Ryan Adams had the only hit in the first seven innings against Toronto Blue Jays rookie Henderson Alvarez on Wednesday night.

On Tuesday, the Orioles' rookie second baseman had the game-winner, a single (it would have been a double but the winning run easily scored from third) in the 10th inning.

He is 12-for-36 (.333) since being recalled last week and has hit in nine of 10 games.

But he is still learning the game, learning to keep himself involved in every play.

In Wednesday’s seventh inning, Yunel Escobar hit a grounder that should have been easily scooped up. But Adams shifted the wrong way, breaking to his right when the ball was to his left, and he never had a chance at it.

“I didn’t see it off the bat. He kind of pulled off the ball and … I just didn’t see it.”

What he did see – and what all the MASN viewers surely saw – was the glare Orioles manager Buck Showalter shot out to second base.

It begged for a bubble caption above Showalter’s head: “Really?”

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

With his strikeout in the fifth against rookie Henderson Alvarez, Orioles first baseman Mark Reynolds has tied the franchise record for most strikeouts in a season.

He has 160 this year and ties Mickey Tettleton, who did it in 1990.

He also has 31 homers -- most since Aubrey Huff's 32 in 2008.

UPDATE: We have history. Reynolds fanned again in the eighth to break the franchise record.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Pedro Strop, a hard-throwing right-hander who has appeared in 25 games for the Texas Rangers in the past three seasons, is the player to be named later in Wednesday’s deal that sent Michael Gonzalez to the Texas Rangers, according to an industry source.

The 26-year-old was 0-1 with a 3.72 ERA in 11 games with the Rangers, before being demoted in May. He has pitched with the Rangers in three seasons, compiling a 7.24 ERA in 33 big league games, walking 22 and striking out 29 in 27 1/3 innings.

A reliever all his career, the Dominican Republic native posted a 3.59 ERA with 11 saves and a 4-4 record at Triple-A Round Rock this year.

The Orioles have not confirmed Strop’s inclusion in the deal.

Strop, who throws in the mid-90s, was originally a shortstop signed by the Colorado Rockies. He converted to pitching in 2006 and was released by the Rockies organization in 2008 after missing most of the season with an elbow fracture.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: Minors
        

A day before the deadline for teams to acquire players eligible for the postseason, the Orioles found a taker for left-handed reliever Michael Gonzalez. On Wednesday afternoon, he was dealt in a waiver trade to the Texas Rangers -- who lead the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim by 3 1/2 games in the American League West -- for a player to be named later.

“It’s kind of a mixed reaction for me right now,” Gonzalez told reporters after cleaning out his locker in the Orioles clubhouse. “I’m excited. I’m going to go out there and I’m going to try to win a championship now, especially right now that I’m feeling good. That bad part is, obviously, I wanted to do more here in Baltimore. … I wish I would have been able to do better for the fans and things like that, but it is what it is.”

That the Rangers, the runner-up in the 2010 World Series and a contender again this season, expressed an interest says a lot about how well Gonzalez is pitching. It also says something about his perseverance.

Gonzalez has been a popular target of frustrated Orioles fans since he faltered in the closer’s role during the first week of the 2010 season. He also got off to a shaky start this season, the second of a two-year, $12 million deal, and had a 5.46 ERA in 31 1/3 innings before the All-Star break.

But he bounced back in the second half, holding opposing hitters to a .154 batting average while posting a 1.80 ERA. The 33-year-old hasn’t allowed a run in 13 consecutive appearances dating back to July 22.

“He stayed headstrong,” closer Kevin Gregg said. “He believes in himself and that confidence, it came out and allowed him to showcase who he is as a pitcher here in Baltimore. Unfortunately, for the first year and a half, Orioles fans didn’t get a chance to see his full potential. We got a glimpse of it here lately.”

Manager Buck Showalter said the trade could potentially help both the Orioles and the Rangers.

“Gonzo is going to be a really nice piece for Ron Washington and the Rangers,” Showalter said. “He's pitching as good as any American League reliever, left-hander, reliever period. They're catching him at a great time. He's familiar with the American League, so there should be little transition. He's obviously familiar with the state of Texas. So it's a really good situation for them.”

Gonzalez exchanged hugs, high-fives and phone numbers with some of his now-former teammates before Wednesday night’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays. He thanked president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail for giving him an opportunity to pitch for the Orioles. And on multiple occasions, he expressed regret that he didn’t show this city what he was fully capable of until the past few weeks.

“That was the most frustrating for me, that I was obviously brought here to help the team win in those types of situations,” Gonzalez said. “And not being able to do that was tough for me.”

He’ll now get a chance to help the Rangers win a title alongside former Orioles reliever Koji Uehara. And when he hits the free-agent market at season’s end, Gonzalez, a Texas native, didn’t rule out returning to Baltimore.

“I’d love to show them what I’m capable of doing when I’m healthy. Yeah, of course,” Gonzalez said before slipping out of his Orioles gear for perhaps the last time. “Everything about [Baltimore] is great.”

Posted by Matt Vensel at 4:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

The Orioles have traded left-handed reliever Michael Gonzalez to the Texas Rangers in exchange for a player to be named later.

It's expected that the Orioles will get a pitcher in return.

Gonzalez, who was signed to a two-year, $12 million deal before the 2010 season to serve as the team's closer, will finish his Orioles' career with two saves.

The 33-year-old has been pitching real well lately, not allowing a run in his last 13 appearances, and surrendering five hits and one walk with 15 strikeouts over his last 12 1/3 innings. Left-handed hitters are batting just .211 against him this season.

Overall, Gonzalez is 2-2 with one save and a 4.27 ERA in 49 appearances this season. During an injury plagued 2010 season, Gonzalez went 1-3 with one save and a 4.01 ERA in 29 games.

To take Gonzalez's spot on the 25-man roster, the Orioles have recalled left-hander Zach Phillips from Triple-A Norfolk. Phillips, 24, who was acquired on July 19 from Texas in exchange for minor league infielder Nick Green and cash considerations, was 1-1 with one save and a 2.63 ERA in 14 games for the Tides.

The Orioles have also optioned left-handed reliever Mark Hendrickson to Triple-A Norfolk, and outrighted left-handed starter Mike Ballard to Double-A Bowie, and right-handed starter Mitch Atkins to Triple-A Norfolk.

Hendrickson, 37, has appeared in eight games for the Orioles this season, going 1-0 with a 5.73 ERA.

Ballard, 27, is 7-3 with a 3.56 ERA in 16 games (15 starts) for the Baysox.

Atkins, 25, has pitched for Class-A Frederick, Double-A Bowie, Triple-A Norfolk and the Orioles this season following an oblique injury in spring training. He is 3-7 with a 5.20 ERA (88.1IP, 51ER) in 16 starts for the Tides.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

With two late lead changes, an inning of free baseball and a walk-off hit in the tenth, the Orioles had a few players who got a chance to play hero in last night’s 6-5 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

Baltimore manager Buck Showalter singled out obvious candidates such as Ryan Adams, the rookie second baseman who won the game with a deep drive in the bottom of the tenth inning; Nick Markakis, who minimized Kevin Gregg’s damage with a diving catch in the ninth inning; and starter Jeremy Guthrie.

Showalter also praised All-Star catcher Matt Wieters for throwing out Mike McCoy end another Blue Jays rally in the top of the tenth inning, drawing a key walk and scoring the tying run in the bottom of the inning, and for giving the Orioles an early jolt with his second-inning homer.

“I just like his toughness,” Showalter said after the victory. “He comes back and gives us a good at-bat there [after throwing out McCoy]. And he hits a big two-run home run. We’re down 3-0 there, and things are going their way.”

Guthrie, who allowed three earned runs in six innings but got a no-decision, said Wieters is a “confidence-builder” behind the plate. Showalter thinks he should be called something else: a Gold Glove winner.

“If the Gold Glove doesn’t go Wieters’ way, then somebody ain’t watching,” Showalter said.

Posted by Matt Vensel at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

There was a little bit of buzz Tuesday night after a story ran on USA Today’s website that Andy MacPhail has made the decision on his future but won’t reveal it until the end of the season.

The story sources two high-ranking Orioles officials that say MacPhail plans to leave after his contract expires Oct. 31.

MacPhail basically told the paper, “We’ll see” when asked about his decision.

Well, here’s my take. It is speculation. And it is also exactly what we all expect – what we have expected (and written) for months. There’s been no real change here.

MacPhail is not showing his hand. But it would be a surprise if he returned to his post. There’s been conjecture that maybe he takes another, less visible role with the Orioles. But I think the safe money has always been on MacPhail leaving altogether. And, remember, this would not be resigning, it would be not re-upping for another contract.

When we approached MacPhail tonight to see if anything had changed, he dismissed the report as speculative – even with two anonymous sources.

“You can get two sources to say the moon is made of green cheese,” MacPhail said.

Classic Andy.

To recap, from today and the last couple of months, MacPhail isn’t expected back. But he won’t make anything official until later this season – or after it. Say what you want about MacPhail’s tenure here, but I’ve always found him true to his word. So he won’t be officially revealing anything until he decides it is appropriate.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 12:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (30)
        

The Orioles have received excellent pitching from their starting rotation in the past nine games, including Jeremy Guthrie’s six solid innings against the Toronto Blue Jays tonight. Orioles starters have allowed 20 earned runs in 58 1/3 innings during that span -- that’s a 3.09 ERA -- while producing six quality starts.

It’s no coincidence the Orioles are 6-2 in those starts and take a 4-3 lead into the eighth inning tonight.

We know how things tend to go with Guthrie on the mound, so we shouldn’t pencil this one in the win column just yet. But the right-hander has done his part at Camden Yards tonight. Before handing the ball over to the bullpen, Guthrie allowed three earned runs on six hits in six innings while striking out five.

His only major mistake was -- you guessed it -- a home run. Tonight it was a three-run shot by Brett Lawrie in the second inning. But Guthrie pitched well the rest of the way, including when he worked his way out of a bases-loaded no-out jam in the fifth. He hit 94 miles per hour on the gun a few times in his final inning.

Besides Brian Matusz, five of Baltimore’s six recent starters are coming off outings in which they have allowed four or fewer earned runs. Zach Britton and Alfredo Simon, in particular, have been sharp.

That has to be in Buck Showalter's mind as the Orioles manager mulls over going with a six-man rotation.

Posted by Matt Vensel at 9:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Orioles minor league right-hander Matt Hobgood, the club’s top pick in 2009, has been placed on the seven-day disabled list at Short-A Aberdeen.

“He didn’t feel comfortable making his next start, so we placed him on the disabled list,” Orioles development director John Stockstill said.

Hobgood had his shoulder examined by Orioles orthopedist Dr. John Wilckens, and no specific injury was diagnosed, Stockstill said.

It’s possible Hobgood could make one more start for Aberdeen in the IronBirds’ season finale Sept. 4, but that scenario is unlikely.

The 21-year-old Hobgood, who was selected fifth overall out of a California high school in 2009, is 0-6 with an 8.76 ERA in 13 combined games this season for the IronBirds and the Gulf Coast League Orioles.

MASNsports.com first reported Hobgood’s placement on the DL.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 7:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (27)
Categories: Minors
        

Second baseman Ryan Adams is in the starting lineup for tonight’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays. It will be the ninth consecutive start for the 24-year-old, who was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk on Aug. 22.

Adams had been on a seven-game hitting streak since he got the call back to Camden Yards until he went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts in last night’s 3-2 loss to the New York Yankees. Orioles manager Buck Showalter gave him a vote of confidence, though, by keeping him in the lineup against the Blue Jays. Adams will bat ninth.

A second-round pick in 2006, Adams got his first taste of the majors in May. But he played in just nine games in four weeks, batting .217 before getting sent back to Norfolk. This time, he has gotten a chance to play every day with Brian Roberts sidelined with a concussion and Robert Andino seeing time at third base. Adams said he feels more comfortable now after being exposed to the big league experience earlier in the season.

He’s batting .321 since being recalled, which bodes well for him going into 2012. But Adams said he isn’t looking at the rest of the season as an audition. “I look it as every day I have a chance to play baseball,” he said. “And I’m just going to go out there and have fun, and we’ll see what happens.”

On a totally unrelated note, Orioles reliever Michael Gonzalez pitched two scoreless innings last night, and the sprawling defensive play he made to throw out Yankees designated hitter Jorge Posada in the top of the ninth inning was one of the top plays on ESPN's “SportsCenter” this morning.

“When you’re locked in, everything just kind of works out,” Gonzalez said with a laugh when asked about the play. “It was just kind of a reaction thing for me. I’m just glad I didn’t look like an idiot.”

In injury news, first baseman Chris Davis (shoulder) threw and took 25 swings off a tee today without experiencing pain. Infielder Cesar Izturis (groin) is expected to go on a rehabilitation assignment Friday.

Posted by Matt Vensel at 5:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Here is the Orioles lineup vs Toronto:

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

Also, Jason Berken's wife Emily gave birth to a girl, Hadley Lane, at 12:04 p.m. today. She weighs 5 pounds, 12 ounces. All are doing well.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 3:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Troy Patton, who was in Houston dealing with legal proceedings involving his offseason DUI arrest, is back with the team and was reinstated on the 25-man roster.

Veteran lefty Mark Hendrickson, who knew he was up temporarily because of the Patton situation, has been designated for assignment.

They have 10 days to trade, release or ask waivers on Hendrickson. If he clears waivers, he could go back down to Triple-A Norfolk to finish the season or look to catch on with another organization.

With the end of the minor league season coming, this could be the end of the year for the veteran 37-year-old lefty, who was 1-0 with a 5.73 ERA for the Orioles in eight games.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 1:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Minors
        

The Orioles can expand their roster Thursday, but don’t expect to see many players you haven’t watched before in the big leagues. The list of promotions hasn’t been officially completed yet but probably will be by Tuesday or Wednesday.

Two of the more intriguing prospects at Double-A Bowie, outfielders Xavier Avery and L.J. Hoes, almost certainly won’t be on it.

In fact, the call-ups initially will come from Triple-A Norfolk, partially because the Baysox are in the Eastern League playoff hunt and their regular season doesn’t end until Sept. 5.

One Baysox player who could make an appearance in Baltimore is first baseman Joe Mahoney, but that’s unlikely, too. A lot depends on whether Chris Davis (shoulder) will return to play in September. If he can’t, then the Orioles likely will promote a corner infielder or two.

The better bet is that Josh Bell will return to the club. Brandon Snyder is a possibility, but I wouldn’t count on it. With Mark Reynolds playing so well at first, Snyder’s at-bats would be limited.

The group of pitchers to be recalled likely should include Zach Phillips, Jeremy Accardo, Rick VandenHurk and maybe Chris Tillman. The Orioles already have six pitchers in their rotation – and Jim Johnson may also be inserted into it – so the majority of pitching call-ups will go to the bullpen. There would be some 40-man roster shuffling to promote some of them, so that also could be an issue.

The number of pitching promotions also has to do with whether Jason Berken (forearm/elbow) pitches in September. The club doesn’t want a glut of relievers sitting around in the bullpen.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see infielder Blake Davis return or maybe even the debut of outfielder Kyle Hudson, but, really, most of the would-be call-ups are already in Baltimore.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Minors
        

Freddy Garcia and the New York Yankees got the better of Alfredo Simon tonight, but the big right-hander has started to pitch his way into the conversation about which five Orioles should be in the 2012 Opening Day rotation.

Facing one of the highest-scoring teams in baseball, Simon pitched seven strong innings to keep the Orioles within striking distance against the Yankees. He surrendered three earned runs on four hits while striking out six Yankees hitters, but an Orioles rally came up a run short in New York's 3-2 victory.

“I know I was going to pitch to the Yankees, and I put in my mind that I was going to [give] everything that I got to just win the game,” Simon said in the clubhouse after the game, sweat running down his cheek. “I didn’t get a lot of support, two base hits, but that happens in the game, and you just try to do better next time.”

Simon’s only major mistake -- at least that the Yankees took advantage of -- was a curveball he left over the plate for Nick Swisher in the fourth inning that Swisher hammered to right field for a two-run homer.

“He was really good. I loved the way he was engaged the whole night. Loved the way he came back after the two-run homer,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said of Simon. “They pitched just a tad better than we did. … I thought Simon actually pitched a little better than he did in Minnesota, considering the competition. I was really pleased with Alfredo tonight. He competed and got after it and made a lot of quality pitchers."

Showalter was referring to the eight innings of one-run ball Simon tossed against the Twins in his last start. The 30-year-old allowed three hits and followed it up tonight with another quality start, this time against the Yankees, who are jostling with the Boston Red Sox in the race for the American League East title.

After the game, Showalter was hesitant to speak about how Simon fits into the team's plans for the 2012 season, saying he was proud of the way Simon pitched tonight and that “he’s presenting himself” as a starting option. “He’s doing some things tonight and last time out and at times to help his cause."

Simon said he is finally feeling comfortable after enduring a turbulent offseason and spending part of the season in the bullpen. He is treating the rest of 2011 as an audition for a spot in the 2012 rotation.

“I’d like to be a starter, and they know, too,” Simon said. “I try to do the best I can so I can show [Showalter] I can be a starter here. So that’s then up to them [to decide] what they’re going to do with me. … I know they’re going to be happy because I put everything that I’ve got to win the game every time I go out.”

Posted by Matt Vensel at 11:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Yankees starter Freddy Garcia pitched well during tonight’s game at Camden Yards. But one of the two Orioles hits he allowed was a solo home run by Mark Reynolds, who continues to swing a hot bat.

The home run was Reynolds’ second of the series and fourth in his past six games. The first baseman is tied for fourth in the majors with 31 home runs, trailing league leader Curtis Granderson by seven.

That was the only bump on an otherwise smooth night for Garcia, who allowed one run on two hits in six innings. He is in line to get the win after the Yankees scored three runs on four hits against Alfredo Simon. Two runs came on a fourth-inning home run by Nick Swisher, and the Yankees lead 3-1 in the eighth.

In three starts against the Orioles this season, Garcia went six innings each time, allowing a total of nine runs on three hits and five walks over 18 innings. He struck out 17 Orioles combined in those three outings.

The Orioles now must come from behind against a bullpen that slammed the door on them last night.

In case you’re wondering, Simon threw 114 pitches -- 69 for strikes -- in seven innings, striking out six. The pitch count tied a career high for the right-hander.

Update: J.J. Hardy hit a solo home run in the eighth inning, but the Orioles lost, 3-2.

Posted by Matt Vensel at 9:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Manny Machado was at Camden Yards on Monday watching batting practice. He's hoping in two years, he's taking it in the cage with big league teammates.

“It’s great to see what these guys are going through right now, and, hopefully within the next two years, I’ll be up here and do the same thing they are doing,” said the 19-year-old shortstop who was taken third overall in the 2010 amateur draft.

High-A Frederick had the day off, so Machado and his roommate, Keys outfielder Steven Bumbry, drove to Camden Yards to watch batting practice, take in a game and conduct a pre-game interview with MASN.

Talking to reporters during batting practice, Machado tempered his initial enthusiasm when asked whether he thought he’d be making his big league debut within two years.

“Hopefully. I haven’t really got a plan, but hopefully work hard and get up here soon,” said Machado, who has hit .263 with 11 homers and 49 RBIs in 94 games between Low-A Delmarva and Frederick.

Machado chatted with several Orioles and, at one point, removed his diamond-stud earrings, a gentle suggestion from a coach that he was still a minor leaguer. It was Machado’s first time at Camden Yards since an instructional camp last year.

He said his first full season in the minors has gone well – despite injuries that included a dislocated left knee cap – and that the jump in levels has been a challenge.

“It’s tough. It’s a tough environment. It’s tough pitching, that’s the main thing,” said Machado, who hit .276 with six homers in 38 games for the Shorebirds and .254 with five homers in 56 games with the Keys. “The pitchers are smarter; it’s a faster game. So, it’s a big improvement.”

The Keys won the first-half Carolina League title and are hoping to win the league championship in September.

“We made the playoffs; obviously, won the first half; and looking like we can hopefully hang on and win the second half and bring back the rings to Frederick,” said Bumbry, who has hit .247 with 26 doubles and 11 homers in 107 games for the Keys.

Bumbry, a Dulaney High grad and 12th-round pick in 2009 out of Virginia Tech, is the son of former Orioles outfielder and coach Al Bumbry. So he has been to Camden Yards plenty of times.

“I’m a little more comfortable being around it, because I grew up around my dad and when he was traveling and when he coached here in Baltimore, so I know the atmosphere and am kind of used to it,” said Bumbry, 23. “But you never take for granted any day you can come out onto the field, whether it is either in Frederick or here out at Camden Yards.”

One last thing: Machado said he texted New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, who like Machado was a high school phenom from Miami, to let him know he was here and they were hoping to meet up. But Rodriguez traveled back to New York to have an MRI on his left thumb.

Machado joked he wasn't going into the visiting clubhouse to look for A-Rod, though.

"I can’t do that. I’m an Oriole right now, so I can’t really go over there. They are our rivals."

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Major league baseball active rosters can be expanded to as many as 40 players Thursday. And while Buck Showalter said the organization has call-up candidates in mind, the Orioles manager said the club will expand its roster beyond 25 players only if it makes sense for the team and the organization.

“I think it’s got to serve a purpose, whether it be what the club needs or what the organization needs to make better decisions in the offseason,” Showalter said before tonight's game against the Yankees. “I know [president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail] feels the same way. We’ve got some people in mind that fit, but things could change.”

The statuses of injured players Jason Berken, Chris Davis and Cesar Izturis could alter the team’s plans, and Showalter hasn’t decided whether he will move right-hander Jim Johnson from the bullpen to the rotation.

Showalter will consider using a six-man rotation after the Yankees series -- he said he hasn’t made up his mind on that, either -- and he wants to get through Thursday’s call-ups before deciding about Johnson.

Showalter would prefer to give Johnson some starts in September if he plans on permanently moving him to the rotation next spring. But he said that even if Johnson doesn’t start a game this season, he could still be a candidate to join the rotation in 2012.

“It’s certainly something that is being considered,” Showalter said. “I’d prefer that, in a perfect world. That doesn’t mean he can’t do it. It’s not like this is a guy that’s never started before.”

Showalter said he expects Berken, who is on the 15-day disabled list with a right forearm strain, to travel to the Orioles’ minor league complex in Sarasota, Fla., this week to begin throwing. Showalter said it has been a challenge to find Berken a game to pitch in when he gets down there and that the team might have to set up a simulated game. He hopes the 27-year-old reliever, whose wife is scheduled to be induced into labor tomorrow morning, rejoins the Orioles by mid-September.

Another topic of discussion before the game was All-Star catcher Matt Wieters, who is fifth in the league among qualifying catchers with a .265 batting average. But Showalter quickly changed the subject to another category in which Wieters is among the league leaders at his position: games played. Wieters, who is in the starting lineup tonight, will play in his 115th game, the fifth-highest total in the majors. Showalter said he is “proud” of Wieters for the increased workload (the 25-year-old is on pace to pass the 130 games he played in 2010), which Showalter credits to the catcher's maintaining his playing weight. “Last year, it dipped down pretty good,” he said. “I’d love to have that problem. … Me, can’t look at a Popsicle.”

Posted by Matt Vensel at 5:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Here is the Orioles lineup versus the Yankees.

Hardy 6,
Markakis 9,
Jones 8,
Guerrero DH,
Wieters 2,
Reynolds 3,
Adams 4,
Reimold 7,
Andino 5,
Simon P

Posted by Dan Connolly at 3:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Yankees manager Joe Girardi drew the ire of the Orioles and their fans this weekend for his complaints about the rescheduling of games due to Hurricane Irene.

He’s in pinstripes, which means he’s not beloved around here, anyway. Then again, Joe Torre seemed to get plenty of respect in Charm City when he managed here against the Orioles.

Yet Girardi heard a smattering of boos Sunday (only a smattering; not enough Orioles fan at Camden Yards for a showering).

I’m wondering if the fans here view Girardi as Enemy No. 1 among the visiting managers – especially now that old favorite Cito Gaston is gone. By the nature of his job, Boston's Terry Francona also is probably in the mix.

What about the White Sox’s Ozzie Guillen? We all know Minnesota’s Ron Gardenhire has been tossed plenty of times here. Is he close?

Daily Think Special: Which current big-league manager do you most like to boo?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 12:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (24)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar
        

Here are Brian Matusz’s thoughts after his six-run, 5 1/3-inning performance Sunday in the Orioles’ 8-3 loss to the New York Yankees.

It was his seventh straight loss, and his season ERA now sits at 9.07, but he feels like he took some steps forward Sunday.

“Yeah, I’ve made some progress. Being able to be a little more consistent with the fastball. Signs of good changeups today, but not been able to make the 0-2 pitch or the two-strike pitch, and that’s been hurting me, especially to good hitters in tough situations,” he said. “Got to be able to overcome that and keep working.”

He had a 2-0 lead in the third when he gave up a three-run homer to Curtis Granderson. He then took a 3-3 tie into the sixth before giving up three more runs on consecutive homers by Robinson Cano and Nick Swisher.

"I was battling all game. Felt like I had good stuff, felt like I was in control. Just let the home run ball hurt me, pitches up in the zone,” Matusz said. “I was just working up in the zone way too much. I’ve got to be able to lower it, keep it down. And keep fighting.”

Orioles manager Buck Showalter assessed Matusz’s start as such: “He got some balls elevated and had some trouble keeping the ball in the park. Kind of took some of the momentum we had away with Granderson there, but he’s been doing that to a lot of people. … Brian made some quality pitches, but in this league against really good competition, it doesn’t take much to get them back in the game.”

Asked whether he thought Matusz had improved at all since his recall in the middle of this month, Showalter said, “somewhat. He made a volume of better pitches, but Brian’s capable of better.”

Matusz has allowed 17 earned runs in 16 innings in those three starts, but Showalter said he still believes Matusz can reach the potential that made him a rising star in the organization.

“Brian’s had some challenges. I’m proud of the way he’s responded to them for the most part, and I think he’s only going to get better and better,” Showalter said. “The body of work statistically might not read particularly well, but he’s had some periods there where he looked pretty sharp.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 11:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

Brian Matusz was hoping to keep the string going – the Orioles had won six straight and all six were buoyed by solid pitching performances.

That streak dated back to Aug. 21, when Matusz gave up five earned runs in four innings to the Los Angeles Angels.

Unfortunately for Matusz, the string he continued was a streak of rough outings. On Sunday night, he allowed six hits, two walks and six earned runs in 5 1/3 innings. He gave up three homers: a three-run shot in the third by Curtis Granderson and consecutive homers in the sixth to Robinson Cano (two-run) and Nick Swisher.

In his last five starts, Matusz has allowed 31 earned runs (11.63 ERA) on 40 hits and eight walks while serving up 10 homers.

All of the Yankees runs so far have come on five homers. Granderson hit a second against Mark Hendrickson in the seventh.

Andruw Jones hit one in the sixth against Chris Jakubauskas, which gave the Yankees' three consecutive homers in the inning. The last time the Bronx Bombers did that was in May 2009 -- also against the Orioles.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 9:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

The Orioles have posted their lineup for the evening game of Sunday’s doubleheader.

Craig Tatum is spelling Matt Wieters at catcher. Otherwise, you have seen this one before.

Hardy SS
Markakis RF
Jones CF
Guerrero DH
Reynolds 1B
Adams 2B
Reimold LF
Andino 3B
Tatum C
Matusz LHP

Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Zach Britton’s last start before Sunday afternoon was a non-descript, five-inning, one-run performance against the Minnesota Twins in which he allowed six hits and four walks.

He got the win, but even Britton walked away somewhat hollow that day. It wasn’t the bounce back game he had hoped for after the his disaster in the Bronx on July 30, in which he gave up nine runs (six earned) and retired just one batter.

He got that on Sunday afternoon, befuddling the Yankees in a 2-0 win, the Orioles’ season-high sixth straight.

“It was nice. I wasn't thinking about that start. You have to have a short memory,” said Britton, who gave up four hits and a walk in seven shutout innings Sunday. “You're going to have good outings, bad outings. I wasn't thinking about getting revenge or anything. I was just focused on what me and Rick (Adair) were working on in the bullpen and executing a good game plan.”

OK, Britton says he wasn’t thinking about it. But the turnaround resonated with his manager and teammates.

“We talked about it before the game in here,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “The process that you get challenged with here along the way. Sometimes guys go so quickly through the minor league system without getting their nose bloodied a little bit. It's always good when you're exposed to it than when you're not.”

Britton responded with 120-pitch gem – the most pitches in his brief career and most for an Oriole this season – which included five strikeouts. Perhaps his most impressive moment was in the seventh, when he entered with 110 pitches thrown, and then got Robinson Cano and Nick Swisher to fly out and then Andruw Jones to hit into an inning-ending grounder.

These were guys he couldn’t get out last month. And closer Kevin Gregg, who spent most of July 31 chatting Britton about that terrible outing, noticed.

“It’s maturity. And hopefully he uses this as a tool to make him better for the long run,” Gregg said. “It’s that experience that he’s needing to be able to stay up at this level and continue to pitch here. So it was great to see a quality effort like that.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

ORIOLES
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Matt Wieters, C
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Ryan Adams, 2B
Nolan Reimold, LF
Robert Andino, 3B
Zach Britton, SP

YANKEES
Derek Jeter, DH
Curtis Granderson, CF
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Alex Rodriguez, 3B
Robinson Cano, 2B
Nick Swisher, RF
Andruw Jones, LF
Eduardo Nunez, SS
Francisco Cervelli, C
Bartolo Colon RHP

As you can see, Adam Jones is back in the lineup after missing the past two games with chest soreness. Mark Hendrickson has joined the club with Troy Patton going on the restricted list. Patton, who has a hearing on his offseason arrest for driving while intoxicated, could return Monday or Tuesday, which likely could mean only a two-day stay in the big leagues for Hendrickson.

Jake Arrieta, who had bone chips in his right elbow removed this month, is already showing increased flexibility. Cesar Izturis (groin strain) could start playing in rehab games Thursday or Friday. First baseman Chris Davis (shoulder strain) could begin baseball activities Wednesday or Thursday. Alfredo Simon and Jo-Jo Reyes will be in the Orioles bullpen for today's doubleheader. Jason Berken's wife, Emily, will have labor induced Tuesday.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Minors
        

Buck Showalter was asked in his pre-game media session about the New York Yankees' griping about the way the Orioles handled the Hurricane Irene postponements and the rescheduling, and the outspoken manager predictably didn't mince words.

"First of all, I felt that some of the stuff was a little disrespectful to Flanny, quite frankly. That didn’t sit with me very well. I can tell you that," Showalter said, referencing Wednesday's tragic death of Mike Flanagan. "We didn’t say much – I think we had an April rainout there – and they just told us when we were playing. We were OK with that. Like I told you the other day, you tell us when we’re playing, we’ll play. ... We understand that sometimes our opinions on things are not relevant. They come to me when there is two options and talk about it from a baseball standpoint. Every club does that. But some of it kind of has a feeling of [hypocrisy]. I don’t know. I don’t dwell on it. Their opinion on what the Baltimore Orioles should do for their fans and for their organization isn’t really that relevant to me personally, I can tell you that. We’ll do what’s best for our fans and for our organization, and we expect it back that they’re going to do the same on their side."

Several Yankees, including general manager Brian Cashman, manager Joe Girardi and player rep Curtis Granderson, wanted the Orioles to play a doubleheader Friday. The Orioles declined for several reasons – we've talked about them plenty over the past two days, so I don't feel the need to list them again – and instead suggested the two teams play doubleheaders Sunday (today) and Monday (tomorrow). The Yankees didn't want to do that ahead of their big series opener Tuesday in Boston. The Orioles then suggested a doubleheader today and making up the other game on the mutual off day Sept. 8. That's ultimately what has happened, although the Yankees continue to fight it because Sept. 8 is their final full off day of the season.

"Somebody said they offered us to play them there and they were going to give us part of the gate. That’s interesting," Showalter said. "We also realize that there’s a lot of Yankees fans here that come to the games, and there is a lot of different things to think about. I’m real confident that our guys have thought about every possible thing, and we hope that the scenario we’ve had coming back home here never presents itself again. I’m sure if they stopped and thought about it, if the same thing that happened to one of their greats, that they probably would have given a lot of consideration to how they were going to handle that day.

"A lot of people don’t really care about what our opinions are about different parts of baseball. We play baseball. If there’s something out there, it’s all about what’s best for the fans and a lot of different things. ... We hope one day that we can be as competitive as they are. I respect where they are in the season and what their people are saying about the competitive part of it, but it means something to us, too. We’ll continue to do what’s best for the Baltimore Orioles and the fans, which are the same thing. Along the way, we’ll wear that. Sometimes we confuse some things from a real-life standpoint compared to what we’re actually doing here, OK? Obviously, there’s more, but I’ll stop there."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (25)
        

The Orioles-Yankees day-night doubleheader, with the first game set to start at 1:35 p.m., is still scheduled to be played as planned.

Despite rain and wind from Hurricane Irene, The Sun's Jeff Zrebiec reports that there is "no standing water on field" this morning.

Zach Britton (7-9, 4.545 ERA) will start the first game for the Orioles against the Yankees' Bartolo Colon or Ivan Nova. The O's Brian Matusz (1-6, 8.92 ERA) will start the night game, scheduled to start at 7:35, vs. Freddy Garcia of the Yankees.

Posted by Ron Fritz at 10:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Veteran left-hander Mark Hendrickson is one of the main candidates to temporarily replace Troy Patton and join the club for tomorrow's doubleheader against the New York Yankees. It’s certainly not a done deal though as weather-related travel problems could factor in, along with the Orioles needing to get Hendrickson’s consent to be optioned back to Triple-A Norfolk when Patton returns. Patton was scheduled to fly back to Houston this morning in preparation for a Monday hearing related to his January charge of driving while intoxicated. Patton will likely be placed on the restricted list, meaning that the Orioles could fill his roster spot until he returns, which could be on Monday or Tuesday. Hendrickson is 2-4 with a 2.87 ERA in 24 appearances for the Tides this season. He made seven relief appearances for the Orioles earlier this season, going 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA in 10 innings of work.

I don’t like to judge guys on small sample sizes, but I have to say that I like what I’ve seen so far from rookie second baseman Ryan Adams. His defense remains a work-in-progress, but he’s obviously made strides there. He also can clearly hit and has some pop for a little guy. But I think what has impressed me most is Adams has some swagger and toughness about him. He doesn’t appear at all intimidated by the moment or the opposition. I like that, almost as much as the line drives coming off his bat.

Something we probably ought to remember about right-hander Tommy Hunter. He is actually four months younger than Jake Arrieta, and 10 months younger than Brad Bergesen. He’s just seven months older than Brian Matusz and 17 months older than Zach Britton. It’s almost like since the trade, we’ve treated Hunter like a seasoned veteran, and I’ve been as guilty as that as anybody. But this guy is still a relatively young pitcher who is pretty much a lock to be penciled in the Orioles’ rotation next season.

One effect of today’s rainouts is that Orioles center fielder Adam Jones gets a third straight full off day. I don’t know if that will be enough to get Jones back in Sunday’s lineups as it is clear that the outfielder is still being bothered by chest soreness. He said that it still hurts him when he swings and we all know that Jones doesn’t get cheated.

This is clearly a Captain Obvious special here, but it isn’t amazing how much better the Orioles play when they’re not down by three or four runs before every guy in their lineup has had a chance to hit? During the Orioles’ five-game winning streak, their starters have given up four total runs in innings one through four, one each in the four-game sweep over Minnesota, and none last night. In the Orioles’ five previous games – all losses by the way – their pitching had given up a total of 24 runs over the first four innings. Obviously, if you are not behind early, your chances of winning increase dramatically, but that’s not really my point. My point is that these starters going out and giving up early runs just crushes the morale of the whole team, bringing that “Here we go again” feeling. The bullpen has to get cranking early, the defense goes back on its heels and the hitters completely get out of their game plan trying to do too much to make up for sizable early deficit.

Here’s a name that you could hear for the Orioles potential GM vacancy: Texas Rangers Assistant GM Thad Levine. I haven’t heard his name mentioned by any of the Orioles’ top decision makers, so this is clear speculation on my part. But it does make some sense. Levine, who turns 40 is November, has been a big part of the Jon Daniels’ led Rangers front office since October 2005. He’s considered one of the top up-and-coming GM candidates. He also grew up in Alexandria, Va., as a huge Orioles fan and still has family in the area. (Another potential GM candidate, Josh Byrnes, also grew up as a big Orioles fan by the way). Orioles manager Buck Showalter knows him from their days together in Texas. Again total speculation, but Levine is probably a guy worth monitoring if there is a front office shakeup in Baltimore.

I rarely do this but kudos to the Orioles for their handling of the Mike Flanagan tragedy and for the players in honoring Flanny in the best possible way: putting together five consecutive strong games backed by quality starting pitching performances.

Also while we’re offering congratulations here, allow me to extend them to Orioles Director of Baseball Operations Matt Klentak, and his wife, Lauren, who gave birth to the couple’s first child, Valerie Ava Klentak, Thursday morning. According to the Orioles game notes last night, she throws left and bats both.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (28)
        

Predictably, a 12-5 drubbing at the hands of the Orioles did little to make the New York Yankees feel any better about the rescheduling of tomorrow's games, postponed by Hurricane Irene.

To review, the game, which was scheduled for tomorrow at 1:05 p.m., will be made up on Sept. 8 at a time to be announced. The originally-scheduled 7:05 game, will be played as part of split-admission doubleheader at 7:35 on Sunday.

And to nobody's surprise, Yankees manager Joe Girardi was not at all happy.

"It's silly to me. I don't understand why we didn't play a split doubleheader today," he said. "Someone's got to step up, and they did it all over the country. They did it in Philadelphia, they did it in Boston, they did it in Florida. Football games have been moved up. Soccer games. Golf has been canceled, 18 holes. Why we didn't play a split today, I have no idea. And now they want us to give up our off day, the only off day that we truly have as we're coming home from Seattle, and we're going to get to Toronto at 9 or 10 in the morning? We didn't agree to play Sept. 8. They scheduled it, we didn't agree to it, and I really don't understand it."

Orioles player rep Jeremy Guthrie took the high road.

"It’s a very difficult process, a lot of people, a lot of factors involved with both teams," Guthrie said. "Both business operations and so it is very difficult to schedule this many games. It’s unfortunate that it’s a natural disaster and we have to be sensitive to the needs of those who are going to be negatively affected by that. And so, we are just trying to make it work with both sides."

I'm not taking any sides here, but I can at last provide reasoning for the Orioles' reluctance to play a doubleheader today.

One, the Orioles were coming off an 11-day, and 10-game road trip, and they clearly didn't want to arrive at the ballpark early today for a doubleheader after the long trip.

Two, it's obviously been an emotional and taxing time for the organization with the death of Mike Flanagan, and I'm not sure they were too prepared or eager to spend 3/4 of the day at the ballpark.

Three and this is probably the most important one, the Orioles did not want to lose a home night gate against the Yankees. This was supposed to be a huge weekend attendance wise and that's already going to take a hit with the storms.

Four, the Orioles didn't approve of the Yankees' and MLB's rescheduling of the April 12 game at Yankee Stadium. That game was scheduled as part of a doubleheader on July 30, two days after a Yankees' off day. The Orioles had asked to make the game up in September and were denied.

And five, Girardi clearly didn't put his organization in position to gain any favors when he started to campaign for the change through the media a day earlier. The Yankees are one of the least flexible teams in terms of scheduling their home games and accomodating other team's wishes. The Orioles certainly weren't going to back down to them in this case.

Girardi says that the Yankees will fight the rescheduling, but my guess is we'll see him again Sunday, and again on Sept. 8.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (70)
        

With Hurricane Irene bearing down on the Mid-Atlantic region, the Orioles’ doubleheader Sunday against the New York Yankees has been postponed.

The originally-scheduled 1:05 p.m. game will be made up on Sept. 8 at a time to be determined. The 7:05 p.m. game will be played as part of a split-admission doubleheader Sunday at 7:35 p.m.

Sunday’s doubleheader will begin with the regularly-scheduled afternoon game at 1:35.

The decision ended a full day of discussion between both teams and the Commissioner’s office on how the two games would be best rescheduled.

The Yankees clearly weren’t pleased with the decision as they wanted to play a doubleheader tonight, but the Orioles didn’t want to give up a lucrative night gate with the Yankees in town. The Yankees also didn’t want a doubleheader in advance of Tuesday’s series opener in Boston.

“Given the advance notice and the fact that other teams have adjusted schedules ahead of time, we are perplexed at the current options we are being presented with in regards to making up any games postponed due to Hurricane Irene,” said Yankees center fielder and player rep Curtis Granderson.

“The proposition to take away our only full off day in the final month of the season (Sept. 8) is not an option, even though the Orioles’ front office and the Commissioner’s office thinks this is an adequate solution. It’s a shame that the decision has now come down to possibly having to play four games in two days or having to come back to Baltimore for another makeup game.”

Tickets dated Aug. 27 at 7:05 p.m. will only be accepted at the 7:35 game Sunday. No exchange is necessary and fans should bring their original tickets for admission.

Fans unable to attend the regularly or rescheduled games this weekend may exchange their tickets for any remaining games during the 2011 season, subject to availability.

“I’ve got some personal preferences, but when they say play, we play,” said Orioles manager Buck Showalter. “We have input from a baseball perspective, but I certainly got in a perfect world, preferences. Like I said, my biggest one is to play a single game. But we knew this was coming and we’re prepared to handle it pitching wise.”

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

The Orioles and New York Yankees both acknowledge that it is unlikely that tomorrow's doubleheader gets in with Hurricane Irene bearing down on the Mid-Atlantic region.

However, that's about all the two sides agree on.

The two teams have been unable to find common ground on a makeup date for the potential two games. The Orioles would play doubleheaders on Sunday and Monday, or have a doubleheader on one of those days and then make up the final game of the series on Sept.8, a mutual off day for both teams.

However, the Yankees don't want to deplete their pitching with back-to-back doubleheaders heading into their series opener in Boston Tuesday night. They also don't want to have to come back to Baltimore on the Sept. 8 off day.Their preference was to play a doubleheader today, but the Orioles didn't want to give up a night weekend home game against the Yankees.

That prompted Yankees player representative Curtis Granderson to issue this statement:

"Given the advance notice and the fact that other teams have adjusted their schedules ahead of time, we are perplexed at the current options we are being presented with in regards to making up any games postponed due to Hurricane Irene.

"The proposition to take away our only full off day in the final month of the season is not an option, even though the Orioles' front office and the Commissioner's office think this is an adequate solution. It's a shame that the decision has now come down to possibly having ot play four games in two days or having to come back to Baltimore for another makeup game."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (65)
        

Orioles lineup tonight in series opener versus New York Yankees

Robert Andino, 3B
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Matt Wieters, C
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Ryan Adams, 2B
Nolan Reimold, LF
Matt Angle, CF
Tommy Hunter, SP

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

The Orioles' first game in a double-header against the New York Yankees tomorrow at Camden Yards is still scheduled for 1:05 p.m. The second game will be played at 7:05 p.m.

Stay tuned to Orioles Insider for updates on any Hurricane Irene-related developments affecting the O's.

Posted by Baltimore Sun sports at 3:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

The Orioles announced a series of plans to honor former pitcher, coach, executive and MASN broadcaster Mike Flanagan, who passed away Wednesday.

Beginning with tonight’s series opener against the New York Yankees, all Orioles’ uniformed personnel will wear a black circular patch with “FLANNY” written in white on their right jersey sleeves for the remainder of the 2011 season.

A black banner with the number “46” in orange has been erected just above the press box and below the broadcast boost, which Flanagan frequently occupied as a member of the MASN broadcast team.

There will also be a moment of silence in Flanagan’s memory prior to tonight’s game, and his uniform number “46” will be posted on the out-of-town scoreboard in right field from the time the gates open to the conclusion of the game. A video tribute for Flanagan will also be played on the video board at the completion of the first inning.

The Orioles flag on the right field flag court at Camden Years will be flown at half staff for each of the remainder home games this season.

The Orioles have also set up a virtual guestbook at www.oriolesguestbook.mlblogs.com or at www.orioles.com/flanny, and are inviting fans to share their condolences and memories of Flanagan.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)
        

Orioles right fielder Nick Markakis isn’t particularly comfortable talking to the media.

He does it. It’s his job. He’s a professional. But he’s not one to fill up a reporter’s notebook.

So it was mildly surprising that of all the people I talked to in the 24 hours after the suicide of former executive and Orioles great Mike Flanagan, Markakis’ comments were among the ones that stood out the most.

In a one-on-one interview away from cameras – where Markakis is most comfortable – he was asked about the difficulty of playing in Thursday’s game.

“We realized what happened, and we still got to stay focused. We still have to go out there and play baseball,” Markakis said. “It’s sad what happened, and we feel for the Flanagan family and the organization and everybody that knew him. But some things happen in life that you don’t know why.”

Markakis was the club’s first-round pick in 2003, when Flanagan and Jim Beattie shared GM duties. For Markakis’ whole career, Flanagan has been around the club.

You could tell Markakis was speaking from the heart when asked to put the tragedy in perspective.

“That’s the tough part. I have known Flanagan for as long as I have been here. You hear something like that, it’s devastating. It is tough to keep your focus,” he said. “But we know he is in a better place. We know he is watching over us and that’s pretty much all you can do. It happened, and he is in a better place now. He’s up there watching us. That’s for sure.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 7:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Orioles outfielder Felix Pie has cleared waivers.

He can now elect to become a free agent or report to Triple-A Norfolk. He has until Saturday morning to make that decision, but he can make it sooner.

If he chooses to become a free agent, he would forfeit what is left of his $985,000 salary for 2011.

Update: Pie is expected to accept the assignment and will report to Norfolk either Friday or Saturday.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 1:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)
        

Video courtesy of masnsports.com

Posted by Steve Gould at 1:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Video courtesy of masnsports.com

Posted by Steve Gould at 1:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi told New York reporters that his club has “initiated talks” with the Orioles about having a doubleheader Friday at Camden Yards to get ahead of Hurricane Irene’s pending arrival in Maryland, which could come as early as Saturday evening.

It’s fair to say the “talks” are one-sided.

The Orioles are not having a doubleheader Friday, according to a club spokesman. No chance. A doubleheader is scheduled for Saturday – because of a previous rainout – and the Orioles are not going to have back-to-back doubleheaders and they don’t want to cancel games before the situation plays out.

But that didn’t stop Girardi from floating the idea.

“I think we've initiated some talks about possibly playing a doubleheader on Friday. Now, I don't know if that is going to happen,” Girardi told reporters. “From what I understand, Saturday doesn’t look great, Sunday doesn't look great. We're supposed to play five games in four days and if you have two days wiped out, I don't think we're playing a tripleheader.”

It’s possible that another doubleheader could be scheduled for Monday if Saturday night’s or Sunday’s game has to be postponed. But that will be decided by what happens with Hurricane Irene, and the Orioles say they are monitoring the situation and are in contact with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Maryland Stadium Authority.

The Orioles and Yankees also have mutual off days Sept. 8 and 15, so those are possibilities for makeup games, as is scheduling one at the end of the regular season. And it will be at Camden Yards. The Orioles aren’t going to be giving away a home date to assist their division rivals, who are a tremendous drawing card.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 1:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

The following is a statement from Mike Flanagan's family, issued through the Orioles' orgnaization:

"We thank you for your support and kind words at this difficult time. Thank you for respecting our privacy as we grieve. A private memorial will be held at a later date."

--The Flanagan Family

Posted by Dan Connolly at 12:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Right-hander Jeremy Guthrie is trying to decide whether he should keep the only uniform number he has known as an Oriole, No. 46, or switch to something else to honor Mike Flanagan.

And he wants as much feedback as possible.

“I really just want to do what people would view as the most respectful to honor him and his memory and what he did for the Orioles,” Guthrie said,

Flanagan, a former Cy Young Award winner, team executive, coach and long-time Orioles pitcher who wore No. 46, died Wednesday outside his home in Sparks.

Guthrie found out in the middle of Wednesday’s game about Flanagan’s death and continued to pitch the Orioles to a victory at Target Field. Guthrie joined the Orioles in 2007 – and was given the number then – when the club claimed him off waivers. Flanagan was the Orioles’ top executive at the time.

After Wednesday’s game, Guthrie had some conversations with people who knew Flanagan well – including Flanagan’s good friend, former teammate and MASN broadcast Jim Palmer – about whether he should continue to wear the uniform number as a living tribute to Flanagan.

“I’ve seen a lot of fan reaction, just through communications. Some say continue to wear it, wear it with pride,” he said. “There’s also been some sentiment that you can put the number away in his honor. It’s such an emotional situation. … Whatever people think would be the right thing is probably the best thing.”

The Orioles only retire numbers of their players that have gone into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. But they have an unofficial policy of holding out some numbers – Cal Ripken Sr.’s 7 and Elrod Hendricks’ 44 – of former Orioles that have special meaning to the organization.

Guthrie wants your input. Here is a chance to give it.

Daily Think Special: Jeremy Guthrie wants to know whether he should keep uniform No. 46. Should he?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (170)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar
        

The lights are low at Connolly’s today. The Orioles banner behind the bar is at half-mast.

I knew Mike Flanagan -- who died outside his Sparks home Wednesday at age 59 -- for more than a decade. I knew him first as a broadcaster and then for six years as a co-general manager and then as a broadcaster again.

I knew him as a tremendous storyteller. And, yeah, to be honest, I grew up cheering for him. His glory years coincided with my time as an Orioles fan. And if you were a kid in the late 1970s/early '80s, you had to love Flanny.

Today, I’m gonna kick back and let others talk about Flanagan. I apologize for the length, but I feel it is appropriate.

Please, share your thoughts, too.

We’ll start with Jim Palmer, and this statement: “I don’t know the circumstances of his death. I don’t know that anyone does yet. But whatever it is, it’s a tremendous loss anytime you lose somebody like Mike.”

More Palmer: “Mike was such a unique guy: Talented, witty, funny. He had a reserved side of him, too, when you experienced all the things we experienced. I was kind of his mentor, and I was proud to do that. Robin Roberts did that for me, and I was proud to carry on that tradition with Scotty [McGregor], Storm Davis, [Mike] Boddicker, and Mike and Denny Martinez. That’s what made us what we were. …

"You are not ready to lose someone like Mike Flanagan. But on the other side, I feel lucky to be part of the organization and have had him as a friend and a confidant and buddy and see all facets of him. That’s what baseball is all about, the ups and downs and good times and bad times. He was one of my students and then became one of my friends. It is just horrible. You could go into shock. It’s surreal, it’s like it hasn’t happened. …

"I think about losing my dad at 10 and my stepfather and my mom. This is a terrible time for his family, it’s tough for all of us. We all had so much respect for him. He was such a super guy in so many different ways. …

"Flanny was somewhat of a selfless guy. I don’t think he talked much about himself. You don’t find that in most people. He was a terrific pitching coach. He was a special human being. You don’t replace people like that in your life. That’s why I feel so fortunate to have spent so much time with him as I did.”

Rick Dempsey: “Flanny was, gosh darnit, there was just no doubt that everybody loved him. He was just a huge part of our lives in Baltimore. In the wintertime, he would come to my house and we would fish together. …

"I know he has gone through some tough times. I think he was very down about the GM job, but it seemed like he rallied when he got the [MASN] color job again. It’s just shock right now. I know everybody that played with him loved him to death. He was the backbone of that pitching staff. He never quit, this guy never quit. He was there for the duration. We had so many great games and so many great times, I just can’t believe it. …

"He had the driest and funniest sense of humor of anybody I ever played with. He was just a magnificent person and magnificent teammate.”

Peter Angelos: “It is with deep sadness that I learned of the death of my friend Mike Flanagan earlier this evening. In over a quarter century with the organization, Flanny became an integral part of the Orioles family, for his accomplishments both on and off the field. His loss will be felt deeply and profoundly by all of us with the ballclub and by Orioles fans everywhere who admired him. On behalf of the club I extend my condolences to his wife, Alex; and daughters Kerry, Kathryn and Kendall.”

Buck Showalter: “Mike made a point of making me feel welcomed from Day One. First time I spent time with him, he was in a line at the Welcome Home banquet. I feel like it was yesterday and he was trying to help me help our left-handers with their moves. …

"I always looked forward to him coming in and sitting down and drinking coffee with me and not only talking about baseball, but talking about life. He was a passionate man about the Orioles and family, and he impacted a lot of people’s lives, not just by the way he pitched, but he is someone our organization has always been proud of not only for the way he pitched, but the way he treated people. …

"You think about how many great ways he impacted fans’ lives and the Orioles’ life, but he impacted people that never got to dance underneath those lights. I’ve always marveled at the way he treated everybody. Regardless of background, whether this guy never played in the big leagues or whatever. The Orioles lost a real source of wisdom. It’s just hard to imagine not getting to see him now and then.”

Scouting director Joe Jordan: “Mike was just one of those genuine guys. He was a former major leaguer and an accomplished and successful one, and you’d never know it to talk to him. He was just genuine. He was a very intelligent man, and if you got into a baseball conversation with him, he’d control it. He had just so much insight. He was a thinker, and that is what impressed me the most. …

"I didn’t know him at all [before Jordan was hired]. Jim Beattie was my contact. But when Jim left, my friendship with Mike really grew. We just had a good friendship. I am just shocked. A good man, a good friend.”

Cal Ripken Jr.: “I am so sorry to hear about Mike’s passing. He was a good friend and teammate and our thoughts are with Alex and his family. Mike was an Oriole through and through and he will be sorely missed by family, friends and fans. This is a sad day.”

Jeremy Guthrie: “It’s a really sad day. I think he was so close to so many people in this organization and he has touched the lives of countless, thousands of people in the Baltimore community and in the baseball world. So the news of him passing is a big blow to this team, to this family, to this organization, to this city and to Major League Baseball. …

"I have a strong connection with him. I think since the day I was given the number 46, I had thousands of people tell me that was the number of their favorite pitcher for the Orioles when they were growing up. So from Day One, I think I have been reminded of the legacy and the work Mike did, not only as a player, but as a member of the community in Baltimore. It has always been special, and now it takes on even a new level. He is not going to be forgotten soon, that’s for sure. …

"I heard it I think somewhere in the third or fourth inning. It is one of those things, our hearts were in another place but … we tried to stay focused on the game. But certainly those who heard during the game, part of their thoughts were taken away from what we were doing out there on the field. … Once you are on the mound, you realize the task at hand and you try to focus on that. I wouldn’t say it was so much a distraction from pitch to pitch as much as kind of a heaviness inside during the game.”

Michael Gonzalez: “I don’t even have the words. My heart goes out to his family. You see the difference in the clubhouse. We get a 'W' and we didn’t turn the music on right now. Everyone is feeling the same right now. My heart just goes out to his family. …

"[I knew him] well enough to know what kind of quality person he is. We lost a great guy, besides from the baseball and everything else. Just the man himself. He was a great guy, besides the knowledge and everything he would talk to you about. He was just cool to have around.”

Adam Jones: “It just hits the whole Oriole family, and he was a big, big part of it. The last couple years I got to know him pretty good. … He obviously was a guy when I met him, I knew I could learn from him. Every time I was around him, I stuck around him and made it my mission to try and pick up any information. That was the kind of guy he was to me. …

"I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about it out there [on the field]. But I try to focus as much as I could on the game. “

Daily Think Special: Share your thoughts on Mike Flanagan

Posted by Dan Connolly at 1:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (55)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar
        

Lost in the difficult night at Target Field for the Orioles is that Adam Jones left the game in the seventh for Matt Angle.

Jones said he felt extremely sore while swinging the bat Wednesday night.

“I have a sore chest muscle, sore shoulder,” Jones said. “The soreness in my shoulder and chest went into my neck, and I’m just sore everywhere.”

He left Tuesday’s game in the second inning when he couldn’t catch his breath and went to a local hospital for tests. Nothing conclusive was found, and it’s possible he tweaked a muscle then, causing the shortness of breath, and the soreness arose when he swung Wednesday.

I doubt he’ll be in Thursday afternoon’s lineup, but he said he wouldn’t rule it out after icing his shoulder and chest and getting further treatment.

“I don’t know. I iced and stemmed, and I should get a good night’s sleep and hopefully I will feel good in the morning,” Jones said.

Also, Vladimir Guerrero had his left hand wrapped in ice after the game -- he was hit by a batted ball during batting practice -- but said he felt "OK."

Posted by Dan Connolly at 12:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Orioles center fielder Adam Jones is feeling fine and is in the Orioles’ lineup tonight against the Minnesota Twins, a day after he left for the hospital during Tuesday’s game because of shortness of breath.

His sense of humor remained fine as well.

“I wanted my mom,” Jones joked. “I called my mom and said, “Mommy, come fly to Minnesota and come take care of me.’”

Jones said he had no trouble when he batted in the first Tuesday, but when he went out to the field in the bottom of the inning, he couldn’t catch his breath.

“I felt like I was speeding inside my body, but I was standing still,” he said.

When he re-entered the dugout, he put a cold towel on his head and used an ammonia packe,t but nothing stopped him from feeling woozy.

“I just felt like I was spinningm and so the smart thing to do was, I guess, come out,” Jones said. “I think going to the hospital and all that was blown out of proportion. I looked at it as I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

He was taken to a local hospital around 9 p.m. Tuesday and underwent tests, but nothing was specifically diagnosed. He’s not sure whether he was dehydrated or had a touch of the flu.

“Three and a half hours in the hospital, and I talked to the doctors for 10 minutes and then sat around most of the time,” Jones said. “I understand the concern the team would have anytime players come out of the game not feeling good. I understand the medical side of it, and I am just glad everything is fine.”

He said Wednesday he feels, “just as normal as I do any other day.”

Although he knows he put a scare into his friends and family. He said his cell phone started “blowing up” at about 10:30 and he had 20 text messages on Wednesday morning. A lot of that had to do with reports that he was suffering from mild chest pains and that 911 had to be called. The call, team officials said, wasn’t made from the Orioles’ dugout and was simply procedural and was never an emergency situation.

“I just couldn’t take deep, deep breaths. It wasn’t chest pains like I was having cardiac arrest. It was nothing like that,” Jones said. “I’m glad it’s over. I felt uncomfortable, and I’m glad the doctors, the Minnesota doctors, were adamant about making sure I am fine.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

I’ll know more when I get to the park this afternoon and talk to him, but it looks like Orioles center fielder Adam Jones should be fine after going to the hospital in the middle of Tuesday’s game with mild chest pains and shortness of breath.

I say should be fine, because you never want to assume you have all the answers when reporting on someone’s health. But this is what Jones tweeted in the wee hours of the morning: “Back from hospital. Wasn't as serious as it sounded. Glad everything is in order. Appreciate the support and well wishes. Back at it manana.”

Besides becoming bilingual, looks like Jones escaped anything serious. An Orioles official said Jones’ tests all came out fine. In fact, as I wrote last night, from the beginning, the Orioles thought the situation was more structural – maybe a muscle strain that temporarily made it hard to breathe – than anything involving the heart.

It was pretty muggy Tuesday and so the heat may also have led to the sluggishness he was feeling.

But this is an organization that isn’t going to take any chances – the death of pitcher Steve Bechler in 2003 will be forever imprinted in the minds of many still around the team (and in the press box).

And when a Minneapolis radio station/website reported that a 911 call was made from the Orioles dugout, it has to be taken seriously. (Orioles officials say they didn’t make the call, which was termed “non-emergency,” but they summoned an on-site doctor as part of stadium protocol.)

This all happened a few hours after the Orioles designated outfielder Felix Pie for assignment.

Just another strange day in a strange season for the Orioles.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 9:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Orioles center fielder Adam Jones was taken to a Minneapolis hospital in the middle of Tuesday’s 8-1 win against the Minnesota Twins because of shortness of breath and mild chest pains, but was released later Tuesday night after all tests on him came back fine.

Jones tweeted early Wednesday morning: "Back from hospital. Wasn't as serious as it sounded. Glad everything is in order. Appreciate the support and well wishes. Back at it mañana."

The Orioles believe his condition is more muscular-related and not a cardiopulmonary situation.

A Minneapolis radio station and internet site, 1500ESPN.com, first reported that a precautionary 911 call was made from the Orioles' dugout because Jones was complaining of the pains.

The Orioles said they summoned the Twins’ team doctor as part of stadium operations procedure but no one from the Orioles actually called 911, though a “non-emergency” call was placed. The Orioles initially described the condition as an “illness” when Jones left the field.

Jones, 26, was pinch-hit for in the second inning, then left the stadium around the fourth or fifth to be evaluated at Hennepin County Medical Center.

Here’s how Buck Showalter described the Jones situation after the game: “After talking to a few people, he was feeling a little down, just weak. After his first at-bat and everything, it didn’t get any better. [We] didn’t like what he was describing, and so we decided to get him out of there and let the doctors get a look at him. They are still looking into it. We just want to rule a lot of things out to be on the safe side. Let them do more tests at the hospital.”

Jones is hitting .296 with 22 homers and 77 RBIs.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 12:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Orioles fans got a scare on Tuesday when pinch-hitter Matt Angle came to the plate in the second inning in place of Adam Jones.

The club quickly announced that Jones was removed from the game because of an undisclosed illness.

But there was no apparent injury.

The club will take any good news it can get.

And some other good news, relatively speaking: Reliever Jason Berken, who is on the disabled list with a forearm/elbow strain, had a MRA – a MRI with dye injection – on Tuesday, and no structural damage was discovered. Showalter said the test backed up the initial diagnosis by team orthopedist Dr. John Wilckens.

Berken, who is 1-2 with a 5.80 ERA, soon may receive a cortisone shot for the swelling, but the Orioles view the report as a good one, especially since Berken’s surgically repaired elbow ligament was not damaged.

“The structure and everything looked fine, it’s just t he inflammation we’ve got to get out of there,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

As Felix Pie walked out of the clubhouse with his stuff, he stopped to talk for a moment about being designated for assignment by the Orioles on Tuesday.

Once thought to be the club’s left fielder of the future after being acquired from the Chicago Cubs for left-hander Garrett Olson and a minor leaguer in 2009, Pie struggled with injuries in 2010 and never could get things going in 2011, batting .220 with no homers and seven RBIs in 164 at-bats. His playing time dwindled dramatically in the past month as Nolan Reimold received the bulk of playing time in left; Pie had just 21 plate appearances in August.

“It’s a business. I know that. It’s better for me, because here I don’t play. And I know I can play every day. I showed the team I could play every day last year, and I did my job. This year, I tried to do my job, too. But it’s difficult, tough not to play,” Pie told The Baltimore Sun. “I know I am the kind of player that [if] I play every day, I’ll do better and better. I think it’s much better for me to be put on waivers and see if another team will take me.”

The Orioles have 10 days to trade, release or ask waivers on Pie.

When the left-handed-hitting Pie wasn’t in the lineup Monday against right-hander Carl Pavano despite being just one of two pure lefty hitters on the roster, it was another sign that his time here was coming to an end. Still, he said, he was surprised when he was told the news.

Pie, once considered by Baseball America to be the best player in the Cubs’ farm system, has never realized his five-tool talent in the majors, partially because he seemed handcuffed by a lack of baseball instincts. Only 26 – the same age as Adam Jones and younger than Nick Markakis and Reimold – Pie feels he still has time to meet his potential.

“Nothing is wrong with me. I am the kind of player [who needs] to play every day. That didn’t happen with me. And you put Markakis in that situation or Adam and whoever, and they’ll do the same thing because they are players that need to play every day, too,” he said. “Me, I played 85 games, but I started like [36]. I don’t got a chance. I don’t know why, what I have to do to get a chance to play every day. But that’s the business, and I have to take it.”

Popular among teammates for his intense but playful personality, Pie said he’ll miss the Orioles players and the organization that gave him a second chance.

“Those guys are my friends, and that was my team here. They gave me an opportunity in 2009, 2010 to play,” he said. “So I am going to miss them, but if another team takes me, I have to look at it that way and go play every day.”

Pie showed flashes during his Orioles career, hitting for the cycle in 2009 and beginning 2010 as the team’s hottest player before ripping a muscle in his back that cost him roughly three months of the season.

“Everybody was given an opportunity, but I think what hurt him was getting hurt [in 2010] and missing three months,” center fielder Adam Jones said. “And that moved everybody up. I just think he needs to play, and I still think he can play at this level.”

In parts of three seasons as an Oriole, Pie batted .259 with 14 homers and 67 RBIs in 704 at-bats. He had a .303 on-base percentage, a .391 slugging percentage and stole nine bases in 16 attempts.

His defense ranged from spectacular to downright unwatchable, and his base running was confounding for someone blessed with his speed.

“I have been wondering for the longest [time] who is going to play every day in the outfield, left field, especially. And I wanted to see him play every day. And I think the best opportunity for him now, and my first hope, is that somebody picks him up,” Jones said. “He’s a tremendous talent, and I think he can help out any ballclub, especially an NL ballclub, because he is a very talented player. But he needs to play. The thing is, I think everybody has seen in the last month, he’s probably had like 20 at-bats. So he needs to go play somewhere.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
        

The Maryland Stadium Authority is inspecting Camden Yards and the Warehouse after Tuesday afternoon's earthquake.

Michael Frenz, executive director of the MSA, said he and a structural engineer were checking the facilities. They started with M&T Bank Stadium because the Ravens host the Washington Redskins in a preseason game Thursday. They planned to then go to Camden Yards, followed by the Warehouse and Camden Station.

“We’re just prioritizing it that way because of the timing of the events," Frenz said. "There is no reason to believe there is any damage, but they do a visual inspection and then they look a little more closely to make sure there is no structural damage.

“There is no visible damage. We have a structural engineer on site currently inspecting the structural integrity. First, he and his company are doing M&T Bank Stadium, and then Oriole Park because they have a series against the Yankees that starts [Friday]. Then they are going to go to the Warehouse and Camden Station.

“This is certainly a precautionary measure, but is seems appropriate given the magnitude of the earthquake," Frenz added. “There is no reason [to believe] it’s not safe, but we have a lot of people coming in, so we want to make sure we’re protecting public safety and the real estate asset.”

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 5:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

The Felix Pie era in Baltimore appears to be officially over.

The talented but mistake-prone outfielder was designated for assignment today and replaced on the Orioles' 25-man roster by Matt Angle.

Pie, 26, was batting just .220 with seven RBIs in 85 games, while also struggling defensively. He had started just one of the Orioles' past eight games as Nolan Reimold has been playing nearly every day in left field.

The Orioles acquired Pie, once one of the game's top prospects, from the Chicago Cubs in January 2009 for pitchers Garrett Olson and Henry Williamson.

Pie was acquired to be the Orioles' everyday left fielder, but he was never able to hold down that spot, due largely to offensive inconsistency and ill-advised decisions on the base paths and in left field. In 268 games for the Orioles over the past three seasons, Pie has batted .259 (182-for-704) with 14 homers and 67 RBIs.

Since Pie was designated, the Orioles will have 10 days to pass him through waivers and option him to the minors, trade him or grant him his outright release. His 40-man spot will be taken by infielder Jake Fox, whose contract was purchased today.

Angle will assume the fourth outfielder role. The 25-year-old batted .272 in 107 games for Triple-A Norfolk, and his 27 stolen bases rank third in the International League. Angle, a seventh-round pick in 2007 out of Ohio State, played in two games for the Orioles earlier this season and went 0-for-7.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 5:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (23)
Categories: Minors
        

Utility man Jake Fox, who was the club’s backup catcher on Opening Day, is headed back to the Orioles and will join the club today in Minnesota.

With an injury to Chris Davis and the demotion of Josh Bell, the Orioles had just one true corner infielder on the roster, Mark Reynolds, who has become the club’s starting first baseman.

Fox, who has spent parts of two seasons with the Orioles, can play corner infield and outfield and catcher.

The 29-year-old hit .274 with 12 homers and 57 RBIs in 67 games with Triple-A Norfolk. He also hit .188 in 19 games earlier this season with the Orioles.

After Monday’s 4-1 win against the Twins, the Orioles demoted Blake Davis to Norfolk, creating the roster opening. Fox, however, is not on the 40-man roster, so a spot on it will have to be created.

The Orioles could move an injured player – such as Chris Davis – to the 60-day disabled list, but that would end his season and Davis (labrum tear) would like to be back in September.

Another option would be designating a player for assignment. One possibility could be right-hander Mitch Atkins, who has struggled recently at Norfolk.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 11:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (17)
Categories: Minors
        

I am no Jeff Zrebiec.

I have more hair (not a lot, just more than JZ) and a slightly better attitude (stress slightly).

And I don’t do an observations blog nearly as well as Jeff does.

But there were some things that struck me during – and after – Monday’s 4-1 win against the Minnesota Twins that may be worth sharing. So, with apologies to Jeff, here we go:

Ryan Adams is going to get a legitimate look at second base. Orioles manager Buck Showalter often downplays these things and he mentioned Monday night that the rookie would get an opportunity. Didn’t stress more than that.

But the Orioles demoted Josh Bell and don’t really have another true third baseman on the roster besides Mark Reynolds, who has been pushed into first base duty with the injury to Chris Davis. So that means Robert Andino is going to play a decent amount of third, which opens up second for Adams, especially with the demotion Monday night of Blake Davis.

The Orioles need to see what they have in Adams, who has a good bat, but his glove at second hasn’t looked major league-ready in the past.

Speaking of Davis, his demotion wasn’t a surprise, but it opens up the question of who will replace him on the 25-man roster. The Orioles have a two-man bench, so it has to be a position player. They don’t have a backup first baseman and also are really limited from the left side right now. Against right-hander Carl Pavano on Monday, the Orioles had one left-handed hitter (Nick Markakis), one switch-hitter (Matt Wieters) and one lefty on the bench (Felix Pie).

So Rhyne Hughes would fit if he weren’t struggling so badly. He recently was in a funk where he fanned nine times in 11 at-bats over three games.

Kyle Hudson and Matt Angle are left-handed-hitting outfielders, and Robbie Widlansky is primarily an outfielder and has been at Norfolk for only a month. Jake Fox and Brandon Snyder can play first base, but both are right-handed.

Frankly, the most worthy of a call-up is Hudson, but he’s not a great fit.

J.J. Hardy couldn’t get a bunt down twice Monday. So he tried it again with two strikes, and it worked. That wasn’t called, by the way. Hardy did it on his own. And it wasn’t a smart play, not from one of the team’s best power hitters in a clutch situation.

But Showalter wasn’t too upset about Hardy’s decision, saying it was like a 30-foot jumper that is a great shot when it goes in. I think what Showalter liked about it is that Hardy was so mad with himself for not getting it down previously that he was determined to get it right. And Showalter loves that type of competitiveness.

Michael Gonzalez is pitching well. I blogged on this earlier, but I wanted to point it out again. He looks like a different guy out there – except when he falls off the mound and pumps his fist on a third strike.

The Orioles can complain about having to use their DL 15 times this season, but they’ll get no sympathy from the Twins. They have used the DL 23 times. Only two members of their Opening Day lineup – Danny Valencia and Michael Cuddyer have escaped it – and Cuddyer nearly went on this month.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 1:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: Minors
        

Zach Britton got the win Monday night – his first since June 8. He had been 0-5 with no decisions since then.

J.J. Hardy picked up his 24th homer, which ties him with Miguel Tejada for most homers in a season by an AL East shortstop since 2006.

And closer Kevin Gregg, fresh off an ugly implosion against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, pitched a perfect ninth for his 18th save.

But the story within the story was Orioles reliever Michael Gonzalez, you know, the guy Orioles fans most love to hate.

Don’t look now, but Gonzo has been very good recently. Sure, it may be too little too late, but consider that he hasn’t allowed a run in 15 of his past 16 appearances.

And consider that Gonzalez entered with the game on the line in the seventh Monday. With runners on second and third and two outs, he struck out Jason Kubel on a 96 mph fastball that Kubel tipped into Matt Wieters’ glove.

Gonzalez struck out the side in the eighth to bridge the gap to Gregg.

So, in case you went to sleep Monday night, I’ll recap it for you. Gonzalez faced four batters, struck out all of them. Really.

“Gonzo has been pitching well for a while now,” Showalter said. “He is attacking the zone, he is pitching with a purpose and he has a good look in his eye, and hopefully we will benefit from it the next five weeks.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 12:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

After Monday’s 4-1 win against the Twins, the Orioles optioned infielder Blake Davis back to Triple-A Norfolk.

Davis batted .254 with one homer and six RBIs in 25 games with the Orioles. He was due to lose playing time with the promotion of infielder Ryan Adams on Monday.

A corresponding move will be made on Tuesday.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 11:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Minors
        

Let’s not get carried away and say the Ryan Adams Era has begun in Baltimore.

But the 24-year-old second baseman is back with the Orioles, and it looks like he’ll get a little more playing time this time around.

“He is going to get an opportunity. Obviously, we are playing him [Monday],” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “Andy [MacPhail] and I have talked about some other adjustments we might make, but right now, that’s initially one. We’ll see if he has grown some. We’ve got good reports on him down there. He has swung the bat well, and I am going to run him out there and see how he does.”

Adams wasn’t expecting a call-up until rosters expand in September.

“I was a little surprised because we are so close to September, but I am excited to be here and I am going to keep working hard,” said Adams, who hit .217 in nine games with the Orioles earlier this season.

In his first at-bat Monday, he singled up the middle against Minnesota’s Carl Pavano to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead.

Adams was demoted June 18 because the Orioles wanted him to play every day and Andino had seized the open second base job when incumbent Brian Roberts was injured. Now, with Josh Bell in the minors, regular third baseman Mark Reynolds at first base and first baseman Chris Davis on the disabled list, Andino will get more time at third while the Orioles see whether Adams can handle an extended look at second base.

Adams has hit in his minor league career -- he has batted .283 with 10 homers in 93 games at Triple-A this year -- but the question is whether he can field adequately. He made two errors in his limited action with the Orioles and 10 for the Tides.

Adams said he has put in the work to get better defensively, and he believes it will show as his career progresses.

“It’s just time.[I’m] doing the same routines every day and just trying to be consistent. And that’s how you get better,” Adams said. “Do the same things every day and the results are going to come on the field.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 9:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Minors
        

ORIOLES
Hardy, SS
Markakis, RF
Jones, CF
Guerrero, DH
Wieters, C
Reynolds, 1B
Andino, 3B
Reimold, LF
Adams, 2B
Britton, SP

TWINS
Revere, CF
Plouffe, SS
Mauer, 1B
Cuddyer, RF
Kubel, LF
Thome, DH
Valencia, 3B
Hughes, 2B
Butera, C
Pavano, SP

As expected, the Orioles placed right-handed reliever Jason Berken on the 15-day disabled list with a right forearm strain to make room for Britton on the active roster.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 7:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

I’ll readily admit that I’m bringing no new information to the table here, but with each loss comes more speculation and questions about Andy MacPhail’s future, so I’ll address it briefly. I feel the same way I did months ago, that MacPhail won’t be back as the Orioles’ president of baseball operations. I feel slightly stronger about it now than I did back then, but nothing has really changed much in that regard. MacPhail said several times this year that things will become pretty self-evident by season’s end, and I believe they have. To me, the bigger question is what happens with Buck Showalter – Manager? General manager? Both? – and the rest of the front office.

The Orioles’ play right now is completely indefensible, but I’m not buying the theory that they’ve quit. The bottom line is they are running out too many pitchers and players that aren’t major league-caliber, and the ones who are have gotten completely beaten down by all the losing and worn down from trying to carry the club for 4 1/2 months. If you claim guys have quit, you certainly haven’t been watching center fielder Adam Jones, who ran the equivalent of a half marathon over the weekend tracking Angels line drives in the gap. You also probably didn’t see him get all the way to third base in the 12th inning Saturday after he hit the go-ahead single and Torii Hunter’s throw sailed to the backstop. You certainly haven’t been watching Nick Markakis, who was limping all around the field yesterday after his weekend home-plate collision with Hank Conger. Markakis has had another disappointing season production-wise, but he posts every day regardless of how hurt or sick he feels. And you certainly haven’t been watching J.J. Hardy, whose ankle still appears to be bothering him. That much is evident just watching him run to the dugout between innings. I understand this isn’t Little League and hustle alone doesn’t cut it, but let’s not confuse a wide talent gap with overall indifference.

The Orioles’ roster management can be particularly head-scratching at times. Consider the case of reliever Jason Berken: The right-hander has been dealing with elbow and forearm soreness. He got one out in Wednesday’s series finale in Oakland, but informed team officials the following day that the discomfort was still there. So the Orioles wisely decided to shut him down and have him see orthopedist Dr. Lewis Yocum Saturday. Meanwhile, Berken continued to stay on the big league roster all weekend while the Orioles played a man short. It probably wouldn’t have hurt to have an extra arm in the bullpen for Saturday’s 12-inning game or an extra position player for Sunday’s game so Showalter had more than a two-man bench at his disposal. Sure, you don’t jettison a guy to the disabled list as soon as he complains of discomfort somewhere, but Berken has been dealing with it for a little while. He’s pitching with a tear in his labrum, and he’s about six years from Tommy John surgery. You’re not going to take any chances with him. Why not put him on the disabled list and spend Thursday’s off day before the Angels series getting a roster replacement out to the West Coast? Instead, you get a situation where an already-overmatched Orioles team in terms of talent is playing a playoff contender short-handed. That’s obviously not why the Orioles got swept this weekend, but that doesn’t make it acceptable.

Here are two statements I never thought I’d make three months ago: Assuming Jim Johnson goes to the rotation, and that’s certainly the tentative plan before year’s end, Michael Gonzalez is the Orioles’ best option at closer right now. I know what you’re going to say, but Gonzalez has not allowed a run in 14 of 15 appearances, and he’s clearly motivated to finish strong and earn a contract from somebody next season. And two, before having season-ending shoulder surgery, Luke Scott played better defense in left than what we’ve watched from Felix Pie and Nolan Reimold this season. The latter comment is more a reflection of Pie's and Reimold’s struggles defensively than Scott’s play, but at least Scott caught most of the balls he should have and got a decent read and break on some balls.

A couple of other random facts: Once they put Berken on the shelf today and activate Zach Britton, the Orioles will have six players on the major league disabled list. Two have season-ending injuries (Scott and Jake Arrieta), and three others (Brian Roberts, Berken, Chris Davis) could also be done for 2011. Cesar Izturis, meanwhile, starts baseball activities today. … Matt Wieters on Sunday became the eighth Oriole to start a game at first base this year. … The Orioles (47-77) are only three games better than last year’s team (44-80) was through 124 games.

In case you didn’t notice Sunday, former Oriole Kevin Millwood got his first big league victory of the 2011 season for the Colorado Rockies, allowing three runs on seven hits over seven innings to beat the Dodgers. Millwood is 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA in three starts for Colorado. In case you missed it Saturday, former Orioles reliever Koji Uehara took the loss against the Chicago White Sox. He’s 0-2 with a 4.32 ERA in nine appearances for the Texas Rangers since the trade, allowing four runs, seven hits, two home runs, striking out 10 and walking one over 8 1/3 innings. Uehara had allowed four earned runs over his previous 26 outings with the Orioles before the trade.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (43)
        

I'll say this: There aren't too many people rushing forward to take accountability for this Orioles mess, but Blake Davis proved that he's not looking to make any excuses or point any fingers after an awful team-wide performance in a 7-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels today.

Making his first start all season at third base -- he had started one game at third at Triple-A Norfolk earlier this year -- Davis made two errors and was initially assessed three, but the official scorer took away one on Vernon Wells' second-inning grounder.

If there was a silver lining, none of those base runners came around to score.

"I was terrible," Davis said. "There’s no way around it. Not a good showing, so you just take it and swallow it, and it is what it is. I was terrible."

Orioles manager Buck Showalter gave Davis the start at third and benched Josh Bell, who was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk after the game.

"I think Blake played 24 games [at third] last year," Showalter said. "I felt bad for him ... but
it’s something where, supposedly, he’s a utility guy and plays all over. It was a tough day for him. There’s been some really good players that have had a day similar to that, so I have a little empathy for that. But at the same time, if you are going to do the things that Blake is going to have to do to play here, you have to be able to do those things. But he wasn’t by himself."

Indeed, the Orioles were terrible in getting swept out of Anaheim, Calif., for the first time since 2006. Left fielder Felix Pie lost a ball in the sun. Catcher Craig Tatum threw a ball away, allowing a run to score. Brian Matusz didn't pitch well, allowing six runs (five earned) on nine hits and a walk over four innings.

And the offense was just as dreadful, getting just one run on Matt Wieters' homer over seven innings against journeyman Angels starter Jerome Williams. Williams, who started this season pitching for the Lancaster Barnstormers of the Atlantic League, hadn't started a big league game since May 15, 2007, and hadn't won one since Sept. 25, 2005.

The low point was the Orioles' loading the bases with no outs in the fourth inning of a 3-0 game and not scoring.

“The first three innings, he looked like a Cy Young winner,” Orioles center fielder Adam Jones said. “We had three opportunities [in the series] with the bases loaded and less than two outs, and we haven’t gotten any runs off it. Three times. You understand once, maybe twice, but not three times. I don’t want to say focus harder, but point blank, we got to get it done as a team.”

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 8:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

The Orioles are expected to recall Triple-A Norfolk second baseman Ryan Adams in time for tomorrow night's series opener in Minnesota.

Adams, 24, is batting .283 with 10 homers, 37 RBIs and five steals in 93 games for the Tides. He was up with the Orioles earlier this season and went 5-for-23 (.217) with one RBI in nine games.

No word on the corresponding move, but adding an infielder obviously doesn't bode well for third baseman Josh Bell, who is not in the lineup this afternoon despite the fact that Mark Reynolds is out with a sore left ankle.

Matt Wieters is making his first big league start at first base, and Blake Davis is making his at third base instead.

At this point, the Orioles might as well give Adams a look at second over the last month plus to see how he does. Robert Andino and Davis could play third.

UPDATE: Bell has indeed been optioned back to Triple-A Norfolk to make room for Adams.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)
Categories: Minors
        

It's been an interesting morning at Angel Stadium. First, here are the lineups:

ORIOLES
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Matt Wieters, 1B
Robert Andino, 2B
Felix Pie, LF
Craig Tatum, C
Blake Davis, 3B
Brian Matusz, SP

ANGELS
Maicer Izturis, 3B
Peter Bourjos, CF
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Torii Hunter, DH
Mark Trumbo, 1B
Vernon Wells, LF
Erick Aybar, SS
Mike Trout, RF
Bobby Wilson, C
Jerome Williams, SP

Wieters hasn't played first base since his freshman year of high school, but Orioles manager Buck Showalter felt that he was the best option there today. He does regularly get work in there before games, as he did again today. Mark Reynolds tweaked his left ankle while colliding with Mike Trout trying to field Josh Bell's errant throw in the 12th inning last night. Reynolds is probably unavailable today, but he feels like he'll be back in there tomorrow. That means the Orioles have a two-man bench (Nolan Reimold and Bell). Blake Davis, by the way, is starting at third for the first time this season, but he has played that position in the minor leagues at times.

Reliever Jason Berken saw renowned orthopedist Dr. Lewis Yocum, and the early reports are that there is no structural damage in his sore right elbow. Berken will return home and have an MRA on Tuesday. He'll be put on the disabled list tomorrow with Zach Britton being activated.

Jeremy Guthrie threw a bullpen session today and appeared to get through it without any issues. He'll likely start either Tuesday or Wednesday in Minnesota, probably Wednesday.

Showalter said again that it's likely Jim Johnson moves to the rotation before the end of the season but it wouldn't be before the doubleheader next weekend against the New York Yankees. He feels that they need Johnson in the bullpen for now.

Speaking of bullpen, Showalter said struggling Kevin Gregg will remain his closer for now. With Johnson gearing up for a move to the rotation, Showalter doesn't feel he has anybody else for that role.

Chris Davis (slight tear in right labrum) is en route to Sarasota, Fla., to begin a rehab program. Cesar Izturis (groin strain) will start baseball activities Monday.

UPDATE: The Orioles will likely make a roster move after the game to address their bench depth. The most likely scenario is the recalling Triple-A Norfolk second baseman Ryan Adams. Adams can play third base, and he also obviously plays second, which would allow either Andino or Davis to play third. That could could put Josh Bell's roster spot in jeopardy.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 2:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: Minors
        

Only these Orioles could make blowing a two-run, 12th-inning lead look so routine.

Adam Jones' RBI single, coupled with Torii Hunter's throwing error, gave the Orioles a two-run lead heading into the bottom of the 12th. But Kevin Gregg, with the help of third baseman Josh Bell's shaky defense, imploded, failing to retire any of the five hitters he faced.

He was lifted from a tie game by manager Buck Showalter with the bases loaded and no outs in favor of Troy Patton, who gave up the game-winning sacrifice fly to Bobby Abreu in a 9-8 loss.

"Obviously, I want to finish the game," said Gregg, who have Showalter a long glare as he approached the mound to take the ball. "Obviously, I think I can get out of it. Buck’s got to do what he has to do to try to salvage a win."

Gregg now has blown five saves in 22 opportunities. He has allowed runs in three of his past four outings, and in two of those, he failed to record an out despite facing five hitters or more.

Bell, who had a brutal night, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts to go along with his defensive issues, certainly did his part.

With runners on first and second and no outs, Bell fielded Hank Conger's bunt attempt and made a wild throw to first that Mark Reynolds couldn't handle. That brought in one run and put the tying run on third base. Bell made a nice stab on Peter Bourjos' grounder, but he took too long looking the runner back to first and his throw was too late to get the speedy Bourjos.

"You got to take care of the baseball," Gregg said. "Sacrifice bunt and you throw it away. You have Bourjos running down to first. You have to know about his speed. Obviously, a questionable call at first base. If both of those things are done, you’re looking at a different situation. It’s part of the game. You have to move forward."

Bell did take accountability for his role in the collapse, saying, "Things like that can't happen in those situations."

However, Gregg put the Orioles in that situation. He allowed a two-strike leadoff single to Erick Aybar, a .258 hitter. He then hit rookie Mike Trout with a breaking ball that he said slipped out of his hand.

And with the bases loaded and no outs and the Orioles still up by a run, Gregg issued a five-pitch walk to Alberto Callaspo to bring in the tying run.

"Kevin obviously wasn’t carrying the command that he’s capable of and will again," Showalter said.

As a result, the Orioles, who came back from a two-run eighth-inning deficit and were in a position to win just their third game in 71 tries this season when trailing after seven innings, have lost four straight games.

They've lost seven consecutive one-run games. They are a season-worst 29 games under .500 at 47-76. They have eight losing streaks of four games or more, and they’ve assured themselves of a 15th straight winless series.

They haven’t won a series since taking two of three from the Cincinnati Reds June 24-26. They haven’t won a road series since taking two of three from the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field May 13-15. Now, they’re left trying to avoid a three-game sweep by the Angels.

“It just sucks,” said Orioles starter Tommy Hunter, who allowed six earned runs in 6 1/3 innings and needed just two innings to squander a 3-0 lead created by the Orioles’ three-run second inning off Angels right-hander Joel Pineiro. “There’s no other word you can really put to it. When your team goes out and they fight for you, it’s tough to be on the [losing end]. You look back at the first inning, the second inning, the third inning, what differences could have been made to where it doesn’t even go to extra innings. And like I said, it all starts with your starter.”

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 2:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (49)
        

ORIOLES
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Matt Wieters, C
Mark Reynolds, 1B
Robert Andino, 2B
Nolan Reimold, LF
Josh Bell, 3B
Tommy Hunter, SP

ANGELS
Peter Bourjos, CF
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Bobby Abreu, DH
Torii Hunter, RF
Mark Trumbo, 1B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Erick Aybar, SS
Mike Trout, LF
Hank Conger, C
Joel Pineiro, SP

Jeremy Guthrie (right shoulder stiffness) will try to throw a bullpen session tomorrow, and if he gets through it, he'll likely be slotted back into the rotation Tuesday or Wednesday in Minnesota.

Relief Jason Berken (right elbow discomfort) is still awaiting consultation with renowned orthopedist Dr. Lewis Yocum and Orioles team orthopedist Dr. John Wilckens, who is expected to arrive in California later tonight. Berken admitted that it's concerning that his discomfort hasn't subsided despite the fact that he hasn't pitched much. However, he said, "I don't think it's a Tommy John issue at least."

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said that he's planning on talking to Jim Johnson during batting practice today. One of the topics will be Johnson's conversion to a starter.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

In case you are keeping track, the Orioles’ loss last night puts them back on pace to lose 100 games (62-100 to be exact). My colleague, Dan Connolly, keeps reminding me how tough it is for a team to lose 100. He brings up the fact that only one Orioles’ team since 1954 has done it, and reminds me that of all the bad baseball teams that we have watched side-by-side in the pressbox since 2005, none of them have lost 100 games. I get it as Buck Showalter likes to say. But it’s getting harder and harder to envision this team not losing 100. One, they seemingly lose another player to injury on a nightly basis. Two, there is nobody coming up in September who projects as a difference maker. And three, their schedule is absolutely ridiculous the rest of the way. Of their remaining 40 games, 26 of them are against the American League East. The Orioles are just 14-31 against divisional foes this season. Fifteen of them are against the Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees, who the Orioles are a combined 4-17 against this season. They play only one series – a four-game set next week in Minnesota – against a team not currently above .500. Take away the series against the Twins and the remaining 36 games on the Orioles’ schedule are against teams that enter today a combined 89 games over .500. Yeah, that will go well.

Please understand that I’m not making a joke here because shoulder and elbow injuries can be career-threatening, and I’m sensitive to that. But since last Friday, the Orioles have won only two games while sending four players (Jake Arrieta, Dan Klein, Chris Davis and now Jason Berken) during that span to see renowned orthopedist Dr. Lewis Yocum. It’s not funny, but it is a fitting representation of what has become of this baseball season for the Orioles.

There aren’t too many positive days for Orioles fans, but I’d have to imagine that watching this series will only further depress Baltimore baseball fans simply because of how much young talent the Angels have and how they acquired a lot of it. Power-hitting first baseman Mark Trumbo, 25, was an 18th-round pick. Fleet-footed outfielder and leadoff man Peter Bourjos, 24, was a 10th-round pick. All-Star closer Jordan Walden, 23, was a 12th-round pick, and one of his top setup men, Bobby Cassevah, 25, was taken by the Angels in the 34th round. Outfielder Mike Trout, a 20-year-old considered one of the best prospects in baseball, was a first-round pick, but he lasted to 25th overall in 2009. Second baseman Howie Kendrick, 28, was taken in the 10th round. Throw in Ervin Santana, 28, and Erick Aybar, 25, who were both international free agents and you are reminded of one of the main reasons why the Orioles are close to clinching a 14th consecutive losing season. The Orioles’ scouting and player development departments, and the organization’s commitment to each, just hasn’t matched up, not to the Angels, not to so many other teams in the American League.

I know he’s not a very popular guy on this blog and he certainly has his limitations as a player, but I don’t think there is another Oriole who has improved more from Opening Day until now than Robert Andino. He had two more hits last night and he’s now batting .270. Among regulars, only Nick Markakis (.339) has a better on-base percentage than Andino (.336). His defense at second has also improved significantly as the season has gone on. I’ve said this before but as you look through the Orioles’ roster, there is only a handful of players who have exceeded expectations and Andino is high on that list.

Nolan Reimold has now played 93 big league games over the past two seasons and he’s batted .212 (59-for-278) with 10 home runs and 34 RBIs to go along with 30 walks and 63 strikeouts. It’s easy to be mesmerized with his power and how quickly he gets down the line, and he has a disciplined at-bat more times than not, but it’s going to be hard for team officials to ignore those numbers above when they sit down this offseason and decide whether they need to go after a left fielder.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (37)
        

The Orioles' fate was pretty much sealed in the bottom of the first inning earlier tonight when Jo-Jo Reyes allowed four runs in his first 12 pitches without managing to get an out.

A double by Peter Bourjos got it started. Alberto Callaspo and Howie Kendrick hit back-to-back singles, and then Torii Hunter drove Reyes' first-pitch fastball into the left-field seats. Just like that, the Orioles trailed by four runs.

Facing All-Star Dan Haren, they brought the tying run to the plate in the second inning and again in the eighth, but ill-timed strikeouts doomed them in an 8-3 loss.

“It just gets very challenging for an offense to constantly be digging out of a hole. Starting pitching has been an issue for us. That goes without saying,” said Orioles manager Buck Showalter. “You’re on the field 15 to 20 minutes the first inning, it seems like. We do that a lot. It really challenges your mentality. I’m proud of the way our guys keep battling back offensively, but you can see it’s a challenge for us emotionally when you’re constantly playing catch up.”

The Orioles have been outscored 94-42 in first innings this year, and by an astounding 90 runs over the first three innings.

"I’m proud of the way our guys keep battling back offensively, but you can see it’s a challenge for us emotionally when you’re constantly playing catch up," Showalter said.

The Orioles (47-75) dropped their third consecutive game and their 15th in the last 20 contests, and are back on pace to lose 100 games. Only one Oriole team since 1954 has reached the 100-loss plateau and that was the dreadful 1988 squad that started 0-21 before finishing 54-107.

J.J. Hardy, Vladimir Guerrero, Matt Wieters and Robert Andino each had two hits and the Orioles totaled 12 hits for the game. However, they also stranded 10 baserunners and had the bases loaded twice with one and didn't score either time.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 1:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Orioles reliever Jason Berken is dealing with right elbow discomfort that will almost certainly lead to him going to the disabled list, and could potentially end his season.

Berken, who is 1-2 with a 5.80 ERA in 35 appearances, will see renowned orthopedist Dr. Lewis Yocum either tomorrow or Sunday. Orioles orthopedist Dr. John Wilckens is also expected to fly to California and see Berken, possibly on Sunday.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said that the pain started in Berken's right forearm and has worked its way up his arm. Berken had Tommy John surgery when he was in college, missing his junior season at Clemson.

Showalter said that Berken is not available for the next couple of days and he's a candidate to go to the disabled list Monday to make room for Zach Britton's activation from the DL.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 8:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

ORIOLES
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, LF
Adam Jones, CF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Matt Wieters, C
Mark Reynolds, 1B
Robert Andino, 2B
Nolan Reimold, LF
Josh Bell, 3B
Jo-Jo Reyes, SP

ANGELS
Peter Bourjos, CF
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Torii Hunter, DH
Mark Trumbo, 1B
Vernon Wells, LF
Erick Aybar SS
Mike Trout, RF
Bobby Wilson, C
Dan Haren, SP

Zach Britton has joined the team here. He's on schedule to throw a bullpen tomorrow and if all goes well, he could be activated from the disabled list to start Monday's series opener in Minnesota. Brian Matusz threw a bullpen session today and he's in line ot start Sunday's series finale here.

First baseman Chris Davis classified yesterday's diagnosis by renowned orthopedist Dr. Lewis Yocum as good news. Davis said that he has a small tear in his labrum, but he wants to avoid surgery for now. He wants to give it one more try this season and if he's still experiencing shoulder discomfort, he'll have the surgery.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 8:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Who says the Orioles have nothing to play for?

With 41 games left, Orioles third baseman Mark Reynolds has a shot at setting two team records – one good and one bad.

Reynolds is currently sitting at 27 home runs, though 24 of them have come while he's playing third base. The record for most in Orioles’ history by a third baseman is 31, held by Tony Batista in 2002.

One thing that could affect Reynolds’ chase is that he may be used at first base more going forward with Chris Davis on the disabled list with a right shoulder strain.

His strikeout totals, however, won’t be affected by what position he is playing.

Reynolds has fanned 142 times this season, putting him just 19 strikeouts away from setting the single-season Orioles’ mark. Mickey Tettleton holds that as he went down 160 times in the 1990 season.

However, it’s fair to point out that Reynolds is on his way to setting a career low in strikeouts over a full Major League campaign. The previous career low in a season where he’s played 140 big league games or more is 204 strikeouts.

Reynolds is the only player in big league history to strikeout 200 or more times in a season, and he has accomplished that dubious feat three straight years.

He, however, may have some company this year. Cincinnati Reds outfielder Drew Stubbs has struck out 164 times already this season, easily the league lead in that category. Reynolds’ 142 strikeouts put him third in the league, also behind the Chicago White Sox’s Adam Dunn (150).

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (37)
        

First baseman Chris Davis will continue to rehab his right shoulder rather than have surgery to repair a small tear.

That decision came after he met today with renowned orthopedist Dr. Lewis Yocum.

The Orioles acquired Davis, along with right-handed pitcher Tommy Hunter, from the Texas Rangers for reliever Koji Uehara on July 30. In 10 games with the club, he is 9-for-40 (.225) with one homer and three RBIs.

He last played on Aug. 14, and was put on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday. Davis missed four consecutive games on the Orioles’ last home stand because of shoulder discomfort, which he said began after he slept on it wrong while the team was in Kansas City earlier this month.

Davis, 25, said at the time that a magnetic resonance imaging test performed revealed some “wear-and-tear” on his labrum and rotator cuff, which he said most baseball players have.
Wanting to play through it, Davis returned to the Orioles’ lineup last Tuesday and managed to play in six games before he was shut down again.

“It just feels the same every day,” said Davis. “It’s really frustrating more than anything. The biggest thing I need is rest and it’s hard to do that right now having been just traded over here. Obviously, I want to get in the lineup every day and prove that I’m the player that they thought I was.”

In Davis’ absence, Mark Reynolds has been playing first base with Josh Bell getting the starts at third base.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)
        

Here’s a look at what other media outlets have been saying about the Orioles during the past week:

• Justin Havens of ESPN writes about how the Mark Reynolds trade has paid off for the Diamondbacks.

On the same Sunday that current Baltimore Orioles third baseman Mark Reynolds went 0-4 with two strikeouts, the Arizona Diamondbacks -- Reynolds’ former team -- defeated the New York Mets 5-3 to maintain a two-game lead over the San Francisco Giants in the National League West. But the game was yet another example of how different things are for the Diamondbacks this season, starting with the man who ended Sunday’s victory -- relief ace David Hernandez.

On Dec. 6, 2010, the Diamondbacks made what appeared at the time to be a fairly innocuous trade, sending third baseman Mark Reynolds (and John Hester) to the Orioles for Hernandez (and Kam Mickolio). While Reynolds has never been a superstar, he did hit 104 home runs over the course of three seasons from 2008-10. It was this trade, however, that helped change the D-backs’ course by simultaneously managing to improve the team’s offense, relief pitching and defense in one fell swoop.

• Neal Shaffer of the Loss Column wonders whether the Orioles have learned a lesson from Vladimir Guerrero. 

That Vlad didn’t arrive here and transform the Orioles lineup shouldn’t be a surprise. That he didn’t make an impact on the win total shouldn’t, either. But there is a takeaway from the experiment, and it comes in the form of a question: will this be what the Orioles braintrust needs to finally learn their lesson?

 Guerrero’s time here — coupled with that of Derrek Lee — amounts to a fairly clear indictment of the “aging veteran” strategy. Players like that have roles in MLB, for sure, but those roles don’t fit losing/rebuilding teams. In particular, they definitely don’t fit the Orioles.

• SI’s Tom Verducci mentioned the Orioles when writing about the powerful I-95 corridor in baseball.

Remember when the Orioles were the early flavor of the month in April by starting 6-1? Remember that 30-15 start by the Indians? Weren't the Pirates a fun story about five minutes ago? Weren't the Rockies and Twins supposed to get hot in the second half?

The 162-game season, as Baltimore manager Buck Showalter likes to say, does not allow for Cinderella. Two-thirds through it, the season coldly has revealed the same truth that was obvious before it began: For a fifth straight year baseball is about whether anybody can beat the Phillies, Red Sox and Yankees, the definitive three best teams in baseball.

As I wrote before camps opened, "there are two tiers of teams in baseball: the Phillies, Yankees and Red Sox -- teams for which success is nothing less than a World Series title -- and everybody else." Spare me the angst about the Phillies' bullpen, the health of Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz or how Yankees manager Joe Girardi might order his postseason rotation. Nobody is winning the World Series without getting through The Corridor -- the 309 miles between Citizens Bank Park and Fenway Park, home to baseball's superpowers.

• Jon Shepherd of Camden Depot writes about the philosophy of over-slotting to sign draft picks.

After Zach Davies signed today, I asked myself a question. I have always been a proponent of overslotting several players in drafts and I have also been heavily supportive of dedicating money to sign international free agents. So, this question was simply...what is a more efficient use of funds: spending more than 500k for players after the tenth round or 500k for an international free agent.

[Compiled by Matt Vensel. 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 4:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: What They're Saying about the O's
        

If you read this blog often, you know that I’m not a big fan of dissecting every managerial decision on a nightly basis. I didn’t do it that much with Dave Trembley, and I haven’t done it much with Buck Showalter. The reason is because I think it’s overdone and it’s a convenient distraction to the reality of the situation: The Orioles simply haven’t had enough talent to compete on a nightly basis and that doesn’t fall on the manager. Having said all that, I was a little surprised with two of Showalter’s moves in the Orioles’ 6-5 loss yesterday. The first one came in the seventh inning when Showalter let Craig Tatum hit with runners on the corners and no outs and the Orioles trailing by two runs. Tatum popped out to shallow right and the Orioles couldn't cut into their two-run deficit. As it turns out, that wasn’t the Orioles’ last scoring chance, but at the time, it easily could have been. I’m sending up Matt Wieters to hit in that situation. I’ve said several times that the Orioles should look to get Wieters more time off so I have no problem with his not starting a day game after a night one. But he was off last Sunday and he’ll enjoy a team-wide off day today so getting an at-bat or catching a few innings yesterday shouldn’t have been a huge deal. The other situation came in the top of the ninth, when Showalter pinch-ran for J.J. Hardy with Blake Davis, instead of Felix Pie. It turned out to be a huge play because Davis was thrown out at the plate to end the game. Davis, who has decent speed, ran hard the whole way and didn’t do anything wrong. Pie is not a good base runner, but he is the fastest guy on the team. I don’t know that he scores there, but I like his chances better than Davis.

I’ll have to take J.J. Hardy at his word, and yesterday he disputed the suggestion that his ankle may be bothering him again. So I’m left to believe that fatigue has set in a little with the shortstop. I’ve grown to enjoy watching how hard he plays and the elegance with which he plays the shortstop position. But it was clear watching him both offensively and defensively yesterday that he wasn’t operating with all his bullets, as Showalter likes to say. Today’s off day probably couldn’t have come at a better time for Hardy, who turns 29 tomorrow.

A lot of you have asked why the Orioles would have traded for first baseman Chris Davis if they knew that he had some shoulder issues. First of all, I’m can't be entirely sure how much the Orioles knew. The club’s athletic training staff and team doctors don’t speak to the media, and other club officials aren’t going to divulge information about players' medical records to reporters. I do know teams exchange medical information before trades are complete, so the Orioles certainly had access to past MRIs and physicals involving Davis. I also know -- and I have been told this by countless players, managers and teams officials -- that it is very rare for a guy who has been playing baseball for most of his life to have a completely clean shoulder or elbow. Most of these guys have some wear and tear on their labrum and rotator cuffs. That’s just the way it is, and most of them are able to play through it. My guess is since Davis hadn’t been getting treatment on his shoulder while he was in Texas, the Orioles didn’t consider it a concern going forward. Or perhaps it’s a new development, as Davis contends that he started feeling the discomfort after sleeping on it wrong while the Orioles were in Kansas City this month.

With reliever Michael Gonzalez and designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero starting to perform better in recent days, I wondered whether the Orioles had gotten any interest in either player from a contender looking to swing a waiver trade deadline deal. I’m told that they haven’t at this point, though it’s not impossible that could change closer to Sept. 1. I can’t say for sure whether Gonzalez or Guerrero have cleared waivers, but with their contracts and earlier-season struggles, I’ve treated that as a formality.

Because we haven’t gotten an update on Cesar Izturis in a while and I completely forgot to include this in my notebook in today’s paper, Showalter said today that the veteran infielder hasn’t made the expected progress with his groin injury and it’s unlikely that he’ll be ready to come off the disabled list when he’s eligible Tuesday.

Alfredo Simon has made a couple of good starts while logging badly needed innings for the Orioles. However, I think team officials believe more and more that if he has a future with the club, it’s in the bullpen. With Jim Johnson readying for a move to the rotation, Kevin Gregg appears to be the only current reliever who is a lock to be in next year’s 'pen. Simon could enter that mix.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (27)
        

Another Orioles' loss ended with Oakland Athletics' right fielder David DeJesus bobbling Nick Markakis' single before recovering and making a great throw to get pinch runner and potential tying run Blake Davis at the plate.

Aside from DeJesus' bobble and A's closer Andrew Bailey giving up the hit to Markakis, it was a quality baseball play all around. Davis, who was pinch-running for J.J. Hardy, never broke stride and I thought third base coach Willie Randolph's aggressive send was an appropriate one. DeJesus made a strong throw and Oakland catcher Kurt Suzuki, Davis' teammate at Cal State Fullerton, did well to block the Oriole off the plate and apply the game-ending tag.

“The first thing on my mind, for me, was seeing where that ball was going to be but trying to go around him,” said Davis. “He ended up blocking the plate. Looking back, it probably would have been a better idea to just go right into him, especially being the tying run.”

As usual for the Orioles, the game should have never come down to that as the visitors took turns either sleep walking or bumbling their way through the game's early innings.

Orioles center fielder Adam Jones got a bad jump on Hideki Matsui's blooper in the first inning, and then misplayed Brandon Allen's long drive to center in the third. Allen scored on the play when he should have only gotten a triple.

Left fielder Nolan Reimold played Josh Willingham's liner to left into a two-run double in the first. Mark Reynolds was thrown out curiously trying to steal second in a three-run game in the fourth, and then Hardy cost his team a baserunner when he didn't run hard out of the box in the sixth, allowing rookie second baseman Jemile Weeks to boot the ball and recover in time to get the out. Markakis followed with a solo homer, making that play loom even larger.

Asked about his team's sloppy play and whether they were ready to play today, Jones said, "I’d never say that I don’t think anybody is ever not ready for a game. Everybody has their own style on how they play, and if they get ready or not. We just have to come out with more fire, especially in day games. I know we’re all tired, probably didn’t get that much sleep. The same goes for them. You have to come out ready to play and try to get yourself real hyped three hours before the game."

And not to be outdone, Alfredo Simon pitched poorly, allowing six runs (five earned) on eight hits, including two homers by Suzuki, while walking two and striking out three over 5 1/3 innings. Simon attributed some of his problems to "bad luck" and pointed out Reimold's misread of the ball on two different occasions.

But the fact remains that in his last three starts, Simon is 0-2 with a 7.47 ERA, and has allowed 16 runs (13 earned) on 29 hits, four homers and five walks over 15 2/3 innings. I'd say there is a little more to it than "bad luck."

Just a couple of quick post-game injury notes: Despite getting lifted for a pinch runner in the ninth and appearing to favor his left ankle at different times in the game, Hardy said that he was fine.

"I don’t know about that," said Hardy when he was asked about favoring his ankle. Orioles manager Buck Showalter did say that Hardy looked a little "dead-legged." "I definitely believe that Blake is faster than I am. There’s nothing wrong with that. I think it was definitely the right play, the tying run. There’s a better chance that Blake scores than I do."

Asked again about his ankle, which forced him out of the Orioles' lineup for a couple of games earlier this month, Hardy said that it was fine, but he was looking forward to tomorrow's off day.

Also, Jeremy Guthrie (right shoulder stiffness) will likely be pushed back to Tuesday or Wednesday, according to Showalter. As I wrote earlier, Jo-Jo Reyes will pitch Friday's series opener in Anaheim, followed by Tommy Hunter on Saturday. Brian Matusz and Zach Britton will likely start Sunday and Monday, though their order has been set yet.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 8:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

ORIOLES
Robert Andino, 2B
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Mark Reynolds, 1B
Nolan Reimold, LF
Josh Bell, 3B
Craig Tatum, C
Alfredo Simon, SP

A'S
Jemile Weeks, 2B
Coco Crisp, CF
Hideki Matsui, DH
Josh Willingham, LF
Brandon Allen, 1B
Ryan Sweeney, RF
Cliff Pennington, SS
Kurt Suzuki, C
Scott Sizemore, 3B
Brandon McCarthy, SP

Orioles right-hander Jeremy Guthrie is dealing with shoulder stiffness that could push his next start back a day or two. Orioles manager Buck Showalter is hopeful that it's not anything serious. Guthrie threw a light bullpen session earlier this week and did some light tossing in the bullpen a couple of minutes ago.

At this point, Jo-Jo Reyes is scheduled to pitch Friday's series opener against the Los Angeles Angels. Tommy Hunter will start Saturday, and the Orioles haven't announced Sunday's starter. Guthrie is an option for that outing, but it appears that he'll be pushed back further than that.

Zach Britton, who had a solid rehab start for Triple-A Norfolk last night, was expected to come off the disabled list and start in next week's Minnesota Twins series, but he's an option for Sunday as well.

I forgot to mention that second baseman Brian Roberts is seeing concussion specialist Dr. Michael Collins today. It's more just a checkup, and there won't be any big revelations.

"At this point, it’s just a gradual progression," Roberts said yesterday. "He’s not going to say, ‘OK, let’s play a game tomorrow.’ Tomorrow will be just a checkup to see where I am, how I’m doing."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 2:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

If you looked solely at Brian Matusz's line in the Orioles' 8-4 loss to the Oakland Athletics last night - six earned runs on eight hits and three walks over 6 2/3 innings - you'd conclude that the young lefty had another forgettable outing in his return to the big leagues.

However, the guys Matusz shares a clubhouse with would disagree with that conclusion.

“I saw a lot of positives,” said catcher Matt Wieters. “I thought he was probably a few good changeups away from no runs given up in that game instead of what happened. His fastball had good life, and his breaking stuff was back to being sharp. There are still a lot of positives that he could take out of that game.”

Orioles manager Buck Showalter agreed, saying, "I thought he deserved a lot better than what the line may read. You look at some of the hits that fell in on him. I thought he held his stuff well, too. He looked pretty strong physically which was good to see. He just seemed strong mentally and physically tonight. That was fun to watch. If he pitches more like that, he’ll come out ahead in a lot of those games.”

All-in-all, it was an uneven outing for Matusz, who was making his first big-league start since June 30.

First the positives: Matusz's velocity was up a little bit - his fastball mostly sat between 88 and 90 miles per hour - but more important than that, Wieters said that it had some life to it that was lacking earlier this season. Matusz also threw some really good curveballs, and struck out a season-high five. And finally, Matusz looked much stronger physically. He threw 109 pitches, 19 more than any other of his big league outings this season, and was one pitch away from getting through the seventh inning.

Now the negatives: Matusz's command was an issue as he walked three of the first eight batters that he faced. His changeup, which is a serious weapon when it's right, wasn't sharp at all and the one that he threw to Josh Willingham, who destroyed it into the left-field seats, might as well have been put on a tee. Also disappointing was how he got two quick outs in a one-run game in the seventh inning, but couldn't finish the inning off. He allowed back-to-back singles. Troy Patton then relieved him and surrendered a two-run double to Coco Crisp and an RBI single to Hideki Matsui.

Instead of the Orioles trailing 4-3 heading into the top of the eighth, they were behind 7-3. Instead of Matusz having allowed only four earned runs and six hitts over 6 2/3 innings, he had allowed six earned and eight hits.

The end result of his outing could have been much better, but the Orioles have also seen their young lefty fare significantly worse. All-in-all, they said that they were encouraged by his performance as was Matusz.

"I’ve made a lot of strides, had a good feel for all my pitches today, just being able to locate a little bit better,” Matusz said . “You got to build off every outing. It’s definitely exciting coming back, the first outing out here in a while, lot of nerves coming out from the get go. But, pretty happy about being able to go deep.”

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (20)
        

I just got off the phone with Orioles first-round pick Dylan Bundy, who is headed to Sarasota, Fla., to begin his professional career. I don't have time to put this in story form because first pitch is in less than an hour here at The Coliseum, but here are some of Bundy's comments.

Reaction to deal: “I’m very excited. My brother [Bobby] is with the Baltimore Orioles, and it would be awesome to get an opportunity to play with him. I’m living the dream, getting a chance to play professional baseball.”

Confident deal would get done?: “I really didn’t know. It went down to the last couple of minutes. I was getting nervous, and I wasn’t sure it was going to happen or not. Obviously, God has a plan for me, and his plans are for me are to go to Baltimore and play with Bobby.”

Immediate plans: “I’m going down to Sarasota tomorrow. I’m excited. I want to get it going. It’s been a long summer. I’m definitely ready to go.”

Importance of playing with your brother?: “It would be a life-long dream, and it would definitely be worth it. We didn’t really think about it until about two weeks before the draft. We are very excited to see what happens in the future.”

Worried about big expectations?: “You can say I thrive on it, but I really don’t pay attention to it that much. I just play the game like I always have, play the game with respect, respect the people ahead of you.”

You think you’ll pitch in Arizona Fall League?: “I’ve heard rumors about that, but I’m not sure what the plans are. I want to, definitely. I just want to get on the field for the first time and be out there with the team.”

What is your timetable for the big leagues?: “Definitely, the plan for me is to get up there in 2013. That’s a very high goal. We’ll see what happens.”

Why major league deal was important: “Me and my adviser and my dad, we all thought that we were worth it. We truly believe that I’m going to be up there in 2013 and help the Orioles win some games. We thought that was necessary.”

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)
        

Orioles first baseman Chris Davis is headed to the disabled list to make room for tonight's starter, Brian Matusz, on the active roster.

Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said Davis has a small tear in his right shoulder. He'll see renowned orthopedist Dr. Lewis Yocum on Thursday and could miss the rest of the season.

In other injury news, Orioles pitching prospect Dan Klein had an anchor put in Tuesday to repair a slight labrum tear in his right shoulder and his shoulder capsule loosened.

The reliever, 23, will start throwing program in mid-December. He won't be ready for start of next season but should be able to pitch during the 2012 season.

The most realistic case for Klein is probably his pitching in games in late May or June. It's decent news for the Orioles, who feared worse for their 2010 third-round pick.

UPDATE: Before you ask, Orioles top prospect Manny Machado was not injured tonight. The Single-A Frederick shortstop was ejected from the game for slamming his helmet.

Tonight's Orioles lineup:

Reimold, LF
Hardy, SS
Markakis, RF
Jones, CF
Guerrero, DH
Wieters, C
Reynolds, 1B
Andino, 2B
Bell, 3B

Matusz, SP

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)
        

In the midst of what he called the “toughest stint” of his career, Orioles veteran second baseman Brian Roberts isn’t sure whether he’ll play baseball again this season, but he remains confident that he’ll be a productive member of the team in the future.

“Through the whole process, I certainly want people to understand that there’s nobody more frustrated than I am, there’s nobody that loves playing the game of baseball still more than I do,” Roberts said in a phone interview with The Baltimore Sun and MLB.com. “I know it’s been disappointing for our fans, for our players, for our organizations — not only the season, but my circumstances. I still want to be in an Oriole uniform to see this team end up where we desire to go, and I still believe that I’ll be an integral part of that in the next two years.”

Roberts, who hasn’t played since he sustained a concussion while sliding headfirst into first base against the Boston Red Sox on May 16, is in Pittsburgh to see specialist Dr. Michael Collins on Wednesday. He said he continues to make steady progress, though he’s not at the point where he has done any strenuous running or attempted to play in games.

His visit with Dr. Collins on Wednesday is more of a checkup to make sure Roberts is continuing to progress. He doesn’t expect to be immediately cleared to begin playing.

“I certainly haven’t given up hope that I’ll have the opportunity to play before the end of the season, but that’s not my choice,” said Roberts, who has played in just 39 of the Orioles’ 119 games this season after playing in just 59 contests last year. “At this point, I’m at the mercy of the doctors and we’re trying to do this as wisely as possible this time around. We are taking every precaution that we can to make sure that this doesn’t happen again. That’s our first and foremost priority, that when I do step back on the baseball field, whether it’s 2011 or 2012, that the chances of this [happening again] are remote.”

Roberts, the longest-tenured Oriole, has had two concussions in an eight-month span. The first occurred Sept. 27, when the leadoff man hit himself on the helmet with his bat after striking out against the Tampa Bay Rays. Roberts experienced concussion symptoms, including headaches and dizziness, for a couple of months after that, and he acknowledged Tuesday that he probably didn’t have all the proper information or take all the right steps to aid in his recovery.

He’s adamant that he will do that this time, even if that means he won’t play another baseball game for the rest of the season. He also said Dr. Collins is confident that he is on the right path to put the concussion issues behind him.

Roberts has been taking batting practice and performing fielding drills, but he acknowledged that he had to take a step back about 10 days ago because he started experiencing headaches again.

“They are definitely less severe and definitely less frequent,” said Roberts, who has consulted with other players who have had concussions, including the Minnesota Twins’ Justin Morneau and the Toronto Blue Jays’ Aaron Hill. “In May and June, my symptoms were much, much worse. I wasn’t participating in anything because my symptoms at that point were so bad that I wasn’t capable of participating in activities, really. … I’ve been doing baseball activities off and on for the last couple of weeks, and we’ve made some pretty good progress. I’m not to the point where I can do everything that we need to do, unfortunately, yet, but we’re a lot farther along than we were a month ago.”

Especially after missing a good chunk of last season, mostly because of a herniated disk in his back, Roberts acknowledged, the time away from the game and his teammates has been especially difficult. “Certainly for me, it’s the hardest thing that I can go through,” he said.

Throughout his career, he has avoided reading newspaper or Internet reports about himself or the Orioles or listening to talk radio. However, he seemed at least partially aware that some have questioned his desire to play and his commitment to the only organization that he has ever known.

“Unfortunately, you can’t always control the perception that is out there,” Roberts said. “All of you can do is know that you are doing everything that you can. For , in this instance, I’m doing everything I possibly can to get back on the baseball field. If the perception is out there that I’m not or for some unknown reason people have feelings that I don’t want to play baseball, sure, that’s very hard and hurtful for somebody that takes as much pride in playing the game as I do. As unfortunate as the incident was when I became injured, it was injury of passion because I care about the game, I care about the Orioles and I care about the team.”

Roberts did say he heard some “backlash” about his recent cancellation of “Brian’s Bash,” his annual charity event that benefits the University of Maryland Children’s Hospital. Roberts, who had open-heart surgery as a young child, had hosted the event for the previous five years. When Roberts and his wife, Diana, realized they had to cancel it, they wrote a check to the hospital to make up for the lost money.

“We got to the point where we realized it wasn’t going to make sense for me, unfortunately, with the state of my concussion,” Roberts said. “What people I think have to realize in the recovery of a concussion, your day-to-day routine, what you go through on a daily basis affects your recovery. Everything you do outside that routine presents an opportunity to take a step backward in that recovery. As important as the hospital is to us, my first priority is the Orioles, playing baseball and getting back on the field. We felt like the Bash was an opportunity to take a step backward with the change of routine, with the stimulation of the environment, the stress of the environment. We felt it was unfortunate that this was the only choice that we had at that point.”

Roberts said he has no immediate plans to return to Baltimore or make any projections on when he’ll play next. His only goal, he said, is to get through each day and put the concussion symptoms further behind him.

“I think anybody who has ever been on the DL, unless it’s a minor hamstring strain or something like that, anyone who has ever had an injury for two or three months, would be lying if they said they didn’t have those thoughts in their mind at some point in the process,” Roberts said when asked whether he considered at any point that his career could be over. “You have good days and bad days. When you’re dealing with your brain, you have better days and worse days. I think I can properly say that [retirement] has crossed my mind at some point. I think once I gained more information and [understood] more of what was going on, the better I felt about the long-term prognosis.”

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 5:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
        

Jason Esposito passed up a reported $1.5 million offer from the Kansas City Royals after they drafted him in the seventh round out of high school in 2008.

Last night, he agreed to a $600,000 deal with the Orioles, who made him the 64th overall pick in the 2011 draft. But what happened in between allows Esposito to say, “I wouldn’t change anything I’ve done.”

This June, Esposito, a sure-handed and strong-armed third baseman, helped lead Vanderbilt to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

“There are no regrets,” Esposito said. “At some point, you need to make a decision. First and foremost, it was important for my family and me to have a Vanderbilt education. Growing up near Yale [in Connecticut], I know the value of a good degree. That was something I couldn’t pass up from the beginning. Making it to Omaha was the ultimate high. It’s something you dream about as a little kid. That’s why you go and play college baseball. It was the pinnacle. That’s what it’s all about, and of course, it led me to the Baltimore Orioles, which is very exciting.

“I’m going to move on to the next phase of my life, the life that I’ve always wanted and the dreams that could possibly follow this. I’m very excited to move on. I spent three great years at Vanderbilt. But I’m excited to be part of the Orioles’ organization.”

Esposito isn’t sure what’s next for him, whether he’ll report to the team’s spring training complex in Sarasota, Fla., or one of the Orioles’ affiliates. However, he can hardly wait. He acknowledged that not being able to play in games the past couple of months has been tough.

“The toughest thing for me is I haven’t had a month off in probably the past three or four years,” Esposito said. “That was the toughest part, not having the competition of facing a pitcher or diving [for] a ground ball or trying to steal a base or score from second. That was the biggest problem I had in waiting this draft procedure. … If I’m going to be down in Sarasota, I’m going to enjoy my time down there. In any event, just do what I need to do. I’m going to be really energized and enthusiastic about what I’m going to be doing.”

Esposito grew up in Connecticut. He said that he has plenty of family and friends who are Orioles fans. However, he acknowledged that he was a New York Yankees fan.

“That just changed,” he said.

Asked whether he was looking forward to facing the Yankees, he said: “I’m looking forward to playing against any team at this point. Anything that gets me out on the field.”

Esposito batted .341 with nine homers and 59 RBIs in 65 games for Vanderbilt this past year. But his best tool is his glove as he is considered an above-average defender at third base.

“It’s not so much personally taking pride in your defense,” Esposito said. “It’s more about having your teammates back. In some cases, it’s the pitcher’s back; in some cases, it’s the second baseman who made an error. It’s my turn to help him out and turn a double play and make sure we get out of the inning.”

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 2:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

The focus last night was obviously on the draft signing deadline and the Orioles agreeing to terms with top pick Dylan Bundy, along with second-rounder Jason Esposito and sixth-rounder Nicky Delmonico. Orioles Director of Amateur Scouting Joe Jordan said it best in a conference call late last night, when he proclaimed, “I don't know how the hell it could have been a better day."

The good sentiment reached out to Oakland where the Orioles erased a 2-1 seventh-inning deficit against the Athletics to win 6-2, taking back-to-back games for the first time since mid July. Because I’m sure much of your attention was on the draft negotiations and I think it’s time to talk about something else for a couple of hours, here are a couple of observations from the game.

Tommy Hunter certainly won’t wow you with his stuff. Last night, he took some lumps, allowing a career-high 10 hits, including four straight to start the second inning. With how hard Oakland was hitting the ball off him, I wondered if he would even get out of that inning. Not only did he, allowing only two runs in the process, he pitched gamely into the seventh. The more I watch him, the more I think that he could be a pretty solid starter for this club. Don’t misunderstand, I’m not suggesting he’s the guy who is going to go toe-to-toe with CC Sabathia and out-duel Jon Lester. He won’t send shivers up the spines of Yankee and Red Sox hitters. The Orioles still need a guy at the top of the rotation that will do those things. But I think Hunter will eat a ton of innings, compete hard, throw strikes and give the Orioles a chance to win on many nights. If he’s pitching near the back of next year’s rotation, the Orioles could do a lot worse. Now, they just need somebody to pitch at the front of it.

It really is a shame that with only a month and a half left in Michael Gonzalez’s career with the club, the Orioles are finally starting to see the pitcher that they presented with a two-year, $12 million deal, and the closer’s role. Gonzalez was nasty last night, retiring the potential tying run Hideki Matsui on one pitch to end the seventh, and then striking out the side on 12 pitches to turn in a scoreless eighth. Gonzalez, who threw 11 of his 13 pitches for strikes, completely overmatched Josh Willingham, David DeJesus and Brandon Allen with power stuff, prompting second baseman Robert Andino to say, “That’s how I remember [Gonzalez] from when he was with the Braves.” There’s probably nothing Gonzalez can do to salvage his Orioles’ career over the next month a half. However, he hasn’t given up a run in nine straight outings and in 14 of 15. Lefties are also hitting just .220 against him. I’ve heard nothing to support this, but it wouldn’t totally shock me if the Orioles moved him to a contender looking for a second lefty in their bullpen. They obviously wouldn’t get much in return, except maybe a month of salary relief.

First baseman Chris Davis’ ailing shoulder appears to be becoming a concern. The Orioles will have to make a roster move to officially recall Brian Matusz in time for tonight’s start, and manager Buck Showalter said that the decision could be influenced by the health of a couple of position players. I assume he was specifically referring to Davis, who didn’t play last night and continued to get treatment on his shoulder. You would think that the Orioles would demote a reliever because the starters the past two games have gotten relatively deep and they have an off day Thursday, but if Davis is going to miss some more time, it might make sense just to put him on the DL and allow his shoulder to calm down.

Quietly, Matt Wieters had a nice game last night, hitting an absolute bomb for a solo homer to center in the second inning, hitting a liner to the wall in right in the fifth and then drawing a key walk in the Orioles’ decisive four-run seventh. The homer was his first since July 17, and he also threw out a runner stealing for the first time since July 22. To me, he looked fresh for the first time in weeks. He admitted as much, attributing that to the 63 degree temperature at first pitch, the lack of humidity and the off day that he got Sunday. I really think going forward, the Orioles need to bite the bullet and give Wieters more days off. He is a big guy who plays the most demanding position on the field. He also has a ton of responsibility, switch hitting, being a run producer and catching a young staff. It’s admirable that he wants to play every day, but I think he’d be better served taking a few more days off during the season. Former manager Dave Trembley was absolutely crushed for “overusing” Wieters early last season. Wieters wound up starting 121 games behind the plate in 2010. This season, he’s already started 97, which puts him on pace to catch 132 games. That’s a pretty heavy workload.

Third baseman Mark Reynolds had a vintage Mark Reynolds game last night: a walk, two strikeouts and a home run. I know what you're thinking - throw in an error and that would have completed it. Reynolds' homer was his 27th of the season, putting him just four away from trying Tony Batista's franchise record for a third baseman. His two strikeouts give him 140 for the season, just 20 away from tying Mickey Tettleton's record for strikeouts in a season, set in 1990.

(UPDATE): Lost in everything last night, the Orioles have designated right-handed reliever Luis Lebron for assignment to make room for Bundy on the 40-man roster. Lebron, 26, had Tommy John surgery last May, and didn't pitch at all in 2010. He's made seven appearances for short-season Single-A Aberdeen this season, allowing three earned runs on two hits and two walks while striking out eight over seven innings.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (25)
        

The Orioles expected their negotiations with Dylan Bundy to go right down to Monday night's midnight deadline for signing 2011 draft picks.

There were some anxious moments, but the Orioles agreed to terms with the fourth overall pick about five minutes before the deadline on a five-year major league contract, starting in 2012, that includes a $4 million signing bonus.

Catcher Matt Wieters set a franchise record with a $6 million bonus after the Orioles made him the fifth overall pick out of Georgia Tech in 2007, and it was widely expected that Bundy would threaten that mark.

Orioles director of amateur scouting Joe Jordan said Baseball America's report that Bundy got a guaranteed $6.225 million is "in the ballpark."

"When you just get down to the player, a special kid, a special talent. Very driven," Jordan said. "He has every intangible that the really, really good players have. Barring injury, we agreed to terms with a very special player. It's because of talent. I know this kid, I know his intangibles. I think this is a kid that is not afraid to be really, really good. It's a good night."

It was a successful night all around for Jordan, who finalized deals with the team's top three targets. The Orioles agreed to terms with second-round selection Jason Esposito, a third baseman out of Vanderbilt on a $600,000 deal and a $1.525 million deal with sixth-round pick Nick Delmonico, a Tennessee prep third baseman who was the wild card of the team's draft because he was looking for first-round money.

"It was an amazing day," Jordan said. "We played it in the order we wanted. A lot of things happened the way we thought they would. [Director of baseball operations] Matt Klentak was tremendous. We got everything we wanted today, and we had all the support like we always do from [president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail] and [owner Peter Angelos]. I don't know how else it could have been a better day."

Overall, the Orioles agreed to terms with 22 of their 50 picks, including all of their top 10. Jordan said early in the process that he expected to sign about 20 of the club's selections because the club eliminated one of its teams in the Dominican Republic, along with its Rookie-level Bluefield affiliate.

Jordan also knew that a big chunk of the draft budget would go to Bundy, a right-handed starter considered the best high school pitcher available. Some baseball pundits labeled him as having the most upside in the draft.

The 18-year-old went 11-0 with an 0.20 ERA as a senior at Owasso High in Oklahoma and struck out 595 batters while posting an ERA under 1.00 during his high school career. In 71 innings as a senior, he allowed just two earned runs, 20 hits and five walks while striking out 158. As a hitter, he batted .467 with 11 homers and 54 RBIs in 105 at-bats.

The Orioles see Bundy as the potential top-of-the-rotation starter they have long been seeking. Known for his highly sophisticated training and weightlifting regimen, Bundy has a fastball in the mid-to-high 90s, and he reportedly hit 100 mph this spring. He also throws a hard cut fastball, a biting curve and a developing changeup.

Bundy immediately becomes the Orioles' top pitching prospect. He'll also join an organization that includes his older brother, Bobby, who is pitching for Double-A Bowie. Bobby Bundy, an eighth-round selection in 2008, is one of the front-runners this year for the Jim Palmer Award, given annually to the organization's Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

The Orioles knew Dylan Bundy, the 2011 Gatorade National Player of the Year, would be tough to sign. Before the draft, he made it known that he was looking for a $30 million signing bonus, which would have doubled the biggest one given out, the $15.1 million awarded to phenom Stephen Strasburg by the Washington Nationals in 2009.

Asked whether the $30 million figure was accurate on the night of the draft, Bundy said in a conference call with Baltimore reporters, "I guess so, huh?"

Both sides, however, knew that figure wasn't realistic, and Jordan maintained that he didn't plan to set any records in signing Bundy, who had committed to pitch for the University of Texas.

Jordan, who is in the final year of his contract, has signed all seven of his first-round picks since becoming the Orioles' director of amateur scouting.

Because Bundy signed a major league deal, he'll go directly onto the 40-man roster and be at big league spring training in February. When the Orioles send him to the minors before the 2012 season, he'll use the first of his three or four options. Once those options are up, the Orioles would have to pass him through waivers to send him to the minor leagues.

Essentially, a major league deal could accelerate a player's timetable to reach the big leagues and force the Orioles' hand, sort of like it did with Loewen when he had to be in the majors or the Orioles would have risked losing him to waivers.

Esposito, who agreed to a deal worth $30,000 more than the slot recommendation, batted .341 with nine homers and 59 RBIs in 65 games for a Vanderbilt team that made the College World Series. He's considered an above-average defender at third base.

Delmonico, who was believed to be a solid commitment to the University of Georgia, was considered first- or second-round talent by some draft pundits, but he fell to the 185th overall pick.

Delmonico played catcher at Farragut High. However, the Orioles project him as a third baseman. At 6 feet 3, 215 pounds, Delmonico's best tool is his bat. He batted .426 with 11 homers, 45 RBIs, 53 walks and 23 steals in leading Farragut to a fourth consecutive Class AAA state championship.

The Orioles completed their draft class by signing 26th-rounder Zach Davies, an Arizona prep pitcher who got a $575,000 deal.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

The Orioles expected their negotiations with Dylan Bundy to go right down to tonight’s midnight deadline for signing 2011 draft picks.

There were some anxious moments, but the Orioles agreed to terms tonight with the fourth overall pick on a major league contract. Terms aren't available at this point.

It was a successful night all around for director of amateur scouting Joe Jordan, who finalized deals with the team’s top three targets. The Orioles agreed to terms with second-rounder Jason Esposito, a third baseman out of Vanderbilt on a $600,000 deal and sixth-rounder Nick Delmonico, a Tennessee prep third baseman who was the wild card of the team’s draft because he was looking for first-round money.

Overall, the Orioles agreed to terms with 22 of their 50 picks, including nine of their top 10. Jordan said early in the process that he expected to sign about 20 of the club’s selections because the club eliminated one of its teams in the Dominican Republic, along with its Rookie-League Bluefield affiliate.

And Jordan also knew, that a big chunk of the draft budget would go to Bundy, a right-handed starter, considered the best high school arm available. Some baseball pundits labeled him as having the most upside in the draft.

The 18-year-old went 11-0 with an 0.20 ERA as a senior at Owasso High School in Oklahoma, and struck out 595 batters while posting an ERA under 1.00 during his high school career. In 71 innings as a senior, he allowed just two earned runs, 20 hits and five walks while striking out 158. As a hitter, he batted .467 with 11 homers and 54 RBIs in 105 at-bats.

The Orioles see Bundy as the potential top of the rotation starter that they have long been seeking. Known for maintaining a highly-sophisticated training and weightlifting regiment, Bundy’s fastball is in the mid-to-high 90’s, and he reportedly hit 100 miles per hour this spring. He also throws a hard cut fastball, a biting curve and a developing changeup.

Bundy, who could start at short-season Single-A Aberdeen, immediately becomes the Orioles’ top pitching prospect. He’ll also join an organization that includes his older brother, Bobby, who is currently pitching for Double-A Bowie. Bobby Bundy, an eighth-round selection in 2008, is one of the frontrunners this year for the Jim Palmer award, given annually to the organization’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

The Orioles knew that Dylan Bundy, the 2011 Gatorade National Player of the Year, would be a tough sign. Before the draft, he made it known that he was looking for a $30 million signing bonus, which would have doubled the biggest one ever given out, the $15.1 million to phenom Stephen Strasburg by the Washington Nationals in 2009.

Asked if the $30 million figure was accurate on the night of the draft, Bundy said in a conference call with Baltimore reporters, “I guess so, huh?”

Both sides, however, knew that figure wasn’t realistic, and Jordan maintained that he didn’t plan to set any records in signing Bundy, who had committed to pitch for the University of Texas.

Jordan, who is in the final year of his contract, has signed all seven of his first-round picks since becoming the Orioles Director of Amateur Scouting.

Esposito, who agreed to a deal which is $30,000 more than the slot recommendation, batted .341 with nine homers and 59 RBIs in 65 games for a Vanderbilt team that made the College World Series. He’s considered an above-average defender at third base.

Delmonico, who was believed to be a solid commit to the University of Georgia, was considered first or second-round talent by some draft pundits, but he fell all the way to the sixth round and the 185th overall pick.

Delmonico played catcher at Farragut High School. However, the Orioles project him as a third baseman. At 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, Delmonico’s best tool is his bat. He batted .426 with 11 homers, 45 RBIs, 53 walks and 23 steals in leading Farragut to a fourth consecutive Class AAA state championship.

The Orioles completed their draft class by signing 26th-rounder Zach Davies, an Arizona prep pitcher who got a $575,000 deal.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Tennessee prep third baseman Nick Delmonico, who fell to the sixth round because of his signing demands, announced on his Twitter page that he has agreed to terms with the Orioles.

The terms are unknown at this point.

Delmonico, whose father, Rod, was the longtime baseball coach at Tennessee, was considered first- or second-round talent by some draft pundits, but he fell all the way to the sixth round and the 185th overall pick.

Delmonico, who had committed to Georgia, played catcher at Farragut High School. However, the Orioles project him as a third baseman.

At 6 feet 3, 215 pounds, Delmonico’s best tool is his bat. He batted .426 with 11 homers, 45 RBIs, 53 walks and 23 steals in leading Farragut to a fourth consecutive Class AAA state championship.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 10:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

It took longer than Orioles director of amateur scouting Joe Jordan had hoped, but the club tonight agreed to terms with second-round pick Jason Esposito, a third baseman out of Vanderbilt.

Esposito's deal was for $600,000, $30,000 more than the slot recommendation for the 64th overall pick.

Esposito batted .341 with nine homers and 59 RBIs in 65 games for a Vanderbilt team that made the College World Series. His best tool is his glove as he is considered an above-average defender at third base.

Ranked 77th on Baseball America’s list of the top 100 draft prospects, Esposito becomes the Orioles’ 20th selection to agree to terms and the eighth out of the top 10. The Orioles finalized an agreement with 26th-round pick, Zach Davies, a right-handed high school pitcher out of Arizona, earlier in the day.

Securing Esposito will allow the Orioles to focus their attention on top pick Dylan Bundy and sixth-rounder Nick Delmonico with about 2 1/2 hours remaining before the deadline to sign 2011 draft picks.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

ORIOLES
Nolan Reimold, LF
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Matt Wieters, C
Mark Reynolds, 1B
Robert Andino, 2B
Josh Bell, 3B
Tommy Hunter, SP

A'S
Jemile Weeks, 2B
Coco Crisp, CF
Hideki Matsui, LF
Josh Willingham, DH
David DeJesus, RF
Brandon Allen, 1B
Cliff Pennington, SS
Kurt Suzuki, C
Eric Sogard, 3B
Gio Gonzalez, SP

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said that second baseman Brian Roberts will see concussion specialist Dr. Michael Collins Wednesday in Pittsburgh.

First baseman Chris Davis is out of tonight's lineup for two reasons: One, a tough lefty is on the mound for Oakland in Gio Gonzalez. Two, Davis' shoulder is barking again.

A CT Scan on third baseman Josh Bell's side didn't turn up anything significant and Bell is in tonight's lineup.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Dan Klein, the Orioles' third-round pick last year and one of the organization’s top pitching prospects, will have surgery tomorrow on his right shoulder. That decision came after the 23-year-old reliever met with renowned orthopedist Dr. Lewis Yocum today in California.

Dr. Yocum will perform tomorrow's surgery. Klein was diagnosed with a SLAP tear in his right labrum in June. The team isn't exactly sure how long Klein will be out because that will depend largely on what Dr. Yocum finds during the surgery.

"In all likelihood, we’ll have him right back in Sarasota depending on how the surgery goes," Orioles director of player development John Stockstill said. "We’ll start a rehab program, and hopefully he’ll be ready for next year. But we won’t have a timetable until we know how extensive the surgery is."

Klein 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. He last pitched June 1, when he was shut down with shoulder tendinitis.

Klein consulted with Yocum and Orioles team orthopedist Dr. John Wilckens in mid-June, and the decision was made for him to rehabilitate the injury rather than have surgery. However, he recently tried to resume throwing and still felt pain and discomfort, leading him to reconsider.

He has a history of shoulder problems dating to his days at UCLA. He missed part of his freshman year and his entire sophomore season with a shoulder injury that required exploratory surgery in 2009.

Klein was used at the Bruins' closer for the 2010 season, but the Orioles drafted him with the hopes of making him a starter. However, they 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 6:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy was recognized as the American League Player of the Week for the period ending Aug. 14.

Hardy, who the Orioles acquired from the Minnesota Twins in December, batted .323 (10-for-31) with two doubles, four homers, six runs scored and a league-leading 10 RBIs in seven games last week.

It's his first career A.L. Player of the Week award. He is the second Orioles to win the award in the last month - outfielder Nick Markakis was honored for the period ending July 18 - and the first Orioles shortstop to receive such recognition since Miguel Tejada in 2006.

Hardy's 23 home runs lead all A.L. shortstops, and his 10 homers since the All-Star break also lead the league.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

The story of the day for the Orioles will play out far away from Oakland, where the big league team opens a three-game series against the Athletics tonight. Back in Baltimore, Director of Amateur Scouting Joe Jordan will be on the phone, trying to hammer out a deal with top draft pick Dylan Bundy before tonight’s midnight deadline.

Bundy, a right-handed starter who was the fourth overall pick out of Owasso High School in Oklahoma, obviously won’t get the $30 million deal that was originally floated as his asking price before the June draft. He may get about a fifth of that. Jordan seems pretty confident that a deal will get done, so assuming that is the case, there are two big questions for me:

Will Bundy get the biggest bonus in team history? Matt Wieters currently holds that distinction after getting a $6 million signing bonus in 2007.

And will the Orioles give Bundy a Major League deal, which would mean that he’d go on the 40-man roster, be at big league spring training in February, and then use the first of his options when he is sent down to the minors during the spring? The Orioles have given out big league deals before, most notably to Brian Matusz and Adam Loewen .

Anyway, here is a look at the signing bonuses of Jordan’s first-round picks during his tenure as scouting director:

2010: Manny Machado, 3rd overall: $5.25 million
2009: Matt Hobgood, 5th overall: $2.42 million
2008: Brian Matusz, 4th overall: $3.2 million
2007: Matt Wieters, 5th overall: $6 million
2006: Billy Rowell, 9th overall: $2.1 million
2005: Brandon Snyder, 13th overall: $1.7 million

And while Bundy is the headliner, Jordan will also look to finalize deals with second-rounder Jason Esposito, a third baseman out of Vanderbilt; and sixth-rounder, Nick Delmonico, a prep third baseman from Tennessee.

Baseball America reported late last night that the Orioles have agreed to terms with 26th-round pick Zach Davies, a right-handed prep pitcher out of Arizona. The former Arizona State commit will reportedly get $575,000. I was told last night that this deal isn't done, but it could be headed in that direction. When it becomes official, Davies will become the 19th draft pick to agree to terms with the Orioles.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (33)
        

With the deadline to sign his 2011 draft class now down to hours rather than months or weeks, Orioles Director of Amateur Scouting Joe Jordan remains resolute in the belief that the organization will sign top pick Dylan Bundy, a high school pitcher out of Oklahoma.

“I haven’t changed my position on that at all,” said Jordan who will have until midnight Monday to sign Bundy, the fourth-overall pick in June’s draft. “I just think the kid wants to be part of the organization, and I think we’re going to do what we need to do to get it done. I don’t feel any different than I did a month ago, two months ago. We’re just getting close to the deadline so that’s a good thing.”

Jordan has had ongoing talks with Jay Franklin, who represents Bundy, a right-handed starter who went 11-0 with an 0.20 ERA as a senior at Owasso High School. However, Jordan acknowledged that he expects the negotiations to go right up until the midnight deadline.

Bundy is believed to be looking for a deal that exceeds the biggest the Orioles have ever given out, which was the $6 million pact that catcher Matt Wieters received in 2007. To this point, Jordan has said that he doesn’t expect to set any records in signing Bundy.

“We’ve had talks. I think they have been productive, but the most productive talks don’t happen until the last day, day and a half,” Jordan said this afternoon. “There is just a timeline and we’re here. Sometimes in the next day and a half, we’ll get our guy.”

The Orioles have signed 18 of their 50 selections, and they remain in negotiations with at least four other picks. While Bundy is the headliner, the Orioles are also prioritizing second-rounder Jason Esposito, a third baseman out of Vanderbilt University drafted 64th overall; and sixth-rounder Nick Delmonico, a Tennessee high school third baseman. Jordan also acknowledged that there is a high school player later in the draft who is mulling over an Orioles’ offer, though he declined to name him.

“I feel like we’re in good shape, I really do,” Jordan said. “There is still a lot of stuff to put together. I’m not saying that we’re going to get all four guys, but I feel good about where we’re at. We just have to keep grinding through it.”

Esposito, known more for his glove than his bat, hit .341 with nine homers and 59 RBIs in 65 games for a Commodores team that made the College World Series. Jordan has expressed some frustration with an inability to get a deal done with Esposito who was at Camden Yards Friday to take a physical.

If the Orioles aren’t able to reach an agreement with the third baseman, they’ll be compensated with the fifth pick of the second round in next year’s draft. That could be an even better than the 65th pick because there could be fewer supplemental picks rewarded next year.

Delmonico, whose father Rod was the long-time baseball coach at the University of Tennessee, is considered of the wildcard of the draft. Baseball America labeled him as second-round talent, but the Georgia signee fell all the way to the sixth round and the 185th pick because of his asking price. He is believed to be seeking mid first-round money.

“I think they do want to sign,” Jordan said of Esposito and Delmonico. “They are totally different situations, but I do think if things work out, both players have a strong interest in signing.”

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)
        

The forecast for today's game suggests we could be in for a long, miserable day. It's currently pouring in Camden Yards as I type this, and around game time, the weather report says the chance of rain will be around 80 percent for pretty much the rest of the day. If for some reason the game gets called, it appears the Orioles and Tigers have a mutual off day down the road -- Sept. 8 -- so it seems possible if they can't get this one in, the game would get bumped to that day.

No surprises in today's lineup for the Orioles. Matt Wieters is getting the day off, a the move manager Buck Showalter had regularly employed this season when a day game follows a night game. Craig Tatum will start in his place.

Reimold -- LF
Hardy -- SS
Markakis -- RF
Jones -- CF
Guererro -- DH
Reynolds -- 3B
C. Davis -- 1B
Tatum -- C
Andino -- 2B

Jake Arrieta showed up briefly in the Orioles clubhouse with his arm in a sling, and seemed upbeat about his recent elbow surgery to remove bone spurs. He even had the bone spur in a tiny jar and was showing it off a bit to his teammates and the media. The spur, which was so big it had to be removed in four parts, was about as big as a gumball. It's no wonder Arrieta was having issues.

"I was nervous just because I've never had surgery before," Arrieta said. "It's not necessarily something I was real happy to have done, but I knew that if I wanted to continue to play this game as long as I plan on playing it, it was something I had to have done. It was restricting me to the point where I literally couldn't throw without being in a lot of pain."

Showalter said Brian Matusz hasn't officially rejoined the team just yet, mostly because he had to go back to Norfolk to collect some of his things, but he'll be traveling with the team tonight and is still slated to pitch Tuesday.

Zach Britton said he had a good bullpen session on Saturday and feels 100 percent healthy and ready to go. He'll pitch in Norfolk on Tuesday, Showalter said, and then hopefully get back to the big leagues and get seven or eight starts the rest of the year.

Nick Markakis has a streak of 177 consecutive series with a hit on the line tonight, which is by far the longest streak in the majors.

Posted by Kevin Van Valkenburg at 12:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)
        

Jake Arrieta was back in the Orioles clubhouse today with his right arm in a sling just a couple of days after Dr. Lewis Yocum removed a very large bone spur and some smaller bone chips from his right elbow. Arrieta showed off the spur -- which was about the size of a peanut -- and predicted that he'll begin a throwing program in early December.

He said he was a little relieved when he was told that the surgery went very well, but was confident going into the operating room that he would not need a major reconstruction.

"The ligament is in good shape,'' he said. "They basically had to go in there and clean out what they had to clean out, get that piece of bone out of there to where I could get extension without that bone getting in the way of the joint."

"He (Yocum) was able to clear the joint out with relative ease. It's something he's done for a long time, so obviously he's very good at the operation. It was a real quick, real short procedure. He said everything went well, and the elbow looks like it's in good shape. I've had no pain. I haven't even taken any of medication, and the sutures look great. Everything is going as planned so far."

.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

The Orioles clubhouse had all the joy of a hospital waiting room tonight after they blew a 5-run and lost to the Detroit Tigers 6-5. It was yet another one-run loss in a season full of them -- they've had five alone on this home stand -- and manager Buck Showalter looked like he was carrying a considerable amount of frustration on his shoulders when he spoke to the media.

"We're very close to winning some of these games, so of course it's frustrating," Showalter said. "But you’re playing some of the teams we’re playing, you can see there’s a fine line there. As I've said before, no one is going to feel sorry for you."

It wasn't a surprise that the Orioles let a lead slip away, but it was a little surprising how quickly it happened. Starter Jeremy Guthrie appeared to be cruising along in the sixth inning, getting two outs fairly quickly by retiring Austin Jackson and Andy Dirks. At that point, Baltimore led 5-1 and it looked like the Orioles were about to get their first quality start since Aug. 6.

But things completely unraveled from that point for Guthrie. Magglio Ordonez belted the first pitch he saw for a double to left-center, and Miguel Cabrera followed it up with a home run to right center.

"[Guthrie] just centered a lot of balls," Showalter said. "He’s got two outs and nobody on and pitching pretty well against a very good club, and that’s hard to do at any time. You’re a pitch away.”

Guthrie simply couldn't make that one pitch that would get him out of the inning. Victor Martinez, Jhonny Peralta, Alex Avila and Ryan Raburn got consecutive 2-out hits, and by the time Showalter marched to the mound to get Guthrie, the lead had disappeared.

"I thought a portion of them were executed pretty well and they just were able to put a good swing on them anyway," Guthrie said. "But certainly there were some that caught a lot of the plate as well. ... It's difficult. We have chances to win the game, and for whatever reason we're not able to close it out."

Guthrie, whose record dropped to 5-15, has the most losses of any pitcher in baseball, and will need a considerable turnaround to avoid becoming the first pitcher to lose 20 games since Mike Maroth did it in 2003.

"You can't fear that," Guthrie said. "I haven't thought about that. I understand that if you execute pitches you can go on a nice streak and win games. That's what I try to do every fifth day."

Posted by Kevin Van Valkenburg at 10:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)
        

I wrote this yesterday, but expect Triple-A Norfolk left-hander Brian Matusz to be promoted to the club and start Tuesday against Oakland. Orioles manager Buck Showalter noted that Matusz is taking a work day today and could rejoin the club tomorrow. However, Showalter didn't want to commit to him starting Tuesday until he sees how he got through his bullpen session today. There is also plenty of rain in the forecast over the next 48 hours that could affect things.

Meanwhile, Zach Britton, who is on the disabled list with a left shoulder strain, threw a light bullpen session today. He's scheduled to start either Monday or Tuesday for Single-A Frederick, and then rejoin the club and pitch next weekend in Anaheim against the Angels.

Minor League infield coordinator Bobby Dickerson will become the team's latest bullpen coach starting on next week's road trip.

I posted the Orioles lineup in an earlier entry. I'm sure you noticed that Mark Reynolds is not in it. Just a standard day off for the third baseman who has played in 115 of the Orioles' first 116 games.

Tigers reliever Al Alburquerque, who was hit in the side of the head by a Robert Andino liner during batting practice yesterday, has been released from a local hospital after being diagnosed with a concussion. Alburquerque, who was put on the seven-day concussion disabled list, will be driven back to Detroit.

Below is the Tigers lineup:
Austin Jackson, CF
Andy Dirks, LF
Magglio Ordonez, RF
Miguel Cabrera, 1B
Victor Martinez, DH
Jhonny Peralta, SS
Alex Avila, C
Ryan Raburn, 2B
Wilson Betemit, 3B
Max Scherzer, SP

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 4:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

ORIOLES
Felix Pie, LF
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Matt Wieters, C
Chris Davis, 1B
Josh Bell, 3B
Blake Davis, 2B
Jeremy Guthrie, SP

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

To me, Alfredo Simon has the look of a pitcher who is clearly running out of gas. His arm-angle appears to have dropped significantly, his pitches lack the crispness that they had earlier in the season and his command certainly hasn’t been good. In his last two outings, Simon has allowed 21 hits and three walks in just 10 1/3 innings. I know that he has only pitched 62 innings this season so you may scoff at the suggestion that he could be tired, but keep in mind that Simon didn’t exactly have standard preparation for this season. Simon spent two months in a Dominican Republic prison as the chief suspect in a fatal New Year’s Day shooting. The Orioles didn’t know if they’d get anything out of Simon this year, and he’s actually logged some valuable innings. Now, it might be time for him to go to the bullpen and help take some of the pressure off of the middle-inning guys.

I tweeted this last night while watching another strong all-around performance by shortstop J.J. Hardy, but it’s certainly worth mentioning here. This season, Hardy is batting .277 with 23 home runs and 58 RBIs in 86 games. The shortstops from the Minnesota Twins, the team that traded Hardy in December for two minor league relievers, are batting .239 with three homers and 39 RBIs in 118 games. Hardy has also made just five errors, while Twins shortstops have made 19. The two guys the Orioles traded to the Twins for Hardy by the way are Jim Hoey (1-3 with a 3.57 ERA in 27 appearances for Triple-A Rochester and 1-2 with a 7.71 ERA in 17 games for the Twins), and Brett Jacobson (4-5 with a 4.97 ERA in 31 appearances for Double-A New Britain).

I’ve tried to stay away from commenting much on second baseman Brian Roberts because I haven’t seen or talked to him in a good bit, the team has been mum about his issues and concussions are not something to be cavalier about. But I feel pretty confident in saying that Roberts didn’t cancel his annual Brian’s Bash because his health wouldn’t have allowed him to be present. That event, which has raised a lot of money for the University of Maryland Children’s Hospital, is quite an undertaking. Roberts has plenty of help, but he also does a lot on his own, like getting items for the auction and helping with sponsors and promotions. Obviously, he hasn’t been in town or around the team to do a lot of that stuff. Plus, the success of the event – and the sale of tickets - depends heavily on Roberts playing regularly and being visible in the community. Neither has happened so unfortunately, it’s kind of like out of sight, out of mind. I totally understand the fan’s frustration with how little he has played since signing the big contract, but I think suggesting that he is using his concussion issues to dodge an important event to him and his family is ridiculously unfair and unfortunate.

It will be a big night tonight for head athletic trainer Richie Bancells and former Orioles infielder and current bullpen coach Mike Bordick, who both will be inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame. Davey Johnson will be managing the Washington Nationals about an hour and a half north in Philadelphia, but he’ll be applauding one of his former players from afar. “I love Mike Bordick,” Johnson said to Nationals’ reporters last night. “He’s a foxhole guy. He loves to play the game and he was the reason that we were able to move Cal Ripken to third and he was also very instrumental in us going wire-to-wire and beating the Yankees. I think it’s very well deserved and I even voted for him.”

The Orioles made some of the best defensive plays that they have made all season last night and probably the best one was right fielder Nick Markakis throwing out the speedy Austin Jackson trying to tag up and score on Magglio Ordonez’s flyball. Markakis’ throw was good, but Wieters’ pick-up of that short hop was one of the best plays that you’ll see a catcher make. However, the night wouldn’t have been complete without an Oriole outfielder overthrowing a cut-off man and the intended target and putting the team in jeopardy of giving up another run. Adam Jones did it last night. Markakis did it a night earlier. It’s becoming almost a nightly ritual for an Orioles’ outfielder. It’s bad enough that the pitching staff gives up hits at an alarming frequently. Other teams don’t need the help taking extra bases.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (30)
        

There are two ways to look at the Orioles' 5-4 loss to the Detroit Tigers tonight.

You can focus on Nolan Reimold striking out with a man on third in the ninth inning of a one-run game, or Adam Jones getting the game-tying home run taken away from him when Tigers center fielder Austin Jackson elevated over the wall to make a spectacular catch in the eighth inning. The Orioles also went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position and certainly had chances to win the game.

Or you can look at it sort of like I do, that the Orioles had no business to even be in the game. The Tigers had 19 baserunners and stranded 12. Orioles starter Alfredo Simon amazingly allowed 14 baserunners in 4 2/3 innings and only gave up the four earned runs.

"We were real lucky to even be in that ballgame," said Orioles manager Buck Showalter.

Whatever way you look at it, it's another loss. The Orioles are now a season-worst 26 games under .500. They have lost 11 of 14 games, and are now 2-6 on this home stand. Four of those losses are in one-run games after the Orioles began the year 10-1 in one-run affairs at Camden Yards.

"It is a frustrating time for us becaus ewe're just so close, but starting pitching has been a challenge for us and I'm real proud of the effort guys continue to play with," Showalter said. "When you're spending 20, 25 minutes out there between innings, I'm impressed with the intensity our guys brought."

Shortstop J.J. Hardy had another big day, going 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBIs. He has homered in four of his last six games and has five total homers in that span. Hardy now has 23 home runs and three multi-homer games this season. Hardy has also collected an RBI in eight straight games, tied for the fourth longest strong in franchise history and the longest since Miguel Tejada had an RBI in nine straight games.

Asked if this was his best stretch offensively of his career, Hardy said, "Yeah, maybe. I feel like in '07 I got off to a start like this and then '08, I kind of finished like this. This year, other than the month that I missed due to injury, has been pretty consistent, I think."

Vladimir Guerrero and Jones also had two hits apiece, and Guerrero collected his first RBI since Aug.3.

From a pitching standpoint, Willie Eyre made his Orioles debut and pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings, walking one and striking out one.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Jason Esposito, the Vanderbilt third baseman who the Orioles drafted in the second round, was at Camden Yards today to take his physical.

The Orioles remain in negotiations with the player, but passing a physical is a prerequisite before finalizing a deal. The Orioles will have until midnight Monday to sign all their 2011 draft picks.

Director of Amateur Scouting Joe Jordan’s primary focus before Monday’s deadline is agreeing to terms with first-round pick Dylan Bundy, Esposito and six-round pick Nick Delmonico. Jordan has expressed some frustration with his inability to reach an agreement with Esposito.

In other news, starting pitcher Jake Arrieta had successful elbow surgery. Dr. Lewis Yocum removed the bone spur from his right elbow. The club announced that Arrieta should be full go by spring training.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

There was a pretty scary moment at Camden Yards this afternoon when Tigers reliever Al Alburquerque, who was playing catch in shallow left field while the Orioles took batting practice, was struck in the side of the head with a line drive off the bat of Robert Andino.

It appeared that Alburquerque never saw the ball before it hit him, and he went down hard, writhing in considerable pain. His legs flailed in several directions as teammates rushed to his side.

Alburquerque was eventually assisted to his feet and taken off the field on a cart. He has since been taken to the University of Maryland Hospital to undergo a CT Scan. Early reports were that he was responding well to treatment.

(UPDATED): Alburquerque was diagnosed with a concussion. He'll stay at the hospital overnight for observation.

The incident brought batting practice to a standstill as both team's medical staff's rushed out to left field. Players from both teams also went out there to check on the Tigers reliever.

Andino, who is starting at second base tonight for the Orioles, admitted that he didn't even want to hit any more after seeing what happened.

"I hit it and I saw where it was going and he wasn't looking," Andino said. "I tried to yell, but it was too late."

Andino called it one of the scariest moment on a baseball field that he's ever witnessed.

"On a baseball field, somebody gets hit in the head, that’s always going to scare you," Andino said. "I’m thinking about it a lot. You never want to see a guy get hit in a head."

Posted by Kevin Van Valkenburg at 5:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

ORIOLES
Nolan Reimold, LF
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Matt Wieters, C
Chris Davis, 1B
Robert Andino, 2B
Alfredo Simon, SP

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said that he felt things had gotten a little stale with the lineup. Reimold is making his first start this year at leadoff and second of his career, and Vladimir Guerrero is out of the clean-up spot for the first time this season.

Showalter said that second baseman Brian Roberts had another good today, and the club remains hopeful that he'll return at some point this season.

Showalter acknowledged that Tuesday's starter will probably be either Brian Matusz or Brad Bergesen. At this point, Matusz has emerged as the likely starter.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 4:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

The sixth-annual Brian’s Baseball Bash, a fundraiser for the University of Maryland Children’s Hospital hosted by Brian Roberts and scheduled for Aug.28, has been canceled because of the veteran second baseman’s injury status.

“Due to my ongoing rehabilitation and after conferring with family and medical staff, unfortunately the decision has been made to cancel this year’s annual Brian’s Baseball Bash,” said Roberts who hasn’t played since May 16 after sustaining a concussion. “This event has grown tremendously over the past five years and is truly special to my wife Diana and me, and that makes this decision a difficult one. My focus will be to improve my health so I can get back on the field as soon as possible, and return to supporting some of the Baltimore community initiatives we have developed and contribute to.”

It is uncertain if Roberts will play again this season as he’s still experiencing some concussion symptoms. He hasn’t been cleared to see game action.

Those who have purchased admission for the fundraiser, which would have been held at Dave & Buster’s in Arundel Mills Mall, can obtain full refunds by calling Krista Ellis at (410) 328-6064 or emailing her at kellis@umm.edu.

In other Oriole news, it's expected that Brian Matusz will be promoted to start Tuesday in Oakland in place of Chris Tillman. Matusz threw a complete-game shutout for Triple-A Norfolk yesterday. The Orioles haven’t completely finalized their pitching plans but Matusz is tentatively on schedule to make that start and his return to the big leagues.

Right-handed reliever Willie Eyre, whom the Orioles signed as a minor-league free agent on Aug. 3, will be promoted to the big leagues today and take Tillman’s roster spot. Jake Arrieta, who is having elbow surgery today in California, will move to the 60-day disabled list to open up a 40-man spot for Eyre.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (38)
        

To me, Alfredo Simon has the look of a pitcher who is clearly running out of gas. His arm-angle appears to have dropped significantly, his pitches lack the crispness that they had earlier in the season and his command certainly hasn’t been good. In his last two outings, Simon has allowed 21 hits and three walks in just 10 1/3 innings. I know that he has only pitched 62 innings this season so you may scoff at the suggestion that he could be tired, but keep in mind that Simon didn’t exactly have standard preparation for this season. Simon spent two months in a Dominican Republic prison as the chief suspect in a fatal New Year’s Day shooting. The Orioles didn’t know if they’d get anything out of Simon this year, and he’s actually logged some valuable innings. Now, it might be time for him to go to the bullpen and help take some of the pressure off of the middle-inning guys.

I tweeted this last night while watching another strong all-around performance by shortstop J.J. Hardy, but it’s certainly worth mentioning here. This season, Hardy is batting .277 with 23 home runs and 58 RBIs in 86 games. The shortstops from the Minnesota Twins, the team that traded Hardy in December for two minor league relievers, are batting .236 with three homers and 37 RBIs in 117 games. Hardy has also made just five errors, while Twins shortstops have made 18. The two guys the Orioles traded to the Twins for Hardy by the way are Jim Hoey (1-3 with a 3.57 ERA in 27 appearances for Triple-A Rochester and 1-2 with a 7.71 ERA in 17 games for the Twins), and Brett Jacobson (4-5 with a 4.97 ERA in 31 appearances for Double-A New Britain).

I’ve tried to stay away from commenting much on second baseman Brian Roberts because I haven’t seen or talked to him much, the team has been mum about his issues and concussions are not something to be cavalier about. But I feel pretty confident in saying that Roberts didn’t cancel his annual Brian’s Bash because his health wouldn’t have allowed him to be present. That event, which has raised a lot of money for the University of Maryland Children’s Hospital, is quite an undertaking. Roberts has plenty of help, but he also does a lot on his own, like getting items for the auction and helping with sponsors and promotions. Obviously, he hasn’t been in town or around the team to do a lot of that stuff. Plus, the success of the event – and the sale of tickets - depends heavily on Roberts playing regularly and being visible in the community. Neither has happened so unfortunately, it’s kind of like out of sight, out of mind. I totally understand the fan’s frustration with how little he has played since signing the big contract, but I think suggesting that he is using his concussion issues to dodge an important event to him and his family is ridiculously unfair and unfortunate.

It will be a big night tonight for head athletic trainer Richie Bancells and former Orioles infielder and current bullpen coach Mike Bordick, who both will be inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame. Davey Johnson will be managing the Washington Nationals about an hour and a half north in Philadelphia, but he’ll be applauding one of his former players from afar. “I love Mike Bordick,” Johnson said to Nationals’ reporters last night. “He’s a foxhole guy. He loves to play the game and he was the reason that we were able to move Cal Ripken to third and he was also very instrumental in us going wire-to-wire and beating the Yankees. I think it’s very well deserved and I even voted for him.”

The Orioles made some of the best defensive plays that they have made all season last night and probably none were prettier than right fielder Nick Markakis throwing out the speedy Austin Jackson trying to tag up and score on Magglio Ordonez’s flyball. Markakis’ throw was good, but Wieters’ pick-up of that short hop was one of the best plays that you’ll see a catcher make. However, the night wouldn’t have been complete without an Oriole outfielder overthrowing a cutoff man and the intended target and putting the team in jeopardy of giving up another run. Jones did it last night, and Markakis did it a night earlier. It’s becoming almost a nightly ritual for an Orioles’ outfielder and you’d think they’d learn by now. It’s bad enough that the pitching staff gives up hits at an alarming frequently. Other teams don’t need the help getting extra bases.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Now that the Orioles have optioned Chris Tillman to Triple-A Norfolk, they have an open spot in their rotation (OK, I know you could argue there isn’t just one).

But there’s an obvious “to be announced” slot for Tuesday in Oakland. The Orioles could put Brad Bergesen, who pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings in relief Thursday, into the rotation again. If he doesn’t pitch again this week, he’d be on regular rest.

Or they could grab someone from the minors.

And who would be on turn from Triple-A Norfolk?

Yep, lefty Brian Matusz, who threw a complete-game shutout against the Philadelphia Phillies’ top affiliate on Thursday afternoon. He is 2-3 with a 3.46 ERA in nine starts for Norfolk and has allowed four earned runs in his last 23 innings (1.57 ERA) after going 1-4 with an 8.77 ERA in six starts with the Orioles this season.

He was hitting 88 and 89 consistently with his fastball on Thursday and touched 91 mph. That’s not ideal, but it’s better than what he had registered previously this year with the Orioles.

The question today is whether you’d bring him up Tuesday and start him. Or if you think he needs to stay down, keep working on things and keep dominating so when he comes back, he returns for good.

This guy should be an important part of the team’s future. You have to handle him correctly. If he’s not ready and gets clobbered again consistently at the big-league level, he may regress further. But you also want him to get as much experience against big-league competition as possible.

One old time baseball man once told me that if you have to worry about what poor performances to do a young player’s psyche, then that young player doesn’t have what it takes mentally to stay in the big leagues for the long haul, no matter the initial outcome. Not sure I fully believe that, but it has some merit.

The Orioles have a tough call for Tuesday. I want to know what you do with Matusz this week.

Daily Think Special: Do you promote Brian Matusz for Tuesday’s start?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 12:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (29)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar
        

Tillman sent down; Eyre coming up; who starts Tuesday? (and Dan Klein note)

Chris Tillman fell into the same pattern Thursday that has plagued him in his three seasons in the majors: One real good start followed by a clunker or an early exit.

The 23-year-old righty, coming off an excellent outing against the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday, couldn’t get out of the third inning in Thursday night’s 6-3 loss to the Chicago White Sox.

The first inning was painful to watch: He allowed a single, a homer to Alexei Ramirez, and then three straight doubles before Alex Rios made the game’s first out – on Tillman’s 20th pitch.

He ended up giving up six earned runs on eight hits and three walks in 2 2/3 innings. He has not recorded consecutive quality starts since August 2009, when he put together three straight in his third, fourth and fifth big-league appearances.

The rollercoaster has Tillman frustrated.

“Absolutely. I feel like every other one is a tough one. And having to go to the bullpen in the third, fourth fifth inning, ain’t going to cut it,” said Tillman (3-5,5.52 ERA) . “No excuses here. I got to get better. That’s the bottom line. I know I can pitch here, but what happened tonight wasn’t enough.”

Tillman was sent to Triple-A Norfolk after the game.

On Friday, the Orioles are expected to call up 33-year-old right-handed reliever Willie Eyre, whom the Orioles signed as a minor-league free agent on Aug. 3. Eyre pitched three games with the Tides, allowing just one hit in 3 1/3 scoreless innings. He opted out of his minor-league deal with the Oakland A’s organization on Aug. 1 after going 4-5 with a 3.48 ERA in 39 games for Sacramento.
With Tillman in the minors, the Orioles will need someone to start against the A’s in Oakland on Tuesday. One possibility is Brian Matusz, who threw a complete-game shutout Thursday for Norfolk.

Matusz is 2-3 with a 3.46 ERA in nine starts for Norfolk and has allowed four earned runs in his last 23 innings (1.57 ERA) at Triple-A. That’s a huge improvement from his 1-4 record and 8.77 ERA in six starts with the Orioles this season.

Brad Bergesen, who threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of Tillman on Thursday, is also likely a candidate for the start.

One other Orioles note: Double-A right-hander Dan Klein, the Orioles’ third round selection in 2010, will have his right shoulder examined by Los Angeles Angels team physician and renowned orthopedic surgeon Lewis Yocum on Monday in California.

Klein hasn’t pitched in a game since June 1 because of shoulder pain. He attempted to throw twice this week and again felt the discomfort. He had surgery on the shoulder while he was at UCLA. Between High-A Frederick and Bowie this year, Klein was 3-1 with a 1.11 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 32 1/3 innings.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 11:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

With Matusz in Triple-A, Zach Britton and Jake Arrieta on the disabled list and Brad Bergesen, Jim Johnson and Jason Berken in the bullpen, the Orioles have no homegrown pitchers in their current rotation for the first time in more than two years.

With Chris Tillman’s outing on Thursday (which lasted just 2 2/3 innings), the Orioles continued a string of seven straight games started by pitchers they did not draft: Tommy Hunter (2), Tillman (2) and one each by Alfredo Simon, Jeremy Guthrie and Jo-Jo Reyes.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it is the longest such streak for the Orioles since the beginning of the 2009 season, when the club had 13 games started by pitchers they didn’t draft – Guthrie, Simon, Koji Uehara, Mark Hendrickson and Adam Eaton – before Bergesen started Game No. 14.

Of the five pitchers to start during the current streak, Guthrie and Reyes were obtained through waivers, Tillman and Hunter were acquired in a trades and Simon was signed as a free agent out of the Mexican League.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 7:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

Lefty Brian Matusz had his best outing of his up and down year on Thursday afternoon.

Facing Lehigh Valley for Triple-A Norfolk, Matusz threw a complete-game shutout. He allowed five hits and a walk and struck out eight batters.

He threw 105 pitches, 74 for strikes. He threw his fastball in the high 80s consistently, and reached 91 mph, according to a team official.

Matusz is 2-3 with a 3.46 ERA in nine starts for Norfolk and now has allowed four earned runs in his last 23 innings at Triple-A.

He was 1-4 with an 8.77 ERA in six starts as an Oriole.

Here is the Orioles' lineup for Thursday night against the Chicago White Sox: Hardy 6, Markakis 9, Jones 8, Guerrero DH, Wieters 2, Reynolds 5, C.Davis 3, Reimold 7, Andino 4, Tillman 1

Posted by Dan Connolly at 3:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

Let’s start by saying this question is hypothetical.

And since this bar is fake, I figure I can get away with it.

Let me reiterate that this has not been discussed by either side, as far as we know. Let’s also say it doesn’t seem like a perfect fit because the Chicago White Sox have a young second baseman in Gordon Beckham (though he could play third) and a young third baseman in Brent Morel. (Of course, they’d still love to have a true leadoff guy.)

And the Orioles have two swing-and-miss sluggers locked up at least through 2012 in Mark Reynolds and Chris Davis, so it’s probably redundant now. (Of course, the Orioles would love to have an established left-handed slugger.)

But let’s have a true bar argument today -- about something that almost certainly won’t happen (hey, and for those of you who just want to rip and can’t do hypothetical, go grab a stool elsewhere).

If you are the Orioles, would you trade Brian Roberts for Adam Dunn straight up?

Think about it for a second.

Dunn, 31, has been terrible this year -- probably the biggest disappointment in baseball. But he has been on the field, playing in 98 games.

Roberts, 33, has played in just 39 because of a concussion this season after only 59 last year. That’s 98 in two seasons.

You’d probably have to accept the other’s lofty contract, so that might be a factor in your thinking.

After this season, Roberts has two years and $20 million left on his deal. Dunn has three years and $44 million remaining on his.

The Orioles would have loved to have Dunn in the past. The Chicago White Sox have inquired about Roberts’ availability previously.

So maybe it’s not completely far-fetched.

Personally, I’d do it. Because I think Dunn is a lot better than he has shown (and boy was he terrible Wednesday night with three strikeouts and a groundout). Then again, one White Sox observer I asked said he would do it if he were in charge of that team.

Given Roberts’ age and the way his body has broken down, I just wonder what he’s got left. As good of a player as he has been, he’s a huge question mark moving forward.

So is Dunn for different reasons.
What would you do?

Daily Think Special: Would you trade Brian Roberts for Adam Dunn?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (86)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar
        

As the Orioles emptied out of the dugout and jogged to home plate to meet Nolan Reimold, whose two-run homer in the 10th inning off Jason Frasor had just given the home team a 6-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox, Adam Jones was in the back of the scrum barking at the visitor's dugout at Camden Yards.

It wasn't clear from my vantage point whom Jones was exchanging words with, but the Orioles center fielder later acknowledged that he was going back and forth with White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen.

"Just me and Ozzie," Jones said when asked about what started the conversation. "Him and I go back to forth. It’s part of the competition."

I wouldn't think it was playful banter, not when the Orioles just ended the five-game winning streak of the White Sox, who are battling to stay in the American League Central race. However, with Guillen and Jones, you never really know.

Asked about the severity of the conversation, Jones said: "We’ll see in a couple of days. I’m protecting myself and protecting my team. He’s protecting himself and his team. It’s part of the game."

Not sure what Jones means with the "we'll see in a couple of days." The White Sox and Orioles end their season series tomorrow night.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

Nolan Reimold knows he has been given a chance to show what he can do for the next two months.

This homestand, he was 2-for-18 heading into the 10th inning Wednesday. He swung at the first pitch from Jason Frasor and crushed it 436 feet to left-center for the second walk-off home run of his career.

“[It was] very important. I am happy I could come through for my teammates,” Reimold said. “We look at one another to come through for the team, so I’m happy I was able to step up this time and get the job done. It’s a good feeling.”

His first game-winner came in his impressive rookie season in 2009, when he was being touted as the left fielder of the future. This one occurred as he is fighting to show he belongs in left field on a regular basis.

He was hitless in his first four at-bats Wednesday but said he has been comfortable at the plate recently, despite his .215 average.

“Honestly, the last few days, I have been feeling pretty good. I’ve been putting some good swings on the ball,” he said. “Before my last at-bat there, I felt good pretty much every at-bat. I hit the ball up in the air. I hit it in the ground. Putting good swings on it, just not able to pull out a hit. So sometimes you’ve got to hit it over the fence to get a hit.”

It was his seventh homer of the season and first since July 26.

“Nolan’s a strong guy with a lot of skills,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “He’s got some skills that could play up here if he can grasp some of the small things, and tonight he got a good return for some of the work he’s been putting in. I know he was excited. So were we.”

Reimold’s teammates were so excited, they mobbed him at the plate. And he got two shaving cream pies in the face -- he thinks they were from Adam Jones and Robert Andino.

“I got more shaving cream in my ear this time,” Reimold said laughing. “I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know how to get it out. It feels like it is stuck deep in there.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 10:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Orioles right-hander Jake Arrieta will have surgery in California on Friday to remove a bone spur from his right elbow. It was the expected course of action, but the decision was made after he had a CT scan and MRI today.

Los Angeles Angels team physician Lewis Yocum will perform the surgery on Friday morning. Arrieta said the time has not been determined.

He will be out for at least two months but hopes to begin his normal throwing program in late November or early December and expects to be ready by the spring.

He finished the season 10-8 with a 5.05 ERA in 22 starts.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 9:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Vladimir Guerrero is on the bench Wednesday against the Chicago White Sox.

But it is a one-day thing.

The Orioles’ designated hitter will be back starting Thursday and “more than likely” will hit cleanup, according to manager Buck Showalter.

One of the reasons for that is the way Guerrero has hit Chicago starter Mark Buehrle, who pitches Thursday. In 47 career plate appearances against Buehrle, Guerrero is 13 for 40 (.325 average) with four homers, six RBIs, seven walks and a slugging percentage of .675.

“We’ll see. We’ll see what (Thursday) brings. He’s had some success against Buehrle,” Showalter said of Guerrero. “We’ll see if there’s a need for something else. I kind of found (you should) be careful about committing to something a long way away. A lot of things change.”

Guerrero is batting .274 with nine homers and 36 RBIs this season. He’s hitting .161 in eight August games and has just two homers and five RBIs in 15 games since the all-star break. In the game before the break, Guerrero broke a bone in his right wrist when he was struck by a pitch, landing him on the disabled list for much of July.

“I talked to him today about it. I wanted to make sure that the wrist, that wasn’t bothering him. He’s always a pretty level guy. I can tell in the dugout he’s been a little frustrated lately because he’s trying so hard,” Showalter said. “He’s hit a couple balls on the button right at somebody, and you can see he’s had a little different response afterwards that he usually doesn’t have. He’s a proud man, and I want to treat him with the respect that he has coming.”

All 89 of Guerrero’s starts have come in the cleanup spot. Catcher Matt Wieters, who has hit fourth in 11 games, is the only other Oriole to start at cleanup more than four times this season. Adam Jones batted fourth on Wednesday, his third time in the spot this season.

Led by Guerrero, Orioles’ cleanup hitters are third-to-last in the AL in homers, second-to-last in runs scored and slugging percentage and last in RBIs.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 7:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
        

ORIOLES
Felix Pie, LF
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Matt Wieters, C
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Chris Davis,1B
Nolan Reimold, DH
Robert Andino, 2B
Tommy Hunter, SP

WHITE SOX
Juan Pierre, LF
Omar Vizquel, SS
Paul Konerko, DH
Carlos Quentin, RF
A.J. Pierzynski, C
Alex Rios, CF
Adam Dunn, 1B
Gordon Beckham, 2B
Brent Morel, 3B
Philip Humber, SP

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

Orioles Director of Amateur Scouting Joe Jordan has a flight from Los Angeles back to Oklahoma today after he was in California to scout the Area Code Games.

Jordan said that the club remains in negotiations with top-pick Dylan Bundy, second-rounder Jason Esposito and sixth-rounder Nick Delmonico, but "nothing has changed" in regards to their status. The Orioles have until midnight Monday to sign their 2011 draft picks.

"We’re working on it and we’re trying to make our points, but you have to have a willingness to get something done on both sides right now and that may not be until Monday," Jordan said. "That’s the way it is. There are things going on. We’re working on it. I wish I had a whole lot to give you, but there's really not much I can say."

Jordan will likely talk to Bundy's camp later today and tomorrow, but as expected, it would be very surprising if anything gets done there too much before Monday's deadline. At this point, Delmonico is planning to play for the University of Georgia. The Orioles would have to throw an awful lot of money at the catcher/third baseman to get him to change his mind, but they still have hopes of signing him.

Jordan, meanwhile, has expressed some frustration about an inability to get a deal done with Esposito, the third baseman out of Vanderbilt.

The Orioles did agree to terms earlier this week with 42nd-rounder Jason McCracken, a right-handed pitcher out of Poway, Calif. McCracken, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound 19-year-old, signed a 2012 contract. That means that while he'll report to Sarasota, he'll just work out with the club and he won't be activated to the roster because it's so late in the season.

McCracken's signing means the Orioles have agreed to terms with 18 of their 50 picks.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

We’ve talked plenty about all the factors that contributed to the Orioles’ 4-3 loss to the Chicago White Sox last night: Nick Markakis getting a bad read and not scoring from second on Vladimir Guerrero’s line single, J.J. Hardy not getting a run in with a man on third and one out, Robert Andino not making a routine tag that ultimately cost the Orioles a run, third base umpire Phil Cuzzi not being able to make a correct call right in front of him on a Markakis steal attempt. However, the Orioles approach in the bottom of the sixth should not be overlooked. To review, the Orioles had scored three runs off White Sox starter Gavin Floyd and forced him to throw 20 pitches in the bottom of the fifth. Chris Jakubauskas, who would have been the Game MVP if the Orioles came back and won, did well to pitch a scoreless top of the sixth and get the offense right back up to the plate. Three Orioles hitters then managed to make Floyd throw all of five pitches to get out of the sixth. Chris Davis saw three of those pitches and Mark Reynolds and Matt Wieters made first-pitch outs. It’s unacceptable that late in a one-run game against a potentially tiring pitcher to go down that meekly.

I’m going to try and avoid making a knee-jerk reaction on Chris Davis because he just doesn’t have many big league at-bats and I’m sure he’s pressing a little to try and make an immediate impression on his new club. (Missing three games with a sore right shoulder can’t help either). However, I think it would be absolutely foolish to conclude that his acquisition in the Koji Uehara trade or Reynolds’ recent strong play at first takes the Orioles out of the market for a first baseman. The Orioles for the umpteenth straight offseason need just about a sure thing at first base. They need a guy who is an all-but lock to at the very least hit 20-plus homers and drive in 80-plus runs. Davis could very well turn into that guy and I’m not suggesting that he doesn’t have a future with the club. He can play first, third and some left field, and the Orioles also could have a vacancy at designated hitter if Luke Scott is non-tendered. There will be opportunities for him if he produces. But I don’t think it would be smart to pencil him in as the starting first baseman for 2012.

One thing that is making the Orioles’ freefall even worse is the fact that there is nothing (other than the Ravens but I’m talking about on-field stuff) to take the attention away from the poor product on the field. Most organizations have a stud prospect to call up in September. I’m not sure there is one guy in the Orioles system with a chance to get called up who would get the fans excited. Zach Britton long bowed out of the A.L. Rookie of the Year race. There are a couple of guys having good statistical seasons, but nobody is doing anything that really warrants daily monitoring. In fact once Monday’s deadline to sign 2011 draft picks passes (yes I believe the Orioles will sign Dylan Bundy), the two lingering storylines will be if President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail returns (I’d be extremely surprised if he does in his current capacity), and whether the Orioles lose 100 games for the second time since 1954 (I think they will).

I was a little surprised that Nolan Reimold didn’t get an opportunity to hit in the ninth inning last night. With tough lefty Chris Sale on the mound and one out, bench coach John Russell, who was the acting manager with Buck Showalter having been ejected, opted to pinch-hit Felix Pie with switch-hitter Josh Bell. Showalter said that he believed the reasoning that Bell was called on was White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen would have countered with right-handed closer Sergio Santos the second that Reimold emerged from the dugout. Right-handed hitters entered the night 10-for-86 (.114) with 40 strikeouts against Santos. That’s all well-and-good, but I like Reimold’s chances of running into a fastball or a hanging slider better than Bell’s chances from the right side against Sale’s nasty stuff. Bell, by the way, grounded out, and Santos came on to strike out Andino to end the game.

Nobody asked me but here is the lineup I’d run out on most night: 1. Robert Andino, 2B; 2. Nick Markakis, RF; 3. J.J. Hardy, SS; 4. Adam Jones, CF; 5. Mark Reynolds, 3B; 6. Matt Wieters, C; 7. Vladimir Guerrero, DH; 8. Chris Davis, 1B; 9. Nolan Reimold, LF. I’d also have no problem keeping Jones in the three spot, hitting Reynolds cleanup and slotting Hardy fifth. Admittedly, it is not ideal to have Andino hitting first, but he does have the second highest on-base percentage on the team among regulars, and with Brian Roberts out, there are just not a whole lot of options at that leadoff spot.

Though the Orioles’ developmental staff has taken plenty of criticism over the years, I continue to hear good things about the Double-A Bowie coaching staff of manager Gary Kendall and coaches Kennie Steenstra, Denny Hocking and Einar Diaz. Several players on that team have shown steady improvements throughout the season. Hocking, a former big leaguer who is the Baysox field coach, has especially garnered raved reviews. It would not surprise me if he garners a promotion next season, either within the Orioles’ system or somewhere else.

Waiting for some good news? It appears that the Orioles miss Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander in this weekend’s series. Verlander is 6-0 with a 2.64 ERA in eight career starts against the Orioles, and 4-0 with a 2.50 ERA in five career starts at Camden Yards.

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

At the time, it didn’t appear that the play would matter. The Orioles already trailed the Chicago White Sox 4-0. Starter Jo-Jo Reyes was on his way to an early shower. White Sox right-hander Gavin Floyd was having his way with the Orioles.

So when Nick Markakis got a terrible read off second on Vladimir Guerrero’s line single up the middle with one out in the fourth, costing the Orioles a run and Guerrero a rare RBI, it was easy to chalk it up as just one more mistake in a season full of them.

But it looks a lot more costly now after the Orioles rallied to cut the White Sox lead to one before falling 4-3 at Camden Yards.

“It’s tough,” Markakis said. “We had plenty of opportunities to capitalize, starting with myself. You make small mistakes in the game and they come back and bite you in the butt.”

Markakis broke back to second base on Guerrero’s liner, thinking that White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez might have a play on the ball. However, Ramirez never stood a chance as the ball was both too high and wide of him. If Markakis broke to third instead of back to second, he would have almost certainly scored on the play and made it a 4-1 game.

“That’s a line drive right at you and your first natural reaction is to freeze, but I got to do a better job of knowing where my shortstop is and knowing where those guys are,” Markakis said. “It was a bad play on my part. Like I said, we had other opportunities. A lot of what ifs but the ball game ended and we ended up losing so there’s nothing you can really say now.”

Said manager Buck Showalter on the play: “A lot of times what happens is, when a ball is hit right at a runner, sometimes they free, but we’ve got to do a little bit better job of knowing where the shortstop is playing.”

Markakis’ baserunning gaffe was certainly not the only reason the Orioles lost. Reyes was largely ineffective. J.J. Hardy failed to get a runner in with a man on third and one out in the seventh inning. Third base umpire Phil Cuzzi blew a call in the fifth inning on Markakis’ steal attempt of third base, leading to Showalter’s ejection.

Aside from Showalter’s animated dirt kick after the ejection, Chris Jakubauskas’ four scoreless innings and Felix Pie reaching base in all three of his plate appearances, it was another poor effort from an Orioles team that extended their streak without a series win to 12 series.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 10:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Orioles manager Buck Showalter has kept his cool this season despite his team's mounting loss total and poor play, but he just let third base umpire Phil Cuzzi have it, and earned his second ejection of the season.

With Adam Jones on first and Nick Markakis on second base and one out in the bottom of the fifth, Markakis and Jones took off on a double steal. Chicago White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski threw to third and Brent Morel tagged Markakis on the elbow while Markakis' hands were already on the base.

Cuzzi didn't quite see it that way and called Markakis out. Markakis immediately popped up to argue and so did third base coach Willie Randolph. Showalter then took up the argument and got a little latitude before he was ejected.

Showalter kicked dirt across the third-base bag on his way to the dugout. He got a nice ovation.

Orioles currently trail 4-3 in the top of the seventh.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 8:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

1B Chris Davis was back in the starting lineup Tuesday after missing four days due to a strained right shoulder.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he has considered making lineup changes, including moving a struggling Vladimir Guerrero out of cleanup, but has stuck with the familiar alignment so far.

Despite the additions of Tommy Hunter and Jo-Jo Reyes to the rotation, Showalter said the Orioles are still considering converting Jim Johnson to a starting role. Showalter said he’ll have a better idea of whether it will happen at the end of the month.

One day after making errors in consecutive games, third baseman Josh Bell took early fielding practice with infield coach Willie Randolph and instructor Mike Bordick.

2B Brian Roberts (concussion) did not participate in baseball activities today in Sarasota as he continues his rehab.

RHP Jake Arrieta left the team Tuesday and will have his right elbow examined by orthopedist Dr. Lewis Yocum on Wednesday with surgery to remove a bone spur expected Friday if Yocum deems it necessary.

INF Cesar Izturis (groin) had a MRI on Tuesday and Showalter said it didn’t reveal anything unexpected. He was put on the DL on Monday.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

ORIOLES
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Chris Davis, 1B
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Matt Wieters, C
Felix Pie, LF
Robert Andino, 2B
Jo-Jo Reyes, SP

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
        

It’s an unpleasant topic.

But really, what isn’t unpleasant about the Orioles right now?

They have lost eight of their last 10 and 28 of their last 37. They haven’t won a series in more than a month (June 24-26).

And, that begs the question that was floating around the press box Monday night after the Orioles threw a game away to the Chicago White Sox: Will these Orioles do it?

Will they lose 100 games?

Right now, they are 44-68, which means they are on pace to go 64-98.

Through 112 games last year, they were 38-74 and staring 100 losses in the face. But we all know about the club’s turnaround under manager Buck Showalter in 2010. The Orioles rallied to end up 66-96.

The Orioles have lost 100 games just twice in their history, in their inaugural season in 1954 (54-100) and in the 1988 season (54-107), which began 0-21.

My call is that they won’t lose 100 this year. I’ve covered worse teams than this one, and none have lost 100 (although eight of the 10 I have covered have lost 90-plus).

Losing 100 games is really hard to do. But, then again, the schedule in the last two months of the season is brutal. And the rotation once again is decimated. So, the realist would say it is definitely in reach.

Again, I am going on record saying they don’t lose 100.

Do they?

Daily Think Special: Do the Orioles lose 100 games this year?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (67)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar
        

The Orioles’ 7-6 loss to the Chicago White Sox was particularly ugly.

Starter Jeremy Guthrie gave up two homers, both on 0-2 counts.

The Orioles’ No. 2 through No. 6 hitters were a combined 2-for-21 with nine strikeouts and one RBI.

And yet, on J.J. Hardy’s three-run homer against Jesse Crain in the seventh, the Orioles took a 6-5 lead.

So the real disappointment centers on the eighth inning, when two defensive miscues cost the Orioles the game.

With one out, Jim Johnson walked Paul Konerko, who was replaced by speedy Brent Lillibridge. Carlos Quentin flared a pitch to center that allowed Lillibridge to get to third.

Then the Orioles fell apart.

A.J. Pierzynski hit a fly ball to center that Adam Jones caught. There is no way Jones could have gotten the sprinting Lillibridge at home. But Jones tried anyway. The throw was way off line, and it allowed Quentin to move from first to second.

Alex Rios followed with a hard grounder to third that Josh Bell, at the least, should have knocked down. It got past him, Quentin scored and the Orioles lost.

After the game, Jones and Bell answered questions and accepted responsibility for the mistakes – one mental, one physical.

Here’s Jones: “I was trying to get the guy at home. It was first a bad idea because it was way too deep. You got to understand the runners and then it was a poor throw that allowed Quentin to walk into second base. You can't put a man in scoring position, especially that late in the game.”

More Jones: “I don't think it was trying to do too much. I was trying to make a play and you
can’t make every play. That was just a play you're not going to make, no matter who's running and I just have to realize that and (not) force the issue and it worked out horribly for us.”

Here’s Bell: “You got to knock it down. On my part, it’s just a bad read. The long skip off the grass gave me a longer hop than I thought. You got to knock it down. You got to make the plays. That’s the bottom line.

And more Bell: “You can’t make excuses. There’s no way to put it other than you got
to make the plays and you got to help your team win. I felt like I didn’t really do that tonight.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 10:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)
        

How much was J.J. Hardy missed in the past three days?

Well, he returned to the lineup from an ankle injury on Monday and had two doubles and a homer in his first four at-bats. He also made a couple nice plays in the field.

His seventh inning, three-run homer against Chicago White Sox reliever Jesse Crain gave the Orioles a 6-5 lead, their first of the game.

It was Hardy’s 20th homer of the season – the first Orioles’ shortstop to reach that milestone since Miguel Tejada in 2006.

The Orioles now have three players with 20 homers – Adam Jones and Mark Reynolds are the others – the first team to do that this season.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 9:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

The Orioles placed veteran infielder Cesar Izturis (strained left groin) on the 15-day disabled list and recalled reliever Jason Berken from Triple-A Norfolk.

Izturis was just activated from the disabled list last Friday after spending nearly three months on the DL following right elbow surgery. He was playing in his second game Sunday when he strained his groin while running out a groundball.

Berken is 1-2 with a 6.27 ERA in 31 appearances for the Orioles this season. In five games (four starts) with Triple-A Norfolk, he's 0-1 with a 3.50 ERA.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Shortstop J.J. Hardy said he tested his ankle and feels no pain. If he gets through batting practice, he will start for the first time since Thursday.

First baseman Chris Davis (shoulder strain) is not in the starting lineup. He wants to be, but the Orioles are taking it cautiously with him. Look for him to be available as a pinch-hitter today and start Tuesday.

Lefty Jo-Jo Reyes is definitely getting the start Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said they looked at all options and felt Reyes, who has made 20 starts this season with Toronto, was the best possibility.

Jake Arrieta leaves Tuesday at 5 p.m. for California, where he will meet with Dr. Lewis Yocum at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. If Yocum concludes that the bone spur needs to be surgically removed – and Arrieta expects it will be – the surgery will occur on Friday.

The anti-inflammatory medication seems to be working on Zach Britton’s left shoulder. If he continues to improve he will pitch Sunday in a doubleheader for Double-A Bowie.

Cesar Izturis (groin) is still sore and it’s looking like it will be another disabled list situation for the infielder. The Orioles will call up reliever Jason Berken if Izturis has to go on the DL. That move may not be announced until Tuesday.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 4:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

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