Orioles and Rays postponed

Orioles and Rays postponed
Today's game between the Orioles and Rays has been postponed due to inclement weather. The teams will play a split-admission doubleheader on July 13, with the first game starting at 1:05 p.m. The nightcap will begin at 7:05 p.m. This is the third postponement for the Orioles this season. They also were rained out April 19 against the Twins at Camden Yards, swept in a doubleheader the next day, and Tuesday in Chicago, where they split a twinbill the following day. The July 13 game is part of a...

Notes on Karns, Carroll, Martin, Alberto and more (O's lead 3-0)

Notes on Karns, Carroll, Martin, Alberto and more (O's lead 3-0)
Orioles reliever Nate Karns has returned to Baltimore and will receive a second opinion on his right forearm Monday after being removed from his injury rehab assignment. Karns hasn't pitched since working one inning April 25 at Double-A Bowie, where he allowed two runs and two hits. He retired only one batter April 20 at Triple-A Norfolk, and surrendered three runs, but the Orioles are more interested in how his arm's feeling than the outs that it produces. "Once we get the results there,...

Orioles Game 1 lineup vs. White Sox (updated)

Orioles Game 1 lineup vs. White Sox (updated)
CHICAGO - Trey Mancini has returned to the Orioles' lineup today for Game 1 of the doubleheader against the White Sox. Mancini is batting second and playing right field. Renato Núñez is the first baseman while Chris Davis goes to the bench. Hanser Alberto is playing third base. Stevie Wilkerson is in left field. David Hess faced the White Sox last week in Baltimore and allowed four runs in five innings. He retired 12 of the first 13 batters faced before his start crumbled in the fifth....

Game between O's and White Sox postponed due to rain (updated)

Game between O's and White Sox postponed due to rain (updated)
CHICAGO - The latest downpour and a forecast that calls for rain throughout the night have caused the postponement of tonight's game between the Orioles and White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. The teams are forced to play a traditional doubleheader on Wednesday because the Orioles don't return to Chicago this season. The first game is slated for 4:10 p.m. eastern time, with Game 2 starting approximately 30 minutes after the final out. Though the Orioles' pitching plans haven't been...

Orioles recall Yefry Ramirez

Orioles recall Yefry Ramirez
CHICAGO - The Orioles latest roster move involves another pitcher to be placed in their bullpen. However, it isn't Shawn Armstrong. The club announced today that right-hander Yefry Ramirez has been recalled from Triple-A Norfolk. He's expected to be available in relief for tonight's series opener against the White Sox. Ramirez has made four starts with Norfolk and posted a 1.50 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in 18 innings. Opponents are batting .177 against him. A streak of 14 straight scoreless innings...

Latest with Orioles pitching and roster

Latest with Orioles pitching and roster
The Orioles can be thankful that the Twins don't play in their division. Nineteen games against them would be excruciating. The sweep at Target Field over the weekend continued a trend that's seen the Twins win 12 straight games against the Orioles. Someone asked Dylan Bundy, who took the loss yesterday, what makes them so good. "They don't miss pitches over the plate," he replied. No one seems to be missing those pitches, and that's how a staff surrenders 71 home runs in 29 games. And...

Orioles claim Shawn Armstrong off waivers (Ortiz optioned)

Orioles claim Shawn Armstrong off waivers (Ortiz optioned)
A day filled with roster moves and transactions for the Orioles has room for at least one more. The Orioles announced this afternoon that they claimed right-hander Shawn Armstrong off waivers from the Mariners, the latest attempt to settle a pitching staff that's giving up home runs in record proportions. Armstrong, 28, is out of minor league options and will be placed on the Orioles' 25-man roster after he reports to the club, which should happen this week during the series in Chicago that...

Pregame notes on Davis and Bleier, Means on getting another start

Pregame notes on Davis and Bleier, Means on getting another start
MINNEAPOLIS - After missing Wednesday's game in Baltimore due to personal reasons, Chris Davis rejoined the Orioles in Minnesota Friday. But he did not get the start against left-hander Martín Pérez. Davis is batting seventh and playing first base today against right-hander José Berríos. This is all part of a plan by manager Brandon Hyde to put Davis in the best spots to get his bat going. And it is starting to work. Over his last eight games, Davis is batting .360 (9-for-25) with...

Orioles and Twins lineups

Orioles and Twins lineups
The Orioles will try to end a streak of 10 straight losses to the Twins when they meet again this afternoon at Target Field. Chris Davis has returned to the lineup. He left the club Wednesday to attend to a personal matter and was on the bench last night, but he's batting seventh against Twins right-hander José Berríos. Trey Mancini had three more hits last night and is 14-for-34 with five doubles during an eight-game hitting streak. He's in right field today, with Dwight Smith Jr. in...

John Means will stay in rotation for Orioles (game update)

John Means will stay in rotation for Orioles (game update)
MINNEAPOLIS - The Orioles have seen enough of left-hander John Means to want to keep him in the starting rotation. And manager Brandon Hyde said today they will do just that. Means, who is 3-2 with a 1.74 ERA over seven games and three starts, will get a start in the series with the Chicago White Sox that begins Monday night. Hyde said David Hess will go to the bullpen for now. Monday would be Hess' next scheduled turn, so Means could get the ball in the series opener. He just threw five...

This, that and the other

This, that and the other
The Orioles are back on the road, flying into Minnesota yesterday afternoon with a stop pending in Chicago. They're 7-6 away from home. The Twins swept the Orioles last year in a four-game series at Target Field. Alex Cobb, making tonight's start, walked off the mound in the finale with a blister on his finger. Six games on the road trip led to six defeats, leaving the Orioles 24-65 overall and losers of 13 of their last 14 games. They fell to 41 below .500 for the first time since Aug. 1,...

O's lose big to Chicago in series opener at Camden Yards

O's lose big to Chicago in series opener at Camden Yards
Some nights a team puts up a good fight and loses. Some nights they lose and look bad doing so. The Orioles very much experienced the latter tonight as they lose 12-2 to the Chicago White Sox to fall to 8-16 overall and to 1-10 at home. They've lost six of seven and 15 of 19 since their 4-1 start. The Orioles saw their starter give up four runs in the fifth, two relievers allowed four runs each, they made two errors in the field, had a runner picked off third with the bases loaded and went...

Three four-run innings lead to 12-2 Orioles loss (updated)

Three four-run innings lead to 12-2 Orioles loss (updated)
David Hess seemed to be dropping hints early tonight that he'd more closely resemble the version of himself that stymied the Blue Jays in Toronto than the one who turned in his shortest start last week at Tropicana Field. It happened in the first inning with back-to-back called third strikes on Yoán Moncada and José Abreu, a changeup and 95 mph fastball getting Hess back in the dugout on 10 pitches. Or it could have been the five-pitch fourth inning - popup, fly ball and grounder. Blink...

O's game blog: Orioles host the White Sox in series opener

O's game blog: Orioles host the White Sox in series opener
After being swept in a three-game series for the second time this year, the Orioles host the Chicago White Sox tonight to begin a three-game series. The Orioles (8-15) are 1-9 at home and have lost six straight at Camden Yards. Chicago (8-12) is 5-4 over its past nine games. The White Sox are 4-0 at night and 4-12 in day games. That's a lot of games in the sunshine so far for the Sox. The Orioles are 4-8 at night and 4-7 in day baseball. Chicago is 2-4 against the AL East, going 0-3 versus...

Orioles lineup vs. White Sox

Orioles lineup vs. White Sox
Left fielder Dwight Smith Jr. is out of the Orioles lineup for tonight's series opener against the White Sox after leaving yesterday's game with cramping in his right quadriceps muscle. Stevie Wilkerson is in left field after the Orioles selected his contract today from Triple-A Norfolk. Joey Rickard is in center and Trey Mancini is in right. Hanser Alberto is starting at third base and Rio Ruiz is playing first, with Chris Davis on the bench. David Hess has allowed 13 runs in 19 hits in his...

This, that and the other

This, that and the other
Though he went hitless yesterday with a pair of strikeouts and a walk, Renato Núñez continues to lead the Orioles in RBIs with 16 and is one ahead of Dwight Smith Jr. Two players who weren't assured of making the club out of spring training, though Núñez being out of options improved his chances. Smith wasn't in the organization until a March 8 trade between the Orioles and Blue Jays. Former executive Dan Duquette claimed Núñez off waivers from the Rangers on May 13, 2018,...

Means slated to make more starts (and other notes, tied 5-5)

Means slated to make more starts (and other notes, tied 5-5)
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Orioles left-hander John Means is available in the bullpen tonight and for Friday night's series opener against the Twins at Camden Yards. However, he isn't ticketed for exclusive relief duties. Manager Brandon Hyde said Means is the likely choice to start April 26 in Minnesota following the off-day. Means could bounce back and forth between the rotation and bullpen. "Means is still a starting option and he's going to make a lot of starts," Hyde said. "We're going...

What Cobb's return means for the rotation (and other notes)

What Cobb's return means for the rotation (and other notes)
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Orioles manager Brandon Hyde checked on Alex Cobb yesterday, received the information he wanted and proceeded with his pitching plans for the weekend and beyond. Cobb's back is fine. The spasms are gone. And he's coming off the injured list Friday to start against the Twins at Camden Yards. The rotation lines up as Cobb, Dan Straily and Dylan Bundy for the weekend series, followed by David Hess and Andrew Cashner for the first two games against the White Sox in...

Hess hit hard and dugout heated in 8-1 loss (updated)

Hess hit hard and dugout heated in 8-1 loss (updated)
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - If David Hess had any shot at getting deeper into his start tonight against the Rays, he needed to soften the contact against him. Think pillow instead of pillar. Everything that Hess threw was tattooed, with exit velocities in the first inning of 115.4, 102.3, 105.6 and 108.9 mph - the latter resulting in a three-run homer by the University of Maryland's Brandon Lowe on a ball that traveled 409 feet, according to Statcast. Hess allowed another run in the second and...

O's game blog: David Hess gets the ball against the Rays

O's game blog: David Hess gets the ball against the Rays
Right-hander David Hess (1-2, 3.32 ERA) gets the start tonight as the Orioles play the second game of their three-game set at Tropicana Field. The Tampa Bay Rays won 4-2 last night to improve to 13-4, while the Orioles are now 7-11 on the year, 6-5 on the road and 2-3 on the current road trip. The Rays have the best record in the majors and their plus-40 run differential also tops all teams. Tampa Bay leads the American League East by 5 1/2 games. The total division lead in the sport's other...