Bell gets to play and someone special gets to watch

Bell gets to play and someone special gets to watch
Josh Bell is excited today. Not only is he making his fifth Major League start for the Orioles, but someone special gets to watch him play in person. "I get excited every time you get to play. My mom will be here today. She's been waiting to see me play in the big leagues since 2005 when I signed." Bell's mom made the trip to Camden Yards from her home in Florida. She got to see him play in person several times when he was in the minors. "She was a bit of a roadie, usually got to...
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Jays top Birds to improve to 8-0 vs. the Orioles

Jays top Birds to improve to 8-0 vs. the Orioles
The Toronto Blue Jays did two things Saturday night that they have been doing a lot this season. They hit two more home runs and once again, they beat the Orioles, as their pitching staff, as usual this season, held the O's hitters in check. Toronto is now 8-0 vs. the Orioles on the year after their 3-2 win in front of 28,518 at the Yard. Juan Samuel talks with the media after the O's 3-2 loss to the Blue Jays Major League homer leader Jose Bautista hit number 25, a two-run shot off Jason...
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Bundy and Britton putting up zeroes

Bundy and Britton putting up zeroes
Surely, I will jinx them by writing this once again, but the Delmarva Shorebirds are getting good starting pitching again tonight, so far. Righty Bobby Bundy has put up four scoreless this evening vs. West Virginia. Delmarva starting pitchers have now allowed just 3 ER over 63 2/3 innings over the last 11 games. In his last start, Bundy gave up just two hits and two runs that were unearned over six frames. Meanwhile, Zach Britton is making his third Triple-A start for Norfolk tonight. He...
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MacPhail's Q&A with the season ticket holders

MacPhail's Q&A with the season ticket holders
O's president Andy MacPhail had his latest "state of the Orioles" address for the club's season ticket holders at the ballpark on Saturday afternoon. Here is an excerpt of some of the questions he got, topics that were addressed and his answers. MacPhail was asked about the plan to rebuild with youth. Is he staying the course with that or does he now have to go in a different direction? "I think you have tried the band aid approach here. I just don't see anyway in the American League...
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Kevin Millwood updates his status

Kevin Millwood updates his status
Kevin Millwood has been on the disabled list since July 6th with a right forearm strain. He has not pitched since lasting just one inning July 5 at Detroit. But he says he is making progress and expects he could come off the DL when he is eligible to. He was encouraged by the bullpen session he had at Camden Yards on Friday. "Everything is feeling a lot better. I threw on the side yesterday and everything went well and I'm feeling good today. Just trying to get ready to come off the...
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Notes from the Majors and Minors

Notes from the Majors and Minors
The Orioles are still looking for their first win this year vs. Toronto and are now 0-7 after Friday's 4-2 loss to the Jays. The O's lost 7-6 to Toronto in the first game this year between the clubs. They have scored just seven runs in their past six games with the Jays and have been out-homered this year 15 to 1 in the season series. The O's are batting .216 on the season with 13 runs scored vs. Toronto. The Birds bullpen posted three innings of shutout, one-hit ball vs. Toronto last...
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The amazing starting pitching run at Delmarva

The amazing starting pitching run at Delmarva
Maybe the next crop of young guns in the Orioles farm system calls Perdue Stadium home. In case you haven't noticed, the current six-man starting rotation at Delmarva is putting up some remarkable numbers lately for the Shorebirds. The Delmarva starting pitching has combined to allow just three earned runs over its last ten starts dating back to July 6th. That is 3 ER over 59 2/3 for an ERA of 0.45 during the stretch. The six players that are currently in the Delmarva starting rotation are...
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Win streak ends as second half begins

Win streak ends as second half begins
This time there was not a well pitched game by an O's starter and this time there was not a comeback win. The O's opened their longest home stand of the season, a ten gamer, with a 4-2 loss to Toronto on Friday night at the Yard. Losing pitcher Brad Bergesen, now 3-7, 6.37, gave up single runs over the first three frames and gave up four runs in six innings on the night. Brad Bergesen talks with the media about his start in the O's 4-2 loss to the Jays Winning pitcher Ricky Romero...
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An impressive minor league stat

An impressive minor league stat
The Delmarva Shorebirds are at home tonight vs. West Virginia and the score is 0-0 after five innings. That is not the impressive stat, but here it is. Counting five scoreless innings pitched tonight by Pat Kantakevich, Delmarva starting pitchers have now allowed just three earned runs over their last ten games. That's in 59 2/3 innings. That works out to an ERA of 0.45 for the Shorebird starting pitchers over that stretch. Over the 59 2/3, through the fifth of that game tonight at Perdue...
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Romero reversal

Romero reversal
No, that is not a wrestling move. But Ricky Romero has retired the first nine O's in order tonight on just 31 pitches. Shouldn't the O's have been swinging and not taking pitches like this during the last game before the break and not the first one after. Romero, who held the O's to just one run in a complete-game win on May 30th, threw 10 pitches tonight in the first and second innings and needed just 11 to complete a quick bottom of the third. The reversal for him is how well he is...
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Wiggy talks about the All-Star game

Wiggy talks about the All-Star game
He did get to take part in his first Major League All-Star game, even if his appearance was brief. Ty Wigginton of the Orioles entered the game at third base, but never got to bat for the American League on Tuesday night at Anaheim. That did not diminish his experience at all, he said. "It was fun. It's a hectic couple days, but I tried to enjoy it as much as I possibly could. It's definitely a cool honor, a unique experience and I'll treasure it forever. "The game was actually the...
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Young pitchers provide a lift for O's

Young pitchers provide a lift for O's
Chris Tillman and Jake Arrieta provided something very important for the O's fans when they pitched so well over the final two games of the first half. No not wins, though those were nice, as was seeing the O's sweep four from a first-place team on the road. What they really provided was hope. Hope that the O's big three young pitchers, to include Brian Matusz, just might really turn out to be good and might become three-fifths of the O's pitching rotation that helps turn this franchise...
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Plenty of praise for Showalter

Plenty of praise for Showalter
Among those that think Buck Showalter is the right man to become the next manager of the Orioles is ESPN's Tim Kurkjian. Kurkjian was on the Scott Garceau show Thursday that airs on MASN and O's flagship station, 105.7 the Fan. He told co-hosts Jeremy Conn and Pete Medhurst that Showalter is the right guy to lead the Orioles. "I think he will manage the Orioles and I think he's the perfect man for the job. I know Buck better than most, having sat next to him on Baseball Tonight many...
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Do the O's have enough scouts?

Do the O's have enough scouts?
As we continue our series on the O's minors, how about scouting and the number of scouting positions a club uses? Fans have pointed out that, according to the Baseball America directory, the Orioles rank last in the AL East in the number of scouting positions. Here is what Baseball America reported: Baltimore: Director, International Scouting - 1 Director, Professional Scouting - 1 Major League Advance Scout - 1 Major League Scouts - 2 Pro Scouts - 7 Director, Amateur Scouting - 1 Scouting...
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O's produce first four-game sweep at Texas in 34 years

O's produce first four-game sweep at Texas in 34 years
The Orioles beat the Texas Rangers 4-1 this afternoon, to complete their first four-game sweep at Texas since June of 1976. Jake Arrieta followed up Chris Tillman's stellar outing Saturday with one of his own today. Arrieta allowed six hits and one run over 6 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out three, throwing 90 pitches. He improved to 3-2, 4.38. Arrieta has allowed just 5 ER over his last three starts, pitching to an ERA of 2.41. He has recorded five quality starts among his...
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Q&A with John Stockstill

Q&A with John Stockstill
John Stockstill has been with the Orioles for five years. He joined the club in December of 2005 to oversee the O's Major League and pro scouting. He has also served as the club's director of international scouting. Since early April of this year he has worked in his latest role with the club as director of player development. In that role he oversees the development of players at all levels of the organization, to include overseeing the workings in the O's minors. Here are some...
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Minor league notes on Widlansky and Britton

Minor league notes on Widlansky and Britton
It appears that Robbie Widlansky of the Double-A Bowie Baysox will be out for the rest of this season. He suffered what is believed to be a fractured right ankle on Thursday during a game at Erie and is expected to miss at least six weeks, meaning the soonest he would be back is at the very end of the minor league season. Widlansky, who won the Carolina League batting title last year while at Frederick, is batting .269-5-30 in 74 games with the Baysox. He was just two for 21 in July at the...
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A manager's opinion

A manager's opinion
As we continue our series of stories on the O's minor leagues today we look at the Orioles farm through the eyes and thoughts of an insider - Someone who has managed in that farm system since 2007 - current O's interim third base coach Gary Allenson. Until he took that position last month, Allenson had managed at Triple-A Norfolk since 2007, seeing most of the club's top prospects come his way at one time or another. "I think we've developed some pretty good players. It's still...
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Promoting players

Promoting players
One of the biggest decisions teams make for their minor leaguers is when to promote players to higher levels. When is the time right? What if the player doesn't succeed at that level? How fast should prospects move through the system? O's president Andy MacPhail worked with David Stockstill when he headed up the O's farm system and now works with his brother, John, who is the current director of player development. The O's may be going through some subtle changes in philosophy in how...
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An opinion from Baseball America

An opinion from Baseball America
Yesterday, we began our series of stories around this All-Star break on the Orioles minor league system and how well - or not - it is performing. After getting Andy MacPhail's take, today we solicit an outside and independent, but very well informed, opinion. I interviewed Baseball America's Will Lingo, who has followed the O's minors closely for years and who puts together the publication's Orioles top prospects list every year. How are the O's doing on the farm right now at the...
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