Tommy Hunter says he's 100 percent and ready to rejoin the Orioles

Tommy Hunter says he's 100 percent and ready to rejoin the Orioles
O's right-hander Tommy Hunter passed his final test with his left groin strain last night when he pitched an inning for Single-A Delmarva. Now he's ready to return to the Orioles roster and will be activated off the disabled list in time for today's game. Hunter threw 11 pitches in a scoreless second inning for Delmarva last night. He fanned two batters and hit one, but that runner was thrown out trying to steal. "I felt good," Hunter said this morning. "Able to throw the ball over the...
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Kevin Gausman pitched like an ace and provided a possible glimpse into the future

Kevin Gausman pitched like an ace and provided a possible glimpse into the future
Manager Buck Showalter said after last night's game that pitcher Kevin Gausman has a chance to be a difference-maker for the Orioles. For one night, he sure was. Gausman had a start where he gave up one run in six innings against Detroit last year. But this was probably the best of his seven career major league starts. In a 6-3 win over Oakland, he beat the team with the best record in the American League, a team that leads the majors in walks and on-base percentage, is second in runs and...
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Kevin Gausman on his outing, Adam Jones on Gausman and the win

Kevin Gausman on his outing, Adam Jones on Gausman and the win
Kevin Gausman picked up his first major league win as a starter tonight. But for a few moments in the top of the sixth inning, he was thinking like a reliever. It helped him get out of a second and third, one-out jam in the Orioles' 6-3 win over Oakland. "When I got into a little jam in the sixth, I kind of went back to when I pitched out of the bullpen last year," Gausman said. "Guys on second and third, one out, that is when you have to bring your 'A' game. Pitching out of the bullpen...
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Gausman outpitches Gray, Lough homers off Johnson as O's beat A's

Gausman outpitches Gray, Lough homers off Johnson as O's beat  A's
In a matchup of former first-round draft picks, the O's right-hander had the decided edge tonight. Kevin Gausman gave up just one run over seven innings to outduel Sonny Gray as the Orioles beat Oakland 6-3 in front of 44,202 fans, the third sellout of the season. Gausman became the first O's starter to pitch seven innings or more since May 17. The O's had gone 18 games in a row without such an outing. He gave up a solo homer to Coco Crisp on an 0-2 fastball in the third, but just three...
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O's scouting director Gary Rajsich talks about the O's draft

O's scouting director Gary Rajsich talks about the O's draft
The Orioles, to say the least, had a pitcher-heavy draft. Of their 38 selections through the 40 rounds, they drafted 27 pitchers. The Orioles' first five selections yesterday were pitchers. At one point, the O's drafted 11 pitchers consecutively in rounds 16 through 26. "We did want to target the strength of the draft, which was pitching. We were going after as much pitching as we could get," Orioles scouting director Gary Rajsich said tonight. Yesterday, Rajsich said he was surprised...
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O's game blog: Kevin Gausman makes his seventh career start tonight

O's game blog: Kevin Gausman makes his seventh career start tonight
In the second game of the Orioles-A's series tonight here at Camden Yards, Kevin Gausman (0-1, 11.25 ERA) pitches against right-hander Sonny Gray (6-1, 2.45 ERA). Gausman was 1-3 with a 2.98 ERA in 10 starts at Triple-A Norfolk. Gausman will be making his second major league start of this season, the seventh of his career and his 22nd career big league appearance. Gray has given up seven runs in 12 2/3 innings over his last two starts. But on the road this season, he is 3-0 with a 1.25...
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Tim Berry on his short stay in the majors and Miguel Gonzalez updates his injury

Tim Berry on his short stay in the majors and Miguel Gonzalez updates his injury
As expected, Tim Berry's stay in the majors leagues was short this time. He was optioned back to Double-A Bowie this afternoon. Kevin Gausman took his roster spot and will start tonight. Berry knew his time could be short in the O's clubhouse, but before he was officially optioned, he told reporters that this was a special experience for him. "It's kind of indescribable," the 23-year-old Berry said. "We were in Portland (Maine) and Gary (Kendall) called me and said I was going to the...
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O's look to bounce back tonight, plus checking in with top pick Brian Gonzalez

O's look to bounce back tonight, plus checking in with top pick Brian Gonzalez
Well, if you didn't have a dog in the fight, it was a great game to watch. Plays at the plate, an attempted steal of home, enthusiastic crowd, some clutch hits, some homers and fine defense. But it was a loss to Oakland last night for the Orioles, one that leaves them 6 1/2 games out in the American League East. It was a tough start to an important 10-game homestand that will see two first-place teams invade the Yard. Oakland improved its AL-best record to 38-23, its league-best road mark to...
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O's have two runners cut down at plate in 10th and lose in 11 against Oakland

O's have two runners cut down at plate in 10th and lose in 11 against Oakland
The Orioles' 10-game homestand starts with a frustrating loss - one that saw two Orioles cut down at the plate in the last of the 10th followed by Oakland scoring the go-ahead run in the top of the 11th. The A's beat the O's 4-3 in 11 innings tonight in the hotly contested game in front of 28,076 at Camden Yards. The Orioles fall to 11-13 at home and 30-29 for the season. They fall to 6 1/2 games back of first-place Toronto, who won again tonight. In the last of the 10th, the Orioles came...
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An interview with Orioles top draft pick Brian Gonzalez

An interview with Orioles top draft pick Brian Gonzalez
The Orioles had to wait a while to make a pick in this year's First-Year Player Draft and went with a high school pitcher with their first pick. Now, they'll likely have to wait a while to see if pitcher Brian Gonzalez can make the major leagues. The O's took the prep lefty with the 16th pick of round No. 3, which was the 90th overall selection. This was the second year in a row and fifth time in six years the O's first pick was a high school player. The 6-foot-1, 230-pound Gonzalez went...
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O's game blog: O's offense faces challenge of A's pitching staff at the Yard

O's game blog: O's offense faces challenge of A's pitching staff at the Yard
It's the O's against the A's tonight. Within that battle is the challenge of the Orioles hitters against the Oakland pitchers. While the Orioles have been scoring some runs lately, Oakland has the major league's best team ERA at 2.90. Over the last 26 games, they've been even better with a team ERA of 2.43. In that time, A's starting pitchers have worked to an ERA of 2.61. That pitching has helped Oakland win 18 of its last 26 games. The A's come to town with the AL's best record at...
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Orioles draft high school pitcher Gonzalez with third-round pick (updated)

Orioles draft high school pitcher Gonzalez with third-round pick (updated)
The Orioles had to wait until the second day of the First-Year Player Draft to make a selection, but in the third round this afternoon, they drafted a high school pitcher from Florida. In the third round: The O's selected left-handed pitcher Brian Gonzalez from Archbishop McCarthy High School in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Gonzalez is 6-foot-1 and 230 pounds. According to Baseball America's scouting report on Gonzalez, he throws his fastball 87 to 90 mph, touching 91, and throws a changeup and...
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A look at the Orioles' key homestand and today's draft

A look at the Orioles' key homestand and today's draft
It was strange last night seeing the first two rounds of the First-Year Player Draft unfold and not dealing with the drama and suspense of waiting to see which player the Orioles would pick. From 2006-12 the Orioles had a top 10 pick in the first round, and for six straight years starting in 2007, the Orioles had a top five pick. They selected in order, Matt Wieters, Brian Matusz, Matt Hobgood, Manny Machado, Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman. Last year they selected high school pitcher Hunter...
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Tillman with an early exit and Hardy with three errors as O's lose to Texas

Tillman with an early exit and Hardy with three errors as O's lose to Texas
It was a night where the Orioles fell behind by five runs after two innings but then caught up. They then fell behind again as Chris Tillman's early exit and J.J. Hardy's defense contributed to a loss. Strange night, indeed. Hardy's two errors in the bottom of the seventh - part of a career-worst, three-error night for the O's shortstop - opened the door for a three-run inning. Texas used that to break a 5-5 tie and beat the Orioles 8-6 at Globe Life Park. The Rangers avoided a...
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O's game blog: Orioles look for their second three-game sweep of the year

O's game blog: Orioles look for their second three-game sweep of the year
Last July the Orioles swept a three-game series at Texas. Now, less than a year later, they can do it again. After 8-3 and 6-5 wins the last two days, the O's look for their second three-game sweep of 2014 tonight. They swept Tampa Bay on the road from May 6-8. The Orioles have a four-game win streak and offense has been a big reason. Over the four games the team average is .340 with 27 runs on seven doubles and seven homers. The O's are 13-for-37 (.351) with runners in scoring position. A...
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Norfolk Tides get ready to welcome 10 millionth fan and other minors notes

Norfolk Tides get ready to welcome 10 millionth fan and other minors notes
The Orioles' Triple-A affiliate, the Norfolk Tides, are about to welcome their 10 millionth fan to Harbor Park. It could happen as soon as their next home game on Monday. Harbor Park opened on April 14, 1993, and has seen 9,993,385 fans walk through the turnstiles over its 22-year existence. That number is just 6,615 fans shy of reaching the 10 million mark. The Tides will recognize the 10 millionth fan with several prizes that evening, including a pair of season tickets. The 10 millionth...
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Thoughts on Markakis, Joseph and a six-man rotation

Thoughts on Markakis, Joseph and a six-man rotation
Last night's Orioles win clinched the series victory for the Orioles against Texas. They go for a three-game sweep tonight. A win would also give them a winning road trip at 6-4 after they started the trip 1-4. This up-and-down season of the Orioles is back on the upswing. A win tonight would give the Orioles their second five-game win streak of the season. The Orioles have won seven straight games against Texas dating to last season and have outscored the Rangers 37-17 in those games. A few...
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Markakis and Jones drive in two each as O's top Texas 6-5

Markakis and Jones drive in two each as O's top Texas 6-5
Adrian Beltre hammered two more homers against the Orioles. Meanwhile, Bud Norris gave up five runs and left the game with a sore forearm. The Orioles blew a three-run lead. But they didn't blow the game. Nick Markakis' RBI single in the sixth broke the 5-5 tie as the Orioles beat the Rangers 6-5 tonight at Globe Life Park. The Orioles have scored 27 runs in winning four in a row to improve to 30-27 for the season. The Birds have scored 37 runs during a seven-game win streak against Texas...
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O's game blog: The offense starting to trend up

O's game blog: The offense starting to trend up
The Orioles' offense is trending up, and has been the case even before they scored 17 games over the last two games. It started when the Orioles scored six runs May 18 at Kansas City. Over the next four games they scored nine, eight, seven and eight runs. The Orioles scored 55 runs over a nine-game streak that began with that game against the Royals. They then scored just nine runs in a four-game stretch that included back-to-back losses with one run each at Houston. But now the Orioles...
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A look at the Orioles' two Dominican Summer League teams (Frederick's All-Stars)

A look at the Orioles' two Dominican Summer League teams (Frederick's All-Stars)
For the second year in a row, the Orioles are again fielding two teams in the Dominican Summer League. Teams began play in that league on Saturday and the regular season will end on Aug. 23. The Orioles, Rangers, Yankees and Mets are the four other organizations fielding two DSL teams. The players on the teams are from eight different countries. They represent the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Mexico, Colombia, Panama, Curacao, Guatemala, and the Netherlands. The DSL is a short-season...
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