O's game blog: It's Gausman and Gibson in Minnesota, plus notes from the farm

O's game blog: It's Gausman and Gibson in Minnesota, plus notes from the farm
After losing four of five and six of their last eight games, the Orioles look to get back in the win column tonight at Minnesota. The Twins won 4-2 last night on Brian Dozier's walk-off two-run homer in the 10th inning. Minnesota is 44-39 and 26-15 at home. The Orioles have lost their last four games decided by one or two runs and have scored four runs total in their last four losses. O's starting pitching, though, has been very good lately with an ERA of 1.85 and five quality starts over the...
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A look at the Orioles' recent struggles with runners in scoring position

A look at the Orioles' recent struggles with runners in scoring position
Sometimes you get the clutch hits and sometimes you don't. Recently for the Orioles, they don't. They went hitless with runners in scoring position in last night's loss at Minnesota. But heading in to the night, the Orioles topped major league baseball in batting average with RISP: .306 - Orioles .301 - Toronto and Colorado But last night, the Orioles went 0-for-8 in RISP situations, and they are 4-for-42 over the last six games. Their four hits all came in one game, Sunday's 9-1 win at the...
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Brian Dozier's walk-off homer in 10th gives Twins the victory

Brian Dozier's walk-off homer in 10th gives Twins the victory
It was a high fastball and Minnesota's Brian Dozier didn't miss it. Dozier's two-run blast in the last of the 10th gave Minnesota a 4-2 walk-off win over the Orioles tonight in the opener of a three-game series. Working his second inning, Tommy Hunter allowed a one-out single to Danny Santana. He fell behind Dozier 2-0, who smoked a 96 mph fastball for his 17th homer to win the game. This was the Orioles' third walk-off loss of the year. The other two were April 18 at Boston and May 23 at...
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O's game blog: Orioles, Twins begin three-game series in Minnesota

O's game blog: Orioles, Twins begin three-game series in Minnesota
The Orioles and Twins begin a three-game series tonight in Minnesota; the teams begin the series with identical 43-39 records, and both are in second place. The Orioles and Twins are tied for the second American League wild card spot right now, one game behind the Angels and one game ahead of the Rays and Blue Jays. Minnesota, which just split a four-game series against Kansas City, has the best record in its league against American League East opponents at 9-4. The Twins are 5-2 against Boston...
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Norfolk and Bowie are in first place, plus other minor league notes

Norfolk and Bowie are in first place, plus other minor league notes
Taking a look at a few notes around the Orioles minor leagues: * The Orioles' top two farm clubs are in first place with identical 47-34 records. Triple-A Norfolk is leading its division by 1 1/2 games and Double-A Bowie leads its division by 3 1/2 games. Here are notes on those clubs plus a few from Single-A Frederick, Single-A Delmarva, short-season Single-A Aberdeen and the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League. Norfolk notes: The Tides are now a season-high 13 games over .500 after winning 10 of...
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Taking a shot at some mid-season Orioles grades

Taking a shot at some mid-season Orioles grades
The Orioles are one game past the season's halfway point with a 43-39 record 82 games into the 2015 season. Time to take a look back and pass out some grades on the team. Some statistics are through Saturday's games. Starting pitching: C This is one area that needs to get better over the second half of the season. On their way to 96 wins, the 2014 O's starting rotation had an ERA of 3.61 to rank fifth in the American League. Right now, that number is 4.18 and the Orioles are ninth in AL...
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O's offense breaks out, Schoop returns with a homer in win at Chicago

O's offense breaks out, Schoop returns with a homer in win at Chicago
The Orioles got another solid starting pitching outing - and this time, they backed it with some runs. Caleb Joseph drove in three and Jonathan Schoop returned from the disabled list with a homer as the Orioles beat the Chicago White Sox 9-1. The Orioles had been held to just six runs over the previous four games. The White Sox were trying for their first home three-game sweep of the Orioles since May 2003. But the Orioles got the win to improve to 43-39 and move within a game of the...
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O's game blog: Orioles need a win to avoid a three-game sweep at Chicago

O's game blog: Orioles need a win to avoid a three-game sweep at Chicago
The Orioles have not been swept in a three-game series on the road by the Chicago White Sox since May 13-15, 2003. From 2011-14, the Orioles went 10-4 at U.S. Cellular Field. But they lost there this weekend by scores of 1-0 and 3-2, coming up with just nine hits. They went 26 consecutive innings without scoring until Manny Machado's two-run homer in eighth inning yesterday. They have scored in just one of their last 28 innings. They were four outs away from a third straight shutout when...
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Is O's struggling offense a temporary issue?

Is O's struggling offense a temporary issue?
The Orioles' inconsistent offense is in another down cycle. The Orioles had not scored - or even had an extra-base hit - in 26 consecutive innings until Manny Machado's two-run home run in the eighth inning on Saturday. Machado's 50th career homer produced a 2-2 tie, but the O's quickly fell behind and lost 3-2 to Chicago. So they've lost their last three games by scores of 2-0, 1-0 and 3-2. They've allowed six runs and lost all three games. Over their last four games, O's starters have...
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Manny Machado hits game-tying homer, but O's lose at Chicago (Rowen opts out)

Manny Machado hits game-tying homer, but O's lose at Chicago (Rowen opts out)
The Orioles scoreless streak came to an end today, but their losing streak did not. Moments after a game-tying homer in the eighth by Manny Machado, Chicago got the lead back in their half of the inning to beat the Orioles 3-2 this afternoon. The Orioles have lost three in a row and five of six, and reach the season's midpoint at 42-39. The Orioles went to the top of the eighth down 2-0 and had not scored a run over their last 26 innings since Wednesday night. But Sox starter Jeff Samardzija...
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O's game blog: An update on Delmarva's Jared Breen and a look at today's game

O's game blog: An update on Delmarva's Jared Breen and a look at today's game
Single-A Delmarva shortstop Jared Breen was hospitalized after he ran into a wall near the stands chasing a foul ball in the first inning Friday night. Observors say Breen hit the wall very hard on the game's fourth pitch and was down for a long time before he was transported to a Salisbury, Md. hospital, and he has since been moved to Baltimore. The 24-year-old Breen suffered a fractured right knee cap, broken orbital bone and a concussion in addition to other lesser injuries. A 24th-round...
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O's top draft pick DJ Stewart on being an Oriole and his unique batting stance

O's top draft pick DJ Stewart on being an Oriole and his unique batting stance
Before the 2015 First-Year Player Draft, some scouting reports expressed concerns about the very low batting crouch of Orioles top draft pick DJ Stewart. Here is an excerpt from Baseball America's scouting report on Stewart: "He has managed to make his unorthodox stance work in college, but scouts aren't sold that it will work at the next level. He crouches very low at the plate, which can make it tougher for him to unleash his raw power. Many scouts believe that if he just stands up a...
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O's lose 1-0 in Chicago, shut out for the second night in a row

O's lose 1-0 in Chicago, shut out for the second night in a row
Chicago White Sox left-hander John Danks had a terrible June. But tonight, he got his July off to a good start against an Orioles team that is suddenly struggling on offense. Danks pitched seven scoreless innings as the Chicago White Sox beat the Orioles 1-0 at U.S. Cellular Field in the opener of a three-game series. The Orioles have been shut out in back-to-back games, losing both even though their pitchers allowed just three runs. The Orioles have not scored in their last 19 innings. They...
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O's game blog: Tied for first place, Orioles begin road trip in Chicago

O's game blog: Tied for first place, Orioles begin road trip in Chicago
The Orioles begin a six-game road trip to Chicago and Minnesota tonight by facing the White Sox to open a three-game series at U.S. Cellular Field. The Orioles went 5-1 against the Sox last year and swept a three-game series in Chicago. The Orioles are 2-1 versus Chicago this year, and have held the White Sox to 19 hits and a .198 batting average in the three games. The Orioles are 5-0-1 in the last six season series since 2009, going 30-18 in that time. The Orioles begin play tonight tied for...
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Jonathan Schoop comments after his night in Frederick and a take on Kevin Gausman

Jonathan Schoop comments after his night in Frederick and a take on Kevin Gausman
Jonanthan Schoop doesn't hit a homer in every rehab game he plays in. It just seems like it. After homering in three of his last four games while with Double-A Bowie, Schoop played at Single-A Frederick last night. He went 2-for-4 and hit a solo homer over all three levels of billboards in the eighth inning at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium. "I am always going up there looking for a pitch to drive. If I get it, I hope to put a good swing on it and it can go out of the ballpark," Schoop...
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Kevin Gausman on his outing tonight, plus other clubhouse quotes

Kevin Gausman on his outing tonight, plus other clubhouse quotes
After pitching 6 1/3 scoreless innings tonight against a Texas team that had hit 10 homers the last three nights, O's right-hander Kevin Gausman is - for now at least - staying on the team. He will fly with the Orioles to Chicago tonight and await word on what the next move for him will be. Will he stay in the rotation? For now, he remains an Oriole and said that is encouraging. "Yeah, it is. Packed a bag just in case. Didn't know. You know it's all about keeping those (bullpen) guys fresh....
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Texas rallies for two in ninth to beat O's, take series 3-1

Texas rallies for two in ninth to beat O's, take series 3-1
Two starting pitchers dueled to keep the game scoreless into the late innings, and it stayed that way until a leadoff walk hurt the Orioles in the top of the ninth. Leonys Martin's RBI single in the top of the ninth produced the game's first run and Rougned Odor added a second run-scoring base hit in the frame as Texas beat the Orioles 2-0 at Camden Yards to take three of four in this series. After he pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth, Chaz Roe started the ninth with a walk of...
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O's game blog: Kevin Gausman takes mound in finale vs. Rangers

O's game blog: Kevin Gausman takes mound in finale vs. Rangers
As he takes the mound tonight against Texas, Orioles right-hander Kevin Gausman is probably hoping his July is less challenging than his month of June. Coming back from right shoulder tendinitis and a stay on the Baltimore disabled list, Gausman pitched with four different teams in June. Here is a look at his month: * June 6: Goes three innings for Single-A Frederick * June 11: Goes 3 1/3 innings for Double-A Bowie * June 16: Goes two innings for Frederick * June 20: Works five innings for the...
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Dariel Alvarez is selected to start the Triple-A All-Star Game, Norfolk sends four to game

Dariel Alvarez is selected to start the Triple-A All-Star Game, Norfolk sends four to game
The Norfolk Tides will send four players to the Triple-A All-Star Game. Outfielder Dariel Alvarez was elected to start the contest, while catcher Steve Clevenger and pitchers Michael Bowden and Oliver Drake have been selected to the team as reserves. This is the most Tides players selected to the game since 2000, when Norfolk was a Mets affiliate, and most they've had since becoming the Orioles' top affiliate. Alvarez is batting .270 with 12 home runs and 40 RBIs. He ranks among International...
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Darren O'Day on being in first place right now, plus other O's notes

Darren O'Day on being in first place right now, plus other O's notes
The Orioles have moved from fourth place to first place. But with 84 games to go, pitcher Darren O'Day said it's too soon to focus much on the standings right now. "I don't think the standings necessarily are a big deal yet," he said. "We are a proud team and we won the division last year. It's going to be a challenge with everyone coming for us, but we've been playing better baseball lately. We knew we would, it was just a matter of time." In his own unique and somewhat...
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