Wieters and Gregg talk about the play that ended the game

Wieters and Gregg talk about the play that ended the game
You don't see many games end that way. With the Orioles nursing a 2-1 lead in the ninth and pinch runner Brian Bixler on first with one out, Kevin Gregg threw a 3-2 pitch to the Nats' Roger Bernadina, who had two hits in the game already. Bernadina took a called third strike, then Matt Wieters threw a quick strike. Bixler was caught stealing at second on a double play to end the Orioles' series-clinching win. Matt Wieters talks about his game-ending play following the Birds' 2-1 win "I...

Leading off with Roberts item

Leading off with Roberts item
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - If second baseman Brian Roberts is going to bust out of his slump, he'll do it from atop the order. No big surprise here. Roberts is the club's leadoff hitter and there aren't many options if manager Buck Showalter wants to lower him. J.J. Hardy would be the likely replacement. Felix Pie has speed, but he doesn't play every day and he doesn't steal bases. It's a moot point. Showalter has dropped Mark Reynolds to ninth and he's willing to make other changes, but...

Pregame Showalter

Pregame Showalter
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Manager Buck Showalter said his bullpen is in "pretty good shape, all things considered." Unfortunately, he still had to use it last night despite getting nine scoreless innings from rookie Zach Britton. "I've got a couple guys I'll stay away from tonight if I can," Showalter said. One of them is closer Kevin Gregg, who's been used in the last three games. "Kevin's reminded us that he's pitched nine out of 10 days (in the past)," Showalter said. "Somebody...

Orioles starters have outpitched Mariners in this series

Orioles starters have outpitched Mariners in this series
Sometimes, a little pitching and a little offense can go a long way. You probably know that the Orioles have scored three runs or fewer in more than half their games this year and are 2-16 in those games. So they almost always lose when they score so little. But if they can get four runs, they almost always win. After Wednesday's 4-2 victory over Seattle, the Orioles are 14-3 when they score four or more runs in a game. The starting pitching has set the tone the past two nights and for two...

Some notes as the O's and K.C. get set for day baseball

Some notes as the O's and K.C. get set for day baseball
Having already secured a winning road trip at 4-2, the Orioles play at Kansas City this afternoon at 2:10 p.m. in the final game of this trip. Here are some notes on the Orioles: * The Orioles picked up their 14th win last night. Last year, they didn't win their 14th game until May 21.They improved to 7-7 on the road last night and last year didn't win their seventh road game until June 15. * Nick Markakis entered Wednesday's game with just one extra-base hit and just three RBIs during his...

Gregg, Orioles hang on for 6-4 win

Gregg, Orioles hang on for 6-4 win
The Orioles have taken the first three games of this series after today's tense, 6-4 victory over the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field. Kevin Gregg made it interesting, to say the least, by walking leadoff hitter Alexei Ramirez and giving up a single to Carlos Quentin before recording his first out in the ninth inning - a called third strike on Paul Konerko. Buck Showalter talks with Gary Thorne about the amount of walks in the Birds' 6-4 win Gregg fell behind, 3-1, to Alex Rios before...

O's pull it out but Guthrie gets no decision

O's pull it out but Guthrie gets no decision
The Orioles lost the lead, but not the game. I feel bad for Jeremy Guthrie, who just can't seem to get a win, even when he doesn't give up a run. After losing a late 4-0 lead, the Orioles picked up the tiebreaking run on a Vladimir Guerrero RBI single to center in the last of the eighth to edge Boston 5-4 at Camden Yards. Guthrie pitched six scoreless innings tonight, left with a 4-0 lead and still did not win. What else can the guy do? Koji Uehara as closer talk could cool after he gave...

Gregg will be a key to the Orioles bullpen

Gregg will be a key to the Orioles bullpen
While Kevin Gregg may have already fallen out of favor with some fans, I'm sure Orioles manager Buck Showalter looks at the situation differently, He knows Gregg will be an important piece in his bullpen and that he has to get him right. Showalter has to help him to start pitching well. Maybe last night was a start. Despite a loud out that ended the game, Gregg did pitch a 1-2-3 ninth inning to pick up his second O's save in three chances. He got the job done, even if the fans' hearts...

More postgame chatter

More postgame chatter
Zach Britton is the latest Oriole to be slowed by flu-like symptoms, but he took the ball tonight and turned in his third quality start in four outings. Zach Britton recaps his outing against the Twins Wednesday night "It could have been better," he said. "I wasn't happy with the walks, especially with the 5-1 lead and you put guys on base and it ends up being a close game like that, so I wasn't happy with the wildness. But we scored a lot of runs and kept us in the game. "I'm...

Postgame Showalter

Postgame Showalter
Manager Buck Showalter had no doubt that Denard Span's fly ball with two outs in the ninth would stay on the right side of the fence. He just wasn't sure whether it would actually hit the fence. "I thought at the very worst it would be off the wall," Showalter said following the Orioles' 5-4 victory over the Twins. "I'm glad he didn't hit it two hours earlier. The ball was flying. It was a weird wind earlier, so we were fortunate." Buck Showalter meets with the media to discuss the...

Gregg saves the night

Gregg saves the night
Kevin Gregg entered in the ninth inning with the Orioles ahead, 5-4. Save situation. He's the closer. Gregg ran the count to 3-1 on leadoff hitter Steve Holm and induced a pop up in front of the mound. The crowd cheered. Yes, cheered. Matt Tolbert stepped to the plate and fell behind, 1-2. More applause. Tolbert swung through an 84 mph splitter for the second out. The ovation grew louder. Fans rose to their feet and kept cheering. Denard Span took a ball, fouled off a 93 mph fastball...

Johnson removed after one inning (updated)

Johnson removed after one inning (updated)
Jim Johnson retired the Twins in order in the top of the seventh on only eight pitches, six of them strikes. He got two ground balls and struck out Denard Span. With the Orioles clinging to a two-run lead, I would have let Johnson pitch the eighth, as well. And a few reporters here are in agreement. However, Koji Uehara has entered the game, and you have to figure that Kevin Gregg will pitch the ninth if it's a save situation. Gregg hasn't turned in a clean outing in five tries, and he...

Showalter talks about Gregg

Showalter talks about Gregg
Manager Buck Showalter would like to give closer Kevin Gregg more work, which might keep him sharp and prevent the kind of outings that we saw last night. Not that there have been many save chances during this skid, but even a random inning could prove beneficial. "It's certainly something that we're conscious of coming out of spring training, but some of the situations that we've had early in the season haven't been there in perfect situations," Showalter said. "We haven't had a lot...

Checking in with another struggling O's reliever

Checking in with another struggling O's reliever
Kevin Gregg is not the only Orioles reliever looking to put up better numbers right now. Lefty Michael Gonzalez, who spent time on the DL with a strained left shoulder last year, said he is healthy and throwing fine right now. Still, he has been scored upon in four of his five outings and is 0-1 with a 10.38 ERA through five appearances. "I'm definitely not getting the results that I want but I feel really good. I am positive and upbeat about that. "Health-wise, my arm feels great. It's...

Waiting for Gregg to be great

Waiting for Gregg to be great
We've grown accustomed to the Orioles crashing in August, though last year proved the exception. I wonder if they're aware that it's still April. Same first letter, different month. The losing streak has reached eight games, but I'm still not in panic mode. That's mostly because it's baseball, which doesn't freak me out unless it forces me to rewrite a game story in the ninth inning or a screaming line drive is headed for my larynx. Still, it's disturbing that the Orioles got off to...

Postgame Showalter

Postgame Showalter
Manager Buck Showalter met with the media for about four minutes after tonight's 5-3 loss to the Twins, which ran the Orioles' losing streak to eight games. Manager Buck Showalter talks about Chris Tillman and the Orioles' 5-3 loss to Minnesota Here is a sampling: On Chris Tillman: "He was better. Obviously, they're operating without Morneau and Mauer, but it was good for the most part. He gave us a chance to win. We just didn't give him much offensive support. We knew Liriano was...

Closing argument

Closing argument
So is the honeymoon period over for manager Buck Showalter? I've never seen him second-guessed to this extent since he was named manager Aug. 2. It was bound to happen. Earl Weaver would have been questioned and criticized during the blog and Twitter era. That's all part of the game. I don't think anyone is jumping off the Showalter bandwagon, but he made two decisions last night that clearly irked readers of this blog. (And I'm trying to remember the last time I used the word...

When the ninth inning comes, Gregg wants the ball

When the ninth inning comes, Gregg wants the ball
At this point, it may be a somewhat safe assumption that Kevin Gregg is the O's closer. He has the club's only save this year. Manager Buck Showalter doesn't seem to want to publicly anoint anyone for that role and he has a few options for the ninth inning. Gregg said that is fine with him. "We pitch when we are told to pitch. Buck and Mark (Connor) make the decision as to when we come into the games. Pretty simple," Gregg said. The right-hander saved 37 of 43 games for Toronto last...

Koji's amazing streak

Koji's amazing streak
Fred Lewis is the answer to a trivia question. That question: Who is the last batter to draw a walk vs. Orioles' reliever Koji Uehara? It was in a 4-2 Toronto win over the Birds last July 16th at Camden Yards. Ricky Romero got the win and Kevin Gregg, now with the O's, picked up his 21st save. In the top of the 9th of that game, Lewis walked versus Koji. The O's pitcher has now fanned 46 batters since that last walk over 35 appearances. That is the most consecutive strikeouts without a...

Having just one bullpen lefty should not be a problem

Having just one bullpen lefty should not be a problem
I am not concerned in the least that the Orioles will begin the season with just one left-hander in the bullpen. First of all, pitchers like Mark Hendrickson, Clay Rapada, Troy Patton and Chris George all may start on the Triple-A staff and will be a phone call away if needed. Also, there is this big reason not to be concerned: The stat sheet says it won't be an issue. Of the six right-handed hurlers in the O's pen, all but Koji Uehara have better statistics either recently and/or in their...