Another losing series for the Orioles after loss at Oakland

Another losing series for the Orioles after loss at Oakland
It's one to thing to lose a game, but yet another to look bad and greatly contribute to your own demise. The Orioles did that today at Oakland. Buck Showalter talks to Jim Hunter about the Orioles' loss in Oakland A few things went wrong in their 6-5 loss at Oakland: * After taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, Alfredo Simon and his defense gave it right back as Oakland scored three in the last of the first. That rally included Nolan Reimold misplaying the ball on a line to drive...
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The GCL Orioles are closing in on a division title

The GCL Orioles are closing in on a division title
If the Orioles lose today and fail to win another series after taking the first game of the set, the fans' frustration level will just ratchet up again. It would make me want to be a caller, not the host, on my radio show tonight and vent a little. You can call in and do that tonight on Baltimore Baseball Tonight postgame from 10 p.m. to midnight on 105.7 FM the Fan in Baltimore. A couple of more quick notes from the minors: The Orioles squad in the Gulf Coast League is closing in on its...
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Frederick outfielder Trent Mummey unlikely to return this season

Frederick outfielder Trent Mummey unlikely to return this season
Outfielder Trent Mummey of the Single-A Frederick Keys had an MRI on his injured hamstring that has kept him out since June 8 and he has not recovered well enough to return this year with just a few weeks left in the minor league season. The 22-year-old Mummey was the club's fourth-round draft pick last year out of Auburn and will wind up having played just 29 games this season. He hit .291 to start the year in 14 games with Single-A Delmarva with two homers and 12 RBIs. After moving to...
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Delmonico is a kid from a baseball family

Delmonico is a kid from a baseball family
I wanted to let you in on a few other quotes and notes about Nicky Delmonico from my interview with him yesterday. He is the Orioles' sixth-round pick from Farragut High in Knoxville, Tenn. that signed just before Monday's deadline, accepting a $1.525 signing bonus from the O's and giving up his scholarship to play college ball and join his brother at Georgia. Giving up that size of a bonus, clearly the Orioles deemed Delmonico as a first-round talent, and he got more money than did 10...
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With a win Wednesday afternoon, the Orioles can pick up an elusive series victory

With a win Wednesday afternoon, the Orioles can pick up an elusive series victory
After Tuesday night's loss at Oakland, the Orioles play the A's this afternoon and a win would give them their first series win in nearly two months and their first road series win in more than three months. The Orioles' last win in any series was when they took two of three from the Reds at home June 24-26. Since then, they have lost 11 series and tied one. During that stretch, the Orioles have won the first game of the series three times, but they lost every other game in those three...
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Will Matusz bring Triple-A success with him tonight?

Will Matusz bring Triple-A success with him tonight?
Brian Matusz will be back on a major league mound for the first time in six weeks tonight when he pitches at Oakland. In his last start, June 30 at home against St. Louis, he gave up eight runs over 3 1/3 innings. Let's hope the Orioles kept Matusz in the minors long enough to get his game together. I wonder if they did. I was kind of expecting to see Matusz stay with Triple-A Norfolk until the Tides season ended in early September. Had the Orioles chose, they could have had Matusz make four...
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Nicky Delmonico on the phone call that convinced him to be an Oriole

Nicky Delmonico on the phone call that convinced him to be an Oriole
After the Orioles drafted Nicky Delmonico in the sixth round in June, they knew it would be difficult to sign him. The now 19-year-old from Farragut High in Knoxville, Tenn., had a strong college commitment to Georgia. But late last night, Delmonico came to terms with the Orioles - and the signing bonus of $1.525 million is first-round money. He was signed to a 2012 contract. By the way, the Orioles signed all three players yesterday - Dylan Bundy, Jason Esposito and Delmonico - to 2012...
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As it turns out, the Orioles did get the "big three"

As it turns out, the Orioles did get the "big three"
During a season in which the Orioles have had a lot of bad days, Monday was not among them. And I'm not talking about the win at Oakland. I'm talking about scouting director Joe Jordan signing what I had been calling the "big three." He got Dylan Bundy, Jason Esposito and Nicky Delmonico. The pressure was on Jordan and his staff to get the deals done. Fans are fed up with this season and felt the Orioles could not afford to let any good young talent in the draft get away. At a time when...
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Joe Jordan: "It's a great day, we got everything we wanted"

Joe Jordan: "It's a great day, we got everything we wanted"
Orioles scouting director Joe Jordan just finished a telephone press conference with Baltimore reporters. Here is the entire transcript. Q: How excited are you to get all this done? "Really, when we got to today and especially this afternoon, the one I was most concerned about was (Nick) Delmonico. I really felt good that (Jason) Esposito would come to us and I felt like we would do enough to get (Dylan) Bundy signed. "Delmonico was a little bit of a wild card. It was an amazing day. We...
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Delmonico says, "I am an Oriole"

Delmonico says, "I am an Oriole"
The Orioles have come to contract terms with their sixth-round pick, high school third baseman Nick Delmonico from Knoxville, Tenn. The word comes from Delmonico himself. He just said on Twitter: "Thank you God for Leading me... I will always be a Georgia Bulldog but now I'm a Baltimore Oriole! #GodBless." Delmonico was drafted with the 185th overall pick out of Farragut High in Knoxville and he turned 19 on July 12. The Orioles have now signed 21 of their selections and now look to add...
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The Orioles have come to terms with second-round pick Jason Esposito

The Orioles have come to terms with second-round pick Jason Esposito
The Orioles have come to terms with their second-round draft pick, Vanderbilt third baseman Jason Esposito. They selected him with the 64th overall selection. Esposito is a 6-foot-2, 205-pound right-handed hitter that turned 21 on July 19. This year in college he hit .341 with nine homers and 59 RBIs in 65 games. He had an on-base percentage of .405 and slugging percentage of .534. Esposito hit .376 in Southeastern Conference games. He started every game in three seasons with Vanderbilt and...
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Dylan Bundy signs with Orioles, beating deadline

Dylan Bundy signs with Orioles, beating deadline
The Orioles have signed their first-round draft pick, high school pitcher Dylan Bundy. They selected him with the fourth pick in the June draft. The word came out just about right at the midnight deadline. This means the Orioles signed all their picks over the first 11 rounds of the draft as today they got second-round pick Jason Esposito and sixth-rounder Nicky Delmonico. This is the first time the Orioles signed all the picks in the first 11 rounds since 2005, Joe Jordan's first season as...
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Mayo on Bundy and Callis on Esposito and Delmonico

Mayo on Bundy and Callis on Esposito and Delmonico
As of just after 6 p.m., there was still no word on the Orioles' remaining three top draft pick targets. The Orioles still hope to sign first-round pick Dylan Bundy tonight along with second-rounder Jason Esposito and Nick Delmonico, taken in round six. Bundy seems a very safe bet to sign at this point, but right now, there is no clear indication either way about the other pair. My guess, and it remains just a guess, is that they get all three. I think Delmonico would probably be the most...
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Minor league notes on Schrader, Townsend, Gleason and more

Minor league notes on Schrader, Townsend, Gleason and more
It appears that Orioles minor league pitcher Clayton Schrader, who was having a real strong season, could miss the rest of this year. Schrader has been on the Single-A Frederick disabled list since Aug. 2, due to elbow discomfort. He has a flexor mass strain. He has not resumed throwing to this point and there may not be enough time for him to get back in games before the 2011 season ends. The right-hander, the Orioles' 10th-round pick last year, is 1-1 with three saves and ERA of 1.13 for...
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Revisiting a Joe Jordan interview on Dylan Bundy (with audio)

Revisiting a Joe Jordan interview on Dylan Bundy (with audio)
As always, things could change in a minute, but from what I have heard, it doesn't sound like the Orioles will have any draft news with any signings over the next hour or two. All the fun could go into tonight. One source described the O's "as hopeful still, but not totally convinced" they would get all three of their remaining targets in Dylan Bundy, Jason Esposito and Nick Delmonico. Meanwhile, while we all wait, here is some interesting audio from an earlier interview with scouting...
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Baseball America's Jim Callis: "I think they get all three done"

Baseball America's Jim Callis: "I think they get all three done"
Baseball America's Jim Callis, the man who seems to break the news on most top draft picks when they sign and provides their bonus information, thinks the Orioles are likely to sign their three remaining draft targets. The O's are said to be still negotiating with top pick Dylan Bundy, second-round pick Jason Esposito and sixth-rounder Nick Delmonico. "I think they are going to get all three done. It's just that MLB is having the teams play this slower than ever," Callis said. "Dylan...
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Baseball America report: Orioles come to terms with 26th-round pick

Baseball America report: Orioles come to terms with 26th-round pick
A tweet this morning from Baseball America's Jim Callis reports the Orioles have signed their 26th-round pick, high school pitcher Zach Davies, to a $575,000 contract. The 6-foot, 165-pound, right-hander played at Mesquite High in Arizona. He had a college commitment to Arizona State. Here is Baseball America's scouting report on Davies: "Another Arizona State commit is righthander Zach Davies, who got multiple Mike Leake comparisons from scouts and college recruiters. Like Leake, Davies...
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The final day to sign draft picks is here and O's are still expected to get Bundy

The final day to sign draft picks is here and O's are still expected to get Bundy
As the final day to sign 2011 draft pick begins, the Orioles are still seeking their three main targets: first-round pick Dylan Bundy, second-round pick Jason Esposito and sixth-round selection, Nicky Delmonico. According to Baseball America's Jim Callis, in a tweet filed early this morning, the Orioles signed Arizona high school right-handed pitcher Zach Davies. The 26th-round pick got a reported $575,000 bonus. The Orioles have been very confident that they would get Bundy signed since the...
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Reyes on his outing, Markakis on his offense after O's top Detroit

Reyes on his outing, Markakis on his offense after O's top Detroit
A few minutes after the Orioles wrapped up an 8-5 win over Detroit to end a 10-game homestand, Nick Markakis was asked if he needed to have a big day like he did in this win. "I think we needed that more as team, personally," Markakis said, after his four-RBI game. "You know, I could care less what I do. But whether it's getting three hits in a game or taking an 0-fer, winning the game is what it comes down to. "We came out swinging the bats. Nolan (Reimold) got us started a couple of...
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Markakis and Reyes lead the O's to a win in the homestand finale

Markakis and Reyes lead the O's to a win in the homestand finale
Nick Markakis had his most productive RBI day in over two months, driving in four runs this afternoon, as the Orioles beat Detroit 8-5 behind Jo-Jo Reyes to take the series finale this afternoon in front of 18,348 at Camden Yards. The Orioles ended their 10-game homestand going 3-7 and are 46-72 on the year as they now head on a West Coast road trip. The Orioles took an 8-1 lead to the ninth, but Kevin Gregg came on and six straight Tigers reached to make the score 8-4. Jim Johnson came in...
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