The four Orioles full-season minor league affiliates are underway in their seasons with a combined record of 5-6 so far.
* Triple-A Norfolk is 1-2, averaging 4.0 runs per game with a 5.57 ERA.
* Double-A Bowie is 1-2, averaging 3.0 runs per game with a 6.00 ERA.
* Single-A Frederick is 1-1, averaging 8.5 runs per game with a 5.00 ERA.
* Single-A Delmarva is 2-1, averaging 6.3 runs per game with a 4.50 ERA.
Among individual players, Manny Machado is batting .273 for Bowie, going 3-for-11 so...
It is safe to say that Orioles third baseman Mark Reynolds has not gotten off to the start on defense that he wanted.
After leading the American League with 31 errors last season, he made an errant throw on opening day but first baseman Chris Davis saved him with a nice stretch and catch. Last night, Reynolds made an error in the eighth that led to both Twins runs that inning being unearned.
"That was a tough play last night. A lefty hit a slicing cue off the end (of the bat) down the...
Yes, it's only been two games and no one will confuse this Minnesota lineup with the Yankees. But the back to back solid starting pitching outings by Jake Arrieta and Tommy Hunter may remind you of how the O's starters started last year.
In the first series of the 2011 season, the Orioles swept the Rays in Tampa Bay as Jeremy Guthrie, Chris Tillman and Zach Britton combined to pitch 20 innings and allow just six hits and one run in that three-game sweep.
The next game was the home opener...
For Tommy Hunter, it was just a matter of doing what he is expected to do.
"Starting pitchers are supposed to go deep into the game, give your team a chance to win," he said after a strong seven-plus innings as the Orioles beat Minnesota 8-2 to improve to 2-0.
"Just throw strikes and let the defense play. They made some plays all night behind me," he said after giving up six hits and two unearned runs.
Hunter and Jake Arrieta have combined to pitch 14 innings without allowing an earned...
On a night the Orioles broke out some big offense, another excellent outing by a starting pitcher set the tone for a second straight win over the Minnesota Twins.
Tommy Hunter followed up Jake Arrieta's outstanding opening day performance by pitching seven-plus strong innings tonight in the Orioles' 8-2 win over Minnesota in front of 31,532 at Camden Yards.
Tommy Hunter talks about his strong start in the Orioles' 8-2 win
Hunter took a shutout into the eighth but left the game when...
The middle of the Orioles batting order delivered some key offense for the Orioles in their season-opening win, with Nick Markakis producing a homer and three RBIs.
Tonight, the bottom of the order has contributed five hits, four runs and two RBIs between Ronny Paulino and Robert Andino. The Paulino-Andino combo has been retired just once tonight by Twins pitching.
After Adam Jones' homer in the second gave the O's a 1-0 lead, Paulino and Andino both singled and scored in the third and...
There were terms like UZR (ultimate zone rating) and wOBA (weighted on base average) mentioned today during Buck Showalter's pregame press session with reporters.
This will come as welcome news to some readers of this blog. The fans that are into sabermetrics and some of the new statistics in the game are well aware of these terms and what they represent.
But Showalter today mentioned that some people that may have been in the game for 30 years may not be up on the terms and stats. They...
At FanFest, Jake Arrieta was saying that having the bone spurs removed from his right elbow last August was going to provide a new-found flexibility and range of motion with his arm. He specifically felt that would most benefit his ability to throw more quality breaking balls.
Then he went out on opening day and saw that unfold during his outing. Arrieta threw many quality pitches over seven innings of two-hit shutout ball. But he said he may have thrown some of the best breaking pitches that...
Checking in with more notes from Orioles opening day win a few hours before the second game of the season tonight at Camden Yards.
* It was 20 years ago yesterday when Rick Sutcliffe pitched a five-hit shutout as the Orioles opened Camden Yards by winning by two runs, 2-0. On Friday, they won by two runs, 4-2 as the pitching staff allowed six hits.
* Only 11 players from last year's opening day 25-man roster are on that roster right now. They are Robert Andino, Jake Arrieta, Kevin Gregg,...
I guess right-hander Dylan Bundy could have had a better pro debut. He could have struck out all nine batters he faced.
He didn't quite do that, but he was very impressive nonetheless when he took the mound last night in Asheville, N.C., for his first game in the O's organization.
Scheduled to pitch three innings, Bundy retired the Tourists in order three straight times with six strikeouts to pitch Delmarva to a 7-2 win in the Shorebirds South Atlantic League season opener. Bundy's debut...
Orioles 2006 first-round draft pick Billy Rowell, who has struggled the last few years as a hitter, has agreed to take a shot at pitching.
He has been taking part in the beginnings of a throwing program the last two days in Sarasota and will continue with that for about a month. At that point, the Orioles will decide if he has made enough progress to pitch in extended spring training games. If he advances past that, he could possibly join a minor league affiliate as a pitcher later this...
Nick Markakis got the Orioles off to a fast start today, delivering a two-run homer off Carl Pavano in the last of the first inning as the Orioles beat the Twins 4-2 on opening day.
Markakis went 2-for-3 and had a triple and three RBIs and it was a great sign to prove he is healthy for the season after being limited early in camp. He had abdominal surgery in January.
He said hitting the homer was nice, but also noted that he hit it out to left center field.
Nick Markakis talks with Gary...
Jake Arrieta said he doesn't feel he should be called the Orioles' No. 1 pitcher, but he sure looked like one today.
Allowing just two hits - both singles - over seven, at times, dominant innings, Arrieta pitched the Orioles to a 4-2 win over Minnesota in front of a sellout crowd of 46,773 at Camden Yards.
Arrieta walked two and fanned four. He faced the minimum three batters in five of his seven innings.
Jake Arrieta talks about his strong outing in the Orioles' opening day win
"My...
It took the Orioles a long time to name their opening day starter. It looks like Buck Showalter made the right decision.
Jake Arrieta blanked Minnesota on just two hits over seven innings as the Orioles beat the Twins 4-2 to win this afternoon in front of sellout crowd of 46,773.
Arrieta's strong outing came 20 years to the day Rick Sutcliffe blanked Cleveland 2-0 in the first regular season game at Camden Yards. Josh Willingham's two-run homer off Troy Patton in the ninth ended the...
When the Orioles got six earned runs off Minnesota right-hander Carl Pavano on March 22, it was in a spring training game that didn't count.
When they got to him today, it did count.
In the spring outing, the Orioles had eight hits in just four innings against Pavano. Last year, in two starts against the Orioles, he was 0-2 with an ERA of 8.49, giving up 11 earned runs over 11 2/3 innings in two starts.
Nick Markakis entered today 6-for-19 off the righty but without a career homer off him....
Twenty years ago today, right-hander Rick Sutcliffe threw a five-hit shutout to pitch the Orioles past Cleveland to open Camden Yards. He threw another strike today to help lift off the 2012 season.
He said that 1992 opening day was among the most special in his career.
"There was nothing like that one," Sutcliffe said. "There was always going to be another opening day, but there was never going to be another first opening day at Camden Yards."
Sutcliffe remembered being a free agent a...
It was 20 years ago today that Rick Sutcliffe was the first pitcher to take the mound in a regular season game here at Camden Yards. He pitched the Orioles to a win with a five-hit shutout that today. If Jake Arrieta could come up with a performance even close to that this afternoon, the Orioles could start the 20th anniversary season at the Yard in fine fashion.
Arrieta went 10-8 with a 5.05 ERA last season. Arrieta is:
* 7-6 with an ERA of 4.78 in 20 career Camden Yards starts.
* 1-1 with...
When the Orioles come up to bat for the first time today, Nolan Reimold will be batting first. He has just 24 career at-bats in the leadoff spot, but will add to the total today.
"I'm excited. Get up there first and set the tone. Try to get on base and score runs is my focus," he said.
He was asked if he has to change anything about his approach when batting atop the order.
"No, I don't think so. I mean, the goal is always to get on base and get hits. In that aspect, nothing changes....
Even though he had just 24 at-bats in spring training after offseason abdominal surgery, Orioles right fielder Nick Markakis today pronounced himself fit and ready to go for this season.
"Yeah, physically, I think I'm about as good as I can be right now. It's just a matter of going out and playing now. All the rehab and hard work in spring training is behind me and now I can focus on the season," Markakis said.
"I feel close. There are some things where I can tell I had surgery. But I'm...
BOWIE, Md. - At a time when the Orioles brought what seemed like dozens and dozens of pitchers to major league camp this year, there was an omission that was somewhat glaring to me.
The Orioles failed to provide a major league spring training invite to their 2011 minor league Pitcher of the Year, Tim Bascom. I'm not saying that Bascom is ready to make the O's staff right now or is ranked as one of the club's top prospects, but I felt he had done enough last year to warrant at least some...