Eades surrenders Hicks walk-off grand slam in 12th (updated)

Eades surrenders Hicks walk-off grand slam in 12th (updated)
DETROIT - Orioles manager Brandon Hyde knew exactly what was coming. When the Tigers were making their first bullpen move and which reliever would enter the game. There are certain tendencies that begin to take shape. The trick is being able to counterpunch. Left-hander Daniel Norris worked three innings for the seventh start in a row and right-hander Drew VerHagen replaced him for the sixth time during that stretch. The Tigers didn't send out alerts to the visiting side, but Hyde and his...

Orioles lineup vs. Tigers

Orioles lineup vs. Tigers
DETROIT - The Orioles recalled reliever Tayler Scott from Double-A Bowie earlier today. Scott joined the Baysox for the Eastern League championship series, which ended last night with Trenton's victory. Manager Brandon Hyde has 15 relievers in his bullpen and the roster swells to 37 players. Austin Wynns is getting the start today behind the plate and Hyde is putting Mason Williams in left field and Austin Hays in center. Gabriel Ynoa is back in the rotation, for however long. He started...

Brooks trying to get back to better starts

Brooks trying to get back to better starts
DETROIT - Aaron Brooks was a solitary figure in the visiting dugout yesterday, the first Orioles player out of the clubhouse with about 45 minutes left before the game started. He'd walk to the bullpen and warm up, but not before he sat alone on the bench, leaning forward with an intense stare as if locking his eyes on an invisible object in front of him. Perhaps it was a silent pep talk, though it looked more like a stern lecture. Brooks had a miserable start last weekend, allowing six runs...

Orioles ignore race talk in Motor City with 6-2 win (updated)

Orioles ignore race talk in Motor City with 6-2 win (updated)
DETROIT - The pennant races have an evil twin. Sort of like fight club. Not supposed to talk about it. Clubs tanking in order to earn the first draft pick. Some fans are upset if their team wins, as if screwing up the master plan. Rooting in reverse is trendy. The Orioles and Tigers began their four-game series tonight, the two worst records in baseball colliding like a couple of rusted-out Ford Pintos. But don't believe for a second that players in the visiting clubhouse cared an ounce about...

Orioles and Tigers lineups

Orioles and Tigers lineups
DETROIT - Mason Williams is in center field and batting second tonight for the Orioles in their series opener against the Tigers at Comerica Park. Dwight Smith Jr. is in left field and batting cleanup and Stevie Wilkerson is at second base. Trey Mancini is playing first base and Mark Trumbo is the designated hitter. DJ Stewart is in right field. Aaron Brooks, who starts tonight, allowed three runs in one relief inning against the Tigers earlier this season while pitching for the Athletics....

Means offers quality and Villar breaks tie in 7-3 win (updated)

Means offers quality and Villar breaks tie in 7-3 win (updated)
A sense of calm and comfort swept over Orioles manager Brandon Hyde today as he glanced at the bottom of his lineup card. Where the starting pitcher is listed. Left-hander John Means was assigned the task of getting the Orioles through the early innings, which hadn't been done lately. No more instant deficits and quick exits. No more sorting through an expanded bullpen to cover the majority of a game. The staff ace was back on the mound and still on a roll. It just slowed a little in the...

Another early exit from Orioles starter leads to 7-3 loss (updated)

Another early exit from Orioles starter leads to 7-3 loss (updated)
Ty Blach's career numbers against the Dodgers didn't matter tonight. The Orioles' preference for not having a team spray champagne in the visiting clubhouse didn't matter. The contrast in the level of talent on the two teams was significant. The Dodgers sent nine batters to the plate in the top of the first inning while working Blach for 44 pitches. They scored four runs. They continued the recent trend, or renewed it, of Orioles starters stumbling out of the gate. Some take a harder fall...

Orioles lineup vs. Dodgers

Orioles lineup vs. Dodgers
Jonathan Villar remains in the Orioles lineup tonight as they begin a three-game series against the Dodgers at Camden Yards. He hasn't missed a game this season. Villar is one of six players in the majors to appear in every game. He's trying to become the first Oriole to do it since Jonathan Schoop in 2016. Mason Williams gets the start over Austin Hays in center field. DJ Stewart is in right field and Trey Mancini is the first baseman. Left-hander Ty Blach has made 13 career appearances...

Six-run first inning puts Orioles in inescapable hole (updated)

Six-run first inning puts Orioles in inescapable hole (updated)
Aaron Brooks got called third strikes on Delino DeShields and Ronald Guzman tonight in the top of the first inning and the crowd erupted. Jeff Mathis went down swinging for the final out, but the reaction was a bit more subdued. The fans must have been running low on sarcasm. Brooks wasn't fooled, of course. He understood the reasoning behind the enthusiastic response. Six runs already had scored and 31 pitches were thrown before the first out. Forty-one were needed for Brooks to make it back...

More on Hays and other roster decisions (O's down 9-4)

More on Hays and other roster decisions (O's down 9-4)
Austin Hays almost took a detour through Arizona to make it back to the majors. Hays was preparing to board a flight Wednesday and join the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League until he got a call yesterday, as unexpected as they come, with news that the Orioles wanted him in Baltimore. Major League Baseball is allowing players on the 40-man roster to report late to the AFL, giving Hays until the beginning of October to impress the Orioles. The club felt that he needed more plate...

Orioles recall Austin Hays

Orioles recall Austin Hays
The Orioles have shifted gears based on an unexpected rule change regarding the Arizona Fall League and recalled outfielder Austin Hays from Triple-A Norfolk. Hays has arrived at Camden Yards and is part of the expanded roster. Major League Baseball notified teams that players on the 40-man roster can report to the AFL in October instead of Sept. 11, with games starting a week later. The Orioles are allowed to bring up Hays for a few weeks. "On Thursday we got a memo from the league and they...

Orioles lineup vs. Rangers

Orioles lineup vs. Rangers
Mason Williams gets the start in center field as the Orioles continue their series against the Rangers. Trey Mancini is playing first base. DJ Stewart is in left field. Anthony Santander is batting .415/.415/.854 (17-for-41) with three doubles, five home runs, 12 RBIs and six runs scored during his 10-game hitting streak. He's in right field tonight. Hanser Alberto continues to lead the majors with a .417 average versus left-handed pitching. He's atop the order tonight. Rule 5 shortstop...

Means cruises through six innings in 3-1 loss (updated)

Means cruises through six innings in 3-1 loss (updated)
John Means found a needed distraction again tonight as he stepped on the mound. His thoughts locked on baseball. An escape of sorts before his personal life again takes hold and spins him around. Making his second start since returning from the family medical emergency list, Means plowed through the Rangers batting order for six innings and waited for the Orioles to hand him a lead. He got it, but the first hard-hit ball of the night against him resulted in a two-run homer for Nick Solak in the...

More of what we know about Orioles

More of what we know about Orioles
We never stop learning. This is what I've been told as I advance through middle age. My problem is that I keep forgetting. The Orioles made it out of Florida without any weather issues. Hurricane Dorian posed an enormous threat, raising discussions about moving the series to a neutral site before the teams settled on a Tuesday doubleheader to allow for an earlier departure. There wasn't a drop of rain. Only the Orioles' record fell, a nightcap loss leaving them 46-93 and still one win shy of...

Orioles calmly dispose of Rays 4-2

Orioles calmly dispose of Rays 4-2
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Tommy Pham saw five pitches today from Ty Blach in the bottom of the first inning. None of them clocked higher than 91.3 mph. None of them buzzing the tower. Pham drew a walk and was erased on a double play. There was no takeout slide at second base or chirping from an Orioles dugout that tends to set the volume at library level. Both teams decided to turn the page. With tempers held and accusations muted, Game 1 of a rare doubleheader at Tropicana Field relied strictly...

Williams getting a chance he knew would come (O's up 3-2)

Williams getting a chance he knew would come (O's up 3-2)
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Mason Williams signed a minor league deal with the Orioles on March 28 because he saw an opportunity to play for them. It just took a while. Williams had his contract selected today from Triple-A Norfolk and got the start in center field in Game 1 of the doubleheader. He's the 57th player used by the Orioles to break last year's club record. "He was a guy I saw a couple years ago in Cincinnati and he's had a really nice year in Norfolk for us," said manager Brandon...

Orioles DFA Peterson and announce call-ups (updated)

Orioles DFA Peterson and announce call-ups (updated)
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Orioles designated infielder Jace Peterson for assignment today to make room for outfielder Mason Williams on the 40-man roster. Williams had his contract selected today from Triple-A Norfolk. Pitchers Ty Blach, David Hess, Evan Phillips and Chandler Shepherd and catcher Austin Wynns were recalled today. Peterson batted .220/.269/.330 in 29 games. Williams is wearing No. 40. Shepherd was named the International League's Player of the Month for August after going 3-1...

More on Orioles' expanded roster and exclusions

More on Orioles' expanded roster and exclusions
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The visiting clubhouse at Tropicana Field is running low on available locker space. Roster expansion can shrink a room. It also can trigger some fans, depending on which players are kept out of it. The pitching staff is gaining more arms for the bullpen and perhaps the rotation with the arrivals of David Hess, Chandler Shepherd, Ty Blach and Evan Phillips. A third catcher always is desired, and Austin Wynns boarded a flight last night. Blach is starting the opener of...

Trumbo makes triumphant return in Orioles' 5-4 loss (updated)

Trumbo makes triumphant return in Orioles' 5-4 loss (updated)
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Mark Trumbo stood on the on-deck circle today in the top of the first inning, waiting for an opportunity that was a year in the making. A chance to bat again in a major league game. No longer a prisoner to the pain in his surgically repaired right knee. Just putting on the uniform and checking the lineup card felt like a win for Trumbo. Finding his name in it, grabbing a bat and walking past the indoor cage and onto the field was the greatest reward. The Orioles left two...

The pitching, expanded roster, Trumbo's return and more (tied 4-4)

The pitching, expanded roster, Trumbo's return and more (tied 4-4)
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Orioles manager Brandon Hyde and Rays manager Kevin Cash aren't ready to list their starters for Tuesday's doubleheader at Tropicana Field. There's too much uncertainly to finalize pitching plans. Hyde knew he'd need a spot starter and Hurricane Dorian created a complication by forcing the teams to play a doubleheader in order for the Orioles to fly back home a day earlier. The bullpen obviously comes into play. Hyde is waiting to find out who's available after...