Jimmy Paredes was an Oriole for two days in February. He returned to the organization in July and today made it to the major league roster.
The 25-year-old switch-hitter, who can play infield and outfield, was called up today from Triple-A Norfolk to take the roster spot of Kevin Gausman, who was officially optioned to the Gulf Coast League after last night's game.
Paredes has been with four different organizations since last November:
* November 4, 2013: Selected off waivers by the Miami...
Should the Orioles be concerned about Kevin Gausman?
Earlier this year, their 2012 first-round draft pick gave up two runs over 13 innings in back-to-back starts against Oakland and Toronto when both were in first place.
He pitched the final game before the All-Star break and gave up just one run in a rain-shortened win over the Yankees that left him with 4-2 record and 3.29 ERA.
But in eight starts since the break, Gausman is 3-4 with a 4.33 ERA. Opposing batters are hitting .293 against him...
Kevin Gausman had just a four-inning start tonight, which is tied for the shortest of his big league career. He gave up six hits and three runs as the Orioles lost 3-1 to Tampa Bay.
Gausman threw 129 2/3 innings last season, and is at 127 1/3 innings now. It is fair to wonder if he is tiring a bit during a long season. He is 2-3 with a 4.15 ERA in five August starts.
"I definitely haven't thrown this many innings," he said. "I think that can take a toll on your body, but physically I feel...
Since he was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays on July 31, left-hander Drew Smyly had pitched to an ERA of 1.55 over four starts and 0.76 over his last three.
The Orioles saw why tonight.
Smyly gave up one run and two hits over seven innings as Tampa Bay beat the Orioles 3-1 at Camden Yards. He walked one and fanned six, throwing 87 pitches.
Smyly pitched a two-hit shutout on 105 pitches against Toronto in his last start and had allowed just nine hits in 23 2/3 innings in those last three starts...
Catcher Steve Clevenger returned to the Orioles today for his third stint with the club this season.
The 28-year-old Baltimore native has batted .305/.366/.389 with two home runs and 30 RBIs in 64 games for the Triple-A Norfolk Tides this season. He hit .240/.296/.373 in 26 games for the Orioles earlier this year.
Clevenger said he was surprised by the timing of the call-up, which came a few days before the rosters can be expanded to as many as 40 players.
"Yeah, kind of caught me by...
Orioles reliever Darren O'Day is pretty fired up about tonight - and not just for the chance for the Orioles to win another game and get closer to their goal of making the playoffs.
It's Darren O'Day T-shirt night at the Yard and all fans that come through the turnstiles will get one.
Several Orioles were wearing theirs in the clubhouse before tonight's game.
"Pretty excited, I never expected to have a T-shirt night," O'Day said this afternoon. "I'm more excited about this little...
The 2013 Boston Red Sox won the World Series and new Orioles pitcher Andrew Miller helped them get there. He just couldn't pitch when they did make the postseason.
On July 6, 2013, Miller went down in a game against the Los Angeles Angels, injuring his left foot on a comebacker to the mound. Surgery was needed to repair ligament damage. His season was over after he went 1-2 with a 2.64 ERA over 30 2/3 innings.
Now he is with another team that has designs of going deep into the playoffs. This...
After winning with five home runs last night, the Orioles had just one extra-base hit, a double, tonight. They had to grind out a 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.
"That is the best way to describe it," said catcher Caleb Joseph, who contributed a two-run single. "You are going to grind these games out. Most AL East games are that way. Coming off last night, we had a great game and you want to repeat it, but the pace of the game kind of slows your excitement down a little bit.
"But Wei-Yin...
It was a night where neither starter completed five innings and the game moved along at a snail's pace. But given the opportunity to produce big hits, the bottom of the Orioles lineup took advantage.
Caleb Joseph - batting eighth - came up with a clutch two-run single, and Jonathan Schoop - the No. 9 batter - added an RBI hit of his own as the Orioles beat Tampa Bay 4-2 at Camden Yards.
With the win, the Orioles get back to 20 games over the .500 mark at 75-55. They have won 14 of their last...
The Orioles have been playing well at home here at Camden Yards, a trend they look to continue as they host Tampa Bay tonight in the second game of a four-game series and 11-game homestand.
Since June 30, the Orioles are 16-5 at home with a 2.66 team ERA after going 19-21 in their first 40 games at the Yard. In their last 21 home games, the Birds have outscored their opponents 105-62.
Last night's 9-1 win was the Orioles' 10th in their last 12 series openers, including eight in a row from...
After hitting five more homers last night, the Orioles have now hit 168 for the season, which easily leads the majors leagues. Colorado is second with 150, and Toronto and Houston are tied with 144. The big league average right now is 114.
The Orioles are on a pace to hit 211 homers. They led the majors with 212 last season. They have seven seasons of 200 or more homers in club history, but have never had three in a row. They will if they reach 200 this season.
The Orioles have now hit three...
Yep, exaggerating to make a point with that headline.
I do feel the large, large majority of Orioles fans put the club's series at Wrigley Field in its proper perspective. Maybe the remaining five percent of fans that - yet again - overreacted to a loss or two, can now come back in off the ledge.
Baseball teams lose games, even to teams that are not good. They even get swept sometimes. Even by teams that are not good. They even have losing road trips, although it took the Orioles almost...
For the first time in team history, the Orioles hit back-to-back homers and then added three in a row later in one game tonight.
The last time that happened in the majors was June 19, 2012 when Toronto did it at Milwaukee. The Orioles hit five homers tonight in a 9-1 win over Tampa Bay in the opener of an 11-game homestand.
"Just one of those things, can't explain it," said J.J. Hardy, who hit one of the five homers.
The Orioles scored four runs at Wrigley Field over the weekend and then...
To put tonight's game in perspective, the Orioles scored four runs on 13 hits with two homers in the three-game weekend series at Wrigley Field. Tonight, they scored nine runs on 14 hits with five homers.
The Orioles bashed Tampa Bay 9-1 and "bash" is the appropriate word as the longball returned to the offense. Twice tonight the Orioles hit back-to-back homers and the second time they hit three in a row.
Tonight marks the first time in club history that the Orioles hit back-to-back homers...
Before he flies to Los Angeles tomorrow in advance of his right knee surgery on Wednesday, Orioles third baseman Manny Machado spoke one more time about his decision to have the procedure.
"It has to be surgically repaired," he said. "The only way it was going to be fixed was with surgery. Maybe we could have gotten it to the best possible position to perform, but came up short. It wasn't healing right. The knee cap still feels loose, like it's wobbling in there. The only way was to go in...
For O's fans concerned after the team got swept at Wrigley Field, here are some numbers to keep in mind.
Beginning tonight as the Orioles host Tampa Bay, they will play 21 of their next 27 games at home and they are 15-5 in their last 20 games at Camden Yards.
The Orioles will also play 27 of their final 34 regular-season games against the American League East and the club has a 30-19 division record.
The chance to come back from a tough weekend looks pretty good.
Tampa Bay (64-66) has won...
There was an interesting discussion the other day on MLB Network about rookies in Major League Baseball. They were basically wondering whether it is tougher for young players to have instant success these days.
Long-time writer and reporter Peter Gammons concluded it might be for two main reasons. One is that these kids are hyped more than ever and that puts some pressure on them right away. Another is that all the advanced scouting in the game provides more in-depth reports on how to get these...
They did not get no-hit, but they did get swept. And for the first time since late May, the Orioles have a three-game losing streak.
Former Orioles farmhand Tsuyoshi Wada took a no-hitter into the seventh today as the Chicago Cubs beat the Orioles 2-1 to complete a three-game sweep.
The Orioles get swept for just the second time this season and are 73-55. Their American League East lead has decreased from nine games to six as the Yankees completed a sweep of the Chicago White Sox today.
The...
The Orioles have not had a losing road trip all year. They need a win today to keep that mark intact. They are 4-4 on this trip, which ends this afternoon at Wrigley Field.
The Orioles also are trying to avoid their first three-game losing streak since they dropped four in a row from May 27-30. They have gone 74 games since May 31 without a three-game streak. That is the longest run by any major league team this year without three consecutive losses.
They have also been swept just once this...
The Orioles have had a decent year on the farm at the plate. Several players and a few of their minor league teams have had success on offense this season.
Jeff Manto is nearing the end of his first season as the Orioles coordinator of minor league hitting. A former Oriole and former big league hitting coach with Pittsburgh and the Chicago White Sox, Manto was hired Nov. 5.
In this question and answer session he talked about his first year in his new role.
Q: What has your first year been...