The Orioles surrendered five more home runs yesterday in Minnesota, all of them coming out of their bullpen, which again is in need of repair. Relievers have accounted for 34 of the 69 home runs allowed by the Orioles, easily the most in the majors and 15 more than the runner-up Cardinals and Rangers heading into the late slate of games. The Twins hit a homer off left-handers Paul Fry and Tanner Scott and three off Jimmy Yacabonis. Scott didn't retire a batter and his ERA rose to 7.11. All...

Though he went hitless yesterday with a pair of strikeouts and a walk, Renato Núñez continues to lead the Orioles in RBIs with 16 and is one ahead of Dwight Smith Jr. Two players who weren't assured of making the club out of spring training, though Núñez being out of options improved his chances. Smith wasn't in the organization until a March 8 trade between the Orioles and Blue Jays. Former executive Dan Duquette claimed Núñez off waivers from the Rangers on May 13, 2018,...

The disappointment of yesterday's 5-3 loss in Toronto should be softened by the realization that few people outside the most optimistic and unrealistic predicted four wins on a six-game road trip introducing a 2019 season that's extremely low on expectations. A season all about the rebuild and what's best for the long-term plan. Instant gratification isn't the primary goal, but can happen in spite of it. The big fear was an 0-6 start and a team staggering into today's home opener against...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Alex Cobb appears to have sustained a mild groin strain tonight and the club might get a clearer read on the severity of the injury by Sunday. Whether Cobb can make his opening day start won't be known until later. Cobb retired leadoff hitter Max Kepler on a ground ball to first baseman Chris Davis, who flipped the ball to the veteran starter for the out. Cobb showed no signs of discomfort while inducing a soft line drive from Ehire Adrianza...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles have brought back infielder Hanser Alberto, claiming him off waivers this afternoon from the Giants after designating him on Feb. 19 and losing him to a claim three days later. Donnie Hart has been designated for assignment, leaving four left-hander relievers on the 40-man roster. Hart was scheduled to pitch today against the Rays in a split-squad game. The Orioles designated Alberto to make room for left-hander Josh Osich on the 40-man and the Giants snagged him....

FORT MYERS, Fla. - When a pitcher who makes the trip from minor league camp is warming twice in the bullpen, it's a sure sign that the starter's outing isn't running smoothly. Nate Karns is healthy, which is the primary interest of the Orioles. He stumbled in the first inning today of his first start after missing the entire 2018 season with an elbow injury, but only in the figurative sense. With his fastball clocked at 91-93 mph on the stadium radar gun, Karns allowed three runs (two...

The Orioles rotation was bad - really bad - during the 2017 season. The team ERA for its starters was 5.70, was last in the American League and was the highest rotation ERA in Orioles history, which of course, began in 1954. While the rotation ERA was a tick better last year at 5.48, that still rated last in the AL, and a case could be made that it wasn't that much better than the disaster of 2017. The 2018 rotation pitched fewer innings than the year before (846 to 833 2/3) and posted a...

Not long ago, I wrote how openings in the Orioles' front office and scouting department were viewed as having tremendous appeal by a significant number of people in the industry. The delays in making hires weren't based on a lack of interest. To follow up on it, I talked to someone over the weekend who used the term "a goldmine" to describe the situation. Not "a landmine," which illustrates how the perception of the job has changed over the years. One reason for the positive outlook is...

Let's push aside for a minute the uncertainty within the front office and in the manager's chair, and how the impact could echo throughout the organization. Anyone who's interviewing to become president of baseball operations is going to wonder how Chris Davis and the $110 million remaining on the richest contract in franchise history can fit into the rebuilding process. How a square peg fits into a round hole. This individual will be told that it doesn't. That giving one player, coming off...

BOSTON - An examination on Hunter Harvey's right elbow Monday in Baltimore didn't reveal any structural damage, with his latest bout of discomfort related to tendinitis. Harvey will remain shut down after his latest round of flat ground sessions in Sarasota were halted on Sept. 18. He's basically been prescribed rest. The Orioles no longer are sending Harvey to the Arizona Fall League, where he was supposed to pitch for the Glendale Desert Dogs. Harvey underwent an MRI on Aug. 22 that...

If you were to ask an Orioles fan which lefty reliever had the best season of any of the southpaws on the O's farm this season, that fan could make a very strong case for Tyler Erwin, who had an outstanding year for Single-A Frederick. The Orioles are sending Erwin to the Arizona Fall League, which begins next month. He'll play for the Glendale Desert Dogs. In 50 games for the Keys, Erwin, who turned 24 in August, went 4-4 with 18 saves and a 1.58 ERA. Over 68 1/3 innings, he allowed 45 hits...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter sometimes says "There was a game to be won there" after an Oriole loss, and that statement was certainly true last night. Yes the game got away in the top of the ninth, but if the Orioles offense had gotten something going before that, we would not have seen Nestor Cortes Jr. try to pitch out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth. Some could second-guess the skipper for even bringing him into a situation down 2-1 in the ninth, but I get back to the offense. The...