Davis back in right field tonight

Davis back in right field tonight
Orioles manager Buck Showalter isn't shaking up the lineup tonight. Chris Davis is starting in right field again, with Steve Pearce in left, Mark Reyolds at first base and Wilson Betemit at third. He'd love to sneak in a designated hitter, but no chance. For the Orioles: Brian Roberts 2B J.J. Hardy SS Chris Davis RF Adam Jones CF Matt Wieters C Mark Reynolds 1B Wilson Betemit 3B Steve Pearce LF Jason Hammel RHP For the Braves: Michael Bourn CF Martin Prado LF Brian McCann C Dan...
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Orioles not pitching in at the plate

Orioles not pitching in at the plate
Orioles pitchers are 0-for-9 at the plate with eight strikeouts in interleague games this year, which might seem like an obvious failing except that they were 9-for-22 (.409) last season, setting American League single-season records for most hits and highest batting average by pitchers in interleague competition. Wei-Yin Chen has struck out in both of his at-bats this season, and that's an obvious failing. He'll be the first to admit, through his interpreter, that he's a bad hitter. He had...
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Orioles trying to get it right in right

Orioles trying to get it right in right
Before the Orioles took the field on Thursday for the final game of their homestand, manager Buck Showalter responded to a reporter's question by confirming that Chris Davis could play first base again this season. He also noted that Davis might play third or left field as part of a double-switch, one of those moves commonly made in National League ballparks. Showalter's point was that Davis shouldn't be regarded exclusively as a designated hitter despite making 17 starts in that role, one...
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Matusz left with 1-0 deficit (Matusz done after 5 2/3)

Matusz left with 1-0 deficit (Matusz done after 5 2/3)
Before tonight, only one left-handed batter had homered off Orioles starter Brian Matusz. Move over, Curtis Granderson. Atlanta catcher Brian McCann homered with two outs in the first inning tonight to give the Braves a 1-0 lead. Lefties were batting .138 against Matusz before tonight, with four walks and 22 strikeouts. In his career, Matusz was holding lefties to a .219 average and 11 home runs. Right-handed hitters had 40 homers. McCann was a logical candidate to buck the trend. He's...
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Davis in right field tonight

Davis in right field tonight
Manager Buck Showalter is keeping Chris Davis in the lineup tonight by starting him in right field. Davis has never played the outfield in the majors. He's been a corner infielder and emergency reliever (once). Davis played two games in right field with Single-A Spokane in 2006. For the Orioles: Brian Roberts 2B J.J. Hardy SS Chris Davis RF Adam Jones CF Matt Wieters C Mark Reynolds 1B Wilson Betemit 3B Steve Pearce LF Brian Matusz LHP For the Braves: Michael Bourn CF Martin Prado 1B Brian...
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Matusz looking to end interleague streak

Matusz looking to end interleague streak
Left-hander Brian Matusz is starting tonight for the Orioles after being pushed back two days following his bunting mishap, and he's got a score to settle with the National League. Matusz has never faced the Braves, but he's 0-5 with a 7.49 ERA in six career interleague starts, with 28 earned runs allowed in 33 2/3 innings. He's also hitless in four major league at-bats. It's probably safe to assume that Matusz isn't a huge fan of interleague baseball. That's most definitely true of...
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Bullpen's production has been a huge relief

Bullpen's production has been a huge relief
The Orioles began last night's game against the Pirates with the lowest bullpen ERA in the majors at 2.40. Darren O'Day gave them a scoreless seventh inning, retiring the side in order. Dana Eveland allowed a run in two innings, which the Orioles didn't mind conceding in a 12-6 victory. Tommy Hunter collected his first win since April 24 because the Orioles showered him with runs and the 'pen protected his lead. The unit hasn't fallen out of step without Matt Lindstrom, who posted a 1.29...
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Hearing from Pearce, Wieters and Hunter

Hearing from Pearce, Wieters and Hunter
Steve Pearce is batting .320 with eight RBIs in seven games with the Orioles. He'd probably like a few more against the Pirates, who watched him homer and drive in five runs tonight after he went 2-for-3 with an RBI last night. "It's nice playing against the Pirates. It just feels good having a great game and helping contribute to this win," he said. "I'm just looking for the opportunity. The biggest thing with me over the years was I just wasn't able to stay healthy, I earned playing...
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Showalter speaks after 12-6 win

Showalter speaks after 12-6 win
The Orioles have won five games in a row for the third time this season. They've won seven of their last nine games and have taken their last three series. The Orioles scored a season-high 12 runs tonight, giving them 27 in this series, and Steve Pearce delivered a career-high five against his former team. What kind of impression is Pearce making on manager Buck Showalter? "Good one," Showalter said. "Taking advantage of the opportunity, providing some versatility, putting some good...
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Confusing start by Hunter (O's win 12-6)

Confusing start by Hunter (O's win 12-6)
Tommy Hunter retired the first 12 batters he faced tonight, which almost went unnoticed while the Orioles picked apart former Oriole Erik Bedard. Hunter was strong, striking out three of the first six Pirates, but he won't turn in a quality start. Not after allowing five runs and seven hits over six innings. Rod Barajas hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning and the Pirates scored twice in the sixth on Casey McGehee's RBI grounder and Pedro Alvarez's single. Seven of 12 batters reached...
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Orioles give Bedard a rude welcome back (O's up 10-3)

Orioles give Bedard a rude welcome back (O's up 10-3)
If Erik Bedard has fond memories of Camden Yards, they won't include tonight's first inning. Better to erase it from his mind. The Orioles sent eight batters to the plate and scored four runs, all of them with two outs. Bedard threw 36 pitches, including nine to Chris Davis before walking him. Brian Roberts led off with a single, his fourth hit in three games. Matt Wieters singled after the Davis walk to give the Orioles their first run, Mark Reynolds delivered an RBI double and Steve...
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Lindstrom nearing return to mound

Lindstrom nearing return to mound
Reliever Matt Lindstrom, on the disabled list since May 11 with a slightly torn ligament in his right middle finger, played catch from 60 to 100 feet today at the Ed Smith Stadium complex. He's scheduled to throw batting practice on Saturday and pitch in at least two Gulf Coast League games. He also could report to Double-A Bowie before finally being activated. The Orioles are hopeful that he returns before the All-Star break that begins July 9. Joel Pineiro (shoulder) threw four innings...
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Tolleson recalled, Chavez to DL (with quotes)

Tolleson recalled, Chavez to DL (with quotes)
The Orioles have recalled Steve Tolleson from Triple-A Norfolk and he's starting in left field tonight. Endy Chavez goes on the disabled list with a strained right hamstring. "It's disappointing, but what can I say?" Chavez said. "I feel pretty close, but I understand the situation with the team right now. They had to make a move, but it's not fun. It's disappointing. Hopefully, I'll get healthy pretty soon. Chavez injured his hamstring running to first base Tuesday night. He went on...
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Sticking with what works for Davis and Reynolds

Sticking with what works for Davis and Reynolds
Orioles manager Buck Showalter doesn't have a set lineup, in part because of his roster's flexibility and in part because each day brings another injury that forces him to make adjustments on the fly. If any sort of pattern is developing, it involves first base and designated hitter, where Showalter is using Mark Reynolds and Chris Davis, respectively, when they're both in the lineup. Showalter believes that Davis is more comfortable at DH than Reynolds, and both players are swinging hot...
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Does this mean Arrieta's a starter again?

Does this mean Arrieta's a starter again?
The Orioles had a plan. Keep Jake Arrieta in the majors, but place him in the bullpen until he worked out his problems. Don't demote him to Triple-A, but don't keep running him out there every five days. That was before Brian Matusz stepped into the indoor batting cage Tuesday and tried to bunt. A ball deflected off his bat and smacked into his nose, causing manager Buck Showalter to push back the left-hander's next start until Friday and giving him the idea of letting Arrieta make his next...
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Davis breaks down his home run

Davis breaks down his home run
Though Chris Davis has a history with broken-bat home runs, tonight's wood-shattering blast didn't come with any excuses. This one was legit. Davis said he's done it before, "but it was in a Cracker Jack park and basically just a wind-aided home run. The bat didn't blow up. It cracked. I've never done anything like that before. I'm just glad it left the ballpark and got a few more runs. "It's one of those crazy things. There's always crazy things gong on in this game. To be honest...
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Showalter indicates Arrieta will make next start

Showalter indicates Arrieta will make next start
Jake Arrieta's next turn in the rotation comes on Monday, and it appears that he'll make the start after holding the Pirates to one run over seven innings tonight in a 7-1 victory. Arrieta found out this afternoon that he'd be replacing left-hander Brian Matusz, who was pushed back to Friday. "I tapped him on the shoulder about 2:30 in the food room and said, 'You're pitching tonight,'" manager Buck Showalter said. "It's kind of out of the bag. I can't do it in five days now, so...
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Davis goes for broke on home run (O's win 7-1)

Davis goes for broke on home run (O's win 7-1)
Chris Davis isn't just strong, he's country strong. As in, he could lift an entire country on his shoulders and go for a jog. Davis hit his 12th home run tonight in the bottom of the seventh inning, and his second in two games. Without doing any research, I'm pretty sure his latest is the only one that shattered his bat. The barrel of the bat went flying as the ball sailed over the grounds crew shed in right field. Players in the dugout lowered their heads as if worried that they'd get...
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Orioles taking care of Arrieta early in game (O's lead 5-1)

Orioles taking care of Arrieta early in game (O's lead 5-1)
I'll remind you of a stat I passed along in my previous entry. The Orioles were averaging 3.53 runs per game for Jake Arrieta, the third-worst total among American League starters. Arrieta has a 3-0 lead after two innings tonight. Six of the first eight batters reached against Pirates starter Kevin Correia. The Orioles collected three singles, two doubles and a walk in one inning plus three batters. Chris Davis followed J.J. Hardy's one-out single in the first inning with an RBI double...
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A few pregame notes (Davis RBI gives O's 1-0 lead)

A few pregame notes (Davis RBI gives O's 1-0 lead)
Orioles manager Buck Showalter explained why he pushed back Brian Matusz's start until Friday and gave the ball to Jake Arrieta tonight. "A lot of factors," he said. "We're fortunate to have somebody rested, normal day, and I just didn't want him to get out there and... He said he actually slept better than he has in a long time. I was talking to him about his breathing during the night. And then if he has a problem with it first or second inning and have to use a lot of bullpen, which...
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