Leftovers for breakfast

Leftovers for breakfast
After back-to-back nights facing left-handed starters, the Orioles will take their cuts against White Sox right-hander Hector Noesi in the finale of their three-game series at Camden Yards. David Lough's chances of returning to left field improve slightly, but Steve Pearce keeps forcing his way into the lineup. He won't cool down enough to warrant a seat on the bench. Pearce and Nelson Cruz are conspiring, though unintentionally, to keep Lough out of the lineup. And Lough hasn't helped his...

Showalter speaks after 4-2 loss

Showalter speaks after 4-2 loss
The Orioles are 1-4 in games after walk-off wins following tonight's 4-2 loss to the White Sox before 20,596 at Camden Yards. I'm not sure what you should do with that information, but there it is. Here's manager Buck Showalter to discuss Miguel Gonzalez's outing, the Orioles going 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position tonight and 3-for-20 in the past two games, Caleb Joseph's failure to tag Alexei Ramirez in the eighth and his decision to pinch-hit Ryan Flaherty for Joseph: On...

Gonzalez goes five again, Pearce goes yard again (O's lose 4-2)

Gonzalez goes five again, Pearce goes yard again (O's lose 4-2)
Miguel Gonzalez has worked five innings in each of his two starts since coming off the disabled list, and he left tonight's game with the the White Sox ahead 3-0. Steve Pearce broke up Jose Quintana's shutout bid with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the sixth. In his last seven games, Pearce is 13-for-27 with four doubles, three home runs, eight RBIs, six walks and seven runs scored. Is that good? Gonzalez knows he needs to be better. Gonzalez is charged with three runs and nine hits...

Gonzalez bitten again by home run bug (O's down 3-0)

Gonzalez bitten again by home run bug (O's down 3-0)
Before going on the disabled list with an oblique injury, Orioles pitcher Miguel Gonzalez hadn't allowed a home run in his last two starts, and surrendered only two in his last six. He served up two in five innings against the Rays after being activated on June 17, and he's down 1-0 tonight after the White Sox's Gordon Beckham took him deep in the first inning. The Orioles are 12-27 when their opponent scores first. Gonzalez threw 23 pitches in the first. Conor Gillaspie doubled with one...

Hendrickson receives tryout

Hendrickson receives tryout
Veteran left-hander Mark Hendrickson received a tryout from the Orioles today at Camden Yards in his latest attempt to reach agreement on a minor league deal. Hendrickson, 40, has been pitching for the independent York Revolution, where he's 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in 24 innings. He's a York resident and prefers staying close to home, which the Orioles can make possible if they choose to sign him. Hendrickson contacted the Orioles requesting the tryout. He hasn't pitched in the majors since...

Machado hearing scheduled for Wednesday

Machado hearing scheduled for Wednesday
Orioles manager Buck Showalter confirmed today that third baseman Manny Machado's hearing on his appeal of a five-game suspension will take place Wednesday in Baltimore. Executive vice president Dan Duquette will attend the hearing with Machado. A verdict may not be handed down until this weekend, which suits the Orioles, who would prefer to have Machado available for Friday night's doubleheader against the Rays. The Orioles will add Kevin Gausman as a 26th player and he's scheduled to...

Orioles and White Sox lineups

Orioles and White Sox lineups
As expected, Chris Davis returns to the Orioles lineup tonight following his pinch-hit walk-off home run last night. Steve Pearce continues to bat second as the left fielder. Caleb Joseph is behind the plate after homering in each of the last two games. For the Orioles Nick Markakis RF Steve Pearce LF Adam Jones CF Nelson Cruz DH Chris Davis 1B J.J. Hardy SS Manny Machado 3B Jonathan Schoop 2B Caleb Joseph C Miguel Gonzalez RHP For the White Sox Adam Eaton CF Gordon Beckham 2B Conor...

Looking back and ahead, and a note on McFarland

Looking back and ahead, and a note on McFarland
Was anyone else surprised to learn that Chris Davis' pinch-hit walk-off home run last night was the first by an Oriole since Larry Sheets on Aug. 24, 1988 against the Mariners? Your browser does not support iframes. Sheets' shot came against reliever Mike Schooler in Game 1 of a doubleheader at Memorial Stadium. The Mariners' third base coach was current Orioles hitting coach Jim Presley. Sheets was pinch-hitting for third baseman Rene Gonzalez. Pinch-runner Brady Anderson, who replaced...

Showalter on a walk-off win

Showalter on a walk-off win
Chris Davis has two career pinch-hit home runs, the first coming on May 14, 2009. Tonight's shot figures to stay with him a lot longer. Davis ran the count full against White Sox reliever Ronal Belisario with two on and one out in the bottom of the ninth inning and launched a slider into the right field seats for a walk-off home run that gave the Orioles a 6-4 win over the White Sox at Camden Yards. Davis is 5-for-13 with two homers and five RBIs as a pinch-hitter. Manager Buck Showalter...

Orioles waste chances and lose lead (Davis walk-off three-run HR)

Orioles waste chances and lose lead (Davis walk-off three-run HR)
Through five innings tonight, the Orioles are 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and have stranded nine. They've squandered numerous chances against White Sox left-hander Chris Sale, who's allowed a season-high 10 hits in five innings but only two runs. He's no longer behind in this game. White Sox rookie Jose Abreu homered off left-hander Wei-Yin Chen leading off the top of the sixth to tie the game 2-2, and doubles by Dayan Viciedo and Conor Gillaspie gave Chicago the...

Chen takes rare walk, Markakis at 5,000 career at-bats, and more (O's lead 2-1)

Chen takes rare walk, Markakis at 5,000 career at-bats, and more (O's lead 2-1)
The Orioles haven't dropped a season series to the White Sox since 2008. The first step toward maintaining that streak comes tonight at Camden Yards. Wei-Yin Chen walked Gordon Beckham with one out in the top of the first inning and Dayan Viciedo with two outs. Chen had issued two walks over his last six starts and 12 this season in 83 1/3 innings. It's the first multi-walk game for Chen since April 26 against the Royals. Chen threw 20 pitches in the inning, only nine for strikes, but he...

Duquette on catching situation, Yoon, Bundy, Wolf and more

Duquette on catching situation, Yoon, Bundy, Wolf and more
Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette indicated today that he's not looking to acquire a catcher despite losing Matt Wieters for the season following elbow surgery. Duquette seems comfortable with using Caleb Joseph and Nick Hundley. He also praised the catching depth in the farm system, which has been lacking in previous years. "It's always a challenge to change catchers during the season because the catcher is involved in so many facets of the game," Duquette said....

Norris provides update on his injury

Norris provides update on his injury
Orioles pitcher Bud Norris remains optimistic that he can start the second game of Friday night's doubleheader against the Rays. If he's pushed back to Saturday, that also works for him. As long as the tightness in his right groin subsides and he's able to stay on his current roll. Norris will have a better idea about his availability after Wednesday's bullpen session. "I'm feeling a little bit better," Norris said. "I'm just going to take it a day at a time, another day of...

Pregame notes from Camden Yards

Pregame notes from Camden Yards
Lots of nuggets from today's session with manager Buck Showalter. Your world won't be rocked, but it may jiggle a little. Showalter expects the Orioles to have a resolution on the Manny Machado suspension by the end of the week. Showalter said 90 percent of the reason why Chris Davis isn't starting tonight is he wanted Delmon Young in the lineup. Showalter also confirmed that Davis will return to the lineup Tuesday night against White Sox left-hander Jose Quintana. That one should have...

Davis on bench tonight

Davis on bench tonight
Steve Pearce remains in the Orioles lineup tonight, but he's starting at first base against White Sox left-hander Chris Sale. Chris Davis is on the bench, with manager Buck Showalter stacking his lineup with right-handed hitters. Delmon Young is serving as the designated hitter. He's 2-for-9 with a double and home run off Sale. As I wrote this morning, Sale has held left-handed hitters to a .194 average in his career. For the Orioles Nick Markakis RF Steve Pearce 1B Adam Jones CF Nelson...

Gausman update, Yoon to DL (update)

Gausman update, Yoon to DL (update)
Kevin Gausman is starting today at Triple-A Norfolk, where he's scheduled to throw one inning against Indianapolis at Harbor Park. It's basically the equivalent of a side session for Gausman, who was optioned late Friday night with the understanding that he will be recalled as the 26th player for this Friday's doubleheader. Gausman will start Game 1 against the Rays. The plan also calls for Gausman to be optioned following his start and return to the Orioles for his next scheduled turn....

More praise for Pearce

More praise for Pearce
The Orioles are back home tonight, where they've compiled a 16-17 record this season, compared to 23-18 on the road. Steve Pearce is assured of staying in the lineup against White Sox left-hander Chris Sale, who's held left-handed hitters to a .194 career average. It doesn't matter whether the opposing pitcher is left-handed, right-handed, throws with his feet or rolls the ball off his tongue. Pearce is playing. Pearce has collected two hits in each of the last five games to push his...

Hardy on rebounding from Friday night loss: "We've got a short memory"

Hardy on rebounding from Friday night loss: "We've got a short memory"
NEW YORK - The Orioles rebounded from Friday's walk-off loss to the Yankees by winning the next two games by a combined score of 14-1. What does that say about the team? "It's like you've got to turn the page," said manager Buck Showalter. "We haven't even played half the season yet. What did we win, four out of six on the road? We've got to play better at home. We know that. One of the qualities of good teams that are playing in the postseason is that they're competitive on the...

Orioles sign Wolf, Pearce talks about slide, Joseph talks about home run

Orioles sign Wolf, Pearce talks about slide, Joseph talks about home run
NEW YORK - The Orioles have reached agreement with left-hander Randy Wolf on a Triple-A contract, according to team officials. The deal is pending a physical. Wolf, 37, would report to Norfolk on Tuesday. Wolf was 2-0 with a 5.28 ERA in five games (two starts) with the Orioles in 2012 before undergoing a second ligament-reconstructive surgery in his left elbow. He was 5-1 with a 4.50 ERA in six starts at Triple-A Reno before opting out of his deal with the Diamondbacks, and 1-3 with a 5.26...

Bottom of order tops for Orioles today (O's win 8-0)

Bottom of order tops for Orioles today (O's win 8-0)
NEW YORK - The Orioles have scored three runs off Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka for the second time this season. Tanaka hasn't allowed more than three runs in his 15 major league starts. The damage is being done down below. No. 8 hitter Jonathan Schoop has a home run and RBI grounder, and No. 9 hitter Caleb Joseph has a sacrifice fly. J.J. Hardy led off the seventh with a single and took third on Manny Machado's double into right-center field. Schoop followed with his ground ball to...