Reviewing recent roster and player pool reconstruction

Reviewing recent roster and player pool reconstruction
The trade that brought right-hander Conner Loeprich to the Orioles organization was announced in the ninth inning of Sunday afternoon's game against the Rays. In the middle of the filing frenzy, when most of the beat crew is rushing to get its stories ready to post after the final out - and hoping that the score and stats don't require a late adjustment. César Valdez was in the process of retiring the side in order for his second save. Leadoff hitter Willy Adames smoked a ball to the...

O's game blog: Out to avoid a five-game sweep

O's game blog: Out to avoid a five-game sweep
The Orioles (22-31) will play their final home game of the 2020 season this afternoon when they host the Tampa Bay Rays (35-18) to wrap up a five-game series. The Orioles need a win to avoid a five-game sweep after Saturday night's 3-1 loss. The Birds are 11-9 against National League teams, but 11-22 against the American League, facing only East Division teams this season. They swept Tampa Bay very early in the year, but have since lost six in a row to the Rays. Five of the nine games between...

Orioles complete Castro trade with Mets, release Shepherd (plus lineups)

Orioles complete Castro trade with Mets, release Shepherd (plus lineups)
The Orioles announced the completion of another trade, receiving shortstop Victor González from the Mets as the player to be named later in the Miguel Castro deal. González has been added to the 60-man pool and the Orioles released pitcher Chandler Shepherd from the alternate camp site in Bowie. The pool is holding 60 players. González, 17, was originally signed by the Mets on July 2, 2019, as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic. He hasn't played...

Bringing opposites together in Akin and Kremer

Bringing opposites together in Akin and Kremer
No one is going to mistake Keegan Akin and Dean Kremer for carbon copies as pitchers and personalities, but they seem destined to be linked. It's hard to separate them and there's no real motivation to attempt it. Not as long as their talents and energy are so vital to the current playoff run and the future success of the organization. Two highly touted prospects making their major league debuts in 2020. Working back-to-back in the rotation last weekend. Doing it again this week, with Kremer...

Orioles lineup vs. Nationals

Orioles lineup vs. Nationals
Chris Davis remains on the bench today for the series finale against the Nationals. The presence of a right-handed starter didn't influence Orioles manager Brandon Hyde. Renato Núñez is playing first base instead of Davis, who's 10-for-32 (.313) with a double, a home run and 10 strikeouts against Max Scherzer. Pedro Severino is the designated hitter and Chance Sisco is behind the plate. Cedric Mullins is in center field with Austin Hays on the injured list. Pat Valaika is the shortstop...

Hyde hoping Hays can return in 10 days (plus other notes)

Hyde hoping Hays can return in 10 days (plus other notes)
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde struck an optimistic tone this afternoon while explaining Austin Hays' injury and timetable for his return. Whether he hit the right note won't be known for 10 days. Hays was placed on the injured list with a non-displaced rib fracture, but the club believes he can return to the active roster when eligible based on information provided by the medical staff. "Hopefully, Haysy won't be very long, but we put him on the IL for a little bit," Hyde said during his...

O's formulating pitching plans for resumed game (updated)

O's formulating pitching plans for resumed game (updated)
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde hasn't decided which pitcher is going to work the bottom of the sixth inning today in the resumed game against the Nationals at Camden Yards. Hyde will figure it out after checking on some pitchers who are taking the field for early throwing. "We're going to make a decision following that and see how everybody feels," Hyde said during his Zoom conference call. "We've used quite a few bullpen arms here the last few days, so we're going to reconvene after the...

Valdez and Herrera making surprising bids for opening day roster

Valdez and Herrera making surprising bids for opening day roster
One of the more startling developments of summer training camp beyond John Means' dead-arm period is the potential crashing of the opening day roster projection party. Who invited César Valdez and Dilson Herrera? It feels like they carpooled and brought their own keg. The odds of Valdez's making the trip to Boston for Friday night's opener were placed at a "hard no" back in March, if such a thing actually exists, as he worked out at the minor league complex in Twin Lakes Park. His five...

Taylor Davis and Austin Hays hit back-to-back intrasquad homers

Taylor Davis and Austin Hays hit back-to-back intrasquad homers
The Orioles played their final intrasquad game tonight at Camden Yards. Major League Baseball keeps chugging forward in its quest to begin the 2020 season. For the Orioles to reach opening day against the Red Sox, they first must play three exhibition games and hold a workout Wednesday in Baltimore. They'll head to Boston the following day. They aren't out of the woods, but they're almost ready to leave Maryland. Tonight was more of a scrimmage with crowd noise piped in but no player...

All in the family for Pat Valaika, plus other notes

All in the family for Pat Valaika, plus other notes
Beyond their coaches, big league hitters sometimes have someone else close to them they trust to help with their swing. It can be a friend, family member or even a player on another team. Orioles infielder Pat Valaika has his own hitting coach in his family. Valaika, 27, is one of five children, and his oldest brother, Chris, played four seasons in the majors with three clubs. Now he's the minor league hitting coordinator for the Chicago Cubs. "During the quarantine he lived in Arizona and...

Santander cleared for workouts at Camden Yards

Santander cleared for workouts at Camden Yards
Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander has reported to Camden Yards and is participating in this afternoon's workout. Manager Brandon Hyde didn't provide any details on Santander's prolonged absence from summer training camp, which likely has been related to COVID-19 testing. Outfielder Dwight Smith Jr. remains absent. The club is rushing to get Santander ready for the July 24 opener against the Red Sox in Boston, with a multitude of factors in play. "We're going to try our best," Hyde...

Roster reductions out of team's control, Stewart's rotation candidacy

Roster reductions out of team's control, Stewart's rotation candidacy
Camp reductions aren't supposed to happen due to injury. The Orioles would prefer maintaining control of the process, but it keeps slipping from their grasp. Forty-five players in the pool are supposed to be competing for spots on the 30-man roster for opening day. The rest are headed to the alternate camp in Bowie, with the Orioles having the freedom to call upon them. They were counting on Anthony Santander and Dwight Smith Jr. being at Fenway Park for the opener, but the odds keep shrinking...

Martin has broken bone in wrist, three spots in rotation appear set

Martin has broken bone in wrist, three spots in rotation appear set
The utility competition in the Orioles' summer training camp no longer includes Richie Martin, who's been lost in an unexpected manner. Martin underwent X-rays yesterday afternoon that revealed a fractured bone in his right wrist, an injury that occurred after he collided with first baseman Chris Davis while diving back into the bag during Friday night's intrasquad game. The former Rule 5 pick held his left hand while walking off the field, the discomfort caused by a torn fingernail and...

Elias explains policy on testing (plus workout notes, draft signings)

Elias explains policy on testing (plus workout notes, draft signings)
Orioles outfielders Dwight Smith Jr. and Anthony Santander remained absent for a fifth consecutive day of workouts. Explanations are going to be withheld for now based on a club policy that executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias shared this afternoon. While other teams have confirmed the numbers of positive tests for COVID-19, making names public if given permission, the Orioles are giving the silent treatment. "We have a really elaborate testing setup that has been issued by the...

Orioles getting ready for roster redesign

Orioles getting ready for roster redesign
Among the many details to emerge concerning the 2020 baseball season was the unfreezing of rosters today and the ability of team executives to resume making cuts and potential trades. The Orioles must create a 30-man roster for opening day, which will be held on July 23 or 24. It's reduced to 28 players after two weeks and 26 after four. It was so long ago that fans may have forgotten, but the Orioles had 54 players on their camp roster on March 12 when baseball shut down and everyone became...

Because You Asked - The Island of Lost Dreams

Because You Asked - The Island of Lost Dreams
I'm wearing rubber gloves today while sorting through my mailbag. All of my clothes are made out of Glad trash bags. Safety first. Don't use the scented brand. They'll give you a headache. I'd keep a six-foot distance from the mail, but my vision is pretty bad. Also, my arms wouldn't reach it. You know what's also a reach? Trying to convince anyone that there's an actual bag. But treat it as you would "Rocky IV" and suspend disbelief. (The Soviet crowd chanting his name at the end?...

Armstrong's strong spring and a deeper dive into Orioles bullpen

Armstrong's strong spring and a deeper dive into Orioles bullpen
The magic of video is enabling the Orioles to stay connected while spread all over the country. I've heard that reliever Shawn Armstrong was able to share a bullpen session with one of his teammates that included a fastball clocked at 97 mph. Armstrong's fastball averaged 93.9 mph last season, per BrooksBaseball.net. There is no data available on his home workouts. An expansion of rosters from 26 to 29 players for the first month enables the Orioles to carry at least a few extra relievers to...

How it might look in 2020: The O's rotation

How it might look in 2020: The O's rotation
Over the next few weeks, let's take a look at some aspects of the Orioles and how they were shaping up at the time that spring training was halted. Today, a look at the rotation. To me the rotation was setting up this way: No. 1 - John Means: He was slated to be the opening day starter if the opener was going to be on March 26. Everything was pointing to that and Means was on schedule for that start. It just had not been announced yet. Means had a solid spring and looked confident and ready to...

Cobb scratched due to blister on pitching hand

Cobb scratched due to blister on pitching hand
DUNEDIN, Fla. - Alex Cobb hasn't been slowed in camp by the hip and knee surgeries he underwent in June, but a blister on his pitching hand caused manager Brandon Hyde to remove him from Thursday's starting assignment against the Twins in Fort Myers. Hyde said it's a "small, little" blister and Cobb would pitch with it in the regular season. Cobb will be used in a simulated game on the back fields in Sarasota, under a controlled environment, while Bruce Zimmermann makes the start against...

Santander ready to make his move into the outfield

Santander ready to make his move into the outfield
SARASOTA, Fla. - Anthony Santander is expecting to make his spring outfield debut on Tuesday after serving only as the designated hitter in eight games. Orioles manager Brandon Hyde has been careful with Santander, who didn't play after Sept. 23 last season due to soreness in his right shoulder. The former Rule 5 pick finally gets to wear a glove for the 6:05 p.m. game against the Braves in Sarasota. "I've been working on my strength so when the day comes, I'll be ready and 100 percent,"...