Andrew Cashner is making his final start today before the All-Star break and it's interesting to consider whether there's another countdown to his last days with the Orioles. Not the last guaranteed year on his contract. His status as trade chip, perhaps the biggest on the club. Trey Mancini would rank first if we could determine his availability. The Orioles certainly would move Cashner, though creating another hole in the rotation might turn some stomachs queasy. Who's deserving of the...

Here is a whole batch of minor league news and notes for today. And we add some news about draft picks as well. * Double-A Bowie left-hander Keegan Akin will return to the Baysox rotation tonight. Akin left his start on June 26 with groin tightness after he had pitched four innings. He never went on the disabled list, and the injury turned out to be a minor issue. He returns tonight with an 8-5 record and 2.63 ERA over 15 starts. He ranks second in the Eastern League in ERA. During my recent...

FREDERICK, Md. - When the Carolina League playoffs begin tonight at Frederick's Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium, there is a clear favorite. It's not the home team. In what has now been reduced to a best-of-three series, the Single-A Frederick Keys (68-71) host the Lynchburg Hillcats (87-52) in Game 1 of the Northern Division Championship Series. With the impending threat of Hurrican Irma, the Carolina League today announced that both semifinal series are now best-of-three, reduced from...

The latest chapter during this miserable extended stretch of baseball by the Orioles where no lead is safe and there is seemingly no end to the poor play was written last night. The Orioles led 6-0 after the third inning in Minnesota. By the end of the fifth, they trailed 7-6. They lost 9-6 to fall to 40-46. The Orioles have been outscored 33-13 during an 0-5 road trip that has a chance to get to 0-7. They have lost 30 of the last 45 games. They are 18-36 since they had the best record in the...

The Orioles' four full-season minor league affiliates are a combined 21-33 to date. Triple-A Norfolk is 4-9, Double-A Bowie 5-8, high Single-A Frederick 5-9 and Single-A Delmarva 7-7. Norfolk had scored just 31 runs in its first 11 games and then the Tides burst out in a big way during Tuesday's 20-4 win at Charlotte. The 20 runs were the most a Tides club has scored as an Orioles affiliate and were the most for the franchise since Tidewater won at Rochester 23-1 on opening day of the 1982...

Let's take a quick look at the Orioles' minor league teams so far. It's very early obviously, but right now none of the O's teams at Triple-A Norfolk, Double-A Bowie, Single-A Frederick or Single-A Delmarva have a winning record. Norfolk is 2-6 and has scored just 24 runs with a 5.70 team ERA. Bowie is 1-7 with a 6.17 team ERA. Both the Keys and Shorebirds are 4-5. However, some of the O's better hitting prospects have gotten off to good starts. At Bowie, first baseman Trey Mancini is...

Let's take a look around the Orioles' minor league affiliates, as Triple-A Norfolk, Double-A Bowie, high Single-A Frederick and low Single-A Delmarva have combined for an 8-11 start. NORFOLK After an 0-3 start, Norfolk has won back-to-back games, scoring 16 runs. Norfolk scored three runs in the seventh last night and two in the eighth to rally past Charlotte 7-6 after trailing 6-2. Former Oriole Miguel Gonzalez started against his former organization last night. Against the Tides, Gonzalez...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Earlier here we discussed the Orioles' top 10 ranked prospects, according to Baseball America. Here is the previous story and another look at the top 10: 1) Dylan Bundy 2) Hunter Harvey 3) Chance Sisco 4) Jomar Reyes 5) Mychal Givens 6) Chris Lee 7) Ryan Mountcastle 8) Trey Mancini 9) D.J. Stewart 10) Mike Wright According to the Baseball American Prospect Handbook (which went to press in early December), here are the players rated 11 through 30 with a comment on each and...

At FanFest, he was more recognized as the local kid who played high school ball at Calvert Hall than as an Orioles minor league player. But that was fine with 21-year-old Alex Murphy. He was excited to be there and happy to be healthy again after sports hernia surgery derailed what had the makings of a big 2015 season. In the 2013 First-Year Player Draft, the Orioles selected three prep catchers among their first seven picks, taking Chance Sisco 61st overall, Jonah Heim with pick No. 129 and...

When it comes to leading a group of Orioles in winter workouts, club vice president of baseball operations Brady Anderson is ready to help. He's already joined pitcher Miguel Gonzalez for some of his workouts on the West Coast, and that group will later include Mike Wright, Jason Garcia and minor league lefty Tim Berry. "Garcia and Wright will spend some extensive time right before spring training," Anderson said. "They'll probably be there the last six weeks. Dariel Alvarez will come in....

Another Orioles instructional league season has come to a close. From Sept. 22 through Tuesday, more than 50 O's minor leaguers took part in workouts and games under the sun in Sarasota, Fla. Instructional league features mostly players who are early in their careers getting a lot of hands-on instruction to work on improving for the future. "Instructional league went great," Orioles director of player development Brian Graham said. "The most impressive thing about instructional league was...

It was a rare sight in a pro baseball boxscore last Friday night. Pitching for the Double-A Bowie Baysox, O's top pitching prospect Dylan Bundy gave up six runs against Richmond. In two innings plus two batters, Bundy allowed a career-high eight hits with no walks and two strikeouts, throwing 57 pitches. His ERA increased from 2.25 to 4.50 in seven Baysox starts. The six runs allowed tied a career high. Bundy had given up that many just once before in 38 previous career pro starts and that was...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles third baseman Manny Machado arrived in the clubhouse at 9:15 a.m. this morning and currently is having his right knee checked. He's expected to meet with the media - it's a small contingent - before leaving the Ed Smith Stadium complex. Reliever Tommy Hunter called out Machado's name, walked across the room and gave him a big hug. Machado later made his way down the rows of lockers to embrace teammates, including Dylan Bundy, Parker Bridwell and Ryan Webb. Webb and...

Two years ago, the Orioles signed veteran left-hander Mark Hendrickson to a minor league deal after he threw at Camden Yards during their minicamp. He spent the entire season at Triple-A Norfolk. Hendrickson will take another shot at it next week. He's been invited to attend the minicamp at the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota, where he will throw for manager Buck Showalter, pitching coach Dave Wallace and bullpen coach Dom Chiti. Hendrickson, 40, hasn't pitched in the majors since making...

High school catcher Alex Murphy, drafted in round six by the Orioles out of Calvert Hall in Baltimore today, told MASNsports.com tonight that he has already agreed to terms with the team. He has not been officially signed and there has not been any announcement, but the deal has been agreed to and he will soon report to Sarasota, Fla., for orientation with his hometown team. "I haven't signed anything yet, but I will be signing and I'm proud to be an Oriole," Murphy said. Murphy is a...