Notes on Gillaspie, new hire, Severino signing and Rombach

Notes on Gillaspie, new hire, Severino signing and Rombach
Seconds after filing my story on Friday's additions to the 40-man roster that protected players in the Rule 5 draft, I did a quick search on Logan Gillaspie to make certain that I didn't completely dismiss his chances. That I didn't write something like, "He's in the Arizona Fall League and out of this discussion." I typed his name as "Conner Gillaspie" the next morning while trying to look up his statistics, then slapped myself and got it right. This guy deserves better. I've never...

Taking a closer look at some minor league free agents (updated)

Taking a closer look at some minor league free agents (updated)
No matter if baseball's Winter Meetings proceed as planned next month in Orlando, Fla., or are shelved while a new collective bargaining agreement is negotiated, Orioles executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias will be keeping both eyes on the major and minor league free agent markets. Large sums of cash won't be spent, but there are ways to upgrade the roster and depth at the highest levels of the farm system. Venturing to the minor league side allows the Orioles to increase camp...

More on Silver Sluggers and the outrighted Orioles

More on Silver Sluggers and the outrighted Orioles
Did anyone really predict before the season that Cedric Mullins would be a finalist for a Silver Slugger Award? If you were told that one Oriole would be honored, would you have chosen Trey Mancini, Anthony Santander or Ryan Mountcastle ahead of Mullins? I don't know what's left to say about the guy who decided to bat only from the left side. Mullins was the easy choice as Most Valuable Oriole and no one in the media ventured outside the box and denied him a first-place vote. He's going to...

More on Orioles' 40-man moves, plus Stowers note

More on Orioles' 40-man moves, plus Stowers note
As the participants in the World Series begin to come into focus, the Orioles are busy doing their own heavy lifting with moves to clear room on their 40-man roster. They needed a big broom. The season concluded with a full 40-man. Putting reliever Zack Burdi on waivers, and he was claimed by the Diamondbacks, was just the first attempt. They're down to 35 after outrighting catcher Austin Wynns, infielder Pat Valaika, and pitchers Thomas Eshelman and Konner Wade. That leaves space for the five...

Orioles outright Valaika, Eshelman and Wade

Orioles outright Valaika, Eshelman and Wade
The Orioles outrighted four players off their 40-man roster yesterday to reduce the total to 35, as they continue to perform one of the more important offseason tasks leading into the Rule 5 draft in December. In addition to catcher Austin Wynns, whose disposition was reported yesterday, the Orioles also outrighted pitchers Thomas Eshelman and Konner Wade and infielder Pat Valaika, per the transactions page at MLB.com. The club hasn't announced the moves. Valaika was eligible again for...

Orioles facing many more 40-man moves

Orioles facing many more 40-man moves
The early work on the Orioles' 40-man roster consisted of one move that probably didn't require hours of study, deliberation and angst. The team likes Travis Lakins Sr. Manager Brandon Hyde talked about the reliever's recovery from elbow surgery and the likelihood that he'd be ready for spring training. But it made no sense to move Lakins from the 60-day injured list to a 40-man roster that requires heavy cuts. A chain saw rather than a pocket knife. Teams figured to pass on Lakins after he...

Jays power past Means and Orioles in 10-1 win (updated)

Jays power past Means and Orioles in 10-1 win (updated)
Nothing about today's start in Toronto was capable of lowering manager Brandon Hyde's opinion of John Means. The left-hander's status as the Orioles' ace of a young pitching staff. The expectation that he'll hold the ball on opening day 2022. Hyde just hoped to get a sharper outing, for the left-hander's frame of mind heading into the offseason and his club as it tried to rattle the Blue Jays' cage. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Teoscar Hernández homered off Means in a three-run first...

Orioles shut out in penultimate home game of 2021 (updated)

Orioles shut out in penultimate home game of 2021 (updated)
Zac Lowther turned to watch the ball and slapped his glove against his leg. Knowing where it would land and the implications. Perhaps also knowing that one run might be too much for the Orioles to overcome against Nathan Eovaldi. J.D. Martinez's 28th homer of the season, a solo shot to center field with one out in the second inning, was the only run surrendered by the rookie left-hander through the fifth. Plenty of hard-hit line drives, but nothing to influence the score. That happened in the...

Orioles forced into another flurry of roster moves

Orioles forced into another flurry of roster moves
The lineup was a late posting again yesterday. Manager Brandon Hyde explained that the Orioles had "a bunch of things going on right now." It must have been quite a scene. Bring players to Philadelphia and calculate how many are needed on the active roster and for which injured Orioles. Outfielder Anthony Santander avoided the injured list, but didn't figure to be much of a contributor off the bench with a sore left hamstring. As if his sore left ankle needed company. The starter for Sunday...

Orioles put Urías on injured list and DFA Valdez

Orioles put Urías on injured list and DFA Valdez
The Orioles' roster moves are official and their 28-man roster has been refreshed again. The club has recalled infielder Jahmai Jones and reliever Konner Wade from Triple-A Norfolk today, placed infielder Ramón Urías on the 10-day injured list with a right adductor strain and designated reliever César Valdez for assignment. Reliever Joey Krehbiel, claimed off waivers yesterday from the Rays, was optioned to Norfolk. Urías was a late scratch from the lineup yesterday, but he...

More thoughts on September roster expansion

More thoughts on September roster expansion
The Orioles can happily push aside August, giving it a hard shove after losing 24 of 28 games, and get down to September business. There's always something to keep them active and it's usually about the roster. The difference now is they can expand it rather than just plugging holes. With the team in Canada and transporting a taxi squad, the logical moves today would be to recall left-hander Alexander Wells and right-hander Dusten Knight since they're already in the visiting clubhouse at...

Ellis gets start tonight for Orioles

Ellis gets start tonight for Orioles
The "mix and match" bullpen game that Orioles manager Brandon Hyde referenced late last night begins with right-hander Chris Ellis. The team announced that Ellis will start tonight against the Angels and two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani. Ellis becomes the 55th player used this season, three short of the club record set in 2019. A different record looms heavier over the organization. Two more losses and the Orioles will match the 21 straight to begin the 1988 season. Ellis, 28, is serving as an...

Orioles face big early deficit and lose 19th straight (updated)

Orioles face big early deficit and lose 19th straight (updated)
Multiple roster moves on Monday weren't intended to distract from an 18-game losing streak. They weren't designed to spare manager Brandon Hyde from the daily bombardment of questions about it. But he lasted the full seven minutes of today's media session without going into another deep dive. The closest he came was expanding on a suggestion that the jolt of energy provided by new second baseman Jahmai Jones could benefit a team that's beaten down. The streak doesn't care about any of it....

López removed early, O's losing streak at 15 games (updated)

López removed early, O's losing streak at 15 games (updated)
Jorge López walked to the mound today in the bottom of the second inning, still trying to process what happened in the first. Or perhaps wishing he could forget about it and treat his return as a fresh start. Something his teammates desperately need right now. What came next, most unfortunate for the Orioles, represented what's happening to them this month. There are no fresh starts or quality ones. Just more of the same, with the occasional sprinkling of intrigue. And for López, an...

Orioles swept for 14th time with 6-2 loss (updated)

Orioles swept for 14th time with 6-2 loss (updated)
The Orioles had their brief moment this afternoon. The early rally, the hit with a runner in scoring position, a lead against the Red Sox. Keegan Akin took his turn on the mound in the bottom of the first inning and surrendered a three-run homer to J.D. Martinez among his 22 pitches. The next three innings saw Akin bend but not break, keeping the Orioles in the game, unsure whether it keeps him in the rotation. But the losing streak is rolling into St. Petersburg, Fla., for the next stop on the...

O's game blog: Looking to end losing streak in series finale

O's game blog: Looking to end losing streak in series finale
With two losses this weekend at Boston and a riding 10-game losing streak, the Orioles are desperate for a win this afternoon at Fenway Park in the finale of this three-game series. The Orioles swept three from Boston at Fenway to begin the 2021 season, winning the games by a combined 18-5 score. But they have lost the first two games this weekend by a combined 24-3 score. Boston had 17 hits, bashed five homers and went 7-for-12 with runners in scoring position Saturday in pounding the Orioles...

Orioles add Abad and Wade to bullpen, plus lineups (updated)

Orioles add Abad and Wade to bullpen, plus lineups (updated)
The expected bullpen changes came today, with the Orioles designating Adam Plutko for assignment and optioning Dusten Knight to Triple-A Norfolk. In their place, the Orioles selected the contracts of Konner Wade and veteran left-hander Fernando Abad from Norfolk. They made room on the 40-man roster by transferring left-hander Bruce Zimmermann to the 60-day injured list. Plutko allowed home runs in a club-record six relief appearances in a row. He posted a 6.71 ERA and 1.633 WHIP in 38...

More changes for Orioles as new series begins

More changes for Orioles as new series begins
The Orioles are in New York for the next three nights, with their roster again reset, a role changed and one confirmed. Keegan Akin isn't a starter and has been assigned to the bullpen as a second left-hander after Tanner Scott was placed on the 10-day injured list with a sprained left knee. He can provide more length than Scott, but also might be needed just to get three outs in a matchup-type role late in games. Akin tried to play the part of Scott yesterday, at least in terms of usage, by...

Wells solid in first start, Rays with walk-off win (updated)

Wells solid in first start, Rays with walk-off win  (updated)
The baseball side of Alexander Wells' life came at him hard again, with little interest in his comfort or convenience. The short notice that he'd make his first major league start this afternoon. The leadoff home run by Randy Arozarena. The two walks that followed in the inning and the run-scoring triple before an out was recorded in the second. Wells doesn't get flustered. He doesn't crumble beneath the pressure. He was wearing the uniform and living the dream. Maybe the quality of some...

Non-roster players keep getting chances with Orioles

Non-roster players keep getting chances with Orioles
The Orioles drafted a second baseman in the second round, Connor Norby of East Carolina University, but he isn't blocking Jahmai Jones. I already saw and approved that joke on Twitter. Norby is praised by scouts for his solid tools across the board. He's a career .392/.458/.596 hitter at East Carolina. He led the nation with 102 hits this year. But I'm betting that Jones beats him to the majors. Any takers? Jones is batting .279 with an .863 OPS after Tuesday night's single and triple and...