Adam Jones on Jackie Robinson Day

Adam Jones on Jackie Robinson Day
TORONTO - In recognition of the 70th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball, the Orioles will honor Robinson's legacy during today's game against the Toronto Blue Jays. All Orioles uniformed personnel will wear No. 42, Robinson's retired number, joining all other MLB teams in honoring Robinson's historic achievement. No doubt this is a very special day in baseball. But several national stories the last few days have pointed out one concerning...
Continue reading

O's use homer power to rally past Jays, go to 7-2 (with quotes)

O's use homer power to rally past Jays, go to 7-2 (with quotes)
TORONTO - The struggling Toronto Blue Jays, seeking to break a six-game losing streak, worked their way into a 3-1 lead through four innings tonight. But the Orioles, a club that can suddenly hit homers in bunches, then did just that. They hammered three out over the fifth and sixth innings and added a fourth in the ninth to rally to a 6-4 victory over the Blue Jays in front of 39,547 at Rogers Center. The first-place Orioles are off to a 7-2 start while last-place Toronto falls to 1-9 and has...
Continue reading

Showalter on Schoop, plus game update from Rogers Centre

Showalter on Schoop, plus game update from Rogers Centre
TORONTO - Before today's game, Orioles manager Buck Showalter expressed confidence in second baseman Jonathan Schoop. After batting .105 through the season's first two games, the second baseman has gone 4-for-7 over the last two games with two doubles, a homer and three RBIs. "Jon's got a little track record now," Showalter said. "He brings defensive things that contribute on a night he might not get two or three hits. We have a lot of confidence because we have some history with him. I...
Continue reading

O's add pitcher Paul Fry; Tillman on track for Monday at Bowie

O's add pitcher Paul Fry; Tillman on track for Monday at Bowie
TORONTO - It happened again. The Orioles have acquired yet another pitcher, this time adding 24-year-old lefty Paul Fry from Seattle. The Orioles acquired Fry in exchange for 2016-17 international signing bonus slot No. 105. To make 40-man roster room, right-hander Parker Bridwell was designated for assignment. Fry made one appearance this year for Seattle's Triple-A Tacoma club on April 10. He pitched two innings, allowing six hits and four runs. Last year for Tacoma, he made 48 appearances...
Continue reading

Pregame notes with Crichton, Asher and Schoop

Pregame notes with Crichton, Asher and Schoop
TORONTO - Taken by the Orioles out of Texas Christian in the 23rd round of the 2013 draft, right-hander Stefan Crichton's climb to reach the majors leagues is at hand. He was activated by the Orioles yesterday and awaits the chance to pitch in a game and make his major league debut. He found out from Triple-A Norfolk manager Ron Johnson just before midnight Wednesday night that he would join the Orioles here yesterday. "It's hard to kind of put what I am thinking into words, but very, very...
Continue reading

O's game blog: Wade Miley gets start in Game 2 at Toronto

O's game blog: Wade Miley gets start in Game 2 at Toronto
TORONTO - Through Thursday's games, the Orioles held the best record in baseball, a .750 winning percentage at 6-2. A 4-0 record in one-run games was a huge help for a team that has outscored its opponents by just two runs while winning six of eight games. The Orioles are still looking to get their offense going, pulling out a 2-1 victory last night on just five hits. Orioles batters walked just twice and struck out 15 times. But they continue to get some clutch hits, even when they don't...
Continue reading

A look at the latest win and latest pitcher to join the bullpen

A look at the latest win and latest pitcher to join the bullpen
TORONTO - Don't blink during this 2017 Orioles season or you could miss something. Like a close game, another win, another trade, a standing of first place in the American League East. So it hasn't been boring, right? You think close games are not important? Well, the Orioles are 4-0 in one-run games and lead the division at 6-2. The Blue Jays are 0-4 in one-run games and are in last place at 1-8. The Orioles own the best current record in the American League and Toronto has the worst. The...
Continue reading

Showalter, Gausman and Britton after O's hold off Jays 2-1

Showalter, Gausman and Britton after O's hold off Jays 2-1
TORONTO - In the end, all the Toronto Blue Jays needed was a sac fly with one out or bloop single with two outs and they could have pinned a blown save and/or a loss on Orioles closer Zach Britton. But they couldn't get that and Britton recorded his 53rd consecutive save tonight as the Orioles beat Toronto 2-1. The Orioles are now 6-2 on the year, 3-0 versus Toronto and 4-0 in one-run games. Jonathan Schoop's RBI double and J.J. Hardy's RBI single in the fifth had given them a 2-0 lead that...
Continue reading

Showalter on Drake's DFA (Orioles win 2-1)

Showalter on Drake's DFA (Orioles win 2-1)
TORONTO - Before tonight's game, the Orioles selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Stefan Crichton from Triple-A Norfolk, adding him to the 25- and 40-man rosters. To make roster room, right-hander Oliver Drake was designated for assignment. This could mean the end of Drake's Orioles career. He has been in the organization since the Orioles selected him in the 43rd round out of the Naval Academy in 2008. He has pitched for several affiliates on the farm, putting together strong...
Continue reading

O's game blog: Kevin Gausman starts series opener at Rogers Centre

O's game blog: Kevin Gausman starts series opener at Rogers Centre
TORONTO - The Orioles have returned to Rogers Centre tonight to begin a four-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Orioles' 2016 season ended here with a 5-2 loss in 11 innings last Oct. 4 in the American League wild card game. The Birds begin the night with a 5-2 record and leading the AL East. Toronto is 1-7 for its worst eight-game start in team history. The Blue Jays have lost five in a row. The Orioles were 9-10 last season against Toronto including a 4-6 mark in this ballpark....
Continue reading

Showalter on addition of Crichton, decision to start Asher Saturday

Showalter on addition of Crichton, decision to start Asher Saturday
TORONTO - The thought process was that the Orioles might remove a pitcher from their roster to get right-hander Alec Asher active to make a start here on Saturday against Toronto. Well, there were two pitching moves today, even before the Orioles have to make a roster move to add Asher. The Orioles today selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Stefan Crichton from Triple-A Norfolk, adding him to the 25- and 40-man rosters. To make roster room, right-hander Oliver Drake was designated for...
Continue reading

Mychal Givens on his big outing in Boston last night

Mychal Givens on his big outing in Boston last night
TORONTO - Orioles right-hander Mychal Givens is aware that his fastball velocity was down somewhat in the game last night in Boston. He concedes it was a cold night and his stuff might not have been at its best. At the same time, he also got some huge outs and kept the Red Sox from mounting an amazing comeback from nine runs down. According to Brooksbaseball.net, Givens' four-seam velocity last night was 91.79 mph, down from earlier outings this year when it was in the 94-95 mph range. "Being...
Continue reading

A look at Tanner Scott pitching at Bowie (plus O's notes)

A look at Tanner Scott pitching at Bowie (plus O's notes)
He is a 22-year-old left-hander that has worked his way into prospect status thanks to a fastball that has touched 100 mph. What comes along with that is the challenge to control and command that pitch along with his slider and throw it consistently for strikes. It has been a bit of a battle for young Tanner Scott, but he remains upbeat about the challenge - and how can you not be intrigued by a kid that touches triple digits? The process of developing a young pitcher here is ongoing. Along...
Continue reading

O's game blog: O's have lost five in a row against Boston

O's game blog: O's have lost five in a row against Boston
The Orioles and Red Sox conclude a brief two-game series tonight at Fenway Park. The Orioles lost 8-1 last night and have now lost five games in a row to Boston. They have been outscored 28-9 during those five games, which started with Boston's four-game sweep at Camden Yards last September. The Orioles have scored two or fewer runs in four of the five games. But overall since the 2012 season, the Orioles are 54-41 (.568) against Boston. At Fenway Park, the Orioles won all three series last...
Continue reading

That escalated quickly: Ugly losses follow Orioles' 4-0 start

That escalated quickly: Ugly losses follow Orioles' 4-0 start
Well, the Orioles will wake up this morning tied for first place in the American League East. So there is some good news. But entering the sixth inning at home on Sunday, the Orioles led the Yankees 3-0 and seemed headed for a 5-0 start. What has followed that is a 13-inning stretch where the Orioles have been outscored 15-1. That has led to back-to-back losses after the 4-0 start. So some things could be better. In the last two games, we've seen Darren O'Day walk three batters in an inning...
Continue reading

Ugly loss: Defense comes unglued as O's lose series opener

Ugly loss: Defense comes unglued as O's lose series opener
Orioles right-hander Dylan Bundy held his own in the anticipated showdown tonight against the team that led the majors in runs last year. But the Orioles didn't do much on offense themselves and then had a major meltdown on defense in the last of the seventh. Bundy was not going to overcome that lack of support and took the loss as Boston beat the Orioles 8-1 at Fenway Park in the opener of a two-game series. It was a 2-1 until the Red Sox scored three each (with some help) in the seventh and...
Continue reading

O's game blog: Dylan Bundy faces Boston in road trip opener

O's game blog: Dylan Bundy faces Boston in road trip opener
The Orioles begin a three-city, nine-game road trip tonight at Boston's Fenway Park. The Orioles begin the night at 4-1 and leading the American League East by a half-game over Tampa Bay (5-3) and by 1 1/2 games over Boston (3-3). Tonight's pitching matchup features right-hander Dylan Bundy (1-0, 1.29 ERA) against left-hander Drew Pomeranz, who is making his season debut. Pomeranz, acquired last year in a deal with San Diego, has been on the disabled list with a left forearm injury and comes...
Continue reading

Dylan Bundy gets tough test as Boston series begins

Dylan Bundy gets tough test as Boston series begins
With a starting rotation that needs to cover more innings and a bullpen that finally cracked on Sunday, the Orioles move on to play in Boston tonight. Last year, the Red Sox hit well against the Orioles. O's highest ERA versus opponents from 2016: 7.47 - Seattle (seven games) 6.33 - Houston (seven games) 5.50 - San Diego (four games) 5.29 - Boston (19 games) Boston won 11 of 19 games versus the Orioles last season and outscored Baltimore 102-82 while batting .282/.346/.482. Outfielder Mookie...
Continue reading

Talking player development: The O's team that did it well while losing

Talking player development: The O's team that did it well while losing
If you look at the job of any minor league organization, its biggest task by far (but not the only one) is to develop players. Coach, teach, instruct and provide a framework for players to get better so they can one day reach the bigs and help the major league team win games. If you can win games on the farm while doing the first job, all the better. But make no mistake, when it comes to developing players or winning, the first is much more important than the second. Let's look at some players...
Continue reading

Darren O'Day on his struggles in the ninth, plus more clubhouse quotes

Darren O'Day on his struggles in the ninth, plus more clubhouse quotes
On a day when Orioles pitchers walked 11 batters, the final three hurt the most. The Yankees took advantage of three Darren O'Day walks in the ninth to score four times, break a 3-3 tie and beat the Orioles 7-3. It is the Orioles' first loss after a 4-0 start. Now they start a nine-game road trip Tuesday at Boston. O'Day felt he didn't get some borderline calls in the inning and then didn't adjust to the strike zone of home plate umpire Brian Gorman. The Orioles held a 3-0 lead after five...
Continue reading