This, that and the other
This, that and the other
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
Part of my spring training routine that disappeared after March 11 was receiving and passing along the list of Orioles extras brought over from the minor league complex. Some high draft picks and some minor league free agents. Pitcher Isaac Mattson fell into a different category. The Orioles didn't draft or sign him. They acquired him from the Angels as part of the four-pitcher package for Dylan Bundy. Mattson appeared in two exhibition games and totaled one inning, but he warranted our...
Memorabilia and memorable moments
Memorabilia and memorable moments
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
The absence of games during the sports shutdown has made it necessary for me to tap into my many years on the Orioles beat and my memories as a kid rooting for the team to keep the blog humming. There are only so many roster decisions and stalled competitions to dissect. Only so much speculation about the 2020 season to rekindle and douse. Let's find out a little more about you. With a heavy dose of me, of course. What is your most random or bizarre piece of sports memorabilia? I own a hockey...
Nats prospect watch: Freeman's simple swing should pay dividends at Double-A
Nats prospect watch: Freeman's simple swing should pay dividends at Double-A
Byron Kerr
Nationals
Nationals prospect Cole Freeman was a Carolina League All-Star in 2019 and also got a shot at playing 15 games in the Arizona Fall League for the Surprise Saguaros. The 25-year-old worked with Nationals hitting coordinator Troy Gingrich at spring training for a short time. Gingrich admired Freeman's compact swing. "I only got to see him for three days," Gingrich said. "He's very simple. He's got a short swing. He's got to where he is using his legs, his lower half, in his swing as well....
Home confinement re-watch: 2019 World Series Game 5
Home confinement re-watch: 2019 World Series Game 5
Mark Zuckerman
Nationals
As fans began entering Nationals Park for Game 5 of the World Series, a few thoughts probably were foremost on everyone's minds ... * The home team had to win one of these games eventually, right? * The fact that Max Scherzer was starting for the Nationals should help make that happen, right? No. And no. Not even close. The home team would not win on this night, nor on any forthcoming night (though nobody could have realized that at the time). And more troublesome, Scherzer would not start...
Pick four: The players that mean a lot to you
Pick four: The players that mean a lot to you
Steve Melewski
Orioles
You know how everyone has a Twitter challenge or question for you these days. I got this one recently. Twice actually. Pick four players who mean and/or meant a lot in your life. I could pick many more than four but the four that jumped out at me were Brooks Robinson, Earl Weaver, Mike Martin and Andy Etchebarren. Brooks is an obvious one. My all-time favorite player and No. 1 for many around Birdland. An all-time great person. A Hall of Fame player and person. Not much more needs to be said,...
Some unforgettable moments covering the Orioles in New York
Some unforgettable moments covering the Orioles in New York
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
A regular season allowed to play out as intended would have brought the Orioles back home tonight after a four-game series in the Bronx. Gary Sánchez probably would have hit five or six home runs. And Gleyber Torres would have said, "Hold my protein shake." The Orioles were supposed to host the Pirates in a three-game weekend series and we could have rehashed the 1971 and 1979 World Series. Better to reminisce about the 2017 regular season and a two-game sweep for the Orioles at Camden...
Nats Prospect watch: Nick Banks shortens swing to add to power stroke
Nats Prospect watch: Nick Banks shortens swing to add to power stroke
Byron Kerr
Nationals
Nationals minor league hitting instructor Troy Gingrich had more positive news on outfielder Nick Banks, who garnered a lot of attention last summer with his game-winning three-run homer in the Carolina League All-Star Classic in Frederick, Md. Banks, 25, is rated as the No. 27 prospect in the MLBPipeline.com Nats top 30. Gingrich said the left-handed hitting Banks made a big jump in his swing and plate discipline in 2019. His numbers improved as the season got going. He slashed .278/.338/.431...
Home confinement re-watch: 2019 World Series Game 4
Home confinement re-watch: 2019 World Series Game 4
Mark Zuckerman
Nationals
If Game 3 of the World Series was the most frustrating four hours of the Nationals' entire postseason run, what was Game 4? Awfully frustrating in its own right, that's what it was. There weren't as many squandered opportunities at the plate as there were the previous night, but there were more than a few. And though the final score (an 8-1 Astros victory) was lopsided, the game was very much there for the taking in the bottom of the sixth and top of the seventh, perhaps the key stretch of...
Reaching out to non-baseball teams during MLB's shutdown
Reaching out to non-baseball teams during MLB's shutdown
Steve Melewski
Orioles
Today was supposed to be opening night in minor league baseball. Triple-A Norfolk would be hosting Gwinnett and Double-A Bowie would host Richmond. Single-A Frederick was scheduled to play at Fayetteville and Single-A Delmarva would be hosting Asheville. But when baseball was shut down March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Orioles' minor league teams had yet to even play exhibition games. There were around 150 players at The Buck O'Neil Baseball Complex at Twin Lakes Park. Some had...
Because You Asked - The Island of Lost Dreams
Because You Asked - The Island of Lost Dreams
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
I'm wearing rubber gloves today while sorting through my mailbag. All of my clothes are made out of Glad trash bags. Safety first. Don't use the scented brand. They'll give you a headache. I'd keep a six-foot distance from the mail, but my vision is pretty bad. Also, my arms wouldn't reach it. You know what's also a reach? Trying to convince anyone that there's an actual bag. But treat it as you would "Rocky IV" and suspend disbelief. (The Soviet crowd chanting his name at the end?...