Looking at some prospects that could make O's player pool

Looking at some prospects that could make O's player pool
This Sunday at 4 p.m. ET is the expected deadline for teams to submit their player pool of 60 names for the 2020 season. It is from this group of 60 that 30 players will be active on opening day. The active roster will be reduced to 28 after two weeks and to 26 after four weeks. It's safe to assume that some teams will include several of their top prospects among the pool of 60 players, and that some will wind up on taxi squads when play begins. Teams will put some players on their taxi squads...

How it might look in 2020: The O's rotation

How it might look in 2020: The O's rotation
Over the next few weeks, let's take a look at some aspects of the Orioles and how they were shaping up at the time that spring training was halted. Today, a look at the rotation. To me the rotation was setting up this way: No. 1 - John Means: He was slated to be the opening day starter if the opener was going to be on March 26. Everything was pointing to that and Means was on schedule for that start. It just had not been announced yet. Means had a solid spring and looked confident and ready to...

Hyde on Cobb, Harvey, Hardy and more

Hyde on Cobb, Harvey, Hardy and more
SARASOTA, Fla. - Alex Cobb is going to wait a little longer before making another start. Cobb will pitch in a simulated game Friday while the Orioles play the Yankees in Tampa. His next start is March 11 versus the Blue Jays in Dunedin. "He threw right around 50 pitches yesterday and looked great and he felt great after," said manager Brandon Hyde. "Actually threw a little bit more than we had planned for and he felt outstanding during it and after, so we're good to go." The adjustments...

O's game blog: Bundy faces Wright in homestand opener

O's game blog: Bundy faces Wright in homestand opener
After losing four straight at Toronto to complete a 2-4 road trip, the Orioles begin a six-game homestand tonight. They will host Boston for three games and Miami for three beginning Friday night. The Orioles (19-45) return home with the worst record in the majors. They have lost 11 of 13, 13 of 17 and 17 of their past 23. The Orioles are 1-6 against Boston but this is the first series the club have played at Oriole Park. The O's are 1-9 their past 10 games against the Red Sox. The Red Sox are...

Can the rotation lead an O's turnaround? (Plus farm notes)

Can the rotation lead an O's turnaround? (Plus farm notes)
If there was ever a good time for a rainout, maybe last night was it for the Orioles. They were scheduled to begin a three-game series with Tampa Bay but got washed out at Camden Yards. The Orioles are trying to reverse a 6-17 start that has seen them lose nine of 10 and 11 of their past 13 games. They are just 3-7 at home, where they've scored only 19 runs in 10 games. Maybe a day away will be beneficial. With a 2-1 loss to Cleveland Monday night, the Orioles ended a stretch in which they...

O's game blog: Kevin Gausman pitches Toronto series finale

O's game blog: Kevin Gausman pitches Toronto series finale
After 7-1 and 2-1 losses, the Orioles need a win at home tonight to avoid getting swept three straight by the Toronto Blue Jays. The Orioles are 4-8 and Toronto is 8-4. Toronto is 3-0-1 in its four series. They split four with the Yankees and then won two of three from both the White Sox and Rangers. A Toronto win tonight would give them their first three-game sweep in Baltimore since July 16-18, 2010. O's starters Dylan Bundy and Andrew Cashner combined to pitch 14 innings allowing just two...

Is Ryan Mountcastle headed for top 100?

Is Ryan Mountcastle headed for top 100?
About two weeks ago in this space, I wrote about the big year Orioles minor league outfielder Austin Hays is having, and that he may be underrated by national analysts. There may be another O's minor leaguer who fits that bill in Double-A Bowie third baseman Ryan Mountcastle. Like Hays, Mountcastle has some stats that compare favorably to other prospects who are rated much higher. While Hays moved up from Single-A Frederick to Bowie and continued to rake, Mountcastle moved up also, but did not...

O's go for sweep today, plus minor league pitcher notes

O's go for sweep today, plus minor league pitcher notes
The Orioles top two picks in the 2016 draft, pitchers Cody Sedlock and Keegan Akin, will end the minor league season on the disabled list with Single-A Frederick. But the Orioles will bring both players to their instructional league next month in hopes they head into the offseason healthy. Sedlock, the 27th overall pick in round one, has been on the disabled list twice with elbow issues. He spent July 1-22 on the DL with a right elbow flexor strain and went back on it Friday. "He'll go to...

O's game blog: Jeremy Hellickson makes Orioles debut

O's game blog: Jeremy Hellickson makes Orioles debut
Right-hander Jeremy Hellickson tonight joins an Orioles rotation that has pitched to an ERA of 0.94 the last four games and 3.18 the past eight. He will make his Orioles debut as the O's look to complete a three-game sweep of the Royals. At 52-54 and with four wins in a row and 10 wins the past 15 games, the Orioles could move to within 2 ½ games of the Royals with a win. The Royals (55-50) currently hold the second American League wild card spot, leading that by 1 ½ games over the...

O's minor league playoff contenders and other farm notes

O's minor league playoff contenders and other farm notes
With about six weeks to go in the minor league regular season, five of the seven Orioles minor league teams are either leading for a playoff berth or are within four games of one. Double-A Bowie (53-47) is leading its division in the Eastern League by one game over Erie, two games over Altoona and 2 1/2 over Akron. The top two teams will make the playoffs. Single-A Delmarva (17-12) is leading its division in the South Atlantic League by 1 1/2 games. They play two halves in that league. Single-A...

O's get elusive quality start, trade talk and a gem on the farm

O's get elusive quality start, trade talk and a gem on the farm
Entering his start last night with an 7.90 ERA and with just two quality starts in 11 outings for the season, right-hander Chris Tillman was desperately in need of a well-pitched game. So were the Orioles. Both got one. Tillman allowed just two hits and one run over six innings as the Orioles beat the Texas Rangers 3-1 to open a four-game series. Tillman's outing was in stark contrast to the starting pitching over the weekend versus the Cubs. The O's starters in that series gave up 27 hits...

O's game blog: O's and Pirates begin two-game series

O's game blog: O's and Pirates begin two-game series
The Orioles are 4-2 against National League teams this year, going 2-1 against both Washington and Cincinnati. Their next three games are versus NL teams, starting with a two-game series that begins tonight with Pittsburgh. This series will end a nine-game homestand. The Orioles are 4-3 on the stand, going 2-1 against the Yankees and 2-2 against the Red Sox. The Orioles went 14-6 in interleague games last season. The 14 wins were the most in club history. Since interleague play began in 1997,...

Projecting the minor league rotations and a look at today's game

Projecting the minor league rotations and a look at today's game
NORFOLK, Va. - The minor league seasons for the Orioles' four full-seaon affiliates at Triple-A Norfolk, Double-A Bowie, Single-A Frederick and Single-A Delmarva begin next Thursday, April 6. It should not be too long before the break-camp rosters are announced. For now, we can speculate on what the rotations could look like starting next Thursday, so let's take some (hopefully) educated guesses: Norfolk: With right-hander Tyler Wilson expected to start the year in the Orioles bullpen, news...

Notes on Luis Matos, PECOTA, the WBC, Matt Wieters and more

Notes on Luis Matos, PECOTA, the WBC, Matt Wieters and more
Led by their manager, former Orioles outfielder Luis Matos, Puerto Rico beat Mexico 1-0 in extra innings Tuesday night to win its first Caribbean Series title since 2000. "Being my first year as a manager in Puerto Rico and knowing that Puerto Rico has not won in 16 years brings a lot of joy," Matos told reporters. "I'm very happy and I'm very excited. We've been down in every series. We were 0-3 and we came back with three wins, and we are champions right now." The Orioles drafted Matos...

Minor league notes on league top 20s, Chance Sisco and Tanner Scott

Minor league notes on league top 20s, Chance Sisco and Tanner Scott
Baseball America has been rolling out its top 20 prospects list for each minor league over the last several days. They have not published the Triple-A league lists yet, but so far through the Double-A level, the Orioles have had just five players make the top 20s. Four of those were off the short-season Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds team when they ranked players from the New York-Penn League. The O's top draft pick from June, Illinois right-hander Cody Sedlock, was ranked No. 5 in that league...

O's game blog: Chris Tillman faces the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre

O's game blog: Chris Tillman faces the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre
TORONTO - Still with a shot to catch the Blue Jays for the first American League wild card while also trying to hold off the teams trailing them for the second wild card, the Orioles play in Toronto tonight in the second game of a three-game series. The Birds were held to eight hits - just one for extra bases, a double - and went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position on Tuesday night. They were held to one run over six innings by Aaron Sanchez in a 5-1 loss. The Orioles (85-72) lead the...

O's beat Tampa Bay as Ubaldo Jimenez pitches complete game

O's beat Tampa Bay as Ubaldo Jimenez pitches complete game
On Sunday, the Orioles fell behind 3-0 in the first inning and could not overcome the early deficit. Today was quite different. Down 3-0 in the first on the road against Tampa Bay, the Orioles stormed back with two runs in the fourth and five in the fifth to beat the Rays 7-3 at Tropicana Field. The Orioles are 75-62 overall, 30-37 on the road and 10-3 versus the Rays as they begin a nine-game road trip in the win column. Right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez allowed a three-run homer in the first inning...

Alexander Wells on making All-Star Game (plus O's notes)

Alexander Wells on making All-Star Game (plus O's notes)
The Orioles' Australian import is certainly having a strong first season in pro ball. Alexander Wells, a 19-year left-hander from Newcastle, Australia, is 4-5 with a 2.03 ERA in 10 starts for short-season Single-A Aberdeen. His strong season is leading him to Tuesday's New York-Penn League All-Star Game at Hudson Valley. "It is a very good honor," Wells said in Aberdeen this week. "A bit shocked and surprised. But it is a great feeling and I'm really happy to represent Aberdeen." The...

O's game blog: Tonight's game and minor league notes (O's lose 2-1)

O's game blog: Tonight's game and minor league notes (O's lose 2-1)
The Orioles have played the Yankees six times this year, winning four, but both of those series were in Baltimore. They make their first visit to Yankee Stadium tonight to start a four-game series. Off a series win on the road against the Rays, the Orioles are 53-37 and leading the American League East by two games over the Red Sox and three over the Blue Jays. The Yankees (45-46) are in fourth place, 8 1/2 games out. New York is under .500 after the All-Star break for the first time since...

Australian lefty Alexander Wells is off to good start with Aberdeen

Australian lefty Alexander Wells is off to good start with Aberdeen
He has come a long way to pursue his major league dream. And so far it is going quite well for 19-year-old left-handed pitcher Alexander Wells from Newcastle, Australia. Signed by the Orioles last Aug. 29 for $300,000, Wells was the opening night starter for short season Single-A Aberdeen. So far he has pitched to an ERA of 1.64 over his first two professional starts. Wells' twin brother Lachlan Wells is also in pro ball and was the first of the duo to sign a pro contract. The Minnesota Twins...