Imagine that you played nearly 1,000 minor league games, yet your phone was not ringing off the hook last winter when some players were scrambling for minor league jobs. But you eventually got one at Double-A Bowie with the Orioles. Then in June you got called up to the majors. Until then your MLB experience consisted of two games and six at-bats.
But that call to the majors lasted just five days. Then nine days after being sent back to the minors, you are designated for assignment. You clear...
When this series began, the Chicago White Sox had scored four runs or less for nine straight games. But by the fifth inning tonight, they had hit two homers and scored seven times.
Chicago went on to beat the Orioles 8-6, holding off a late Baltimore comeback in the opener of a three-game series at Oriole Park. Both teams ended long losing streaks in their previous games, but Chicago emerges as the team with two straight wins after tonight's contest.
The Orioles snapped a six-game losing...
As the Orioles host the Chicago White Sox tonight to start a three-game series, O's right-hander Luis Ortiz will make his second big league appearance and his first as a starter.
Ortiz was acquired from Milwaukee with Jonathan Villar and infielder Jean Carmona on July 31 when the Orioles traded Jonathan Schoop to the Brewers.
On the farm this year, between Double-A Biloxi and Triple-A Norfolk, the 22-year-old Ortiz went 5-5 with a 3.70 ERA. Over 99 2/3 innings, he allowed 97 hits and 11 homers...
The Orioles have named outfielder Cedric Mullins the 2018 Brooks Robinson Award winner as their minor league Player of the Year. They named left-handers Keegan Akin and Zac Lowther as co-winners of the Jim Palmer Award for minor league Pitcher of the Year.
Mullins played in 109 games between Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk. Over 49 games with Bowie, he batted .313/.362/.512 with 12 doubles, five triples, six home runs, 36 runs and 28 RBIs. He was promoted to Triple-A on June 1 and played in...
Right-hander Dylan Bundy and the Orioles were both in need of a quality start last night, and both got one as the Orioles beat the Athletics 5-3. Bundy's slider was on point big-time as he allowed two runs over six innings with no walks and eight strikeouts. Seven of his strikeouts came via his slider.
He picked up his first quality start since Aug. 4 and first win since July 29. Bundy improved to 8-14 with a 5.48 ERA with his longest outing since Aug. 4. It was his fifth game with no walks...
Dylan Bundy returned to his early-season form and that was a welcome sight tonight for the Orioles and their fans. He pitched the Orioles past Oakland 5-3 as they avoided getting swept in three straight and snapped a six-game losing streak.
Bundy recorded his first quality start since Aug. 4 and his first win since July 29. His slider had its sharp, late break back and he recorded 16 swings and misses, 12 on the slider. That is his most in a start since he got 20 swinging strikes on May...
The Orioles need a win at Camden Yards over Oakland tonight to avoid getting swept in a three-game series. The Orioles (41-104) are trying to snap a six-game losing streak and avoid being swept in a series of three or more games for the 17th time in 2018.
Oakland beat the Orioles 3-2 Tuesday night and won 10-0 last night, pitching the 35th one-hitter in A's history, which dates to 1968. It was the fewest hits by the Orioles since they were no-hit on Aug. 12, 2015 at Seattle by Hisashi...
For the first time in a very young major league career, Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins is dealing with a slump. He went 0-for-4 last night versus Oakland and is 4-for-37 (.108) in his last 10 games, dropping his average from .317 to .240.
Mullins certainly knew some tough days would be coming after his great start. It's just part of the game for every player. He made his major league debut Aug. 10 and became the first Oriole to ever debut with a three-hit game. After his first nine games,...
The Orioles 2018 season is certainly one for the ages and not in a good way. As the Orioles are charging toward a team record for losses and approaching all-time records, they are looking terrible in doing so.
Last night they allowed 10 runs in the third inning and trailed 10-0. Their offense went 1-for-28 with a single. They were shutout for the 13th time. They now have their eighth losing streak of the year of at least six games. Oakland had 20 at-bats with runners in scoring position and the...
For the second night in a row, the Oakland Athletics scored in the third inning and went on to win at Camden Yards. But tonight it seemed like they would never stop scoring in that inning.
Oakland had 10 hits and scored 10 runs in the top of the third to blast the Orioles 10-0 at Camden Yards. The Orioles (41-104) are now three losses from tying the club record for losses in one season, set in 1988.
In the third inning, Oakland scored eight runs off starter Andrew Cashner and two off reliever...
After Tuesday's homestand-opening 3-2 loss to Oakland, the Orioles host the Athletics again tonight. It's Game 2 of a three-game series and nine-game homestand.
The Orioles (41-103) fell to 24-45 at home and saw a three-game home winning streak end. They are 0-4 against the Athletics for the year and 11-26 in one-run games. They recorded their 11th game with multiple stolen bases, their sixth since Aug. 20.
Orioles right fielder Adam Jones had singles in the second and fourth innings Tuesday....
As DJ Stewart gets ready to make his major league debut tonight, batting seventh and starting in left field for the Orioles, he will have a comfort level with the guy playing beside him. Cedric Mullins has a locker next to Stewart's in the Orioles clubhouse and starts in center tonight.
The two have played many games together in the same outfield. It started after both were selected in the 2015 draft and went to short season Single-A Aberdeen. They also played together in 2016 with Single-A...
Of the 15 players the Orioles acquired in the July trades, it appears the only one we can bank on seeing on opening day 2019 - barring another deal - is infielder Jonathan Villar.
Villar continues to play well for the Orioles and drove in both runs last night in a 3-2 loss to the Athletics. The Orioles have scored 10 runs over the last three games, and Villar has knocked in five of them.
In 36 games with the Orioles he's shown a nice package of power and speed. He is playing better for the...
This being the 2018 Orioles, right-hander Alex Cobb retired the Oakland A's through two innings tonight and looked good doing so. And then he retired from this game.
Presumably once again dealing with a blister on his right middle finger, Cobb pitched out of a two-out jam in the first and retired Oakland 1-2-3 on just nine pitches in the second.
But Mike Wright Jr. took to the mound to start the third. Oakland scored three runs off him and beat the Orioles 3-2 at Camden Yards in the opener of...
The Orioles begin a three-game series with Oakland tonight at Camden Yards. It is the start of a nine-game homestand that will see the Orioles play host to the Athletics, White Sox and Blue Jays.
The Orioles (41-102) have 19 games remaining - 13 at home and six on the road. They have been better at home, going 24-44 (.353), than on the road, going 17-58 (.227) and losing 12 of the last 13.
Oakland (87-57) is playing outstanding baseball and is the leader for the second American League wild card...
Outfielder DJ Stewart was home starting to look back on and evaluate his Triple-A season and look ahead and help in the planning of his January wedding.
Then the plans changed for the start of his offseason. He had played his last game for Triple-A Norfolk on Sept. 3, but today Stewart got his first call-up to the Orioles. He will wear No. 62. When he gets in the game, it will be the Major League debut for a player the Orioles drafted in round of 2015 out of Florida State.
So for him, the news...
A few random thoughts while we await the start of a nine-game homestand for the Orioles. The hope is they play with more pep in their step than they did during a lackluster 1-8 road trip where they were outscored 65-25.
The pitcher: Why has Mychal Givens regressed this year? From 2015-2017, Givens went 18-3 with a 2.75 ERA and allowed a slash line of .206/.290/.334. But this season, he is 0-7 with a 4.57 ERA and with a slash line of .246/.330/.357.
Givens' strikeout rate has dropped a bit this...
The Orioles brass can look back at the minor league season and find several individual success stories and see players that improved during the year that they must be excited about seeing again in 2019.
One of the pitchers that must be near the top of that list is the 2017 top draft pick, left-hander DL Hall. Coming off his high school senior year and 10 1/3 innings last summer in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, the Orioles were careful to monitor and limit Hall's innings and pitch counts...
The Orioles have been swept in a series of three or more games 15 times this season. They'll need a victory this afternoon at Tropicana Field against Tampa Bay to avoid adding to that.
The Orioles have been swept 10 times in three-game series and five times in a four-game series. They've had 10 of those sweeps come on the road and five at home. The most recent was last weekend when they lost three straight at Kansas City.
Tampa Bay (77-64) has beaten the Orioles by 14-2 and 10-5 scores this...
During a season where we have now seen the Orioles lose 101 games, we've seen plenty of nights where the team has looked bad. The last two nights at Tropicana Field might rank right up there.
On Friday night, in a 14-2 loss, the Orioles trailed 6-0 in the third inning. They were held to six hits and stuck out 15 times and O's pitchers walked 11. At least they didn't give up any unearned runs. That would wait until the first inning in last night's 10-5 loss. An ugly bottom of the first ended...