Orioles and Athletics lineups (updated)

Orioles and Athletics lineups (updated)
Shortstop Freddy Galvis remains out of the Orioles lineup tonight, his day-to-day status extending at least to Saturday. Ramón Urías is the shortstop for the series opener in Oakland. Pat Valaika is the second baseman. Rio Ruiz is playing third base instead of Maikel Franco. Austin Hays stays in left field and DJ Stewart stays in right. Ryan Mountcastle gets another start at first base, with Trey Mancini the designated hitter. Left-hander John Means has allowed one run or fewer in eight...

Updating Galvis and impact of short bench

Updating Galvis and impact of short bench
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde hopes that shortstop Freddy Galvis will be available to start or come off the bench Friday night when the Orioles begin their two-city West Coast trip in Oakland. Galvis is day-to-day with a sore left adductor/groin, an injury sustained Monday night while running out an RBI double. Hyde said Galvis hit on the field yesterday and did some infield work this morning. Increasing baseball activities also meant jogging up the first base line. "I want to see how that...

Orioles and Yankees lineups

Orioles and Yankees lineups
Rio Ruiz, Ramón Urías, Pat Valaika and Ryan Mountcastle were grouped this morning for early infield work. Three of the four are in today's lineup as the Orioles close out their series against the Yankees and head to the West Coast. Maikel Franco is the third baseman. Otherwise, Urías is playing shortstop, Valaika is the second baseman and Mountcastle is the first baseman. Trey Mancini is serving as the designated hitter. Mancini became the 49th player to record 500 hits in an Orioles...

Updating Wednesday starter, Galvis injury and more

Updating Wednesday starter, Galvis injury and more
Dean Kremer is rejoining the Orioles on Wednesday and starting that night against the Yankees at Camden Yards. Precisely the way it was expected to play out. A corresponding roster move is coming, with reliever Jay Flaa a logical candidate to be optioned to the alternate training site after having his contract selected yesterday. Kremer has allowed eight runs and 14 hits in 10 2/3 innings, with six walks and 14 strikeouts in his three starts. The Orioles optioned him after he held the Rangers...

Valaika recalled and playing shortstop tonight

Valaika recalled and playing shortstop tonight
With shortstop Freddy Galvis day-to-day with left adductor soreness, the Orioles recalled infielder Pat Valaika from the alternate training site in Bowie and have him in uniform for tonight's game against the Yankees at Camden Yards. He's also in the lineup, batting ninth and playing shortstop. Valaika broke camp with the Orioles and was optioned April 9 to create roster space for DJ Stewart. He was 1-for-9 with a walk and run scored in four games. The Orioles optioned outfielder Ryan McKenna...

Pitching changes can be expected throughout the summer

Pitching changes can be expected throughout the summer
The type of transaction that sent Zac Lowther back to the alternate camp site yesterday would become a signature move for the Orioles except that a lot of other teams are going to claim ownership. Roster churn is providing as much background noise as batting practice music. The Orioles aren't a full month into their season and they've been cranking out transactions like disc jockey tunes. There's the necessity created by injuries, but also some deep-tissue massaging of the roster. They could...

Harvey and Mullins lead Orioles to 4-2 win (updated)

Harvey and Mullins lead Orioles to 4-2 win (updated)
Freddy Galvis hit an opposite-field, run-scoring double tonight in the bottom of the second inning, stayed for the last out and was gone. Plated a run and retreated to the clubhouse. A lineup that lost outfielder Anthony Santander to a sprained ankle could have a vacancy at shortstop. Galvis was removed with left adductor soreness, basically an injury to the hip/thigh, but there wasn't much hurting Matt Harvey. He wasn't coming out of the game until shattering the five-inning barrier. Until...

Rain falls before Orioles do in 7-2 loss (Lowther joining O's)

Rain falls before Orioles do in 7-2 loss (Lowther joining O's)
The Orioles are recalling pitching prospect Zac Lowther from the alternate training site in Bowie, according to an industry source, and he'll be available in the bullpen for Sunday afternoon's series finale against the Athletics. Wade LeBlanc, who started tonight, will be designated for assignment to create roster space. Lowther, who turns 25 on Friday, is the No. 11 prospect in the system, according to MLBPipeline.com, and he's on the verge of making his major league debut. The Orioles...

López labors early as Orioles lose 3-1 (updated)

López labors early as Orioles lose 3-1 (updated)
The first time through the order became treacherous territory for Orioles starter Jorge López. As if he decided to go off script for the "Moneyball" sequel. Lopez hadn't allowed a run in three starts until turning over the lineup, but five of nine Oakland batters reached tonight and created an early deficit that the Orioles never made up in a 3-1 loss before an announced crowd of 7,574. Ramón Laureano led off the fifth by homering into the visiting bullpen, the final batter for...

O's game blog: O's host A's in homestand opener

O's game blog: O's host A's in homestand opener
After a 3-2 road trip to Texas and Miami, the Orioles begin the second homestand of the season tonight. It's a seven-game homestand, which begins against Oakland and continues Monday when the New York Yankees come to town. Tonight, the Orioles (8-10) host the hottest team in the majors. Oakland (12-7) has won 11 in a row and is tied with Seattle for first in the American League West. The A's began the year 0-6, then split the next two games before their win streak started. Their 11...

Updating rotation plans and more

Updating rotation plans and more
The Orioles are pushing back John Means to Sunday afternoon against the Athletics and waiting until later tonight to choose Saturday's starter. The options are a bullpen game or recalling a pitcher from the alternate training site in Bowie. "Just going to give John an extra day," manager Brandon Hyde said today in his Zoom call. Means will get a full week with his most recent outing Sunday against the Rangers. Normal rest would have put him on the mound tonight, but the Orioles had two...

More on the offense as O's await red-hot Athletics

More on the offense as O's await red-hot Athletics
If we use the stat OPS - on-base plus slugging - the 2020 Orioles look a lot better than the 2021 club. And it's not very close. Counting all batters - qualifiers and non-qualifiers - the 2020 Orioles had six players with an OPS of .800 or better and two at .900 plus. And another player at .791. This year's club has just two players at .800 or above through 18 games and just four players on the entire club at .704 or above. Yep, only four players at .704 or above. Yikes. Last year's club had...

Zimmermann falters in fifth and Orioles fall 3-0 (updated)

Zimmermann falters in fifth and Orioles fall 3-0 (updated)
Orioles catcher Pedro Severino and manager Brandon Hyde gave rookie pitcher Bruce Zimmermann the same encouraging, and perhaps consoling, pat on the backside today - in rapid succession as if rehearsed - after he handed over the baseball and turned toward the dugout. Zimmermann sat on the bench expressionless in the fifth inning, staring straight ahead, as captured by the MASN cameras. He could have been thinking about the elevated fastball that Jesús Aguilar lined into left-center field for...

A few notes on another O's road win

A few notes on another O's road win
It was a night where the defense behind him was shaky at times. And the Orioles almost let a five-run lead get completely away. But his offense did provide a nice early lead. And that led right-hander Matt Harvey to his first win as an Oriole. And his first win for anyone since July 13, 2019. That was for the Los Angeles Angels then against Seattle. Harvey had lost his last five decisions since, dating to July 18, 2019. The Orioles beat Miami 7-5 to get the opener of this brief two-game...

Santander leaves tonight's game with injury (O's win 7-5)

Santander leaves tonight's game with injury (O's win 7-5)
The wealth of outfielders on the Orioles roster took an unfortunate and potentially serious hit tonight in the first inning. It barely had time to evolve. Anthony Santander appeared to roll his left ankle while getting back to the bag on an attempted pickoff throw from Marlins starter Nick Neidert. Santander jammed his foot, collapsed in the dirt and pounded a fist into it as the pain radiated through his leg. Head athletic trainer Brian Ebel and manager Brandon Hyde lifted Santander and...

Hyde on Galvis, Kremer, Akin, Santander and more

Hyde on Galvis, Kremer, Akin, Santander and more
Following the first game of an April 13 doubleheader against the Mariners, Freddy Galvis was batting .143/.211/.171 and attracting some heat for his inconsistent play at shortstop. The comparisons to José Iglesias weren't flattering. Some fans were demanding that the Orioles recall Richie Martin from the alternate training site, especially after he collected two hits, including an RBI double, a walk and two stolen bases in Tuesday's game against the Nationals in Bowie. But Galvis had two...

O's win at Texas was led by previously struggling players (with quotes)

O's win at Texas was led by previously struggling players (with quotes)
It was not just that the Orioles produced a comeback win in Texas, one that gives them a series victory. It was how they did it and who was responsible that was also quite big. Struggling Trey Mancini lined a go-ahead double in the eighth. Right-hander Dean Kremer, who had a 10.50 ERA at game time, pitched a strong game on three days' rest. Shortstop Freddy Galvis had four hits and started one sensational double play. And the improving Orioles bullpen had another good night. And down by 1-0...

Mountcastle moves to first base tonight

Mountcastle moves to first base tonight
Ryan Mountcastle is starting at first base tonight for the first time this season as the Orioles try to secure a series win over the Rangers. Mountcastle has been the designated hitter in eight games and the left fielder in six. He started nine games at first base last summer. Trey Mancini is batting fifth as the designated hitter, followed by Mountcastle. Mancini struck out four times last night to give him 18 for the season, second on the club behind Mountcastle. Rio Ruiz stays at second...

López completes fifth and bats catch fire in 5-2 win (updated)

López completes fifth and bats catch fire in 5-2 win (updated)
The starting pitcher was dealing early and a leadoff triple in the third inning led to a run and thoughts that the offense might have awakened. Deep in the heart of Texas, the Orioles were trying to bury everything that hurt them back home. What needed to be addressed was whether Jorge López could remain upright while taking another turn through the Rangers order and if settling for one run in that inning would bring regrets. Trying to stay in the rotation with other options available to the...

Leftovers for breakfast

Leftovers for breakfast
The starters need to get deeper into games. The bullpen needs to get more outs. The defense needs to tighten. A team doesn't slide into last place if these three areas are secured. But there may not be a heavier weight dragging down the Orioles than a light-hitting lineup. The Orioles went 7-for-47 (.149) in yesterday's doubleheader and scored only three runs while being swept by the Mariners. They've registered a .218 average in 13 games, the sixth-lowest in the majors as they boarded their...