Thome, Tillman and Flaherty lead O's past Cleveland 3-1

Thome, Tillman and Flaherty lead O's past Cleveland 3-1
The Orioles used two big swings and several big pitches to pick up another big win. Jim Thome hit a two-run homer in the seventh to back the strong pitching of Chris Tillman as the Orioles beat Cleveland 3-1 at Progressive Field to take the first two games of this series. The Orioles went into the seventh down 1-0 to the Tribe as Shin-Soo Choo led off the last of the first with a homer. But after a J.J. Hardy single, Thome smoked a line drive off Zach McAllister that just made it over the...
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Does Chris Tillman get a mulligan for Monday? (Orioles lead 2-1)

Does Chris Tillman get a mulligan for Monday? (Orioles lead 2-1)
You know what Orioles fans were thinking on Monday night. Only an O's pitching prospect can dominate a team one game like Chris Tillman did in 8 1/3 innings against Seattle and not make it through the first inning the next start. Tillman gave up seven runs, with just one earned, in two-thirds of an inning Monday at Minnesota. I'll give him a mulligan for that outing. A Mark Reynolds error opened the door for the big inning and, had he recorded the out, would have ended that inning with just...
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Bowie pitcher Bobby Bundy could be headed for surgery

Bowie pitcher Bobby Bundy could be headed for surgery
Double-A Bowie right-handed pitcher Bobby Bundy is expected to miss the rest of the season and is very likely headed for surgery. An MRI discovered that Bundy has bone spurs in his right elbow. The older brother of Dylan Bundy, the Orioles' top pitching prospect, Bobby Bundy had given up 15 runs in just 3 2/3 innings in his last two starts for Bowie, on July 3 and 8. He is 2-11 with an ERA of 6.25 on the year over 17 Baysox starts. In 80 2/3 innings with Bowie, Bundy allowed 98 hits with 35...
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Notes from Norfolk

Notes from Norfolk
The Triple-A Norfolk Tides are 21-11 over their last 32 games and are now 51-50 on the season. The 32-game run has moved the Tides within six games of first place in their division and within 4 1/2 games of an International League wild card playoff spot. Norfolk's 51 wins are just five shy of matching the entire season total from 2011, when Norfolk finished a franchise-worst 56-87. The Tides have used 23 different starting pitchers, two shy of the league record of 25 set by the 2002 and 2004...
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Thome talk

Thome talk
It was exactly a week ago that I wrote about Jim Thome and asked fans what they thought about Thome after his first seven games with the club. He was just 5-for-25 as an Oriole at that point with 11 strikeouts and not one extra-base hit. A week later, Thome's bat is now percolating. Over the last five games he is 8-for-22 (.364) with four extra-base hits. Thome has three doubles and a homer with two RBIs in that stretch. Over 12 games, he is batting .277 with a homer and three RBIs and the...
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Big third inning sends the Orioles past Cleveland

Big third inning sends the Orioles past Cleveland
For a team struggling to get big hits with runners in scoring postion, it was a welcome sight. Not just scoring 10 runs tonight in a 10-2 win at Cleveland, but the two big hits the Orioles got came seconds apart in the top of the third. With the Orioles leading 2-1, one inning removed from stranding the bases loaded, Mark Reynolds came up with the sacks full and one out in the third. Reynolds crushed a two-run double to left center that didn't miss being a grand slam by much. The next...
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It's been a while since the Orioles last recorded three straight quality starts

It's been a while since the Orioles last recorded three straight quality starts
For the Orioles, it has been nearly two months since their pitchers recorded three straight quality starts. Yes, it has been that long. They can make it three in a row tonight when Miguel Gonzalez pitches at Cleveland. From May 25 to May 27 against Kansas City, the Orioles posted three in a row. Jason Hammel pitched six scoreless innings, then Wei-Yin Chen gave up two earned runs over six and Brian Matusz allowed three earned runs in six innings against the Royals. The Orioles season high is...
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The Orioles have suspended two minor leaguers

The Orioles have suspended two minor leaguers
Two players on the Orioles Gulf Coast League team, third baseman Hector Veloz and right-handed pitcher Jhondaniel Medina have been suspended by the team. The suspensions began a few days ago and could end sometime next week. They were suspended for disciplinary reasons, a team official confirmed, but would not say what exactly had happened. Veloz was signed out of the Dominican to a $300,000 bonus in July of 2010, which is believed to be the largest bonus ever given to a Dominican amateur to...
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Orioles win the close ones to offset a poor run differential

Orioles win the close ones to offset a poor run differential
The question has been asked often: How can a team that leads the majors in errors, struggles to score runs and get clutch hits and has an ever-changing rotation that ranks 12th in the league in ERA, still be in the playoff hunt after 92 games? I have another question as an addendum to that: How can a team with a minus-55 run differential still be in the playoff race after 92 games? Here is the best answer I can come up with. The Orioles have shown an amazing ability this year to win the close...
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The clutch hit finally came: O's top Minnesota in series finale

The clutch hit finally came: O's top Minnesota in series finale
Frustrated most of the afternoon by their inability to get a key hit with runners in scoring position, Mark Reynolds ended nearly eight innings of frustration for the Orioles this afternoon. His two-run single to center put the Orioles ahead and they beat the Twins 4-3 to split this four-game series by winning the last two. Down 3-2 entering the eighth, Matt Wieters and Wilson Betemit drew one-out walks and moved up a base on a groundout. With Ryan Flaherty on deck, the Twins elected to pitch...
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Chris Davis gets the Orioles on the board with a long homer

Chris Davis gets the Orioles on the board with a long homer
It wasn't exactly a homer drought, but when Chris Davis hit a long homer to right today in the second inning off Cole De Vries, it ended a stretch of nine homerless games for him. It was Davis' 15th homer of the year. Davis entered today 0-for-11 over his past three games and 3-for-26 over his last seven contests. That brought the Orioles to within 2-1, as Minnesota took the lead scoring twice in the last of the first off Wei-Yin Chen, who today is looking for his first win since June 17 at...
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Ranking O's starters by quality start and win percentage

Ranking O's starters by quality start and win percentage
After noticing last night that the Orioles are a surprising 9-5 this year in games started by Tommy Hunter, I wondered what the team's record was in games started by others. Here is a ranking of the starters by the team's winning percentage when they start: .643 - Hunter (9-5) .611 - Jason Hammel (11-7), Wei-Yin Chen (11-7) .500 - Miguel Gonzalez (1-1), Dana Eveland (1-1, Chris Tillman (1-1) .389 - Jake Arrieta (7-11) .375 - Brian Matusz (6-10) .000 - Zach Britton (0-1) Yes, that is rather...
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A statistical look at Adam Jones' improvement against left-handers

A statistical look at Adam Jones' improvement against left-handers
Adam Jones is certainly hitting better against left-handed pitchers this season. That came in handy last night when he hit a two-run homer in the first inning against Francisco Liriano. It was all the offense the Orioles would get in a 2-1 win over the Twins. Jones hit four homers all of last season in 153 at-bats against lefties. This year, he has six in 93 at-bats against southpaws. He averaged a homer every 38.3 at-bats last year against the lefties and that mark is one every 15.5 at-bats...
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If Tommy Hunter falters, will Steve Johnson be next man up?

If Tommy Hunter falters, will Steve Johnson be next man up?
Tommy Hunter, at least for one night, rejoins the Orioles rotation tonight in Minnesota. Steve Johnson will also be starting for the Triple-A Norfolk Tides at home against Rochester. You have to wonder if Johnson could soon get a crack at the Orioles rotation. While Johnson has been used mostly in relief in recent appearances with Norfolk, he was a starting earlier this year and could be someone to look at if Hunter struggles tonight. Hunter has certainly gotten several chances this year to...
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Orioles get fourth pick in Competitive Balance Lottery

Orioles get fourth pick in Competitive Balance Lottery
The Orioles added a draft pick for next June today in the first Competitive Balance Lottery. The Orioles will get the fourth pick in Round A, which will follow the first-round picks in the 2013 First-Year Player Draft. A projection on the MLB Network, where the results were announced this afternoon, was that the pick would fall between the 32nd and 37th overall selections and the Round A picks will come before the second-round picks. The order for the Round A picks is Kansas City, Pittsburgh,...
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Orioles' seventh-round draft pick is dealing with shoulder issue

Orioles' seventh-round draft pick is dealing with shoulder issue
The Orioles say their seventh-round draft pick, pitcher Matt Price from the University of South Carolina, is dealing with a tight right shoulder capsule and may not pitch in a game this year. "His physical wasn't completely clean and they are being overly cautious," Orioles scouting director Gary Rajsich said. "I'm not saying that is anything out of the ordinary, it is just a pitcher with a lot of wear and tear. It's something that hasn't held other pitchers back. There are some pretty...
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O's may add a draft pick in today's Competitive Balance Lottery

O's may add a draft pick in today's Competitive Balance Lottery
The Orioles and 12 other major league teams have a chance to add a pick in next June's First-Year Player draft today when baseball holds its first Competitive Balance Lottery this afternoon. The lottery, scheduled to take place at 1:30 p.m. in New York, is a mechanism designed to help teams perceived to need the most assistance by awarding extra draft picks to some of them. The 10 smallest-market teams and 10 lowest-revenue teams will have the chance to win one of six extra selections in the...
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Britton takes the mound tonight as fans turn to another young starter

Britton takes the mound tonight as fans turn to another young starter
At this point, beyond just getting wins to turn around a long run of losing, Orioles fans could use a few good outings from some of the Orioles' young starting pitchers for their collective psyche. By now, maybe long before now, some fans have begun to doubt these young hurlers. They have seen them go back and forth between Triple-A and the majors too much and have seen good outings, but then watched that followed up with a poor outing. They have seen them work with Rick Adair, the O's big...
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Why is J.J. Hardy struggling so much at bat?

Why is J.J. Hardy struggling so much at bat?
If there was ever a player that didn't let his slump on offense carry over to his defense, it's Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy. He continues to give the club superior defense at a premium position and that is important on a team that makes so many errors at other spots on the diamond. But at the same time, the duration of Hardy's slump has to be baffling to the player, his manager and coaches - and to the fans. Hardy has never been a big hitter for average. But he batted .269 for the Orioles...
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Taking a look at some bullpen stats

Taking a look at some bullpen stats
For a while, the Orioles bullpen had the best ERA in the majors and/or the American League. Yesterday, before the game, the Orioles' bullpen ERA of 2.87 ranked second-best in the AL, but after giving up 12 runs in the 19-7 loss at Minnesota, the Orioles' bullpen ERA is up to 3.16 and they have fallen all the way to fifth in AL. 2.75 - Oakland 3.04 - Boston 3.13 - Seattle 3.14 - Kansas City 3.16 - Orioles In four games since the All-Star break, Orioles starters have pitched just 15 1/3...
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