The Orioles need to line up Chris Tillman to start every single game against the Mariners. Forget resting a certain number of days. A three-game series should equal three Tillman starts.
The offense stole the show last night, but Tillman deserves to be recognized for the 12 straight batters he retired, and for extending his streak of dominance against the organization that deemed him expendable.
Tillman has allowed three earned runs in 27 2/3 innings against the Mariners. Maybe his elbow...
The Pirates must wonder why they didn't get this Nate McLouth in the first two months of the season.
McLouth hit a leadoff home run tonight and added a single and walk, as the Orioles stormed to a 9-1 lead over the Mariners in the fourth inning.
McLouth hit .140/.210/.175 in 34 games with the Pirates. He began tonight hitting .262/.335/.411 in 39 games for the Orioles, and he's got four home runs since they selected his contract from Triple-A Norfolk.
Not a bad replacement for Nick...
The Orioles' lineup again includes Chris Davis batting third as the designated hitter, Endy Chavez playing right field and Robert Andino starting at second base.
It worked yesterday in Oakland. Manager Buck Showalter will hope for similar success tonight in Seattle.
For the Orioles:
Nate McLouth LF
J.J. Hardy SS
Chris Davis DH
Adam Jones CF
Matt Wieters C
Mark Reynolds 1B
Manny Machado 3B
Endy Chavez RF
Robert Andino 2B
Chris Tillman RHP
For the Mariners:
Ackley 2B
Gutierrez CF...
Orioles center fielder Adam Jones has been named one of six finalists for the 2012 Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award, presented by the MLB Players Association to those who inspire others to higher levels of achievement by their on-field performances and contributions to their communities.
The players will vote on Sept. 19. Past recipients of the award include Michael Young, Curtis Granderson, Torii Hunter, Albert Pujols and current Oriole Jim Thome, who could rejoin the team in Boston after...
The Orioles today announced three options for fans to purchase postseason tickets, which will be available exclusively online.
Fans may visit www.orioles.com/postseason for a seating chart, schedule and additional ticket information. All three options are for the purchase of wild card and American League Division Series tickets. American League Championship Series and World Series tickets will become available for sale at a later date, if necessary.
Option 1:
Fans will receive the...
The Orioles are assured of posting a winning record for the first time since 1997, and it feels anti-climatic. It's been assumed for so long, the attention has shifted to whether the Orioles can win the division or a wild card berth.
Finishing above .500? Ho-hum.
Matt Wieters homered twice yesterday, Endy Chavez collected four hits for the first time as an Oriole, Robert Andino had two hits and Brian Matusz picked up his first relief win with two scoreless innings.
Almost lost in the...
For all the Endy Chavez haters out there, well, he's been pretty good today.
Chavez is 3-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs, as the Orioles have taken a 7-2 lead over the Athletics. He contributed a two-run single in the seventh inning.
Chavez wasn't initially added to the expanded 40-man roster on Sept. 1, but he was told to stay close. Chavez was in New York when the Orioles contacted him after Nick Markakis suffered a broken left thumb that ended his season.
The plus-defense in the...
Chris Davis is batting third today as the Orioles' designated hitter. Mark Reynolds remains at first base after experiencing some numbness in his left biceps last night.
Robert Andino remains at second base.
For the Orioles:
Nate McLouth LF
J.J. Hardy SS
Chris Davis DH
Adam Jones CF
Matt Wieters C
Mark Reynolds 1B
Manny Machado 3B
Endy Chavez RF
Robert Andino 2B
Randy Wolf LHP
For the Athletics:
Coco Crisp CF
Jonny Gomes DH
Josh Reddick RF
Yoenis Cespedes LF
Chris Carter 1B
Josh...
The Orioles will try to avoid being swept by the Athletics today and remain one game behind the Yankees in the American League East.
It's a tall order, given their surroundings.
The Orioles have lost 16 of their last 18 games at Oakland Coliseum dating back to 2008, and they have been outscored, 90-55.
Not all of these Oakland teams have been Grade A's, but the dominance continues.
Orioles pitchers have posted a 4.93 ERA during that stretch, and the A's are batting .276. Meanwhile,...
Is there a pecking order developing as the final month of the regular season plays out?
Are the Orioles better than the Rays, and are the Athletics better than the Orioles?
Only if you put a lot of stock in their most recent games against each other.
The Orioles swept Tampa Bay at Camden Yards, flew to Oakland and promptly dropped the first two games of their series. Now they need Randy Wolf, who won one of his last 20 starts with the Brewers, to play the role of stopper.
Wolf has made two...
For four starts, Zach Britton was a dominant left-hander with a fresh arm and the ability to anchor the Orioles' rotation.
So what happened in his last two starts?
Britton has surrendered 10 runs and nine hits in 7 1/3 innings in those two outings, with nine walks and six strikeouts.
The Athletics jumped Britton in the third inning tonight, sending 10 batters to the plate and scoring five runs to take a 5-2 lead. He was gone after the fourth with his pitch count at 86.
Britton had won...
Endy Chavez will start in right field tonight for the Orioles, with Chris Davis serving as the designated hitter.
Matt Wieters is batting third, and Adam Jones is hitting cleanup.
For the Orioles:
Nate McLouth LF
J.J. Hardy SS
Matt Wieters C
Adam Jones CF
Chris Davis DH
Mark Reynolds 1B
Manny Machado 3B
Endy Chavez RF
Robert Andino 2B
Zach Britton LHP
For the Athletics:
Coco Crisp CF
Jonny Gomes DH
Josh Reddick RF
Yoenis Cespedes LF
Chris Carter 1B
Jason Donaldson 3B
Derek Norris...
The Orioles grounded into four double plays last night, a huge factor in their 3-2 loss to the Athletics and their inability to take over sole possession of first place in the American League East.
The double plays came in successive innings. Mark Reynolds ended the fourth, Robert Andino produced two outs in the fifth following Chris Davis' home run and Manny Machado's single, Lew Ford ended a two-on, one-out threat in the sixth and Andino ended a two-on, one-out rally in the...
I still like the Orioles' chances of making the playoffs if they can find 25 healthy players in October.
Another game brought another injury, this one to Wilson Betemit, whose wrist pain most likely has ended his season. Manager Buck Showalter delivered the news on MASN following the Orioles' 3-2 loss in Oakland.
Meet the new injury, same as the old injury.
It's not a huge blow. It doesn't rival the losses of Nick Markakis and Jason Hammel. But Betemit was hitting .302 against...
If you keep a scorebook at home, remove the error charged to first baseman Mark Reynolds on Sept. 9 against the Yankees. Give Robinson Cano a double.
I hope you used a pencil.
The Orioles took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third on an error by Athletics third baseman Josh Donaldson that scored Manny Machado, who singled, advanced to second on Robert Andino's fly ball to center field and took third on Nate McLouth's fly ball to right.
Machado must have heard about Coco Crisp's weak arm in...
Lew Ford is starting in right field tonight, as manager Buck Showalters breaks out his right-handed lineup. However, left-handed hitting Chris Davis is the designated hitter.
Matt Wieters is behind the plate and batting fourth.
For the Orioles:
Nate McLouth LF
J.J. Hardy SS
Adam Jones CF
Matt Wieters C
Lew Ford RF
Mark Reynolds 1B
Chris Davis DH
Manny Machado 3B
Robert Andino 2B
Joe Saunders LHP
For the Athletics:
Coco Crisp CF
Jonny Gomes DH
Josh Reddick RF
Yoenis Cespedes LF
Chris...
The Orioles announced today that they released veteran reliever Kevin Gregg and outrighted minor league second baseman Ryan Adams to Triple-A Norfolk after he cleared waivers.
No surprises here.
Gregg is hoping to catch on with another team and the Orioles couldn't come up with a trade partner over the winter or during the season. He figured to be cut loose after they designated him for assignment Tuesday.
Gregg went 3-2 with a 4.74 ERA in 40 appearances for the Orioles this season. He...
The Orioles have ended their streak of 14 consecutive losing seasons. When do they begin talks with manager Buck Showalter on a new contract?
Showalter has one year remaining on a deal he signed in August 2010. At this point, neither side has broached the subject. It's a back-burner issue, just as Showalter wants to keep it.
Showalter has no interest in going down that road with his team tied with the Yankees for first place in the American League East in the middle of September. He'll...
Today's attendance: 25,130
The Orioles completed a three-game sweep of the Rays with a 3-2, 14-inning victory. They have sole possession of first place in the American League East, with the Yankees playing the Red Sox later tonight. The Rays fall four games back in the division.
The Orioles can do no worse than .500, ending their streak of consecutive losing seasons at 14. Just don't listen for the sound of champagne corks popping in the home clubhouse.
"I don't think our guys take...
The MRI on Jason Hammel's right knee didn't reveal a new injury, according to Orioles manager Buck Showalter.
Hammel will accompany the team to the West Coast. He may seek a second opinion on the results, but the Orioles are confident that he's going to be fine.
The next step, of course, is getting Hammel back on a mound and into the rotation. There's no timetable for his return.
"We got good news, that there's no new injury that we can see on the MRI," Showalter said. "They're...
