Miguel Gonzalez expects to start again this month

Miguel Gonzalez expects to start again this month
Orioles pitcher Miguel Gonzalez expressed relief today at the results of his MRIs and hopes to start throwing in the next couple of days. Gonzalez was diagnosed with tendinitis in his right shoulder and elbow. He received a cortisone injection in his shoulder on Monday. "The results, I was pretty happy," Gonzalez said. "It's just a little bit of inflammation, tendinitis, on my elbow and shoulder, so that's really good news. "Just try to get the inflammation down and go day-by-day and see...

Buck Showalter: "We're going to have to get hot in order to get in this thing"

Buck Showalter: "We're going to have to get hot in order to get in this thing"
Kevin Gausman is the confirmed starter for Wednesday night's series finale against the Rays that also closes the abbreviated homestand. Manager Buck Showalter said he may adjust the rotation Saturday night in Toronto. The Orioles still prefer to have Wei-Yin Chen pitch in New York. "Yeah, Kevin's going to start tomorrow," Showalter said. "Like I said before, let's see how we come through tonight's game. If we had gotten a little longer start, we might have done something...

Hardy on his health, Showalter on Ripken and more

Hardy on his health, Showalter on Ripken and more
Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy returned to his locker before batting practice today covered in sweat. He joked about sitting outside and watching catcher drills in the heat, but he actually took ground balls to make sure he didn't experience any discomfort in his groin. "I feel fine," he said. "Just took a bunch of ground balls and really wasn't holding back at all and I feel fine." Hardy said he will "sprint and run" over the next few days, the more serious tests before the Orioles...

Notes on Gonzalez, Gausman, Wilson, Wright and AFL roster

Notes on Gonzalez, Gausman, Wilson, Wright and AFL roster
The Orioles still are waiting for the results of Miguel Gonzalez's MRIs on his right shoulder and elbow. A team physician still needs to read them. Manager Buck Showalter is hoping that Gonzalez favored the shoulder and caused inflammation in the elbow. Gonzalez underwent ligament-reconstructive surgery in the elbow in 2009. Despite the expanded roster this month, the Orioles could choose to place Gonzalez on the disabled list and recall a player earlier than the 10-day period for staying in...

Buck Showalter on Miguel Gonzalez, Wei-Yin Chen and a 6-3 loss

Buck Showalter on Miguel Gonzalez, Wei-Yin Chen and a 6-3 loss
The Orioles lost their fifth consecutive game tonight and their 11th in the last 12. Returning to their home ballpark didn't reverse their slide. The Rays posted a 6-3 win at Camden Yards to drop the Orioles five games below .500 for the first time since June 6. The Orioles (63-68) have been held to three runs or fewer in 11 of their last 12 games and they're 0-60 when trailing after the eighth inning. On top of that, we learned tonight that Miguel Gonzalez received a cortisone injection in...

Gonzalez to undergo MRI in the morning

Gonzalez to undergo MRI in the morning
The Orioles are dealing with an injury to their rotation while also trying to halt a losing streak that's reached five games. Miguel Gonzalez received a cortisone injection in his right shoulder today and will undergo an MRI on Tuesday after complaining of soreness following yesterday's start in Texas. His elbow also is bothering him. Earlier today, manager Buck Showalter said Gonzalez was sore in a couple of places. Gonzalez's turn in the rotation can be skipped due to Thursday's open date...

Notes on Bundy, Gonzalez, trade deadline, lineup and more

Notes on Bundy, Gonzalez, trade deadline, lineup and more
Dylan Bundy has been cleared to start a throwing program following today's examination by renowned orthopedist Dr. James Andrews. Bundy is on the disabled list with right shoulder tendinitis. Miguel Gonzalez, who's failed to work more than 5 1/3 innings in 11 of his last 14 starts, showed up today sore in "a couple of places," according to manager Buck Showalter. Showalter said head athletic trainer Richie Bancells is "a little concerned," and Gonzalez could miss his next start. "We'll...

Adam Jones: "We might be getting beat, but that's not from a lack of effort"

Adam Jones: "We might be getting beat, but that's not from a lack of effort"
ARLINGTON, Texas - Let's start by reviewing the numbers that I tagged onto the end of my last blog entry. Be advised that they're not pretty. The Orioles lost to the Rangers today 6-0 at Globe Life Park to complete the three-game sweep. They went 1-6 on the road trip. They've lost four games in a row, 10 of 11 and 11 of 13 to fall four games below .500 for the first time since June 7. The Orioles (63-67) are 11 games out of first place in the division and 5 1/2 behind the Rangers for the...

O's free fall continues with loss at Texas for 1-6 road trip

O's free fall continues with loss at Texas for 1-6 road trip
The Orioles' road trip ended with a thud today as they were shut out 6-0 by left-hander Derek Holland at Texas. The O's completed a 1-6 trip that leaves them with a 63-37 record and four games under .500 for the first time since they were 26-30 on June 7. The Orioles have lost 10 of 11 games, scoring three or fewer runs in each of those losses. The Orioles scored eight runs in their one win on the trip and 12 in the six losses. They have scored just 25 runs over their past 12 losses. He got...

O's game blog: Orioles need a win to avoid sweep at Texas

O's game blog: Orioles need a win to avoid sweep at Texas
It has been a pretty miserable road trip and a bad stretch of losing for the Orioles. The O's are just 1-5 so far on this seven-game road trip to Kansas City and Texas, which ends today at Globe Life Park. In 2013 and 2014, the Orioles went 11-3 against Texas, going 5-1 in Texas. But this year they are 1-5 against the Rangers. A loss today and the Orioles would be swept three in a row at Texas for the first time since April 4-6, 2011. On the mound today, Miguel Gonzalez (9-10, 4.78 ERA) makes...

Steve Pearce: "We know we can turn this thing around"

Steve Pearce: "We know we can turn this thing around"
ARLINGTON, Texas - Steve Pearce didn't issue a Joe Namath guarantee last night. He didn't go that far. But he told reporters that the Orioles aren't "out of this thing" and better days are ahead - beginning this afternoon. "It almost seems like nobody wants to take that last (wild card) spot," he said. "We've got the team for it. We know we can turn this thing around and it's going to start (today)." The Orioles are facing their third consecutive left-hander. Derek Holland is making...

As O's continue to struggle, has the offense or pitching been the biggest culprit?

As O's continue to struggle, has the offense or pitching been the biggest culprit?
As the Orioles have fallen under .500 with their latest loss, the real issue may be it's hard to pinpoint the biggest issue. Is the offense to blame? How about the pitching? The defense has had its share of shaky moments going back to early this year and the two errors on Sunday in the 12th inning that cost the team a game. We know that a loud chorus of fans has been blaming the club's offseason acquisitions as not nearly good enough to replace Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis. That is certainly...

Wrapping up a 3-2 loss

Wrapping up a 3-2 loss
KANSAS CITY - It's not getting any better. The Orioles have lost six consecutive games for the first time since Sept. 19-24, 2013. They're under .500 for the first time since July 26. They can't find consistency in their rotation or runs in their lineup. Tonight's 3-2 loss to the Royals marked the sixth consecutive game where the Orioles have tallied three runs or fewer. It's happened in seven of their last eight games. The top four batters were 1-for-17 with seven strikeouts. Gerardo...

Orioles' losing streak reaches six as they fall 3-2 at Kansas City

Orioles' losing streak reaches six as they fall 3-2 at Kansas City
The stakes were not nearly as high as they were last October, but the Orioles lost another one-run game tonight at Kauffman Stadium. Kansas City took an early 3-0 lead and held off the Orioles 3-2 tonight. The O's losing streak has now reached six - a season high. This is the club's longest losing streak since September of 2013. The Orioles are 62-63, falling under .500 for the first time since July 26 when they were 48-49. The Orioles have scored three runs or fewer for six consecutive...

O's game blog: It's Gonzalez against Duffy in Kansas City

O's game blog: It's Gonzalez against Duffy in Kansas City
After one struggling pitcher took the loss last night for the Orioles, another takes the mound tonight to try and end the club's five-game losing streak. Right-hander Miguel Gonzalez (9-9, 4.73 ERA) makes his 24th start of the season tonight. Last night, Ubaldo Jimenez took a 3-1 lead to the sixth at Kansas City, but the Royals scored seven runs in the inning in an 8-3 win. The Orioles are 4-9 in their last 13 regular season games versus Kansas City. They have lost seven in a row to the Royals...

Paul Janish making Orioles debut tonight

Paul Janish making Orioles debut tonight
KANSAS CITY - The Orioles will try to avoid their first six-game losing streak tonight as their series against the Royals continues at Kauffman Stadium. Paul Janish is starting at shortstop tonight after having his contract selected from Triple-A Norfolk, becoming the 1,002nd player to appear in a game for the Orioles. Steve Pearce is in left field against Royals left-hander Danny Duffy. Chris Davis, Matt Wieters and Ryan Flaherty took early batting practice today. Miguel Gonzalez is seven...

Orioles trying to stay on the right side of .500

Orioles trying to stay on the right side of .500
KANSAS CITY - The Orioles haven't sunk below .500 since July 26. Can they avoid taking another dip tonight? Can they pitch better? Can their offense unload instead of scoring three runs or fewer, as it's done in six of the last seven games? Can they avoid costly mistakes in the field? The errors suddenly are piling up. They began last night with 52, only two less than the runner-up Dodgers for fewest in the majors, and Jonathan Schoop increased the total with a poor throw in the sixth inning...

Taking the rotation for another spin

Taking the rotation for another spin
If the Twins are victorious again today, they will complete their first four-game sweep of the Orioles since Aug. 23-26, 2007 at Camden Yards. Steve Trachsel, Jim Hoey, Radhames Liz and Erik Bedard were the losing pitchers in that series. Miguel Gonzalez, Darren O'Day and Chris Tillman have been on the short end in these first three games. This year's version of the Twins, at least the group that showed up on Thursday, does all the little things that make them come up big in the clutch. They...

Miguel Gonzalez on the loss against Minnesota and his struggles this year

Miguel Gonzalez on the loss against Minnesota and his struggles this year
Why is right-hander Miguel Gonzalez struggling so much right now? This is a pitcher that went 10-9 last year with a 3.23 ERA. He pitched to an ERA of 2.19 his last 11 starts. He went 5-2 with an ERA of 2.78 against the American League East. The track record is there. But now his record is 9-9 with an ERA of 4.73. Thursday night he gave up eight hits and seven runs in five innings against the Twins in a 15-2 loss to Minnesota. After pitching a 1-2-3 top of the first on 11 pitches, he needed 40...

Showalter speaks after 15-2 loss

Showalter speaks after 15-2 loss
The Orioles endured a 2 hour, 31 minute rain delay tonight that seemed pleasant compared to the 15 runs they allowed to the Twins. They hadn't surrendered that many runs since a 19-7 loss in Minnesota on July 16, 2012. Miguel Gonzalez was charged with seven of the runs tonight over five innings in a 15-2 loss before 20,109 at Camden Yards. His ERA is 6.48 in 11 starts since coming off the disabled list. The Twins batted around in the second inning and scored five runs to take a lead that the...