What could pitching coach Chris Holt say to Jorge López in the first inning after approaching the mound? What could catcher Austin Wynns say as López sat in the dugout with three runs against him?
More strikes were needed, but so was much better luck.
The Rays rode four groundball hits, a slow mode of transportation, to an early lead that they held throughout, withstanding Wynns' grand slam in the fifth in a 5-4 victory over the Orioles at Tropicana Field.
Left-hander Rich Hill faced the...
Austin Hays moves over to right field this afternoon against the Rays after leaving the injured list yesterday and playing left field.
Ryan Mountcastle goes from first base to left field and Trey Mancini switches from designated hitter to first base. Anthony Santander is the DH.
Hays leads the club with four outfield assists.
Mancini hit his 98th career home run last night in his 522nd game. Only four players who began their careers with the Orioles have reached 100 homers in their first 600...
Yesterday's announcement that reliever Shawn Armstrong cleared waivers and was assigned to Triple-A Norfolk had me checking the terminology to make sure I didn't read too much into it.
As it turns out, Armstrong being "assigned" is the same as "outrighted." He's reporting to the Tides.
I was checking whether he could decline and become a free agent.
Armstrong was outrighted by the Mariners in 2018 and could have refused yesterday's assignment, though he'd forfeit his salary. The...
The game within the game begins early, shortly after the final note is struck in the anthem. Wondering how much length the starter can provide. How many calls must be made to the bullpen.
The piecing together of nine innings doesn't come with an easy set of instructions.
Keegan Akin moved past the fifth inning once as a rookie in 2020, recording an out in the sixth. He completed the fifth in his previous start this month. Like other young pitchers on the staff, the Orioles are trying to safely...
The outfield surplus that the Orioles carried into spring training finally has regained its proper weight.
Austin Hays has been reinstated from the injured list and gets the start in left tonight against the Rays. Cedric Mullins is in center and Anthony Santander is in right.
Trey Mancini is the designated hitter and rookie Ryan Mountcastle is playing first base.
They occupy the first five spots in the order, with manager Brandon Hyde finding a way, as he kept promising months ago. But tonight...
Austin Hays has been reinstated from the injured list today, and he's in left field for tonight's series opener against the Rays at Tropicana Field.
Hays is batting fifth behind first baseman Ryan Mountcastle.
Trey Mancini is batting second as the designated hitter, followed by right fielder Anthony Santander.
Reliever Shawn Armstrong cleared waivers and was assigned to Triple-A Norfolk.
Cedric Mullins has a nine-game hitting streak. Mountcastle has an eight-game hitting and RBI...
The Orioles resume their season tonight after yesterday's break and reset following a 14-1 loss to the Mets, now faced with a stretch of playing 20 days or nights in a row.
Seriously, who's responsible for a schedule that keeps lumping off-days together and then withholding them as if the commissioner's office is hoarding?
The latest off-day had to be savored, and it allowed the bullpen to recover after Matt Harvey worked just three innings Wednesday night. Manager Brandon Hyde said...
Outfielder Austin Hays isn't in Triple-A Norfolk's lineup for tonight's game in Jacksonville.
The Orioles just announced that they optioned outfielder Ryan McKenna to the Tides.
The dots seem fairly easy to connect unless a curve is thrown while the outfield picture is adjusted.
Hays has been on an injury rehab assignment after his left hamstring healed. He strained it during a May 23 game in D.C.
This is the second appearance for Hays on the injured list. He suffered a strained right...
One of manager Brandon Hyde's favorite descriptions for Ryan Mountcastle's at-bats is how the rookie "snorkels" the ball. Which leads to one very important question:
What exactly is snorkeling a ball?
Hyde couldn't provide a demonstration yesterday because an afternoon storm canceled batting practice and stuck the media on another Zoom call. Otherwise, he gladly would have grabbed a bat and swung into action.
"I guess I use it as when someone throws a breaking ball or slider or...
Matt Harvey placed a hand on his hip and stared at the ball landing in the left field seats. Reliever Adam Plutko reached down for his glove in the bullpen, the call coming for him to warm up. Actions done almost simultaneously.
Actions that signaled another abbreviated start for Harvey.
A second chance at his former team produced a near identical result with seven runs and eight hits allowed, though tonight's outing fell 1 1/3 innings short of Harvey's return last month to Citi Field.
An...
The Orioles rotation is undergoing more changes with John Means on the injured list and another off-day approaching on Thursday.
Rookie left-hander Keegan Akin is starting Friday night against the Rays at Tropicana Field. The Orioles are listing the next two starters as TBA.
Jorge López could get the ball Saturday afternoon on an extra day of rest, followed by rookie left-hander Bruce Zimmermann on his normal turn. However, the Orioles could decide to plug in a fifth starter earlier than...
The Orioles close out their homestand, and attempt to go 6-1 in June, with Matt Harvey again facing his original team.
Harvey received a warm ovation at Citi Field on May 12 and allowed seven runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings. The rematch is tonight at Camden Yards.
Cedric Mullins has an RBI in a career-high three straight games. He brings an eight-game hitting streak into tonight, going 17-for-32 (.531) with nine extra-base hits.
Freddy Galvis is 7-for-14 in his last three games. He's...
The Orioles have reached the 60-game mark in their season, the same point where they packed up and headed home last fall while the playoffs unfolded.
There's nothing truncated in 2021 besides a manager's patience if the losses mount and mistakes aren't corrected. The praise, however, can be expanded to cover pretty much everyone during the good times.
A 4-1 start to the month brought a sense of relief and plenty of smiles, and the arrival yesterday of the first-place Mets didn't change the...
The return of Rule 5 pitcher Mac Sceroler yesterday has left two Orioles on the 10-day injured list. Outfielder Austin Hays began his rehab assignment last night with Triple-A Norfolk and hit a solo home run. Pitcher John Means is with the team but shut down due to a strained left shoulder.
Hays should be activated later this week. Means won't be back in games for a while, the Orioles taking every precaution with their ace and aiming for no further interruptions in his status over the second...
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde leaned against the dugout railing this afternoon at Camden Yards and had his first face-to-face interaction with the media since spring training shut down on March 12, 2020. No more Zoom interviews during his pregame session. And for Hyde, no mask.
The return to pre-pandemic days is creeping along. The key is how it's moving forward.
"This feels normal," Hyde said as his players took batting practice.
"It's been strange, for you, too, doing everything through...
Two days after optioning left-hander Zac Lowther to Triple-A Norfolk, the Orioles filled out their 26-man roster by reinstating Rule 5 pick Mac Sceroler from the injured list prior to tonight's series opener against the Mets at Camden Yards.
The Orioles also reinstated infielder Pat Valaika from the bereavement list and optioned infielder Ramón UrÃas to Norfolk.
Sceroler has made two appearances, none since April 11, due to right shoulder tendinitis. He's allowed three runs and five...
The order of probability among Orioles with an opportunity to make the All-Star team is shifting like an infield defense.
John Means appeared to be a lock, but he's on the injured list with a strained shoulder after his ERA increased to 2.28 in 12 starts, proof again that he's also raised the bar if this is deemed as a possible deal breaker.
Pulling back to reality, let's note that Means' ERA ranked 12th in the majors and third in the American League last night. His 0.83 WHIP was first in...
Ryan Mountcastle's vicious attack on the sophomore slump hasn't gone unnoticed.
Mountcastle has been named the American League's Player of the Week after posting a .458 average (11-for-24) with three doubles, four home runs, 10 RBIs, seven runs scored and a 1.083 slugging percentage in six games.
Among his other accomplishments were:
* Recording at least one hit in every game, including four multi-hit efforts.
* Homering in three consecutive games for the first time in his career, the first...
Something had to be done. Or more to the point, some things needed to be said.
The Orioles kept losing, constructing a streak that threatened to produce a team-wide breakdown. Aggression also was lost, as a few veterans noticed, perhaps out of fear that a mistake would only compound the problem.
What had to be understood, and quickly, is that there's no way out when always playing it safe.
A clubhouse that slants toward youth and inexperience needed a leader to step up. As expected, the first...
How would the Orioles respond this afternoon to the latest trunk load of adversity? A possibility of another long losing streak after their staff ace landed on the injured list? The uncertainty that lies ahead with a rotation that's already been in a fragile state?
Manager Brandon Hyde got his answer.
By taking out every ounce of frustration on the Indians. From the top of the lineup to the bottom.
Cedric Mullins stayed on his remarkable tear and the Orioles hit and ran the bases at an elite...