Wojciechowski loses handle on Red Sox in 7-1 loss (updated)

Wojciechowski loses handle on Red Sox in 7-1 loss (updated)
The Orioles finally got away from a Blue Jays player who feasts on their pitching like he's breaking a fast. Was it their turn tonight to pick on the opponent? To do it with their starting pitcher? Asher Wojciechowski made three starts against the Red Sox last season and allowed two runs in 17 2/3 innings. He registered a 5.98 ERA in his other 14 appearances. A no-hitter was carried into the seventh inning on July 21 before Rafael Devers stroked a leadoff double. Wojciechowski reached his...

Santander's two homers still leave Orioles short in 8-7 loss (updated)

Santander's two homers still leave Orioles short in 8-7 loss (updated)
The pose has become familiar. He just needs paparazzi to capture the moment. Anthony Santander unloads on another ball and admires its flight, tosses his bat and beings a slow trot to first base. He'll glance at the dugout and gesture to teammates. A pointed finger, a few words. A celebration after crossing home plate with fists and elbows sometimes touching only air. The hard contact's already been made. Santander extended his hitting streak to a career-high 13 games tonight with a two-run...

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...

Means masterful and bats muted in 4-0 loss (updated)

Means masterful and bats muted in 4-0 loss (updated)
As more players reported back to Camden Yards today, the ballpark deemed safe again after a few Marlins were retested for COVID-19 and an earlier evacuation was lifted, they were subjected to the latest disruption to their normal preparation and routine. Because the year 2020 hasn't provided enough to satisfy everybody. Pitchers threw in the outfield and headed to the bullpen for their side sessions. Renato Núñez knelt on a towel and fielded grounders in front of the dugout, with third...

Will Orioles finally play Marlins tonight?

Will Orioles finally play Marlins tonight?
The Orioles have a fresher bullpen today and renewed concerns about the Marlins arriving at their ballpark. Whether or not they'd admit to it. They're trusting the extensive safety measures that have reduced the level of worry beyond how a team forced to shut down due to a COVID-19 outbreak could compromise them. Welcome to Camden Yards. Just don't touch anything. The Marlins are piecing together their roster via waiver claims and trades after a bus transported the quarantined group from...

Schedule set this week for Orioles-Marlins games at Camden Yards

Schedule set this week for Orioles-Marlins games at Camden Yards
The weather may have the final word this week, but the Orioles learned when they're supposed to play the Marlins at Camden Yards. This is pure 2020. The games on Tuesday and Thursday will begin at 7:35 p.m. However, the Orioles will be the home team for the first and the Marlins for the last. In between are a pair of seven-inning games in a Wednesday doubleheader. Its first game starts at 5:05 p.m. and the nightcap begins approximately 30 minutes after the last out. Here's where it gets...

Orioles celebrate rare series sweep (updated)

Orioles celebrate rare series sweep (updated)
Renato Núñez lined a sinker from Rays starter Yonny Chirinos into the left field seats today, rounded the bases and did the social distance celebration. Every team has its own versions of it. Núñez was greeted at the dugout steps by a teammate who mimicked a chest bump, hand slap and spike tap. The high fives were more like waves. The Orioles would be thrilled to hold more air celebrations through the rest of the season. It's like splashing in an empty pool. Tommy Milone shut out...

Orioles win in 11 innings on Valaika single (updated)

Orioles win in 11 innings on Valaika single (updated)
The Orioles almost made it through tonight's game without committing an error, perhaps because they've gotten so good at handling everything thrown at them. Players are lost to injury or trade. Opponents change unexpectedly and games are rearranged like furniture. Manager Brandon Hyde puts out fires and jokes about dressing for the part. This team is only interested in staying hot. The Rays scored three runs in the top of the eighth inning to tie the game, taking advantage of Shawn...

Hyde keeps preaching importance of relievers throwing strikes

Hyde keeps preaching importance of relievers throwing strikes
The message that Orioles manager Brandon Hyde keeps preaching to his relievers about throwing strikes right away and getting ahead in counts is heard by everyone on the staff. The words bounce off the walls. It's the execution of that message that varies. And failures that make him want to bang his head on those same walls. Hyde was thrilled with Shawn Armstrong's outing in Wednesday night's series opener against the Yankees. Six up and six down. Only 20 pitches thrown in two innings. Only...

Orioles down 5-4 in sixth with game in rain delay (O's lose 8-6)

Orioles down 5-4 in sixth with game in rain delay (O's lose 8-6)
Very little about the 2020 baseball season is going to approach normal, let alone fit the description like an oiled glove. Having John Means start for the Orioles tonight came pretty close. At least the moment that the bullpen gate swung open and he walked onto the field. The strict pitch count and expectations that he'd work three or four innings lent an unusual twist to the story, but the staff ace was back on the mound. Order restored to the rotation in the most literal sense. And then the...

Orioles skillfully maneuver 40-man roster

Orioles skillfully maneuver 40-man roster
The Orioles demonstrated yesterday how they're able to do the 40-man roster dance without tripping over their own feet. It was an impressive feat. They had one open spot and a lengthy list of non-roster players competing for jobs, though Stevie Wilkerson dropped out due to a broken finger on his left hand. That's a lot of traffic and the potential for a massive pileup. But utility player Pat Valaika was the lone addition, pretty much winning a job in spring training prior to the shutdown. He...

Orioles moving on to finalization of roster for opening day

Orioles moving on to finalization of roster for opening day
The Orioles must turn in their opening day roster by noon Thursday and decide whether anyone else is headed for the injured list. They must sort through the pile of ailing players and figure out if it's smarter to just remove guys from the pool and send them to the alternate camp in Bowie. It's a job so big, they should hire interns. Infielder Richie Martin underwent wrist surgery and is on the 60-day injured list, pitcher Ty Blach had a ligament reconstructed in his left elbow and utility...

Cobb impressive early, Santander with two hits in 4-2 loss (updated)

Cobb impressive early, Santander with two hits in 4-2 loss (updated)
Alex Cobb knows the pain of being unable to start on opening day for the first time because an injury ruined the experience. He can sympathize with left-hander John Means, whose assignment in Boston is in jeopardy due to arm fatigue. Cobb isn't a candidate to replace Means because he stood on the mound tonight with baseball in hand and his own, more modest goal, in mind. The Orioles wanted to stretch out Cobb to four innings and never considered the idea of using him on short rest against the...

Updating Means, exhibition pitchers and more

Updating Means, exhibition pitchers and more
The Orioles remain uncertain about John Means' status for opening day, though there's been improvement in the condition of his left arm. Manager Brandon Hyde said the club remains in day-to-day mode with Means. "He felt a lot better today," Hyde said during his Zoom conference call with the media. "Has done a lot of treatment today. We haven't made a decision on that yet, but obviously we need to do that here in the next couple days." The Orioles won't use a starter on short rest if...

Valdez impressive in intrasquad (MASN airing two exhibitions)

Valdez impressive in intrasquad (MASN airing two exhibitions)
Asher Wojciechowski made his latest bid tonight to stay in the Orioles rotation by starting for the orange team, designated as the hosts, in the penultimate intrasquad game at Camden Yards. Never read too much into a scrimmage, whether or not it's accompanied by recorded crowd noise and walkup music, but Wojciechowski is lined up to serve as the No. 4 starter behind John Means, Alex Cobb and Wade LeBlanc. Dilson Herrera didn't care. He lined a two-run homer into the left field seats in the...

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...

Orioles hold their fourth workout as other teams cancel

Orioles hold their fourth workout as other teams cancel
Multiple teams canceled their morning workouts today, including the Nationals and Astros, due to the delays in receiving results of the COVID-19 testing over the weekend that's done on a regular basis as camps opened across the country. Other teams have pushed back their workouts. The Orioles gathered at Camden Yards for their fourth workout, pitchers and position players subjected to a stifling heat that's never going to be the most pronounced health risk in 2020. No one on the team is known...