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,...
Probably the most disappointing thing about the struggles of Kevin Gregg this year - beyond just blowing games that should be Orioles wins - is how much he contributes to his own demise.
If he were getting crushed on the mound or giving up homers with the game on the line that would be one thing. But two of the three runners that reached yesterday to load the bases in the ninth came on a walk and a hit batter. The tie run scored on a wild pitch.
Gregg handed the Blue Jays the game. If that...
What a way for the Orioles to end a run of 21 2/3 straight scoreless innings by their bullpen.
Kevin Gregg suffered his seventh blown save of the year as Toronto scored twice in the last of the ninth to win 5-4.
After Clay Rapada began the last of the ninth with a strikeout, Gregg came on and got a second strikeout. There were two outs and none on with a 4-3 lead when Gregg unraveled.
Jim Hunter asks Buck Showalter about the Orioles' 5-4 loss to the Blue Jays
He then gave up a walk, single...
In baseball, they say speed doesn't go into a slump, and it's good to see the Orioles using some speed today and in recent games with callups like Matt Angle and Kyle Hudson.
Hudson dropped a beautiful bunt toward third base and made second on a throwing error in the second inning this afternoon. Pedro Florimon was called out when he followed with another bunt.
The Orioles have 12 stolen bases in 14 attempts in September, their third-best month this season for steals. They stole 15 bases in...
As his first full season as a pro ballplayer winds down, Manny Machado feels pretty good about how it has gone.
He began the year as an 18-year-old in the South Atlantic League. Now, five months later, he'll end it as a 19-year-old in the Carolina League.
In between, the Orioles' 2010 first-round pick got off to a blazing hot start at the plate, dealt with a knee injury, played in an All-Star game and learned how to handle struggling at the bat for the first time in his life.
In the...
Reversing a recent stretch where he had not pitched that well, Jeremy Guthrie shut down the Toronto Blue Jays tonight in the Orioles 2-0 win at Rogers Centre in game one of the three-game weekend series.
Guthrie had given up seven runs in his last start against Tampa Bay and worked to an ERA of 5.50 in his last six starts. But tonight, he pitched seven scoreless innings of three-hit ball with three walks and five strikeouts. He threw 104 pitches and is now 7-17 with an ERA of 4.29.
When he...
Here are a couple of notes as the Orioles and Blue Jays begin a weekend series tonight.
* The Orioles went 3-15 against Toronto last year and this season are 5-10. The Orioles have lost 30 of the last 42 games between the teams.
* It's been a mixed bag in recent games for Orioles' pitching. The bullpen has put together three straight games without allowing a run. That is 13 1/3 scoreless giving up just four hits with three walks and 17 strikeouts.
The Orioles rotation has not recorded a...
Check out this pretty funny video with Jeremy Guthrie and the guys at that MLB Fan Cave in New York.
Guthrie is known to be a fan of Justin Bieber and boy bands and the guys in New York wanted to discuss that with him.
Click here for that.
The Orioles' last two first-round draft picks, pitcher Dylan Bundy and shortstop Manny Machado, head the list of young players on the O's instructional league roster. The instructional league workouts in Sarasota, Fla., begin Sept.15 and run through Oct. 8.
Several O's minor league coaches and instructors will be on hand and Mike Bordick will oversee the workouts and serve as manager when the Orioles' team plays games.
The players get a lot of individual drill work and instruction during...
For the second day in a row, the Orioles enjoyed an extra-inning win against the Yankees, winning today 5-4 in the 10th on Robert Andino's RBI single.
"It is always good to have a walk-off game, especially against the Yankees," Andino said. "We battled the whole game and pitching kept us in it. To walk them off like that, everybody wants to beat the Yankees."
Tom Davis and Dave Johnson catch up with Robert Andino to discuss his game-winning hit in the O's 5-4 win
Andino came to bat...
On a day when their starter struggled and they fell behind early, the Orioles still got to celebrate a walk-off win over the Yankees.
Robert Andino, whose RBI single tied the game 4-4 in the eighth, won it with an RBI single down the third-base line with one out in the 10th for the 5-4 victory. His hit scored Nolan Reimold, who reached on an infield single and moved to second on a walk to Chris Davis.
The Orioles trailed 4-1 after three innings but battled back to tie with single runs in the...
In Game 2 of the Carolina League playoffs tonight in Frederick, lefty Rick Zagone will take the mound trying to pitch the Keys to a 2-0 edge in the best-of-five series with Potomac.
Zagone, the Orioles' sixth-round pick in 2008, spent a lot of this season with Double-A Bowie, going 4-6 with a 4.84 ERA over 19 games and 16 starts. He went 4-2 with a 2.97 ERA in seven starts for Single-A Frederick.
The Nationals' starter tonight is lefty Sammy Solis, Washington's second-round pick in 2010....
The Orioles were hoping to have a better picture of what Chris Davis could do by this point, but his right shoulder injury and recent trip to the disabled list slowed their evaluation process.
"No, I haven't seen enough of him yet," hitting coach Jim Presley said this morning of his evaluation of Davis as a hitter.
"Injuries happen. Nothing we can do about it. Being around him, he's a great kid and he wants to get after it. These next two or three weeks will be a big indication....
FREDERICK, Md. - The Single-A Frederick Keys began the Carolina League playoffs with a win last night as they seek the fourth title in their 23-year history.
The Keys beat Potomac 5-1 in Game 1 of a best-of-five series in a contest that was shortened by rain to six innings. Frederick needs two more wins to reach the Mills Cup championship series.
Miguel Abreu drove in four runs for Frederick and had the game's biggest swing. He hit a three-run homer in the fourth off Nationals right-hander...
FREDERICK, Md. - The Single-A Frederick Keys took advantage of a defensive mistake by Potomac and another good start from Jake Pettit to beat the Nationals 5-1 tonight in a game shortened to six innings by rain.
The Keys take a one game to none lead in the best-of-five Carolina League semi-final series and host Game Two Thursday at 7 p.m.
Pettit, who entered with a record of 7-0 and 1.62 ERA in 10 Keys starts, did not have his usual fastball command tonight and needed to rely more on his...
FREDERICK, Md. - After three innings of Game 1 of the Carolina League playoffs, the Potomac Nationals lead the Single-A Frederick Keys 1-0 at Harry Grove Stadium.
After a scoreless first inning, Potomac first baseman Steven Souza hit a solo homer to left in the second to give the Nationals a 1-0 lead. It was his 12th homer of the year.
Keys starter Jake Pettit, who is 7-0 with an ERA of 1.62 in 10 Keys starts, has allowed just the one run on two hits through three innings. Pettit has no walks...
FREDERICK, Md. - In baseball, good pitching and defense will carry you a long way. That has been a successful formula for the Single-A Frederick Keys this year, who host Potomac tonight in Game One of the Carolina League playoffs.
While Frederick's offense ranks near the bottom of the league in a few categories, the Keys' team ERA ranks first at 3.22 and Frederick is tied for first in the league in fielding percentage and in fewest errors. Frederick finished with the best record in the...
