Orioles-Yankees lineups

Orioles-Yankees lineups
NEW YORK - Matt Wieters, Ryan Flaherty and Alexi Casilla took early batting practice this afternoon. Wieters is 6-for-42 with three RBIs in his last 13 games. He's batting .225/.282/.393 this season. But he's 9-for-21 with three doubles and three homers against Yankees starter Ivan Nova. Brian Roberts will serve as the designated hitter tonight and hit ninth, while Ryan Flaherty will get the start at second base for the Orioles. For the Orioles Nate McLouth LF Manny Machado 3B Nick...

A few notes before tonight's game

A few notes before tonight's game
NEW YORK - Since July 29, 2012, the Orioles have the best winning percentage in baseball at .605 and are tied with the Athletics for the most wins with 89. The Orioles are 15-8 in their last 23 games against the Yankees after going 12-41 in the previous 53. They're 6-3 against them this season, but they lost two of three in the Bronx April 12-14. Since the start of 2012, the Orioles are 2-4 in extra innings against New York, including the playoffs, and 20-2 against the rest of baseball. The...

What's next for the rotation?

What's next for the rotation?
The Orioles are listing Miguel Gonzalez, Chris Tillman and Jason Hammel as their three starters for the Yankees series that starts tonight in the Bronx. Zach Britton allowed only two runs over seven innings yesterday in Chicago. Wei-Yin Chen tossed seven scoreless innings yesterday and retired 13 of the last 14 batters he faced in his second and last injury-rehab start with Double-A Bowie. Scott Feldman made his Orioles debut Wednesday night after being acquired from the Cubs and held the...

Jones takes a walk (Dunn hits walk-off HR)

Jones takes a walk (Dunn hits walk-off HR)
It finally happened. The ground beneath our feet didn't freeze over. Dogs and cats aren't best friends. But Orioles center fielder Adam Jones did, indeed, draw a walk in the first inning. Jones' two-out free pass off White Sox left-hander Jose Quintana was his first since May 18. That's 43 games and 184 plate appearances - the longest stretch in baseball. He left Eric Hinske in the dust. The Orioles lost to the Rays that day, 10-6, at Camden Yards despite Jones going 2-for-4 with a home...

Hardy and Roberts move up in order (with White Sox lineup)

Hardy and Roberts move up in order (with White Sox lineup)
Orioles manager Buck Showalter is batting shortstop J.J. Hardy fifth and second baseman Brian Roberts sixth for today's series finale against the Chicago White Sox. Hardy has batted fifth in 31 career games, posting a .231/.274/.346 line. Roberts has appeared in the sixth slot in four previous games during his career, going 2-for-2. For the Orioles Nick Markakis RF Manny Machado 3B Adam Jones CF Chris Davis 1B J.J. Hardy SS Brian Roberts 2B Nate McLouth LF Nolan Reimold DH Taylor...

Orioles seek one more win in Windy City

Orioles seek one more win in Windy City
The Orioles will go for another series win this afternoon as they play their final game at US Celluar Field in 2013. They also will try again to move a season-high 12 games above .500. The Orioles have the most road wins in the majors (69) since the start of the 2012 season. They'd like to register an even 70 before heading to the Bronx for their weekend series against the Yankees. Zach Britton remains in the rotation, but for how much longer with Wei-Yin Chen coming off the disabled list...

Urrutia, Gamboa honored by organization, O's take lead in eighth (O's win 4-2)

Urrutia, Gamboa honored by organization, O's take lead in eighth (O's win 4-2)
The Orioles have chosen outfielder Henry Urrutia as their minor league Player of the Month and knuckleballer Eddie Gamboa as their Pitcher of the Month for June. Hard to argue with those choices. Urrutia moved up to Triple-A Norfolk, where he's 1-for-4 with a double and two runs scored tonight to leave his average at .238 with the Tides. He batted .365/.433/.550 with 16 doubles, seven homers and 37 RBIs in 52 games with Double-A Bowie to earn the promotion. In the month of June, Urrutia hit...

Updates on Scott Feldman and Steve Johnson (Feldman done after sixth)

Updates on Scott Feldman and Steve Johnson (Feldman done after sixth)
Scott Feldman's first inning with the Orioles tonight was a bit rocky. Feldman allowed a run on three hits to produce a 1-1 tie. He also struck out two batters. Feldman retired the first two Chicago batters before surrendering a single to Alex Rios and an RBI double to Adam Dunn, who was 1-for-10 against him lifetime before tonight. Dayan Viciedo also singled, but Dunn held at third base for two reasons. Right fielder Nick Markakis has a plus-arm and Dunn has a piano on his back. Feldman...

A few more pregame notes

A few more pregame notes
I mentioned earlier that Scott Feldman is the 13th different starting pitcher used by the Orioles this season, exceeding last year's total. The Orioles hadn't used that many starters since 2008. Feldman will be the 14th player to make his Orioles debut this season. We're not counting left-hander Mike Belfiore, who was recalled without pitching in a game. White Sox catcher Tyler Flowers is 5-for-7 lifetime against Feldman. Right fielder Alex Rios is 10-for-32 with two home runs. Brian...

Valencia optioned, Orioles and White Sox lineups, notes

Valencia optioned, Orioles and White Sox lineups, notes
Scott Feldman takes the mound for the Orioles tonight in the second game of their series against the Chicago White Sox, making him their 13th starter in 2013. They used 12 last season. To make room for Feldman on the 25-man roster, the Orioles optioned infielder Danny Valencia to Triple-A Norfolk. Valencia is batting .230/.277/.508 with five doubles, four homers and eight RBIs in 21 games. He's batting .282 against left-handers, compared to .136 vs. right-handers, but Nolan Reimold's return...

Wondering about today's roster move, Rauch released, game time change

Wondering about today's roster move, Rauch released, game time change
The Orioles will officially add pitcher Scott Feldman to their 25-man roster this afternoon and hand him the ball for tonight's game against the Chicago White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field. They must clear a spot for him, of course. They have an extra bench player and a bunch of left-handed starters lined up to face them. Including John Danks last night, the Orioles are facing six southpaws in a span of eight games. Hector Santiago and Jose Quintana will start the last two games of this series...

MacPhail on the Orioles, his past trades and his desire to return to baseball

MacPhail on the Orioles, his past trades and his desire to return to baseball
As soon as news broke of yesterday's trade between the Orioles and Cubs, my thoughts immediately shifted to Andy MacPhail. And that made even more sense when you consider that I spent about 30 minutes with him on the phone earlier in the morning. Coincidence? Of course. What else would it be? I don't have the power to jinx or influence trades. But any deal involving the Cubs reminds me of MacPhail's days as an Orioles executive. If I need another reminder, I can just look at the current...

Roberts homers for first time in more than two years (O's lose 5-2)

Roberts homers for first time in more than two years (O's lose 5-2)
It's been a while. Brian Roberts, making only his fifth start of the season, gave the Orioles a 1-0 lead over the White Sox tonight with a home run in the top of the third inning. Roberts lined an 89 mph fastball from left-hander John Danks over the fence in left field, his first home run since April 13, 2011 off former Yankee A.J. Burnett. Roberts has nine career home runs against the White Sox, the third-most against any opponent. He's hit 14 vs. the Yankees and 11 vs. the Rays - both...

Clevenger: "I was so happy and pumped to come back to my hometown"

Clevenger: "I was so happy and pumped to come back to my hometown"
Though catcher Steve Clevenger is new to the Orioles' organization, he has such a familiar look about him. He grew up in Pigtown, about five minutes from Camden Yards, cheering favorites Cal Ripken Jr. and Joe Orsulak. He graduated from Mount St. Joseph in Baltimore and currently lives in Linthicum. He played five years with Youse's Orioles, the summer scout team. Teammates included Steve Johnson, Gavin Floyd and the late Nick Adenhart. Clevenger attended Chipola Junior College in Florida,...

Reimold, Valencia in tonight's lineup

Reimold, Valencia in tonight's lineup
Nolan Reimold is off the disabled list and starting in left field tonight in Chicago. Danny Valencia is the designated hitter, as manager Buck Showalter leans heavily to the right side against White Sox left-hander John Danks. Brian Roberts is starting at second base and batting ninth. The Orioles will attempt to move a season-high 12 games above .500. They've been 11 games over .500 twice this year (42-31 and 47-36). With a win tonight, Jason Hammel would break a five-way tie with Felix...

Orioles trade Arrieta, Strop to Cubs for Feldman, Clevenger

Orioles trade Arrieta, Strop to Cubs for Feldman, Clevenger
The Orioles didn't wait until the final hours of the non-waiver trade deadline to acquire a starting pitcher. Looking to improve their rotation, the Orioles have obtained pitcher Scott Feldman and catcher/corner infielder Steve Clevenger from the Chicago Cubs for pitchers Jake Arrieta and Pedro Strop, and international signing bonus slots 3 and 4. Feldman, 30, is 7-6 with a 3.46 ERA and nine quality starts in 15 outings with the Cubs, with 79 hits, 25 walks and 67 strikeouts in 91 innings....

Hammel in search of a win

Hammel in search of a win
Did everyone enjoy the off-day? The Orioles flew to Chicago last night, and outfielder Nolan Reimold must have been with them. He wasn't in Double-A Bowie's lineup, which pretty much confirmed that he would be activated from the disabled list before tonight's game. The trick is making room for him on the 25-man roster. In any other series, Danny Valencia would be the logical candidate to be optioned. Remove one right-handed DH-type for another, with Reimold also able to replace Nate...

Jurrjens optioned to Norfolk (updated and notes)

Jurrjens optioned to Norfolk (updated and notes)
The Jair Jurrjens transaction is official. And still a bit confusing. The Orioles have officially optioned Jurrjens to Triple-A Norfolk this afternoon after designating him off the 25-man roster yesterday to create a spot for second baseman Brian Roberts, who was activated from the disabled list. Jurrjens has 72 hours to report to Norfolk, which he intends to do. He'll reenter the Tides' rotation and wait for his next opportunity with the Orioles. Jurrjens allowed four runs and nine hits...

Markakis drops to fourth in All-Star voting (with more notes)

Markakis drops to fourth in All-Star voting (with more notes)
If you're still holding a grudge over Jose Bautista's antics after his home run off Orioles reliever Darren O'Day in Toronto, you won't feel any better about him after Major League Baseball announced the latest American League voting results for the 84th All-Star Game. Bautista, a three-time All-Star and fan-elected starter in each of the last two seasons, has totaled 2,679,230 votes to pull in front of Markakis (2,536,864) Also, the Angels' Mike Trout has passed Adam Jones as the leader...

Showalter speaks after 4-2 win

Showalter speaks after 4-2 win
Shortly before tonight's game started at Camden Yards, Orioles manager Buck Showalter turned to bench coach John Russell and said, "Boy, this place is hoppin'." The electric atmosphere didn't go unnoticed. "It was cool," Showalter said following the Orioles' 4-2 win over the Yankees in the first ESPN Sunday Night Baseball game in Baltimore in eight years. "You could tell there was some real energy in the park, and it meant a lot to us, but we've got to continue to do the things...