A reporter pointed out to Matt Wieters that all the Orioles in the clubhouse now have playoff experience. It may just be one game for some of them, but that was a pretty big one and Wieters said the players' effort against Texas could help them in the American League Division Series against the Yankees.
"That one game was playoff experience like you get in a Game 7," Wieters said. "Some of the nerves for some of the guys, you get it out of your system and that means you care. Winning that...
It has been a pretty good first year for Wei-Yin Chen as an Oriole and the next step for him is starting Game 2 for the Orioles tomorrow night against the Yankees here at Camden Yards.
"It's been a great year to me and the Orioles," Chen said today through his interpreter. "I'm so lucky to be here and I want to give everything to the fans and the city of Baltimore. This has been an amazing year to me and I don't want to think too much right now, just want to keep going, keep going and...
Several Orioles players and manager Buck Showalter said they hoped to bring a home playoff game to Camden Yards and tonight is the night. The Orioles host the Yankees in the first playoff game at Camden Yards since Oct. 15, 1997.
"We feel like the fans came out to support us and it's big to get two games at home and hopefully more. We know we'll have Camden Yards rocking," catcher Matt Wieters said.
"Baltimore is a great baseball town and we saw it this year. What great fans we have...
It seems some Orioles fans have not been able to forget what happened in the fifth inning at Camden Yards on the night of Sept. 8. The Yankees' CC Sabathia hit Nick Markakis with a pitch on his left thumb. Markakis suffered a broken thumb and has been out of the lineup ever since.
Tonight, when the Orioles face Sabathia again in Game 1 of the American League Division Series, they want to beat him to win this series and not because they feel Sabathia intentionally hit Markakis. In fact, they...
Brian Matusz said he knows he could be a busy man over the next week or so. The Yankees have some big guns that bat from the left side, including Ichiro Suzuki, who has hit .394 over his last 16 games, and Robinson Cano, whose bat is absolutely sizzling right now.
Cano has posted nine straight multi-hit games, going 24-for-39 for a .615 average with seven doubles, three homers and 14 RBIs during that torrid stretch.
"They have a pretty left-handed heavy lineup and some pretty good ones there...
Orioles first baseman Mark Reynolds got hit on his left hand by Texas pitcher Yu Darvish in the second inning last night. Reynolds stayed in the game and said this afternoon that he fully expects to play tomorrow night in Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the Yankees.
"Yeah, it's a little sore but it's fine. I'll be good to go," he said.
What about that postgame celebration in Texas?
"It was neat," he said. "We didn't get to have it when we made it to the...
During a press conference here at Camden Yards a few moments ago, New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi said that Andy Pettitte will start Game 2 for the Yankees followed by Hiroki Kuroda in Game 3 and Phil Hughes in Game 4.
CC Sabathia will be on the mound for New York in the series opener tomorrow night. Here are some other comments from Girardi.
On the Orioles' improvement
"Their pitching improved. Position players improved here. Look at what their bullpen did. You know, the games you are...
Here is a stat that may surprise some people: The Orioles lost just one series against the Yankees among the six they played this year. The Orioles got swept in the first series of the season at Camden Yards in April, losing two of those games in extra innings.
They never lost another extra-inning game the rest of the year after those losses on April 10 and 11.
In those six series, they went 0-3, 2-1, 1-1, 2-1, 2-1 and 2-2.
You have to wonder how much the Orioles' lefty starters, Joe...
A lasting image of the Orioles' win last night: The look on Buck Showalter's face as he watched his players celebrate on the field after the wild card win over Texas. That look should go under "proud" in the dictionary.
The pride on Showalter's face could have spoken for every O's fan at that moment. It was a night and win 15 years in the making.
Everywhere you looked, there were clutch performances. Nate McLouth drives in two and scores one. J.J. Hardy drove in the first run. An Adam...
The veteran pitcher, who in the minds of some, was a very controversial choice to pitch tonight, got the job done for the Orioles. Joe Saunders, ignoring his poor career stats vs. Texas, held the Rangers to just one run in a very gutty effort as the Orioles beat Texas 5-1 in the AL wild card game.
With this win, in their first playoff game since 1997, the Orioles now advance to meet the Yankees in the American League Division Series. The O's host Game 1 Sunday night at 6:15 p.m. at Camden...
Tonight's live blog: We'll be keeping this blog going throughout tonight's game and are looking for your input. Hope you post a lot of comments and/or questions here all night starting now.
Let's start with this question: How are your nerves holding up tonight, O's fans? What are your feelings about tonight's game and what do the Orioles need to do to win it?
Again, feel free to post your impressions of the game with comments and questions through the night. I'll add some of my own as...
Here is something to consider about tonight's game. Some are wondering about the Orioles' lack of playoff experience coupled with the fact that Texas has plenty of it. The Rangers are 18-15 in playoff games the last two seasons.
But heading into October 2010, Texas was the only major league franchise to never have won a playoff series and it won the AL championship that year.
Gerry Fraley covers the Rangers for the Dallas Morning News. We all know the Rangers struggled down the stretch,...
If the Orioles can get past Texas tonight and into a five-game series, that might be where one of their strengths - their bullpen - can really help the team.
This unit has been sensational this year and is a big reason the club is so outstanding in one-run and extra-inning games. In the playoffs, it often seems that teams with deep bullpens do well.
The Orioles have a deep and talented bullpen, and given a chance to show his mastery at using it, I would expect Buck Showalter to put the right...
A day dawns that Orioles fans have waited 15 years for. Your Baltimore Orioles are back in the playoffs.
As I've said a few times now, I am so happy for all O's fans, but especially the very large number of you that stuck with the team through every loss, every negative article, every negative phone call on the talks shows and everything that was negative, negative, negative.
Take those days and trash them.
This is a new day and time of Orioles baseball. I hope every one takes time today...
Don't panic, O's fans, but the Orioles' stats against Texas are just not good this year. Keep in mind they got blown out a few times to skew those stats, but the facts are the Orioles went 2-5 against the Rangers this year and were outscored 56-24. The Rangers had games of 10, 12 and 14 runs in the season series.
They took three of four in a series in early May in Baltimore. On May 8, Josh Hamilton went 5-for-5 with four homers, eight RBIs and an American League-record 18 total bases. He...
The Orioles needed a win tonight to gain a home playoff game in Friday's wild card round of the postseason. But they didn't get it, as Evan Longoria homered three times and Jeremy Hellickson was the third straight Rays starter to shut down the Orioles in Tampa's 4-1 victory.
With the loss, the Orioles now must play on the road Friday night at Texas in the AL Wild Card game at 8:37 p.m. Eastern time. Yu Darvish is expected to start that game for Texas. The Orioles could possibly go with Joe...
So the Orioles need a Yankees loss tonight but yet New York will be facing Boston's Daisuke Matsuzaka, who is 1-6 with a 7.68 ERA. In four September starts, Matsuzaka is 0-3 with a 13.50 ERA and batting average against of .400.
So I'm sayin' there's a chance.
By the way, Boston is 1-11 in its last 12 games and was outscored 19-7 in Baltimore and has been outscored 14-5 the last two nights in New York. The Yankees lead the season series 12-5 with the Red Sox and are 9-1 in their past 10...
Here's a good question. Does the Orioles' success this season mean they have put losing records in the future behind them for a while now?
It seems there is a good chance that is true. I don't see this season as a fluke. The Orioles now have good pitching depth, in the rotation and bullpen. No, they don't have an ace like CC Sabathia or Justin Verlander, but it didn't keep them from winning 93 games.
They have Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman on the way toward that rotation as well at some...
Wow, how are you holding up Orioles fans? So much tension, drama and nervous times with both the Orioles and Yankees games decided by one run and going down to the last pitch last night.
The Red Sox didn't roll over, but they did blow the game, leading by two in the ninth and losing in the 12th to New York. It would be a shame if the Orioles get to play in just one playoff game this year, but that possibility is now staring us right in the face.
The only way to win the AL East now is force a...
During a season in which he has come up with several big pitching performances for the Orioles, Miguel Gonzalez may have come up with his best tonight.
Against a Tampa Bay team that scored seven runs off him in just 2 2/3 innings in his worst outing of the year on July 25, Gonzalez pitched scoreless ball over 6 1/3 innings tonight as the Orioles beat Tampa Bay 1-0 to stay in the hunt for a division championship going into the season's final day.
The Orioles improve to 93-68 with the victory....