Akin makes major league debut in 15-3 loss (updated)

Akin makes major league debut in 15-3 loss (updated)
Tommy Milone had a week to think about it. How he could at least come close to duplicating his last start against the exact same opponent. Whether he could keep pounding the strike zone and inducing weak contact. Shut out the Nationals for six innings? Let's give it another shot. By the top of the fifth inning, the attention fell squarely upon pitching prospect Keegan Akin and his major league debut. Repeating the magic of last Friday wasn't going to happen. Anthony Santander extended his RBI...

O's game blog: Suspended game resumes in the sixth

O's game blog: Suspended game resumes in the sixth
If you want to confuse yourself consider this: The Orioles will have a six-game winning streak if they hold on to win the completion of Sunday's suspended game against Washington. If the Nats come from behind to win the Orioles will have a three-game winning streak. How can they have a winning streak if they lose? Well, this game will officially count on the day it started - Aug. 9. So an O's win and they will complete a three-game sweep a week after that series started. Coupled with what...

Orioles lineup vs. Phillies

Orioles lineup vs. Phillies
The Orioles already won their fourth series of the season. Today's goal is to complete the sweep in Philadelphia before returning home. Their last series sweep of the Phillies came on June 15-16, 2015 when they took two games at Camden Yards. The last three-game sweep occurred on June 19-21, 2009 at Citizens Bank Park. José Iglesias is the designated hitter today with Renato Núñez at first base and Chris Davis on the bench. Pat Valaika is the shortstop with Iglesias hampered by a sore...

More on rotation, Urías, Iglesias, winning and chemistry

More on rotation, Urías, Iglesias, winning and chemistry
The roster manipulation by the Orioles yesterday was minimal. One player on the taxi squad for the trip to Philadelphia. Nothing else to report. Left-hander John Means joined right-hander Jorge López on the injury list in a pair of procedural moves. They can be placed on the active roster after undergoing COVID-19 intake testing and the team has the results. Keegan Akin remained in the bullpen last night, still unsure how long he's going to stay in the majors. He gives the Orioles an extra...

Orioles place Urías on taxi squad, Means on IL (and other notes)

Orioles place Urías on taxi squad, Means on IL (and other notes)
Allowed to carry five players on their taxi squad for the trip to Philadelphia, the Orioles have taken a more conservative approach and added infielder Ramón Urías for their series against the Phillies. Urías is the lone extra and he's with the club to provide insurance with shortstop José Iglesias out of the lineup again tonight due to soreness in his left quadriceps muscle. Manager Brandon Hyde planned to sit Iglesias on Sunday, but the veteran was expected to start tonight....

Orioles and Phillies lineups

Orioles and Phillies lineups
José Iglesias was given a planned day off Sunday in D.C., but he remains out of the lineup tonight in Philadelphia. Pat Valaika is the starting shortstop to open the series. Iglesias is 3-for-6 with a double against Phillies starter Zack Wheeler and 15-for-37 (.405) this season with seven doubles and seven RBIs. Pedro Severino is behind the plate and batting fifth after sitting out Sunday's suspended game with a sore left wrist and hand. Austin Hays is batting seventh and Chris Davis...

Fourteen games into season, O's have plenty to feel good about

Fourteen games into season, O's have plenty to feel good about
Tarp follies or not, the Orioles have plenty to feel good about after a weekend of solid baseball in Washington, D.C. They outscored the Nationals 21-5 and were a few innings away from an 8-7 start to the 60-game season. During a year when 16 teams will get in the playoffs, a final regular season record of 32-28 will likely be good enough. Now we have to see if the final 77 percent of the season can go as well. The team has gotten decent pitching from a rotation that had produced eight starts...

O's put it all together for one night, producing impressive result

O's put it all together for one night, producing impressive result
Who could have predicted that after a 13-2 loss on opening night the Orioles would take the next two games at Boston? Or that they would sweep the Tampa Bay Rays, who won 96 games last year? Or they would be swept by the Miami Marlins, who had to retool their roster so drastically? Or that what happened last night would happen. Coming off four losses to Miami, the last three by a single run - including a game Thursday in which the Orioles looked terrible - they played their best and most...

Milone returns to Nats Park and delivers big win for his new team

Milone returns to Nats Park and delivers big win for his new team
Left-hander Tommy Milone returned to Nats Park, where he made his major league debut, and pitched his best game of this young season, scattering three hits over six shutout innings in the Orioles' convincing 11-0 victory over the Nationals. Milone did a great job of keeping the Nats lineup guessing, firing a mid-80's mph fastball, a 79-mph changeup and his slider. He recorded seven groundouts, four flyouts, three strikeouts and no walks in facing 22 batters. Starlin Castro had a double and a...

Milone coasts and offense crushes in 11-0 win (updated)

Milone coasts and offense crushes in 11-0 win (updated)
WASHINGTON - On a night that their offense stayed in high gear, the Orioles made certain that their pitching and defense didn't shut down the operation. Keeping everyone on the same page brought a much different result. Nine of the first 15 Orioles batters reached against Aníbal Sánchez, three runs scored and a team still bruised from a four-game sweep in its home ballpark hit the road and kept hitting in an 11-0 win over the Nationals in D.C. José Iglesias had a run-scoring double,...

Early aggressive offense leads to big number against Nats

Early aggressive offense leads to big number against Nats
The Orioles used a formula they used earlier this season to produce an early lead tonight. And lefty Tommy Milone took it from there. It was an impressive night of Orioles baseball. In crushing Washington 11-0 in the opener of a three-game series, the O's scored three early runs and led 4-0 by the top of the fourth. It was quite a change from earlier this week and the three straight games scoring one run combined versus Miami. Later in the game they poured on the offense. Meanwhile, Milone...

Orioles and Nationals lineups (updated)

Orioles and Nationals lineups (updated)
Rio Ruiz is back in the Orioles lineup tonight as they open a three-game series against the Nationals in D.C. Ruiz has been on the bench with inflammation in his right shoulder. Austin Hays drops to ninth in the order while Hanser Alberto continues to lead off. José Iglesias is batting third as the shortstop. Pedro Severino is catching tonight and Chris Davis is batting eighth again. Chance Sisco, who isn't in the lineup, has gone 5-for-11 with two doubles, a home run and five walks. He's...

Orioles and Marlins lineups

Orioles and Marlins lineups
José Iglesias is getting the start at shortstop tonight rather than kept as the designated hitter or a pinch-hitter. Rio Ruiz, however, isn't ready to return to third base while dealing with a sore right shoulder. Ruiz is 7-for-22 (.318) with three home runs and a 1.112 OPS. Iglesias is 11-for-24 (.458) with six doubles and a 1.188 OPS. The Orioles need both of them with their offense in a major funk. An offense that's totaled one run and 10 hits in three losses in the series. Ruiz could...

Seeing some individual player improvement during a 5-3 start

Seeing some individual player improvement during a 5-3 start
Their pitchers - starters and bullpen - are coming off a solid weekend. Their batters are putting more balls in play and coming through at times in big spots. They are making more consistent contact, even against some tough opponents including Gerrit Cole, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow. Their 5-3 record was third-best in the American League heading into Monday night's action, and 6-2 was easily within their grasp in the second Yankees game in the ninth. The Orioles' strong start is surprising...

Tommy Milone after bounce-back start vs. Rays

Tommy Milone after bounce-back start vs. Rays

Tommy Milone allowed just one run over five innings in Sunday's 5-1 win over the Rays.

Orioles back on hold while trying to maintain roll

Orioles back on hold while trying to maintain roll
The last ounce of certainty is lost for the Orioles today. They don't have a game. Everyone knew about the open date on their schedule that Major League Baseball handed to them over the weekend. But what happens next is a puzzle. The Orioles are supposed to play four games against the Marlins over the next three nights, which requires a doubleheader in order to make the math work. They haven't been told when it's happening or provided any start times. Tropical storm Isaias is expected to...

Some notes and quotes after an O's weekend sweep

Some notes and quotes after an O's weekend sweep
After a 2019 season when they went 0-13 in sweeps - they swept no one and got swept 13 times - the Orioles finally swept a team. And a good one. In 2018, the Tampa Bay Rays won 90 games, and in 2019 they won 96 and made the American League playoffs. In those two seasons, the Orioles lost 115 and 108. O's fans have plenty of appreciation and respect for what the Rays do in a tough division. So to sweep that team made for a fun weekend in Birdland. The O's beat a quality division opponent, and...

Orioles celebrate rare series sweep (updated)

Orioles celebrate rare series sweep (updated)
Renato Núñez lined a sinker from Rays starter Yonny Chirinos into the left field seats today, rounded the bases and did the social distance celebration. Every team has its own versions of it. Núñez was greeted at the dugout steps by a teammate who mimicked a chest bump, hand slap and spike tap. The high fives were more like waves. The Orioles would be thrilled to hold more air celebrations through the rest of the season. It's like splashing in an empty pool. Tommy Milone shut out...

A look at Tommy Milone's outing as O's sweep Tampa Bay

A look at Tommy Milone's outing as O's sweep Tampa Bay
It started with the starter. For the second day in a row, a veteran left-hander who was signed by the Orioles to a minor league contract gave them a big effort on the mound. Tommy Milone today followed Wade LeBlanc from last night. His pitching got the club off to a nice start on the mound. And after some early missed scoring chances, the Orioles plated three runs in the seventh to break a 1-1 tie and post a 5-1 win. This is the club's first series sweep since August 2018. Last year they had...

Orioles lineup vs. Rays

Orioles lineup vs. Rays
Chris Davis and José Iglesias remain out of the Orioles' lineup this afternoon as they go for their first series sweep since August 2018. Iglesias pinch-hit last night but didn't play in the field. Austin Hays also is on the bench today, with Hanser Alberto leading off. Cedric Mullins is playing center field. Rio Ruiz is batting cleanup and Andrew Velazquez is the shortstop. Renato Núñez replaces Davis at first base. Chance Sisco is the designated hitter. Left-hander Tommy Milone is...