Steve Melewski

Back on the radar: Ofelky Peralta off to good start at Bowie

June 07, 2021, 5:05pm

Orioles

Back on the radar: Ofelky Peralta off to good start at Bowie

It was during September 2013 when then-Orioles international scouting guru Fred Ferreira went to see a pitcher he had not yet seen throw before at a showcase in the Dominican Republic. Before the day was out in San Pedro de Macoris, Ferreira decided the Orioles had to have tall right-hander Ofelky Peralta. On the spot he agreed to sign him for $325,000. The kid could throw mid-90s already and might grow into more velocity. Before too long, he moved into the O's top 30 prospects list. * No. 29...

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In new Baseball America top 100, O's have top pitcher and catcher

June 07, 2021, 10:09am

Orioles

In new Baseball America top 100, O's have top pitcher and catcher

Baseball America released an updated top 100 prospects list today and the Orioles organization now features the top-rated catcher in Adley Rutschman at No. 2 and the top-rated pitcher, with right-hander Grayson Rodriguez at No. 11. For a Double-A Bowie team that is 21-7, Rutschman is batting .293/.450/.586/1.035 with five doubles, eight homers and 22 RBIs. He has walked more than he has struck out, 26 times to 24. His name is all over the Double-A Northeast leaders. He's second in OBP, third...

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Terrin Vavra off to a good start on O's farm

June 06, 2021, 2:25pm

Orioles

Terrin Vavra off to a good start on O's farm

For a kid from Wisconsin drafted in the third round of 2018, Terrin Vavra's first full season in pro ball in 2019 could not have gone much better. He was the low Single-A South Atlantic League MVP for Asheville when he filled up the stat sheet. Then came the 2020 season and no minor league ball. Then late that year, he got traded to the Orioles from Colorado with Tyler Nevin for relief pitcher Mychal Givens. In 2019, he had a big year. But after the deal, he would go through some big...

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This time, there was plenty of run support for Jorge LÃ³pez

June 06, 2021, 11:56am

Orioles

This time, there was plenty of run support for Jorge LÃ³pez

Orioles right-hander Jorge LÃ³pez was not used to getting offense to support his pitching like this. He began today with the lowest run support average among all major league starting pitchers. But then the Orioles scored him one in the first and six runs in the second, and he was leading 7-0 just like that. When they added five in the fourth, they were leading, 12-1 and had already produced a season high for runs. They would finish with an 18-5 win to take the series over the Cleveland...

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

June 06, 2021, 8:36am

Orioles

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

The Orioles have played 58 games in the 2021 season, but so far have played just two rubber match games. Those are games to decide a three-game series when the clubs have split the first two games. The Orioles have played just two and won them both. On May 5, the Orioles won 6-0 at Seattle when John Means pitched a no-hitter. On June 2, they beat Minnesota 6-3 to win that series. The Orioles and Cleveland play their rubber match this afternoon before an off-day on Monday. The Orioles won on...

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Awaiting word on John Means, plus other notes

June 05, 2021, 4:28pm

Orioles

Awaiting word on John Means, plus other notes

The Orioles' bid for the season's first four-game win streak came up short in Saturday's 10-4 loss to the Cleveland Indians. The series is now tied at one win each with the rubber match today in Baltimore. But beyond the loss, the O's concern was for their ace pitcher, John Means, who gave up two solo homers in the first inning and then left after facing just five batters with left shoulder fatigue, something that apparently had been an on-and-off issue over the last few weeks. Means'...

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O's game blog: John Means looks for win No. 5

June 05, 2021, 11:43am

Orioles

O's game blog: John Means looks for win No. 5

The Orioles take the field today looking for a season-high four-game winning streak when they play Cleveland in the second of a three-game series. The Orioles have twice won three in a row this season. They opened the year with a three-game sweep at Boston. And they took three in a row April 29-May 1, winning the first game versus the Yankees and the last two against Oakland. The Orioles beat Cleveland 3-1 Friday night as Keegan Akin threw five scoreless and their pitchers allowed eight hits...

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After rough spring, more evidence that Keegan Akin has turned it around

June 04, 2021, 7:58pm

Orioles

After rough spring, more evidence that Keegan Akin has turned it around

Lefty Keegan Akin has now made starts in both 2020 and 2021, so when he took the mound last night in the series opener against Cleveland it would have been easy to forget that his big league experience is very limited. As he threw the first pitch last night, he was making just his eighth career major league start. He went 1-2 with a 3.67 ERA in the first seven with 11 walks and 38 strikeouts over 27 innings. He had just 40 2/3 big league innings under his belt. Akin added five more innings last...

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Keegan Akin throws five scoreless innings as O's beat Indians

June 04, 2021, 5:45pm

Orioles

Keegan Akin throws five scoreless innings as O's beat Indians

The Orioles rotation has gotten on a mini run of good pitching. They would love to turn that into a major run but are going to need a lot more games to produce that. Small steps. For now, they will take a rotation ERA of 1.88 over their past five games after Keegan Akin's five scoreless innings tonight against the Cleveland Indians in the series opener at Camden Yards. Akin's outing got the Orioles started on their way to a third straight win. When Ryan Mountcastle hit a two-run homer in the...

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

June 04, 2021, 1:42pm

Orioles

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

June 03, 2021, 2:15pm

Orioles

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

June 02, 2021, 8:05pm

Orioles

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

June 02, 2021, 2:16pm

Orioles

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

June 02, 2021, 11:00am

Orioles

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

June 01, 2021, 8:33pm

Orioles

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

June 01, 2021, 6:10pm

Orioles

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

June 01, 2021, 1:50pm

Orioles

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

June 01, 2021, 11:36am

Orioles

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

May 31, 2021, 7:35pm

Orioles

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 LÃ³pez comes up big for Orioles, but losing streak continues

May 31, 2021, 11:54am

Orioles

Using a pitch mix showing about 50 percent fastball and 50 percent secondary pitches, right-hander Jorge LÃ³pez 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,...