orioles buzz

Daniel Clark: Early returns on Cruz have been more than promising

April 30, 2014, 4:41am

Orioles

Daniel Clark: Early returns on Cruz have been more than promising

After a slow and frustrating start to last offseason, the Orioles made a number of key signings in a flurry just prior to the start of spring training games in late February. The signings, which included the likes of Ubaldo Jimenez, Suk Min-Yoon and Nelson Cruz, had Birdland excited and looking forward to a third straight winning season - and possibly more. Of these three signings, it was the addition of Cruz that was most popular among fans, as the powerful right-handed hitter would complement...

Comments

Tags:

daniel clark guest blogger guestblogger nelson cruz orioles orioles buzz

Birdland favorite set to take over @masnOrioles Twitter (updated)

April 25, 2014, 6:45am

Orioles

It started off with Jim Hunter at Orioles FanFest. Then, along came Tippy Martinez during an O's home game. This season, we're watching our Twitter account (@masnOrioles) be taken right out from under us - but we're more than OK with it! If you're on Twitter, you know that @masnOrioles helps keep you updated on all the latest Orioles news, game updates, MASN giveaways and more. You've probably also seen our Twitter accounts being taken over by different people associated with the Orioles...

Comments

Tags:

chris hoiles olivia witherite orioles orioles buzz twitter takeover

Ask Adam Jones your questions as he returns for #AskAJ live chat

April 28, 2014, 12:47pm

Orioles

Ask Adam Jones your questions as he returns for #AskAJ live chat

We're back! After an offseason hiatus, we're once again hosting Adam Jones for another season of live chats. These chats not only give fans the opportunity to watch Jones discuss his life on and off the diamond, but they also let fans ask their burning questions for the Orioles center fielder. Our first live chat is set to kick off tomorrow (Tuesday, April 29) at 1 p.m. You can catch it live on the front page of MASNsports.com, and follow along on Facebook and Twitter! As always, in order...

Comments

Tags:

adam jones askaj olivia witherite orioles orioles buzz frontstory_orioles2

Jon Shepherd: Schoop's progress through the eyes of Nick Faleris of Baseball Prospectus

April 28, 2014, 2:37pm

Orioles

Jon Shepherd: Schoop's progress through the eyes of Nick Faleris of Baseball Prospectus

There is a good chance that if you ask an Orioles fan about Jonathan Schoop, that fan would say that the player has a lot of potential, but needs more seasoning. If numerically inclined, that person may bring up Schoop's four errors at third base, his one walk in 82 plate appearances, his poor .297 wOBA, or even that 31.7 percent of his plate appearances end in a strike out. That all paints a rather poor picture of Schoop and brings up the idea that perhaps he will be forever harmed by that...

Comments

Tags:

baseball prospectus guest blogger guestblogger jon shepherd jonathan schoop nick faleris orioles orioles buzz

Prove that you like "Our Guys" with Orioles' upcoming promotion

April 27, 2014, 10:30am

Orioles

When you watch Orioles games or hear Buck Showalter talk about his players, one thing is obvious: The O's skipper is proud of his team. Over and over, we have heard Showalter say, "I like our guys," when being asked about potential trade rumors or players outside the organization. And like Showalter, you too have the chance to prove your loyalty toward the 2014 Orioles. On Wednesday, April 30, the Orioles will be giving away "I Like Our Guys" t-shirts to all fans in attendance. Not only...

Comments

Tags:

buck showalter olivia witherite orioles orioles buzz

Bird Tweets: Why you should vote for O'Day's bobblehead and more

April 28, 2014, 9:03am

Orioles

Bird Tweets: Why you should vote for O'Day's bobblehead and more

Another week is in the books. Catch up on the happenings in the Orioles Twitterverse below. The O's week started with an early game at Fenway Park on Patriots Day. Ryan Webb shared his feelings on the series. Humbled to be a part of the series in Boston on such a special week. Good win today for the @Orioles next stop Toronto!— ryan webb (@RyanWebb58) April 21, 2014 Bud Norris gave Albert Pujols a shoutout after the slugger hit his 500th career home run. Congrats to @PujolsFive on...

Comments

Tags:

ally bittner bird tweets orioles orioles buzz

Andrew Stetka: Readying All-Star ballot, with an eye toward 2016

April 28, 2014, 5:28am

Orioles

Andrew Stetka: Readying All-Star ballot, with an eye toward 2016

I realize it's only April, but Major League Baseball seems to think it's time to start voting for the All-Star Game. Ballots were released this weekend for the July 15 affair at Target Field in Minneapolis. It's clear that by the end of April, we have no idea who will earn spots on the team. There's plenty of baseball left to be played before then. I think the only thing that is clear is that the Twins' Joe Mauer will probably be starting on the American League squad in his home park. All...

Comments

Tags:

all-star game andrew stetka guest blogger guestblogger orioles orioles buzz

Fans encouraged to "Vote Orange" and send O's to All-Star Game

April 26, 2014, 11:59am

Orioles

Fans encouraged to "Vote Orange" and send O's to All-Star Game

The Orioles want you to vote early, vote often and - perhaps most importantly - "Vote Orange" to send deserving O's to the All-Star Game in Minnesota on July 15. Online voting has begun here, and in-stadium voting begins Sunday at Camden Yards. Who's on the ballot? First baseman Chris Davis, second baseman Ryan Flaherty, shortstop J.J. Hardy, third baseman Manny Machado, catcher Matt Wieters, designated hitter Nelson Cruz, and outfielders David Lough, Adam Jones and Nick Markakis. Fans can...

Comments

Tags:

all-star game orioles orioles buzz pete kerzel vote orange

Matthew Taylor: An historical look at multi-homer games by Orioles

April 24, 2014, 8:48pm

Orioles

Nelson Cruz had the Orioles' first multi-homer game of the 2014 season on Wednesday. It continues a career-long streak for Cruz, who has had at least one multi-homer game in each of his big league seasons. The lone exception, if you can call it that, came in 2005 when he had seven at-bats as part of a late-season call-up with the Brewers. With Wednesday's performance, Cruz's streak of seasons with a multi-homer game has reached nine. Since I had multi-homer games on the brain, I went back...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger gus triandos matthew taylor nelson cruz orioles orioles buzz

Zach Wilt: O's guaranteed winning record during grueling stretch against AL East foes

April 24, 2014, 4:34am

Orioles

Zach Wilt: O's guaranteed winning record during grueling stretch against AL East foes

Wednesday night's dramatic 10-8 victory against Toronto may have taken a few years off the lives of Orioles fans, or at least caused some gray hairs, but it was a crucial comeback victory that guaranteed a winning record in one of the most grueling stretches of the O's schedule. This evening, the Birds conclude an extremely difficult 15-game span against American League East opponents. It began with a three-game series in New York against the Yankees way back on April 7, the Bronx Bombers'...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger orioles orioles buzz zach wilt

Daniel Clark: For O's and Britton, that sinking feeling is pretty good

April 22, 2014, 7:40pm

Orioles

Daniel Clark: For O's and Britton, that sinking feeling is pretty good

Human nature can be defined as the general psychological characteristics, feelings and behavioural traits of humankind, regarded as being shared by all humans. One such characteristic is that most of us enjoy hearing about a genuine feel-good story. In life, feel-good stories often focus on achievements by individuals who have had to fight to overcome adversity, and in the world of sports, that exact sentiment rings true. A feel-good story is never far away in professional baseball and each new...

Comments

Tags:

daniel clark guest blogger guestblogger orioles orioles buzz zach britton

Jon Shepherd: The Orioles have an average defense

April 22, 2014, 5:55am

Orioles

There has been a storyline that has been trumpeted a bit on air and in the media that has not actually been true. You often hear about the club being proficient at fielding and this centering on their ability to avoid errors. At the time of this writing (after a particularly gruesome Sunday), the Orioles had the second-fewest errors in baseball. Only the Houston Astros had less. On the surface, this looks great. On the surface, our old friend Henry Chadwick (the guy who invented the box...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger jon shepherd orioles orioles buzz

Bird tweets: Dempsey caught sleeping and more

April 20, 2014, 6:07pm

Orioles

Bird tweets: Dempsey caught sleeping and more

In case you missed something, we're recapping what went on in the Orioles' Twitterverse each week. Let's take a look at last week, shall we? Adam Jones shared what Jackie Robinson Day means to him. Thank u Jackie Robinson. Words can't express my gratitude so I go out there everyday and play as hard as I can cause that's what u would do -- 10 (@SimplyAJ10) April 15, 2014 Bud Norris caught Rick Dempsey taking a little nap. Caught in the act. @RickDempsey24 sleeping during the rain delay....

Comments

Tags:

ally bittner bird tweets orioles orioles buzz

Andrew Stetka: With Machado and Hardy down, can O's defense hold steady?

April 21, 2014, 4:19am

Orioles

Andrew Stetka: With Machado and Hardy down, can O's defense hold steady?

A lot of emphasis is being put on the defensive struggles the Orioles have seen over the past few games. Two losses to the Red Sox have people up in arms and wondering what happened to the O's defense of 2013. As many know, the team set a major league record by playing 119 errorless games last year and also committed just 54 errors during the campaign, a record for a 162-game season. It's a small sample size, but the Birds are showing some dents in their defensive armor on the young...

Comments

Tags:

andrew stetka guest blogger guestblogger jj hardy manny machado orioles orioles buzz

Matthew Taylor: In 1954 for Orioles, Larsen was far from perfect

April 18, 2014, 5:58am

Orioles

Orioles fans woke up on this day in 1954, which was Easter Sunday, with a .500 baseball team in town. The 20,000-plus fans who headed to Memorial Stadium to see their 2-2 Orioles play were the last group to see a non-losing baseball team take the field in Baltimore. The O's crept back to 4-4 with an extra-inning win in Chicago the following Friday and never reached the break-even point again. It might seem like some consolation that those fans at the ballpark on Easter had the opportunity to...

Comments

Tags:

don larsen guest blogger guestblogger matthew taylor orioles orioles buzz

Zach Wilt: Could Britton provide relief to O's rotation?

April 17, 2014, 4:46am

Orioles

Zach Wilt: Could Britton provide relief to O's rotation?

Last season, the Orioles' opening day starting rotation made 112 of the team's 162 starts. That means 30 percent of the Orioles starts came from pitchers not originally in the O's rotation. In fact, 14 pitchers made starts for the Orioles in 2013. Five pitchers made 10 starts or less, four made just one start. Scott Feldman, who was acquired at the trade deadline, made 10 more starts with the Orioles than Jake Arrieta, the team's No. 4 starter at the beginning of the season. All these...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger orioles orioles buzz zach britton zach wilt

Daniel Clark: Checking in on the Triple-A Norfolk Tides

April 15, 2014, 8:29pm

Orioles

Daniel Clark: Checking in on the Triple-A Norfolk Tides

Whilst the Orioles continue to gather consistency and momentum, their Triple-A affiliate, the Norfolk Tides, have also been experiencing some struggles. Now 12 games into the new season, the Tides have an extremely disappointing 3-9 record, which is somewhat surprising given the improved level of depth and resulting high expectations for the 2014 season. Offensively, just one every-ay player is hitting over .300. This is Caleb Joseph (.316 average, .333 OBP, one home run, six RBIs), whilst the...

Comments

Tags:

daniel clark guest blogger guestblogger norfolk tides orioles orioles buzz

Jon Shepherd: Will the true home run king please stand up?

April 14, 2014, 6:23pm

Orioles

Jon Shepherd: Will the true home run king please stand up?

Last week, USA Today revisited Orioles first baseman Chris Davis' thoughts on whom he considers the true home run king. Davis said, "Bonds was a great player for a long time. But it's hard to say that Hank Aaron's record isn't the legitimate home run record because of all of the allegations, the accusations regarding Bonds." This sentiment is not an uncommon one on the field and in the stands. It is a perspective that speaks of what we want baseball to be, a display of pure ability and...

Comments

Tags:

chris davis guest blogger guestblogger jon shepherd orioles orioles buzz

Bird Tweets: O'Day explores NYC, Adam Jones is still hungry and more

April 14, 2014, 8:20am

Orioles

Bird Tweets: O'Day explores NYC, Adam Jones is still hungry and more

Another week of baseball means another week of tweets. Here's what's been happening in the Orioles' Twitterverse. Darren O'Day took full advantage of his off day in New York City: The #solowheel does central park. What an unbelievable day here in NYC. pic.twitter.com/fzXO8D9kwT -- Darren O'Day (@DODay56) April 9, 2014 Ryan Webb tweeted this after the Orioles' series win against the Yankees: Great win tonight, happy flight! Looking forward to coming home to Baltimore. -- ryan webb...

Comments

Tags:

adam jones ally bittner darren o'day evan meek orioles orioles buzz ryan webb

Andrew Stetka: Is Chris Tillman on pace for ace status?

April 14, 2014, 5:36am

Orioles

Andrew Stetka: Is Chris Tillman on pace for ace status?

There's always a discussion each year about baseball's aces and what really defines an ace pitcher. I personally hate the term. How is it defined, and what are the statistical criteria for someone to be called an ace? There are only four aces in a standard deck of playing cards, so every team can't have one. Or does that mean there are actually four on each team? No matter how you look at it, the term "ace" is very subjective and can lead to a lot of debate. I'm not here to debate...