The impression I get after a season of a lot of interaction with fans via this blog, Twitter and a radio show is this, in a nutshell: A large majority of Orioles fans are very understanding of the club's rebuilding situation.
They have taken a mostly supportive wait-and-see approach, and they are optimistic for the future. They got frustrated with some aspects of the 2019 season and team, yet know there is a bigger picture to consider. They're hopeful.
That is a large majority and that is...
A major league manager can make an impact and change games with sound strategic moves. But perhaps their biggest impact is as a tone-setter and the daily public voice and face for their teams.
In that regard, I believe that Brandon Hyde had a very solid first season with the Orioles. He and his staff seemed to quickly gain players' trust and confidence in spring training. The upbeat attitude and energy the club developed then carried through Game 162.
And it was no given that would happen....
When spring training began for the 2019 Orioles, left-hander John Means appeared to be a pitcher who would get a brief look before heading to minor league camp to prepare for a Triple-A season.
That never happened. He showed a velocity increase along with an outstanding changeup. He made the opening day roster. By April 9 he was in the rotation. In July he was headed to the All-Star Game, and with a strong finish he ended the year as the Orioles' best starter and a rotation fixture.
He'll...
The 2019 Orioles scored 729 runs, which was 107 more than the 622 by the 2018 Orioles. So that was a nice improvement from a very low run total in 2018.
The Orioles offense got better in the second half and was about league average after the All-Star break. Perhaps that is a nice start for the club on the way to producing an above-average offense down the road.
First a look at some of the numbers -
American League team average for 2019: .253/.323/.439 with 4.9 runs per game, 1.4 home runs per...
The Orioles have had five chances this year to win the final game of a series to sweep that series, and they are 0-5 in those games. Today, on the final day of the 2019 season, they get one last chance for a series sweep. They beat Boston 4-1 Friday night and 9-4 yesterday, and look for the three-game sweep this afternoon at Fenway Park.
Once this year the Orioles won the opener of a two-game series but lost the second game. That happened Aug. 28 at Washington. They won the first two games and...
When Jonathan Villar stole his 40th base in the sixth inning Saturday afternoon he joined a short list of Orioles who have recorded that many steals in one year. When Trey Mancini homered to right in the ninth in the win at Boston, he hit number 35 and joined a longer, but still pretty exclusive list of Orioles.
Villar has sure filled up the stat sheet, batting .274/.339/.455 with 33 doubles, five triples, 24 homers and 111 runs scored. But with his 40th stolen base, Villar joins a list of six...
After a 4-1 win on Friday night, the Orioles play the second game of their series in Boston today and game No. 161 for the season. The O's won last night when Asher Wojciechowski threw six scoreless innings and Renato Núñez hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs.
Lefty John Means (11-11, 3.54 ERA) today makes his 27th start. For the year, he's thrown 150 innings, allowing 133 hits with 36 walks and 116 strikeouts. He holds a WHIP of 1.127 and allows 8.0 hits per nine innings, with...
For a player the Orioles added via a waiver claim in May 2018, it was a milestone homer. A team finally gave Renato Núñez everyday playing time and he rewarded the 2019 Orioles with 30 homers and 89 RBIs.
Núñez is one of 19 players in the American League with 30 and 89.
And it was a big homer. A three-run shot off Boston's Nathan Eovaldi that gave the O's an early 3-0 lead. They would win 4-1 and Núñez drove in all four runs. He crushed the milestone shot with an exit...
The Orioles begin the final series of the year tonight at Fenway Park in Boston. The Orioles come in off Wednesday's 3-2 loss at Toronto and are 3-3 in their last six games, but have lost seven of 10 games.
The Orioles (52-107) are 27-51 on the road, 22-51 versus the AL East, 7-17 in September, 15-36 in series opening games, 33-35 when they score first, 5-11 against Boston and 2-5 at Fenway Park.
Boston (83-76) won two of three against Texas in its last series, scoring 27 runs, and has...
While some fans around Birdland often wonder if Trey Mancini will be involved in trade talks this winter, we seem to be getting a different message from the team.
The Orioles are obviously thrilled with the season Mancini has had and they respect his leadership. But even though he's had such a strong year, there is a thought that he may even be capable of more, both on offense and with his leadership in the clubhouse.
Manager Brandon Hyde has talked with Mancini recently about hitting the ball...
TORONTO - During a season where the 2019 Orioles suffered countless brutal losses, they kept coming back for more and sometimes emerged victorious.
We can't give them too much credit for continuing to play since that is the job. But they kept their enthusiasm and energy up and never seemed to get too far down after losses like Monday's 15-inning affair at Rogers Centre. They won 11-4 the next time out with a very solid performance. They lost 3-2 last night, but even then rallied late and...
TORONTO - After scoring 21 runs in the last two games, a lack of offense tonight led to an Orioles loss, and they failed to win two straight series for the first time since the first week of the year.
In the rubber match at Rogers Centre, right-hander Jacob Waguespack blanked the Orioles over six innings and they lost 3-2 to the Blue Jays. The Orioles are 52-107 and heading to Boston for the final series of the year beginning Friday night.
With the loss, the Orioles are locked into pick No. 2...
TORONTO - He was behind the plate last night for Dylan Bundy's strong seven-inning, two-run outing, so Austin Wynns is back catching again tonight as the Orioles wrap up the series in Toronto.
"I liked the way he caught last night and he hit a homer," manager Brandon Hyde said. "So give him another chance to get back there. I like the fingers he threw last night (calling the pitches). I thought he and Bundy worked really well together and I thought he's done a nice job defensively with the...
TORONTO - Orioles outfielder Dwight Smith Jr. calls the trade that sent him from Toronto to the Orioles on March 8 "the best thing that happened to me in my career."
That is because the Orioles have given him a real shot in the majors this year. Over parts of 2017-18, he got a combined 104 plate appearances with Toronto. This season, he has gotten 384 with the Orioles. That number would probably be higher if not for two injuries.
Smith got off to a hot start with the Orioles. Through May 12,...
TORONTO - After losing 11-10 in 15 innings Monday, the Orioles beat Toronto 11-4 last night at Rogers Centre. So the third and deciding game of this series is set for tonight.
The Orioles took two of three from Seattle over the weekend, winning a series for the first time since they won two of three versus Kansas City from Aug. 19-21. Tonight, in this series finale, they have a shot to win back-to-back series. That has not happened since the Orioles began this season going 4-2 at Yankee Stadium...
TORONTO - When O's right-hander Dylan Bundy took the ball last night against the Blue Jays he made his 30th start of the 2019 season, a number that leads the team. He led the team last year with 31.
While there are certainly more important stats than that, Bundy said taking the ball almost every start and being available to his team was very important to him. This is something that started with the Orioles when center fielder Adam Jones was here. It was important to, as the players say, "post...
TORONTO - A night after the Orioles allowed 11 runs, 13 hits and five homers, some pitching order was restored as they handily beat the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
Right-hander Dylan Bundy was dealin' Dylan, pitching the Orioles to a win in Game 2 of this series. Bundy went seven strong innings, the Orioles hit three homers and Trey Mancini went 5-for-5 in an 11-4 win over Toronto.
Mancini doubled in the first and third and added three singles in setting a new career high for hits and...
TORONTO - The Orioles posted a lineup today that included Anthony Santander and Hanser Alberto, but when Toronto changed pitchers, manager Brandon Hyde changed his lineup. Toronto scratched its scheduled starter, lefty Anthony Kay, due to a back issue and replaced him with lefty Thomas Pannone.
"They scratched their starter about 5 o'clock," Hyde said. "They're going to go with a bullpen day and we figured the majority of the pitchers behind him will be right-handed relievers. So I assume...
TORONTO - At a time when the Orioles bullpen is struggling and often giving up leads, a pitcher that had been struggling previously is not anymore. At least not in a recent stretch of games.
Right-hander Evan Phillips has now put together six straight scoreless appearances for the Orioles, the latest a two-inning stint last night when he pitched the fourth and fifth against Toronto. Over the six games, Phillips has thrown seven innings, allowing four hits with three walks and 10 strikeouts.
It...
TORONTO - After their marathon, 15-inning 11-10 loss to Toronto that ended early this morning, the Orioles and Blue Jays meet tonight in Game 2 of this series at Rogers Centre. It is also the second game of a season-ending six-game road trip that takes the Orioles to Boston beginning Friday.
In yesterday's loss, Austin Hays went 3-for-8 with two homers, five RBIs and four strikeouts. He also made several outstanding catches in a game where all of his talents were on display. His three-run...
