Who's storming through the door to enter Orioles rotation?

Who's storming through the door to enter Orioles rotation?
An important part of the Orioles' pitching fantasies involves the pounding of the door that leads to the major league staff. A two-fisted beating. Maybe a swift kick or two to bust it off its hinges. There wasn't much more this summer than a light tapping. Eighteen pitchers made starts for the Orioles in 2019. Luis Ortiz was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk on June 14 to start against the Red Sox, replacing Andrew Cashner, and the club had to ignore his 7.01 ERA and 1.65 WHIP while executing...

Orioles reinstate Stewart and option Shepherd

Orioles reinstate Stewart and option Shepherd
BOSTON - The Orioles have increased the number of reserves on their bench today to four by reinstating outfielder DJ Stewart from the seven-day concussion injured list and optioning reliever Chandler Shepherd to Triple-A Norfolk. Chandler made his major league debut Tuesday night in New York and held the Yankees to one run over four innings. Stewart attempted to make a sliding catch in left field in an Aug. 6 game against the Yankees and the ball struck him on the left temple. He played two...

Brocail on pitching inside and fixing Means

Brocail on pitching inside and fixing Means
Getting away from the Yankees offers the kind of relief to the Orioles that the bullpen has struggled to provide this season. Sixteen losses in a row to them. Seventeen total out of 19 games. Some ugly, some competitive. They count just the same. Among the lessons learned is the wisdom in walking Gleyber Torres. Doesn't matter whether first base is open. Down five runs in the eighth, two on and two outs, you hold up four fingers. Manager Brandon Hyde would have been roasted by media and fans...

Updates on Stewart, bullpen and rotation (O's down 8-2)

Updates on Stewart, bullpen and rotation (O's down 8-2)
NEW YORK - Outfielder DJ Stewart will go on a brief rehab assignment before the Orioles activate him from the seven-day concussion injured list. Stewart will join Triple-A Norfolk in Pawtucket and play in two games before coming back to the Orioles on Friday in Boston, where a roster move will be made. The latest move for a club that's in a constant state of change. The bullpen has been impacted the most, with Chandler Shepherd the latest pitcher to settle into the group. The Orioles have used...

Orioles' losing streak to Yankees grows in Game 2 (updated)

Orioles' losing streak to Yankees grows in Game 2 (updated)
NEW YORK - The 52nd player used by the Orioles this season had one major issue tonight. Same as everyone else. A wrong kind of bonding. Can't beat the Yankees. Not anymore. Four of the first five batters reached against Ty Blach, Brett Gardner delivered a three-run triple and Gleyber Torres kept bullying the Orioles while they were being swept by the Yankees with an 11-8 loss in Game 2. Trey Mancini homered again, delivering a two-run shot in the third, and Hanser Alberto added a three-run...

Blach on his first visit to Yankee Stadium and more (O's down 8-3)

Blach on his first visit to Yankee Stadium and more (O's down 8-3)
NEW YORK - Ty Blach will start Game 2 of today's doubleheader after spending the opener on the taxi squad. Blach is set to become the 52nd player used by the Orioles, four shy of last year's club record. The corresponding move will be announced after Game 1. Meanwhile, Jimmy Yacabonis is the 26th man. The Orioles selected Blach off waivers from the Giants on Aug. 3. He's 15-19 with a 4.56 ERA and 1.397 WHIP in 87 major league games, including 39 starts, over parts of four seasons with the...

Is Núñez a keeper in 2020?

Is Núñez a keeper in 2020?
The remaining 50 games on the Orioles' schedule will be used to stay competitive, to emphasize that winning still matters, to stay far ahead of last year's 115-loss pace. But the evaluating of talent and sorting through the keepers and expendables - and anyone in between - won't diminish in importance. The task ranks highly on the rebuild scale and it hasn't slowed. Manager Brandon Hyde knew little about Renato Núñez in the early days of spring training. Always hit in the minors, out...

O's build early lead and hold off Blue Jays in series finale

O's build early lead and hold off Blue Jays in series finale
If the Toronto Blue Jays were going to help the Orioles get some runs today, the Orioles would be accepting of that. They did and they were. The Orioles got a gift run in the first, three unearned runs in the second and drew two bases-loaded walks in the fifth today. It helped them build a 6-2 lead and they held off Toronto 6-5 in the series finale at Camden Yards. The clubs split the four games. The O's went to the seventh leading 6-2, but Toronto got three to pull close. Right-hander Tom...

Orioles maneuver through the bizarre in 6-5 win (Tate optioned)

Orioles maneuver through the bizarre in 6-5 win (Tate optioned)
Jimmy Yacabonis lasted one inning today as the opener, loading the bases with no outs and somehow escaping without a run scoring. Sean Reid-Foley walked three of the first four batters he faced, allowed a run and was spared the possibility of more damage when the final out was made on an RBI single. A combined five walks in the first. One double play. One apparent sacrifice fly that turned into an inning-ending out. And a gift run-scoring single that turned into an inning-ending out after Jace...

Orioles lineup vs. Blue Jays

Orioles lineup vs. Blue Jays
The Orioles will go for a split of their four-game series against the Blue Jays today with no roster move announced. They apparently intend to keep a two-man bench and 14 pitchers. Jonathan Villar is the shortstop today and leadoff hitter. Jace Peterson is playing third base. Stevie Wilkerson is in center field. The bench consists of shortstop Richie Martin and catcher Pedro Severino. Trey Mancini is in right field. His four RBIs last night were a season high and ran his career total to...

What's next for the Orioles roster?

What's next for the Orioles roster?
The Orioles could go back-to-back days with a roster move, which would be as surprising as cracking open a peanut M&M and finding a peanut. The only shocker yesterday was the use of a two-man bench after the Orioles designated José Rondón for assignment and recalled pitcher Branden Kline. Especially with Hanser Alberto and Stevie Wilkerson hobbled. Unusual and risky. Wilkerson wasn't supposed to be in the lineup ... until he started in center field. Alberto figured to be ready after...

Toronto bashes five homers and O's lose homestand opener

Toronto bashes five homers and O's lose homestand opener
Orioles right-hander Asher Wojciechowski has pitched well this year against a few teams, but Toronto is not one of them. Blue Jays righty Trent Thornton has been hit hard for four of his last five starts, but not the one against the Orioles. Those forces collided tonight - Wojciechowski did not do well and Thornton did, as Toronto beat the Orioles 11-2 to start a four-game series and 10-game homestand. After completing a 5-4 West Coast trip the O's were hammered to begin the homestand. They...

Orioles surrender five home runs in 11-2 loss (updated)

Orioles surrender five home runs in 11-2 loss (updated)
Orioles pitching coach Doug Brocail and head athletic trainer Brian Ebel walked to the mound tonight with two outs in the fifth inning and a 2-1 count on Blue Jays outfielder Randal Grichuk. They wanted to check on Asher Wojciechowski as Jimmy Yacabonis warmed in the bullpen. Something didn't seem right to them. Allowed to stay in a game he already trailed by three runs, Wojciechowski threw a strike and then served up his second homer of the night, which brought manager Brandon Hyde out of the...

Wondering about Monday's starter (and Aberdeen leftovers)

Wondering about Monday's starter (and Aberdeen leftovers)
While the Orioles downplay John Means' second stop on the injured list, this time with a left biceps strain, they need to find a starter to take his next turn. Means is expected to miss only one start, but who's making it? Someone has to take the mound Monday night in San Diego, and manager Brandon Hyde isn't ready to announce his choice. Probably because he doesn't know yet what it is. Gabriel Ynoa is an option if he's fresh. He worked 1 2/3 innings Wednesday in Arizona and three innings...

Orioles need more relievers after Anaheim marathon

Orioles need more relievers after Anaheim marathon
The Orioles are going to make a change to their bullpen later today. At least one. Manager Brandon Hyde used eight relievers and a position player last night after Jimmy Yacabonis, who earned the title of "opener" because Tom Eshelman followed with 4 1/3 innings. Otherwise, it's just a bullpen game. Well, it actually became both because the game stretched through 16 innings before the Orioles posted a 10-8 win. Eshelman allowed only one run. He's a hero. Gabriel Ynoa worked three scoreless...

Trying to recap the craziest game of the 2019 season

Trying to recap the craziest game of the 2019 season
ANAHEIM, Calif. - On a night when Mychal Givens could not hold a lead in the ninth and Tanner Scott could not in the 15th, Stevie Wilkerson did in the 16th. And the Orioles recorded an exhausting and emotional win over the Los Angeles Angels in the second-longest game by time in Orioles history. It took six hours and 19 minutes. The longest game ever by the Orioles took six hours and 54 minutes. That one took place on Sept. 20, 2013 at Tampa Bay. This one started at 7:08 p.m. Pacific Time and...

Villar's homer in the 16th leads O's to crazy win in Anaheim

Villar's homer in the 16th leads O's to crazy win in Anaheim
ANAHEIM, Calif. - When this game began many, many hours ago, Jonathan Villar was 0-for-15 on this road trip and had two hits his last 22 at-bats. But he delivered a two-run homer in the 16th tonight, and the Orioles, finally, finally had a win. They outlasted the Los Angeles Angels 10-8 in a game that ended after 4 a.m. EDT. Villar's hit was the latest (in terms of innings) go-ahead homer in O's history. To make matters crazier, Stevie Wilkerson went from center field to the mound and retired...

Orioles lineup vs. Angels

Orioles lineup vs. Angels
The Orioles decided to shift gears tonight and go with an opener, or a bullpen game, depending on how it plays out. Jimmy Yacabonis has been named the starter after the club listed Tom Eshelman to begin the series against the Angels. Eshelman could follow Yacabonis. Manager Brandon Hyde will explain the move later to reporters in Anaheim. Yacabonis has made two starts among 23 appearances. His high in innings and pitches this season is 3 1/3 and 61 out of the bullpen in Game 1 of a July 13...

Armstrong's adjustment adds to ability to attack hitters

Armstrong's adjustment adds to ability to attack hitters
PHOENIX - Shawn Armstrong's solution began as a lengthy heart-to-heart pitching conversation with teammate Jimmy Yacabonis on the night that the Orioles flew into Arizona. Armstrong didn't have a clean outing in his last six appearances. Didn't feel right for much longer. A "three-to-four week inconsistent patch," as he calls it. "I felt like at times I had the shape to my pitches and kind of revert right back to backup sliders, backup breaking balls and so forth the next outing, and then...

Wondering how the Orioles intend to use Scott

Wondering how the Orioles intend to use Scott
PHOENIX - One important aspect of the job as a baseball beat writer is reading too much into everything. Ignore the warnings, lower your head and run with it. Left-hander Tanner Scott works a career-high three innings in relief Saturday night and I'm going to assume that the Orioles are stretching him out rather than viewing him as only a back-end power arm and matchup guy. That's not necessarily the case. The Orioles were battered by the Red Sox, giving up a season-high 17 runs and using a...