Mancini getting it right away from left field

Mancini getting it right away from left field
BOSTON - An Orioles lineup without Chris Davis last night provided another opportunity for Trey Mancini to play first base. However, he could go back to the outfield this afternoon with the Red Sox starting right-hander Rick Porcello. Mancini hasn't touched left field this season and Hyde continues to dole out starts to Dwight Smith Jr., who's homered in back-to-back games. A decision must be made whether to give Mancini the Green Monster today or spacious right. The other alternative is to...
Continue reading

Orioles offense starts slow in 6-4 loss (updated)

Orioles offense starts slow in 6-4 loss (updated)
BOSTON - Hanser Alberto lined a single into right field tonight with two outs in the top of the fifth inning and the Orioles could exhale. They had their first baserunner. Red Sox left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez, the former Orioles farmhand, wasn't going to make history against them. Just a mild flirtation on a cold and rainy night in Boston. Fourteen straight Orioles were retired before Alberto's hit and the Orioles already trailed by three runs. They rallied for two in the seventh on Dwight...
Continue reading

Notes on Severino, Cobb, Davis, Mullins and more (O's down 4-2)

Notes on Severino, Cobb, Davis, Mullins and more (O's down 4-2)
BOSTON - Orioles catcher Pedro Severino has avoided the injured list after being hit by a J.B. Wendelken curveball yesterday on top of his batting helmet and sprawling to the dirt. Severino passed the concussion tests, accompanied the team to Boston and is available to play in the series. "He's a lot better today," said manager Brandon Hyde. "He caught a break there. It's always scary when somebody gets hit in the head. Had a little bit of a headache, but they cleared him of all concussion...
Continue reading

Cobb provides update on back injury

Cobb provides update on back injury
BOSTON - Alex Cobb said his sore back is improving daily, but he doesn't know whether he'll be ready to come off the injured list Tuesday when he's eligible. He wasn't aware of the exact date of his eligibility until told this afternoon by a member of the media. Nothing is circled on his calendar. "Every day is better," said Cobb, who was placed on the IL Tuesday with a lumbar strain, the move backdated to Saturday. "The progress from my everyday life, just getting around and stuff like...
Continue reading

Orioles and Red Sox lineups

Orioles and Red Sox lineups
BOSTON - Trey Mancini is playing first base tonight for the Orioles at a ballpark that tends to bring out the best in him. Mancini is a career .364/.397/.621 hitter with four doubles, two triples, three home runs, 15 RBIs and 11 runs scored in 17 games at Fenway Park. His average ranks third and his 1.018 OPS fifth among active players with a minimum of 70 plate appearances. Joey Rickard is in right field and Chris Davis is on the bench against left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez. Hanser Alberto is...
Continue reading

Wondering what's next for Davis on road trip

Wondering what's next for Davis on road trip
The baseball world's obsession with Orioles first baseman Chris Davis is fueled by the latest pitching matchups on the first leg of the road trip. No one seems to be pumping the brakes on it. The trick is knowing how much to read into the presence of three left-handers starting for the Red Sox, beginning tonight with former Orioles farmhand Eduardo Rodriguez. Manager Brandon Hyde has excluded Davis from the lineup against three left-handers, but included him on other days. Davis sat Wednesday...
Continue reading

Homestand ends with more homers allowed in 8-5 loss (updated)

Homestand ends with more homers allowed in 8-5 loss (updated)
The slider was working today for Dylan Bundy and the outs came at a pace that enabled him to get deeper into his start. Improvements that he talked about earlier this week. Any failures would be topics addressed later at his locker. The four home runs allowed tied Bundy's career high, the club's total increased to 37 on Marcus Semien's shot off Mychal Givens in the ninth and the Orioles lost to the Athletics 8-5 before an announced crowd of 8,374 at Camden Yards. The Orioles are 5-8 and have...
Continue reading

Hyde on Bleier's injury, latest additions and more (O's down 8-5)

Hyde on Bleier's injury, latest additions and more (O's down 8-5)
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde hinted at the possibility yesterday. How left-hander Richard Bleier's reset could involve a trip to the injured list. A medical check would determine the next course of action, which was confirmed this morning. Bleier is IL bound, the move backdated to yesterday. "He's got a little bit of shoulder tendinitis," Hyde said. "Like we talked about, he wasn't bouncing back, he didn't feel that he had the same stuff, as well as his arm just wasn't recovering the...
Continue reading

Bleier: "It's just not working out for me or the team"

Bleier: "It's just not working out for me or the team"
A medical check yesterday on Orioles reliever Richard Bleier revealed tendinitis in his left shoulder and the need to put him on the 10-day injured list. The Orioles are recalling left-hander Tanner Scott and selecting the contract of reliever Josh Lucas from Triple-A Norfolk. Left-hander Josh Rogers was optioned after last night's game. The 40-man roster had an open spot that Lucas is occupying. He's been assigned No. 70. Bleier has made four appearances and posted a 14.54 ERA and 2.077 WHIP...
Continue reading

Orioles lineup vs. Athletics (updated)

Orioles lineup vs. Athletics (updated)
Chris Davis is back in the Orioles lineup today at first base for the final game of the homestand. Davis is tied with Tony Bernazard for longest streak of consecutive plate appearances without a hit, at 57. Cedric Mullins is leading off. Dwight Smith Jr. is in left field and Trey Mancini is in right. Mancini has hit six home runs in the first 12 games, equaling the club records held by Frank Robinson (1969) and Chris Davis (2013). For the Orioles Cedric Mullins CF Dwight Smith Jr. LF Jonathan...
Continue reading

Bundy seeks improvements today in third start

Bundy seeks improvements today in third start
Dylan Bundy is attempting today to lose a little of the consistency that he's brought into his first two starts. Bundy has lasted 3 2/3 innings and allowed three runs against the Yankees in the Bronx and in Baltimore. Perhaps a new opponent is needed, with the Orioles closing out their four-game series this afternoon against the Athletics before flying to Boston. The ERA is frozen at 7.36, with seven walks and nine strikeouts over his 7 1/3 innings. Asked about his side work this week, Bundy...
Continue reading

Home runs haunt Orioles again in 10-3 loss (Rogers optioned)

Home runs haunt Orioles again in 10-3 loss (Rogers optioned)
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde had the plan set up in his mind, with little chance that he'd stray from it. Dan Straily would make his first start since last September, with rookie Josh Rogers backing him up. Use the veteran right-hander against an Athletics lineup heavy in right-handed hitters before turning to the young lefty. The leash on Straily would be shorter than usual due to his inactivity since late in spring training, the Marlins releasing him on March 25 and the Orioles signing him...
Continue reading

Hyde on Davis' latest day off and more (O's down 10-3)

Hyde on Davis' latest day off and more (O's down 10-3)
While the rest of his teammates were inside the clubhouse today or headed to the ballpark, Orioles first baseman Chris Davis grabbed a bat and met up again with hitting coach Don Long for an early batting session on the field. Davis hit off a tee again, but without the slow-motion camera set up behind him. He's working on staying shorter to the ball, tweaking his swing while trying to change the direction of his season and career. The lineup doesn't include Davis again tonight, more unusual...
Continue reading

Orioles considering whether to place Bleier on injured list

Orioles considering whether to place Bleier on injured list
The Orioles are discussing a couple of ways to give struggling reliever Richard Bleier a "reset," including his placement on the 10-day injured list. Manager Brandon Hyde said Bleier is being "checked" today by the medical staff and the Orioles will make a decision on him. It could happen later this afternoon or the following day. Bleier endured another difficult outing last night, charged with four runs in 1 1/3 innings and raising his ERA to 14.54 with a 2.077 WHIP over four appearances....
Continue reading

Orioles and Athletics lineups

Orioles and Athletics lineups
Chris Davis remains out of the Orioles lineup for tonight's game against the Athletics at Camden Yards. That's two nights in a row. Davis is hitless in 56 consecutive plate appearances, one short of Tony Bernazard's major league record. He's 0-for-28 with four walks and 15 strikeouts this season in 32 plate appearances. As he did yesterday, Davis is on the field early hitting off a tee. Trey Mancini is playing first base, with Dwight Smith Jr. in left field and Joey Rickard in right. Hanser...
Continue reading

More on Karns, Cobb and the injured list

More on Karns, Cobb and the injured list
Whatever the result of last night's game, no matter how many runs scored via infield hits, errors and rotten luck, the Orioles could score it a victory simply because no one else got hurt. Within a span of about four hours, the team announced that pitchers Nate Karns and Alex Cobb were going on the 10-day injured list. Moves that hadn't been anticipated, rumored or suspected. Karns worked a scoreless ninth inning Monday night and, while his four-seamer dipped into the upper-80s, alarms...
Continue reading

Bad luck and one bad pitch doom Means in 13-2 loss (updated)

Bad luck and one bad pitch doom Means in 13-2 loss (updated)
The first major league start for Orioles left-hander John Means got silly before it grew ugly. Three infield hits in the second inning, along with a ground ball turned into an out and another grounder that produced a critical error. The grass took more of a beating than Means. It wasn't until Marcus Semien jumped on a changeup and cleared the fence in left that the Athletics finally directed a ball out of the infield. Means was down by five runs, four of them unearned, and the Orioles tumbled...
Continue reading

Orioles place Cobb on IL (plus other notes, O's down 10-2)

Orioles place Cobb on IL (plus other notes, O's down 10-2)
The Orioles are using the injured list for the second time today, placing Alex Cobb on it with a lumbar strain. The move is retroactive to Saturday. Cobb was supposed to start Wednesday night against the Athletics, but manager Brandon Hyde will have to find a replacement. No corresponding roster move was announced, only the removal of Cobb and the reason behind it. Cobb opened the season on the IL with a groin injury and made his debut in Thursday's home opener against the Yankees, allowing...
Continue reading

Karns: "This is just a minor setback"

Karns: "This is just a minor setback"
Nate Karns expressed confidence this afternoon that his stay on the 10-day injured list won't linger and his placement is only a precautionary measure due to some tightness in his right forearm. The Orioles called up reliever Evan Phillips as Karns' replacement in the bullpen and on the 25-man roster. Phillips was given the news around 11 p.m. Karns threw 10 pitches last night while retiring the side in order in the ninth inning, and another decrease in fastball velocity prompted the...
Continue reading

Villar, Mancini and tonight's Orioles lineup

Villar, Mancini and tonight's Orioles lineup
Jonathan Villar attacked Marco Estrada's reverse splits last night by batting from the right side against a right-handed pitcher, hardly a new tactic in baseball but one that doesn't surface on a regular basis. Villar struck out and flied out in his first two at-bats, coming to the plate twice in the first two innings. But he followed Cedric Mullins' triple in the fourth with a home run to center field, contact made from the left side. A single in the eighth left Villar 2-for-5 with four...
Continue reading