O's select University of Washington pitcher in round three (updated with quotes)

As the MLB Draft resumed today the Orioles selected University of Washington right-handed pitcher Kiefer Lord in the third round at No. 86 overall. He is the second pitcher the Orioles have taken among their first four picks to start this draft. 

The O’s have nine picks today in rounds three through 10. Their No. 100 overall pick is a compensation pick for not signing a third-round pick last year in pitcher Nolan McLean from Oklahoma State. He was today selected No. 91 overall by the Mets. 

Last night the Orioles selected Vanderbilt outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr. with their No. 17 overall pick. They added North Carolina third baseman/outfielder Mac Horvath in round two with pick No. 53. They drafted Florida State pitcher Jackson Baumeister with a competitive balance pick that was No. 63 overall. He becomes the highest-drafted pitcher by overall selection in the now five drafts under executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias.

Click here for more on the Day One picks.

Here are the O’s picks for today with listed slot amount for each.

Bradfield: "I have no concerns about going up to the next level and not having success" (updated)

Enrique Bradfield Jr. received Mike Elias’ cell phone number last night from his agent and decided to show the same aggression that he does on the basepaths.

Bradfield wasn’t going to wait to hear from Elias, who made the Vanderbilt outfielder the 17th overall pick in the draft. He took control of the situation, much to Elias’ amusement.

“I took that as, ‘Hey, let me give him a call,”’ Bradfield said this morning on a video chat with the media. “So, I went ahead and dialed the phone and gave him a call.”

Elias noted last night how a deep pool of collegiate position players delayed Bradfield’s selection and kept him on the board for the Orioles.

“It was a lot of emotions, especially for my family, just being there, kind of just waiting, getting phone calls, trying to see what was going to be the best decision for me,” Bradfield said.

Bradish activated and Gillaspie optioned (plus lineups and notes)

The Orioles activated Kyle Bradish from the 15-day injured list this morning and he’s starting tonight against the Nationals in D.C.

This is how it was expected to play out, with Bradish returning to the roster on his first day of eligibility.

Bradish lasted 1 2/3 innings in his season debut in Texas before Jonah Heim’s line drive slammed off his right foot. He made a rehab start at Double-A Bowie on Friday and allowed three earned runs in five innings.

Tonight marks Bradish’s first career appearance against the Nationals.

To make room for Bradish, the Orioles optioned reliever Logan Gillapsie to Triple-A Norfolk. Gillaspie appeared in eight games, tied for second on the team, and registered a 7.20 ERA and 2.200 WHIP in five innings.

Another look at some of the solid offense on the farm

Another look at some of the solid offense on the farm
When you look at the various lists of Orioles top prospects, most of them will have more hitters than pitchers among the top 10. That is certainly true of MLBPipeline.com, which ranks hitters as six of its top nine prospects for the Orioles, and Baseball America, which ranks hitters in six of the top eight spots. And these include high draft picks the club has made since executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias and his staff took over before the 2019 season. He has been here for...

Fast start, strong finish, final day win leads Bowie to playoffs

Fast start, strong finish, final day win leads Bowie to playoffs
As they get ready to play for a league championship for the third time in the team's 28-year history, the Double-A Bowie Baysox can look back on a special regular season where they got off to a sizzling start and produced a strong finish. The Baysox were 21-5 on June 4 and were about the best team in all of Minor League Baseball to that point. Late in the year, as they pushed for a postseason spot, Bowie won 12 of 14 in the last two series, going 7-0 versus Harrisburg and 5-2 against...

The Bowie Baysox win to reach the playoffs

The Bowie Baysox win to reach the playoffs
They took an early lead but then fell behind. But the Double-A Bowie Baysox put together a dramatic rally in the last of the eighth this afternoon and pulled out their must-win game today. Bowie entered the final day of the regular season needing a win to advance to the playoffs. A loss and the season would be over. The Baysox entered the last of the eighth down 5-4 but scored three times to beat Altoona 7-5. The Baysox end the regular season 73-47 (.608), winning 12 of their final 14 games, to...

Outfielder Zach Watson is only 20-20 player on O's farm

Outfielder Zach Watson is only 20-20 player on O's farm
BOWIE - When you look at the top home run hitters on the Orioles farm they are mostly a group of real big and strong players. Mostly, but not all. In that group of players who have the physical look of middle-of-the-order hitters is center fielder Zach Watson of the Double-A Bowie Baysox. At 6-foot and 160 pounds, and with his speed, he has more the look of the speedy, leadoff type of hitter than a player with 20 homers, exceeded by just three players in the O's farm system this year. But...

Grayson Rodriguez on mound tonight as Bowie closes in on playoffs (updated)

Grayson Rodriguez on mound tonight as Bowie closes in on playoffs (updated)
BOWIE - Led by a recent run of strong pitching, the Double-A Bowie Baysox have reeled off nine straight wins. Tonight, they send their ace to the mound here as they look to take another big step toward wrapping up a playoff berth in the Northeast. Two teams will make the league's best-of-five championship series next week, and Bowie holds the No. 2 spot heading into tonight's games. .623 - Akron (71-43) .609 - Bowie (70-45) .605 - Somerset (69-45) If Bowie keeps winning, the Baysox will be in...

O's notes, Mancini's nomination, Bowie's double dip win

O's notes, Mancini's nomination, Bowie's double dip win
Just as in Sunday's game, the Orioles fell behind early last night in the series opener with the Yankees. They didn't give up 16 runs early on, but they were behind 5-0 in the third inning in what would turn into a 7-2 loss. The Orioles (46-98) have allowed 51 runs and 18 homers in losing the past four games. They didn't homer last night, but the Orioles have hit eight over the last four games and 11 in the past five. The Orioles have homered at least three times in three of their last five...

Orioles surrender five home runs in 7-2 loss (updated)

Orioles surrender five home runs in 7-2 loss (updated)
Alexander Wells trailed by two runs tonight just two batters into his latest start with the Orioles. The first three batters produced three hits. The flashbacks to the past three games, with 44 runs surrendered, were blinding. It never got that bad. There was no need to begin researching past records within the organization or the league. But the Orioles assumed the position and fell again on hard times. Wells followed a scoreless second inning by serving up back-to-back home runs in the third,...

A few O's notes as they await the Toronto weekend series

A few O's notes as they await the Toronto weekend series
A few thoughts and notes on the Orioles, who were shut out 6-0 by Kansas City last night. The Orioles were held to three singles as they fell to 45-94 and now await a series with the Toronto Blue Jays that begins tonight at Oriole Park. No runs, no win: A night after their nine-run last of the eighth inning and comeback win, the Baltimore offense was quiet. They got three straight singles with two outs in the last of the second. They got no other hits before that brief rally and none after. And...

Amid big roster attrition, Aberdeen pushes for winning year

Amid big roster attrition, Aberdeen pushes for winning year
ABERDEEN - On the surface, one could see the high Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds' record at 54-51 and feel like they've had a decent year, posting a winning record on the farm. But it you look deeper at all the players the club has moved up to Double-A Bowie this year - players that have the Baysox in a playoff hunt where Aberdeen is not - it tells you the IronBirds players and staff have done a real nice job during the 2021 season. Their season-opening rotation of Grayson Rodriguez, Garrett...

Orioles go from no-hit to no loss in Toronto (updated)

Orioles go from no-hit to no loss in Toronto (updated)
In a season with so many challenges for the Orioles, testing them seemingly in every way imaginable, the attempt to win a game on a particular night can suddenly become a struggle of a different sort. Just trying to get a hit. Blue Jays left-hander Hyun Jin Ryu allowed two baserunners in the first inning tonight but retired 15 batters in a row and flirted with history until Ryan Mountcastle lined a double into right field with two outs in the sixth in a one-run game. Austin Hays drove in the...

Scott returns from injured list (plus other notes)

Scott returns from injured list (plus other notes)
The Orioles reinstated left-hander Tanner Scott from the injured list this afternoon and optioned southpaw Alexander Wells to Triple-A Norfolk. Scott has recovered from a sprained left knee and convinced the club that he was ready yesterday after a bullpen session. Rule 5 pick Tyler Wells is expected to be reinstated within a day or two after yesterday's simulated inning. Alexander Wells hops back on the shuttle after allowing a run and three hits last night in the ninth inning. He can return...

Runs flow against Orioles after heavy rain in 9-4 loss (updated)

Runs flow against Orioles after heavy rain in 9-4 loss (updated)
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...

Cabrera homers twice and Orioles lose 6-2 (updated)

Cabrera homers twice and Orioles lose 6-2 (updated)
Over the past few hours, the Orioles attempted to win a game in Detroit, find a trade partner and gain more clarity on their roster heading into the weekend. They went 0-for-3. Casey Mize was only partially to blame. Rookie Alexander Wells surrendered four runs in five innings, Mize carried a shutout into the seventh, the Tigers won 6-2 and manager Brandon Hyde concluded his postgame Zoom call with the same players who made the ride from the team hotel to Comerica Park earlier in the...

Matt Harvey was rolling again and now O's can sweep the Nats

Matt Harvey was rolling again and now O's can sweep the Nats
Nice crowd, nice starting pitching, a few timely homers and a nice top of the ninth with no drama. That was all quite ... nice. The Orioles have won the first two games of their series with the Washington Nationals and go for a sweep behind John Means this afternoon. They are 5-3 with two series wins in three tries since the All-Star break. Maybe the few days away during the break was good for both right-hander Matt Harvey and several of his teammates. Pitching on 10 days' rest last Sunday at...

Harvey chips in with six scoreless again in 5-3 win (updated)

Harvey chips in with six scoreless again in 5-3 win (updated)
The latest reshaping of the Orioles rotation, like a big ball of clay that can be manipulated to take on many forms, put Matt Harvey into tonight's game rather than assigning him the task of closing out the series a day later. Manager Brandon Hyde didn't want Harvey waiting a full week between starts after the veteran right-hander tossed six scoreless innings in his last outing. Harvey didn't want to wait any longer. Meanwhile, the Nationals scratched Max Scherzer due to right triceps...

Wells good again in series opener, Tides pitch shutout on the farm

Wells good again in series opener, Tides pitch shutout on the farm
It was kind of a tough night for one young Orioles pitcher last night, and a better one for another as they lost 4-2 to the Tampa Bay Rays to start a weekend series. Lefty Keegan Akin pitched with traffic on the bases most of his night, allowing five hits and three runs over four innings. The Rays forced him to throw 95 pitches, and two walks to start the game didn't help his cause. But Akin pitched out of that and minimized a jam in the third inning, allowing just one run. But second baseman...

Ryan Mountcastle's bat perks up, plus other notes

Ryan Mountcastle's bat perks up, plus other notes
As the Orioles take a day off today, the collective mood around Birdland is a little better after back-to-back wins by the O's and more winning on the farm to add to that. The Orioles have been waiting for Ryan Mountcastle to get hot after his slow start and maybe we are seeing the beginnings of an extended stretch of good hitting for him now. He has put together back-to-back 2-for-4 nights in the consecutive wins over the Twins. His booming three-run homer to center in the seventh opened a...