O's game blog: The series in the Bronx begins

O's game blog: The series in the Bronx begins
Coming off their first walk-off win of the 2019 season, the Orioles begin a seven-game road trip today by playing a day-night doubleheader at New York. They will play the Yankees at 1:05 and 7:05 p.m. It is the beginning of a three-day, four-game series in the Bronx, where the Orioles are 2-3 this year. They went 0-10 in Baltimore against the Yankees. The Orioles were swept three straight by New York last Monday through Wednesday in Baltimore by scores of 9-6, 9-4 and 14-2. They gave up 16...
Continue reading

Bowie manager Buck Britton talks Baysox season in radio interview

Bowie manager Buck Britton talks Baysox season in radio interview
When the Double-A Bowie Baysox started this year going 7-23, no one would have predicted they would regroup to produce such a stellar record. But they have. They are 57-31 since that point with a very strong rotation, some solid position players and a couple of veteran coaches to help young manager Buck Britton. Buck, 33, is the older brother of former Oriole Zack Britton. Buck played many seasons on the O's farm, but never made the majors. He might one day as a skipper after leading Single-A...
Continue reading

Walk-off win: Rio Ruiz wins it in the last of the ninth

Walk-off win: Rio Ruiz wins it in the last of the ninth
With one swing it went from disheartening loss to walk-off win. Rio Ruiz hit a two-run homer to right with two outs in the last of the ninth off Houston closer Roberto Osuna and the Orioles stunned the Astros 8-7 at Oriole Park. The Birds had seen Houston score three in the ninth to lead 7-5. But the O's scored three in the home half to win it. Jace Peterson led off with a double for his third hit of the day, all for extra bases. He moved to third on a groundout. Chance Sisco was hit by a...
Continue reading

O's game blog: O's face Verlander in series finale

O's game blog: O's face Verlander in series finale
So after they gave up 23 runs and lost last night, the Orioles face Justin Verlander today as they try to avoid getting swept three straight by Houston. The Orioles lost 3-2 Friday night and 23-2 last night. Before this series they lost by scores of 9-6, 9-4 and 14-2 to the New York Yankees. So the O's are 0-5 in a 10-game stretch against the Yankees and Astros. Before the Orioles began this stretch against New York and Houston, they had gone 7-5 the previous 12 games, 10-7 in 17 and 16-15 in...
Continue reading

What O's can learn from Astros, plus more on last night

What O's can learn from Astros, plus more on last night
Now that Mike Elias and Sig Mejdal have come from the Houston Astros to the Orioles, O's fans are wondering and of course hoping the two can take some of what worked there and make it work here. Maybe even more so after last night's 23-2 loss to Houston. The Orioles suffered their most lopsided loss of the year, allowing season highs in runs and hits. It was just the fourth time in team history they've allowed 23 or more runs in a game. Houston lost 106 or more games every year from 2011 to...
Continue reading

O's fall to Astros 23-2, allowing most runs since 30-3 game

O's fall to Astros 23-2, allowing most runs since 30-3 game
Manager Brandon Hyde threw his team some props for playing well and keeping the result in doubt to the final pitch last night against Houston in a 3-2 loss. The result was no longer in doubt tonight in about the second inning. Houston scored eight runs over the first two innings on its way to crushing the Orioles 23-2 tonight at Camden Yards. The Orioles allowed more runs tonight than in any game since their 30-3 loss to the Texas Rangers on Aug. 22, 2007. It was the most lopsided loss of the...
Continue reading

O's game blog: An all-Aaron pitching matchup at the Yard

O's game blog: An all-Aaron pitching matchup at the Yard
The Orioles (38-77), who are 2-6 on this homestand, host Houston (76-40) tonight in the second game of a three-game series at Oriole Park. Dylan Bundy gave up just two runs over six innings last night, but the Orioles lost 3-2 and they've now lost four in a row. The Astros began a season-long 10-game road trip with a win. They head to Chicago to face the White Sox and Oakland to face the Athletics after this series. Houston has won seven in a row and 10 of 11 games, and has its best 116-game...
Continue reading

O's set most of New York rotation (game update)

O's set most of New York rotation (game update)
The Orioles have half of their pitching plans set for Monday's day-night doubleheader against New York at Yankee Stadium. Gabriel Ynoa will start one of the games, manager Brandon Hyde said today, and the other is TBA. The Orioles will be able to add a 26th player to the roster for the twinbill. So it's possible someone could be called from the minors to make the start. Hyde said Tom Eshelman is a possibility for a start that day, but also said he likes Eshelman in a long-relief role too. The...
Continue reading

The 1989 "Why Not?" Orioles enjoyed return to Baltimore

The 1989 "Why Not?" Orioles enjoyed return to Baltimore
When they beat Roger Clemens and the Boston Red Sox on opening day in 1989, there would be no repeat of the previous season. The 1988 Orioles started 0-21 on their way to 107 losses. A year later, the pundits said Baltimore was headed for last place again. And the '89 team did not exactly tear it up after that win in the opener at Memorial Stadium. They were 13-17 after 30 games. But a hot streak in late May saw the team surge into first place, and they stayed there for most of the summer. But...
Continue reading

Dylan Bundy throws well, but O's are a run short in series opener

Dylan Bundy throws well, but O's are a run short in series opener
The Orioles had gone 11 straight games without a quality start. They just lost three straight to the New York Yankees and gave up 32 runs in getting swept. They could use a well-pitched game tonight. But could they get one against a surging and division-leading Houston Astros club? One that had won six in a row and nine of 10, and had scored 25 runs the last two games and 54 over its last six? The Orioles did get a well-pitched game from starter Dylan Bundy, but the O's offense was pretty...
Continue reading

O's game blog: Checking in with the 1989 "Why Not?" Orioles

O's game blog: Checking in with the 1989 "Why Not?" Orioles
Thirty years ago they went from worst to almost first. The 1989 "Why Not?" Orioles are one of the most popular clubs in team history. After starting 1988 with an 0-21 record and finishing with 107 losses, the '89 team went to the final weekend in Toronto playing the Blue Jays and trailing them by one game for the division title. That O's club lost close games Friday and Saturday and were eliminated, going 87-75 to Toronto's 89-73. But a team picked to finish in the cellar thrilled fans...
Continue reading

Mancini: "It's been positive all year and is going to remain that way"

Mancini: "It's been positive all year and is going to remain that way"
The Orioles' Trey Mancini certainly can sense the pulse of his team. He's a clubhouse leader and cares deeply about his teammates and coaches. Orioles fans have come to learn that about Mancini. As the club begins to move past the dugout confrontation Wednesday involving Chris Davis and manager Brandon Hyde, Mancini said the clubhouse remains positive and upbeat this afternoon. Just like it was before Wednesday's game. "Things like that happen," said Mancini. "It's kind of unfortunate...
Continue reading

After Wednesday, will O's clubhouse vibe remain upbeat?

After Wednesday, will O's clubhouse vibe remain upbeat?
If you think Birdland gets extremely frustrated as losses mount and the Orioles give up a lot of homers and runs, no doubt that is very, very true. Even aware of the team's rebuild mode, it can never sit well with a diehard O's fan to hear Yankees fans enjoying a night in Baltimore. They pipe down when their team is behind and it's up to the Orioles to put them in that position, but they could not this week at Oriole Park. So yeah, frustrating time for fans. And think about how it must be...
Continue reading

O's can use off day to regroup after series sweep and dugout dust-up

O's can use off day to regroup after series sweep and dugout dust-up
During the last three games against the New York Yankees, there were plenty of reasons for Orioles players, coaches and manager Brandon Hyde to be frustrated. They got swept for the fourth time this year by New York and allowed 32 runs and 16 homers in the series. But we don't know what caused the frustration, anger or whatever it was that led to words between Hyde and Chris Davis after the top of the fifth last night. We just know it led to Davis charging toward Hyde, who had gone down the...
Continue reading

O's swept by Yankees after blowout loss and dugout altercation

O's swept by Yankees after blowout loss and dugout altercation
What seemed headed for a game ending with another blowout win for the New York Yankees over the Orioles, the game took another turn at the end of the top of the fifth inning tonight. The MASN cameras caught Chris Davis directing some heated words in what appeared to be the direction of Orioles manager Brandon Hyde. As to why this occurred, we don't have that answer yet. But Davis was being restrained by hitting coach Don Long and injured Oriole Mark Trumbo for several seconds before he went...
Continue reading

O's game blog: John Means faces Yankees in series finale

O's game blog: John Means faces Yankees in series finale
In the first two games of this series, the New York Yankees have 23 hits, including 11 homers and have beaten the Orioles 9-6 and 9-4. They go for a three-game series sweep tonight at Camden Yards. Since the Orioles took two of three at Yankee Stadium in the first series of the season, New York has swept the O's in series of three, two and four games. They'll try to add to that tonight. The Orioles are 2-12 versus the Yankees and have lost 11 in a row in the season series. They have lost 14...
Continue reading

Can O's lefty John Means slow the red-hot Yankees bats?

Can O's lefty John Means slow the red-hot Yankees bats?
The onslaught of homers by Orioles opponents just keeps coming. The New York Yankees bashed five homers in beating the Orioles Monday night and then hit six more last night. Here are some numbers that further quantify the O's inability to keep the ball in the park this series and this season. * The Orioles have now allowed five or more home runs 16 times on the season and four times over the last eight games. They've allowed six or more six times and seven or more twice. * In this series,...
Continue reading

New York with six more homers in win over Orioles

New York with six more homers in win over Orioles
The New York Yankees hit more homers at Camden Yards. They took an early lead. The Orioles came back. But the Orioles lost. It was a bit like last night with fewer runs. By the Orioles. The Yankees beat the Orioles 9-4 at Oriole Park to take the first two games of this series. New York (74-39) has won 11 straight this season against the Orioles and 14 in a row at Camden Yards since July 11, 2018. Tonight they hit six more homers to give them 11 in this series and 47 in 14 games versus O's...
Continue reading

O's game blog: Wojciechowski faces New York

O's game blog: Wojciechowski faces New York
After allowing five homers in a 9-6 loss to the New York Yankees last night, the Orioles host them again tonight in the second of a three-game series. The Orioles are 2-11 against New York in 2019 with 10 straight losses. They've lost 13 straight against the Yankees at Camden Yards. Jonathan Villar became the fifth player in Orioles history to hit for the cycle last night, and the first since outfielder Félix Pié on Aug. 14, 2009 against the Los Angeles Angels. It marked the third cycle...
Continue reading

Looking to regain early-season hitting form, DJ Stewart rejoins O's

Looking to regain early-season hitting form, DJ Stewart rejoins O's
Outfielder DJ Stewart rejoined the Orioles today, recalled from Triple-A Norfolk. He takes the roster spot of pitcher Jimmy Yacabonis, who was optioned out after last night's game. Stewart gives the club a better roster breakdown, with the team now carrying 13 pitchers and 12 position players, rather than 14 and 11. Stewart earned a call-up to the parent club the first time on May 28, after a torrid month of hitting at Norfolk. But after just seven games and 25 plate appearances he was out...
Continue reading