Chris Davis hit a big three-run homer tonight that gave the Orioles the lead in the last of fourth over Tampa Bay. It came on a pitch, he said, he probably should not have even swung at.
"It was definitely a ball," Davis said of the 0-2 pitch from Wade Davis. "It might have gone to the backstop if I didn't hit it, but in all seriousness, the first pitch he threw me was a good pitch to get at least one run in. I fouled it off and I was mad at myself for almost giving an at bat away there...
With a strong outing tonight, Jeremy Guthrie got a win over Tampa Bay. He also tied his career high in strikeouts and failed to set a new career high in losses.
Guthrie led the Orioles to a 6-2 win over the Rays, who could have closed to within three games of Boston for the wild card with a victory.
Rick Dempsey breaks down Jeremy Guthrie's solid start in the Birds' 6-2 win
Guthrie, now 8-17 with an ERA of 4.22, gave up just three hits and two runs over seven innings. He walked three and...
A win here tonight by the Orioles would, not only be damaging to Tampa Bay's playoff hopes, but also allow the Orioles to end the season series with Tampa tied at nine wins each.
The Rays have won the last three season series by 15-3, 10-8 and 11-7 last year.
Plus, the all-time series would be even at 120 wins each with an Orioles victory in this game.
By making this start tonight, Jeremy Guthrie becomes the 11th hurler in O's history to have four seasons of 30 or more starts.
Jim Palmer...
The Orioles rank next to last in the American League with 67 stolen bases as a team.
But with the September call-ups of Matt Angle and Kyle Hudson the club has more team speed and is now running more.
The Orioles had just eight stolen bases in 29 games in August. They have 15 in 13 games this month. The number of 15 ties the O's total for all of May, which was their most steals this year in any month.
Manager Buck Showalter today had some praise for Angle and Hudson. Not just that they can...
Matt Wieters has now homered in back-to-back games for the Orioles and has hit five homers in his last 12 games.
Wieters' next homer will be his 20th on the year. He has 19 this season in 457 at-bats. Pretty impressive when you compare it to the fact he hit 20 combined homers in 800 at-bats during the 2009 and 2010 seasons.
Wieters said he is not sure why he is hitting more homers now and there is not one key reason for the power surge.
"I don't think so. I think it's just power seems to...
Jonathan Schoop had surfaced on the radar by the end of last season when he was named the Orioles' 10th best prospect by Baseball America.
At the end of this season, the 19-year-old Schoop is going to be ranked even higher than that and has to be considered a leading candidate - maybe the top candidate - to be named the Orioles' minor league Player of the Year later this month.
Schoop has quickly made a name for himself as a talented and hard-working player that has a great attitude and...
FREDERICK, Md. - Last night, Single-A Frederick used solid starting pitching and stellar defense to beat Potomac in the fifth and deciding game of a first-round playoff series.
But both were missing tonight and Frederick's offense struggled as well as the Keys lost to Kinston 3-1 in Game 1 of the Mills Cup championship series here at Harry Grove Stadium.
Kinston scored once in the top of the third to take a 1-0 lead. After a Manny Machado RBI double tied the score in the last of the third,...
FREDERICK, Md. - The Single-A Frederick Keys trail the Kinston Indians 3-1 in the last of the fourth of Game 1 of the Mills Cup finals.
Kinston's Jesus Aguilar led off the top of the fourth with a solo homer to left off Nick Haughian to give the Indians the 2-1 edge. The next batter, Tyler Cannon, doubled to right. He would score on a dribbler to third that went for an infield single and an error on third baseman Dale Mollenhauer, who threw past first base.
Kinston went on to put runners on...
FREDERICK, Md. - Here are some notes on the Single-A Frederick Keys as they begin the Carolina League championship series here tonight, hosting Kinston.
First baseman Aaron Baker, who joined the Orioles after his July 30 trade from Pittsburgh in the Derrek Lee deal, said the Keys are a close team with very good chemistry.
Baker hit a big two-run homer last night against Single-A Potomac and went 4-for-15 in that series.
"It's a great feeling to be a part of this awesome team. I feel like I...
FREDERICK, Md. - The Single-A Frederick Keys didn't have long to celebrate their Game 5 win in the playoffs last night against Potomac. Tonight, they host the Kinston Indians in Game 1 of the Mills Cup championship series, looking for their first title since 2007.
Frederick will start left-hander Nick Haughian tonight in game one. A ninth-round pick in 2008, the 24-year-old Haughian went 8-7 with a 3.67 ERA this year. He didn't pitch in the series with Potomac and will be pitching on nine...
The 2011 Frederick Keys are a team the Orioles of yesteryear would like.
They win thanks to pitching and defense and the occasional clutch homer.
Single-A Frederick used that formula to post the best record in the Carolina League this year at 80-59 and used it again to beat Potomac in a five-game first-round playoff series, winning Game 5 last night. The Keys have reached the Mills Cup championship series, which opens tonight in Frederick when they host the Kinston Indians.
Frederick led...
FREDERICK, Md. - Jake Pettit pitched Frederick to a win in Game 1 of this playoff series and the lefty came up big tonight in Game 5 as well.
Pettit gave up just three hits and one run over six innings, just as he did in game one, to pitch Frederick to a 3-2 win over Potomac in the fifth and deciding game of this Carolina League semi-final series.
The Keys advance to face Kinston for the Mills Cup championship and will host the first two games of that best-of-five series on Tuesday and...
FREDERICK, Md. - The Frederick Keys have jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first inning of Game 5 of their playoff series with Potomac here at Harry Grove Stadium.
After Dale Mollenhauer led off the last of the first with a foul out, Manny Machado followed that with a single to left. Batting fourth as the DH, Aaron Baker came up and hit a two-run homer to left on the first pitch from Paul Demny to lead 3-0.
After Demny issued a two-out walk, he was lifted from the game and right-hander...
FREDERICK, Md. - As Frederick plays host to Potomac tonight in the deciding game of this series, it is the first Game 5 of a playoff series in Frederick since 1990, the first year the Keys played here at Harry Grove Stadium.
Frederick defeated Kinston and Jim Thome 7-5 that night to win the Carolina League championship.
A win tonight by the Keys and they return here tomorrow night to face Kinston again in a best-of-five series for the league championship.
Keys manager Orlando Gomez had two...
FREDERICK, Md. - After a summer of some uncertainty about the future of pro baseball in Frederick, the Keys are about to finalize a new 10-year lease to remain at Harry Grove Stadium through the 2021 season.
For a while earlier this year, the independent Atlantic League tried to get a deal with the city of Frederick and, in effect, push the Keys out of town.
But this franchise,which has been here since 1989, doesn't seem to be going anywhere. The Keys have always been an Orioles...
FREDERICK, Md. - Lefty Jake Pettit has made 11 starts this season for the Single-A Frederick Keys, including one in the playoffs, and Frederick is 10-1 in those starts.
The Keys hope that winning trend continues tonight when Pettit pitches the fifth and deciding game against Potomac in the Carolina League playoffs.
Tonight's winner will advance to host Kinston tomorrow night in Game 1 of the Mills Cup championship series.
Pettit began this year with Single-A Delmarva, going 5-4 with an ERA...
The Single-A Frederick Keys will host Potomac tonight in the fifth and deciding game of their playoff series. The Keys are one win from the Carolina League championship series.
There are many reasons why the Keys set a club record with 80 regular season wins and now are a win away from advancing in the playoffs.
One somewhat unheralded player that should get some of the credit and attention is catcher Brian Ward.
Despite having modest stats on offense, Ward has emerged as a real solid player...
This time the Orioles let the lead get away in the seventh inning. Trailing 5-3 heading to the last of the seventh, Toronto scored three runs then to post a come-from-behind 6-5 win over the Orioles.
Buck Showalter talks to Jim Hunter about the O's 6-5 loss in Toronto
Toronto took the series two wins to one and wins the season series, 12-6 against the Orioles. The Jays took two out of three in all six series between the clubs this season.
With a win either yesterday or today, the Orioles...
The Frederick Keys took a 1-0 lead to the eighth inning this afternoon at Potomac. Six outs from advancing to the Carolina League championship series, the Keys could not maintain the shutout.
Potomac came up with six runs in the last of the eighth to post a 6-1 victory that evens the best-of-five series at two wins and sends the clubs back to Frederick Monday night at 7 p.m in the fifth and deciding game.
The winner of that game will play Kinston in the championship series.
Right-hander...
Even with how yesterday's game ended, the Orioles' bullpen has posted an ERA of 0.83 over the last five games, allowing just two runs over the last 21 2/3 innings.
Here is the rundown:
Tuesday at NYY: 1.1 IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 3K
Wednesday at NYY: 6IP, 4H, 0R, 2BB, 6K
Thursday vs. NYY: 6IP, 0H, 0R, 1BB, 8K
Friday at Tor: 2IP, 0H, 0R, 2BB, 0K
Saturday at Tor: 6.1IP, 2H, 2R-ER, 2BB, 5K
TOTALS: 21.2IP, 6H, 2R-ER, 7BB, 22K.
Until Kevin Gregg allowed two hits with two outs in the ninth on Saturday,...
