Hyde's bullpen stocked again with two Rule 5 picks (with lineups)

Hyde's bullpen stocked again with two Rule 5 picks (with lineups)
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde leaned against the dugout railing this afternoon at Camden Yards and had his first face-to-face interaction with the media since spring training shut down on March 12, 2020. No more Zoom interviews during his pregame session. And for Hyde, no mask. The return to pre-pandemic days is creeping along. The key is how it's moving forward. "This feels normal," Hyde said as his players took batting practice. "It's been strange, for you, too, doing everything through...

Orioles greet bad news on Means with 18-5 rout of Tribe (updated)

Orioles greet bad news on Means with 18-5 rout of Tribe (updated)
How would the Orioles respond this afternoon to the latest trunk load of adversity? A possibility of another long losing streak after their staff ace landed on the injured list? The uncertainty that lies ahead with a rotation that's already been in a fragile state? Manager Brandon Hyde got his answer. By taking out every ounce of frustration on the Indians. From the top of the lineup to the bottom. Cedric Mullins stayed on his remarkable tear and the Orioles hit and ran the bases at an elite...

Akin impresses, Mountcastle mashes in O's win (updated)

Akin impresses, Mountcastle mashes in O's win (updated)
The juggling act in the Orioles rotation has bounced Keegan Akin out of the majors, landed him in the bullpen and got him back into a starting role. He seems to be handling it with care. Akin twirled five scoreless innings tonight against the Indians, his only issue an opponent that also wasn't permitting any runs. Hunter Harvey replaced him in the sixth and was victimized by Harold Ramírez's RBI triple, but Ryan Mountcastle hit a two-run homer off Bryan Shaw in the seventh and the Orioles...

Orioles DFA Armstrong and Waddell (plus lineups)

Orioles DFA Armstrong and Waddell (plus lineups)
The Orioles have designated right-hander Shawn Armstrong and left-hander Brandon Waddell for assignment today among a bunch of moves leading into tonight's game against the Indians at Camden Yards. Reliever Hunter Harvey was activated today from the 60-day injured list and he's on the field for early work with the rest of the pitchers. Left-hander Zac Lowther was optioned yesterday to Triple-A Norfolk to make room on the active roster. Infielder Pat Valaika has been placed on the bereavement...

Opener strategy works as Orioles win again 6-3 (updated)

Opener strategy works as Orioles win again 6-3 (updated)
Do two wins in a row constitute a streak? The debate rages on, but does so without any interest from the Orioles. They just want to keep the music blaring inside the clubhouse. Form the handshake line again. Feel a little better about themselves. Make the memories of the 14 losses in a row begin to fade like a tired starter. The Orioles didn't have one of those tonight. Matt Harvey provided more length than anticipated in his one-time role of opener, Rule 5 pick Tyler Wells followed with three...

Orioles evaluating players while trying to stop their losing streak

Orioles evaluating players while trying to stop their losing streak
As the Orioles tried unsuccessfully yesterday to close out their road trip with a victory and slam the brakes on a losing streak that grew to 13 games, unable to make the flight home a little more enjoyable, some of the organization's top pitching prospects were given starts at the upper levels of the farm system. Kyle Bradish was handed the ball at Triple-A Norfolk, with Dean Kremer and Zac Lowther on the mound for the next two games in Durham. Mike Baumann and DL Hall started for Double-A...

More thoughts on managing the bullpen

More thoughts on managing the bullpen
John Means didn't leave the bullpen many innings to cover Monday night in Minnesota. He worked through the seventh, trailing only because of two solo home runs and an offense that short-circuited with men in scoring position. The game never carried into the bottom of the ninth. The bullpen was responsible only for the eighth, unexpectedly given a lead and coughing up six runs in a demoralizing 8-3 loss. Manager Brandon Hyde wasn't going to use his most effective reliever, left-hander Paul...

Bullpen collapse in eighth buries Orioles in 8-3 loss (updated)

Bullpen collapse in eighth buries Orioles in 8-3 loss (updated)
No matter the result tonight, the Orioles obviously knew that they had the right pitcher on the mound to start the game John Means is celebrated as if deserving of his own day. His achievements and rankings among major league and American League leaders could fill an entire page of the team's game notes. The Orioles, losers of six in a row and 13 of 15 going into Minnesota, needed Means only to be himself and then hope that the offense could unearth a few runs of support. That the bullpen,...

Leftovers for breakfast

Leftovers for breakfast
The return of Anthony Santander from the injured list gives manager Brandon Hyde more outfield choices. It also gives him a cleanup hitter, the early numbers dismissed with a wave of the bat. Santander was slashing .196/.230/.321 with a double, two home runs, two walks and 17 strikeouts in 62 plate appearances before spraining his left ankle in Miami. But he's a presence in the lineup, someone that the opposition must account for, a threat to produce runs from both sides of the plate. Too bad...

As a Rule 5 pick, pitcher Tyler Wells trying to prove he belongs

As a Rule 5 pick, pitcher Tyler Wells trying to prove he belongs
As the season goes on, the Orioles seem to be gaining more confidence in Rule 5 pitcher Tyler Wells. The right-hander came on in the sixth inning Friday night with the Nationals leading 2-0. The game was still very much on the line. And Wells has been holding his own. Not bad for a young pitcher who had Tommy John surgery in May 2019, so he hadn't pitched in two seasons covering 2019-2020. In 2018, he went 10-6 with a 2.49 ERA for the Minnesota Twins organization, but just 33 of those innings...

This, that and the other

This, that and the other
The removal of Rio Ruiz from the Orioles organization, for however long while he's been designated for assignment, carries us back to the spring debate over whether there was a spot for him after the signing of free agent third baseman Maikel Franco. I assumed no, since they played the same position, Ruiz didn't profile as a utility player and he had minor league options. But there was the complication of fitting him on Triple-A Norfolk's roster, because the Orioles wanted Rylan Bannon to...

López falters in fifth and offense late to fire up in 4-2 loss (updated)

López falters in fifth and offense late to fire up in 4-2 loss (updated)
The Orioles gambled today by leaving their tired bullpen intact and counting on Jorge López to provide some length. But they didn't necessarily bypass an obvious solution. The pitching staff at Triple-A Norfolk isn't loaded with 40-man options. Hard decisions are pending, with Hunter Harvey's return from the 60-day injured list, perhaps by early June, just one of them. Manager Brandon Hyde wasn't going to use a couple of his relievers tonight after an exhausting homestand. Finding a hot...

Orioles pitching surrenders five homers in 13-6 loss (updated)

Orioles pitching surrenders five homers in 13-6 loss (updated)
Matt Harvey stood with his back turned to home plate and his right hand on his hip tonight as Austin Meadows' ball sailed over the center field fence for the second three-run homer of the second inning. The second-shortest start of his major league career was happening before his eyes. He had to look. Though perhaps in disbelief. A bloop single by Brandon Lowe with two outs brought manager Brandon Hyde out of the dugout. The Rays were dinking Harvey to death, too, but it didn't hurt as much...

More on decision to DFA Rio Ruiz

More on decision to DFA Rio Ruiz
The latest Orioles transaction this month unfolded yesterday with Rio Ruiz taken off the 40-man roster and Stevie Wilkerson returning to the majors, again transforming a minor league contract into an opportunity. The May movement began on the third with reliever Isaac Mattson recalled from the alternate camp site in Bowie and left-hander Bruce Zimmermann optioned in an exchange of rookies. Mattson was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk five days later, with left-hander Zac Lowther recalled from the...

Bullpen management made easier yesterday

Bullpen management made easier yesterday
A bullpen that experienced more hiccups over the weekend wasn't going to choke away a lead yesterday and subject the Orioles to a sweep. The use of rookie Bruce Zimmermann in a bulk role was rewarded in a big way with 5 2/3 sparkling innings. He was the first in a succession of southpaws, the baton passed to left hands. Manager Brandon Hyde knows who's available for every game, though he won't necessarily share it with the public. He tries to piece together nine innings when starters fail...

López labors for two innings in 8-2 loss (updated)

López labors for two innings in 8-2 loss (updated)
Getting ahead in the count didn't work for Jorge López. Falling behind didn't work, either. The first inning had been the kindest for López among his seven starts, with no runs allowed and only five baserunners. But he was 0-2 tonight on DJ LeMahieu and Luke Voit, and issued a walk and surrendered a hit. He walked Aaron Judge with the count 3-1 to load the bases with no outs. The Yankees siphoned 39 pitches out of López and scored three runs, Judge hit his prerequisite homer in the...

Harvey's return takes wrong turn in 7-1 loss (updated)

Harvey's return takes wrong turn in 7-1 loss (updated)
The on-field portion of Matt Harvey's day at Citi Field began with the usual warm-up tosses in the bullpen and the stroll to the dugout, his mind refusing to play tricks and steer him toward the home side. He walked to the mound after the top of the first inning, heard the ovation, noticed Mets fans standing and holding up signs and tipped his cap. The moment could have overwhelmed Harvey, but he retired the side in order on 13 pitches and headed to the bench. The hope, of course, was that...

Lowther struggles in first start, Valaika pitches in 11-6 loss

Lowther struggles in first start, Valaika pitches in 11-6 loss
The first major league start tonight for left-hander Zac Lowther also came with his first jams, runs scored and mound visits. By the time Lowther notched his second strikeout of the evening, he had thrown 49 pitches and surrendered four runs. The game was headed to the bottom of the second inning. The bullpen stayed quiet, with manager Brandon Hyde giving the rookie room to work and grow. A spot start, if that's what it was, didn't come with a short leash. Hyde had to tighten it in the third....

Unearned runs ruin Harvey's night in 6-2 loss (updated)

Unearned runs ruin Harvey's night in 6-2 loss (updated)
Matt Harvey struck out J.D. Martinez tonight and extended the Orioles' streak of hitless innings to 10. John Means did the heavy lifting. Harvey was just following a tough act and trying to keep up. The Red Sox elevated Harvey's pitch count early, plated four unearned runs in the fourth inning and kept the Orioles below .500 with a 6-2 win before an announced crowd of 7,724 at damp and cold Camden Yards. Ryan Mountcastle led off the sixth inning with a home run, driving a full-count 99 mph...

Analytics assist Armstrong in adjusting arm

Analytics assist Armstrong in adjusting arm
If the Orioles are going to make pitching data so readily available, creating a big splash with their plunges into analytics, reliever Shawn Armstrong would have been foolish to stay in the shallow end. To figure out why he was getting hit and losing command after leaving the injured list, Armstrong studied his mechanics and hunted for a solution beyond the standard side work and conversations with director of pitching/pitching coach Chris Holt and assistant pitching coach Darren Holmes. They...