Elias on pitching prospects, Diaz, Jones, Rutschman and trades

Elias on pitching prospects, Diaz, Jones, Rutschman and trades
The ability of Alexander Wells to give the Orioles 5 2/3 innings Wednesday on such short notice, with only three runs allowed, doesn't guarantee the rookie a second major league start. Not until someone in the organization is willing to make the commitment and there's still some uncertainty in the rotation. The Orioles don't know the length of Keegan Akin's absence after his placement on the 10-day COVID-19 injured list. It doesn't come with a minimum requirement. No one knows whether Akin...

Roster moves, draft pick updates, Kjerstad, Diaz and Rutschman

Roster moves, draft pick updates, Kjerstad, Diaz and Rutschman
The painful blow delivered to the Orioles yesterday with a walk-off loss to the Rays concluded a trip that made them settle for .500 and kept them busy with roster activity. The Orioles dropped their 11th series in a row at Tropicana Field dating back to July 24-26, 2017. They're 2-14 in their last 16 games against the Rays. Their 29 losses in day games lead the majors. And then there's the roster activity. They had to put pitcher Keegan Akin and outfielder Anthony Santander on the COVID-19...

Diaz still can't crack crowded Orioles outfield

Diaz still can't crack crowded Orioles outfield
The Orioles begin the non-mathematical second half of their season tonight in Kansas City with six outfielders on the roster if counting Ryan Mountcastle, who's listed as an infielder on the team's website. He's made 31 starts at first base and 18 in left field. Let's just say the Orioles have six players on their roster who can play the outfield - seven if including Trey Mancini, but he hasn't done it since 2019. That's the kind of excess talked about over the winter and in spring...

Quick recap on Colton Cowser selection

Quick recap on Colton Cowser selection
The major league draft is down to its final day and 10 picks. Emotions won't run quite as high with the final announcements. Fans don't typically vent over the 20th selection. The first? Yeah, it gets pretty loud. The Orioles passed on three high school shortstops Sunday who remained on the board as their turn came, the mocks blown up immediately with the Pirates taking Louisville catcher Henry Davis at No. 1. Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias also shunned Vanderbilt pitcher...

Walks and woozy bullpen team to topple Orioles 12-1 (updated)

Walks and woozy bullpen team to topple Orioles 12-1 (updated)
Manager Brandon Hyde can laugh now about the play Wednesday night that began as a blown call on a missed catch by left fielder Ryan McKenna and resulted in a run scoring and no outs recorded rather than the triple play that the Orioles thought might be possible. Catch a break? The Orioles are overdue, as Hyde noted. Anthony Santander slid into second base with an apparent double tonight leading off the fourth inning and removed his shin guard, an umpire signaled home run after the ball bounced...

The waiting for Jahmai Jones is the hardest part

The waiting for Jahmai Jones is the hardest part
The calls for Jahmai Jones grew louder over the weekend after Freddy Galvis limped off the field Saturday afternoon, the severity of his quadriceps injury written on his face. The pain and anguish, the attempts to fight back tears as he rode a cart to the auxiliary tent and later was placed in a vehicle - needing assistance just to sit down - for the ride to a nearby hospital. Fans want Jones in the majors and they want him now. Armchair general managers spew insults from their foaming...

Orioles aren't done debuting players

Orioles aren't done debuting players
Knuckleballer Mickey Jannis, and the law states that he can't be referenced without his signature pitch proceeding his name, became the eighth Oriole on Wednesday to make his major league debut this season. Konner Wade was the ninth, and the 42nd player used by the club, when he replaced starter Keegan Akin yesterday and allowed six runs and seven hits in 1 2/3 innings. Alexander Wells became Nos. 10 and 43 when he replaced Wade in the seventh and tossed two scoreless innings. And it's only...

Orioles win in 10 innings to end road losing streak at 20 (updated)

Orioles win in 10 innings to end road losing streak at 20 (updated)
The pitch count didn't present an issue tonight for Matt Harvey. No inning so taxing that he became fatigued by the midpoint, which happened again in his last start. Harvey made it through the fifth inning for the first time in his last 10 starts, though two solo homers put him behind twice, letdowns that have been deadly with the Orioles unable to siphon runs out of a game. The offense wasn't on mute tonight, rare noise coming from a four-run eighth that created a tie. Harvey wouldn't...

Checking back on Orioles 2022 roster

Checking back on Orioles 2022 roster
Three years ago, the staff at Baseball America took a shot at projecting the Orioles lineup, rotation and closer for the 2022 season. Let's just say the publication didn't bat 1.000. OK, let's say more. It's virtually impossible to hit on any team because of the variables that blow up predictions. The lists ran in October, after the Orioles began dismantling the team over the summer. The teardown started with the trades of Manny Machado, Zack Britton, Jonathan Schoop, Brad Brach, Kevin...

O's Matt Blood on Gunnar Henderson's move up and more on the farm

O's Matt Blood on Gunnar Henderson's move up and more on the farm
He recently moved into a couple of top 100 prospects lists and now Orioles infield prospect Gunnar Henderson is on the move again, this time further up in the Baltimore farm system. The Orioles announced a series of minor league roster moves and promotions Sunday, which included Henderson's move from low Single-A Delmarva to high Single-A Aberdeen. Henderson did not play in Sunday's Delmarva game, but had a quite a run with the Shorebirds. Over 35 games, he hit .312/.369/.574 with 11 doubles,...

Coby Mayo: "I'm going to have a lot of fun"

Coby Mayo: "I'm going to have a lot of fun"
The Orioles are performing an exhausting juggling act with their prospects. The kind that doesn't bring joy, like when another player moves up the affiliate chain. They arrange an injury rehab assignment. They reinstate someone else from the injured list. They are forced to shut down someone else. Talk about having a lot of balls in the air. The club passed along good news this week regarding outfielder Yusniel Diaz, who joined Double-A Bowie on his rehab assignment. But wait, there's...

Orioles can't overcome more breakdowns in 8-7 loss (updated)

Orioles can't overcome more breakdowns in 8-7 loss (updated)
On the same day that Mike Elias and Brandon Hyde again spoke about the need to stay patient and focus on the big picture, no matter how much the losing hurts and frustrates in the moment, the Orioles collected two runs and four hits within the first 10 pitches of their game in Cleveland. A brief reprieve and then a jarring return to their reality. The present can be painful. No one disagrees. The Indians scored five runs off Keegan Akin in the third inning before he recorded an out, the Orioles...

Harvey's latest short start comes with miscues (updated)

Harvey's latest short start comes with miscues (updated)
As Matt Harvey's ERA rose and patience with his failed starts withered away, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde kept defending the veteran by pointing out mistakes committed in the field and run support that lacked. Harvey wasn't nearly as generous after his most recent game, crushing himself like cocktail ice after a loss to the Mets. Hyde, meanwhile, leaned on the dugout railing tonight, watched an unearned run score in the first inning and hated to be proven right. Hyde saw a missed cutoff in...

Orioles and Indians lineups

Orioles and Indians lineups
Austin Hays and Maikel Franco return to the lineup tonight as the Orioles continue their series in Cleveland. Hays is in right field after staying on the bench last night. Franco is playing third base after delivering a pinch-hit single. Trey Mancini is the first baseman. DJ Stewart is in left field and Anthony Santander is the designated hitter. Austin Wynns is behind the plate for the third time in four games. Since being stuck with four unearned runs on May 7, Matt Harvey has surrendered 31...

Mullins' low All-Star count, Kremer's read, Bannon update

Mullins' low All-Star count, Kremer's read, Bannon update
The structure of the voting for the 2021 All-Star Game allows the top nine outfielders in each league to advance to the next "phase," as Major League Baseball is calling it. Cedric Mullins is currently 10th with 145,537 votes. Of course it's ridiculous. His 2.9 WAR last night, per Fangraphs.com, ranked fifth in the American League at any position, his 78 hits were tied for third in the majors and he led off the game with a single, and his defense has been Gold Glove-worthy. But the All-Star...

Notes on minor league movement and All-Star voting

Notes on minor league movement and All-Star voting
The Orioles are moving up another pitching prospect. Left-hander Kevin Smith, acquired from the Mets last summer in the Miguel Castro trade, has been promoted to Triple-A Norfolk. Smith, 24, had a 1.04 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in six games (five starts) with Double-A Bowie. He struck out 37 batters in 26 innings. MLBPipeline.com rates Smith as the No. 15 prospect in the Orioles minor league system. Smith joins a Norfolk rotation that includes Zac Lowther (No. 9) and Kyle Bradish (No. 12). Infielder...

This, that and the other

This, that and the other
One of manager Brandon Hyde's favorite descriptions for Ryan Mountcastle's at-bats is how the rookie "snorkels" the ball. Which leads to one very important question: What exactly is snorkeling a ball? Hyde couldn't provide a demonstration yesterday because an afternoon storm canceled batting practice and stuck the media on another Zoom call. Otherwise, he gladly would have grabbed a bat and swung into action. "I guess I use it as when someone throws a breaking ball or slider or...

Orioles see logic and challenges with short bench

Orioles see logic and challenges with short bench
The idea of a 14-man pitching staff still makes sense during a season with heightened injury concerns. The increase in games and innings endangering the arms. The handling of workloads done with care. Carrying two Rule 5 picks on opening day solidified the logic. Hard to punch holes through it. The complication resides in the trainers' room. Keeping nine relievers on a 26-man roster allows for only a three-man bench and the Orioles have found themselves stripped down to the extra...

Orioles injuries mounting on 40-man roster

Orioles injuries mounting on 40-man roster
The Orioles are carrying a full 40-man roster and counting the number of injured players. Increases that are painful on a number of fronts. Relievers Hunter Harvey, Dillon Tate and Rule 5 pick Mac Sceroler are in various stages of recovery from oblique, hamstring and shoulder ailments, respectively. Harvey is on the 60-day injured list and doesn't count against the 40-man, but he also hasn't been an option for a team that's working up a sweat trying to keep its bullpen fresh. First baseman...

Orioles pitching surrenders five homers in 13-6 loss (updated)

Orioles pitching surrenders five homers in 13-6 loss (updated)
Matt Harvey stood with his back turned to home plate and his right hand on his hip tonight as Austin Meadows' ball sailed over the center field fence for the second three-run homer of the second inning. The second-shortest start of his major league career was happening before his eyes. He had to look. Though perhaps in disbelief. A bloop single by Brandon Lowe with two outs brought manager Brandon Hyde out of the dugout. The Rays were dinking Harvey to death, too, but it didn't hurt as much...