O's look to Saunders in 1 game playoff against Texas!

The Baltimore Orioles will travel to Texas to take on the Texas Rangers tonight in a battle of 2 wild card teams in the Major League Baseball Playoffs. Buck Showalter has elected to give the ball to Joe Saunders tonight over the rookie Steve Johnson. This is the first time the O's have made the playoffs since 1997 with many people around baseball having us as one of the worse baseball teams in the Majors.

The O's will go up against rookie ace Yu Darvish who over the past month or so has been one of the best pitchers in the American League. This won't stop the O's led by Adam Jones and Chris Davis as tonight's contest could be a high scoring game with the way the ball fly's out of the stadium in Arlington!

Lets Go O's! I got the O's winning 8-5 ballgame and moving on!

The Orioles look for sweep against Yanks!

The Baltimore Orioles have rode a up and down roller coaster all season. They play really well for a stretch lose a couple games and then find ways to win games. The same thing happened on Tuesday Night in New York as Chris Tillman gave up 5 runs in the first inning. The O's bounced back in the top of the second to score 7 with the big blast coming on Chris Davis first career grand slam. The O's would go on to add 4 more runs and win the game 11-5. O's got 3 hit games from Nick Markakis & Wilson Betemit in the win.

The O's & Yankees will wrap up a 3 game series today at 1:05 pm in New York. Zach Britton will throw for the Birds while Phil Hughes will throw for the Pin strippers. The O's have picked up 2 games in the standings and now trail the Yankees by 5 1/2 games.

O's fight back for the walk of Win!

Looked like another losing night in Baltimore as the Orioles would get behind early. The Washington Nationals would get 1 run in the first, 2 in the third and 3 in the fourth all off of young Jake Arrieta but that is all they would get as the bullpen came in and shut the door while the O's hitter found ways to get on base and score. Much of that came from the Nationals who committed 4 errors on the night that lead to 4 unearned runs to cross the plate the biggest one of them coming in the bottom of the 9th. The Nationals attempted to turn a double play that would have ended the inning turned in to being a throwing error by Christian Guzman that would allow Jake Fox to score from second base. This gave the Orioles back to back wins for the first time since they won 3 straight from May 12th to the 14th.

The Orioles as a team picked up another double digits in the hit column with 13. Nick Markakis and Corey Patterson each picked up 3 hits while Scott Moore and Cesar Izturis had 2 hits a piece. Moore pinched hit for Atkins in the 8th and would hit a 2 run home-run that would help the O's come back to even the score at 6.

The Orioles moved there record to 21-52 on the Season.

O's fail to land Valentine, search continues!

The Baltimore Orioles entertained the Bobby Valentine but thats all they did as the former Major League Coach told the organization he was not interested in the position. Though he did say he was interested in another manager position with the Florida Marlins. That could come true as reports indicate he will be offered a 4 year contract. Though the Orioles did not make any news of a offer to Valentine they did continue there search as they interviewed Buck Showalter on Wednesday and plan to bring Eric Wedge for a second interview sometime soon. The O's also will give former O's and 1983 World Series MVP Rick Dempsey another interview for the position.

The search will continue till the O's find the right man for the job!

O's take shortstop Machado!

The Baltimore Orioles used the number 3 pick in the baseball draft to select high school shortstop Manny Machado. This selection gives the organization a chance to develop another great shortstop from the ground up. This young man has been compared by some as the next A-Rod.

The down fall is he is only 17 and is coming out of high school which could mean it could be a few years before he will be a impact on the big league club. That is if the team can come to terms with him. Machado is 6 foot 2. He has committed to college plus add in that his agent is Scott Boras and the likely hood is that the O's fans might not ever get to cheer for him.

Lets hope for the sake of the organization he could be the future shortstop for a long time.

A glimpse back at the 08-04 first round picks!

The draft is approaching and all talk is around 3 players. Those three players are Bryce Harper, Manny Machado and Jameson Taillon all three expect to be gone within the first 3 picks with Harper going number 1 to the Nationals. The Orioles select third and will choose what ever player out of the other two are left. So I decided to take a look at the first round picks of the O's for the 5 drafts prior to last year as many of the players have not made it to the big leagues from last years draft.

2008 Draft: Brian Matusz
Outlook: Brian Matusz has the making to be a very solid pitcher and has showed in spurts that he can pitch at the major league level. The problem with him is he has been inconsistent in his starts but still has great command. My outlook he will be a top of rotation starter more likely a solid number 2 starter.
Players we could have drafted: Gordon Beckham & Justin Smoak
My Pick: Justin Smoak as the team was looking for a power bat and needed young corner infielder to go along with Nick Markakis, Adam Jones & Matt Wieters. Matusz adds to our pitching depth but either of these picks would have helped round out are infield this year as the O's needed a shortstop and first baseman.
Win Or Loss: Undecided

2007 Draft: Matt Wieters
Outlook: Matt Wieters still has a learning curve in the majors but is a solid catcher who will only get better as the Orioles eventually get better. So far with out the Orioles having that one big bat the young stars over trying to hard to succeed. He will develop into a great star in the coming seasons.
Players we could have drafted: Jason Heyward, Ricky Porcello & Ross Detwiler
My Pick: Matt Wieters would have been my pick also as you can build a team a around a great catcher take a look at the Twins.
Win Or Loss: Undecided

2006 Draft: Bill Rowell & Pedro Beato
Outlook: Bill Rowell has yet to shown he can make it up through the organization and the team has moved in different directions with Josh Bell & Brandon Snyder. Pedro Beato who? As of now we haven't heard much of him.
Players we could have drafted: Tim Lincecum, Ian Kennedy & Max Scherzer
My Pick: Tim Lincecum as the hype surrounding him was much higher than Bill Rowell and if we had the front office we do now that pick might have happened.
Win Or Loss: Loss

2005 Draft: Brandon Snyder & Garrett Olson
Outlook: Brandon Snyder drafted as catcher but after injuries he moved to first base. A solid season last year had high hopes of him joining the big club this season. He could be a solid first baseman but still needs to prove it in the majors. Garrett Olson showed promise in a few starts but after a few season we traded him away.
Players we could have drafted: Cliff Pennington, Jacoby Ellsbury, Matt Garza, Colby Rasmus & Joey Devine.
My Pick: Than would have been Snyder but now no sense Matt Garza.
Win Or Loss: Loss at this point

2004 Draft: Wade Townsend
Outlook: Wade had a huge upside as a starter but never developed.
Players we could have drafted: Jered Weaver, Stephen Drew, Phil Hughes, Blake Dewitt
My Pick: Stephen Drew
Win Or Loss: Loss

Though we did get Matt Wieters & Brian Matusz we could have a roster that looked like this:

1. Brian Roberts 2b-(when he returns)
2. Stephen Drew SS
3. Nick Markakis RF
4. Justin Smoak 1b
5. Matt Wieters C
6. Miguel Tejada 3b
7. Adam Jones CF
8. Ty Wigginton DH
9. Felix Pie Lf-(when he returns)

Start Rotation:

1. Tim Lincecum
2. Kevin Millwood
3. Matt Garza
4. Jeremy Guthrie
5. Brad Bergesen

Only if drafts went a little different!

Another solid start wasted by lack of offense!

Jeremy Guthrie was in a battle with Jon Lester through the first 6 innings as both pitchers would not allow a run to cross in those innings. The Orioles had a great chance with runners at second and third with 1 out in the 5th inning and Lester got a short pop-up and a ground ball out to get out of it. Guthrie got in trouble in the first but got out of it with out allowing a run. Guthrie gave up a home-run in the 6th inning and would leave after 7.1 innings of solid pitching. The Orioles had another chance in the bottom of the 7th loading the bases with 1 out and could not get a run across the board. The O's would turn to the bullpen for the final 5 outs to finish the game and to keep them in it but that would not be the case. As each of the three relievers would allow a run with Will Ohman giving up 4 runs with out getting a out. The O's would put 2 on the board in the bottom of the 9th but the lead was to far to be reached and would fall 8-2.

The O's will look to avoid the sweep on Sunday as Brian Matusz will throw against John Lackey.

O's Notes: Juan Samuel is 0-2 in first two games as manager and O's have lost 10 straight games.

O's lose another one in Toronto!

The Baltimore Orioles do lead the league in a few things this year but all the wrong ones to lead and with another loss on Sunday all they can do is wonder when will things change. Jeremy Guthrie pitched 7 innings allowing 4 runs while striking out 2 en route to his 5 loss of the season. Guthrie who pitched solid received very little run support verses Ricky Romero who pitched a complete game gem for the Blue Jays. The difference was they got him 6 runs all that he would need.

In the series the O's scored a total of 3 runs and now head to another offensive power team the New York Yankees. The loss was the O's 8th straight at Toronto and 6 straight against the Blue Jays this season. The O's are 2-8 in the last 10 games to put them in the bottom of the league in wins(15), win percentage(.294) and the most games back of first place(19).

The O's head to New York as Brian Matusz will take on Javier Vazquez.

Birds nest left empty as Blue Jays win!

The Baltimore Orioles went north of the border on Friday to take on the Toronto Blue Jays. With the teams ace on the mound they were looking to snap the 3 game losing streak. The only problem was the teams offense never made it to Toronto as the Blue Jays starter Shaun Marcum didn't allow a run in 6 innings pitched. The O's did get 3 hits from Miguel Tejada and 2 more from Ty Wigginton but could not manage a hit when they had players in scoring position. As a team they were 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position. Kevin Millwood pitched 6 innings allowing 4 earned runs while striking out 2 and would be on the end of another loss to move his record to 0-5 on the season.

The O's will turn to Chris Tillman on Saturday as he was called up Friday night to make his first start of the season.

Could Tillman be the answer?

The Baltimore Orioles are riding a three game losing streak heading in to Saturdays afternoon showdown with the Blue Jays. The O's will call on recently promoted Chris Tillman to make the start and try to break the slump. Earlier in the week the O's announced that David Hernandez would head to the bullpen to help out a injured and beat up pen that is need of some help. At that point all signs pointed to the recall of Tillman from Triple A Norfolk and that news happened this evening after the O's were defeated by the Blue Jays. In order make that move the O's optioned Cla Meredith to Norfolk.

Chris Tillman in his past 5 starts has shown he is ready to pitch in the bigs. In those starts he is 3-1 with a 2.32 era. These were the numbers the O's were looking for in spring but they will take them now. Lets just hope he will be the answer!

O's fall to A's in finale, next up the Blue Jays!

The O's could not hold an early lead and fall to the A's in the final of a 3 game series. The O's were up 5-2 after 7 innings but after the first two batters reached base off of Brad Bergesen the skipper Dave Trembley would turn to the bullpen. The bullpen would not hold the lead as Mark Hendrickson would allow Bergesen's two runners to score plus 3 more to give the A's a 7-5 lead. The O's would fail to score in the final two innings and would lose another series!

The O's will head to Canada to take on AL East Rivals the Toronto Blue Jays tonight! Kevin Millwood will be looking for his first win of the season and will take on Shaun Marcum.

Bergesen looks to win series for the Birds!

Brad Bergesen will take the mound in an effort to win the series for the O's against the A's. Bergesen has been solid in some starts and shaky in others so it will take his solid outing for the O's to win. The A's will throw Gio Gonzalez a lefty who has a 3.46 era while coming off his best outing of the season.

The O's need the bats to come alive after a 3 hit performance Wednesday night. The positive note Garrett Atkins connected for his first home-run of the season.

Nick Markakis swinging hot bat, while hitting in last 8!

Nick Markakis keeps picking up hits while extending his hit streak to 8 following tuesday nights 2-2 night with 2 walks. Markakis is hitting .400 in those 8 games with 12 hits while also adding 9 base on balls. Markakis who connected for his 3rd home-run of the season tuesday night continues to get on base through walks and hits. He is 3rd in the AL with a .417 on base percentage and also 3rd in the AL in walks with 32.

Up next for Markakis is Trevor Cahill who he has 6 plate appearances against with 4 hits in the at bats.

O's find ways to score runs, beat A's 5-1!

The Baltimore Orioles have struggled this season scoring runs but Tuesday was a different pattern. The Orioles scored there first 3 runs with out recording a hit to get it done. The first run came on a throwing error while the second and third runs came on sac flys in the 6th inning. The O's would also get a solo shot off Nick Markakis bat and a rbi double from Matt Wieters to move the score to 5-1. Thats all Guthrie and the bullpen would need to hold of the A's.

A's would lose Dallas Braden left after the fourth due to an ankle injury he has been dealing with. In the 4 innings he allowed only the 1 unearned run while striking out 4 and walking 2.

Up next in the Series tonight is Brian Matusz taking on Trevor Cahill.

O's add 2 arms to pen, put 2 on dl!

The Baltimore Orioles have been bitten by the injury bug this season as two more players went to the list. Koji Uehara and Alfredo Simon both were added to the 15 day dl prior to the start of the series against the A's. In return the O's called up Alberto Castillo and Frank Mata to resume there positions in the bullpen.

This causes a big question mark on who's going to close ball games for the team. Mata was a closer for the Norfolk Tides posting 8 saves to the team. The other options are Cla Meredith or a closer by demand.

The O's did get good news though All-Star Second Basemen Brian Roberts was told he could resume baseball related activities.

Justin Turner claimed by Mets!

Justin Turner who was designated for assignment by the O's was claimed by the New York Mets according to mlbtraderumors.com. Turner who appeared in the majors for the Orioles this year with 9 at bats but not recording a hit while striking out 3 times.

The O's acquired Turner in the trade that sent Ramon Hernandez to the Reds.

O's looking to break 2 game slide tonight against Dallas Braden, A's!

The Baltimore Orioles head back to Oriole Park tonight to take on the Oakland A's after losing the series to the Washington Nationals. The O's have lost back to back games are looking for Jeremy Guthrie to put a win up on the board. Guthrie has allowed only 1 earned run in each of his last two starts. But standing in there way is Dallas Braden a very good lefty who just pitched a perfect game a few starts ago.

The Orioles are hitting .261 against lefties this season with 8 home-runs & 41 rbi's. Nick Markakis is one Oriole killing lefties this season batting .364 against them with 6 doubles, 1 triple and 1 home-run. He also has 20 total hits against them in 55 at bats. Other O's hitters doing well against lefties include Miguel Tejada and Julio Lugo. Lugo though only has 21 at bats verse them but has 8 hits. Tejada is batting .310 against them with 2 home-runs and 3 doubles.

The O's will need solid pitching and deep outings from there starters to win this series. Game 2 Brian Matusz will throw against Tervor Cahill while in game 3 David Hernandez will go against Gio Gonzalez. The birds starters have some work cut out for them as both starters for the A's have pitched solid and have under 4 era's meaning the O's may have trouble putting runs up on the board.

O's lose beltway series on walk-off!

The Baltimore Orioles are miles down the beltway from the Washington Nationals causing this to be a big Rivalry though they may only play each other a few times a season. The O's and Nat's each won a game heading in to the day game on Sunday to see who would win the series. The game most action came in the final two innings in which they O's battle back in the 9th to force it to extra innings after Alfredo Simon pitched a scoreless 9th inning. The O's failed to score in the 10th and Simon headed back to the mound to pitch the 10th but after injuring himself covering first base he would have to leave the game. This forcing the O's to bring in Cla Meredith to try and finish the 10th. That would not be the case as Josh Willingham hit a solo shot off of him and the O's fell to the Nat's 4-3.

The loss moved the O's record to 14-31 while the Nat's moved to there record to 23-22. Both teams have a lot of baseball yet to play.

O's injuries piling up!

The Baltimore Orioles who seem to have nothing going for them this season but injuries. The team has all ready lost all-star second baseman Brian Roberts, closer Mike Gonzalez & Jim Johnson after he was sent down to the minors. Gonzalez & Johnson both struggled this season with a little belief that they could have both been injured causing them not to perform at high levels. The team also recently got Koji Uehara back from the disabled list but after his outing wednesday he has been unable to go causing some to believe he may be on his way back to the dl.

Than there was the latest injury to Alfredo Simon who pitched a scoreless 9th inning today but in the 10th seemed to pull something in his leg trying to get to first to cover on a ground ball. That appeared not only to hurt him but hurt the team as the team had to call on Cla Meredith. Moments later he gave up the game winner on a solo shot off the bat of Josh Willingham.

While the O's are trying to get some wins together these injuries are killing them as a team.

O's fall to Nats, will look for series win tomorrow!

The Baltimore Orioles jumped on the board first with a two-run single off the bat of Ty Wigginton in the first inning. The Washington Nationals would respond a few innings later to take the lead. Than the O's would take the lead again on a rare feat a inside the park 2 run homer off the bat of Adam Jones. Than the lead was cut to one but the O's were able to add two more to the board on Wigginton's 13th home-run of the season. That pushed the lead to 6-3 but the Nationals would put 4 on the board in the bottom of the 6th and thats how the game would end as the Nations won 7-6.

The Baltimore Orioles will send Kevin Millwood to the mound in a attempt to win the series for the Birds while the Washington Nations will send John Lannan to battle for them.