Matusz trying to make comeback via independent league

Matusz trying to make comeback via independent league
Brian Matusz can't really explain it. The former Orioles first-round draft pick needed some time away from baseball and couldn't get back into it. Couldn't find a team willing to take a chance on a 32-year-old left-hander with starting and bullpen experience who had some success in the majors. Left-handed and breathing usually gets you a phone call. Matusz decided that he wanted it to ring and was met with the sounds of silence. So where is he now? A Yankees writer posed the question to me...

Jones close to lineup return, and other notes (O's down 8-4)

Jones close to lineup return, and other notes (O's down 8-4)
HOUSTON - Orioles manager Buck Showalter sounded confident today that Adam Jones will return to the lineup for Monday afternoon's series opener against the Yankees at Camden Yards. Jones remains out of the lineup with soreness in his left ankle and hip. "He's doing well. He's getting better," Showalter said. "Could have pushed the envelope today if we wanted to. I expect him to be back in the lineup starting tomorrow if he continues to feel like he does today." No tests have been...

Urrutia hits grand slam tonight

Urrutia hits grand slam tonight
Henry Urrutia hit a grand slam tonight for Triple-A Norfolk, and it came against former Oriole Freddy Garcia, who was traded last week to the Atlanta Braves and is pitching for Gwinnett. Urrutia went 2-for-6 and drove in five runs. The Orioles are expected to recall Urrutia when rosters expand next month, though it's still being discussed. Garcia allowed eight runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings, with five walks, one strikeout and two wild pitches. Left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada allowed one...

Orioles move Alvarez to Bowie, release Ford (updated)

Orioles move Alvarez to Bowie, release Ford (updated)
Cuban outfielder Dariel Alvarez continues to move up the organizational ladder. The Orioles have promoted Alvarez, 24, to Double-A Bowie after he batted .436/.463/.641 with two doubles, two homers and seven RBIs in 10 games with Single-A Frederick. Alvarez went 4-for-9 in three games with the Gulf Coast League team, including two doubles, a triple and a home run. The Orioles signed Alvarez for $800,000 in late July. To make room for Alvarez at Bowie, the Orioles have released veteran...

Orioles and Giants lineups

Orioles and Giants lineups
Nate McLouth returns to the leadoff spot tonight, as the Orioles begin a three-game series in San Francisco. Nick Markakis is hitting third. Brian Roberts continues to bat eighth during interleague games, with pitcher Chris Tillman batting ninth. For the Orioles Nate McLouth LF Manny Machado 3B Nick Markakis RF Adam Jones CF Chris Davis 1B Matt Wieters C J.J. Hardy SS Brian Roberts 2B Chris Tillman RHP For the Giants Marco Scutaro 2B Brandon Crawford SS Brandon Belt 1B Buster Posey C Hunter...

Minor league updates on Lew Ford, Bobby Bundy, Oliver Drake and more

Minor league updates on Lew Ford, Bobby Bundy, Oliver Drake and more
Outfielder Lew Ford, who made several key contributions to the Orioles' 2012 playoff run, has been out since May 10 after a sports hernia injury. Ford saw a doctor recently and surgery is a possibility. No decision on that has yet been made. It was quite a story last season when the Orioles signed Ford out of the Atlantic League on May 17 and called him up from the minors in late July. He was on the club's playoff roster in October. With a glut of outfielders at the higher levels of the...

Conor Jackson retires (and a few pregame notes)

Conor Jackson retires (and a few pregame notes)
NEW YORK - Conor Jackson was the Orioles' final cut in spring training, losing out to Steve Pearce for the last bench spot on the 25-man roster. He figured to get back into the majors this summer. It was only a matter of time. Nine games into his Triple-A season, Jackson has decided to retire. Jackson informed team officials of his decision today, and the Norfolk Tides sent out a tweet confirming it. Outfielder Lew Ford has been promoted from Double-A Bowie to Norfolk as Jackson's...

Minor league notes on Ford, Gausman, Jones, Avery and more

Minor league notes on Ford, Gausman, Jones, Avery and more
The Double-A Bowie Baysox had quite a night of offense Friday at Harrisburg. The Baysox recorded 20 hits in a 15-7 win over Harrisburg to improve to 1-1. Lew Ford is 4-for-9 through two games with three doubles and a homer. He has an OPS of 1.556. After going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in the season opener, Xavier Avery went 5-for-7 with two RBIs to tie the club record for hits in a game. Earlier this week I posted this story on Avery. The Baysox already have 12 doubles, which is twice as...

Ford reassigned, and a batch of other notes (game update)

Ford reassigned, and a batch of other notes (game update)
FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Orioles have reassigned outfielder Lew Ford to minor league camp. Ford was 15-for-37 (.405) with three doubles, two homers and six RBIs in 17 games. "Lew has a chance to help us," said manager Buck Showalter. The Orioles have 37 players in camp, including nine non-roster invitees. The Orioles could make one or two more cuts Wednesday. Showalter told reporters that left-hander Mark Hendrickson, who hasn't allowed a hit or run in his last four outings, is still...

Game update and quotes from Steve Johnson (O's win 7-1)

Game update and quotes from Steve Johnson (O's win 7-1)
SARASOTA, Fla. - Matt Wieters hit a two-run homer to left field in the bottom of the fifth inning, giving him two more hits on the spring, and Lew Ford drove in two runs with a single in the sixth. Orioles 7, Twins 0. Two of the club's hottest hitters have stepped up again today. Wieters is 12-for-24 with three homers and 12 RBIs. Ford is 14-for-29. Jim Johnson and Darren O'Day have each thrown a scoreless inning today. Johnson walked a batter. O'Day gave up an infield hit. Jair Jurrjens...

Behind Arrieta, O's take early lead over Jays (Arrieta done)

Behind Arrieta, O's take early lead over Jays (Arrieta done)
DUNEDIN, Fla. - Playing the Toronto Blue Jays for the fourth time this spring, the Orioles have taken an early 2-0 lead after three innings. The Orioles took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a Nolan Reimold RBI groundout. It scored Lew Ford who doubled with one out. The O's made it 2-0 in the second on Danny Valencia's RBI double, which scored Taylor Teagarden, who had doubled high off the fence in left. That was three doubles in the first two innings against Jays lefty J.A. Happ, who...

Will the Bronx Bombers turn into a Bronx bust this year?

Will the Bronx Bombers turn into a Bronx bust this year?
Has the day many Orioles fans have been hoping for finally arrived? Are the New York Yankees finally going to take a step back in the American League East? Have age and injuries finally caught up to this team? I am sticking to my opinion that I will believe the demise of the Yankees when I finally see it. This is a franchise that has averaged 97.5 wins the last four seasons and has made the playoffs in 17 of the last 18 seasons. But this time you can make a solid case that they could be in...

Ford cruising in Grapefruit League (Arrieta update)

Ford cruising in Grapefruit League (Arrieta update)
BRADENTON, Fla. - You can't stop Lew Ford. You can only hope to contain him. Ford is 2-for-2 today with a single and home run, and the Orioles have taken a 2-0 lead over the Pittsburgh Pirates at McKechnie Field. Ford, re-signed to a minor league deal over the winter, is now 11-for-19 with two home runs this spring. The Orioles scored in the second inning on consecutive singles by Danny Valencia, Yamaico Navarro and LJ Hoes. Ford homered with one out in the third off Pirates left-hander...

Jones on Wieters and Weaver

Jones on Wieters and Weaver
Center fielder Adam Jones joked today at FanFest that he's in catcher Matt Wieter's ear about signing a contract extension, "but he's got Boras." That would be super-agent Scott Boras, who usually prefers that his clients test the free agent waters. Wieters agreed to a $5.5 million contract yesterday. He's got two more arbitration years remaining. "I'd like him up here," Jones said. "He's a fixture in this city. He's our leader behind the plate, he's a leader on this team. I...

Some feel-good stories from the 2012 season

Some feel-good stories from the 2012 season
It was a topic on "Mike & Mike in the Morning" on ESPN Radio this morning. They were discussing some of the feel-good stories of the sports year. It made me think about the 2012 Orioles, a club that produced a few feel-good stories of their own. How about Lew Ford? Even though he hit just .183 in 25 games, he began last year in the Atlantic League and ended it in the American League. Plus, he had been out of the majors since 2007 until he made it back with the Orioles. That's not a bad...

Orioles out on Swisher, sign Conor Jackson to minor league deal

Orioles out on Swisher, sign Conor Jackson to minor league deal
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette passed along a few nuggets of news during his eight-minute session with the media in his suite at the Gaylord Opryland Convention Center and Resort. Duquette confirmed that he won't attempt to sign free-agent outfielder Nick Swisher, whose representatives met with the Orioles last night. Duquette said the Orioles have enough outfielders after re-signing Nate McLouth, and he dismissed the possibility that Swisher could play first...

Notes on Perlozzo and Mahon (and Chase Johnson)

Notes on Perlozzo and Mahon (and Chase Johnson)
The Orioles haven't contacted former manager Sam Perlozzo about their third base coaching job. Perlozzo, who was let go as Phillies first base coach, obviously would be interested if the Orioles reached out to him. So far, it hasn't happened. Perlozzo seemed like a perfect fit for the Nationals after third base coach Bo Porter was hired as Astros manager, but the club needed an outfield instructor. The Orioles, meanwhile, need an infield instructor to replace DeMarlo Hale. The Frontier...

Still no meetings scheduled regarding Showalter extension (Ford agrees to terms)

Still no meetings scheduled regarding Showalter extension (Ford agrees to terms)
One of the hot rumors at the general managers meetings in Indians Wells, Calif., involves the Orioles moving closer to signing manager Buck Showalter to a contract extension. There's little doubt that a deal will get done. As Showalter has told me in the past, it will be a short conversation. But nothing is scheduled at the moment. Showalter is into his third week of rehabilitation back home in Texas after undergoing a partial replacement of his right knee. It's a six-to-nine-week process,...

Ford listed among minor league free agents (and note)

Ford listed among minor league free agents (and note)
Outfielder Lew Ford, outrighted by the Orioles on Friday, has elected to become a minor league free agent, according to this list provided by Baseball America. The Orioles signed Ford, 35, out of the independent Atlantic League this summer and he batted .183/.256/.352 with three home runs in 25 games, his first major league action since 2007 with the Minnesota Twins. Left-hander Zach Phillips and infielder Steve Tolleson also refused their outright assignments. You can read more here and...

Ford the DH, Thome sits

Ford the DH, Thome sits
NEW YORK - Lew Ford will serve as the Orioles' designated hitter today for Game 5 of the American League Division Series. Jim Thome is on the bench. Robert Andino gets the start at second base, as manager Buck Showalter continues to platoon him with Ryan Flaherty. Alex Rodriguez has been benched by Yankees manager Joe Girardi. He's 2-for-16 with nine strikeouts in the Division Series and has been lifted for a pinch-hitter the past two nights. For the Orioles: Nate McLouth LF J.J. Hardy...