Miguel Castro on meeting his baseball hero

Miguel Castro on meeting his baseball hero
TORONTO - If you are a pitcher from the Dominican Republic in your 20s, you probably admire the great Pedro Martinez, a Dominican native and national baseball Hall of Famer. He was an eight-time All-Star and three-time Cy Young Award Winner. Miguel Castro is a 23-year-old O's pitcher from La Romana, Dominican Republic. Through the magic of television, he met his baseball hero yesterday, although he didn't know it was going to happen. Castro and interpreter Ramón Alarcón went on MLB...
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O's game blog: Dylan Bundy faces Toronto at Rogers Centre

O's game blog: Dylan Bundy faces Toronto at Rogers Centre
TORONTO - For the Orioles, it's another night and another chance to get a win at Rogers Centre. They are 0-8 in the ballpark this season with several close losses, like last night's 5-3 defeat. They've lost four one-run games at Rogers Centre and been outscored 49-26. In the four games on this road trip, the Orioles are 1-3 and they've scored eight runs on 26 hits with three homers. Over the last nine games, the Orioles have been held to 24 runs, scoring one or none four times. Last night...
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Dylan Bundy pitches tonight, searching for answers and results

Dylan Bundy pitches tonight, searching for answers and results
TORONTO - When Orioles right-hander Dylan Bundy takes the mound tonight at Toronto's Rogers Centre he will try to get his season - one that once looked very promising - turned back around. Bundy began the year with an ERA of 1.42 through five starts. In June his ERA was 1.98 for the month and 3.75 for the year as June ended. But that ERA has been on a steady climb upward lately and Bundy's homer rate has gone up again. In seven starts since the calender turned to July, he is 1-4 with an ERA...
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O's lose 5-3, fall to 0-8 at Toronto for the season (with quotes)

O's lose 5-3, fall to 0-8 at Toronto for the season (with quotes)
TORONTO - The Orioles still don't have what it takes this year to win at Rogers Centre. An early lead tonight certainly wasn't enough, as Kendrys Morales homered twice in Toronto's series-opening 5-3 win in front of 25,031. The Orioles (37-88) fall to 1-3 on this road trip and to 0-8 at Rogers Centre with two games remaining in the season series. Toronto is 10-1 on the season against the Orioles - its most wins against Baltimore since recording 15 in 2010. Toronto (56-69) snapped a four-game...
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Showalter pregame on Trumbo, Mullins and more (game update)

Showalter pregame on Trumbo, Mullins and more (game update)
TORONTO - When he met with reporters before tonight's game, Orioles manager Buck Showalter still had not gotten the results of an MRI on the right knee of Mark Trumbo. Trumbo, batting .261 with 17 homers and 44 RBIs, went on the 10-day disabled list today with right knee inflammation. The Orioles are still trying to determine the timetable for his return. "Hopefully, there is not any real structural changes," Showalter said. "We'll see. Yesterday,, I could tell he was struggling. Usually,...
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O's announce international signing, Andreoli joins team

O's announce international signing, Andreoli joins team
TORONTO - The Orioles announced today they have agreed to terms with international player Isaac Bellony, a 16-year-old switch-hitting outfielder out of the Dominican Republic who was born in the U.S. Virgin Islands. This is the first announcement by the club of any international amateur signing since the new signing period went into effect on July 2. "Bellony is a young, switch-hitting center fielder with power, speed and a strong arm, who was recruited by several clubs. We look forward to...
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O's game blog: The road trip moves on to Toronto

O's game blog: The road trip moves on to Toronto
TORONTO - The Orioles lost two of three at Cleveland and tonight begin a three-game series in Toronto against the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. The Orioles went 6-4 here last year, but are 0-7 in Toronto in 2018. They were swept in four straight by a combined 27-11 score in June. The were swept three in a row by a 17-12 score in July. They've blown a few late leads in those games, lost four of them by one run and three went extra innings. Will they finally get a victory at Rogers Centre in this...
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A look at mounting strikeouts in MLB and the O's record in Toronto

A look at mounting strikeouts in MLB and the O's record in Toronto
This could prove to be a unique year in Major League Baseball. It could turn out to be the first one we've ever seen where there are more strikeouts than base hits. Years ago, there was no chance we would see that. But in an excellent column recently in the New York Times, Tyler Kepner wrote this: "This could be the first season in major league history to feature more strikeouts than hits, a slowdown that worries many league officials. Thirty years ago, batters compiled nearly 13,000 more...
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O's game blog: Yefry Ramírez pitches Cleveland series finale

O's game blog: Yefry Ramírez pitches Cleveland series finale
The Orioles are just 3-14-2 in 19 road series this year. They can pick up a fourth road series win if they beat the Indians today at Cleveland's Progressive Field. The Tribe won 2-1 Friday night, and the Orioles won 4-2 on Saturday afternoon. Right-hander Alex Cobb pitched a complete-game five-hitter in the win, throwing 100 pitches. Cobb threw 37 four-seam fastballs, 37 split-finger fastballs and 26 curveballs. Cobb has six quality starts his last seven games with a 2.14 ERA in that...
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Alex Cobb finished what he started, plus farm notes

Alex Cobb finished what he started, plus farm notes
The Orioles have played two pretty solid games in Cleveland this weekend and they posted an impressive 4-2 win on Saturday afternoon to end the Indians' six-game win streak. Right-hander Alex Cobb had another strong start. In fact, he pitched a complete-game five-hitter to improve to 4-15 with a 5.09 ERA. Cobb posted his fourth career complete game and his first nine-inning complete-game since a shutout versus Oakland on Aug. 23, 2012. Cobb has posted five straight quality starts with a 2.06...
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O's game blog: Alex Cobb has a 2.17 ERA over his last six starts

O's game blog: Alex Cobb has a 2.17 ERA over his last six starts
After right-hander David Hess delivered the Orioles' fifth quality start in the last 10 games last night, right-hander Alex Cobb (3-15, 5.31 ERA) will look to add to that total this afternoon. After Friday's 2-1 loss at Cleveland, the Orioles play the second game of a three-game set with the Indians. Cobb has two of those five quality starts and he's been pitching his best ball of the year lately. Cobb has allowed exactly one earned run in four of his past five starts. He has recorded four...
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A few notes on Hess, Núñez, Hall and Thome

A few notes on Hess, Núñez, Hall and Thome
The Orioles are now 50 games under .500 at 36-86 after Friday's 2-1 loss at Cleveland. The Orioles are 15-46 on the road with 17 losses in their last 20 away from Oriole Park. With 40 games to go, the Orioles would have to go 27-13 to avoid 100 losses. Despite another loss, right-hander David Hess pitched well enough to win and that was a positive development. He recorded his first quality start since June 7 and his fifth on the year. After an extended stretch of tough starts, Hess may be...
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O's game blog: David Hess on mound in road trip opener

O's game blog: David Hess on mound in road trip opener
After Thursday's off day, the Orioles begin a two-city, six-game road trip tonight in Cleveland. The Orioles split two games earlier this week at home against the New York Mets. They won 6-3 Tuesday and lost 16-5 on Wednesday. The Orioles (36-85) have lost six of seven, 10 of 13, and 26 of their last 38 games. They are 15-45 in road games and 3-14-2 in road series. Cleveland (69-51) is leading the American League Central by 12 games over Minnesota. The Indians have won five in a row, 12 of...
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After SEC success, Blaine Knight starts pro career at Aberdeen

After SEC success, Blaine Knight starts pro career at Aberdeen
ABERDEEN, Md. - He has pitched in big-time Southeastern Conference college games on Friday nights for two years. Those are high-intensity, high-pressure games in the top college league in the country. A lot is riding on every pitch. In the college game, Friday night starters are the aces for each club, and their rabid fans expect them to win. University of Arkansas right-hander Blaine Knight seemed to thrive in that pressure cooker. He pitched well enough this year to lead Arkansas to the...
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A look at Zac Lowther, the O's minor league ERA leader

A look at Zac Lowther, the O's minor league ERA leader
In a year in which a few Orioles pitchers have excelled on the farm there are more than a few contenders for the Jim Palmer award, which goes to the minor league Pitcher of the Year in the O's system. Just to name several in no particular order, there are Keegan Akin, DL Hall, Michael Baumann, Brenan Hanifee, Cameron Bishop, John Means and even the defending winner from 2017, Alex Wells, who pitched in the All-Star Futures Game. Those pitchers have been solid. But 22-year-old lefty Zac...
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O's game blog: Dylan Bundy and O's go for sweep against Mets

O's game blog: Dylan Bundy and O's go for sweep against Mets
As the Orioles look for a two-game sweep of the New York Mets tonight, they will also look for right-hander Dylan Bundy (7-10, 4.70 ERA) to get back on track. In his last start versus Boston, Bundy went five innings and allowed eight hits and eight runs (seven earned). Over his past six starts since the beginning of July, Bundy is 1-3 with a 7.72 ERA and has allowed 11 homers. He has yielded nine homers his past four starts. This stretch comes after Bundy went 3-0 with a 1.98 ERA in June. He...
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Adam Jones on Cedric Mullins and playing in right, plus farm notes

Adam Jones on Cedric Mullins and playing in right, plus farm notes
Maybe playing right field is going to be good for Adam Jones on offense. I'm kidding here, but Jones did go 2-for-4 last night with a double and solo homer. In five games as a right fielder, he's 7-for-20 and batting .350/.409/.600 with an OPS of 1.009. Interviewed after last night's 6-3 win over the New York Mets, Jones wasn't offering much yet when asked how he's getting along in right field. "Fine," he said. "Less running. I've only been at it five games, so I'll let you know when...
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Cashner was solid and Davis hits go-ahead homer (with quotes)

Cashner was solid and Davis hits go-ahead homer (with quotes)
Getting a solid starting pitching effort and a key late-game homer led the Orioles to a win tonight over the New York Mets. When the 2018 season began, they probably envisioned more than a few games going this way, but at least it did tonight to keep the Orioles from falling 50 games under the .500 mark. Chris Davis homered in the seventh to break a 2-2 tie and Andrew Cashner pitched a strong seven innings in a 6-3 win over the Mets. The Orioles are 36-84 for the season and 3-0 versus the Mets....
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O's game blog: Andrew Cashner pitches series opener against Mets

O's game blog: Andrew Cashner pitches series opener against Mets
When they played a two-game series against the New York Mets in early June at Citi Field, the Orioles swept the two games. They won 2-1 and 1-0 behind Alex Cobb and Dylan Bundy. In those games, O's pitchers allowed one run and eight hits. Tonight they host the Mets to begin another two-game series. This one begins at 7:05 p.m. at Camden Yards and continues on Wednesday night. The Mets (50-66) beat the Yankees last night, hitting five homers, and have won four of five and six of their last nine...
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Cody Carroll starts to settle in with O's, looks for consistent results

Cody Carroll starts to settle in with O's, looks for consistent results
New bullpen right-hander Cody Carroll has pitched four times for the Orioles since they acquired him from the Yankees in the July 24 trade for closer Zach Britton. Carroll pitched two scoreless innings his first two times out on 31 pitches. But his last two games have seen him walk five and allow three runs over 1 2/3 innings. After posting strong numbers this year in Triple-A, he is now trying to find his way in the majors for the first time. He's trying to get to that point where a young...
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