Category Archives: Baltimore Orioles News

Baltimore Orioles: Trey Mancini finishes second in Home Run Derby

Trey Mancini of the Baltimore Orioles was already the best story of the MLB all-Star game. He was almost the winner of one of the mos lt prestigious events surrounding the game. He finished as the runner-up in the Home Run Derby.

Mancini advanced out of the first round with 24 homers. He only managed 13 in the second, however the round ended early. Mancini eclipsed his opponent’s high of twelve homers in the round.

He then squared off against Pete Alonso of the New York Mets in the final round. And Alonso bested Mancini by one homer. (And again, the round ended early). However it was a great showing for Trey Mancini, who continues as I said to be the best story of the season.

Mancini had Notre Dame pitching coach Chuck Ristano pitching to him. Ristano pitched to Mancini in the 2013 Big East Home Run Derby when Mancini was at Notre Dame. He told Ristano at that time that that if he ever made it to the MLB Home Run Derby, he’d have Ristano pitch to him. And obviously Mancini was true to his word.

Baltimore Orioles draft outfielder Colton Cowser

The Baltimore Orioles selected outfielder Colton Cowser with the fifth pick in this evening’s MLB Draft. Cowser, 21, is enrolled and plays collegiately at Sam Houston State. He bats left and throws right.

This past season at Sam Houston, he hit .374 with 16 homers and 52 RBI. This over 55 games. He was also named to the conference all-defensive team. All in all his college stats are impressive.

Ultimately the Orioles’ first priority needs to be to sign him. But once that’s done the success or failure of his career will start to be decided at the minor league level. The O’s are stacked in the outfield on the farm, but they took the best player available. And that’s all you can ask.

Baltimore Orioles: Father’s Day takes on a new meaning this year

At some point during every Baltimore Orioles game, I think of my Dad. He doesn’t follow the team as religiously as he used to, but that’s okay. I obviously pen this column, so I pick up the slack! However I’m always reminded of the grand Saturday afternoon when he took me to my first game at Memorial Stadium.

It was the greenest grass I’d ever seen, the best hot dogs I’d ever tasted, and the coldest Coca-Cola on earth. I thought about that day a lot 15 years ago when he was diagnosed with cancer. There was little doubt that he’d beat it given the type of cancer that it was and how early we caught it, but it was still scary. However that was a breeze compared to this past year.

Just before Christmas my Dad got a COVID test, as he had been feeling ill. He tested positive. To anyone reading this who didn’t have COVID or know someone who had it, I can’t put into words what goes through your head when you get that news about your parent. On top of that, I see my Dad just about everyday; so I was exposed to it also.

I’m happy to report that if I actually had the virus, it was asymptomatic and I never knew the difference. But while you hear about people who had the virus and were able to treat themselves at home without incident, you also hope that it doesn’t end up being your loved one who’s grasping for breath in a hospital. Away from family and loved ones.

Needless to say it was a unique Christmas. We had our respective Christmas Dinners for one or two over FaceTime, and my parents were happy to know that I did my best to make all of the traditional foods that our family would have for Christmas (Feast of Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve, and ravioli on Christmas Day). But my Dad’s condition deteriorated as the week went on. (Ironically my mother tested negative. Certainly strange given that they live together, but for that we were thankful.)

He was admitted to the hospital on Monday, December 28th. Again, I can’t properly put into words what goes through your mind when news like that comes. The first thing I did was to alert my two Uncles – my Dad’s brothers. In a moment like that, you look for something comforting. Both of them said the exact same thing: “everything’s going to be okay.”

The message in and of itself was comforting for sure. But in various situations in my life I had also heard those same words in that same tone of voice from my Dad. In that moment, hearing that message coming from his brothers, it was like hearing it in my father’s voice.

He was in and out of intensive care for awhile. He never lost consciousness, but could only talk on the phone or on FaceTime for maybe a minute at a time before he’d lose his wind. The whole experience was morbidly awful. This virus is no joke.

It got incredibly real when they asked my mother what her wishes would be if a ventilator became necessary. We had a family conference, and we all agreed that if it came to that, they had our blessing. Around that same time I touched base with a priest to at least go over options for what’s now called Anointing of the Sick. I never wrote my Old Man off, but honestly there were about two or three days where I didn’t think things were going to end well.

But as quickly as he deteriorated, suddenly he began improving. He was sent out of intensive care, and a few days later (January 9th) he was released. I don’t know what anyone reading this believes religiously or spiritually, but I’m a fairly religious person. And I saw it as a miracle.

His “rehab” continues to this day. I’m not sure he’ll ever be the same. For the most part he can do most of the things he was doing before he got sick (he’s a fairly active 68-year old). But he gets tired easily, and still doesn’t have the stamina he had previously. But if this is how the rest of his life unfolds, I’m very thankful. Because he’s alive; and there was a moment where that wasn’t always going to be the case.

As was the case when he had cancer, I thought a lot about that first day at Memorial Stadium so many years ago. I thought about how it would be walking into Camden Yards to write about the team that he originally loved and passed onto me, knowing he was no longer of this world. And it ate me alive. Mercifully, it wasn’t his time.

So as the title indicates, Father’s Day takes on a different meaning for me this year. And the fact is that I know a lot of people weren’t as lucky. I know that there are people at every game who are missing someone lost in this pandemic. Maybe missing them through the Orioles, or maybe using the Orioles as a temporary diversion. That could have been me.

Maybe my Dad will watch the game today. Maybe he won’t. But whatever he does, he’s alive. And that wasn’t always guaranteed. And make no mistake, all of us are very thankful. Thanks for sticking with us, Dad. Happy Father’s Day!

Baltimore Orioles: The Battle of the Beltways

The Baltimore Orioles open up a ten-game road swing tonight. Given their record at home and on the road, that’s not really a bad thing. But are the truly on the road? In Washington DC?

Yes folks, they are. When the O’s head to DC to play the Washington Nationals they do stay in a hotel as they would for any other road series, they wear the gray uniforms, and they bat first in each inning. They sit in Nationals Park’s third base side visitors’ dugout, and utilize the visitors’ bullpen in left field. They’re as “on the road” as on the road can mean.

However, the fact remains that Baltimore and Washington are close in proximity. As a crow flies we’re talking 40 miles. The fan bases are overlapped, and everyone knows or is related to someone who roots for the other team. In my case, my Dad’s side of the family (which is where I got my indoctrination into baseball) are all O’s fans. My Mom’s side of the family (despite having roots in Fells Point after they arrived from Italy) are mostly Nats fans – with a few O’s fans also.

Originally however, they were Washington Senators fans, of course. In fact, my late grandfather was a catcher who played semi-pro baseball in the Senators’ system. So despite some of the political differences between the franchises, the fans are largely friendly. You’ll see groups of friends and relatives split down the middle at Nationals Park this weekend.

And I think that’s something that’s really unique to the mid-Atlantic region. Obviously some regional rivalries are within the same city – New York, Chicago, and even the San Francisco Bay Area teams (to a lesser degree). So there are rivals who are geographically closer than these two teams. But make no mistake that Yankees and Mets fans would never be caught dead together.

Other situations are too far for fans to really “travel.” The Florida and Texas teams, for instance. In this case most of you reading this know Nats fans. Like my family maybe they’re your relatives, or maybe you work with them. But you know them, and you have intelligent conversations with them everyday – good baseball conversations. And many of you will be hosted by them in groups at Nationals Park this weekend. Conversely, many of you will host your Nats fan friends at Camden Yards in July.

And perhaps this rivalry more than any other in baseball, it’s truly about the fans. We’re far enough away to be different, but close enough to be family. Sure fans will have separate rooting interests this weekend. But it all ends in good fun. It all ends with everyone at a bar table sharing nachos and pitchers of beer – COVID withstanding.

And on that note, my hope is that any Orioles fans coming down for a game or for the whole weekend find some time to enjoy DC. Meaning the monuments (those which are open, at least), as well as aspects of Nationals Park. It does have a decent beer selection – for those who are into such things! Whereas Camden Yards seems to sell a lot of Flying Dog (out of Frederick), Nationals Park sells a heavy amount of Devil’s Backbone (out of Virginia). There are also lots of local food items such as Ben’s Chili Bowl among other food options.

All in all, it should be a fun weekend for fans of both teams. And that’s the goal. It’s baseball; it’s supposed to be fun for the fans. Whether you root, root, root for the home team, or the road team.

Baltimore Orioles: Where does John Means’ performance rank?

John Means of the Baltimore Orioles throwing a no-hitter is nothing new. That is if you were born yesterday at least. Means threw the first no-hitter for the franchise since four pitchers shared a no-no in Oakland in 1991. And he became the first singular pitcher in Orioles’ history to throw a no-hitter since Jim Palmer in 1969.

It’s tough to compare no-hitters and say this one is better than that one. But consider this; Means is the only pitcher in history to toss a no-hitter and not surrender a walk, hit batsman, or have a batter reach base on an error. If not for the dropped third strike rule, we’d be talking about a perfect game this morning.

Again, I can’t tell you that Means’ no-hitter is more special than Palmer’s in terms of franchise history. However both in essence serve as 1 and 1A in terms of the best pitching performances in team history. Which one is which can be left up for debate.

Incidentally, the dropped third strike rule is an interesting one. In general I kind of understand the logic behind it. But the fact is that it cost Means a perfect game. But I’m not in favor of changing a rule just to be able to classify something as a perfect game. One thing however is for sure, and that’s the fact that Means faced only 27 hitters – the minimum. That he has in common with anyone who pitches a perfect game.

One way or the other, what we saw yesterday is something of which we haven’t seen much. It’s a special moment for Means, his teammates, and the Orioles fans. And it’s one that was a long time coming.

Baltimore Orioles rained out again, prompting another doubleheader

Tonight’s Orioles vs. Seattle game at Camden Yards has been rained out. It’s been raining all afternoon in Baltimore, and the forecast doesn’t appear to be allowing for any sort of window to play tonight. Tomorrow the teams were scheduled to play a getaway day matinee, which is now a getaway day doubleheader.

You know the routine by now. Doubleheaders this year (and last) are seven innings long. I’ve said this before, but I’m not a fan. (Just thought I’d throw that in.) Game one will begin at 12:30 PM, and game two approximately 25 minutes (or so) after the completion of the first game. Fans with tickets for tomorrow’s game will be allowed to attend both games, as it’s a single-admission doubleheader. The Orioles will be on the move to Texas following the second game.

Baltimore Orioles rained out, doubleheader tomorrow

The Baltimore Orioles game tonight against Seattle has been rained out. Rain started at Oriole Park at Camden Yards just prior to the scheduled first pitch at 7 PM. And the forecast isn’t conducive to playing tonight.

So the O’s and Seattle will play a single admission doubleheader at Camden Yards tomorrow with game one starting at 4 PM. Game two will begin roughly 30 minutes after the completion of the first game, with both games being shortened to seven innings. John Means will get the start for the Birds in game one, and he’ll be opposed by Seattle’s Justus Sheffield.

Baltimore Orioles continue series against Boston

The Baltimore Orioles will continue their first home series this evening with the Boston Red Sox. Win or lose, Opening Day/the home opener is always an event, and always an amazing moment in Baltimore. Then the obligatory day off following it hits. And it hits like a ton of bricks.

Obviously that’s built into the schedule to accommodate the potential for a rain out. Especially this early in the season. It’s always a waiting game on that day off, however.

But luckily the series continues this evening at Camden Yards. Baltimore native Bruce Zimmerman gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Garrett Richards. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Musings on Ryan Mountcastle and umpires

One of the early season storylines for the Baltimore Orioles has been the outfield play of Ryan Mountcastle. To be blunt, Mountcastle’s been suspect in the field. Misplaying balls, taking ineffective routes to collect balls, etc. With Austin Hays on the IL, fans should get used to Mountcastle in the outfield for the time being.

Manager Brandon Hyde has been steadfast in his support for Mountcastle in the outfield, and he very much believes in him. This is evidenced by Hyde’s commentary following an errant play Mountcastle made earlier this week in New York (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

I thought the ball came off hot, it’s windy, it hooked. I think it was a lack of experience, honestly, and I think we all have to remember that Ryan has not played much outfield. He did a nice job for the 30-plus games he was out there last year, he was a convert from last year, but it’s still going to be a new position. He’s going to make mistakes in the outfield. We’re OK with that. We’re going to be patient with him.

And while at times Mountcastle’s play is allowing base runners and runs to score, that’s unfortunately part of learning. It’s part of having a young team. It’s part of what GM Mike Elias and Brandon Hyde have been asking the fan base to buy into. This isn’t to say that they aren’t working with Mountcastle to help him to improve, but it’s all part of the process.

On a separate note, the Orioles and Orioles’ fans in the stands at Camden Yards yesterday became increasingly upset at some of the calls that went against the Birds. To be clear, the fourth inning strike/HBP involving Rio Ruiz could have gone either way. Upon looking at replay, it was probably a more reasonable call than previously thought.

I think Hyde’s issue with it was more the quick ejection as much as anything else. His comment after the game was that he asked one too many times how the umpires could see that as a swing. My personal opinion is that it was a pretty quick hook Especially for a hometown manager in his team’s home opener.

As the game went on there was the impression that close calls were persistently going Boston’s way. The hometown crowd took every opportunity they got to make their presence felt towards the umpires.

Here’s what folks need to remember; umpires don’t have a tally in their heads. At least they aren’t supposed to. They aren’t supposed to keep track of how many calls each team is getting. They’re supposed to call things as they see them. Now with that said, whether all of the calls are the correct calls is another story. But the story at least for yesterday was that there’s the impression that close calls went against the Orioles. Needless to say, Brandon Hyde didn’t need to be ejected as quickly as he was.

Baltimore Orioles: 2021 season preview (updated)

It’s here folks; Opening Day for the Baltimore Orioles. Obviously the team begins today on the road, however hope springs eternal on Opening Day. Anything can happen.

The question is, what WILL happen for the Birds this year? The outlook isn’t exactly brilliant if you listen to various outlets. However the hope is that the entire team looks at things in the manner of second starter, Matt Harvey. On numerous occasions during the spring, he said that he didn’t buy into the idea of a rebuild. His goal is to win everyday.

The biggest weakness this team has is going to be starting pitching. Now that’s an awful spot to have your biggest weakness. However first off, we just don’t know how the rotation will turn as time goes on. Maybe guys out-perform themselves. But one strength might well be the bullpen.

And we’ve seen in the past how manager Brandon Hyde has been willing to use the bullpen in non-traditional ways. That goes from pulling starters after just three or four innings, to using an “opener.” It’s not cut and dry. And that’s what bothers traditionalists such as myself. But if it helps the team to win more games, maybe it’s worth it.

Austin Hays, Cedric Mullins, and others all had great springs. The Oriole outfield also looks to be a strength this year. The infield is a bit more undefined, although getting Trey Mancini back will be a big plus. Maikel Franco will also be an upgrade at the hot corner.

However it always boils down to pitching. Matt Harvey was a decent addition. The success or failure however of the likes of Bruce Zimmerman and Dean Kremer may well have a lot to do with the success or failure of this season. And unfortunately, the competition is tough. But that’s always the case in the AL East.

I can’t give you a won/loss prediction. There are too many intangibles, and too much can happen. We don’t know what happens to this team regarding injuries. Or to other teams in the division for that matter. But I’ll say the same thing I said last season, which is that they won’t finish in last place.

And it starts today, on Opening Day against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. John Means gets the call for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Nathan Eovaldi. Game time is set for just after 2 PM.

Update: Due to inclement weather in the Boston area today, Opening Day has been postponed until tomorrow. The O’s will open the season tomorrow at 2 PM against Boston at Fenway Park.