The Orioles managed just three hits in this one, and just one off of Rays starter Jeremay Hellickson (W, 10-11).  The Rays, meanwhile, scored all four of their runs on solo homers, three off of O’s starter Chris Tillman (L, 9-3), and one off of Jake Arrieta in his one inning of relief.

Tillman lost for the first time since August 11.  It’s not that the young O’s righthander—perhaps the biggest individual surprise in an Orioles season that’s seen more surprises than a magician on a Christmas Eve bender—pitched poorly (5IP, 4H, 5K, 3BB, 3HR).  In previous seasons, who wouldn’t have taken that line from Tillman every time out?  But this is Tillman 2.0, and for Tillman 2.0, Wednesday night’s performance—especially with so much on the line—has to go down as a bit of a disappointment.

The Orioles didn’t get on the board until the ninth.  JJ Hardy led off with his 30th double of the year, and took third on defensive indifference.  One out later, Adam Jones tacked on to his 82nd RBI of 2012 with a sac fly, making it 4-1.

The Orioles now head toTexasto take on the team that scored the most runs in baseball (808).  The Orioles were 1-2 inTexasthis year, and 1-3 at home against the Rangers.  The Orioles will battle Yu Darvish (16-9, 3.90) for the first time ever.  Either Joe Saunders (3-3, 3.63/9-13, 4.07) or Steve Johnson (4-0, 2.11) is expected to go for the Orioles.  The winner of the game (Friday night at 8:30) faces the Yankees in a best-of-five series.

The GOOD:

• Playoffs, and 93 wins, 24 more than 2011.

The BAD:

• The matchup against the Rangers doesn’t look good on paper.  Josh Hamilton and Esteban Beltre have both had huge days off the O’s.

The post O’s Fall to Tampa in Season Finale, Head To TX For Wild Card appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

There are four games left in the regular season, and the Baltimore Orioles are tied for first place in the American League East.  Go ahead.  Read it again.  We’ll wait…

That’s four games LEFT, not four games IN.  September 29, and the Orioles are in the penthouse.  In 2012.

Before the game Saturday night, the Orioles honored Brooks Robinson with the unveiling of his statue.  There was a sell out crowd.  The Orioles also found out before the game that the Toronto Blue Jays had beaten the first place New York Yankees for the second time in three days.  With a win over Boston, the Orioles would slide back into a tie for first.

Rookie Steve Johnson took the mound for the O’s, carrying a 4-0 record with an ERA well under two. He set the Sox down in order on the first, but ran into some trouble in the second, giving up a walk and a hit.  But he was helped out when Matt Wieters caught Cody Ross trying to steal.  A strikeout and foul out later, and the threat was over.

In the O’s second, Manny Machado smoked a single to center, scoring Chris Davis for a 1-0 Orioles lead.  In the fourth, Orioles star center fielder Adam Jones, who has played ever single game this year (including the All-Star Game) generated a run with his ever-present hustle.

On a grounder to short, Boston’s Mike Aviles fielded and threw high to first.  First baseman Mauro Gomez leaped, grabbed the throw, and came back down on the bag.  But Jones, as he always does, busted it down the line.  Running full speed all the way, Jones crossed the first place bag before Gomez came down.  As it turned out, this play was enormous.  One out later, Chris Davis launched another homer, his fourth in the current homestand and 30th on the season.  Jones’ hustle turned what would have been a solo home run into a two-run shot, and a 3-0 lead.

In the Sox fifth, Johnson gave up a two-run homer to Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and the lead was quickly back down to just one.  After Johnson gave up a leadoff hit to Jacoby Ellsbury and a walk to Scott Podsednick in the sixth, Buck Showalter went to the bullpen for Tommy Hunter (W, 7-8).  A ground out and sac fly later, the Sox had tied the score at three.

But in the bottom of the seventh, Orioles rookie provided the game’s big blow.  Machado ripped a 1-1, 92 MPH fastball just over the left field wall for home run number seven, and a 4-3 lead.

Brian Matusz and Darren O’Day provided the O’s with a shut down eighth inning, and Jim Johnson set the Sox down in order in the ninth for his 49th save, and the 4-3 win.

The Orioles will hope to finish off the sweep of the Red Sox Sunday at 1:35.  Joe Saunders (2-3, 3.62/8-13. 4.08) pitches for the O’s, vs. Zach Stewart (0-1, 27.00/1-3, 7.91) for Boston.

The GOOD:

• On the night the Orioles honored Brooks Robinson, the defense came to play.  Manny Machado started a brilliant 5-4-3 double play with a fine, backhanded pickup on a short hop.  Fading into foul ground off balance, he spun and delivered a perfect throw to Robert Andino at second, who fired to Mark Reynolds at first for two.  Reynolds himself too over the fifrth, with a diving, double-saving stop and put out, followed by a spectacular catch in foul ground that actually saw him end up pinned between the tarp and the stands, and Endy Chavez made a great diving catch in right.
• Bullpen of Hunter, Matusz, O’Day, J. Johnson:  4IP, 1H, 0R, 1k, 1 inherted runner scored.
• Davis:  2/3, 2R, 1HR, 2RBI.
• Machado:  2/3, 1R, 1HR, 2RBI.

The BAD:

• JJ Hardy looked very bad against Sox starter Felix Doubront (L, 11-10).  0/4, 1K, 3LOB.
• Andino:  0/2, 2K, 1LOB

The post Machado and Davis Lead O’s Past Sox, Back Into 1st Place Tie appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

If you want an idea of what the starting rotation is going to look like, obviously, you don’t even need to pick up a copy of the Opening  Day roster.  Brian Matusz?  He’s in the ‘pen.  Tommy Hunter?  He’ll be in the ‘pen also, IF he makes it.  Jason Hammel?  If he’s healthy, you’ve got to believe he’s in.  Jake Arrieta?  He won’t be on the post season roster.  Wei-Yin Chen has a September ERA of over 5, but he MUST be in the rotation.  Right?

So we’ve got Hammel (maybe) and Chen.  Who else?  Joe Saunders?  Probably.  He’s a veteran who’s been there.  And starter #4 will come down to two guys who didn’t break camp with the Orioles this spring.  Miguel Gonzalez, who pitched in Wednesday’s 12-2 win over Toronto. And then, there’s Friday night’s starter.

Chris Tillman, like Gonzalez, has been a savior for this team.  Since he joined the club just before the All-Star break, who’s been better?  No one on this staff.  Tillman improved to 9-2 on the season with Friday night’s dominating performance in the O’s 9-1 win over the Red Sox.  Tillman surrendered just one hit—a bunt single on the game’s second pitch to Scott Podsednick.  Podsednick went to second on a throwing error by Ryan Flaherty.  One out later, he scored on a sac fly from Dustin Pedroia, and the Sox had a 1-0 lead.

Tillman would walk Daniel Nava in the third, and that was it.  The Sox went in order after that, 14-up, 14-down, and Tillman, provided plenty of run support by the suddenly sizzling offense, thre eight innings, giving up just the one unearned run on just the one bunt hit.  He fanned four, and walked one—a stifling performance.

Back to that offense.  Down 1-0, the Orioles got right to work against Red Sox starter Aaron Cook (L, 4-11).  Nate McLouth singled on Cook’s first pitch.  One out later, Chris Davis, who’d homered twice Wednesday against the Blue Jays, Hammered a line drive home run (29) into the right field seats, for a 2-1 Orioles lead.

One out later, Jim Thome singled.   Mark Reynolds walked,  Manny Machado singled, and he bases were loaded for Ryan Flaherty.

Flaherty jumped on a low, 2-1 fastball and drove it deep into the right field seats for his first career grand slam (6).  The Orioles led 6-1, and the game was essentially over.

Back-to-back-to-back doubles from Reynolds, Machado, and Flaherty plated two more O’s runs in the fifth, and Taylor Teagarden’s single scored Flaherty for the 9-1 win.

The Orioles will send Steve Johnson (4-0, 1.62) to the mound Saturday vs. Boston’s Felix Doubront (11-9, 4.91).  First pitch:  7:05.

The GOOD:

• Tillman is, right now, the ace of this staff.  How crazy is that, for a playoff-bound squad?
• Flaherty:  2/4, 2R, 1HR, 5RBI.
• Multi hit efforts from Thome (3/4) and Machado (2/4), as well as Flaherty.

The BAD:

• Flaherty’s error, though he certainly made up for it.

The post Tillman and Flaherty The Heroes in 9-1 O’s Win Over Boston appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

In game one, Adam Jones went 4-4 with a homer (32), two runs scored, two RBIs and a stolen base to pace the offense.   Steve Johnson (W, 4-0) threw five scoreless innings with six strikeouts, three walks, and three hits allowed.

Nate McLouth added a pair of hits, and Ryan Flaherty homered (5).  The bullpen combination of Troy Patton, Tommy Hunter, Darren O’Day, and Jim Johnson (Save, 48) went four innings giving up a run on five hits, no walks, and five strikeouts.

In the second game, Wei-Yin Chen (L, 12-10) was not sharp.  The lefty gave up five runs on nine hits, two of which were home runs.  He struck out three and walked one before yielding to Jake Arrieta in relief with runners on first and third with no outs in the sixth.  Arrieta slammed the door, striking out three straight Blue Jays to keep the score 5-3 Toronto.

The Orioles, who had blown a bases loaded opportunity one inning earlier, would do so again in the bottom of the sixth.  With one run in and no one out, Adam Jones struck out with the bases loaded.  The Chris Davis hit a fly ball to left fielder Anthony Gose, who threw out Taylor Teagarden trying to tag and score from third.

Arrieta came apart in the seventh, giving up a walk and back-to-back hits to start the innings.  Two outs later, Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia picked on a hanging slider from Arrieta and deposited it into the left field seats for a grand slam.

The Orioles loaded the bases again in the ninth with no one out, only to come away with one run.

The same two teams do battle Tuesday night, with Toronto throwing Aaron Laffey (3-6, 4.80) against Baltimore’s Joe Saunders (2-2, 3.48).  Game time is 7:05.

GAME 1…

The GOOD:

• Steve Johnson’s ERA is now down to 1.62.  He has been remarkable.
• Jones’ breakout season just keeps getting better.  He hit everything hard in this one.

The BAD:

• O’s:   0-5 with RISP.  5 left on base.

GAME 2…

The GOOD:

• Nate McLouth:  1-2, 1HR (5), 1R, 2BB, 1RBI.
• Multi-hit games from Jones, Davis, JJ Hardy, and Robert Andino.
• Pedro Strop and Zach Phillips each threw a scoreless inning in relief.

The BAD:

• Reynolds:  3LOB, 2GIDP.
• The combination of Chen and Arrieta:  7IP, 9ER, 12H, 3HR.

The post Monday at Camden Yards: A Big Pile of Bird Split appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

Chris Tillman was very solid again, giving up one run on six hits and a walk in six innings.  Tillman struck out four Sox batters, and was hurt by a Robert Andino error on a would-be double play.  Andino bounced his relay throw to Mark Reynolds, allowing Cody Ross to score.

The O’s answered in the fifth.  Lew Ford led off with a single off Red Sox starter Felix Doubront.  Chris Davis’ double moved Ford up to third with no one out.  Manny Machado blooped one into shallow right.   Sox second baseman Pedro Ciriaco never got a good read on the ball, drifted into shallow right, and could not grab it.  Ford scored to tie it at 1, and the Orioles had runners on first and third with no one out.

Needing a fly ball, or even a double play grounder to score another run, the birds fell flat.  Andino was called out on strikes.  Nate McLouth struck out swinging.  And JJ Hardy grounded out to first.  The O’s, who’ve been doing a nice job of cashing in at opportune moments, let a golden opportunity get away.

Reliever Luis Ayala was touched for the losing run in the eighth.  Dustin Pedroia led off with a double to right, and scored on Cody Ross’ double high off the Green Monster, making it 2-1.  Brian Matusz came on and retired pinch-hitter Mauro Gomez.  Then, Buck Showalter went to the pen and ordered up the major league debut of 19 year old Dylan Bundy.

The top prospect got Ryan Lavarnway on a flyout to left, and Danny Valencia on a fly ball to right, to get the O’s back in the dugout.

In the ninth, the O’s again put themselves into a terrific position to steal the game.

On a 3-0 pitch, Matt Wieters thought Sox reliever Andrew Bailey had walked him with a pitch that appeared to be up and away.  It was called a strike.  On the next pitch, Wieters grounded out to second, for out number one.  Mark Reynolds singled to left, and Jim Thome, pinch-hitting for Lew Ford, ripped a ground-rule double down the right field line.  Bailey intentionally walked Davis, and the birds had the bases loaded with just one away.

But Machado hit a slow chopper to first, and Reynolds was forced out at the plate, for out number two.  Pinch-hitter Ryan Flaherty then took a called third strike to end the game.

The O’s head back home after their 6-3 road trip.  The O’s will face Toronto in a double header at Camden Yards Monday.  Steve Johnson (3-0, 1.91) and Wei-Yin Chen (12-9, 3.98) pitch for the O’s, with Johnson starting game one at 4:05.

The GOOD:

• Manny Machado’s defense was again on display.  In the seventh, Machado dove to his right to snare a grounder, sprang to his feet, and fired across the diamond to nail speedy fellow rookie Pedro Ciriaco.
• Davis:  2/3, 1BB.

The BAD:

• Buck Showalter’s decision to send Endy Chavez out to run for Jim Thome after Thome’s pinch double.  Now, Chavez is a better baserunner than Xavier Avery, but he’s not faster.  Pure speed matters a lot in that situation.  Not only that, but it forced Buck to then use Flaherty, the Rule 5 rookie, to pinch-hit for Andino.  If Avery runs for Thome, Chavez hits for Andino.  Easy to second guess, because things didn’t work out as they normally do.
• Speaking of Andino, he had a lousy game:  0/3, 3K, 4LOB, 1 very big error.
• Ayala (L, 5-5):  0.1 IP, 2H, 1R.

The post O’s Lose Opportunities, And Lose Boston Finale 2-1 appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

The birds won their 14th straight extra-inning game, beating the Mariners 4-2 in 18.  No, Chris Davis didn’t make an entrance as a pitcher in this one.   But Davis’ slow roller that found the outfield grass in the ninth tied the score at two, and ruined a terrific effort from rookie starter Erasmo Ramirez.

Wei-Yin Chen started for the Orioles, lasting just 5.1 innings.  Chen threw 103 pitches, only one of which produced any runs.  In fact, the Mariners plated runs on just one swing all night:  Miguel Olivo’s two-run homer (11) in the fourth.

The M’s had chances much of the night, as did the Orioles.  But it wasn’t until the top of the 18th that things came together.  Nate McLouth led off with a walk, and moved to third on a perfectly executed hit and run base hit to right from JJ Hardy.  Manager Buck Showalter called on Taylor Teagarden to pinch hit for Xavier Avery, and he came through with another huge hit.  Teagarden’s bloop hit to right scored McLouth, and the Orioles had FINALLY busted the tie.  One out and one intentional walk later, Mark Reynolds scored Hardy by hitting into a force out, and the O’s led 4-2. 

Jim Johnson became the O’s eighth pitcher of the night in the bottom of the 18th, and secured the win with his 44^th save.

The Orioles and Mariners get together for another 10:10 game Wednesday night.  Joe Saunders (2-2, 4.30) goes for the Orioles vs. Felix Hernandez (13-8, 2.92) for the Mariners.

The GOOD:

• Bullpen:  12.2 shutout innings, an amazing performance led by Jake Arrieta (3.1 innings), Darren O’Day (1.2), Steve Johnson (3), and winner Tommy Hunter (2IP, 5-8).
• Yankees were rained out, so the O’s and Yanks are tied atop the AL East.  Boston beat Tampa, and the Rays are looking done.  The A’s lost as well.

The BAD:

• O’s:  2/14 with RISP.

The post O’s Win In 18, Beat Mariners 4-2 appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

His teammates gave O’s starter Zach Britton a 2-0 lead on a Mark Reynolds double in the second, and a solo homer from NateMcLouth (3) in the third.  But Britton (L, 5-3) could not hold the edge.  In the third, Britton coughed it up, and then some.

Stephen Drew, hitting .200 coming in, led off with his 4th home run.  One out later, Britton walked Coco Crisp.  Jonny Gomes was hit by a pitch.  Josh Reddick and Yoenis Cespedes delivered back-to-back singles, and Chris Carter doubled, making it 5-2.

The Orioles would have other chances.  Down three, Adam Jones was thrown out at the plate by Cespedes on a fourth-inning double from Chris Davis.  The birds also put two on in the ninth against A’s closer Grant Balfour, but could do no further damage.

The O’s and A’s wrap up the three-game set Sunday.  Dan Straily (2-0, 3.42) goes for Oakland.  Randy Wolf (5-10/2-0, 5.68) makes hos first start for the Orioles.

The GOOD:

• Two hits each from McLouth, Davis, Jones, and Mark Reynolds.
• Steve Johnson:  3IP, 0R, 1H, 3BB, 4K,

The BAD:

• Britton.  Very bad, in the fourth.
• O’s:  1/6 with RISP.
• The 7,8,9 hitters (Manny Machado, Endy Chavez, and Robert Andino):  Combined 0/11 with 10 left on.

The post Britton, O’s Drop Early Lead In Loss To A’s appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

These are still the Baltimore Orioles, though, so there just HAD to be some adversity.  Starter Jason Hammel, making just his second appearance since returning from knee surgery, had to leave the game in the fourth inning after re-injuring his right knee.  Hardy’s first homer of the night had the O’s on top 3-1 at the time, and Hammel was cruising.  He’d given up just one hit—a Ryan Roberts home run—in 3.2 innings of work when he had to come out.   Hammel has an MRI scheduled for Wednesday, but he almost certainly will be pushed back in the rotation, at best.

Replacing Hammel with two outs in the fourth was Steve Johnson (W, 3-0).  The rookie right hander struggled to get anything off speed over the plate, so he used a fastball that ranged from 88-92 MPH as his out pitch.  He was not spectacular, but was solid, striking out two and walking two in 1.1 hitless, scoreless innings.

The Orioles added runs in the fifth (on an two-RBI double from Matt Wieters), sixth (on a hit from Hardy), and seventh (on Chris Davis’ 25th home run), to extend the lead to 7-1.  Hardy’s second home run of the night was his 21st of the season.  He became the fourth Oriole with 20 or more here in 2012, joining Adam Jones (29), Davis, and Mark Reynolds (21).  Wieters is just one knock away, at 19.

The birds and Rays do battle again Wednesday, with the Orioles looking to lock up a series win.  Miguel Gonzalez (6-4, 3.62) faces Tampa’s Alex Cobb (9-8, 4.28).  Game time is 7:05.

The GOOD:

• Hardy:  4/5, 1 double, 2HR, 3R, 5RBI, and a great defensive play early in the game.
• Wieters:  3/3, 1 double, 2RBI
• Nate McLouth, leading off:  2/5, 2R, 1SB
• O’s bullpen of Johnson, Luis Ayala, Brian Matusz, Darren O’Day, and Pedro Strop combined:  5.1IP, 1ER, 4H, 1HR, 2BB, 7K
• Minutes after the Strop recorded the last out in this one, the Red Sox walked off with a 4-3 win over the Yankees.  The O’s and Yankees are again tied atop the AL East.  The Rays are 2 games out.

The BAD:

• Fingers crossed for a quick recovery from Hammel.  With Chris Tillman already having been pushed back after experiencing elbow stiffness, and with the team handling Miguel Gonzalez and Wei-Yin Chen with kid gloves due to concerns of overuse, the Orioles do not need to lose Hammel here in the stretch run.

The post Hardy’s Boys Hammer Tampa 9-2 appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

In a scoreless game, Chen hit Nick Swisher with a pitch leading off the fourth.  He then walked Robinson Cano on four pitches, and suddenly, Wei-Yin Chen was doing a fine Pedro Strop imitation.  One out later, Chen threw a brutal, 85 MPH, above-the-belt changeup to Russell Martin.  The Yankees catcher deposited it into the left field seats, and the Yankees were up 3-0.  One out later, Andruw Jones singled, bringing up Steve Pearce.

To say the man who started at first base for the Yankees Friday night has had a bizarre season is to say political ads sometimes aren’t truthful.  Pearce signed with the Twins this past offseason, and was cut loose before Opening Day.  Pearce began the season in Scranton, the Yankees Triple-A club.  The Yankees picked him up, but shipped him to Baltimore in early June.  He contributed as an Oriole, too, hitting .254 with 3 homers and 14 RBI in 28 games.  On July 21, the day after acquiring Omar Quintanilla from the Mets, the Orioles designated Pearce for assignment.  The Houston Astros picked Pearce off the scrap heap seven days later, and after 21 games and a .254 average there, on August 27 (the same day Mark Teixeira last played), the Yankees bought him from Houston.  For guys who live life as the 25th man, it’s best to sign short-term leases.

Chen’s first pitch to his one-time teammate was a 91 MPH fastball, thigh-high, at the center of the plate.  Pearce hammered it deep to left.  Left fielder Nate McLouth tracked the high fly back to the wall, using tiny, choppy steps just before a perfectly timed leap.  His effort came up short, and Pearce had two runs worth of revenge, giving the Yanks a 5-0 lead.

Chen left after yielding another homer—a two-run shot to Alex Rodriguez—in the fifth, with the Orioles down 7-0.  But the birds would show life.

In the bottom of the sixth, JJ Hardy reached on an error.  Nate McLouth, already 2/2 on the day, just missed a home run to right.  The ball hit the top of the out-of-town scoreboard, and McLouth dove into second with his 2nd double of the game.  Yanks starter Phil Hughes (W, 14-12) then saw his 92 MPH first pitch to Adam Jones turned around, with Jones sending it deep into left center for home run number 29.  It was 7-3.

Cody Epply replaced Hughes to start the seventh, and got Manny Machado for out number one.  But Robert Andino ripped a flat, 88 MPH fastball way back into the left field seats for a homer (7), and it was 7-4.

Both the Yanks and Orioles scored one each in the ninth, the O’s on Machado’s fourth home run, and the Yankees moved up into sole possession of first place in the AL East, 1 up on the Orioles, with the 8-5 win.

Series game three happens at 7:05 Saturday night.  Joe Saunders (7-11/1-1, 4.26/4.63) faces C.C. Sabathia (13-4, 3.42).

The GOOD:

• Steve Johnson stepped in and gave the Orioles offense a chance to get back in the game:  3IP, 1H, 3K, 0ER.
• McLouth:  3-4, 2 2b, 1R.
• Machado:  2/4, 1HR, 1R, 1RBI.

The BAD:

• Weird how Chen suddenly hit a wall.  His final line:  4.2IP, 6H, 3HR, 7ER, 4K, 1BB.
• The O’s offense missed a golden, first-inning opportunity.  McLouth’s first double moved Hardy to third with one out, but Jones popped to second, and Wieters lined to center, and Hughes escaped trouble.

The post Yanks Win Homer-fest Over Chen and O’s appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

Acquired over the weekend from Arizona for reliever Matt Lindstrom, Saunders’ honeymoon lasted exactly one pitch, the first of the game.  On the 0-1 to White Sox leadoff man Dewayne Wise, Saunders gave up his first hit as an Oriole.  He would give up a walk, a double, and two more singles in a four-run first inning that the Orioles never recovered from, as the White Sox won game three of this four-game series, 8-1.

At no point in time was Saunders NOT in some kind of trouble.  He gave up hits in each of his 5.1 innings of work.  His new teammates helped him out defensively in the second and third with double plays after leadoff base hits.  But in the fourth, his new battery mate let him down, as Matt Wieters dropped a foul pop.  That play gave Tyler Flowers new life, and he made a productive out with it.  Alexei Ramirez, who had singled, moved to second on Flowers’ tap out to Saunders.  Gordon Beckham then doubled off the left field wall, plating Ramirez with Sox run number five.

Saunders would be pulled with one out and runners on second and third in the sixth.  Kevin Gregg allowed the inherited runners to score against the first batter he faced.  Again it was Beckham doing the damage, with a two-run single to center.  Gregg’s outing was certainly less than stellar, allowing five of the seven batters he faced to get on base, and giving up a run of his own in the seventh.

The lone Orioles run scored on a sac fly from Carlos Quintanilla in the fourth, making it a 5-1 game.  The Orioles were never really in this one, as Sox starter Dylan Axelrod (W, 2-2), just back from Triple-A, gave up just one run on three hits and four walks through 7.1 innings.

The birds and Sox wrap up their four game set Thursday afternoon at 12:35.  Coming off back-to-back good outings, Zach Britton (3-1, 5.59) goes for the Orioles, against Chicago left hander Jose Quintana (5-2, 2.86).

The GOOD:

• Things could’ve been worse, and likely, would have been had the O’s not turned three double plays.
• Two perfect innings in relief at the end of the game.  Luis Ayala and Steve Johnson combined to deliver those two innings, striking out three in the process.

The BAD:

• Saunders:  5.1IP, 10H, 7R, 6ER, 2BB, 4K.  Over his last 10 games, Saunders has yielded 73 hits and 14 walks in just over 60 innings.  He is 2-7 with a 5.67 ERA in that time.
• Gregg:  1.1IP, 2H, 1ER, 3BB, 0K, 2 inherited runners scored.  Over his last 10 games, Gregg has given up 18 hits and 7 walks in 11.1 innings.  He has struck out 9, but has pitched to an ERA of 6.35.
• Wieters’ error was his 10th!
• Only three Orioles had hits:  Wieters, Chris Davis, and Nick Markakis.

The post Saunders Lit Up In O’s Debut appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

Up went Jason Berken. Down came Tommy Hunter.  Down came Berken, up went Dana Eveland.  Up went Stu Pomeranz, down came Eveland.  Joel Pineiro was signed, and talk the talk centered around his future role in Baltimore.  And the transactions kept coming.  Matusz, down.  Hunter back up.  Hunter back down, Miguel Gonzalez up.  Zach Phillips, up.  And down.

He had an out clause in his contract, stipulating that if he was not a member of the 40 man roster at one point, he could opt out and become a free agent.  The Orioles were apparently willing to take that risk, but when Johnson alerted told the team he was going to walk, the Orioles blinked.  Thankfully.  He got his spot on the 40 man, but still had to wait for the actual call.

The call came on July 2, as the Orioles added him as insurance.  Two days later (and still having not made his ML debut), he was back on a flight to Norfolk, trading roster spots with Chris Tillman.  And the roster moves in Baltimore continued…Matusz, back down.  Arrieta, down.  Miguel Socolovich.  Zach Britton.  And Hunter again.  Jason Hammel went on the DL July 15, and Johnson was called back up.  And the next day, he was sent back down.  And Eveland came again.  And Eveland went again.

Now, it’s hard to argue any single one of the transactions made by the Orioles this year.  How Dan Duquette and Buck Showalter have been able to sweat the resources to keep this team in contention all season long is well beyond most baseball folks.  But, for someone like Johnson, who’s paid his dues in the minors since 2005, and who in many ways was putting up the best numbers he ever has this season, being a spectator—and a travelling one at that—has HAD to take its toll.

Saturday night, he finally made his second big league start, 17 days after his first one.  Forget the fact that his first start in the bigs—a six-inning, nine-strikeout, two-earned run win—warranted far more than a two-plus week rotation removal.  Life isn’t fair.  Johnson, we can say with some certainty, has figured this out.

Johnson (W, 2-0) got into early trouble, giving up a long, two-run home run to Edwin Encarnacion (34) in the first.  But he gave up no more runs and just two more hits for the rest of his six innings.  He struck out seven, walked two, and relied heavily on battery mate Matt Wieters to do the rest, both with the bat, and behind the plate.

Wieters nailed all three Blue Jays trying to steal on him.  Offensively, while he did strike out three times, Wieters delivered a sac fly and an RBI single, Joining Adam Jones and JJ Hardy as O’s with a pair of RBIs apiece.  Hardy’s RBIs came on a home run (17) that just did elude Jays’ outfielder Rajai Davis’ leaping attempt at the wall in the fifth.  That shot was one of three hits for Hardy on the day, and gave the Orioles a 6-2 lead.

In relief of Johnson, Luis Ayala threw two shutout innings, and Kevin Gregg struck out the side in order in the ninth.

The O’s will go for the sweep of Toronto Sunday at 1:05.  Chris Tillman (6-2, 3.71) pitches for the Orioles, against Toronto’s Henderson Alvarez (7-11, 4.84).

The GOOD:

• The one thing you have to like about Johnson is his composure.  To a certain extent, he does wear his emotions. But he also carries with him an outwardly obvious “I got this” air.  He pitches with poise and confidence.  Now, he’s pitched in five games total, throwing good starts at Toronto and Seattle, and a good relief appearance against Boston.  When he’s faced good teams, pitching in relief against Detroit and Texas, he hasn’t fared as well.  It’s a very small sampling, so the jury is still out, but you have to be impressed with the tenacity.
• JJ Hardy has a five-game hitting streak, and is now 5 for his last 9.
• Manny Machado, Mark Reynolds, and Nick Markakis chipped in multi-hit games.
• One has to wonder when the league is going to learn NOT to run on Matt Wieters.  Until then, by all means, they should have at it.

The BAD:

• The birds left nine runners on base.

The post Johnson Pitches O’s Past Jays appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

Hunter (L, 4-8) cruised early (“early” in a three-inning start means “in the first inning.”  All things are relative).   But leading off the second, Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre started what would be a career night.  On a 3-2 pitch, Hunter threw a 94 MPH cut fastball that didn’t cut much, and Beltre smoked a line drive over the center field fence for a home run (20), and a 1-0 Rangers lead.

After the Orioles tied it at 1 on a Nick Markakis single in the third, Hunter again retired the side in the home half of inning number three.  But in the fourth, Hunter’s former teammates took batting practice against him.

Josh Hamilton singled to start the nightmare, and set the stage for Beltre.  Hunter served up a 1-0, nothing slider.  It was belt-high, and Beltre just clobbered it, deep into the seats in left for his second homer of the night, 21st of the year, and a 3-1 Texas lead.  And the Rangers were just getting started.

Nelson Cruz singled.  Michael Young singled.  David Murphy doubled Cruz home, and it was 4-1.  Geovany Soto walked on four pitches, and with two in and no outs, the bases were loaded for Rangers first baseman Mitch Moreland.

Hunter, on 0-1, broke off another slider.  Again, it stayed belt-high.  Again, it landed in the seats.  Moreland’s 13th home run was also his first career grand slam, and it turned this one into a laugher, at 8-1.  Hunter faced one more batter, in second baseman Ian Kinsler.  He singled to left, and Buck Showalter, finally showing Hunter a little mercy, yanked him.  On came Kevin Gregg, and in one pitch, he did what Tommy Hunter couldn’t get done in 22 pitches in the fourth—get an out.  Actually, Gregg got two, as Elvis Andrus hit into the 1-6-3 double play.

But with two outs, Gregg walked Hamilton, bring up Beltre.  Gregg got ahead of Beltre 0-2, and decided to try to get him to climb the ladder.  He threw a 91 MPH fastball eye-high, and Beltre blasted it deep into center, and just over the wall for a third home run on the night, and second in the inning.

Beltre would get two more cracks at joining teammate Hamilton as Rangers with four home runs in one game against the Orioles this season, but he grounded to third in the sixth, and hit into an inning-ending, 6-4-3 double play in the eighth.

The Rangers got a solid outing from lefty Derrick Holland (W, 8-6), who picked up his first win all month.  Holland allowed 3 earned runs on 5 hits through 7.  He struck out 5, and walked 2.

The birds get a day off to let this one sink in Thursday.  They welcome the Toronto Blue Jays to town for a weekend set starting Friday night at 7:05.  It’ll be Zach Britton (2-1, 6.23) vs. Carlos Villanueva (6-3, 3.10).

The GOOD:

• The O’s didn’t allow a fourth home run to Beltre.  It’ll be hard enough watching to SportsCenter after he hit three.  I think they just stopped talking about Hamilton’s 4-home run game in May, on Monday.
• Markakis:  3-4, 3RBI.

The BAD:

• Tommy Hunter’s real estate agent needs to teach him about location, location, location.  Everything at the belt was hit hard in this one.  When that happens, Hunter’s outfielders run OUT of real estate.  Hunter has now allowed 31 home runs, tops in baseball.
• Steve Johnson, surprisingly, wasn’t used in long relief.  Instead, he joined ‘pen mates Gregg, J.C. Romero, Luis Ayala, and Matt Lindstrom in tossing an inning each.  Of that crew, only Ayala and Lindstrom were unscored upon.
• A win by the A’s Wednesday knocks the O’s out of the top spot for the second Wild Card position, by 1/2 game.  The birds also had a chance to gain on the Yankees again, who were beaten by the White Sox, and in fact, swept by Chicago.

The post Rangers Get 3HR From Beltre in 12-3 Win Over O’s appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

The O’s put together a nice, two-run first when Nick Markakis and JJ Hardy led off the inning with singles.  A Nate McLouth gound out moved them up 90 feet each, and Adam Jones, on a great piece of hitting, grounded a double down the right field line to score them both.  Scott Podsednik was able to tap a soft line drive just past the dive of Hardy with two outs in the second, scoring Nick Punto, and the Sox trimmed the Orioles lead to one at 2-1.

The Orioles opened the second inning like they were never going to make another out.  Clay Buchholz’s first pitch to Mark Reynolds was drilled into the seats in right center.  Reynolds’ 12th home run made it 3-1 Orioles.  Next up, Manny Machado doubled to left.  When Omar Quintanilla took a four-pitch walk, it looked like the Orioles had Buchholz fighting for his life.  None out, two on, one already in, and Nick Markakis, who’d already picked up one hit, was set to step in.  With 24 outs left to give, this would be the offensive turning point for the Orioles.

Markakis has been the Orioles leadoff man since his return from wrist surgery.  He’s excelled in this role, which was handed to him for the first time in his life.  But let’s not fool ourselves.  With runners on first and second, Markakis’ role reverts back to run producer.  He‘s not exactly a punch-and-judy hitter.  He’s not a slap hitter.  Nick Markakis, while not a power hitter, drives the ball.  He hits line drives in the gaps.  He hits doubles.  Markakis, in this situation, is up there to get a run in, at least.  Instead, on Buchholz’s first pitch, Nick Markakis squared to bunt.

Now, Buchholz did him a favor.  Markakis got the perfect ball to bunt (not that Nick, who’s not an accomplished bunter, would necessarily know what that is by experience)—a slow, 75-MPH curve ball, down.  Markakis totally deadened it right in front of the plate.  Thinking perhaps it was a foul ball, Markakis made matters worse by becoming a spectator, watching as Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia picked it up and fired to third baseman Nick Punto for the force on Machado.  Punto then gunned across to first to easily double up Markakis, who never quite got around to hustling on the play.  The huge double play played a large part in keeping Buchholz and the Red Sox in this game.  Two pitches later, it looked like the cards were stacked against the Orioles on this night despite their early lead.

Hardy picked up his second single to right field on the night.  But Red Sox right fielder Cody Ross made a strong throw in to Saltalamacchia, whose sweep tag beat Quintanilla sliding into home, for out number three.  The Orioles, in the second inning, sent five men to the plate.  Four of them reached, one on a walk, one on a single, one on a double, and one with a homer.  They were 3-4 with a walk and home run in the inning, and they scored just one run.  There’s your ballgame.

O’s starter Chris Tillman was simply not sharp in this one.  He nibbled.  He battled command issues.  He could not overcome.  Laboring into the fifth, Tillman yielded a one-out hit to Carl Crawford, then a double to Dustin Pedroia.  With Adrian Gonzalez batting, Tillman bounced a curve that got away from Matt Wieters for a wild pitch.  Crawford scored, Pedroia moved up to third.  Gonzalez then delivered a sac fly, and the Sox had tied things.  Buck Showalter lifted Tillman after 4.2 innings.  He gave up three earned runs on six hits, struck out five and walked two.  Kevin Gregg, needing just one out to escape the fifth, took three batters to do it, but did so with no further damage.

Luis Ayala entered in the sixth.  With one out, Podsednik doubled.  Ellsbury drew a walk, and Crawford hit into a force, putting runners on the corners with two outs.  Crawford stole second.  On a 2-2 pitch, Ayala threw a 91 MPH fastball down.  Pedroia tapped it slowly toward third baseman Manny Machado, who could not glove it.  Even had the rookie picked it cleanly, there are no guarantees he’d have gotten Pedroia.  The infield hit gave the Sox their first lead, at 4-3.  Next up, Gonzalez picked on a fat fastball and lined an RBI hit to right.  Cody Ross ripped a shot to left on the very next pitch, scoring Pedroia.  Gonzalez was thrown out heading to third after the run scored for the final out.  The Sox, with two outs, had scored three runs on three straight Ayala (L, 4-4) pitches, and led 6-3.

Here on shark week, Buchholz attacked the Orioles in their half of the sixth like a great white to chum.  Adam Jones:  called strike, swinging strike, called strike—one out.  Matt Wieters:  foul ball, swinging strike, called strike—out number two.  Chris Davis:  foul ball, foul ball, swing and a miss—three outs…on nine pitches.

Buchholtz (W, 11-3) was outstanding after escaping that second inning jam.  On the night, he gave up eight hits, but only two after the second.  Buchholtz struck out eight, walked three, and surrendered just 3 runs.  He was also pretty pitch-efficient, throwing 107 pitches over eight.  Chris Tillman threw 110 in just 4.2 innings.  Alfredo Aceves came on and struck out the side in the ninth (though it took him more than 9 pitches to do so).

The Orioles wrap up the homestand with a 7-3 record, and now hit the road for some crucial matchups.  Friday night, the O’s open a weekend set in Detroit.  Tommy Hunter (4-7, 5.54) throws for the Orioles.  Justin Verlander (12-7, 2.46) goes for the Tigers.  Game time is 7:05.

The GOOD:

• Mark Reynolds with another homer and  2-hit game.  Also a pair of hits from Hardy, both to right field which is good to see.

The BAD:

• Everything after Markakis’ bunt attempt, really.  Chris Davis had another one of THESE nights:  0/4, 3K, 3LOB
• Steve Johnson had been scheduled to start Saturday at Detroit, but he pitched two innings in relief in this one.  It was a good outing, but now, what happens Saturday?
• Wilson Betemit heads to the DL with wrist issues.  With the glove, he’s a butcher.  But when he’s on offensively, he’s a big contributor.  Especially now with Chris Davis missing more than he hits again, Betemit’s bat will be missed.

The post Sox Top O’s In Series Finale appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

• L.J. Hoes went 2-4.
• Ryan Adams went 1-4.
• Bill Hall went 1-4.
• Xavier Avery went 1-3.
• Zach Britton (L, 4-2) pitched 3.2 innings with 3 H, 6 R, 7 K, 4 BB allowed.
• Greg Burke pitched 2.1 innings with 0 H, 0 R, 0 K, 0 BB allowed.
• Oscar Villarreal pitched 2.0 innings with 2 H, 0 R, 4 K, 1 BB allowed.

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
		Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
62-58	OFF	Erie SeaWolves	Home	6:05 PM DH	Dylan Bundy
Notes
Tim Bascom will start the second game of the Doubleheader.

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Frederick 5, Carolina 9	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
50-69	Box Score	Carolina Mudcats	Away	7:15 PM	N/A
Johnny Ruettiger went 1-4 with a BB. Jerome Pena went 1-4 with a Double and BB. Brenden Webb went 0-1 with 3 BB and a SB. Allan de San Miguel went 1-4 with a Double and 2 RBI. Michael Mosby went 2-4 with 2 Doubles, 2 RBI and a BB. Matt Bywater (L, 0-2) pitched 3.1 innings with 8 H, 6 R, 3 K, 1 BB allowed. Eric Beaulac pitched 3.2 innings with 4 H, 3 R, 5 K, 2 BB allowed. Brandon Erbe pitched 1.0 inning with 1 H, 0 R, 0 K, 0 BB allowed.
Notes

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Delmarva 0, Kannapolis 7	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
47-71	Delmarva 3, Kannapolis 4	Kannapolis Intimidators	Away	5:00 PM DH	Parker Bridwell
Game 1: Roderick Bernadina went 1-4. Michael Ohlman went 1-4. Zach Davies (L, 4-4) pitched 2.0 innings with 2 H, 1 R, 3 K, 1 BB allowed. Miguel Chalas pitched 5.0 innings with 6 H, 3 R, 4 K, 0 BB allowed. Alex Schmarzo pitched 2.0 innings with 3 H, 3 R, 2 K, 0 BB allowed. Game 2 Connor Narron went 1-3. Michael Ohlman went 1-3. Mike Planeta went 2-3 with a RBI. Mychal Givens went 1-2 with a BB. Gregory Lorenzo went 2-3 with a RBI. Williams Louico (L, 0-5) pitched 4.2 innings with 2 H, 4 R (0 ER), 4 K, 4 BB allowed. Jesse Beal pitched 1.1 inning with 1 H, 0 R, 1 K, 0 BB allowed.
Notes
Eric Wooten will start the second game of the Doubleheader.

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
		Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
23-31	OFF	OFF
Notes

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Twins , Orioles	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
22-26	POSTPONED	GCL Twins	Home	11:00 AM DH	N/A

The post Minor League Scores – 8/13/12 appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

Camden Yards was buzzing Thursday because of the surprise arrival of Manny Machado.  The 20 year old, selected #1 by the Orioles (3 overall) in the 2010 draft, was the latest addition to the ever-changing Orioles’ roster.  Before word got out after Wednesday’s game, no one expected this move.  How could anyone possibly expect it?  Then, word quickly filtered that Machado was going to be playing third base.  Of course he was.  The Orioles, in the hunt for a playoff berth for the first time since Bill Clinton was president, weren’t going to sit their slick fielding shortstop, no matter how much JJ Hardy has struggled offensively.

Third base, primarily held down by Wilson Betemit this summer, has been a defensive black hole in Baltimore.  With about 50 games left in the season, it’s about time that wasn’t the case.  Of course, there’s always the small detail that the 20 year old Machado has only played third base TWICE in his short professional career.  The big leagues is not where players are taught new positions.  It’s where players come once they’ve mastered their position in the minors.  And yet, here was young Manny Machado, courtesy of the Mad Geniuses named Showalter and Duquette…number 13…playing third…batting ninth.

Wei-Yin Chen (L, 10-7), who has become the ace of the staff in the absence of Jason Hammel, was on the mound for the Orioles.  The lefty had pitched two straight scoreless starts, striking out 16 and surrendering just 8 hits over his last 12.2 inning coming in. But this was not the same Wei-Yin Chen Thursday.  Chen gave up 9 hits, 6 for extra bases.  He served up two home runs—the first to Royals leadoff man Alex Gordon on the game’s second pitch, and the second, 3 batters later to KC’s cleanup hitter Billy Butler.  Kansas City touched up Chen for 7 runs in 4.2 innings.  If Chen has ever been worse than he was Thursday, he was pitching halfway around the world at the time.

On the other side of the coin, the last time a guy named Will Smith looked this good, he was battling things from outside this world all together.  Yes, Will Smith, he of the 2-4 record and 6 ERA coming in, was assigned the task of shutting down an Orioles offense that had scored 17 runs in the past two games.  And, so he did.  Handed a 4-0 lead in the first, the lefty cruised, giving up just 2 runs on 6 hits through 7 innings.  Kansas City had given Smith (w, 3-4) a 7-0 lead by the time the Orioles crossed the plate for the first time, in the fifth.

The inning started with Manny Machado.  On an 0-2 curve away, Machado went with the pitch and split the gap in right center.  The ball rolled all the way to the fence, and Machado rolled all the way to third base.  Machado’s first big league hit…a leadoff triple.  Next, Nick Markakis ripped a fastball away on a line into left.  Gordon made fine sliding catch, and Machado tagged up to score.

Matt Wieters added a solo home run (16) in the eighth—his third in three games—and Machado would add an infield hit to go along with his triple, but the O’s were soundly beaten, 8-2 to end their five-game winning streak.

The O’s will send Miguel Gonzalez (3-2, 3.80) to the hill against the Royals’ Luke Hochevar (7-9, 5.04).  7:05 is game time.

The GOOD:

• Machado looked very comfortable at third, handling a couple of routine plays there.  He carried over his hot hitting at Bowie into his big league debut as well, going 2-4 with a run and a triple.  His burst of speed from second to third on the three bagger was impressive.
• While Betemit’s playing time appears to be most in jeopardy due to Machado’s arrival, he’s not the only one who should be looking over his shoulder.  Mark Reynolds, Chris Davis, Robert Andino, Omar Quintanilla, and even Lew Ford and Nate McClouth could be affected by this move.  The one thing we are pretty sure of…Machado isn’t up here to sit.  He’ll play as long as he’s up.  The only guys who likely don’t have to feel a bit pushed by Machado’s arrival are Wieters (and Teagarden), Markakis, Jones, and, ironically, the man Machado will likely displace in a year or two, JJ Hardy.

The BAD:

• This was easily Chen’s worst outing in the majors.  Kansas City can hit, and they did.
• Markakis, Hardy, Davis, Reynolds, and Andino, all hitless.

The post O’s Drop Machado’s Debut, Win Streak Snapped At Five appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

• L.J. Hoes went 1-4 with a Double.
• Xavier Avery went 1-5.
• Ryan Adams went 1-2 with a Double and RBI.
• Ronny Paulino went 2-4 with a Double, RBI, and BB.
• Bill Hall went 1-5 with a HR and 2 RBI.
• Brandon Waring went 2-4 with a HR and 2 RBI.
• Eric Beaulac pitched 3.0 innings with 1 H, 0 R, 0 K, 3 BB allowed.
• Zach Fowler (W, 2-0) pitched 3.0 innings with 3 H, 2 R, 1 K, 2 BB allowed.
• Pat Egan pitched 2.1 innings with 5 H, 2 R, 0 K, 0 BB allowed.

• Steve Johnson and Miguel Socolovich were recalled from Norfolk to Baltimore.

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Bowie 4, Altoona 7	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
60-56	Box Score	Altoona Curve	Away	7:00 PM	Rick Zagone
Manny Machado went 1-3 with a Solo HR. Caleb Joseph went 1-4 with a Solo HR. Zelous Wheeler went 1-2 with a HR, 2 RBI and 2 BB. Tim Bascom (L, 5-6) pitched 4.0 innings with 9 H, 7 R (6 ER), 3 K, 2 BB allowed. Jason Gurka pitched 3.0 innings with 3 H, 0 R, 3 K, 2 BB allowed. Andy Loomis pitched 1.0 inning with 0 H, 0 R, 0 K, 0 BB allowed.
Notes

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Lynchburg 5, Frederick 8	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
48-66	Box Score	Lynchburg Hillcats	Home	7:00 PM	Devin Jones
Johnny Ruettiger went 0-2 with 2 BB. Tyler Townsend went 3-5 with a Double and RBI. Joe Oliveira went 3-4 with a Double and RBI. Michael Mosby went 3-4 with 3 RBI. Garabez Rosa went 1-4 with 2 RBI. Dylan Bundy (W, 6-3) pitched 5.1 innings with 7 H, 4 R, 7 K, 2 BB allowed. Brandon Erbe pitched 1.2 innings with 1 H, 0 R, 3 K, 0 BB allowed. Oscar Melendez pitched 1.1 innings with 0 H, 1 R, 0 K, 3 BB allowed. David Walters (S, 11) pitched 0.2 innings with 0 H, 0 R, 2 K, 0 BB allowed.
Notes
Trent Mummey was placed on the DL. Travis Adair was placed on the DL. Eric Beaulac was transferred to Norfolk. Zach Fowler was transferred to Norfolk.

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Augusta 3, Delmarva 2	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
45-67	Box Score	Augusta GreenJackets	Home	7:05 PM	Parker Bridwell
Michael Ohlman went 0-2 with a RBI and BB. Mychal Givens went 2-4 with a Double and SB. Roderick Bernadina went 1-4 with a SB. Williams Louico pitched 5.0 innings with 5 H, 2 R, 3 K, 5 BB allowed. Eric Wooten (L, 1-2) pitched 4.0 innings with 2 H, 1  (0 ER), 3 K, 0 BB allowed.
Notes
Brenden Webb was promoted to Frederick. Jerome Pena was promoted to Frederick. David Baker was activated off the DL.

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Tri-City 2, Aberdeen 3	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
20-30	Box Score	Tri-City ValleyCats	Home	7:05 PM	David Richardson
Anthony Vega went 1-3 with a BB. Creede Simpson went 2-4. Lucas Herbst went 1-4. Torsten Boss went 1-3 with a BB. Will Howard went 2-3 with a Double, 3 RBI, a BB and a SB. Sebastian Vader pitched 6.0 innings with 2 H 1 R (0 ER), 5 K, 1 BB allowed. Jason McCracken pitched 3.0 innings with 3 H, 1 R, 0 K, 0 BB allowed.
Notes
Kenny Wise was released. Jaime Esquivel was activated off the DL. Gregory Lorenzo was promoted to Delmarva.

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Orioles 7, Twins 6	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
20-25	Box Score	GCL Twins	Away	12:00 PM	N/A
Manuel Hernandez went 2-5 with a Double. Hector Veloz went 3-3 with a Double, Triple, 2 RBI and a BB. Jalen Simmons went 2-4 with a Double and RBI. Byron Capellan went 1-3 with a Double, RBI and BB. Elias Pinales pitched 5.0 innings with 6 H, 3 R, 5 K, 0 BB allowed. Luc Rennie pitched 3.0 innings with 1 H, 1 R, 2 K, 1 BB allowed. Sean McAdams (W, 3-0) pitched 1.2 innings with 5 H, 2 R, 2 K, 2 BB allowed. Joseph Yermal (S, 1) pitched 0.1 innings with 0 H, 0 R, 0 K, 0 BB allowed.

The post Minor Leagues Scores – 8/8/12 appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

Buck Showalter had planned to rest his All-Star catcher after he spent all 14 innings crouching behind the plate Tuesday night.  But Wieters talked his manager into letting him catch Johnson in his first big league start.  All parties are happy with the results.

Johnson (W, 1-0_ began the night fanning the Mariners’ first two hitters, Dustin Ackley and Michael Saunders, on six pitches.  Johnson went 0-2 on Jesus Montero before he singled to right.  The next batter, John Jaso, struck out on three pitches, and Johnson had his club back in the dugout.

Former Oriole Kevin Millwood (L, 4-10), who 23 years ago was getting ready to begin his freshman year in high school, took the hill for the Mariners, and was greeted rudely by his old mates.  JJ Hardy picked up a one-out single, and Chris Davis walked.  Adam Jones hit into a force out, putting runners on first and third with two away, for Wieters.

Wieters worked the count full, then picked on an 83 MPH slider from Millwood and ripped it to right.  Right fielder Eric Thames took a bad route to the ball, but still appeared to have it in range.  In mid-stride, he reached up over his head, but the ball trickled out of the webbing of his glove.  The birds picked up two runs on the shot, which was ruled a double for Wieters, but which definitely should have been caught.

The second inning provided the most angst for Johnson.  With his team having just handed him two runs, Johnson gave up a leadoff hit to Kyle Seager, then walked Mike Carp.  Trayvon Robinson hit into a force, putting runners on the corners with one out.  Thames took Johnson to a 3-2 count before walking to load the bases.  Next up, shortstop Munenori Kawasaki tried to bunt his way on, or at least bunt home a run.  Johnson fielded it and flipped to Wieters for the force at the plate, and there were two outs.  Ackley then went after Johnson’s first pitch, a 79-MPH changeup, and popped out, and Johnson had stranded three runners.

Nick Markakis led off the O’s third with a triple.  He scored when Hardy scooted a ground ball under Seager’s glove at third for a base hit.  One out later, Jones doubled to left, moving Hardy to third.  Wieters made a productive out, grounding to second and plating the Orioles’ fourth run.

Into the home half of the fourth, and Mark Reynolds took a belt-high, 90 MPH Millwood fastball into the seats in right center for a one-out, solo homer (9).  Omar Quintanilla singled.  Then Markakis pounded a Millwood slider onto the flag court in right for another home run (12), and a 7-0 Orioles lead.

The M’s finally got to Johnson in the sixth.  Montero singled leading off, and one-out later, Seager hit an opposite field homer to left (13), and it was 7-2 Baltimore.   Johnson would get the final two outs in the sixth, and that would end his night.  A very solid first big league start (and second ML appearance) finished with 6IP, 2ER, 5H, 2BB, 9K, 1HR.  Oh, and 1W.

Troy Patton pitched a perfect seventh, with one strikeout, and Miguel Socolovich, recalled before the game, threw two shutout innings to close the door on Seattle.

The birds would pick up two more runs in the seventh on a Davis single, back-to-back-to-back doubles from Jones, Wieters (for 2 more RBIs), and Betemit, and an intentional walk to Nate McClouth.

The O’s have won five straight after sweeping the Mariners, and next welcome Kansas City.  Wei-Yin Chen (10-6, 3.46) goes for the O’s, vs. KC’s Will Smith (2-4, 6.00).  First pitch is scheduled for 7:05.

The GOOD:

• Matt Wieters with 5 RBIs.
• Every Oriole starter got on base.  All but McClouth picked up at least one hit.
• Well, just when the dust settles from Johnson’s first ML win and a sweep of the Mariners, up to the Bigs comes Manny Machado.  Yes, it is a surprise.  There is no official word what the plan is for Machado right now, but it’s hard to think that he’ll uproot JJ Hardy from shortstop here in a pennant race.  Of course, it’s hard to think of Machado being thrown out to third base, where he’s played exactly twice in his minor league career.  And Machado being called up and NOT playing is simply impossible to imagine.  Just like the rest of the 2012 Orioles season.

The BAD:

• Normally, eight runners left on would strike a chord.  But the O’s still scored nine runs, so all is good.

The post O’s Sweep Mariners on Big Day For Johnson Family appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

Their Gold Glove right fielder, and #3 hitter missed a month, and when he came back, he became the leadoff man for the first time in his career.  The veteran slugger they traded for to add some pop?  He lasted 18 games and drove in 6 runs.  Their ace went down with a knee injury.  He’s missed about 3 weeks, and will miss at least 3 more.  They’re platooning in left with a guy who hadn’t seen the majors in 5 years, and a guy who was cut by Pittsburgh after hitting .140.  They made no moves at the trade deadline.  They can’t field.  They can’t run.  They don’t manufacture runs.  They hit into too many double plays.  And yet, after overcoming their latest round of adversity Tuesday night, here they are, 4.5 games out of first place in the American League East.

The Orioles spotted the Seattle Mariners five runs in the first Tuesday.  And, by spotted, we mean, literally, handed five runs over to the opposition.  It was another ugly beginning for young left hander Zach Britton. Mariners leadoff man Dustin Ackley hit a comebacker on the game’s fourth pitch the Britton could not handle, and we were off and running with an error.  Two strikeouts later, Seattle’s cleanup man Jesus Montero hit a sharp grounder that third baseman Wilson Betemit couldn’t handle.  It went down as a hit, but it was a play that should have been made, and really the second extra out the O’s gave the M’s in the first.

The Mariners are not a good hitting team, but they are a major league team, and given extra outs, a major league team will usually cash in.  And the Mariners did.  Kyle Seager picked on a 93 MPH fastball down the middle and blasted it into the right field seats for his 12th home run, and a 3-0 Seattle lead.

The Mariners picked up two more in the second on a one out homer from Miguel Olivo (8), followed by three consecutive singles from Munenori Kawasaki, Ackley, and Treyvon Robinson.  A small but already restless Camden Yards crowd started buzzing for Buck Showalter to make a move to the bullpen, but he stuck with his lefty, who got out of it without further damage.

The Orioles put together a two-run second of their own.  Matt Wieters led off with a home run to straight away center (14), making it 5-1.  Two outs later, Nick Markakis delivered an opposite field RBI hit, and it was 5-2.

Britton settled in for a spell, retiring 9 of the next ten Mariners he faced.  With the score still 5-2 Seattle, Britton took the hill in the top of the sixth.  Casper Wells led off with a triple, and Mike Carp drove him in with a single to left.  Britton’s night was over (as would be this most recent stay in Baltimore.  More on that ahead), and Kevin Gregg came on.  His first batter, Olivo, reached on another Betemit miscue down at third (this time, ruled an error), and the Mariners had runners at second and third with no outs, already up 6-2.

One out later, Ackley delivered a single to center, scoring Carp.  But the slow footed Olivo was gunned out on a strong throw from Adam Jones to Matt Wieters at the plate.  With the score 7-2, and with the Orioles down to the final 12 outs, it didn’t look like the play was going to be nearly as important as it turned out to be.

Wieters hit his second homer of the night in the sixth, chipping away, and making it 7-3 Mariners.  But in the seventh, the Orioles stopped chipping away, and broke out the chainsaw.  Mark Reynolds opened the inning with a double, sending Mariners starter Blake Beavan to the showers with a 7-3 lead.  With left handed hitting Omar Quintanilla coming up, Mariners manager Eric Wedge opted to go to Lucas Luetge, one of two left handed relievers for Seattle.

Quintanilla singled Reynolds home, making it 7-4.  Markakis blooped a single to left, bringing up JJ Hardy.

With the right handed hitting O’s shortstop coming up, another move to the bullpen seemed likely.  After all, Hardy is hitting .287 vs. lefties, and just .208 against right handers.  And, although they hadn’t exactly torn the cover off the ball against him, the O’s were 2-2 against Luetge.  Plus, unlike his managerial counterpart in the Orioles dugout, Wedge had not one, but two left handers in the bullpen, so if the need arose for a lefty/lefty match-up later in the game, Wedge could still make it happen.  Instead, Wedge left the 24-year old rookie in the game.  It was a move that helped cost Seattle a win.

Hardy had been hitless on the day, having left three runners on.  But on Luetge’s  0-1 pitch, an 89 MPH sinker that stayed up just enough, Hardy blasted a three-run home run into the left field seats.  His 16th home run brought the Orioles all the way back from deficits of 5-0 and 7-2, to tie the game at 7.  And, right on cue, the Orioles bullpen was hitting its stride.

Gregg had settled down after a rough first inning of work, holding the M’s scoreless in the seventh.  Troy Patton pitched 1.1 perfect innings in the eighth and into the ninth.  Luis Ayala replaced Patton and gave up a couple of ninth inning hits, but no runs.  The Mariners got no runs on one hit against Pedro Strop in the tenth.  Matt Lindstom entered in the eleventh, and was perfect.  He stayed on into the twelth, giving up two hits, but nothing else.

But while the O’s bullpen was shutting Seattle down, the Orioles could muster no offense.  The birds went 3-up, 3-down in the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th innings, often missing what seemed to be hittable pitches.

Into the 13th, and the Orioles pitching options were dwindling.  Lindstom, having thrown 36 pitches in two innings, was no longer an option.  The bullpen was down  to Jim Johnson and Darren O’Day, with a slew of lefthanded hitters coming up for the M’s.  Buck went to O’Day, and the side winder did not disappoint.

O’Day (W, 6-0) gave up a two-out hit and stolen base to Eric Thames in the 13th, but shut the door.  In the 14th, O’Day set the Mariners down in order, and the stage was set for the winning rally.

Facing Shawn Kelley (L, 2-3), Quintanilla opened the inning with a grounder toward the middle.  Ackley, at second for Seattle, went into a sprawling dive, smothering the ball, and from his knees, fired toward first.  The throw beat Quintanilla, but First Base Umpire Brian Knight said the throw pulled first baseman Mike Carp off the bag on the stretch, and ruled Quintanilla safe.  The call brought Wedge out of the Mariners’ dugout.  The ensuing argument sent Wedge back, through the dugout and into the showers, having been ejected.

Markakis delivered a single to center, moving Quintanilla up to second.  Next up, JJ Hardy dropped a sac bunt, and the O’s had runners on second and third with just one out.  The Mariners elected to walk Chris Davis to load the bases—despite Davis’ being 0-6 with three strikeouts on the night.  Up stepped Adam Jones, needing just a fly ball for an O’s win.

With the count 2-2, Jones picked on a 95 MPH fastball and lined it to right.  Casper Wells went into a slide but could not come up with it.  Quntanilla scored, and the Orioles walked off with an improbable 8-7 win.

The O’s and M’s wrap up the three game set with the birds looking to sweep.  Gametime Wednesday at Camden Yards is 7:05.  Getting the start for the Orioles, for the first time in his major league career, is Steve Johnson.  Johnson (0-0, 4.50) replaces Britton, who was sent down after Tuesday’s game, on the roster, and makes his first big league start in front of family and friends.  Former Oriole Kevin Millwood (4-9, 4.01) goes for Seattle.

The GOOD:

• 12th straight extra-inning win for the Orioles
• The birds are now just 4.5 off the pace in the AL East
• Simply an amazing night for the Orioles’ bullpen:  9 shutout innings, 10 hits, 6 strikeouts, no walks, 1 inherited runner scored.
• 4 hits from Markakis, 3 from Wieters.

The BAD:

• Britton had to be sent down.  He gave up 7 runs through 5, but since only 4 were earned, his ERA actually went down Tuesday, from 8.35 to 8.10.
• Two more errors (and one that should have been).
• Chris Davis:  0-6 with 3K, 1BB
• It certainly helped the Orioles, so there will be no complaints from O’s fans about this, but what was Eric Wedge doing (or, NOT doing) by leaving Luetge in there to rot in the seventh?  That was one of the most poorly managed innings I can remember seeing.

The post O’s Overcome Britton’s Poor Start With Walkoff Win In 14 appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

• L.J. Hoes went 2-5.
• Xavier Avery went 1-5.
• Joe Mahoney went 2-4 with a Double and RBI.
• Blake Davis went 2-3 with a RBI and BB.
• Jake Arrieta (L, 3-2) pitched 3.2 innings with 8 H, 5 R, 0 K, 3 BB allowed.
• Greg Burke pitched 3.1 innings with 2 H, 1 R (0 ER), 1 K, 1 BB allowed.
• Zach Phillips pitched 1.0 inning with 0 H, 0 R, 1 K, 1 BB allowed.

• Tim Bascom was transferred to Bowie

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Bowie 9, Altoona 8	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
60-55	Box Score	Altoona Curve	Away	7:00 PM	Eddie Gamboa
Josh Barfield went 2-4 with 2 Doubles, 2 RBI and a BB. Jonathan Schoop went 1-3 with a RBI and BB. Manny Machado went 1-3 with a Triple and 2 BB. Caleb Joseph went 2-5 with 2 RBI. Tyler Kelly went 1-4 with a Double and 3 RBI. Jacob Pettit pitched 4.2 innings with 8 H, 6 R, 3 K, 1 BB allowed. Chris Petrini (W, 6-3) pitched 4.1 innings with 2 H, 2 R, 8 K, 2 BB allowed. Mike Belfiore (S, 2) pitched 1.0 inning with 1 H, 0 R, 2 K, 0 BB allowed.
Notes
Chris Robinson was transferred to Norfolk. Johnny Ruettiger was transferred to Frederick.

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Lynchburg 2, Frederick 3	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
47-66	Box Score	Lynchburg Hillcats	Home	7:00 PM	Dylan Bundy
Mike Flacco went 1-3 with a Double. Trent Mummey went 0-2 with a BB. Tyler Townsend went 2-5 with a Double and 2 RBI. Jeremy Nowak went 2-5. Garabez Rosa went 3-5 with a Double. Matt Bywater pitched 6.0 innings with 5 H, 2 R, 0 K, 1 BB allowed. Matthew Bischoff pitched 2.1 innings with 2 H, 0 R, 4 K, 0 BB allowed. David Walters pitched 1.2 innings with 1 h, 0 R, 0 K, 0 BB allowed. Ryan Berry (W, 2-4) pitched 2.0 innings with 0 H, 0 R, 2 K, 1 BB allowed.
Notes
Glynn Davis was transferred to Delmarva

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
		Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
45-66	OFF	Augusta GreenJackets	Home	7:05 PM	Williams Louico
Notes

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Tri-City 13, Aberdeen 9	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
19-30	Box Score	Tri-City ValleyCats	Home	7:05 PM	Sebastian Vader
Gregory Lorenzo went 2-4 with 2 RBI and a SB. Lucas Herbst went 2-4 with a RBI and SB. Creede Simpson went 3-4 with a HR and 4 RBI. Lex Rutledge pitched 1.1 innings with 6 H, 6 R (4 ER), 1 K, 2 BB allowed. Sander Beck pitched 3.2 innings with 5 H, 1 R, 3 K, 0 BB allowed. Kenny Wise (L, 1-2) pitched 1.1 innings with 1 H, 5 R, 1 K, 3 BB allowed. Jesse Fernandez pitched 2.2 innings with 3 H, 1 R, 2 K, 2 BB allowed.
Notes

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Red Sox 4, Orioles 11	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
19-25	Box Score	GCL Twins	Away	12:00 PM	N/A
Raymond Hunnicutt went 1-3 with a Double, RBI and SB. Adrian Marin went 3-5 with a RBI. Hector Veloz went 2-5 with a Grand Slam. Andres Aguilar went 1-3. Domingo Salas pitched 3.2 innings with 6 H, 3 R, 4 K, 2 BB allowed. Josh Hader (W, 2-0) pitched 3.1 innings with 1 H, 1 R, 6 K, 0 BB allowed. Janser Severino pitched 2.0 innings with 1 H, 0 R, 3 K, 1 BB allowed.

The post Minor League Scores – 8/7/12 appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

• Xavier Avery went 0 for 4.
• L.J. Hoes went 2 for 4 with a strikeout.
• Joe Mahoney went 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.
• Ronny Paulino went 1 for 3 with a strikeout.
• Brandon Waring went 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.
• Steve Johnson pitched 6 innings, allowing 4 hits and 1 ER with 3 walks and 8 strikeouts.
• Tim Bascom pitched 3 scoreless innings.

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Trenton 10, Bowie 6	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
57-54	Box Score	Trenton Thunder	Home	6:35 PM	Rick Zagone
Jonathan Schoop went 3 for 5 with an RBI and a strikeout. Tyler Kelly went 0 for 5 with 4 strikeouts. Manny Machado went 2 for 5 with 2 runs and a double. Caleb Joseph went 2 for 4 with 2 runs, a triple, a home run, 2 RBI, and a strikeout. Chris Petrini pitched 3.1 scoreless innings. Clayton Schrader pitched 1 scoreless inning.
Notes

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Frederick 1, Myrtle Beach 4	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
46-64	Box Score	Myrtle Beach Pelicans	Away	7:05 PM	Tyler Wilson
Trent Mummey went 0 for 3 with a walk and a strikeout. Glynn Davis went 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts. Tyler Townsend went 0 for 4 with a strikeout. Jeremy Nowak went 1 for 3 with a run, a double, and a strikeout. Tim Berry pitched 6 innings, allowing 6 hits and 4 runs (3 ER) with 1 walk and 3 strikeouts. Brandon Erbe pitched 1 scoreless inning. Matt Bischoff pitched 1 scoreless inning.
Notes

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Delmarva 4, Greensboro 7	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
44-65	Box Score	Greensboro Grasshoppers	Away	7:00 PM	Zach Davies
Jerome Pena went 2 for 5 with a triple, an RBI, and a strikeout. Connor Narron went 2 for 5 with 2 strikeouts. Michael Ohlman went 2 for 5 with a run, a double, and a strikeout. Brenden Webb went 2 for 4 with a run, a double, a home run, an RBI, a walk, and a strikeout. Jason Esposito went 1 for 5 with an RBI. Mychal Givens went 2 for 4 with a double, an RBI, and a strikeout. Roderick Bernadina went 2 for 3 with a run, a double, a walk, and a strikeout. Gene Escat pitched 1 scoreless inning.
Notes

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Aberdeen 4, Williamsport 3	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
17-28	Box Score	State College Spikes	Away	7:05 PM	Jorge Rivera
Torsten Boss went 3 for 4 with a run, 2 doubles, and an RBI. Joel Hutter went 1 for 4 with a run and an RBI. David Richardson pitched 6 innings, allowing 5 hits and 1 ER with 1 walk and 9 strikeouts. Jose Nivar pitched 1 scoreless inning with 2 strikeouts.
Notes

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Orioles 11, Rays 1	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
17-24	Box Score	GCL Rays	Home	12:00 PM	N/A
Raymond Hunnicutt 1 for 5 with a run and a strikeout. Adrian Marin went 2 for 5 with 2 runs. Hector Veloz went 2 for 5 with a run, 2 doubles, and an RBI. Tanner Murphy went 2 for 4 with 2 runs, a double, a walk, and a strikeout. Luc Rennie pitched 2.1 scoreless innings with 5 strikeouts.

The post Minor League Scores – 8/3/12 appeared first on Orioles-Nation.