Adam Jones' late-game stats and Hunter on Saturday's start

Adam Jones' late-game stats and Hunter on Saturday's start
Adam Jones entered Saturday's game with just three hits in his last 24 at-bats and with just one RBI over his last eight games. He was also in a season-long, 14-at-bat hitless stretch that reached 18 at-bats when he finally got a base hit with a single in the last of the ninth. Three innings later, Jones did better than that. He hit the second walk-off homer of his career, a two-run shot, to give the Orioles a 6-4, 12-inning win over the Phillies. Jones also hit a walk-off shot on May 24,...
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Jones talks about his walk-off homer that beat Philly

Jones talks about his walk-off homer that beat Philly
Adam Jones hit a game-winning homer in the last of the 12th today as the Orioles beat the Phillies and won another extra-inning game. The Orioles are now 8-2 on the year in extras with eight wins in a row, which ties the team record for most consecutive extra-inning wins. The 1997 and 2010 teams also won eight in a row. "I think we just enjoy playing longer than nine innings," Jones said. "We enjoy the overtime. I don't know man, think we have played the most innings by any team. If we...
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Jones with a two-run walk-off homer as O's top Philly in 12

Jones with a two-run walk-off homer as O's top Philly in 12
Adam Jones entered his at-bat in the bottom of the ninth today in an 0-for-18 drought. He broke that with a two-out single. Jones topped that in the last of the 12th today when he hit a two-run homer to end the game as the Orioles beat the Phillies, 6-4, in 12 frames. The Orioles are now 8-2 in extra-inning games with eight consecutive wins in extras. Jones hit an 0-1 pitch from righty B.J. Rosenberg out of the Yard after Chris Davis drew a leadoff walk. It is his second career walk-off...
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A couple mid-game notes

A couple mid-game notes
By getting an out in the fifth inning today, Tommy Hunter has lasted longer than O's starters have the past two games when Brian Matusz and Jake Arrieta combined to give up 13 earned runs over six total innings. Hunter is, at least, throwing many fewer pitches than that pair. Matusz needed 67 in two-plus innings on Thursday, and Arrieta threw 83 in four innings last night. Hunter today needed just 19 pitches to get through the first two innings and 26 more for the next two frames, for 45...
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Jake Arrieta talks about moving to the bullpen

Jake Arrieta talks about moving to the bullpen
After he met with manager Buck Showalter and was told he was staying in the big leagues for now but being moved to the bullpen, Orioles right-hander Jake Arrieta told reporters he was embracing the move. Was he surprised to get that news? "Not really," Arrieta said a few minutes ago in the Orioles clubhouse. "Being in a situation like going to the 'pen right now will do a lot of things for me. One, it's going to allow me to get some of the thoughts and emotions out of my head. When I...
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A look at Arrieta, the rotation recently & Wieters

A look at Arrieta, the rotation recently & Wieters
Checking in some Orioles topics after the Birds lost Game 1 of a weekend series with the Phillies, 9-6, last night. Arrieta's struggles: It is hard to believe the pitcher I saw pitch seven shutout innings on opening day in Baltimore in April was the same guy on the same mound last night. But he was, and Jake Arrieta has struggled badly since beginning the year with a 2.66 ERA in his first three starts. Then, he looked like a young pitcher starting to blossom and finally realizing his...
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Arrieta's struggles continue as Phillies top Orioles

Arrieta's struggles continue as Phillies top Orioles
For struggling Orioles starter Jake Arrieta, it went from bad to worse tonight, as he got an early exit against the Philadelphia Phillies in a 9-6 loss to start the weekend series at Camden Yards. It is almost hard to remember that Arrieta looked so great on opening day in Baltimore, pitching seven shutout innings against Minnesota, or that he had an ERA of 2.66 over his first three starts. Tonight, he got the first two hitters out before three straight Philly singles made it a 1-0 game. Then...
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Playing catch-up tonight, can O's get to Blanton? (Bundy tonight)

Playing catch-up tonight, can O's get to Blanton? (Bundy tonight)
If ever there were a game where the Orioles could get behind by seven runs and still have hope, this might be it tonight. That is, if Jake Arrieta can start putting up some zeroes after giving up seven runs in the first two innings. It would be hard to imagine many pitchers coming into a start against the Orioles struggling as much as Phillies right-hander Joe Blanton. On the year, he is 4-6 with a 5.27 ERA, but over his past four starts he is 0-3 with an ERA of 10.98. Before that, he was 4-2...
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From Pirates to Yankees to Orioles, Steve Pearce starts over in Baltimore

From Pirates to Yankees to Orioles, Steve Pearce starts over in Baltimore
Steve Pearce was drafted in round eighth by Pittsburgh in 2005 and that was the only organization he knew between the 2005 and 2011 seasons. But he moved this year to the Yankees organization and was batting .321 with 15 doubles, 11 home runs, 30 RBIS and a .996 OPS in 52 games for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre when some things changed last weekend. He could have opted out of his contract a week ago today and did, fully prepared to find a job with another team. But then the Orioles acquired...
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After putting together a few hits in Boston, Flaherty is back in the lineup tonight

After putting together a few hits in Boston, Flaherty is back in the lineup tonight
From Rule 5 pick to the starting lineup. For the third game in a row, Ryan Flaherty is in the Orioles' starting lineup. He'll bat eighth and start in right field tonight after patrolling left in front of the Green Monster the past two nights. While Flaherty is batting just .183 in 29 games and 60 at-bats on the season, he came up with three hits in six at-bats over the last three games in Fenway Park and put together some nice at-bats in that series. Before the Orioles selected him in last...
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Some Orioles draft notes

Some Orioles draft notes
The Orioles are certainly aware that their third-round draft pick, high school shortstop Adrian Marin,
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Will the O's bats get going on this homestand?

Will the O's bats get going on this homestand?
With last night's loss at Boston, the Orioles are now 5-11 since they were a season-high 13 games over .500 on May 19. They won the series in Boston, but had lost four in a row before that. So as they begin a series with Philadelphia tonight, the Orioles are looking for some wins, and to get them, they'll likely need to start scoring some more runs. While there has been a lot of focus on the club's starting pitching lately, the Orioles' hitters did not have a great road trip. Here are...
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Orioles come to terms with third-round pick

Orioles come to terms with third-round pick
The Orioles have reportedly come to contract terms with their third-round draft pick, high school shortstop Adrian Marin. That word comes from the player himself. He proclaimed this via his Twitter page on Thursday night: "Officially signed a contract with Baltimore!!" Click here for the link to that Twitter announcement and picture. ‪ The speedy, 5-foot-10, 165-lb. Marin played at Gulliver Prep near Miami. He was the 99th overall pick in the draft, is a right-handed batter...
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Matusz knocked out early as O's fail to get series sweep at Fenway

Matusz knocked out early as O's fail to get series sweep at Fenway
Brian Matusz's return to pitching respectability took a hit tonight at Fenway Park in Boston. Matusz lasted just one batter into the third inning tonight as Boston beat the Orioles 7-0 to avoid a three-game sweep. Matusz struggled pretty much from the first pitch tonight, walking two batters in the first inning and three in the second. After he gave up a leadoff single in the third, that was it for Matusz, who fell to 5-6 with an ERA of 4.82. He entered this outing at 4-1 with an ERA of 2.87...
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Avery and Hoes struggling right now at Triple-A

Avery and Hoes struggling right now at Triple-A
The Orioles have two young outfielders struggling a bit right now at the plate at Triple-A Norfolk. It is not any cause for alarm, as they are both playing at that level for the first time. One isL.J. Hoes recently moved to Triple-A for the first time. After going 0-for-6 this afternoon, Hoes is batting .143 with no homers and three RBIs in nine Tides games. He went 3-for-6 in his first three games there, but is just 2-for-29 over his last six Norfolk games. Speaking of struggles, Brian...
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The Matusz math

The Matusz math
With each good outing, Brian Matusz, who can pitch the Orioles to another sweep at Fenway Park tonight, continues to distance himself from his terrible 2011 season when he had an ERA of 10.69. It wasn't that long ago - from last June 12 to this April 20 - that Matusz went 0-12 with an ERA of 11.64 and an opponent batting average against of .387 during a 13-start stretch. Yeah, that is a run of bad pitching. Contrast that with Matusz now, when he is 4-1 with an ERA of 2.87 over his last five...
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Winning the close ones has been a key for the Orioles' run to first place

Winning the close ones has been a key for the Orioles' run to first place
With their win last night in Boston, the Orioles moved back into sole possession of first place in the American League East. But while the Orioles own the AL's second-best record at 32-24, they rank just eighth in run differential at a plus-three. Run differential is the amount that a team outscores its opponents by on the year. While Texas is an impressive plus-70 and the Yankees are a plus-33, the Orioles are plus-three. Texas looks much more impressive than the Orioles in that stat, yet...
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UVa coach provides insight on Orioles' second-round pick

UVa coach provides insight on Orioles' second-round pick
The Orioles selected University of Virginia right-handed pitcher Branden Kline in round two of the draft, making him the 65th pick overall. His head coach for the past three years believes the Orioles got a good player and person. Kline went 7-3 with a 3.56 ERA this season with 94 strikeouts in 93 2/3 innings and a .241 batting average against. He was rated by Baseball Ameria as the draft's 87th-best prospect. At UVa he was a top closer last season and was moved to the rotation this year....
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O's set club record with seventh straight win at Fenway

O's set club record with seventh straight win at Fenway
For the first time in Baltimore Orioles history, the club has a seven-game winning streak at Boston's Fenway Park. The Orioles won a tense pitchers' duel 2-1 over Boston tonight, as Wei-Yin Chen got the win and the O's came up with a two-run rally against Josh Beckett in the top of the sixth after they were shut out on one hit through five innings. The Orioles had won six in a row at Fenway Park four times previously, with the most recent being July 31, 1992-June 12, 1993. Chen gave up...
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Chasing O's history tonight at Fenway Park

Chasing O's history tonight at Fenway Park
So the Orioles enter tonight's game with a six-game win streak at Fenway Park. They last won seven in a row there - well, actually never. Here is note tonight via Twitter from Stats LLC: The #Orioles haven't won 7 straight in Boston since the St. Louis Browns beat the Boston Americans at Huntington Ave. Grounds in 1906. #MLB Neither Roch or I covered that Huntington Avenue game. Here is a note tonight from the Orioles media notes: The Orioles have won six straight games at Fenway Park...
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