Orioles option Akin and put Davis on 60-day injured list

Orioles option Akin and put Davis on 60-day injured list
Keegan Akin has fallen out of the rotation competition in Orioles camp. First baseman Chris Davis has gone on the 60-day injured list. There's more activity this evening than the game against the Yankees in Tampa. Akin, second baseman/outfielder Jahmai Jones and middle infielder Richie Martin were optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. Left-hander Fernando Abad and infielder/outfielder Chris Shaw were reassigned to Twin Lakes camp. The Orioles also announced the signing of left-hander Wade LeBlanc to a...

LeBlanc returning to Orioles (and other notes)

LeBlanc returning to Orioles (and other notes)
One day after left-hander Wade LeBlanc was granted his release from the Orioles, he's on the verge of returning to them on a split contract. The Orioles are working on finalizing the latest agreement, according to an industry source. LeBlanc will go back on the camp roster and earn $700,000 if he's in the majors, as first reported by USA Today. The minor league deal that he signed in late January reportedly paid $800,000. The pitching staff remains unsettled with opening day less than a week...

Hays has huge night while rotation remains unresolved in 10-9 win

Hays has huge night while rotation remains unresolved in 10-9 win
As the loudest sounds in Orioles camp today came from the maneuvering of veteran pitchers, like furniture dragged across wood floors, young left-hander Keegan Akin had to tune it out and do his job. A smart approach, but hard to execute. Akin made the start tonight and threw 32 pitches in a two-run top of the first inning against the Pirates in Sarasota. He was charged with six runs and eight hits in only 2 1/3, walking two batters and striking out three, and headed to the dugout with head...

Orioles lineup vs. Pirates

Orioles lineup vs. Pirates
Rio Ruiz is playing third base this afternoon and manager Brandon Hyde has put Cedric Mullins and Austin Hays in the same outfield again, as the Orioles head back to Bradenton to play the Pirates. Mullins is leading off and playing center field and Hays is in right. Anthony Santander is the designated hitter. Third baseman Maikel Franco gets the day off and returns to the lineup on Tuesday. Trey Mancini is the first baseman as he keeps proving that he'll be ready for opening day and an...

This, that and the other

This, that and the other
While evaluating reliever Fernando Abad's spring training, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde must separate bad pitches from bad luck. Abad, trying to make the club as a non-roster invite, has appeared in five games and allowed five earned runs (eight total) and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings for a 10.38 ERA. He's walked two batters and struck out five. The defense behind him has been brutal in at least two of those games. Abad replaced Dean Kremer on Friday night after two errors were committed in the...

Mancini hits first home run in 11-9 win

Mancini hits first home run in 11-9 win
Trey Mancini wasn't going to become a singles hitter in 2021. He's getting back into baseball shape and still trying to tap into the power that was so prevalent two years ago. Mancini collected his first extra-base hit tonight and it was a long home run to left-center field off the Pirates' Edgar Santana in the fourth inning in the Orioles' sloppy 11-9 win in Bradenton. Santana threw six consecutive sliders to Mancini and the last hung over the plate and was tattooed. It sounded loud on the...

Orioles and Pirates lineups

Orioles and Pirates lineups
Austin Hays is in right field and batting first tonight and Cedric Mullins is in center and at the bottom of the order, as the Orioles head to Bradenton again to play the Pirates. Ryan Mountcastle is the left fielder and Anthony Santander is the designated hitter. DJ Stewart is at least a day away from getting back in the lineup as he recovers from a hamstring injury and gets at-bats on the back fields. Infielder Richie Martin also isn't in the lineup. Maybe on Saturday. Rio Ruiz is the third...

Orioles lose Goudeau on waiver claim

Orioles lose Goudeau on waiver claim
The Orioles cleared a spot on their 40-man roster this afternoon in preparation for opening day in two weeks. The Giants have claimed right-hander Ashton Goudeau off waivers from the Orioles, paring the 40-man to 39 players. Goudeau appeared in two exhibition game, the most recent on Saturday against the Blue Jays in Dunedin, and allowed two runs and one hit in four innings. He walked two batters and struck out five. A rotation spot didn't seem available to Goudeau, but he was a candidate to...

How the latest news jumbles the roster analysis

How the latest news jumbles the roster analysis
Make opening day roster plans and duck the wrenches thrown at them. The Orioles intended to carry first baseman Chris Davis, but he hasn't played since Feb. 28 due to a lower back injury. The result is likely a trip to the injured list, whether 10 or 60 days. Hunter Harvey was a candidate to serve as closer, or at least a high-leverage reliever, but he's on the 60-day injured list with a left oblique strain. Félix Hernández was signed to a minor league deal and penciled into the...

Ruiz's return a rousing success in 12-3 win

Ruiz's return a rousing success in 12-3 win
Rio Ruiz had something to say this afternoon before hopping on his media Zoom call. He knows about the club's pending move for free agent third baseman Maikel Franco and how it impacts him. He knows that missing more than a week with an illness and being 1-for-12 before today's game against the Pirates are sabotaging his attempts to make the club and keep his position. Ruiz isn't wearing blinders. He wore the look today of a much better version of himself. Ruiz made a diving stop and throw...

Hyde updates Harvey, Martin and Ruiz

Hyde updates Harvey, Martin and Ruiz
An examination of Orioles reliever Hunter Harvey confirmed that he has a strained oblique, an injury suffered after throwing one pitch in Friday's game against the Phillies. Manager Brandon Hyde couldn't provide a timeline for Harvey's recovery, of course, but the former first-round pick is expected to go on the injured list. "He's going to miss some time," Hyde said in his Zoom call with the media. "How much time, we're not sure, just because obliques are tricky. But it's an injury....

Some Orioles decisions harder than others

Some Orioles decisions harder than others
The Orioles won't really sink their teeth into their camp roster until they get closer to opening day. The first round of cuts was more like a nibble. There are decisions to be made that are going to challenge them. Others shouldn't consume hours and run late into the night. For example: Easy: Outfielders Yusniel Diaz and Ryan McKenna head to the alternate camp site in April and await their major league debuts later in the summer. The Orioles, meanwhile, celebrate their outfield depth that...

Because You Asked - The Next Generation

Because You Asked - The Next Generation
The Orioles aren't playing this afternoon and get to enjoy a legitimate off-day, however it's done with pandemic restrictions. That's a long time to sit in a hotel room. No intrasquad nonsense that removes the "off" from their day. A few pitchers will be allowed inside the complex to throw. Otherwise, stay away and find something safe to do. There isn't much risk digging into my mailbag, unless I suffer a virtual paper cut. I'll try again to respond to the questions that are asked on a...

Orioles outfielders keep shining in 8-1 win

Orioles outfielders keep shining in 8-1 win
The Orioles are flashing their outfield depth in spring training. Reports of its impressive nature weren't exaggerated. Same with the level of intensity in the competition. Austin Hays, trying to win the center field job, had a single, two-run homer and stolen base today in an 8-1, seven-inning victory over the Braves in North Port, Fla. DJ Stewart is at his best, he insists, when he's spraying line drives and concentrating on base hits instead of home runs. The power just seems to come...

Tyler Nevin on joining Orioles and relationship with father

Tyler Nevin on joining Orioles and relationship with father
Tyler Nevin finished a round of batting practice last month in Orioles camp and caught the eye of executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias, who offered a hint at how the organization viewed him in the field. "I got here and I was hitting and Elias was behind the cage watching," Nevin recounted this morning in his Zoom conference call. "I got out and rolled around the cage and he goes, 'Hey, did you bring all your gloves?' I said, 'Yep,' and he goes, 'OK, you're going to need...

Wrapping up Orioles' 6-4 loss in exhibition opener (updated)

Wrapping up Orioles' 6-4 loss in exhibition opener (updated)
The firsts are out of the way. The first Orioles exhibition game. The first standing ovation for Trey Mancini in his first at-bat since March 2, 2020. His first hit immediately after the emotional scene. The first defensive lapses. The first reminder in 2021 that Yusniel Diaz, who hit a two run homer off former Oriole Carson Fulmer in the sixth, is poised to make his debut later in the summer. The first loss and overreactions from fans. Mancini lined a single into center field and struck out...

Lineup speculation, pitching decisions and more

Lineup speculation, pitching decisions and more
The first lineup of 2021 spring training will be posted later this morning, with Trey Mancini the only confirmed player in it. Manager Brandon Hyde said that Mancini will be the first baseman. The rest can be speculated. The Orioles are home, which usually puts more starters on the field. They had Hanser Alberto leading off and playing second base last year in the first game at Ed Smith Stadium. Mancini was in right field, Chris Davis at first base, Pedro Severino behind the plate, Dwight Smith...

Mancini playing first base in Sunday's opener (and other notes)

Mancini playing first base in Sunday's opener (and other notes)
The first exhibition lineup posted Sunday morning by Orioles manager Brandon Hyde will include Trey Mancini at first base. The comeback has reached another important stage. Mancini missed the entire 2020 season after undergoing surgery and chemotherapy treatments for Stage 3 colon cancer. His final at-bats came on March 2 before he left the team. He went 4-for-14 with two RBIs in five games. "I'm going to play him at first, DH him some, especially the first couple weeks," Hyde said. "I talk...

Paul Fry on improved strikeout rate and a look at camp so far

Paul Fry on improved strikeout rate and a look at camp so far
The Orioles are not exactly featuring an abundance of bullpen left-handers. Even on a spring roster with 73 players that includes 37 pitchers. They do return Paul Fry and Tanner Scott from the left side in the 'pen. Who, if anyone, joins them this year is to be determined. Fernando Abad, who signed a minor league deal, may have a good shot. Zach Muckenhirn from the O's farm is another 'pen lefty. Josh Rogers has returned after two surgeries and Bruce Zimmermann made one bullpen appearance...

Is bullpen built to bring everything Orioles want?

Is bullpen built to bring everything Orioles want?
The evolution of the Orioles bullpen over the years has stripped away the veterans and increased option flexibility. More importance is placed on the freedom to shuttle relievers back and forth and to get multiple innings out of them. Less baton-passing. Less stress trying to cover for starters running short on innings. This is amplified in pandemic seasons and with pitchers coming off a 60-game schedule. "Guys being able to throw multiple innings are going to be really valuable," said...