Orioles lineup vs. Indians

Orioles lineup vs. Indians
Richie Martin is playing shortstop tonight and Chris Davis is batting cleanup again as the Orioles continue their series in Cleveland. Austin Wynns is catching right-hander Dylan Bundy. Indians right-hander Jefry Rodriguez is 1-2 with a 2.92 ERA and 1.176 WHIP in four starts over 24 2/3 innings. He's surrendered only two home runs. Rodriguez's last three starts have been quality by definition and he came within one-third of an inning in his season debut. His first major league start came...

Bundy's start tonight, Trumbo's first game and more on the draft

Bundy's start tonight, Trumbo's first game and more on the draft
Dylan Bundy was supposed to open the four-game series in Cleveland last night until two days of rain in New York necessitated an adjustment of the Orioles' pitching plans. Dan Straily took the mound last night after missing the Yankees and allowed four runs and six hits in 3 1/3 innings. Bundy goes tonight, knowing that the radar readings at Progressive Field will garner most of the attention. Manager Brandon Hyde removed Bundy from his last start after only 80 pitches, the right-hander losing...

Orioles and Indians lineups

Orioles and Indians lineups
Chris Davis is batting in the cleanup spot again tonight as the Orioles start their four-game series in Cleveland. Jonathan Villar is playing shortstop, with Richie Martin again moving to the bench. Martin has been sitting frequently against right-handers and the Indians are starting four of them in the series. Pedro Severino is catching. Dan Straily gets another chance to reverse a tough start with the Orioles. He's appeared in seven games and posted an 8.23 ERA and 1.829 WHIP over 27 1/3...

Wrapping up 5-3 loss in Game 1 (O's trailing 3-1 in Game 2)

Wrapping up 5-3 loss in Game 1 (O's trailing 3-1 in Game 2)
NEW YORK - Catcher Austin Wynns didn't intend to serve as a team spokesman this afternoon as he stepped outside of the visiting clubhouse and met the media. But he was asked about the 88 home runs surrendered by Orioles pitching in 41 games, putting them on pace to shatter the major league record. A question placed on a tee. Wynns expressed feelings that no doubt are shared in every corner. "We lead the league in home runs," he said following a 5-3 loss to the Yankees in the first game of...

Hess surrenders four home runs in 5-3 Game 1 loss

Hess surrenders four home runs in 5-3 Game 1 loss
NEW YORK - David Hess had to wait two days to make his start against the Yankees. The sun came out, the field dried and he was able to pitch in ideal conditions. Little else seemed to go right for Hess. Mostly the weather. Hess surrendered a career-high four home runs while taking over the major league lead, and the Orioles lost the first game of the doubleheader 5-3 at Yankee Stadium. The 14 home runs off Hess are one more than the Angels' Trevor Cahill has allowed this season. The Yankees...

The rotation, Phillips' return and more (O's down 5-3)

The rotation, Phillips' return and more (O's down 5-3)
NEW YORK - The Orioles' pitching plans have become clearer as the rain moves out of the Bronx. David Hess and Andrew Cashner are starting in today's single-admission doubleheader. Dan Straily flew to Cleveland today and is starting Thursday night in the series opener against the Indians, followed by Dylan Bundy on Friday and left-hander John Means on Saturday. The starter for Sunday is TBD based on today's doubleheader. Manager Brandon Hyde won't let anyone work on short rest and he'll...

O's Game 1 game blog: David Hess faces the Yankees

O's Game 1 game blog: David Hess faces the Yankees
The Orioles have not lost since Saturday. They are 1-0 since then, beating the Los Angeles Angels Sunday behind John Means and now they've been rained out twice in New York. Today the Orioles and Yankees will play a straight doubleheader at Yankee Stadium. In Game 1, right-hander David Hess (1-4, 5.50 ERA) gets the start. Hess got off to a strong start to the 2019 season but has struggled lately. He threw 6 1/3 no-hit innings on April 1 at Toronto, his first start of the year. He had a 3.32...

Orioles hoping to finally catch a break from the weather

Orioles hoping to finally catch a break from the weather
NEW YORK - Will the Orioles be able to play two games today? One has been impossible. The forecast shows partly cloudy skies but no rain, with temperatures inching toward the 70s. Which means hail. Watch for it. It can't get much worse than Monday night. The Yankees called off yesterday's game more than an hour before first pitch. They ripped off the Band-Aid. They waited more than three hours after the scheduled first pitch to call off Monday's game. They ripped off fans who sat through a...

Orioles-Yankees postponed again tonight

Orioles-Yankees postponed again tonight
NEW YORK - The Orioles and Yankees won't play tonight, with the decision to postpone the game due to rain and an unfavorable forecast coming much earlier than last night. The teams will engage in a day-night doubleheader on Aug. 12 with the opener starting at 1:05 p.m. Game 2 begins at 7:05 p.m. This is the fifth postponement for the Orioles, who are scheduled to play a doubleheader on Wednesday. David Hess starts Game 1 and Andrew Cashner gets the ball for Game 2. Hess would have pitched last...

Updating Pop's surgery and revisiting last night's postponement

Updating Pop's surgery and revisiting last night's postponement
NEW YORK - The Orioles announced today that minor league pitcher Zach Pop underwent successful surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. Renowned orthopedist Dr. James Andrews performed the surgery after yesterday's examination in Pensacola, Fla. Pop, 22, had appeared in eight games with Double-A Bowie and allowed only one run and seven hits in 10 2/3 innings. He walked four batters and struck out 11. The Orioles acquired Pop from the Dodgers as part of the...

Yacabonis hoping to stay off the shuttle

Yacabonis hoping to stay off the shuttle
NEW YORK - Jimmy Yacabonis didn't return to Triple-A Norfolk with instructions to just keep doing whatever he's been doing and get back to the majors at some point in the summer. It was more complicated. The Orioles needed Yacabonis to work on his mechanics. Fix his delivery to regain movement on his pitches and hope that a spot reopened for him in a bullpen that's undergone many changes in less than two full months of the season. The shuttle keeps picking up Yacabonis. He'd like to have it...

Orioles and Yankees lineups

Orioles and Yankees lineups
NEW YORK - The Orioles begin a three-game series against the Yankees tonight with first baseman Chris Davis remaining in the cleanup spot. Davis has homered in two of his last three games. Yesterday's home run was the first for Davis as the cleanup hitter since Sept. 26, 2017 in Pittsburgh. He's hit four on Mother's Day. Davis' .952 OPS since April 13 leads the team and ranks 15th in the American League (minimum 70 plate appearances). He's hitting .290/.371/.581 (18-for-62) with three...

Notes on Bundy, Bleier, Hays, Sisco and more (O's lead 5-1)

Notes on Bundy, Bleier, Hays, Sisco and more (O's lead 5-1)
A day after Orioles starter Dylan Bundy raised some concerns over his decline in velocity and poor command, the sense within the organization remains that he isn't hurt. "I feel fine physically and that's the most important thing," Bundy said this morning. Manager Brandon Hyde checked again on Bundy this morning. "His velo was down a little bit all game long," Hyde said. "What we saw, and I talked to him about it - he understood totally, too - in the fifth inning there his velo dropped a...

Hyde on Phillips: "He's going to be back up here shortly"

Hyde on Phillips: "He's going to be back up here shortly"
Reliever Evan Phillips is the latest Oriole to be given a reset in the minors. The club optioned Phillips this morning and recalled reliever Jimmy Yacabonis in an exchange of right-handers. Phillips has allowed two earned runs in each of his last three appearances and also let two inherited runners score last night to leave him with a 7.11 ERA in 12 2/3 innings. Command has been an issue with Phillips, who's issued 10 walks and hit three batters. He's also thrown two wild pitches. "We want...

Ynoa settling into solid bullpen role

Ynoa settling into solid bullpen role
It never fails. A reliever has success and is capable of gobbling up innings and a manager is asked whether a spot in the rotation could open up. Brandon Hyde is experiencing it with Gabriel Ynoa, who has allowed only one run and walked one batter with 11 strikeouts in 11 1/3 innings. He's tossed three scoreless innings in back-to-back appearances. "I think he would be in the mix if we went in that direction, but he's also pitching his way into higher-leverage situations and being somebody...

The rotation, the catch, Núñez and the weather (O's down 8-2, delay)

The rotation, the catch, Núñez and the weather (O's down 8-2, delay)
The Orioles begin a stretch tonight of playing 20 games in a row before the next off-day on May 30 that divides a homestand consisting of series against the Tigers and Giants. Manager Brandon Hyde hasn't made any firm decisions regarding changes to his rotation to accommodate the heavier workload. Hyde had toyed with the idea of using six starters, but Alex Cobb is on the injured list again. Dan Straily, Dylan Bundy and John Means are taking the mound against the Angels this weekend, and David...

Home runs hurt Orioles again in 8-5 loss (with quotes)

Home runs hurt Orioles again in 8-5 loss (with quotes)
The Orioles were playing a dangerous game tonight with the Red Sox, going toe-to-toe and trading home runs while leading the majors in the number allowed by a wide margin. Pretty hard to win that battle. Mitch Moreland broke the third tie of the night with a three-run shot off reliever Branden Kline in the top of the fifth inning and the Red Sox outlasted the Orioles 8-5 before an announced crowd of 10,703 at Camden Yards. Homers accounted for the first nine runs of the night, the teams trading...

Orioles and Red Sox lineups

Orioles and Red Sox lineups
Joey Rickard is starting in left field tonight and Stevie Wilkerson is in center as the Orioles continue their series against the Red Sox at Camden Yards. Dwight Smith Jr. is the designated hitter. Hanser Alberto was out of the lineup last night, but he's playing second base tonight. Jonathan Villar moves to shortstop. Chris Davis is batting fifth. Austin Wynns is catching. Renato Núñez is a career .302 (19-for-63) hitter against the Red Sox, but he's on the bench tonight. David Hess...

Notes on rotation, Bleier and Mullins (O's lead 4-1)

Notes on rotation, Bleier and Mullins (O's lead 4-1)
Yesterday's postponement due to inclement weather, the third for the Orioles this season, has pushed back the starters while keeping them in order. Manager Brandon Hyde sees no reason to tamper with the rotation and leapfrog anyone. Left-hander John Means opens tonight's series against the Red Sox instead of closing out the Rays series yesterday. David Hess and Andrew Cashner will start the next two nights leading into Thursday's off-day. Dan Straily was supposed to pitch Wednesday, but...

Will Orioles be able to expand bench?

Will Orioles be able to expand bench?
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde appreciates the value of having an extra pitcher in his bullpen. He also covets a fourth bench player. The math doesn't work and Hyde knows it. No calculator required. A 26th man is permissible only for the second game of a traditional doubleheader scheduled the day after a postponement. Rosters won't expand until September. What's a manager to do? He concedes that having starters who are laboring to get beyond the fifth inning requires a 13-man pitching staff,...