Did you know that, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Orioles can become the first team in history to have three managers work at least 50 games apiece in the same season?
Buck Showalter can complete the Triple Crown if he doesn't change his mind in September.
I don't think the buzz over Showalter's debut tonight will match the one that accompanied Matt Wieters' arrival last summer. It's just not quite the same for a manager - unless Earl Weaver comes out of retirement again - but...
So what happens if an Oriole player decides to jog down the first-base line tonight on a routine grounder to short?
Does Buck Showalter yank him from the game or is it just part of his evaluation process and does he make a mental note of it and address it later or out of sight of the media and the cameras?
You would think a player dare not show any lack of hustle tonight or any night really, the rest of this season.
Some fans I talk with can almost stomach all this losing (I said almost) but...
Rick VandenHurk went seven innings tonight for Triple-A Norfolk and held Indianapolis to one run and four hits. He walked one and struck out four.
VandenHurk left the game after 97 pitches, 64 for strikes.
The right-hander, obtained from the Marlins for reliever Will Ohman at the non-waiver deadline, has allowed one earned run in each of his last five starts - the previous four with Triple-A New Orleans.
Could he beat Zach Britton to Baltimore?
Brandon Snyder hit his seventh home run, and...
And no Buck Showalter quotes in this entry.
Aberdeen's Timothy Adleman, a 24th-round draft pick this year out of Georgetown University, hasn't allowed a baserunner through six innings in his start against Staten Island. He's struck out five.
Update: Adleman walked the leadoff batter in the seventh. Another batter reached on a two-out error.
Update II: Adleman was removed after seven innings and no hits. Must have reached his pitch count.
Update III: Staten Island finished with one...
Buck Showalter modeled his new Orioles' jersey today, which included No. 26 to honor the late Johnny Oates. It was one of the more memorable scenes to come out of today's press conference.
"The first thing, our kids looked at the media guide and my son Nathan said, 'Dad, Mr. Samuel's got No. 11,' and I said, 'Well, he'll keep it.' That's just part of it. I thought Juan certainly earned it," Showalter said.
"The first thing that came to mind was John. He meant a lot to me in my...
The Washington Nationals today recalled outfielder Justin Maxwell from Syracuse of the Triple-A International League and transferred right-handed pitcher Tyler Walker to the 60-Day Disabled List. Nationals Senior Vice President and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.
Maxwell hit .287 with 17 doubles, six home runs and 21 RBI in 66 contests with the Chiefs. The 26-year-old posted 16 stolen bases, 35 walks and a solid .439 on-base percentage at Triple-A.
Maxwell has a .340 on-base...
I've transcribed a few more quotes from new manager Buck Showalter:
"You look at every job like it's your last one. This is where you want to have your career end, on your own terms, but we all know that's real naïve. I've got it. But you roll the dice. You really do. And people who have trouble with that accountability don't last very long. You do what's right, you try to treat people like you'd like to be treated, and through it all, you know that somewhere along the...
Right-handed pitcher Jordan Zimmermann has made his way back to the Syracuse Chiefs as he gets ever closer to returning to the Nationals following Tommy John surgery last August.
Zimmermann expects to start Thursday or Friday for the Chiefs and work the standard five innings or 80 pitch limit he has been on for the last three starts.
"I am pretty excited to be back with Syracuse. I didn't know how long I was going to stay in Harrisburg so it was good to find out I was going to Triple-A. ...
Here is part of Andy MacPhail's opening statement:
"What we have currently in our franchise is we have a young core of players who are struggling and have taken a step backwards. They haven't been exposed to a winning-type environment. We for the last couple months have been trying to find somebody that has had some experience at creating that winning environment, that has been exposed to young rosters before and knows how to prepare young players to be as good as they can possibly be. We...
Following his press conference at Camden Yards today, Showalter made his way down to the MASNsports.com WebStudio for an exclusive one-on-one sit down where I got the chance to talk with him further about the new job before him.
Watch the video of our interview below for even more insight from Showalter as he takes the reins in Baltimore, followed by my impressions from the press conference:
Sitting in the sixth-floor room at Camden Yards watching today's press conference to introduce new...