NEW YORK - Making his first appearance with the Orioles today after Friday afternoon's trade, Michael Morse collected two hits and ignited the decisive seventh-inning rally with a leadoff single.
Baseball is fun again. Nothing like a pennant race to invigorate a guy.
"I love it," Morse said after the Orioles' 7-3 win over the Yankees. "This is what we play for. This is a great team, a great organization and there's so much upside to this organization and this team. And I think these...
NEW YORK - Orioles manager Buck Showalter had to enjoy the seventh-run outburst today in the top of the seventh inning. It ended an 18-inning scoreless drought. It made all the difference in the outcome.
The Orioles sent 10 batters to the plate, with J.J. Hardy and Adam Jones hitting three-run homers, and a sweep was averted with a 7-3 victory over the Yankees.
"I think it's a little frustration there. They didn't want it to end," Showalter said.
Here's more from Showalter's post-game...
NEW YORK - The Yankees scored three runs off Orioles starter Wei-Yin Chen in four innings today.
They've come up empty against the bullpen.
Kevin Gausman, Francisco Rodriguez and Tommy Hunter have combined for four scoreless innings, with three hits allowed, one walk and six strikeouts.
Hunter stranded two in the eighth by retiring Brett Gardner on a fly ball to left field. Nate McLouth, who replaced Michael Morse, made the grab near the track to maintain the Orioles' 7-3 lead.
Rodriguez...
NEW YORK - Wei-Yin Chen turned in the shortest start of his major league career on Tuesday, lasting only 3 2/3 innings in Boston. He exceeded it by one-third of an inning today in the Bronx.
Chen allowed three runs and four hits in four innings, with a career-high five walks and five strikeouts. He was pulled after throwing 82 pitches, only 50 for strikes.
Chen issued three walks in the fourth inning, including one to No. 9 hitter Chris Stewart that loaded the bases with one out. He walked...
NEW YORK - In Michael Morse's first at-bat with the Orioles today, he lined a 91 mph fastball into left field for a one-out single in the second inning.
The game wasn't halted. He didn't keep the ball.
Yankees left-hander Andy Pettitte threw Morse a 90 mph fastball, an 87 mph cutter and 82 and 81 mph sliders before the single.
Morse entered the game batting .293 lifetime against southpaws.
The single makes Morse 1-for-1 as an Oriole. He closed his Mariners career in a 3-for-34 slump, so...
NEW YORK - Michael Morse will make his Orioles debut today in left field, with Danny Valencia serving as the designated hitter against Yankees left-hander Andy Pettitte.
Nick Markakis is leading off for the Orioles.
Catcher Steve Clevenger and Chris Snyder are listed among the reserves.
For the Orioles
Nick Markakis RF
Manny Machado 3B
Adam Jones CF
Chris Davis 1B
Michael Morse LF
Danny Valencia DH
Matt Wieters C
J.J. Hardy SS
Brian Roberts 2B
Wei-Yin Chen LHP
For the Yankees
Brett...
NEW YORK - The Orioles wasted no time taking advantage of September call-ups.
The Orioles have called up catcher Steve Clevenger, the Mount St. Joseph grad, and purchased the contract of catcher Chris Snyder from Triple-A Norfolk.. Taylor Teagarden does not have a locker in the clubhouse. Teagarden may have been designated for assignment.
Update: Teagarden has been designated for assignment.
Clevenger was acquired in the deal that brought Scott Feldman to the Orioles from the Cubs.
Snyder...
NEW YORK - The Orioles have no shot at winning the current three-game series at Yankee Stadium. Best they can do today is avoid the sweep, just as they did in Boston.
It's still better than being reduced to spoiler status, but hardly what they had in mind after the last homestand.
The Orioles have lost seven of their last 12 series, leaving them 24-16-4 this season. They've also lost all three series in the Bronx after winning all three last year. They've gone from being 6-3 here to...
NEW YORK - The Orioles clubhouse was surly today following a 2-0 loss to the Yankees. It was surely surly.
Other words used by beat writers to describe it included "sullen" and "tension-filled."
It also was mostly empty after the game. It was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop.
What about a pennant?
The Orioles slipped into fourth place behind the Yankees in the American League East. Presently, they are 4 1/2 games behind the Rays for the last wild card spot.
"I think we're all...
NEW YORK - Scott Feldman won't get the win today. And the Orioles won't stay in third place unless they score in the ninth inning.
Feldman has been removed after 111 pitches over seven innings, his highest total in 10 starts with the Orioles and his second-highest this season. He threw 114 in a May 1 start for the Cubs.
Feldman held the Yankees to one run, with six hits, one walk, five strikeouts and two hit batters. If it's not his best start with the Orioles, it's a close second to his...
NEW YORK - The Yankees ranked last in the American League with 191 doubles before today, the second-lowest total in the majors behind the Marlins' 174.
So what happens in the first inning? They use doubles by Brett Gardner and Robinson Cano to take a 1-0 lead against Orioles starter Scott Feldman.
The Yankees had four doubles last night, including two by former Oriole Mark Reynolds. By my math, that's six for New York in two games.
In case you were wondering, the Orioles are tied with the...
NEW YORK - Let's get the important stuff out of the way regarding newest Oriole Michael Morse.
He's still going to use Aha's "Take On Me" as his walk-up song.
Morse and Nate McLouth could spend hours talking '80s pop music. McLouth already approves of Morse's hair.
If you assumed that Morse was stressed during the 48-hour period after the Orioles won the waiver claim on him, guess again.
"It was a fun experience, I guess you could say," he said. "To get claimed by Baltimore, for...
NEW YORK - Orioles manager Buck Showalter is hoping that outfielder Steve Pearce will be ready to come off the disabled list in 12 days, which would make him eligible on Sept. 12.
Yes, that's my birthday. No, I don't consider Steve Pearce to be an appropriate or suitable gift.
Pearce is bothered again by inflammation in his left wrist, which is heavily wrapped this morning. He's already gone on the DL once because of his condition.
"He's going to head to Sarasota in the next day or...
NEW YORK - Steve Pearce will be placed on the disabled list with left wrist inflammation to make room for Michael Morse on the 25-man roster.
Pearce said his wrist started bothering him again about a week ago. He will go to Sarasota and hopes to be ready to return in two weeks.
Morse will not be making his first start for the Orioles today, but he's listed on the bench.
Also, left-hander Wei-Yin Chen is here and will be starting on Sunday.
For the Orioles
Nate McLouth LF
Manny Machado 3B...
NEW YORK - Michael Morse has joined the Orioles in New York after the team was unsure whether he'd get here until Sunday.
Morse said he got in last night and is excited to be here, a part of a pennant race. He added that he's 100 percent physically.
It's not yet known whether he'll be in the lineup, so I'll have that along with more from the newest Oriole later.
Matt Wieters is hitless in his last 19 at-bats. Nate McLouth is 0-for-12 since homering on Aug. 25. J.J. Hardy is hitless in...
NEW YORK - Not to heap any pressure on Scott Feldman today, but he's got to register a quality start against the Yankees. He's got to give the Orioles innings - good ones - and hand a late lead to the bullpen.
He's got to be a stopper.
He's got to stop the Yankees from moving into third place in the American League East, which will happen if the Orioles lose today.
But no pressure.
The Orioles' rotation has allowed 18 runs in 20 innings over the first four games of this all-important...
NEW YORK - As I pointed out earlier, Miguel Gonzalez had allowed eight earned runs in five career starts in the Bronx covering 32 2/3 innings. Tonight, he gave up seven in four-plus innings.
Gonzalez couldn't get the ball down, as he pointed out more than once during his postgame session with the media. He also was adjusting to a schedule that kept him from starting since Aug. 20.
Gonzalez was cruising through the third, facing the minimum number of batters. Alfonso Soriano hit a two-run...
NEW YORK - Orioles manager Buck Showalter said it's a possibility that Michael Morse will arrive here in time to be included in Saturday's lineup.
"We'll see," Showalter said. "Trying to."
If he can pitch, get him on the next flight to New York.
Here's a sampling of Showalter's comments following tonight's 8-5 loss to the Yankees:
On what happened to Gonzalez again in the middle innings:
"It hasn't happened at Yankee Stadium much. You can make a trend look any way you want to....
NEW YORK - Danny Valencia must have cringed each time it was written or stated that the Orioles needed another right-handed bat.
His latest response came tonight against Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia.
Valencia homered into the Yankees bullpen in left-center field in the top of the fifth inning after Nick Markakis led off with an infield hit, giving the Orioles a 3-2 lead. He was 4-for-20 lifetime against Sabathia, including a ground ball in the third inning.
The Orioles increased their...
NEW YORK - Orioles starter Miguel Gonzalez has faced the minimum number of batters through three innings tonight in his first non-relief appearance since Aug. 20.
Gonzalez has let one ball out of the infield. He also made a nice play to retire Curtis Granderson and end the bottom of the second, racing off the mound to field a bunt against the infield shift and firing across the diamond to first base.
Third baseman Manny Machado had moved to shortstop, with J.J. Hardy sliding over to the right...
