Playing good ball vs. Boston and New York
Here's a strange thought.
At 4-16, the 2010 Orioles look less overmatched by the Red Sox and Yankees than the 2009 Orioles did.
They went a combined 7-29 vs. New York and Boston last year and now are 2-2 vs. the big two in a stretch of 12 straight against them.
Perhaps it won't be long before those teams assert their usual and expected dominance over the Birds of Baltimore, but the Orioles have sure gone toe to toe with them the last four games.
They are 2-2 in this stretch and the O's...
I'm headed to the ESPN Zone in Baltimore's Inner Harbor before too long for the first Orioles Q&A of the summer. If you can't make it out to meet Garrett Atkins from noon to 1:00 p.m., check back here later today for a few highlights and photos.
Atkins will be answering questions from an O's broadcaster, as well as from fans, so this afternoon will be a chance to get to know the new Oriole a little better (and win some prizes if you know your Orioles trivia!). Atkins will also stick around...
In case you forgot or need to brush up on the terminology, it's called a "winning streak."
Repeat those words out loud a few times and they will start to sound familiar. I kept saying "winnie steak" before I finally got the hang of it.
I just caught the SportsCenter highlights from last night's game, including Cesar Izturis' miscue that prolonged the ninth inning.
"That's Orioles baseball," exclaimed one of the network's anchors.
At least he didn't say "The Oriole Way." That...
The Orioles started a six-game homestand with a stirring 5-4 win over the Yankees that featured Alfredo Simon's first Major League save, a Cesar Izturis 3-RBI night and a combined 0 for 10 evening from Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez.
Back-to-back firsts: Sunday Cla Meredith got his first Major League save in his 271st big league appearance. Tonight, Simon got his first in his 7th career big league outing.
They are the first O's pitchers to pick up their first saves in consecutive games...
Dave Trembley said he knew before the game that Alfredo Simon would be his closer tonight.
What he didn't know was that Simon would need 29 pitches to get his first Major League save and that he would get key outs vs. Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez along the way.
In the post-game interview Simon seemed as composed as he was on the mound, even after a Cesar Izturis two-out error gave the Yankees new life.
"I just feel great. I'm glad they gave me the opportunity to close the game. I just...
The last time two Orioles recorded their first career saves in consecutive games was Mike Flanagan on May 7, 1977 and Scott McGregor on May 8, 1977.
That puts Cla Meredith and Alfredo Simon in elite company.
Manager Dave Trembley decided before the game that Simon would close tonight.
"I've got nothing to lose," he said. "We're going to give guys opportunities and I'm going to try to slot guys back in the roles where they're best suited, not only for themselves but for the club. I've...
Alfredo Simon was brought into tonight's game with a three-run lead and instructions to get the last three outs.
Nothing to it.
It's only the Yankees, and his first major league game since Tommy John surgery.
Simon got a called third strike on Curtis Granderson. His fastballs were clocked at 96, 97 and 96 mph.
Nick Swisher grounded a broken-bat single into center field. Four fastballs were clocked at 97 mph, another at 96.
Nick Johnson worked the count to 3-1, taking some close pitches...
Tonight, for a change, it was the other team that made mistakes with the O's taking advantage to get an important victory. The Orioles beat the Yankees 5-4 in the series opener at Camden Yards.
It ended with Alfredo Simon on the mound, picking up his first save since he was in the minors in 2005. He hit 96 and 97 on the stadium gun and got A-Rod out with runners on first and third and two out in the 9th. Oh, yes there was drama at the end.
The Orioles three-run 6th, which produced a 4-2...
Alberto Castillo struck out three more batters tonight, tying his career high, in only 1 2/3 innings. That's no runs, one hit and six strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings over three appearances since being recalled from Triple-A Norfolk.
The only hit was an infield single. He's been sensational.
Manager Dave Trembley isn't using him as a situational lefty. He let Castillo pitch the entire seventh, which ended with Brett Gardner looking at a third strike.
Jim Johnson is entering the game in the...
The Orioles, who began tonight with just eight hits all year (in 74 at bats) with runners in scoring position and two outs, tonight just picked up three of them in a row in the last of the sixth.
The three-run sixth, which came too late for Kevin Millwood, has given the O's a 4-2 lead after six.
With two outs and none on in the O's 6th, Joe Girardi took out Phil Hughes after 109 pitches, even though he had not allowed a hit since the second.
After a Boone Logan walk, David Robertson came...
READING, PA ---- Righthander Stephen Strasburg pitched 5 innings of shutout no-hit ball, retiring the first 13 batters he faced, for his 3rd win of the season as Harrisburg defeated Reading 1-0 before an announced 4,156 at chilly FirstEnergy Stadium.
Strasburg threw 64 pitches, 42 for strikes, allowing no runs, no hits, no walks and striking out 6 batters. The game time temperature was 53 degrees, but a brisk wind made it feel like it was in the high 40s. Strasburg consistently hit in the...