, it will be with his head held high.

"It was great, handling the player, talking to you guys," Samuel said. "Given the opportunity again, I think you will be a little bit more prepared about what to expect. The game will take care of itself. I think that’s probably the easier part. It’s preparing before, getting lineups ready, making sure guys are Ok, making sure you don’t kill these guys, you don’t play these guys to much, and finding guys that need time off here and there and hopefully you are making the right call.

"There’s no doubt, this was a great opportunity. And I look at it, as it puts my name out there a little more now as something to have on your resume as we go forward."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

Troy Patton is headed back to Baltimore.

As expected, the Orioles recalled the left-handed reliever from Triple-A Norfolk today. Patton is expected to fill the role previously occupied by Will Ohman in the O's bullpen. Ohman was traded to the Florida Marlins on Saturday for right-handed pitcher Rick VandenHurk.

Patton was 7-9 with a 4.80 ERA in 20 starts for the Tides this season. He was called up to the Orioles on July 21 against Tampa Bay, but did not see action and was sent back down to Norfolk later that night. His last appearance in the majors came in 2007 with the Houston Astros.

Posted by Baltimore Sun sports at 12:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)