Reserving judgment on the bench

Reserving judgment on the bench
Because we're still in the month of December and the Orioles' roster isn't set for spring training, it's a real challenge to project starters at certain positions and which four players will comprise the bench. You'd have to be pretty ambitious or bored. Or you'd have to be fulfilling a request, which is where I come into play. I tried to come up with four reserves for a national publication, and I could only feel certain about the backup catcher. Thank you, Taylor Teagarden, for making...

Duquette on Reynolds, signings and Navarro

Duquette on Reynolds, signings and Navarro
Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette said he tried to figure out a way to fit first baseman Mark Reynolds on the team before non-tendering him tonight. "The way his contract is structured and the arbitration process made it challenging," Duquette said. "We just thought the value was too high. The price was too high on his option and the value in the arbitration system was too high to tender him a contract." Asked about the lack of negotiations leading up to tonight's deadline,...

Orioles acquire Yamaico Navarro, reach contract agreements with three

Orioles acquire Yamaico Navarro, reach contract agreements with three
The Orioles have made a flurry of moves as the deadline approaches for offering contracts to their arbitration-eligible players, including a trade and three signings. Infielder Yamaico Navarro was acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates for minor league right-hander Jhondaniel Medina. Pitcher Stu Pomeranz was designated for assignment to make room for Navarro, 25, who batted .279/.366/.491 with nine home runs and 35 RBIs in 66 games with Triple-A Indianapolis and .160/.232/.220 with one home run...

Marlins claim Mahoney, and a closer look at Orioles' expected non-tenders

Marlins claim Mahoney, and a closer look at Orioles' expected non-tenders
The Miami Marlins have claimed Joe Mahoney off waivers from the Orioles, who designated him for assignment on Wednesday to make room for third baseman Danny Valencia on the 40-man roster. Mahoney batted .265 with 10 homers and 56 RBIs in 132 games for Triple-A Norfolk in 2012, and made his major league debut for the Orioles, going hitless in four at-bats over two games. So much for "The Big Irish" being the Orioles' first baseman of the future. Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post first...

A look at second base, backup catcher and the bullpen

A look at second base, backup catcher and the bullpen
While the hot stove season is still in warm-up mode, let's take a look at three aspects of the 2012 Orioles and what they might look like next season. Are the O's set at second base?: The Orioles have a lot of candidates to play at second base, but no one jumps out as the regular right now unless you have confidence that Brian Roberts will return healthy and regain his old job. Clearly the club can't count on that, but rather can hope for it. Recent addition Alexi Casilla brings a good...

Who's on the bench?

Who's on the bench?
It's always tricky to project a major league roster in early November. Too many players could be signed or non-tendered. The list can become outdated in the blink of an eye. However, there isn't much else to write about in early November, so why not? Perhaps the Red Sox name Rick Peterson as their pitching coach. The Orioles could claim another player off waivers. I won't plan my entire day around it. I'm focusing on the bench this morning. Assuming manager Buck Showalter carries four...

Taylor Teagarden is ready to fill in for Matt Wieters tonight

Taylor Teagarden is ready to fill in for Matt Wieters tonight
A player with the penchant for some big hits this year is ready tonight to replace the Orioles All-Star catcher for a big game vs. Boston. With Matt Wieters not with the team this evening after the birth of his first child early this morning, Taylor Teagarden will start behind the plate for the Orioles against the Red Sox. "I'm excited about every time I get in there. It's a great opportunity for me and I'm excited to be in there," Teagarden said. He has made 14 starts this season and...

Wieters not catching tonight (updated)

Wieters not catching tonight (updated)
Taylor Teagarden will be behind the plate for tonight's game against the Red Sox at Camden Yards. Matt Wieters became a father for the first time today at 5:11 a.m. The clubhouse isn't open to the media yet, so I don't know whether he's at the ballpark and sleeping on a couch. I'll pass along an update later. Wieters is 5-for-7 with four doubles lifetime against Red Sox starter Aaron Cook. For the Orioles: Nate McLouth LF J.J. Hardy SS Chris Davis RF Adam Jones CF Jim Thome DH Mark...

Adam Jones homers in 11th as Orioles again win in extra innings

Adam Jones homers in 11th as Orioles again win in extra innings
Just when you thought this might go 18 innings again, Adam Jones hits a game-winning homer. With one out in the top of the 11th, Nate McLouth singled off Seattle's Josh Kinney. Jones followed with a two-run shot to left and the Orioles had a 3-1, 11-inning victory over the Mariners to sweep this series. This is the Orioles' first three-game sweep in Seattle since May 16-18, 1997, the last year they made the playoffs. For Jones, it was his 30th homer and 19 of them have either tied the game...

A marathon victory: O's beat Mariners in 18 innings to gain tie for first place

A marathon victory: O's beat Mariners in 18 innings to gain tie for first place
Well that was just an amazing and exhausting and, yes, very important Orioles win. In a game that ended at 3:54 a.m. EST, the Orioles beat the Mariners 4-2 in 18 innings. With the win, the Orioles improved to 84-64 and moved into a first-place tie with the Yankees and within a half-game of Oakland for the top AL wild card spot. In the top of the 18th, Nate McLouth led off with a walk and moved to third on a hit-and-run single by J.J. Hardy. The O's moved ahead 3-2 when pinch-hitter Taylor...

Wieters gets the day off

Wieters gets the day off
Taylor Teagarden is catching today. Matt Wieters found out he was getting the day off as bench coach John Russell began posting the lineup on the magnetic board outside the clubhouse. Manny Machado moves up to sixth for the second time in his major league career. For the Orioles: Nate McLouth LF J.J. Hardy SS Wilson Betemit DH Adam Jones CF Chris Davis RF Manny Machado 3B Mark Reynolds 1B Robert Andino 2B Taylor Teagarden C Wei-Yin Chen LHP For the Rays: Desmond Jennings LF B.J. Upton...

Britton, Teagarden and Jones talk after win over Chicago (Baysox clinch)

Britton, Teagarden and Jones talk after win over Chicago (Baysox clinch)
Zach Britton is on a bit of a roll right now. He is 3-0 with an ERA of 1.25 over his last three starts after giving up just one run in eight innings today in a win over the White Sox. Britton set a career high with 10 strikeouts and didn't walk a batter. His previous career best was seven against Los Angeles on Sept. 17, 2011. "I felt real good the whole game, even in the second inning," Britton said. "I made some pretty good pitches, just a little up in the zone. I was able to get down...

Early power display and Britton's 10 Ks carry the O's to victory

Early power display and Britton's 10 Ks carry the O's to victory
A stunning power display at the plate and a strikeout display on the mound combined to provide the Orioles with a 5-3 win over the Chicago White Sox this afternoon at Camden Yards, as the Orioles won three of four in this series and completed a 5-1 homestand. The Orioles improved to 72-58 and head to New York for a big three-game series, trailing the first-place Yankees by three games. Chicago starter Jose Quintana retired the first eight batters today before the Orioles struck for five...

Those O's like to play during the day

Those O's like to play during the day
If they could just play a day game and have it decided by a single run, the Orioles would probably have a great chance for a win. The Birds are 24-12 in day games this year and a major league best 24-6 in one-run games. But now that they have a 5-1 lead on Chicago, they probably aren't interested in a one-run game. The Orioles put together a stunning power display with two outs and no one on in the last of the third today. They went solo homer by Taylor Teagarden, double by Nick Markakis,...

A Teagarden party turns into free-for-all (O's win 5-3)

A Teagarden party turns into free-for-all (O's win 5-3)
Not many people showed up for it today, but what did you expect? The Orioles may have their smallest crowd of the season, but it's not expected to be a record-low. The fans who maneuvered around all the road closures to get here today just saw Taylor Teagarden hit his second home run, a solo shot with two outs in the bottom of the third inning that tied the score, 1-1. Nick Markakis and J.J. Hardy followed with back-to-back doubles and Adam Jones hit his career-high 26th homer for a 4-1...

Reynolds batting cleanup, Wieters gets day off (Wolf is here)

Reynolds batting cleanup, Wieters gets day off (Wolf is here)
The Orioles are going with an unusual lineup for an unusual 12:35 p.m. starting time for today's game against the White Sox at Camden Yards. Mark Reynolds is batting cleanup for the first time this season. He's hit fifth in eight games, the highest he's risen in the lineup before today. Manny Machado moves up to seventh despite a 5-for-33 slump. Taylor Teagarden is catching a day game after a night game, which puts Matt Wieters on the bench. The Orioles are facing another left-hander,...

A closer look at the Orioles' extra-inning success (Steve Johnson note)

A closer look at the Orioles' extra-inning success (Steve Johnson note)
The Orioles were respectable in extra innings last season, going 8-8. This season they are a remarkable, AL-best 12-2. The Orioles lost their first two extra-inning games of the season, and have now run off a win streak of 12 in a row. They have not lost in extras for nearly four months, since April 11. Last night's win took 14 innings and nearly five hours, making the Orioles 5-0 this year in games that last at least 13 innings. It probably won't surprise you to learn that the real key to...

Hearing from Teagarden and Gonzalez at The Trop

Hearing from Teagarden and Gonzalez at The Trop
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Orioles are 1-0 in games when dogs are allowed inside Tropicana Field, DJ Kitty bobbleheads are given out and The Wiggles perform a concert in center field. No need to bother Elias with that one. It's a day that Taylor Teagarden won't soon forget. His two-out RBI double off Rays reliever Joel Peralta broke a scoreless tie in the 10th. "Definitely don't want to swing at something that's out of the zone right there, because I had seen all his pitches at that...

Teagarden's double and O's pitching combines for 1-0 win over Tampa Bay

Teagarden's double and O's pitching combines for 1-0 win over Tampa Bay
The Orioles beat the Tampa Bay Rays at their own game - winning with solid pitching. After Miguel Gonzalez pitched seven shutout innings to match David Price pitch for pitch, the Orioles finally broke a scoreless tie when Taylor Teagarden drove an RBI double to the gap in left-center in the top of the 10th in a 1-0 win over the Rays. The win was the Orioles' 11th straight in extra innings and was their 10th win in a row in a game decided by one run. The Orioles posted back-to-back shutouts...

Teagarden behind the plate, Wieters the DH

Teagarden behind the plate, Wieters the DH
The Orioles' lineup tonight against Tampa Bay left-hander David Price includes Taylor Teagarden behind the plate and slumping Matt Wieters batting cleanup and serving as the designated hitter. Wieters is hitting .354/.418/.524 against left-handers. He's 7-for-21 lifetime against Price. Seeking more right-handers to face Price, manager Buck Showalter is inserting Steve Tolleson in left field. However, that leaves left-handed hitting Omar Quintanilla at second base. For the Orioles: Nick...