Hess surrenders four home runs in 5-3 Game 1 loss

Hess surrenders four home runs in 5-3 Game 1 loss
NEW YORK - David Hess had to wait two days to make his start against the Yankees. The sun came out, the field dried and he was able to pitch in ideal conditions. Little else seemed to go right for Hess. Mostly the weather. Hess surrendered a career-high four home runs while taking over the major league lead, and the Orioles lost the first game of the doubleheader 5-3 at Yankee Stadium. The 14 home runs off Hess are one more than the Angels' Trevor Cahill has allowed this season. The Yankees...

Notes on Cobb, Davis, new power, Núñez and more

Notes on Cobb, Davis, new power, Núñez and more
NEW YORK - Rain has been falling in the Bronx all day and should continue into the night, but the Orioles are hoping to avoid their fourth postponement, no matter how long it takes to play. The weather continues to challenge them. Temperatures that are plummeting and storms that keep the tarp on the field and force fans to run for cover. The month of May isn't providing any relief. "I feel like we can't escape it," said manager Brandon Hyde. Asked what he's been told about the weather,...

He did it again: John Means pitches the Orioles past the Angels

He did it again: John Means pitches the Orioles past the Angels
Orioles lefty John Means had to navigate through some traffic on the bases early on today. He did. Then he needed to pitch efficiently later in the game to get through six innings. He did. He gave up a solo homer to Mike Trout - who hit two here this weekend - but Means was solid once again for the Orioles, who beat the Los Angeles Angels 4-1 at Oriole Park. They improve to 14-26 and avoided a three-game sweep. The Orioles today snapped their fifth four-game losing streak of the year. They've...

Orioles hit four home runs and avoid sweep in 5-1 win (updated)

Orioles hit four home runs and avoid sweep in 5-1 win (updated)
Chris Davis found the cleanup spot again. Which happens when a former slugger appears to be regaining his stroke. Left-hander John Means is finding the rotation to be an ideal fit, his tendency to hold opponents to one run a most endearing trait. Davis led off the top of the second inning today by launching a 93 mph fastball from Angels starter Griffin Canning onto the flag court in right field. The swing and the sound were quite familiar. They've just been buried for a while. The 0-for-33...

Orioles lineup vs. Angels

Orioles lineup vs. Angels
Chris Davis has risen to the cleanup spot for today's series finale against the Angels. Dwight Smith Jr. is batting second and Trey Mancini is lowered to third. Hanser Alberto is playing second base and Jonathan Villar is moving back to shortstop with Richie Martin on the bench. Renato Núñez is the designated hitter after sitting out yesterday's loss. Stevie Wilkerson continues to play center field. For the Orioles Jonathan Villar SS Dwight Smith Jr. LF Trey Mancini RF Chris Davis 1B...

Pujols homers and missed chances doom O's in 7-2 loss (updated)

Pujols homers and missed chances doom O's in 7-2 loss (updated)
The curiosity over Dylan Bundy's fastball velocity climbed another notch today as his readings declined at critical junctures. Bundy's heater kept slipping below 90 mph as the temperature fell at Camden Yards and the latest storm moved into the area. He was burned twice by Albert Pujols because of it. Pujols targeted the seats in left field, providing leads for the Angels in the first and fourth innings, and the Orioles lost again 7-2 before an announced crowd of 21,106. The Orioles are 13-26...

Dwight Smith Jr. homers, but O's lose 7-2 to Angels

Dwight Smith Jr. homers, but O's lose 7-2 to Angels
Some rain fell and a few Albert Pujols fly balls fell over the fence. And after an early homer, there were not many highlights today for the Orioles. The Los Angeles Angels beat the Birds 7-2 and have taken the first two games of this series in Baltimore. The Orioles fall to 13-26 and have lost four in a row, 10 of 13 and 14 of the last 19 games. The Angels are 11-2 their last 13 games versus the Orioles. The O's are 4-21 when scoring four runs or less. Pujols produced his 59th career...

Surprise! Unheralded players are making their marks, raising some eyebrows

Surprise! Unheralded players are making their marks, raising some eyebrows
In 2011, outfielder Dwight Smith Jr. was a first-round draft pick by the Blue Jays. Then, after hitting. .268 in seven minor league seasons for the Blue Jays, he was traded March 8 to Baltimore for international slot money the Orioles weren't going to use anyway. When he arrived in spring training in Sarasota, Fla., he was projected as outfield depth on an Orioles roster that was loaded with outfield prospects making impressions. Now, six weeks into the season, Smith is one of the Orioles'...

Benintendi homers in 12th and Orioles lose to Red Sox

Benintendi homers in 12th and Orioles lose to Red Sox
Andrew Cashner pounded a fist into his glove tonight and stormed off the mound after striking out Mitch Moreland on a changeup to close the first inning and strand a runner at third base. He threw another changeup with two outs in the third, Mookie Betts launched it into the left field seats to break a scoreless tie and the veteran right-hander took a few shots at himself. Cashner turned back toward the plate and yelled, knowing that poor location led to a bad result. He'd find out later that...

A few notes after the Red Sox even the series

A few notes after the Red Sox even the series
Watching a relentless Boston offense hit three homers and take advantage of eight walks last night can make one have an even greater appreciation for John Means' outing on Monday night in the Orioles' 4-1 win. The Red Sox had scored 30 runs its previous three games before this series and was averaging 6.1 runs per game during an 11-5 run before Monday's series opener. They got back to that last night and never trailed in an 8-5 victory to even this series. The Orioles tied it 2-2 in the...

Home runs hurt Orioles again in 8-5 loss (with quotes)

Home runs hurt Orioles again in 8-5 loss (with quotes)
The Orioles were playing a dangerous game tonight with the Red Sox, going toe-to-toe and trading home runs while leading the majors in the number allowed by a wide margin. Pretty hard to win that battle. Mitch Moreland broke the third tie of the night with a three-run shot off reliever Branden Kline in the top of the fifth inning and the Red Sox outlasted the Orioles 8-5 before an announced crowd of 10,703 at Camden Yards. Homers accounted for the first nine runs of the night, the teams trading...

Orioles and Red Sox lineups

Orioles and Red Sox lineups
Joey Rickard is starting in left field tonight and Stevie Wilkerson is in center as the Orioles continue their series against the Red Sox at Camden Yards. Dwight Smith Jr. is the designated hitter. Hanser Alberto was out of the lineup last night, but he's playing second base tonight. Jonathan Villar moves to shortstop. Chris Davis is batting fifth. Austin Wynns is catching. Renato Núñez is a career .302 (19-for-63) hitter against the Red Sox, but he's on the bench tonight. David Hess...

O's game blog: John Means gets the start against Boston

O's game blog: John Means gets the start against Boston
After Sunday's rainout, the Orioles get back on the field tonight. The homestand, now down to eight games, continues as they open a three-game series with the Boston Red Sox. The Orioles (12-22) beat Tampa Bay 3-0 Saturday night behind Dylan Bundy's 7 1/3 innings. He threw 96 pitches in getting his first win of the year and first since Sept. 18. He snapped a career-long six-game losing streak. Boston (17-18) scored 30 runs in winning the last three games of a series in Chicago against the...

Orioles and Rays lineups

Orioles and Rays lineups
Joey Rickard and Richie Martin return to the Orioles lineup for today's series finale against the Rays. Jonathan Villar is playing second base and Hanser Alberto has moved to third. Rio Ruiz is on the bench. Stevie Wilkerson is 6-for-14 with four RBIs and three runs scored in his last four games, but he isn't in today's lineup. Dwight Smith Jr. is 12-for-29 (.413) in 10 career games against the Rays, who are sending opener Ryne Stanek to the mound if the weather permits. For the Orioles...

Dealin' Dylan: Bundy pitches O's past Rays, 3-0

Dealin' Dylan: Bundy pitches O's past Rays, 3-0
He owned an ERA of 8.76 after his first three starts of this season. But right-hander Dylan Bundy seems to be slowly but surely making progress. He provided a big example of that tonight. Bundy produced the longest outing by an O's starter this year with 7 1/3 scoreless innings as the Orioles blanked Tampa Bay 3-0 at Camden Yards. It was the club's first shutout since the last game of last year, on Sept. 30 versus Houston. The game was swiftly played, taking just two hours and 19...

Orioles spin the shutouts with 3-0 win over Rays (updated)

Orioles spin the shutouts with 3-0 win over Rays (updated)
The Orioles scored a run in the first inning tonight and the race was on to make it an official game before the storms hit. The forecast called for rain around first pitch, but there were only dry eyes in the house. Another run in the third inning and still nothing. Dwight Smith Jr. led off the fourth with a home run and the grounds crew hadn't left the shed. Dylan Bundy got on a roll, the tarp stayed rolled up and the Orioles defeated the Rays 3-0 before an announced crowd of 15,241 on "Star...

Orioles and Rays lineups

Orioles and Rays lineups
Shortstop Richie Martin and center fielder Joey Rickard remain out of the Orioles lineup for tonight's game against the Rays. Jonathan Villar continues to play short while Hanser Alberto starts at second base. Stevie Wilkerson will make his second professional start in center. Wilkerson is 8-for-24 against right-handers this season and 0-for-9 versus lefties. Austin Wynns is behind the plate tonight. Dwight Smith Jr., who's in left field again, is batting .440 (11-for-25) in nine career games...

A look at a series-opening loss, Mountcastle's torrid bat and more

A look at a series-opening loss, Mountcastle's torrid bat and more
It was another night when the Orioles got a short outing from a starting pitcher, but the way Tampa Bay's Tyler Glasnow was throwing it was not going to matter. Glasnow was dominant last night as Tampa Bay beat the Orioles 7-0 to take the series and homestand opener. It's not a bad combination for a pitcher when you throw 99 mph, as Glasnow did in the first inning, and combine that with a curveball that three batters took for called third strikes. It didn't get much better for Baltimore...

Home woes continue for O's in 7-0 loss (updated)

Home woes continue for O's in 7-0 loss (updated)
As if the Orioles needed any more reminders tonight that the baseball gods don't usually treat rebuilding teams with a gentle touch, a check-swing roller in the first inning reached the grass in shallow right field and put them behind only two batters into the game. A soft hit, but another hard lesson. Tommy Pham stood on second base with arms spread and a huge smile on his face, as if feeling a little guilty but also amused by his good fortune. The three-run homer from Mike Zunino in the...

Orioles and Rays lineups

Orioles and Rays lineups
The Orioles are shaking up their lineup again tonight for the series opener against the Rays at Camden Yards, including Stevie Wilkerson playing center field while Joey Rickard heads to the bench. Rickard is batting .183/.269/.333 in 104 plate appearances and is 1-for-20 in his last six games. Trey Mancini is in right field, Hanser Alberto is at second base and Jonathan Villar slides over to shortstop. Pedro Severino is catching. Chris Davis moves back down to seventh in the order. Dan Straily...