Adam Plutko has been a solid addition to O's bullpen

Adam Plutko has been a solid addition to O's bullpen
Even though he once pitched in a college rotation at UCLA with both Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer, the Orioles could not have expected right-hander Adam Plutko to pitch this well for them. When they acquired him from Cleveland on March 27 for cash considerations, it was expected to be for long relief situations and to cover some innings. He is throwing so well for this club that he's been used recently in some late-in-the-game high-leverage spots. Over nine games, he has an ERA of 1.42 and a...
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O's game blog: Bruce Zimmermann faces Yankees

O's game blog: Bruce Zimmermann faces Yankees
In winning on Sunday versus Oakland and Monday against the New York Yankees, Orioles pitchers have allowed three runs in the two games. Baltimore pitchers have allowed 16 runs over the last five games and 27 runs the past 10. The pitchers are doing pretty well: * The team ERA for the season is down to 3.99, which is seventh in the American League.* The rotation ERA is 4.71, 13th in the AL.* The bullpen ERA is 3.08 which is fifth in both the AL and the majors.* The O's rotation ERA is 3.67 over...
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Can Matt Harvey join John Means in pitching well atop rotation?

Can Matt Harvey join John Means in pitching well atop rotation?
The Orioles have lefty John Means at the top of their rotation and he's throwing great baseball. What if Matt Harvey could build on last night's strong outing and join him for a nice one-two punch at the top? That could be big for the pitching staff, which already has its bullpen humming along pretty well. It would be a lift for the rotation if Harvey, who lowered his ERA to 4.26 last night, could string together a few strong outings. Last night was just the sixth time in 21 games that an...
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Matt Harvey pitches O's past Yankees

Matt Harvey pitches O's past Yankees
With one strong outing tonight, Orioles right-hander Matt Harvey both pitched past his previous five-inning ceiling and pitched the O's to a win over the Yankees in the opener of a four-game series. After beginning Sunday with just one home win, now the Orioles have three after beating New York 4-2 in front of 6,367 at Oriole Park. The top of the eighth got dicey for the Orioles and ended with a controversial play that went against New York. Harvey picked up his second O's win and produced...
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O's game blog: Orioles-Yankees series begins

O's game blog: Orioles-Yankees series begins
The Orioles' homestand continues tonight as they begin a four-game series against the New York Yankees. Both clubs are 9-12 and tied for fourth in the division, four games behind first-place Boston. The Orioles picked up just their second home win on Sunday, beating Oakland 8-1 and snapping the Athletics' 13-game winning streak. Right-hander Matt Harvey (1-1, 5.12 ERA) will make his fifth start. He has thrown 19 1/3 innings, never pitching more than five in a game, allowing 24 hits with three...
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Tate says O's 'pen is keeping it light while getting outs

Tate says O's 'pen is keeping it light while getting outs
The mantra for the Orioles bullpen this year might be "Keep it loose, keep it light and get a lot of outs." Are they loose out there because they are pitching so well, or is being a loose group leading to them pitching well? The second part might be the answer, according to O's right-hander Dillon Tate. He's part of a bullpen that, with an ERA of 3.09, ranks fifth in both the American League and the majors. Over the last 12 games, the 'pen ERA is 1.81. It's a group that is pitching and...
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O's get series finale and welcome Yankees tonight

O's get series finale and welcome Yankees tonight
The Orioles' 8-1 win Sunday over the Oakland A's - one that snapped Oakland's 13-game win streak - had a homegrown flavor. The Orioles improved to 9-12 and welcome the Yankees to town tonight to begin a four-game series. The Birds had five homegrown players in the lineup, including Cedric Mullins, Trey Mancini, Ryan Mountcastle, Austin Hays and Ryan McKenna. Those players combined for eight hits and six RBIs. Hays produced his second career two-homer game. And O's homegrown lefties started...
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John Means serves as stopper as O's win series finale

John Means serves as stopper as O's win series finale
The way he was pitching, maybe Orioles left-hander John Means would not need big run support. As it turned out, he would not get it. But he was a stopper today for the O's. He stopped a three-game losing for the team as they avoided getting swept by Oakland. Means also stopped Oakland's 13-game winning. The run ends one short of the second-best streak in team history when they won 14 in a row from April 23-May 9, 1988. The 20-game run in 2002 is the club record. Means was real good again for...
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Zac Lowther talks about his call to the major leagues

Zac Lowther talks about his call to the major leagues
Pitchers like Keegan Akin, Dean Kremer and Bruce Zimmermann have preceded him. Now 24-year-old lefty Zac Lowther arrives in the majors for the first time. Taken by the Orioles out of Xavier with the No. 74 pick in the 2017 draft, he was added to the big league roster today as Wade LeBlanc was designated for assignment. Lowther's strong minor league resume includes being named O's co-Minor League Pitcher of the Year with Akin 2018 and a stellar 2019 season when he was one of the best pitchers...
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O's game blog: John Means faces A's in series finale

O's game blog: John Means faces A's in series finale
In an attempt to pick up their second home win of the season, avoid a three-game sweep and snap Oakland's long winning streak, the Orioles turn to their lefty ace today. John Means (1-0, 1.52 ERA) will make his fifth start. Means went seven scoreless innings on three hits last Sunday at Texas and is pitching on two extra days of rest. He threw 96 pitches last Sunday with two walks and nine strikeouts. Means ended his 2020 season by pitching to an ERA of 1.52 over his last four starts. He has...
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On MASN telecast, Elias talks about alternate camp (plus Lowther info)

On MASN telecast, Elias talks about alternate camp (plus Lowther info)
Break up the alternate site Orioles. They are an unbeaten club. The group of players that provide insurance for the roster of the big league team as the wait for the minor league season to start May 4 are 4-0 in games where box scores have been provided. They have scored 38 runs in winning four versus the Nationals alternate squad camp roster. The Orioles posted some information on their player development Twitter account. During the Friday broadcast on MASN, O's executive vice president and...
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O's game blog: O's try to even series against Oakland

O's game blog: O's try to even series against Oakland
If the rain holds off, we should get a few answers to a few questions tonight. Such as, will the O's offense struggle again? And, can anyone soon beat the Oakland Athletics? The A's beat the Orioles 3-1 last night to improve to 13-7. They are 13-1 with 12 wins in a row since an 0-6 start. At the beginning of this season they were losing by scores of 8-1, 9-1 and 10-3, but their last loss was April 8 - more than two weeks ago. Oakland has outscored its opponents 74-34 during this win streak...
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Cole Sulser on adjustments that led to his strong start

Cole Sulser on adjustments that led to his strong start
When you count the growing list of Orioles bullpen pitchers that are throwing well, be sure to include right-hander Cole Sulser. He made a few minor adjustments and tweaks since last season, when he also got off to a good start, in hopes of seeing a solid season through to the end. The 31-year-old right-hander went 1-5 with a 5.56 ERA last season when his ERA dropped, hitting 8.38 over his last nine games. In 2021 his ERA is 0.00 and he's allowed just 0.789 WHIP thus far. That covers 6 1/3...
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On another tough night of offense, O's 'pen was good again

On another tough night of offense, O's 'pen was good again
As the Orioles continue to struggle many nights on offense, there is frustration in that. But also frustration in how, with just a few more runs, they could have several more wins. Here are the scores of the last six O's losses dating to the first doubleheader with Seattle: 4-3, 4-2, 2-1, 1-0, 3-0 and 3-1. They have allowed just 17 runs in those six losses, which have come by 10 total runs. I told you it would be frustrating. But as the offense has been exactly that, the O's bullpen has been...
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O's couldn't maximize big scoring chance and lose series opener

O's couldn't maximize big scoring chance and lose series opener
When a team is not hitting much and they get a golden chance to put up some runs, they probably need to pounce. The Orioles didn't tonight when presented a great chance as they lost the series opener to the Oakland A's at Camden Yards. The A's 3-1 win is their 12th in a row. Before this, the last club to win 12 in a row in the big leagues was Houston, from June 6-18, 2018. The Orioles (8-11) fall to 1-7 at home and to 1-9 when scoring three runs or less. When they get four or more they are...
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O's game blog: O's host A's in homestand opener

O's game blog: O's host A's in homestand opener
After a 3-2 road trip to Texas and Miami, the Orioles begin the second homestand of the season tonight. It's a seven-game homestand, which begins against Oakland and continues Monday when the New York Yankees come to town. Tonight, the Orioles (8-10) host the hottest team in the majors. Oakland (12-7) has won 11 in a row and is tied with Seattle for first in the American League West. The A's began the year 0-6, then split the next two games before their win streak started. Their 11...
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César Valdez on his success and chance to close for Orioles

César Valdez on his success and chance to close for Orioles
In his second season with the Orioles, 36-year-old right-hander César Valdez is still confounding American League hitters. And he's doing it in the ninth inning. And not with a 98 mph fastball, but rather a changeup that averages 78 mph. He is the opposite of a flamethrower and he uses his changeup 82 percent of the time. It's been so good that he is off to a 2-0 start with four saves and an ERA of 0.96 in eight games. He's allowed seven hits and one walk over 9 1/3 innings with 10...
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More on the offense as O's await red-hot Athletics

More on the offense as O's await red-hot Athletics
If we use the stat OPS - on-base plus slugging - the 2020 Orioles look a lot better than the 2021 club. And it's not very close. Counting all batters - qualifiers and non-qualifiers - the 2020 Orioles had six players with an OPS of .800 or better and two at .900 plus. And another player at .791. This year's club has just two players at .800 or above through 18 games and just four players on the entire club at .704 or above. Yep, only four players at .704 or above. Yikes. Last year's club had...
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What it looks like after 18 games

What it looks like after 18 games
So the Orioles have played about 11 percent of the 2021 season. That is a sample, but a small one. Can we make any judgments from that? We can, but you run the risk of being wrong. Well, that's never stopped us before. At 8-10, the Orioles are playing .444 baseball. That is better than their .417 win percentage from last year when they were 25-35. A team playing at a win percentage of .444 for a full season would go 72-90. That is probably better than many projected. And maybe better than...
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O's Zimmermann done in by one pitch in loss to Miami

O's Zimmermann done in by one pitch in loss to Miami
If you are a starting pitcher and your team has not scored you any runs, your margin for error is not minimal, it's zero. One mistake could cost you. That happened today to Baltimorean Bruce Zimmermann. The left-hander was twirling a shutout in a 0-0 tie at Miami when one pitch that got drilled into the gap led to a three-run inning and the Marlins went on to beat the Orioles. Another attempt to get back to .500 came up short as the Orioles fell 3-0. They went 3-2 on this road trip and come...
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