Where will trade winds blow next month?

Where will trade winds blow next month?
The draft and All-Star break are approaching in Major League Baseball, running together like colors in the wash. They also move the sport closer to the trade deadline and stacking of chips. The Orioles have taken some hits, their pile reduced, but there's still the potential for some movement. Freddy Galvis isn't going anywhere after straining his right quadriceps muscle Saturday afternoon in Buffalo. Manager Brandon Hyde described it as a "Grade 1-plus" and projected a one- to two-month...
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Orioles and Astros lineups (with more notes)

Orioles and Astros lineups (with more notes)
The latest Orioles lineup combination tonight has Ryan McKenna batting fifth and playing left field, with Austin Hays in right field and Anthony Santander serving as the designated hitter. Domingo Leyba is playing second base and Maikel Franco returns to the lineup at third. Austin Wynns is catching. Meanwhile, with a marathon win last night, the Orioles summoned right-hander Conner Greene from Triple-A Norfolk and put him on the taxi squad. A fresh arm is close. Greene would become the 11th...
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Lakins making rare start tonight in Houston

Lakins making rare start tonight in Houston
The Orioles have decided on Travis Lakins Sr. as tonight's starter against the Astros in Houston. The mystery ended around noon with the team announcing it. Lakins, celebrating his 27th birthday, is making his fourth major league start and first since Sept. 26, 2019 with the Red Sox. None of his starts have lasted more than two innings and he worked a career-high four in relief Thursday in Buffalo. Pretty much indicates an opener, with Lakins perhaps followed by rookie left-hander Alexander...
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Orioles issue walks and score late runs in 9-7 win (updated)

Orioles issue walks and score late runs in 9-7 win (updated)
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde spun his lineup again tonight in an attempt to find the right combination. A group that can make plays in the field and generate runs. Perhaps run with an opportunity. Locating strike-throwers also is on the agenda. The shuffling in the rotation is happening now in the infield with the arrivals of Domingo Leyba and Ramón Urías. They started again tonight, with Urías at short and Leyba switching from second base to third base. Slumps and health factor into...
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Tough breaks for Martin keeping him away from shortstop

Tough breaks for Martin keeping him away from shortstop
The injury to shortstop Freddy Galvis, a strained quadriceps muscle in his right leg perhaps keeping him out of the lineup for the next two months, opened another door that Richie Martin couldn't walk through. Martin missed the 2020 season with a fractured right wrist, an injury sustained while playing in an intrasquad game at summer training camp at Camden Yards. Meanwhile, shortstop José Iglesias was in and out of the lineup because of an aching left quadriceps. Surgery to remove a broken...
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Orioles and Astros lineups (updated)

Orioles and Astros lineups (updated)
Domingo Leyba is playing third base tonight as the Orioles open a three-game series in Houston. Maikel Franco and Anthony Santander are on the bench. Austin Hays is in right field and batting second, Ryan McKenna is in left and Ramón Urías is playing shortstop. Pat Valaika gets the start at second base. Urías has a seven-game hitting streak that was interrupted by his return to Triple-A Norfolk. He's 8-for-16 with a double, home run and six RBIs during the streak. Leyba went 0-for-4...
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The waiting for Jahmai Jones is the hardest part

The waiting for Jahmai Jones is the hardest part
The calls for Jahmai Jones grew louder over the weekend after Freddy Galvis limped off the field Saturday afternoon, the severity of his quadriceps injury written on his face. The pain and anguish, the attempts to fight back tears as he rode a cart to the auxiliary tent and later was placed in a vehicle - needing assistance just to sit down - for the ride to a nearby hospital. Fans want Jones in the majors and they want him now. Armchair general managers spew insults from their foaming...
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New faces can't keep O's from familiar place in 5-2 loss (updated)

New faces can't keep O's from familiar place in 5-2 loss (updated)
The roster churn that presents one of the defining qualities of the Orioles' 2021 season freshened the lineup this morning and expanded the bench. It could not, however, improve the won-lost record. Jorge López threw 100 pitches in 4 2/3 innings, the third time through the order bruising him in the fifth, and the Blue Jays won 5-2 in Buffalo to claim the series. The Orioles are 24-54 and have lost 22 of 23 road games as they board their flight to Houston. López was done after Cavan...
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Galvis to miss one to two months with quad injury

Galvis to miss one to two months with quad injury
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde anticipates that shortstop Freddy Galvis will miss one to two months of the season with a strained right quadriceps muscle, an injury sustained yesterday in the second inning while running out a bunt single. Galvis was placed on the injured list within a flurry of roster activity earlier today. "It's in between a Grade 1 to a Grade 2, so more like a Grade 1-plus," Hyde said in his Zoom call with the media. "Hoping for the four to six weeks. Could be a little bit...
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Orioles put Galvis on IL, option Wilkerson and Wade

Orioles put Galvis on IL, option Wilkerson and Wade
The Orioles placed shortstop Freddy Galvis on the 10-day injured list this morning with a right quadriceps strain. They also optioned pitcher Konner Wade and infielder Stevie Wilkerson to Norfolk and recalled outfielder Ryan McKenna and infielders Domingo Leyba and Ramón Urías, who are in Buffalo for the series finale against the Blue Jays. The Orioles selected Leyba off waivers from the Diamondback on June 4. He was 0-for-22 with two walks, leaving his career line at .149/.241/.234 in 54...
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Orioles aren't done debuting players

Orioles aren't done debuting players
Knuckleballer Mickey Jannis, and the law states that he can't be referenced without his signature pitch proceeding his name, became the eighth Oriole on Wednesday to make his major league debut this season. Konner Wade was the ninth, and the 42nd player used by the club, when he replaced starter Keegan Akin yesterday and allowed six runs and seven hits in 1 2/3 innings. Alexander Wells became Nos. 10 and 43 when he replaced Wade in the seventh and tossed two scoreless innings. And it's only...
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Galvis leaves game with leg injury (Orioles lose 12-4, updated)

Galvis leaves game with leg injury (Orioles lose 12-4, updated)
Falling behind by four runs today wasn't the only pain inflicted on the Orioles. They watched shortstop Freddy Galvis leave the game in the top of the second inning with an injury to his right leg, which likely is going to force him onto the injured list and bring more roster moves. Galvis reached on a bunt single and limped off the field, grabbing the front of his leg to indicate a possible quadriceps injury. The club announced only that he had right quad discomfort. Galvis was making his...
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Reviewing how Orioles walked to last night's road win

Reviewing how Orioles walked to last night's road win
As Orioles manager Brandon Hyde soaked in the loud music last night and other celebratory sounds coming from the auxiliary tent that serves as the visiting clubhouse at Sahlen Field, the end of a 20-game road losing streak playfully compared to a wild card victory, he highlighted the key points that enabled his club to overtake the Blue Jays. Less flashy than the big hits were a bunch of walks that validated his lectures to his hitters, young and experienced, about the importance of plate...
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Orioles and Blue Jays lineups

Orioles and Blue Jays lineups
Anthony Santander is in the Orioles lineup today and playing right field after delivering his second career pinch-hit last night during a four-run rally in the eighth inning. Austin Hays is in left field and DJ Stewart is on the bench as the Orioles continue their series against the Blue Jays in Buffalo. Pedro Severino, charged with his seventh passed ball last night, is behind the plate again. Freddy Galvis moves down to sixth in the order. Ryan Mountcastle is the designated hitter. Over his...
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Leftovers for breakfast

Leftovers for breakfast
The Orioles won't be able to measure the exact amount of damage done by the cancellation of the 2020 minor league season due to COVID-19. There isn't a device invented for it, despite the wealth of technology at their fingertips. They made the best of a very bad situation with their alternate training site in Bowie and fall instructional camp, as well as programs and innovative ideas transferred via Zoom calls to players kept home. There are scattered examples of prospects who are flourishing...
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Orioles win in 10 innings to end road losing streak at 20 (updated)

Orioles win in 10 innings to end road losing streak at 20 (updated)
The pitch count didn't present an issue tonight for Matt Harvey. No inning so taxing that he became fatigued by the midpoint, which happened again in his last start. Harvey made it through the fifth inning for the first time in his last 10 starts, though two solo homers put him behind twice, letdowns that have been deadly with the Orioles unable to siphon runs out of a game. The offense wasn't on mute tonight, rare noise coming from a four-run eighth that created a tie. Harvey wouldn't...
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Hyde on Kremer demotion, Wells and Wade on promotions

Hyde on Kremer demotion, Wells and Wade on promotions
The removal again of rookie Dean Kremer from the rotation and active roster this afternoon leaves Orioles manager Brandon Hyde contemplating a replacement with no days off on the schedule until Thursday. "The decision is pending," Hyde said on his media Zoom call. Alexander Wells is available out of the bullpen for tonight's game against the Blue Jays, and the Australian-born left-hander could start Tuesday in Houston. The Orioles needed fresh arms in relief and Wells and Konner Wade, who...
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Orioles and Blue Jays lineups

Orioles and Blue Jays lineups
Are the Orioles and Blue Jays ready to rumble? Alek Manoah is on the mound tonight while appealing his five-game suspension for hitting Maikel Franco in Saturday's game in Baltimore after surrendering back-to-back home runs to Ryan Mountcastle and DJ Stewart. The benches and bullpens emptied. The managers jawed at each other. The rematch is tonight in Buffalo, with the Orioles, more importantly, trying to break a 20-game road losing streak. They have gone 24 consecutive innings without a...
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Orioles call up Wells and Wade, option Kremer

Orioles call up Wells and Wade, option Kremer
Two more pitchers have a chance to make their major league debuts with the Orioles. The team announced today that it recalled left-hander Alexander Wells from Triple-A Norfolk and selected the contract of right-hander Konner Wade. They're in Buffalo tonight as the Orioles try to snap a 20-game road losing streak. Knuckleballer Mickey Jannis was designated for assignment to make room for Wade on the 40-man roster. Dean Kremer has been optioned to Norfolk after last night's disastrous outing...
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Kremer retires only one batter in 9-0 loss (updated)

Kremer retires only one batter in 9-0 loss (updated)
After his second walk of the first inning tonight, Orioles starter Dean Kremer swatted at the ball with his glove while taking the throw from catcher Pedro Severino. After the third, he spun around with his back to the plate. Faced with a bases-loaded, no-out jam, no matter where he stood. The frustration only grew for Kremer, along with the deficit and pitch count. One batter retired, six runs against him, a seat on the bench with teammates patting him on the back in an attempt to encourage...
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