Domenic Vadala: Some thoughts on the Battle of the Beltways

Domenic Vadala: Some thoughts on the Battle of the Beltways
First off, I want to offer my thanks to our nation's veterans who we celebrate today on this Memorial Day. I hope that all Americans remember that we should keep the heroism of our nation's service members in mind on all days, not only today. My late grandfather, Dr. Anthony Launi, was a World War II veteran, and later a catcher in the Washington Senators' minor league system before settling in Bethesda to practice dentistry and raise his family, which included my mother. Today is also a...
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Matthew Taylor: Ballpark franks aren't the answer in Toronto

Matthew Taylor: Ballpark franks aren't the answer in Toronto
I can't watch the Orioles play in Toronto without thinking of my trips to see games there in its pre-2005 SkyDome days. Both of those visits were memorable in their own right - I'm sure I'm not the only one who has neglected to convert kilometers to miles upon first driving into Canada. However, it was the latter adventure some nine years ago that nearly landed me in a Major League Baseball video. The purpose of my trip to the Great White North was to attend an academic conference. I was a...
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Anthony Amobi: Gausman to the rescue?

Anthony Amobi: Gausman to the rescue?
Tonight will be quite an event for the Orioles and their fans as Kevin Gausman - one of the organization's top pitching prospects - takes the mound against the Toronto Blue Jays. The fans have wanted him called up for a while, and they have gotten their wish. As of early last week, executive vice president Dan Duquette noted to the media that Gausman would not be in line for a promotion to the majors soon; however, considering the precarious state of the starting rotation, the Orioles may...
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Neal Shaffer: Was O's frustrating skid a necessary evil?

Neal Shaffer: Was O's frustrating skid a necessary evil?
Now that it's over, thanks to Nate McLouth and his walk-off 10th-inning heroics, I feel comfortable stating the less-than-obvious: Thank goodness for that six-game losing streak. Perhaps that sounds odd at best, a little stupid at worst. It should. But dig a little deeper with me and I think you'll see what I mean. It was just a week ago in this space that I declared the O's a good team and talked about how strange it was to adjust to the idea that they're no longer a band of losers. So,...
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Help the Orioles and Baltimore youth win with a simple #whiff

Help the Orioles and Baltimore youth win with a simple #whiff
Over the course of this young season, the Orioles have recorded 303 strikeouts. While that number is not near league-leading, it has allowed fans the chance to give support to the Baltimore chapter of the RBI League 303 times. Whenever the O's record a strikeout, you have the power to rally round Baltimore's RBI League. Every time the Birds record a K, you can tweet with the @Orioles' Twitter handle and the hashtag #whiff. With each tweet, you'll record a vote for the Baltimore RBI...
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Zach Wilt: Breaking down Jim Johnson's struggles

Zach Wilt: Breaking down Jim Johnson's struggles
Last season, Jim Johnson blew three saves in 54 chances, while this year, he's blown three consecutive opportunities. The Orioles closer is scuffling and the team is stuck in a season-worst six-game losing streak. Johnson has allowed eight earned runs in his last three appearances and has watched his ERA jump from 0.95 to 4.22. Arguably one of the best at his craft a season ago, Johnson is a unique breed of closer. He doesn't overpower hitters or record high strikeout totals; he forces...
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Orange, black and cartoon birds reign in ESPN's "Battle of the Uniforms"

Orange, black and cartoon birds reign in ESPN's "Battle of the Uniforms"
Don't underestimate the black and orange. More than 147,000 votes were cast in the final round of ESPN's "Battle of the Uniforms." Facing the No. 1 seeded Cardinals, the Orioles emerged as champions after fans voted for the cartoon bird over the Redbirds by a final percentage of 59 to 41. But it didn't start there. The Orioles entered the competition as a No. 13 seed, which begs the question: "Have you seen the orange alternates?" Regardless, they started off the battle by facing the...
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Domenic Vadala: Do the Orioles need to trade for a top starting pitcher?

Domenic Vadala: Do the Orioles need to trade for a top starting pitcher?
Orioles pitching has been the elephant in the room all season long, and to a certain degree, it came to a bit of a head last week and this weekend. First off, while starters going deep into games has been an issue all season, I'm also a firm believer in not letting one bad start get you down. While Jason Hammel has struggled through his last few starts, he never struggled as much as he did Friday night against Tampa Bay. However, he can't allow that to seep into his mind, otherwise he won't...
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Birds battling St. Louis for title of best uniforms in baseball

Birds battling St. Louis for title of best uniforms in baseball
Duking it out against the Cardinals, the Orioles are looking for their fans to rally behind them and support their push to the top. But this is not a battle of who's best on the diamond. Rather, it's a debate of who looks best on the field in ESPN's "Battle of the Uniforms." Mimicking their wearers' 2012 season, the Orioles' uniforms have played the role of an underdog, scrapping their way into the final round of the battle as a No. 13 seed. Defeating the other orange uniforms, the...
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Matthew Taylor: Some context on Johnson's consecutive saves record

Matthew Taylor: Some context on Johnson's consecutive saves record
Jim Johnson's consecutive saves streak ended at 35 games Tuesday night in a 3-2 loss to the San Diego Padres. Johnson's streak was one better than Randy Myers' previous Orioles record of 34 and one worse than Mariano Rivera's personal best of 36. Eric Gagne is in a world all his own with his major league record of 84 consecutive saves for the Los Angeles Dodgers. While it's interesting to see how Johnson's run stacks up to those of other great relievers, the more remarkable context is...
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Neal Shaffer: Embracing a dilemma at the season's quarter-pole

Neal Shaffer: Embracing a dilemma at the season's quarter-pole
The 40-game mark, the quarter pole, has traditionally been one of the first real mile markers of the baseball season. It's the point at which we can no longer say, "Yeah, but it's early." By 40 games in, there's a sense of things. A lot will still happen, but the season is no longer a series of maybes. As the Orioles close in on that mark for 2013, it's safe to say they're off to a hell of a start. Here they stand at 23-16 with a 14-9 mark away from Camden Yards. They've scored 192...
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Zach Wilt: Has Pedro Strop bounced back?

Zach Wilt: Has Pedro Strop bounced back?
Coming off a stellar performance in the World Baseball Classic, the Orioles seemed very optimistic about Pedro Strop heading into the 2013 season. Buck Showalter leaned heavily on him through much of 2012, until Strop struggled with pitch location in September and into the postseason. In Strop's final 11 regular season outings, he surrendered six earned runs over 7 1/3 innings pitched, issued eight walks and struck out seven. Opponents were hitting .371 against him with a .444 BABIP (Batting...
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Domenic Vadala: Anatomy of a comeback

Domenic Vadala: Anatomy of a comeback
We all saw what happened Friday night, as the Orioles came back and defeated the Minnesota Twins after being down 6-0. Six runs isn't the greatest comeback of all time, however there's certainly a difference between that and being down by one or two. I think that in all sports there comes a point in a game where a team feels somewhat secure in its lead. In the NFL, I'd say that a 21-point lead is fairly safe, and the same would be true of a 15-point lead in the NBA. Minnesota had the...
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Matthew Taylor: Enjoying the ride

Matthew Taylor: Enjoying the ride
The Orioles enter the weekend with a 21-14 record, in a three-way tie for first place in the American League East with the Red Sox and Yankees. If you've followed baseball long enough, you've likely developed the reserved reflex that is so common to the sport. It's the one that produces programmed responses to good news, led by the many variations of "it's early." We're not supposed to get excited about individual efforts yet because of sample size, and as for teams, well, "It's a...
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Anthony Amobi: O's took a chance and gamble with Machado has paid off

Anthony Amobi: O's took a chance and gamble with Machado has paid off
In August 2012, the Orioles were in the wild card hunt and desperate to solve a problem - third base. Former Oriole Mark Reynolds, despite his power, was struggling at the hot corner, and executive vice president Dan Duquette, the front office, along with manager Buck Showalter were looking for a solution. In the middle of that month, the Orioles did something bold and head-scratching at the same time. They promoted Manny Machado from Double-A Bowie to the majors. At first, I was bewildered...
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Zach Wilt: A full season of Manny Machado

Zach Wilt: A full season of Manny Machado
Seven wins on an 11-game west coast road trip are enough to turn even the Orioles' fiercest doubter into a believer in 2013. For the first time this season, I stopped comparing this year's team to its surprising playoff roster from a year ago and instead just enjoyed watching the O's starters pitch a 3.76 ERA, the bullpen to a 3.60 mark and cheered as the offense totaled 5.27 runs per game against the A's, Mariners and Angels. It took just over a month for me to stop making that comparison...
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Domenic Vadala: Serving up the youth movement

Domenic Vadala: Serving up the youth movement
I'll be as frank and up front as I possibly can in saying this: I'm not a big fan of youth. At 32, some people might ask what I mean by that, given that I'd like to hope that I'm not that old myself. However, when it comes to athletes, I like guys with a bit of experience. I'm not suggesting that the Orioles should nab other teams' good players out from under them as Boston and New York have done for years. What I am saying is that I like players that marinate a bit in the minor leagues...
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Matthew Taylor: Tillman continuing pitching staff's success on west coast

Matthew Taylor: Tillman continuing pitching staff's success on west coast
Chris Tillman provided the Orioles bullpen with some much-needed rest Thursday night by pitching eight shutout innings against the Angels. In the process, Tillman became only the second Orioles starter to go more than seven innings in 2013, which has left the team's relievers to carry a heavy early-season load. Coming into the game, the O's bullpen had pitched a shade more than 42 innings in the previous 13 games. Tillman averaged 5.2 innings per outing in five starts prior to Thursday....
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Anthony Amobi: McLouth playing a major role in Orioles' strong start

Anthony Amobi: McLouth playing a major role in Orioles' strong start
If there's one theme that we as fans have seen with the Baltimore Orioles since last season, it is this: manager Buck Showalter will find a way for everyone on his team to contribute. It seems that there is a different player contributing on a daily basis for the Orioles to attain another postseason berth; however, so far, in the first month of the 2013 campaign, one player has stood out to me. Well, it is not Adam Jones, Manny Machado, Chris Davis, nor Matt Wieters - it's Nate...
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Neal Shaffer: Bundy's issue demonstrates O's depth has improved

Neal Shaffer: Bundy's issue demonstrates O's depth has improved
Let's get this much out of the way early: Dylan Bundy is probably going to need surgery. Maybe not right now. It's possible that the current injury is a minor one and that the platelet-rich plasma injection will do the trick. Given his legendary dedication to fitness, he might not even miss much time. But let's be realistic. Tommy John surgery is an increasingly common occurrence among young pitchers, particularly the kinds of young pitchers who throw as hard as Bundy does. A 2003 USA...
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