Stunning rally: O's score four in eighth to beat Detroit, take 2-0 ALDS lead

Stunning rally: O's score four in eighth to beat Detroit, take 2-0 ALDS lead
It was an amazing and stirring comeback win. Last night the Orioles used the eighth inning to pull away. Today they produced a remarkable comeback win in the same inning. Delmon Young's pinch-hit, three-run double to left off Joakim Soria turned a 6-4 deficit into a 7-6 lead and the Orioles beat Detroit in front of another frenzied sellout crowd at Camden Yards. It was an amazing comeback by the Orioles who take a 2-0 lead in the American League Division Series. The last 13 teams with a 2-0...
Continue reading

O's game blog: It's Chen against Verlander in Game 2

O's game blog: It's Chen against Verlander in Game 2
Since the Orioles moved to Baltimore in 1954, their postseason winning percentage of .588 (50-35) ranks second in the majors behind only Miami at .667 (22-11). The Orioles look to add to that here this afternoon. According to ESPN Stats & Info, since 1995, 61 percent of teams that won Game 1 of a Division Series went on to win the series. And 12 of the last 14 Game 1 winners went on to advance. The last 13 teams to take a 2-0 lead went on to win the Division Series. After pitching well in...
Continue reading

Tigers J.D. Martinez: "It's just one loss" (updated)

Tigers J.D. Martinez: "It's just one loss" (updated)
During his Game 2 American League Division Series pregame press conference at Camden Yards this morning, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said he would not know if outfielder Rajai Davis would play today until after batting practice. Davis has been hampered since Saturday by a ligament sprain in the pelvic area. He played last night, going 1-for-3 but was pinch hit for in the ninth inning. Update: Davis is in the lineup for Game 2, batting ninth in center field. Ausmus talked about his team...
Continue reading

Jonathan Schoop talks about playing in his first playoff game

Jonathan Schoop talks about playing in his first playoff game
Well, the kid got off to a good start in the first major league playoff game of his life. Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop went 2-for-4 last night. He singled in the second inning in his first postseason at-bat and then added a two-run double in the eight-run eighth. Schoop ended the regular season batting just .109 (6-for-55) over his last 20 games with one homer and two RBIs. He'll take the hits but he loved the win. "I felt really good to get a few hits and to help the team win....
Continue reading

Andrew Miller on playoff bullpen usage and other notes and quotes from the Game 1 win

Andrew Miller on playoff bullpen usage and other notes and quotes from the Game 1 win
The 1966 Orioles didn't do it. Neither did the great teams from 1969, '70 and '71. Or the 1983 World Series champs. None of them scored 12 runs in a playoff game. The Orioles' previous best was 11 runs four times before last night's 12-3 win over Detroit in Game 1 of the American League Division Series. The last time the O's scored 11 runs was Oct. 7, 1983 in Game 3 at the White Sox in the AL Championship Series. That date is also notable for this reason: The Orioles won that game 11-1...
Continue reading

Markakis: "Want to thank the best fans in baseball" (plus other clubhouse quotes)

Markakis: "Want to thank the best fans in baseball" (plus other clubhouse quotes)
Amid the crush of the Orioles postgame clubhouse, Nick Markakis talked about playing and winning the first playoff game of his career. "Awesome," Markakis said. "Everything you want it to be. We play for the people that come here and they supported us. It was everything you work for. We want to thank the best fans in baseball. They showed it tonight." Markakis had played the third-most games (1,365) of any active player before making his playoff debut. Meanwhile, as he has often this...
Continue reading

O's score eight in eighth to beat Tigers 12-3, turn ALDS Game 1 into rout

O's score eight in eighth to beat Tigers 12-3, turn ALDS Game 1 into rout
In the end it turned into a rout. Using a familiar formula that led them to 96 wins and a division championship, the Orioles beat the Tigers 12-3 tonight to take Game 1 of the American League Division Series. A frenzied crowd of 47,842 roared its approval at Camden Yards. The Orioles got a solid starting pitching performance from Chris Tillman, homers from Nelson Cruz and J.J. Hardy, a clutch hit from Nick Markakis and solid bullpen work in the victory. They also scored eight runs and...
Continue reading

O's game blog: It's Tillman against Scherzer in Game 1

O's game blog: It's Tillman against Scherzer in Game 1
The Orioles' long wait for the playoffs is finally over. They are hosting the Detroit Tigers today in Game 1 of the American League Division Series. These clubs have never met in the postseason. The Orioles won the AL East, going 96-66, including a mark of 50-31 at home. The Tigers won the AL Central, going 90-72, including a mark of 45-36 on the road. The O's pitchers have the task of trying to contain a Detroit offense that led the AL in batting average (.277), OBP (.331) and slugging...
Continue reading

Some notes from the Tigers pregame press conference

Some notes from the Tigers pregame press conference
Some notes and quotes from the Tigers' press conference earlier today with manager Brad Ausmus and Game 2 starter Justin Verlander. Ausmus talked about outfielder Rajai Davis, who has a sprained pelvic ligament that forced him out of Saturday's game against the Twins. He is starting today and batting ninth in center field. "We got here this morning at 8:30 and he got some treatment done," Ausmus said. "We took him outside and he did some agility drills. He looked fine and he said he felt...
Continue reading

Caleb Joseph on late-season slump and his first playoff series, plus O's hot hitters

Caleb Joseph on late-season slump and his first playoff series, plus O's hot hitters
The Orioles have a couple of players that ended the 2014 regular season slumping. They will look to get their bats going in the American League Division Series against Detroit. Catcher Caleb Joseph ended the year going 0-for-30 over his last 10 games as his average dropped from .236 to .207. Joseph hit just .080 (4-for-50) in September with 18 strikeouts. He said he felt he did not wear down physically, but this is the longest he's ever played in a season. "The best part about the...
Continue reading

Orioles talk about challenge of facing three straight Cy Young winners

Orioles talk about challenge of facing three straight Cy Young winners
If the Orioles want to get the lead in the American League Division Series against Detroit, all they have to do is beat last year's AL Cy Young Award winner in Game 1 today. After that, they face another former Cy Young winner. And then another. If the series gets to a fourth game they are expected to face Rick Porcello and, hey, he's never won a Cy Young Award. The Detroit starter today, right-hander Max Scherzer (18-5, 3.15 ERA), won the award in 2013. Game 2 starter Justin Verlander...
Continue reading

ALDS notebook: Hardy on intensity, Cruz on crowd, Scherzer on facing the O's and more

ALDS notebook: Hardy on intensity, Cruz on crowd, Scherzer on facing the O's and more
The Orioles clinched the American League East on Sept. 16 and they played 11 games since with a postseason berth already assured. We saw the Orioles end the season playing with less intensity than they had before the clincher. Now they need to get that back for the AL Division Series that starts at Camden Yards Thursday against Detroit. Will it be hard to get it back? "No, I don't think so," shortstop J.J. Hardy said before today's workout. "Not with the way these fans are going to be....
Continue reading

Manager Brad Ausmus, pitcher Max Scherzer talk about Detroit's postseason experience

Manager Brad Ausmus, pitcher Max Scherzer talk about Detroit's postseason experience
During separate press conferences this afternoon at Camden Yards, Detroit Tigers manager Brad Ausmus and Game 1 starting pitcher Max Scherzer gave quite different answers when asked about the club's playoff experience. This is the fourth year in a row that Detroit has reached the postseason and the Tigers have won the American League Division Series the last three years by winning Game 5 on the road each time. "For guys that have been through it, the experience is an enormous help," Ausmus...
Continue reading

Note to O's hurlers: Be wary of the first pitch against Detroit

Note to O's hurlers: Be wary of the first pitch against Detroit
Over the years, when asked what is the best pitch, many pitching coaches have said "strike one." They mean it doesn't matter whether you throw a fastball, slider or changeup. As long you get ahead in the count, everything flows from there. Pitching ahead and getting strike one is big. It will be big for Orioles pitchers in this series against Detroit. But O's hurlers need to keep this fact in mind - Tigers batters thrive on hitting the first pitch. Of the top 20 hitters in batting...
Continue reading

Will playoff experience be important?

Will playoff experience be important?
How critical will playoff experience be when the Orioles and Detroit Tigers meet beginning Thursday in the American League Division Series? Detroit has a lot of it. In fact, the four pitchers named to start today for Detroit - Max Scherzer in Game 1 followed by Justin Verlander, David Price and Rick Porcello - have made a combined 30 playoff starts. We don't yet know the O's order beyond Chris Tillman in Game 1, but Tillman, Wei-Yin Chen, Miguel Gonzalez and Bud Norris have combined for two...
Continue reading

Three reasons why Orioles can beat Tigers and three reasons why they may not

Three reasons why Orioles can beat Tigers and three reasons why they may not
From the "Did you know?" department ... Nelson Cruz pretty much single-handedly destroyed the Detroit Tigers while with Texas in the 2011 American League Championship Series. As the Rangers won that series in six games, Cruz went 8-for-22 with two doubles, six homers, 13 RBIs, a 1.273 slugging percentage and 1.713 OPS. He hit the first postseason walk-off grand slam in Game 2 of that series. His six homers and 13 RBIs are the most by one player in one postseason series in baseball...
Continue reading

A look back at Tigers' last visit to Baltimore

A look back at Tigers' last visit to Baltimore
The Orioles were swept three straight at home just one time during the 2014 season. The Detroit Tigers were the team that did it and that Tigers team will be at Camden Yards again on Thursday for Game 1 of the American League Division Series. Before they came to Baltimore, Detroit hosted the Orioles in the season's second series and won the first two games 10-4 and 7-6 before Chris Tillman pitched the Orioles to a 3-1 win to avoid the sweep. When Detroit came to Baltimore on May 12 for a...
Continue reading

A few notes on Orioles and Tigers in advance of ALDS

A few notes on Orioles and Tigers in advance of ALDS
Finally, the regular season is over. Clinching early seemed great at the time for the Orioles, but it sure meant a lot of less than exciting baseball was played for nearly two weeks. The Orioles went 5-6 in the 11 games since they clinched the American League East on Sept. 16. They had some less than stellar play since then, especially on defense. This has led some fans to be concerned that the Orioles intensity level, which took a hit after they clinched, will be an issue in the playoffs....
Continue reading

Orioles beat Toronto 1-0 to end regular season at 96-66 (O's to play Tigers in ALDS)

Orioles beat Toronto 1-0 to end regular season at 96-66 (O's to play Tigers in ALDS)
The Orioles used a Jonathan Schoop home run and a six-pitcher six-hitter to beat Toronto 1-0 today in their regular season finale. The Orioles finished with a 96-66 record (.593) and they snapped a three-game losing streak. Now they look ahead to Thursday's Game 1 of the American League Division Series. The Orioles took the lead in the top of the fifth on Schoop's first home run since Sept. 4. Schoop got an 85 mph fastball on a 3-2 pitch from R.A. Dickey and hit it out to left for his 16th...
Continue reading

Orioles, Blue Jays scoreless at Rogers Centre (Schoop homers for 1-0 lead)

Orioles, Blue Jays scoreless at Rogers Centre (Schoop homers for 1-0 lead)
The Orioles had some chances, but did not score early on today against Toronto knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. The Orioles and Blue Jays have played three scoreless innings to start the regular season finale. Nick Markakis led off the game with a double to left field, but was left on base as Alejandro De Aza grounded out, Adam Jones flied out and Nelson Cruz flied out. The O's put two on with one out on a pair of walks in the top of the second, but Nick Hundley struck out and Jonathan Schoop...
Continue reading