Wrapping up the home portion of the schedule

Wrapping up the home portion of the schedule
We've reached the final regular season home game of the 2014 season. In past years, boxes would be stacked in front of lockers as players gathered their belongings and said their goodbyes. Reporters would circle the room collecting contact information - phone numbers, e-mail addresses, whatever a player is willing to give. Manager Buck Showalter calls it the saddest time of the year. It's a lot different when the team qualifies for the playoffs, as it's done in two of the last three...

Ortiz homers off O'Day in 10th as Red Sox top Orioles

Ortiz homers off O'Day in 10th as Red Sox top Orioles
It was a rare sight at Camden Yards most of this season, but it happened tonight for the third time this month. Darren O'Day gave up a home run. David Ortiz hit a two-run shot to right off O'Day in the 10th inning to lift the Boston Red Sox to a 5-3 win over the Orioles tonight. O'Day has given up just six homers on the season, but three have come over his last eight appearances. Ortiz connected after Xander Bogaerts reached on a one-out error by third baseman Kelly Johnson. It was his...

This, that and the other

This, that and the other
The Orioles have reached their last scheduled off-day of the regular season, which means there's only a 50-50 chance that one of them gets drilled by a Blue Jays pitcher. What's next includes "Fan Appreciation Weekend," with the announcement of the Most Valuable Oriole, and a road trip to New York and Toronto. Nelson Cruz will be the MVO. I'm not going out on a limb here. The guy's hit 39 home runs and driven in 103. He's also batting a respectable .266. The drama comes with the second-...

Orioles have used a special blend of talent and chemistry to close in on AL East crown

Orioles have used a special blend of talent and chemistry to close in on AL East crown
On June 6, the Orioles were 6 1/2 games out of first place. With last night's win they lead second-place Toronto by 12 1/2 games and are within one win of the American League East title for the first time since 1997. It is clear that the Orioles are the class of the division and a very talented team. But they are not winning on talent alone. If you ask just about any player in the O's clubhouse what makes this team so good it probably won't take long before they talk about team chemistry....

One to clinch: Orioles beat Toronto, reduce magic number to one

One to clinch: Orioles beat Toronto, reduce magic number to one
Wei-Yin Chen certainly has had sharper outings. But tonight, he minimized the damage and won his 16th game as the Orioles beat Toronto 5-2 at Camden Yards. The Orioles have reduced their magic number to clinch the American League East to one. They can win the division title here on Tuesday night. The Orioles are a season-high 30 games over .500 at 90-60 and have won eight of their last nine and 17 of the last 22 games. Both benches were warned in the last of the sixth when Toronto starter...

Showalter on Tillman and a 3-2 win

Showalter on Tillman and a 3-2 win
The Orioles' magic number is three following tonight's dramatic 3-2 walk-off win over the Yankees at Camden Yards. The Blue Jays come to town, and the Orioles can clinch the division by taking two of the three games. Kelly Johnson delivered a walk-off double in the ninth off Yankees closer David Robertson, who was pitching in his third consecutive game. "It feels like a first-place team," Johnson said. "Bounced around just a little bit now, and you just kind of get a feel that it's...

Stunning win: O's score two in last of ninth to beat Yankees 3-2

Stunning win: O's score two in last of ninth to beat Yankees 3-2
Comeback win. Walk-off win. Against the New York Yankees in front of a huge crowd on Sunday Night Baseball. Kelly Johnson's RBI double to right center capped an Orioles two-run rally in the bottom of the ninth as they stunned the Yankees 3-2 in front of 43,947 at Camden Yards. Nelson Cruz led off the ninth off against Yankees closer David Robertson and doubled to left. Steve Pearce followed with an RBI double to tie the game at 2-2. One out later, Johnson's cluch hit ended it. Robertson...

Yankees score three early runs and hold on to top O's 3-2

Yankees score three early runs and hold on to top O's 3-2
This time, there was no comeback or walk-off win and the O's magic number remains at five. Shane Greene held the Orioles to two runs over 5 1/3 innings as the Yankees won 3-2 in front of 44,231 at Camden Yards. It was the eighth sellout of the year. Greene, now 5-3 with an ERA of 3.56, fanned nine. In two starts against the Orioles, he's allowed two runs with 18 strikeouts over 12 2/3 innings. After an amazing run that saw O's starting pitchers allow just two runs over 32 1/3 innings the...

Markakis ties club multi-hit record (Pearce homers, O's lose 3-2)

Markakis ties club multi-hit record (Pearce homers, O's lose 3-2)
The Orioles trail the Yankees 3-1 after three innings, and Nick Markakis continues to leave his mark in the team's record book. Markakis has singled twice today, leaving him 37 hits behind Boog Powell for fifth place on the Orioles' all-time list. I'm still counting. I'm also going somewhere else with this blog entry. Stay with me. Markakis has registered 50 multi-hit games for the sixth time in his career to tie Eddie Murray's franchise record (1978-80, 1982-84). Markakis ranks...

Gausman on the mound for Game 1

Gausman on the mound for Game 1
What's better than one game? Try two. The Yankees can't be thrilled about playing at home last night and flying to Baltimore for today's doubleheader. And there isn't a device small enough to measure the amount of sympathy they're going to receive from the Orioles, who have been abused by the schedule all season. Last night's walk-off victory moved the Yankees 10 1/2 games behind the Orioles in the American League East. The Blue Jays were idle and remained 10 games back. The Yankees...

Voting for the Most Valuable Oriole

Voting for the Most Valuable Oriole
I received an e-mail today inviting me to vote for Most Valuable Oriole, and it got me to thinking about how much I'd appreciate the input of my blog readers. Also, there's no game today and I'd like to file a second entry. Members of the media who cover the team make three selections, with the first-place finisher receiving five votes, second place three and third place one. The winner will be announced at the conclusion of the homestand. Chris Davis was the easy choice last season. One...

A few notes and quotes after the Orioles' latest win

A few notes and quotes after the Orioles' latest win
Chris Tillman's streak lives. He didn't have his best game or stuff by any stretch last night, but he has now recorded 18 straight games allowing three earned runs or fewer. Tillman is is 7-3 with a 2.24 ERA during this stretch that began June 10. Yeah, pretty impressive run of pitching. Tillman's streak is now tied for fourth-longest in Orioles history. From last night's "O's Xtra," here is the list of the longest such streaks by an Oriole: * Dave McNally, 25 straight from May...

O's game blog: Chris Tillman has a 1.74 ERA since Aug. 1

O's game blog: Chris Tillman has a 1.74 ERA since Aug. 1
Heading into tonight's game at Fenway Park, Orioles starting pitchers have worked to an ERA of 1.75 over their last seven games with six quality starts. Chris Tillman (11-5, 3.40 ERA) will try to keep that going tonight when he faces Boston right-hander Anthony Ranaudo (3-1, 4.63 ERA). Tillman's streak of starts allowing three earned runs or fewer has reached 17 games. He is 6-3 with a 2.26 ERA since June 10 during the streak. If he allows three or fewer tonight, he will tie Steve Barber...

Showalter on Hardy, Cruz on latest honor (O's lead 1-0)

Showalter on Hardy, Cruz on latest honor (O's lead 1-0)
BOSTON - Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy is flying to Baltimore around 8:40 p.m. tonight, and he has a 1 p.m. appointment Tuesday with team orthopedist Dr. Michael Jacobs. Hardy is expected to undergo an MRI, and he also could receive another cortisone injection. Manager Buck Showalter confirmed that Hardy will stay in Baltimore rather than fly back to Boston. Showalter is hopeful that Hardy will be in the lineup Friday against the Yankees. "When I talked to Mike, he already had looked at the...

O's game blog: A look at Gonzalez's success against the AL East

O's game blog: A look at Gonzalez's success against the AL East
Orioles starting pitchers have pitched to an ERA of 2.03 over the last six games. Miguel Gonzalez (8-7, 3.38 ERA) will try to keep that going tonight when the Orioles begin a three-game series at Boston's Fenway Park. In 40 innings over the past six games, O's starters have allowed 30 hits and nine earned runs with five quality starts. Gonzalez is on a roll of his own. He has allowed two or fewer earned runs in eight of his last nine starts, going 4-2 with an ERA of 2.00. Gonzalez pitched a...

Cruz named AL co-Player of the Week, plus Hardy out of lineup

Cruz named AL co-Player of the Week, plus Hardy out of lineup
BOSTON - Nelson Cruz has been named American League co-Player of the Week with Tigers' Miguel Cabrera. Cruz batted .407 (11-for-27) with a double, a triple, four homers, 12 RBIs and six runs scored in seven games to earn his third career weekly award and his second of the season. He also was named Player of the Week on June 2. Cruz led the majors in RBIs, was second in the AL in total bases (26), tied for second in homers, was third in slugging percentage (.963) and was tied for fourth in...

Pondering Nelson Cruz's future as an Oriole

Pondering Nelson Cruz's future as an Oriole
With his next home run, Nelson Cruz will become the sixth player in Orioles history to hit 40 or more homers in one season. Cruz hit his 38th and 39th yesterday during his seven-RBI game in the win over Tampa Bay. Chris Davis tops the list with 53 (2013) and is followed by Brady Anderson with 50 (1996), Frank Robinson with 49 (1966), Jim Gentile with 46 (1961) and Rafael Palmeiro with 43 (1998). Cruz is tied with Palmeiro (1995-96) and Boog Powell (1964) for sixth on the club's single-season...

Looking back and ahead

Looking back and ahead
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Orioles have left Tropicana Field. No '80s hair band promotions, no dogs barking in the upper deck, no Wiggles concerts, no kids introducing batters over the PA system, no rap-artist felines spinning records. The series against the Rays will be remembered for some costly mistakes by the Orioles and its overall weirdness. And if there's one thing The Trop can deliver, it's a healthy dose of weird. Ryan Flaherty is on the team because he's regarded as a good...

Cruz, Hundley, Showalter and Norris following 7-5, 11-inning win

Cruz, Hundley, Showalter and Norris following 7-5, 11-inning win
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Orioles' magic number is down to 12. Their lead in the American League East is 9 1/2 games, exactly where it stood before they arrived at Tropicana Field. Was it pretty? Absolutely not. Is it a requirement? Absolutely not. Nelson Cruz drove in all seven runs for the Orioles in their 7-5, 11-inning win over the Rays. Cruz became the first player with at least seven RBIs to account for all of his team's scoring since Colorado's Jason Giambi on May 19, 2011 in...

Cruz homers twice, records seven RBIs as the O's beat Tampa Bay

Cruz homers twice, records seven RBIs as the O's beat Tampa Bay
Nelson Cruz would not let them lose. The Orioles' slugger drove in seven runs today with two homers and a triple as the Orioles beat Tampa Bay 7-5 in 11 innings to avoid a sweep at Tropicana Field. Just when it looked like Tampa Bay would beat the Orioles at their own game, by hitting home runs, Cruz flipped the script. The Orioles went to the ninth down 4-2, but Cruz's three-run triple gave the Orioles the 5-4 lead. But Ryan Flaherty's error at shortstop led to an unearned run for the...