Orioles and Rays lineups

Orioles and Rays lineups
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Left-handers Zach Britton and Mike Belfiore shared a ride to St. Petersburg early this morning and sat on a couch together, chatting with catcher Steve Clevenger, when the clubhouse opened to reporters at 11 a.m. Belfiore said he got the call around 3 a.m., after watching the Orioles' 5-4, 18-inning loss to the Rays. He was dozing off, but he's learned to never put his phone ringer on silent or vibrate. Clevenger is behind the plate today. Alexi Casilla is starting at...

Valencia, Clevenger starting tonight for Orioles (and Jays lineup)

Valencia, Clevenger starting tonight for Orioles (and Jays lineup)
Danny Valencia's hot bat stays in the Orioles' lineup tonight against Blue Jays right-hander Todd Redmond, and Baltimore native Steve Clevenger will make his first appearance with the team he rooted for growing up. Clevenger is behind the plate for Jason Hammel's first start since Aug. 28. Valencia is batting .212 against right-handers and .380 vs. left-handers, but he's 23-for-42 (.548) since Aug. 4 and had a game-tying three-run homer last night against the Yankees. Edwin Encarnacion,...

Clevenger on his return home

Clevenger on his return home
After joining the Orioles in New York over the weekend and making the trip to Cleveland, catcher Steve Clevenger has finally come home again. Take that, Thomas Wolfe. Clevenger grew up in the Pigtown area and played baseball at Mount St. Joseph in Baltimore. Being at Camden Yards obviously has special meaning to him beyond joining the expanded roster of a contender. "Oh definitely," he said. "Coming home, my hometown team, the team I watched growing up. I've got a lot of special...

Leftovers for breakfast

Leftovers for breakfast
The Orioles rode another roller coaster of emotions yesterday. No height requirement. And keeping your hands inside at all times was purely optional. Manager Buck Showalter was saddened to learn that catcher Taylor Teagarden had been designated for assignment. Definitely not his call. Then, his team fell behind 3-0 and starter Wei-Yin Chen made another early exit. Nobody called for that scenario. The Orioles erupted for seven runs in the top of the seventh inning, beat the Yankees and...

Orioles and Yankees lineups and more notes

Orioles and Yankees lineups and more notes
NEW YORK - Michael Morse will make his Orioles debut today in left field, with Danny Valencia serving as the designated hitter against Yankees left-hander Andy Pettitte. Nick Markakis is leading off for the Orioles. Catcher Steve Clevenger and Chris Snyder are listed among the reserves. For the Orioles Nick Markakis RF Manny Machado 3B Adam Jones CF Chris Davis 1B Michael Morse LF Danny Valencia DH Matt Wieters C J.J. Hardy SS Brian Roberts 2B Wei-Yin Chen LHP For the Yankees Brett...

No locker for Teagarden; Clevenger, Snyder headed to NY (updated)

No locker for Teagarden; Clevenger, Snyder headed to NY (updated)
NEW YORK - The Orioles wasted no time taking advantage of September call-ups. The Orioles have called up catcher Steve Clevenger, the Mount St. Joseph grad, and purchased the contract of catcher Chris Snyder from Triple-A Norfolk.. Taylor Teagarden does not have a locker in the clubhouse. Teagarden may have been designated for assignment. Update: Teagarden has been designated for assignment. Clevenger was acquired in the deal that brought Scott Feldman to the Orioles from the Cubs. Snyder...

Some numbers on the O's against the AL East and a minor league playoffs update

Some numbers on the O's against the AL East and a minor league playoffs update
Some of you have already come to the conclusion that the Orioles do not stack up in the American League East. After Saturday's loss at New York, the Orioles are in fourth place in the division. Some of these numbers are not pretty: The Orioles have lost four of their last five in the AL East in addition to losing eight of their last 10, and 11 of their last 17 division games. In the last two weeks they have had key series with Tampa Bay, Boston and New York and dropped the first two games of...

It's Norris vs. Cain today

It's Norris vs. Cain today
Bud Norris makes his third start for the Orioles this afternoon, and so far he's been a big hit because he hasn't allowed them. See what I did there? Norris has permitted three runs and nine hits in 12 innings, with four walks and 13 strikeouts. He's won both starts. Norris is 0-2 with a 3.52 ERA in four career starts against the Giants, including 0-2 with a 4.41 ERA in three career outings at AT&T Park. Buster Posey is 4-for-7 with a double against Norris. Marco Scutaro is 4-for-8 with...

Updates on Clevenger, Wada and Hoes

Updates on Clevenger, Wada and Hoes
Catcher Steve Clevenger, the Baltimore native acquired from the Cubs with Scott Feldman for pitchers Jake Arrieta and Pedro Strop, played in his first game today since recovering from a strained oblique. Clevenger was behind the plate for the Gulf Coast League Orioles and went 0-for-3 with a strikeout before being replaced. He had been rehabbing at the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota. Clevenger was assigned to Triple-A Norfolk, but didn't report because of the injury. Chris Snyder and...

Clevenger: "I was so happy and pumped to come back to my hometown"

Clevenger: "I was so happy and pumped to come back to my hometown"
Though catcher Steve Clevenger is new to the Orioles' organization, he has such a familiar look about him. He grew up in Pigtown, about five minutes from Camden Yards, cheering favorites Cal Ripken Jr. and Joe Orsulak. He graduated from Mount St. Joseph in Baltimore and currently lives in Linthicum. He played five years with Youse's Orioles, the summer scout team. Teammates included Steve Johnson, Gavin Floyd and the late Nick Adenhart. Clevenger attended Chipola Junior College in Florida,...

Orioles trade Arrieta, Strop to Cubs for Feldman, Clevenger

Orioles trade Arrieta, Strop to Cubs for Feldman, Clevenger
The Orioles didn't wait until the final hours of the non-waiver trade deadline to acquire a starting pitcher. Looking to improve their rotation, the Orioles have obtained pitcher Scott Feldman and catcher/corner infielder Steve Clevenger from the Chicago Cubs for pitchers Jake Arrieta and Pedro Strop, and international signing bonus slots 3 and 4. Feldman, 30, is 7-6 with a 3.46 ERA and nine quality starts in 15 outings with the Cubs, with 79 hits, 25 walks and 67 strikeouts in 91 innings....