After slump, Joey Rickard's batting average is on the rise again

After slump, Joey Rickard's batting average is on the rise again
It looks like Orioles outfielder Joey Rickard has weathered the storm - and not one of the many the Orioles have dealt with this year that have caused delays and postponements. It is the one where he struggled at the plate and his average took a dip. It is on the rise again. Rickard was batting .350 on April 21 and then saw his average drop to .267. But over his past five games with an at-bat, Rickard is 7-for-21 (.333) with a double, homer, two RBIs and three walks. He had drawn just six walks...
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Mark Trumbo and Adam Jones talk about Manny Machado

Mark Trumbo and Adam Jones talk about Manny Machado
The more he continues to play well at an incredibly high level, it seems the more Orioles players are getting questions about Manny Machado. What has been behind his great season, they are being asked. A couple of Machado's teammates fielded such questions yesterday including outfielder Mark Trumbo. He played with Mike Trout, now he plays with Manny. What impresses him so far about Machado? "He takes care of what he needs to take care of," Trumbo said. "He's got a nice routine and he knows...
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Pedro Alvarez on his clutch hit and winning without a homer (other clubhouse quotes)

Pedro Alvarez on his clutch hit and winning without a homer (other clubhouse quotes)
The Orioles rallied from five runs down to win tonight and they did it without hitting a single home run. Pedro Alvarez, whose single tied the game 5-5 in the seventh, said no one should be surprised by that. The Orioles won by hitting 10 singles, a double and a triple and by going 5-for-11 with runners in scoring position. "I mean this is a team that is perfectly capable of scoring runs without hitting home runs," Alvarez said. "Obviously everyone likes to see home runs, but this is a team...
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Orioles rally from five down to beat Tigers 7-5, run win streak to five

Orioles rally from five down to beat Tigers 7-5, run win streak to five
On a night they got a poor outing from their starting pitcher, did not hit a home run and fell behind by five runs, the Orioles still won. They ran their win streak to five games tonight beating the Detroit Tigers 7-5 in the series and homestand opener at Camden Yards. Trailing 5-0, the Orioles scored twice in the sixth and then added five runs in the seventh to rally to victory. They improved to 21-12 and are a season-high nine games over .500. The Orioles have outscored their opponents 37-15...
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O's game blog: Orioles have won nine of 13 as homestand begins

O's game blog: Orioles have won nine of 13 as homestand begins
One night after striking out 20 times in Washington against the Nationals Max Scherzer, the Detroit Tigers are in Baltimore. They begin a four-game series against the Orioles tonight at Camden Yards. Since they were 14-10, the Tigers have lost eight of nine games to fall to 15-18. They are 10-9 in road games. The Orioles are 20-12 on the year and have outscored their opponents 30-10 during a four-game win streak. The Orioles have won six of eight and nine of 13 games. They are 13-5 at Camden...
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Adam Jones on his health, his struggles and all those O's home runs

Adam Jones on his health, his struggles and all those O's home runs
Rare would be the day a reporter could hear Orioles center fielder Adam Jones say physically he doesn't feel right or that he can't play in that night's game. This afternoon, Jones said he's been healthy enough to play throughout this year, save for the few games he had to and did miss. "I've felt comfortable since day one," Jones said. "It is just you guys want to talk about results. When I'm not hitting good or is something hurting? No, just sometimes you suck man, it happens. You...
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A look at some hot and cold stretches for the Orioles with the longball

A look at some hot and cold stretches for the Orioles with the longball
When the Orioles start hitting homers in bunches, it can be fun to watch and it can be pretty good for the team's won-loss record. Over the last three games they have hit six, two and four. This is the second time this season the O's have produced three consecutive multi-homer games. But we know the homers don't always come. Here is a breakdown of some stretches this year where they hit quite a few and when they did not: * The Orioles hit 25 homers in the season's first 12 games and went...
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Trumbo with another two-homer game as O's top Twins

Trumbo with another two-homer game as O's top Twins
When the Orioles bash home runs, it can be impressive to see. It was today at Target Field. Under cloudy and sometimes wet skies, the Orioles were raining homers. They hit three - two by Mark Trumbo - in the first four innings and added another later on their way to a 9-2 win over Minnesota. The Orioles are 20-12 and have won four in a row. They have also won six of eight and nine of their past 13 games to get to eight games over .500 for the first time in 2016. Trumbo hit a two-run homer that...
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O's game blog: Machado has eight multi-hit games his last 11 games

O's game blog: Machado has eight multi-hit games his last 11 games
The Orioles will look for a sweep of a series shortened to two games by a rainout this afternoon in Minnesota. Last night Adam Jones drove in three runs to lead the Orioles to a 5-3 win. His two-run single in the ninth broke the 3-3 tie. Jones now has 1,305 hits as an Oriole, passing Orioles Hall of Famer Mark Belanger (1,304) for sole possession of 12th on the club's all-time hits. list. Melvin Mora (1,323) ranks 11th. Jones three RBIs on Tuesday gives him 659 as an Oriole, moved him ahead of...
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A few notes and stats on the Orioles' win over the Twins

A few notes and stats on the Orioles' win over the Twins
With a rainout thrown in, it felt like it had been a while since the last Orioles game. They finally played again last night and Adam Jones' two-run single in the ninth provided a 5-3 win at Minnesota. The victory was the Orioles' eighth in the last 12 games and they are now 19-12. They tied a season-high going seven games over .500. They ended a five-game losing streak at Target Field. A year after going 0-7 versus the Twins, they are 4-0 against Minnesota. A few more notes on the latest...
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Adam Jones delivers tiebreaking single in ninth as O's top Twins

Adam Jones delivers tiebreaking single in ninth as O's top Twins
The Orioles pulled out a game tonight with a ninth-inning rally and struggling center fielder Adam Jones drove in the decisive runs. The Orioles beat Minnesota 5-3 to take the first of a rain-shortened two-game series. Tied 3-3 in the ninth, Kevin Jepsen came on and got the first two batters out. Then Joey Rickard doubled and Manny Machado was walked intentionally. On a 1-2 pitch to Jones, a wild pitch advanced the runners to second and third. Jones then lined a fastball into left-center for a...
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O's game blog: A look at tonight's pitchers and some farm notes

O's game blog: A look at tonight's pitchers and some farm notes
The Orioles will try again tonight to start their series in Minnesota. Right-hander Kevin Gausman (0-1, 1.42 ERA) pitches against Twins right-hander Jose Berrios (1-1, 6.75 ERA). Gausman has allowed just three earned runs in three 2016 starts and pitched eight scoreless innings against the Yankees in his last start. So far in 2016, left-handed batters are hitting just .118 (4-for-34) off Gausman with a .147 slugging percentage and .290 OPS. Right-handed batters are hitting just .188 (6-for-32)...
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Talking exit velocity with Mark Trumbo

Talking exit velocity with Mark Trumbo
The Orioles' Mark Trumbo just might be the thinking man's hitter. Listen to him in interviews and it's clear he has a real plan when he gets in the batter's box. Talented pitchers don't always allow him to execute it, but he is doing a lot more than just hacking up there. Off to a solid start this year with his new team, Trumbo has become a student of exit velocity - that is the speed with which the ball comes off the bat. All hitters strive to hit the ball hard and now, through Statcast...
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O's game blog: The Orioles are 5-7 in road games (game rained out)

O's game blog: The Orioles are 5-7 in road games (game rained out)
The Orioles have a very good record at home this year. Tonight they try to work on improving their road record when they begin a three-game series at Minnesota. Having just concluded a 6-4 homestand, the Orioles are 13-5 at Oriole Park this year. But they are under .500 at 5-7 on the road. The Orioles have lost three of their four road series. They went 2-4 on their last road trip to Kansas City and Tampa Bay and scored just five runs in the last four games of that trip. But the Orioles hit a...
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Minor league notes on Ryan Mountcastle, Corban Joseph, Chance Sisco and more

Minor league notes on Ryan Mountcastle, Corban Joseph, Chance Sisco and more
Single-A Delmarva's Ryan Mountcastle has started to hit for the Shorebirds after a slow start. The 19-year-old shortstop has six hits in his last two games and an eight-game hitting streak. Drafted 36th overall by the Orioles last June, Mountcastle went 4-for-4 on Saturday and added two hits yesterday for a 6-for-9 stretch those two games. He is batting .429 (12-for-28) during his hitting streak to raise his average from .154 to .237. Ranked as the Orioles No. 7 prospect by Baseball America,...
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Orioles announce plans to celebrate 1966 World Series champs

Orioles announce plans to celebrate 1966 World Series champs
It was a special time in Baltimore Orioles history. The Orioles beat the favored Los Angeles Dodgers in a stunning four-game World Series sweep in 1966 for their first championship. With a remarkable display of pitching, the Orioles allowed just two runs in the entire series and none in the last three games. The Orioles today announced plans for a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 1966 World Series victory. To commemorate the anniversary, the Orioles will wear 1966 replica throwback...
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Trumbo talks Trout and Machado, plus other notes and quotes

Trumbo talks Trout and Machado, plus other notes and quotes
Orioles outfielder Mark Trumbo played two seasons with Mike Trout. In 2012 and 2013 they were teammates on the Los Angeles Angels. Trumbo is now playing with Manny Machado. In the clubhouse after the Orioles' 11-3 win over Oakland on Sunday, Trumbo made a brief comparison of the two young stars. "They wow you, each and every day," Trumbo said. "Just when you think that they've done enough for that game, they do something crazy like hit a grand slam or make a play in the field. The sky is...
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Manny Machado: "It's a great day" (plus more clubhouse quotes)

Manny Machado: "It's a great day" (plus more clubhouse quotes)
It was Mother's Day, but this whole weekend was a bit of a family affair for the Orioles' Manny Machado. He had family in the stands and was playing against his brother-in-law, Oakland's Yonder Alonso. Today, Machado put on a show for his family and his many Orioles fans. He homered twice, hit a grand slam and drove in a career-high six runs in the Orioles' 11-3 win over Oakland. "It's a special day," Machado said. "We are glad to have our families here. I had my mom in the stands and...
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Homer happy: O's hit six homers, Machado with two, in 11-3 win

Homer happy: O's hit six homers, Machado with two, in 11-3 win
When Orioles starting pitcher Chris Tillman allowed three runs in the first inning today against Oakland, the Orioles knew they would have to come from behind. No one knew they'd hit five homers in the first four innings. Then get a grand slam several innings later. Manny Machado hit a two-run homer in the first and a grand slam in the eighth. He produced a career-high six RBIs as the Orioles bashed the Oakland A's 11-3 in front of 43,690 at Camden Yards. Machado has three career grand slams,...
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O's game blog: Chris Tillman has a 1.37 ERA his last three starts

O's game blog: Chris Tillman has a 1.37 ERA his last three starts
Chris Tillman is having a strong season for the Orioles. He'll try to pitch them to a win this afternoon against Oakland. If he can do it, the Orioles will win this series, complete a 6-4 homestand and head to Minnesota six games over the .500 mark at 18-12. A look at how good Tillman has been this season: * He is 3-1 with an ERA of 2.81 in six starts. * He is 3-0 with a 1.46 ERA in four starts against the AL East. * He is 2-0 with a 1.37 ERA over his last three starts. * He is 2-0 with a 1.80...
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