Early notes from rainy Camden Yards (Gentry to DL, O's down 7-1)

Early notes from rainy Camden Yards (Gentry to DL, O's down 7-1)
The tarp was peeled back at Camden Yards to allow the grounds crew to do some work on the infield. It's back on while a light rain continues to fall. Manager Buck Showalter said the status of the game is "iffy." The Orioles want to play tonight and avoid a Sunday doubleheader with an afternoon game on Labor Day. Outfielder Craig Gentry, who fractured the middle finger on his right hand, will visit a hand specialist on Sunday. The Orioles are hoping that he'll be available to pinch-run later...

Orioles lineup vs. Blue Jays

Orioles lineup vs. Blue Jays
Relievers Alec Asher and Donnie Hart are in the Orioles clubhouse this afternoon. Hart can be recalled if outfielder Craig Gentry goes on the disabled list with a fractured right middle finger. Welington Castillo is catching tonight and Seth Smith is in right field. Jonathan Schoop is batting .309 (17-for-55) against the Blue Jays this season. He has the same average in 256 at-bats at home. Manny Machado is batting .345 (68-for-197) since the All-Star break. According to the Elias Sports...

Bundy rested and Orioles expect him to be ready

Bundy rested and Orioles expect him to be ready
Dylan Bundy is preparing today for his 24th start of the season, ranking him third on the Orioles behind Kevin Gausman (27) and Wade Miley (26). It hasn't been a level playing field for Bundy, who has gone extended stretches between outings. Manager Buck Showalter wants to provide extra rest for his starters, and his methods mostly impact Bundy, the former first-round pick who's in his first full season in the rotation. Bundy logged 109 2/3 innings last season as a rookie, the first half...

Jiménez can't get O's rolling in 6-4 loss (Asher optioned, quotes added)

Jiménez can't get O's rolling in 6-4 loss (Asher optioned, quotes added)
In two innings tonight, Orioles starter Ubaldo Jiménez allowed three runs and forced two relievers to get up in the bullpen. This wasn't the good version. Jiménez served up a pair of home runs in the first, including Jed Lowrie's two-run shot only two batters into the game, and the Orioles confirmed again that momentum is the next day's starting pitcher in a 6-4 loss to the Athletics before an announced crowd of 18,493 at Camden Yards. The night included a Game of Thrones promotion...

Orioles claim another series opener with 7-3 win (with quotes)

Orioles claim another series opener with 7-3 win (with quotes)
The Orioles have become masters at winning the first game of a series. Now, they need to be strong finishers. Don't put your foot on a team's throat and then help it up. Adam Jones homered twice tonight and tied his career high with four hits, Jonathan Schoop provided a cushion with a three-run shot, Wade Miley registered his second quality start in his last 15 outings and the Orioles defeated the Athletics 7-3 before an announced crowd of 16,020 at Camden Yards. Miley held the Athletics to...

Machado named AL Player of the Week (plus Orioles lineup)

Machado named AL Player of the Week (plus Orioles lineup)
Orioles third baseman Manny Machado has been named the American League's Player of the Week. Machado batted .385/.370/.885 (10-for-26) with a double, four home runs, 12 RBIs and four runs scored over six games. He hit two grand slams. This is Machado's third Player of the Week award, the last coming in June 2015. The Orioles are the first AL team with three weekly winners this season. Machado joins Jonathan Schoop and Tim Beckham. Schoop is batting .320 since the break and .349 with five...

Orioles place Castro on bereavement list (O's trail 5-4)

Orioles place Castro on bereavement list (O's trail 5-4)
The Orioles have placed reliever Miguel Castro on the bereavement list and recalled pitcher Alec Asher from Triple-A Norfolk. They learned late last night that Castro had lost a close family member and might be leaving the team. Travel arrangements were finalized this morning after Castro met with manager Buck Showalter, pitching coach Roger McDowell and traveling secretary Kevin Buck. Castro has been a valuable member of the bullpen and enabled the Orioles to remove the revolving door on it....

Potential roster move and update on Hardy's rehab assignment

Potential roster move and update on Hardy's rehab assignment
The Orioles may be forced into making a roster move later today that impacts their bullpen. A family situation arose late last night, according to manager Buck Showalter. Meanwhile, Alec Asher no longer is listed as the starter at Triple-A Norfolk. Miguel Castro, who has worked 2 1/3 innings on back-to-back nights, met with Showalter in the manager's office earlier this morning. "Any speculation about that would be really wrong because we don't know yet because we're waiting on a family...

Duquette on Sedlock, plus Showalter comments (O's lead 4-0)

Duquette on Sedlock, plus Showalter comments (O's lead 4-0)
The Orioles' top draft pick from 2016, right-handed pitcher Cody Sedlock, went on the disabled list for the Single-A Frederick Keys on Saturday with a right elbow flexor strain. The No. 27 overall selection last year, Sedlock is 4-4 with 6.46 ERA. He got off to a great start for the Keys, pitching to an ERA of 1.64 over his first four starts, but has allowed five runs or more in six of his past nine starts. Earlier today, O's executive vice president Dan Duquette was my guest on 105.7 The...

Orioles and Rays lineups (updated)

Orioles and Rays lineups (updated)
The Orioles are prepared to make a roster move today with reliever Jimmy Yacabonis in the clubhouse. They could option Alec Asher to Triple-A Norfolk after he threw 32 pitches yesterday and allowed five runs in 1 2/3 innings. Update: The Orioles have made that roster move official. As for the lineup, Joey Rickard remains the left fielder and has moved down to ninth in the order. Seth Smith is in right field and leading off. Caleb Joseph is catching and Rubén Tejada gets another start at...

Right-hander Jimmy Yacabonis returns to O's roster

Right-hander Jimmy Yacabonis returns to O's roster
The Orioles are adjusting their bullpen once again. Right-hander Jimmy Yacabonis has returned to the team and right-hander Alec Asher has been optioned back to Triple-A Norfolk. Asher will pitch as a starter for the Tides. The 25-year-old Yacabonis was with the Orioles briefly last month. His contract was purchased and he was added to the 25-man and 40-man rosters on June 11. He got into three games before being optioned back to Norfolk on June 15 after the game. He posted a 10.80 ERA in those...

Tampa Bay hits four homers in 10-3 rout of Orioles (quotes added)

Tampa Bay hits four homers in 10-3 rout of Orioles (quotes added)
Orioles right-hander Dylan Bundy gave up a season high in homers while also recording his shortest start of 2017. It was not a good combination for him or the Orioles today. Pitching on six day's rest, Bundy allowed seven hits and five runs over four frames, as the Rays hammered the Orioles 10-3 at Camden Yards. When this series began, the Orioles were 10-3 at home versus the Rays since the start of last season. Now they've dropped the first two in this series. On Sunday, the Rays go for...

Bundy turns in shortest start of season in 10-3 loss (with quotes)

Bundy turns in shortest start of season in 10-3 loss (with quotes)
The Orioles viewed last night's brutal 10-inning loss as just one game and vowed to move on from it. They won a few this season when the opposition also wondered what the heck happened. There isn't much time to dwell on it. Regroup and embrace a new day. Just try not to fall behind by three runs in the first inning and surrender four homers by the fifth. It's an important component of the theory. Embracing the day is much trickier when it's covered in thorns. Dylan Bundy was down 3-0 just...

Orioles tie 1924 Phillies in blowout loss to Rays (with quotes)

Orioles tie 1924 Phillies in blowout loss to Rays (with quotes)
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter was away from the team for one day for the birth of his grandson. The distance didn't quiet the buzz over his club's streak of allowing five runs or more in 19 consecutive games, one shy of the major league record. Showalter hasn't really been listening to it, and he stated this afternoon that he'd be happy with a 6-5 win. Just score more runs than the opposition. He can live with the totals. By the second inning, the Rays had five runs...

Showalter on O'Day's return and more (O's down 15-5)

Showalter on O'Day's return and more (O's down 15-5)
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter had another early wake-up call this morning to catch his flight from Dallas to Tampa following the birth of his first grandchild. Daughter Allie had a boy, Winston, who weighed 9 pounds, 1 ounce. "I had to fight emotions a lot," Showalter said. "I remember holding my daughter like that. I was afraid I was going to drop it." Showalter wasn't going to drop his guard in front of the media. He wasn't going to get emotional as he sat in the...

Orioles continue historical run with 5-1 loss (with quotes)

Orioles continue historical run with 5-1 loss (with quotes)
Kevin Gausman was striking out batters and putting up zeros tonight, the fog lifting from him on a night that another game was delayed at the start by rain. The only storm clouds that returned were the kind that come with scattered runs. The tarp was rolled. Gausman was rolling. And then the Indians got to him in the fifth. Gausman struck out the first batter and allowed four straight hits, including Roberto Pérez's RBI double to break a scoreless tie and Francisco Lindor's two-run homer...

Machado homers twice, collects four hits in 6-5 win (with quotes)

Machado homers twice, collects four hits in 6-5 win (with quotes)
The Orioles are barreling toward a record that could cause their season to spiral out of control unless they can put their own spin on it. The pitching staff has allowed five or more runs in 17 consecutive games, three short of the major league mark set by the 1924 Phillies. And there hasn't been much drama attached as their starters keep hitting the magic number. The only solution for the Orioles might be to keep trying to outslug the opposition. Get more than they give up. It's a rough way...

Jiménez gets another shot in the rotation

Jiménez gets another shot in the rotation
The main reason why Ubaldo Jiménez is starting today for the Orioles is to bolster the bullpen with Alec Asher's return to a relief role. However, it wouldn't be unprecedented for Jiménez to react favorably to his switch. The Orioles pulled Jiménez from the rotation in 2014 after he allowed six runs in 4 1/3 innings in an Aug. 16 game against the Indians. He pitched in relief Aug. 23 at Wrigley Field and held the Cubs to one run over four innings. Put back in the rotation, he held...

Jonathan Schoop homers twice, offense breaks out (quotes added)

Jonathan Schoop homers twice, offense breaks out (quotes added)
Whether they were taking out several weeks worth of frustrations or just hammering a pitcher having a bad day, either way, the struggling Orioles will gladly take it. Having lost eight of their previous nine games, they battered right-hander Adam Wainwright today for nine runs and seven hits over 1 2/3 innings as the Orioles beat St. Louis 15-7 to even this three-game series. A pitcher that has seen much better days, the O's got to Wainwright for two runs in the first and seven in the second...

O's hit five home runs and release frustration in 15-7 win (updated)

O's hit five home runs and release frustration in 15-7 win (updated)
This must be what venting looks like. And being on the other side of a big lead. The Orioles sent 11 batters to the plate today in the bottom of the second inning, scored seven runs while eliminating Adam Wainwright from the game, and claimed a 15-7 victory over the Cardinals before an announced crowd of 27,788 at Camden Yards. Jonathan Schoop homered twice for the Orioles, who improved to 33-34 while winning for only the second time in 10 games. Adam Jones, Mark Trumbo and Manny Machado also...