Players for the Double-A Bowie Baysox this year can go hitless, yet still get praise from the coaching staff for their hitting. And not just because they may have made a productive out. It's all about the swing decisions they make. They are graded both on the pitches they do swing at and those they do not. The goal is to get a very hittable pitch and drive it. Let almost everything else go. Even borderline strikes are sometimes spit on while a hitter waits for a better pitch. Sometimes, even...

The topic probably didn't come up tonight during assistant pitching coach Darren Holmes' visit to the mound in the second inning, but Dean Kremer's lengthy stay on it threatened to get a beleaguered bullpen busy. Wheels in motion with the possibility of having them come off again. Kremer surrendered two runs, and a walk following his conversation with Holmes loaded the bases with one out. The pitch count was skyrocketing, reaching 54 by the time he made it back to the dugout. Two wild...

Birdland has likely noticed and no doubt enjoyed some great starts by both individual players and teams on the Orioles farm. Through Sunday's games, three of the O's four full-season affiliates are playing .667 ball or better. The four teams have a combined record of 29-18 (.617) and the Orioles rank seventh among major league organizations in minor league win percentage. Among several players off to great starts are two of the club's best young prospects. Pitcher Grayson Rodriguez is 1-0...

No longer confident that Yusniel Diaz is nearing a return to the Triple-A Norfolk lineup, the Orioles have decided to place him on the minor league injured list. Diaz hasn't played since exiting a May 9 game in Jacksonville following an RBI double in the ninth inning. He strained his right hip/quadriceps muscle and needed assistance leaving the field. The No. 7 prospect in the organization according to Baseball America and No. 8 per MLBPipeline.com, Diaz is 5-for-25 with a double, home run and...

I just made another check of a few Orioles prospect lists and can't find any mention of Patrick Dorrian. Not a trace. The casual fan might ask, "Who's Patrick Dorrian?" He's the Double-A Bowie infielder who was the player to be named later in the May 2019 Yefry Ramirez trade with the Pirates. The former Braves 12th round pick in 2014 out of Kingston High School who was released two months later and signed by the Pirates four years later. Dorrian changed his mind about professional...

We've seen seasons when the New York Yankees batters had their way with Orioles pitching at Camden Yards. This is not one of those seasons. The Yankees were 2-2 at Camden Yards this year, scoring 17 runs in those four games heading into last night's series opener at Oriole Park. And while they hit three homers last night - they had hit six in the previous four games - they only put up five runs. But that was enough to beat the Orioles 5-4 to start the weekend series. The Orioles are going...

The Orioles announced the signings of their top two draft picks over the past two days and they still have more work to get done. Executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias said negotiations continue with the remaining unsigned players, who include LSU outfielder Zach Watson (third round), Stanford first baseman Andrew Daschback (11th) and University of Pittsburgh right-hander Dan Hammer (13th). Ten of the 41 selections haven't agreed to terms. Asked about a few of the...

Josh Rogers is undergoing tests today on his left elbow and the Orioles are braced for more bad news. Rogers complained of soreness following last night's relief appearance and the Orioles placed him on the injured list, classifying the ailment as a sprain. They should receive the results later today or Thursday morning. "I'm not a doctor, " said manager Brandon Hyde, "but I don't think it's great." Rogers was acquired from the Yankees last summer in the Zack Britton trade and is 1-3...