Davis: "I would say I'm definitely a little bit more concerned"

Davis: "I would say I'm definitely a little bit more concerned"
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde was able to joke tonight about his experience Monday at the team hotel in Miami, how he ordered a delicious cheeseburger for lunch with a side of sweet potato fries. He definitely recommends the fries. Hyde was preparing for a game but instructed his players to stay near their phones. Don't leave their rooms. And take advantage of the 24-hour food service. Guys are trying to keep it light, but the last few days have been unsettling. The reports on the positive...
Continue reading

Orioles could be hosting Yankees this week (updated)

Orioles could be hosting Yankees this week (updated)
The 2020 season is about to get weirder. The Marlins have been shut down this week due to an increasing number of positive tests for COVID-19, which forced the postponement of both games against the Orioles in Miami. The teams are supposed to play Wednesday and Thursday night at Camden Yards, but more postponements are in the works. Rather than stay idle, the Orioles could be hosting the Yankees for the next two nights. The Yankees had their game against the Phillies postponed again today at...
Continue reading

Orioles left playing waiting game rather than Marlins

Orioles left playing waiting game rather than Marlins
Safety comes first. Before a winning series, before the standings, before anything relating to balls and strikes. The Orioles were stuck in their hotel in Miami yesterday unsure whether they'd play the following night or receive clearance to fly back to Baltimore. Less than a week into a truncated season that offers little flexibility, they had gone from summer training camp to the danger zone. The team boarded a charter flight last night and left the state of Florida, one of the pandemic hot...
Continue reading

Manfred says Orioles and Marlins won't play Tuesday night

Manfred says Orioles and Marlins won't play Tuesday night
The Orioles won't be the visiting team against the Marlins in their home ballpark. Commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed tonight on MLB Network that Tuesday's game also has been postponed and won't be moved to Camden Yards. Manfred indicated that the next game could be played Wednesday night, which begins the Orioles' first home series of the truncated season, if COVID-19 testing on the Marlins produces favorable results. This is based on the assumption that government officials will allow the...
Continue reading

Orioles-Marlins game has been postponed (latest update)

Orioles-Marlins game has been postponed (latest update)
The Orioles made it through three games before COVID-19 impacted their schedule and perhaps a truncated season. Tonight's game with the Marlins in Miami has been canceled, with confirmation coming from a team official. The clubs were supposed to play twice in Miami before the home-and-home series shifted to Baltimore. But at least 14 Marlins have tested positive, including 12 players, according to an ESPN report. Major League Baseball's greatest fear is coming to fruition. An outbreak shortly...
Continue reading

More on Iglesias batting third and whether Cobb is a trade chip

More on Iglesias batting third and whether Cobb is a trade chip
José Iglesias might not have noticed the reaction on social media to the Orioles' opening day lineup. Impossible for me to miss it. Twitter had a field day with manager Brandon Hyde's decision to bat Iglesias third. Fans and media partied on it. The lineup should have been written on a cornhole board. What does it say about this team that Iglesias is the No. 3 hitter? A guy with a career .687 OPS who's valued for his glove? I'll ask again: Who's laughing now? Iglesias probably won't...
Continue reading

Orioles leave Boston with two wins (updated)

Orioles leave Boston with two wins (updated)
Maybe an expanded postseason field in 2020 doesn't impact the Orioles because they would have kept playing into October no matter the setup. They don't need any favors. Or maybe it's just a series win in Boston. Whatever. A team that posted the second-worst record in baseball last summer and is engaged in a lengthy and painful rebuild process is having a little fun and some early success. Wade LeBlanc dominated for most of his Orioles debut, Rio Ruiz and Anthony Santander homered and José...
Continue reading

Elias on player pool, alternate camp and Mountcastle (plus notes)

Elias on player pool, alternate camp and Mountcastle (plus notes)
The Orioles are discussing how they'll proceed with their 60-man player pool that currently has five open spots. The next meeting is going to be held on Monday, according to executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias. The vacancies exist by design as the club determines how to fill them in order to provide insurance for the major league club and instruction for prospects. "We visit the topic regularly," Elias said during a Zoom conference call. "I think we wanted to see how...
Continue reading

Orioles lineup vs. Red Sox

Orioles lineup vs. Red Sox
Orioles third baseman Rio Ruiz moves up to the cleanup spot for today's rubber match in Boston. Ruiz is batting in the fourth slot for the 10th time in his career. Manager Brandon Hyde is going with his left-handed-hitting lineup against Red Sox right-hander Ryan Weber. Hanser Alberto moves down to fifth in the order, with Chris Davis sixth. Chance Sisco is behind the plate and DJ Stewart is in left field. José Iglesias, with two more hits yesterday, remains in the third slot. For the...
Continue reading

Phillips veers away from injured list during shutdown

Phillips veers away from injured list during shutdown
The manipulation of a prolonged baseball shutdown and the changes created in roster projections has a glowing example residing inside the Orioles bullpen. Evan Phillips is sitting in it. Phillips was a slam-dunk resident of the injured list back in March, when elbow soreness led to an MRI, a second opinion from Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles and some bleak news. No surgery was the only encouraging development. But Phillips was going to be sidelined for a while and have to slowly work his...
Continue reading

Cobb dazzles in 7-2 win, Means provides positive news (updated)

Cobb dazzles in 7-2 win, Means provides positive news (updated)
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said that he wanted to flush last night's loss. His team almost clogged the bases early this afternoon. Alex Cobb, making his first start since April 26, 2019, was handed a three-run lead before he stepped on the mound and carried a shutout into the sixth in a 7-2 victory over the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Cobb had pinpoint control of his fastball while allowing one run and four hits with no walks and six strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out Rafael Devers with...
Continue reading

Notes on Harvey, lineup trend, bullpen, Cobb and more

Notes on Harvey, lineup trend, bullpen, Cobb and more
Orioles reliever Hunter Harvey won't come off the 10-day injured list when he's eligible on Thursday, with manager Brandon Hyde noting that the right-hander is improving but still facing a number of tests. Players on the injured list, including John Means and Dillon Tate, have moved to the alternate camp site in Bowie. Harvey is shelved with a right forearm strain that's been described as arm fatigue. "He's still in a progression," said Orioles manager Brandon Hyde. "He's going to start...
Continue reading

Orioles lineup vs. Red Sox

Orioles lineup vs. Red Sox
Hanser Alberto moves up to second in the Orioles lineup today versus a left-handed starter and Anthony Santander shifts to left field and bats cleanup. Cedric Mullins is the right fielder against the Red Sox, who are sending left-hander Martín Pérez to the mound. Pat Valaika is replacing Rio Ruiz at third base. Ruiz homered last night in a 13-2 loss. Chris Davis moves down to seventh in the order. Alex Cobb is making his first start since April 26, 2019. He's posted a 3.84 ERA and 1.342...
Continue reading

A different kind of opening day

A different kind of opening day
Well, that was weird. But also the beginning of a new routine. I can't remember the last opening day spent at my home. Maybe in 1996 because I wasn't on the beat, though I could have been part of the overflow coverage at my former newspaper. More likely in 1995 with the Orioles in Kansas City. The openers at Camden Yards, Tropicana Field and Yankee Stadium ensured a seat in the press box. Breaking camp in Sarasota and driving to St. Petersburg simplified the travel process. The pandemic...
Continue reading

Orioles drop opener to Red Sox 13-2 (updated)

Orioles drop opener to Red Sox 13-2 (updated)
The Orioles formed a row along the third base line tonight while waiting for the playing of the national anthem. One of baseball's long-standing traditions that brought each of them to one knee. They clutched the long black ribbon that's been unfurled in ballparks as a symbol of the racial reckoning that's happening in the United States. Rising to their feet, the Orioles moved closer together and linked arms as another gesture of unity and equality that didn't require or demand social...
Continue reading

Notes on rotation, taxi squad, opening day, Davis' outlook and more

Notes on rotation, taxi squad, opening day, Davis' outlook and more
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde is trying to set up the rest of his rotation without No 1. starter John Means, who's on the injured list with left shoulder fatigue. He appears to have made decisions through the first road trip. Alex Cobb and Wade LeBlanc start the last two games in Boston and Asher Wojciechowki gets the ball for Monday night's series opener against the Marlins in Miami. Hyde is leaning toward using Kohl Stewart the following night before the Orioles head back to Baltimore. The...
Continue reading

Orioles and Red Sox lineups, Hector Velázquez outrighted

Orioles and Red Sox lineups, Hector Velázquez outrighted
The Orioles are opening their season in Boston tonight for the first time since 1966 and they're sending out a lineup that includes Austin Hays leading off and José Iglesias batting third. Iglesias has hit third in two career games before tonight. Anthony Santander is slotted in between Hays and Iglesias. Chris Davis is fifth and Hanser Alberto sixth. DJ Stewart gets the start in left field and is batting ninth. Tommy Milone and Nathan Eovaldi are making their first career opening day...
Continue reading

Mancini focused on health as Orioles open season without him

Mancini focused on health as Orioles open season without him
Trey Mancini can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The final chemotherapy treatment and ride from D.C. to Johns Hopkins Hospital. The change in mindset from beating cancer, a fight that leaves him weak and with no appetite for about 48 hours after that trip into Baltimore, to beginning workouts that get him ready for the 2021 baseball season. He's so close. Five more treatments every other Monday, the last on Sept. 21, and he's hopefully defeated his most formidable opponent. "I'm...
Continue reading

Orioles skillfully maneuver 40-man roster

Orioles skillfully maneuver 40-man roster
The Orioles demonstrated yesterday how they're able to do the 40-man roster dance without tripping over their own feet. It was an impressive feat. They had one open spot and a lengthy list of non-roster players competing for jobs, though Stevie Wilkerson dropped out due to a broken finger on his left hand. That's a lot of traffic and the potential for a massive pileup. But utility player Pat Valaika was the lone addition, pretty much winning a job in spring training prior to the shutdown. He...
Continue reading

Means on injured list and excluded from 30-man roster

Means on injured list and excluded from 30-man roster
The Orioles will begin the long-awaited 2020 season without their No. 1 starter and projected closer. John Means and Hunter Harvey have been placed on the 10-day injured list. Reliever Dillon Tate also is on the IL - with all three assignments backdated to Monday - but outfielder Dwight Smith Jr. has been activated and made the 30-man roster for Friday night's opening game against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Manager Brandon Hyde indicated yesterday that Means likely would start against the...
Continue reading