In case you missed O's Xtra on MASN2, here are manager Buck Showalter's comments about Mark Connor's resignation as pitching coach:
"Mark called me yesterday about noon and we sat down for about an hour or so and talked. For personal reasons, he just didn't feel like he could continue to do what was needed for a pitching coach with the Baltimore Orioles and what our players needed. He's driving home to Knoxville. I spoke to him this afternoon. We'll see when the smoke clears in a couple...
No big surprises here. J.J. Hardy continues to lead off and Derrek Lee is back at first base.
For the Orioles:
J.J. Hardy SS
Nick Markakis RF
Adam Jones CF
Vladimir Guerrero DH
Matt Wieters C
Derrek Lee 1B
Luke Scott LF
Mark Reynolds 3B
Robert Andino 2B
Chris Jakubauskas RHP
For the Blue Jays:
Escobar SS
Patterson LF
Bautista RF
Lind 1B
Arencibia C
Encarnacion DH
Hill 2B
Davis CF
Nix 3B
Villanueva RHP
In a shocking development, the Orioles have announced that pitching coach Mark Connor resigned for "personal reasons."
Connor was in his first season as pitching coach, having replaced Rick Kranitz over the winter.
Bullpen coach Rick Adair has been named pitching coach. Former hitting coach Terry Crowley replaces Adair on an interim basis.
Connor, 61, was in his 36th season in professional baseball after serving the last two years as a special assistant in the player development...
Chris Jakubauskas wasn't expected to rejoin the rotation until Saturday, when the Orioles needed a fifth starter, but he's taking the ball tonight in the series opener in Toronto.
Manager Buck Showalter bumped rookie left-hander Zach Britton to Friday's game in Washington, which might seem puzzling.
Wouldn't he want Britton going against a division rival?
Well, it's a small sample size, but the Blue Jays scored seven runs off him (five earned) in five innings in a June 3 start at...
While meeting with reporters following his last start, when he held Oakland to one run in 6 1/3 innings, rookie Zach Britton explained how he found better results after moving from the third base to the first base side of the pitching rubber.
As a refresher, I give you the quote that I posted:
"I kind of moved over on the other side of the mound. I was on the third base side, went back to the first base side. And I felt like I had a little better action on my pitches. My slider was there...
Brad Bergesen, making his third start tonight for Triple-A Norfolk, gave up three runs over seven innings in a 4-1 loss to the Durham Bulls.
Bergesen allowed seven hits - including a home run - walked one and struck out five. He threw 105 pitches, 72 for strikes. His ERA is 1.64.
Bergesen was coming off a complete-game shutout in his last outing. He's allowed four runs and 14 hits in 22 innings since the Orioles optioned him, with eight walks and 18 strikeouts. Six of those walks came in his...
I devoted a segment of my "O's Xtra" appearance on MASN yesterday to the possibility of the Orioles negotiating a contract extension with shortstop J.J. Hardy, and more specifically, whether it was too soon to consider making such a commitment. My friend Jeff Zrebiec at The Sun beat me to the punch today - after we teamed up to take two of three sets in doubles this morning - but I wanted to address the topic in blog form.
The Orioles have held internal discussions about extending Hardy's...
I realize that the Orioles were off Thursday, but today's open date is a blessing and comes at a most opportune time. They'll need at least 48 hours to regroup.
Yesterday's loss left a stench.
The Orioles didn't pitch, they didn't field the ball and they didn't make smart choices on the basepaths. The only good news is it counts as one loss.
I've tried to rid myself of the memory by diving into a base, but I'm not lucky enough to develop concussion symptoms.
Derrek Lee will come...
Adam Jones talked about the inside-the-park home run that provided a convenient snapshot of today's 9-6 loss to the Rays.
"I missed the ball," he said. "I had a shot at it. I just missed the ball."
Did the ball hit his glove?
"I haven't seen the replay of it," he said. "I just know you've seen me catch it many times. It's cool when everybody out there starts ripping you when you usually catch everything. But it's all good."
Sounds like the fans were a little harsh in center...
X-rays on Mark Reynolds' left forearm were negative.
Manager Buck Showalter didn't hide his disappointment with the Orioles' level of play today, citing the mistakes and the extra outs given to Tampa Bay that contributed to a 9-6 loss. And though Showalter chose his words carefully, it's obvious that he's frustrated with Brian Matusz's inability to hold runners.
What's his level of concern with Matusz, who allowed four runs and five hits in 1 1/3 innings in his third start since coming...
Manager Buck Showalter must be sitting in the dugout wondering whether ESPN has an open seat on Baseball Tonight.
He didn't sign up for this mess.
Evan Longoria was credited with a two-run inside-the-park home run in the eighth inning after Adam Jones charged his line drive and watched the ball hook away from him and roll to the fence.
The ball appeared to nick his glove, though a few people in the press box are disputing it.
It's the latest embarrassment for the Orioles today.
The Rays...
Michael Gonzalez is entering today's game with two runners in scoring position, no outs and the Orioles trailing 5-3, in the seventh inning.
Gonzalez has been used in non-pressure situations, but Alfredo Simon can't go any further. He's logged 4 2/3 innings, plus two batters in the seventh, and thrown 75 pitches. It's pretty obvious that he's gassed.
Simon deserves serious praise for holding Tampa Bay to one run so far and sparing the bullpen of excessive use.
Manager Buck Showalter has...
I've repeated that sentence so many times, I felt like writing it in a headline.
I'm both Doug and Wendy Whiner.
It's actually the bottom of the third. Somebody please slow down the pace so I can get caught up.
The Rays were kind enough to run into another out. They did, however, increase their lead to 5-2.
Alfredo Simon has thrown 22 pitches in 1 2/3 innings. He needs to keep going or Chris Jakubauskas will have to replace him and manager Buck Showalter will be scrambling for Tuesday...
Wade Davis didn't want Brian Matusz to have all the frustration.
Davis gave up back-to-back home runs to Adam Jones and Vladimir Guerrero in the bottom of the first inning, reducing Tampa Bay's lead to 3-2.
Jones has nine homers to trail team-leader Mark Reynolds by three. Guerrero has six, the most recent coming May 22 against Washington.
The Orioles also hit back-to-back homers on April 27 in Boston. Jones followed Luke Scott's blast that night.
Meanwhile, Matusz has walked the first...
Left-hander Brian Matusz fell behind, 1-0, just four pitches into his third start with the Orioles.
Johnny Damon launched a 1-2 slider onto the flagcourt in right field, his 27th career leadoff home run. The ball traveled an estimated 392 feet.
Damon has reached base in 37 consecutive games to tie the Rays record set by Ben Grieve in 2001.
Ben Zobrist and Justin Ruggiano followed with singles - Zobrist on a changeup, Ruggiano on an 88 mph fastball - and Evan Longoria's sacrifice fly...
Left-hander Zach Britton was scheduled to start Tuesday night's series opener in Toronto, but he's being pushed back to Friday or Saturday in Washington. Chris Jakubauskas will take Britton's turn.
Jakubauskas will be followed in the rotation by Jake Arrieta on Wednesday and Jeremy Guthrie on Thursday.
Britton isn't injured. The Orioles want to control his innings so he doesn't reach his limit before September. They want him to pitch during the final month of the season.
Manager Buck...
For the Orioles:
J.J. Hardy SS
Nick Markakis RF
Adam Jones CF
Vladimir Guerrero DH
Luke Scott 1B
Mark Reynolds 3B
Felix Pie LF
Ryan Adams 2B
Craig Tatum C
Brian Matusz LHP
For the Rays:
Damon DH
Zobrist RF
Ruggiano LF
Longoria 3B
Upton CF
Rodriguez 2B
Kotchman 1B
Johnson SS
Shoppach C
Davis RHP
Jeremy Guthrie talked about:
His outing:
"I think it turned out that the big home runs by Mark (Reynolds) made it so, yeah, we were in the game. Any other night, David (Price) is throwing the ball so well throughout his career that three runs could have been considered not keeping us in the game. But we had good at-bats all night, the offense took some good swings and even hit some long outs, so the credit's to the offense. That's why we were in the game. Ultimately, we're trying to win...
The Orioles failed to reach .500 tonight because they couldn't make some plays in the field and Kevin Gregg couldn't nail down the save. The Rays were better defensively - left fielder Justin Ruggiano robbed J.J. Hardy of a home run and shortstop Reid Brignac robbed him of a two-run single - and the Orioles fell to 3-5 in extra-inning games.
Buck Showalter talks about what led to the Orioles giving up the lead to the Rays
"We were battling a good club there," manager Buck Showalter...
Orioles closer Kevin Gregg blew his fourth save tonight, surrendering a two-out single to Casey Kotchman that scored Ben Zobrist and tied the game 5-5.
It's not all Gregg's fault.
Zobrist tripled with one out, but the ball deflected off Felix Pie's glove as he lunged for it in left field. Again, we're not talking about a routine play. Far from it. But if the ball hits the glove, it must be squeezed. Pie needs to make that catch.
Isn't he normally a defensive replacement?
He was a...