Diaz going on injured list, Santander completes assignment

Diaz going on injured list, Santander completes assignment
No longer confident that Yusniel Diaz is nearing a return to the Triple-A Norfolk lineup, the Orioles have decided to place him on the minor league injured list. Diaz hasn't played since exiting a May 9 game in Jacksonville following an RBI double in the ninth inning. He strained his right hip/quadriceps muscle and needed assistance leaving the field. The No. 7 prospect in the organization according to Baseball America and No. 8 per MLBPipeline.com, Diaz is 5-for-25 with a double, home run and...

Dorrian doing good work in Double-A

Dorrian doing good work in Double-A
I just made another check of a few Orioles prospect lists and can't find any mention of Patrick Dorrian. Not a trace. The casual fan might ask, "Who's Patrick Dorrian?" He's the Double-A Bowie infielder who was the player to be named later in the May 2019 Yefry Ramirez trade with the Pirates. The former Braves 12th round pick in 2014 out of Kingston High School who was released two months later and signed by the Pirates four years later. Dorrian changed his mind about professional...

Updating Flaa and Baumann, Orioles and Mets lineups (updated)

Updating Flaa and Baumann, Orioles and Mets lineups (updated)
The Orioles have lost reliever Jay Flaa on a waiver claim by the Braves. Flaa, 28, made his major league debut on April 27 and tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings. He walked two Yankees and struck out Aaron Judge. The Orioles optioned him to the alternate training site in Bowie after the game to create a spot for Dean Kremer. The Orioles decided Saturday that Flaa would be designated for assignment as they claimed left-hander Brandon Waddell off waivers from the Twins and assigned him to Triple-A...

Hyde on Akin, rotation, Means' example, Stewart and more

Hyde on Akin, rotation, Means' example, Stewart and more
Left-hander Keegan Akin joined the Orioles today after throwing 49 pitches for Triple-A Norfolk in Friday night's start in Jacksonville and staying available for long relief duty this week. Akin is working out of the bullpen, with no immediate plans to insert him into the rotation. Left-hander Zac Lowther was optioned to Norfolk this afternoon. The Orioles needed a fresh arm and chose Akin, who didn't break camp with the team after allowing 10 runs and issuing seven walks in nine exhibition...

On the farm, a team chemistry lesson

On the farm, a team chemistry lesson
The Double-A Bowie Baysox came this close to a 4-0 start. They were an out away from a one-run win on Friday at Altoona, but they got tied in the ninth and lost 5-4 in 10 innings to fall to 3-1. The Baysox (3-2) also lost Saturday and they were rained out on Sunday. So after today's off-day, Bowie will host Reading on Tuesday night in its home opener. It will be the first Bowie home game in 605 days - that is one year, seven months and 27 days. And lefty DL Hall will get the start. In the...

This, that and the other

This, that and the other
Reactions to early-season results need to be corralled in order to prevent a stampede to judgment. Which is why tracking the production of important prospects in the Orioles organization who are debuting at a higher level should be done with caution. OK, now that's out of the way and we can safely check on Triple-A Norfolk outfielder Yusniel Diaz. Diaz, the No. 9 prospect in the system per MLBPipeline.com, was 2-for-15 with three RBIs and four strikeouts before last night. Pretty rough. But he...

Lowther struggles in first start, Valaika pitches in 11-6 loss

Lowther struggles in first start, Valaika pitches in 11-6 loss
The first major league start tonight for left-hander Zac Lowther also came with his first jams, runs scored and mound visits. By the time Lowther notched his second strikeout of the evening, he had thrown 49 pitches and surrendered four runs. The game was headed to the bottom of the second inning. The bullpen stayed quiet, with manager Brandon Hyde giving the rookie room to work and grow. A spot start, if that's what it was, didn't come with a short leash. Hyde had to tighten it in the third....

O's still not making a dent in their playoff odds

O's still not making a dent in their playoff odds
Through 31 games, the Orioles continue to hover around the .500 mark. They are playing .484 ball via win percentage at 15-16. And they have played a difficult schedule. Of the club's 31 games, 26 have been played versus teams that have a current winning record and 12 have been played versus first-place teams in Boston and Oakland. That strength of schedule at .522 is the toughest in baseball, per FanGraphs.com. The Orioles are 12-14 against winning clubs. They have gone 3-3 against Boston and...

Lowther latest example of Orioles' willingness to skip Triple-A

Lowther latest example of Orioles' willingness to skip Triple-A
Putting aside the Adley Rutschman obsession for a moment, which I understand is like sliding your hands underneath a cruise ship and telling a friend to "grab the other end," the Orioles are showing a willingness in the right circumstances to push a prospect further than expected. The key is figuring out those circumstances. To read the situation. Ryan McKenna is on the active roster again despite his complete lack of Triple-A experience. He started in right field yesterday and singled, and...

Where will Orioles turn for offensive jolt?

Where will Orioles turn for offensive jolt?
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde didn't offer a long-term endorsement yesterday for the current group of hitters on the roster. You don't make promises while an offense keeps stalling. Reasons are highlighted, such as players pressing to be "the guy," as Hyde said, and the expansion of the strike zone. "We just have a lot of guys that are trying to make up for the start of the year with one at-bat," Hyde said via Zoom, "and that's not how it works." Many of the roster moves this month have...

Orioles lineup vs. Athletics

Orioles lineup vs. Athletics
Left-hander Wade LeBlanc is making tonight's start against the Athletics at Camden Yards, his first in 2021 after five relief appearances. LeBlanc hasn't thrown more than 24 pitches or exceeded 1 1/3 innings since the Orioles broke camp. There's going to be some baton passing, perhaps in the rain. In 10 career appearances against the Athletics, LeBlanc has gone 3-1 with a 4.40 ERA and 1.234 WHIP in 47 innings. DJ Stewart is in right field again tonight and Austin Hays is starting in left....

Because You Asked - Saturday Night Cleaver

Because You Asked - Saturday Night Cleaver
If I've been negligent in sorting through my "mailbag," as I like to call it. That's because it was accidentally sent to the alternate blogging site in Bowie. Perhaps there was no need for a fifth mailbag with multiple off-days this week. I don't really know. But what's important here is that I'm ready to tackle more questions. Welcome to the latest sequel to this classic original. You ask 'em, I answer 'em and someone else asks again as if the subject is untapped. We laugh, we cry, we...

Santander placed on 10-day injured list, McKenna recalled again

Santander placed on 10-day injured list, McKenna recalled again
The Orioles placed outfielder Anthony Santander on the 10-day injured list this morning with a sprained left ankle and recalled rookie Ryan McKenna from the alternate training site. McKenna never left the team after yesterday's option. He's back on the active roster and in right field today in Miami after Santander injured the ankle last night while going back to first base on a pickoff attempt. X-rays and a later MRI were negative, with no fracture in the ankle. But Hyde said this type of...

Kremer starts Saturday, Hays nearing return and more

Kremer starts Saturday, Hays nearing return and more
The Orioles have filled out their rotation for the weekend series in Texas and Dean Kremer is replacing TBD for Saturday night. Kremer is working on short rest after starting Game 2 of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Mariners, but he threw 54 pitches and has indicated that he's feeling good. Otherwise, the Orioles could have selected one of their long relievers, with the candidates including Wade LeBlanc and Adam Plutko. "We feel confident that he's going to be fine for it," said...

Hyde on youth, home opener details and more

Hyde on youth, home opener details and more
The news frenzy yesterday has been followed this afternoon by pregame tranquility, as evidenced by the six minutes that manager Brandon Hyde spent on his media Zoom call. Nothing worth stopping the real and proverbial presses. No roster moves or injury updates. Five Orioles made their major league debuts in 2020. Three earned the honor this season within the first four games - Rule 5 pitchers Mac Sceroler and Tyler Wells and outfielder Ryan McKenna. More pitchers should walk through the door...

Teams scouting Santander while his swing brings stellar stats

Teams scouting Santander while his swing brings stellar stats
Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander avoided a serious oblique injury late in camp, a twinge handled properly with a little rest and plenty of controlled at-bats on the back fields. Nothing that would tempt him into the kind of aggressive swings that led to his placement on the injured list last September. He's started in right field in the first three games, collecting three more hits yesterday in an 11-3 win at Fenway Park. He's the first Orioles player with an RBI in three straight games...

Hyde on Harvey and Santander and wrapping up Orioles' 2-1 loss

Hyde on Harvey and Santander and wrapping up Orioles' 2-1 loss
The Orioles have shared important components of their rotation and pitching plans over the past two days. Following official word of John Means' opening day assignment with occupants of the next two spots and how the team will break camp with a 14-man staff and three-man bench. Information comes in drips, but eventually fills the pool. Matt Harvey was named the No. 2 starter yesterday and had his final tune-up this afternoon, joining Jorge López as the only Orioles pitchers to complete five...

Orioles lineup vs. Braves and LeBlanc on his quick return

Orioles lineup vs. Braves and LeBlanc on his quick return
Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander is out of the lineup again tonight for their game against the Braves in North Port. Santander is marked absent for the fourth game in a row. Manager Brandon Hyde said yesterday that Santander has been accumulating at-bats on the back fields. Yusniel Diaz is in right field and Stevie Wilkerson is playing left. Ryan McKenna is in center. Adley Rutschman is serving as the designated hitter. Many of the projected regulars are staying back in Sarasota. John Means...

Long on McKenna: "He impressed me"

Long on McKenna: "He impressed me"
The optioning and reassignment of players to Twin Lakes Park is done only to reduce the camp roster. They aren't confined to the complex as if surrounded by an electrical fence. The Orioles have the freedom to play them in Grapefruit League games. Out of sight on occasion, for sure, but not banned from the site. They are still able to remain visible and fresh in the minds of the evaluators on the Ed Smith side of spring training. The last round of cuts on March 16 removed infielders Rylan...

Updating Mountcastle and reviewing 2-0 loss

Updating Mountcastle and reviewing 2-0 loss
Ryan Mountcastle was supposed to make the trip to Fort Myers and play left field tonight for the Orioles. It said so on the first lineup card posted in the afternoon. The second card an hour later had Tyler Nevin in left field, also batting third. An explanation on Mountcastle's removal sort of came after a brisk 2-0 loss to the Red Sox. Manager Brandon Hyde explained on his Zoom call that Mountcastle was scratched with "a non-physical injury." "It's just something that I can't disclose...