Did Wright take a step forward last night? (Plus Schoop on the power)

Did Wright take a step forward last night? (Plus Schoop on the power)
The Orioles have lost four of their last five games since their 7-0 start. They were 5-0 at home this year and 10-0 at home since the second game of a doubleheader last Sept. 30 until last night's loss to Toronto. On the plus side, O's starting pitchers have now gone exactly six innings three straight games. O's starters went six innings or more just once in the first nine games. Ubaldo Jimenez, who went seven innings in his first start on April 7, is the only O's starter to pitch seven or...
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Clubhouse quotes from Tyler Wilson, Mike Wright, Matt Wieters and Manny Machado

Clubhouse quotes from Tyler Wilson, Mike Wright, Matt Wieters and Manny Machado
The Orioles won't go unbeaten at home this year. They saw a 10-game home winning streak end tonight in a 4-3 loss to Toronto. It dated to Game 2 of a doubleheader last Sept. 30 and the streak was tied for the seventh-longest in team history. He only pitched two innings tonight, but reliever Tyler Wilson pointed a finger at himself for the loss. After throwing six scoreless innings over his first two appearances, he allowed a run in the seventh tonight, which provided Toronto its fourth and...
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Matt Wieters and Manny Machado homer, but O's drop series opener

Matt Wieters and Manny Machado homer, but O's drop series opener
The Orioles got a quality start for just the second time this season. But it did not lead to a win. Toronto's Marcus Stroman allowed three runs over seven innings as the Blue Jays beat the Orioles 4-3 in the opener of a three-game series at Camden Yards. The Orioles have lost four of the last five games after a 7-0 start to fall to 8-4. Toronto has won three in a row and is 8-7. Orioles center fielder Adam Jones left tonight's game before the top of the seventh due to a stomach virus. Jones,...
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O's game blog: Mike Wright on the mound in Toronto series opener

O's game blog: Mike Wright on the mound in Toronto series opener
When the Orioles (8-3) open a series against the Toronto Blue Jays (7-7) tonight at Camden Yards, right-hander Mike Wright will once again be pitching on extra rest. Wright's first scheduled start was pushed back twice - once by a rainout - and he didn't make his first start until April 12 in the Orioles' seventh game of the year. Then, after Sunday's rainout at Texas and yesterday's off-day, Wright had another start pushed back. He will start on six days' rest tonight against the Blue...
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Mark Trumbo on his fast start and co-AL Player of the Week award

Mark Trumbo on his fast start and co-AL Player of the Week award
For those uncomfortable with small sample size stats, skip to another paragraph. For the rest, the Orioles' Mark Trumbo and Manny Machado are ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the American League in both batting average and slugging percentage. Trumbo is batting .386 and slugging .750, with Machado at .383 and .723. Trumbo's best months have usually been April and May. Why is he a fast starter? "I hit a lot in the offseason," Trumbo said this afternoon. "I start fairly early. I never slack off and I...
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Is the O's staff making progress with putaway pitches?

Is the O's staff making progress with putaway pitches?
When interviewing Orioles right-hander Kevin Gausman on Friday night at Single-A Frederick, he made an interesting comment about the 2015 O's pitching staff. When asked about his outing that night, where he recorded eight strikeouts over 3 1/3 innings, as part of his answer, he talked about last year's pitching staff. "I threw pitches out of the zone when I wanted to and I was happy about that," he said. "I think last season as a whole, we gave up way too many two-strike hits. That has...
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Orioles trade minor league outfielder Alfredo Marte to Phillies

Orioles trade minor league outfielder Alfredo Marte to Phillies
The Orioles began today with six outfielders on the roster of their Triple-A affiliate at Norfolk. They have now reduced that by one by trading Alfredo Marte to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for a player to be named. With the open roster spot, the Tides activated right-handed pitcher Scott McGough. The O's acquired him Friday off waivers from the Miami Marlins. The 27-year-old Marte, a right-handed hitter from the Dominican Republic, had some good moments for the Orioles in spring...
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A look at the O's minor league pitcher that started his career with 32 2/3 scoreless innings

A look at the O's minor league pitcher that started his career with 32 2/3 scoreless innings
He has a unique name and a career ERA of 0.00 on the O's farm since being drafted in June. But most fans have never heard his name, as unforgettable as it is. Right-hander Christian Turnipseed has pitched in 24 games since the 2015 draft and has not allowed a run over 32 2/3 innings. He did allow two inherited runners to score while pitching for Single-A Delmarva yesterday on his way to getting the last out of its 4-3 win over Hagerstown. Earlier, he had stranded eight of eight inherited...
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With the team ERA rising, can the pitchers step up? (O's rained out)

With the team ERA rising, can the pitchers step up? (O's rained out)
With nine outs to go for a 9-2 start, it unraveled for the Orioles in the seventh inning last night at Texas. The same inning where their bats exploded about 24 hours earlier. Obviously, the Orioles pitching needs to turn it around. They have allowed 23 runs during a 1-3 stretch. The rotation ERA is 5.14 on the year and an unsightly 7.05 over the last seven games. The Orioles have just one quality start all year and their starters have pitched just 56 innings over 11 games. For a team that is...
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It unravels for the Orioles in the seventh as Texas rallies to win

It unravels for the Orioles in the seventh as Texas rallies to win
The seventh inning was pivotal for the second night in a row. This time, just not for the Orioles. The Rangers scored six runs in the last of the seventh to come from 4-2 down and beat the Orioles 8-4 tonight. The Rangers have taken two of the first three in this series at Globe Life Park to improve to 7-6 as the Orioles fall to 8-3 for the season, 3-3 on this road trip. Yovani Gallardo took the mound in the seventh leading by two at 96 pitches and walked No. 9 hitter Brett Nicholas. A double...
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O's game blog: The Orioles have scored 34 runs on this road trip

O's game blog: The Orioles have scored 34 runs on this road trip
To say the least, the Orioles offense is humming along pretty well through 10 games. Last night, the Orioles scored nine or more runs for the third time in the last five games. In the five games of the road trip, they have scored 34 runs and that includes two games where they scored five total. They have hit 12 homers in that span. With an American League-leading 20 homers through 10 games, it is easy to do the math and project 324 homers over a full season. The major league record for a season...
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Some of the Orioles' top hitting prospects get off to good starts on farm

Some of the Orioles' top hitting prospects get off to good starts on farm
Let's take a quick look at the Orioles' minor league teams so far. It's very early obviously, but right now none of the O's teams at Triple-A Norfolk, Double-A Bowie, Single-A Frederick or Single-A Delmarva have a winning record. Norfolk is 2-6 and has scored just 24 runs with a 5.70 team ERA. Bowie is 1-7 with a 6.17 team ERA. Both the Keys and Shorebirds are 4-5. However, some of the O's better hitting prospects have gotten off to good starts. At Bowie, first baseman Trey Mancini is...
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Kevin Gausman and Brian Matusz talk about their night in Frederick (plus other notes)

Kevin Gausman and Brian Matusz talk about their night in Frederick (plus other notes)
FREDERICK - The Single-A Frederick Keys have long been a team that draws well at the gate. But last night's attendance produced a big crowd even for the Keys, as 5,712 came to Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium. They came to see two Orioles pitch on injury rehab assignments. The Keys lost 4-0 to Lynchburg, but the fans got to see right-hander Kevin Gausman and left-hander Brian Matusz pitch. It was the largest April crowd in Frederick in four years, except for when Manny Machado played here in...
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Rotation starts to falter as Orioles drop back-to-back games

Rotation starts to falter as Orioles drop back-to-back games
It was a frustrating first game of the series for the Orioles last night in Texas. They saw a 3-1 lead quickly unravel when Texas scored five in the last of the sixth. They stranded three runners in scoring position in the fifth and sixth innings, including squandering a second-and-third opportunity with no outs in the fifth. Mark Trumbo hit another homer as he drilled a 1-1 pitch from Cole Hamels out to right-center in the fourth inning. Trumbo has already showed us that he can hit the ball...
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Texas erupts for five runs in sixth, rallies to beat the Orioles 6-3

Texas erupts for five runs in sixth, rallies to beat the Orioles 6-3
For the Orioles tonight, the combination of a few missed chances on offense and one rough half inning on the mound led to a defeat at Texas. The Rangers scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth - all charged to starter Chris Tillman - and beat the Orioles 6-3 to start a four-game series at Globe Life Park. The Orioles have lost back-to-back games after a 7-0 start. They have lost five in a row versus Texas. The Rangers improved to 6-5. The Orioles led 3-1 against lefty Cole Hamels heading to...
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O's game blog: Is bullpen in good shape going into Texas series?

O's game blog: Is bullpen in good shape going into Texas series?
As the Orioles begin a four-game series tonight against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park, is their bullpen already getting used too much? Well, the fact that O's starters have pitched more than five innings just once in eight games tells you the answer is yes. But the bullpen still is in pretty decent shape heading into this series. The O's have Tyler Wilson, T.J. McFarland and Dylan Bundy to thank for that. Over the last two games that trio has pitched a combined 6 2/3 out of seven...
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Dylan Bundy impresses a veteran teammate (plus other notes)

Dylan Bundy impresses a veteran teammate (plus other notes)
Orioles right-handed reliever Dylan Bundy has now made four major league appearances - two in 2012 and two this season. The player ranked as the Orioles' No. 1 prospect a whopping five times (2011 through 2015), pitched more than one inning for the first time as an Oriole on Tuesday night at Fenway Park. The 23-year-old right-hander had a solid outing. Over 2 1/3 innings, he gave up three hits and one run on 43 pitches. Showing a solid curveball and changeup, Bundy almost looked more like a...
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Ubaldo Jimenez struggles as O's suffer first loss of 2016

Ubaldo Jimenez struggles as O's suffer first loss of 2016
On a night when both starting pitchers struggled, the game was played at times at a laborious pace. The Orioles made a couple of outs on the bases. It was just not a crisp night for Baltimore. But it was a long one, as the Orioles lost for the first time this season. Right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez gave up four runs and six hits over five innings as Boston beat the Orioles 4-2 at Fenway Park. Jimenez walked four and fanned five, throwing 104 pitches. He is 1-1 with an ERA of 3.75 The Orioles'...
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O's game blog: Orioles have gotten some clutch pitching in 7-0 start

O's game blog: Orioles have gotten some clutch pitching in 7-0 start
Clutch pitching has been a big part of the Orioles' 7-0 start. The Orioles are second in the majors in batting average against with runners in scoring position. When their opponents have hit with RISP, they are batting just .140 (7-for-50) with 16 strikeouts. In the opening series, Twins hitters went just 2-for-21 (.095). Tampa Bay then went 2-for-10 (.200) over two games. Boston batters are 3-for-19 (.158) in the current series. MLB leaders, RISP average against: .129 - Cincinnati .140 -...
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A look at the Orioles' minor league affiliates, who went 1-3 this afternoon

A look at the Orioles' minor league affiliates, who went 1-3 this afternoon
This was a rare day on the Orioles farm, as all four full-season affiliates played day games. Here is how it went: Triple-A Norfolk lost 8-1 at home to Charlotte to fall to 2-4. Tides starter Odrisamer Despaigne allowed nine hits and seven runs over four innings. He is 0-2 and has an ERA of 8.00 through two starts. Right-fielder Dariel Alvarez went 1-for-4 and has hit safely in each game so far, batting .320. Christian Walker has done the same, today coming up with an RBI single in the eighth...
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