Here are some quotes from Brian Matusz, who was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk after allowing eight runs in 3 1/3 innings in a 9-6 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Are you confident you can get your form back at Norfolk?
“Absolutely. It’s going to be tough. I am not getting it done up here. It’s not fair for the team, every fifth day I go out there and make starts like this. It’s just motivation for me to get down there and work with Mike Griffin, the pitching coach, and get myself back to regular form.”

What do you need to work on?
“For me, I need to continue to work on my strength and conditioning. Keep getting stronger. I am working with Brady Anderson. We are putting weight back on and getting my conditioning underlined and being able to get my pitches back, having control. Not [being] able to locate the fastball has been really tough to pitch at this level. Not being able to pitch in and out and getting that sink on my two-seamer that I haven’t had recently. And just continue working hard.”

Have you been able to stay positive through this?
“It’s tough, going out there and having outings like this. It’s never easy. But it just makes you want to work harder and get better. I know it sounds weird, but I am excited for this opportunity to go down and be able to get back on track and keep working hard and be able to get back here when I am ready.”

Biggest change from your 2010 season?
“It is still the same game. My velocity is not there. My command hasn’t been there. And I haven’t been very durable. It has been a tough year as a whole, so it is important for me to keep working hard.

On your overall outing?
“I thought my curveball was pretty consistent throughout the whole game. The thing that hurt me was my four-seam command. It was cutting on me today and running over the middle of the plate to their big hitters. I thought I had a nice changeup today. Should have used it a little bit more, [in] hindsight, but I have just got to be able to set guys up a little bit better and have an understanding on who to pitch to and who not to, and that’s one other thing I’ll be working on.”

Are you confident you will be able to return quickly?
“That’s the gameplan.”

How are you healthwise?
“Physically, I’m 100 percent healthy. I feel really good. I’ve been working real hard with Brady, working on my strength and conditioning. I feel like I’m in a lot better shape now. I still need to put on more weight. Still, my weight is a little bit lower and I need to continue working to put on my muscle and get back to being myself.

Accomplish more strength, you’ll get the velocity back on your fastball?
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure. If I continue getting stronger and keep working with my long toss and throwing, my velocity should increase.”

Are your mechanics off from inactivity from the pulled intercostal muscle?
“That’s something I’ve been working on since spring training, and to be honest with you, I’ve been overthinking my mechanics, and that’s been the problem. Instead of going out there having a game plan and worrying about the location of the pitch and how to attack hitters, that’s something that got in my head a little bit where I was worrying a little bit too much about mechanics rather than focusing on getting stronger and doing the other things I need to do. My mechanics are fine. They’ll find a place where I’ll continue to work hard, and I’m excited to get down there and work with Griff.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 10:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Lance Berkman’s mammoth blast off Alfredo Simon in the seventh was his second of the night, 20th of the season and fourth multi-homer game.

The ball traveled 444 feet and landed on Eutaw Street beyond right field. It was the 55th to land there in stadium history and second by Berkman – the first coming in June 2008.

Berkman now has 29 career multi-homer games. He also became the first Cardinal to homer from both sides of the plate in one game since Geronimo Pena on April 17, 1994.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 9:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Brian Matusz’s awful season continued with what was the statistically the worst start of his season -- runs-wise anyway.

Matusz lasted just 3 1/3 innings, chased after Jon Jay hit a three-run homer on Matusz’s 71st pitch.

He allowed eight runs on nine hits and a walk.

He gave up two homers – also a 422-foot bomb to Lance Berkman in the third – and has served up nine in his past four starts totaling 14 2/3 innings.

It was his second shortest outing this year; he lasted just 1 1/3 innings against Tampa Bay, allowing four runs in that game.

Matusz hit 90 mph with his fastball at least once on the stadium radar gun, but consistently was in the 86 to 88 range. The homers each came on 88-mph fastballs in the middle of the plate.

But he also had trouble locating his off-speed stuff. He threw 70 pitches, 46 for strikes.

Alfredo Simon entered in the fourth.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Here's a look at recent media coverage of the Orioles:

• No Orioles made Joe Lemire's All-Star team, and the club checked in at No. 24 in the SI.com writer's weekly rankings.

The collective opponents of the Orioles have hit 93 home runs this year -- led by a five-homer bashing by the Reds on Saturday -- a number so high that if they were to organize themselves into a team, they'd rank third in the majors, behind only the Yankees and Rangers. While the Orioles (81 HRs, fifth in the AL) and especially shortstop J.J. Hardy (9 HRs in June) have shown some recent power, they are still at a deficit. The league average is to allow a homer in 2.4 percent of opponents' plate appearances, yet nine of the 12 Orioles to have thrown 25 or more innings this year have a rate higher than that.

• With a dearth of All-Star-caliber third basemen, ESPN’s Steve Berthiaume states the case for Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy making the AL All-Star team at third.

That's why you could make an argument that Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy should start at third base for the American League. No, I'm not seriously suggesting this as a solution -- I'm merely taking an A.L. shortstop, one who we've been overlooking all season and pointing out that his offensive numbers could put him at the top of the third-base list.

• Orioles starter Zach Britton is ranked second on CBSSports.com writer Larry Dobrow's list of top rookie pitchers.

Whether due to injuries or to menacing deployment of a pickaxe, he forced his way onto the roster this spring, which speaks volumes about his good fortune or his psychosis. Either way, the Orioles are the better for it.

-- Chris Branch

Posted by Baltimore Sun sports at 4:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
Categories: What They're Saying about the O's
        

The Orioles' lineup for Thursday is out, and Nolan Reimold is in it.

Don’t mistake that for a new philosophy in left field.

The St. Louis Cardinals decided to juggle their rotation, and lefty Jaime Garcia is pitching tonight. So Reimold, a right-handed hitter, is in the lineup -- like he is against most lefties.

Luke Scott is sitting for the second consecutive game -- probably a combo of his bruised knee and Garcia on the hill.

And, yes, Vladimir Guerrero is batting cleanup. Here is the lineup:

Hardy 6, Markakis 9, Jones 8, Guerrero DH, Lee 3, Wieters 2, Reynolds 5, Reimold 7, Andino 4, Matusz 1

Posted by Dan Connolly at 3:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

In watching the Orioles-Cardinals game Wednesday night, you half expected comedian Bill Murray to come out of the dugout and make a pitching change in the fifth or pop up with the bases loaded in the seventh.

This is becoming another Groundhog Day season in Baltimore.

You can pretty much sum up the Orioles’ woes in two simple statements: The starters can’t go deep into games, which taxes the bullpen; and the hitters can’t consistently produce with runners in scoring position, which taxes everyone who has carved out three hours to watch.

You don’t need to know anything more than those two nuggets. Except maybe the year. Is this 2011 or 2009 or 2006 or 2003?

These have been the Orioles’ two most consistent problems during this 13-season-plus losing skid.

And right now those weaknesses are challenging each other for the forefront.

Consider these stats:

The Orioles were 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position on Wednesday and are 9-for-61 (.148) in that situation in their past seven games. They are .262 with runners in scoring position this season -- which is OK -- and that shows just how bad they have been during this slump.

With Chris Jakubauskas’ five-inning outing Wednesday, the Orioles have now had just one starter who has lasted seven innings or more in their 24 June games. They’ve had no starter go over seven innings in that span, and only four times have they had a starter record an out in the seventh.

You can talk about demoting pitchers and juggling the lineup, but the fact is if your starters can’t consistently throw strikes and your offense doesn’t take advantage of run-scoring situations, you aren’t going to win many games.

And there’s not another cavalry on its way, folks. For the most part, this is what you’ve got.

So the hope is that this group can figure it out. That these young pitchers -- and veteran Jeremy Guthrie -- push deeper into games. And their so-called established hitters -- we’re talking to you Vladimir Guerrero (.222 RISP), Derrek Lee (.137), Luke Scott (.222), among others -- need to step it up.

If not, well, expect Bill Murray to be at Camden Yards through the summer.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (25)
        

It really is just a footnote to the Orioles’ 5-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night, but right-hander Chris Jakubauskas took the final step in his comeback from a vicious drilling last April.

Three times on Wednesday he faced the Cardinals Lance Berkman, who was the guy who hit that liner on April 24, 2010 in Houston that bounced off Jakubauskas’ head – right above his right ear – and caromed more than 60 feet in the air.

Jakubauskas, then with the Pirates, didn’t pitch in the big leagues again in 2010. He made it back with the Orioles in relief in April and this season and then started his first game in June.

On Wednesday, he faced Berkman, walking him in a nine-pitch battle in the first, allowing a sacrifice fly in the third and intentionally walking him in the fifth.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about it the last two, three days. But when he gets in there, it is more, ‘OK, well here we go.’” Jakubauskas said. “I got strike one I believe on him. So that was kind of the big thing. Just throw strike one. Other than that, I wasn’t trying to focus too much on it.”

Strangely, what really broke the psychological ice for Jakubauskas was Colby Rasmus’ two-run homer in the third. It no longer mattered who Jakubauskas was facing then, he needed to try and keep the Orioles in the game.

“As bad as it was, the homer really took it off (my mind) real quick,” Jakubauskas said. “I wasn’t worried about anything else after that.”

One more quote from Jakubauskas: “Last night, it ran through my head a lot. But I woke up, kind of went through the motions today at my apartment waiting to get here and it kind of never really crept into my mind until he got into the box. And then I was like, ‘OK, here we go.’ It really wasn’t on the forefront of my mind. It was more that he was another guy. But it did feel really good to get out there and get it over with.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 10:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Orioles pitcher Chris Jakubauskas faced Lance Berkman on Wednesday for the first time since last April when Berkman, then with the Astros, hit Jakubauskas, then with the Pirates, in the head with a liner.

The first two at-bats were thankfully uneventful.

Berkman walked on nine pitches to lead off the second inning and scored on Colby Rasmus' two-run homer.

In the third, Berkman hit a sacrifice fly to center to score the Cardinals' fourth run.

Heading into the fourth, the Orioles are trailing 4-1. Their one run came courtesy of a RBI double by Nick Markakis, who extended his hitting streak to a career best 18 games.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 7:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Orioles President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail touched base with J.J. Hardy's agent this week to begin talks about a potential contract extension for the hot-hitting shortstop.

Hardy will become a free agent after the season, and MacPhail has voiced his desire to reach an agreement with the 28-year-old who has been one of the team's best players through the first half.

Talks haven't gotten serious to this point, but that should change as the Orioles get closer to the July 31 trade deadline. With the struggles of veterans Derrek Lee and Vladimir Guerrero, Hardy has emerged as arguably the Orioles' biggest trade chip as several contenders, including the Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers and San Francisco Giants, could be looking for a shortstop upgrade.

Hardy has nine home runs this month, one shy of tying Miguel Tejada's record for homers in a month by an Orioles shortstop. Tejada hit 10 in August 2007. Hardy's 11 home runs this year are three more than the Orioles shortstop hit the last three years combined.

The Orioles have agreed to terms with two more draft picks - 15th-rounder Eric Wooten, a left-handed pitcher out of Central Arizona Junior College, and 21st-rounder Jose Rivera, a right-handed pitcher out of Hill Junior College.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)
        

The Orioles designated left-handed relief specialist Clay Rapada for assignment to make room for Alfredo Simon, who was activated from the disabled list.

The Orioles will have 10 days to trade him, pass him through waivers and assign him to Triple-A Norfolk, or grant him his outright release. If he passes through waivers, he can refuse an assignment to Norfolk.

Rapada, 30, made 22 appearances for the Orioles, posting a 7.30 ERA. He has been effective against left-handed hitters, who have gone just 4-for-35 with one homer, three walks and 13 strikeouts against him.

However, right-handed hitters are 9-for-13 with two doubles, one triple, two homers and three walks against Rapada.

Overall, he has allowed 10 runs on 13 hits, six walks and 13 strikeouts over 12 1/3 innings.

The decision essentially leaves the Orioles with three long men in their bullpen -- Simon, Brad Bergesen and Jason Berken.

The club feels that is necessary with no off days before the All-Star break and the starters struggling to get deep in games.

"If you are in the right situation, your starters are going deep enough, you are able to carry someone like him," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said about Rapada. "We are just not in that position right now."

ORIOLES
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Derrek Lee, 1B
Matt Wieters, C
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Felix Pie, LF
Blake Davis, 2B
Chris Jakubauskas, SP

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

Now that Nick Markakis is hitting and Derrek Lee’s offense seems to slowly be coming around, the biggest question in the Orioles’ lineup is smack dab in its middle.

Without a doubt, Vladimir Guerrero was the no-brainer cleanup hitter for this team heading into the season. He has been a prototype No. 4 for much of his Hall of Fame-worthy career.

Plus, he is by far the scariest presence in the lineup.

But he simply is not driving in runs this season. He has 28 RBIs from the four hole -- that’s sixth on the team. His slugging percentage is an awful .386 this year -- compare it with his career mark of .563 heading into 2011.

And this stat is the worst: After failing twice Tuesday, Guerrero is an abysmal 14-for-62 (.226 average) with 11 strikeouts and five double plays with runners in scoring position this year.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter acknowledged Tuesday that the lack of production is a concern. He also essentially said he has given Guerrero the benefit of the doubt based on his track record and may continue to do so until the All-Star break.

What he didn’t say is that he doesn’t have another prototypical cleanup guy on his roster. Not yet anyway. Adam Jones is probably the club’s best all-around hitter right now, and he leads the team in RBIs (46) and is second in homers (13). The team leader in slugging percentage is also its leadoff guy with Brian Roberts hurt: J.J. Hardy.

Derrek Lee has hit cleanup four times this season -- more than anyone else besides Guerrero. Matt Wieters has done it three times and Luke Scott twice.

Then there is hard-swinging Mark Reynolds, who is the club’s home run leader with 14. He has mainly hit seventh and eighth this season.

So here’s the dilemma: Yes, Guerrero is not getting it done at cleanup. But there’s no real obvious alternative.

Do you stick with Vlady and hope he figures it out?

Or do you put someone else in there? Like Jones or Lee or Wieters or Reynolds?

Daily Think Special: Who should bat cleanup for the Orioles?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (49)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar
        

We’ll know more on Wednesday afternoon about Luke Scott’s right knee, but the official diagnosis after the game is that he has a contusion from hitting the piping in the left field wall while leaping and robbing Matt Holliday of a home run in the ninth inning of a 6-2 Orioles’ loss.

“I guess there was a bunch of poles back there holding the padding up and that's where that little mark is from,” Scott said, pointing to his knee after the game. “I just banged my knee like a contusion and banged my shoulder and my face a little bit. My knee is what stiffened up the most.”

He said he’ll see how the knee is Wednesday morning before having an idea whether he’ll play Wednesday night. But – and this is just an opinion – it would be a real surprise if he starts. The Orioles are pretty conservative when it comes to injuries and Orioles manager Buck Showalter probably wouldn’t mind getting Felix Pie or maybe even Nolan Reimold a start.

“We’ll see how it is,” Scott said. “Contusions, or when you get hit by something, it varies on the swelling. The knee is a tough place, you got to have your knees underneath you to do anything. It all depends on tonight and how much it swells up. Hopefully, I'll ice it a couple times at home.”

Scott said he knew he was closing in on the wall – but he was also closing in on the ball. It was easily one of the better catches of his career.

“All I know is I was just watching the ball, just tracking the ball and trying to get it,” Scott said. “I felt the warning track -- I felt two steps on the warning track -- so I knew the ball was getting close. I just jumped up to grab it and that was it.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 11:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Luke Scott made one of the best catches of his Orioles' career in the top of the ninth, leaping at the left-field wall to rob Matt Holliday of another home run.

But it may have cost the Orioles.

Scott was in visible pain afterwards and ran slowly to the dugout. He was replaced in the ninth by pinch-hitter Blake Davis.

Scott has been nursing a bum shoulder, but it was his right knee that got banged up on some piping in the left-field wall.

“Luke banged into some pipe there that kind of holds the padding up. It’s nothing structural with the knee other than banging it against the wall, but we’ll look at it again tomorrow," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "He wasn’t able to put a lot of weight on it up the runway there, but he wanted to hit.”

Oh, and the Orioles lost, 6-2, in the first-ever meeting against the St. Louis Cardinals at Camden Yards.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 10:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

The Bowie Baysox placed INF Billy Rowell, the club's 2006 first-rounder, on the disabled list with a left ankle sprain.

Rowell, 22, was hitting .227 (27-119) in 41 games with Bowie this season with two doubles and 11 RBIs. This is his second trip to the DL this season with an ankle injury. He is eligible to be activated Sunday, July 3.

In other minor-league moves, LHP Nick Bierbrodt and IF Carlos Rojas were promoted from Bowie to Triple-A Norfolk, RHP Pat Egan and OF Kyle Hudson were demoted to Bowie from Norfolk,

RHP Eddie Gamboa was activated from Bowie's disabled list.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 9:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

And the rain delay is over at Camden Yards.

The tarp came on the field at 8:35 p.m., one batter after Colby Rasmus smashed a Zach Britton pitch over the flag court (and off the fence that separates it from Eutaw Street).

The delay lasted 28 minutes and play resumed at 9:03 p,m. with Clay Rapada on the mound. Weather radar shows the old "window" of no rain until about 10:30 or so.

The Orioles are down 4-0 with two outs in the top of the sixth. Rapada struck out Hamilton to end the inning.

Britton threw 90 pitches, 55 for strikes. He allowed four runs on seven hits – six singles and a homer – two walks and three strikeouts.

St. Louis starter Kyle Lohse is also out. He allowed four hits and a walk and struck out two in five scoreless innings. Lance Lynn came in for him after the rain delay.

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

ORIOLES
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Matt Wieters, C
Derrek Lee, 1B
Luke Scott, LF
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Robert Andino, 2B
Zach Britton, SP

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Nolan Reimold hasn’t played in a game since last Wednesday, and he hasn’t gotten an at-bat since June 19, which was eight games ago. The reason? The Orioles simply haven’t been facing any left-handed pitching. The Orioles have faced right-handed starters in six consecutive games and 11 of their past 13 contests. They are scheduled to get Kyle Lohse, Chris Carpenter and Jake Westbrook -- all right-handed pitchers -- against the St. Louis Cardinals. They’ll then go to Atlanta, where they are tentatively lined up to face Jair Jurrjens, Tim Hudson and Brandon Beachy, again all right-handers. And in the Atlanta series, the Orioles will have Vladimir Guerrero’s right-handed bat back on the bench because they lose the DH. I’d never advocate for somebody to get demoted, and I’m certainly not going to do that with Reimold, who I feel is a major league player who can help this club. However, I think it’s fair to ask: If Orioles manager Buck Showalter continues to go with either Luke Scott or Felix Pie in left field against right-handed pitching, is Reimold better served getting daily at-bats for Triple-A Norfolk or sitting primarily on the bench for two weeks at a time? I know what my answer is, but I’ll let you decide.

The Orioles haven’t had a starting pitcher get through seven innings since Jake Arrieta did it June 10 against the Tampa Bay Rays, and they have played 14 games since. They’ve been able to mostly get away with it since they’ve had five off days this month, giving the bullpen periodic rest. But those days are over. Starting tonight, the Orioles play 13 consecutive days before the All-Star break, and 10 of those are against offenses (St. Louis, Texas and Boston) that enter today ranked in the top five in the major leagues in runs scored. The Orioles simply have to get more from their starters, both in terms of quality and length. Jim Johnson, who had a serious elbow injury last season, is currently first in the American League and second in all of baseball in innings pitched by a reliever. I don’t know if his two bases-loaded walks Sunday were a result of fatigue, plate umpire Alan Porter’s thimble-sized strike zone or just a bad command day. Either way, his workload has to be a concern for Orioles officials. Same goes for Koji Uehara, who has an extensive injury history. The only way to get those appearances down is for the starters to get into the seventh or eighth inning more consistently or for a couple of other relievers to prove that they can be relied on later in the game. Alfredo Simon’s imminent return certainly won’t hurt. (UPDATE): The Orioles haven't made a final decision yet, but it appears that they'll activate Simon from the disabled list before tomorrow night's game.

Just to weigh in on my colleague Dan Connolly’s blog yesterday about who should represent the Orioles in the All-Star Game: The reality is that a last-place team like the Orioles is probably getting only one guy in the game. That has happened five straight years and in nine of the past 10 seasons. If that stays true to form, I just can’t see how the Orioles’ one rep isn’t center fielder Adam Jones. He is in the top six of AL outfielders in batting average (.294), home runs (13), RBIs (45), slugging percentage (.486) and hits (84). He’s also hitting .318 with runners in scoring position and playing a Gold Glove center field. I could certainly see All-Star manager Ron Washington of the Texas Rangers going in a different direction. After all, Matt Wieters is in the top four among AL catchers in average (.262), RBIs (33), slugging percentage (.408) and on-base percentage (.316), and he has thrown out more base runners than anybody else. J.J. Hardy doesn’t have the at-bats to officially qualify, but he’s been one of the most productive shortstops in the AL by any measure. And while Johnson and Uehara deserve consideration, you don’t see too many setup guys from last-place teams getting the call. Barring something unforeseen over these next five games before the team is selected Sunday, my choice would be Jones.

The St. Louis Cardinals have never played at Camden Yards, but their manager, Tony La Russa, certainly has a history with Showalter. Back in 1992 when La Russa was with the Oakland Athletics and Showalter was at the helm of the New York Yankees, the two got into a little shoving match as part of a bench-clearing incident between the clubs. I’d love to pass along a clip of that, but I couldn’t find one. One other note about the matchup: The Orioles and Cardinals have met just once, in 2003, when St. Louis took two of three games at old Busch Stadium. The interesting part of that series was Orioles shortstop Deivi Cruz went 8-for-13 with three doubles, three homers and seven RBIs in the series. That had to be the highlight of his Orioles’ career.

Orioles top prospect Manny Machado is no longer there, but the website stadiumjourney.com still gives you plenty of reasons to visit the Delmarva Shorebirds’ Arthur W. Perdue Stadium. They recently reviewed the ballpark experience here.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (39)
        

Brian Roberts still isn't ready to give a timetable for his return to the Orioles' lineup, but the veteran second baseman feels like he is making legitimate progress for the first time since starting to experience concussion symptoms May 16.

Roberts, who will be out at least through the All-Star break, said in a phone interview that his past couple of workouts have gone well and he’s starting to increase the intensity of his conditioning program each day.

“I’m feeling pretty good. I’m definitely getting better, and that’s certainly been encouraging,” Roberts, whose recent daily conditioning routine has included jogging and playing catch at the Orioles’ minor league complex in Sarasota, Fla., said Sunday night. “We’re still trying to get over the hurdles. Each day, you have to go through something new. It seems like we’re starting to make more significant progress and take more strides recently.”

Roberts, who still hasn’t been cleared to begin extensive baseball activities, said that up until the past few days, he was still experiencing dizziness and headaches after working out. However, some of those symptoms have started to subside.

“We’ll see how it goes as we ramp up the intensity,” said Roberts, who also had wisdom teeth removed Friday, a follow-up to the root canal he had while the team was in Kansas City, Mo., in early May. “You have to see where you are as you begin to progress through the activity. It’s just kind of overcoming those hurdles, and you don’t know until you get over them. I haven’t overcome all of them, but we’re getting there.”

The 33-year-old has played in just 39 of the Orioles’ 75 games this season after being limited to 59 games last year because of a herniated disk in his back and a late-season concussion. He experienced that concussion Sept. 27, when he hit himself over the helmet after striking out against the Tampa Bay Rays.

His latest concussion was sustained May 16, when he made a headfirst slide into first base to beat out a leadoff infield single against the Boston Red Sox.

Roberts has already made three visits to Pittsburgh-based Dr. Michael Collins, a concussion specialist whom the second baseman speaks to daily. His next visit to Collins is scheduled for late next week. Roberts isn’t sure whether he’ll get the full clearance then to begin baseball activities because that will depend on how he responds to workouts over the next week and a half.

“That’s kind of been the way it’s gone for me. When you do too much, you have the symptoms,” Roberts said. “You get the tiredness, the dizziness, the headaches, all of that stuff. But this is probably one of the first bright spots in the last five weeks for me. There have been some dark spots through it. It’s been good to finally see some light, hopefully, and be able to feel like I’m going to make some progress here real soon.”

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 2:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (41)
        

With Jake Arrieta throwing a bullpen side session Wednesday, his start has been pushed back until Saturday against the Atlanta Braves.

Arrieta had originally been listed as the starter Wednesday versus the Cardinals with Thursday's starter the dreaded "to be announced."

Chris Jakubauskas is scheduled for Wednesday now. Zach Britton pitches the opener on Tuesday, and Brian Matusz, who struggled again Saturday versus the Cincinnati Reds, is listed as Thursday's starter.

Things could change, but that is currently -- and perhaps tentatively -- what the plan is.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

OK, it’s time we got into this discussion.

And, no, it’s not more talk about books (although I’d call my Book Nook experience this weekend a minor success. Much of what you suggested that I didn’t already have wasn’t there, unfortunately. But I did pick up Leigh Montville’s Ted Williams bio and several David Halberstam books).

By Sunday, we’ll know which player will represent the Orioles in this year’s All-Star Game.

The players and manager Buck Showalter filled out their ballots this weekend, and Showalter made a point to say he thought the club had several worthy options. He said he expects Texas manager Ron Washington, who will pick the final roster, to call before the week is out to get a better feel of the Orioles’ candidates. They have already talked briefly.

A lot of it, as we know from past experiences, is based on need once the players’ and fans’ choices are determined.

I will say this, I can’t imagine it will be more than one player -- the Orioles haven’t gotten more than one since 2005.

My guess is that it will be center fielder Adam Jones, who is hitting .294 with 13 homers and 45 RBIs. He has a .337 on-base percentage, .486 slugging and is playing excellent defense.

The other potential candidates include shortstop J.J. Hardy (.304/.369/.538, 10 homers, 29 RBIs) and Matt Wieters (.262/.316/.408, seven homers, 33 RBIs), who perhaps is the best defensive catcher in the American League.

Relievers Jim Johnson (4-1, 2.33 ERA, 51 base runners in 46 1/3 innings) and Koji Uehara (1-1, 2.25 ERA, 28 base runners in 36 innings) seem worthy, but it is hard to make the club as a non-closing reliever.

Washington will make the ultimate call. But I want to hear what you think.

Daily Think Special: Who should be the Orioles’ All-Star?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (58)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar
        

Even though Derrek Lee belted a three-run home run in the fourth inning Sunday that helped the Orioles win a series for the first time in five tries, and even though it was his second home run of the series, the first baseman wasn't interested having a nice, relaxed, easy afternoon before a rare day off.

After the game ended, Lee headed straight to the weight room for a quick workout, and when he popped into the clubhouse 30 minutes after the game was over, his face was dripping with sweat.

He was one of the last Orioles to leave Camden Yards, and when you couple that with his recent hot stretch at the plate, it's a scene that might serve as proof that all his hard work in recent weeks is starting to pay off.

"I've just been really working on my swing," Lee said. "I really haven't had it all year. It's getting better. I've been trying to stay consistent with it. I just need to keep working at it. Hopefully, I'll find that rhythm and keep it."

In his past nine games, Lee has gone 15-of-40 (.375) with four doubles, two home runs and seven RBIs. And while he hasn't quite returned to the form he showed in 2009, when he hit .306 with 35 home runs, 111 RBIs and had a .972 OPS, he's feeling a bit more like himself. Especially after hitting two home runs in the last three games.

"It felt good," Lee said of his three-run homer. "I've really struggled driving in runs this year. For what reason, I don't know. So it felt good to get three at one time."

Lee isn't afraid to acknowledge he has been trying a number of different things this year. He knows he's at the age (35) at which he can't rely on raw ability anymore.

"You know, baseball's a game of adjustments," Lee said. "Even the best hitters are always adjusting. I know I have to make adjustments now. I'm know I'm not as young, or as quick. It forces you to have to adjust. Even when your swing is going great, you're still making minor adjustments. I guess that's the great thing about this game is that you've never got it completely figured out."

Posted by Kevin Van Valkenburg at 5:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

It's no secret that the Orioles are more than a little concerned with Brian Matusz's declining velocity. Matusz insists he's healthy, and that may be true, but the radar gun doesn't lie. A player who once regularly threw 94 mph fastballs now tops out in the high 80s, and opposing hitters have been teeing off on him in his past three starts.

And while the Orioles, and their fans, are holding out hope that Matusz, 24, will regain his old form, manager Buck Showalter said Sunday the reality is Matusz needs to figure out how to pitch with the stuff he's got. Because his velocity may not come back this year.

"I think you've got to proceed like it might not [return]," Showalter said. "It's not just five starts. He pitched in the spring, he pitched in rehab starts. It's more than that. It's a pretty large sampling."

There are plenty of examples, Showalter said, of pitchers who lost velocity during their career and managed to remain effective. But typically, they were veterans who had already learned the nuances of pitching. Matusz is going to need to learn how to locate his secondary pitches better, Showalter said, and deal with the psychological change of knowing he's not the same player who came into the major leagues and could throw the ball past people.

"I can [think] to back to 20 guys that come to the big leagues with [good] of velocity. And then as their career goes on, [they lose it]," Showalter said. "Whether it's Jimmy Key or Frank Tanana ... what do you do to defend yourself? How do you give yourself a chance to win? In some ways, it may be a positive in his career, if you're searching for silver linings. The good thing is he's got good secondary pitches. If he commands them, he should be OK."

Showalter chuckled after he said the words "searching for silver linings," an acknowledgement that it was a bit of a stretch to suggest this recent string of bad outings -- in his past three starts, he has a 15.58 ERA while surrendering 20 hits, eight walks and six homers in 11 1/3 innings -- could be good for Matusz. But it's obvious Matusz needs to figure out different ways to get hitters out, because the team says the plan is for him to work through his issues in the majors.

"Believe me, we've spent a lot of time looking at mechanics and a lot of different things that go into it," Showalter said. "We're constantly trying to help. I'll put it this way: I think Brian, more than at any other stage, is receptive to some things. ... At some point, when something kind of hits you between the eyes, it's pretty obvious."

Showalter reiterated that Matusz doesn't feel injured. But the mental aspect of struggling is wearing on him.

"Obviously, psychologically and mentally, no [he's not right]," Showalter said. "Who is when you're struggling? But he's strong. I think he has a real healthy respect for what you have to do to have success up here. He's been on both sides of that mountain. Physically, I think that's probably the frustrating part for him. He does feel good physically. ... The one thing you'll never do is you will not throw harder when you're trying to throw harder. It's kind of like I want to putt straighter. They harder you try to do it, there is some anxiety that gets in there."

Posted by Kevin Van Valkenburg at 3:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)
        

Jake Arrieta said he threw about 40 pitches in a bullpen session Sunday morning and felt good, but he still expects to skip his Wednesday start against the St. Louis Cardinals.

"My side was pretty good. I was a little timid at first to let it go, but once we got loose, got stretched out pretty good and felt close to normal," Arrieta said. "Breaking balls were good, whatever I really wanted to make sure I was able to do was throw my curveball and slider with some pretty good effort, and I was able to do that pretty well. They were both sharp."

Arrieta, who was experiencing right elbow inflammation, said he will throw a 50-pitch bullpen session Wednesday, and if that goes well, he likely will start Saturday against the Atlanta Braves.

"I think since I didn’t pick up a ball for four days from Monday, it is probably a good idea to get two bullpens in before I make a start just to kind of make sure I am full strength, which I think I am. It’s just a matter of getting a 40-, 50-pitch pen in before I go out there and throw 110 pitches."

Nothing is official, but the guess is that Chris Jakubauskas will make Arrieta’s start Wednesday versus the Cardinals.

Arrieta is 9-4 with a 4.50 ERA in 16 starts this year. He threw all his pitches Sunday and experienced no discomfort in the elbow. He left Monday's start after just five innings. Pushing him back a few days, he said, is simply a precaution.

"It’s not disappointing, I think it is better to be safe than sorry," Arrieta said. "I could go out there and start on Wednesday and not really be sure of how I feel in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. So I think getting two [bullpen sessions] in is exactly what we need to do just to make sure I am full bore, ready to go. And be max effort and not be afraid to throw any of my pitches with full intensity."

Posted by Dan Connolly at 12:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

The post-game conversation after the Orioles’ 10-5 loss to the Cincinnati Reds tonight was predictably focused on one topic: the struggles of left-handed pitcher Brian Matusz.

Matusz allowed six earned runs on nine hits, including three homers, and one walk over 4 2/3 innings tonight, leaving his ERA after five starts to 6.85.

“I took a lot from this outing,” Matusz said. “Went out there with a game plan and made some good pitches. But I let their best guy in their lineup hurt me today. I can’t let that happen. My stuff has gotten better, a lot better. I had a good feel for the changeup today. I made some nice pitches, sometimes when I needed it. But I‘ll need to bear down better with their tough hitters.”

The hitter that Matusz was referring to was the reigning National League Most Valuable Player, Joey Votto, who went 3-for-3 with five RBIs in three at-bats against Matusz, connecting for a three-run homer in the third and a two-run shot in the fifth.

Matusz isn’t the first person to be victimized by Votto, but let’s be honest here: Matusz’s problems go well beyond those two at-bats tonight.

Over his last three starts, Matusz has allowed 14 earned runs on 20 hits, including four homers, and eight walks over 11 1/3 innings, good for a 15.88 ERA. He's given up seven home runs in his last 13 1/3 innings.

Out of his last five homers surrendered, four of them have come on fastballs clocked at 88 miles per hour or lower on the stadium radar gun.

“Well the velocity obviously isn’t there,” Matusz said. “Being in my fifth start, I feel like I’ve made a lot of progress. But you just got to continue working and get a lot better. Not being able to pitch with 93, 94 like I have in the past, you got to be able to have a better plan and execute pitches better especially with their big hitters.”

Asked what has caused the drop in velocity, Matusz said, “It’s a matter of building arm strength.”

Orioles manager Buck Showalter was pretty hard on Matusz after one bad start earlier this season, but he defended him tonight, and said that the plan remains for him to make his next start.

““This is a 24, 25 year old young man that has had some success in just about everything he’s done pitching and finished up pretty good last year and he’s had a lot of challenges health-wise this year for the first time in his career,” Showalter said. “So, I try to keep that in mind. Obviously, it affects you physically, but sometimes mentally. He’s strong enough, he’ll fight through it and be better as a result of it.”

Pressed on whether Matusz will make his next start, Showalter said, “I don’t think that’s in the best interest to have the manager sitting in here an hour or so after his outing, throwing it out there, so I’m not going there. But I think we all know. There are different stages of a season, where you’re equipped to handle certain things, and I think Brian’s, at this point, best served… We’ll see what each day brings and what the options are, but last thing I want to do is start weighing on that when I’m sure Brian’s a little down about the outing tonight.”

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

The Orioles keep waiting for something to click with Brian Matusz and it just isn't happening.

The young lefty was just knocked out of the game after just 4 2/3 innings, having allowed six earned runs on nine hits, including three homers, and a walk while striking out five over 4 2/3 innings. Reigning National League Most Valuable Player Joey Votto slammed a three-run homer off Matusz in the third inning, and then a two-run shot in the fifth, giving the Cincinnati Reds a 6-4 lead.

Over his last three starts, Matusz has allowed 14 earned runs on 20 hits, including four homers, and eight walks over 11 1/3 innings. His ERA after five starts now stands at 6.85, and that mark over the last three outings is 15.88.

He's given up seven home runs in his last 13 1/3 innings.

And still, the Orioles would have a decent chance to win this game if they'd stop hitting into so many rally-killing double plays. With men on first and third and one out in the fourth, J.J. Hardy bounced into an inning-ending double play.

The Orioles just had men on first and second and no outs in the fifth and Vladimir Guerrero all but killed the rally with a double play.

The Orioles have gotten homers from Adam Jones, Nick Markakis and Matt Wieters, but they trail 6-4 in the top of the sixth.

They also have a big decision to make on whether they can afford to keep sending Matusz out there every five days against big league hitters.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 8:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

The most interesting response at the annual “State of the Orioles” event, held before tonight’s game for season ticket holders, came when Orioles manager Buck Showalter was asked, “What do we have to do beat the doggone Yankees?"

“I can’t stand the Yankees, OK?,” Showalter said. “That stays between us right here. I don’t really care if they know. I think they can figure it out.

"Fearful of them? Afraid to play them? I look at it as an opportunity. Once we get better, it's going to snowball and they are going to hate coming into this ballpark, believe me.”

Orioles President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail was also asked about his expiring contract after the season. He gave a typical MacPhail response.

"I have always taken the position, unlike one my good friends in the game Jim Riggleman, let's just see how we do," MacPhail said. “Let's get to the end of the year and see how we do and take it from there.”

In other news, Jake Arrieta (right elbow inflammation) is scheduled to throw an extensive bullpen session tomorrow and if all goes well, he'll make Wednesday's start. Second baseman Brian Roberts, who had two wisdom teeth removed, had a good day according to Showalter, getting through all his conditioning exercises without any problems. Reliever Alfredo Simon (right hamstring strain) will throw one or two innings and no more than 40 pitches tomorrow for Double-A Bowie. He could be activated as early as Tuesday.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

ORIOLES
J.J Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Vladimr Guerrero, DH
Luke Scott, LF
Derrek Lee, 1B
Matt Wieters, C
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Robert Andino, 2B
Brian Matusz, SP

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The Orioles have agreed to terms with fourth-round pick Kyle Simon, a right-handed pitcher out of the University of Arizona.

Simon, who was selected 125th overall, went 11-3 with a 2.72 ERA in 19 games (18 starts) for the Wildcats this past season. A 6-foot-5, 219-pound native of Los Alamitos, Calif., Simon pitched five complete games and allowed 114 hits and 11 walks while striking out 86 batters in 129 innings. Batters hit .235 against him.

With him in the fold, the Orioles have now agreed to terms with 10 of their 50 selections, including five of their first 10 picks.

The remaining unsigned top 10 selections are first-rounder Dylan Bundy, a prep pitcher from Oklahoma; second-rounder Jason Esposito, a third baseman out of Vanderbilt; sixth-rounder Nick Delmonico, a Tennessee prep third baseman; eight-rounder John Ruettiger, an Arizona State outfielder; and 10th-rounder Tyler Wilson, a right-handed pitcher for the University of Virginia.

The negotiations with Bundy are expected to go right up to the midnight deadline on Aug.15 to sign draft picks.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

I’m not exactly breaking news when I point out that manager Buck Showalter has a reputation for being controlling, rigid and tough on players, especially young ones who make mental mistakes. The first-year Orioles had heard all those things before they reported to spring training. However, several of them have said since that they’ve found Showalter to be nothing like that. Instead, they say that he’s been a player’s manager, allowing the veterans plenty of leeway, not throwing anybody under the bus in the press, and sticking with his players even when they are struggling. I bring this up because I think Showalter deserves credit for giving Blake Davis a second straight start after the second baseman made an error that allowed the game-tying and game-winning runs to score in the Orioles’ loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates Wednesday. Showalter took some heat for playing Davis at second base when the 27-year-old hadn’t played there all year. By playing him there again, Showalter not only showed faith in Davis, who had all of Thursday’s off day to think about his gaffe and responded by getting two hits, including a two-run triple, and making a nice running catch, but he sent a message to the rest of the clubhouse that he has the player’s backs. There is nothing worse for an inexperienced big leaguer to make a mistake and then be chained to the bench. Showalter didn’t allow that, and trust me, players notice such things. He’s done several things this year to send a similar message. He went to owner Peter Angelos to get the organization’s facial hair rules relaxed. He’s stuck up for Felix Pie several times after the outfielder made a mistake. He’s allowed players to take batting practice in shorts on a couple of really hot days, and he’s refused to bury some of the accomplished veterans by benching them or dropping them to the bottom of the lineup. Giving Davis another start was the latest example.

When I talked to Derrek Lee on Tuesday for a story that ran in yesterday’s paper, the veteran first baseman expressed frustration with not his low batting average, but his nonexistent home run and RBI numbers. He admitted that he just hasn’t found his home run swing and he cautioned that when he does, the long balls will come in bunches. The Orioles can only hope that his game-winning shot in the 12th last night is the start of one of those stretches. The homer and the double that he smoked earlier in the game were two of the hardest hit balls that I’ve seen him hit all year. Perhaps, it was just a coincidence that they came in front of Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker, who told my colleague, Peter Schmuck, before the game that Oriole fans shouldn’t be worried about Lee’s slow start. “He’s a second-half player,” said Baker, who managed Lee with the Chicago Cubs. “He’s a long away from being through.”

When the Orioles didn’t score in the bottom of the 11th inning despite having a runner on second and one out, center fielder Adam Jones angrily threw something in the dugout. I didn’t see what because you can only see so far into the dugout from my pressbox seat. When the Orioles lost to the Pirates on Wednesday, Jones expressed his frustration on his Twitter account. Look, I don’t know that going to Twitter to vent is the most constructive thing to do, but I’ll say this about Jones: I don’t know if there is another player in that clubhouse that gets as ticked off about losing as he does. And that’s one of the qualities that I think Oriole fans should love about him. Sure, he’s an emotional kid and he may not always handle the frustration in the best manner. But I’ve always thought that the Orioles need more players with that attitude. I’m sure everybody in that clubhouse hates losing, but I don’t know that anybody has more utter disdain for it than Jones does. He cares about his own performance, he cares about his teammates and he very much cares about winning and losing. Those are just a couple of reasons why he’s quickly emerging as the leader of this team.

Speaking of the bottom of the 11th, this isn’t really a second guess because I mentioned it in the pressbox before it happened, but if I were Showalter, I would have asked Nick Markakis to sacrifice bunt with J.J. Hardy on second base and no outs. Markakis curiously swung at the first pitch and made no attempt to hit the ball to the right side to move up the runner, grounding out to third instead, an at-bat Showalter called an unusual one for the Orioles right fielder. Showalter said that he considered asking Markakis to bunt, but it’s something that he’s never done much of and with Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips on the right side of Reds’ the infield, the Orioles manager liked the odds of Markakis getting a hit or driving a ball to the right side better. My thought was Markakis can handle the bat well enough to bunt and he’s hitting just .224 with runners in scoring position this year, so why not take your chances with Hardy on third with one out, and Jones and Vladimir Guerrero coming up. Showalter obviously knows his players and every aspect of the game better than I do, but that’s what I would have done.

You can bet Reds executives are watching the Orioles closely during this series because the two teams are actually a pretty good fit for a potential trade. The Reds could use an upgrade at shortstop over Paul Janish, and another solid veteran starting pitcher. J.J. Hardy and Jeremy Guthrie are two Orioles that will surely intrigue them. The Orioles need a young first baseman, which the Reds have in Yonder Alonso, who is blocked by Votto, the reigning National League MVP. They could also use a couple of more position prospects and the Reds have them in Zack Cozart and Todd Frazier among others. The trade market is still about two weeks from heating up, but Orioles President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail and Reds General Manager Walt Jocketty are very close friends. They spent time together yesterday and they’ve swung trades with each other before. It’s certainly something to keep an eye on.

Quick hits: I keep waiting for Jim Johnson and Koji Uehara to shown signs of strain from the heavy workload they’ve had, but they keep on putting up zeroes … It had been 2 ½ years since I had last seen catcher Ramon Hernandez play in person, and I have to say, his demeanor and on-field habits look pretty similar to what I remember. I always thought he was a pretty good hitter and he’s proving that again this year … If Orioles starter Brian Matusz has made some improvement with the quality of his pitches, it will be put to the test tonight. The Reds have a quality right-handed hitting lineup and I can’t imagine that they’ll miss too many 87 miles per hour fastballs over the plate if that’s what Matusz is featuring … If the Pirates can figure out a way to beat Boston Red Sox lefty Jon Lester, like they did last night, there is no reason why the Orioles shouldn’t be able to. As good as he is, that Lester is 14-0 against the Orioles in 17 career starts is ridiculous … Several players remarked how awesome the atmosphere was at sold out Camden Yards last night. I’ll second that. I know it can’t be union or fireworks night every night, but the electricity in the crowd really made for an enjoyable night.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (29)
        

Orioles first baseman Derrek Lee knew the pitch was gone as soon as he swung the bat last night in the bottom of the 12th in the Orioles’ 5-4 win against the Cincinnati Reds.

The ball sailed into the left-field stands, sending the second sellout crowd of the season at Camden Yards – 45,382 fans for Fireworks Night – into a frenzy.

“I knew I got that one. I put a good swing on that one,” Lee said. “If that one didn’t go over the fence, we would have had some problems.”

How big was this for Lee?

Well, he hadn’t homered since May 8, the longest homerless drought for any active Oriole besides middle infielder Robert Andino.

It was Lee’s third career walkoff homer, and first since May 11, 2005. Both of his previous game-winning homers (also one on July 3, 2000) came against the New York Mets.

“It felt good to finally get a big hit, and it went over the fence,” said Lee, who has five homers on the season. “It was definitely a good feeling.”

His Orioles teammates have rallied around Lee, saying he has too good of a career and works too hard to continue in the slump that has hampered him much of this season.

“I think everybody feels good for Derrek because of the way he handles things,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “You look at this track record, you know things that he’s used to having happen. Everything he does is about trying to help the club. That’s where some of the emotion I think for everybody comes in when he has a big swing like that.”

It didn’t hurt that Lee's heroics came on a night in which Camden Yards was packed.

“This place is a beautiful park,” Lee said. “When the seats are full, it’s definitely a nice electricity. It would be nice to get a few more nights like that.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 11:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Jason Berken entered in the sixth, meaning Chris Jakubauskas is done for the night.

He faced a very good Cincinnati Reds lineup and yielded three runs on five hits and three walks through five innings. Certainly not ideal, but serviceable.

The problem is the Orioles are 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position through five innings. They had Reds starter Edinson Volquez against the ropes continuously and couldn’t pile on. Volquez allowed seven hits and five walks in 4 1/3 innings. But he surrendered just four runs.

Jakubauskas had a 4-0 lead and nearly handed it back, giving up three runs in the fifth when the converted reliever was clearly out of gas (he threw 76 pitches, 50 for strikes). But he had the Orioles in a position to win.

A one-run lead against the Reds, though, is not nearly enough. And that was proven in the top of the sixth, when Berken allowed the Reds to score on a Paul Janish RBI single to tie the game at 4-4.

Strap yourselves in. This one won’t be decided for a while.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 9:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Some highlights from Buck Showalter’s pre-game media session.

Alfredo Simon (strained right hamstring) threw today in Sarasota without any problem and is expected to pitch one or two innings Sunday for Double-A Bowie. If that goes OK, he likely will re-join the Orioles next week, possibly Tuesday.

Jake Arrieta (elbow inflammation) is expected to do a light side session today and a longer one on Saturday. If those go well, he is still in line to start Wednesday versus St. Louis.

Blake Davis, who made his big-league debut on Wednesday, is starting at second base again Friday after making a key error on Wednesday that allowed the winning runs to score. Showalter said he felt it was important to get Davis right back in a game.

Showalter said the primary reason he has switched bench coach Willie Randolph with third base coach John Russell was because he wants Russell, who is also the catching coach, to spend more time with the catchers in-game. He also said Russell’s knee problems were a contributing factor. Showalter did not criticize Russell for his decisions at third base, which included getting pitcher Chris Jakubauskas thrown out at home on Sunday against the Washington Nationals.

Brian Roberts (concussion) is going to have his wisdom teeth pulled.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 4:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

USA Today's fantasy blog wrote this week about Orioles prospect Manny Machado and his rapid improvement .

Though he does not turn 19 until just after the Fourth of July, Machado is hitting a fine .277-6-24 over 145 at-bats for Delmarva of the Class A South Atlantic League in his first full professional season. His performance earned him a trip to Tuesday night's South Atlantic League All-Star Game, where he played alongside Harper.

The young shortstop has 23 walks to 25 strikeouts, a terrific number for someone with such limited pro experience. Everything here points to success, although it's still too early to project when he might debut at Camden Yards.

• SI's John Heyman rated the 39 pitchers on the trade market at the moment, and three Orioles made the list: Jeremy Guthrie, Kevin Gregg and Michael Gonzalez.

12. Jeremy Guthrie, Orioles SP. He's been the ace of a losing team his whole career, which explains his 40-57 career record (he's 2-9 with a 3.79 ERA this year) but maybe it's time he reported to the back-end of a contender instead.

• Former Reds GM and current ESPN analyst Jim Bowden picked his 2011 All-Star teams this week. The only Oriole to make his list was catcher Matt Wieters, while Adam Jones and Zach Britton were listed as snubs.

Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles. He deserved to be in the game over both Cuddyer and Gordon, but the Twins and Royals by rule have to be represented in the game.

Zach Britton, Baltimore Orioles. He has one of the best sinkers in the AL.

Posted by Baltimore Sun sports at 3:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

The Boston Red Sox announced today that their May 17 home game against the Orioles, which was postponed at Fenway Park due to rain and inclement weather, will be made up on Monday, Sept. 19 at 1:05 p.m. as part of a day-night doubleheader.

The 7:10 p.m. game between the two clubs, which was set to the be the opener of the three-game series, will remain as scheduled.

That will be the Orioles' third day-night doubleheader in about a 2 1/2 month span.

Orioles will play a doubleheader against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on July 30 after the April 12 game between the two clubs was postponed by rain. They'll also play host to a doubleheader with the Yankees at Camden Yards on Aug. 27 after the April 22 game between the two clubs was washed out.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Those of you who have frequented the bar over the years know that we talk more than just sports in this place. We have wide-ranging interests here.

Today, for instance, we are going to talk sports books. I know, it’s great when we branch out, isn’t it? As many of the regulars know, I am a bit of a bibliophile. And my favorite weekend of the year has arrived: When the York Hospital Auxiliary, in York, Pa., hosts its annual Book Nook Bonanza (here’s the link ) at York Suburban Middle School from Friday to Sunday.

There are thousands of books for sale – hard backs are $2 and paperbacks are $1 to start. The greatest day is Sunday, when you can buy a yard of books (yes, they measure with a yardstick) for $5. You usually can get about 15 or so for a yard – depending on the thickness of the book – so it is a great deal. (It used to be $2 a yard on Sundays. Now that was living.)

Unfortunately, I have this little thing called an Orioles’ homestand this weekend, so my time at the Book Nook will be limited to Saturday morning. But I’m sure I can do plenty of damage then. (My Sun colleagues, Peter Schmuck and Jeff Zrebiec, are avid readers as well, so I always keep my eye out for stuff for them, too. I’m like a book nerd Santa.)

Here’s where you come in. I’ve picked up random books and tried different authors (Yann Martel and Khaled Hosseini, for instance) thanks to suggestions from bar patrons over the past four years. Since the books are cheap, I am willing to take a chance on them.

So keep the suggestions coming, fiction, non-fiction, sports, doesn’t matter. If you love a book or an author, tell me today and I might look for it tomorrow. It may not be there, but I will scour.

Since this is a sports bar, however, we’ll keep the sports talk going today. I’ve asked in the past about your favorite sports book (mine is “My Losing Season” by my favorite author, Pat Conroy, if that counts as a sports book), so we’ll narrow it down a little more today. What is your favorite baseball book?

Mine is predictable: “Boys of Summer,” by Roger Kahn. I can’t say it is the reason I became a baseball beat writer, but it sure fanned the flame a bit. I asked Jeff Z this question and his first thought was Buster Olney’s “The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty.” Can’t go wrong with a former Baltimore Sun baseball guy, right? He also mentioned David Halberstam’s “The Teammates,” which I enjoyed as well.

As far as bios are concerned, Richard Ben Cramer’s “A Hero’s Life” on Joe DiMaggio was fantastic. I am currently reading Jane Leavy’s “The Last Boy,” on Mickey Mantle, which I am having trouble getting through. I blame that on me, and not Leavy. She did a great job with it. A new one that I want to check out – and I doubt will be at my used book sale – is “Bottom of the 33rd,” by New York Times writer Dan Barry. It’s a look at that 33-inning game between Rochester and Pawtucket in 1981 (that included Cal Ripken Jr. and Wade Boggs) and I hear it’s wonderful. That is definitely on my summer reading list, and if any of you have read it, give me a review.

OK, this post is getting too long (usually does when I write about reading), so let’s cut to the chase. Give me some ideas and I’ll let you know how I did.

Daily Think Special: What’s your all-time favorite baseball book?

Bonus Think Special: Suggest some must-reads of any genre

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (62)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar
        

The Orioles would have had an interesting decision to make on draft night had University of Virginia left-hander Danny Hultzen fallen to No. 4 rather than being selected by the Seattle Mariners with the second pick.

With Hultzen off the board, the Orioles were more than happy to select Oklahoma high school starter Dylan Bundy, whom they probably would have taken over Hultzen anyway.

They then grabbed one of Hultzen's Virginia rotation mates, right-hander Tyler Wilson, in the 10th round. Well, Wilson had a pretty nice night tonight in pitching the Cavaliers by California in a College World Series game.

Wilson, a 21-year-old right-hander out of Midlothian, Va., allowed just one run on five hits and no walks while striking out five in 7 2/3 innings. He threw 63 of his 94 pitches for strikes in improving to 10-0 with a 2.24 ERA.

The Orioles aren't allowed to negotiate with Wilson until the Cavaliers' season is over. The same is true of Orioles second-round pick Jason Esposito, a third baseman for Vanderbilt.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 10:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Orioles shortstop Manny Machado made his debut for High-A Frederick on Thursday night a memorable one, homering in the bottom of the third inning to account for the Keys’ only run in a 2-1 loss to Winston-Salem.

The 18-year-old went 1-for-4 in the game with a strikeout. He popped out in foul territory and flied out to left field in his other at-bats.

He and infield prospect Jonathan Schoop -- whose World team will oppose Machado's U.S. team in the Futures Game as part of next month's major league All-Star festivities -- combined to turn a double play in the sixth inning, as Winston-Salem’s Jake Oester lined out to Schoop at second base, who threw to his fellow middle infielder to double off Michael Blanke.

At the plate, Schoop went 1-for-4 with a single and a strikeout.

Posted by Steve Gould at 9:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Minors
        

Orioles minor league infielders Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop were teammates for the first couple of months of the season at Low-A Delmarva, and they’ll be manning the same infield again tonight when Machado makes his High-A Frederick debut.

On July 10, they’ll be opponents in the Futures Game as part of major league baseball’s All-Star festivities in Arizona. Machado, the 18-year-old shortstop who is considered the organization’s top prospect, will represent the U.S. team, along with Washington Nationals phenom Bryce Harper. Schoop, a 19-year-old infielder who signed with the Orioles as a nondrafted free agent out of Curacao, will play for the World team.

Schoop batted .316 with eight homers and 34 RBIs in 51 games with Delmarva before earning a promotion to Frederick, where he has batted .302 with seven RBIs in 13 games for the Keys. He’s ranked as the Orioles’ 10th-best prospect by Baseball America.

Machado, the organization’s third overall pick in last year’s draft out of Miami Brito Private, batted .276 with six homers and 24 RBIs in 38 games for Delmarva before he was promoted this week after the South Atlantic League All-Star Game.

(UPDATE): Machado popped out in his first at-bat for the Keys and then hit a solo homer in his second.

In other news, the Orioles have agreed to terms with ninth-round pick Devin Jones, a right-handed pitcher out of Mississippi State. He is the fourth pick in the first 10 rounds to agree to terms with the Orioles, who have signed nine of their 50 picks overall.

Jones went 2-5 with a 4.37 ERA in 19 appearances (eight starts) for the Bulldogs in the 2011 season.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: Minors
        

The Orioles have their share of problems, but one of the most concerning things has to be the uneven production of their prospects in the upper level of the minor leagues. Third baseman Josh Bell has shown some signs, batting .261 with 12 homers and 37 RBIs against Triple-A pitching. But he has also struck out 75 times in 271 at-bats and has made 13 errors. Norfolk first baseman Brandon Snyder is also hitting .262 with eight homers and 32 RBIs, numbers hardly befitting of a first baseman in the American League East. Double-A Bowie first baseman Joe Mahoney, the organization’s reigning Minor League Player of the Year, has been dogged all season by injuries. His Baysox teammate, Xavier Avery, the organization’s top outfield prospect, has come on lately to raise his average to .265, but he’s striking out too much and his defense and baseball instincts are regularly questioned. Bowie’s LJ Hoes, who entered the season as the organization’s top second base prospect, recently went 5-for-5 to raise his average to .281. However, consistency has been an issue, and he has mostly been playing the outfield at Bowie. And, of course, there is the possibility that Dan Klein, perhaps the organization’s No. 1 pitching prospect, will miss the rest of the season with a SLAP tear in his labrum. Sure, people continue to rave about shortstop Manny Machado, who debuts at Frederick tonight, and Keys infielder Jonathan Schoop and there have been some nice surprises, like reliever Cole McCurry. But there remains a serious void at the upper levels of the minor leagues with players who can come up soon and help the Orioles win. How else can you explain two guys who weren’t even invited to big league spring training -- Chris Jakubauskas and Blake Davis -- occupying spots on the 25-man roster? There’s still plenty of time for this to change, but which guys in Bowie and Norfolk are making statements that they should be heavily considered for big league jobs next spring? I’m sure people are going to blame this guy or that guy, and that’s fine. But it has to be considered an organization-wide failure. Andy MacPhail heads the front office, so it’s certainly on him. It’s also on the player development and amateur scouting departments, both past and present.

The big question everybody has been asking since yesterday is why Davis, who made the decisive error in the series-finale loss to Pittsburgh, was starting at second base in his major league debut when he hadn’t started a game at that position all year at Norfolk and has started just 19 games there over his six-year minor league career. The simple answer is Robert Andino is not going to start every day and Davis is considered the utility infielder on this club. Orioles manager Buck Showalter clearly wants to give Andino most of the starts, so the club didn’t feel that it was prudent to have a prospect like Ryan Adams sitting on the bench rather than getting regular at-bats. No disrespect to Davis, but he is 27 and probably better suited for that role than Adams. It’s a fair question to ask why Davis and not a veteran like Nick Green or Brendan Harris, who have handled utility roles in the big leagues before. From what I can gather, the answer is that Davis was playing well at Norfolk, had done whatever he was asked, including moving to the outfield, and some felt that he should be rewarded with a promotion over guys like Green or Harris, who have both flirted with the Mendoza Line for much of the season. They also felt that Davis, who figures to play sparingly anyway, could handle the position in the few opportunities that he’d get. I can’t say that I don’t see the rationale. For years, Orioles minor leaguers have been getting promotions because of a desperate need at the big league level, not because they’ve necessarily earned a shot. That’s not a good situation either.

If you needed further proof that left fielder Luke Scott still hasn’t found his swing and rhythm at the plate, you got it in the fifth inning Wednesday, when Pirates starter Kevin Correia, whose stuff was mostly underwhelming on the afternoon, blew a letter-high, 3-2, 90 mph fastball by Scott. Last year, Scott went a couple of months without missing a pitch like that. I'm not sure whether it’s the shoulder or just another one of his slumps, but he has to get going. A .239 average, eight homers and 21 RBIs at this point of the season just isn’t getting it done.

Because I really should say something positive, one element that has really worked out so far for the Orioles is the set-up tandem of Jim Johnson and Koji Uehara. The two complement each other very well, with Johnson throwing that hard sinker and that mid-to-high-90s fastball in the sixth and seventh innings and Uehara coming in with his tricky arsenal of well-located split-fingered fastballs and off-speed pitches in the eighth. The two have combined to make 64 appearances and go 5-2 with a 2.49 ERA. In 77 combined innings, they’ve allowed just 59 hits and walked 12 while striking out 72. There are not too many other teams that have a pair of setup men with numbers like that.

I should have included this yesterday, but Orioles coach John Russell basically confirmed on a Pittsburgh Pirates pre-game show that he will be the bench coach for the rest of the season with Willie Randolph, who was hired to be the bench coach, coaching third base going forward. Showalter didn’t say it that strongly the other day, but he did acknowledge the team could continue with the way things were in Pittsburgh with Randolph at third and Russell on the bench, based on the team’s needs. Showalter is not going to throw Russell under the bus, nor should he. Regardless of what's being said, I’m sure there were a lot of things that factored in the decision, including a couple of Russell’s ill-advised sends during the first 2 1/2 months.

In case you missed it, former Oriole Julio Lugo was promoted to the big leagues by the Atlanta Braves and went 1-for-3 in their 5-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays yesterday. Lugo signed a minor league deal with the Braves late last month and played 13 games at Triple-A before he was summoned back to the major leagues.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (57)
Categories: Minors
        

Right-handed reliever Jeremy Accardo, who was designated for assignment Sunday after compiling a 3-3 record and a 5.29 ERA in 25 appearances, has cleared waivers and accepted his assignment to Triple-A Norfolk.

Neither was a big surprise. Accardo, one of the Orioles' offseason bullpen additions, was really struggling, having allowed runs in five of his last six appearances.

He could have refused the assignment and elected to become a free agent, but that would have meant losing a pretty nice salary for the rest of the season. Because of the way his contract is structured, Accardo will be paid a pro-rated remaineder of $300,000 during his time at Triple-A Norfolk.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Minors
        

I'm sure that everyone is going to focus on second baseman Blake Davis' error in his Major League debut, which brought home both the game-tying and go-ahead runs off Zach Britton in the fifth inning today.

And I guess I understand that. That play has to be made by a professional baseball player. But my game story off of the Orioles' 5-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates is focused on how Davis' gaffe shouldn't obscure what is going on with these Orioles.

Their starting pitching is inconsistent, they can only count on about three relievers in key spots, their offense comes up especially small in key spots, the defense is below average at best and abysmal at worst, and they are so void of quality depth that Blake Davis was asked to make his Major League debut at a position that he hadn't played all season.

In fact, Davis has started only 19 games at second base over six minor league seasons spanning 493 games. All of those starts came last year.

“I misread it,” said Davis, speaking about Josh Harrison's groundball which bounced through his legs, allowing the two runs to score. “I thought it was going to skip up and bounce up a little bit higher and it stayed down on me. I need to make that play. I feel terrible.”

The Orioles had chances to take Davis off the hook, but they went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven baserunners. They stranded 26 baserunners in the three-game series, and went 2-for-18 with runners in scoring position over the final two games.

They also didn't exactly get great starting pitching against a Pirates' offense that the Orioles three best pitchers right now should have handled: Britton, Jeremy Guthrie and Jake Arrieta combined to allow 14 runs (11 earned) on 21 hits and six walks over 17 1/3 innings.

"I definitely feel like it was a missed opportunity,” said Britton who allowed five runs (three earned) over six innings in absorbing his fifth loss. “With the division that we're in, we want to be able to compete and we have to come out and take two of three from these teams. They've been playing really well, but we've been hitting well enough and pitching well enough to beat these teams."

The scary part is this: The Orioles went just 3-6 on this road trip while playing the Pirates, Washington Nationals and Toronto Blue Jays. All three of those teams were under .500 at the start of action today.

The part of their schedule that was supposed to be forgiving is now over. The Orioles play their next seven series, or 23 consecutive games, against teams with winning records. That includes 14 straight contests from July 4 to the 20th against the three teams – the Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians - currently leading their respective divisions in the American League.

"If you dwell on it between here and the plane, you can't live in that world,” said Orioles manager Buck Showalter. “I can come back on some games that didn't look like they presented a good option for us, but we ended up winning those games. We won one game in each city that we went into and we'll try to learn from it. If you stay in that woe is me mentality, nobody feels sorry for you. You've got to pick yourself up. We had some good things happen on this trip. We swung the bats well. Some guys are giving us a chance. We're fighting through some health things."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (19)
        

Orioles starter Jake Arrieta acknowledged that he has been dealing with right elbow inflammation related to the bone spur he contemplated having removed late last season.

Arrieta was removed after five innings and 87 pitches in Monday's victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. His velocity was down throughout the outing, and he said he didn't feel very good physically.

"I've been through this before, so I'm very optimistic," Arrieta said. "Just some soreness."

Arrieta said he has managed the injury before and isn't concerned about it. However, his next start will be pushed back to Wednesday in the second game of the series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Chris Jakubauskas will start Friday's series opener against the Cincinnati Reds, followed by Brian Matusz and Jeremy Guthrie. Orioles manager Buck Showalter hasn't settled on his rotation for the Cardinals series other than Arrieta's starting the middle game, However, today's starter, Zach Britton, is the likely starter for Tuesday, and Matusz might pitch Thursday. That would allow the club to use Jakubauskas out of the bullpen for a couple of days.

Blake Davis is making his major league debut this afternoon. Below are the Pirates' and Orioles' lineups:

ORIOLES
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Derrek Lee, 1B
Matt Wieters, C
Luke Scott, LF
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Blake Davis, 2B
Zach Britton, SP

PIRATES
Jose Tabata, LF
Josh Harrison, 3B
Andrew McCutchen, CF
Neil Walker, 2B
Matt Diaz, RF
Garrett Jones, 1B
Brandon Wood, SS
Michael McKenry, C
Kevin Correia, SP

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

Jeremy Guthrie had a share of excuses at his disposal, but he opted not to use any of them in characterizing his performance in the Orioles' 9-3 loss tonight to the Pittsburgh Pirates, which clinches a losing road trip.

Pitching five days after he was removed from a start after just five innings because of back discomfort, Guthrie was knocked around for six runs (five earned) on a season-high 11 hits and three walks over 6 1/3 innings.

“I didn’t make very good pitches. I didn’t have very good stuff,” Guthrie said. “My off-speed [stuff] was not crisp, and the fastball, a lot of mistakes were made with it. And they came out swinging.”

Guthrie did say he felt 100 percent on the mound and it was just like any other outing. His velocity wasn't the problem as he pitched in the low to mid-90s, but his command wasn't good.

It's easy to question whether he was affected by not being able to throw his usual full bullpen session two days before his start.

"“Not difficult at all,” Guthrie said when asked about preparation before this start. “I felt very comfortable going into the start."

The bad news is Guthrie is tied for the major league lead with nine losses. The good news is he proved that his back isn't bothering him. Now he can get back to his regular routine and make his next start. That can't be treated lightly, not with Orioles pitchers dropping like flies.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

A day after he removed Jake Arrieta from the game after just five innings and 87 pitches, Orioles manager Buck Showalter acknowledged that the young starter is dealing with some physical issues that could result in his next start getting pushed back or skipped altogether.

“We will see how Jake is feeling,” Showalter said. “[He] wasn’t as crisp last night, the last two or three innings, velocity and everything else. We talked about taking advantage of some of the off days. So we will see how he’s feeling the next day or two.”

When asked what issues Arrieta is dealing with, Showalter didn’t elaborate, saying only, “He’s got similar stuff that he’s had in the past.”

Arrieta complained of hip soreness earlier this season after a start in Chicago. He also has a bone spur in his right elbow that he opted to not get removed late last season.

I spoke to a scout today and he said that Arrieta's velocity was in the low 90's in the first inning, but dropped to around 87-88 by game's end.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Orioles pitching prospect Dan Klein has been diagnosed with a small SLAP tear in his right labrum, an injury that he'll try to rehabilitate rather than having surgery, director of player development John Stockstill said.

"Surgery is not needed at this time," Stockstill said. "They believe they can rehab it."

Stockstill said there is no timeframe for Klein's return to game action. The 22-year-old will consult with team orthopedist Dr. John Wilckens on Friday and head down to Sarasota, Fla., next week to begin a rehab program.

Several Orioles have rehabbed a similar injury, including Jason Berken last year and Matt Albers a couple of seasons ago.

Klein, 22, was a combined 3-1 with a 1.11 ERA between Single-A Frederick and Double-A Bowie, allowing 23 hits and six walks while striking out 37 batters in 32 1/3 innings.

Klein, a third-round pick in last year’s first-year player draft, last pitched June 1 and was officially put on the minor league disabled list June 8 with shoulder tendinitis.

He has a history of shoulder problems that dates to his days at UCLA. The right-hander missed part of his freshman year and all of his sophomore season with a shoulder injury that required exploratory surgery in 2009. He was used at the Bruins’ closer for the 2010 season.

The Orioles drafted him with the hopes of making him a starter but were using him in relief in his first full pro season because they wanted to limit his innings and appearances.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Minors
        

It's been a pretty busy day here in Pittsburgh. The biggest news is that second baseman Brian Roberts (concussion symptoms) will be shut down from baseball activities for at least another two weeks, pushing his return back to late July at the earliest. Roberts saw concussion specialist Dr. Michael Collins today in Pittsburgh. He did not come to the ballpark after the appointment, and he's scheduled to fly back to Sarasota, Fla., tomorrow morning.

Also on the injury front, reliever Alfredo Simon (strained right hamstring) will start throwing soon, and manager Buck Showalter said the big right-hander should be ready to return to the club close to June 28, the day he's eligible to come off the disabled list. Showalter said infielder Cesar Izturis (right elbow surgery) could return right around the All-Star break. Pitching prospect Dan Klein (shoulder) saw renowned orthopedist Dr. Lewis Yocum, and Showalter said the plan, as of now, is for the right-hander to go on a rehab program.

Showalter confirmed that Don Werner will be the team's new bullpen coach, at least until Aug. 1. He also said normal bench coach Willie Randolph will coach third base again tonight instead of John Russell. He said that who coaches third will be decided on a series-by-series basis, and he didn't rule out Randolph doing it going forward.

The Orioles are waiting to see how Jeremy Guthrie does tonight before announcing their weekend rotation. However, it's possible that Jake Arrieta either has his next start skipped or pushed back. Arrieta didn't feel great physically yesterday, and Showalter said he's struggling with some of the same ailments he has had in his past, without getting specific. Arrieta has had elbow and hip issues, so this is worth keeping an eye on.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 5:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts was not cleared to begin baseball activities during his third visit today with concussion specialist Dr. Michael Collins, a development that pushes back his return to the team’s lineup until late July at the earliest.

Roberts, who hasn’t played since May 16, when he started getting headaches after sliding headfirst into first base to beat out a game-starting infield single against the Boston Red Sox, will be evaluated in two more weeks.

“Some progress, but Dr. Collins is going to re-evaluate in two weeks,” Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said.

Roberts has made improved, but he’s still experiencing concussion symptoms, including headaches after working out. The second baseman is permitted to do some conditioning activities, but that’s about it.

Roberts has had two concussions in the past 6 1/2 months. He played in just 39 of the Orioles’ first 70 games after missing 103 games last season because of a herniated disk in his back and a concussion sustained when he hit himself on the helmet with his bat while striking out.

In other news, Don Werner will take over as the Orioles’ bullpen coach, starting Friday. Terry Crowley, an organizational hitting consultant, has been occupying bullpen coach duties on this road trip after pitching coach Mark Connor’s decision to resign last Tuesday. That pushed previous bullpen coach Rick Adair into the pitching coach role.

Werner will perform bullpen coach duties until Aug. 1, and things will be re-evaluated after that. Werner has been in the Orioles organization for nine years, the past five as a roving catching instructor.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (19)
        

Jake Arrieta deserves the benefit of the doubt, and I take him at his word when he said after the Orioles’ 8-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates last night that he “just had one of those nights” when he didn’t feel too good physically. The right-hander had a 7-0 lead by the time he took the mound for the second inning, yet he proceeded as if every one of his pitches could win or lose the game. Arrieta is a bulldog. He wants the ball, he keeps himself in great shape and, above all, he has great stuff. His biggest issue is that he pitches way too tentatively at times. If you have the lead he had last night, you have to figure out a way to go at least seven innings. That’s not going to happen when you are going to three-ball counts with every batter, including one of the Pirates' relief pitchers. It’s something I believe Arrieta will learn and get better at, and he’ll have to. He has made 16 starts and has pitched more than six innings in only three of them. But let’s be clear: The Orioles have way too many other issues before they have to start worrying about Arrieta, who has made major strides in his first full big league season.

A case could be made that the most important development last night was not the long-awaited breakout of the offense, but the performance of reliever Jason Berken. Sure, the right-hander had a five-run lead to work with, but he retired all six Pirates he faced and struck out three. He spotted his fastball and mixed in some nice sliders and very much looked like the Berken from the first half last season. The Orioles simply can’t rely on Jim Johnson and Koji Uehara to pitch multiple innings every time they have a lead in front of Kevin Gregg. With Alfredo Simon on the disabled list and Jeremy Accardo recently designated for assignment, the Orioles need a couple of “bridge guys” to emerge. Berken has been in that role before and done well. He just needs to get his confidence back, and an outing like last night’s could go a long way.

It will be interesting to see what happens in the next two games of the series, but one thing that shouldn’t be overlooked is how the Orioles got into the Pirates' bullpen by the third inning last night. The Orioles have struggled mightily this year to knock opposing starters out of the game, which is what the other teams in their division do on a nightly basis. The Pirates used four relievers -- two for two innings or more -- in relief of Charlie Morton a day after they played an 11-inning game. Closer Joel Hanrahan, a likely All-Star, was forced to throw 23 pitches in the top of the ninth. I don’t know the Pirates well enough to conclude who will be available and who won’t be tonight, but you can bet that bullpen won’t be at full strength. Not only is seeing several relievers in the first game of the series beneficial because the familiarity helps in later matchups, but you also ultimately could make certain relievers unavailable for the next couple of days. It is such an obvious observation. However, it’s something that the swing-early-and-often Orioles rarely do.

My colleague Dan Connolly wrote plenty about Mark Reynolds the past couple of days, so I don’t think we need to again debate the third baseman’s performance and worth. But I thought it would be appropriate, especially after Reynolds’ three walks last night, to point out that he has walked 41 times this season. That’s 20 more times than Nick Markakis, who is second on the team. Besides Reynolds, only three players on the Orioles have 20 or more walks -- Markakis (21), Luke Scott (20) and Robert Andino (20).

A lot will depend on how Jeremy Guthrie fares tonight, but it certainly sounds as if the Orioles will push back Brian Matusz to Saturday or Sunday while starting Chris Jakubauskas in Friday’s series opener against the Cincinnati Reds. The Orioles want to give Matusz every opportunity to build up his arm strength and straighten out his mechanics before he returns to game situations. They also noticed that Matusz’s velocity was up a tiny bit and his stuff was a little crisper in his previous start, which came on extra rest.

Now, to another topic that I have beaten to death: If I’m Orioles [resident of baseball operations Andy MacPhail, I’m getting on the phone with J.J. Hardy's agent immediately and trying to get a contract extension done. Every day, Hardy does something to prove his worth and remind me that he’s a far better player than I thought he was when the Orioles traded for him. His getting two outs last night on Garrett Jones' grounder in the sixth was such a heads-up play, and he also added two hits and a walk. There are several potential contenders that need a shortstop, and only one of them can get Jose Reyes. The Orioles figure to be in a great position either way, but my vote would be to re-sign the guy. I don’t care that Manny Machado is getting promoted to High-A on Thursday and could be ready for the big leagues by 2013. The Orioles need to retain as much talent as possible. For years, the Orioles have struggled to find one major league-caliber shortstop. Having two would open up so many options.

I’m not sure how it came across on television, if it did at all, but it was quite an atmosphere last night at PNC Park. There was a lot of orange in the crowd, and several “Let’s Go Orioles” and “O-R-I-O-L-E-S” chants that broke out throughout the game. This is my first trip here, and I couldn’t have been more impressed by the ballpark. I can see why so many Orioles fans are interested in making the trip. It was an impressive showing.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (27)
        

Orioles manager Buck Showalter took starter Jake Arrieta out after five innings tonight despite the fact that the right-hander had thrown 87 pitches and the Orioles led by five runs. His explanation was that it was a hot and sticky night, and he pointed to the fact that Arrieta had sweated through his jersey and was a little taxed.

Arrieta acknowledged that he wasn't feeling great physically, though he maintained that he's not injured. Just one of those nights, he explained.

"It wasn’t a great day for me physically today," Arrieta said. "I went out there in the first and felt pretty sharp, and then after that, things went south physically. I didn’t feel great, but that really doesn’t matter. If you’re out on the mound, you have to find ways to get guys out."

Arrieta, by the way, is tied for the major league lead with nine wins.

Showalter also explained why normal third base coach John Russell was on the bench tonight and Willie Randolph was coaching third. Because Russell was both coach and manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, this development had the press box buzzing.

If you believe Showalter, the decision had nothing to do with Russell's poor send that got pitcher Chris Jakubauskas nailed at the plate Sunday against the Washington Nationals.

Instead, Showalter said, Russell's knees were bothering him again and the manager wanted him close in the dugout because Russell knows so many of the Pirates hitters and pitchers.

And finally, Tuesday's first pitch will be thrown at about 7:15 p.m. The Pirates are playing host to a pre-game ceremony celebrating the 40th anniversary of the 1971 World Series championship team that beat the Orioles in seven games. Both current teams will be wearing throwback uniforms from the 1971 season.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

The Orioles have agreed to terms with third-round pick Mike Wright, a right-handed pitcher out of East Carolina. Wright went 6-4 with a 2.79 ERA in 16 starts for the Pirates this past season.

He is the third Orioles top-10 pick in this month’s draft to agree to terms, joining fifth-round choice Matt Taylor, a left-handed pitcher from Middle Georgia College and seventh-round selection Trent Howard, a lefty out of Central Michigan.

Two other top 10 selections -- Vanderbilt third baseman Jason Esposito (second round) and Virginia pitcher Phillip Wilson (10th round) -- are playing in the College World Series, so the Orioles can’t negotiate with them. Overall, the Orioles have agreed to terms with eight of their 50 selections.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 5:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Orioles manager Buck Showalter met with acting bullpen coach Terry Crowley today, and the plan is for Crowley to return to his duties as an organizational hitting consultant when the road trip ends Wednesday. Showalter said a final decision on who will be the bullpen coach for the rest of the season hasn't been made, but he did say it will be an internal hire. One option is coordinator of minor league Instruction Brian Graham.

Brian Roberts will not work out with the team today. He's expected to fly into Pittsburgh later tonight and see concussion specialist Dr. Michael Collins tomorrow.

Showalter confirmed that Jeremy Guthrie will start tomorrow night, but he stopped short of saying Brian Matusz will start Friday's series opener against the Reds at Camden Yards. It sounds like the Orioles are leaning toward giving Chris Jakubauskas that start and possibly pushing Matusz back to Saturday or Sunday so he can get one more bullpen session in before his next start. The Orioles are off Thursday and next Monday, and that, coupled with the uncertainty of the way Guthrie gets through his outing Tuesday, has resulted in an unsettled rotation.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 5:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

ORIOLES
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Derrek Lee, 1B
Matt Wieters, C
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Felix Pie, LF
Robert Andino, 2B
Jake Arrieta, SP

PIRATES
Jose Tabata, LF
Josh Harrison, 3B
Andrew McCutchen, CF
Garrett Jones, 1B
Neil Walker, 2B
Xavier Paul, RF
Ronny Cedeno, SS
Michael McKenry, C
Charlie Morton, SP

Luke Scott, who hasn't played since he was removed from Saturday's game in the fourth inning with back spasms, said he's feeling much better and would be available to play tonight. However, Orioles manager Buck Showalter opted to give him one more day, and Felix Pie gets the start instead.

Jeremy Guthrie said he's ready to make Tuesday's start. Guthrie was removed from his last outing with a back strain.

Brian Matusz also said he's ready to go Friday. Matusz was taken out of his last start with left hamstring cramps.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 4:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols, who was involved in a collision at first base yesterday, reportedly has a non-displaced fracture in his left forearm and will miss from four to six weeks.

That, of course, means the Orioles won't have to face him next week when the Cardinals come to Camden Yards for a three-game series.

Not sure how that makes Oriole fans feel, but I know that I was looking forward to watching one of the game's all-time great players over three days.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 1:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

I wrote a piece in March on newly acquired third baseman Mark Reynolds in which I talked to several of Reynolds’ teammates over the years (even going to back to travel ball in Virginia).

The premise was this:

If Reynolds hits a bunch of home runs, posts a respectable average and plays good defense, the hard-nosed slugger is going to be a fan favorite in blue-collar Baltimore.

If he strikes out 200-plus times, can’t hit his weight and suffers through defensive lapses, he is going to be a whipping boy in Charm City, getting the full Garrett Atkins treatment.

Well, he’s pretty much been a whipping boy so far. He batted under .200 for the first two months of the season, struck out plenty and leads all American League fielders with 15 errors -- which has sent the Internet/talk show crowd into a feeding frenzy.

Yet, things are very much picking for up Reynolds this month. After hitting .169 in 25 April games and .215 in 27 May games, he is hitting .300 in 16 games this month. He is batting .217 for the year, which certainly is unimpressive, but it’s better than his .198 in 2010.

Reynolds leads the team in homers (13), doubles (14) and walks (38) and is second in RBIs (36). Based on a 162-game season, he is one pace for 31 homers, 85 RBIs and career highs in doubles (33) and walks (89). Plus, his 74 strikeouts put him on a pace for 174, snapping his streak of three straight 200-plus strikeout seasons.

Honestly, if you said in the beginning of this season that Reynolds would have 30-plus homers and doubles, hit about .220 and strikeout fewer than 200 times, I think most fans -- given Reynolds’ recent history -- would be OK with that.

Of course, no one would be OK with a 35-error pace, especially from someone who was considered a solid defender coming in. To me, his defense has been the disappointing part of Reynolds’ game. It’s frustrating watching him make a great play one inning and uncork a terrible throw the next. His defensive inconsistency has been maddening.

But his offense has been pretty much as advertised, maybe even a tick better than expected. Sure, you can nitpick (he has hit just .227 with two outs and runners in scoring position in 22 at-bats in that scenario, and his “late and close” average through 42 at-bats was .167). But overall, I’ll take a 30-homer guy who gets some walks so long as he keeps bringing up the average and on-base-plus-slugging percentage.

I guess I want to know if you are starting to warm up to Reynolds now that his bat is catching fire. Or has he done nothing to change your initial impression after a woeful April?

Daily Think Special: Has your opinion of Mark Reynolds changed at all?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 12:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (97)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar
        

Don’t look now, but offseason acquisitions Derrek Lee and Mark Reynolds are starting to hit.

OK, they are still not back to respectability after awful starts, but their averages are climbing.

After the Orioles’ 7-4 win against the Washington Nationals on Sunday, Lee is hitting .245. He had two hits, including a run-scoring double in the fifth, on Sunday and went 9-for13 in the three-game series. He had seven consecutive hits Friday and Saturday.

“I felt like it was a good series,” Lee said. “It was good to finally put together a few good games and get some hits. Maybe I can build on it.”

Here’s what Buck Showalter had to say about Lee, who was 0-for-12 against the Toronto Blue Jays last week after missing three games following the death of his grandfather:

“I thought he was getting going before he left on the bereavement. He came back, and it took him a couple days to get going again,” Showalter said. “I hope he’s kind of picked up where he left off. He’s been locked in for a couple days.”

Reynolds is up to .217 after three hits Sunday, including his team leading 13th homer. He also is second on the team with 36 RBIs. He joked that all he needed was a trip to a National League park. Reynolds had been a National Leaguer all his career before his December trade to the Orioles.

“We’re in the NL. It’s awesome,” he said. “Yeah, obviously my comfort level’s growing every day being in a new league, starting to play teams twice, and by no means is that an excuse for the start of the season. I was not very good. But a couple hits here and there, your confidence goes up and you start stringing a few good games together.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 7:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (19)
        

Not a whole lot from Buck Showalter’s morning media session and pre-game interviews.

Here’s what we have:

Left-hander Brian Matusz, who was forced to leave Saturday’s start with left hamstring cramps, said he was a little sore Sunday but, at this point, believes he should be fine for his next start -- which will probably be Friday.

“It feels good. It’s a little sore today, but my mobility’s really good. My flexibility’s there. It’s just a little sore from the cramping,” he said. “We’re going to do treatment on it today. I don’t sense that there’s going to be a serious problem.”

Luke Scott, who left Saturday’s game with back spasms, is unavailable today, even to pinch hit, but hopes to be able to play Monday.

“I am feeling better. I am going to do some more treatments on it," he said. "Shut down for a day and hopefully be ready the next day.”

Showalter, by the way, wasn’t thrilled that Scott told us he wouldn’t be available to pinch hit against the Nationals in a National League style game.

“Who knows? Sometimes guys get a lot better between now and game time, or the sixth or seventh inning,” Showalter said. “But I feel confident he’ll be an option [Monday].”

Showalter said second baseman Brian Roberts [concussion] will join the team Monday in Pittsburgh and “work out a little bit with us” before his Tuesday visit with sports concussion specialist Dr. Michael Collins in Pittsburgh.

Jeremy Guthrie (upper back strain) said there was no update on situation this morning. He was to throw a light bullpen, and Showalter said if it went well, head athletic trainer Richie Bancells was “pretty upbeat” about Guthrie making his start Tuesday.

Guthrie left his start Thursday with the back pain.

Here are the Orioles and Nationals’ lineups:

Orioles: Hardy 6, Markakis 9, Jones 8, Lee 3, Reimold 7, Reynolds 5, Tatum 2, Andino 4, Jakubauskas 1.

Nationals: Werth 9, Bernadina 8, Zimmerman 5, Nix 7, Morse 3, Espinosa 4, Ramos 2, Gorzelanny 1, Cora 6.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 1:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Orioles starter Brian Matusz and left fielder Luke Scott both left today's 4-2 loss to the Washington Nationals early, but neither expect to miss an extended stretch.

Matusz limped off the mound with one out in the sixth and needed help from the team's athletic training staff to get down the dugout stairs. However, he was diagnosed with left hamstring cramps and both the team and Matusz are optimistic that he'll make his next start.

"It’s too hard to tell," said Matusz when asked if he would miss his next start. "I would say no. I don’t think it’s a strain or anything like that. It’s just a cramp and one of those things that might be a little bit sore tomorrow, but I’ve just got to take it day-by-day."

Scott, meanwhile, has been dealing with some back spasms in recent days and they intensified while he was taking a swing against Jordan Zimmermann in the second inning. He was removed from the game in the fourth, but he said that he expects to avoid the disabled list.

"I’ve had this three or four times in my career," Scott said. "I’ve had it go away within in a day and I’ve had it last three days, four days."

The loss was the Orioles' sixth in their last seven games and it drops them to a season-high six games under .500 at 31-36. With the injuries and the losses mounting, this would seemingly be a key time for the Orioles to stem the tide and start winning a couple of games. However, the players say that they are not panicking.

"We have been streaky so we can get hot again," said first baseman Derrek Lee who had two hits today and now has seven over the first two games of the series. "We need to sustain our hot streaks a little longer and cut down the cold streaks. But we know we’re going to get back in it. It’s just a little cold spell right now."

Said center fielder Adam Jones who drove in one of the team's two runs today with a first-inning homer: "We just have to be able to get the big hit. We have to be able to get the runner in. That's what it is. It's not a lack of baserunners, it's not a lack of opportunities. It's just a lack of production. We've put ourselves in position the last five or six games, we just haven't gotten over that hurdle of getting that hit. All we can do is put ourselves in position, then come up with that big hit."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

I guess this qualifies as good news.

Orioles starter Brian Matusz, who needed the help of one of the team's athletic trainers to get down the dugout steps, was diagnosed with left hamstring cramps. He is considered day-to-day so it's far too early to speculate on whether he'll make his next start. However, with how much he struggled to make it back to the clubhouse, it certainly looked far worse.

Matusz is on the hook for a loss today if the Orioles can't come back from a late deficit. He allowed four runs on six hits and three walks while striking out five over 5 1/3 innings.

He left the game two batters after Michael Morse had given the Nationals a 3-1 lead with a two-run homer in the sixth inning. First baseman Derrek Lee went to the mound to talk to Bergesen and then summoned head athletic trainer Richie Bancells. Matusz was immediately removed from the game.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)
        

For reasons that are -- as yet -- not known, Felix Pie has been inserted into the game as a pinch hitter in the fourth inning for Luke Scott. Got to figure there's some kind of injury explanation, which we'll pass along as soon as we get the info.

Instant update: Orioles just announced that Luke left the game with middle back spasms. He is considered day-to-day.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

ORIOLES
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Matt Wieters, C
Derrek Lee, 1B
Luke Scott, LF
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Robert Andino, 2B
Brian Matusz, SP

NATIONALS
Jayson Werth, RF
Ian Desmond, SS
Ryan Zimmerman, 3B
Michael Morse, 1B
Danny Espinosa, 2B
Jerry Hairston Jr., LF
Ivan Rodriguez, C
Jordan Zimmermann, SP
Roger Bernadina, CF

Jeremy Guthrie (back strain) played catch today, making about 90 throws from as far back as 90 feet. Guthrie said that he felt much improved and better as the throwing session went on. He's hoping to throw a bullpen session tomorrow and make Tuesday's start in Pittsburgh.

Brad Bergesen will serve as the club's long man today if Matusz is knocked out of the game early. Bergesen and Jason Berken are the candidates to start Tuesday if Guthrie can't go.

Brian Roberts (concussion symptoms) has resumed his conditioning after being shut down for a couple of days because of recurring headaches.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Orioles outfielders Nick Markakis and Adam Jones collected four hits apiece in Friday’s loss, but neither scored a run or drove one in. They are just the second pair of teammates to accomplish that feat since RBIs became an official stat in 1920, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Rod Carew and Fred Lynn, of the 1984 California Angels, both went 4-for-5 without a run scored or RBI in a 2-1 loss to Oakland on April 13.

First baseman Derrek Lee had five hits in the game and scored a run, but he didn’t drive in any. According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Orioles are the first team since 1920 to have three guys with four-plus hits and zero RBIs.

According the Elias, the last time a Major League team had three or more players get four or more hits and lose a nine-inning game was July 22, 2006, when the Orioles lost to the Tampa Bay Rays, 13-12, at Tropicana Field. In that game, Corey Patterson had five hits and Miguel Tejada and Brian Roberts had four each.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 10:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Reliever Jeremy Accardo was designated for assignment after another rocky outing in which he gave up the decisive runs in tonight's 8-4 loss. The team has 10 days to trade him, pass him through waivers and reassign him to Triple-A Norfolk or grant him his outright release.

The move was one of four announced after the game. The Orioles called up pitcher Brad Bergesen and infielder Blake Davis from Triple-A Norfolk and optioned infielder Ryan Adams back to the Tides roster.

Though Accardo's won-loss record (3-3) and ERA (5.29) don't jump out at you, he had given up 55 baserunners in 32 1/3 innings.

It also certainly didn't help his cause that he allowed three of the four hitters that he faced tonight to reach base, including a four-pitch walk to Nationals reliever Sean Burnett. It was Burnett's first at-bat since 2009.

The Orioles also optioned second baseman Ryan Adams back to Norfolk, and selected the contract of Blake Davis to take his place. Brad Bergesen was recalled to take Accardo's spot.

Bergesen will likely be used in the bullpen and if he hasn't pitched, he'll emerge as a candidate to make Tuesday's start if Jeremy Guthrie is unable to

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (35)
Categories: Minors
        

Buck Showalter held his tongue after tonight's 8-4 loss to the Washington Nationals, which featured 18 largely wasted hits by the Orioles and one glaring defensive error. If the manager called anybody out after another lackluster team loss, he did it in private.

Catcher Matt Wieters didn't mince his words. He was hard on himself for leaving "a small army of baserunners out there" and his team for not playing the kind of baseball he feels the Orioles are capable of playing.

"We need to play better,'' he said. "Spring training is over. We've played a lot of games and we keep making the same mistakes. We've got to start getting some runs and play better defense."

Pitcher Zach Britton looked like he had the Nats lineup under control until he allowed a pair of singles to open the fifth and Mark Reynolds threw away a very routine sacrifice bunt attempt that led to three unearned runs in a four-run inning. The Orioles came back to tie the game, but Britton had to leave for a pinch hitter during the comeback and reliever Jeremy Accardo gave up three runs in the bottom of the sixth. It would turn out to be Accardo's last appearance as an Oriole.

"I think it's really disappointing,'' Britton said. "How many times do you lose with 18 hits. Putting up just four runs on 18 hits kind of stinks, but as a pitcher, you've got to stop the bleeding. I didn't do my job."

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

While the Orioles are seemingly willing to give Jeremy Guthrie a couple of more days before considering moving the starter to the disabled list, they are poised to do other roster juggling after tonight’s game.

Right-handed starter Brad Bergesen and utility infielder Blake Davis have both been summoned to join the club, but the Orioles are still deciding whether they’ll be officially recalled and whose spots that they’ll take.

Bergesen is 2-1 with a 1.64 ERA in three starts for the Tides after he was optioned on May 28. He went 1-6 with a 5.36 ERA in 10 outings (nine starts) for the Orioles earlier this season. He’ll likely be used as a long man and then become one of the main candidates to start Tuesday if Guthrie is unable to go.

Davis, 27, was hitting .284 with five homers and 24 RBIs in 49 games for Norfolk. The versatile infielder could take the roster spot of young second baseman Ryan Adams, who the Orioles want to return to Triple-A so he can play every day. Adams has started just six games for the Orioles, batting .227 with an RBI.

Double-A Bowie left-hander Pedro Viola, who is 3-1 with a 1.50 ERA and two saves in 20 appearances for the Baysox this season, joined the club today, but he was an insurance policy if Guthrie had to go on the disabled list. When the club learned that Guthrie’s injury wasn’t severe, Viola was returned to Bowie.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Minors
        

Ten minutes before the originally scheduled first pitch for the series opener between the Orioles and Washington Nationals, a tarp is on the field at Nationals Park.

Both starters - the Orioles' Zach Britton and the Nationals' Jason Marquis - had gone out to the bullpens, but neither had started to warm up when they were informed by a grounds crew member that the first pitch would be delayed.

There are blue skies in the area so I don't foresee this being delayed too long. I'll keep you updated.

Here is the update: The tarp has been taken off the field and they are hoping for an 8 p.m. first pitch.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

A magnetic resonance imaging taken today on Jeremy Guthrie's sore back revealed just a strain. Guthrie was forced out of Thursday's game in Toronto after just five innings because of back soreness.

"I think the results that we got back today were best-case scenario," Guthrie said. "I actually wasn't worried it was more serious. I felt like it was really tight and possibly a muscle strain, things that time and treatment will take care of."

At this point, the Orioles are hoping that Guthrie will avoid the disabled list and make his next start Tuesday. Oriioles manager Buck Showalter said that if he didn't make the start, Jason Berken would be a candidate or the club would have to make a roster move. In that case, Brad Bergesen would be the likely option.

Showalter wouldn't rule out that Vladimir Guerrero could play outfield at some point with the Orioles playing in National League ballparks, but tonight won't be that night. Showalter has already met with Guerrero and spoke to him about his plans.

Orioles President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail said there have has been nothing new in finding a long-term bullpen coach. He also didn't rule out rotating guys in that position. He said that he certainly doesn't want to disrupt the minor league system too much, which would seemingly rule out Triple-A Norfolk pitching coach Mike Griffin taking that position.

ORIOLES
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Matt Wieters, C
Luke Scott, LF
Derrek Lee, 1B
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Robert Andino, 2B
Zach Britton, SP

NATIONALS
Jayson Werth, RF
Ian Desmond, SS
Ryan Zimmerman, 3B
Michael Morse, 1B
Danny Espinosa, 2B
Wilson Ramos, C
Jerry Hairston, LF
Jason Marquis, SP
Roger Bernadina, CF

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Orioles pitcher Jeremy Guthrie, who was removed from yesterday's game after five innings because of a back strain, is scheduled to have a magnetic resonance imaging taken this afternoon during a consultation with team orthopedist Dr. John Wilckens.

Whatever fault you can find with Guthrie, you can't question his toughness. The guy wants to be out there so his comments yesterday obviously aren't a good sign that he'll be able to make his next start.

The Orioles have already made a few contingency plans. As first reported by www.masnsports.com, Double-A Bowie left-hander Pedro Viola will join the club today if Guthrie goes on the DL. He'll likely be in for a short stay with the club and his purpose will be just to provide another bullpen arm through this weekend's series in Washington. The Orioles will need a starter on Tuesday to take Guthrie's spot, and that assignment would probably go to Brad Bergesen. He is 2-1 with a 1.64 ERA in three starts for Triple-A Norfolk.

He last pitched on Monday so he'd certainly have plenty of rest for that start. The Orioles could opt to get him in the mix sooner and move everybody back in the rotation as well.

Another option is Mitch Atkins, who is 1-2 with a 3.18 ERA in five starts for the Tides. He last started on Tuesday.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Minors
        

Had a heck of a day at the bar yesterday – plenty of comments and some interesting thoughts on how to fix the Orioles. Lots of bitters were ordered as well (just a joke, people, I understand your vitriol).

Anyway, interleague play is upon us – AGAIN. But I don’t want to ask whether you like it. We’ve beaten that one to death.

Interleague is particularly interesting for the Orioles this year, because this may be the first time during its existence that the Orioles have had a designated hitter that didn’t really play other positions.

Technically, Vladimir Guerrero is an outfielder, but he hasn’t done it much since 2008. Guerrero has started 63 of the Orioles’ 66 contests this year, hitting .288 with six homers and 27 RBIs. All of those games have come as a DH.

But for the next six games in Washington and Pittsburgh, there will be no DH. So what do you do with Guerrero?

He won’t be in Friday’s starting lineup and I doubt he’ll start any – maybe one – in left field. It’s not just that he is considered a liability out there. The Orioles don’t want him to risk injury – and last year his offensive production dipped when he played the field. (By the way, he still shags fly balls in warm-ups and would like to play outfield if the alternative is getting to hit just once. But he says it is completely up to Buck Showalter.)

While in the outfield in 2010, Guerrero batted .234 with four homers in 64 at-bats. As a DH last year, he hit .306 with 25 homers in 523 at-bats. He also saw a serious drop in power between his first and second halves of 2010 – which we assume means he wore down. Even if he isn’t part of the Orioles’ future, you want him as a potential trade chip in July, so keeping him somewhat fresh could be important.

The flip side is, even though his power numbers are down, he still can be a presence in the middle of the lineup and taking him out weakens a group that isn’t exactly playing pinball with the scoreboard.

My suggestion is start him twice in left and use him as a pinch-hitter in the other four games. I don’t’ think that’s what’s going to happen – I see him pinch-hitting in all six – but if I were in charge for a week, I’d let him play the outfield twice.

I’d also fire myself if he pulls a hamstring and is out for four weeks.

Tell me your thoughts.

Daily Think Special: Do you let Vladimir Guerrero play outfield this week?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (38)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar
        

Here's a look at what other media outlets have said about the Orioles in the past week:

• SB Nation’s Rob Neyer says that losing record aside, the Orioles are enjoying a fine season.

If there's one thing we might have learned, though last night's games, it's that Buck Showalter might not actually be a Miracle Worker. Then again, it's probably not his fault that Lee and Guerrero are regularly wasting dollars and plate appearances. What we might also have learned is that Buck Showalter is, at the very least, a pretty good manager.

Last year, the Orioles were 32-73 when Showalter took over as manager. Afterward, they went 34-23. Those numbers are a testament to relative managerial talents, for sure. But there's never been a manager born that was the difference, all by his lonesome, between 32-73 and 34-23. It simply wasn't realistic to think the Orioles would continue to play .600 baseball simply because of Uncle Buck Showalter. Nor was there much reason to think that [Vladimir] Guerrero and [Derrek] Lee would make a big dent in the standings.

Here's the thing, though: Before Showalter arrived, the Orioles were 32-73. Since his hiring, the Orioles have gone 64-56 ... which is still really impressive and does probably say something about Showalter's talents. And suggests that once the organization is free of overpaid veterans like Derrek Lee and Vladimir Guerrero and comes up with some good young homegrown hitters, the 25-man roster will be in excellent hands.

• Peter Gammons, writing for MLB.com, said the MLB draft is like free agency for small-market teams.

It was vital to the Orioles, who know they can't outbid the Yankees or Red Sox for free-agent pitchers and have to win the American League with a power rotation built around Jake Arrieta, Zach Britton, Dylan Bundy, Robert Bundy and Brian Matusz. And by the way, former O's executive and current MASN broadcaster Mike Flanagan took some heat for going over slot to sign Arrieta, who they now believe is their legit No. 1 starter for the next few years.

"This is the way we have to compete," manager Buck Showalter said.

Think about it: $7 or 8 million for Starling until he's at least 26 or $30 million for Swisher at ages 31-33? Dylan Bundy for $5 million and six to eight years of control or five years and $75 million of C.J. Wilson at ages 32-36?

• AP’s David Ginsburg writes that Adam Jones is graceful on the diamond and complex off it.

Jones makes playing baseball look easy. He patrols the outfield with flair and grace. More often than not will blow a big pink bubble while chasing down a liner in the gap.

He's pretty good with a bat, too. Jones leads the Orioles with a .301 batting average, is tied for the team lead with 35 RBIs and ranks second with nine home runs.

"He's a great player. He can do everything," New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter said. "Adam can hit, and hit for power. He can obviously play great in the field and he has a strong arm. He's got speed, he can steal bases."

Off the field, Jones is much harder to analyze. He can ride a unicycle, enjoys watching hockey, loves crosswords and word search games and ignores ESPN in favor of the Food Network or National Geographic Channel. He has the body of an athlete and the appetite of a couch potato.

• MLB.com’s Avi Zaleon writes that the Orioles players are tweeting their way closer to fans.

Because the Orioles are in a smaller market than some of their American League East rivals, the O's players have become more accessible through the social media site.

Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter and third baseman Alex Rodriguez do not have verified personal Twitter accounts for fans to interact with. Though not endorsed by either athlete or their organization, respective Twitter accounts updating fans on the daily performance of Jeter and Rodriguez have been created and are followed by up to 8,000 people. There is even an account to keep track of Jeter's hits each day as he approaches 3,000 -- it has over 1,500 followers

But to Orioles starter Jake Arrieta (@JArrieta34), the popular messaging service is about adding a human element to baseball players who would otherwise be a statistic in a box score.

"There's a lot more that goes into us as athletes -- we're people as well," Arrieta said. "We've got our personal lives that take place off the field. They [the fans] really like to be a part of what we're doing not only on the field, but off the field. And it sort of helps build a connection between the two with Twitter."

• ESPN’s Jim Bowden thinks Baltimore is the best spot for soon-to-be free agent Prince Fielder.

The Orioles are the best fit for Prince Fielder. Peter Angelos, the Orioles' owner, has not spent the money on a big time free agent since hiring team president Andy MacPhail. He’s allowed MacPhail to build the team the right way, which takes time, patience, understanding and, most importantly, vision. They are getting there in a hurry. With the recent draft of Dylan Bundy, the Orioles now have a future top of the rotation of Zach Britton, Bundy and Brian Matusz. The Orioles drafted shortstop Manny Machado last year with the second overall pick in the draft. He is a future two-way star, and with catcher Matt Wieters and center fielder Adam Jones, they will give the O’s a strong up-the-middle team.

If the Orioles can now sign a young, impact middle-of-the-order bat such as Fielder, they will be well on their way to becoming legitimate contenders. Fielder's daily positive energy and 40-50 home runs will be a difference-maker for the Orioles' offense.

[Compiled by Matt Vensel. If you enjoy reading these posts about the Orioles, Ravens and other Baltimore sports, check out Vensel’s Coffee Companion posts every morning, Monday-Friday.]

Posted by Matt Vensel at 5:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: What They're Saying about the O's
        

Orioles right-hander Jeremy Guthrie said he expects to see team physician Dr. John Wilckens Friday in Baltimore to have his upper back strain evaluated. A MRI is also likely Friday.

Guthrie said he couldn't throw another pitch to start the sixth -- which is obviously alarming considering Guthrie loves taking the ball.

He said he has never had this type of injury before. He wasn't removed for precaution purposes, which is not good news.

Here are some quotes:

“I’m going to go see the doctor and get it looked at and see what they say,” said Guthrie, who had allowed just one hit and one walk in five scoreless innings. “Who Knows? … We’ll see where we’re at tomorrow morning.”

Guthrie said he felt some soreness while throwing a warm-up pitch in the fifth inning, but pushed through it and struck out his final batter. He then walked over to athletic trainer Richie Bancells and explained the situation. There was never a thought about going out for the sixth.

“It just wasn’t going to happen,” said Guthrie, who hasn’t had this type of injury previously “There was enough pain that we’re not going to go forward with that and I would not have been able to throw another pitch probably anywhere near the quality that would be needed in the sixth inning to get somebody out.”

Guthrie takes pride in his durability and has made 30 or more starts each of his past three seasons and threw 200 or more innings in 2009 and 2010. So it was alarming to Orioles manager Buck Showalter when Guthrie couldn’t go back after throwing just 64 pitches (41 for strikes).

“Obviously, Jeremy is the type of guy that is going to stay out there if he can,” Showalter said. “So that’s a little concerning.”

Guthrie had struck out five and, according to Showalter, hadn’t pitched so well since he shutout the Tampa Bay Rays through eight innings on Opening Day.

“I felt tremendous out there,” Guthrie said. “(Catcher Craig Tatum) and I were working well together and I had a good mix. I was locating down in the zone and I think that’s very important against this team.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 3:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Orioles’ right-hander Jeremy Guthrie was cruising through five innings, allowing just one hit and a walk and striking out five Blue Jays. He threw an economical 64 pitches, 41 for strikes.

But he didn’t come out for the sixth due to a back strain. We won’t know the severity until after the game, but Guthrie is not one to ask out of games.

The Orioles gave him two runs in the top of the sixth – a J.J. Hardy homer and a Vladimir Guerrero RBI double that was his 2,500th career hit – but the Jays just got them back on reliever Jim Johnson.

Guthrie is no longer the pitcher of record.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 2:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Orioles manager Buck Showalter met with the media this morning and said RHP Justin Duchscherer's extended spring outing, which was supposed to last between 60 and 70 pitches, ended in the first inning due to more hip discomfort.

Showalter said he believed Duchscherer was attempting to field a bunt -- perhaps on the first hitter -- when he felt pain in his surgically repaired left hip and left the outing.

"It's frustrating for him, I'm sure," Showalter said.

The Orioles haven't been counting on Duchscherer to join them, but this complicates matters a little more. Extended spring training games -- which are exhibitions that are often used for rehabbing or inexperienced players to get work in game situations -- will be curtailed as the Gulf Coast League begins next week.

So for Duchscherer to pitch in games, he'd likely have to go on a rehab assignment -- which has an expiration date. And this development makes that less likely since there is no telling when/if he'll be ready for the majors.

The Orioles lineup is out for Thursday's afternoon game and Ryan Adams is batting eighth and playing second base. It's Adams sixth start this season since being recalled May 20. He smiled when he saw the lineup board and Showalter said he hopes the rookie can take advantage of his limited opportunities. Robert Andino has assumed the starting second base job in the absence of Brian Roberts.

Here are the lineups:

Orioles, Hardy 6, Markakis 9, Jones 8, Guerrero DH, Scott 7, Lee 3, Reynolds 5, Adams 4, Tatum 2. Guthrie, P.

Jays: Escobar 6, Patterson 7, Bautista 9, Lind 3, Hill 4, Encarnacion DH, Molina 2, Davis 8, Nix 5. Stewart P.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

First, I want to thank everyone who commented on the last bar entry about the death of my mother.

I didn’t get a chance to reply to everyone, but know if you left a personal story I really appreciated it. Each and every one of them (OK, except maybe the guy who blasted me out of nowhere about something written months ago. But that’s OK, too).

Now, let’s get back to our favorite diversion: Baltimore sports and, in particular, those head-shaking Orioles.

I am writing this from an empty Rogers Centre, which is how the Orioles must feel every time they come here. They have lost 16 straight in this house of horrors, dating back to Aug. 7, 2009. That seems almost impossible considering we’re talking two big-league teams here.

The Orioles have a fighting chance to stop the bleeding – OK, gushing – on Thursday with staff leader Jeremy Guthrie facing Zach Stewart, who will be making his big-league debut straight out of Double-A New Hampshire, where he had a 4.39 ERA in 12 starts.

“I know we got a new guy. Let’s welcome him to the major leagues,” said Orioles center fielder Adam Jones.

On Wednesday, the Orioles had almost no chance against Ricky Romero who struck out a career-tying high 12 batters with his mystifying changeup. The Orioles are now 8-16 when a lefty starts against them.

Stewart, by the way, is a righty.

Obviously, a lot of things have gone wrong for the Orioles so far this season (and they are still only five games under .500 – that’s fairly surprising.) There have been plenty of moves that haven’t worked out.

Here’s what I want to know: If you could make one change to the Orioles right now – as we stand on June 16, 2011, what would it be?

You can’t use signing Prince Fielder, because he is not yet a free agent. And don’t come up with a ridiculous scenario, like trading Michael Gonzalez and Robert Andino for Albert Pujols.

Stay in the realm of possibility. You get one move to make right now that makes this team better, now and for the future. You can cut someone. You can call somebody up. You can give someone more playing time. You can change field or front office personnel. Anything you want. So long as it is reasonable.

Daily Think Special: Make one move today that makes the Orioles better

Posted by Dan Connolly at 11:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (129)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar
        

Mark Connor, who resigned as Orioles pitching coach yesterday, is at home in Tennessee watching the Orioles-Toronto Blue Jays game tonight. He made his first comments after his resignation via a text message to The Baltimore Sun tonight.

"First of all, I would like to thank the Orioles and especially Buck [Showalter] for the opportunity to be the pitching coach," Connor said. "I would also like to thank all my friends in baseball for their thoughtful messages. My health is good, my family is well. However, the intensity that is required day-to-day through the eight-month season was becoming difficult to maintain. In fairness to Buck and the pitching staff, I came to the decision it was best of all to step down. Buck has been a great friend for nearly 30 years, and I wish him and the team the very best."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 8:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Some not so good news from Sarasota, Fla.

Brian Roberts woke up this morning with headaches and was told to hold off from "exertional and vestibular exercises" today.

He will be re-evaluated Thursday.

It's not considered a major setback because Roberts (concussion) still isn't cleared to do baseball activities. He is hoping to get that green light June 21 when he revisits concussion specialist Dr. Michael Collins in Pittsburgh.

"We hope we get to the point here before the 21st when he goes back [to Collins] that it is not an issue," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said.

One other injury note:

Justin Duchscherer (hip) will throw 60 to 70 pitches in extended spring training. After that outing, the club will decide what Duchscherer's next step is. The Gulf Coast League starts next week, meaning there will be no more extended games for Duchscherer to pitch in, so it's possible he could begin a rehab assignment in the near future.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (26)
        

Orioles reliever Alfredo Simon said today that his right hamstring was feeling better and he hoped to avoid the disabled list, but that wasn't to be as the right-hander was placed on the DL to make room on the active roster for pitcher Jason Berken, who was summoned from Triple-A Norfolk.

“I definitely feel better today,” Simon, who met with the club’s medical staff this afternoon, said before he was placed on the DL retroactive to Monday. “But they said shut it down today. Take it easy today, and tomorrow I can do some little things. But today they want me to relax for a little bit.”

Simon said he was doing his normal running work Tuesday when he felt pain in his right hamstring. It was similar to the strain in his left hamstring that sent him to the disabled list for three weeks last year.

“I was doing my work, working out and doing my sprints, and I felt a little pop in there,” Simon said. “I don’t know. I don’t know how long it is going to take for me to get ready, but I don’t think it is that bad.”

Simon is 1-1 with a 3.14 ERA in five relief appearances for the Orioles this season. Over 14 1/3 innings, he has struck out 15 while allowing 13 hits and six walks. He missed the first six weeks while making up for missing spring training while a suspect in a fatal New Year’s Day shooting in the Dominican Republic.

Berken was 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA in four starts for the Tides, allowing 19 hits and seven walks while striking out 15 in 16 1/3 innings. He was 0-2 with a 7.94 ERA in 15 outings for the Orioles before being demoted. He is expected to be used in long relief with the Orioles. He was not yet in the clubhouse when it opened to reporters.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 4:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

The Delmarva Shorebirds play today at Kannapolis and then head to Hagerstown for a four-game series.

That is expected to be the last time Manny Machado is with the Shorebirds. He’ll play in the South Atlantic League All-Star game on Tuesday and then is expected to be promoted to High-A Frederick and likely will play Thursday, June 23 versus Winston-Salem at Harry Grove Stadium.

The 18-year-old shortstop, selected with the third overall pick in 2010, is batting .298 with six homers, 24 RBIs and an on-base percentage of .397. He missed about a month after dislocating his kneecap running the bases on May 5.

He is 7-for-34 (.208) with one homer and three RBIs since returning from the disabled list. He has hit in seven of those eight games.

Machado will join another top Orioles’ fielding prospect at Frederick, Jonathan Schoop.

Machado will play short and Schoop will play all over, including second, short, third and left and right field. Schoop is hitting .317 in his first 10 games at Frederick since being promoted from Delmarva.

In other Orioles minor league news, Bowie right-hander Dan Klein will see Dr. Lewis Yocum on Monday morning for another opinion on his right shoulder after an MRI was inconclusive. Yocum, the Los Angeles Angels’ team doctor, performed exploratory shoulder surgery on Klein in 2009 when the pitcher attended UCLA.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 3:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

The Orioles today will recall right-handed reliever Jason Berken from Triple-A Norfolk. He is expected to be available tonight against the Toronto Blue Jays.

To make room on the roster, the Orioles will place reliever Alfredo Simon on the disabled list with a hamstring injury. He is being re-evaluated when he gets to the park today.

At Norfolk, Berken has been used in the starting rotation, but will serve as a long reliever for the Orioles.

He was 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA in four starts for the Tides, allowing 19 hits and seven walks while striking out 15 in 16 1/3 innings. He was 0-2 with a 7.94 ERA in 15 outings for the Orioles before being demoted.

Simon is 1-1 with a 3.14 ERA in five relief appearances for the Orioles this season. Over 14 1/3 innings, he has struck out 15 while allowing 13 hits and six walks.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 2:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

My colleague, Jeff Zrebiec, put together this list of Orioles’ pitching coaches since 1994, and I thought it was worth sharing the day after Mark Connor resigned for personal reasons.

1994 -- Dick Bosman
1995 -- Mike Flanagan
1996 -- Pat Dobson
1997-- Ray Miller
1998 -- Mike Flanagan
1999 -- Bruce Kison
2000 -- Sammy Ellis
2001-04 -- Mark Wiley
2004-05 -- Ray Miller
2006-07 -- Leo Mazzone
2008-2010 -- Rick Kranitz
2011 -- Mark Connor, Rick Adair

That’s 13 pitching coaches in 17 years -- or 11 different guys (since Miller and Flanagan did it twice). Pretty stunning considering much of that time the Orioles had one hitting coach, Terry Crowley.

There are two ways to look at the Orioles’ pitching coach carousel.

1. How can you expect a staff to be consistent when there is so much turnover with its direct supervisor?
2. These pitchers are professionals. They can use a little direction, some words of encouragement at times, but if they have made it this far, it is their talent and mindset more than any pro-level coaching.

I asked Orioles starter Jeremy Guthrie about dealing with the pitching coach turnover and whether it can negatively affect a staff.

“Anything can affect a team for the better or worse, so there’s no telling which way it will go,” Guthrie said. “For us, we’re just losing someone we care for and we hope the best for him and the things he needs to handle.”

Counting Adair, Guthrie has had four pitching coaches in five seasons in Baltimore. For him, he said it’s more about adjusting to the personality of the coach than any designed philosophy. He joked that all pitching coaches have the same mantra: get outs and win.

“For me, some guys you work well with, other guys you don’t work as well with. That’s the most important thing,” Guthrie said. “The transition itself isn’t too difficult. It’s, ‘How does the working relationship go?’ And that’s something we’ll go through now with Rick as the pitching coach.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

After Adam Lind hit his walk-off homer in the 11th last night, there wasn't much life in the Orioles clubhouse -- as should be expected.

But the person probably taking it the hardest was second baseman Robert Andino, who made a key throwing error in the third that allowed a run to score and went 0-for-4 with a sacrifice fly. In his last four at-bats, he came up with five runners in scoring position and stranded all but the one, on the sacrifice.

Andino entered the game just 5-for-33 with runners in scoring position. At some point a pinch-hitter could have been used (Nolan Reimold), but then Ryan Adams would have had to enter at second base, leaving no one but reserve catcher Craig Tatum on the bench.

Andino has been good in certain ways this season, but he's been dreadful in the clutch. And he knew it Tuesday night. He sat lifeless at his locker and, when interviewed, spoke almost in a whisper.

He said he was particularly frustrated by this loss: “For me it is [more frustrating] because I had a few of them [opportunities] and I didn’t come through. The pitchers kept us in it; we just didn’t come through when we needed to.”

Another alarming trend this season is the number of homers reliever Koji Uehara is allowing. Uehara has been very good this year, but he has surrendered five homers in 29 2/3 innings after serving up five in 44 innings all of last year.

Of the eight runs he has been charged with this season, six have come on home runs.

He started a second inning Tuesday for just the fourth time this season. He has allowed homers in two of those four. In the other two, he didn't allow a run, so it's not necessarily a product of his being gassed in his second inning.

If starter Chris Jakubauskas wants to stay in the rotation, he needs to throw strikes. Period. That's what he did in his first start, when he threw five scoreless innings against the Oakland A's. Tuesday, against the Blue Jays, he walked four, threw a wild pitch and hit a batter. Jakubauskas has walked 11 batters (and struck out just 13) in 23 innings in the majors this season. He walked just 27 batters in 93 big league innings before this year.

The Orioles have starting options with better stuff than Jakubauskas, but they went to him because he is a strike-thrower and that was desperately needed. So he must get back to that his next time out or he may not have a long stay in the rotation.

Manager Buck Showalter was asked whether the team's terrible record at Rogers Centre could be in his players' heads, and he quickly shot back, "No." I can't imagine it is much of a factor. Most players at this level don't think that way -- in fact, I'd be surprised if more than a handful of these Orioles knew that they've lost 15 in a row here (at least until we asked them after the game).

The truth is the Orioles rarely pitch well here against a good offense, and that's a much bigger reason for their woeful play here than anything psychological.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 12:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (23)
        

It obviously was a very busy day at Rogers Centre for the Orioles.

Here are some tidbits for you that you might miss otherwise:

The MRI on pitching prospect Dan Klein's shoulder showed nothing conclusive. He is having continued symptoms, however, and is expected to see Dr. Lewis Yocum in California later this week. Yocum, the team physician of the Los Angeles Angles, is a renowned sports orthopedist. Klein, who was selected in the third round out of UCLA in 2010, was pitching at Double-A Bowie, was shut down June 5 with shoulder stiffness.

Lefty Zach Britton will pitch Friday at Washington and lefty Brian Matusz, who recorded just four outs in his last outing, will start Saturday versus the Nationals.

The Orioles signed two more of their 2011 draft picks: Central Michigan left-hander Trent Howard (seventh round), and University of Illinois-Champaign catcher Adam Davis (11th round). They have now signed six of their 50 picks.

3B Mark Reynolds was in the starting lineup Tuesday. He left Sunday’s game with a bruised left forearm.

RHP Justin Duchscherer (hip) threw a side session on Tuesday in Sarasota without any problems and will throw four to five innings in an extended spring training game Thursday.

2B Brian Roberts (concussion) is stepping up his workout program in Florida, but is not permitted to do baseball activities yet. He’ll see concussion specialist Michael Collins in Pittsburgh on June 21.

SS Cesar Izturis (elbow surgery) reported to Sarasota on Tuesday to begin his rehab program.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

Mark Connor, who has been with Buck Showalter in each of his four stops as manager, resigned as pitching coach, citing personal reasons, the team announced Tuesday.

He was immediately replaced by his longtime friend and the Orioles' bullpen coach, Rick Adair, signaling the organization's 13th big league pitching coach change since 1994. Former hitting coach Terry Crowley flew into Toronto and will serve as interim bullpen coach for the remainder of the nine-game road trip, which began Tuesday.

Connor, on his way home to Tennessee, did not return phone calls seeking comment. But Showalter said Connor called him at noon Monday, asked to meet with him and explained in an hourlong discussion that he felt he could no longer keep the grueling pace associated with the demanding position.

"I don't think people understand or realize the intensity and the toll that these jobs take on you, especially guys that care like he does," Showalter said. "And he just didn't feel like he was able to provide what was needed, and no one understands what is needed more than Mark Connor."

Connor, 62, has been looking increasingly drained since the season began in April.

"Obviously, this is not something he pulled out of the air," Showalter said. "He had been thinking about it."

The Orioles' pitching staff and two catchers were summoned to Showalter's hotel room Monday night in Toronto and told of the coaching changes.

"It was a surprise to all of us, I believe," starter Jeremy Guthrie said. "He'll be missed. We enjoyed our time, as little as it was, to work with him. We were starting to get a glimpse of all the things that Buck had said about him and his reputation as being a tremendous pitching coach as well as just a great person to work with. It's too bad his time was so short with each one of us. We were learning a lot from him."

Connor was in his first year with the Orioles after spending two seasons in player development with the Texas Rangers. He previously was the pitching coach for the New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, Toronto Blue Jays and Rangers, serving under Showalter in New York, Arizona and Texas.

The Orioles' 4.22 ERA was 11th in the American League this season, down from 4.59 at the end of 2010.

Connor turns the keys to the staff over to Adair, a former minor league pitcher who has served seven previous years as a big league pitching coach with the Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers and, the previous two seasons, with the Seattle Mariners.

It was considered a coup this offseason when the Orioles landed Adair as bullpen coach when many in the game thought he would find another job leading a staff. But Adair's relationships with Showalter and especially Connor, whom Adair viewed as a mentor, drew him to Baltimore.

"[Connor] was one of the biggest reasons, there is no doubt," Adair said. "Plus the fact that competing against this club for the last couple of years, you saw a lot of ability here. So that was very intriguing."

Now it will be his pitching staff, though he said he doesn't expect to change what Connor was attempting to accomplish.

"I think we both have a lot of the same ideas and, I don't like the word philosophy, but the same thoughts on how to do things," said Adair, who was visibly upset while talking to reporters about Connor. "Obviously, Goose is more experienced than I am, and if I can be half of what he has been, I'll be OK."

Both Guthrie and Showalter said the transition from Connor to Adair should be "seamless," considering how closely the two worked together this year and in the past (Adair was the Rangers' minor league pitching coordinator while Connor was the major league coach).

"They have the track record they do everywhere they have been. All you've got to do is look over at Texas and the wealth and pitching talent that's there," Showalter said. "That part of it, I don't think will be [difficult]. But everything is a little different, obviously, a different approach. But Rick will tell you he learned a lot of his stuff from Mark."

This is the first time since 2004 -- when Ray Miller replaced Mark Wiley -- that the Orioles have made a pitching coach change in-season. But this time it's internal.

"Goose and Rick were on the same page, so it shouldn't be a tough transition for us," reliever Jim Johnson said. "We are going to miss Goose, that's for sure. But having Rick is definitely a competent replacement, for sure."

Asked whether Monday was bittersweet -- his good friend left, but he would be taking over a staff again -- Adair said: "Right now, more bitter. I don't know if there is any sweet to this at all because he's a good friend and a good man. And I'll miss him."

Posted by Dan Connolly at 7:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

As expected, the Orioles took first baseman Derrek Lee off the bereavement list.

He was in California last weekend attending the funeral of his grandfather.

Lee has batted .229 (40-175) with four home runs and 15 RBI in 45 games for the Orioles.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 12:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The bar has re-opened after its longest hiatus in three-plus years.

Sorry. Won’t happen again. At least I hope not.

I can blame the lapse partially on our blogging software problems; no point of opening when we couldn’t receive your thoughts for a comment-driven blog.

But that’s just part of the story. When Connolly’s Bar was created in March 2008 the purpose was to interact with all of you. Mainly, we’d talk sports, but we’d also dig into other things like music and books. And there have been plenty of times where we’ve gotten personal – where I’ve shared some things from my life or you have from yours.

This is one of those times. Stick with me if you like. We’ll get back to sporting issues later this week.

Late at night on May 15, my mother, Ann Margaret Barber Connolly, passed away at St. Joseph’s Medical Center from complications stemming from an infection. She died one day after her 81st birthday. She had battled health problems for years, but the end still was a surprise. Even at 81, her death came too quickly for all of us that loved her so.

I wrote the eulogy for the funeral, and frankly, that was all the writing I could do that week. I returned the following week to cover baseball and try to return to normalcy. Who knew a Royals-Orioles series could be cathartic?

It was – and so was the support from my friends, co-workers, bosses and even select readers who somehow heard about my loss. I knew I’d eventually want to write a little about my mother in this space and share with the people who have been coming here regularly since 2008. Call it the barkeep’s time to bend an ear.

Today seems like an appropriate time. The Orioles were off Monday, so there’s no game to discuss. I am in a Toronto hotel room awaiting the three-game series to start Tuesday night, so I have some time to reflect. And Monday would have been my parents’ 58th wedding anniversary, so there’s some real significance there, too.

Truth be told, my mother didn’t grow up with sports. It was just her and her mother through most of her adolescence, and sports didn’t play much of a part in their lives. Then, in 1951, she met my dad, who grew up playing baseball just about every day, anywhere he could in Baltimore.

Their first two children were sons, and they became baseball/football/basketball crazy. My mother, who had a mind of her own in many matters, relented and joined the sports frenzy -- as did much of Maryland in the 1950s and 1960s.

By the time my sisters were growing up, the Connolly household had become a full-fledged, sports-nuts home. Then I was born in 1969, the last of five. My good, Irish Catholic parents may have originally had sights on creating their own baseball team but settled on enough kids to field a starting basketball squad.

I can’t tell you how many sporting events of ours that my mother and father attended. Way too many to count.

I once asked my mother if she liked sports, and she joked that she had no choice with the man she married and the kids she had. But she sure seemed to enjoy it. If she didn’t, she never complained, since attending Orioles games at Memorial Stadium was one of our primary rituals every summer.

My mom had a way of talking to everyone and making everybody feel comfortable. One of our favorite family stories revolves around my mom and baseball. At some point near Christmastime 1954, my father and mother waited in a line to get an autographed baseball for my brother Jerry, who was an infant. They thought it would be a nice keepsake.

Orioles pitcher Bob Turley, who started the Orioles’ first game at Memorial Stadium that inaugural season, was signing, and when my mom reached the front of the line she informed Turley about the reason she was there.

Turley had an infant of his own (or his wife was expecting, that detail is a little cloudy), and the two began swapping baby stories. The rest of the line waited patiently and my dad surely rolled his eyes. But that was my mom – a story and a smile and a connection to everything.

My mom loved stories – for hours upon hours she’d read to me while I was a pre-kindergartener and my brothers and sisters were in school. She loved words and music and writing. She loved movies and the theater and passed on all of those interests to me. She was the artsy one in the family, and I sort of followed her lead. Of course, I didn’t stray too far from the family’s mutual interest in sports, either.

It’s impossible to put into words – even for a professional writer – the impact a mother can have on a son or daughter. Simply immeasurable. All I know is my mom always pushed me to follow my dreams, no matter the odds. She couldn’t have been happier when I became a writer, a journalist, and, eventually, a sportswriter for my hometown paper covering the team that my mom and dad would always take us to see during those glorious summers.

My dad, who turned 80 late last month and is trying to cope without his best friend of the past 60 years, is the one who loved baseball. But my mom was the one who really loved life, and, in turn, embraced sports because that’s what her kids and husband enjoyed. She read most of the newspaper stories I wrote, even though she didn’t care about that insurance run in the eighth or the reliever’s balky elbow.

She read because she was my mom. And it was her way of supporting me after I married and had a family of my own.

I am not sure there’s a life lesson here. I guess the point is to acknowledge that we can be shaped by many people – including our own kids – but that the ones who have the most impact shower us with unconditional love. They support us and guide us and don’t ask for anything in return.

That’s what a mom does, I guess. And my mother did it better than anyone I’ve ever known.

Daily Think Special: Who shaped your love for sports?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (34)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar
        

As reported earlier on this blog, the Orioles are looking to pursue a contract extension for shortstop J.J. Hardy (read the full story here).

Hardy's performance at the plate has been a welcome change for an Orioles team that had grown accustomed to getting little or no offensive production from its shortstop. Though Cesar Izturis did a fine job defensively the past two years, Orioles shortstops ranked in the bottom four in the 14-team American League in just about every significant offensive category since 2008. Last year, Orioles shortstops, which included Izturis, Robert Andino and Julio Lugo, were second to last in the AL in batting average (.236), on-base percentage (.277) and homers (one) and last in slugging percentage (.272), on-base plus slugging percentage (.549) and RBIs (31).

Here's a look at how Orioles shortstops have fared in the major offensive categories since 2008, compared with Hardy's numbers in 36 games this season (in parentheses, where those numbers ranked in the 14-team American League). Hardy technically does not qualify among AL shortstops because he has only 129 at-bats, so for these purposes, players with 120 or more at-bats are counted.

Year Avg.    HRs  RBIs OBP      SLG        OPS
2008   .218 (14) 2 (T13) 44 (14) .259 (14) .276 (14)  .535 (14)
2009   .249 (11) 4 (14)   40 (14) .290 (12)  .323 (13)  .613 (12)
2010   .236 (13) 1 (13)   31 (14) .277 (13)  .272 (14)  .549 (14)
Hardy   .287 (5) 6 (T4)   19 (10) .363 (2)     .473 (3)     .836 (3)

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail acknowledged that the club has had internal discussions about a potential extension for J.J. Hardy and he’s hoping to initiate contract talks with the shortstop’s agent before next month’s All-Star break.

“There’s no reason why he wouldn’t be an asset here for years to come,” MacPhail said. “I definitely think we’ll have conversations. There’s no question about it. The closer you get for free agency, the more difficult it is for players to want that extension. I think it’s something that we definitely targeted before the All-Star break to talk about.”

Hardy, who said during spring training that he’d like to play with his new team for a couple of months before making any decisions about his future, said that he and his agent are open to discussions about an extension.

“I think some of it has to do with what my agent thinks, but I do like it here. I’m not afraid to say that,” said Hardy, who was acquired from the Minnesota Twins in December for minor league relievers Jim Hoey and Brett Jacobson. “I like all the guys, I like playing for [manager Buck Showalter], I like all the coaches. I like the direction that this organization is going. But I’ve always said that it has to be brought up in order to figure out what I want to do. It’s never really been brought up either way, so I don’t know. I feel like something has to happen. I think everyone knows that something has to happen here in the next couple of months.”

Hardy, 28, will be a free agent after the season, so it stands to reason, that if the Orioles don’t feel like they can resign him to an extension – and that is their priority at this point – then they’ll try to move him before the July 31 trade deadline.

Hardy, who missed nearly a month with an oblique injury, has certainly played well enough to garner interest from contenders. After getting two more hits Sunday, Hardy is batting .287 with six homers and 19 RBIs in 36 games. He has reached base in 19 of his past 20 games and has hit .375 (6-for-16) with two homers since being inserted into the leadoff role in Brian Roberts’ absence.

Defensively, Hardy has yet to make an error, the only American League shortstop who has started 15 or more games at the position and can make that claim.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 1:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (26)
        

I’m assuming the prevailing topic on today’s off day will be Brian Matusz's issues. I’m not sure I have much more to add to the debate that wasn’t included in today’s newspaper, either in my game story or in Kevin Cowherd’s column. However, I will say that the people suggesting that the young lefty just had one bad outing are missing the point. I’ve written this before, but I didn’t think Matusz looked like himself from the early days of spring training. However, I chalked that up to his having trouble grasping some mechanical changes that pitching coach Mark Connor had suggested. The reports about his velocity and the crispness of his stuff weren’t good in his rehab outings. And regardless of what his numbers looked like in his first two starts of the season against two bad offensive ballclubs, the quality of his pitches was way down from what you are accustomed to seeing from Matusz. It could be any number of things. Matusz still could be uncomfortable with his mechanics. He may still be regaining arm strength. He still may be a little rusty, and he still could be a little timid letting the ball go. Or it could be an injury issue, though Matusz says that he is 100 percent healthy. Either way, the concern has to be that there’s been little to no improvement in his pitch quality from one outing to the next. You expect Matusz to have some struggles as he gets back into the swing of things, but you also have every expectation to see some progress, and the Orioles haven’t seen that.

There have been plenty of people, me included, who have been banging the drums for outfielder Felix Pie to get more playing time. I'd still like to see him out there because I think his speed and athleticism add dimensions the Orioles need more of, but I don’t think I’m being overly harsh when I say that Pie has really not done much in the opportunities he has had. I don’t say that as a reaction to his failing to come up with Ben Zobrist's ninth-inning triple Saturday, leading to Kevin Gregg's blown save. It was a tough play, and while Pie should have made it, his defense has been mostly solid. I’m also going to ignore his latest base-running blunder Sunday. But his offense has been a major disappointment. Pie is hitting .240 over 96 at-bats with no homers and five RBIs. He has just five extra-base hits and still hasn’t drawn a walk. He has just one steal in two attempts, and he’s sporting a .240 on-base percentage. With Derrek Lee returning Tuesday and Luke Scott moving back to left field, it’s really hard to foresee Pie getting much playing time going forward barring an injury to an outfielder. It will be interesting to see whether the Orioles trade Pie before the July 31 nonwaiver trade deadline.

The Orioles' defense was just atrocious the final two games of the Tampa Bay series. Center fielder Adam Jones failed to make a couple of plays, Pie didn’t make that one big play, first baseman Brandon Snyder struggled Saturday night and third baseman Mark Reynolds' defensive issues are becoming a real concern. His 14 errors give him the league lead. It’s not a stretch to say that bad defense cost the Orioles six or seven runs over those final two games. For a team that doesn’t get consistently good starting pitching and gets very few breakout games from the offense, defensive breakdowns will beat them just about every time.

This play didn’t result in a run, but I can’t imagine it endeared catcher Craig Tatum to Buck Showalter and the coaching staff either. With Casey Kotchman on third base in the third inning, Alfredo Simon threw a pitch that got away from Tatum and rolled toward the Orioles’ dugout. Tatum, obviously assuming that Kotchman was going to score easily -- and he should have -- kind of sauntered after the ball as it rolled toward the dugout. It wound up stopping against the dugout netting, and Kotchman never broke for home, which was lucky for Tatum, who initially had given up on the play.

One thing that I’ve always tried to avoid -- especially from my seat in the press box -- is lecturing fans on how to act and how to spend their money. However, I don’t think I’m crossing the line too much when I question why Orioles fans aren’t a little more aggressive in going after potential souvenirs, particularly ones hit by the home team that are close to the field of play. There were two instances in Saturday’s loss in which the Orioles could have used a little help from their fans. Sure, Rays left fielder Justin Ruggiano made a nice play to elevate over the left-field wall and take back a home run by J.J. Hardy in the seventh inning. But why did the fan seated in the front row -- dressed in Orioles gear, by the way -- pull away from the ball and allow Ruggiano a free run at it? Hardy and hitting coach Jim Presley certainly would have liked an answer to that question. That ball was over the wall and fair game for a fan. Also that night, Kotchman was able to reach about three rows into the seats to try and catch a foul ball without being impeded even a little. I’d be the last one to advocate a fan's interfering with a ball in play, but there’s no harm making a play on a ball coming down in the seats.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (62)
        

Orioles manager Buck Showalter made no effort to sugarcoat Brian Matusz's performance in the Orioles' 9-6 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays today, and he didn't commit to the young lefty making his next start.

“It’s pretty much the same as the first two outings," Showalter said. "He had a good statistical return but he just wasn’t able to defend himself today – running game and stuff-wise. We kept hoping he might find his stride a little bit, but fortunately [Alfredo] Simon was there to keep us in the game. The thing that’s frustrating is, there was a game there to be won, even after the tough start for him.”

Matusz has now made three big league starts and six rehab ones, including the two outings at extended spring training. Asked if the club should have seen improvement by now, Showalter said, "There should, there should. Yeah. He’s telling us he feels fine. Just not a whole lot coming out right now.”

Showalter was particularly peeved about Matusz's inability to hold runners. The Rays stole four bases on Matusz and catcher Craig Tatum and it should have been five had not second base umpire Jim Reynolds blown a call. This has been an issue since spring training and Showalter and pitching coach Mark Connor are clearly not pleased with the attention that the young lefty is paying to the matter.

"He keeps telling us he can read them," Showalter said. "It’s been a challenge for him. Maybe we’ll be able to get his attention a little bit more.”

Matusz said after the game that he was 100 percent healthy, but the Rays certainly weren't convinced.

"I think there may be something not quite right with Matusz," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "I'm certain he's not feeling 100 percent."

Johnny Damon, who led off the game with a homer off Matusz, also remarked that Matusz's fastball lacked its usual zip. He topped out at 88 on the stadium radar gun, but there were quite a few 86's and 87's mixed in there.

As for third baseman Mark Reynolds, he left the game with a left forearm contusion after he was drilled by Sean Rodriguez's hard grounder in the fifth. X-rays taken were negative. Reynolds will get treatment on tomorrow's off day and is hopeful of playing in Tuesday's series opener in Toronto.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

Orioles Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson is not expected to make an appearance at the high school all-star game named for him that will be played after today after the Orioles-Rays game at Camden Yards.

The Brooks Robinson All-Star Game features the best players from each region of the state.

Robinson, who missed the announcement of the rosters on Wednesday, issued a statement Saturday to address recent questions about his health:

"As you may recall, I was hospitalized in April for a routine procedure. I was recently hospitalized for a follow up procedure, also routine, and am expecting that I will undergo two additional procedures over the next several months that will provide me with a complete recovery from a prior abdominal surgery.

"These are routine and expected procedures and I continue to remain cancer free. My wife, Connie and I are asking for privacy with respect to my medical care. Thank you for your kindness."

Following Wednesday's all-star announcement, Mount St. Joseph coach David Norton, who has served as chairman of the game since 1987, said it was only the second time he could remember Robinson not appearing at the announcement of the rosters.

In late March before he was supposed to undergo routine surgery, Robinson developed a fever and infection and was taken to GBMC, according to a statement he released shortly after being admitted. He stayed about two weeks. On April 23, a little more than a week after he left the hospital, he appeared at a memorabilia show at the Hilton in Pikesville.

Robinson was treated for prostate cancer in 2009, but has announced several times, including Saturday, that he remains cancer-free.

Posted by Baltimore Sun sports at 4:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

If team officials weren't worried about young lefty Brian Matusz before today, they certainly have to be now.

Matusz lasted just 1 1/3 innings today, allowing four runs on five hits and four walks. The Rays also stole four bases because of Matusz's inability to hold baserunners, and it should have been five but second base umpire Jim Reynolds incorrectly called Johnny Damon out in the second inning. That was the only out Matusz would get in the frame.

It was the shortest start in a non-injury situation in Matusz's career. It also could have been much worse, but Alfredo Simon relieved him with the bases loaded and one out in the second and allowed just a B.J. Upton sacrifice fly.

It's 4-2 Rays with the Orioles getting back-to-back homers from Adam Jones and Vladimir Guerrero in the first inning.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 2:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

ORIOLES
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Luke Scott, 1B
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Felix Pie, LF
Ryan Adams, 2B
Craig Tatum, C
Brian Matusz, SP

RAYS
Johnny Damon, DH
Ben Zobrist, RF
Justin Ruggiano, LF
Evan Longoria, 3B
B.J. Upton, CF
Sean Rodriguez, 2B
Casey Kotchman, 1B
Elliot Johnson, SS
Kelly Shoppach, C
Wade Davis, SP

Rookie left-hander Zach Britton was originally supposed to pitch Tuesday's series opener in Toronto, but he has been pushed back into next weekend's series against the Washington Nationals. Chris Jakubauskas will face the Blue Jays that day instead. Britton will pitch next Friday against the Nats.

Britton is not injured, but the Orioles want to take any opportunity available to give the rookie a couple of more days in between starts. The Orioles will limit Britton to approximately 175 innings this year, and he's already at 82. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said that they don't want to be in a position where they have to shut Britton down in August.

"He's in a good spot physically and we want to keep him there," Showalter said.

The Blue Jays also crush left-handed pitching and knocked around Britton earlier this year. The Orioles were going to need a fifth starter next Saturday against the Nationals anyway.

In other news, first baseman Derrek Lee remains on track to come off the bereavement list and rejoin the lineup Tuesday in Toronto. Brandon Snyder is expected to return to Triple-A Norfolk to make roster room.

Justin Duchscherer will throw a bullpen session Tuesday in Sarasota and is then scheduled to throw five innings in an extended spring game Friday.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 10:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

There have probably been times this season where the Orioles clubhouse has been quieter after a loss, but tonight's 7-5 defeat in 11 innings to the Tampa Bay Rays certainly took a toll.

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria lined a one-out, RBI single off Jeremy Accardo in the 11th inning to plate the go-ahead run. However, the Orioles were upset that the game had even gotten to that point.

Thanks to two Mark Reynolds' homers off David Price, including the go-ahead shot in the sixth inning, and a bases-loaded walk by rookie Brandon Snyder in the eighth, the Orioles took a one-run lead into the top of the ninth.

Closer Kevin Gregg, who had converted five straight save opportunities, got the first out before Ben Zobrist lined a triple into left-field. Felix Pie had a long run to get to the ball, but it probably should have been caught. He's certainly made better plays than that. Gregg then walked Matt Joyce before retiring Longoria on an infield pop-up. But he couldn't put away Casey Kotchman who dropped the game-tying RBI single into center field.

"Every time it slips away, it's frustrating," said Gregg who blew his fourth save in 16 opportunities. "You try and make your pitches and hopefully the ball bounces your way. ... Kotchman goes down and hits a liner to center field. There's not much to say about it. But, you know, he pops that ball up, we're good."

It's easy to look put the game on Gregg for blowing another save, but the Orioles defense really cost the club tonight, while the Rays made two huge plays late in the game.

Lefti fielder Justin Ruggiano elevated over the wall to rob J.J. Hardy of a homer in the seventh. After Brandon Snyder's bases-loaded walk in the eighth gave the Orioles a 5-4 lead, Hardy hit a hard one hopper that Rays shortstop Reid Brignac made a great sprawling stop on and then got the out at second to end the inning. That ball gets by him and the Orioles have a three-run lead to take into the bottom of the eighth.

"The play there their shortstop made on Hardy, I thought that was a big play," said Orioles manager Buck Showalter. "[It] could have opened it up a little bit for us and given us a margin for error. Defense I think more than anything might have been the difference maker for us tonight, a couple plays, really three plays we didn’t quite make.”

I'm guessing the three players Showalter was referring to was Pie's failure to catch Zobrist's liner in the ninth, Snyder's inability to field Robert Andino's bouncing throw that got by him and scored the tying run in the seventh, and Snyder's inability to handle Zobrist's leadoff double in the 11th. Zobrist eventually scored the go-ahead run.

As for one positive, Reynolds now has six homers in his last 11 games, and a team-leading 12 homers and 35 RBIs on the season. He hit a solo shot off Price in the fifth inning and then the two-run shot off him in the sixth. That came on a 3-0 fastball.

"I haven’t gotten the green light all year to be honest with you," he said. "But we’re down a run with a guy on. I’ve been swinging the bat pretty good so why not? I was kind of happy that he gave it to me. I know he doesn’t want to put a runner in scoring position right there so he gave me a heater right there."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

Orioles Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson today put out a statement to address recent questions about his health:

"As you may recall, I was hospitalized in April for a routine procedure. I was recently hospitalized for a follow up procedure, also routine, and am expecting that I will undergo two additional procedures over the next several months that will provide me with a complete recovery from a prior abdominal surgery.

"These are routine and expected procedures and I continue to remain cancer free. My wife, Connie and I are asking for privacy with respect to my medical care. Thank you for your kindness."

Robinson's health became an issue when the Hall-of-Famer was missing from the press conference this week to introduce the rosters for the 30th annual Brooks Robinson High School All-Star Game.

Following Wednesday's all-star announcement, Mount St. Joseph coach David Norton, who has served as chairman of the game since 1987, said it was only the second time he could remember Robinson not appearing at the announcement of the rosters.

In his opening remarks at the Warehouse at Camden Yards, local sportscaster Keith Mills touched on why Robinson was not present.

"And the reason Brooks is not here today is because, as many of you know, he is battling a very, very serious illness and [is] a little under the weather once again," Mills said. "I know I speak for all of you in wishing the best for Brooks as he continues this incredible fight that he has partaken the last couple of years."

In late March before he was supposed to undergo routine surgery, Robinson developed a fever and infection and was taken to GBMC, according to a statement he released shortly after being admitted. He stayed about two weeks. On April 23, a little more than a week after he left the hospital, he appeared at a memorabilia show at the Hilton in Pikesville.

Robinson was treated for prostate cancer in 2009, but has announced several times, including today, that he remains cancer-free.

The Brooks Robinson All-Star Game, which features the best players from each region of the state, will be played Sunday at Camden Yards after the Orioles' 1:35 p.m. game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

The Orioles lineup tonight versus the Tampa Bay Rays and starter David Price, one of the league's elite left-handers.

J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Matt Wieters, C
Nolan Reimold, LF
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Robert Andino, 2B
Brandon Snyder, 1B
Jeremy Guthrie, SP

In other news, the Orioles have agreed to terms with the following draft picks: Matt Taylor (5th round), Cameron Edmund (29th round), Zachary Fowley (34th round), and Jerome Pena (38th round).

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Since we just finished up with the draft and the Orioles selection of high-schooler Dylan Bundy with the fourth overall pick, it’s worth looking at what another former No. 4 overall choice of the Orioles is doing.

You might want to hide the women and children before you look at this. It isn’t pretty.

Adam Loewen, whom the Orioles selected fourth overall in 2002 as a can’t miss pitcher, is now tearing it up as an outfielder for the Las Vegas 51s, the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Keep in mind that Las Vegas is a hitters’ heaven and that offensive numbers are often inflated in the Pacific Coast League in general. Still, here’s what Loewen has accomplished in his first 55 games this year: .324 average, .387 on-base percentage, .590 slugging. He’s hit 22 doubles, two triples and 10 homers while driving in 42 runs and scoring 26. The right fielder also has four stolen bases.

In case you had forgotten, a little background: The 6-foot-6, left-handed Loewen was 8-8 with a 5.38 ERA in 35 games with the Orioles from 2006 to 2008. But he was felled by stress fractures in his left elbow. He could have tried surgery again in 2008, but there were no guarantees he’d ever be healthy. So he decided to try his hand as a hitter.

The Orioles took him off their 40-man roster in the 2008 offseason, expecting to re-sign him for the hitting experiment. But he received a call from one of his heroes as a kid, Cito Gaston, who suggested Loewen sign with the Blue Jays.

Loewen did on October 24, 2008, leaving the Orioles a little bitter, since they had spent so much time and resources (including a $4.02 million contract when they signed him) on Loewen during his pitching career. But, honestly, it seemed like such a long shot that he would make it back to the big leagues that his departure wasn’t a huge deal – even to a division rival.

Well now Loewen appears to be on the precipice of the majors. In fact, he might already be up, but the Blue Jays don’t have a pressing need in the outfield. They could, however, promote him to platoon at DH if they ever soured on Edwin Encarnacion.

The Toronto Sun’s great baseball writer Bob Elliott (a Hall of Famer in the near future) talked to several Canadian baseball people who knew Loewen way back when and passed on the following info and quotes to me. And I pass them to you.

Here you go:

“What he’s so close to accomplishing now, getting back to the majors as a hitter, is more impressive than going in the first round as a pitcher,” said Walt Burrows, Canadian director of the Major League Scouting Bureau. “It’s so much easier going from hitter to a pitcher.”

“Kudos to the Jays for giving him the chance,” Burrows said. “He wasn’t successful right away, he hung with it, especially going from the majors to Dunedin (the Jays’ minor league facility).”

Greg Hamilton, Baseball Canada’s director of national teams, coached Loewen for three years with the junior team.

“He was the best high school player in the world,” said Hamilton. “I truly believe he would have been a first rounder as a hitter and position player if he decided not to pitch in high school.
He played the game with an incredible ease.”

At the 2002 World Junior championships, Loewen played right field -- the Orioles did not want him to pitch -- and hit .713.

Burrows’ job is to examine and dissect a player, grade him and place an overall future potential (OFP) number to give to his bosses.

“I’m not telling you what the number was, but it’s the highest I’ve ever put on a player,” Burrows said. “Adam was 6-foot-5, 215 pounds out of high school, a good hockey and
volleyball player, very athletic. It’s really rare to see guys with speed, size and strength. He was blessed.”

From the time he came to Baltimore as a new draftee, Loewen was a respectful, nice kid. I know he didn’t leave on the greatest of terms, but it is hard not to pull – at least a little -- for his comeback story.

Do you agree?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (38)
        

The night that all of you and Nick Markakis for that matter have long been waiting for finally arrived tonight when the right fielder drove in six of the Orioles' seven runs in a 7-0 series-opening victory over the Tampa Bay Rays at sweltering Camden Yards.

"I guess you could say it was a relief for me, but it was a relief for the whole team," Markakis said. "We got a big hit in a big situation, and we had great pitching and great defense. You play good defense and you pitch, more of the times you win the game."

Markakis hit a two-out grand slam in the second inning on Jeremy Hellickson's first pitch. He then drove a two-run double into the left center field gap off Andy Sonnanstine with two outs in the eighth to give the Orioles a couple of insurance runs.

Before the grand slam, he'd gone 88 at-bats - a streak that dated back to May 15 - without an extra-base hit. That was also the last day that he hit a home run.

"There is still a lot more hard work to come," said Markakis who took extra batting practice before tonight's game. "I’m feeling better, but I still don’t feel like I’m where I need to be. You have to keep plugging away. You have to take it game-by-game, and at-bat by at-bat. You can’t worry about what has happened and what’s coming."

The six RBIs were a career high for Markakis, and also a season high for any Oriole this season. He entered the night with just 19 RBIs and with just six RBIs in his previous 27 games.

“Everybody knows the work that Nick’s been putting in,” said Orioles manager Buck Showalter. “He feels such a responsibility to the team and the Orioles. We see it. He doesn’t wear it on his sleeve, but he grinds it, almost to a fault. That’s what you love him. He’s a piece for us, the things he does to give himself a chance to be successful. I thought the second hit for him was about as big as the first one. We’ll see where it carries. It was a nice moment for him in a big situation in the game.”

Jake Arrieta also had a great outing, throwing seven shutout innings and carrying a no-hitter into the sixth inning. But on this night, he and everyone else in the Orioles clubhouse were content talking about Markakis.

“I’m real happy for Nick to get that hit,” Arrieta said. “I feel like he’s been one hit away like that. That’s just great for him. He’s a guy that I always want at the plate with guys on base, no matter what the situation is. Regardless of his struggles, he’s a very, very good hitter. And tonight he showed it.”

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Jake Arrieta had one of the best performances of his young career on Friday against the Tampa Bay Rays.

He threw seven shutout innings, allowing just two hits and three walks while striking out four.

He didn't allow a hit through five innings before Sam Fuld led off the sixth with a double. Justin Ruggiano followed with an infield single, but Arrieta got a pop-up and an inning-ending double play on an excellent snag and flip by second baseman Robert Andino.

Arrieta had pitched seven innings just one other time this season. He had only one other shutout outing this year -- six innings in a win against Minnesota on April 19.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 10:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Nick Markakis broke his streak of at-bats without an extra base hit in a big way tonight.

In the second inning Friday, Markakis hit a Jeremy Hellickson 0-0 pitch onto the flag court, just over the scoreboard in right, to give the Orioles a 5-0 lead against the Tampa Bay Rays.

It was Markakis’ third career grand slam and first since April 17, 2009.

It was his first homer since the fifth inning of the May 15 game against the Rays in St. Pete.

Amazingly, that was his last extra-base hit until tonight’s grand slam, a span of 88 at-bats without an extra-base hit.

We knew that streak of futility would eventually end – in it did in a huge way.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 9:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

The Orioles have contacted the agent of infielder Bill Hall, but the club’s interest is considered tepid at this point.

If they had received worse news about second baseman Brian Roberts’ status earlier this week – Roberts was re-examined by a concussion specialist, is progressing and potentially could return before the all-star break – the Orioles would have been more interested in Hall.

Still, if Hall were willing to accept a minor-league deal, the Orioles likely would have interest in the veteran of 10 big-league seasons.

Hall, 33, was released by the Houston Astros on June 3 after hitting .224 with two homers in 147 at-bats. He hit .247 with 18 homers in 344 at-bats with the Boston Red Sox last season.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

It's not raining hard yet in Baltimore, but it's coming. The tarp is on the field, the fans have gone for cover and Peter Gabriel's Red Rain is playing over the loudspeaker.

A delay has been announced. Not sure how long it will last. But the game will not start on time.

Update: The tarp has been peeled off the field and the Orioles have announced that tonight's first pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

ORIOLES
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Matt Wieters, C
Luke Scott, 1B
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Felix Pie, LF
Robert Andino, 2B
Jake Arrieta, SP

Triple-A Norfolk first baseman Brandon Snyder has officially been recalled with Derrek Lee going on the bereavement list. Snyder may be in a for a short stay as Lee is expected back by Tuesday's series opener in Toronto at the latest.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Looks like utility man Jake Fox has cleared waivers.

He has been outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk. He is expected to report there this weekend.

So he will stay in the organization.

There was some thought that the Pittsburgh Pirates might try to claim him, since their top three catchers are injured. But Fox is viewed as an emergency catcher and nothing else. So the Pirates, and everyone else, passed.

He gives the Orioles a solid bat in the minors now.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 1:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

The Orioles are coming off a three-game sweep over the Oakland Athletics in which they totaled 11 runs. Their task will get much more difficult starting today with the Rays in town and one of the hottest pitchers in the major leagues on the mound.

Jeremy Hellickson, a 24-year-old right-hander, is 7-3 with a 2.64 ERA. He has won six of his last seven starts and not given up a run in three of them. His best performance during that stretch came on May 13 against the Orioles when he pitched a complete-game, three-hitter in the Rays' 3-0 victory at Tropicana Field.

In his last two starts, Hellickson has surrendered just one earned run on just six hits and three walks while striking out 10 in 14 1/3 innings. In six starts since the beginning of May, Hellickson is 5-1 with a 1.35 ERA.

OK, I'm sure you get the point. The kid is pitching as well as anyone. He's also 3-0 with a 1.25 ERA in four career outings against the Orioles.

The Orioles are 5-4 against the Rays this season with the road team winning all three series. They are 3-10 against the rest of the American League East.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Orioles minor league pitching coordinator Alan Dunn has been hired to serve as the new pitching coach at Louisiana State University. Dunn interviewed yesterday for the job and he was viewed as the clear frontrunner throughout the hiring process.

A press conference officially announcing the hire will take place this afternoon in Baton Rouge, La.

Dunn, a 49-year-old Alabama native, spent the previous three full seasons as the Orioles bullpen coach. Not offered a spot on manager Buck Showalter’s 2011 coaching staff, Dunn instead accepted the minor league pitching coordinator job, which had been formerly held by Dave Schmidt, who is now the coordinator of Sarasota Operations.

Dunn joined the Orioles coaching staff in August 2007 when then manager Dave Trembley hired him as the bullpen coach. Dunn had been the minor league pitching coordinator of the Chicago Cubs at the time, and worked in the Cubs organization for 15 seasons.

LSU head coach Paul Mainieri has extensive ties to the Cubs organization and Dunn was immediately considered one of the frontrunners for the pitching coach job, which opened when David Grewe left after three seasons to pursue other opportunities.

The Orioles aren’t expected to hire a replacement for Dunn until after the season.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

I am now hearing that the Pittsburgh Pirates claiming Jake Fox tomorrow isn't a slam dunk. In fact, it doesn't appear likely now.

The sense is they like his bat, but they don't think he is reliable enough behind the plate to catch a lot -- which is what they need now that starter Chris Snyder is lost for the season with a back injury that will require surgery.

As a stop-gap, if Snyder was out for 15 days or so, Fox seemed fine. As a potential starter, you have to think the Pirates won't go there.

Backup Dusty Brown is not considered particularly adept with the glove either, so Fox would be redundant in Pittsburgh.

So we can assume the Pirates are now trolling for a more defensive-minded catcher and it's probably back to 50-50 that Fox gets through waivers and is sent to Triple-A Norfolk.

We'll know something for sure Friday afternoon.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 7:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
        

The Orioles haven't made a final decision yet, but the expectation is that Triple-A Norfolk first baseman Brandon Snyder will join the team in time for tomorrow night's game with Derrek Lee on the bereavement list.

If this is the direction the Orioles go, it will be Snyder's second stint with the team this season. It may be a little shorter than the first as Lee, who is in Sacramento to attend the services for his grandfather, is expected to rejoin the club no later than Tuesday's series opener in Toronto.

Snyder is hitting .253 with eight homers and 26 RBIs in 48 games for the Tides. In five games for the Orioles this season, Snyder, 24, went 2-for-9 with a double.

In other minor league news, first baseman Joe Mahoney, the organization's reigning Minor League Player of the Year, will likely resume playing for Single-A Frederick this week before rejoining Double-A Bowie on Tuesday. Mahoney has played in only 10 games this season because of a variety of injuries.

Keys outfielder Trent Mummey and first baseman Tyler Townsend will both go on the minor league disabled list with hamstring pulls. They'll likely be out through the Carolina League All-Star break, which starts June 20.

Former top pick Matt Hobgood said on his Twitter feed that he'll throw a simulated game tomorrow in Sarasota, Fla. Hobgood has been rehabbing a shoulder injury.

Jason Berken allowed two earned runs on six hits and two walks while striking out five over five innings today in Triple-A Norfolk's 4-2 victory over Pawtucket. He now has a 3.86 ERA since his demotion from the Orioles.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 5:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Minors
        

Here's a look at what other media outlets have said about the Orioles in the past week:

• Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman evaluates MLB’s 12 new managers and how they’re faring. He gave O’s manager Buck Showalter a sparkling review:

He changed the culture last year, proving he was exactly the right man to shake up the moribund organization. Unfortunately, they are one of many teams beset by injuries, in their case to several infielders and pitchers (even so, they are only 5 ½ games behind the Red Sox in the impossible AL East). In the end, he may be the best choice of all. An expansion of the playoffs would be something else to cheer in Baltimore.

• Steve Melewski talked to Baseball America’s Jim Callis about the signability of Orioles’ top pick Dylan Bundy. Callis said while it may come late, it will happen.

Callis fully expects the negotiations to go smoothly and lead to the O's getting Bundy signed.

"They may be looking at it from a standpoint and I said this about guys like Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg, you are a prisoner of your own talent," Callis said. "Dylan Bundy is so good that they are going to offer him more money than he can possibly turn down.”

Because Bundy was one of the top picks in the draft, it seems likely that the contract talks will drag out to the last minute.

"Bundy may not sign until August 15 at 11:58 p.m. You just don't take the guy at number four wondering 'I hope we can sign him,'" Callis said. "When you take him at number four, you're committed to getting him signed."

• Yahoo!’s Steve Henson examines famous bloodlines with the players selected in the 2011 MLB Draft. The O’s eighth-round pick, Johnny Ruettinger, is the nephew of Rudy Ruettinger, the subject of the movie “Rudy.”

He's fast enough that teammates called him "Johnny Lightning," but it's only the second-best nickname in the family. His uncle is Dan "Rudy" Ruettiger, the subject of the movie classic "Rudy," about a walk-on football player at Notre Dame who made his only appearance in the last game of his career and recorded a sack.

• SI’s Joe Lemire ranked the O’s 19th in his weekly power rankings, a two-spot leap from last week. He called Showalter’s crew the best cellar dweller in the league.

The Orioles swept the A's in a three-game series for the first time since 2005 -- and first time at home since 1998 -- but, then again, everyone is sweeping Oakland these days. Baltimore, at 29-31, is by far baseball's best last-place team, again mired behind a stout class of AL East teams. But its current place 5 1/2 games out of first is the closest they've been to the top of the division on the morning of June 9 since it led the East on that date in 2005. Last year the O's were 22 games out already and over the past five years they've been an average of 11 1/2 games behind first in the division.

[Compiled by Chris Branch, but if you enjoy reading these posts about the Orioles, Ravens and other Baltimore sports, check out Matt Vensel’s Coffee Companion posts every morning, Monday-Friday.]

Posted by Matt Vensel at 4:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: What They're Saying about the O's
        

We mentioned this Wednesday, but it seems even more appropriate now. It would be a real surprise if Jake Fox, who is on waivers, gets past the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Pittsburgh Tribune Review is reporting that starting catcher Chris Snyder (lower back injury) will be placed on the disabled list today and will be replaced on the roster by catcher Wyatt Toregas.

Toregas, at least temporarily, will back up Dusty Brown, who was summoned when catcher Ryan Doumit fractured his ankle. The Pirates’ third catcher, Jason Jaramillo, is on the minor league disabled list with an elbow injury.

So, at this point, the Pirates will have their No. 4 and No. 5 catchers on their big league roster. We all know Jake Fox isn’t Johnny Bench, but he should be able to crack that rotation.

The Pirates were interested in claiming Fox this spring -- it seemed like he hit 40 homers against them in March -- but he wasn’t put on waivers. I was told by an industry source this week that the Bucs weren’t interested in trading for Fox this week because they didn’t have an obvious place for him.

Now they do, and he wouldn’t cost them a player. One other thing to remember here: The Pirates are playing. 500 ball, and since the waiver wire goes in reverse order of the standings -- it is not specific to league -- there are roughly a dozen teams that will have an earlier crack at Fox.

A claim, if there is one, should be announced by Friday afternoon. If he isn’t claimed, Fox will be outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk.

A few more things:

Here’s a note to major league baseball’s struggling teams: Don’t come to Baltimore if you want to keep your management.

Today, the Oakland A’s fired Bob Geren after his team was swept by the Orioles on Wednesday and replaced him with former Arizona Diamondbacks manager (and former Orioles catcher) Bob Melvin.

Last year, the Florida Marlins fired Fredi Gonzalez after a loss in Baltimore. In 2009, the Toronto Blue Jays fired general manager J.P. Ricciardi after a loss in Baltimore.

Sensing a trend?

By the way, good luck to Melvin, a really good guy who was mentioned as a possibility for the O’s job last year but didn’t get an interview.

The pitching matchups for next week’s games in Toronto is: Tuesday, RHP Carlos Villanueva vs. LHP Zach Britton; Wednesday, LHP Ricky Romero vs. RHP Jake Arrieta; and Thursday, RHP Brandon Morrow vs. RHP Jeremy Guthrie.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 1:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

This might be a blatant overreaction based on a small sample size, but if I’m the Orioles, I’m putting in a call to shortstop J.J. Hardy’s agent and seeing if he has any interest in discussing a two-year contract extension. Hardy, 28, is a free agent after the season. His injury history has to be a concern and he’s already missed one month this season with the oblique issue. However, when he’s been in there, he’s been solid, both with the glove and the bat. The Orioles obviously don’t have anybody in their system that will be ready to start at that position next season, and steady two-way shortstops are hard to find. Why not see if Hardy has an interest in sticking around and bridging the gap to the Manny Machado era, which will probably start in 2013?

I feel like this is as good of a time as any to point out that much-maligned third baseman Mark Reynolds currently leads the Orioles in homers (10), extra-base hits (22), doubles (12) and walks (32, Luke Scott is next with 19). He is tied with Adam Jones for the team lead in RBIs (32), and second to Jones in runs scored (27). He is also third in steals (four). I’m not sure what my point is other than to point out as low as Reynolds’ average is, the Orioles have far bigger problems offensively right now than the guy playing third base.

That May 16th game at Boston sure took a toll on both the Orioles and Red Sox. Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts still hasn’t played since he started experiencing concussion-like symptoms after sliding headfirst into first base for an infield single to start the game. Orioles first baseman Derrek Lee strained an oblique in that game and missed nearly three weeks. Now comes word that Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia hurt his right knee in a fall while fielding that Roberts’ ball, which deflected off Daisuke Matsuzaka's chest. Surgery is reportedly an option for Pedroia.

Somebody should make sure that the organization’s young pitchers watch video of Chris Jakubauskas’ five scoreless innings against Oakland on Tuesday. Look, Jakubauskas isn’t going to wow anybody with his stuff, and if he was facing the Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees Tuesday, it probably would have been a different story. However, albeit against a bad offensive team, Jakubauskas threw strikes, especially with his fastball, moved the ball around and got ahead in counts. As many young Oriole starters have already found out, pitching in the majors isn’t easy. But you at least give yourself a chance by commanding your fastball and not consistently getting behind.

You know what would probably excite Oriole officials? Their affiliates going a full day without losing a prospect to an injury. Last night, Single-A Frederick lost outfielder Trent Mummey and first baseman Tyler Townsend, who has been of the system’s most productive hitters, to hamstring injuries. A night earlier, Steve Johnson, who has been very good lately for Double-A Bowie, was forced out of the game after he was hit by a comebacker. Top prospect Manny Machado, a shortstop for Single-A Delmarva, just returned this week after missing about a month with a dislocated kneecap. Top pitching prospect Dan Klein, who has been dominant at Single-A Frederick and Double-A Bowie, is still experiencing right shoulder soreness and will have an MRI Monday. Pitching prospects Ryan Berry, Matt Hobgood and Luis Lebron are still in throwing programs and rehabbing injuries, while Brandon Erbe recently had a setback in his quest to return from shoulder surgery. First baseman Joe Mahoney, the organization’s minor league player of the year last season, has played in just 10 games this season because of a variety of injuries. I’m sure I’m missing a couple of guys too, but the point is that it’s tough for your farm system to make any progress when its top players can’t get or stay on the field.

There was some good news for Triple-A Norfolk last night as Brad Bergesen, in his second start for the Tides, threw a complete-game shutout, limiting Pawtucket to four hits and one walk while striking out eight. He has allowed one earned run in 15 innings since his demotion, though he did walk six guys in his first start. Now, it’s Chris Tillman’s turn to start putting together some dominant starts.

We wrote this is in our notebook in today’s paper, but the Orioles will likely call up a utility infielder in time for Friday’s game with Lee going on the bereavement list. Norfolk first baseman Brandon Snyder makes the most sense, but I’m told Josh Bell is getting consideration as well. Luke Scott will probably play first base in two of the three games against Tampa Bay, but I doubt they run him out there on Saturday against lefty David Price.

Orioles minor league pitching coordinator Alan Dunn is in Baton Rouge today to interview for the pitching coach job at Louisiana State University. Dunn is expected to get and accept the job on Paul Mainieri’s staff, replacing Tigers pitching coach and recruiting coordinator David Grewe. Dunn, 49, has been in the Orioles organization since late in the 2007 season when then manager Dave Trembley hired him to be the team’s bullpen coach. Before that, Dunn spent 15 seasons in the Chicago Cubs organization. Mainieri has extensive ties with the Cubs organization, and that obviously helped Dunn’s cause. This is a great opportunity for Dunn, who is an Alabama native. He’s a class act and I wish him well.

I assume everybody is pretty sick of talking about the amateur draft. However, one more point I think needs to be made: Don’t expect the Orioles to sign as many of their draft picks as they did the past couple of years. Sure, Director of Amateur Scouting Joe Jordan will want to sign all of his early picks, but some of the later-round guys will probably be out of luck if they dream of starting their pro careers immediately. After getting rid of their team in Rookie League Bluefield and also dumping one of their Dominican Summer League teams, the Orioles simply don’t have places for all these guys to play unless they plan to release about 30 guys currently in the system. So I’m sure Jordan and his scouts will target the guys that they want to sign the most and plan accordingly.

Interesting note today courtesy of Elias: The Orioles' three-game sweep of Oakland - in which they won by scores of 4-2, 4-0 and 3-2 - marked the first time in nine years that the Orioles have won three consecutive games despite scoring four or fewer runs in each of them. The Orioles three starting pitchers the last time that happened in June 2002 were Travis Driskill, Jason Johnson and Sidney Ponson.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 2:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (36)
        

Right-hander Dan Klein, one of the Orioles’ top minor league pitching prospects, is scheduled to have a precautionary MRI of his right shoulder Monday when the Bowie Baysox return home from a road trip.

Klein, 22, has excelled in the minors for the Orioles since being drafted in the third round out of UCLA last year, going from short-season Single-A Aberdeen to Double-A Bowie in a few months.

Used as a reliever with the Baysox, he began experiencing discomfort in the shoulder last week and could not get loose Sunday. He was shut down and placed on the seven-day disabled list. The soreness continued on Wednesday.

Klein had exploratory shoulder surgery in 2009 and missed his sophomore season at UCLA.

We’ll know in 48 hours whether Jake Fox has been claimed off waivers -- and it was assumed there was a 50 percent chance he would be. But that may have gotten a little higher.

The Pittsburgh Pirates, who had interest in Fox this spring, may need another catcher type. Starter Chris Snyder left Wednesday’s game after sliding awkwardly into second base. It was listed as a sore back. Back issues landed Snyder on the DL to start the season.

Only two Maryland high schoolers (not to be confused with college kids who went to high school in Maryland) were selected in this year’s MLB draft, and both were John Carroll kids taken by the Orioles: third baseman Kevin Hockaday in the 14th round and first baseman Brendan Butler in the 50th round.

John Carroll coach Joe Stetka, who is also an associate Orioles scout, couldn’t be prouder. Here are some of Stetka’s thoughts on his senior duo.

On their being drafted: “It is a good day for Maryland and Harford County and for Baltimore. These are two class kids.”

On Hockaday, who is committed to Maryland: “He is built like a thoroughbred; there is not an ounce of fat on him. He is going to be a corner guy or outfielder. We had him at shortstop, but he wasn’t a shortstop. I joked with him that the only time he’d see shortstop down the road is running from second.”

On Butler, who is committed to Towson: “He has a tremendous work ethic and amazing speed -- he ran a 6.5 60-yard dash. He can play third or first, he’s got great hands and footwork. Somebody is not going to be disappointed in him no matter where they put him, whether it is the Orioles or Towson.”

On both of them: “Two kids from the same high school, drafted by the same major league team, their hometown team -- I don’t know what odds are, but it is remarkable. I am just thrilled they have been drafted.”

On both of them again: “These are two of the greatest kids I probably ever coached, and I coached my son, so that is saying something. They made it fun for me. I tried to make it fun for them, but they made it fun for me, too.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 9:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Minors
        

The Orioles finished baseball's 2011 amateur draft Wednesday by making their selections in rounds 31-50.

The club's last pick of the draft was a local player, John Carroll first baseman Brendan Butler. As Jeff Zrebiec wrote earlier in the day, the Orioles also selected University of Maryland right-hander Sander Beck in the 33rd round.

Overall, the Orioles chose 19 right-handed pitchers, nine left-handed pitchers, eight outfielders, four shortstops, four third baseman, four catchers, one first baseman and one second baseman.

Here's the complete list of the team's picks, via a team news release:

ROUND PLAYER POS SCHOOL HOMETOWN D.O.B HT WT B T SCOUT
1 (4) Bundy, Dylan RHP Owasso HS Owasso, OK 11/15/92 6'1 200 S R Jacobs
2 (64) Esposito, Jason 3B Vanderbilt U Bethanny, CT 07/19/90 6'1 198 R R Dorsey
3 (94) Wright, Dennis RHP East Carolina U Laurel Hill, NC 01/03/90 6'5 195 R R Gale
4 (125) Simon, Kyle RHP U Arizona Los Alamitos, CA 08/18/90 6'5 220 R R Gillette
5 (155) Taylor, Matt LHP Middle Georgia Col Midland, GA 04/01/91 6'1 190 R L McConnehead
6 (185) DelMonico, Nicholas 3B Farragut HS Knoxville, TN 07/12/92 6'2 196 L R Dorsey
7 (215) Howard, Trent LHP Central Michigan U Hammond, IN 10/16/89 6'2 200 R L Dorsey
8 (245) Ruettiger, John CF Arizona State U Joilet, IL 09/21/89 6'2 190 L L Gillette
9 (275) Jones, Devin RHP Mississippi State U Eupora, MS 07/04/90 6'2 175 R R Jennings
10 (305) Wilson, Phillip RHP U Virginia Midlothian, VA 09/25/89 6'2 190 R R Gale
11 (335) Davis, Adam CA U. Illinois - Champaign Bloomingdale, IL 12/15/89 6'0 205 R R Dorsey
12 (365) Coats, Jason LF Texas Christian U Allen, TX 02/24/90 6'2 190 R R Jacobs
13 (395) Jones, Derek RF Washington State U Snohomish, WA 06/03/90 6'0 215 L L Verley
14 (425) Hockaday, Kevin 3B John Carroll HS Joppa, MD 04/05/93 6'3 215 R R Albany
15 (455) Wooten, Eric LHP Central Arizona JC Thornton, CO 03/18/90 6'3 180 L L Gillette
16 (485) Blackmar, Mark RHP Temple JC Corpus Christi, TX 04/28/92 6'2 210 R R Dreier
17 (515) Carmichael, Nicholas RHP Palomar JC San Diego, CA 04/13/90 6'6' 220 R R Ralston
18 (545) Ronry, Bradley 3B Wetumpka, HS Wetumpka, AL 09/01/92 6'2 180 R R Jennings
19 (575) Ward, Dustin LHP U Central Arkansas Little Rock, AR 02/27/90 6'0 175 L L Chase
20 (605) Wik, Marc CF Chabot JC Fremont, CA 07/18/92 5'11 195 L R Morales
21 (635) Rivera, Jose RHP Hill JC Canovanas, P.R. 08/04/91 6'1 185 R R Dreier
22 (665) Miedzianowski, Michael SS Martin County HS Stuart, FL 05/19/93 5'11 175 R R Martin
23 (695) Matthews, Adam RF U South Carolina Lexington, SC 04/10/90 6'1 195 R R Gale
24 (725) Simmons, Jalen RF Camden County HS St Mary, GA 03/16/93 6'4 191 R R McConnehead
25 (755) Finnigan, Michael LHP San Bernardino JC San Bernardino, CA 10/28/90 6'4 205 L L Ralston
26 (785) Davies, Zachary RHP Mesquite HS Gilbert, AZ 02/07/93 6'1 155 R R Gillette
27 (815) Oliver, Christopher RHP Shiloh Christian HS Farmington, AR 07/08/93 6'3 176 R R Chase
28 (845) Raubinger, Kyle SS Arroyo Grande HS Arroyo Grande, CA 10/06/92 6'2 200 L R Walter
29 (875) Edman, Cameron CA Gonzaga U Florence, MT 06/17/88 6'3 205 R R Verley
30 (905) Reynolds, Michael SS Paradise Valley JC Glendale, AZ 08/19/90 5'9 170 S R Gillette
31 (935) Costa, John RHP Summit Christian HS Lake Worth, FL 05/01/93 6'2 180 R R Martin
32 (965) Meyer, Ryan RHP Oviedo HS Oviedo, FL 08/11/91 6'5 185 R R Martin
33 (995) Beck, Sander RHP U. Maryland Millersville, MD 10/03/90 6'3 215 R R Albany
34 (1025) Fowler, Zachary LHP Texas Tech Texarkana, TX 09/28/89 6'3 200 L L Jacobs
35 (1055) Lindsey Caughel RHP Stetson U Orlando, FL 08/13/90 6'3 195 R R Martin
36 (1085) Zona, Jeffrey RHP Hanover HS Mechanicsville, VA 01/09/93 6'4 210 R R Gale
37 (1115) Skala, Nicholas CA Concordia U Long Grove, IL 09/16/89 6'1 200 R R Szymkowski
38 (1145) Pena, Jerome 2B Texas Christian U Care Free, AZ 11/06/88 5'11 182 S R Jacobs
39 (1175) Cantwell, Patrick CA SUNY Stony Brook West Islip, NY 04/10/90 6'2 190 R R Connolly
40 (1205) Parry, Bennet LHP No School Poway, CA 08/07/91 6'6' 225 L L Ralston
41 (1235) Mariscal, Chris SS Clovis North HS Fresno, CA. 04/26/93 5'11 175 R R Morales
42 (1265) McCracken, Jason RHP No School Poway, CA 09/04/91 6'4 225 R R Ralston
43 (1295) Reynolds, David RHP Edmonds JC Sitka, AK 09/04/91 6'1 190 R R Verley
44 (1325) Merkling, Patrick LHP Chattanooga St Tech JC Woodstock, GA 03/21/91 6'1 185 L L Dorsey
45 (1355) Milner, Andrew RHP Feather River Col Palo Cedro, CA 05/16/92 6'0 230 R R Morales
46 (1385) Reyes, Mark LHP Jessieville HS Hot Springs Village, AR 10/08/92 6'1 185 R L Chase
47 (1415) Conley, Devan CF New Mexico JC Rio Rancho, NM 08/26/91 6'0 160 R R Gillette
48 (1445) Hunter, Brice CF Lowndes HS Valdosta, GA 03/24/93 6'0 190 R R McConnehead
49 (1475) Shaban, Ronald RHP Virginia Tech U Mosely, VA 03/08/90 6'0 195 L R Gale
50 (1505) Butler, Brendan 1B John Carroll School Bel Air, MD 07/23/93 6'2 200 R R Albany

Posted by Steve Gould at 8:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts, who hasn't played since May 16 because of concussion symptoms, returned to Camden Yards today to meet with manager Buck Showalter.

He also talked to reporters and said he was encouraged by Tuesday's visit with concussion specialist Dr. Michael Collins.

“I think anytime that they say you’re getting better, that’s always good," Roberts said. "Two weeks had gone by. If I went up there and he said, ‘Hmmm, you look about the same,’ I wouldn’t have been that thrilled. It’s never as fast as you want, but that’s part of every injury. It never goes as fast as you want.”

Roberts indicated that he is still experiencing concussion symptoms.

“If they were all gone, I’d probably, hopefully, be doing baseball stuff today, so they’re not all gone," he said. "We’re just trying to progress through some things to make sure that as I do the progressions that they’re not there anymore.

“I’ve had some symptoms depending on the amount of stuff that I’ve done, which is to be expected in the recovery process of these things. Hopefully, they just continue to decrease as we go.”

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said Roberts would be held back from doing baseball activities for at least another two weeks.

“We really haven’t put a timetable on it," Roberts said. "It’s always one of the worst things you can do with an injury, put a timetable on it, because you start shooting for something and you get disappointed or whatever. It’s going to be whenever it is at this point.”

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 5:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

A few things from Buck Showalter’s pre-game press conference:

Derrek Lee is expected to miss Friday, Saturday and Sunday while attending his grandfather’s funeral Friday in California.

He likely will be put on baseball’s bereavement list, allowing the Orioles to recall a player from the minors to temporarily take his place. A player on the list must miss at least three days, meaning that if Lee is placed on the list on by noon Thursday, an off day, he could return by Sunday if he chooses.

“Derrek, he stays as long as he feels he needs to,” Showalter said.

The Orioles likely would call up a position player to replace Lee. First baseman Brandon Snyder, who is on the 40-man roster and has already been with the Orioles this season, is the likely choice. The club has an open spot on its 40-man roster if wants to add someone else.

Second baseman Brian Roberts is expected to stop by Camden Yards at some point Wednesday, and Showalter said he hopes to speak to him. Roberts, on the 15-day disabled list with a concussion, learned Tuesday that he’ll have to wait another two weeks before he can resume baseball activities.

Showalter said, to his knowledge, he does not believe slumping right fielder Nick Markakis is dealing with an injury. Markakis is hitting .236 on the season, is 5-for-40 in his past 10 games and hasn’t had an extra-base hit since May 15 -- a span of 84 at-bats.

“It’s easy to say yes, he’s right. But if there was something wrong, Nicky, he wouldn’t tell anybody for the most part,” Showalter said. “We had one night here where he got two hits and had a big game and we found out afterwards he had a 100-degree temperature a la Dirk Nowitzki, but he doesn’t have to play once every three or four days like some of those guys.

“I am answering honestly, I think he is fine. I know he does a lot of extra work. He is doing all the things he can do, in some cases maybe too much. But you are never going to take the want-to out of that with Nick. He’s got too much of it going on. He’s a guy you trust, you trust with a lot of things. And he’ll figure it out, along with some help. I know we’ve had a lot of time and effort spent addressing it, a lot for his needs as much as anything.”

Showalter said righty Chris Jakubauskas, who threw five scoreless innings, could be used out of the bullpen Saturday. The Orioles do not need a fifth starter again until June 18 at Washington. The Orioles have not announced whether Jakubauskas will get that start, but it seems likely.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Minors
        

The Orioles have had conversations about trading Jake Fox, who was designated for assignment last week, but they haven’t been able to find a deal and it now appears they are left with having to pass him through outright waivers.

The 10-day mark for them to make a decision on Fox is Saturday. However, it takes 48 hours for a player to clear waivers, and there are no waivers over the weekend. So that means the Orioles had to trade him by this afternoon or put him through waivers.

Teams cannot comment on the waiver process, so I can’t be completely sure that Fox, who hit .188 with two homers and four RBIs in 19 games for the Orioles this season, is currently on the waiver wire. However, there doesn’t appear to be a trade involving him at this point, so it seems pretty safe to make that conclusion.

The Orioles now risk losing Fox for nothing as any team could claim him. Their failure to trade him is an indication that they didn’t receive much interest in the right-handed hitter because the Orioles wouldn’t have asked for much in return, knowing that they could lose him for nothing anyway.

A team would be much more likely to claim Fox than trade for him. If Fox clears waivers -- which I wouldn’t say is likely by any means -- the Orioles would outright him to Triple-A Norfolk.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Minors
        

Robert Andino, 2B
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Derrek Lee, 1B
Matt Wieters, C
J.J. Hardy, SS
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Nolan Reimold, LF
Zach Britton, SP

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

With the 995th overall pick in the 33rd round, the Orioles selected University of Maryland right-hander Sander Beck.

Beck, who went to Severn School in Anne Arundel County, went 2-5 with a 5.59 ERA in 13 appearances (11 starts) for Maryland this year.

Beck (6-foot-3, 218 pounds) played for Orioles scout Dean Albany on the Oriolander Scout Team.

Beck's University of Maryland teammate, shortstop Alfredo Rodriguez, was drafted in the 32nd round by the Milwaukee Brewers.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

We had a chance to talk to Orioles director of amateur scouting Joe Jordan about his second-day picks Tuesday. We’re passing that conversation on to you.

Overall, the Orioles took 15 pitchers (12 from college) and 15 position players. Of their 30 picks, 21 were from college. The official breakdown is 10 right-handed pitchers, five lefties, two catchers, four third baseman, three shortstops and six outfielders. (The last 20 rounds are today).

“I like the guys we’ve got,” Jordan said. “It takes a little time to absorb it all and get a look at it. But we got a lot of our targets, some gut-feels that our scouts were really high on and that we really like.”

Four of the club’s first five picks were pitchers – and that was not by accident.

“It was a goal we had in our minds,” Jordan said. “We like some of the position players we have in our system, some guys are really starting to find themselves. We thought we could improve on our pitching inventory. … It went kind of like we thought it would in the first four or five rounds.”

Here’s Jordan on various players:

On second-rounder Jason Esposito, Vanderbilt’s shortstop who will play third base in the Orioles organization: “We liked him in high school a lot. He was a pull hitter with pull power. He went to (Vanderbilt) and really improved defensively, but they kind of turned the field around on him and his power numbers took a step back. We think the field could turn back around on him (as a pro) and he’ll get some of that power back. But he is a really, really good defensive player and I am really happy to get him in the second round. Very happy.”

On third-rounder Mike Wright, from East Carolina University, who will be used as a starter: “He’s 6-foot-6, throws in the mid-90s. Our pitching guys are really going to like him, they are really going to help him. I am really excited about that one. He has a good, good arm.”

On Nick Delmonico, the sixth-round third baseman/catcher who is committed to the University of Georgia “He was on the board in the sixth round because of his bonus expectations. But we said, ‘Let’s do this and see what we can work out this summer.’”

On passing on TCU lefty Matt Purke, who dropped to the third round because of shoulder issues and was taken by the Washington Nationals with the 96th overall pick: “We did (consider it), but we are trying to pick the right spots and it just didn’t happen. We were familiar with (Purke), we just didn’t get him.”

On John Carroll High School third baseman Kevin Hockaday, taken in the 14th round: “He is a big, physical kid (6-foot-3, 215 pounds) and there is some power there. I haven’t seen him a lot, but our guys like him. We are excited to get him. We were trying to find out where we needed to do this and (the14th round) was it.”

On Johnny Ruettiger, an Arizona State outfielder taken in the eighth round. He is the nephew of Notre Dame football’s famed walk-on Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger: “He’s a good college hitter. He can hit, he can run, there’s some power there. He’s a real good player. He’s compared by some to (Trent) Mummey.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

Chris Jakubauskas was the hero of Tuesday night’s 4-0 win against the Oakland A’s, and he should have been.

In his first big league start since being hit in the head with a liner last April, Jakubauskas allowed just three hits and a walk in five shutout innings. He even took a liner off his left leg -- just above his ankle -- in the fifth and stayed in to get the third out.

The guy deserves serious props.

But perhaps the most important development for the Orioles on Tuesday night came in the fifth and the seventh, when Luke Scott drove a couple of pitches.

The fifth-inning one was a homer to right that landed on Eutaw Street beyond the flag court. He set a Camden Yards record with six career Eutaw Street blasts, one more than Rafael Palmeiro.

Incredibly, it was Scott’s first homer of any kind since May 3.

In the seventh, he almost got another, but he had to settle for a double off the right-center-field wall.

“It felt great. This season has been a struggle for me personally, and I've been battling a couple tough injuries and just trying to make the best out of a difficult situation,” Scott said. “It feels good to get some results.”

We all know Scott can get hot, so maybe his good night shouldn’t come as a surprise. But the truth is Scott isn’t the same player he was last year, when he hit 27 home runs and won the Most Valuable Oriole Award.

He hadn’t played since Friday. On Sunday, he had a cortisone shot, which he hoped would relieve the inferno in his shoulder. Before Tuesday’s game, he said he felt better than he had all season. Then he went out and proved it.

“It was good to see him smile, feel good about himself,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “Luke’s always a pleasant, upbeat guy, but you know it’s kind of been wearing on him, some of the challenges he’s been facing this year. He never complained. It’s just not in Luke’s makeup. He just keeps doing what he can do to be available. I think everybody on the club took a little happiness in Luke having a good game.”

The torn labrum had not only sapped his power, but it also made it nearly impossible for him to completely lift his arm. And when you can’t get extension, you can’t drive a baseball.

“It's my lead shoulder, which is the most important one. Playing through pain and playing through discomfort, it was tough. Today, I think the medicine really kicked in, first time in six weeks I could do that,” he said, raising his arm. “For me, that's a great victory and a blessing.”

Frankly, it’s a real blessing for the Orioles, too, if it can continue.

The shoulder pain doesn’t just affect him as a hitter. It hurts when he throws from left field. He said he can hit the cutoff man with little problem and he is making sure he can get to balls quickly, which should help in getting the ball back to the infield.

But the truth is the Orioles don’t need him as a designated hitter -- they have Vladimir Guerrero for that. And they don’t need him as a first baseman now that Derrek Lee is back from injury.

They need him to play left field and hit homers. Or they need him to go on the disabled list and get his shoulder fixed.

Scott wants to keep playing -- he believes he can play through this. And the Orioles are giving him the benefit of the doubt for now.

Hopefully, for everyone involved, last night was a sign that Scott is right and that he can do what he does best: drive the ball a long way.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 10:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts had a consultation with concussion specialist Dr. Michael Collins today in Pittsburgh, and he remains at least two weeks away from starting baseball activities, according to manager Buck Showalter.

"I wouldn't call it bad news," Showalter said. "We knew the process that we were going to have. We'll follow the doctor's suggestions."

Roberts hasn't played since he started experiencing headaches after his headfirst slide into first base against the Boston Red Sox on May 16.

Roberts could start doing some cardio and weight work soon, but Showalter said the baseball activities wouldn't start until two weeks from now at the earliest.

"We're not there. That's just the best case scenario," said Showalter, who wouldn't rule out the possibility of Roberts returning to the lineup before the All-Star break.

Roberts could join the team on this home stand for a couple of days, and then return to Sarasota, Fla.

Showalter said Justin Duchscherer reported having spasms in the gluteus after fielding a bunt in his extended spring outing today. He threw three more pitches and then ended his outing. He'll be evaluated tomorrow.

Meanwhile, pitching prospect Brandon Erbe, a McDonogh graduate who had labrum surgery last August, couldn't get loose and wasn't able to throw a simulated game today.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: Minors
        

Notes from Buck Showalter’s afternoon press conference:

He hasn’t received an update yet from second baseman Brian Roberts (concussion), who was examined today by Dr. Michael Collins, a sports’ head injury specialist in Pittsburgh.

Justin Duchscherer (hip) cut short his extended spring training outing today with discomfort in his hip. He was supposed to go five innings. Showalter said he believes he got to three innings. Duchscherer was signed to an incentive-laden contract, and the Orioles aren’t counting on him to pitch in the majors this year, Showalter said.

“I think he has had so many challenges with it since the start of spring, that if it happens it’s a real (bonus),” Showalter said. “It’s something we are not counting on. We are not counting on it. If it happens, it’s a real boost. If it doesn’t, then we have certainly given it every chance possible.”

Brandon Erbe (shoulder surgery) was supposed to throw today in extended spring training, but couldn’t get loose and didn’t throw, Showalter said. Erbe (McDonogh) is attempting to rebound from labrum surgery last August.

J.J. Hardy is batting first in today’s game against the Oakland A’s. He has never done that before in a major-league game. Showalter said it was done “out of necessity.”

“We have kind of pieced that spot together until we get Brian back. And that’s probably the least disruptive to the rest of the group,” Showalter said of hardy leading off. “And he is swinging the bat well. We don’t have really a conventional guy.”

In wanting to get Luke Scott back in the lineup, he had to bench Felix Pie, who is probably the best potential leadoff guy on the roster.

Hardy didn’t know he was batting leadoff until Matt Wieters whispered the news to him, just as he was being surrounded by reporters.

“What?” Hardy said. “I’m glad he told me.”

Hardy said he’ll keep the same approach, though he joked he may just swing on the first pitch and try to steal some bases.

“No, I’m not going to look at it any differently than any other at-bat,” he said. “Maybe the first at-bat of the game might be a little bit different, but after that, it’s just another at-bat.”

Luke Scott, who received a cortisone shot in his ailing right shoulder on Sunday. He said he thought it worked and he was back in the lineup playing left field on Tuesday.

“My shoulder feels the best it has felt in a long time. I am excited about it. I’ll go shag fly balls in left field and throw a little bit, do the next step and try to get ready for the game.”

Showalter was excited about the Orioles taking a Mississippi State University player in the second day of the amateur draft (RHP Devin Jones in the 9th round). Showalter is a MSU graduate.

Other notable draftees so far in the later rounds today: John Carroll High graduate Kevin Hockaday, a 6-foot-3 third baseman, in the 14th round and Johnny Ruettiger, an outfielder from Arizona State, in the 8th round. His uncle is Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger of Notre Dame and movie fame.

One last thing: Former Ravens WR Mark Clayton is here today, a guest of Adam Jones. And actor Ed Harris is here to throw out the first pitch.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Minors
        

J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Derrek Lee, 1B
Matt Wieters C
Luke Scott, LF
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Ryan Adams, 2B
Chris Jakubauskas, SP

It's the first time Hardy has hit leadoff in his career. Scott also returns to left field, while Adams gets a rare start at second base.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

With their third-round pick, 94th overall, the Orioles took Michael Wright, a 6-foot-5, 195-pound right-hander out of East Carolina University. In the fourth round, they went after another big college right-hander, Kyle Simon of the University of Arizona in the fourth round (125th pick).

Wright, 21, was mainly a reliever with ECU until this season, when he made 16 starts. He was 6-4 with a 2.79 ERA in 100 innings in 2011. He allowed 81 hits and 30 walks while striking out 75 batters.

Armed with a good slider and sinker, Wright could project as a reliever or starter. He is from Laurinburg, N.C.

Simon, 21, is a 6-foot-5, 220-pounder from Los Alamitos, Calif. He had an excellent season for the Wildcats, going 11-3 with a 2.73 ERA in 18 starts, including five compete games. He threw 128 2/3 innings, allowing 114 hits and 11 walks while striking out 86 batters. He has made an impressive 46 college starts and is projected as a potential mid-to-back-end starter in the big leagues.

Coincidentally, Simon and Wright were, respectively, listed as the 73rd- and 74th-best right-handers in the draft by Baseball America.

By the way, Matthew Purke, the highly touted left-hander out of Texas Christian, was taken 96th overall by the Washington Nationals. Purke was considered one of the best lefties in the draft, but a shoulder injury has limited his effectiveness. It’s thought he might return to TCU.

The Orioles had interest in Purke, but, like many teams, apparently decided to pass considering his potential high asking price and injury history.

The Orioles' first two picks were first-round Owasso (Okla.) High right-hander Dylan Bundy (fourth overall) and second-round Vanderbilt infielder-third baseman Jason Esposito (64th overall).

UPDATE: In the fifth round, the Orioles took Matt Taylor, a 6-foot-2 left-hander out of Middle Georgia College. A 50th-round pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2009, Taylor originally went to Alabama, but transferred to Middle Georgia for more of a pitching opportunity. He has also played outfield previously.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 1:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

With their third-round pick, 94th overall, the Orioles took Michael Wright, a 6-foot-5, 195-pound right-hander out of East Carolina University.

Wright, 21, was mainly a reliever with ECU until this season, when he made 16 starts. He was 6-4 with a 2.79 ERA in 100 innings pitched in 2011. He allowed 81 hits and 30 walks while striking out 75 batters.

rmed with a good slider and sinker, Wright could project as a reliever or starter. He is from Laurinburg, N.C.

By the way, Matthew Purke, the highly touted left-hander out of Texas Christian University, was taken in the third round (96th overall) by the Washington Nationals. Purke was considered one of the best lefties in the draft, but a shoulder injury has limited his effectiveness. It’s thought he might return to TCU.

The Orioles had interest in Purke but, like many teams, apparently decided to pass considering the potential high asking price and injury history.

The Orioles' first two picks were first-round Owasso (Okla.) High right-hander Dylan Bundy (fourth overall) and second-round Vanderbilt infielder-third baseman Jason Esposito (64th overall).

Their next pick is the 125th overall.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 1:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

With the 64th overall pick and the fourth selection in the second round, the Orioles selected Vanderbilt third baseman Jason Esposito.

Esposito was projected at one point as a first-round pick, but his status slipped a little this past year, mostly because of questions about his bat. He hit .362 with eight homers and 55 RBIs in 60 games for Vanderbilt this year.

He played shortstop this spring, but he projects as an above-average defensive third baseman because of his good hands and strong arm.

In Baseball America's Draft Preview, they ranked Esposito as the fifth-best third baseman in the draft. However, his write-up says Esposito struggles at times with velocity and his big leg kick at the plate results in him losing his rhythm at times. It also indicated that some scouts believe that Esposito will end up as a utility player, an opinion apparently not shared by Orioles decision-makers.

Either way, these negotiations should be interesting as Esposito is advised by Scott Boras. Esposito reportedly turned down a $1.5 million offer from the Kansas City Royals after they drafted him in the seventh round in 2008.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Orioles manager Buck Showalter certainly raised some eyebrows when following his team’s 4-2 victory last night, he acknowledged that it’s not a given that young starter Brian Matusz regains his velocity.

“Most guys that you get, not necessarily Brian, but they all, in their career, go down,” Showalter said. “It’s not a normal thing to do, put your arm over your head and jerk it down violently 100 times every fifth day. But I feel confident that he can pitch effectively the way he is, obviously.

“We’ll see. I hope so. There’s two ways to look at it. The pitch-ability part of it has allowed him to defend himself through it against Seattle and Oakland. Hopefully, down the road … it’s not a given, but he’s shown the ability to pitch with different velocities.”

Several Orioles get on me regularly because they say I’m consumed by velocity, and perhaps they have a point. However, Matusz consistently pitched in the mid- to high 80s during his first two big league starts this season -- and in his minor league rehab outings from what I’m told -- is impossible to ignore.

After all, Matusz is a 24-year-old who is expected to be one of the key cogs in the Orioles’ rotation for years to come. And his velocity also dipped some last season, according to the web site fangraphs.com.

While making eight starts for the Orioles in 2009, Matusz’s average fastball velocity was 91.5 mph. Last season, it dropped to 89.9, and this year, I’ve seen Matusz hit 90 on only a couple of occasions. The 2-0 fastball Adam Rosales crushed for a two-run homer last night clocked in at 87 mph, and the Camden Yards stadium radar gun has been known to be a little generous.

Is it just a case of Matusz needing to get a few more starts under his belt to build up more arm strength? That obviously would make sense. Matusz did not have a normal spring training as he had the wart removed, got drilled in the left arm by a come-backer and strained the left intercostal muscle a day or two before Opening Day. He’s still getting on a routine and working his way into game shape.

Matusz maintains that he’s not worried about his velocity.

“It will come around,” he said. “It’s still early for me. I’m not worried about it.”

Matusz also was adamant that it’s not a health issue.

“I feel good healthwise, 100 percent,” he said. “Just getting that rhythm and letting the ball fly out of the hand. Right now, I’m a little bit tense and it's not coming out the way I want it to, but it's all right. I've just got to continue making pitches and getting better. I got to go out there with a free mind and not thinking about things too much and let it fly. The more outings I get, the more comfortable I'll get. I’ll keep going, I'll use this as a positive outing and move forward.”

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Orioles No. 1 selection Dylan Bundy (fourth overall) had his first teleconference with the Baltimore media late Monday night. The kid has confidence, that’s for sure. He was pretty honest, admitting he teared up when his name was called.

He also said the $30 million price tag that’s been floated was about right, which may make the Orioles tear up. (Stephen Strasburg’s draft record was $15.1 million)

For those of you who haven’t been paying attention (and we know who you are) Bundy, 18, had ridiculous numbers at Owasso High in Oklahoma during his senior season (20 hits, five walks and two earned runs in 71 innings while striking out 158 batters). He won the 2011 National Gatorade Player of the Year Award.

Bundy was thought to be the guy the Orioles wanted, but reports circulated Sunday that Archie Bradley, Bundy’s friend and fellow Oklahoma high school right-hander (from Broken Arrow High, Bradley was taken seventh by the Arizona Diamondbacks), was also in the Orioles’ sights. But Bundy, the 6-foot-1, 200-pounder who loves to work out, ended up as their guy.

Bundy’s brother, Bobby, was an eighth-rounder of the Orioles in 2008 and is excelling at High-A Frederick this year. They would love to play together in the pros (they played for a year during Bobby’s senior year and Dylan’s freshman year at Sperry High. Dylan transferred to Owasso as a junior).

OK, you’ve got the background. Here are some of the quotes.

Bundy on Monday’s draft experience: “Me and Archie Bradley both were sitting there in this huge ballroom with a bunch of our friends and family, and we saw the fourth pick come up for the Orioles and we had a pretty good idea it might be one of us, but we weren’t sure. And then my name got called out and I recognized that it was my name simply because of Bundy. And I kind of got emotional. I started to tear-up a little bit because the first thing I thought of was my brother, because he’s in the organization and how I dreamed of playing with him and it’s actually happening now. So it’s been amazing.”

On his draft slot: “Really I just thought I was going 4 or 5, Orioles or Kansas City, but there were rumors that Baltimore wasn’t going to take me because of signability and all this stuff. I was just hoping that they might change their mind and let me play with my brother this year.”

On his work ethic: “It all goes to my brother and my dad. They taught me to work hard and all my hard work would pay off someday and obviously today is that day with the fourth overall pick. And (it’s something) I’m very honored to have. But I do a lot of different stuff, a lot of workouts. A lot of people call me a workout freak, and I’m glad I have that term.”

On importance of signing soon: “Obviously I want to play pro ball that’s my dream. But college is there also if things don’t work out.”

On his financial demands: “The numbers that were thrown out were true. That’s how we feel and we feel that I am one of the best prep pitchers out there in the draft this year and we’ll see what happens I guess.”

On $30 million being that figure: “I guess so, huh?”

On getting a chance to play with Bobby: “Me and my brother obviously talked about it. We are brothers. I have told him I wanted to pitch either against him in the major leagues or with him. 1-2 starter combo would be awesome and it has come to reality today that I might get that opportunity to do that in the near future.”

On whether he’ll be able to continue his specific workout regimen once he signs: “I think I am going to continue to do all of my workouts this summer until hopefully us and the Orioles work out a deal. And I am going to work with the Orioles and let them have their opinion on my workout and see what they think about them. I do a punching bag routine that everybody can look up on YouTube. I like to do a long toss. Everybody likes to say I like to do long toss, but I mean I only do it once or twice a week and it is not 500 feet.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 11:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Orioles amateur scouting director Joe Jordan was understandably excited when he landed high school phenom Dylan Bundy from Owasso High in Oklahoma.

Jordan has watched Bundy play since he was a freshman in Sperry, Okla., and his brother, Bobby, pitched. Jordan eventually selected Bobby in the eighth round in 2008 and now has the set of Bundy boys.

That connection played into the Orioles' selection of Dylan Bundy as the No. 4 overall pick and first high schooler selected Thursday. And the quotable Jordan gave us a gem at the end of the teleconference, which ended moments ago.

“We have work to do to get a contract negotiated, and we understand that. But at the end of the day, this kid looked me right in the eye and he said, ‘Joe, I want to be drafted by the Orioles and I want pitch in the major league rotation with my brother.' And I really believe that is what he wants. We are going to pay him a lot of money. He’s worth a lot of money. We’ll get something done. But I believe the sincerity in that kid’s face when he looked at me and told me that, he meant it. So I think we’re in good shape.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Despite all the speculation that swirled around the club in the past few days, the Orioles ultimately got the player many expected them to take with the fourth pick in Monday’s amateur draft.

The Orioles selected right-handed pitcher Dylan Bundy from Owasso High in Oklahoma, the 18-year-old phenom who is considered the best high schooler in the draft.

Going before Bundy were UCLA right-hander Gerrit Cole (Pirates), Virginia lefty Danny Hultzen (Mariners) and UCLA righty Trevor Bauer (Diamondbacks).

Here’s the breakdown on Bundy:

Name: Dylan Bundy

Age: 18
Height/weight: 6-foot-1, 205
School/class: Owasso (Okla.) High/senior
Hometown: Sperry, Okla.
Position: Right-handed pitcher
2011 stats: 11-0, 1 save, 0.20 ERA, 71 IP, 20 H, 2 ER, 5 BBs, 158 Ks; also hit .467 with 11 homers and 54 RBIs in 105 at-bats.
Skinny: Has a high-90s fastball that reportedly reached 100 mph this spring. Also features a hard cut-fastball, sharp curve and a developing changeup. … Was named 2011 Gatorade’s National Player of the Year. ... Bundy excelled as an infielder and had two homers in the state semifinals. … Highly conditioned, has a specific training regimen that includes weightlifting and long toss that he expects to maintain as a pro. … Owasso lost Oklahoma’s Class 6A championship to Broken Arrow, which was led by likely first-round pick Archie Bradley. … Won two state titles at Class 3A Sperry before transferring as a junior. … Struck out 595 batters and had an ERA under 1.00 in high school career. …. Has committed to the University of Texas. … Older brother Bobby was Orioles’ eighth-round choice in 2008 and pitches for Single-A Frederick.
The quote: “It was always a competition growing up. People would kid with us, ‘Who can beat up who?’ or ‘Who can throw harder?’ It was something special growing up. We have a really good relationship. You couldn’t ask for a better brother. He’s everything and more. He’s very mature for his age.”
-- Bobby Bundy, Frederick Keys pitcher and Dylan’s older brother

Posted by Dan Connolly at 7:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Waiting for the No. 3 pick and Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon is still on the board. The Diamondbacks are expected to take Trevor Bauer from UCLA, meaning Rendon could be there for the Orioles.

Rendon has battled a shoulder injury all season but was once considered a top slugger/defensive whiz.

We'll see.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 7:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

it's about two hours before the Major League Baseball’s amateur draft kicks off, and there still seems to be plenty of jockeying and speculation.

A lot of it is surrounding the Orioles' taking Oklahoma high schooler Archie Bradley. It could happen, but my gut still says they’ll grab the other Oklahoma high school right-hander, Dylan Bundy. And if he is gone, I’m saying they take Virginia’s Danny Hultzen.

You can call it an educated guess, but I’ll stress the guess part.

Here’s how I think the top five shakes out (though Rendon is the real wild card):

1. Pittsburgh, UCLA RHP Gerrit Cole
2. Seattle, Rice 3B Anthony Rendon
3. Arizona, UCLA RHP Trevor Bauer
4. Baltimore, Owasso High RHP Dylan Bundy
5. Kansas City, University of Virginia LHP Danny Hultzen

And just for fun, mark me down for the Nationals taking Kansas prep outfielder Bubba Starling and Arizona grabbing Archie Bradley at 7.

We’ll see soon enough.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Orioles minor league pitching coordinator Alan Dunn will interview on Thursday for the pitching coach job at Louisiana State University, confirmed President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail.

Dunn is considered one of the frontrunners for the job.

Dunn, a 49-year-old Alabama native, spent the previous three full seasons as the Orioles bullpen coach. Though he was not brought back to serve on manager Buck Showalter’s 2011 coaching staff, Dunn accepted the minor league pitching coordinator job, which had been formerly held by Dave Schmidt, who is now the coordinator of Sarasota Operations.

Dunn joined the Orioles coaching staff in August 2007 when then manager Dave Trembley hired him as the bullpen coach. Dunn had been the minor league pitching coordinator of the Chicago Cubs at the time.

The LSU pitching coach job opened when David Grewe left after three seasons to pursue other opportunities.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Minors
        

Here’s another draft spotlight. I am using this one instead of Anthony Rendon, since I don’t think the Rice University third baseman will be selected by the Orioles. But I’ll have it handy in case things change (and things apparently have a way of changing).

Here’s what I could dig up on Bradley. There were some on-line discrepancies on his exact ERA, strikeout totals and fastball velocity, but, trust me, it was all impressive.

Connolly’s take: People who know more than me on the draft are convinced the Orioles are taking Bradley.

But I would still be a little surprised. Not because he doesn’t have the talent or the pedigree, but because at No. 4 I didn’t think the Orioles would take a high schooler unless it was fellow Oklahoman Dylan Bundy.

Maybe that thinking has changed, but it will be hard to spin this away from finances if University of Virginia’s Danny Hultzen and Bundy are both available at No. 4 and the Orioles pass on them for Bradley. There have been reports that Hultzen and Bundy both have lofty contract demands.

That said, Bradley won’t be a slam-dunk signing since he has the opportunity to play football and baseball at Oklahoma, so there is leverage there.

So it would surprise me a bit if they call Bradley’s name at No. 4. But Joe Jordan, an Oklahoman, has seen Bradley pitch a lot and he is a bit of riverboat gambler. He is confident in his opinions and usually doesn’t fold to perceptions of what he should do.

Name: Archie Bradley
Age: 18
Height/Weight: 6-foot-4, 220
School/Class: Broken Arrow High, Okla./Senior
Hometown: Broken Arrow, Okla.
Position: Right-handed pitcher
2011 stats: 12-1, 0.38 ERA , 71 1/3 IP, 3ER, 11 BBs, 137 Ks
Skinny: Big and strong, he throws his fastball in the mid-90s and has a power knuckle-curve that could be his best pitch. Also has a changeup and is developing a cutter. … He reportedly threw in the low 90s last year but hit 100 mph in the Oklahoma 6A championship game. … His Tigers beat Dylan Bundy’s Owasso High squad for the state championship. Bradley pitched, throwing a complete game shutout with 14 strikeouts and two hits allowed. Bundy did not pitch in the game. … He trains with and is good friends with Bundy, who is also considered a top pick in the draft. … The Oklahoman newspaper named Bradley its player of the year over Bundy, but Bundy won Gatorade’s National Player of the Year. … Bradley can use the bat, too. He hit .397 with nine homers this season. … Has a dual commitment to the University of Oklahoma to pitch and play quarterback. … In its amateur draft preview, Baseball America listed Bradley as the 7th best right-handed pitching prospect and predicted he would go 16th to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The quote: “The approach I take is, 'Be the best.' I write BTB on my gloves and cleats. I want to be the absolute best. I never like to finish in second. That's what lights my fire. I want to be the best baseball player I can be and that's where my motivation and drive comes from."

 Bradley told the Houston Astros Examiner in a phone interview, according to examiner.com/houston

Posted by Dan Connolly at 2:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

OK, so I felt I had a solid handle on the Orioles’ draft possibilities for tonight’s first rounder (fourth overall). The sense was that the club would choose between Oklahoma high school right-hander Dylan Bundy and University of Virginia lefty Danny Hultzen.

Then, within the last 24 hours or so, Oklahoma prep pitcher Archie Bradley came rushing up the draft board and, according to several amateur baseball pundits, is going to be the Orioles’ choice.

Gotta love the baseball draft.

The Orioles have liked Bradley for some time. He is a 6-foot-4, 215-pound kid with a mid-90s fastball and a make-you-flail curveball.

Jordan loves strong, big-bodied pitchers and it doesn’t hurt that Bradley is from Oklahoma, Jordan’s home state and that Jordan has watched this kid pitch plenty of times.

One talent evaluator told me last week that Bradley could end up being the best pitcher in this amateur draft class. That said, Bradley seemed at the time to be behind several others, at least in probability of being selected in the Top Five.

I haven’t seen the kid pitch – in fact, I haven’t seen any of them play live and only two on TV – so I am going with what we have been told by those who have spent time with these prospects. And it’s hard to say what propelled Bradley up the Orioles’ draft board. Perhaps he has always been there, and it was just a closely guarded secret.

Yet, I know some are going to read this and immediately think back to 2009 when the Orioles surprised many by taking California prep pitcher Matt Hobgood with the fifth overall pick and passed on college pitchers Mike Minor and Mike Leake, high school pitcher Zach Wheeler and college shortstop Grant Green.

Minor and Leake have already made it to the majors and Hobgood has been hurt and ineffective, so many have already labeled him a bust – which is unfair after just two years.

But Hobgood wasn’t expected to go that high by many experts – even though he was the Gatorade National High School Player of the Year, which Bundy was this year – and there were rumblings that the Orioles took Hobgood because his contract demands were reasonable (Jordan has always claimed that Hobgood was his guy based on performance and projection, not finances).

Because of the Hobgood situation, I didn’t think the Orioles would go that way again and take a perceived reach on an impressive high schooler -- unless it was Bundy. There have been whispers about what Bundy and Hultzen want contract-wise, so if the Orioles skip over those two for Bradley, there surely will be conjecture that finances played a part in this selection.

Earlier this month, Baseball America ranked Bradley the seventh best right-hander in the draft and projected he would go 16th to the Los Angeles Dodgers. And you can’t call him an easily signable player since he has a scholarship to play baseball/football at Oklahoma.

Things change, though, and apparently the top of this draft is keeping fluid as well.

Stay tuned. I hope to have a draft spotlight on Bradley soon.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 12:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Yes, the blog problems are ongoing. Be patient everyone. You’ll be able to comment soon.

Here’s No. 4 – in alphabetical order – in our draft spotlight series: Danny Hultzen.

Connolly’s take: The Orioles love this guy. He is left-handed and polished and smart and hard-working and did I mention left-handed? As a Bethesda native, he also has local ties.

I think if he falls to fourth, the Orioles take him. And from what I am hearing, he could fall to fourth, assuming the Arizona Diamondbacks are as in love with Trevor Bauer as we are hearing they may be.

The only way the Orioles don’t take him if he is there is if Dylan Bundy is also on the board at No. 4. Then, the Orioles’ brass will have an interesting discussion in that war room in Sarasota: The polished college lefty versus the top-ceiling high-school righty.

Will they both be there at 4? Probably not. But one should be.

Name: Danny Hultzen
Age: 21
Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 200
School/Class: University of Virginia/junior
Hometown: Bethesda, Md.
Position: Left-handed pitcher
2011 regular season stats: 10-3, 1.59 ERA in 14 games. 96 1/3 IP, 66 H, 17 ER, 16 BBs, 136 Ks

Skinny: ACC Pitcher of the Year in 2010 as a sophomore. First Cavalier to garner that honor. … Has held opponents to a .193 average in 2011. … Is 30-5 in career at Virginia. … Throws a low-to-mid 90s fastball, a quality sinker and effective changeup. …. Has expert command, walking 68 while striking out 366 in 298 1/3 career collegiate innings. … Allowed two runs or fewer in 13 of 14 starts this season. … As a 1B/DH, he has hit .305 with one homer and 29 RBIs in 105 at-bats. … Had a .405 on-base percentage. … Was a 10th round selection of the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2008. The Diamondbacks pick third and seventh overall this year. … Is a graduate of St. Albans High School in Washington D.C., which produced football great Jonathan Ogden, who was the fourth overall pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 1996. … As a high school senior, was 13-0 and struck out 140 batters in 73 innings.

The quote: “The fact that he is going to be a high draft pick on Monday hasn’t changed Danny and hasn’t changed the way he looks at this season or this team. And that’s what separates him from a lot of people. There is no selfishness in Danny Hultzen and so he is being rewarded with the results that he is getting because of the way he has handled it.”
 Brian O’Connor, University of Virginia head baseball coach

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Dan Klein, the organization’s second pick in the 2010 amateur draft and arguably the best pitching prospect in the Orioles’ farm system, has been shut down with a shoulder injury.

He is expected to be placed on the seven-day disabled list with bicipital tendonitis, basically a sore right shoulder. The Orioles don’t have a set timetable for his return, but are optimistic the problem is not significant.

“We want to make sure he is 100 percent before he pitches again,” said Orioles director of player development John Stockstill.

Klein, 23, was 3-0 with a 1.08 ERA in nine relief appearances for Double-A Bowie. He was promoted after going 0-1 with a 1.15 ERA in seven outings for Single-A Frederick this season. In 32 1/3 innings this season, he surrendered four earned runs, 23 hits, six walks and struck out 37 batters.

Klein experienced some soreness in the shoulder earlier this week, but felt better and eventually pitched two scoreless innings on Wednesday without a problem, Stockstill said. He was scheduled to pitch Sunday, but couldn’t get loose and was examined by Orioles team orthopedist Dr. John Wilckens in Bowie.

After being drafted in the third round out of UCLA, he made five appearances in 2010 for the Aberdeen IronBirds, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out 10 in 6 1/3 innings.

Klein missed the last part of his freshman year and all of his sophomore season with a shoulder injury, which required exploratory surgery in 2009. He came back in 2010 and was the Bruins’ closer. Because he has four pitches he can throw for strikes, the Orioles think he could be a future starter, but wanted to progress carefully with him and were limiting his innings and appearances this season.

Klein was listed as the Orioles’ fifth best prospect heading into 2011 by Baseball America.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Count today's 7-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays as another missed opportunity for the Orioles.

They fell behind 5-2 when Yunel Escobar hit a three-run homer off Jeremy Guthrie in the top of the fourth inning, and never cut the deficit to under three runs the rest of the way.

So when I reference missed opportunity, I'm more discussing the fact that they had a chance to win the series after an uplifting comeback win on Mark Reynolds' grand slam the previous night, and they had the pitching matchup in their favor. And yet, they still lost, falling for the seventh time in nine games and for the 17th time in the past 21 games against the Blue Jays.

Guthrie, who had allowed three earned runs or less in seven of his first 11 starts, and gone at least seven innings in five of his previous six starts, surrendered six runs on nine hits and walked three over five innings, tying the shortest outing of his season.

Meanwhile, Toronto starter Jo-Jo Reyes had beaten Cleveland in his previous outing, but that followed a streak of 28 consecutive winless starts, a feat that tied a Major League record.

Against the Orioles, Reyes survived a rocky first inning and allowed three earned runs over 6 1/3 innings to improve to 2-4. Guthrie fell to 2-8 and is now tied for the A.L. record in losses.

”I didn't feature very good location with my pitches today. They weren't real crisp,” said Guthrie who had allowed just four earned runs in 22 innings in his previous two starts. “I don't have anything to attribute it to. I have felt very consistent all season. It was just one of those days when you don't feel like you have it all together. I think everybody has those days.”

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Orioles right-hander Alfredo Simon, who hasn’t started a big-league game since April 14, 2009, was used in relief in the sixth inning Sunday, meaning he likely won’t be making Tuesday’s spot start against the Oakland A’s.

That assignment looks like it will fall to Chris Jakubauskas, who threw two scoreless innings of relief on Friday. Jakubauskas hasn’t started since April 24, 2010, when he was with the Pittsburgh Pirates. That start ended with his 12th pitch, when Houston’s Lance Berkman hit a line drive off Jakubauskas’ head.

He didn’t pitch again for the Pirates.

He’s been in five games with the Orioles this year, all in relief. He is 0-0 with a 6.39 ERA, allowing 18 hits and six walks in 12 2/3 innings pitched.

Simon replaced Jeremy Guthrie to start the sixth. Guthrie allowed nine hits, including two homers, three walks and six runs in five innings.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 3:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Not a lot from Buck Showalter’s morning session in the way of news.

He hasn’t made a determination on Tuesday’s spot starter. That will be decided after the club gets through Sunday’s game. The best guess is if Alfredo Simon is not needed in relief today, he will start Tuesday.

Showalter said the reason the Orioles brought Robert Andino back this winter and brought him north this spring is because the team felt comfortable having him be a starter if there were injuries to J.J. Hardy and Brian Roberts. So, with Roberts hurt, Andino is the starting second baseman and Showalter is good with that, especially considering Andino is hitting .356 (21 for 59) against left-handers.

Infield prospect Ryan Adams was called up to be the reserve, but has had just 12 at-bats. Showalter alluded that Adams would be sent to the minors soon because he needs to play every day. What Showalter didn’t say – and the reason Adams hasn’t been demoted earlier – is that the veterans in the minors that could get the call aren’t playing particularly well.

Brendan Harris is batting .210 with a .234 on-base percentage in 55 games and Nick Green is hitting .185 with a .262 on-base percentage in 51 games.

Here’s the lineup for Sunday:

Orioles: Andino 4, Markakis 9, Jones 8, Guerrero DH, Lee 3, Hardy 6, Reynolds 5, Reimold 7, Tatum 2. Guthrie 1.

Blue Jays: Escobar 6, Patterson 7, Bautista 9, Lind 3, Hill 4, Encarnacion DH, Davis 8, Molina 2, Nix 5, Reyes 1.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 12:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Minors
        

Mark Reynolds was the hero in Saturday night’s 5-3 win against the Toronto Blue Jays, but one of the more interesting developments occurred after the game.

Jake Arrieta registered a quality start, allowing three runs in six innings to get his seventh win of the season, which ties him for the AL lead.

But, honestly, his outing was anything but quality. He threw 80 pitches in the first four innings. His defense bailed him out of several tight spots. He gave up just five hits in six innings, but he walked four guys – the sixth straight time he has walked three or more.

Afterward, Arrieta didn’t hide behind the quality start distinction.

“My outing, it was pretty ugly to be honest with you,” he said.

In each of Zach Britton’s past two poor performances, the rookie admitted he simply didn’t get it done. And now Arrieta is pointing the finger inward.

It’s refreshing, because I can’t tell you how many times over the years that I’ve heard an Orioles pitcher throw a mediocre to bad game and then talk about how he pitched well and just came up short.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter has preached accountability to this team and these young guys seem to be listening. Arrieta met with pitching coach Mark Connor after his “quality start” on Saturday, reviewed video and talked about how he could have been more effective. And this was a win, remember.

Even better: Arrieta said that after the Jays scored a run in the fourth, which was set up by two Rajai Davis stolen bases, catcher Matt Wieters approached Arrieta about not keeping Davis closer. And Arrieta said he liked the rebuke.

“Wieters gets on me quite a bit. He’s kind of like my older brother, but I think I’m actually older than him (by two months),” Arrieta said. “But he works with me a lot out there. In between innings he will come in, and he told me in the 5th, he’s like you gave up a run … that you shouldn’t have given up there in the 4th inning. … It’s nice to have him make comments like that and know that you just got to do a better job next time.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 12:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Orioles third baseman Mark Reynolds entered the night batting .188 and was 0-for-2 against Toronto’s Ricky Romero before the sixth inning.

That’s when he hit a Romero 94-mph fastball over the left field wall for a grand slam. It was his first grand slam of his career.

Not sure he is worried about his average right now. Reynolds leads the team in homers with eight and is second in RBIs with 28 RBIs.

It gave the Orioles their first lead of the game, 5-3.

Jake Arrieta has a chance to win the game. He allowed three runs in six innings before being pulled for Jim Johnson.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 9:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

A few Orioles tidbits for this evening:

Second baseman Brian Roberts, on the disabled list retroactive to May 17 with a concussion, will fly to Pittsburgh on June 7 to meet with sports-related concussion specialist Dr. Michael Collins. It will be a follow-up from a previous examination by Collins ho prescribed to weeks of non-strenuous activity. There is no specific timetable for his return. Roberts hasn’t played in a game since May 16, when he slid headfirst into first base against the Boston Red Sox.

Delmarva SS Manny Machado, who has been on the disabled list since dislocating his kneecap while running the bases May 5, is expected to leave extended spring training Sunday and could play with the Shorebirds on Monday at West Virginia. The 18-year-old Machado, the organization's top prospect, hit .333 with five homers and 21 RBIs in his first 25 games.

Delmarva third baseman Jonathan Schoop is expected to be promoted to High-A Frederick on Sunday. The 19-year-old Schoop, also one of the Orioles' top young prospects, hit .314 with seven homers and 31 RBIs in his first 50 games with Delmarva. Schoop will play a combination of second base, shortstop and third at Frederick.

Frederick outfielder Trent Mummey, who has been on the disabled list with a concussion since running into an outfield wall May 4, was activated Saturday by the Keys. He had been hitting .263 in 10 games with Frederick after a late April call-up.

RHP Justin Duchscherer’s five-inning extended rehab outing will be Tuesday in Sarasota. If Duchscherer (left hip) makes it through that without incident the organization will decide whether to send him out on a rehab assignment.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 7:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Minors
        

Derrek Lee is back in the Orioles' starting lineup tonight, batting fifth and playing first base.

Lee, who has been on the disabled list with an oblique strain, played one rehab game Friday night for Double-A Bowie.

He went 2-for-3 with a walk. Apparently that was all he needed.

To make room for him on the 25-man roster, the Orioles optioned left-hander Pedro Viola to the minors. Viola made one appearance, May 30 at Seattle, and pitched 1 2/3 scoreless and hitless innings, striking out two.

Lee is expected to leave the Orioles on Thursday to attend his grandfather's funeral in California on Friday. He may be put on the bereavement list.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 3:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Note to readers: Yes, our comments’ option still seems to be down. It’s out of our hands, but hopefully it will be fixed soon.

We’re continuing the draft preview with perhaps the biggest head-scratcher at the top of the board: UCLA power right-hander Gerrit Cole. He is probably giving some scouting directors ulcers right now.

Connolly’s take: Cole is the prototypical power pitching prospect. He’s big, strong, poised, consistently throws his fastball in the upper 90s and has three other pitches he can throw for strikes. He was a first-round pick of the New York Yankees in 2008, but walked away from the money to pitch in college. And he has been the No. 1 – or Friday night -- starter for a strong Bruins program since he stepped on campus as a freshman.

Yet his numbers during the 2011 regular season, including a 6-7 record, were not indicative of a dominant pitcher. He had several games where he got rocked, primarily because he left too many pitches over the plate. And his first start of the postseason, on Friday in a 3-0 loss to the University of San Francisco, was in-line with his season: He went 7 1/3 innings, allowed three runs and one walk and struck out 11. But he gave up 11 hits and got the loss.

I talked to one talent evaluator that says Cole’s stock has dropped and he’ll be available for the Orioles at No. 4 or Kansas City Royals at No. 5 after many thought he’d be the top pitcher taken on Monday.

I am not sure I am buying it, though. Guys with that kind of arsenal and size are rare. The Orioles have no one like him in their entire system. And I don’t think they’ll get the chance to change that – unless Seattle or Arizona makes a surprise pick and takes high schoolers Dylan Bundy or Francisco Lindor. If not, Cole is gone in the Top Three.

Name: Gerrit Cole
Age: 20
Height/Weight: 6-foot-4/220
School/Class: UCLA/junior
Hometown: Santa Ana, Calif.
Position: Right-handed pitcher
2011 regular season stats: 6-7, 3.28 ERA in 15 games. 107 IP, 92 H, 39 ER, 23 BBs, 108 Ks
Skinny: Consistently in the high 90s with his four-seam fastball, occasionally reaching triple digits. … Has a high-80s changeup that could be his best pitch; also has a biting, high-80s slider and late-breaking curve. … Posted nearly a 5-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. … 2011 record and ERA disappointing for someone with his ability, which may have dropped him from No. 1 overall pick. … In several games, his pitches found too much of the plate, so he is working on better command of edges. … High energy and emotional, has improved on keeping his emotions in check. … Was the New York Yankees’ first-round pick (28th overall) in 2008 but did not sign. … Baseball America listed Cole as USA National Team’s best pro prospect. … Battle-tested, he’s been Bruins’ ace for most of his collegiate career. … Some evaluators believe he may be a better fit in the majors as a closer.

The quote: “If he is not the No. 1 pick, I’d anticipate he’d be the second or third. There are not many guys in the seventh inning that are throwing 98 mph and still throwing strikes. He has plenty of experience, international experience, Omaha experience. There’s not a lot he hasn’t done. I just can’t think of who would pass on that type of pitching prospect.”
 John Savage, UCLA head baseball coach

Posted by Dan Connolly at 1:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

In our second draft spotlight installment, we are looking at Oklahoma high school phenom Dylan Bundy

Connolly’s take: If I were a betting man, my money would be on the Orioles selecting Bundy with the fourth pick in Monday’s draft.

Two reasons: 1. He arguably has the highest upside of any pitcher in this year’s draft, and the Orioles are trying to build with pitching. 2. The other top-tier pitchers the Orioles covet likely will be gone by No. 4.

If the Orioles don’t land Bundy, it’s because one of the teams above them take him or those three allow Virginia’s Danny Hultzen to slip.

I have no access to the Orioles’ draft board and the organization protects that information as if it were a matter of international security. But Hultzen is exactly what the Orioles are looking for: A polished college lefty who could pitch in the majors soon. And the bonus is that he is a local product; he’s from Bethesda.

That said, Orioles’ amateur scouting director Joe Jordan, an Oklahoman, has been watching Bundy for years. He already drafted his brother, Bobby, and therefore has had previous negotiations with the Bundys’ representatives.

If Hultzen goes in the top three – it’s hard to see the Arizona Diamondbacks, who drafted him in the 10th round in 2008, passing on Hultzen – and if UCLA’s Gerrit Cole is also off the board, it would be an upset if the Orioles didn’t take Bundy.

One note of caution before you buy your custom-made Bundy Orioles jersey: Bundy’s stock is so high right now, it wouldn’t be a shock if he went in the Top Three.

The info:

Name: Dylan Bundy
Age: 18
Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 205
School/Class: Owasso (Okla.) High/senior
Hometown: Sperry, Oklahoma
Position: Right-handed pitcher
2011 stats: 11-0, 1 save, 0.20 ERA, 71 IP, 20 H, 2 ER, 5 BBs, 158 Ks; also hit .467 with 11 homers and 54 RBIs in 105 at-bats.

Skinny: Has a high 90s fastball that reportedly reached 100 mph this spring. Also features a hard cut-fastball, sharp curve and a developing changeup. … Likely will be top high school player taken Monday. … Was named 2011 Gatorade’s National Player of the Year. ... Bundy excelled as an infielder and had two homers in the state semi-finals. … Highly conditioned, has a specific training regimen that includes weightlifting and long toss that he expects to maintain as a pro. … Owasso lost Oklahoma’s Class 6A championship to Broken Arrow, which was led by likely first-rounder Archie Bradley. … Won two state titles at Class 3A Sperry before transferring as a junior. … Struck out 595 batters and had an ERA under 1.00 in high school career. …. Has committed to the University of Texas. … Older brother Bobby was Orioles’ eighth-rounder in 2008 and pitches for Class A Frederick.

The quote: “It was always a competition growing up. People would kid with us, ‘Who can beat up who?’ or ‘Who can throw harder?’ It was something special growing up. We have a really good relationship. You couldn’t ask for a better brother. He’s everything and more. He’s very mature for his age.”
Bobby Bundy, Frederick Keys pitcher and Dylan’s older brother

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Zach Britton's second straight rough outing obviously wasn't much fun to watch, but neither Showalter nor Britton thinks it's a sign hitters are making adjustments to Britton's arsenal.

"He went into the fifth inning giving up one earned run," Showalter said. "I like our chances there. If you look at it, his last two outings, he's really just been defined by two pitches. ... I don't think hitters are making adjustments. His command hasn't been what he's capable of in his last two starts."

Britton's especially not locating the ball well in difficult situations recently, and that was never more obvious than on J.P. Arencibia's grand slam in the 5th inning.

"You take that away, it's a totally different ball game. It's a big blow for them," Adam Jones said.

The pitch didn't look that bad. It was out over the plate, sure, but it was sinking hard and Arencibia golfed it over the left field fence. But Showalter brushed off that line of thinking.

"Just because it doesn't look like a bad pitch doesn't mean it's not [into] his strength," he said.

Britton said after the game if Arencibia hadn't swung at it, "it probably would have hit the ground." But Britton was trying to throw the ball so that it tailed away from Arencibia, and instead it just dropped, and the Blue Jays catcher crushed it.

"That's some of the growing pains young pitchers go through," Showalter said. "This is a guy how has spent half a season in Triple A. He's going to have some nights [like this]. Hopefully he learns from them and doesn't repeat them often. ... Obviously he's pitched very well for us this year, and he's very close to having a lot better statistical return his last two outings than he should be. But it works both ways."

The Orioles and Blue Jays actually had the same number of hits (10), but as Showalter said after the game: "It certainly didn't feel like it."

Showalter said he wasn't going to comment on whether or not he thought Mark Reynolds should have been charged with an error on a second inning ground ball hit by Arencibia that went off his glove. The official scorers charged Reynolds with an error, which led a pair of unearned runs.

"I don't think Zach or Mark want to hear me debating whether something is a hit or an error after we got beat 8-4," Showalter said. "I know I don't want them to be."

Posted by Kevin Van Valkenburg at 10:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Rookie Zach Britton struggled for the second consecutive start, and this time he didn’t pitch into the sixth inning.

Britton allowed seven runs (five earned) on six hits, three walks and two wild pitches. His night fell apart in the fifth when J.P. Arencibia golfed an 89-mph sinker into the left field stands for a grand slam.

It was Arencibia’s ninth homer and first grand slam. It was the first grand slam allowed by Britton.

He was pulled after the fifth, his shortest stint this season.

Britton has now allowed 11 earned runs in his past two starts. He gave up 17 runs in his first 10 starts as an Oriole.

His ERA is now 3.33.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Felix Pie fouled a ball off the top of his right foot during batting practice Friday afternoon and hobbled off the field and into the trainers' room.

He had it wrapped and was walking around gingerly before Friday's game, but said there was no question that he was going to bat leadoff and play left field against the Blue Jays.

When asked if he was going to play, he smiled and said, "Yeah. Have to kill me for me not to play."

He was then chided by several of teammates for the bravado.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Felix Pie left batting practice early Friday afternoon with an apparent injury, although it was entirely unclear how serious the injury was. Pie, who was scheduled to hit lead-off against the Blue Jays, was chased by the Orioles medical staff as he hobbled up the tunnel.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said Derrek Lee will serve as the designated hitter and hit leadoff tonight for the Bowie Baysox during his minor league rehab assignment as he tries to recover from an injured oblique. He'll be hitting leadoff because the organization is trying to get him as many at bats as possible.

"I would bet he'll be the biggest leadoff hitter in the Eastern League," Showalter joked.

Showalter said he's still not sure when Lee will return to the major league club, and that he'd like to see how tonight goes before making any plans or predictions. He added that he doesn't feel like Lee needs to play first base in the minors before he returns to the Orioles, but he likely will end up playing there anyway. Lee is also going to miss time late next week to attend his grandfather's funeral in Sacramento.

Speaking of first base, Showalter said he couldn't envision a scenario the rest of the year where Nick Markakis played there again, but he did think Markakis handled it fine when he played there in a pinch against the Mariners. Especially when you consider he borrowed Showalter's first baseman's mitt because he didn't have his own.

"He made some plays that you don't see every first baseman make," Showalter said. "But look, Nick is our right fielder. It was a situation where I needed to get Vladdy [Guerrero] off the field, and I needed to give Luke [Scott] a day's rest. I don't see us being in that situation again. But it does give us some flexibility during interleague play with a double switch situation."

As far as interleague play goes, Showalter said he's given a lot of thought about what he's going to do with Guerrero when the Orioles play in National League parks without a designated hitter. He talked to Texas manager Ron Washington about what he did with Guerrero, and has some ideas. But he's not going to reveal what his plans just yet.

"I haven't completely made up my mind," he said.

Justin Duchscherer threw four innings of an extended spring training game Friday and it went well, according to Showalter, although Duchscherer did get hit in the stomach with a line drive. [He continued to pitch.] Showalter said baring any setbacks, Duchscherer will pitch five innings next time out, but there is no timetable for him to join the big league club.

Showalter also said, as far as he knows, no club has expressed interest yet in trading for Jake Fox, who was designated for assignment by the Orioles this week.

Posted by Kevin Van Valkenburg at 4:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

First baseman Derrek Lee, who has been on the disabled list since May 17 with an oblique strain, will join the Double-A Bowie Baysox today as part of his injury rehab assignment.

The assignment was delayed because Lee had a death in the family.

Lee has hit .231 (36-156) in 40 games for the Orioles this season with four home runs and 14 RBIs.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 1:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Minors
        

First of all, a quick note to readers: We are having major technical difficulties with our blogs. For a while, we couldn’t post. We can now, but you may not be able to. If you can’t leave a comment, don’t get discouraged. Just check back a little later. Our tech people are working on the problems. We don’t know yet when they will be fixed.

Now to the matter at hand: Baseball’s annual amateur draft starts Monday at 7 p.m. As we head toward it, I’ll be featuring draft spotlights on several players whom the Orioles may take with the fourth overall pick.

I tried to address many of the broad questions about the Orioles’ draft considerations in our story today in the Sun. And, with it, I attempted to identify the players the Orioles are most seriously considering.

I narrowed it down to five, but honestly the Orioles are surely considering more. It’s just that one of these five – UCLA right-handers Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer, University of Virginia lefty Danny Hultzen, Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon and Oklahoma prep righty Dylan Bundy – are probably the most likely to be tapped at No. 4.

The Pittsburgh Pirates, who pick first, apparently are still deciding. My gut is that they take Cole or Rendon with the other one going to the Seattle Mariners at No. 2. That would leave Hultzen for the Arizona Diamondbacks at three and the Orioles to choose between Bundy and Bauer. Yes, high schoolers such as outfielder Bubba Starling from Kansas and shortstop Francisco Lindor from Florida have been mentioned as potential Top Five players, but I just don’t think the Orioles will be going in those directions.

That’s just a hunch in talking to people, though I am not sure how many of those are lying to me. So we’ll just look at my five and speculate on where they fit with the Orioles.

We’ll go in alphabetical order. Check back periodically this weekend for new entries.

TREVOR BAUER

Connolly’s Take: Trevor Bauer, in my opinion, is the least likely of the five to land with the Orioles. Not that they don’t like him – how can you not be impressed with his numbers? It’s just that there is a perception he is a risk in that his mechanics and machinations are so unorthodox and he is slight of build, so there’s a concern he will breakdown quicker than others.

That, of course, was why Tim Lincecum slipped to the San Francisco Giants with the 10th pick in 2006, and that worked out OK in the Bay Area.

My hunch is that the Orioles just feel a little more confident with some of the other options. But we’ll see.

Here’s my breakdown on Bauer:

Name: Trevor Bauer
Age: 20
Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 185
School/Class: UCLA/junior
Hometown: Valencia, Calif.
Position: Right-handed pitcher
2011 stats: 12-2, 1.27 ERA in 15 games. 127 2/3 IP, 67 H, 18 ER, 34 BBs, 189 Ks
Skinny: Probably the most intriguing player in the draft. Has video-game stats -- almost three times as many strikeouts (189) as hits allowed (67) this season. … Uses an unorthodox delivery that some feel is violent, but adds deception to nasty repertoire. … Has six pitches he can throw for strikes, including a screwball variation. … His fastball is low-to-mid-90s and his plus-curve is a strikeout pitch. … UCLA career leader in strikeouts and wins. …. Is 33-8 at UCLA. … Nine of his 15 outings in 2011 were complete games, including one with 134 pitches. … Boasts a unique conditioning program which includes continual throwing and non-traditional arm strengthening exercises. Used to throw between innings during games, but his college coach said that practice has subsided. … Bauer is into maximizing his torque to increase velocity and studies pitch sequencing. … Graduated high school early to play at UCLA.

The quote: “He’s a calculating guy, not a strange guy. He’s a good teammate and knows baseball. He’s as competitive as anyone I’ve had. In everything, he wants to be the best. People drop the words ‘weird’ or ‘quirky’ or ‘unconventional.’ He’s just not old baseball. He is kind of this new wave of pitcher that has his own process. But you can’t deny his talent. You just can’t.”
 John Savage, UCLA head baseball coach

Posted by Dan Connolly at 9:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Frederick Keys right-hander Bobby Bundy and first baseman Tyler Townsend have been named as the Orioles’ organization’s minor league pitcher and player of the month. They’ll be honored during an on-field ceremony at a future game at Harry Grove Stadium.

Bundy, 21, was 3-1 with a 2.93 ERA in five starts. The 2008 eighth-rounder leads all Orioles minor leaguers in wins (5), strikeouts (52) and qualifying ERA (2.91).

Townsend, 23, batted .281 with five homers and 14 RBIs for the month. A third-rounder in 2009, he is fourth in the system in batting average (.305), second in RBIs (31) and tied for second in homers (8).

Bobby Bundy wasn’t the only one in his family to receive recognition Thursday. His younger brother, Dylan, was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year for his senior season at Owasso High in Oklahoma. Dylan Bundy, 18, is considered a top five pick in Monday’s amateur draft.

One other piece of award news: Justin Turner, the former Oriole farmhand who was claimed by the New York Mets last season, was named the National League’s Rookie of the Month for May.

The 26-year-old Turner batted .325 with one homer and 20 RBIs for the Mets in May. Another former Oriole, Jose Bautista, was named AL Player of the Month after hitting .360 with 11 homers for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Minors
        

Here's a look at what other media outlets have said about the Orioles in the past week:

• Sports Illustrated’s Jon Heyman listed the 2011 Orioles as one of his “Snakebitten Six” teams.

Team igniter Brian Roberts has been idled, the result of another concussion. He's been prescribed rest, but it isn't known when he'll be able to return. Free-agent pickup Derek Lee, who was supposed to be the veteran presence they needed, has wrist and thumb problems in spring and is now sidelined with the ever-annoying oblique injury. Cesar Izturis recently had elbow surgery. And J.J. Hardy earlier was out with his own oblique injury, making the infield nothing short of a disaster area. Starting pitcher Brian Matusz, who is much-needed, will make his season debut Wednesday night. Meanwhile, Justin Duchscherer is still out with a hip issue.

• Bob Nightengale of USA Today points out that Mark Reynolds is closing in on a dubious distinction.

Orioles third baseman Mark Reynolds, who hit .198 last season with the Arizona Diamondbacks while leading the major leagues in strikeouts for the second consecutive season, could make Mendoza-line history. He is batting .196 after being traded during the offseason and is threatening to join shortstop John Gochnauer of the 1902-'03 Cleveland Indians as the only players in major league history with at least 300 at-bats to hit below .200 in back-to-back years.

"I hope they don't start picking on [Reynolds] like they did me," [former MLB player Mario] Mendoza said. "It's tough to deal with. It wasn't fair to me. There was a lot of guys struggling at the plate, not just me.

"Hitting is the toughest thing to do in baseball. Look at how few (35) .300 hitters there are."

• Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com says that the Orioles could target Brewers slugger Prince Fielder.

The Orioles have shown signs of improvement this year, but this week's five-game losing streak on the West Coast is another reminder that they're not yet good enough.

It's almost certain that this will be the 14th straight year without a playoff game at Camden Yards -- and probably the 14th straight year without a winning record, as well.

What to do about it?

Orioles people have been telling friends in the game that they'll have significant money to spend next winter, that manager Buck Showalter wants a first baseman who can hit in the middle of the order -- and that Prince Fielder may be the top target on their list.

• ESPN’s Keith Law ranked Manny Machado as the 10th best prospect in baseball (up 16 spots).

The first major jump here as Machado, currently out with a knee injury, looked better than expected at shortstop and far more comfortable at the plate than expected, adjusting to better off-speed stuff and taking great at-bats in low-A. He won't turn 19 until July, and is just three months older than [Bryce] Harper.

• Joe Sheehan of Sports Illustrated put right fielder Nick Markakis on his “All-Disappointment” team.

One of the great mysteries of this decade is the loss of Markakis' power. After slugging .491 as a 24-year-old, he's seen that figure drop three straight seasons all the way to .318 in 2011. This year, he's not hitting for average, either: just .244, after five straight seasons above .290. Even with his above-average defense, that makes him a liability for an Orioles team that was, to some extent, built around his bat. Look for the average to rebound -- Markakis is hitting a ton of line drives -- without the power.

 [Compiled by Matt Vensel. If you enjoy reading these posts about the Orioles, Ravens and other Baltimore sports, check out Vensel’s Coffee Companion posts every morning, Monday-Friday.]

Posted by Matt Vensel at 3:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: What They're Saying about the O's
        

I’m not going to sit here and claim I know the motive for all of Buck Showalter’s moves, but I think people are searching a little too hard for the reasons that the manager opted to give Nick Markakis his first professional start at first base in yesterday’s series finale against the Seattle Mariners. I am confident in saying that it’s not because Markakis is injured or the Orioles want to see if he could possibly play first base long term. I also don’t think Showalter was sending a message to Luke Scott, Jake Fox or anybody else, per se. My take on it is Showalter simply wanted to shake things up, and try to energize Markakis -- who has seemingly been in a malaise for two months -- and the team, which was coming off a gut-wrenching loss on Tuesday night and looked flat the entire road trip. He mentioned both before and after the game that sometimes you just have to do something for a day to try and change the team’s luck and to get players' minds off their struggles and onto something else. It obviously didn’t jumpstart Markakis’ bat because he took another 0-for-4, but it certainly had the clubhouse buzzing before the game when players started making their way to the lineup card and saw the 3 next to Markakis’ name.

By the way, I don’t know what I was more surprised about -- that Markakis got the start at first, or that he was still playing there in a one-run game in the ninth inning. Either way, I can’t imagine there are too many managers as secure as Showalter who would try something like that. Markakis makes a couple of miscues, Orioles lose their sixth straight game and today’s off day would be dominated by talk about how Showalter has lost his mind and cost his team a game. Something tells me Showalter wouldn’t have flinched if that was the end result, but it certainly takes some guts – if nothing else – to make a decision like that.

Though the wait for the 2011 big league debut of Brian Matusz probably became a little frustrating for the fans, the Orioles handled the situation with one of their top young starters pretty well. There were some questions as to why the Orioles would have him fly all the way out to the West Coast when he could make his debut at home at some point this weekend. I think the answers to those questions were pretty obvious yesterday. Showalter and pitching coach Mark Connor know that Matusz is still rusty, still building up his arm strength and still working himself into game shape. It would probably have been discouraging for both Matusz and the team if the lefty got knocked around in his first start. There was much less of a chance that would happen against a poor offensive team like Seattle, and in a spacious ballpark like Safeco Field than there would have been this weekend against the home run-happy Blue Jays in Camden Yards, where as we know, the ball flies when the weather gets warmer. Matusz gave the Orioles about as much as they could have expected for his first start. However, there’s no question his velocity was down and his stuff was not overly sharp. That’s to be expected after his long layoff. I think 10 of his 17 outs were in the air, and several were hit quite well, yet turned into outs. Better to allow those at Safeco Field against the Mariners than at Camden Yards against the Jays.

There was nothing said in the clubhouse following yesterday’s game because the Orioles were too busy celebrating their first victory in a while. However, I can’t imagine they were too pleased with Mariners catcher Miguel Olivo for the way he charged into catcher Matt Wieters while scoring on Jack Wilson’s RBI single in the second inning. Wieters’ left leg was blocking the plate initially, but he was in the process of pulling it away after he failed to handle Adam Jones’ short-hop throw. It appeared that Olivo had enough of the plate available to avoid contact, but he chose to come in on Wieters anyway, seemingly letting up a little bit when he realized that the O's catcher didn’t have the ball. Still, Wieters’ left leg was in a very vulnerable position. It wasn’t anywhere close to the impact of Scott Cousins barreling into Buster Posey, and ending the San Francisco Giants’ star catcher’s season. However, it was hard not to think of that after the play at the plate yesterday. Olivo did appear to apologize to Wieters -- who certainly didn’t look pleased -- or at least make sure that he was OK.

Second baseman Ryan Adams has started just three of the Orioles’ 12 games since his contract was selected from Triple-A Norfolk, and it has become quite clear that Showalter is more comfortable with the more veteran option in Robert Andino. If you read this blog regularly, you know that I don’t like predicting or speculating on guys getting sent down to the minor leagues. However, in this case, I think it is pretty evident that Adams will probably be returned to the Tides at some point soon. He’s a young guy who needs to be playing regularly so he’d probably be best served doing that in Triple-A if he’s not going to be used much in the big leagues. Regular starter Brian Roberts is still several weeks away from returning, so if the Orioles are going to go with Andino, they could call up a veteran, like Nick Green or Brendan Harris, to serve as an extra middle infielder. I do think this time in the big leagues will prove invaluable to Adams, who got an extended opportunity to be around major leaguers, see how they conduct themselves and to learn from Showalter and his coaching staff. Ultimately though, the most important thing for his continued development is to get steady at-bats and to work on his defense in game situations.

Finally, my colleague, Dan Connolly, has been working on some great stuff ahead of Monday’s start of the 2011 draft. I’m sure it will be on our site later today, so please check it out.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 8:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
Categories: Minors
        

On Monday night, a right-handed high-schooler named Dylan Bundy is going to make baseball news.

For now, though, let’s give his older brother some props.

I have to be honest, part of the reason I called Frederick Keys starter Bobby Bundy was to talk about his younger brother, Dylan, an 18-year-old who is expected to go in the top five picks of Monday’s amateur draft.

Dylan Bundy’s numbers are ridiculous – the Owasso (Okla.) High senior went 11-0 with a 0.20 ERA this season, allowing 20 hits and five walks while striking out 158. He throws in the upper 90s and has four pitches he can throw for strikes already.

Yeah, the kid might have a future.

His brother’s numbers at High-A Frederick are a little more of this world, but they are still impressive. After last night’s no-decision in which Bobby Bundy allowed seven hits, a walk and three runs in six innings, the 21-year-old is 5-3 with a 2.91 ERA through 10 starts in his first season with the Keys. He has walked just 11 while striking out 52 in 55 2/3 innings.

That’s a considerable improvement from last year when the 2008 eighth-rounder was 4-6 with a 3.65 ERA at Low-A Delmarva. Bundy said he feels much more comfortable this season, partially because of better command and partially because he picked up a cut-fastball late last year under the tutelage of then-minor-league pitching coordinator Dave Schmidt.

“Really, it’s just command,” said Bundy, whom Baseball America listed as the Orioles’ 14th best prospect heading into 2011. “My command has gotten a little bit better along with the cutter I developed the end of last year. It has gotten better, and I have a lot of confidence in it.”

Bundy said his curveball was inconsistent last season, so Schmidt talked to him about trying the cutter and he used it in his last three outings last season. It seemed to work. In August, he was 2-1 with a 2.73 ERA. And he’s built on that run at a higher level.

He also improved his conditioning after a difficult 2009 at Bluefield in which he was 2-7 with a 5.10 ERA. He hired a personal trainer, began studying proper nutrition and initially dropped about 20 pounds. He’s now added some more muscle to his 6-foot-3, 212- pound frame.

“Confidence is a big thing,” he said. “Now, I just feel a lot more in shape and a lot more prepared.”

Speaking of preparation, Bundy said his little brother is absolutely ready for the next step. They have talked at length about the jump from high school to pro ball and he “is as prepared as any 18 year-old-kid ever. I think he will live up to the hype.”

The Bundy boys are best friends, and played together for one year in high school – when Bobby was a senior and Dylan was a freshman. The elder Bundy said that was the most fun he’s had on a diamond. And he wants it to happen again.

As this week progresses and we get closer to Monday’s draft, we’ll have more in Orioles Insider about the Orioles’ first-round prospects. But Bundy is definitely a serious consideration for the fourth pick overall. And his big brother, who likely will be pitching Monday night and won’t be able to watch the draft, would be psyched to have his kid brother in the organization.

“That would be a dream come true, to be honest,” Bobby Bundy said.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 7:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Minors