Tonight's series opener against the Yankees provides reliever Zach Britton with a chance to visit friends and former teammates and at some point over the weekend receive an ovation from appreciative Orioles fans who didn't get the chance to honor him prior to the July 24 trade.
Britton showed up at Camden Yards around 2:30 p.m. today and made his first walk to the visiting clubhouse. He knew its location but hadn't been inside of it until today.
The first order of business, however, was...
Mark Trumbo hasn't made a final decision on whether to undergo surgery on his right knee. However, he's likely to have it done following another appointment next week.
Trumbo is flying to Northern California for his latest examination on Wednesday. He's already undergone an MRI and received opinions for Dr. James Andrews and team orthopedic surgeon Dr. Leigh Ann Curl.
"I don't have anything totally conclusive," Trumbo said after returning to his locker this afternoon and finding a small...
John Andreoli starts in left field tonight and Chris Davis is at first base for the Orioles' series opener against the Yankees at Camden Yards.
Trey Mancini is batting fourth as the designated hitter. Davis is batting fifth.
Austin Wynns is catching Alex Cobb.
Cobb will try to notch his sixth quality start in a row. He held the Yankees to one run and struck out six batters over six innings on Aug. 1. He's 7-4 with a 2.90 ERA and 1.007 WHIP in 15 career starts against them.
Giancarlo Stanton...
Before the first pitch is thrown tonight to open a four-game series against the Yankees, it's possible that the Orioles finally know whether Mark Trumbo has opted for surgery on his sore right knee or will try rehabbing it and perhaps extend his season.
Trumbo flew back to Baltimore after Sunday's game instead of accompanying the team to Toronto. He's on the 10-day disabled list but could be sidelined a lot longer, considering that the knee has been flaring up since May.
Multiple opinions...
How many pieces of a season can fit into a nutshell?
The Orioles put runners on second and third base yesterday with no outs in the top of the seventh inning of a scoreless tie in Toronto and came up empty. Two ground balls and a pop up. Couldn't get the ball out of the infield.
David Hess, cruising along with a one-hitter, served up a long home run to Kendrys Morales in the bottom half of the inning to give the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead.
Rookie left-hander Thomas Pannone carried a no-hitter into...
The Orioles received good news today on pitching prospect Hunter Harvey, who was shut down again yesterday from his throwing program.
The discomfort in Harvey's right elbow is due to a mild case of tendinitis, according to an industry source.
Harvey had been cleared on Aug. 6 to resume flat-ground throwing after experiencing some stiffness in his right forearm that removed him from the mound. He complained yesterday of soreness in the elbow, which always sets off organizational alarms based on...
The Orioles will begin their 2019 season on the road, visiting two cities before playing the Yankees in the home opener on April 4.
It's never too early to look ahead, especially with the current season such a disappointment.
Major League Baseball just released the schedule, which includes the first Orioles game on March 28 at Yankee Stadium. The series resumes on the 30th after an off-day and is followed by three games in Toronto.
Per the usual format, the Orioles will host each American...
Orioles first baseman Chris Davis is out of the lineup today in Toronto after striking out four times last night.
Davis has fanned 33 times in 66 at-bats over his last 18 games.
Trey Mancini is at first base and John Andreoli is the designated hitter as the Orioles try to avoid the sweep and finally win a game at Rogers Centre. They've gone 0-9 this season.
Craig Gentry is in left field. Austin Wynns is catching.
Rookie David Hess made a June 7 start in Toronto and allowed only one run in six...
The following is in no way intended to bash two young pitching prospects - as opposed to the old and crotchety prospects - or blame them for issues out of their control or dump a historically bad season squarely in their laps. It's simply a statement of fact:
Hunter Harvey and Cody Sedlock have really hurt the Orioles.
To be more precise, their absences while relegated to the minor league disabled lists really hurt the Orioles.
Harvey, for sure, was expected to be in the majors at this point....
The Orioles activated infielder Steve Wilkerson from his injury rehab assignment this afternoon and optioned him to Triple-A Norfolk.
New outfielder John Andreoli gets his first start with the Orioles tonight and becomes the 52nd player they've used in 2018. He's in left field.
Trey Mancini is the designated hitter with Mark Trumbo on the disabled list.
Cedric Mullins continues to lead off and Adam Jones is in the cleanup spot again.
Craig Gentry is on the bench. Two of his three three-hit...
Announcements on the Orioles' international signings should be trickling out now that they revealed their agreement yesterday with 16-year-old switch-hitting outfielder Isaac Bellony of the Dominican Republic for $220,000.
That's one.
There are believed to be at least eight others, from what I've been told, including 16-year-old Dominican shortstop Moises Ramirez for $225,000, as reported by Baseball America (and confirmed here) but still not announced by the club. The paperwork on the...
The Orioles will try to win their first game at Rogers Centre in 2018 as they continue their road trip in Toronto.
The Blue Jays swept a four-game series in June, winning twice in 10 innings, and a three-game series in July after the All-Star break. They won again in the 10th inning in the opener.
Andrew Cashner is 0-1 in three starts against the Jays this season, but he's allowed only four runs in 18 2/3 innings for a 1.93 ERA. All four runs came in two starts in Toronto over 11 2/3...
CLEVELAND - The Orioles threw a curveball more than four hours after their game ended.
Joey Rickard has been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk, which creates an opening on the 25-man roster for Adam Jones' return from the bereavement list. Jones is supposed to join the team later tonight in Toronto.
The surprising element involves Mark Trumbo, who is expected to be placed on the disabled list Monday with inflammation in his right knee. Trumbo's removal from the roster would have cleared a spot for...
CLEVELAND - The Orioles will be making another roster move later today in Toronto with outfielder Adam Jones coming off the bereavement list, Mark Trumbo headed to the disabled list with inflammation in his right knee and Joey Rickard optioned to Triple-A Norfolk.
Outfielder John Andreoli, claimed off waivers Saturday from the Mariners, will be Trumbo's replacement and become the latest player to make his Orioles debut in 2018 unless he's glued to the bench.
Andreoli batted .287/.397/.401...
CLEVELAND - The Orioles apparently will be able to make room for Adam Jones on the 25-man roster without optioning or designating a player.
Mark Trumbo will return to Baltimore tonight rather than accompany the team to Toronto. The pain in his right knee has intensified again and he's expected to undergo an MRI and be placed on the 10-day disabled list.
Team orthopedist Dr. Michael Jacobs will examine Trumbo on Monday.
"His knee flared up on him, barking pretty good," manager Buck Showalter...
CLEVELAND - The Orioles will keep giving Yefry RamÃrez starts, and the rookie will continue to be limited as long as he can't harness his pitch count.
Twenty-six pitches in the first inning, 44 through the second and 66 though the third. The Indians already had collected four hits and three walks, and RamÃrez hit a batter and threw two wild pitches.
RamÃrez faced 17 batters and eight of them reached base, but he surrendered only two runs on a couple of two-out hits. It boggled the...
CLEVELAND - Tim Beckham is getting a rest day, nothing related to a health issue, which also allows the Orioles to take another look at Jonathan Villar at shortstop.
"He's fine," manager Buck Showalter said. "He's just been playing a lot. Get some different looks, moving people around. You'll see some more of that before the year's over, especially when we do the September call-ups.
"These are precious looks to kind of have an idea of what we have and what we don't have going into the...
CLEVELAND - Jonathan Villar is playing shortstop today for the series finale against the Indians at Progressive Field.
The Orioles' bench includes Tim Beckham, who gets the day off.
Trey Mancini is batting second behind Cedric Mullins. Craig Gentry gets another start in right field.
Jace Peterson is playing second base.
Mullins is 10-for-28 (.357) since the Orioles selected his contract from Triple-A Norfolk, and five of his hits are for extra bases.
Dylan Bundy and Alex Cobb had compete games...
CLEVELAND - If we're warned not to be fooled by spring training and September numbers, what about August performances in a rebuild?
Jonathan Villar has looked pretty good in the field since coming over from the Brewers, and he can run and steal bases. I separate the two because other players - Felix Pie and David Lough come to mind - have been fast and also useless on the basepaths.
Villar showed again yesterday that he also can take a pitch for a ride. He clobbered a fastball from Indians...
CLEVELAND - Alex Cobb had no idea about his pitch count today as he sat in the dugout after the seventh inning. He only knew that it felt light.
Pitching coach Roger McDowell checked on him. Cobb said he was good and asked for the total more out of curiosity than any signs that his day was ending.
Barreling toward his fourth career complete game, Cobb returned to the mound in the eighth at 77 pitches. Paul Fry stopped warming in the bullpen. Mychal Givens sat back down in the ninth. Cobb was...