Has this bizarre and stalled offseason taught us anything about the 2022 Orioles? Their direction, their mindset, their priorities, their plan? Your time is better spent reading a novel. There's more coming from a winter story that had to be bookmarked. In the meantime, here are a few observations on another slow morning: A willingness to spend on pitching We won't get a comment from executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias on the negotiating process that led to Jordan Lyles' $7...

Rule 5 pick Tyler Wells wasn't available to pitch tonight after Orioles manager Brandon Hyde reluctantly had to use him to get the final out in Wednesday's remarkable comeback win. The rookie pitched in back-to-back games and in three of the last four, and he wasn't going to close if a slim lead carried to the ninth. Hyde was just hoping to be pressed into a decision. No jokes about avoiding one-run games. He'd take any margin as long as his club was on the right side of it. Kansas City...

The storm clouds rolled in today after the Tigers finished their batting practice rounds, unleashing a torrential downpour that pushed back the first pitch almost two hours. Fans instructed to leave open areas of the ballpark and head for cover due to the severe weather. The Camden Yards drainage system challenged again like a close play on the bases, except the grounds crew always gets it right. The most impressive pitching line in the organization already was complete, with left-hander Bruce...

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...

Jahmai Jones is getting most of his reps in Orioles camp at second base, with the occasional shifts coming to the outfield. Jones, the former second-round draft pick acquired from the Angels in the Alex Cobb trade, brings a healthy level of experience at both positions and doesn't care where he settles. He isn't worried about the possibility of wearing a utility label. Being a major leaguer is the identity that he craves. And like everything else in today's Zoom conference call, he can...

The final game of the season hadn't reached its strange conclusion - a bouncing single into right field at Fenway Park allowing a runner to score from first base because ... you had to be there - and a topic already came up among some writers regarding opening day 2020. Who's the top candidate to start? Of course, we knew that it was much too early to collect the votes. We also knew that the dozens of Dunkin' Donuts boxes behind the press box weren't going to lower our blood sugar counts,...

Mason Williams is unable to put much weight on his left leg today after slamming into the fence last night at full speed while chasing Cavan Biggio's triple in front of the bullpen area. Williams said today that he didn't sustain a concussion, but the knee is wrapped and he has a deep bruise that brings uncertainty to his availability over the last 11 games. "My head's fine," he said. "No concussion or anything like that, so that's fine. I just feel like I ran into a wall." Maybe it's...

The Royals' Jorge Soler led off the sixth inning Tuesday night with a single off Dylan Bundy and the Orioles had to be flashing back to just about every game in the 2019 season. The inning has crushed them. If wine could be made out of baseball players, the Orioles would turn every ballpark into a vineyard. Bundy put a cork in it, inducing a ground ball from Hunter Dozier that the Orioles turned into a 5-4-3 double play. Alex Gordon lined to center field and the deficit stayed at one run. The...

PHOENIX - One important aspect of the job as a baseball beat writer is reading too much into everything. Ignore the warnings, lower your head and run with it. Left-hander Tanner Scott works a career-high three innings in relief Saturday night and I'm going to assume that the Orioles are stretching him out rather than viewing him as only a back-end power arm and matchup guy. That's not necessarily the case. The Orioles were battered by the Red Sox, giving up a season-high 17 runs and using a...

An Orioles rotation that's already run nine starters through it is seemingly in a holding pattern. Gabriel Ynoa took his second turn this afternoon, retired nine of the first 11 batters and was hurt by the latest home run surrendered by the staff and some fundamental breakdowns in an 8-1 loss to the Giants before an announced crowd of 16,991 at Camden Yards. An offense that produced nine runs on Friday was held to three in the last two days and the Orioles fell to 18-41 overall and 8-23 at...

Orioles shortstop Richie Martin followed manager Brandon Hyde to the mound yesterday in the top of the ninth inning and the same thought popped into minds across the ballpark and inside the press box. The Rule 5 kid was going to pitch. Or not. Martin was entering the game to play shortstop while Jonathan Villar moved to second base and Hanser Alberto made his major league pitching debut. Two weeks into the season and Hyde had to use a position player to pitch, the 10th time it's happened to...

Trey Mancini made only two starts in right field coming into the season, both as a rookie in 2017. He learned to play left after moving off first base. Orioles manager Brandon Hyde wanted him to become more acclimated to right and expand his versatility on a club that prioritizes it. It's become more than just an experiment. Mancini has been the right fielder in four of the first seven games, with Dwight Smith Jr. hunkered down in left. "It feels good," Mancini said before yesterday's 8-4...