Orioles release pitcher Luis Lebron

Orioles release pitcher Luis Lebron
The Orioles today released right-handed pitcher Luis Lebron. The 27-year-old Lebron had a mid-to-high 90s fastball before undergoing Tommy John surgery in May 2010. He never recovered his fastball velocity or command after the surgery and did not pitch at all during the 2010 season. He got into just 10 2/3 innings last year between the Gulf Coast League and short-season Single-A Aberdeen. Lebron had a breakout 2009 season before he got hurt. He went 3-3 with a 2.54 ERA and 20 saves between...
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The Orioles' pitching gets a weekend test at Fenway

The Orioles' pitching gets a weekend test at Fenway
The strong pitching start by the Orioles will get another test this weekend at Fenway Park. The Red Sox are first in the American League in doubles; second in runs, batting average and slugging; fourth in on-base percentage; and sixth in homers. Boston has scored 71 runs over its past 11 games. The Red Sox are averaging 5.5 runs per game. That is a pace for 891 runs and Boston led the league last year scoring 875 in 2011. But the Orioles began today atop the AL in team ERA at 2.83 and leading...
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Checking in with Delmarva pitching coach Troy Mattes

Checking in with Delmarva pitching coach Troy Mattes
When I was in Salisbury recently to watch Dylan Bundy pitch, I had a chance to talk with Shorebirds pitching coach Troy Mattes. He is in his third season with that club and, at just 36, is the young coach that has been entrusted to work with and help develop some of the Orioles' most promising young pitchers. The Single-A Delmarva staff is off to a very good start with an ERA of 3.27 that ranks second out of 14 teams in the South Atlantic League. Bundy, with his 17 shutout innings of one-hit...
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Should Orioles fans start to dream big?

Should Orioles fans start to dream big?
The Orioles began a grueling part of their schedule Monday. It began with the three games they just played in New York to be followed by three games this weekend in Boston. They then return home for four with Texas, three with Tampa Bay and two more with New York. That is a stretch of 15 games against four teams that all could win 90 or more games this year and be playoff teams. Counting the Yankees' record of 12-9 at the start of the series with the Orioles, those four teams have a combined...
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More dazzling pitching as the road trip starts on a high note

More dazzling pitching as the road trip starts on a high note
If you're an Orioles fan, you can pinch yourself this morning -but it might hurt, because the Orioles really did win a series in the Bronx by outscoring the Yankees 12-1 the last two nights. They left New York with a record of 16-9, going seven games over .500 for the first time since July 19, 2005. They continued their season-opening run of good baseball and amazing pitching in New York. There are plenty of other stats worth noting after last night's game: * The Yankees entered this...
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Jake Arrieta with a gem as the Orioles take the series in New York

Jake Arrieta with a gem as the Orioles take the series in New York
It was a night the Orioles could enjoy in New York. Jake Arrieta pitched the Orioles past the Yankees tonight 5-0 as the Orioles take the series two wins to one after losing the opener Monday and they also hand Ivan Nova his first loss since last June 3. Matt Wieters and Nick Markakis hit solo homers to back Arrieta as the Orioles improved to 16-9 on the year to go seven games over the .500 mark for the first time since July 19, 2005 when they were 50-43. The Orioles held the Yankees to...
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Can the Orioles offense pick up the pace and join the pitchers?

Can the Orioles offense pick up the pace and join the pitchers?
On April 16, the Orioles scored 10 runs at Chicago in a win over the White Sox. But then they scored a total of just 30 runs over their next 10 games. That stretch ended with another 10-run outburst, this one Saturday at Camden Yards against Oakland. With seven more runs last night, the O's offense is showing signs of possibly breaking out a bit right now. Over those last four games, the Orioles' team batting average is .298 with 39 hits. They have scored 23 runs in those games with seven...
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Minor league notes on Pomeranz, Delmonico, Hoes and more

Minor league notes on Pomeranz, Delmonico, Hoes and more
Orioles minor league right-handed pitcher Stu Pomeranz may be off to the best start of any pitcher on the farm right now not named Dylan Bundy. In his first two outings with Triple-A Norfolk, since moving up from Double-A Bowie, Pomeranz has pitched 3 2/3 shutout and hitless innings with nine strikeouts. So of 11 Triple-A outs he has recorded, nine have come via a strikeout. Between Bowie and Norfolk, the 27-year-old Pomeranz has pitched 17 innings allowing seven hits and no earned runs with...
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Can the Orioles end super Nova's win streak tonight?

Can the Orioles end super Nova's win streak tonight?
Last night, the Orioles' Brian Matusz picked up his first win since last June 6. Tonight, the Orioles will try to hand Yankees right-hander Ivan Nova his first loss since last June 3. Over his last 20 starts since that loss to the Angels on the road, Nova is 15-0 with an ERA of 3.61. The Yankees are 17-3 in those 20 games which includes a win for Nova on April 11 at Baltimore when he gave up two runs over seven innings in beating the Orioles at Camden Yards. Nova currently holds the major...
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Matusz is on the rebound while some young Yankees pitchers are struggling

Matusz is on the rebound while some young Yankees pitchers are struggling
So in a matchup of 25-year-old pitchers looking to rebound from poor 2011 seasons, the Orioles' Brian Matusz took a big step forward and the Yankees' Phil Hughes struggled again and gave up more homers. No one is saying Matusz is fully back, but it looked like he was making progress earlier this year but not getting the results to show for that. Over his last two starts, he is now also getting results. The Orioles have won his last two outings after losing 13 straight Matusz starts and the...
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Finally back in the win column: Matusz pitches Orioles past New York

Finally back in the win column: Matusz pitches Orioles past New York
Not only did Brian Matusz end his long losing steak tonight, but he did it against one of baseball's best offenses in their home park. Matusz gave up just one run over 6 1/3 innings as the Orioles beat the Yankees 7-1 to even this three-game series at Yankee Stadium. For Matusz, it is his first win since June 6 of last year against Oakland. For Orioles manager Buck Showalter, it's the 1,000th of his career. No doubt a meaningful win for the Birds. For Matusz, in 14 starts since the 2011...
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Led by the bullpen, April 2012 tops April 2011 (with update)

Led by the bullpen, April 2012 tops April 2011 (with update)
The Orioles have had a better first month of the season in 2012 than in 2011, both on the stat sheet and in the standings. After April last year, they were 12-13, in third place and 3 1/2 games out. Now they are 14-9 and in second place, one game out of first. Here are other comparisons: * The 2011 team hit .236 and averaged 4.16 runs per game. The team now is batting .249 and scoring 4.17 runs per game. * The team ERA was 4.47 then and is 3.03 now. * The rotation ERA was 4.03 last April...
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The AL East is still a beast

The AL East is still a beast
Even with four losses in four games so far this year against the Yankees, the Orioles are 14-9 and just one game out of first place as the calender turns to May in baseball's toughest division. There have been some stories written already this year, especially after Boston's poor start, that the American League East is slipping a bit, but the standings after one month tell a different story. All five AL East teams begin play today at .500 or better and there are just four teams at .500 or...
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Pitching continues to hold strong, but O's remain winless against Yankees

Pitching continues to hold strong, but O's remain winless against Yankees
There was plenty of frustration for the Orioles last night in New York. They lost another game to the Yankees. They lost another close game to the Yankees. They are winless this year against the Yankees at 0-4. The last three losses have been by one, two and one run. The frustration for the offense started in the first inning last night, when two balls were hard hit but outs. That trend would continue at times during the night. Chris Davis' long sac fly in the second scored a run, but...
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Kuroda tops Hammel as Yankees take series opener

Kuroda tops Hammel as Yankees take series opener
The Orioles were done in pretty much by one swing tonight and this time there was no late-inning comeback. Eric Chavez hit a two-run homer to right in the last of the second tonight and Yankees pitching made it stand up in a 2-1 win over the Orioles in the start of a three-game series. The Orioles fall to 14-9 overall, 6-5 on the road and 0-4 against the Yankees. They have lost the last three games against New York by four total runs. The Orioles are 14-5 against every team but the Yankees...
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Bundy with another strong outing tonight

Bundy with another strong outing tonight
Orioles top pitching prospect Dylan Bundy of the Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds allowed his first professional hit tonight, but then went on to pitch four shutout innings against Asheville in his fifth pro start. He is expected to now come out of the game for a reliever. Bundy allowed just the one hit over the four frames with one walk and four strikeouts. He has now pitched 17 innings over five starts allowing just the one hit in 50 at-bats against South Atlantic League hitters with two walks...
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Orioles' good start produces some good stats

Orioles' good start produces some good stats
The Orioles have compiled some strong stats during an impressive 14-8 start. Here are a few of them: * The Orioles lead the American League with five wins this year when trailing after seven innings. In fact, the only other AL team that has more than two of those wins is Tampa Bay with three. AL East records, when trailing after 7: Orioles 5-6 Boston 1-9 New York 2-8 Tampa Bay 3-7 Toronto 2-5 * Nolan Reimold has a 14-game hitting streak since going 0-for-4 on opening day. He is batting .356...
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Dan Duquette talks about Dylan Bundy

Dan Duquette talks about Dylan Bundy
When Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette was approached by a small group of reporters Sunday, he was asked about Dylan Bundy and whether he'd ever seen a young pitcher get his pro career off to a start as dominating as Bundy's has been through his four outings. "Have you?" Duquette fired back. Has anyone? Bundy, who will make his fifth pro outing tonight at home in Salisbury against Asheville at 7:05, has put together 13 hitless and shutout innings so far with one walk and 21...
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It's Hammel time tonight in New York

It's Hammel time tonight in New York
Right-hander Jason Hammel hasn't even been an Oriole for three months yet. But after coming to the club in the February trade of Jeremy Guthrie to Colorado, he is off to a great start with the Birds with a record of 3-0 and ERA of 1.73 over his first four starts. He currently ranks third in the American League in ERA. "It's been a lot of fun, that sums it all up. Just trying to get off to a good start," he said Sunday in the Orioles clubhouse. After going 7-13 with an ERA of 4.76 in 170...
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Betemit, Wieters and Hunter talk about the comeback against Oakland

Betemit, Wieters and Hunter talk about the comeback against Oakland
Wilson Betemit's three-run walk-off homer may have touched off a wild scene on the field today as the Orioles came from behind in the ninth to beat Oakland 5-2, but minutes later the Orioles clubhouse was low key and business-like, even after they had completed a 5-1 homestand with a stirring win. Betemit was asked how he felt when he touched home plate with the first walk-off homer of his career and first by an Oriole since Nolan Reimold last Aug. 10 against Chicago. "Feeling nice. Great....
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