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Orioles

“Rounding the Bases” in Orioles’ 4-2 win over Minnesota

Luke Jones

Who stood out in the Orioles’ 4-2 win over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night? In the spirit of hockey’s “three stars” system with the addition of home plate for honorable mentions and other notes, we go around the bases after the second game of the 2016 season. 1st — Chris Davis homered at Oriole Park at Camden Yards for the first time since Oct. 4, 2015, the game many assumed would be the slugger’s last in an Orioles uniform before he signed a seven-year, $161 million contract in January to remain in Baltimore. The 421-foot shot to center off Minnesota starter Kyle Gibson gave Baltimore the lead for good in the bottom of the third and was the Orioles’ first home run of the season. The first baseman made a good defensive play in the eighth, picking J.J. Hardy’s in-between hop on a throw and keeping his foot on the bag to record the out before tumbling over. 2nd — Yovani Gallardo allowed just one run and struck out four in five solid innings to win his Orioles debut. The only hits he allowed were a pair of doubles by talented Twins center fielder Byron Buxton, but Gallardo did

Gausman, Matusz set to begin rehab assignments

Luke Jones

BALTIMORE — Orioles starting pitcher Kevin Gausman is ready for the next step in his recovery from right shoulder tendinitis that’s sidelined him since the middle of the March. After completing a 30-pitch simulated game in Sarasota on Wednesday, the 25-year-old is traveling to Baltimore and will make a rehab start lasting three to four innings for Double-A Bowie on Saturday. He would then make a start at Single-A Frederick next week with the goal of being activated on April 19. Left-handed reliever Brian Matusz (left intercostal strain) is even closer to making his return and is expected to pitch one inning each on Thursday and Friday at Bowie. Should those outings go well, Matusz would be activated from the 15-day disabled list on Sunday since his stint was backdated to March 25. Pitching prospect Hunter Harvey (groin strain) threw 40 pitches in Sarasota and will pitch in a sim game on Saturday. Harvey will begin his season at Frederick when he’s ready to go. Chris Tillman will start the series opener against Tampa Bay on Friday after the Opening Day starter threw only 22 pitches because of Monday’s rain delay. Mike Wright will make his first start on Saturday,

“Rounding the bases” in Orioles’ 3-2 win over Minnesota

Luke Jones

Who stood out in the Orioles’ 3-2 win over the Minnesota Twins on Opening Day? In the spirit of hockey’s “three stars” system with the addition of home plate for honorable mentions and other notes, we go around the bases after the first game of the 2016 season. 1st — Matt Wieters wasn’t having a stellar game after leaving five runners on base in his first four trips to the plate, but his first-pitch single off Kevin Jepsen in the bottom of the ninth plated the winning run, giving the Orioles their first victory over Minnesota since Aug. 31, 2014. It was the three-time All-Star catcher’s 700th career hit and the eighth walk-off hit of his career. After an unsettling spring due to a scare with his surgically-repaired elbow in mid-March, Wieters has plenty to play for on a one-year contract and the Orioles want to get as much value as they can from his $15.8 million salary for 2016. 2nd — Adam Jones went 1-for-5 with three strikeouts, but his major contribution came in the bottom of the fifth when he doubled home the first two runs of the ballgame and gave a rain-weary crowd something to cheer about

Rickard begins Orioles career hitting in No. 9 spot

Luke Jones

BALTIMORE — In Buck Showalter’s first pre-game press conference of the 2016 regular season, the opening question was about new Orioles left fielder Joey Rickard and his spot in the batting order. What a difference a year makes for the Rule 5 pick who began his 2015 season playing in the Florida State League for Single-A Charlotte and was slotted ninth in the Opening Day order on Monday. After contemplating whether to hit the 24-year-old in the leadoff spot, Showalter wanted to ease the former Tampa Bays Rays farmhand into the major league environment. Not bad for a guy few Orioles fans even knew about a couple weeks ago. “There’s a process you’re trying to get to how you hope things work out,” said Showalter, who put All-Star third baseman Manny Machado in the leadoff spot as he frequently did last year. “You leave yourself as much wiggle room [as you can]. I’d rather promote guys as the season goes on rather than demote them. I know where I’d like to get eventually, but we’ll see if that works out. “Let’s go one step at a time.” Carrying a career .390 on-base percentage in four minor-league seasons, Rickard turned plenty

Roe, Phillips outrighted as Opening Day roster comes into focus

Luke Jones

(Updated: 11:15 p.m.) The Orioles must set their Opening Day roster by noon on Sunday, but a pair of roster moves on Friday provided some clarity on the 25 players who will be going north to Baltimore. Relief pitchers Chaz Roe and Zach Phillips both passed through waivers and were outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk. Signed by the Orioles on March 23, the southpaw Phillips was in contention for a roster spot with lefty specialist Brian Matusz expected to begin the season on the 15-day disabled list with a back ailment. Roe pitched to a 4.14 ERA in 41 1/3 innings in the Orioles bullpen last year, but the right-hander struggled to a 6.91 ERA after the All-Star break and was out of options. Barring the late acquisition of a lefty reliever, the Orioles appear poised to go with a bullpen consisting of All-Star closer Zach Britton, All-Star setup man Darren O’Day, Brad Brach, Mychal Givens, Dylan Bundy, T.J. McFarland, Tyler Wilson, and Vance Worley. With Kevin Gausman beginning the year on the DL and Mike Wright already pegged to be the No. 4 starter, Wilson would appear to be the favorite to be the fifth starter when the Orioles need

Wright makes rotation, Kim balking at minor-league assignment

Luke Jones

On the same day the Orioles revealed the fourth member of their starting rotation to begin the 2016 season, the status of outfielder Hyun Soo Kim remained in limbo. Manager Buck Showalter announced Thursday that right-hander Mike Wright would start the fourth game of the season, but that news was trumped by reports indicating that Kim will not accept an assignment to the minor leagues. Signed to a two-year, $7 million contract, Kim posted an anemic .411 on-base plus slugging percentage in 48 plate appearances in the Grapefruit League, but he must give his consent to be sent to the minors as part of the original agreement reached in December. He has started just once in the last 10 games. Executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette said earlier this week that Kim was unlikely to make the club to begin the season, citing a need for him to get further acclimated to a new country and a higher level of competition. However, the Orioles will be forced to either carry the 28-year-old South Korean on the 25-man roster or to release him and be on the hook for $7 million over the next two years if he does

Tillman starting Opening Day, Gausman starting 2016 on DL

Luke Jones

For the third straight year, Chris Tillman will take the ball for the Orioles on Opening Day. Manager Buck Showalter announced the news on Monday morning after confirming that starting pitcher Kevin Gausman will begin the season on the 15-day disabled list with right shoulder tendinitis. Tillman becomes the first Baltimore pitcher to start three consecutive season openers since Mike Mussina from 1998-2000. The 27-year-old went 11-11 with a 4.99 ERA in 31 starts last season and has struggled with a 9.31 ERA in 9 2/3 innings in the Grapefruit League, but no other projected Orioles starter has performed to a level seriously challenging Tillman for the honor. As it stands, free-agent newcomer Yovani Gallardo and Ubaldo Jimenez are slotted to start the second and third contests of the three-game series against Minnesota to begin the season next week. Gausman starting the season on the DL isn’t surprising considering he hasn’t pitched since March 16 and received a cortisone injection for his right shoulder on March 20. Showalter said the 25-year-old right-hander could still return as soon as April 10 when the Orioles would need a No. 5 starter for the first time, but it remains to be seen whether

Walker optioned to Triple-A Norfolk to play left field

Luke Jones

First baseman Christian Walker was never expected to make the Opening Day Roster, but a productive spring and a position change may have put him in better position to help the Orioles in 2016. On Saturday, Walker was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk where he will play left field every day for the Tides. The 2014 Orioles minor league player of the year turns 25 on Monday and will be playing the outfield for the first time in his minor-league career after seeing some time there in the Grapefruit League. The position change figures to be Walker’s best chance to stick in the majors with Baltimore since Chris Davis is now under contract through the 2022 season and Mark Trumbo and Pedro Alvarez are also options at first base for the 2016 season. Left field remains an uncertainty for the Orioles with Korean newcomer Hyun Soo Kim and Rule 5 pick Joey Rickard battling for playing time to begin the season, but Walker could make himself an attractive option if he can hold up at his new defensive spot. In 44 spring at bats, Walker hit .227 with four home runs, 14 RBIs, four doubles, a triple, two walks, and an

Spring bringing little optimism from Orioles starting rotation

Luke Jones

Hope springs eternal for the Orioles starting rotation. Three former All-Star selections are projected members of this year’s rotation. Three starters remain from the group that thrived in the second half of 2014 and contributed to the Orioles running away with the American League East title. Baltimore may have lost its most consistent starting pitcher from the last four years — Wei-Yin Chen — but his replacement, Yovani Gallardo, sports a 3.66 career ERA. Then you actually take a look at what’s transpired this spring and wonder how a club that increased its payroll to roughly $150 million can be living under such a black cloud with its starting pitching entering the 2016 season. Miguel Gonzalez, one of the great stories of the Orioles’ resurgence beginning in 2012, has been nothing short of disastrous in the Grapefruit League after posting a 6.14 ERA in the second half last season. In 14 1/3 innings this spring, the 31-year-old has allowed 20 earned runs, 28 hits, six walks, and five home runs while striking out just four. Against Pittsburgh on Wednesday, Gonzalez continually missed up in the strike zone and threw fastballs sitting in the upper 80s as he allowed four earned

Fourteen Orioles thoughts counting down to Opening Day

Luke Jones

With Opening Day just 14 days away, I’ve offered 14 Orioles-related thoughts, each in 50 words or less: 1. Even if it proves to be minor, Kevin Gausman missing time due to shoulder tendinitis for the second straight year is concerning and once again makes you question the Orioles’ handling of their prized pitching prospect over the last few years. 2. J.J. Hardy hitting .370 and continuing to say his left shoulder feels good this spring are positive signs as the veteran shortstop attempts to rebound from the worst season of his career. 3. Speaking of Orioles middle infielders, Brian Roberts sounded like a natural as part of Sunday’s MASN telecast, and I look forward to hearing more from him this season. His in-game discussion with third base coach Bobby Dickerson about infield shifts was particularly enlightening. 4. Buck Showalter is the first to warn against being fooled by spring training, but it’s difficult not to be intrigued by Rule 5 pick Joey Rickard — and his .426 on-base percentage this spring — based on the Orioles manager’s positive comments about the 24-year-old outfielder. 5. I didn’t love the Pedro Alvarez signing because it shifted Mark Trumbo to right field,

Gausman receives cortisone shot for shoulder tendinitis

Luke Jones

On the same day that Matt Wieters resumed throwing, the Orioles have another health concern with just two weeks remaining until Opening Day. Manager Buck Showalter told reporters in Sarasota that starting pitcher Kevin Gausman received a cortisone injection for tendinitis in his right shoulder on Sunday morning. The right-hander had been scheduled to make a minor-league start on Monday, but he won’t pick up a baseball for at least a couple days. “I don’t know if it’s a big concern,” Showalter said. “He’s had some inflammation in there, and we just want to get rid of that. We feel good about it structurally, [but it] hasn’t managed to go away completely. When we have some time here, try and clear it up before we break camp. Hopefully, that’s all it is. See where we are in two or three days.” Gausman spent time on the disabled list last year with a similar issue. With plenty of uncertainty in the starting rotation entering 2016, the Orioles are counting on the 25-year-old to take a major step forward in his first full season as a starter. The 2012 first-round pick pitched to a 4.22 ERA in his 17 starts last season

Wieters’ elbow “looked good structurally” after MRI

Luke Jones

Two days after leaving a spring training game due to right elbow soreness, Orioles catcher Matt Wieters received good news from a magnetic resonance imaging exam. No structural concerns were discovered after the 29-year-old underwent an MRI on Monday, according to manager Buck Showalter. Wieters is 21 months removed from Tommy John surgery, and it remains unclear when he will return to action. “It looked good structurally,” Showalter told reporters in Sarasota. “I know Matt felt good about it today.” The Orioles had previously said Wieters would not have an MRI if swelling and soreness subsided — he reported improvement on Monday — but they decided to go ahead with the exam to be on the safe side. Expected to serve as the backup catcher this season, Caleb Joseph went 1-for-2 with an RBI double in the Orioles’ 8-7 win over Philadelphia on Monday.

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