ANAHEIM–What happened? In the third inning of Monday night’s game, Orioles manager Craig Albernaz was faced with a difficult decision. Blaze Alexander, the team’s hottest hitter, needed to leave the game an inning after fouling a ball off his right knee. Jackson Holliday was out of the lineup for the second straight game with groin […]
Question: Outside of the performance of Frederick, our three other minor league teams (not including the Complex League) are perfectly dismal in what appears to be all aspects of the game. Can any of this lack of performance be attributed to the type of players that the parent organization drafts or signs as undrafted players? […]
ANAHEIM—Orioles third baseman Blaze Alexander was removed from Monday night’s game against the Los Angeles Angels in the third inning with right knee discomfort. Alexander struck out in his only at-bat, in the second inning. He was replaced at third base by Leody Taveras, normally an outfielder. Taveras, who fielded the first ground ball hit […]
ANAHEIM—For the second straight game, second baseman Jackson Holliday is out of the lineup because of groin tightness. The Orioles have not placed him on the 10-day injured list, but infielder Luis Vázquez has joined the club on the taxi squad. “He says he’s feeling better,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “He’s going to go through […]
No Oriole is among the leaders in the latest release of American League All-Star balloting. Catcher Adley Rutschman, who went on the 7-day concussion injury list this weekend, dropped from third in last week’s balloting to fourth this week. Rutschman, who has 434,433 votes, trails the Athletics’ Shea Langeliers by about 980,000 votes. He’s also […]
LOS ANGELES—Several Orioles are being mentioned as candidates for next month’s All-Star Game. Until he went on the 7-day concussion injured list, catcher Adley Rutschman looked to be the best bet, but his return is uncertain. First baseman Pete Alonso was a five-time National League All-Star with the New York Mets, and he’s been showing […]
Question: This team as constructed has been pretty bad under Brandon Hyde, Tony Mansolino and now Craig Albernaz Isn’t it time that ownership, management and we as fans need to accept this fact, and admit that the core group of players just are not good enough? From: 5Brooks5 Answer: Steve, I think the six weeks […]
LOS ANGELES–What happened? After two eventful games, a deflating loss and a narrow win against the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, the Orioles had a joyful Sunday with a 12-1 win before 50,215 at Dodger Stadium. Series wins against a team as a good as the Dodgers (49-29) are rare, as are […]
LOS ANGELES—Second baseman Jackson Holliday is out of the Orioles’ lineup on Sunday in the final game of a three-game series against the Dodgers. Holliday has groin tightness and left Saturday’s game in the eighth inning. Holliday said he first felt some tightness in Friday night’s game and hurt it when running out a grounder […]
LOS ANGELES–What happened? In his previous five starts, Yoshinobu Yamamoto allowed just four and two runs on three hits in his last 16 1/3 innings. Last September, Yamamoto no-hit the Orioles for 8 2/3 innings, but on Saturday night, the Orioles scored three runs in six innings against him as they beat the Los Angeles […]
LOS ANGELES—After getting hit in the head running to first base in the ninth inning of Thursday’s game in Seattle, catcher Adley Rutschman is headed to the 7-day concussion injured list. The move will be retroactive to Friday. “It obviously sucks for Adley,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “Especially for concussions and head injuries, it’s tough, […]
LOS ANGELES–What happened? The Orioles looked as if they were going to pull off an incredible comeback against the two-time World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. But after coming back from a 3-0 deficit to take a 5-3 lead into the bottom of the ninth, closer Ryan Helsley allowed three runs and the Orioles had […]
LOS ANGELES—Catcher Adley Rutschman is out of the Orioles’ lineup for Friday night’s game against the Dodgers. Rutschman was hit in the head in the ninth inning of Thursday’s game in Seattle when he was running to first base. He was removed for a pinch-runner. “We’re giving him the off day and still evaluating him,” […]
The Orioles will begin a three-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night, and as usual, Dodger Stadium will be loud and full. The Orioles will face the two-time defending world champions but won’t have to face Shohei Ohtani on the mound. They’ll only face him at the plate. Ohtani has started three […]
Question: Is Enrique Bradfield Jr. on track to make the majors any time soon? From: Dorsey Stell Answer: Coach, I don’t think we’ll be seeing Enrique Bradfield Jr. in Baltimore in the near future. Bradfield missed much of this season with a hand injury and entering Thursday’s game, he’s played in only 20 games for […]
The amateur draft is just over three weeks away, and there are plenty of guesses about who the Orioles will take with the seventh overall pick on July 11th. Most of the speculation centers on Mississippi high school outfielder Eric Booth Jr., and Georgia Tech outfielder Drew Burress. Others who may be considered are Arkansas […]
Question: Any thoughts on what is plaguing Gunnar Henderson? Is he trying too hard and too intense? Is he on information overload? Can this be corrected with coaching? Does he need to take a break? Is he frustrated with the team’s losing record this year? Is it time to trade him while he has value […]
Manny Machado is both one of the greatest and most polarizing players in Orioles history. He was the third overall pick in the 2010 draft, joined the team in August 2012 and played with the Orioles until his July 2018 trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was a four-time All-Star, a two-time winner of […]
A Bird Tapes subscriber recalls when his classmate, Curt Blefary, and two of Blefary’s Oriole teammates came to a college baseball game. After reading my Bird Tapes post about Orioles shortstop Mark Belanger, subscriber Mark Schlenoff was moved to send me a photo. In the mid-to-late ’60s, Schlenoff was a physical education major at Towson State […]
As the Orioles begin a three-game series in Seattle on Tuesday night, they’re reporting progress on some of the players on the injured list. Earlier in the day, closer Ryan Helsley, who had been out since late April with right elbow inflammation, was activated, with Anthony Nunez optioned to Norfolk. Orioles right-hander Chris Bassitt, who’s […]
The Orioles activated closer Ryan Helsley from the 15-day injured list ahead of Tuesday night’s game in Seattle. Right-hander Anthony Nunez was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. Helsley, who last pitched on April 28th, was on the IL with right elbow inflammation. He’s 0-2 with a 2.53 ERA and seven saves in 12 games. Nunez is […]
As if you didn’t notice, the Orioles just took three steps forward and two steps back. They’ve been doing that kind of thing for a while now. So what do you think is going to happen while the Orioles spend the next nine days on the West Coast, facing the Mariners, Dodgers and Angels? Will […]
Question: Do you think there is a buy/sell games-back number from the final wild-card spot for this season’s trade deadline (like 8 games back or more sell, otherwise buy)? Or is Mike Elias likely to be a buyer no matter what due to the perception the Orioles need to make the playoffs this season or […]