Showalter on Machado's award and shortstop debate (O's lead 7-3)

Showalter on Machado's award and shortstop debate (O's lead 7-3)
Batting practice was halted before 5 p.m. today and the tarp again was unrolled and stretched over the infield with the pending arrival of the latest storm, which has hit twice to varying degrees. Manny Machado's selection as American League Player of the Week didn't exactly send shockwaves through the home clubhouse at Camden Yards. Machado batted .385 (10-for-26) with a double, four home runs - including two grand slams - and 12 RBIs over six games. Among his AL counterparts, Manny finished...
Continue reading

Machado named AL Player of the Week (plus Orioles lineup)

Machado named AL Player of the Week (plus Orioles lineup)
Orioles third baseman Manny Machado has been named the American League's Player of the Week. Machado batted .385/.370/.885 (10-for-26) with a double, four home runs, 12 RBIs and four runs scored over six games. He hit two grand slams. This is Machado's third Player of the Week award, the last coming in June 2015. The Orioles are the first AL team with three weekly winners this season. Machado joins Jonathan Schoop and Tim Beckham. Schoop is batting .320 since the break and .349 with five...
Continue reading

Orioles retain interest in finding more pitching

Orioles retain interest in finding more pitching
The Orioles and the rest of baseball are facing another trade deadline in less than two weeks. It just doesn't get the same play as the one that falls on July 31. We're past the non-waiver trade deadline, which brought starter Jeremy Hellickson and shortstop Tim Beckham to Baltimore. Any deal completed now must involve a player who's passed through waivers. A claimed player can be pulled back. Otherwise, the teams can attempt to work out a deal. The Orioles remain in the market for pitching...
Continue reading

Orioles drop another series with 5-4 loss to Angels (with quotes)

Orioles drop another series with 5-4 loss to Angels (with quotes)
If the Orioles wanted to see progress from Chris Tillman, they got it in spurts. Nothing to push them toward a full-time return to the rotation. If they wanted a win to give them the series and another shove toward the second wild card, they were rejected. Tillman didn't make it through the sixth inning, burned by a lapse in control and two more home runs, and pinch-hitter Cameron Maybin singled off Mychal Givens with two outs in the eighth to score Kole Calhoun and give the Angels a 5-4 win...
Continue reading

Orioles place Castro on bereavement list (O's trail 5-4)

Orioles place Castro on bereavement list (O's trail 5-4)
The Orioles have placed reliever Miguel Castro on the bereavement list and recalled pitcher Alec Asher from Triple-A Norfolk. They learned late last night that Castro had lost a close family member and might be leaving the team. Travel arrangements were finalized this morning after Castro met with manager Buck Showalter, pitching coach Roger McDowell and traveling secretary Kevin Buck. Castro has been a valuable member of the bullpen and enabled the Orioles to remove the revolving door on it....
Continue reading

Potential roster move and update on Hardy's rehab assignment

Potential roster move and update on Hardy's rehab assignment
The Orioles may be forced into making a roster move later today that impacts their bullpen. A family situation arose late last night, according to manager Buck Showalter. Meanwhile, Alec Asher no longer is listed as the starter at Triple-A Norfolk. Miguel Castro, who has worked 2 1/3 innings on back-to-back nights, met with Showalter in the manager's office earlier this morning. "Any speculation about that would be really wrong because we don't know yet because we're waiting on a family...
Continue reading

Orioles lineup vs. Angels

Orioles lineup vs. Angels
Chris Davis is back in the Orioles lineup today for their series finale against the Angels. Trey Mancini is in left field, Mark Trumbo is in right and Seth Smith is the designated hitter. Caleb Joseph is catching. The Orioles haven't announced a roster move. Reliever Miguel Castro was in manager Buck Showalter's office earlier this morning. For the Orioles Tim Beckham SS Manny Machado 3B Jonathan Schoop 2B Adam Jones CF Trey Mancini LF Mark Trumbo RF Chris Davis 1B Seth Smith DH Caleb Joseph...
Continue reading

Tillman gets another start, and more memories

Tillman gets another start, and more memories
Chris Tillman is back in the Orioles rotation. For at least one day. Tillman gets the call this afternoon as the Orioles close out the series, his first start since Aug. 3. He's 3-0 with a 2.20 ERA and 1.102 WHIP in five career starts versus the Angels over 32 2/3 innings. Luis Valbuena, who homered twice off Kevin Gausman last night, is 3-for-10 with two doubles and a home run against Tillman. Parker Bridwell gets another shot at his former team. He's 7-1 with a 2.88 ERA and 1.167 WHIP in 12...
Continue reading

Home runs hound Orioles again in 5-1 loss (Tillman starts Sunday)

Home runs hound Orioles again in 5-1 loss (Tillman starts Sunday)
Kevin Gausman lowered his head tonight and slapped his right hand against his thigh as he made the slow walk toward the home dugout. He was working on a three-hitter through three innings. Frustration came from the three home runs that accounted for those hits. Gausman knew a home run per inning was a poor ratio. He didn't need a mathematics degree from LSU to figure it out. The Angels kept delivering the lesson, making it four home runs in four innings and giving them nine in 13. Numbers were...
Continue reading

Showalter reflects on his time with Oates (O's down 5-1)

Showalter reflects on his time with Oates (O's down 5-1)
The celebration of the 25th anniversary of Camden Yards carries a sad note due to the absence of former manager Johnny Oates, who died on Christmas Eve 2004 at 58, more than three years after being diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor. Doctors had given him about a year to live. Various players have expressed their love and admiration for him. "I owe my career to him," Anderson said. "I was struggling at Memorial Stadium the first four years and he was a great manager, a great man. I'm...
Continue reading

Showalter on Hardy as "great addition" when activated

Showalter on Hardy as "great addition" when activated
The Orioles haven't revealed their starter for Sunday's series finale against the Angels. However, it's likely to be Chris Tillman if he doesn't pitch tonight in relief. Manager Buck Showalter hinted that it was fair to speculate on Tillman, who hasn't started since Aug. 3 against the Tigers. Tillman came out of the rotation after allowing five earned runs (seven total) in two innings to raise his ERA to 8.10. Working out of the bullpen for the first time in the majors, Tillman has tossed...
Continue reading

Castillo in new Orioles lineup

Castillo in new Orioles lineup
Catcher Welington Castillo made it through batting practice and will start tonight. Castillo, who missed last night's game due to illness, replaces Caleb Joseph in the Orioles lineup. He's batting eighth. Rule 5 pick Anthony Santander moves down to ninth. First baseman Chris Davis remains out of the lineup, but he might stop by the ballpark later today. He's also been sick and the Orioles kept him home. However, manager Buck Showalter said Davis could return to the lineup on Sunday. For the...
Continue reading

Orioles lineup vs. Angels

Orioles lineup vs. Angels
First baseman Chris Davis and catcher Welington Castillo remain out of the lineup for tonight's game against the Angels. They didn't play last night due to illness. Rule 5 pick Anthony Santander is back in right field. Seth Smith is in left. Kevin Gausman has allowed two runs or fewer in five of his last six starts. His ERA has dropped from 6.39 on July 14 to 5.08. The exception came on Aug. 9 in Anaheim, when Gausman permitted four runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings in a 5-1 loss. He has a...
Continue reading

Another 25th anniversary stroll down memory lane

Another 25th anniversary stroll down memory lane
Yesterday's reunion of the 1992 Orioles that opened Camden Yards has left me with more material than I can squeeze into a few blog entries. Leftovers can be stretched only so far. And this is coming from a guy who's eaten cold Chinese food that's more than a week old. I've brought slices of pizza back to life. I've sniffed and scarfed liver and onions that were hidden in the back of the fridge. I've chewed through chicken that had turned to jerky. You can't scare me. One of Brady...
Continue reading

Showalter on Machado: "You never take it for granted"

Showalter on Machado: "You never take it for granted"
Manny Machado stood at home plate tonight and raised his bat, knowing his fly ball to center field with the bases loaded in the ninth inning would drop on the other side of the fence. The third time was the real charm. Machado's walk-off grand slam against Angels reliever Keynan Middleton gave the Orioles a dramatic 9-7 win over the Angels before an announced crowd of 26,185 at Camden Yards, setting off more fireworks before the scheduled show. The Orioles were two outs away from another loss...
Continue reading

A 25th anniversary stroll down memory lane (O's win 9-7)

A 25th anniversary stroll down memory lane (O's win 9-7)
Rick Sutcliffe, the man who stood on the mound for the first inning of the first game at Camden Yards back in 1992, remembers the excitement in his household as the letter arrived from the Orioles inviting him to the 25th anniversary celebration that's taking place this weekend, beginning with today's luncheon at the B&O Warehouse. The feeling was much different for Glenn Davis, the former first baseman who arrived with tremendous fanfare and left as the centerpiece in arguably the worst...
Continue reading

Kirby on Santander: "He shouldn't be nervous playing the outfield"

Kirby on Santander: "He shouldn't be nervous playing the outfield"
Orioles first base coach Wayne Kirby sat down next to Anthony Santander this afternoon to talk about playing the outfield at Camden Yards, which the Rule 5 pick will do tonight in his major league debut. Santander was limited to hitting in spring training because of a sore elbow. He's been on the disabled list all season with a strained right forearm, finally able to don the outfielder's glove during his injury rehab assignment. "I'm just worrying about basically him playing straight-up,...
Continue reading

Pregame notes from Camden Yards

Pregame notes from Camden Yards
First baseman Chris Davis and catcher Welington Castillo are sick and may not be available for the Orioles' series opener tonight against the Angels at Camden Yards. A team physician was checking on both players before making a determination. In the meantime, manager Buck Showalter isn't going to broadcast the availability of his players and whether they've been sent home. "I won't get into the city in which everybody gets sick in, but they're not the only two," Showalter said. "A lot...
Continue reading

Orioles lineup vs. Angels

Orioles lineup vs. Angels
So much for easing Rule 5 pick Anthony Santander into major league action. Santander is starting in right field tonight, making his major league debut after playing last season with Single-A Lynchburg in the Carolina League. The switch-hitter is batting seventh against Angels left-hander Andrew Heaney. The Orioles lost Joey Rickard's right-handed bat after optioning him on Wednesday. They have Craig Gentry in left field and Trey Mancini at first base, with Mark Trumbo serving as the designated...
Continue reading

Notes on Hellickson, Castillo, Beckham and more

Notes on Hellickson, Castillo, Beckham and more
The Orioles finally made it back home after their 10-day West Coast trip. White pants instead of gray. Jeremy Hellickson makes his fourth start with the Orioles. He shut out the Royals over seven innings in his debut, allowed three runs in six innings in Anaheim and allowed six runs in five innings in Oakland. Not the way to trend. Hellickson owns a 3.02 ERA and 1.056 WHIP in eight career games (seven starts) against the Angels. Albert Pujols is 2-for-14 with a double, home run and six...
Continue reading