This, that and the other

This, that and the other
I'm not sure how manager Brandon Hyde will readjust to a normal baseball season, if one becomes available to him, after devoting so much of his energy to detailing the protocols set up at Camden Yards and on the road and how his players adhered to them. How the Orioles kept everyone safe, taking no chances if someone reported to the ballpark with the sniffles or a headache. How the sport survived outside of a bubble and completed a 60-game regular season, the playoffs and World Series. What it...

Because You Asked - Final Cut

Because You Asked - Final Cut
The mailbag is getting full again, which sends me scurrying to find answers and a new sequel title. You know the drill. You ask, I respond, you ask again, I respond again and our relationship grows stronger. Curiosity killed the cat, but it keeps this blog alive through the dog days of winter. Any surprises at the non-tender deadline? Such a negative person. You could have referred to it as the "tender deadline." Anyway, catcher Pedro Severino went from vulnerable to recipient of a $1.825...

Sorting through some super-utility candidates

Sorting through some super-utility candidates
Utility competitions in spring training usually elicit as much excitement as a Perry Como concert. There's a better chance of finding an olive pit than a mosh pit. (We interrupt this blog entry to bring you a link to one of the funniest skits of all time from the '80s. Eugene Levy at his finest. You'll thank me later.) The importance of having versatile players shouldn't be minimized. Guys who can handle assignments at multiple positions in the infield and outfield are increasing in value,...

Hess becomes free agent, surgery for Baumler (updated)

Hess becomes free agent, surgery for Baumler (updated)
The Orioles have created another opening on their 40-man roster as part of their early offseason business. Pitcher David Hess cleared waivers today and entered the free agent market, according to an industry source. Hess, 27, made three relief appearances this summer and allowed five runs and 10 hits in seven innings. He's 4-20 with a 5.86 ERA and a 1.466 WHIP in parts of three major league seasons covering 190 1/3 innings. Young pitching prospects Keegan Akin, Dean Kremer and Bruce Zimmermann...

Orioles sign Wilkerson to minor league contract

Orioles sign Wilkerson to minor league contract
The news that the Orioles released Stevie Wilkerson on Sept. 14 came with an important attachment. The move was procedural, with Wilkerson unable to return from a fractured ring finger on his left hand and the team needing an open spot in its 60-man player pool. The Orioles would continue to monitor his recovery. They would retain interest in him. Re-signing Wilkerson before he hit the free agent market was presented as a strong possibility. It became a reality yesterday, according to an...

Looking back at some non-roster invites

Looking back at some non-roster invites
The Orioles won't know whether they'll be able to open their spring training camp in February until the world gives its approval. Or Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association if they choose to ignore the world. First comes the fall instructional league, which so far has gone uninterrupted for two weeks. If we're lucky, the Orioles will reach the point where they can extend spring training invites and avoid another shutdown of the Ed Smith Stadium complex. It's interesting to...

Latest look at 40-man roster and Rule 5 decisions (updated)

Latest look at 40-man roster and Rule 5 decisions (updated)
The task of clearing room on the 40-man roster began as the Orioles worked through the final games on their schedule. No need to wait until the last out. Pitcher Carson Fulmer, the former first-round pick of the White Sox, didn't make it through waivers. Reliever Cody Carroll passed through and was outrighted. The 40-man roster was reduced to 37 players, but the Orioles activated pitcher Kohl Stewart from the 10-day injured list yesterday, per their transactions page, and he goes back on the...

This, that and the other

This, that and the other
Orioles reliever Dillon Tate tossed a scoreless inning in Sunday's game at Camden Yards and showed no signs of an injury. Nothing happened at the ballpark that led to his placement on the injured list with a sprained finger on his pitching hand. A fall in his apartment the following day was responsible, the final blow in a 2020 season that brought pains and gains. Tate didn't have the best luck. He was struck on the right arm by a Pat Valaika comebacker during a July 10 intrasquad game at...

Hyde on Tate, Iglesias, Zimmermann, Fulmer and more

Hyde on Tate, Iglesias, Zimmermann, Fulmer and more
Orioles reliever Dillon Tate fell yesterday in his apartment and landed on the injured list. Tate "had an unfortunate accident where he tripped in his apartment yesterday," manager Brandon Hyde said during a Zoom conference call with the media. The accident occurred on the team's off-day. Tate came down on his hand and sprained his right pinky finger, and he's scheduled to undergo an MRI later today. The Orioles reinstated reliever Shawn Armstrong from the injured list as Tate's...

Orioles held to one run again and will finish below .500 (updated)

Orioles held to one run again and will finish below .500 (updated)
In a mathematical technicality, the Orioles remain in the pennant race as they close out the final homestand of the season. The numbers don't shove them to the curb. They also had a shot at finishing .500, but only by winning their last eight games. The final record won't push along the rebuild. The development and impact of Ryan Mountcastle will make a real difference. His presence in the middle of the order. What the young starters do will make a real difference. The young arms in the back...

Davis won't play again in 2020

Davis won't play again in 2020
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde confirmed this afternoon that first baseman Chris Davis will remain on the injured list through the last eight games of the season. Davis returned to the IL five days ago with left knee patella tendinitis after already receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection, resting and working out at the alternate camp site in Bowie. He was activated on Sept. 8 after accompanying the team on its trip to New York, but appeared in only one game. In his final appearance in a 2020...

Orioles recall Phillips and option Velazquez (plus lineups)

Orioles recall Phillips and option Velazquez (plus lineups)
The Orioles brought back reliever Evan Phillips today after his role Thursday as the 29th man in the doubleheader. Phillips was optioned after Game 2, but has been recalled from the alternate camp site in Bowie. The Orioles optioned infielder Andrew Velazquez. Phillips struck out all four batters he faced Thursday and has a 3.65 ERA and 1.541 WHIP in 12 1/3 innings. He's walked eight and struck out 16. Velazquez is batting .159/.274/.206 in 40 games and 77 plate appearances. He's made 19...

Cobb's quality can't control outcome in 2-1 loss (updated)

Cobb's quality can't control outcome in 2-1 loss (updated)
Alex Cobb took his turn tonight, the senior member of a rotation that's filling up with freshmen. A bend in a popular September storyline. If Cobb is going to impact the rebuild, it's likely to be as a mentor for the rookies. Maybe as a trade chip over the winter or at next summer's deadline. Or perhaps he lessens the pain of it with a standout 2021. He has one season left on the four-year, $57 million deal he signed in March 2018. He has one start remaining after tonight. He needs to take...

Orioles lineup vs. Rays

Orioles lineup vs. Rays
José Iglesias is out of tonight's lineup, whether due to a sore quadriceps muscle or shin. Andrew Velazquez gets the start at shortstop as the Orioles try to rebound from yesterday's doubleheader sweep. Ryan Mountcastle is the first baseman and cleanup hitter and Chance Sisco is the designated hitter. Bryan Holaday is catching. Austin Hays is in left field. Third baseman Rio Ruiz is on the field today for early work on his throws. Alex Cobb is making his penultimate start of the season....

Valdez allows first runs in Orioles' 3-1 loss in Game 1 (updated)

Valdez allows first runs in Orioles' 3-1 loss in Game 1 (updated)
Dean Kremer has become the rookie middle brother. He's the Peter Brady of the Orioles. Keegan Akin made his major league debut on Aug. 14, about three weeks ahead of Kremer. Bruce Zimmermann, the Ellicott City resident and newest arrival, is starting Game 2 of tonight's doubleheader after the Orioles selected his contract from the alternate camp site. It's follow and be followed for Kremer, whose third career start this afternoon finally let him to face a team from outside New York. The Rays...

Lineups and notes on rotation, Armstrong, offense and more

Lineups and notes on rotation, Armstrong, offense and more
Ryan Mountcastle is back in left field tonight as the Orioles continue their series against the Braves at Camden Yards. Mountcastle made his first start at first base last night in a 5-1 loss. Pat Valaika is playing first base, Andrew Velazquez is at second base and Hanser Alberto has moved to third. Austin Hays is in center field instead of Cedric Mullins. José Iglesias produced his 15th multi-hit game last night, tied with Alberto for the team lead. Iglesias is batting .375 (24-for-64)...

Orioles break out with nine-run inning and roll to 14-1 win (updated)

Orioles break out with nine-run inning and roll to 14-1 win (updated)
If the Orioles can't jump back into playoff contention over the last two weeks of the season, they certainly can find other ways to make good use of these games. Get Austin Hays back in the major league flow after another freakish injury, whether he's starting in an outfield corner or in center. Learn whether Cedric Mullins can be more than a fourth outfielder and whether DJ Stewart can avoid a power outage. Reintroduce Ryan Mountcastle to first base, the third of his four positions as a...

The rotation, today's starters and latest on Austin Hays

The rotation, today's starters and latest on Austin Hays
The Orioles are going to need a starter for Tuesday night's game against the Braves. Manager Brandon Hyde already has eliminated the idea of rookie Keegan Akin working on short rest. One potential candidate eliminated. Akin threw 39 pitches in two-thirds of an inning in the second game of Friday night's doubleheader. Hyde won't disrupt his rest and routine. If the roster is unchanged from its current state, Hyde most likely is going to choose between Thomas Eshelman and Asher Wojciechowski...

Because You Asked - Risk Addiction

Because You Asked - Risk Addiction
A day without baseball is like a day without sunshine. Except the forecast is calling for it today in Baltimore. Lots of it. A day without sunscreen could lead to a nasty burn. There's always the risk of a nasty burn when I sort through my mailbag. And the sarcasm doesn't require extra postage. You know the drill. You keep asking the same stuff and I keep answering it. Or I just make it up as I go along. I don't like stale bread - unless it's used for my mother's homemade stuffing - or...

Kremer crushes major league debut and O's win series (updated)

Kremer crushes major league debut and O's win series (updated)
Seven Orioles bolted out of the dugout for the start of today's series finale against the Yankees, but Bryan Holaday stayed back and waited for the kid he was going to catch. Holaday stood on the top step, glancing over his shoulder until it was time. And then another piece of the Orioles' future emerged. In the present. With longish hair and flowing confidence. Dean Kremer had finally come out, under a bright blue sky, with Holaday jogging behind him. They separated at the appropriate point,...