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.

Starter Joe Saunders (L, 8-12/2-2) pitched a decent game, going six innings and allowing all three A’s runs on six hits.  He walked two and struck out six, but was hit hard in the middle innings.  Down 1-0 in the fourth, Cuban import Yoenis Cespedes crushed a two-run homer (19) into left, and the A’s were on top 2-1.

Chris Davis the led off the O’s fifth with a home run to center, his 26th.  But the A’s began their half of the fifth with three straight hits, and took the lead for good.

The Orioles had a chance to do something against A’s closer Grant Balfour in the ninth.  Matt Wieters led off with an infield single, and Buck Showalter went to Xavier Avery to run for him.  Endy Chavez was called on to pinch hit after his 2/2 performance in Thursdays 14-inning marathon, but he struck out.  Mark Reynolds then flew out to Cespedes for out number two.  Then, with Davis at the plate, Avery, on a 1-2 pitch that was called a ball, was thrown out trying to steal to end the game.

The A’s and Orioles battle again Saturday night at 9:05.  Zach Britton (5-2, 4.72) goes for the birds.  The A’s send out Jarrod Parker (10-8, 3.56).

The GOOD:

Machado:  2/2, 1R, 1BB.

Davis:  1/3, 1HR, 1RBI.

The BAD:

The O’s hit into four double plays, including two from Robert Andino.  They were killers.

Taking the bat out of Davis’ hands in the ninth?  That play is ONLY good if Avery makes it.  And, well, you know…

The post Game One In Pivitol Series With A’s Goes to Oakland appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

O’s fans had something to feel good about as their squad took the field against the Yankees.  The Orioles had their hottest pitcher on the mound in Zach Britton.  The Yankees countered with the on-and-off Freddy Garcia.   Neither would last very long in this one, though.

Britton gave up one in the first, then appeared to settle in.  He set the side down in order in the second and third innings, but in the fourth, Britton imploded.  He walked four in the inning, and gave up three hits, and only retired one.  The Yankees scored four in the inning, all of which were charged to Britton.  It could’ve been far worse, too, but Jake Arrieta came on in relief with the bases loaded and one out, and struck out both Nick Swisher and Alex Rodriguez.

Down 5-0, the Orioles actually made a game of it in their half of the fourth.  Nate McLouth, the Orioles’ leadoff hitter in this one, drew a walk to start the inning.  Garcia then hit JJ Hardy with an 0-2 pitch.  Wilson Betemit raked a double to right center, scoring McLouth and Hardy for a 5-2 Yankees lead.  Matt Wieters’ single to right one out later scored Betemit, making it 5-3.  Yankees manager Joe Girardi displayed a quick hook, and replaced Garcia with Joba Chamberlain.  The husky right hander struck out both Mark Reynolds and Chris Davis, ending the threat.  The Orioles would pick up just one more hit on the day.

Meanwhile, the Yankees just rocked the Orioles bullpen.  Arrieta finished with three runs given up in three innings.  Zach Phillips coughed up a run on two hits in two-thirds of an inning.  Kevin Gregg was torched:  Four runs on three hits and two walks.

Curtis Granderson, who didn’t even start for New York, paced the Yankees offense, going 3/3 with a pinch-hit home run, a double, and five RBIs.

The O’s get a rare off day at home Monday.  Beginning Tuesday night, the third place Tampa Bay Rays come to Camden Yards.  Matt Moore (10-9, 3.66) goes for the Rays.  The Orioles will send Miguel Gonzalez (6-4, 3.62) to the bump.  Game time is 7:05.

The GOOD:

• Tommy Hunter was the only effective pitcher of the game for the Orioles:  1IP, 1H, 2K.  His fastball was clocked as high as 97.  Hunter is a guy, looking forward, who may very well find a long relief role in his future.  He has a unique knack of cruising through 3-4 innings, then getting hit hard.  So, why not just make 3-4 innings in relief his role?
• Nate McLouth, filling in in the leadoff spot goes 0/2, but with 2 walks, a stolen base, and a run.  The Orioles will need similar production out of that spot the rest of the way.

The BAD:

• O’s pitching gave up 14 hits, 2 home runs, and 8 walks.
• The Yankees with RISP:  7/15.
• The Yankees bullpen has been a weak spot all year,  but Sunday’s numbers against the Orioles looked like this:  5.2IP, 0R, 1H, 9K, 1BB.  And that’s against the likes of Chamberlain (8.71 ERA coming in), Boone Logan (3.78 ERA before play), Cory Wade (6.17), and Derek Lowe (5.50).

The post Yankees Pound Orioles Pitching To Earn Series Split appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

The one thing that did remain consistent throughout the night for the O’s was the pitching.  Led by starter Zach Britton (W, 5-1), three Orioles pitchers combined for a four-hit shutout.  The Jays picked up just four hits (three singles) and two walks.  They struck out ten times, and never made it past second base.

A close, scoreless game turned into something altogether different in the Orioles fifth.  Adam Jones led off with his 31st double of the year.  One out later, Chris Davis walked, and then Mark Reynolds kept up his long-ball assault with a towering, three-run jack over the left field wall (17).

A Nick Markakis single, JJ Hardy double, and Nate McLouth sac fly added one more in the sixth to make it 4-0.  In the seventh, a leadoff hit from Davis, a one-out double from Manny Machado, sac fly from Robert Andino, double from Markakis, single from Hardy, and a Blue Jays balk gave the Orioles three more.

The O’s sent ten men to the plate in the eighth, picking up five singles and two doubles.  Throw one Jays error into the mix, and the Orioles had a five spot in inning number eight, and a 12-0 lead.

The Orioles—tied for first in the AL East now, take on the Blue Jays again Wednesday night.  Brandon Morrow (8-5, 2.93) goes for Toronto in the 7:05 contest.  The Orioles counter with Miguel Gonzalez (6-3, 3.31).

The GOOD:

• Britton’s line:  7IP, 0R, 4H, 2BB, 8K.  His ERA falls to 4.15.
• O’s pitching retired 16 of the final 17 Blue Jays to come to the plate.
• Every Oriole starter had at least one hit or one RBI.
• Three hits each for Markakis, Davis, Reynolds, and Machado.
• Seven extra-base hits for the O’s, who went 7/14 with RISP.
• The win, combined with another Yankees loss in Tampa, ties the Orioles atop the American League East for the first time, this late in a season, since 1997.

The BAD:

• Andino:  0/4, 1RBI, 1K, 4LOB.  His average in now down to .219.  Take away his hot April (.311), and he is at .192 for the year.

The post O’s Thump Jays, Tie Yankees For AL East Lead appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

Saunders (W, 1-1/7-11) received an early boost from the offense.  Manny Machado led off the second inning with a shot down the right field line.  Jays right fielder Moises Sierra came a long way after the ball, then went into a slide and missed it.  Machado wound up at third on a play that was ruled a three-base error by Sierra, but which could have very easily gone down as a triple.  On the very next pitch, Nate McLouth dropped a safety squeeze towards first.  Jays starter J. A. Happ (L, 3-2/10-11) made a nice pick up, but went for the sure out at first despite Machado getting a late break from third, and the Orioles were up 1-0.

Saunders’ new teammates also flashed a little leather behind him.  In the bottom of the second, Yunel Escobar tried to bunt his way in.  Machado raced in at third, barehanded the ball, and fired across his body.  At first, Mark Reynolds made the diving stretch he’s becoming famous for, casting balance aside and lunging after the ball, with the tip of his big toe still in contact with the bag.  This grab was even more difficult that most, though, in that it was his left foot on the bag, AND the throw actually took him towards the home plate side of first.

1-0 it remained until the O’s fifth.  Robert Andino led off with a single.  He scored on a double down the left field line from Nick Markakis.  JJ Hardy followed with a double to left of his own, and the O’s were up 3-0.

Into the Jays sixth.  Saunders retired Sierra and Jeff Mathis, and remained perfect in the game.  But rookie Adeiny Hechavarria broke up the bid with a hump back liner that landed in between Andino at second and Jones in center.  Pitching from the stretch for the first time all day, Saunders walked Rajai Davis, but came back to strikeout Colby Rasmus.

Another RBI hit from Hardy in the eighth gave the Orioles a 4-0 lead, and the first of the three-game series in Toronto.

Zach Britton (4-1, 4.80) takes the hill for the O’s Tuesday night, vs. Carlos Villanueva (7-4, 3.10).  First pitch is 7:05.

The GOOD:

• This was as dominant as any Orioles’ starter has looked all year.  Saunders’ line:  6.1IP, 0R, 3H, 2BB, 2K.
• The O’s bullpen was very good on this day:  2.2IP, 0R, 0H, 0BB, 4K.
• Hardy: 2/5, 1 double, 2RBI.

The BAD:

• Reynolds:  0/4, 3K, 7LOB.  He did walk once, and made a couple of very good plays.

The post Saunders Dominates Jays in 4-0 O’s Win appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

Britton’s sinker wasn’t sinking early on, and in the second, the Sox were hitting everything hard against him.  Alex Rios grounded a single to center to lead off the inning.  He was replaced on the bases by A.J. Pierzynski, who hit into a force out.  Dayan Viciedo singled Pierzynski up to second, and with one out, Alexei Ramirez ripped a high fastball into center for a hit.  Sox third base coach Joe McEwing waved Pierzynski around third.  Four factors played into the Orioles’ favor at this point:  1-Jones fielded the ball in shallow center.  2-The O’s center fielder  has a great throwing arm, and he displayed it.  3-Pierzynski is too slow to have been sent by McEwing.  And, 4-Pierzynski gave absolutely no indication that he was all that concerned with scoring.  The Sox catcher was in a position to either run over O’s catcher Taylor Teagarden and try to separate him from the baseball, or at the very least, give a fade-away slide to the first base side of the plate.  Instead, he came in upright, with very little effort to even avoid Teagarden’s tag.

Pierzynski was tagged out, and in the second inning, the Orioles had a game-changing play.  The next batter, Gordon Beckham, lined a single to center, scoring Viciedo for the game’s first run.  But Britton fanned Dewayne Wise for a huge out number three, stranding Sox at first and third.

Heading into the bottom of the third, Sox starter Jose Quintana had retired all six Orioles he’d faced.  He made it eight in a row, getting Manny Machado and Robert Andino to start the inning.  But the Orioles unleashed a two-out barrage on the young lefty, starting with Teagarden.  Quintana (L, 5-3) started Teagarden with two fastballs out of the strike zone.  On the 2-0 pitch to the O’s catcher, Quintana worked to the outside of the plate, and Teagarden belted it over the scoreboard in right for a solo home run (2).

Nick Markakis and JJ Hardy drilled back-to-back doubles, making it 2-1 Baltimore.  Then, Quintana learned what happens when you miss your spot with Adam Jones at the plate.  Pierzynski set up for a 2-1 pitch on the outside part of the plate.  The ball ended up down and in, and Jones absolutely crushed it, deep into the empty seats in left for a two-run homer (26), and a 4-1 O’s lead.

Meanwhile, Britton was settling in for one of the best performances of his life.  He retired 16 of 17 before Jose Lopez picked up a single with two outs in the eighth.  By then, the O’s lead was 5-1, thanks to an RBI double from Teagarden in the fourth.

Britton was lifted after the eighth, sporting a new career-high, 10 strikeouts.  His fastball, which had been elevated early on, became nasty in the middle and late innings.  He gave up seven hits, but only three after the second.  He didn’t walk a batter at all.

In the ninth, Pedro Strop came on in a non-save situation, and made things interesting.  After getting Paul Konerko to lead off, Strop gave up back-to-back singles.  Suddenly, a save was in order, and Jim Johnson was called upon to deliver it.  He did, but not before what was once interesting became down right frightening.  The Sox runners advanced to second and third on a tapper back to the mound.  They scored on another hit by Ramirez, who jumped all over a 95 MPH fastball with no movement.

Representing the potential tying run, Beckham fouled off a couple of tough pitches from Johnson, before swinging and missing at a curve for out number three, win number 72 on the season for the Orioles, and save number 41 for Johnson.

The next “Biggest Series Of The Year” kicks off Friday night, as the Orioles, 7-3 in their last 10 games, 19-8 in August,and just three games behind New York for first place in the AL East, travel to the Big Apple.  The O’s throw Miguel Gonzalez (5-3, 3.66), who hasn’t started since giving up 8 hits and 4 earned runs in 5 innings at Texas August 20.  For the Yankees, it’s Hiroki Kuroda (12-9, 2.98), who has seen his Yankees win 9 of his last 12 starts.  Kuroda’s ERA in that span is 2.39.  In his lone start against the Orioles this year, he went 7 innings, giving up just 1 run on 4 hits for the W.  Game time in 7:05.

The GOOD:

• Zach Britton is BACK!  His ERA over his last 3 outings is 1.25.  Since he was shelled in New York August 1, he has lowered his ERA from 8.35 to 4.80.  What a turn around.  For those of us who were calling for his immediate ouster from the rotation after the Yankees debacle, it shows what we know.
• Britton’s battery mate, Taylor Teagarden:  2-3 with a homer and a double and 2 RBIs.

The BAD:

• Zach Britton is BACK?  In Norfolk, that is.  He was sent down to make room on the roster for Randy Wolf.  Seems a bit crazy, but, again, what do we know?

The post Battery Energizes O’s To 5-3 Win Over ChiSox appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

Below are a few prospects that I think have flown under the radar in the Orioles’ minor league system. Some of them have been through a few road bumps, while some have simply been forgotten. At the end of the day, these players have displayed skills in some aspect of the game that make them useful assets down the road. I’m not saying they are top prospects, or they are definitely going to produce, but that there are tools some teams in the future may deem useful.

Brian Ward

I’ve been a strong Ward supporter since first seeing him play in 2010 at Frederick. He was signed by the Orioles as a non-drafted free agent in 2009 out of Lewis-Clark (Idaho) State College. Yes, Ward is 26 years old and at AA Bowie. Yes, he has struggled at the plate. Yes, he missed 50 games earlier this season. However, I do not want to linger on the negatives with Ward. There is one underlying detail with his game that far exceeds anything else. His defensive ability is top tier and the backbone of his game.

Ward continuously proves how talented of a catcher he is every time I see him play. His arm behind the plate is absolutely plus. I’ve seen him gun down runners countless amounts of time. I have him unofficially clocked at a pop time of 1.82, which is very good. That was based off two in-game throws I timed earlier in the year. Don mentioned that the best pop time from Ward was 1.71 and most hover around 1.79 to 1.82. So it sure seems like I timed him on a bad day.

Rarely does he sail a throw and is quite excellent at the the one-hop throw to second base. The footwork behind the plate is tremendous, and he rarely is found in a wrong position on a ball bounced in the dirt. With good footwork usually comes good blocking skills. The thing that might impress me the most about Ward is the connection with the pitching staff. I’ve noticed a trend that most the pitchers generally seem to be in-sync with Ward at all times, and he really handles the game well. He is an intangible rock-star behind the plate.

The bat was probably hurt the most with the missed time this year. He’s really been turning it on lately though. Ward has always been one known with a keen eye at the plate. Just look at the BB/K ratio he has over the past years. 2009 (20/16), 2010 (39/58), 2011 (42/54), and 2012 (22/21). It’s simply a tough skill to teach a player, and Ward has proven time after time to have a good approach at the plate with selective discipline. His bat may not have the most pop or the flashiest of skills, but he can provide enough offense to be a serviceable backup for a MLB club.

Overall, I think Ward is often the forgotten man in the system, and it’s largely because defense is not publicized in the minors like hitting. People remember the guy hitting .320 with 20 HR, but often forget the man behind the plate whom is carrying a pitching staff. Ward could easily be a fine defensive catcher down the road for a club, if given the chance.

Buck Britton

Buck is another older player at Bowie that a lot of people do not buzz about. He is mostly known as the older brother of Zach Britton. However, he should not be cast aside so quickly. Buck was a 35th round selection in the 2008 draft. Add that along with his relatively older age and most people are not going to think much about the player. But there are a few things to like about the game he brings to the table.

Britton, first and foremost, is a versatile player whom I would rate above-average defensively at multiple positions. He can player second, third, first and the corner outfield with ease. He’s primarily played the outfield this year with Jonathan Schoop taking time at second. Britton has good enough footwork at second, and has very good hands. He has a smooth feel that I like to call “the golden touch”. You just feel comfortable when a ball is hit his way. The range is good enough

where I think he could easily work as a utility guy at the next level. I’m not sure how he would handle the SS position (I haven’t seen him play there before). In the outfield he makes solid routes and his agility makes up for the lack of true speed he has. Again, I see no reason why he could not play any of these positions at the major league level.

The bat is obviously the question when it comes to Buck. As with Ward, people will scoff at a 26 year old player at the AA level. However, the Eastern League is not all that different from the International league in terms of talent. The Eastern league is known for pitcher parks and a lot of teams hoard their pitching prospects at this level. Bowie is the quintessential pitchers park with the spacious outfield and a swirling wind within the stadium at times. Buck doesn’t seem to have a problem hitting there though.

Buck has a very solid approach at the plate. He does not expand the zone too often and his minor league experience has clearly paid off. He can work a walk (9.3 BB% this year) but does have a few holes in his swing (14.4 K% this year). He has a contact oriented approach with a fairly small load and compact swing. He is a spray hitter who uses the entire field to his cause and can surprise sometimes with the pop that comes off the bat. His bat would work well as a utility player as mentioned above, and he is a guy that I think gets a crack at the big league level at one point down the road.

Ronnie Welty

It feels like Welty has been around forever, yet he was only drafted in 2008 (20th round) by the Orioles. He has seen some ups and downs throughout his journey in the minor leagues. He was never a highly touted prospect, but at a time when the system was barren he absolutely stood out. Over the past year or so it seems he has been the forgotten man at Bowie. Welty has always put together solid numbers throughout the minors. He is a career .283 hitter in the minors with an OBP above .350. However, the strikeouts are a huge problem for him. He has a K% over 25% every year except 2012. He only has a little over 120 plate appearances at Bowie this season due to injuries.

I’ve seen Welty a a lot over the past two years at Frederick and Bowie. There is no doubt that he is still a free swinger and will expand the zone. His bat speed is above-average and he is certainly a good athlete. Welty has always been weak against the change up, and it’s pretty much the same case this year although he has definitely gotten a little better at staying back on it. When he is on his game, he is driving the ball gap to gap.

In the field Welty is just average. Welty is an athlete and can make up for poor reads and judgment with that athleticism. He does not make the best reads but it is not the end of the world for him. There are players in the majors right now with worse fielding skills than he has. His arm is above-average and it probably is suitable enough for the outfield.

Welty is another player with some nice skills but might have to wait out his time for the big league club. He may not ever break with the Orioles, but some team will give him a chance down the road. A big key for his game would be to limit the strikeouts. He does not have the pure power to have that as a passable deficiency.

Jerome Pena

Pena is the little engine that could. The 38th round selection from the 2011 draft has not been talked about much. He started out the year in Aberdeen at age 23. Obviously that was a little old for the league, but he quickly forced his way to a promotion. At Delmarva and Frederick, he has provided us with a better idea of how his skills translate against better talent.

While Pena may not be the brightest star in the Frederick clubhouse, he certainly has a few tools that I like. He has a fairly short swing which is very compacted. It’s a perfect mold for him since he severely lacks power. He’s your typical dink and dunk kind of player. While watching him at Aberdeen, he was mostly hitting line drives and ground balls through the infield. That’s not a knock on Pena, but it does probably limit some of the upside he has down the road. He is a switch hitter, which is always a plus to me. When a player can show versatility in any form, it notches them up one or two in my book. Pena does expand the zone at times, and it’s the second downfall to his bat besides the minimal power. When he is at his best, he is poking the ball to all parts of the field. As a second basemen, I think his bat is sustainable. It’s probably an uphill battle for him, but plenty of players have done it before.

Defensively, Pena is probably average at second. He has decent footwork and an athletic mold, but not top tier. I would probably rate him closer to average in all aspects, including his arm. realistically, his upside all relies on how he handles better pitching at the higher levels. So far so good, but A is a large difference between AA.

The thing I like about Pena is that he has come from a late round pick to a guy forcing himself to get recognition. It’s a tough road for Pena, but playing well at each level will get noticed. He is younger and further down the line than the three players mentioned above. Next year will give a much better idea of Pena’s ability. Until then, he has shown up on my radar and is a guy I’ll keep an eye on for 2013.

The post 2012 Under The Radar Players 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 lefty was in trouble early and often, but gave a sluggish offense seven shutout innings.  He was aided by three double plays and one caught stealing, and one smooth swing of Chris Davis’ bat late in the game.

In the home half of the first, the Tigers mounted a one-out threat.  Omar Infante and Miguel Cabrera picked up back-to-back hits.  After seeing the Tigers’ first baseman blast Detroit to a victory over the Orioles Friday, one could hardly blame Britton for walking Prince Fielder on four pitches next, even if it did load the bases.  With just one out, Britton got exactly what he needed.  On an 0-2 pitch, he got Jhonny Peralta to bounce into a 6-4-3 double play, ending the inning.

Delmon Young’s leadoff single in the Tigers’ second was followed up with another 6-4-3, this time from Alex Avila.  Austin Jackson led off the third with a double.  One out later, Britton (W, 2-1) intentionally walked Cabrera.  Britton ran the count full to Fielder before striking him out.  Next, Peralta lined out to Adam Jones in center, and another potentially big inning was averted.

While Britton was busy walking a thin line, his mound opponent, Rick Porcello (L, 9-8) was doing his own tap dance, albeit with a little less drama.  He stranded Nick Markakis, who’d led off with a walk, in the first.  Davis’s one-out single to left in the second netted no runs.  Singles from Robert Andino and Markakis leading off the third went for naught, thanks in large part to Andino being gunned down trying to steal third.

By the fourth, both pitchers had settled down, Porcello even more so than Britton.  The Tigers’ starter had retired eleven in a row, when the Orioles finally got to him in the seventh.  Jones and Matt Wieters started the inning off with two straight hits.  Davis stepped in, already 1-2 on the night.  On an 0-2 pitch down and away, Davis went and put a beautiful, effortless-looking swing on it.  He lifted a fly ball to deep left field, and as so many of his shots seem to do, it just kept going.  Davis’ 19th home run gave the O’s a 3-0 lead late in the game, which, for the Orioles, usually means a win.

Pedro Strop entered in the eighth, pitching to a 1.18 ERA on the season.  He’d been all but automatic on the season in bridging the gap between starter/middle inning reliever-to-closer Jim Johnson.  But the Tigers set out to conquer that bridge.  Austin Jackson led off with a hit to right on a 98 MPH, 0-2 fastball.   One out later, Strop hit Cabrera with a pitch, putting runners at first and second, and bringing Prince Fielder to the plate with the potential tying run.  Sound familiar?

But after launching the game’s tying—and winning—two run home runs Friday night, The Orioles were able to get the better of him Saturday.  Strop got Fielder swinging on a nasty slider, for out number one.  Up stepped Peralta, and again the Tigers had the tying run at the dish.  Strop uncorked a wild pitch on 0-1, moving Jackson and Cabrera up to second and third.  On the very next pitch, Peralta singled to right, plating both of them.  Peralta, seeing Markakis throw toward the plate, broke for second.  But Markakis’ throw perfectly hit cut-off man Mark Reynolds, and the O’s nailed Peralta in a rundown for the third out.

Jim Johnson came on in the ninth, setting the Tigers down in order for his 36th save, and evening the series in Detroit at a game each.

The three-game set wraps Sunday afternoon at 1:05.  Detroit sends Doug Fister (7-7, 3.24) to the hill.  The O’s counter with Wei-Yin Chen (11-7, 3.70).

The GOOD:

• Britton made the big pitch when he had to, and that was the difference between Saturday’s start, and his past several.
• O’s pitchers handled Cabrera and Fielder.  Combined, the Tigers’ 3-4 hitters went 2-4 with 1 run, 3 walks, 1 HBP, 2 strikeouts, and 4 left on base, 0 RBIs.  Now, that’s not exactly stopping them in their tracks, but it sure beats Friday’s numbers for the pair:  4/6, 5R, 2BB, 1K, 0LOB, 3HR, 5RBI.
• Davis and Markakis each had multiple hit games.

The BAD:

• Strop faced three batters, allowed three to reach, and two to score.
• Andino being nailed trying to swipe third in the third was a bad play.  Anytime a base runner is caught stealing third, it’s a bad play.

The post Britton And Davis Lead The Way As O’s Topple Tigers appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

• Ryan Adams went 1 for 4 with a run and a strikeout.
• Jake Arrieta pitched 6.2 innings, allowing 3 hits and 2 ER with 2 walks and 8 strikeouts.
• Greg Burke pitched 1 scoreless inning.

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Bowie 12, Trenton 6	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
67-58	Box Score	Trenton Thunder	Away	7:05 PM	Jacob Pettit
Jonathan Schoop went 1 for 5 with a run, an RBI, and 3 strikeouts. Tyler Kelly went 2 for 5 with a run, a double, RBI, and a walk. Robbie Widlansky went 4 for 6 with 2 runs, 2 doubles, 3 RBI, and a strikeout. Caleb Joseph went 1 for 3 with a run, 2 walks, and a strikeout. Rhyne Hughes went 2 for 6 with a run, an RBI, and 3 strikeouts. Buck Britton went 2 for 4 with a run, a home run, 5 RBI, and a walk. Mike Wright pitched 6 innings, allowing 5 hits and 4 ER with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts.
Notes

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Winston-Salem 5, Frederick 1	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
52-71	Box Score	Winston-Salem Dash	Home	6:00 PM	Kevin Gausman
Johnny Ruettiger went 2 for 2 with a run. Jerome Pena went 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 strikeouts. Brenden Webb went 0 for 3 with a walk and 2 strikeouts. Ryan Berry pitched 4 scoreless innings.
Notes

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Hagerstown 5, Delmarva 1	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
48-75	Box Score	Hagerstown Sun	Home	7:00 PM
Glynn Davis went 1 for 4 with a run. Michael Ohlman went 0 for 3 with a walk. Connor Narron went 0 for 3. Wynston Sawyer went 0 for 3. Roderick Bernadina went 1 for 2 with a walk and strikeout. Alex Schmarzo pitched 2.1 scoreless innings.
Notes

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Aberdeen 2, Lowell 6	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
24-33	Box Score	Connecticut Tigers	Away	7:05 PM	Jorge Rivera
Anthony Vega went 1 for 3 with a walk. Joel Hutter went 1 for 3. Torsten Boss went 1 for 2 with 2 runs, a home run, an RBI, a walk, and a strikeout. Cameron Coffey pitched 1 scoreless inning.
Notes

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Orioles 1, Rays 6	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
24-29	Box Score	GCL Red Sox	Away	12:00 PM	N/A
Arian Marin went 1 for 3 with an RBI and a walk. Hector Veloz went 3 for 4 with a strikeout. Kevin Grendell pitched 2.2 innings and struck out 7.

The post Minor League Scores – 8/17/12 appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

This summer, Reynolds has primarily played the part of the huge bear that you really, really wanted to see as a kid on an otherwise perfect visit to the zoo, but who decided to mostly sleep the day away.  No matter how long you stared into his cage, all you saw was an immobile ball of fur.  And begging for it to move, and screaming at it to do SOMETHING, had no effect.  And so you walked away but promised yourself that you’d revisit the cage before you left, and when you did, he was still just…there.  Except now, he’d done something to stink up the joint.  And you again told yourself you’d be back, but you did so as you were holding your nose, running away as fast as you could.  The Orioles are hoping this bear, silent all these months, is just now standing, stretching, scrubbing away the crud from his eyes (do bears do that?), and rejoining the party that is this zoo, after a long summer’s slumber.

With the game tied at one in the fifth, Reynolds led off against Beckett with an opposite-field, solo home run onto the flag court.  It was a nice piece of hitting from Reynolds, going right with a 90 MPH fastball on the outside part of the plate, just above the belt.

The birds had added two more runs by the time Reynolds batted again.  Matt Wieters’ rare infield hit scored JJ Hardy for a 3-1 Orioles lead.  Chris Davis followed that up with a base hit to center, scoring Adam Jones.  Davis’ hit chased Beckett, and Bobby Valentine went to the bullpen for Mark Melancon to face Reynolds.

Melancon’s first pitch was a curve with decent movement, but in a horrible spot:  Down the middle, at the knees.  Reynolds hammered it deep into the left field seats for a three-run shot, his 11th homer of the year, second of the night, and a 7-1 lead in the sixth.

Now, exactly how the Red Sox had scored only one run up until that point is both a testament to the toughness of O’s starter Wei-Yin Chen (W, 11-7), and the ineptitude of the Boston Red Sox, who really do appear to be not very good this year.

Through six inning plus, Chen gave up nine hits.  He struck out four and walked one.  He never retired the side in order.  He labored.  The Sox took him deep into counts.  They fouled off tough pitches. But they could push no more than one run across.  Chen’s biggest moments in this one came in the fourth and sixth innings.

The Orioles had just taken a 1-0 lead on Omar Quintanilla’s third homer as an Oriole, when the Sox came fighting back in the top of the fourth.  Cody Ross led off with a double, and scored one out later on Carl Crawford’s single to center.  But Chen was able to get Mike Aviles on strikes, and Danny Valencia on a fly out to Jones in center, keeping things tied at one.

The sox came to the plate in the sixth, again with the Orioles having just taken the lead on a home run (Reynolds’ first of the night).  Ross again led off, this time with a single.  One out later, Ross moved to third on another hit from Crawford.  The Sox had runners on the corners with just one away, and Chen looked like he was running out of gas.  But the just as he did in the fourth, Chen struck out Aviles for out number two.  And, just as he did in the fourth, Chen induced Valencia to fly out to Jones in center, for out number three.

Chen pitched to one batter—Jacoby Ellsbury—in the seventh, giving up a base hit to him, and Showalter lifted his ace for Darren O’Day.  The O’s had plated five the half-inning prior, building the 7-1 lead.  But things still got interesting in the seventh.  Dustin Pedroia smacked a one-out double, moving Ellsbury to third.  When Adrian Gonzalez walked, the Red Sox had the bases loaded with just one away.  But O’Day was able to strikeout both Ross and Ryan Lavarnway to escape the jam unscathed.

Newest Oriole J.C. Romero pitched a scoreless eighth, and Matt Lindstrom threw a perfect ninth to lock down another Orioles win.

Miguel Gonzalez (4-2, 3.42) throws for the Orioles Wednesday night against Boston’s Aaron Cook (3-5, 4.70).  First pitch is scheduled for 7:05.

The GOOD:

• Reynolds and Davis, numbers 6 and 7 in the order, combined to go 4-7 with 3R, 2HR, 1BB, 1K, and 5RBI.
• Quintanilla with another solid night with the bat (1-3, 1HR) and with the glove.
• Chen only stuck out four, but he seems to be able to reach back and get that strikeout at the perfect time.  He does it often.  He has a swing-and-miss pitch.  Maybe he can teach it to Tommy Hunter.  And Zach Britton.  And Brian Matusz.  And Jake Arrieta.

The BAD:

• Manny Machado was, offensively, a non-factor, at 0/3.  What is wrong with that kid?  When will he ever break out of this horrible slump?

The post Reynolds Leads O’s Past Sox 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.

• L.J. Hoes went 1-5 with a RBI.
• Ryan Adams went 1-5.
• Joe Mahoney went 1-5 with a Double.
• Luis Exposito went 2-4 with 2 Doubles and a BB.
• Xavier Avery went 1-3 with a BB.
• Jake Arrieta (L, 3-3) pitched 5.1 innings with 5 H, 6 R, 5 K, 5 BB allowed.
• Pedro Viola pitched 0.1 inning with 1 H, 2 R, 0 K, 2 BB allowed.
• Zach Petersime pitched 2.1 innings with 1 H, 0 R, 3 K, 1 BB allowed.

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Bowie 0, Richmond 1	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
62-58	Box Score	OFF
Antoan Richardson went 0-2 with 2 BB. Zelous Wheeler went 1-2 with a BB. Jonathan Schoop went 0-3. Jacob Pettit pitched 6.0 innings with 6 H, 0 R, 7 K, 0 BB allowed. Andy Loomis pitched 3.0 innings with 0 H, 0 R, 2 K, 0 BB allowed. Jason Gurka (L, 2-2) pitched 0,1 inning with 2 H, 1 R, 1 K, 0 BB allowed.
Notes

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Myrtle Beach 9, Frederick 4	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
50-68	Box Score	Carolina Mudcats	Away	7:00 PM	Matt Bywater
Jerome Pena went 3-5 with a Solo HR and 2 SB. Tyler Townsend went 1-5 with a HR and 2 RBI. Brenden Webb went 0-3 with a BB. Jeremy Nowak went 0-3 with a BB. Garabez Rosa went 2-4. Trent Howard (L, 3-9) pitched 6.2 innings with 7 H, 5 R, 2 K, 1 BB allowed. Oscar Melendez pitched 2.1 innings with 6 H, 4 R, 2 K, 1 BB allowed.
Notes

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
		Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
47-69	OFF	Kannapolis Intimidators	Away	5:00 PM Doubleheader	Zach Davies
Notes
Miguel Chalas will start game 2 of tomorrow’s Doubleheader

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
	Connecticut 1, Aberdeen 3	Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
23-31	Box Score	OFF
Creede Simpson went 1-4 with a RBI. Joel Hutter went 1-4 with a Double and RBI. Cameron Edman went 1-3 with a Solo HR. Will Howard went 1-2 with a BB. Kevin Gausman pitched 3.0 innings with 1 H, 0 R, 3 K, 0 BB allowed. Cameron Coffey (W, 3-5) pitched 5.0 innings with 3 H, 1 R, 3 K, 0 BB allowed. Tom Winegardner (S, 6) pitched 1.0 inning with 1 H, 0 R, 1 K, 0 BB allowed.
Notes

	Today’s Result	Tomorrow
		Opponent	Location	Time	Starter
22-26	OFF	GCL Twins	Home	12:00 PM	N/A

The Orioles signed RHP Chris Green.

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

The two teams sat through a rain delay of over three hours prior to first pitch.  Once under way, the Royals treated Tillman rudely.  For the second time this series, Royals leadoff man Alex Gordon went deep in the game’s first at bat (8).  In the top of the second, Lorenzo cain led off with a hit, and Salvador Perez followed with his second homer of the series (8), and it was 3-0 Royals.

Billy Butler hit his second homer of the series (24) with two outs and none on in the third, making it 4-0.

Tillman lasted into the sixth.  With two outs, Tillman hit Perez with a pitch, then walked Jeff Francoeur on five pitches.  Showalter made the move with Tillman having thrown 109 pitches, 58 for strikes.  Miguel Socolovich was summoned, with the O’s down 4-0, 2 out and 2 on in the sixth.  The game was still within reach.  Offensively, the Orioles had struggled to deliver the big hit at that point, leaving runners on first and third in the first inning, and first and second in the fourth against Royals starter Luis Mendoza (W, 6-8).  But with the game within reach, and the O’s propensity for the comeback, hope was certainly not lost.

By the time Socolovich finally recorded the third out of the sixth, the game’s complexion changed entirely. Eric Hosmer picked on Socolovich’s first pitch—a 79 MPH change up, and singled to center for a 5-0 lead.  Francoeur, who’d advanced to third on Hosmer’s hit, then stole home as part of a double steal, making it 6-0.  Before the Orioles would score their first run, Gordon went deep again (9).  His solo shot leading off the seventh made it 7-0, and really put things out of reach.

The bird put up a three-spot in the bottom of the seventh.  Wilson Betemit lead off with a walk, and moved to second on a single from Chris Davis.  Manny Machado, the talk of the town in Baltimore after his 2-4 debut and his two-homer night number two, delivered again.

Machado grounded a 91 MPH fastball into the left field corner for his first major league double, knocking in Betemit.  Omar Quintanilla followed Machado’s two bagger with a two-run single, and the Orioles pulled to 7-3, which is where it would end.

The Orioles will try to earn a split in the series Sunday at 1:05.  Pitching for Kansas City, it’ll be former Oriole Bruce Chen (8-9, 5.51).  Tommy Hunter (4-7, 5.55) goes for the Orioles.

The GOOD:

• Nate McLouth, batting third, picked up a pair of hits, as did Adam Jones.
• Machado now has 5 hits, 4 for extra bases.
• 2 solid innings of relief in the combined efforts of Matt Lindstrom and Troy Patton.
• It’s easy to get nervous about Tillman when he has an outing like this, but there is something about the way he is carrying himself that says he’ll be OK.  Brian Matusz, Zach Britton, and even Jake Arietta sometimes have that “deer in the headlights” look…kind of a lost gaze when things break down.  Tillman looks like a guy who has certainly figured some things out, even in adversity.

The BAD:

• Tough day for Matt Wieters…0-3 with a walk.  He left 3 runners on, and committed his 9th error.
• It’s always good to pick out a guy or two on the other team that you will not let beat you.  Against Kansas City, those guys are Alex Gordon and Billy Butler.  This series, those two have combined to hit .310 with 8 runs, 5 home runs and 7 RBIs.  Throw in Catcher Salvador Perez’s numbers this series (3/11, 3R, 2HR, 3RBI), and that’s more than half of the Royals run production in the first three games.
• Socolovich probably shouldn’t see action if the result of the game is still within question.  A mop up role, where someone is needed just to eat innings and get to the end of the game, seems a better place for Socolovish’s talents.

The post Royals Take Tillman Deep, Beat Up O’s 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.

The birds put together a three-run fifth against Jason Vargas (L, 12-8).  Lew Ford started the O’s off with a one-out single.  Three pitches later, Mark Reynolds drove an 88 MPH fastball into the gap in left-center.  The double plated a hustling Ford, and the Orioles were up, 1-0.  Vargas got Omar Quintanilla to fly out to left, bringing up Nick Markakis.  On a 1-2 pitch, Vargas hung a 76 MPH curve in the middle of the plate, just above the knees.  Markakis deposited it onto the flag court for a two-run home run, and a 3-0 Orioles lead.

The Mariners would be no match for Tillman until the eighth.  Eric Thames led off with a double on a 3-2 pitch.  M’s rookie shortstop Munenori Kawasaki stroked a sharp single to center, easily plating Thames.  The rookie, seeing Jones’ throw head toward the plate, broke for second.  Jones’ throw, as it turns out, was perfect.  Reynolds cut it off halfway between the second base bag and the pitcher’s mound, went into a bit of a slide, and flipped a perfect soft-toss on the bag, into JJ Hardy’s glove.  By the time Kawasaki got to the bag, Hardy was waiting.  Having seen his young right hander shut down the Mariners through 7.1 innings, give up just one run on five hits and a walk, strike out five on 99 pitches, Buck Showalter went to the bullpen.  The crowd of over 21,000 gave Tillman a rousing ovation as he came out of the game.

Pedro Strop came on, and walked his first batter, Dustin Auckley, on four pitches, before getting the final two outs of the inning.

In the ninth, Jim Johnson worked around a couple of infield hits to pick up his 33rd save, and give the O’s their third straight win.

The birds will hope Zach Britton (1-1, 8.35) can find himself after a couple of poor starts in a row.  Britton starts for the Orioles Tuesday against Blake Beavan (7-6, 5.06) for the Mariners.  Game time is 7:05.

The GOOD:

• This string of starting pitching has been amazing.  Before the Mariners scored in the eighth, the Orioles had a 28-inning scoreless streak.
• Mark Reynolds played a terrific game.  He went 3-3 with a run and an RBI.  Reynolds has been a streaky offensive player throughout his career.  Let’s hope this is the start of something big.  By the way, Reynolds also make several very good defensive plays.
• Two hits from Markakis, including the big blow in the game, his 11th homer.

The BAD:

• The offense didn’t give Tillman much of a choice but to shut the Mariners down.  The birds collected eight hits and no walks, and went 1-7 with RiSP.

The post Tillman Shuts Down M’s in 3-1 Orioles Win appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

Zach Britton (L, 1-1) turned in one of the very worst pitching performances for the Orioles this year.  In the first, he Allowed a one-out, solo home run to Curtis Granderson (29), followed by a double from Nick Swisher.  Robinson Cano picked up a cheap base hit on a tapper to first baseman Mark Reynolds, who flipped to Britton covering.  The toss was a bit high, and Britton couldn’t handle it.  Swisher, who’d moved to third on the play, scored when Andrew Jones hit a sac fly, making it 2-0, and that’s where thing s stood heading into the Yankees’ third.

As Chris Tillman showed Tuesday, while it may not be easy to atone for a lousy inning early in the game, it is possible to keep the opposition right where it is, and give your offense a chance to make a game of it.  While it wasn’t quite the offensive explosion Tillman enjoyed after his poor first Tuesday, the birds’ bats did have an answer for the Yankees two run first, in the Orioles’ half of the second.

Wilson Betemit hit a one-out single, followed by a double from Reynolds.  Endy Chavez then grounded out to first, scoring Betemit, and cutting the Yankees lead in half at 2-1.

But Britton could simply not uphold his end of the bargain.  His fastball was flat.  His sinker, didn’t.  He missed spots by six inches to a foot, regularly.  And, against the New York Yankees—even playing as poorly as they have been recently—that is a sure-fire losing formula.

In the Yankees’ second, Casey McGehee—acquired from the Pirates at the trade deadline—led off with a walk.  One out later, McGehee moved to second on a passed ball.  He moved to third on a Jayson Nix base hit, and scored on a single from Derek Jeter.   One out later, Swisher plated Nix, and the Yankees led 4-1.

Britton completely fell apart in the third.  With one out and the rain falling, he walked Russell Martin and McGehee, back-to-back.  Ichiro blasted a 3-1 fastball deep into right-center.  Adam Jones, playing shallow in left center, got a great break on the ball, but his route forced him to overrun the ball.  At just the last possible moment, a step from the warning track, Jones’—still in mid-stride—made an amazingly athletic adjustment.  His body still carrying him toward right field, Jones reached his glove hand behind his head and back toward left field, to make terrific catch.

On Britton’s next pitch, Nix blasted a ground rule double to left-center.  McGehee scored, making it 5-1.  Buck Showalter decided, with the Yankees hitting everything hard and the game still within reach, it was time to go to the bullpen for Kevin Gregg.

Gregg had quietly put together a very nice run, having stranded 10 of 12 inherited runners in 2012.  In  July, he’d given up a run in just one of his ten outings, pitching to an ERA of 0.84.  But Wednesday,  we flipped the calendar to August.  On Gregg’s third pitch, Derek Jeter delivered a two-run single, making it 7-1.  Granderson singled.  Swisher walked, and the bases were loaded for Robinson Cano.

Gregg worked ahead of Cano, starting him 0-2.  But he just could not put him away.  With a 1-2 count, and on the fifth pitch of the at-bat, Cano pounced all over a nothing slider right down the middle, and hit it into the right field seats for a grand slam.  A seven-run inning, with all seven runs scoring after two were out, and capped off with a grand slam.  Sound familiar? The Yankees led 11-1.  Suddenly, the rooting interest in the New York rain began to spike.

The Orioles offense didn’t exactly wither away after that.  Nor did they produce the stunning comeback similar to Tuesday’s.  The birds, in fact, had runners on in every inning of the game, except the ninth.  The Orioles put two runners on base in each of the fourth, fifth, and sixth, coming up empty in each.  In the seventh, JJ Hardy hit a home run to left (15).   Chavez doubled home Reynolds in the eighth, making it 12-2.  The Yanks tacked on one in the bottom of the eighth for the 12-3 final.

After taking 2 of 3 at Yankee Stadium, the birds get an off day Thursday, and fly south to Tampa in a weekend series.  Tommy Hunter (4-6, 5.68) goes for Baltimore, vs. Tampa lefty Matt Moore (7-7, 4.08).  First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 Friday night.

The GOOD:

• Three hits from Hardy, including a home run.  Two RBIs from Chavez.
• Two shutout innings from Matt Lindstrom.

The BAD:

• Britton looks like a guy who is either, A) still hurting physically, or B) not yet big league ready.  His line:  2.2IP, 7H, 7ER, 3K, 3BB, 1HR.
• The Orioles left 11 runners on base, and went 0-15 with RiSP.

The post Yankees Hit Back, Bash Britton and the Birds appeared first on Orioles-Nation.

When he took the mound, O’s starter Chris Tillman was sick with flu-like symptoms.  Before he threw his third pitch, O’s starter Chris Tillman (W, 4-1) was in trouble.  By the time he faced his third batter, the Yankees were on the board, and Orioles Nation was starting to feel like the illness was contagious.

Derek Jeter doubled on an 0-1 cutter to start the Yankees first.  Curtis Granderson drove him in a single to right, and before the Yankees made an out, they were up 1-0.

When Robinson Cano homered (23) deep into the right field seats, it looked like it was going to be a very long night.  And it was.  For the Yankees.

Two of the next three Yankees picked up base hits.  With one out and runners on first and third, Ichiro Suzuki hit a comebacker to Tillman that should’ve been a double play to get Tillman out of the inning.  Instead, the ball popped out of Tillman’s glove and rolled away from him.  Raul Ibanez scored making it 4-0 Yankees.

A Russell Martin single to left plated Eric Chavez, and the Yankees led 5-0 after one inning.

In the dugout, the Orioles had to have a sense that, with 24 outs to play with, maybe they could find a way to claw back into this thing.  They would do so and more—MUCH more, all inside just 3 outs.

Adam Jones led off the O’s second with a base hit to center.  Matt Wieters followed with a single to right.  But when Yankees starter Ivan Nova (L, 10-5) struck out both Lew Ford and Wilson Betemit, it looked like he may escape any damage.  That possibility became a huge probability when Nova jumped ahead of strikeout poster child Mark Reynolds, 0-2.  But on the third pitch of the at-bat, Reynolds lined a shot just fair down the left field line for a run-scoring ground rule double, making it 5-1.

Next up was Omar Quintanilla, who scooted a ground ball single past Nova and into center, scoring both Wieters and Reynolds.  Nick Markakis singled.  JJ Hardy walked on four pitches, and the bases were loaded with two outs for Chris Davis.

Davis wasted little time.  After falling behind in the count 0-1, he picked on a curve ball away, put a smooth, easy swing on it, and launched it over the wall in left-center.  Davis’18th home run was his first career grand slam, and capped a seven-run, two-out rally that gave the Orioles the lead for good.

The birds piled on a bit in the third.  With one out, Lew Ford picked up his first hit in the major leagues since 2007, a double over Granderson’s head in center.  Betemit doubled down the right field line, plating Ford for an 8-5 lead.

Tillman suddenly got nasty.  He would retire 12 of the next 14 Yankees, holding them at the five he spotted them, through five innings of work.  Six of the eight hits, and all five of the runs (4 earned) scored against him came in the first.  He struck out only three, but a major key to his success was that he did not walk a batter.  It won’t go down officially as a quality start, but let’s not let that technicality redefine what those words really mean.  After the first, Tillman’s start was as “quality” as you’re ever going to find.

His teammates would come to his aid offensively one more time before he left.  Jones began the fifth with his 25th double of the year.  Nova would retire the next two Orioles, including Lew Ford, whose fly out to right allowed Jones to move to third.  Betemit stepped in and delivered a clutch, two-out hit to right, tacking on what, at the time, looked like a very big insurance run.  The O’s were up 9-5 on the Yankees.

Troy Patton replaced Tillman for a two-inning stint that got interesting in the seventh.  Derek Jeter led off with a hit, and Patton struck out Granderson.  Cano was hit by a pitch, moving Jeter to second. Nick Swisher tapped out slowly to Hardy at short, advancing the runners to second and third.  That set up just the kind of moment Orioles fans dread.  How many times over the years have we seen a lead at Yankee Stadium—either of them—slip away late in the game on a two-out rally thanks to some fluke, broken bat bloop, hit batter, slow-roller, fielding error, blown call…whatever?  And, ALWAYS it seems, that guy named Jeter was somewhere in the middle of it.  And, there he was (albeit at third base, where his run didn’t necessarily mean much).  And up to the plate strode Raul Ibanez, with Eric Chavez, the potential tying run, moving on deck.

Patton reached back for a little extra.  The four hardest pitches he threw to any of the nine batters he faced Tuesday night, he threw to Ibanez:  A 91 MPH fastball…called strike one.  A pair of 92 MPH fastballs away, fouled off.  And finally, another 92 MPH, two-seemed heater, waved at and missed by the slugger.  The final score will never tell the truth about how big this at-bat was.

These young Orioles are not supposed to be where they are today.  No one ever expected that, on July’s last night, they’d be playing meaningful games; that they’d come into Yankee Stadium with a shot—a genuine, real chance—to, not just grab a Wild Card spot, but win the American League East;  that, with the likes of Lew Ford and Omar Quintanilla in their starting lineup, they’d be able to take a 5-run smack in the face, and turn around and, before their next 3 outs, give better than they got…to the New York Yankees in Yankee Stadium.  Make a trade at the deadline?  Why?  Robert Andino’s coming off the disabled list!  Lace ‘em up…let’s go!

The Orioles put a little more padding on the board in the eighth.  Betemit led off with his second double (16) and third hit of the night.  Andino pinch ran for him, and one out later, moved to third on a ground out.  With Markakis stepping in, Yankees manager Joe Girardi went to the bullpen for former Oriole Clay Rapada.  Markakis turned on a slider that hung in the inner half of the plate from the sidewinder, and sent it into the right field short porch for a two-run home run (10), and an 11-5 lead.

Matt Lindstrom came on and pitched a perfect eighth, and Luis Ayala a perfect ninth, and the Orioles walked out of Yankee Stadium with a chance to sweep a set in New York with a win Wednesday afternoon.  Zach Britton (1-0, 5.74) goes for the O’s against Yankees right hander Phil Hughes (10-8, 4.08).  Game time is scheduled for 1:05.

The GOOD:

• A very gutsy effort from Tillman.  With the exception of one inning this year, Tillman has started to really separate himself from the rest of the young arms that are (or were) in the rotation, in that he’s shown the ability to overcome adversity.  He didn’t have his best stuff Tuesday.  He didn’t feel well.  He gave up five in the first in New York.  But he was able to pitch through it all.  Sure, getting the seven spot from his teammates in the second didn’t hurt, but the game was still in the balance for his entire outing.  Plus, he stayed on long enough to not completely bury the bullpen for Wednesday.  His 95-pitch effort was very clutch.
• The only O’s starter without a hit was Hardy.  Markakis and Betemit had three apiece, and Jones added two.
• Chris Davis’ first career grand slam was the games big blow.  He finished with an interesting line, including three strikeouts.  How often can someone say they struck out three times, and still had more RBIs than strikeouts?

The BAD:

• Jim Thome heading for the disabled list with a herniated disc is not good news.  He needs to hurry back for two reasons:  1-the Orioles can use his bat, and 2-for some, it was hard to swallow the losses of Gabriel Lino and Kyle Simon for a 3 month rental, but for a 1 month rental?

The post O’s NY Comeback Fueled By Davis’ Grand Slam appeared first on Orioles-Nation.