Looking back at Friday's win and looking ahead to the draft

Looking back at Friday's win and looking ahead to the draft
The Orioles players and manager Brandon Hyde had been telling reporters that the team had remained upbeat and the attitude in the clubhouse was good during all the recent losing. Some nights, to be honest, it didn't look like it, such as in recent shutout losses of 13-0 to Houston and 9-0 to Toronto. But, to be fair, when a team is getting blown out, it is hard to look good or to look like their energy level is strong. But it's easier to see that when, for instance, the team rallies from 5-1...
Continue reading

Matt Harvey throws well as O's rally to win

Matt Harvey throws well as O's rally to win
For a pitcher with a record of 0-7 and ERA of 13.17 over his last eight starts, right-hander Matt Harvey threw quite well tonight. For an offense that had not scored in 24 straight innings, the Orioles no longer have to worry about that streak. And thanks to a late four-run rally and a bases-loaded walk issued by the Blue Jays in the top of the 10th, the Orioles beat Toronto 6-5 tonight. The O's ended a six-game losing streak and a 20-game road losing streak, improving to 24-52. In a 5-5 game...
Continue reading

O's game blog: Trying to end streaks against Blue Jays

O's game blog: Trying to end streaks against Blue Jays
The Orioles can snap a losing streak of six straight and a road losing streak of 20 in a row if they can beat the Toronto Blue Jays tonight in Buffalo. The Blue Jays (38-35) host the Orioles (23-52) in the second game of a four-game series and a 10-game road trip for the O's. Right-hander Dean Kremer allowed six runs and got just one out last night before his first-inning knockout. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a grand slam as Toronto led 6-0 after an inning and 9-0 at the end of the third on its...
Continue reading

Reunited in Aberdeen: Henderson moves up, joining Westburg and Mundy

Reunited in Aberdeen: Henderson moves up, joining Westburg and Mundy
ABERDEEN - To say the trio of Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg and JD Mundy helped the low Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds put up strong offensive numbers would be a bit of an understatement. And now that the trio is together again at high Single-A Aberdeen, they hope to begin bashing baseballs at the higher level as well. At the start of June, Westburg and Mundy were promoted to Aberdeen, and as of Sunday, Henderson has joined them with the IronBirds. At the beginning of the minor league season,...
Continue reading

O's game blog: The road trip begins in Buffalo against the Blue Jays

O's game blog: The road trip begins in Buffalo against the Blue Jays
The Orioles begin a three-city, 10-game road trip tonight in Buffalo as they play the first of a four-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays. The teams met over the weekend in Baltimore with the Orioles winning 7-1 Friday but then losing 10-7 and 7-4 to complete the series. The Orioles (23-51) have lost five in a row and 13 of the last 14 games. Manager Brandon Hyde said they have to look at every game and the start of every new series as a chance to reset and reboot and believe that is the...
Continue reading

Austin Hays and his teammates try to stay upbeat amid the losses

Austin Hays and his teammates try to stay upbeat amid the losses
The losses are mounting. The latest was by a 13-0 score last night as the Orioles lost to Houston to get swept again in a three-game series. Since there are humans inside those uniforms, the players must have a tough time trying to stay upbeat during this losing. Before Wednesday's game, during an on-field interview after batting practice, O's outfielder Austin Hays said that, in his mind, the team has done a good job keeping the energy and their collective attitude upbeat. "We come in every...
Continue reading

O's game blog: Wrapping up the homestand against Astros

O's game blog: Wrapping up the homestand against Astros
After scoring 24 runs in a recent four-game span that ended Saturday, the Orioles will look to get their offense going again tonight in the series and homestand finale against the Houston Astros. The Orioles (23-50) have scored just seven runs on 13 hits over the past three games since Saturday - the last game of the Toronto series and the first two versus Houston. Astros pitchers have held Baltimore batters to three runs and eight hits in this series. The Orioles have gone four straight games...
Continue reading

Adley Rutschman's first full minor league season has been special

Adley Rutschman's first full minor league season has been special
BOWIE, Md. - After the Orioles selected Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft, he went on to play in 37 minor league games that summer. This year, bumped up to Double-A Bowie, Rutschman already has 41 games under his belt and no O's minor league player has more plate appearances, He's getting his work in and thriving, and so is his team. If the O's had presented a wish list for his first full minor league season before this year began, he's...
Continue reading

Jorge López throws strong game in loss to Astros

Jorge López throws strong game in loss to Astros
Perhaps motivated by back-to-back shaky outings and/or by tying a career high by allowing three homers in his last start, Orioles right-hander Jorge López seemed focused on getting deep into tonight's game. And he gave the Orioles their 16th outing this year by a starting pitcher of six innings or more. He went a season-best 6 1/3 innings. But a seventh inning run by Houston broke a tie game as the Astros went on to beat the Orioles 3-1 at Oriole Park. While Houston (45-28) has won nine in...
Continue reading

O's game blog: Jorge López faces Astros

O's game blog: Jorge López faces Astros
After a 10-2 loss on Monday night, the Orioles welcome the Houston Astros back to Camden Yards tonight to continue a three-game series. The Orioles were being no-hit into the eighth inning last night when Maikel Franco's home run scored two and was the club's first hit. Franco hit No. 9 and blasted that ball 420-feet, his third-longest homer of the season. The Orioles (23-49) are 1-3 on this homestand and 12-24 for the season at home. Overall, they have lost 11 of 12 games. They've been held...
Continue reading

No pitcher suspensions on night one, plus other notes

No pitcher suspensions on night one, plus other notes
On the first night of Major League Baseball's new "sticky stuff" rules, with baseball pledging to enforce the rules about pitchers using foreign substances and threatening transgressors with ejections and suspensions, there were no offenders reported that I could tell. As of around midnight, I had not seen any reports from any games of someone ejected. Didn't we hear that most of the pitchers were bending the rules or, to say it another way, cheating? Many suggested they were, but last...
Continue reading

O's game blog: O's host Houston in series opener

O's game blog: O's host Houston in series opener
After losing two of three games to Toronto - and dropping the last two games after Friday's 7-1 win - the Orioles host Houston beginning tonight at Oriole Park. It is a three-game series to complete a six-game homestand. Then the Orioles will play the Blue Jays and Astros again on the road as part of a 10-game road trip that also includes a trip to Anaheim. Tonight's game will not start on time as planned due to a rain delay, but the outlook for the rain to pass looks good for later this...
Continue reading

O's Matt Blood on Gunnar Henderson's move up and more on the farm

O's Matt Blood on Gunnar Henderson's move up and more on the farm
He recently moved into a couple of top 100 prospects lists and now Orioles infield prospect Gunnar Henderson is on the move again, this time further up in the Baltimore farm system. The Orioles announced a series of minor league roster moves and promotions Sunday, which included Henderson's move from low Single-A Delmarva to high Single-A Aberdeen. Henderson did not play in Sunday's Delmarva game, but had a quite a run with the Shorebirds. Over 35 games, he hit .312/.369/.574 with 11 doubles,...
Continue reading

O's game blog: The series finale against Toronto

O's game blog: The series finale against Toronto
After the ninth-inning meltdown on Saturday that led to a 10-7 loss, the Orioles look to bounce back right away as they host Toronto today in the series finale. The Orioles won 7-1 Friday night when their pitchers allowed just four hits. But they gave up six runs and five hits in the ninth yesterday in a 10-7 loss. The Orioles (23-47) have lost nine of the last 10 games. They are 12-22 at home, 6-10 this month and 9-19 versus American League East clubs. The Orioles (6) and Blue Jays (3)...
Continue reading

Even though a lot went right, O's have to regroup after loss

Even though a lot went right, O's have to regroup after loss
The Orioles hit six home runs, three by Ryan Mountcastle and two by Cedric Mullins. DJ Stewart added another to give them six hit by homegrown players. They got a quality start for the first time since May 31, ending a run of 15 games without one. They led by four runs after the sixth and seventh innings. They led by three in the ninth and pitched two of their best relievers. It didn't work. They didn't win. The Orioles were a strike away from winning back-to-back games twice, but Toronto...
Continue reading

Mountcastle homers three times, but Jays rally in ninth (updated)

Mountcastle homers three times, but Jays rally in ninth (updated)
A feel-good win and a six-homer day by the Orioles - with three from Ryan Mountcastle - blew up on the team in the ninth today, as the Toronto Blue Jays scored six runs in the inning to stun the Orioles 10-7 and quiet what was a boisterous crowd of 10,721. It was a gut punch loss times 10. They were one out away in the ninth, but lefty Paul Fry allowed a bases-loaded walk to Marcus Semien and it was 7-5. Fry, who entered with a 1.78 ERA, allowed two singles and walk around a fly out and...
Continue reading

O's open to Tyler Wells as a starter and updating John Means

O's open to Tyler Wells as a starter and updating John Means
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said "right around there" today when asked if his ace left-hander, John Means, was expected back around the All-Star break. Means, who is 4-2 with a 2.28 ERA in 12 games, last pitched June 5 when he walked off the mound in the first inning against Cleveland. He went on the injured list with a left shoulder strain. "Good. He's feeling good. He's starting to play catch. Kind of a slow progression back," Hyde said. Speaking of starting pitchers, an outing as a...
Continue reading

O's game blog: Looking for two in a row over Blue Jays

O's game blog: Looking for two in a row over Blue Jays
After ending a losing streak on Friday night, the Orioles will try to build on that victory and start a winning streak today. They host the Toronto Blue Jays in the second game of a three-game series. The Orioles (23-46) beat the Blue Jays 7-1 as center fielder Cedric Mullins hit two homers and drove in four, and five pitchers allowed just four hits with 10 strikeouts. Thomas Eshelman got the start and gave up three hits and one run over 4 2/3 innings. Tyler Wells replaced him and got the win....
Continue reading

Mullins big night, Friday farm pitching and more

Mullins big night, Friday farm pitching and more
Excellent pitching, timely hitting, a curtain call and a win. Pretty good Friday night in Birdland. Cedric Mullins hit his sixth career leadoff homer and third this year, and then produced his third career two-homer game, with all three coming this year. He and the pitchers led the Orioles past Toronto 7-1. When Mullins blasted a three-run homer in the eighth he put an exclamation point on a win to snap an eight-game losing streak. He had a 3-for-4 night with his first four-RBI game and...
Continue reading

O's game blog: Homestand begins against Toronto

O's game blog: Homestand begins against Toronto
The Orioles return home tonight to begin a two-series, six-game homestand. They will host Toronto for three games this weekend and Houston for three beginning on Monday at Oriole Park. The Orioles (22-46) went 5-3 on their last homestand, winning series with Minnesota and Cleveland and splitting two games with the New York Mets. But they just completed an 0-7 road trip, losing three to the Tampa Bay Rays and were swept four in a row at Cleveland. On the trip, they lost four games by two runs or...
Continue reading