Chen (W, 9-6) threw a lot of pitches (108) in 5.2 innings of work.  He walked four and gave up three hits, but just one unearned run to the team that had scored 20 in their last 18 innings.  He recorded 17 outs, 12 of them via strikeout.  Chen got the first three of those strikeouts in the first.  Jemile Weeks battled him out of the gate, leading off with a nine-pitch at bat before Chen got him waving at a 91 MPH fastball on the outer half. Jonny Gomes and Josh Reddick followed in Weeks’ footsteps, though in far shorter order.

Still scoreless in the top of the second, A’s center fielder Yoenis Cespedes laced a ball down the left field line for, what looked to be an easy leadoff double.  But Lew Ford, recalled before the game from Norfolk (and playing his first game in the majors in five years), went into a slide, cutting the ball off before it reached the wall.  Ford popped to his feet and fired a bullet into Omar Quintanilla, who dropped his glove directly between Cespedes’ lead slide foot, and the second base bag, for out number one.  Chris Carter walked, but Chen came back to fan Brandon Inge and Derek Norris, ending the threat.

The O’s would get on the scoreboard in the third.  Quintanilla led off with a bunt single. He moved to third when Carter dropped a pickoff throw from A’s starter  Travis Blackley (L, 3-3).  JJ Hardy walked, bringing Adam Jones to the plate.

This series had been uneven for Jones.  His fifth inning three-run home run Friday night was one of the most dramatic moments for the team this season, bringing them all the way back from a 5-0 deficit.  But he followed that up with an 0/4 night Saturday, and left five teammates on base.  On Blackley’s first pitch, he would put Saturday behind him.

Jones ripped a lifeless, 82 MPH changeup into the gap in left center, short-hopping the wall.  Quintanilla scored, and Hardy moved to third with one out.  Next up was All-Star catcher Matt Wieters who, offensively at least, has played like anything but an All-Star recently.  And, that’s when he’s played.  He’d missed the first two games of the A’s series with a right bicep issue.

Ensconced in a 1-for-31 slump, and having not homered in his last 59 at-bats, Wieters got a pitch he could drive from Blackley.  He launched the 90 MPH, thigh-high  fastball into the seats in left for a three-run homer (13), and a 4-0 Orioles lead.

A single, two walks and another error by Carter at first gave the birds another run in the fifth, making it 5-0.

The A’s got on the board against Chen in the sixth, aided by an error by Quintanilla.  Chen was lifted after giving up a hit to Inge, loading the bases with two outs.  Darren O’Day got the Orioles back into the dugout without further damage, and Quintanilla would atone for the “E-4” by blasting his first homer as an Oriole in the bottom of the sixth.

The Orioles now pack their bags and hit the road to New York.  Miguel Gonzalez (2-2, 4.28) will try to rebound from a horrible outing against Tampa Bay last Wednesday.  He’ll be up against Freddy Garcia (4-4, 5.16) for the Yankees.  First pitch is slated for 7:05.

The GOOD:

• Chen’s 12 strikeouts were the most for an Orioles pitcher this season, and the most since Erik Bedard whiffed 15 against Texas in 2007.  It’s also a major league record for a pitcher from Taiwan.  Not bad for just 5.2 innings of work.
• Omar Quintanilla continues to contribute every day.  3-for-4, 2R, 1 HR Sunday.  It’s early, but so far, you’d have to say the O’s got a steal here.
• Lew Ford didn’t get any hits in his first game back to the majors in five years, but his play in the second was pretty to watch.
• O’Day, Troy Patton, Pedro Strop, and Luis Ayala combined for 3.1 shutout innings out of the bullpen, giving up 4 hits, 0 walks, and striking out 2.

The BAD:

• News of Brian Roberts electing season ending hip surgery is, while not surprising, still tough after all he went through to come back from his concussion.

The post Chen And Wieters Lead O’s Past A’s appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

Tommy Hunter’s inconsistencies reappeared after back-to-back quality starts.  The waited until the fourth inning to show up, though, and by that time, his teammates had already stranded four runners on.  Nick Markakis led off the first with a single, and Chris Davis walked one out later.  But A’s starter Bartolo Colon (W, 7-8) fanned got both Adam Jones and Wilson Betemit on fly outs.  In the second, Omar Quintanilla doubled with two outs, but could not score.  A Chris Davis single with two outs in the third went for naught.

One of the A’s heroes from Friday, light hitting Jemile Weeks, led off the A’s fourth with a single.  One out later, he scored on Yoenis Cespedes’ 14th home run of the year, and the A’s led 2-0.  The birds collected hits from Endy Chavez and Quintanilla in their half of the fourth, but again, could not push any runs across.  And while the Orioles continued to fail to deliver the big hits, every hit the A’s collected seemed to be just that—a big hit.

In the fifth, Kurt Suzuki doubled with one out.  One pitch later, Eric Sogard’s base hit scored him, making it 3-0.

Seth Smith led off the sixth with a hit.  One out later, Chris Carter took Hunter (L, 4-6) deep for a 5-0 Oakland lead.

Betemit and Mark Reynolds singled in the sixth, but A’s reliever Jordan Norberto struck out Quintanilla to end another threat.

Taylor Teagarden led off the seventh by reaching on Brandon Inge’s error.  Davis delivered another hit two outs later, but yet again, the big hit was elusive.

The A’s tacked on another run on the eighth, thanks again to the Weeks/Cespedes duo.  Cespedes’ triple plated Weeks, who’d led off with a single.

The Orioles did manage to break up the shutout when Markakis homered in the ninth, a shot that was more like the board-game version parting gift given to a sad game show loser.

The O’s and A’s wrap up the three game set Sunday afternoon at Camden Yards.  Wei-Yin Chen (8-6, 3.82) faces Travis Buckley (3-2, 3.15).  First pitch is scheduled for 1:35.

The GOOD:

• A good game from Chris Davis, again.  Despite two strikeouts, Davis went 2/4 with a walk, and he was the only Oriole who didn’t leave anyone on base.
• Kevin Gregg threw one scoreless inning, giving up two hits and striking out two.
• Orioles pitchers struck out 13 A’s batters, and walked only one.  Rare, indeed, do those kinds of number come from the losing team.
• Quintanilla picked up two more hits Saturday, raising his average to .364 with the Orioles.  He did leave 3 men on base, but he made another nice play defensively.

The BAD:

• More home run trouble from Hunter, who’s now given up 24.
• Adam Jones had one of his worst nights of the year:  0/4 with a strikeout and five runners left on.
• Overall, the Orioles were 0/6 with runners in scoring position, and left 11 runners on.
• Orioles batters walked once.  They struck out nine times.
• Miguel Socolovich was optioned after the game to make room on the 25-man roster for Lew Ford, who’s expected to get the call in time for Sunday’s game.  Socolovich followed up Friday night’s poor outing with a much better one Saturday (2.2IP, 2H, 1ER, 3K), which lowered his ERA to 9.00.

The post Big Hits Elusive, But Only For Orioles in 6-1 Loss to A’s appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

• Steve Tolleson went 1-3 with a BB.
• Joe Mahoney went 1-4 with a Double.
• L.J. Hoes went 0-3 with a BB.
• Steve Johnson (L, 4-7) pitched 5.2 innings with 7H, 5 R (3 ER), 2 K, 0 BB allowed.
• Andy Loomis pitched 1.2 innings with 6 H, 3 R (2 ER), 2 K, 0 BB allowed.
• Zach Phillips pitched 1.2 innings with 0 H, 0 R, 0 K, 0 BB allowed.

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Bowie 2, Akron 3	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
54-52	Bowie 1, Akron 6	Akron Aeros	Away	7:05 PM	Rick Zagone
Game 1: Jonathan Schoop went 1-3 with a Double. Tyler Kelly went 1-3. Manny Machado went 1-3. Rhyne Hughes went 2-3. Jacob Pettit (L, 7-3) pitched 3.0 innings with 4 H, 3 R, 0 K, 2 BB allowed. Robert Hinton pitched 2.0 innings with 0 H, 0 R, 1 K, 0 BB allowed. Clay Schrader pitched 1.0 inning with 1 H, 0 R, 0 K, 0 BB allowed. Game 2: Buck Britton went 1-3 with a BB. Manny Machado went 0-3. Rhyne Hughes went 2-3 with a Solo HR. Johnny Ruettiger went 0-1 with 2 BB. Eddie Gamboa (L, 4-3) pitched 5.0 innings with 6 H, 2 R, 4 K, 3 BB allowed. Pat Egan pitched 1.0 inning with 3 H, 4 R (1 ER), 0 K, 0 BB allowed.
Notes

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Potomac 3, Frederick 1	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
43-62	Box Score	Potomac Nationals	Home	4:00 PM	Tyler Wilson
Trent Mummey went 1-4 with a SB. Glynn Davis went 1-4 with a SB. Tyler Townsend went 0-2 with 2 BB. Tim Berry pitched 5.2 innings with 5 H, 1 R, 7 K, 1 BB allowed. Eric Beaulac pitched 2.1 innings with 0 H, 0 R, 3 K, 0 BB allowed. David Walters (L, 2-6) pitched 0.2 innings with 3 H, 2 R, 0 K, 0 BB allowed.
Notes

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Kannapolis 5, Delmarva 11	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
43-61	Box Score	Kannapolis Intimidators	Home	5:05 PM	Zach Davies
Roderick Bernadina went 1-4 with an RBI. Jerome Pena went 1-3 with a BB and SB. Nick Delmonico went 1-2 with a HR, 2 RBI and 2 BB. Michael Ohlman went 1-2 with a Double and 2 BB. Mike Planeta went 1-3 with an RBI an BB. Brenden Webb went 1-2 with a Double, 2 RBI and 2 BB. Wynston Sawyer went 1-2 with a Double, RBI and BB. Matt Taylor (W, 5-6) pitched 5.1 innings with 6 H, 5 R (3 ER), 6 K, 2 BB allowed.
Notes

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Vermont 7, Aberdeen 2	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
16-24	Box Score	Vermont Lake Monsters	Home	7:05 PM	David Richardson
Brian Roberts went 0-4 with a BB. Creede Simpson went 1-4 with a Double, RBI and BB. Torsten Boss went 1-3 with a RBI and 2 BB. Scott Kalush went 2-3 with a BB. Sebastian Vader (L, 1-5) pitched 6.0 innings with 10 H, 3 R, 2 K, 2 BB allowed. Jose Nivar pitched 1.1 innings with 2 H, 4 R, 3 K, 3 BB allowed. Alex Schmarzo pitched 1.1 innings with 0 H, 0 R, 1 K, 0 BB allowed.
Notes

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Orioles 3, Rays 10	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
14-22	Box Score	OFF
Adrian Marin went 2-4. Tanner Murphy went 2-4 with 2 RBI. Byron Capellan went 2-4 with a Double. Alexander Santana (L, 0-1) pitched 4.2 inning with 9 H, 7 R (6 ER), 5 K, 0 BB allowed. Duke Porter pitched 1.2 innings with 1 H, 1 R, 1 K, 0 BB allowed. Jake Pintar pitched 1.2 innings with 4 H, 2 R, 1 K, 1 BB allowed.

The post Minor League Scores – 7/28/12 appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

His mound opponent, Miguel Gonzalez, found a harder go of it in his second start than his first.  Coming off a seven inning performance against the Angels in which he yielded just three hits and one run, Gonzalez gave up a home run to Austin Jackson leading off the game.  Jhonny Paralta added a broken bat, RBI bloop hit, knocking in Brennan Boesch, who’d doubled, in the second.

Gonzalez then settled down and blanked Detroit until the sixth.  With one out, he walked Prince Fielder.  Boesch then picked up a bloop hit to center, sending Fielder to second.  One out later, Alex Avila hit a grounder that just eluded the dive of second baseman Robert Andino.  Fielder chugged home ahead of Nick Markakis’ throw, making it 3-0.  Andino landed awkwardly on his left shoulder, and was pulled from the game.  Gonzalez would follow him into the dugout one batter later, after he walked Ramon Santiago to load the bases with two outs.

Luis Ayala, who had struggled over his last three outings (4.2IP, 8H, 5ER, 10.71 ERA), came on to get the final out without any more damage.

Of course, this was well beyond all Verlander needed.  The AL Cy Young Award winner and MVP gave up four hits over eight innings.  He struck out eight and walked two.  His toughest moments were in the very first inning.  Jim Thome picked up an opposite field hit—his first of three hits on the day—with two outs.  Verlander then walked fellow AL All-Star Adam Jones in an eight-pitch at bat, putting runners at first and second.  Then Chirs Davis stepped in.  He saw three pitches, and swung and missed each of them, for out number three.

The hometown fans were treated to the major league debut of local pitcher Steve Johnson.  The son of former Orioles pitcher Dave Johnson entered to start the eighth, with the O’s down 3-0.  He walked the first two hitters he faced, in Paralta and Avila.  Santiago then sacrificed the pair up, putting runners on second and third with one out.  Johnson was up to the task, though, fanning Don Kelly and Jackson to retire the side.

Johnson was touched up when Miguel Cabrera hit a very long home run to right-center off him in the ninth.

The Orioles now hit the road for four in Minneasota.  The Twins are 36-52, which is the worst record in the American League.  It’ll be Scott Diamond (7-3, 2.62) for the Twins, vs. Chris Tillman (1-0, 0.00) for the Orioles Monday night.  Game time is 8:10.

The GOOD:

• It wasn’t technically a quality start, but Gonzalez kept his team in the game.  For starters not named Hammel or Chen, this was a rather refreshing way for a pitcher to lose.
• Though he was sent back to Norfolk after the game, it was nice to see Steve Johnson make his debut in front of the hometown fans.  He was definitely nervous and threw a lot of pitches (47) to get through two innings.  And, yes, he gave up a homer to Cabrera (which, for an Orioles pitcher is kind of a rite of passage).  But ultimately, that was the only run he gave up, so he struggled well, and gave the fans something to cheer about.
• Luis Ayala was unscored upon for the first time in four games.
• Thome’s three hits was also good to see.  Hopefully it bodes well for the road trip to two of the teams he used to play for:  Minnesota and Cleveland.

The BAD:

• Verlander moved to 8-0 in his career against Baltimore.
• Miguel Cabrera, as he seems to always do, murdered Orioles pitching this series, going 7/15 with a walk, 4 runs scored, 13 total bases, a pair of homers and 2 RBIs.
• Andino will have an MRI in Baltimore Monday after X-rays on his shoulder were negative.  Andino, as much as anyone on the team, has had an up and down year here in 2012.  But, with Brian Roberts out, you don’t want to lose Robert Andino.

The post Verlander Shuts Down O’s As Detroit Takes Series appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

Recovering from surgery he underwent on June 1 to remove part of the hamate bone in his right wrist, Markakis finished a three-game rehab stint with Double-A Bowie from July 7-9.

As expected, Markakis will likely use the All-Star break to get some rest and rejoin the Orioles for the start of their series against the Detroit Tigers on Friday.

In his first start with the team on Saturday, Markakis played right field and hit second in the lineup while helping the Baysox snap a four-game losing streak. During the 7-1 victory, Markakis led the offense by going 2-for-3 with two home runs and four runs batted in.

Playing the field two games in a row and finishing the assignment by hitting second in the lineup as designated hitter, Markakis put up an impressive stat line against Double-A pitching.

In 12 plate appearances, Markakis reached base five times while hitting two homers, driving in four runs and scoring four more runs. He did not appear to have any setbacks or discomfort.

“I’m making progression,” he said following the game on Monday. “It was a productive day. I saw some pitches and took some swings I usually wouldn’t take.”

As expected, Markakis will likely use the All-Star break to get some rest and rejoin the Orioles for the start of their series against the Detroit Tigers on Friday.

He stated he is scheduled to meet with the team on Thursday and is expecting to rejoin the team Friday, though he did say that things could change before then.

As far as his thoughts on Baltimore’s 2012 first half, he seemed to be just as excited as the next guy about Baltimore’s winning record.

“I think we’re capable of doing it,” Nick said when asked if he thought the O’s could make a late playoff push. “Best first half that I’ve semi been a part of. We’ve got ourselves in great position, we just have to take it game-by-game.”

While Bowie has taken a step back recently, things appear bright in Baltimore as the entire organization–players and fans included–are excited to see what’s in store for the second half.

The addition of Markakis, for the first time since May 29, will certainly give a much-needed boost to the Oriole lineup once Friday rolls around.

The post Markakis Rips Through Bowie, Expects a Full Recovery appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

The struggling offense, predictably quiet through the first five innings, was even able to string together a series of hits, leading to a group of runs—commonly referred to as a rally—in the sixth.

Xavier Avery, recalled before the game when Brian Roberts was placed on the DL with a strained groin, led off the inning with his second single.  He went to third on a JJ Hardy single to center, and an error by M’s center fielder Michael Saunders.  Chris Davis and Adam Jones followed with back-to-back hits, making it 2-0 Orioles.

One out later, Matt Wieters delivered both Davis and Jones, and the birds had what actually looked to be a comfortable a 4-0 lead against a light-hitting Mariners team, and with their number 2 pitcher throwing a perfect game.

Even after surrendering his first hit, a one-out home run in the seventh to former Towson University star Casper Wells, Chen was able to get the next two hitters to retire the side.  He still had a 4-1 lead, and although he was over 90 pitches, the O’s had to feel good about the situation.  The late-inning relief has been shut-down all season.  But on Tuesday night, shut-down became open-up, and the timing could not have been worse.

Chen was pulled after giving up a One-out double to Saunders in the eighth.  Enter Pedro Strop, the hard throwing setup man who was the perfect contrast in style to Chen.  Perhaps, with Chen having thrown 7.1 innings of 2 hit, 1 run ball, a contrast in style wasn’t in order.

Strop unleashed a wild pitch, then gave up three consecutive singles to Justin Smoak, Dustin Ackley, and pinch-hitter John Jaso, making it 4-3.  One out later, Strop hit Wells, and the bases were loaded.

The Orioles had already lost the first contest in the Seattle series by giving up a lead in a game that looked to be well in control.  Indeed, Monday’s game was the type of game that, earlier this season, had been automatic for the Orioles, based on the formula:  Build a lead with just enough offense, get solid starting pitching (or at least decent starting pitching), and let the lock-down pen, well, lock it down.  Monday’s game didn’t reach the pen until starter Jason Hammel had given up a 3-1 lead.  But there was, at least, some comfort taken in the fact that the game’s make-up, its texture, had that formulaic familiarity.

Tuesday’s game was different.  Losing a perfect game was one thing.  That it came at the expense of a shutout was a shame, but by no means devastating.  But handing this game to this bullpen, with all that the Orioles had been struggling through for several weeks, and still losing?  That may have thrown the already teetering Orioles into complete collapse.  This was the situation facing the excitable Pedro Strop, with two outs, and the bases loaded with Mariners.

Kyle Seager dug in to the batter’s box with a .244 batting average and a .308 on-base percentage, and watched 4 of Strop’s 5 pitches miss the strike zone, walking in the fourth and tying run.  Strop was finally given the hook by Buck Showalter.  Just five outs earlier, the Orioles were looking at the real possibility that they had righted the ship (at least for one night, but, who knows, such things can carry a team for months) with perfection.  Now, it looked as though the house of cards had not only tumbled, but landed in a fire pit.

Darren O’Day was next in line out of the pen, having given up 7 hits and 3 earned runs in his last 1.2 innings of work.  There was absolutely zero margin for error, as he faced Seattle’s cleanup man, Jesus Montero.  O’Day (W, 5-0) made short work of Montero, getting him to fly out to right on an 0-2 slider, and keeping the game tied at 4.

The Mariners marched Charlie Furbush out to face the bottom of the Orioles order in the top of the ninth.  Furbush (L, 4-2) retired Wilson Betemit and pinch-hitter Mark Reynolds, before facing the struggling Robert Andino, who was 0-3 on the day, 2 for his last 23, and was hitting .167 over the last month.  Andino fell behind 0-2, then looked at a couple of balls, before launching his 4th home run of the season into left field, for a 5-4 Orioles lead.

Jim Johnson pitched a perfect ninth for his 24th save, and to seal one of the most important wins of the year for the Orioles.

The birds wrap up their three-game set in Seattle Wednesday afternoon at 4:10.  Chris Tillman gets the nod, up from Norfolk where he was 8-8 with a 3.63 ERA.  Tillman had 92 strikeouts in 89.1 innings for the Tides, and had a WHIP of 1.29.  He’ll square off against Neosi Hector (2-10, 5.69) for the Mariners.

The GOOD:

• Andino to the rescue!  After a tough opening night in Seattle Monday, both with the glove and with the bat, he picks up the team with a huge home run in the 9th.  If the Orioles are able to stay in contention, people may look at that home run as one of the biggest moments of the season.
• Chen became the stopper the Orioles have really needed for about two weeks.
• The rally in the sixth to chase All-Star and former Cy Young Award winner Felix Hernandez was great to see from a team scuffling at the plate.
• Xavier Avery had a big night with 2 singles and a double.  Hardy had a pair of hits.

The BAD:

• At the risk of sounding blasphemous, it’s hard to know what Showalter was thinking leaving Strop in the game for as long as he did.  Throughout much of the team’s recent struggles, it has appeared that there hasn’t been much of a sense of urgency in some cases.  The offense has been shut down by mediocre pitching, the pitching has been a mess, and the defense has been the worst in the game.  Tuesday, there seemed not to be a sense of urgency from the manager.  Had this game gotten away, it would have it would have lingered in the memories of Orioles fans for a long time to come, and Buck would have taken lots of heat.

The post Chen, Andino Get It Done For O’s in Seattle appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

The Orioles held a 3-1 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh.  It would be gone before the top of the eighth.

Hammel (L, 8-4) walked Dustin Ackley to start the Mariners seventh.  Ackley stole second, and moved to third on Munenori Kawasaki’s single to left.  With two outs, Hammel appeared to pitch around Ichiro Suzuki, walking the M’s star right fielder to load the bases, and setting up a confrontation with Casper Wells.

Wells had figured Hammel out with a single to center in his previous at-bat, after fanning his first two times up.  Hammel got ahead 0-1, but Wells drove Hammel’s second pitch into the gap in right-center, clearing the bases.  Hammel’s night was over, with the Mariners up 4-3.

Did you know that power outages could be carried from coast-to-coast?  The Orioles offense showed they were still in the dark Monday, scoring on just one swing of the bat:  a 3-run home run from Chris Davis in the fourth.  Even with spot-starter Hisashi Iwakuma filling for an injured Kevin Millwood, even against inconsistent reliever Steve Delabar (W, 2-1) and his 4.78 ERA, the Orioles lineup looked like a group of men who play baseball as a hobby rather than a profession.

The Orioles actually hit .500 with runners in scoring position, but only because, all night, they had just two such opportunities.  They collected just three hits, and only six baserunners.  They picked up just one baserunner in the last four innings, and went quietly into the Seattle night.

The Mariners weren’t finished after chasing Hammel, though.  Troy Patton gave up back-to-back home runs on consecutive pitches to Miguel Olivo (a .209 hitter with 6 home runs and 16 RBI coming in Monday) and Ackley (.239/4/23 before play Monday) in the eighth, and The Mariners took game 1 of the series, 6-3.

Game two of the set features Wei-Yen Chen (7-4, 3.73) vs. Mariners All-Star Felix Hernandez (6-5, 3.09).  Game time is 10:10.

The GOOD:

• It’s nice to see Davis swinging the bat with authority again.  He collected two of the three Orioles hits, adding a double off the wall to his 14th home run.
• Jim Thome picked up the O’s other hit, his first as an Oriole.  He becomes the 12th player this year to pick up his first Oriole hit.
• Hammel, again working with very little margin for error, pitched far better than his final line (6.2 IP, 7H, 4ER, 2BB, 8K) indicates.

The BAD:

• Brian Roberts missed the game with a sore groin.  Starting for him at second, Robert Andino committed his 11th error, and went 0-4 with a strikeout in the leadoff spot.  Andino also missed a throw in the Mariners’ 3-run eighth.
• Steve Pearce couldn’t squeeze a fly ball off the bat of John Jaso that was ruled a double in the sixth.  It ended up not costing the Orioles, as Hammel came back to get the next two batters, but it was part of a pretty sloppy night defensively.  Andino’s miscues and Adam Jones missing a cutoff man were other defensive low points.
• Numbers 1-4 in the lineup were a combined 0-16 with 0 walks and 6 strikeouts.
• Even though he pitched well, Hammel’s loss won’t do him any favors with voters for the final man in the All-Star game.

The post Baltimore Power Outage Continues, Even in Seattle appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

Friday night at Camden Yards, the birds turned back the clock a bit, and outslugging the Indians 9-8 in a game started by Jake Arrieta, again thanks, in large part, to Wieters’ power bat again.

Arrieta would not be around long enough for the win this time, as the right hander reverted back to  his inconsistent ways of earlier this season after three straight solid performances.  He allowed 10 baserunners (8 hits, 2 walks), including a home run to Asdrubal Cabrera, and coughed up a 2-run lead in just 3.1 innings.

Down 5-3 when Arrieta was chased, there was every reason for the overheated Camden Yards crowd to think the worst.  But Friday night, the offense came to play.  The Orioles had pulled to within one at 5-4 in the seventh, when, with one out and two on, Wieters crushed an 88 MPH Derek Lowe sinker down and in, onto Eutaw Street, for a 7-5 lead.

The one consistent strength of these 2012 Orioles has been the ability of the bullpen to hold leads late in games.  Darren O’Day has been a major part of that strength.  But the submariner suddenly finds himself struggling, and Friday, he would blow a lead for just the second time this season.  O’Day faced 5 batters, and gave up 4 hits.  He allowed his one inherited runner to score, and even a double play turned behind him resulted in a Cleveland run.

Matt Lindstrom (W, 1-0) came on for a 3-pitch appearance to end the seventh with runners on the corners, but the game now tied at 7.

The Orioles answered with a two-out rally in their half of the seventh.  Chris Davis delivered a single, and Wieters walked, bringing up Ryan Flaherty.  Flaherty grounded the second pitch he saw from reliever Joe Smith (L, 5-2) into right field, scoring Davis to put the birds back on top.

Xavier Avery added his first big league home run, an opposite field, solo shot with one out in the eighth, tacking on what would become a vital insurance run, making it 9-7 O’s.

Jim Johnson gave up a run on two hits to close it in the ninth, giving the Orioles a 9-8 win and evening the series at a game apiece.  The Orioles and Indians are back at it Saturday at 4:05.  Dana Eveland (0-0, 3.00) makes his second start for the O’s, against Josh Tomlin (3-5, 5.70).

The GOOD:

• Situational hitting.  The Orioles scored a pair of runs on productive outs Friday, which is something that has been sorely lacking during the recent offensive swoon.
• More stolen bases. The birds swiped three Friday, one each from Flaherty,  Robert Andino, and the first from Brian Roberts since his comeback.  The Orioles had gone a span of over 3 weeks without a steal, and now have 6 in their last 3 games.  It’s as if, for those 3 weeks, they forgot stealing bases was allowed.
• Troy Patton gave the team 2.1 important and solid relief innings.  He was charged with one run, which scored after he left the game, but things could have gotten away from the Orioles without Patton’s effort.  Pedro Strop also tossed a perfect inning.

The BAD:

• Though they put up 9 runs, the O’s were still just 3-12 with RISP, and left 8 on base.

The post O’s Outslug Tribe appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

Wei-Yin Chen (L, 7-4) has been very solid for the birds, but not Thursday.  Chen gave up a pair of home runs and 6 earned runs over 6.1 innings.  He walked 3, hit a batter, gave up 6 hits, and allowed base runners in every inning but the first.

Johnny Damon hit a 90 MPH belt-high fastball into the bleachers in right field in the second, a 3-run homer that would give the tribe all the runs they’d need.  But they weren’t done.  In the top of the fifth, Shin-Soo Choo leaned out after a fastball over the outer half of the plate, and connected for his seventh homer of the year, a solo shot to left.

Chen was lifted after Lou Marson doubled and Choo walked in the seventh.  Luis Ayala was called on to face switch-hitting Asdrubal Cabrera, and the shortstop launched a hanging slider down the right field for his tenth home run of the year.

The Orioles offense continued to do next to nothing.  The birds’ only runs, like the Indians’, were via the long ball.  But the Orioles hit just one out, a towering, two-run shot to left from JJ Hardy.  The birds hit into three more double plays, left six on base, and went just 1-5 with runners in scoring position.

Jake Arrieta (3-9, 5.55) may give the Orioles their best shot to win in this series.  He’s pitched well in his last three starts, and Friday, he goes against Cleveland’s Derek Lowe, who hasn’t won since June 1^st.  Dana Eveland will get his second start of the year Saturday for the Orioles, and the struggling Brian Matusz goes Sunday.

The GOOD:

• Hardy’s two hits, including the homer and a double.
• Two more Orioles stolen bases, one from Xavier Avery, and one from, of all people, Matt Wieters.
• Wilson Betemit.  Throughout this team-wide offensive nosedive, Betemit’s bat has been sizzling.  He went 2-3 with a walk Thursday, and is now 19 for his last 37 (.514).

The BAD:

• Wilson Betemit.  With another error, the Orioles third baseman now has a league high 12, including 4 in his last 6 games.
• Brian Roberts, Adam Jones, Chris Davis, and Mark Reynolds were all 0-4.  Reynolds struck out 3 times.
• The birds are now 6-63 with runners in scoring position in their last 11 games.
• Fans spent much of this past winter, and even into spring, hearing about how Johnny Damon may be a possible fit for the Orioles.  It didn’t happen, obviously, and the veteran signed a 1-year, $1.25 million deal with the Indians in April.  Damon’s 3-run shot Thursday was his 22nd career home run at Camden Yards, and the 33rd homer of his career against the Orioles.

The post Tribe’s Homers Do In O’s appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

Hammel (L, 8-3) was torched early and often.  Torii Hunter, the second batter he faced, launched a hanging curve into the seats in left.  A two-out rally in the third, sparked by a pair of walks and a 2-run single by Kendrys Morales, made it 3-1.  And the halos decided to quit toying with the Orioles ace and deliver the dagger in the fourth, scoring three more times before Hammel was lifted.

Matt Lindstrom entered with one-out, and runners on the corners.  Hunter stole second, and Orioles catcher Matt Wieters threw behind rookie Mike Trout, stationed at third.  But third baseman Wilson Betemit missed the throw, allowing Trout to score, and Hunter to move up to third.

Lindstrom then intentionally walked Albert Pujols, and Morales delivered another RBI hit, making it 8-1.  An Albert Callaspo single to right plated Pujols, and it was a 9-1 laugher for the Angles.

The Angels scored two more in the fifth against Kevin Gregg, as Brian Roberts committed his first error of the season, allowing both runs to score.  Two more would score for the Angels in the seventh, as reliever Darren O’Day gave up two doubles and a single.

The Orioles offense never could do much against halos starter Jared Weaver (W, 8-1) and two relievers.  Adam Jones’ first inning double plated Chris Davis (whose single broke an 0-29 slump), to tie the game at 1, but that was all the birds would muster.

The Orioles will try to rebound from the two-game sweep as they welcome the Cleveland Indians to Camden Yards for the first time this year.  The four-game set gets under way with Wei-Yin Chen (7-3, 3.38) facing Cleveland’s Zach McAllister (1-1, 3.96) Thursday night at 7:05.

The GOOD:

• JJ Hardy finally broke a 3-42 slump with a bloop hit in the fifth.  That came after Trout robbed him of a homer to center field on an amazing leaping catch in the first.  Hardy also scorched a liner that Erick Aybar jumped up to snatch, to start the third.  Hardy also lined out hard to short Tuesday night, so perhaps he’s starting to shake the slump.

The BAD:

• Nick Johnson was pulled from the game with a sore right wrist.  He’s had numerous surgeries on the wrist, and he has an MRI scheduled on it Thursday.
• Lindstrom’s return to the Orioles went less than swimmingly:  1ER, 2H, 1BB, 0K, in .2 innings (and both runners he inherited came in to score).
• The Orioles were 0-6 with runners in scoring position, and left 7 runners on base.
• Three more Orioles errors.

The post By Bats, Gloves, and Arms, Halos Own O’s appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

Orioles fans can only hope Brian Matusz catches this many breaks when he’s actually pitching well.  The young left hander gave up a career-high 13 hits in 5-plus innings to the Angels Tuesday night at Camden yards.  Four of those hits went for extra bases.  Two were home runs.  He didn’t set the Angels down in order one time, and still, he only surrendered 5 runs in the Orioles 7-3 loss.

Of course, “only” is strictly a relative term here.  And, relative to the way the Orioles offense has been performing–and continued to perform Tuesday–five runs may as well have been fifty.

In Matusz (L, 5-9), a major league pitcher is nowhere to be found right now.  He seems never to be in control of anything, from pitch location to game management.  Everything seems to be max-effort.  Every moment is a colossal struggle.  Every inning is a manifestation of chaos.

The Angels got to Matusz for their first run in the third.  Rookie Mike Trout doubled and was knocked in by Torii Hunter, who took second on Adam Jones’ throw home.  But Matusz caught a break when, on a comebacker, he hung Hunter up between second and third, for the first out.  Mark Trumbo singled, but Howard Kendrick hit into a double play to end a 3-hit inning, with the Angels scoring just once.

The Angels picked up two more hits in the fourth, but were held scoreless thanks to a relay from Adam Jones to Brian Roberts to Matt Wieters at the plate, nailing Erick Aybar for out number three.  Through the middle of the fourth, the Angels had eight hits.  The Orioles had none against CJ Wilson (W, 9-4).

The birds picked up not only their first hit, but also their first scoring opportunity, in their half of the fourth.  Jones blooped a single to center with one out, and Wieters followed with a single to left.  Jones then stole third, and the Orioles were in an excellent position to tie things up at 1, even by making an out.

But Mark Reynolds made the all important second out an unproductive one, popping out to second, and Wilson Betemit grounded out to bring an end to the inning.

With one on and one out in the fifth, Matusz served up a home run to Albert Pujols in the fifth on an 0-1 cutter that was middle-in, and caught too much of the plate.

The Orioles mounted a huge threat in the fifth, too.  Steve Pearce opened things with his second home run, Steve Tolleson followed with a single, and then stole second.  Robert Andino walked.  With 2 on and none out, Brian Roberts dropped a bunt, moving the runners up.

Facing another 1-out situation with two in scoring position, the Orioles again failed to get the job done.  JJ Hardy’s bid for a base hit was snatched away by Aybar at short on a great diving play.  Jones grounded out, and Tolleson and Andino were stranded.

Buck Showalter sent Matusz back to the hill to start the sixth, and he promptly gave up a lead off hit to Maicer Izturis, and then left an 83-mph changeup shoulder high to Peter Bourjos, who deposited it into the left field stands for just his third home run.  Matusz was pulled, trailing 5-1.

The Orioles actually sent the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the inning, as an Angels error, and a pair of hits loaded the bases.  But Tolleson and Andino failed to deliver.  The O’s normally reliable bullpen was touched up for a couple of runs, one coming on a long home run by Mark Trumbo off of Tommy Hunter, the other on a homer from former Orioles farmhand John Hester off Kevin Gregg.

Wilson Betemit hit a 2-run homer in the eighth to make the final score 7-3, but this was a game that certainly was not that close.

The birds and Angels wrap up the brief two-game set Wednesday at Camden Yards, with Jared Weaver (7-1, 2.40) facing Jason Hammel (8-2, 2.61) in what looks to be a pitcher’s duel.  The Orioles can only hope it is.

The GOOD:

• The Orioles stole two bases.  The Birds hadn’t stolen a base since the first week of June coming in.

The BAD:

• Matusz looks like a boy among men on the mound.  He’s lost his last 4 times out, and has pitched to an ERA in that time of 8.31.
• Even throwing just a couple of innings out of the pen, Tommy Hunter will give up the long ball.  Mark Trumbo hit a very long shot off him in the seventh, Trumbo’s 18th, and the 19th given up by Hunter.
• John Hester was the Angels starter behind the plate Tuesday.  While he did allow the Orioles first two stolen bases in over three weeks, he also went 3-4 with a home run.  Hester was acquired by the Orioles from the D’backs as the player to be named later in the Mark Reynolds deal.  On April 12 of this year, he was released after starting the season in Norfolk.

The post Matusz Shelled in O’s Loss to Angels appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

Jake Arrieta turned in his third straight solid start, yielding just one earned run on 5 hits and 1 walk (intentional) in 6 innings. He struck out 5, and was taken out of the game with the Orioles down 1-0, having thrown 103 pitches.  And although he couldn’t personally grab his fourth win, he game his squad enough of an effort for them to stay close, and eventually battle back for the team’s 41st win of the year.

Arrieta’s day was not without its struggles. He set the side down in order just twice in six innings of work.  The Nats got to him in the third.  Jhonatan Solano led off the inning with a double for the Nats, and Arrieta hit Steve Lombardozzi with a pitch.  Arrieta fell behind Bryce Harper, 3-1, but came back to get the rookie on a 1-6-3 double play.  But after falling behind 3-1 to Ryan Zimmerman, the Nats third baseman delivered an RBI single to left, for the Nationals’ only run of the day.

The Orioles offensive continued to stumble along for most of the afternoon.  The Birds left 8 runners stranded.  Adam Jones, JJ Hardy, and Ronny Paulino each left two runners in scoring position with two outs.  The Orioles were 0-6 with RISP on the day.  It wasn’t as if there were no opportunities.  The Orioles picked up 7 hits, and walked 4 times.

But, as has been the case for a week now, the runs were just not being pushed across.  And then, in the eighth inning, something happened that hadn’t happened since June 3rd.  Against Nats reliever Sean Burnett, Matt Wieters went deep.  Wieters connected for his 10th home run, into the Orioles bullpen with Adam Jones on first, giving the Orioles a 2-1 lead.

Jim Johnson came on for the ninth, having saved 21 games in 22 tries.  He got Mike Morse on a ground out, but then walked Ian Desmond.  The added drama of allowing the tie run on first set up a terrific finish, as Johnson fanned Danny Espinosa on a pitch where Desmond broke toward second.  Wieters throw was perfect for JJ Hardy to apply the tag, for a strike ‘em out, throw ‘em out double play to end the game, and give the Orioles a hard-fought 2-games-to-1 Battle of the Beltways series win.

The Orioles have an off day Monday, and get ready for a brief, 2-game set with the Angels at Camden Yards, starting Tuesday at 7:05

 The GOOD:

• Jake Arrieta was again very good.  Arrieta is 3-9 on the season in 16 starts.  In games Arrieta has won this year, he has given up just 1 earned run in 22 innings, for a ridiculous, 0.41 ERA.  In games he has pitched to a no decision, Arrieta’s ERA is 2.73.  So, in games Arrieta has not been the losing pitcher, his ERA is 1.68 (it’s 9.66 in his 9 losses).
• Without this bullpen, the Orioles would be sunk.  Again Sunday, the pen did the job, with Troy Oatton, Pedro Strop (W, 4-2), and Johnson combining for no runs on a hit and a walk in 3 innings.

The BAD:

• There were chances to make this game a bit less exciting, but the Orioles couldn’t pick them up.  Hardy and Paulino each left 4 men on base Sunday.  Jones and Brian Roberts each left 3, and Mark Reynolds left 2.

The post Wieters’ Late Blast Gives O’s Beltway Battle Win appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

Orioles starter Brian Matusz (L, 5-8) again tried to rediscover what it means to control the game as a pitcher.  This start though, like his previous start in Atlanta and the one before that in Boston, was just another display of anarchy for the lefty:  Three base runners allowed in the first, one in the third, three in the fourth—one of which scored,  and finally, 4 runners allowed—and two runs in—before Buck Showlter ran out of patience in the fifth and yanked him.  Matusz’s final line could have been, and maybe should have been, much worse than it’s already ugly look:  4.2IP, 7H, 3ER, 2BB, 2K, 93 pitches thrown.  The defense made him earn a couple of extra outs, as Betemit committed his 9th error, and Adam Jones committed his 6th on a play where he and Ryan Flaherty nearly collided.  Another ball popped out of Jones’ glove on a diving attempt at a catch in the Mets’ run scoring fourth.  It would have been a terrific catch, but one we’ve seen Jones make pretty regularly.

And even with Matusz’s inconsistency, even with the errors, the mostly vacant offense, and even with a less than stellar performance out of the bullpen from Luis Ayala (1.1IP, 2H, 1BB, 1ER), the Orioles still had a chance to steal a win away from the Mets in the ninth, against Mets closer Frank Fransisco.  Jones lead off, and wrapped up his 0-4 night with a ground out.  Matt Wieters picked up a single to center, and advanced to second on Nick Johnson’s second hit of the night.  Betemit popped out, for out number two.  But Francisco walked pinch-hitter Mark Reynolds and Steve Pearce to force in a run, making it 4-3.  With the bases loaded, Fransisco was able to pull himself together for a 2-pitch at bat against Brian Roberts, who grounded out tho second to end the game and give the Mets a sweep.

The Orioles get Thursday off, and will host the Washington Nationals in a weekend set beginning at 7:05 Friday.  Jordan Zimmerman (3-5, 2.92) gets the ball for the Nats against Wei-Yin Chen (7-2, 3.36) for the Orioles.

The GOOD:

• Runs were scored, and not just by the Mets.
• The Yankees dropped their second in a row to Atlanta Wednesday.

The BAD:

• Brian Matusz has become the starting rotation’s version of Mark Reynolds.  He is feast or famine.  And these days, he’s got other teams feasting on him.  He has gone just 13.1 innings in his last three starts, giving up 20 hits and 10 walks.  With all those base runners (not even counting the errors behind him…  Wednesday, there were 2 more of those), it’s actually amazing he’s only given up 12 runs in that time.
• The Orioles left 7 on base, and were 0-5 with runners in scoring position.  In fact, the last time the Orioles picked up a hit with a runner in scoring position, Brian Roberts delivered a 2-run single.  That was in inning #7.  Saturday.

The post Offense Wakes Up, But Not In Time as Mets Sweep O’s appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

After falling to R.A. Dickey and the Mets 5-0 Monday, Johan Santana (W, 5-3) handcuffed the birds, who fell to the Mets again by the same score.

O’s starter Tommy Hunter’s line is not indicative of how he pitched for 5 of his 6.1 innings.  Through 5, Hunter (L, 3-4) had surrendered just a single run on 3 hits and 1 walk.  But with the offense withering, Hunter ran into his typical middle-inning troubles, yielding a pair of runs in the 6th on a home run from Lucas Duda, and being charged with the 2 runs that scored after he was pulled for Dana Eveland in the 7th.  Manager Buck Showalter pulled Hunter in a double-switch, after the big right hander gave up hits to Omar Quintanilla and Josh Thole, then got pinch-hitter Scott Hairston to fly to left.  2 batters later, Jordany Valdespin plated 2 runs with a hit to center, and it was 5-0, Mets.

Offensively, the Orioles had their chances.  The squad went 0-9 with runners in scoring position.  The Orioles 2nd provided some foreshadowing of things to come, as Matt Wieters led off with his 13^th double of the season, and never advanced beyond second base.  Brian Roberts worked Santana for a 2-out walk in the 3rd, but he was picked off.  JJ Hardy led off the 4th with a hit, and, 1-out later, advanced  to third on Wieters’ second double of the night.  But Santana struck out both Mark Reynolds and Steve Pearce.  When Adam Jones singled and Wieters walked in the top of the 6th, it looked like the start of a 2-out rally for the Orioles.  At that point, they hadn’t scored a run in their last 17.2 innings.  A Reynolds pop out moved the scoreless streak to 18 innings.  The birds went 3-up, 3-down against reliever Bobby Parnell in the 7^th.  In the 8th, Wilson Betemit led off with a single, and moved to second on a wild pitch.  Brian Roberts advanced Betemit to third on a ground out.  But Hardy flew out to left, and Jones grounded out to short, and the streak of frustration had reached 20 innings in succession.  And, finally, in the 9th, the scoreless streak hit 21, as the Orioles were dispensed, 1-2-3.  We say “finally”, but we can only hope.

The Orioles will send Brian Matusz (5-7, 4.94) to the bump Wednesday against Dillon Gee (4-5, 4.43) for the Mets.  First pitch is scheduled for 7:10.

The GOOD:

• Wieters had a good night offensively, 2-3 with 2 doubles and a walk.  He was smack in the middle of everything the Orioles almost did.
• Hunter’s night would have been far worse had it not been for a terrific play by Reynolds at first.  His diving stab of Daniel Murphy’s hard grounder with the bases loaded in the 4th saved at least 1 run, and probably more.
• For all the criticism Hunter has gotten (much of it justifiable), we are getting a picture of what he does well.  Through the first 4 innings, Hunter is a different pitcher than he is from inning number 5, on.  His ERA, BAA, and overall efficiency just tank after 4 innings, and Tuesday night was no exception.  Hunter looks, physically, like a bulldog-type—the kind of guy who can give a team lots of solid innings.  But looks are deceiving.  Which leads to…

The BAD:

• …Why was Hunter even out there in the 7th inning?  By the end of 6, Hunter had already given up his requisite home run.  His pitches were elevated in the 6th, and he appeared to be struggling.  With his history in later innings, with the offense completely sputtering, and with the birds already down 3-0, there was no room for more runs allowed.  Perhaps Showalter is trying to stretch Hunter out.  He had only thrown 82 pitches through 6.  Perhaps 82 through 6 was enough.
• As terrific as Reynolds’ 4th inning play was, his night offensively was simply atrocious.  Batting in the #5 spot in the order, Reynolds went 0-4 with a pair of strikeouts.  In the second, he flew out to center with Wieters on second and no one out—an unproductive out.  In the fourth, with Wieters on second, Hardy on third, and just 1-out, Reynolds could have given the Orioles a lead with a productive out.  He struck out.  In the sixth, he again came up with 2 on and 2-out.  He ended the inning with a pop out.  And in the ninth, he struck out with none on and 1-out.  Reynolds left 5 men on base Tuesday.  While Wieters was in the middle of everything the Orioles almost did, Reynolds was in the middle of all they didn’t do.

The post Zer-O’s in New York, Again appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

Hammel’s performance was absolutely masterful, coming just 7 outs away from tossing a no-hitter in his first win against Atlanta, and claiming his first career shutout, 5-0.  His walk to Dan Uggla in the second inning was the last batter Hammel (W, 7-2) allowed on base until 2 men were out in the 7th, a stretch of 17 up, and 17 down.

Early on, though, Hammel wasn’t the best pitcher in this game.  Braves starter Brandon Beachy (L, 5-5) actually got off to a better start than his Orioles counterpart, setting down the first 11 batters he would face.  After issuing a 2-out walk to Chris Davis in the 4^th, Beachy was pulled with an ailing elbow.  He was relieved by Anthony Varvaro, who walked the next 2 batters, then gave up a 2-run single to Mark Reynolds for a 2-0 Orioles lead.  Brian Roberts knocked in Steve Pearce with a single in the 5th, and delivered a 2-run hit in the 7th, scoring Pearce and Wilson Betemit.

Hammel would have his no-hit bid ruined by Braves right fielder Jason Heyward, who stroked an opposite field base hit on a 3-2 pitch.  Uggla, who’d drawn his second walk of the game just before Heyward’s hit, advanced to third, and the Braves had a chance to make it a ball game.  But Eric Hinske flew out to Adam Jones in center on the first pitch he saw, and Hammel set down the Braves in order in the 8th and 9th to give the Orioles their first 1-hitter since Daniel Cabrera one-hit the Yankees in late September, 2006.

The birds and Braves wrap up their weekend series Sunday afternoon at 1:35.  Wei-Yin Chen (6-2, 3.68) goes for the Orioles, against Atlanta’s Randall Delgado (4-6, 4.34).

The GOOD:

• Hammel’s dominating performance came against one of the teams he’s struggled the most against in his career.  Prior to Saturday, Hammel had an 0-3 record and a 9 ERA in 5 career starts against Atlanta.  This was his second career complete game, and the first 9-inning complete game of his career.  With a 7-2 record and an ERA of 2.87, he’s not only the ace of this staff, an argument could be made that he’s the MVP of the team.  And when considering who should represent the Orioles in Kansas City for this year’s All-Star team, it’s nearly impossible to think about Hammel not making the squad (along with Adam Jones and Jim Johnson.  And cases can be made for Chris Davis, JJ Hardy and Matt Wieters, also).  Everyone who questioned the trade of Jeremy Guthrie to Colorado for Hammel and Matt Lindstrom has, by now, jumped on the band wagon.

The BAD:

• The Yankees remain incredibly hot.  They beat Washington in 14 innings Saturday, 5-3, for their 8th straight win.  They continue to lead the Orioles by a game and a half in the AL East.

The post Hammel 1-Hits Braves appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

Brian Roberts’ first game back at the major league level, alone, would have been reason enough to be excited as an Orioles fan.  The small crowd at Camden Yards gave Roberts a nice ovation as he strode to the plate for the first time since his concussion in May of 2011.  After he ripped a 3-2 pitch to center in that first at bat, the crowd went nuts.  Roberts would go on to collect 2 more hits in his 4 at-bats, and added an important sac-fly in the 6th.

Down 1-0 in the 2nd, the Orioles struck against Pirates starter Brad Lincoln (3-2).  Adam Jones led off with his 11th double of the season.  A Matt Wieters ground out moved Jones to 3rd.  Lincoln struck out Wilson Betemit, and Mark Reynolds stepped in, facing a team he owned throughout his National League days.  Reynolds deposited his 4th home run of the season into the seats in left, and the Orioles had a 2-1 lead.

The Orioles mounted a 2-out rally in the 3rd, when Jones blooped a single to center, scoring JJ Hardy, for a 3-1 lead.

Jones added his 18th home run of the year in the 5th, and finished the night with 4 hits, 2 runs, 2 RBIs, and was a triple away from hitting for the cycle.

The Orioles added 4 more in the 6th.  Roberts’ sac fly scored Steve Pearce, who’d reached on an error.  JJ Hardy added an RBI hit, and Chris Davis blasted his 11th home, and it looked like a laugher for the Orioles, up 8-2.

Wei-Yin Chen, meanwhile, was cruising.  Through 6, Chen (6-2) had allowed just 2 runs on 6 hits, and was staked to a 6-run lead.  4 pitches into the top of the 7th, however, he was in trouble.  Clint Barmes singled to left to start the inning, and Alex Presley doubled, moving Barmes to 3rd.  After Neil Walker’s RBI groundout, Buck Showalter lifted Chen for Luis Ayala.  Pirates star centerfielder Andrew McCutchen’s bid for a hit turned into an out, thanks to a great play by rightfielder Ryan Flaherty.  Presley tagged and scored on the play, bringing the Pirates to within 4, at 8-4.

Perhaps feeling nostalgic, Showalter brought Kevin Gregg in to close the game out in the 9th, albeit in a non-save situation.  In the spirit of nostalgia, Gregg gave O’s fans a huge scare, issuing a 1-out walk to Presley—a .235 hitter—and yielding an opposite field home run on a hanging curve to Walker—his 4^th in 216 at bats.  Showalter turned the game over to closer Jim Johnson, who struck out McCutchen, and got Casey McGehee on a ground out to end the game.

The birds and Pirates continue their interleague series Wednesday night at Camden Yards, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05.

The GOOD:

• Lots to be happy about.  Jones:  4-5 with a homer and double.  Reynolds:  2-4 with a homer.  Davis:  2-5 with a homer.  2 hits from Hardy.  Chen threw well.  Another shutdown performance from Johnson.  But the night belonged to Roberts:  3-4 with an RBI in his first game in 13 months.  Plus, a shaving cream pie in the face, courtesy of Jones.

The BAD:

• Endy Chavez had to be pulled with a strained hamstring after a bunt single in the 6th.  No word on how much time he’ll miss, if any, but the Orioles can ill-afford any more injuries.
• Speaking of injuries, pitcher Brian Matusz hurt himself taking bunting practice in the cages before the game.  Matusz fouled off the bunt, and the ball hit him in the nose.  X-rays came back negative, and Matusz insists he’ll be well enough to make Wednesday’s start, as scheduled.  Either way, this is bad news.  At worst, Matusz’s swelling forces him to miss the scheduled start.  At best, Matusz needs to learn how to bunt.

The post Orioles Thump Pirates In Roberts’ Return appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

• Brian Roberts went 0-4.
• Xavier Avery went 0-2 with 2 BB.
• Lew Ford went 1-3 with a Double and BB.
• Bill Hall went 1-4 with a Solo HR.
• Zach Britton (L, 1-1) pitched 4.2 innings with 7 H, 3 R, 2 K, 2 BB allowed.
• Miguel Socolovich pitched 2.1 innings with 1 H, 1 R, 3 K, 0 BB allowed.

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Bowie 6, New Hampshire 5	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
27-34	Box Score	OFF	-	-	-
Jonathan Schoop went 1-5. Rhyne Hughes went 1-3 with a 2 R HR and 3 RBI. Manny Machado went 2-4 with a Double and BB. Brian Ward went 1-2 with 2 BB. Tim Bascom pitched 5.1 innings with 6 H, 3 R, 3 K, 4 BB allowed. Pat Egan pitched 1.2 innings with 1 H, 0 R, 1 K, 1 BB allowed. Michael Belfiore (BS, W, 3-0) pitched 1.0 inning with 3 H, 2 R, 1 K, 2 BB allowed. Greg Burke (S, 12) pitched 1.0 inning with 1 H, 0 R, 1 K, 0 BB allowed.
Notes

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Frederick 0, Lynchburg 5	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
26-37	Box Score	Myrtle Beach Pelicans	Away	7:05 PM	Tim Berry
Trent Mummey went 1-4 with a Double. Justin Dalles went 1-3. Michael Flacco went 1-3 with a Double. Rick Zagone (L, 3-1) pitched 5.0 innings with 8 H, 3 R, 4 K, 5 BB allowed. Brandon Erbe pitched 3.0 innings with 4 H, 2 R, 2 K, 0 BB allowed.
Notes

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Lakewood 4, Delmarva 2	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
26-36	Box Score	Lakewood BlueClaws	Home	2:05 PM	Matt Taylor
Glynn Davis went 1-5 with a SB. Sammie Starr went 2-5 with a Double. Jason Esposito went 1-3 with a Double and 2 RBI. Brenden Webb went 1-2 with 2 BB. Parker Bridwell pitched 5.0 innings with 3 H, 2 R, 2 K, 2 BB allowed. Devin Jones (L, 0-4) pitched 4.0 innings with 3 H, 2 R, 2 K, 1 BB allowed.
Notes
The Shorebirds will play a double-header tomorrow, with Zach Davies starting Game 2.

The post Minor League Scores – 6/10/12 appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

The Orioles had to take a rather precarious route to even get to that point, however.  Jason Hammel, who’s been the Orioles most reliable starting pitcher here in 2012, didn’t have his usual sharpness, and it was evident early on.  The Phillies loaded the bases against him with just 1-out in the first, on a walk, a single, and a hit batter.  But Hammel was able to escape the inning, getting Shane Victorino to pop out to third baseman Steve Tolleson, and striking out Carlos Ruiz on a nasty curve ball.

The Orioles put together a run-scoring rally with 2-outs in their half of the 1st.  Jones and Wieters delivered back-to-back hits, and Ronny Paulino, starting behind the plate and batting fifth because of good career numbers against Phillies starter Cliff Lee, delivered Jones with a single to left.

The Phillies would not be denied in the 2nd.  With the bases loaded, Pence delivered a 2-out, 2-run single to center.  Veteran Jim Thome followed that with a run scoring, opposite field hit, making it 3-1, Philadelphia.  Hammel walked Victorino, loading the bases yet again.  But Hammel was able to induce Ruiz into a force out, escaping further trouble.

After 3-up, 3-down inning in the 3rd, The Phillies went back to work against Hammel in the 4th.  Juan Pierre singled with one out, then stole 2nd.  Pence walked, and an out later, Victorino took ball four, again loading the bases.  Pitching to Ruiz, Hammel bounced one that Paulino actually did a decent job of keeping close.  But the speedy Pierre was able to get to the plate on the wild pitch, and the Phillies had a 4-1 lead.

But in the bottom of the 4th, Phils ace lefthander Lee would find himself in the middle of a roster battle between two Orioles, both fighting to keep their spots in Baltimore when Brian Roberts rejoins the team.  Player number one, Steve Pearce, fueled the rally with a 2-out double, advancing Mark Reynolds, who’d walked, to 3rd.  And player number two, Tolleson, launched his 2nd home run of the season, a blast down the left field line, to tie things at 4.

Both Hammel and Lee would settle down after that, with Hammel retiring the last 7 Phillies he faced before being lifted for Troy Patton.  Again, the bullpen completely shut the door on Philadelphia, with Jim Johnson and Darren O’Day (4-0) following Patton’s 2 shutout innings in similar fashion.

In the Orioles 10th, Jones led off against Phils lefty Joe Savery (0-1),reaching on third baseman Ty Wigginton’s error.  Up stepped Wieters, the birds’ hottest bat, and already 2-for-3 on the day.  He fell behind Savery 0-2, and Phillies catcher Ruiz called for a waste pitch up and away.  But the pitch caught too much of the plate, and Wieters skied one toward the right field scoreboard.  Pence never looked like he was in command of the fly ball, instead drifting for it.  In the end, with his back already up against the scoreboard, he made an awkward lunge to his left, and missed what was a very catchable ball.  The carom off the scoreboard carried the ball into shallow right, and by the time Pence tracked it down, Jones was well on his way to scoring, and giving the Orioles their second straight walk off win.

The birds get a day off Monday, and welcome the upstart Pittsburgh Pirates–32-27 and just half a game behind the NL Central leading Reds–to Camden Yards Tuesday, the day Roberts is expected to be activated for the first time in over a year.  Wei-Yin Chen (5-2, 3.49) goes for the Orioles, against Brad Lincoln (3-1, 2.40).  Game time is 7:05.

The GOOD:

• Wieters is one of the hottest hitters in the American League right now, in a 14-for-36 stretch with 5 RBIs in his last 9 games.
• While Hammel struggled, the fact that he was able to complete 6 innings before turning things over to a tired bullpen can’t be understated. Back-to-back extra-inning games in the heat could have been devastating, especially considering Jake Arrieta’s status, had Hammel (and Hunter Saturday) not delivered clutch innings.
• The Orioles continue to get big contributions from surprising places.  Sunday, Paulino, Pearce, and of course, Tolleson all came up huge.
• The birds got another terrific day for the pen.  Patton, Johnson, O’Day combined for 4 shutout innings on 2 hits and no walks.
• Great to see huge crowds at Camden Yards this weekend, especially with the O’s winning 2 of 3.

The BAD:

• With back-to-back walk off wins and the Orioles just a game behind division leading Tampa Bay, about the only thing we can point to is that all of the teams in the AL East won today, except the last-place Red Sox.  The Rays finished a sweep of Miami, and the Yankees swept the Mets this weekend.

The post Walk-Off Wins On Back-To-Back Days For Orioles appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

• Xavier Avery went 0 for 4 with a run and an RBI.
• Brian Roberts went 2 for 4.
• Lew Ford went 1 for 4 with a run, a home run, 3 RBI, and a strikeout.
• Bill Hall went 2 for 4 with a run, a double, and 2 strikeouts.
• Nate McLouth went 1 for 4 with a strikeout.
• L.J. Hoes went 0 for 4 with a run.
• Jamie Moyer pitched 5 scoreless innings.
• Brad Bergesen pitched 4 scoreless innings.

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Bowie 7, New Hampshire 3	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
26-34	Box Score	New Hampshire Fisher Cats	Away	1:35 PM	Tim Bascom
Jonathan Schoop went 2 for 6 with an RBI. Robbie Widlansky went 3 for 5 with a run, 2 doubles, and an RBI. Manny Machado went 1 for 4 with a run, a double, and a walk. Brandon Waring went 2 for 4 with 2 runs, a home run, and 2 RBI.
Notes

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Game 1: Frederick 2, Lynchburg 3	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
26-36	Game 2: Frederick 1, Lynchburg 4	Lynchburg Hillcats	Home	2:05 PM	Rick Zagone
Game 1: Jeremy Nowak went 2 for 4. Tyler Kelly went 3 for 4 with a double. Aaron Baker went 2 for 4 with an RBI. Justin Dalles went 0 for 3 with a walk and 3 strikeouts. Mike Mosby went 2 for 2 with a walk. Game 2: Jeremy Nowak went 1 for 3 with a run. Tyler Kelly went 0 for 2 with a walk. Aaron Baker went 0 for 2 with a walk. Mike Flacco went 1 for 2 with an RBI and a strikeout.
Notes
The Keys will play a double header tomorrow. Tyler Wilson will start game two.

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Lakewood 1, Delmarva 13	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
26-35	Box Score	Lakewood BlueClaws	Home	2:05 PM	Parker Bridwell
Glynn Davis went 2 for 5 with 2 runs, an RBI, a walk, and 2 strikeouts. Mikey Planeta went 3 for 6 with a run, a double, and a strikeout. Nick Delmonico went 1 for 3 with 4 runs, a home run, 3 RBI, and 2 walks. Jason Esposito went 3 for 4 with 3 runs, a double, a home run, and 3 RBI. Connor Narron went 1 for 3 with a double, an RBI, a walk, and 2 strikeouts. Gabriel Lino went 2 for 3 with a run, a double, and 2 walks. Matt Bywater pitched 1 scoreless inning. David Baker pitched 1 scoreless inning.
Notes

The post Minor League Scores – 6/9/12 appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

• Xavier Avery went 2 for 4 with a run, an RBI, and a walk.
• Brian Roberts went 0 for 4 with a walk and 2 strikeouts.
• Miguel Tejada went 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.
• Joe Mahoney went 3 for 5 with a run, an RBI, and a strikeout.
• Nate McLouth went 1 for 3 with 2 runs, a home run, and 3 RBI.

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Bowie 9, New Hampshire 5	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
25-34	Box Score	New Hampshire Fisher Cats	Away	7:05 PM	Sean Gleason
Buck Britton went 1 for 4 with a walk and a strikeout. Jonathan Schoop went 1 for 5 with a run. Rhyne Hughes went 2 for 4 with 3 runs, a home run, an RBI, and a walk. Brandon Waring went 2 for 5 with a run, a double, and a strikeout. Brian Ward went 2 for 4 with a double, an RBI, and a walk. Steve Bumbry went 1 for 3 with an RBI, 2 walks, and a strikeout. Pedro Viola pitched 3 scoreless innings.
Notes

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Game 1: Frederick 1, Lynchburg 3	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
26-34	Game 2: Frederick 1, Lynchburg 0	Lynchburg Hillcats	Home	4:05 PM	Scott Copeland
Game 1: Jeremy Nowak went 3 for 3 with a run and an RBI. Tyler Kelly went 1 for 3 with a run and an RBI. Aaron Baker went 1 for 3 with a run and a walk. Justin Dalles went 1 for 3 with a double and 2 RBI. Dylan Bundy pitched 5 innings, allowing 4 hits and 2 ER with 3 walks and 5 strikeouts. Game 2: Jeremy Nowak went 1 for 4 with a double. Tyler Kelly went 2 for 3 with an RBI and a walk. Justin Dalles went 2 for 4 with a double. Mike Flacco went 1 for 2. Eddie Gamboa pitched 6 scoreless innings. Clayton Schrader pitched 1 scoreless inning.
Notes
The Keys will play a double header tomorrow. Tyler Wilson will start game two.

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Lakewood 3, Delmarva 5	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
25-35	Box Score	Lakewood BlueClaws	Home	7:05 PM	Justin Moore
Glynn Davis went 0 for 3. Nick Delmonico went 1 for 4 with a double and 2 strikeouts. Jason Esposito went 0 for 3 with a run, a walk, and a strikeout. Brenden Webb went 0 for 2 with a run, 2 walks, and a strikeout. Connor Narron went 2 for 4 with a run and a strikeout. Wynston Sawyer went 2 for 4 with a run, a double, 2 RBI, and a strikeout. Gabriel Lino went 1 for 3 with a run, a home run, and 3 RBI. Mychal Givens went 0 for 3. Miguel Chalas pitched 6 innings, allowing 6 hits and 3 ER with 2 walks and 3 strikeouts. Zach Fowler pitched 3 scoreless innings.
Notes

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