Orioles and Red Sox lineups

Orioles and Red Sox lineups
Ryan McKenna is starting in left field today as the Orioles host the Red Sox. Cedric Mullins is back in center field and atop the order, alternating with Austin Hays. Yusniel Diaz gets his first start in right field after twice playing left field. Trey Mancini is the first baseman. Rylan Bannon is at third base instead of Rio Ruiz. For the Orioles Cedric Mullins CF Trey Mancini 1B Anthony Santander DH Pedro Severino C Freddy Galvis SS Yusniel Diaz RF Yolmer Sánchez 2B Rylan Bannon 3B Ryan...

This, that and the other

This, that and the other
The reduction in rosters to 26 players and the possibility of manager Brandon Hyde carrying 14 pitchers really has tightened the utility competition at spring training. A three-man bench with a backup catcher and extra outfielder probably would leave room only for Pat Valaika, who must be designated as the favorite after batting .277/.315/.475 with four doubles and eight home runs in 2020, playing six positions and signing for $875,000 in January to avoid arbitration. A fourth reserve would...

Is bullpen built to bring everything Orioles want?

Is bullpen built to bring everything Orioles want?
The evolution of the Orioles bullpen over the years has stripped away the veterans and increased option flexibility. More importance is placed on the freedom to shuttle relievers back and forth and to get multiple innings out of them. Less baton-passing. Less stress trying to cover for starters running short on innings. This is amplified in pandemic seasons and with pitchers coming off a 60-game schedule. "Guys being able to throw multiple innings are going to be really valuable," said...

Penning more thoughts on some relievers

Penning more thoughts on some relievers
Left-hander Fernando Abad, signed by the Orioles to a minor league contract in December, has been exceptional as the closer for Toros del Este in the Dominican Winter League. Abad made 10 appearances prior to the Caribbean World Series and didn't allow a run in 11 innings. He surrendered only three hits, walked one batter, struck out 10 and recorded six saves. Toros del Este is set to compete in the Caribbean World Series beginning Sunday at Estadio Teodoro Mariscal in Mexico. Abad will be a...

Ninth means the last three outs, but not necessarily the biggest outs

Ninth means the last three outs, but not necessarily the biggest outs
Who will be the closer for the 2021 Orioles? Who knows today? But is it really that important for a rebuilding team? Probably not. The Orioles had five pitchers record saves last year. Cole Sulser was 5-for-8 in save chances, while César Valdez was 3-for-3. Miguel Castro was 1-for-3, Tanner Scott 1-for-2, Travis Lakins Sr. 1-for-1 and Thomas Eshelman 0-for-1. Sulser was the only player in the major leagues with two saves of at least two innings each. Scott picked up his first career save...

Orioles facts and what we learned from them

Orioles facts and what we learned from them
It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. Hall of Famers John Wooden and Earl Weaver preached it. The phrase serves as the title of Weaver's autobiography. I'm using it this morning to lead everyone into my latest offseason collection of random facts. And most important, what we learned from them. No need to dig too deeply. Sometimes the answers are lying on the surface. Also, don't overlook an orchid while searching for a rose. Or something like that. * The Orioles were 18-11...

Disorder in an early lineup projection

Disorder in an early lineup projection
An offseason exercise that doesn't require a home gym, but makes me sweat as if competing in a triathlon, is creating an Orioles lineup in December. Taking the players on the current 40-man roster and the likely invites to spring training and filling every position. Go nuts and, if you dare, also craft a bench, rotation and bullpen. But only if you've stretched prior to attempting it. A national publication seeks my assistance every winter, with a deadline prior to the Christmas holiday. The...

O's still not ready to worry much about closer's role

O's still not ready to worry much about closer's role
Should the Orioles look to establish one pitcher as their closer in the 2021 season? Baltimore had five pitchers record saves in the shortened 60-game season in 2020. The short answer for me is definitely not. No reason to try and find one established closer right now. In fact, on a rebuilding team, why not give several players a chance to save games next year? Find out which players seem to handle the ninth-inning pressure well and which do not. Closing games is hard and there are pitchers...

In 2020, O's 'pen was good again

In 2020, O's 'pen was good again
There are areas where we saw improvement during the 2020 Orioles season, but few as dramatic as the bullpen. The bullpen ERA improved by nearly two runs per game. And the 'pen changed from one that gave up a lot of homers and was among the easiest to get a hit off in the American League to a stingy one in allowing homers and much tougher to hit. At a time when bullpens are used more than ever and are more important than ever, the trend upward this season was big for the Orioles. The 'pen...

Crunching some Orioles numbers

Crunching some Orioles numbers
A pitcher's win total isn't supposed to matter, though it usually does to the pitcher. But Alex Cobb must be wondering what it's going to take for him to get a victory at Camden Yards. Since joining the Orioles in March 2018, Cobb has gone 0-11 with a 5.29 ERA in 18 starts in Baltimore. He's allowed 57 earned runs in 97 innings. And he's lost all 11 of his decisions. Because the baseball gods don't care about your feelings and an ERA above 5.00 can be just as unforgiving. Cobb posted a...

Closing arguments on bullpen role

Closing arguments on bullpen role
Teams in a rebuild, and specifically the people behind it, wonder about the obsession over a defined closer for the bullpen Fans ask about it. The media tracks it. The first reliever to rise after the eighth with his club holding a slim lead is crowned. Five pitchers recorded saves for the Orioles this year and Hunter Harvey wasn't counted among them. He was supposed to handle the responsibility, according to everything written and reported over the winter and spring and during summer training...

Orioles win finale 7-5 to secure fourth place (updated)

Orioles win finale 7-5 to secure fourth place (updated)
The Orioles will not surrender fourth place. Their heels dug in one last time in 2020. The final notation on the season came this afternoon in Buffalo, where the Orioles rallied from a three-run deficit to beat the Blue Jays 7-5 at Sahlen Field. Keegan Akin surrendered a solo home run to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the third and a two-run shot to Lourdes Gurriel Jr., with a Randal Grichuk single in between, to destroy a 1-1 tie. But the Orioles knotted the score again with three runs in 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...

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...

Zimmermann has eventful debut in O's 10-6 loss (updated)

Zimmermann has eventful debut in O's 10-6 loss (updated)
The firsts began to pile up for Orioles pitcher Bruce Zimmermann in the first inning. His first pitch in the majors, a 92 mph fastball that brought weak contact from Rays leadoff hitter Randy Arozarena on a fly ball to right field. His first hit batter, a slider nailing Hunter Renfroe on the left knee and bringing the Rays' athletic trainer on the field. His first walk, with Brandon Lowe headed to first base on five pitches. His first home run allowed, with Willy Adames lining a changeup into...

Orioles' bats return to mute mode in 5-1 loss (updated)

Orioles' bats return to mute mode in 5-1 loss (updated)
The latest snapshot of a weird and unprecedented 2020 season came this afternoon before batting practice, when the Orioles gathered in right field in their home white uniforms for the annual team photo. Everyone wearing masks and lined up in rows with the proper spacing between bodies. Just another day at the ballpark for the Orioles, who are down to their last 12 games of the regular season and always reminded of the unpredictability of it after tonight's 5-1 loss to the Braves at Camden...

Early defensive breakdowns doom O's in 10-1 loss (updated)

Early defensive breakdowns doom O's in 10-1 loss (updated)
The losses are easier for Orioles manager Brandon Hyde to stomach when his team is playing crisp baseball. When the mental and physical mistakes are removed from the equation. They were front and center tonight in the first inning in the second game of the doubleheader. The Orioles weren't charged with an error, but fielding data is influenced by other factors. So are outcomes. The Yankees responded to the latest DJ Stewart homer with four runs in the bottom of the first, chasing rookie Keegan...

Orioles go beyond regulation and lose again to Yankees 6-5

Orioles go beyond regulation and lose again to Yankees 6-5
Sometimes they sneak up on the Orioles rather than bulldoze them. The Yankees fell behind today after the first batter in the bottom of the first inning. They built a three-run lead and lost it. Their lineup was decimated by injuries and their starting pitcher was far south of elite status. Maybe this was the day that the Orioles' losing streak in head-to-head competition would end at 18 games. Maybe they wouldn't have to go into the nightcap of the doubleheader wondering if they can keep it...

Means goes 5 1/3, bullpen implodes in 9-4 loss (updated)

Means goes 5 1/3, bullpen implodes in 9-4 loss (updated)
Wilson Ramos shot a ground ball between shortstop and third base this afternoon and John Means turned away in disgust. Burned again by location. Not within the strike zone, but on the field. Between those hits was a two-run, opposite-field homer from Michael Conforto, who reached for a fastball and watched it carry as Ryan Mountcastle drifted back for it. Means wasn't shelled. It was more like shocked. Set free of the stricter pitch counts that accompanied his previous starts, Means worked a...

Milone makes nice recovery in 4-2 loss (updated)

Milone makes nice recovery in 4-2 loss (updated)
Wade LeBlanc fell off the trade table with an elbow injury that brought a premature end to his season. Alex Cobb stays on it if the right team comes along that's willing to absorb the $15 million owed in 2021 or if the Orioles provide some salary relief. Then there's Tommy Milone, who could interest a contender as a back-of-the-rotation starter or swingman, though the return wouldn't necessarily accelerate the rebuild process. The veteran lefty has been a pretty solid addition this year,...