Lester and Red Sox blank O's 5-0 to take the series

Lester and Red Sox blank O's 5-0 to take the series
The Orioles had won their last four games when facing Jon Lester. The Orioles had won six straight series against Boston. Both streaks ended today. It was not the Sunday the Orioles wanted. Lester threw seven shutout innings, allowing just four hits. Jason Hammel's winless streak reached 10 starts as Boston beat the Orioles 5-0 in front of 32,891 at Camden Yards. In going 25-11 in their previous 36 games against the Red Sox, the O's had not lost back-to-back games against Boston. Now they...

Machado and Davis in dueling slumps (O's lose 5-0)

Machado and Davis in dueling slumps (O's lose 5-0)
Manny Machado's average has dipped below .300 for the first time since April 27 after going hitless in his first three at-bats today. It's down to .298 after he lined to Boston shortstop Stephen Drew to strand two runners in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Orioles' third baseman is 3-for-27 in his last seven games, though he's homered twice, and 9-for-57 in his last 14. And he's still looking for his first double since July 6. Machado slammed his bat to the ground after lining to...

Game update and more notes (O's down 3-0)

Game update and more notes (O's down 3-0)
Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz heard lots of boos as he stepped to the plate in the top of the first inning today, defenders of phones everywhere still taking umbrage with the damage he inflicted in the visiting dugout last night. They must have been disconnected, or he completely ignored them. Ortiz singled up the middle with two outs to keep a rally alive, and Mike Napoli followed with an RBI double to give Boston a 1-0 lead. Jason Hammel has allowed 14 runs in the first this...

Have the Orioles turned the corner against Jon Lester?

Have the Orioles turned the corner against Jon Lester?
If you go by the results starting last season, the days of Jon Lester taking the mound and Boston expecting to beat the Orioles may be over. Since the start of 2012, Lester has started four times against the Orioles, and the O's are 4-0 in those games. Lester has an ERA of 5.25 in the four games, pitching 24 innings and allowing 30 hits with seven walks and 18 strikeouts. He was 14-0 over his first 18 career starts against the Orioles, but is 0-2 over the last four. The O's have a .309...

Hammel continues search for elusive win

Hammel continues search for elusive win
Jason Hammel will attempt today to capture his first win since May 27, a span of nine starts. Hammel has five losses and four no-decisions since his last victory. He's allowed 20 hits combined in his last two outings, though he was credited with a quality start Tuesday after surrendering three runs in six innings in Kansas City. That's "quality" by definition. Hammel gave up 10 hits and walked four batters. The Orioles are keeping an eye on the pitching market despite their earlier...

A little of this, a little of that

A little of this, a little of that
According to various reports, the Orioles are still scouting starting pitchers and have been keeping close tabs on the Houston Astros. Not a big surprise, since executive vice president Dan Duquette is always in the market for pitching. He goes to an actual market and has "left-hander" listed after "bananas" and "milk." If he succeeds in bringing in another starter, it would have to be as a replacement for Jason Hammel. It's not like Wei-Yin Chen, Chris Tillman, Miguel Gonzalez and...

O's offense held down in Kansas City as win streak ends at five

O's offense held down in Kansas City as win streak ends at five
Jason Hammel kept walking the tightrope, but he never quite fell off. However, the O's bats didn't have their usual night tonight, and Hammel took the loss as Kansas City beat the Orioles 3-2. The Orioles' rally in the ninth against Royals closer Greg Holland came up short. Adam Jones produced an RBI triple with no outs to pull the O's within 3-2, but then Holland got Chris Davis to strike out, J.J. Hardy to ground out and Henry Urrutia to ground out as the potential tying run was stranded...

Hammel keeps struggling and escaping (O's lose 3-2)

Hammel keeps struggling and escaping (O's lose 3-2)
I don't know whether to criticize Jason Hammel for allowing a run in each of the first three innings or praise him for minimizing the damage. Admonish him for the nine baserunners or admire his escape routine. I'll choose all of the above. Hammel has allowed three runs and eight hits in three innings, with one walk and two strikeouts. He's thrown 54 pitches, 33 for strikes. He forced manager Buck Showalter to phone the bullpen, where T.J. McFarland began to warm up. However, the Royals...

Orioles finally fall behind (Machado homers)

Orioles finally fall behind (Machado homers)
Before tonight, the Orioles hadn't trailed in 36 innings since the All-Star break and hadn't fallen behind in the last 45 innings overall. Their last deficit came at the end of the July 13 loss to Toronto. All good things must come to an end. The Royals loaded the bases with no outs against starter Jason Hammel, and Alex Gordon scored on Billy Butler's double play grounder to third. Hammel is fortunate that he only surrendered one run after the first two Royals reached on singles and...

O's at the 100-game mark, plus notes on Hammel and Schoop

O's at the 100-game mark, plus notes on Hammel and Schoop
For the Orioles, there are 100 games down and 62 to go in the 2013 regular season. The Orioles are 57-43 and 2 1/2 out in the AL East. After 100 games last season, the Orioles were 52-48 and 8 1/2 games out of first place. Jason Hammel will again try to get his season pointed in the right direction tonight. Hammel gave up six runs and 10 hits over six innings in his last start before the All-Star break. He is now 7-6 with a 5.24 ERA over 19 starts. After that last outing, Hammel said, "This...

With eight wins in nine games, Orioles have stepped up their play

With eight wins in nine games, Orioles have stepped up their play
Suddenly, the biggest problems the Orioles seem to have are getting playing time for bench players and getting some innings for relievers. These are issues they can deal with. The Orioles are playing some of their best baseball of the year now with eight wins in the last nine games. The offense, the rotation and the defense have all come together at the same time and it's a beautiful sight for those all over Birdland to see. It is almost like the Orioles realized the time had come to take...

Big start for Hammel?

Big start for Hammel?
Jason Hammel is making his 20th start for the Orioles tonight, matching his total for the entire 2012 season. That's where the similarities end. Hammel hasn't won since May 27, a span of eight starts. His ERA is up to 5.24. In his last outing, he allowed six runs and 10 hits in six innings against the Blue Jays. Manager Buck Showalter moved Scott Feldman ahead of Hammel in the rotation. Should we read anything into it? I don't sense that Hammel is on the verge of being yanked from the...

Rotation update

Rotation update
The Orioles are listing Scott Feldman, Jason Hammel, Wei-Yin Chen and Miguel Gonzalez as their four starters for the series in Kansas City that begins Monday night. Manager Buck Showalter is keeping the same five starters after the All-Star break, but he's tweaked the order by moving Feldman ahead of Hammel. Hammel pitched Saturday against the Blue Jays at Camden Yards. and allowed six runs and 10 hits in six innings, falling to 7-6 with a 5.24 ERA in 19 starts. He hasn't won since May 27...

Breaking down the O's second-half chances, contenders for division crowns, wild card spots

Breaking down the O's second-half chances, contenders for division crowns, wild card spots
If the Orioles are going to play in October for the second consecutive season, the formula is simple: They need a rotation to consistently pitch into the sixth and seventh innings. If that happens, the Orioles have plenty of offense, defense and a good enough bullpen to win the American League East. But as the season resumes Friday in Texas, the Orioles rotation ranks 13th in the AL with a 4.79 ERA, while their bullpen has pitched 306 innings, fourth-most in the league. And the Orioles can't...

A few first-half awards (Hobgood moves up)

A few first-half awards (Hobgood moves up)
With the All-Star Game being played tonight at Citi Field in New York, it seems like the right time to hand out some first-half awards for the Orioles. We're actually more than halfway through the season, but we're at the break. That's close enough. Most Valuable Oriole Only in 2013 could Manny Machado finish as the runner-up for this honor. Chris Davis is hitting .315/.392/.717 in 95 games. He leads the majors with 37 home runs and trails only Miguel Cabrera with 93 RBIs. What he's...

Will the latest version of the O's rotation be the greatest version?

Will the latest version of the O's rotation be the greatest version?
The Orioles offense looks good enough to make the playoffs. The bullpen, most nights, is good enough. The defense is plenty good enough. That leaves the rotation. Will the O's rotation be good enough? The latest version of the O's five-man rotation - one that includes both Wei-Yin Chen and Scott Feldman - just completed its first turn Sunday, and the early returns were promising. There were four quality starts, a 4-1 record for the team and a starters' ERA of 3.82 for those five games. Had...

Jason Hammel: "I'm beating myself right now" (plus Davis quotes)

Jason Hammel: "I'm beating myself right now" (plus Davis quotes)
After his latest difficult outing, Jason Hammel spent about three minutes berating his own performance and talking about trying to fix it for the second half of the season. Hammel gave up six runs and 10 hits over six innings today as Toronto beat the Orioles 7-3. He is now 7-6 with an ERA of 5.24. "Unacceptable," Hammel said. "Far too many baserunners. Getting behind hitters. Fastball-hitting club that I'm feeding fastballs. It's easy to hit when you know what is coming. I'm not...

Showalter on Hammel: "I think his best games are ahead of him"

Showalter on Hammel: "I think his best games are ahead of him"
Orioles pitcher Jason Hammel called his start today "unacceptable" and challenged himself to get better. His manager was much kinder. Hammel was charged with six runs and 10 hits in six-plus innings in the Orioles' 7-3 loss to the Blue Jays at sold-out Camden Yards. "I thought there were some hard-hit balls," Showalter said. "You've got that one inning - a couple infield hits, a broken bat. He gave us a chance for the most part. We just didn't do a whole lot offensively. "We knew...

Hammel struggles again as Toronto evens series with the Orioles

Hammel struggles again as Toronto evens series with the Orioles
For Jason Hammel, the search to find consistency and the form he showed the Orioles during the 2012 season continues. Hammel took a 3-2 lead to the sixth today, but gave up two runs that inning and was knocked from the game during Toronto's three-run seventh as the Blue Jays beat the Orioles 7-3 at Camden Yards. The game attracted a crowd of 46,150 and that was the fifth sellout of the season at Camden Yards. Hammel went six-plus innings, allowing 10 hits and six runs (all earned) along...

Hammel can't snap winless streak (O's lose 7-3)

Hammel can't snap winless streak (O's lose 7-3)
Jason Hammel will head into the All-Star break still searching for his first win since May 27. He's also got to be searching for some answers. Hammel's record remains above .500 - currently 7-5 as we head to the bottom of the seventh - and he's gone at least six innings in six of his last seven starts. However, he can't get that elusive victory and he can't lower his ERA, which is up to 5.24. Hammel left today's game with no outs in the seventh after hitting No. 9 batter Emilio...