Just when you thought all was doom and gloom about the Orioles’ organization, the High-A Frederick Keys captured the Carolina League championship Friday night, pummeling the Kinston Indians, 11-3, in the fourth and final game of the series.

They were led by Orioles’ top prospect, shortstop Manny Machado, who had a three-run homer and four total RBIs in the win.

It marks the Keys’ fourth championship and first since 2007. It is also the first title for any Orioles minor league affiliate since 2007.

“Congratulations to Frederick; that’s great. I am excited about that,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “Those kids had a great year. I congratulate manager [Orlando] Gomez and staff there. That’s pretty neat. It’s all relevant, too. I am pretty proud of them. Everybody is.”

OK, this may not be the best time to roll out this stat – but stats guru Bill Arnold compiled the list of regular-season minor league records and playoff appearances for all 30 organizations, and the Orioles didn’t fare particularly well (though no AL East team did).

The Orioles’ seven affiliates finished a combined 374-394, a .487 winning percentage, which was 25th of 30. They did have three teams make the playoffs, though: Frederick, the Gulf Coast League Orioles and the Dominican Summer League Orioles.

Here is the list with the organization, number of total affiliates, overall record, number of teams making the postseason and total winning percentage:

Org., Affiliates, Record, Postseason, Win Pct.
Rangers, 7, 431-332, 4, .565
Dodgers, 7, 414-349, 4, .543
Giants, 7, 411-352, 4, .539
Phillies, 8, 437-400, 2, .522
A's, 7, 392-360, 4, .521
Cardinals, 8, 428-399, 2, .518
Indians, 7, 392-369, 2, .515
Padres, 7, 393-370, 4, .515
Pirates, 8, 429-409, 2, .512
Nationals, 7, 387-370, 3, .511
Reds, 8, 420-405, 3, .509
Cubs, 8, 421-409, 3, .507
Angels, 7, 386-376, 5, .507
White Sox, 7, 386-384, 2, .501
Mets, 9, 450-453, 3, .498
Rays, 9, 450-455, 3, .497
Rockies, 7, 389-397, 2, .495
Marlins, 7, 375-383, 2, .495
Yankees, 8, 412-422, 2, .494
Royals, 8, 408-418, 2, .494
Blue Jays, 8, 430-445, 4, .491
Twins, 7, 372-387, 1, .490
Red Sox, 7, 376-392, 1, .490
Diamondbacks, 8, 409-429, 3, .488
Orioles, 7, 374-394, 3, .487
Mariners, 9, 421-445, 2, .486
Braves, 7, 356-400, 1, .471
Brewers, 7, 355-406, 0, .467
Tigers, 8, 390-455, 0, .462
Astros, 8, 337-488, 0, .409

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)
Categories: Minors
        

Shortstop J.J. Hardy, who once again bailed out the Orioles, both with his glove and bat last night, has at least put himself in the conversation of joining elite company. Robin Yount (1982), Cal Ripken Jr. (1991) Alex Rodriguez (2002-2003) and Derek Jeter (2006, 2009) are the only American League shortstops to win a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger award in the same season. I’d be shocked if Hardy pulls off that feat, but he at least has a case. Among AL shortstops, Hardy is seventh in batting average (.270), first in home runs (26), third in RBIs (67) and first in slugging percentage (.505). Defensively, he leads qualifying AL shortstops in fielding percentage (.990) and has the fewest errors (five). I think it's more likely that Hardy gets shut out of both awards, especially with all the well-deserved attention on Asdrubal Cabrera’s breakout season, but it is interesting nonetheless to see where his numbers stack up.

Continue reading "Orioles news, notes and opinions: Hardy, Gregg, Schoop, Britton, etc." »

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (39)
Categories: Minors
        

Buck Showalter met with the media Thursday morning, which was a pretty hectic time for anyone trying to get to the ballpark because of traffic gridlock created by closed roads in the downtown area in preparation for the Grand Prix.

Showalter said he had at least three guys he wasn't sure would make it to the ballpark in time for the 12:35 p.m. start.

"We've got three I've heard about so far from different parts of Baltimore trying to get in," he said.

The club put Thursday's starting pitcher, Tommy Hunter, up at a downtown hotel Wednesday night in anticipation of the mess.

Showalter said it took him an "hour and 15 minutes" to get to the park from northern Baltimore County and "I thought I was leaving way early."

Several Toronto Blue Jays left the team bus in stopped traffic to walk the rest of the way to the stadium.

Some other notes:

Pitcher Rick VandeHurk and outfielder Kyle Hudson were the club's two call-ups when rosters expanded today (Zach Phillips was recalled Wednesday). Showalter said one more might be coming soon from Norfolk, depending on health. That could be infielder Josh Bell.

Chris Tillman will not be called up right away. He will make his scheduled start Friday at Norfolk.

Short-A Aberdeen pitchcing coach Scott McGregor will join the Orioles in New York City as interim bullpen coach and remain in the position for the rest of the season.

Here's the lineup. You'll notice Adam Jones, not Vladimir Guerrero, is batting 4th:

Andino 5
Hardy 6
Markakis 9
Jones 8
Guerrero dh
Wieters 2
Reynolds 3
Reimold 7
Adams 4

Hunter 1

Posted by Dan Connolly at 11:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Minors
        

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
        

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
        

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
        

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
        

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
        

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
        

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
        

Some stuff from Buck Showalter’s pre-game session and early interviews:

Mark Hendrickson has been sent to Triple-A Norfolk. The club and Hendrickson had an agreement when he got called up that the veteran would accept an assignment to Norfolk instead of becoming a free agent. He will fly home to York, Pa., and spend some time with his family before reporting to the Tides on Saturday or Sunday.

“I try to tell these young guys, too, that sometimes these moves, we don’t always have to agree with them,” Hendrickson said. “But until we want to hang up our spikes and go be a GM, then we just deal with them the best we can, and hopefully our families deal with them the best they can. You try to take something from every experience, whether it is good or bad, because it’s kind of the nature of the business.”

Hendrickson (1-0, 5.40 ERA in seven games) was demoted to make room for lefty Jo-Jo Reyes, who was claimed off waivers from Toronto on Tuesday. Reyes, who made 20 starts for the Blue Jays and was 5-8 with a 5.40 ERA, will be placed in the bullpen and could see time in today’s game. He is a candidate to start later this season.

“We got basically the whole second half left, so a good first impression to start off and then keep pitching good,” Reyes said. “That’s the main goal.”

The Orioles signed John Ruettiger, an eighth-round pick from Arizona State. They have signed seven of their top 10, with the exception of Dylan Bundy (first), Jason Esposito (second) and Nick Delmonico (sixth). Ruettiger is the nephew of Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger of Notre Dame.

The Orioles have agreed to terms with right-handed pitcher Willie Eyre, 33, to a minor league contract pending a physical. He will be assigned to Norfolk. Eyre had an out clause in the A’s organization Aug. 1 if he hadn’t been promoted to the majors. Eyre was 4-5 with a 3.48 ERA in 39 games (two starts) with Oakland’s Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento. He is 5-6 with a 5.14 ERA in 92 major league games (two starts) with Texas and Minnesota.

Tommy Hunter will start Friday’s game against Toronto. Saturday’s starter is still undecided. The likely candidates are Brad Bergesen and Chris Tillman (if Jake Arrieta is placed on the disabled list). Reyes is also a potential candidate, but he hasn’t pitched since July 22, so he likely will pitch mainly long relief for now.

Troy Patton had the hearing on his arrest on drunken-driving charges this winter pushed back from Thursday to Monday, Aug. 29 in Houston. He hopes to be able to leave the team after the Aug. 28 afternoon game and return by the night game on the 29th.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 7:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
Categories: Minors
        

Given Saturday’s doubleheader, which drained the bullpen, and the two deadline trades, the Orioles were forced to make several moves Sunday.

They put Davis on the roster, added lefty relievers Pedro Viola and Mike Ballard from Double-A Bowie and sent Jason Berken to Triple-A Norfolk.

Berken, who was 1-2 with a 6.27 ERA in 31 games, was demoted after Saturday’s 17-3 loss in which he entered in the first to replace Zach Britton. Berken allowed seven earned runs, including two homers, in 2 2/3 innings.

He had a 2.04 ERA in his previous 15 games since being recalled June 15.

“My stats coming back, since the last time I got sent down, were pretty good. So, there’s a lot of positives, things to take out of the last six weeks. A lot of good things,” Berken said. “[Saturday] night wasn’t so good, obviously, but I’m not going to let that dictate or influence the way I think I’ve been throwing. I feel like I’ve been throwing pretty good. [Saturday] was a bad outing. It [stinks] getting sent down, but I don’t feel sorry for myself.”

After Sunday’s game, Viola and Ballard were sent back to Bowie without having pitched. That happened to Viola previously this year and to Ballard when he was with Texas. Ballard still has not made his big league debut despite having been called to the majors twice. But at least he got a chance to see Yankee Stadium.

“I grew up a Yankees fan. My dad, that was the only team that was on [TV] when he was a kid, so naturally he was a Yankees fan, and I kind of followed suit,” said Ballard, who is from Virginia Beach, Va. “I grew up watching the Yankees, so it is definitely cool. It’s kind of a boyhood dream to be here.”

The Orioles likely will fill the two open spots on their 25-man roster Tuesday when Hunter is activated and Brad Bergesen is reinstated from the paternity leave list.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Minors
        

After taking a couple of days off to rest his sore right shoulder, Orioles outfielder Luke Scott continued his rehab assignment tonight for Double-A Bowie, and the Baysox were happy that he did.

Batting third and serving as the Baysox designated hitter tonight against the Trenton Thunder, Scott is 3-for-4 with a double, two homers, six RBIs and three runs scored.

In his first at-bat, Scott hit an RBI groundout to score Xavier Avery. In his second at-bat, Scott drove a Craig Heyer pitch over the wall for a two-run homer. In his third at-bat, Scott doubled to plate Avery and Greg Miclat, and then in his fourth, he drilled his second homer, this one against reliever Josh Romanski.

Scott drove in all but two of the Baysox's runs in a 8-6 victory.

We'll see tomorrow if Scott feels comfortable enough to be activated and play tomorrow night against the Los Angeles Angels.

In other news, I wrote a profile on Orioles reliever Jim Johnson that will be in tomorrow's paper. You can read it online right here.

The story was more about Johnson off the field and his status as one of the Orioles' lower-profile players despite the fact that only Brian Roberts and Nick Markakis have been in the organization longer. I think plenty of ink has been spilled on Johnson's possible transition to a starter, but here are a couple of more quotes about it from Johnson, and then closer Kevin Gregg, who is also a former starter and has talked quite a bit with his teammate about the transition.

First from Johnson who has never campaigned publicly to start but most people think that's what he wants: "Honestly, I have no idea on where it’s going to go from here," Johnson said. "Like I said, I feel like I can do whatever they ask me to do. The preparation is going to be different, but that’s something that has to be figured out down the road. But I know what I’m doing now. I have nothing much more for you on that."

Now, here are the thoughts of Gregg: "I think the last couple of years, I don’t think it would have been a good idea. But I think now, we’ve talked a bunch about his mindset, where he’s at mentally. I have no dobut that he could do it now. He’s learned more about himself this last year and how to pitch out of situations. He’s continually in the tough innings. When you are a starter and you’re cruising, cruising, cruising, you eventually hit that tough inning. Now, he knows how to get out of that inning. That’s what he does, that’s his job now. I have no doubt that he could start at this level. He’s got the pitches, that big heavy sinker. He’s learned that curveball, when to throw it, how to use it. He’s definitely got that good changeup that is progressing and the more he throws it, the better it’s going to get. I think he could definitely handle it."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Minors
        

So much for the good vibe surrounding Brian Matusz's seven shutout and three-hit innings in his previous start for Triple-A Norfolk.

Facing Toledo today, Matusz was knocked around for eight runs (seven earned), eight hits and three walks over just 3 2/3 innings. Nick Bierdbrodt allowed two of his inherited runners to score, but there is no making this outing look good. Matusz needed 85 pitches to get just 11 outs. I wasn't there, so I don't have any reports about his velocity, but I can't imagine he had much going on, if the numbers are any indication.

It hasn't been a good two days for a couple of the Orioles' younger pitchers on the farm. Norfolk right-hander Chris Tillman allowed four runs (three earned) on nine hits and a walk over six innings against Toledo last night, leaving his ERA at 4.17. The hope was that he would go down there and fix some of his mechanical issues and force the Orioles to call him back up. He's clearly not doing that.

Then there's Double-A Bowie left-hander Zach Britton, who allowed two runs on two walks while striking out four over four innings yesterday. Britton obviously hasn't dominated in the two starts since his demotion, but he's still expected to be recalled July 30 to make the start against the New York Yankees.

In other news, the Orioles have moved the start time of their Sept. 1 game against the Toronto Blue Jays from 7:05 p.m. to 12:35 p.m. The move was made to minimize the level of inconvenience for Orioles fans and Baltimore Grand Prix planners.

(UPDATE: Right-hander Chorye Spoone (Northeast, CCBC-Catonsville), who was designated for assignment earlier this week, has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Double-A Bowie.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 2:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (31)
Categories: Minors
        

ORIOLES
Matt Angle, LF
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Matt Wieters, C
Derrek Lee, 1B
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Nolan Reimold, DH
Blake Davis, 2B
Jeremy Guthrie, SP

RED SOX
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
Josh Reddick, LF
Carl Crawford, DH
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
J.D. Drew, RF
Marco Scutaro, SS
Kyle Weiland, SP

Orioles outfielder Luke Scott will be shut down for a couple of days before trying to resume playing in some rehab games. Scott acknowledged that his shoulder is still giving him trouble, but he's not ready to shut it down yet. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said Scott is close to the point where he's going to have to decide how to deal with his shoulder or he could risk not being ready for the start of next season.

Infielder Cesar Izturis (elbow surgery) will play Friday for the Gulf Coast League Orioles, then go to Double-A Bowie on Saturday and Sunday. He'll DH for Bowie on Saturday and play shortstop for the Baysox on Sunday. He could be activated by the Orioles in time for Tuesday's game.

Brian Roberts had migraines yesterday, but Showalter said it was unrelated to his concussion issues and the second baseman was able to do some activities today.

The doctor who has operated on Justin Duchscherer before has recommended the pitcher have another hip surgery. Duchscherer will consult with Orioles orthopedist Dr. John Wilckens before making the decision, but the reality is that nobody expects him to pitch for the Orioles this season. That ship has sailed.

Closer Kevin Gregg, who is scheduled to serve the second game of his three-game suspension tonight, beat the storm and threw a simulated game.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
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The Orioles have traded veteran Triple-A infielder Nick Green and cash to the Texas Rangers for Triple-A left-handed reliever Zach Phillips.

Phillips, who is 1-3 with a 4.43 ERA in 33 games for Triple-A Round Rock, will be added to the 40-man roster and report to Triple-A Norfolk. To make room on the 40-man roster for him, the Orioles have designated right-handed pitcher Chorye Spoone (Northeast, CCBC-Catonsville).

Spoone, 25, has a 4.73 ERA in 19 starts combined between Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk this season.

In 213 games over seven career minor league seasons, Phillips is 31-39 with a 4.10 ERA. This season, the lefty has allowed 50 hits and 21 walks while striking out 38 in 44 2/3 innings.

Phillips went 3-2 with a 2.69 ERA in 45 appearances last season, and 2-3 with a 1.39 ERA in 36 appearances in 2009.

Green, the 32-year-old utility infielder who signed with the Orioles as a minor league free agent before the season, batted .208 with 16 doubles 10 homers and 46 RBIs in 87 games for Norfolk.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (23)
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Orioles outfielder Nick Markakis has been named the American League Player of the Week for the period ending July 17.

In four games last week, Markakis batted .429 (6-for-14) with two doubles, two home runs, four RBI and five runs. This is his first AL Player of the Week honor and the first for an Oriole since Luke Scott was recognized July 25, 2010.

During the period, Markakis tied for first in the league in home runs, runs and slugging percentage (1.000) and was second with 14 total bases. He also achieved his 1,000th career hit with a third-inning single Friday against the Cleveland Indians.

Markakis has hit safely in 31 of his past 33 games, batting .396 (57-for-144) with
nine doubles, five homers, 21 RBI and 18 runs while raising his season batting average from .236 to .297.

Triple-A Norfolk left-hander Brian Matusz has also been named International League Pitcher of the Week after throwing seven shutout and three-hit innings against Gwinnett on Saturday night.

Double-A Bowie right-hander Mike Ballard was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week after going 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA in 14 innings.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
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Each day seemingly brings more uncertainty to the Orioles' roster. Today, the Orioles added outfielder Matt Angle and reliever Troy Patton and subtracted designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero (disabled list) and reliever Pedro Viola (optioned to Double-A Bowie).

TOMORROW: The Orioles will add Triple-A reliever Mark Worrell and Triple-A third baseman Josh Bell. Mitch Atkins was optioned to Norfolk after today's game, and the other roster spot will open when the club officially places Alfredo Simon on the restricted list. Simon will head back to the Dominican Republic for a hearing related to his offseason legal troubles. The Orioles will have to add Worrell to the 40-man roster, and they'll likely do that by moving Brian Roberts (concussion) to the 60-day disabled list. It's expected that closer Kevin Gregg could start serving his suspension tomorrow as well, but the Orioles won't be able to replace him on the roster.

TUESDAY: Left fielder-designated hitter Luke Scott, who went 1-for-2 with a homer and two walks tonight for Double-A Bowie, will likely be activated from the disabled list. You would think Angle will be in the most jeopardy when Scott returns simply because the Orioles would already have three left fielders in Scott, Felix Pie and Nolan Reimold. Even if Scott primarily serves as the DH with Guerrero out, Pie and Reimold should be enough to hold down left field. If all goes well with Simon's hearing and he returns to the United States, he'll need to be activated from the restricted list. Worrell or Bell would probably be the two guys considered for demotion with Simon's return.

SATURDAY, JULY 23: If everything remains on schedule, infielder Cesar Izturis, who hasn't played since May 13, could be activated from the disabled list this day. He'd probably replace Blake Davis, who is serving as the team's utility infielder.

TUESDAY, JULY 26: Vladimir Guerrero (cracked bone in right hand) will be available to come off the disabled list.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 8:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
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After his second straight poor start, right-hander Mitch Atkins was optioned back to Triple-A Norfolk.

Atkins has an 8.44 ERA in three starts. In the Orioles' 8-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians today, Atkins allowed three earned runs on six hits, including two homers, and two walks over three innings. He needed 77 pitches to get the nine outs.

Over his past two starts since holding the Texas Rangers to one run over six innings in his Orioles debut, Atkins has allowed nine runs, 13 hits, five homers and three walks in just 4 2/3 innings.

The Orioles are expected to fill Atkins' roster space, along with the spot created by Alfredo Simon's trip to the restricted list, by selecting the contract of right-handed reliever Mark Worrell and third baseman Josh Bell. Worrell and Bell are with Norfolk.

Worrell, 28, is 0-4 with a 2.95 ERA in 35 relief appearances for the Tides. He has 12 saves and represented the Tides in the Triple-A All-Star Game. Worrell last pitched in the big leagues in 2008, making four appearances for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Bell, the 24-year-old third baseman who played in 53 games for the Orioles last year, is batting .267 with 16 homers and 47 RBIs in 85 games for Norfolk.

One of the above-mentioned two could be here only for one game if Simon -- as expected -- returns to the team Tuesday and is activated from the restricted list.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 5:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
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This news probably won't come as a surprise, but Orioles manager Buck Showalter announced after tonight's 6-5 victory over the Cleveland Indians that the club will place designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero (cracked bone in right hand) on the disabled list and option Pedro Viola back to Double-A Bowie.

Those two roster spots will be filled by Triple-A Norfolk outfielder Matt Angle, and Tides left-hander Troy Patton.

Angle, 25, is hitting .266 with four homers, 29 RBIs, 20 steals and a .334 on-base percentage in 81 games. The 2007 seventh-round pick out of Ohio State has never played in the majors.

Patton, 25, is 4-1 with a 1.83 ERA in 17 appearances for the Tides. He has made one appearance for the Orioles this season, allowing one earned run in 1 2/3 innings.

Viola has a 9.82 ERA in four outings with the Orioles this season. Guerrero will be able to return from the DL on July 26 in Toronto.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Minors
        

Not only did Alfredo Simon have the best outing for an Orioles starter in weeks in his team's 6-5 victory tonight over the Cleveland Indians, but the club also got encouraging news on the farm as Brian Matusz put together his best outing of the season for Triple-A Norfolk.

Facing Gwinnett, Matusz pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out eight. He threw 53 of his 88 pitches for strikes, and he got seven ground-ball outs, both very good signs.

The only bad news was that the Tides bullpen blew his lead. Obviously, one good outing isn't going to cure what has ailed Matusz, and I've not heard anything about his stuff or velocity yet, but this is a kid that needs some good results to get some confidence back, and tonight was surely a good start.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
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With the Orioles' roster in a state of flux, the club has summoned outfielder Matt Angle and left-handed pitcher Troy Patton to Baltimore from Triple-A Norfolk on Saturday night.

It’s possible neither is activated. It all depends on how the Orioles’ roster shakes out in the next couple of days.

Alfredo Simon, Saturday’s starter, leaves Sunday at 7 p.m. for the Dominican Republic to attend a hearing Monday, which could end his involvement as a suspect in a fatal shooting there.

He is expected to be in uniform Sunday -- if he is able, he has to be part of the team -- then will be put on the restricted list Monday. That would allow the Orioles to recall another player until Simon can return to the team (the Orioles are hopeful that will be either Tuesday or Wednesday).

Designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero has not yet been placed on the disabled list with a broken bone in his hand, but he can’t swing a bat right now. So a DL stint is likely for him -- which means he could be replaced by Angle.

But Luke Scott (right shoulder) may be ready to come off the DL by Tuesday, which means they could always wait two more days before making a move with Guerrero (though his trip to the DL can be backdated to July 11).

Complicating matters are also the pending suspensions of relievers Kevin Gregg (four games) and Michael Gonzalez (three games). Manager Buck Showalter intimated that there has been some discussion involving those players and the league office, so reduction in suspensions could be coming by Monday.

The Orioles are not able to replace suspended players on the rosters -- so they’ll have to play short. But Gonzalez and Gregg will not serve their suspensions at the same time.

Got all that?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
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The big news of today is the three-year contract extension for J.J. Hardy that will be worth between $22 million and $22.5 million through 2014.

But that may not be the only news.

The Orioles are waiting on how Vladimir Guerrero (right hand) feels when he gets to the park today to decide what to do with him.

As of 1 p.m., no minor leaguer is on his way to Camden Yards, but that could change at any moment.

The two most likely call-ups are outfielder Matt Angle and third baseman Josh Bell, both of whom are on the club’s 40-man roster.

Angle, a center fielder throughout his career, played left field Friday for Triple-A Norfolk, which club officials say is more coincidence than indication he is positively on his way up.

The 25-year-old is hitting .266 with four homers, 29 RBIs, 20 steals and a .334 on-base percentage in 81 games. The 2007 seventh-round pick out of Ohio State has never played in the majors.

Bell, 24, has hit .260 with 16 homers and 47 RBIs in 84 games with the Tides. He has a .312 on-base percentage and has struck out 94 times in 334 at-bats. The big third baseman was the key prospect acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2009 trade of George Sherrill. He hit .214 with three homers in 53 games with the Orioles in 2010.

Because the Orioles are limited to a three-man bench, even with a healthy Guerrero, it’s possible a move for an offensive player will be made Saturday and a reliever could be designated or demoted. If Guerrero has to go on the DL, both Angle and Bell could be promoted.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 1:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
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The Orioles have long debated whether setup man Jim Johnson, who came up through their system as a starter, should move to the rotation, but that dialogue has heated up the past couple of weeks to the point where it may be not a matter of if, but when. The performance of the Orioles’ rotation has left team officials scrambling to find not only starters for the rest of the season, but also guys they can pencil into next year’s rotation. You can’t do that with Brad Bergesen and Chris Tillman, and who knows what will happen with Brian Matusz over the next couple of months? Originally, I felt that the Orioles would wait until the offseason to begin stretching Johnson out as a starter. However, I don’t think that they have that luxury anymore. The organization needs to know whether he’ll be able to handle starting every five days, and it would benefit them to have that information before the offseason. If he can, that’s one fewer starter they need to target and one more reliever they’ll need to add. Also factoring in the decision is the fact taht team officials can’t have too much confidence they’ll be to acquire quality rotation help this offseason, so they are left to figure out ways of filling most of the spots internally.

This is the time of year when you really start paying attention to what teams are represented in the scout seats behind home plate. I was especially interested Thursday because Jeremy Guthrie was on the mound, and he’s certainly one of the Orioles’ bigger trade chips. The only team I recognized in attendance that could be a possible fit was the Texas Rangers, who are reportedly looking for a little rotation and bullpen help. Don’t misunderstand -- I know of no specific talks between the clubs or whether the Rangers have interest in Guthrie or any other Orioles. The Rangers scout could have just been performing his normal coverage area or even looking at a couple of the Cleveland Indians. Who knows? However, it’s not a stretch to suggest that the Orioles and Rangers are decent fits as trade partners. The Orioles have Guthrie and two solid relievers in Johnson and Koji Uehara. The Rangers have plenty of young arms, and there is a familiarity there with manager Buck Showalter, pitching coach Rick Adair, first base coach Wayne Kirby and former pitching coach Mark Connor all having ties to the Texas organization. The Rangers also have 25-year-old first baseman Chris Davis, who entered yesterday hitting .369 with 20 homers and 55 RBIs for Triple-A Round Rock and whom Oriole fans have coveted for a while. The Philadelphia Phillies, by the way, also were represented at last night’s game.

The Orioles have played just two games since the All-Star break, and I already find myself questioning the roster composition of the club. With Vladimir Guerrero unavailable for the previous games and possibly headed to the disabled list, the Orioles played the past two nights with two bench players while essentially carrying a nine-man bullpen. Indians manager Manny Acta, meanwhile, had a six-man bench at his disposal. With just backup catcher Craig Tatum and utility infielder Blake Davis on the bench last night, Orioles manager Buck Showalter was forced to let Felix Pie hit against a tough lefty (Rafael Perez) with a man on in the sixth. He also was forced to use Davis as a pinch hitter in the ninth against a tough closer in Chris Perez. This is nothing against Davis at all, but you’d like to have guys with a little more thump and a more proven track record coming off the bench with games on the line in the later innings. I also understand that Orioles starters haven’t gotten deep into games and you have to protect your bullpen, but a nine-man bullpen on the heels of a three-day All-Star break seems a little much. It’s hard to win a close game, especially against a team with a good bullpen, when you don’t have any weapons on your bench.

Much is made about Mark Reynolds’ 20 errors at third base, and rightly so. However, the defense the Orioles have gotten out of their left field position has been brutal. There were at least two plays Pie could have made yesterday that would have bailed out his pitcher, and he came up with neither of them. If you’re not going to hit, you may want to bring something more to the table defensively, and Pie hasn’t been able to do that. Nolan Reimold has also struggled defensively in left, while Scott is considered below average out there as well. Between poor jobs, poor routes, throwing to the wrong base, missing the cut-off man, Orioles left fielders have done it all this year.

Nobody asked me of course, but if Guerrero goes to the disabled list, which I guess is suspected at this point, and Luke Scott remains unavailable, I’m calling up Josh Bell and having him and Reynolds share DH/third base duties.

Obviously, you’ll continue to hear fallout from the contentious Red Sox-Orioles series over last weekend with the Red Sox coming to town Monday and the appeals for the suspended players still yet to be heard. But I just want to make one more point on the matter: I believe Orioles first baseman Derrek Lee was the only batter hit intentionally in the series, and the pitcher who did it (John Lackey) was not among the players suspended. Certainly, Michael Gonzalez was either trying to hit David Ortiz or purposefully throwing behind him to send a message, and he was rightfully suspended. But as far as the five hit batsmen in the series, Lee was the one who you can say with near certainty that he was hit on purpose. What a cop-out then that MLB opted to fine Lackey rather than suspend him. Either he threw at him or he didn’t, and being that he was fined, that certainly is a sign that MLB felt he did intentionally throw at Lee. So why didn’t he get a suspension like Gonzalez? What’s the difference? Intent is intent. Obviously, MLB had no problem overruling Jeff Nelson’s umpiring crew by not suspending Red Sox right-hander Kyle Weiland, the right move because the rookie surely wasn’t targeting Mark Reynolds or Vladimir Guerrero and didn’t deserve to get ejected. They should have done the same with the Lackey situation despite the fact that Nelson didn’t eject him from the game.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (26)
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Orioles shortstop Manny Machado made his debut for High-A Frederick on Thursday night a memorable one, homering in the bottom of the third inning to account for the Keys’ only run in a 2-1 loss to Winston-Salem.

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

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

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

Posted by Steve Gould at 9:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
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Orioles minor league infielders Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop were teammates for the first couple of months of the season at Low-A Delmarva, and they’ll be manning the same infield again tonight when Machado makes his High-A Frederick debut.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
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The Orioles have their share of problems, but one of the most concerning things has to be the uneven production of their prospects in the upper level of the minor leagues. Third baseman Josh Bell has shown some signs, batting .261 with 12 homers and 37 RBIs against Triple-A pitching. But he has also struck out 75 times in 271 at-bats and has made 13 errors. Norfolk first baseman Brandon Snyder is also hitting .262 with eight homers and 32 RBIs, numbers hardly befitting of a first baseman in the American League East. Double-A Bowie first baseman Joe Mahoney, the organization’s reigning Minor League Player of the Year, has been dogged all season by injuries. His Baysox teammate, Xavier Avery, the organization’s top outfield prospect, has come on lately to raise his average to .265, but he’s striking out too much and his defense and baseball instincts are regularly questioned. Bowie’s LJ Hoes, who entered the season as the organization’s top second base prospect, recently went 5-for-5 to raise his average to .281. However, consistency has been an issue, and he has mostly been playing the outfield at Bowie. And, of course, there is the possibility that Dan Klein, perhaps the organization’s No. 1 pitching prospect, will miss the rest of the season with a SLAP tear in his labrum. Sure, people continue to rave about shortstop Manny Machado, who debuts at Frederick tonight, and Keys infielder Jonathan Schoop and there have been some nice surprises, like reliever Cole McCurry. But there remains a serious void at the upper levels of the minor leagues with players who can come up soon and help the Orioles win. How else can you explain two guys who weren’t even invited to big league spring training -- Chris Jakubauskas and Blake Davis -- occupying spots on the 25-man roster? There’s still plenty of time for this to change, but which guys in Bowie and Norfolk are making statements that they should be heavily considered for big league jobs next spring? I’m sure people are going to blame this guy or that guy, and that’s fine. But it has to be considered an organization-wide failure. Andy MacPhail heads the front office, so it’s certainly on him. It’s also on the player development and amateur scouting departments, both past and present.

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

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

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

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

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

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (57)
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Right-handed reliever Jeremy Accardo, who was designated for assignment Sunday after compiling a 3-3 record and a 5.29 ERA in 25 appearances, has cleared waivers and accepted his assignment to Triple-A Norfolk.

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

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

Continue reading "Accardo clears waivers, accepts Triple-A assignment" »

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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Orioles pitching prospect Dan Klein has been diagnosed with a small SLAP tear in his right labrum, an injury that he'll try to rehabilitate rather than having surgery, director of player development John Stockstill said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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Reliever Jeremy Accardo was designated for assignment after another rocky outing in which he gave up the decisive runs in tonight's 8-4 loss. The team has 10 days to trade him, pass him through waivers and reassign him to Triple-A Norfolk or grant him his outright release.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Orioles haven't made a final decision yet, but the expectation is that Triple-A Norfolk first baseman Brandon Snyder will join the team in time for tomorrow night's game with Derrek Lee on the bereavement list.

If this is the direction the Orioles go, it will be Snyder's second stint with the team this season. It may be a little shorter than the first as Lee, who is in Sacramento to attend the services for his grandfather, is expected to rejoin the club no later than Tuesday's series opener in Toronto.

Snyder is hitting .253 with eight homers and 26 RBIs in 48 games for the Tides. In five games for the Orioles this season, Snyder, 24, went 2-for-9 with a double.

In other minor league news, first baseman Joe Mahoney, the organization's reigning Minor League Player of the Year, will likely resume playing for Single-A Frederick this week before rejoining Double-A Bowie on Tuesday. Mahoney has played in only 10 games this season because of a variety of injuries.

Keys outfielder Trent Mummey and first baseman Tyler Townsend will both go on the minor league disabled list with hamstring pulls. They'll likely be out through the Carolina League All-Star break, which starts June 20.

Former top pick Matt Hobgood said on his Twitter feed that he'll throw a simulated game tomorrow in Sarasota, Fla. Hobgood has been rehabbing a shoulder injury.

Jason Berken allowed two earned runs on six hits and two walks while striking out five over five innings today in Triple-A Norfolk's 4-2 victory over Pawtucket. He now has a 3.86 ERA since his demotion from the Orioles.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 5:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Minors
        

Right-hander Dan Klein, one of the Orioles’ top minor league pitching prospects, is scheduled to have a precautionary MRI of his right shoulder Monday when the Bowie Baysox return home from a road trip.

Klein, 22, has excelled in the minors for the Orioles since being drafted in the third round out of UCLA last year, going from short-season Single-A Aberdeen to Double-A Bowie in a few months.

Used as a reliever with the Baysox, he began experiencing discomfort in the shoulder last week and could not get loose Sunday. He was shut down and placed on the seven-day disabled list. The soreness continued on Wednesday.

Klein had exploratory shoulder surgery in 2009 and missed his sophomore season at UCLA.

We’ll know in 48 hours whether Jake Fox has been claimed off waivers -- and it was assumed there was a 50 percent chance he would be. But that may have gotten a little higher.

The Pittsburgh Pirates, who had interest in Fox this spring, may need another catcher type. Starter Chris Snyder left Wednesday’s game after sliding awkwardly into second base. It was listed as a sore back. Back issues landed Snyder on the DL to start the season.

Only two Maryland high schoolers (not to be confused with college kids who went to high school in Maryland) were selected in this year’s MLB draft, and both were John Carroll kids taken by the Orioles: third baseman Kevin Hockaday in the 14th round and first baseman Brendan Butler in the 50th round.

John Carroll coach Joe Stetka, who is also an associate Orioles scout, couldn’t be prouder. Here are some of Stetka’s thoughts on his senior duo.

On their being drafted: “It is a good day for Maryland and Harford County and for Baltimore. These are two class kids.”

On Hockaday, who is committed to Maryland: “He is built like a thoroughbred; there is not an ounce of fat on him. He is going to be a corner guy or outfielder. We had him at shortstop, but he wasn’t a shortstop. I joked with him that the only time he’d see shortstop down the road is running from second.”

On Butler, who is committed to Towson: “He has a tremendous work ethic and amazing speed -- he ran a 6.5 60-yard dash. He can play third or first, he’s got great hands and footwork. Somebody is not going to be disappointed in him no matter where they put him, whether it is the Orioles or Towson.”

On both of them: “Two kids from the same high school, drafted by the same major league team, their hometown team -- I don’t know what odds are, but it is remarkable. I am just thrilled they have been drafted.”

On both of them again: “These are two of the greatest kids I probably ever coached, and I coached my son, so that is saying something. They made it fun for me. I tried to make it fun for them, but they made it fun for me, too.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 9:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Minors
        

A few things from Buck Showalter’s pre-game press conference:

Derrek Lee is expected to miss Friday, Saturday and Sunday while attending his grandfather’s funeral Friday in California.

He likely will be put on baseball’s bereavement list, allowing the Orioles to recall a player from the minors to temporarily take his place. A player on the list must miss at least three days, meaning that if Lee is placed on the list on by noon Thursday, an off day, he could return by Sunday if he chooses.

“Derrek, he stays as long as he feels he needs to,” Showalter said.

The Orioles likely would call up a position player to replace Lee. First baseman Brandon Snyder, who is on the 40-man roster and has already been with the Orioles this season, is the likely choice. The club has an open spot on its 40-man roster if wants to add someone else.

Second baseman Brian Roberts is expected to stop by Camden Yards at some point Wednesday, and Showalter said he hopes to speak to him. Roberts, on the 15-day disabled list with a concussion, learned Tuesday that he’ll have to wait another two weeks before he can resume baseball activities.

Showalter said, to his knowledge, he does not believe slumping right fielder Nick Markakis is dealing with an injury. Markakis is hitting .236 on the season, is 5-for-40 in his past 10 games and hasn’t had an extra-base hit since May 15 -- a span of 84 at-bats.

“It’s easy to say yes, he’s right. But if there was something wrong, Nicky, he wouldn’t tell anybody for the most part,” Showalter said. “We had one night here where he got two hits and had a big game and we found out afterwards he had a 100-degree temperature a la Dirk Nowitzki, but he doesn’t have to play once every three or four days like some of those guys.

“I am answering honestly, I think he is fine. I know he does a lot of extra work. He is doing all the things he can do, in some cases maybe too much. But you are never going to take the want-to out of that with Nick. He’s got too much of it going on. He’s a guy you trust, you trust with a lot of things. And he’ll figure it out, along with some help. I know we’ve had a lot of time and effort spent addressing it, a lot for his needs as much as anything.”

Showalter said righty Chris Jakubauskas, who threw five scoreless innings, could be used out of the bullpen Saturday. The Orioles do not need a fifth starter again until June 18 at Washington. The Orioles have not announced whether Jakubauskas will get that start, but it seems likely.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Minors
        

The Orioles have had conversations about trading Jake Fox, who was designated for assignment last week, but they haven’t been able to find a deal and it now appears they are left with having to pass him through outright waivers.

The 10-day mark for them to make a decision on Fox is Saturday. However, it takes 48 hours for a player to clear waivers, and there are no waivers over the weekend. So that means the Orioles had to trade him by this afternoon or put him through waivers.

Teams cannot comment on the waiver process, so I can’t be completely sure that Fox, who hit .188 with two homers and four RBIs in 19 games for the Orioles this season, is currently on the waiver wire. However, there doesn’t appear to be a trade involving him at this point, so it seems pretty safe to make that conclusion.

The Orioles now risk losing Fox for nothing as any team could claim him. Their failure to trade him is an indication that they didn’t receive much interest in the right-handed hitter because the Orioles wouldn’t have asked for much in return, knowing that they could lose him for nothing anyway.

A team would be much more likely to claim Fox than trade for him. If Fox clears waivers -- which I wouldn’t say is likely by any means -- the Orioles would outright him to Triple-A Norfolk.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Minors
        

Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts had a consultation with concussion specialist Dr. Michael Collins today in Pittsburgh, and he remains at least two weeks away from starting baseball activities, according to manager Buck Showalter.

"I wouldn't call it bad news," Showalter said. "We knew the process that we were going to have. We'll follow the doctor's suggestions."

Roberts hasn't played since he started experiencing headaches after his headfirst slide into first base against the Boston Red Sox on May 16.

Roberts could start doing some cardio and weight work soon, but Showalter said the baseball activities wouldn't start until two weeks from now at the earliest.

"We're not there. That's just the best case scenario," said Showalter, who wouldn't rule out the possibility of Roberts returning to the lineup before the All-Star break.

Roberts could join the team on this home stand for a couple of days, and then return to Sarasota, Fla.

Showalter said Justin Duchscherer reported having spasms in the gluteus after fielding a bunt in his extended spring outing today. He threw three more pitches and then ended his outing. He'll be evaluated tomorrow.

Meanwhile, pitching prospect Brandon Erbe, a McDonogh graduate who had labrum surgery last August, couldn't get loose and wasn't able to throw a simulated game today.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: Minors
        

Notes from Buck Showalter’s afternoon press conference:

He hasn’t received an update yet from second baseman Brian Roberts (concussion), who was examined today by Dr. Michael Collins, a sports’ head injury specialist in Pittsburgh.

Justin Duchscherer (hip) cut short his extended spring training outing today with discomfort in his hip. He was supposed to go five innings. Showalter said he believes he got to three innings. Duchscherer was signed to an incentive-laden contract, and the Orioles aren’t counting on him to pitch in the majors this year, Showalter said.

“I think he has had so many challenges with it since the start of spring, that if it happens it’s a real (bonus),” Showalter said. “It’s something we are not counting on. We are not counting on it. If it happens, it’s a real boost. If it doesn’t, then we have certainly given it every chance possible.”

Brandon Erbe (shoulder surgery) was supposed to throw today in extended spring training, but couldn’t get loose and didn’t throw, Showalter said. Erbe (McDonogh) is attempting to rebound from labrum surgery last August.

J.J. Hardy is batting first in today’s game against the Oakland A’s. He has never done that before in a major-league game. Showalter said it was done “out of necessity.”

“We have kind of pieced that spot together until we get Brian back. And that’s probably the least disruptive to the rest of the group,” Showalter said of hardy leading off. “And he is swinging the bat well. We don’t have really a conventional guy.”

In wanting to get Luke Scott back in the lineup, he had to bench Felix Pie, who is probably the best potential leadoff guy on the roster.

Hardy didn’t know he was batting leadoff until Matt Wieters whispered the news to him, just as he was being surrounded by reporters.

“What?” Hardy said. “I’m glad he told me.”

Hardy said he’ll keep the same approach, though he joked he may just swing on the first pitch and try to steal some bases.

“No, I’m not going to look at it any differently than any other at-bat,” he said. “Maybe the first at-bat of the game might be a little bit different, but after that, it’s just another at-bat.”

Luke Scott, who received a cortisone shot in his ailing right shoulder on Sunday. He said he thought it worked and he was back in the lineup playing left field on Tuesday.

“My shoulder feels the best it has felt in a long time. I am excited about it. I’ll go shag fly balls in left field and throw a little bit, do the next step and try to get ready for the game.”

Showalter was excited about the Orioles taking a Mississippi State University player in the second day of the amateur draft (RHP Devin Jones in the 9th round). Showalter is a MSU graduate.

Other notable draftees so far in the later rounds today: John Carroll High graduate Kevin Hockaday, a 6-foot-3 third baseman, in the 14th round and Johnny Ruettiger, an outfielder from Arizona State, in the 8th round. His uncle is Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger of Notre Dame and movie fame.

One last thing: Former Ravens WR Mark Clayton is here today, a guest of Adam Jones. And actor Ed Harris is here to throw out the first pitch.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Minors
        

Orioles minor league pitching coordinator Alan Dunn will interview on Thursday for the pitching coach job at Louisiana State University, confirmed President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail.

Dunn is considered one of the frontrunners for the job.

Dunn, a 49-year-old Alabama native, spent the previous three full seasons as the Orioles bullpen coach. Though he was not brought back to serve on manager Buck Showalter’s 2011 coaching staff, Dunn accepted the minor league pitching coordinator job, which had been formerly held by Dave Schmidt, who is now the coordinator of Sarasota Operations.

Dunn joined the Orioles coaching staff in August 2007 when then manager Dave Trembley hired him as the bullpen coach. Dunn had been the minor league pitching coordinator of the Chicago Cubs at the time.

The LSU pitching coach job opened when David Grewe left after three seasons to pursue other opportunities.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Not a lot from Buck Showalter’s morning session in the way of news.

He hasn’t made a determination on Tuesday’s spot starter. That will be decided after the club gets through Sunday’s game. The best guess is if Alfredo Simon is not needed in relief today, he will start Tuesday.

Showalter said the reason the Orioles brought Robert Andino back this winter and brought him north this spring is because the team felt comfortable having him be a starter if there were injuries to J.J. Hardy and Brian Roberts. So, with Roberts hurt, Andino is the starting second baseman and Showalter is good with that, especially considering Andino is hitting .356 (21 for 59) against left-handers.

Infield prospect Ryan Adams was called up to be the reserve, but has had just 12 at-bats. Showalter alluded that Adams would be sent to the minors soon because he needs to play every day. What Showalter didn’t say – and the reason Adams hasn’t been demoted earlier – is that the veterans in the minors that could get the call aren’t playing particularly well.

Brendan Harris is batting .210 with a .234 on-base percentage in 55 games and Nick Green is hitting .185 with a .262 on-base percentage in 51 games.

Here’s the lineup for Sunday:

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

Blue Jays: Escobar 6, Patterson 7, Bautista 9, Lind 3, Hill 4, Encarnacion DH, Davis 8, Molina 2, Nix 5, Reyes 1.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 12:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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A few Orioles tidbits for this evening:

Second baseman Brian Roberts, on the disabled list retroactive to May 17 with a concussion, will fly to Pittsburgh on June 7 to meet with sports-related concussion specialist Dr. Michael Collins. It will be a follow-up from a previous examination by Collins ho prescribed to weeks of non-strenuous activity. There is no specific timetable for his return. Roberts hasn’t played in a game since May 16, when he slid headfirst into first base against the Boston Red Sox.

Delmarva SS Manny Machado, who has been on the disabled list since dislocating his kneecap while running the bases May 5, is expected to leave extended spring training Sunday and could play with the Shorebirds on Monday at West Virginia. The 18-year-old Machado, the organization's top prospect, hit .333 with five homers and 21 RBIs in his first 25 games.

Delmarva third baseman Jonathan Schoop is expected to be promoted to High-A Frederick on Sunday. The 19-year-old Schoop, also one of the Orioles' top young prospects, hit .314 with seven homers and 31 RBIs in his first 50 games with Delmarva. Schoop will play a combination of second base, shortstop and third at Frederick.

Frederick outfielder Trent Mummey, who has been on the disabled list with a concussion since running into an outfield wall May 4, was activated Saturday by the Keys. He had been hitting .263 in 10 games with Frederick after a late April call-up.

RHP Justin Duchscherer’s five-inning extended rehab outing will be Tuesday in Sarasota. If Duchscherer (left hip) makes it through that without incident the organization will decide whether to send him out on a rehab assignment.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 7:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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First baseman Derrek Lee, who has been on the disabled list since May 17 with an oblique strain, will join the Double-A Bowie Baysox today as part of his injury rehab assignment.

The assignment was delayed because Lee had a death in the family.

Lee has hit .231 (36-156) in 40 games for the Orioles this season with four home runs and 14 RBIs.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 1:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Frederick Keys right-hander Bobby Bundy and first baseman Tyler Townsend have been named as the Orioles’ organization’s minor league pitcher and player of the month. They’ll be honored during an on-field ceremony at a future game at Harry Grove Stadium.

Bundy, 21, was 3-1 with a 2.93 ERA in five starts. The 2008 eighth-rounder leads all Orioles minor leaguers in wins (5), strikeouts (52) and qualifying ERA (2.91).

Townsend, 23, batted .281 with five homers and 14 RBIs for the month. A third-rounder in 2009, he is fourth in the system in batting average (.305), second in RBIs (31) and tied for second in homers (8).

Bobby Bundy wasn’t the only one in his family to receive recognition Thursday. His younger brother, Dylan, was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year for his senior season at Owasso High in Oklahoma. Dylan Bundy, 18, is considered a top five pick in Monday’s amateur draft.

One other piece of award news: Justin Turner, the former Oriole farmhand who was claimed by the New York Mets last season, was named the National League’s Rookie of the Month for May.

The 26-year-old Turner batted .325 with one homer and 20 RBIs for the Mets in May. Another former Oriole, Jose Bautista, was named AL Player of the Month after hitting .360 with 11 homers for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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I’m not going to sit here and claim I know the motive for all of Buck Showalter’s moves, but I think people are searching a little too hard for the reasons that the manager opted to give Nick Markakis his first professional start at first base in yesterday’s series finale against the Seattle Mariners. I am confident in saying that it’s not because Markakis is injured or the Orioles want to see if he could possibly play first base long term. I also don’t think Showalter was sending a message to Luke Scott, Jake Fox or anybody else, per se. My take on it is Showalter simply wanted to shake things up, and try to energize Markakis -- who has seemingly been in a malaise for two months -- and the team, which was coming off a gut-wrenching loss on Tuesday night and looked flat the entire road trip. He mentioned both before and after the game that sometimes you just have to do something for a day to try and change the team’s luck and to get players' minds off their struggles and onto something else. It obviously didn’t jumpstart Markakis’ bat because he took another 0-for-4, but it certainly had the clubhouse buzzing before the game when players started making their way to the lineup card and saw the 3 next to Markakis’ name.

By the way, I don’t know what I was more surprised about -- that Markakis got the start at first, or that he was still playing there in a one-run game in the ninth inning. Either way, I can’t imagine there are too many managers as secure as Showalter who would try something like that. Markakis makes a couple of miscues, Orioles lose their sixth straight game and today’s off day would be dominated by talk about how Showalter has lost his mind and cost his team a game. Something tells me Showalter wouldn’t have flinched if that was the end result, but it certainly takes some guts – if nothing else – to make a decision like that.

Though the wait for the 2011 big league debut of Brian Matusz probably became a little frustrating for the fans, the Orioles handled the situation with one of their top young starters pretty well. There were some questions as to why the Orioles would have him fly all the way out to the West Coast when he could make his debut at home at some point this weekend. I think the answers to those questions were pretty obvious yesterday. Showalter and pitching coach Mark Connor know that Matusz is still rusty, still building up his arm strength and still working himself into game shape. It would probably have been discouraging for both Matusz and the team if the lefty got knocked around in his first start. There was much less of a chance that would happen against a poor offensive team like Seattle, and in a spacious ballpark like Safeco Field than there would have been this weekend against the home run-happy Blue Jays in Camden Yards, where as we know, the ball flies when the weather gets warmer. Matusz gave the Orioles about as much as they could have expected for his first start. However, there’s no question his velocity was down and his stuff was not overly sharp. That’s to be expected after his long layoff. I think 10 of his 17 outs were in the air, and several were hit quite well, yet turned into outs. Better to allow those at Safeco Field against the Mariners than at Camden Yards against the Jays.

There was nothing said in the clubhouse following yesterday’s game because the Orioles were too busy celebrating their first victory in a while. However, I can’t imagine they were too pleased with Mariners catcher Miguel Olivo for the way he charged into catcher Matt Wieters while scoring on Jack Wilson’s RBI single in the second inning. Wieters’ left leg was blocking the plate initially, but he was in the process of pulling it away after he failed to handle Adam Jones’ short-hop throw. It appeared that Olivo had enough of the plate available to avoid contact, but he chose to come in on Wieters anyway, seemingly letting up a little bit when he realized that the O's catcher didn’t have the ball. Still, Wieters’ left leg was in a very vulnerable position. It wasn’t anywhere close to the impact of Scott Cousins barreling into Buster Posey, and ending the San Francisco Giants’ star catcher’s season. However, it was hard not to think of that after the play at the plate yesterday. Olivo did appear to apologize to Wieters -- who certainly didn’t look pleased -- or at least make sure that he was OK.

Second baseman Ryan Adams has started just three of the Orioles’ 12 games since his contract was selected from Triple-A Norfolk, and it has become quite clear that Showalter is more comfortable with the more veteran option in Robert Andino. If you read this blog regularly, you know that I don’t like predicting or speculating on guys getting sent down to the minor leagues. However, in this case, I think it is pretty evident that Adams will probably be returned to the Tides at some point soon. He’s a young guy who needs to be playing regularly so he’d probably be best served doing that in Triple-A if he’s not going to be used much in the big leagues. Regular starter Brian Roberts is still several weeks away from returning, so if the Orioles are going to go with Andino, they could call up a veteran, like Nick Green or Brendan Harris, to serve as an extra middle infielder. I do think this time in the big leagues will prove invaluable to Adams, who got an extended opportunity to be around major leaguers, see how they conduct themselves and to learn from Showalter and his coaching staff. Ultimately though, the most important thing for his continued development is to get steady at-bats and to work on his defense in game situations.

Finally, my colleague, Dan Connolly, has been working on some great stuff ahead of Monday’s start of the 2011 draft. I’m sure it will be on our site later today, so please check it out.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 8:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
Categories: Minors
        

On Monday night, a right-handed high-schooler named Dylan Bundy is going to make baseball news.

For now, though, let’s give his older brother some props.

I have to be honest, part of the reason I called Frederick Keys starter Bobby Bundy was to talk about his younger brother, Dylan, an 18-year-old who is expected to go in the top five picks of Monday’s amateur draft.

Dylan Bundy’s numbers are ridiculous – the Owasso (Okla.) High senior went 11-0 with a 0.20 ERA this season, allowing 20 hits and five walks while striking out 158. He throws in the upper 90s and has four pitches he can throw for strikes already.

Yeah, the kid might have a future.

His brother’s numbers at High-A Frederick are a little more of this world, but they are still impressive. After last night’s no-decision in which Bobby Bundy allowed seven hits, a walk and three runs in six innings, the 21-year-old is 5-3 with a 2.91 ERA through 10 starts in his first season with the Keys. He has walked just 11 while striking out 52 in 55 2/3 innings.

That’s a considerable improvement from last year when the 2008 eighth-rounder was 4-6 with a 3.65 ERA at Low-A Delmarva. Bundy said he feels much more comfortable this season, partially because of better command and partially because he picked up a cut-fastball late last year under the tutelage of then-minor-league pitching coordinator Dave Schmidt.

“Really, it’s just command,” said Bundy, whom Baseball America listed as the Orioles’ 14th best prospect heading into 2011. “My command has gotten a little bit better along with the cutter I developed the end of last year. It has gotten better, and I have a lot of confidence in it.”

Bundy said his curveball was inconsistent last season, so Schmidt talked to him about trying the cutter and he used it in his last three outings last season. It seemed to work. In August, he was 2-1 with a 2.73 ERA. And he’s built on that run at a higher level.

He also improved his conditioning after a difficult 2009 at Bluefield in which he was 2-7 with a 5.10 ERA. He hired a personal trainer, began studying proper nutrition and initially dropped about 20 pounds. He’s now added some more muscle to his 6-foot-3, 212- pound frame.

“Confidence is a big thing,” he said. “Now, I just feel a lot more in shape and a lot more prepared.”

Speaking of preparation, Bundy said his little brother is absolutely ready for the next step. They have talked at length about the jump from high school to pro ball and he “is as prepared as any 18 year-old-kid ever. I think he will live up to the hype.”

The Bundy boys are best friends, and played together for one year in high school – when Bobby was a senior and Dylan was a freshman. The elder Bundy said that was the most fun he’s had on a diamond. And he wants it to happen again.

As this week progresses and we get closer to Monday’s draft, we’ll have more in Orioles Insider about the Orioles’ first-round prospects. But Bundy is definitely a serious consideration for the fourth pick overall. And his big brother, who likely will be pitching Monday night and won’t be able to watch the draft, would be psyched to have his kid brother in the organization.

“That would be a dream come true, to be honest,” Bobby Bundy said.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 7:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Minors
        

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

MARINERS
Ichiro Suzuki, RF
Brendan Ryan, SS
Justin Smoak, 1B
Jack Cust, DH
Franklin Gutierrez, CF
Adam Kennedy, 2B
Miguel Olivo, C
Luis Rodriguez, 3B
Carlos Peguero, LF
Erik Bedard, SP

First baseman Derrek Lee (strained left oblique) hit off a tee and will take live batting practice tomorrow in Sarasota, Fla. Mmanager Buck Showalter didn't rule out Lee's starting a rehab assignment with Double-A Bowie by the weekend.

Despite the fact that lefty Erik Bedard is on the mound for the Mariners, Jake Fox is again not in the lineup. Asked whether it's tough finding Fox opportunities, Showalter said: "If the guy is playing well and hitting well, it's not that hard to find opportunities. Jake, so far, hasn't made good use of the opportunities that he's had, with a few exceptions. In spring with that environment, he showed what he's capable of. We'll see."

The Orioles still expect Jake Arrieta, who was nailed in the left shin by Ichiro Suzuki's come-backer yesterday, to make his next start.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
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Chris Tillman talked to Oriole beat writers after learning that he was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk following today's game. Here are his comments:

On whether this took him by surprise: "Yeah, it is. I know I have things to work on and they want me to keep doing it down there. Just go out there and have fun and get the anxiety off my back. They said that they needed some relief when [Brian] Matusz comes back. They’re not sure what’s going to happen and they want me to just keep doing what I’ve been doing."

On whether a potential demotion has been weighing on him: "I don’t think I’ve felt like that. I just want to work on what I was working on. I put all my focus on that. I wasn’t really buying all the other stuff."

On how this demotion compares to the other ones that he's experienced: "It’s never easy going down, I can tell you that much. I know what I need to work on and I know I need to get better. I want to get going as soon as I can. Hopefully, I can throw a side tomorrow or the next day. I want to pitch as soon as I can. Hopefully on Wednesday."

On how tough to accept it is: "Yeah, it’s a shock, but they got to do what they got to do. I’ve been wearing down the bullpen and they need the bullpen guys with Matusz coming back. It kind of makes sense."

On what he needs to work on: "I haven’t felt right, I haven’t felt like me. I’m going [out] there and thinking about everything, what I need to do to throw this pitch, what I need to do to throw that pitch. I just need to go out there and have fun and do my thing."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 8:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (25)
Categories: Minors
        

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

A's
Coco Crisp, CF
Daric Barton, 1B
Conor Jackson, LF
Josh Willingham, DH
Kurt Suzuki, C
David DeJesus, RF
Mark Ellis, 2B
Kevin Kouzmanoff, 3B
Cliff Pennington, SS
Guillermo Moscoso, SP

It's been a relatively quiet morning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Orioles manager Buck Showalter spent much of his pre-game talk with reporters addressing the decision to demote Brad Bergesen. To him, the answer is pretty simple.

"First of all, what was going on with Brad was just not good enough, and he knows that," said Showalter. "There's only one place to get better and that's down below."

Showalter didn't rule out more juggling of the rotation in the days ahead. Because of Thursday's off day, the Orioles don't need a fifth starter until June 7. Showalter said that it's possible that the Orioles could go to a four-man rotation for a little stretch, but as of now, Chris Tillman is tentatively scheduled to start Friday's series opener against Toronto. Jake Arrieta, Jeremy Guthrie and Brian Matusz are scheduled to start in the Seattle series.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 2:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Minors
        

Double-A Bowie left-handed reliever Pedro Viola was recalled today for the Orioles' series finale against Oakland. The move gives the Orioles another bullpen arm after they optioned Saturday night's starter, Brad Bergesen, to Triple-A Norolk.

Viola's big league stay will likely be a short one with starter Brian Matusz in line to be activated from the disabled list Wednesday and start that afternoon against the Seattle Mariners.

Bergesen allowed three runs (two earned) in 5 2/3 innings in a 4-2 loss to the A's Saturday and was sent to the minors after the game. He is 1-6 with a 5.36 ERA in 10 games (nine starts) for the Orioles.

The 27-year-old Viola, who pitched in two games with the Orioles in September, is 3-1 with a 1.80 ERA at Bowie.

Posted by Ron Fritz at 12:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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Orioles manager Buck Showalter said after tonight’s game that a decision on whose rotation spot Brian Matusz would take would be made “down the road.” About an hour later, the answer became pretty clear.

After tonight’s game, the Orioles optioned Brad Bergesen, who allowed three runs (two earned) in 5 2/3 innings in a 4-2 loss to the Oakland Athletics, to Triple-A Norfolk. Bergesen was 1-6 with a 5.36 ERA in 10 games (nine starts) for the Orioles.

Double-A Bowie reliever Pedro Viola is expected to be recalled before Sunday’s series finale, but his big league stay will likely be a short one with Matusz in line to be activated from the disabled list Wednesday and start that afternoon against the Seattle Mariners.

It was believed all along that Matusz would take the spot of either Bergesen or Chris Tillman. Neither pitched particularly well over the previous two days here as Bergesen allowed nine hits and walked two, while Tillman surrendered two runs (one earned) on six hits and three walks over 4 1/3 innings in the Orioles’ 6-2 loss to Oakland Friday night.

Tillman is 2-3 with a 4.69 ERA in 10 starts this season. He’s actually allowed one earned run or less in five of his past six starts, but he’s made it past the fifth inning in just one of those outings. He’s gone six innings or more in three of his 10 starts.

Bergesen pitched a complete game shutout against the Tampa Bay Rays on May 14, but the rest of his season has been a struggle. The Orioles are 1-8 in his nine starts and Bergesen has allowed 30 earned runs on 58 hits and 15 walks over 50 1/3 innings. He’s also gone six innings or more in just three of his 10 outings this season.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 4:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
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Triple-A Norfolk right-hander Ryan Drese was granted his release by the organization.

Drese, who was trying to make a comeback to the big leagues, was 2-3 with a 6.55 ERA in nine appearances (six starts) for the Tides.

He is now a free agent and he looking for an opportunity to start. He wasn't necessarily going to get that at Norfolk, especially with Jason Berken going down there and joining the Tides rotation.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 1:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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The Orioles are once again in a position where they have to make some roster decisions because of the 12-inning game Thursday and Chris Tillman’s 4 1/3 inning start last night.

As masnsports.com first reported last night, Double-A Bowie left-hander Pedro Viola was summoned to Oakland. However, I’m told that it’s unlikely that he will be recalled today.

Tomorrow could be a different story. One option for the Orioles is to recall Viola tomorrow to get another fresh arm in the bullpen for a couple of days and then send him out Wednesday when Brian Matusz is activated to start the series and road trip finale against the Seattle Mariners.

Either way, Matusz is going to take the rotation spot of Tillman or Brad Bergesen who has a big start tonight. After tonight, Bergesen and Tillman wouldn’t be available for a couple of days anyway so you might as well augment the bullpen during that span, and go with just the four starters.

Starting Thursday, the Orioles will have three off days in a 12-day span so there is no need to have an extra starter around.

Why Viola you ask?

The 27-year-old lefty is 3-1 with a 1.80 ERA in 17 relief appearances for Bowie. But his promotion would be more a matter of convenience than rewarding good performance.

He is on the 40-man roster, and for a guy that may only be up for three games, he probably would be the path of least resistance. Chris Jakubauskas just pitched seven innings on Thursday so he really wouldn’t be an option. Troy Patton is expected to report to Triple-A Norfolk tonight or tomorrow. Jason Berken hasn’t been down in the minors for the required 10 days yet and the team doesn’t want to yo-yo him around anyway, especially for such a short-term fix.

The Orioles desperately need innings out of Bergesen tonight.

Alfredo Simon threw 55 pitches over two innings last night so he obviously wouldn’t be available. Simon, who has either pitched in a game or warmed up four consecutive days, admitted that he was a little tired on the mound last night. Michael Gonzalez also wouldn’t be available after he threw 41 pitches over 1 2/3 innings.

That would seemingly leave Jeremy Accardo as tonight’s long man, but I’m not sure how “long” he could go. Accardo pitched two innings on Thursday, and 1 2/3 innings on Tuesday so saying that he’s fresh is probably a bit of an exaggeration.

Clay Rapada, Koji Uehara, Jim Johnson and Kevin Gregg would also be available tonight.

That would seem to be enough to have things covered, but Showalter is big on the “What If?” game, so I’m sure he’s pondering what would happen if Bergesen was knocked out of the game in the first couple of innings either by ineffectiveness or an injury, or what would happen if the Orioles were forced to play another long extra-inning game.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)
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The Orioles announced today that they have promoted former Major League infielder Leo Gomez to manage the short-season Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds of the New York-Penn League.

Gomez spent last season as the field coach for Aberdeen. He filled that some role for the Orioles' Gulf Coast team in 2009.

Gomez, 45, played with the Orioles from 1990 to 1995, compiling a .245 average with 62 homers and 203 RBIs over 475 games. Gomez, who the Orioles signed as an amateur free agent in 1985, played the 1996 season with the Chicago Cubs.

The Aberdeen job became vacant when Gary Kendall, who had managed the IronBirds the previous three seasons, was promoted to manage Double-A Bowie.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)
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No final decisions have been made and this certainly shouldn't come as a surprise, but catcher Craig Tatum is expected to be recalled from Triple-A Norfolk either today or tomorrow.

Tatum, who played in 43 games last year as Matt Wieters' primary backup, batted .200 with seven RBIs in 21 games for the Tides. He returned last week after a stint on the minor league disabled list with shoulder soreness.

The Orioles have been looking to add a more traditional backup catcher to the roster to free up Jake Fox to serve in more of a utility role. They haven't had the roster flexibility to do so, but both Brian Roberts and Cesar Izturis being on the disabled list has opened up some options.

Tatum could catch tomorrow's afternoon series finale against the Kansas City Royals. In that case, the Orioles could hold off on a roster move until tomorrow, or tonight's game could force them in a different direction. Tatum is expected to arrive in Baltimore at some point today. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that he'll be recalled, as Troy Patton knows well.

I don't like to speculate on the corresponding move, and I'm told it hasn't been decided yet. But it should be pretty obvious the names that are being considered. The Orioles want second baseman Ryan Adams and first baseman Brandon Snyder to get regular at-bats. If they are not getting them in the big leagues, it probably makes more sense to have them playing every day in Triple-A. Fox also can play first base, meaning the Orioles may not need an extra infielder.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
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If I was asked before the season which two Orioles position players needed to take the next step this year for the organization to feel better about where it’s headed, I wouldn’t have thought twice before I gave the names of Matt Wieters and Adam Jones. Well, the Orioles are 46 games into the season and their two best position players have been Wieters and Jones, and nobody else is particularly close. Jones won last night’s game with an absolute bomb to dead center, and he also hustled out a double in his previous at-bat. He is second on the Orioles with a .292 average, 50 hits and nine doubles, and tied for first with 24 runs, six homers and 26 RBIs. He’s running the bases extremely well and playing Gold Glove defense in center fielder. Wieters went 1-for-4 yesterday with an RBI double. We’ve talked about his defense plenty, and I don’t know if there is another catcher in baseball playing defense at a higher level. Wieters is tied for the team lead in RBIs and has been among the toughest outs in baseball with runners in scoring position. If you are looking for something to feel good about -- and I still contend that despite their sub-.500 record, the Orioles have generated far more positives than negatives at least in terms of issues affecting their long-term outlook -- go around the American League and ask yourself how many center fielders you’d rather have than Jones and how many catchers you’d rather have than Wieters. When you take in account age, production and tools, I’m guessing it will be a very, very short list.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter is not a guy who sleeps much regardless, but if there is something that is keeping him up at night, I’d have to imagine it is the Orioles’ shaky middle-relief corps, the group that is supposed to get the ball and the lead to Jim Johnson, Koji Uehara and Kevin Gregg. Jason Berken was supposed to be the leader of that group, but he’s now in Triple-A, stretching out to be a starter. The club doesn’t trust Michael Gonzalez in clutch situations, and rightly so. Clay Rapada can’t get righties out, so he’s not a good option there. If Alfredo Simon is the team’s long guy, that pretty much leaves Jeremy Accardo as the main option to get the ball to the back-end guys. Accardo has had some decent outings, and his 1 2/3 scoreless innings last night were instrumental in the comeback. However, it always seems that he’s walking the tightrope and one pitch away from allowing the game to be blown open. Perhaps this is why: In 21 2/3 innings, Accardo has surrendered 25 hits, walked 14 and hit one. He has gotten out of several jams, but the nearly two base runners per inning don’t bode well. This is where Simon could play a key role. If he’s able to pitch that sixth and seventh inning on occasion and give the Orioles another reliable arm to serve as a bridge to the back end, that would be huge. The Orioles have plenty of other long men candidates. Either Brad Bergesen or Chris Tillman could do that job if they lose their rotation spot to Brian Matusz. Berken could do that as well after he gets stretched out. Mark Hendrickson is in Triple-A. But it’s that “bridge guy” to help out Accardo who needs to emerge.

As good as Zach Britton has been, this season still remains a learning experience for the rookie lefty. One thing he got his first taste of last night was the Baltimore humidity. Last night was as humid as it has been this season, and it’s only going to get worse. It certainly appeared to me that Britton was running out of gas a little there in the sixth. Credit him for hanging tough in that inning and getting Alex Gordon with the bases loaded to keep the Orioles’ deficit at three runs. A hit or a walk there and that game is probably over. I’m sure Britton will learn to cope. It’s just one more reason that Camden Yards is an awfully tough place to pitch in the summer months.

Here’s yet another Nick Markakis stat that should probably concern you: Markakis has just four doubles in 185 at-bats and 45 games. Last season, he eclipsed the four-double mark on April 16, the Orioles’ 11th game of the season.

I’m just saying: Much-maligned third baseman Mark Reynolds leads the Orioles with 11 doubles and 22 walks. Only Jones and Luke Scott have more home runs than him, and Reynolds' 20 RBIs are third on the team. He also entered yesterday hitting .286 with runners in scoring position, a mark bettered among Orioles regulars by only Jones, Brian Roberts and Wieters. The overall .191 average obviously speaks for itself and mars the other statistics. I know he has essentially been the whipping boy for the Orioles’ offensive struggles, but there are plenty of others who should take as much or more blame, including Markakis, Roberts (when healthy), Derrek Lee and Scott.

If the Orioles had lost last night, the key play would have been Robert Andino's bunting into a double play in the fifth. At the time, the Orioles trailed by two runs, and they got their first two base runners on in the inning despite the fact that neither had to take the bat off his shoulder. Royals rookie Danny Duffy walked J.J. Hardy on four pitches and then Brandon Snyder on five. That’s when Andino came up, offered at Duffy’s first pitch -- a high fastball -- and popped up the bunt attempt. Royals third baseman Wilson Betemit caught the poor bunt and threw to second to double up Hardy. I had no problem with the idea of bunting there. The Orioles had a runner on second and nobody out in two of the previous four innings, and they never even moved that runner up a base. Also, Jones, Markakis and Vladimir Guerrero were the next three hitters up. My problem was with Andino not taking at least one pitch and making Duffy throw a strike. Duffy was teetering and tiring there, and that was a gift for him. I think you have to give him an opportunity to keep walking guys before you commit to bunting.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (33)
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The big news from Orioles manager Buck Showalter’s afternoon news conference is that lefty Brian Matusz (intercostal strain) will pitch one more time in the minors on Friday at Triple-A Norfolk. He’ll throw about 90 pitches and six to seven innings.

If all goes well, he will come off the disabled list and pitch June 1 at Seattle, the last game of the coming road trip. If things don’t go well, he could pitch another rehab game. Matusz has not pitched in a big league game this season.

Showalter said he also hopes that first baseman Derrek Lee (left oblique) will be eligible to come back and play in that game in Seattle.

Brad Bergesen will not be skipped and will pitch Saturday at Oakland, Showalter said.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 4:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Right-hander Jason Berken, in his first start for Triple-A Norfolk, pitched three scoreless innings in the Tides' game against Louisville this afternoon.

Berken allowed five hits and struck out three while throwing 28 of his 43 pitches for strikes. He loaded the bases in the second inning but got out of it without allowing a run.

Berken was demoted after Friday's game, in which he gave up six earned runs on five hits, two homers and a walk in one inning in the Orioles' 17-5 loss to the Washington Nationals. That raised his ERA to 7.94 over 15 relief appearances for the Orioles.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said the following day that the organization wanted Berken to go down to the minors and start, giving him an opportunity to get stretched out and work through some of the command problems he has been experiencing.

Showalter said this doesn't mean that the club looks at Berken as a starter going forward. Team officials just felt that this is what he needs right now. Berken came up as a starter and went 6-12 with a 6.54 ERA in 24 starts in 2009.

He made the team out of spring training in 2010 as a reliever and emerged as the one of the Orioles' most reliable bullpen options, pitching to a 3.03 ERA over 41 appearances before a partial tear in his shoulder ended his season.

In that Norfolk game, third baseman Josh Bell gave the Tides a 1-0 lead in the second innings with his seventh home run. He also hit an RBI single in his next at-bat and has 23 RBIs on the season. Center fielder Matt Angle also hit his first home run in the third inning.

Former Orioles outfielder Lou Montanez will have his contract selected by the Chicago Cubs today. Montanez, 29, was hitting .369 with five homers and 43 RBIs for Triple-A Iowa.

The Diamondbacks also recalled reliever Kam Mickolio, whom the Orioles sent to Arizona as part of the Mark Reynolds deal.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
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Orioles second base prospect LJ Hoes has been promoted from Single-A Frederick to Double-A Bowie.

Hoes, 21, batted .241 with three homers, 17 RBIs and four steals in 41 games for the Keys. He got off to a really poor start but has raised his average in the past couple of weeks.

Hoes, a Bowie native who was the Orioles' third-round pick in 2008, is ranked as the Orioles' fourth-best prospect by Baseball America. He played in three games for Bowie last year, going 2-for-9 with an RBI.

Catcher Luis Bernardo was transferred to the Gulf Coast League team. The Orioles are talking about converting Bernardo into a pitcher because he just hasn't hit, carrying a .221 career minor league average into this season.

Catcher Adam Donachie was transferred to Fredrick to take Bernardo's place.

Keys right-hander Bobby Bundy was named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week.

Single-A Delmarva's Mike Flacco was named the South Atlantic League Player of the Week. Yes, Mike is Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco's brother, if you are not familiar.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
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Mostly lost in yesterday’s game because of Vladimir Guerrero’s heroics and Matt Wieters’ golden arm was Chris Tillman’s uneven outing. Tillman allowed one run on six hits and two walks over five innings. He was fortunate to avoid further damage -- the Nationals went 1-for-8 against him with runners in scoring position -- and the downside was he needed 97 pitches to navigate through five innings. I have been pretty negative about Tillman at times, and some posters -- and even some members of the Orioles' clubhouse -- maintain that I’ve been unfair to the 23-year-old. I disagree with the latter sentiment, but beyond all that, I do see him making strides. There’s no question that he’s frustrating to watch at times because he’s always falling behind hitters and working deep in counts. There’s no excuse to walk No. 9 hitter Alex Cora in any circumstance, as he did yesterday. Like many Orioles officials, I also struggle to comprehend why his fastball velocity fluctuates so much from start to start and inning to inning. But yesterday, Tillman’s stuff, for the most part, was better than what I’ve seen from him in a long time, an observation supported by Orioles manager Buck Showalter and Wieters. The sequence that followed the one-out walk to Cora and the double by Roger Bernadina was a good example. Tillman threw two really nice cut fastballs that Ian Desmond flailed at and then a nasty breaking ball to send Laynce Nix to the bench. It was a really nice sequence for a pitcher who is learning to compete and make adjustments. To this point, I have mostly disagreed with the line of thinking that Tillman has nothing left to prove in the minors and you need to keep running him out there every five days against big league hitters to see how he develops. My take was that you owe it to the rest of your team to give them a chance to win and it just isn’t fair to the hitters to keep being put into a big early hole and for the bullpen to keep having to come in so early in the game. However, I’m coming around to that line of thinking, mostly because I do see signs of progress from Tillman, even if all the results don’t necessarily indicate it.

When I was doing a story on Orioles closer Kevin Gregg in spring training, I asked several people about his high walk totals. Gregg walked 30 batters in 59 innings last season for the Toronto Blue Jays. Both former Orioles pitching coach Rick Kranitz, who had Gregg as his closer in Florida, and Showalter said the numbers were not a sign of poor command, but rather Gregg's pitching to the situation and not giving in to guys who can hurt him. That all may be true, but I’d have to think that Gregg’s propensity to walk hitters -- 13 free passes in 18 1/3 innings this season -- has become a concern. In getting the save yesterday against the Washington Nationals, Gregg walked one but went to full counts with all three batters he faced. Overall, he has faced 81 batters this season and has gone to three-ball counts with 25 of them, walking 13. His other issue has been getting the leadoff hitter out. The first batter he has faced in an inning is 5-for-16 against him with three walks.

It wouldn’t surprise me that if the next time the Orioles call on their backup catcher to start a game, which will probably be Thursday’s homestand afternoon finale against the Kansas City Royals, it will be Craig Tatum and not Jake Fox. It has been no secret that Showalter and the coaching staff would prefer to have a more natural backup catcher on the roster. The roster construction -- first carrying two utility infielders in Cesar Izturis and Robert Andino, then keeping 13 pitchers -- hasn’t allowed that to this point, and Tatum had been on the minor league disabled list. But he’s playing again, Izturis is on the major league disabled list and the Orioles have a little more roster flexibility with all these off days allowing them to use a four-man rotation. The Orioles still want young first baseman Brandon Snyder to get regular at-bats, so perhaps a logical move would be to option him back to Triple-A Norfolk, promote Tatum and use Fox in a first-base platoon with Luke Scott.

In the Kansas City series, the Orioles will face two lefties (Danny Duffy and Jeff Francis) and right-hander Luke Hochevar. Looking a little beyond that, it appears that they’ll miss Trevor Cahill and Brett Anderson in Oakland this weekend, which would be a nice break for them. However, they should see lefty Gio Gonzalez, who is having a terrific year. As for next week in Seattle, the Mariners have an off day Thursday, and you never know with injuries, but it looks like the Orioles are scheduled to draw Doug Fister, their old friend Erik Bedard and rookie phenom Michael Pineda. That means no Felix Hernandez or Jason Vargas, but with the way Seattle is pitching these days, I don’t know if there are any good matchups. Bedard, by the way, is 2-0 with a 1.33 ERA over his past four outings.

Jason Berken’s transformation back into a starter at Norfolk will be interesting to watch. When he last was a starter, Berken went 6-12 with a 6.54 ERA in 24 starts for the Orioles in 2009. However, he doesn’t necessarily have the same repertoire he did back then. His changeup is a much better pitch than it used to be, and it could fit in well with his fastball and slider. I’m sure Friday’s demotion was tough to accept for Berken, but I think it could end up being a positive for him. I know people assume that just because he is struggling, it must be because of the labrum tear in his right shoulder. However, when I’ve watched him pitch recently, I don’t feel like I’m watching an injured pitcher. As Showalter pointed out yesterday, his velocity was between 92 and 95 mph the other night. I feel like I’m watching a guy who is having major command and confidence issues and needs time in a less pressurized environment to work things out. His starting in the minors will also give him a chance to stretch out and make adjustments.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (29)
Categories: Minors
        

Left-hander Brian Matusz (strained left intercostal) will throw a bullpen session on Tuesday before an official decision is made on where and when he makes his next start. But all signs are pointing to him appearing in one more rehab game at an Orioles' affiliate.

While saying a final decision hasn't been made, Orioles manager Buck Showalter basically reiterated the fact that Matusz had an abbreviated spring training and ideally, he'd like to see him have about 20 innings under his belt before returning to the rotation. Matusz currently has 15 with one start at Double-A Bowie, one at Single-A Frederick and two at extended spring training.

Matusz, who threw six scoreless innings for the Baysox last night against Erie, admitted that he's still knocking off some of the rust.

"I had good results yesterday. I was able to make good pitches. I didn’t have the best feel for all my stuff," he said. "I didn’t feel like it was coming out of my hand like I wanted it to, but I feel like I’m on track, I feel like it’s real close to being where I want to be. This is a process getting ready. This is my spring training. I was able to go six innings and throw 70 pitches and I had good results, and that’s a plus. It’s a good confidence-builder for me and I’ll be able to use that in my next start, wherever is it.”

Showalter said that the club's series of off days over the next four weeks - starting Monday, they have four over the next 22 days - would not affect when Matusz is activated.

Speaking of the rotation, the Orioles' game notes have the projected starters for the Kansas City Royals series, which starts Tuesday, as Zach Britton, Jake Arrieta and Jeremy Guthrie. That would mean Brad Bergesen gets skipped. However, Showalter said a final decision on that hasn't been made.

As for second baseman Brian Roberts, he is currently consulting with concussion specialists and doesn't appear close to starting physical activities. This is probably pretty obvious by now, but he won't be ready to come off the seven-day concussion disabled list on Tuesday.

Bench coach Willie Randolph will continue to coach third base for the time being as regular third base coach John Russell deals with a bad left knee. Russell, who had an injection in the knee, could be headed for surgery, according to Showalter.

Finally, here is the Orioles' lineup today
Felix Pie, LF
Adam Jones, CF
Nick Markakis, RF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Matt Wieters, C
Luke Scott, 1B
Mark Reynolds, 3B
J.J. Hardy, SS
Robert Andino, 2B
Chris Tillman, SP

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
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About 40 minutes away from where the Orioles snapped a four-game losing streak with a much-needed 8-3 victory over the Washington Nationals today, Brian Matusz pitched six scoreless innings for Double-A Bowie against Erie. He allowed three hits and a walk while striking out one. In two rehab stats -- his first was for Single-A Frederick -- Matusz has allowed one run on five hits and three walks while striking out three over 10 innings.

Matusz, the 24-year-old lefty who hasn’t pitched in the big leagues this season with a strained left intercostal muscle, was restricted today to either six innings or 75 pitches. He threw 70 pitches to get 18 outs, leaving the Orioles to decide whether they want to promote him and have him make his next start with them Thursday or Friday, or make one more rehab start.

“I’m not leaning either way,” said Orioles manager Buck Showalter, who will undoubtedly consult with pitching coach Mark Connor and bullpen coach Rick Adair before deciding. Adair was at Prince George’s County Stadium today to watch Matusz (right). “Let’s see what happens.”

Adair's being with the Baysox prompted an unusual moment at Camden Yards, where injured infielder Cesar Izturis was serving as the Orioles’ bullpen coach in his absence.

That created a communication mishap before the start of the top of the seventh inning, which led to Jim Johnson running out from the bullpen while Jeremy Guthrie was on the mound readying to start his warm-up tosses. Johnson ran about halfway in before heading back to the bullpen. Guthrie threw a scoreless seventh, then Johnson did come into the game in the eighth and put up a zero.

“That was the Izturis factor,” Showalter joked. “He was helping us in the bullpen today because Rick left about halfway through and went to Bowie for Matusz. A little miscommunication. He was warming up in case Jeremy couldn’t get out of that inning before. I think he was at 98, 99 [pitches]. We’ll work on that. It’s funny now, right? I’m glad I didn’t see it.”

Izturis also laughed off the miscommunication and said the only thing that mattered was that the Orioles got a "W" in his debut as bullpen coach.

The Orioles also made one other coaching change for the day, with bench coach Willie Randolph and third base coach John Russell switching roles. Russell had a cortisone injection in his knee and wasn’t able to take his spot at third.

I thought Randolph, who coached third for Showalter in New York and earned the nickname “Wave 'Em Home Willie,” made a great send of Adam Jones in the third inning on Nick Markakis’ single to left that Laynce Nix bobbled. But I also give credit to Jones for running hard the whole way, picking up his base coach and not just assuming he’d get stopped at third.

Orioles left fielder Nolan Reimold, who hit a game-tying two-run homer earlier in the inning, said Jones’ hustle fired up the team.

“You never assume anything,” Showalter said. “You’re trying to get across to your base runners that you run until you’re stopped and don’t be the third base coach. You run, because you really can’t see the things going on behind you. You need to give the third base coach a chance to make a good decision. I think most times you see something that looks like it’s not a good decision because the base runner assumes that he’s not going."

And finally, the Nationals came away impressed with Guthrie, who allowed two unearned runs in seven solid innings to get his first win since Opening Day.

“A pitcher like that, when he starts to get in a rhythm, he’s definitely tough to beat,” said Nationals third baseman and former Oriole Jerry Hairston Jr. “He’s been around for a while now, and he’s got good stuff. I think as far as velocitywise, that’s probably as good as I’ve seen him throw.”

Said Nationals manager Jim Riggleman: “We didn’t do much against him. We got two unearned runs there, but he’s tough. He’s done this to us before.”

Matusz photo courtesy of the Bowie Baysox

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (31)
Categories: Minors
        

It has been a news-filled afternoon at Camden Yards. I'll have more later, but here are the highlights:

Right-hander Jason Berken, who was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk after last night's game, will join the Tides' rotation, likely making his first start on Tuesday. Berken came up with the Orioles as a starter, but he's been used the past two seasons as a middle reliever. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said that this doesn't mean Berken is now a starter again. But the club wants to build him up and get him some innings to work out some of his recent command issues. Showalter said that Berken may be "too strong" right now, noting that that has fastball was between 92 and 95 miles per hour last night. Showalter says that's what Berken needs now, and he still expects the right-hander to help the club later this season.

Second baseman Brian Roberts met with the media for the first time since he was put on the seven-day disabled list with concussion symptoms. Roberts, who missed the final six games last season because of a concussion and the symptoms lingered well into the offseason, admitted that he's certainly concerned although he said that some of the headaches have subsided. However, he still is feeling some effects that he compared to motion and car sickness. He certainly still looks a little dazed and hasn't started any physical activities so it seems highly unlikely that he'll be ready to come off the DL on Tuesday. Roberts said that he has been in contact with the specialist that he worked with after getting a concussion last year.

And finally, Alfredo Simon was in the clubhouse before the game and is available to pitch out of the bullpen. He said that he wouldn't discuss any legal matters related to his two-month imprisonment in the Dominican Republic as the chief suspect in a fatal New Year's Day shooting. He also said that he expects some jeering from road fans, and is prepared to deal with it.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 1:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Minors
        

RYAN ADAMS
On his reaction to the news: "It was very exciting, I’ve been working my whole life for this and it’s just a great opportunity."

Has it hit you yet?: “I don’t know, we’ll see at game time. I’ve never been here before so I’m just sort of taking it all in.”

On what accelerated trip to big leagues: "I’ve been working really hard with Bobby Dickerson and Mike Bordick. We worked hard every day in spring training and it carried over into the season and the results were there, too.”

Did they tell you defense was necessary improvement to get called up?: “Yeah [manager Buck Showalter], he said that. They said I needed to come of age with the defense so I just worked hard every day and things panned out.”

Was this a complete shock: “I had no idea, I’ve just been focused on playing hard and doing what I got to do. I really wasn’t paying attention. I didn’t even know.”

NOLAN REIMOLD
On getting another opportunity: "You just have to stay ready. I had a good spring, went down to Norfolk, started to hit the ball a little better. It was a little unexpected, but I’m definitely happy to be here."

On his offense at Triple-A Norfolk: "I just haven’t gotten hot yet. I have decent RBI numbers and decent home runs. I just haven’t gotten hot. I’d like to bring the average up. I was hitting the ball better the last week or so."

On not taking opportunity for granted: "Absolutely. You can’t take it for granted. You definitely learn that. I have to make the best of it when I’m here. I’m happy to be here and I want to stay here."

On whether he can find his old form: "Baseball is a funny game. I feel good. I just have to go out there and be consistent with my approach and have confidence in it. If you do that, you’ll be all right."

On not making club out of spring training: "That was kind of what I expected. I went in there hoping for the best, hoping to make the team. It didn’t work out so I went down to Norfolk. I’m here now though so it doesn’t matter."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Minors
        

The worst thing about last night’s loss?: The fact that the Orioles tied the game off future Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera and then weren’t able to scratch one run across over six innings against Luis Ayala, Boone Logan and Hector Noesi. Rafael Soriano is on the disabled list and Yankees manager Joe Girardi obviously wanted to stay away from his other top setup men – Joba Chamberlain and David Robertson. The Orioles let him do it and get away with it, and now Girardi still has his most important relief options available for tonight, though with CC Sabathia's track record against the Orioles, they may not be needed.

The Orioles allowed Bartolo Colon to get through the first seven innings on just 68 pitches. I know Colon’s command was good and he was getting called strikes by home plate umpire Dan Bellino on anything even close to the plate, but that number is unacceptable any way you slice it. In a couple of games this year, the Orioles have really made the opposing starter work and the results have been good. The matchups with Felix Hernandez and Carl Pavano come to mind. But the biggest criticism I'd have with their offense is they simply don't make the opposing pitching staffs, specifically the starters, work hard enough on a nightly basis.

Speaking of Bellino, I try to avoid criticizing umpires too much because it is overdone and largely pointless. But that had to be one of the worst strike zones I’ve seen all year, and that was true for both teams. Colon, whose command was stellar, was just able to exploit it better than the Oriole pitchers. There were some pitches called strikes that didn't even flirt with the plate. And while trying to be sympathetic to Chris Dickerson, who had to go to the hospital after getting hit in the head by Michael Gonzalez’s pitch in the 15th inning, I don’t agree with the decision to eject Gonzalez. It was three pitches after Robinson Cano’s go-ahead, two-run double and Gonzalez certainly doesn’t have the reputation as a head hunter. He also knows that he was the final Oriole reliever available so I doubt he’s going to intentionally hit somebody and risk being tossed. Bellino heard it from both dugouts all night and it was well deserved.

By the way, a couple of people asked me why Showalter didn’t let Bellino have it after the Gonzalez ejection even though he believed that there was no intent whatsoever. The reason was that it would have been in incredibly poor taste had he made a scene while Dickerson was on the ground getting tended to by medical personnel. Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen pulled that kind of stunt - though saying he made a scene would be an exaggeration - against the Orioles back on May 2 when Nick Markakis left the game after a Chris Sale fastball deflected off both his bat and his hand. Guillen, who apparently thought Markakis was acting, came out of the dugout to contest the call even though the White Sox were up 6-0 with two outs in the ninth inning, and Markakis has a reputation around the game for playing the game the right way. It certainly was noticed by several members in the Orioles clubhouse.

Orioles center fielder Adam Jones fumbled a ball in the 15th inning that went for his second error, but he also made a terrific play to throw out Alex Rodriguez trying to stretch a single into a double in the sixth. At this time last year, Jones’ defense and focus were nightly complaints on this blog. I don’t hear much about those things anymore and for good reason. Jones is playing center field at an extremely high level, a Gold Glove level. He also is playing his butt off, running the bases hard and picking his spots to drop down bunts. Like everyone else, I would like to see him mix in a few more walks and swing at fewer bad pitches, but to me, Jones’ continued development has been one of the Orioles’ biggest positives this season.

Jim Johnson’s stuff last night was just ridiculous. Fastball in the mid to upper 90’s. Heavy sinker. Johnson throws the ball hard and over the plate so regardless of how good his stuff is at times, he’s going to give up some hits and runs. But there are some nights where hitters don’t stand a chance against him.

Teammates and Orioles brass love a lot of things about Zach Britton, but I think the two biggest traits that they admire is his confidence and competitiveness. Hours after his outing ended and he met the media last night, Britton was still visibly ticked off that the Orioles didn’t win the game. He wasn’t angry because he again got no run support, or he didn’t get a win against the Yankees. He was angry because his team lost, saying that regardless how he pitched – and allowing one unearned run over seven innings against New York is a quality outing by any standard - it was a bad day because of the end result. This kid has front of the rotation stuff and a front of the rotation attitude.

I don’t think this means anything, but first baseman Derrek Lee was on the top step of the dugout with his batting gloves on and a bat in his hand, on at least two different occasions last night. I’m not sure if it was a decoy to try to convince Yankees manager Joe Girardi that he was available or Lee was just trying to stay in the game and be there for his teammates. Lee is dealing with a strained left oblique and said yesterday that he wasn’t planning on doing any baseball activities. So my assumption was that there wasn't even a fleeting thought of getting him in the game. But either way, I thought it was worth mentioning. Lee also made it a point to approach Brandon Snyder in the clubhouse after the game and offer some encouraging words. Snyder couldn’t get out of the way of Matt Wieters’ bouncing single in the 15th inning, resulting in an out.

This probably doesn’t fit in this space, but I didn’t want it to get lost in this morning’s notebook. Orioles top prospect Manny Machado, who hasn’t played since dislocating his left kneecap on May 5, has headed to Sarasota to begin a rehab program and baseball activities. I’d expect him to be down there for around a week before returning to Single-A Delmarva’s lineup.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (47)
Categories: Minors
        

When I left the home clubhouse at Camden Yards a little before 1 a.m. this morning following the Orioles 4-1 loss in 15 innings to the New York Yankees, President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail, manager Buck Showalter and pitching coach Mark Connor were meeting in the manager’s office. I wasn’t allowed in, but I didn’t have to be to know the topic of discussion.

The Orioles top decision makers will have their hands full today, trying to figure out who – if anybody – is available in the bullpen, who will start tonight’s game after Jeremy Guthrie pitched an inning in relief following Michael Gonzalez’s ejection, and what to do with a bench that was down to just two guys when last night’s game started.

ROTATION: The easiest decision will be naming Brad Bergesen tonight’s starter, which is little more than a formality at this point. Because of Tuesday’s rainout in Boston, which pushed Zach Britton’s start back to last night, Bergesen would be on normal four days rest. Guthrie said last night that he’d be fine to start tonight, but Showalter and Connor are not going to take any chances with a guy who has anchored the staff the past two seasons with 200-inning campaigns. Bergesen was originally scheduled to start Friday’s series opener against the Washington Nationals, but the Orioles have other options for that game, including Guthrie and Jake Arrieta, Saturday’s scheduled starter who would still be on normal four days rest if he pitches Friday night. And if needed, Alfredo Simon is expected to join the club and be available to pitch Sunday. He’s ticketed for a long relief role, but he’s obviously stretched out enough to start if needed.

BULLPEN: Jeremy Accardo, who threw two-plus innings and 55 pitches, will probably be unavailable until at least Saturday. I’d assume that Showalter will also try to stay off Jim Johnson, who threw two innings and 28 pitches last night. Koji Uehara pitched only one inning, but asking the veteran right-hander to pitch on back-to-back days is often a risky proposition. The rest of the seven-man group – Clay Rapada, Jason Berken, Kevin Gregg and Gonzalez – are probably available tonight. Showalter said after the game that the club will “probably” add another bullpen arm in time for tonight. Triple-A Norfolk left-hander Troy Patton is the most logical choice being that he’s been with the team for the past couple of days as a potential roster replacement if first baseman Derrek Lee goes to the disabled list. The club was hoping to give Lee a couple of more days to see how much he’d improve and possibly avoid a DL stint. However, they may not have that luxury anymore with how much the bullpen was taxed last night. It wouldn’t shock me if the Orioles added two fresh arms for the game.

BENCH: When last night’s game started, the Orioles bench consisted of backup catcher Jake Fox and infielder Brandon Snyder. The Orioles lost last night’s game because they went 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position and stranded 15 baserunners, making Bartolo Colon look like Justin Verlander and Hector Noesi look like Mariano Rivera (notwithstanding his last two appearances at Camden Yards). However, it has to be very hard to win an extra-inning game against the Yankees no less with a two-man bench. Showalter said last night that he had no updates on second baseman Brian Roberts, who saw team doctors yesterday to try to determine the cause of recurring headaches the past couple of days. I’d be surprised if he was in the team’s lineup tonight, though that’s speculation on my part because Roberts didn’t speak to the media before last night’s game. I talked about Lee above. The Orioles may have to make a decision today on both because they can’t afford to keep playing two men short. I was asked yesterday what would have happened if one of the infielders got hurt last night, and I didn’t have an answer. My best guess would have been Nick Markakis coming in to play first base with Luke Scott shifting to left field and Felix Pie going to right. Luckily for the O’s, it never came to that. But I can’t imagine that Showalter, who frequently goes over all the ‘What Ifs?,’ will take that chance for too much longer. One potential scenario is the Orioles calling up another infielder – Ryan Adams?, Brendan Harris?, Nick Green?, Josh Bell? – just as insurance for a couple of days until Roberts is ready to return. That infielder could then be demoted back to Triple-A to make room for Simon on Sunday, assuming Roberts is ready to play by then.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (26)
Categories: Minors
        

Orioles infielder Cesar Izturis, who was put on the disabled list today, will have surgery to move the ulnar nerve in his right elbow, a procedure that could keep him out from six to eight weeks, said President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail.

Izturis has been dealing with numbness in several of his fingers on his right hand. Both manager Buck Showalter and Izturis said it is the result of the ligament-reconstruction surgery he had on his right elbow in 2005. When he had the Tommy John surgery done, the doctor did not have move the ulnar nerve, and scar tissue has formed on the nerve, causing “some of the damage,” Showalter said.

Izturis was considering three options: getting an injection, removing the scar tissue or having the surgery to move the ulnar nerve. He ultimately chose the surgery.

Izturis, who hadn’t played since May 12, and who had started just eight of the Orioles’ 40 games, said that he has dealt with the discomfort for a while, but it got to the point where he couldn’t grip the ball.

“It hasn’t been this bad, but I reached a point where we had to do something,” Izturis said.

Triple-A Norfolk first baseman Brandon Snyder took Izturis’ place on the roster. Snyder, the Orioles first round pick in 2006, was batting .276 with five homers and 16 RBIs in 35 games for the Tides. He made his big league debut last September and went 6-for-20 (.300) with three RBIs in 10 games.

The Orioles opted not to put first baseman Derrek Lee (strained left oblique) on the disabled list. Lee, who was hurt in Monday’s game, said he was feeling much better today and is hoping to avoid an extended absence. At this point, the Orioles appear willing to give him a couple of days to see how much he improves.

Troy Patton is with the club and is available to be recalled. Luke Scott started at first tonight in Lee's absence. Lee had started the Orioles' first 40 games, the only player on the club to accomplish that.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
Categories: Minors
        

As if the Orioles needed any more health questions, they have another one as second baseman Brian Roberts has been suffering from headaches since he slid headfirst into first base after his infield single to lead off Monday's game. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said Roberts will see team doctors today, and he's not in the lineup. Obviously, this is rather alarming with the issues that Roberts had with concussions last season.

First baseman Derrek Lee (strained left oblique) is feeling better today and he said he's not resigned to going on the disabled list. Lee is hoping to talk team officials out of it, and there is a possibility that the club will give him a couple of days to see how he responds before putting him on the DL.

Infielder Cesar Izturis will be placed on the DL if there is a game tonight. Izturis has been experiencing numbness in two of the fingers on his throwing hand. He said it's related to the Tommy John surgery he had in 2005. Basically, the club is considering three options with Izturis, and one of them is surgery, which could keep him on the DL for two or three months.

Both Brandon Snyder and Troy Patton are here awaiting word on whether they'll be recalled from Triple-A Norfolk. Showalter essentially said that if there is a game tonight, Snyder would be activated and take Izturis' roster spot. If Lee also goes to the DL, then Patton would likely be recalled.

UPDATE: Izturis has been placed on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to Friday, and Snyder has been called up.

The Orioles' rotation will stay on turn through the weekend against the Washington Nationals. That means Brad Bergesen on Friday, Jake Arrieta on Saturday and Chris Tillman on Sunday.

Showalter said Alfredo Simon will make another rehab start this weekend. Brian Matusz will also make a rehab start Saturday at Double-A Bowie or Triple-A Norfolk. The Orioles are hoping to put him in the best weather situation possible, so they are holding off a decision on where he'll pitch.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 4:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
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The rainout last night further complicates the decisions for manager Buck Showalter and pitching coach Mark Connor concerning the rotation. Showalter has committed only to Zach Britton starting tonight’s series opener against the New York Yankees and Jeremy Guthrie starting Thursday. He wouldn’t go beyond that because, frankly, there are so many variables. If the rotation stays as is, it would be Brad Bergesen, Jake Arrieta and Chris Tillman starting in the weekend series against the Washington Nationals. But what happens if Tillman’s back acts up again? What do you do with Alfredo Simon, who pitched six shutout innings last night for Double-A Bowie and has to come off the restricted list this weekend? Where do you slot in Brian Matusz, who is expected to make another rehab start Saturday and could rejoin the rotation as early as May 26? I’m sure Showalter and Connor don’t mind several of their young starters getting an extra day here and there, but I’m also pretty confident that they don’t want guys regularly going six days between starts. Last night’s rainout combined with Monday’s off day and scheduled off days June 2, 9 and 13 certainly give the Orioles the option of going with a four-man rotation for a while. But that’s not as easy a proposition as it was a couple of weeks ago when Guthrie, Britton and Arrieta were pretty much the Orioles' only three reliable starters. It certainly would be a much-debated decision if Bergesen were sent to the bullpen or even demoted to Triple-A Norfolk after throwing a shutout in his last start or if Tillman were moved out of the rotation after holding the opposition to one earned run over his past 11 innings.

Nobody asked me of course, but I’d lean toward bringing back Simon in the bullpen, at least for the time being. The Orioles could use him as their primary long man while also occasionally working him in later in the game to help serve as the bridge to Jim Johnson, Koji Uehara and Kevin Gregg, a role that Jason Berken, Jeremy Accardo and Michael Gonzalez are struggling to fill right now. It doesn’t have to be permanent, but now, for the sake of winning games, the Orioles need a whole lot more help in the bullpen than they do in the rotation.

Beyond the rotation and Simon, here are a couple of other questions that Showalter will be asked to answer before tonight’s game: With Derrek Lee likely headed to the disabled list, do you feel comfortable enough to play regular left fielder Luke Scott at first base regularly, allowing Felix Pie to get more playing time in left field? How concerned are you about the defense at first base, whether it is Scott, Brandon Snyder or Jake Fox playing there? Who will bat third? With all the off days ahead, do you need to carry a 13-man pitching staff? And can you afford not to have another catcher on the roster if Fox is getting some starts at first base? It should be an interesting pre-game media session for Showalter.

Single-A Delmarva shortstop Manny Machado, the organization’s top prospect, could start throwing and performing other baseball activities this weekend, possibly as early as Friday, said Orioles director of player development John Stockstill. Machado hasn’t played since May 5, when he dislocated his left kneecap. Once he is cleared to begin baseball activities, the 18-year-old will probably be five to seven days away from returning to game action, putting his projected return to the Shorebirds' lineup around June 1. The Orioles could send the shortstop down to their minor league complex in Sarasota, but that decision hasn’t been made. Double-A first baseman Joe Mahoney (strained quadriceps) is rehabbing in Sarasota and is not expected back until early next month.

In his first mock draft, ESPN’s Keith Law projects the Orioles to select Oklahoma high school pitcher Dylan Bundy with the fourth overall pick. Law knows a heck of a lot more about the draft than I do, but I did mention in this space earlier this month that if Bundy is still available when they pick, the Orioles will be awfully intrigued. I said that for two reasons: One, Orioles director of amateur scouting Joe Jordan lives in Oklahoma and has been watching Bundy, whose fastball is the mid to high 90s, for several years. Two, Bundy’s older brother, Bobby, is in the organization, pitching for the Single-A Frederick Keys, so the Orioles know the family and probably what it would take to sign the talented right-hander. But would Jordan, who is in the final year of his contract, take another high school pitcher when he got so much criticism for selecting the rehabbing Matt Hobgood with the fifth overall pick in 2009? Jordan has said since Day One that he’ll take the guy the club foresees developing into the best player, but as good as Bundy might be -- and I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews -- he might be a tough sell for a fan base that is waiting for the organization to prove that it wants to win now, not several years down the road. There are also a handful of college starters who are projected as early first-round picks.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (52)
Categories: Minors
        

The injury that forced Derrek Lee out of Monday night's game and the apparent nerve problem that sent Cesar Izturis back to Baltimore to meet with Dr. John Wilckens on Tuesday almost certainly will lead to at least one -- and likely two -- roster moves over the next couple of days.

It's not clear yet how long each player will be out, but it is clear that the Orioles played a man short last night and they are going to have to sit Lee for at least a few days. That means somebody has got to be headed this way from Triple-A Norfolk.

Since Buck Showalter can use Robert Andino and Jake Fox as utility infielders, it seems more logical for the Orioles to bring up a first baseman or outfielder. Brandon Snyder has been swinging the bat pretty well for the Tides and has displayed some power. Nolan Reimold has not hit for average but would give the Orioles the option of playing Luke Scott at first base, which would take some strain off his sore shoulder.

Lee said last night that he has been feeling soreness in the oblique area for awhile and thinks he only needs a couple of days to rest it, but club officials don’t share his confidence that he can manage that kind of injury and continue playing. The situation likely will become clearer this afternoon.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (28)
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In another one of our periodic installments, we look at how some Orioles from last year's team are faring this season.

Only players who played at least one game with the Orioles last year and are no longer in the organization are included. The stats are updated through Sunday and reflect only the team for which they are currently playing.

HITTERS
* OF Lou Montanez, AAA Iowa (Cubs), 36 games, 5 HRs, 39 RBIs, .378 average/.433 on-base/.607 slugging
* 3B Scott Moore, AAA Iowa (Cubs), 33 games, 3 HR, 17 RBIs, .272/.333/.398
* OF Corey Patterson, Toronto Blue Jays, 31 games, 2 HRs, 19 RBIs, 6 SBs, .280/.317/.441
* SS Miguel Tejada, San Francisco Giants, 36 games, 1 HR, 10 RBIs, .195/.227/.263
* IF Justin Turner, New York Mets, 15 games, 1 HR, 9 RBIs, .308/.357/.436
* IF Ty Wigginton, Colorado Rockies, 23 games, 2 HRs, 11 RBIs, .236/.300/.375

PITCHERS
* Matt Albers, Boston Red Sox, 11 games, 0-1, 16 1/3 IP, 12 H, 6 BB, 16 K, 1.65 ERA
* David Hernandez, Arizona Diamondbacks, 20 games, 2-1, 18 2/3 IP, 15 H, 10 BB, 19 K, 1.93 ERA
* Frank Mata, AAA New Orleans (Marlins), 15 games, 1-2, 21 1/3 IP, 18 H, 12 BB, 13 K, 5.06 ERA
* Kam Mickolio, AAA Reno (Diamondbacks), 13 games, 0-1, 16 1/3 IP, 18 H, 5 BB, 13 K, 4.96 ERA
* Will Ohman, Chicago White Sox, 14 games, 0-0, 10 2/3 IP, 14 H, 3 BB, 11 K, 6.75 ERA

NOT PLAYING
IF Garrett Atkins, IF Julio Lugo, P Cla Meredith, P Kevin Millwood

Posted by Steve Gould at 2:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
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Some nuggets from manager Buck Showalter’s pre-game press conference

Lefty Brian Matusz threw a side session of about 38 pitches in front of bullpen coach Rick Adair at Tropicana Field on Friday afternoon. He threw all of his pitches and was happy with the effort.

“It went good,’ Showalter said. “He will be with us today, tomorrow and probably Sunday morning and fly to Baltimore to hook up with Frederick on Monday.”

Matusz is expected to pitch four innings in Monday’s start with the Keys after throwing previously in extended spring training

“I'm excited to get back out there and do it again and be able to get four ups this time and make those adjustments between innings,” Matusz said. “I'm excited to go to Frederick, where I started my pro career. I want to get back on track, just build up. I feel like I'm healthy and strong. I've just got to be able to get there. It just takes a little bit of time.”

If it goes well, Showalter said Matusz will pitch on May 21 at either Triple-A Norfolk or Double-A Bowie depending on the weather, which Showalter said, “might be a tiebreaker.” The goal would be for him to pitch five or six innings at Norfolk, and then the club will decide whether to activate him or let him pitch another rehab outing. It will depend on how he feels, how long he pitches and how effective he is.

“I think he realizes, too, coming back available to pitch five innings is not good for him or our bullpen or our team,” Showalter said. “So if things continue to progress and he pitches well and he is healthy, then we’ll bring him back ready to go six or seven innings. … “I don’t think he will be considered until he is ready to go six or more innings and we feel like he’ll be effective enough to defend himself.”

Showalter joked that Matusz is “champing at the bit” to get back.

Said Matusz: “I don't want to get too far ahead of myself. I don't want to be freaking myself out and saying, 'This is the deadline, this is what you've got to do.' It's just day by day, getting better and getting that comfort feeling.”

Right-hander Justin Duchscherer (left hip) threw 26 pitches (23 for strikes) in extended spring on Friday, Showalter said. The next step is for him to pitch three innings in five days or so.

All things considered with two extra inning games in three days, Showalter said the bullpen is “in pretty good shape,” but he will try to stay away from a couple relievers. He said closer Kevin Gregg, who has pitched in three straight games, wants to pitch on Friday if necessary. Showalter said that would be determined depending on the game situation.

Showalter’s lineup doesn’t have Vladimir Guerrero in it Friday. He said it was just a routine day off for his designated hitter. Catcher Matt Wieters will get a day off on Saturday. The only Oriole that has started every game is first baseman Derrek Lee. Showalter said he has looked at scenarios in which to rest Le, but he doesn’t have a definite replacement at first base, though Luke Scott, Mark Reynolds and Jake Fox could play there.

By the way, right fielder Nick Markakis, who missed Wednesday with the stomach flu and played Thursday while not feeling great, said he felt much better Friday.

Here are the lineups for both sides:
Orioles, Roberts 4, Markakis 9, Lee 3, Scot DH, Jones 8, Wieters 2, Hardy 6, Pie 7, Reynolds 5. Guthrie P.

Rays, Fuld 8, Zobrist 9, Damon DH, Longoria 5, Joyce 7, Kotchman 3, Rodriguez 4, Brignac 6, Jaso 2. Hellickson P.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Minors
        

I don’t know what else I can add to Zach Britton’s nine shutout innings last night, but I thought the defining image from that game – even more so than the rookie walking off the mound to a standing ovation after the top of the ninth – was Orioles manager Buck Showalter leaning against the rail of the dugout as the players tackled J.J. Hardy following his game-winning hit. Showalter, almost resembling a proud father, had his arms folded and this huge grin on his face. He admitted later that he just wanted to take in the moment and see his players celebrate. He was also slightly concerned about Hardy getting injured during the celebratory mugging, but it looks like the shortstop emerged unscathed. It was just a cool scene all around.

Speaking of Hardy, it’s probably worth mentioning that the Orioles are 7-2 in games that he has started. One of the losses was the second game of the April 9 doubleheader against the Texas Rangers when Hardy was forced out of the game with the oblique injury before the top of the third inning. The Orioles lost that game 13-1, but they were leading 1-0 when Hardy departed. I’m just saying.

When the Orioles had the bases loaded and no outs last night in the bottom of the 12th, Showalter contemplated using pitcher Jeremy Guthrie to pinch-run for Vladimir Guerrero at second base. Guthrie is one of the best athletes on the team so you could do a lot worse for an emergency pinch runner. Instead, Showalter went with Jake Fox, not the speediest of options. However, give Fox some credit. He could have easily gotten doubled up on that diving play by shortstop Luis Rodriguez on Matt Wieters’ liner for the first out in the bottom of the 12th. He didn’t and then two pitches later, he chugged home to score the winning run. Guthrie joked to Showalter later that he would have been half-way to third base on Wieters’ liner.

I’m sure Showalter will happily deal with this dilemma because the Orioles didn’t have a lead for any of the three games during this past weekend’s series against the Rays, but it will be interesting to see what happens if the visitors have a lead late in the game tonight. I assume closer Kevin Gregg is unavailable as he’s pitched in three straight games. Gregg likes the work, but four straight is a little much. Jim Johnson threw two innings yesterday, his second two-inning outing in a span of three days. I’d also assume Showalter would like to stay off him, which would probably leave Michael Gonzalez and Koji Uehara getting the key outs late in the game.

Showalter and President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail are monitoring their bullpen very closely, and mulling several potential moves. It seems to me that they’re going day-by-day with it, but one abbreviated outing from a starter could force their hand. If they do make a move, don’t be surprised if contractual status figures heavily into it, which could leave Jason Berken in some jeopardy. Berken is struggling of late, but he has also an option remaining, so the Orioles could send him down without exposing him to waivers. The club obviously sees Berken as an effective Major League pitcher and feels he’s an important part of the bullpen. But if they need to get a fresh arm up to the majors, and they don’t want to risk losing any of their current relievers, like Jeremy Accardo and Clay Rapada, optioning Berken is the path of least resistance. Either way, I don’t think the Orioles are going to be able to go very long without a more traditional long man. I know Berken can pitch two or three innings and Accardo probably the same, but it’s not an ideal situation to not have a guy down there that is a little more stretched out. Mark Hendrickson and Chris George would both be fits for that role.

While we are not far removed from the topic of workloads, let’s not overlook the fact that Wieters has caught 34 innings over the past three days. I know he’s young and the weather hasn’t gotten truly hot yet, but he’s playing the most demanding position in the sport at an extremely high level. It was almost comical watching Rodriguez’s steal attempt in the fifth inning last night. Wieters fired a seed down to second, giving Hardy enough time to catch the ball, readjust his pants, wipe his brow and then apply the tag. Rodriguez was out by just about the same margin as Hardy was at the plate on Tuesday night after that ill-advised send by third base coach John Russell in the ninth inning.

The Orioles will obviously have their hands full on this five-game road trip with three games against the red-hot Tampa Bay Rays and then two against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, where it’s always tough to win. But the Orioles did about as well as they were going to do in terms of the opposing starter. They miss both David Price and James Shields against the Rays, instead drawing Jeremy Hellickson (3-2, 3.72), Wade Davis (4-2, 3.07), and Andy Sonnanstine (0-0, 2.19). Again, that’s no picnic, but it could have been worse. They then miss Jon Lester, Josh Beckett and Clay Buchholz in Boston and draw Daisuke Matsuzaka (3-3, 4.64) and John Lackey (2-5, 8.01). It appears that they’ll get CC Sabathia in one of the two-games against the New York Yankees when they return home next week, but again, it’s hard to gripe too much if you are the Orioles.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (19)
Categories: Minors
        

Brian Matusz (strained left intercostal) will start for Single-A Frederick on Monday and likely pitch for Triple-A Norfolk on May 21. If all goes well, he could return to the Orioles' rotation after that.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he wants to keep Robert Andino in the mix, which is the reason the normal infielder is starting in left field tonight.

The Orioles are scheduled to face five right-handed starters on their road trip, allowing Showalter to work outfielder Felix Pie into the lineup more.

A day after staying home with the flu, Nick Markakis is tentatively back in the Orioles' lineup. Showalter called over to Mariners manager Eric Wedge to tell him that it's not definite that Markakis plays. The right fielder is going to take batting practice and see how he feels before declaring himself ready.

Pitching coach Mark Connor will be away from the team for the next two games to attend his son's graduation at the University of Tennessee law school. Bullpen coach Rick Adair will serve as pitching coach, and minor league pitching coordinator Alan Dunn has joined the club to serve as bullpen coach. Dunn was the bullpen coach under former manager Dave Trembley.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 4:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: Minors
        

Alfredo Simon finished his second start for Double-A Bowie today, allowing three earned runs on five hits and three walks while striking out eight Richmond batters over five innings.

Simon allowed one run through the first five innings, but he put the first two batters on in the sixth and then was removed from the game. Left-hander Pedro Viola came in, and both inherited runners scored, leaving Simon's ERA at 5.40 through two starts for the Baysox.

In 10 innings, the big right-hander has given up six earned runs on 11 hits and three walks, striking out 13.

The location and date of Simon's next minor league start are in doubt because the pitcher is returning to the Dominican Republic to deal with legal issues relating to his two-month imprisonment as the chief suspect in a fatal New York's Day shooting.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 1:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Minors
        

The Orioles on Tuesday signed Darryl Crosier, a 2003 graduate of Overlea High, to a minor league deal. He will report to the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Orioles in Sarasota, Fla.

The club offered Crosier a contract after assistant director of player development Tripp Norton and scout Dean Albany watched him try out May 3 at Double-A Bowie’s Prince George’s Stadium. Crosier will play first base and outfield, he said.

The road to professional baseball has been a long one for Crosier, 26, who also attended Cardinal Gibbons and Mount Carmel and played at Allegany College, CCBC Dundalk and UMES, as well as internationally.

“I thank the Lord for this great opportunity. I’ve worked hard for the last couple of years,” said Crosier, who thanked Norton, Albany, Orioles director of amateur scouting Joe Jordan and director of player development John Stockstill. “A lot of people doubted that I would go far … but I kept the faith in God and I kept confident and kept working hard. I’ve achieved my destiny.”

Crosier also credited his success to former Orioles outfielder Al Bumbry and ex-major leaguer Julio Franco, both of whom have worked with him on his hitting.

Crosier already has one fan in his godmother, Felecia Hill, of Baltimore. “He’s a great kid,” Hill said. “He stuck to his dream, and he’s living it now.”

Posted by Steve Gould at 7:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Minors
        

Shortstop J.J. Hardy, who has been on the disabled list since April 10 because of a strained left oblique, will rejoin the club in time for tomorrow's series opener against the Seattle Mariners.

Hardy went 2-for-9 with three walks and two runs scored in three rehab games for Triple-A Norfolk. He was initially scheduled to play a fourth game for the Tides tonight, but the club opted to give him the day off before his likely return to the lineup tomorrow.

He was 3-for-15 with three doubles, two RBIs and two walks for the Orioles when he strained his oblique while taking a swing in the second game of the April 9 doubleheader against the Texas Rangers.

The Orioles are expected to demote a pitcher and return to a 12-man staff to open up a 25-man roster spot for Hardy.

In other news: With his Single-A Delmarva team in Hagerstown, shortstop Manny Machado, who hasn’t played since last Thursday when he collapsed while running from second to third, visited Dr. John Wilckens today and had the initial diagnosis of left patellar subluxation -- essentially a dislocated kneecap -- confirmed, according to director of player development John Stockstill.

Machado, the organization's top prospect, will be re-evaluated when the Shorebirds return home Friday. He’s expected to miss seven to 10 days.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 5:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Minors
        

Here is the Orioles lineup for today's series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays:

Brian Roberts, 2B
Nick Markakis, RF
Derrek Lee, 1B
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Luke Scott, LF
Adam Jones, CF
Matt Wieters, C
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Cesar Izturis, SS
Brad Bergesen, SP

A couple of other notes: Starter Brian Matusz (strained left intercostal muscle) will pitch in an extended spring training game on Wednesday, and then make a rehab appearance for Single-A Frederick on May 16.

Manager Buck Showalter said that the Orioles will stay on turn with their rotation. Tomorrow's off day gave them the option of skipping struggling starter Chris Tillman, but Showalter said that won't happen. Instead, Jake Arrieta will start Tuesday's series opener followed by Tillman and rookie Zach Britton.

Shortstop J.J. Hardy, who is 2-for-5 with three walks and two runs scored in two rehab appearances for Triple-A Norfolk, will likely be the Tides designated hitter today. Showalter said that Hardy will likely play for the Tides Monday as well before possibly being activated for Tuesday's series opener against the Mariners.

Injured pitcher Justin Duchscherer (left hip strain) will throw a simulated game in a couple of days.

Showalter has been having plenty of discussions with President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail and Director of Player Developmen John Stockstill. The Orioles obviously will have to make a roster move for Hardy on Tuesday, but they are also considering options elsewhere. And catcher Craig Tatum remains an option, but he's currently on the minor league disabled list. Tatum got an injection in his sore shoulder and is feeling better.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Minors
        

Orioles' top prospect Manny Machado, who left Thursday's Delmarva game with a knee injury, has been examined by a doctor and was scheduled for a MRI of his left knee today.

Preliminary reports are that the injury does not appear too serious, but club orthopedist John Wilckens is expected to look at the MRI tonight.

The Orioles remain cautiously optimistic that the 18-year-old Machado did not severely hurt his knee. More will be known later.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 3:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Minors
        

Before I get into the purpose of this blog, I’ve been told that top prospect Manny Machado’s left knee will be examined early this afternoon by doctors. When I hear more, I’ll pass it on. Machado left Thursday’s game with Delmarva in the first after collapsing while running between second and third base. He was helped off the field by two Shorebirds’ personnel, but the Orioles are hopeful it is not serious.

Anyway, I talked to one major-league talent evaluator that was at Bowie on Thursday and saw Alfredo Simon pitch. Here are some of his observations on Simon:

“He had all the pieces to start yesterday: fastball, curve, slider and that (split-fingered fastball). That split is pretty good.”

“He started the game out throwing well in the first inning and second inning, but then he got flat really quickly. Neither one of those clubs (the Baysox and the Nationals’ Harrisburg Senators) is blessed with a lot of talent, to be honest, and he got hit a little bit.”

He said Simon’s fastball was clocked at 93 and 94 in the first inning, between 91 and 94 in the second and then 90-92 in the next three innings. Also, he said he lost the downward angle on the fastball as the innings and pitches increased – a sign of rust and fatigue.

“I don’t know if his arm is in shape yet. His fastball (Thursday) would be a 55-60 range (on a scale of 80).” In comparison, he said last year in June Simon was throwing a 94-97 mph fastball with movement that would have been graded as a 70.

Overall, though, he said Simon, who has lost 30 pounds, looked better and moved better.

“He looked in good shape to me, better shape than in the past and he did move around well. His delivery worked fine, his arm worked fine. … If they can stretch him out and get him into real good shape, he could be a decent alternative in that fourth or fifth spot. Bergesen and Tillman are what they are and I don’t know if they are ever going to be consistent.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 12:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Minors
        

The first round of the 2011 draft will take play a month from today with the Orioles picking fourth overall. I spoke to Director of Amateur Scouting Joe Jordan the other day and he said that he and his national cross checkers and supervisors are currently rotating around the country so everybody gets looks at the players the club is considering for its first pick.

Jordan said that he has a pretty good idea of the two or three players that the club will choose from, but it’s still too early to narrow it down so there remains about 10 players under consideration. He of course didn’t read me off that list, but you can assume it includes the following: Rice University third baseman Anthony Rendon; UCLA pitchers Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer; fellow college pitchers Danny Hultzen (Virginia), Sonny Gray (Vanderbilt) and Jed Bradley (Georgia Tech); Oklahoma prep pitcher Dylan Bundy; and Kansas high school outfielder Bubba Starling (outfielder). What I know about the above-mentioned players is pretty much what I read from Keith Law of ESPN.com, Jim Callis of Baseball America and other draft and prospect pundits, so I’m not going to pretend this early that I have any inside information on who the Orioles are going to pick. If you were to ask me what my gut feeling is, I’d tell you one of the college pitchers. I still haven’t seen a mock draft yet where Rendon falls out of the top three, and I think the Orioles would love to add a polished lefty, like Hultzen, who could move through the system reasonably quickly and join a rotation that includes southpaws Brian Matusz and Zach Britton. However, Bundy, who reportedly throws in the mid to upper 90’s, will certainly garner some consideration because the Orioles know him so well. For one, the Orioles’ Jordan lives in Oklahoma so he’s been watching him pitch for several years. Two, Bundy’s older brother, Bobby, was an 8th-round draft pick by the Orioles in 2008 and he’s currently pitching very well for Single-A Frederick. Though picking a high school pitcher may not be well received by a fan base still smarting from the 2009 selection of Matt Hobgood, Bundy could be too promising to pass up.

I’ve heard conflicting information about the severity of Manny Machado’s left knee injury, so it’s probably best to just wait until after the Single-A Delmarva shortstop is checked out by team doctors today before speculating too much. However, it goes without saying that an extended absence would be a major blow to the organization and to its top prospect, who would miss out on valuable developmental time. It also seems like an appropriate time to point out what an awful week it has been for the Orioles’ minor league system. Consider the following: Single-A Frederick center fielder Trent Mummey sustained a concussion in a collision with the wall Wednesday and will miss at least two weeks. Double-A Bowie first baseman Joe Mahoney, the organization’s minor league player of the year last year, is headed back to the disabled list with a quad strain and he’s expected to miss three or four weeks. He’ll be joined on the DL by fellow Baysox infielder Billy Rowell, who is dealing with ankle tendonitis. Right-hander Jesse Beal, who had a solid year at Delmarva last season, had labrum surgery on Tuesday, while fellow pitching prospects Matt Hobgood and Ryan Berry remain in throwing programs as they try to rebound from arm injuries. It seems those clouds that have hovered over Camden Yards for a long time are spreading out a little to the Orioles’ affiliates.

Now onto a couple of things from the big league club, Monday’s off day could allow the Orioles to skip struggling starter Chris Tillman if they see fit. Pitching coach Mark Connor acknowledged that option yesterday, but said that a decision hasn’t been made yet. Britton, Jeremy Guthrie and Brad Bergesen will face the Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend. After Monday’s off day, Jake Arrieta will start the series opener against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday. Tillman is on schedule to pitch the following day, but the Orioles could just bring back Britton on regular rest, followed by Guthrie and Bergesen. That would mean that they wouldn’t need a starter until next Saturday, May 14.

I’ve said this before – and I’m sure the Orioles are doing this as we speak – but it may be time to evaluate Jake Fox’s role on the club. Fox could be a very valuable bench player, but as we’ve seen, he’s miscast as the regular back-up catcher. Nobody was saying it yesterday because good teammates don’t say such things, but as much as Tillman struggled, Fox also had a forgettable game behind the plate. It could totally be a coincidence, but both Guthrie and Arrieta’s worst outings this season came with Fox behind the plate, and it couldn’t have been more obvious yesterday that Tillman and Fox were not in sync. In an ideal world, Fox would move around some, occasionally getting starts at first and third base, designated hitter and left field, while serving as a pinch hitter on days that he’s not playing. However, when J.J. Hardy comes back probably by next Tuesday, I’m not sure there is a single Oriole regular who manager Buck Showalter would take out in favor of Fox late in the game. It certainly doesn’t help that Fox is hitting .107 (3-for-28), and is 0-for-18 against left-handed pitching. I think Fox could flourish in a certain role, but it’s not the one that he’s being used in now. I think he would be the first one to agree with that.

Because I am contractually obligated to mention the name of Nick Markakis in every blog, he has multi-hit games in three of the Orioles' past four contests. It's a start, but his average is still .225 and he has just 11 RBIs.

Left-handed reliever Clay Rapada, who certainly is one of the candidates to be demoted if Hardy returns and the Orioles go to a 12-man pitching staff, has given up at least one earned run in five straight outings and his ERA stands at 15.75.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (26)
Categories: Minors
        

Orioles top prospect Manny Machado left Thursday’s Single-A Delmarva game at the Asheville Tourists in the first inning with an apparent knee injury.

Machado, who had walked and was on second base in the top of the first inning, hurt the knee running between second and third while attempting to tag up on a lineout to center field by Mike Flacco. Machado had to be helped off the field; it initially did not look good.

When the Shorebirds came out to play defense in the bottom of the first, Machado had been replaced at shortstop by Jonathan Schoop, who originally had been listed as the third baseman. Adam Gaylord entered the game at third base and at Machado’s third spot in the lineup.

Orioles director of player development John Stockstill said this evening that Machado will see a team doctor tomorrow but the organization is hopeful the injury is not serious.

Stockstill was told Machado did not appear to be in too much pain after he was removed from the game.

Machado, 18, who was selected third overall by the Orioles in the 2010 draft, was the organization’s Player of the Month for April and was hitting .333 for the Shorebirds heading into Thursday.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Minors
        

Alfredo Simon read a prepared statement to the media after today's start for the Bowie Baysox. He read the statement in Spanish, but here is the English version:

Today is the day that I'm addressing everyone in my personal and professional life.

Associated Press file photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Minors
        

Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail has been in the stands behind home plate throughout today's Double-A game at Prince George's Stadium. He talked briefly to the media a couple of minutes ago and explained the decision to put Alfredo Simon in the Bowie Baysox rotation.

"There's no [criminal] charge, so I don't think you can deny him the opportunity,'' MacPhail said.

MacPhail said that Simon's performance -- five innings, four runs (three earned), six hits, five strikeouts -- was about what you would expect from a pitcher who still is trying to get into regular-season shape.

"He's going through his spring training," MacPhail said. "He's been at it for a month. He's got a couple more weeks at least of rehab and trying to stretch him out. We'd like to give ourselves the option of being able to build him up as a starter and he can always go in the bullpen from there."

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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It's official, Alfredo Simon's afternoon is done. Reliever Raul Rivero has entered in the top of the sixth.

Simon threw 81 pitches in five innings -- he was scheduled for between 75 and 80 -- including 56 for strikes.

He allowed six hits and four runs (three earned) in five innings. He struck out five -- including three in the first -- and walked none but hit a batter and threw two wild pitches. He should have allowed just two earned runs, but a ball dropped by Xavier Avery was ruled a double.

He was throwing his fastball in the low-90s with an occasional reading at 94/95. But the radar gun wasn't very accurate -- he was also clocked at 122 and 56 mph.

In case you were wondering, there has been no buzz with Simon on the mound. It's Baseball Education Day, and the 1,000-plus elementary and middle school students here are more into the hoagie toss and the merry-go-round in right field.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 12:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
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Alfredo Simon struck out the first batter he faced this season for the Double-A Bowie Baysox, but the guy reached on a wild pitch. Simon then promptly picked him off first base.

He struck out the side, but not without an event sandwiched in between. If you haven’t noticed, things haven’t gone particularly smoothly for Simon recently.

He gave up a two-out clean single to center to Nats prospect Steve Lombardozzi, who then stole second and scored a run when Xavier Avery dropped Tyler Moore’s deep fly to center. It should have been an error -- Avery had to run for it, but the ball bounced out of his glove -- but it was ruled a double.

Simon ended the inning with another strikeout.

He threw 23 pitches, 18 for strikes. Although there is a little discrepancy with minor league radar guns, we’ll say he threw his fastball between 92 and 95 mph.

Update: Inning two was a lot less eventful. Simon gave up a leadoff double down the line, but got a come-backer, a strikeout and flyout. He threw 12 pitches, nine for strikes. He has thrown 35 in two innings, 27 for strikes.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 11:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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I am here at Prince George’s Stadium. It’s a few minutes before Alfredo Simon is about to make his first appearance in an affiliated game this season.

Simon, the 29-year-old right-hander who saved 17 games for the Orioles last season, is on baseball’s restricted list while he is a suspect in the Jan. 1 fatal shooting of a man in the Dominican Republic.

Simon has not been charged with a crime, but was held in a Dominican jail for about two months. He was released in early March and flew to Florida, where he had been working out at the organization’s complex in Sarasota and pitching in extended spring training.

He did not speak before the game -- starting pitchers never do -- but he is expected to read a statement post-game and then answer baseball-only questions. There’s not a whole lot of media here, mainly just people who cover the Orioles and aren’t on the road with the big league club. Club president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail has arrived along with director of baseball operations Matt Klentak. Director of player development John Stockstill has been here for a while.

Simon is on a pitch count of about 75 to 80 pitches.

Here’s what Baysox manager Gary Kendall had to say about Simon before the game:

“We were told he was going to come here and start and that he was going to be in the 75- to 80-pitch range and that it’s a stop along the way, you know. We didn’t know if it was going to be one or maybe two starts. I still don’t have that information. We are happy to have him. He is going to help us out because he will make our bullpen a little stronger because the guy that was going to get the start [Rick Zagone] now goes into the bullpen.”

Kendall, as the former manager at short-season Single-A Aberdeen, spent time in extended spring training last year with Simon.

“He was in extended last year. He wasn’t any problems down there. He showed up every morning, put in his work. He was really great with our young Latin players, along with everybody else, but really took an interest in our young guys down there. Was a good teammate. Really, that’s all I know of him. Seeing him out here, it’s the first time I have seen him since last year, and he still had a big smile. We are happy to have him.”

Simon reportedly has lost roughly 30 pounds since last season. Kendall said he looked visibly slimmer.

“To me he looks trimmer. To me, I haven’t laid eyes on him in a year, but he looked trimmer to me.”

For the record, Steven Lerud will catch Simon. Regular catcher Caleb Joseph played two games in a row, including a night game Wednesday.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Minors