Christmas list of reasons to be happy

Christmas list of reasons to be happy
'Tis the season to be jolly. If you pretend that 2020 didn't happen. My only advice is to dig deep and unearth the joyous moments in your lives. Hopefully, you'll find many more than you expected. Hopefully, you can use a trowel instead of a bulldozer. For me, it's getting engaged at spring training, less than a week before the shutdown. My plan to propose at the spot where we met outside the Ed Smith Stadium press box would have been ruined if she chose to fly down later. (I'll never know...

O's free agent pitching additions could have familiar look

O's free agent pitching additions could have familiar look
When he spoke to reporters early this month, Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias said the club would pursue signing starting pitching this winter and heading into the 2021 season. They could add major or minor league free agents. The Orioles rotation ended last season in a pretty good spot after Keegan Akin and Dean Kremer made their major league debuts. Jorge López had some nice moments as well, while John Means and Alex Cobb were both pitching well at the end of...

More thoughts on yesterday's trades

More thoughts on yesterday's trades
Sometimes it works precisely as intended. The Orioles signed veteran left-hander Tommy Milone to a minor league deal in spring training, one of their typical late moves under the Florida sunshine. Never make roster projections until after everyone reports to camp. Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias had the same vision as his predecessors. Bring in a pitcher or player on a shortened and inexpensive deal and hope for the type of production that benefits the club on the field and...

Orioles trade Givens to Rockies, more on Milone deal (updated)

Orioles trade Givens to Rockies, more on Milone deal (updated)
The Orioles have swung their second trade of the day, sending reliever Mychal Givens to the Rockies. MLB Network's Jon Heyman first reported the trade, which has been confirmed. However, the return is currently unknown and this story will be updated shortly. Givens, 25, was a second-round pick in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft who made the successful conversion from light-hitting shortstop to reliever. He allowed two runs this summer with 19 strikeouts in 13 innings. Over six seasons and 296...

Orioles trading Milone to Braves (updated)

Orioles trading Milone to Braves (updated)
The Orioles will need a starter for Monday's series finale against the Blue Jays. Left-hander Tommy Milone is headed to the Braves for two players to be named later. An industry source has confirmed multiple reports of the deal. The trade deadline is 4 p.m. Monday and Milone became an attractive chip with a 3.99 ERA, only 1.2 walks per nine innings and a career-high 9.5 strikeouts. Milone, 33, agreed to a minor league deal in spring training, made the club and rotation and provided two quality...

Orioles remain intact as trade deadline looms

Orioles remain intact as trade deadline looms
The trade deadline is 4 p.m. Monday and the Orioles haven't made any moves. Alex Cobb and Tommy Milone are still in the rotation. Mychal Givens and Miguel Castro are still in the bullpen. Hanser Alberto is still in the lineup at second or third base. Milone is starting Monday afternoon against the Blue Jays. Could be his last with the Orioles. Cobb made it through last night's game. No one was pulled from the on-deck circle. Is there a hug watch during social distancing? What's happening in...

Orioles place Armstrong on injured list (and other notes)

Orioles place Armstrong on injured list (and other notes)
The Orioles have placed reliever Shawn Armstrong on the 10-day injured list with soreness in his lower back. Evan Phillips has been recalled from the alternate camp site in Bowie. Armstrong has a 2.19 ERA and 0.892 WHIP in 11 appearances, with three walks and 12 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings. He hasn't pitched since last Saturday and the IL move is retroactive to Wednesday. The team is calling the injury "left SI joint inflammation." "It's just a flare up," manager Brandon Hyde said during...

Hyde hearing players, maturity of Mullins and Tate, rotation and more

Hyde hearing players, maturity of Mullins and Tate, rotation and more
One of manager Brandon Hyde's finest traits is his ability to communicate with his players. Maybe it's an age thing. Maybe it's just his personality. But he's earned praise for it. Hyde also scores points because he listens. There's so much to dissect and digest from events this week. The hard discussions and postponed games. The raw emotion, which Hyde showed Thursday evening on a Zoom conference call while attempting to convey how he's been able to guide the club through difficult and...

Hyde working to keep trade rumors from becoming distraction

Hyde working to keep trade rumors from becoming distraction
Players are kept in confinement this summer beyond their trips to the ballpark, where interactions are unavoidable but also narrowed. Arrive later than usual, dress for the games, have the option of showering or heading out immediately and repeat the process the next day. What can't be done is shielding them from trade rumors and speculation that builds as the deadline approaches. They swirl around the subjects, who find out via social media or friends and family. Manager Brandon Hyde is...

This, that and the other

This, that and the other
Pat Valaika sailed his second throw last night, again pulling first baseman Renato Núñez off the bag, and tried hard to exhibit better control of his emotions than he did of the baseball. Valaika removed his cap, exposing the thick blonde hair, and held it in his teeth while staring across the infield. He didn't bite through it, but only because of his restraint. Maybe it kept him from screaming. The frustration was evident. Two throwing errors that impacted Tommy Milone's start and led...

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,...

Two errors, too many strikeouts as O's fall in road trip opener

Two errors, too many strikeouts as O's fall in road trip opener
If the Orioles were going to beat the Tampa Bay Rays tonight and improve to 9-1 on the road, they were probably going to have to figure out how to put the ball in play against one of the best strikeout pitchers in the game. Tall right-hander Tyler Glasnow had an ERA of 6.00 entering this game, but also had fanned 35 batters in 21 innings with a fastball that can touch 98 mph and a curveball that plays rather well off that pitch. Through six innings tonight, he fanned 10 Orioles and got nine on...

O's game blog: The road trip begins

O's game blog: The road trip begins
The last time they played the Tampa Bay Rays (19-11), the Orioles (14-14) completed a three-game sweep at Camden Yards. They beat Tampa Bay 6-3, 5-4 in 11 innings and 5-1. Against a team playing .633 ball halfway through a 60-game season, O's pitchers recorded a three-game ERA of 1.86, held the Rays to a .190 batting average and produced 31 strikeouts while walking nine Rays batters. But Tampa Bay has surged to challenge the New York Yankees at the top of the American League East. Since...

Givens could go as trade deadline gets closer

Givens could go as trade deadline gets closer
As the Orioles prepare for a two-city road trip that begins tonight in St. Petersburg, Fla., reliever Mychal Givens must wonder whether he's pitched in his last game at Camden Yards as a member of the team. He hears the rumors every year. Trade chip talk follows him like baby chicks. He'd probably feel lonely without it. Baseball's deadline version of separation anxiety. The Orioles were willing to move Givens last summer, but they couldn't find the right partner. The days of being...

Rough stretch: O's losing streak reaches four games

Rough stretch: O's losing streak reaches four games
The good start for the Orioles - one that saw them playing .600 ball 20 games into this shortened season - has now hit the skids. The Orioles lost 5-2 to Toronto this afternoon as the Blue Jays completed a three-game sweep. The Orioles have lost four games in a row. They fall to 12-12 and are 1-5 over the last six games. They are 4-11 at home. It feels like an early season crisis for this team, but maybe if they hadn't played so well for 20 games, it would not feel this way. Toronto came to...

Orioles can't get Grichuk or avoid sweep (updated)

Orioles can't get Grichuk or avoid sweep (updated)
Randal Grichuk keeps homering against the Orioles as if his contract provides incentives for it. Just one team. No one else. Grichuk hit two more today off left-hander Tommy Milone, raising his total to four in the series and 16 in 33 career games versus the Orioles. His leadoff shot in the second inning gave Toronto an early lead. His two-run shot in the sixth gave them a new one. One ball cleared the center field fence, the other bounced off an orange awning in the home bullpen. The Orioles...

O's game blog: Trying to avoid being swept

O's game blog: Trying to avoid being swept
In some respects, it has been the year of the sweep for the Orioles. They have swept series from the Rays, Nationals and Phillies. They have been swept by the Yankees and Marlins. So they have completed seven series with five ending in sweeps. They need a win today to avoid being swept for the third time in 2020. The O's bats were held to five hits in a 7-2 loss to Toronto on Monday. Last night, they scored seven runs and hit three homers, but lost 8-7 to the Blue Jays. Toronto arrived at...

Orioles and Blue Jays lineups

Orioles and Blue Jays lineups
Chance Sisco remains in the leadoff spot today for the Orioles, and he's also behind the plate. Sisco is the first Orioles catcher to bat first since Floyd Rayford on June 26, 1985. Curt Blefary is the only other Orioles catcher to do it back in April 1968. Sisco walked and homered last night as the designated hitter. Hanser Alberto moves down to fifth in the order. Chris Davis is in the lineup today, as the Orioles try to avoid the sweep. Pat Valaika is the shortstop and Cedric Mullins is in...

Infield hits and one big swing doom Cobb in 7-2 loss (updated)

Infield hits and one big swing doom Cobb in 7-2 loss (updated)
The Orioles can no longer hide, even on the nights they'd like to do it. They've been ignored by the national media over the past few years because rebuilds don't have much curb appeal, but recognition is increasing beyond the local coverage. They've become the talk of Twitter, MLB Network and other outlets. This is the good kind of attention. No accusations of "tanking" or being "historically bad." But none of it really matters to them. They've done a pretty good job of tuning out the...

Orioles praising 'pen while also searching for more substantial starts

Orioles praising 'pen while also searching for more substantial starts
The glass is half full or half empty. The viewpoint is up for debate. An Orioles bullpen providing outstanding coverage in games and a rotation unable to work beyond the middle innings. One is lauded, the other lectured. Relievers tossed four scoreless innings Saturday night against the Nationals to seal a 7-3 win, after Asher Wojciechowski threw one pitch in the sixth and watched the ball sail over the left field fence. Jorge López made his Orioles debut yesterday and walked off the mound...