O's game blog: Keegan Akin faces Indians in series opener

O's game blog: Keegan Akin faces Indians in series opener
After taking two of three against Minnesota, snapping a 14-game losing streak and picking up their first series win since early May in the process, the Orioles homestand continues tonight at Oriole Park. They host the Cleveland Indians in the start of a weekend series. The Orioles have posted back-to-back wins over Minnesota by 7-4 and 6-3 scores. A win tonight would match the three-game win streak they posted from April 29 through May 1 versus the Yankees and Athletics. The O's have gone...
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Triple-A skipper Kendall with thoughts on Wynns, Harvey, Bradish and more

Triple-A skipper Kendall with thoughts on Wynns, Harvey, Bradish and more
Job one for any catcher is working with his pitchers and handling his pitching staff. If they can throw in a few hits and help the offense, that's a bonus. Orioles catcher Austin Wynns sees it that way, too, and since his recall to the big leagues Monday has caught two games where the Orioles have pitched well. On Monday versus Minnesota, O's pitchers allowed two earned runs over 10 innings with three walks and 14 strikeouts. On Wednesday night, they gave up three earned runs with three walks...
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Ryan Mountcastle's bat perks up, plus other notes

Ryan Mountcastle's bat perks up, plus other notes
As the Orioles take a day off today, the collective mood around Birdland is a little better after back-to-back wins by the O's and more winning on the farm to add to that. The Orioles have been waiting for Ryan Mountcastle to get hot after his slow start and maybe we are seeing the beginnings of an extended stretch of good hitting for him now. He has put together back-to-back 2-for-4 nights in the consecutive wins over the Twins. His booming three-run homer to center in the seventh opened a...
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O's game blog: The Orioles-Twins series finale

O's game blog: The Orioles-Twins series finale
After snapping the long losing streak last night, the Orioles can record a series win if they take the series finale tonight against the Minnesota Twins. The Orioles' 7-4 win last night ended the 14-game losing streak, and tonight they look for their first series win since taking two of three at Seattle May 3-5. They have lost seven consecutive series since then. The Orioles improved to 7-19 at home with Tuesday's win. They can win their first home series of the year with a victory tonight....
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Cole Sulser on ending the streak, Gunnar Henderson honored

Cole Sulser on ending the streak, Gunnar Henderson honored
As right-hander Cole Sulser took the mound in the ninth last night he was trying to focus on simply getting three outs to wrap up an Orioles win. And not about the weight of a 14-game losing streak adding any pressure to the situation. But it had to be hard to block that fact out. Was Sulser feeling the pressure to end the streak as he faced the Twins? "Not too much. You are definitely caught up in the moment," he said in a Zoom interview this afternoon. "You're more amped up just for the...
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O's losing streak ends as farm teams sweep the night

O's losing streak ends as farm teams sweep the night
A win, finally a win for the Orioles to provide a sense of both excitement and relief around Birdland. The clutch hits finally came and lefty starter Bruce Zimmermann used them to pick up the win. Back on May 16, when the Orioles last won before last night, Zimmermann was also the winning pitcher. That victory came out of the bullpen. This one he got as a starter as he allowed two runs and six hits over 5 1/3 innings with two walks and a career-high seven strikeouts. He is now 3-3 with a 4.96...
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Streak ends as Zimmermann is solid and clutch hits arrive

Streak ends as Zimmermann is solid and clutch hits arrive
On a night they ended a long losing streak, the Orioles got contributions just about everywhere they looked. There was a big inning plus some add-on runs. There were clutch hits and homers. Their starter allowed just one run and the bullpen was dependable at times. For good measure, they threw in a solid defensive play or two. And one spectacular catch by Cedric Mullins. The Orioles beat the Minnesota Twins 7-4 to win for the first time since May 16, over two weeks ago. They ended a 14-game...
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O's game blog: Zimmermann on the mound, plus farm notes

O's game blog: Zimmermann on the mound, plus farm notes
Left-hander Bruce Zimmermann (2-3, 5.15 ERA) will try and be a stopper tonight when the Orioles host Minnesota in Game 2 of a three-game series at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Orioles have lost 14 in a row, which ties for the second-longest run in team history with a 14-game streak from Aug. 11-25, 1954. The only longer stretch was when the 1988 team began the season 0-21 from April 4-28. The Twins won the series opener 3-2 in 10 innings on Monday afternoon, scoring twice in the 10th on a...
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Austin Wynns hopes he can help Orioles turn it around

Austin Wynns hopes he can help Orioles turn it around
While Orioles catchers were struggling in Baltimore and the losses started to mount, Austin Wynns, a veteran of 70 big league games over two seasons, was off to a good start at Triple-A Norfolk. Yesterday, Wynns' call back to the majors came. He got the start and the O's pitched well with him back there in a 3-2 loss in 10 innings to Minnesota. It was not a storybook return' as he went hitless and the O's did not end their losing streak. Wynns was catching when Adam Plutko's wild pitch...
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Rutschman on expectations and other notes

Rutschman on expectations and other notes
It was just over a week ago that Double-A Bowie catcher Adley Rutschman was batting .211 with a .404 slugging percentage. But some things have changed. After a huge doubleheader on Sunday when he homered in each game and drove in seven runs, Rutschman's stats look a lot better and are probably about where many expected they would be. As Bowie took a pair of games from Harrisburg, Rutschman went 5-for-6 and hit three-run homers in each game, one from either side of the plate. For 22 games, he...
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Jorge López comes up big for Orioles, but losing streak continues

Jorge López comes up big for Orioles, but losing streak continues
Using a pitch mix showing about 50 percent fastball and 50 percent secondary pitches, right-hander Jorge López gave the Orioles a quality start. It was quality, whether you used the definition of a quality start - three earned runs or less in six innings or more - or the old-fashioned eye test. It just didn't lead to a win for the Orioles, as their losing streak reached 14 games in a 3-2 loss in 10 innings to the Minnesota Twins in the homestand opener at Camden Yards. Over six innings,...
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O's game blog: Homestand begins vs. Twins

O's game blog: Homestand begins vs. Twins
The Orioles return to Camden Yards today to host the Minnesota Twins in the start of a three-game series and eight-game homestand that will also include the Cleveland Indians and the New York Mets. The Orioles (17-36) were held to three hits yesterday in a 3-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox that extended their losing streak to 13 games. They have lost their past two games by 3-1 scores. The Orioles have lost 17 of 18 and 20 of 22 games. Their road losing streak reached 12 with Sunday's...
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More players movin' on up on the farm

More players movin' on up on the farm
We are not even a month into the minor league season and the Orioles moved four more players Sunday with promotions. More could be coming sooner rather than later. Moving up from low Single-A Delmarva to high Single-A Aberdeen are shortstop/third baseman Jordan Westburg and first baseman J.D. Mundy. Westburg, 22, went 4-for-6 with six RBIs in his final two games with the Shorebirds. He batted .366/.484/.592 in 20 games with five doubles, a triple, three homers, 24 RBIs and an OPS of 1.075. He...
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Another slow day on offense leads to latest loss

Another slow day on offense leads to latest loss
It was another day with little offense, another where the Orioles starter failed to get past the fifth inning, another where the bullpen gave up some late runs and another day when the Orioles could not get a win. They completed a winless road trip, going 0-10 with today's 3-1 loss at Chicago to the White Sox, who completed a four-game sweep. This was Chicago's first home four-game sweep versus the Orioles since June 1956. This one produced a frustrating inning where a great chance to break...
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O's game blog: The road trip finale in Chicago

O's game blog: The road trip finale in Chicago
Still looking for their first win since May 16 and still looking to end a long losing streak, the Orioles play the first-place Chicago White Sox today. It is the finale of a four-game series and a 10-game road trip. The last Orioles win was two weeks ago today, when they beat the New York Yankees 10-6 at Oriole Park. Ryan Mountcastle drove in four runs and Maikel Franco knocked in three as the O's improved to 17-23. But the Orioles (17-35) are winless since that date and have lost 12 in a row,...
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Are more promotions brewing on the O's farm?

Are more promotions brewing on the O's farm?
When the Orioles promoted infielder Joey Ortiz yesterday from high Single-A Aberdeen to Double-A Bowie, that opened a spot for another infielder at Aberdeen. Could 19-year-old Gunnar Henderson be ready to move up already and take that spot? Would his low Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds teammate Jordan Westburg join him, or does the 22-year-old drafted out of Mississippi State move up first? Good questions, and while just one of this pair could soon be moving up to Aberdeen for the beginning of the...
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O's don't win with Means on mound as streak continues

O's don't win with Means on mound as streak continues
For the Orioles, not only has it been a while since they won, but it has been a while since they won a John Means start. Yep, their ace was 4-0 with a 1.79 ERA, but the Orioles had not won with Means on the mound since he pitched a no-hitter May 6 at Seattle. In three starts since then, Means was 0-0 with a 2.79 ERA. And that would not change tonight in the second game of the doubleheader at Chicago. The White Sox hit two homers off Means and beat the Orioles 3-1 to complete a twinbill sweep....
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O's game blog: Doubleheader day in Chicago

O's game blog: Doubleheader day in Chicago
The Orioles have two chances today to snap the 17th losing streak of 10 or more games in club history. After last night's rainout, the O's and Chicago White Sox play a straight doubleheader this afternoon. It's the third doubleheader of the season for the Orioles. The first two both came in what was originally scheduled to be a series of four games in four days at home in April versus Seattle. But it ended up being played as two doubleheaders. On April 13, the Orioles lost Game 1 4-3 in...
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Elias talks trade potential in radio interview

Elias talks trade potential in radio interview
Leading up to the trade deadline last August, the Orioles were busy. They traded relievers Richard Bleier, Mychal Givens and Miguel Castro, and they dealt starter Tommy Milone to the Atlanta Braves. Those deals brought players like pitcher Kevin Smith, and infielders Tyler Nevin, Terrin Vavra and AJ Graffanino to this organization. The trade deadline is July 30 this year. How busy will the Orioles be? Are they going to deal some veterans, maybe some very popular players? Any untouchables? When...
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O's game blog: Matt Harvey faces Chicago (rainout tonight)

O's game blog: Matt Harvey faces Chicago (rainout tonight)
With no wins in the last 11 days and just two in the last 22 days, the Orioles take the field in Chicago tonight. The Birds play the first-place White Sox after losing 5-1 last night in the opener of this four-game series. The Orioles (17-33) have lost 10 in a row, 14 of 15 and 17 of 19 games. They have also lost nine in a row on the road to fall to 11-15 away from Oriole Park. This is the 17th time in O's team history that they have had a losing streak of at least 10 games. The last time the...
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