Orioles enter full-squad reset before second half

Orioles enter full-squad reset before second half
Every Oriole finally is able to take a break. Trey Mancini finished as runner-up Monday night in the Home Run Derby. Cedric Mullins started for the American League and scored a run in last night's All-Star Game. Two days for the team to clear its collective heads and get back to business, which hasn't exactly been a pleasant experience in the first half. The Orioles are 28-61, the worst record in the American League and second behind the Diamondbacks (26-66). "We've been going through a lot...
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Mancini reaches finals of Home Run Derby (updated)

Mancini reaches finals of Home Run Derby (updated)
Trey Mancini didn't offer any predictions Sunday afternoon about how he'd fare in the Home Run Derby. He didn't share his expectations. The euphoria of his pinch-hit, two-run homer was still fresh. So was the disappointment of a 10th-inning loss. The derby? He was just happy to be invited. "I'm just going to try to enjoy it," he said on his postgame Zoom call, his last swing blending nicely into tonight's competition. "It's surreal. It's something that I haven't really thought too...
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Quick recap on Colton Cowser selection

Quick recap on Colton Cowser selection
The major league draft is down to its final day and 10 picks. Emotions won't run quite as high with the final announcements. Fans don't typically vent over the 20th selection. The first? Yeah, it gets pretty loud. The Orioles passed on three high school shortstops Sunday who remained on the board as their turn came, the mocks blown up immediately with the Pirates taking Louisville catcher Henry Davis at No. 1. Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias also shunned Vanderbilt pitcher...
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Mullins starting for AL in All-Star Game

Mullins starting for AL in All-Star Game
As the Orioles proceeded through the second day of the draft, selecting a fourth outfielder among their first five picks, they also learned that their current center fielder has entered the starting lineup for the American League in Tuesday night's All-Star Game in Denver. Cedric Mullins has been chosen to replace the Angels' Mike Trout, who's on the 60-day injured list. Mullins is batting ninth, the opposite end from his usual spot with the Orioles. As the lone Orioles representative,...
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Orioles select college outfielder Colton Cowser in first round

Orioles select college outfielder Colton Cowser in first round
The 2021 First-Year Player Draft is defined by the number of high school shortstops residing near or at the top of boards across the industry. The Orioles helped to steer it in a different direction tonight. Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias used the fifth-overall selection on Sam Houston State outfielder Colton Cowser. This is the second year in a row that the Orioles chose an outfielder with their first pick, following the University of Arkansas' Heston Kjerstad, who still...
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Mancini comes off bench to tie game, Orioles lose in 10th

Mancini comes off bench to tie game, Orioles lose in 10th
The All-Star break is a time for rest and reflection, and Orioles manager Brandon Hyde knows exactly why his club has the worst record in the American League. Precisely what he's going to think about before play resumes Friday night in Kansas City. "For me," he said this afternoon, "it just shows you how far away we are, pitching-wise." Spenser Watkins tried to narrow the gap a little, maybe present Hyde with another option and keep earning more chances. He held the White Sox to one run in...
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Orioles and White Sox lineups

Orioles and White Sox lineups
The All-Star break arrives after today's series finale, with the Orioles sending rookie Spenser Watkins to the mound for his second major league start and third appearance. Watkins held the Blue Jays to one run over five innings last week. Ryan McKenna gets the start in left field and Austin Hays is in right. Ryan Mountcastle is the first baseman and Anthony Santander is the designated hitter. Trey Mancini is on the bench before participating Monday in the Home Run Derby. Hot-hitting Ramón...
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Mullins' college coach remembers the outfielder having "that edge"

Mullins' college coach remembers the outfielder having "that edge"
Before Cedric Mullins could rise to major league All-Star, he had to beat down the perception that he was too small, that he couldn't play in a bigger environment, that his ceiling was as a fourth outfielder. Justin Haire knew better, and his opinion went unchanged after the Orioles adjusted their plans for Mullins, taking him from starting center fielder to minor league project. Haire was Mullins' head coach at Campbell University in Buies Creek, N.C. He was armed with all the necessary...
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Another short start makes for long day in 8-3 loss (updated)

Another short start makes for long day in 8-3 loss (updated)
The Orioles held optional batting practice early this afternoon, the cage rolled onto the field and a pitching machine and hitting coach Don Long set up in front of the mound. A team with a roster weighted with established veterans might have attracted a small handful of participants. The Orioles had players coming in waves. The outfield was covered with pitchers willing to shag fly balls. Long worked up a heavy lather in the summer heat. "I don't see anybody not working in here," said...
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Diplán the "other" Orioles representative in Futures Game

Diplán the "other" Orioles representative in Futures Game
The list of participants in the All-Star Futures Game is published and eyes race to the American League catchers. There he is, Adley Rutschman, the top minor league prospect and the face, arm and bat of the Orioles rebuild. Right where he belongs. But double back to the pitchers. Rutschman isn't the lone representative in the organization. Far less heralded and totally unexpected is right-hander Marcos Diplán, who plays one level above Rutschman in the system and miles below the surface of...
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Orioles and White Sox lineups

Orioles and White Sox lineups
The Orioles begin the penultimate game before the All-Star break this afternoon with DJ Stewart in left field, Domingo Leyba at second base and Kelvin Gutierrez at third. Austin Wynns is catching today, with Thomas Eshelman getting the start against the White Sox. Eshelman will try to complete the fifth inning for the first time in his five starts. He's allowed 13 runs and 23 hits in 16 1/3 innings. Lucas Giolito has a 4.20 ERA and 1.155 WHIP in 17 starts and has struck out 116 batters in 98...
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Walks and woozy bullpen team to topple Orioles 12-1 (updated)

Walks and woozy bullpen team to topple Orioles 12-1 (updated)
Manager Brandon Hyde can laugh now about the play Wednesday night that began as a blown call on a missed catch by left fielder Ryan McKenna and resulted in a run scoring and no outs recorded rather than the triple play that the Orioles thought might be possible. Catch a break? The Orioles are overdue, as Hyde noted. Anthony Santander slid into second base with an apparent double tonight leading off the fourth inning and removed his shin guard, an umpire signaled home run after the ball bounced...
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Hyde on rotation and Elias on upcoming draft

Hyde on rotation and Elias on upcoming draft
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde explained the handling of some young pitchers earlier today by breaking it down to its simplest form. Nothing complicated about the formula. "I think if you're pitching well, it's pretty easy to stay here right now," he said. "If you come in and you show you can pitch well and can compete here, you're going to have the opportunity to go back out. Just like (Spenser) Watkins did his last start. "We're looking for pitching. There's no doubt about it. And...
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Orioles and White Sox lineups (plus notes and injury updates)

Orioles and White Sox lineups (plus notes and injury updates)
Austin Hays is in left field tonight to open the final series before the break, Anthony Santander is in right and Kelvin Gutierrez is making his first start for the Orioles at third base. Pedro Severino is catching for tonight's game against the White Sox. Austin Wynns is taking ground balls at first during batting practice. Jorge López is making his fifth career appearance and fourth start against the White Sox. He's allowed 13 earned runs (14 total) and 27 hits with 25 strikeouts in 21...
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Watkins was ready to walk before pitching for Orioles

Watkins was ready to walk before pitching for Orioles
Agent Matthew Gaeta contacted every team in baseball last winter, trying to find a job for pitcher Spenser Watkins before the right-hander changed professions. Before baseball became a teaching position. Twenty-nine showed no interest at first, Gaeta said, and only the Orioles stayed in contact with Gaeta. Mike Snyder, the director of pro scouting, checked video of Watkins and moved the process forward. Where it took Watkins has become one of the more enjoyable stories of the 2021 season. His...
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Taking the rotation for another spin

Taking the rotation for another spin
The Orioles confirmed again yesterday how their starters will line up heading into the All-Star break. The rainout didn't force an adjustment beyond denying Dillon Tate his first major league assignment as an opener. Jorge López, Thomas Eshelman and Spenser Watkins are going to oppose the White Sox in the weekend series that begins tonight at Camden Yards, followed by four days without games. Four days to pretty much make anything possible. There are only a few certainties to begin the...
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Orioles recall Anderson from Triple-A Norfolk (game postponed)

Orioles recall Anderson from Triple-A Norfolk (game postponed)
The Orioles have optioned left-hander Zac Lowther to Triple-A Norfolk this afternoon and recalled pitcher Shaun Anderson from the Tides. Anderson can become the 47th player used by the Orioles this season. He was on the field earlier today to do some throwing while a light rain fell at Camden Yards. Lowther worked two innings last night, escaped a bases-loaded jam in the seventh and surrendered a run in the eighth. He can return to Norfolk's rotation. The Orioles claimed Anderson, 26, off...
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Tate replaces Akin as tonight's starter

Tate replaces Akin as tonight's starter
In another unexpected twist to the Orioles' season, Dillon Tate is making a start tonight against the Blue Jays at Camden Yards. Rookie left-hander Keegan Akin has been scratched, with the Orioles providing more information later this afternoon. Akin could be working in a bulk role behind Tate, who's making his first major league start. Or Akin could be dealing with a physical issue. Manager Brandon Hyde will explain it during his media scrum, with the weather dictating if it's done on the...
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Harvey still can't locate win, Orioles lose to Jays 10-2 (updated)

Harvey still can't locate win, Orioles lose to Jays 10-2 (updated)
Matt Harvey has pitched in some tough luck this season, as Orioles manager Brandon Hyde mentions with great frequency. Tonight, he pitched in confusion. Mark it on the Matt Harvey bingo card. Umpires ruled that left fielder Ryan McKenna made a diving catch of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s sinking liner after the first two batters reached. Marcus Semien was tagged after rounding third base, the call requiring him to go back to second, and two runners stood on first. A double play? A triple play? The...
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Home Run Derby another feather in eighth-rounder's cap

Home Run Derby another feather in eighth-rounder's cap
The emergence of Orioles first baseman Trey Mancini as a quality major league hitter and run producer and a player deserving again of consideration for the All-Star Game is especially impressive when factoring how the Orioles waited until the eighth round to draft him in 2013. And how he wasn't even the first or second player from his school to be selected that year. Third baseman Eric Jagielo and right-hander Dan Slania were plucked from Notre Dame before Mancini's name was called. Jagielo...
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