O's game blog: Looking for a series win against Washington

O's game blog: Looking for a series win against Washington
The Orioles will not face three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer tonight, but rather lefty Jon Lester as they host the Washington Nationals in the second of a three-game series. The Orioles won 6-1 last night as five pitchers combined to hold the Nats to five hits with 11 strikeouts and the visitors went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Washington (45-51) began this series eighth in the majors in team OPS and batting, fourth in OBP and 10th in slugging. But the Nationals, who...
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O's 'pen puts up a zero for the night and other notes

O's 'pen puts up a zero for the night and other notes
Orioles right-hander Jorge López was throwing a decent game. He had allowed just one run over 4 2/3 innings but the hook came with two outs in the top of the fifth and the Orioles leading 2-1 over the Washington Nationals. Manager Brandon Hyde saw hot-hitting Juan Soto - a batter who had 12 hits in his last 24 at-bats - coming to the plate. And he went for a fifth-inning left-on-left matchup, bringing in Paul Fry. On one pitch, a 92 mph four-seam fastball, Fry got Soto to ground out to first...
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O's game blog: The Nats-O's series opener at the Yard

O's game blog: The Nats-O's series opener at the Yard
The Orioles play at home for the first time since the All-Star break tonight when they host the Washington Nationals to start a three-game series. It begins a five-game homestand, with Miami coming to town on Tuesday night. The O's last home game was July 11, when the Chicago White Sox completed a three-game sweep in Baltimore. The Orioles (31-64) went 3-3 on their road trip to Kansas City and St. Petersburg. They won two of three versus the Royals and lost two of three to the Tampa Bay Rays....
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Colton Cowser and Connor Norby enjoy their day at Camden Yards

Colton Cowser and Connor Norby enjoy their day at Camden Yards
The Orioles' top two draft picks are at Camden Yards today. They've already been officially signed and have already spent a few days working out in Sarasota, Fla. And this afternoon, outfielder Colton Cowser, the No. 5 overall pick in round one from Sam Houston State, and infielder Connor Norby, taken No. 41 overall in round two from East Carolina, were presented jerseys in a brief on-field ceremony with O's executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias. Their families joined them...
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O's rotation takes small step forward, plus other notes

O's rotation takes small step forward, plus other notes
We know that the Orioles starting rotation has not covered a lot of innings this year, said Captain Obvious. Through Wednesday's games, the Baltimore rotation has thrown 430 2/3 innings to rank last in the majors. That is 15 fewer innings than Kansas City, although the Royals had played one fewer game than the Orioles. The Baltimore bullpen has had to cover 389 2/3 innings, which ranks as the third most in the majors. So we have a bit of an imbalance here. The O's need more starter innings,...
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Birdland loses a great O's fan

Birdland loses a great O's fan
This is the story of someone we lost too soon. But it's much more than that. It's about someone that was a great friend to many and impacted many lives, including mine when we were college classmates at Towson University, then known as Towson State University, in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Brice Marden Freeman died from pancreatic cancer on April 10. He was 60. He made it to opening day this year, but after bravely battling this disease for about 18 months, he passed away early on this...
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O's game blog: Alexander Wells makes first major league start

O's game blog: Alexander Wells makes first major league start
After splitting the first two games of their series against Tampa Bay, the Orioles and Rays meet today in an afternoon game which will wrap up this series and a six-game road trip for Baltimore. The Orioles (31-63) beat Tampa Bay 6-1 on Monday night behind Spenser Watkins and lost 9-3 last night. Lefty John Means returned from the injured list and took the loss, allowing five runs and seven hits over five innings. The Orioles are 18-33 on the road this season and 3-2 on this trip to Kansas City...
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After rocky '19, right-hander Blaine Knight gets back on track

After rocky '19, right-hander Blaine Knight gets back on track
BOWIE - For a pitcher with his background, track record and resume, it was surprising to see right-hander Blaine Knight struggle so badly at Single-A Frederick in the 2019 season. He went 1-12 with a 6.13 ERA. Earlier that year, he was rolling for Single-A Delmarva, going 3-0 with an ERA of 0.68 in five starts. But when the Orioles moved him up, things started heading downward for Knight. A year earlier, they had made him a third-round pick (No. 87 overall) in the 2018 draft and signed him to...
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O's game blog: Shooting for another win at Tampa Bay

O's game blog: Shooting for another win at Tampa Bay
The Orioles have won three in a row five times this season but have never stretched the win streak to four. They will look to do that tonight at Tropicana Field in the second game of their series with Tampa Bay. Right-hander Spenser Watkins allowed one run over six innings last night as the Orioles beat the Rays 6-1 for their third in a row. O's pitchers have allowed just one run in the last 22 innings. They have a 1.67 ERA over the past three games as the team has outscored its opponents...
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O's game blog: Series against Rays begins

O's game blog: Series against Rays begins
After winning a series in Kansas City, taking the last two games against the Royals by 8-4 and 5-0 scores, the Orioles road trip moves onto St. Petersburg, Fla., tonight. They face a Tampa Bay Rays team pushing for first place in the American League East, a club that has not lost against the Orioles this year. The Orioles (30-62) recorded their third shutout of the year on Sunday. Right-hander Matt Harvey allowed three singles over six innings with one walk and two strikeouts. He improved to...
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Getting a good one: An O's scout on Colton Cowser

Getting a good one: An O's scout on Colton Cowser
Even though the Orioles had several scouts see Sam Houston State outfielder Colton Cowser play in person several times, when they brought him to their home park at Camden Yards for a pre-draft workout, the kid made one strong final impression on club officials that may have cemented he would be their pick at No. 5 in round one. It was on a steamy afternoon on Thursday, July 8 - just three days before the beginning of the First-Year Player Draft - that the O's had Cowser work out and hit on...
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O's end K.C. series on high note and Elias on the draft

O's end K.C. series on high note and Elias on the draft
For an Orioles team that had given up nine runs on Friday night and allowed 27 runs in three games against the Chicago White Sox before the break, Sunday was needed and a very nice change. Right-hander Matt Harvey had pitched to an ERA of 11.20 over his previous 11 starts with an OPS against of 1.035 in that span, but he and four relievers teamed on a shutout. The 5-0 win over Kansas City lifted the O's record to 30-62 and they ended this series with 13 consecutive scoreless innings. It was...
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Matt Harvey was dealing as O's beat Royals

Matt Harvey was dealing as O's beat Royals
Maybe the All-Star break was a nice reset for Matt Harvey. Maybe pitching on 10 days' rest meant his arm was fresh and ready to go. Who knows exactly the reason why the Orioles right-hander threw well today, but he pitched six scoreless innings today. The O's beat the Kansas City Royals 5-0 to win the last two games and take this series as their road tripnow heads to St. Petersburg, Fla. to face Tampa Bay. It was badly needed and very welcome for a rotation that began today with an ERA of...
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O's game blog: Looking for a series win in K.C.

O's game blog: Looking for a series win in K.C.
The Orioles picked up their first post-All-Star Game win when they recorded an 8-4 victory at Kansas City last night. The Orioles evened this three-game series at a win each with their first victory since July 6 at Camden Yards versus Toronto. Four Orioles had multi-hit games, Cedric Mullins doubled twice and is batting .318, while Ryan Mountcastle and Ramón Urías drove in two runs each. The Orioles had scored just 13 runs over the previous five games, going 5-for-42 with runners in...
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Will the trade deadline be quiet in Birdland?

Will the trade deadline be quiet in Birdland?
It could be a quiet trade deadline this year in Birdland. Some players that might have attracted at least modest interest, such as shortstop Freddy Galvis and third baseman Maikel Franco, have gotten hurt, while right-hander Matt Harvey has an ERA of 7.70. The Orioles would certainly find interest if they wanted to trade a talent with a lot of team control remaining, like Cedric Mullins, Ryan Mountcastle, John Means or Austin Hays. But aren't they players they should be building around for the...
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O's game blog: Jorge López faces his former team

O's game blog: Jorge López faces his former team
Looking for their first win since July 6, the Orioles take the field at Kauffman Stadium tonight for the second game of a three-game series with Kansas City. The Royals tied their season high with 15 hits last night in a 9-2 win over Baltimore. Shortstop Nicky Lopez drove in a career-high four runs. The Royals (37-53) ended a four-game losing streak. They were 3-15 in their last 18 games before the series opener. They recorded their first win without hitting a home run since May 14. They had...
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What could the second half hold for the rotation?

What could the second half hold for the rotation?
Talk about a balancing act for the Orioles. Look at their starting rotation. They expect to get left-hander John Means back for their next series, and maybe Bruce Zimmermann not long after that. But that rotation began play last night ranked last in the league in both team ERA (6.11) and in fewest innings pitched by starters (400 1/3 innings). And then those numbers got worse as Keegan Akin allowed eight hits and six runs over three innings in a 9-2 loss at Kansas City. So how do they try to...
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O's game blog: The season resumes in Kansas City

O's game blog: The season resumes in Kansas City
After the All-Star break the Orioles resume their 2021 regular season tonight with the start of a three-game series at Kansas City. They will play six in a row on the road to start the so-called second half, although they have already played 89 games and have 73 remaining. The Orioles (28-61) were swept three in a row by the Chicago White Sox before the break, losing 7-5 in 10 innings on Sunday in Baltimore. They have lost four in a row and seven of eight. They were swept 7-0 in the season...
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Trey Mancini on the derby, second half, trade talk and more

Trey Mancini on the derby, second half, trade talk and more
He was taking big swings and mashing homers on the big stage Monday night in Denver. Trey Mancini advanced to the final round of the Home Run Derby competition at the All-Star Game. But now all the attention and interviews give way to the rest of his regular season with the Orioles. And the rest of the year begins tonight with the start of a three-game series at Kansas City. "I enjoyed it so much and it was one of the most fun times I've ever had, but it was also a lot," Mancini said this...
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A productive Bowie player that can fly under the radar

A productive Bowie player that can fly under the radar
He bats in the middle of the order for the Bowie Baysox and ranks second in the Double-A Northeast with 48 RBIs. No, we are not talking about highly ranked catching prospect Adley Rutschman, but a player not among the Orioles' top 30 prospects. He is 24-year-old lefty-hitting outfielder Robert Neustrom. He was drafted in 2018, the year the O's selected right-hander Grayson Rodriguez with their top pick, out of the University of Iowa in the fifth round. After posting modest stats in 2019,...
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