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Orioles

Hammel leaves Friday’s start early with knee injury

Luke Jones

BALTIMORE — Making the first start of the second half for the Orioles on Friday, Jason Hammel left the game in the top of the fourth inning with a right knee injury. Hammel appeared to land awkwardly after delivering a 1-2 pitch to Brennan Boesch. After throwing a couple practice pitches and being examined by the training staff and manager Buck Showalter, Hammel walked gingerly to the dugout and was replaced by reliever Luis Ayala. He will be evaluated further on Saturday, the club announced. The right-hander has dealt with right knee soreness for most of the season despite being the Orioles’ best starting pitcher. He entered the night with an 8-5 record and a 3.47 earned run average. According to Hammel’s brother Bill, the 29-year-old felt as though something popped in his right knee but was not experiencing much swelling in the later innings of the game. The pitcher will undergo an MRI tomorrow. Hammel and Saturday’s starter Wei-Yin Chen are the only current members of the starting rotation left from the beginning of the season after Jake Arrieta, Brian Matusz, and Tommy Hunter were optioned to Triple-A Norfolk before the All-Star break. Given the Orioles’ starting pitching woes

Britton primed for Tuesday call-up after strong Norfolk start

Luke Jones

Opportunity has been ringing like an alarm clock pitcher Zach Britton has slept through for the better part of the last five weeks. With three-fifths of the Opening Day rotation now working in Triple-A Norfolk and the Orioles needing a starter on Tuesday in Minnesota, it appears the left-hander is finally ready to answer the bell after struggling with consistency upon being activated from the disabled list. Britton pitched seven shutout innings for Triple-A Norfolk against Lehigh Valley on Thursday, putting himself in position to be recalled for the first time this season. The southpaw allowed four hits, struck out six, and walked none over his 93 pitches of work in the 7-0 victory for the Tides. He also induced 10 groundball outs compared to three fly outs and reportedly showed excellent fastball command in the lower half of the strike zone. The stellar outing improved Britton’s record to 4-1 and lowered his earned run average to 4.15. Over his last five starts, the 24-year-old has allowed 10 earned runs and 24 hits in 32 innings while striking out 23 and walking 12. The organization has wanted to see Britton improve his command while continuing to build strength in his

Orioles “poking around” at Seattle pitcher Vargas?

Luke Jones

As fans dreamed about the possibility of acquiring Milwaukee’s Zack Greinke or Cubs pitcher Matt Garza over the All-Star break, the Orioles are apparently kicking the tires on a far less intriguing and cheaper option. ESPN’s Jayson Stark reported Thursday the Orioles have cooled on the possibility of trading for Garza and are “poking around” at the possibility of trading for Seattle pitcher Jason Vargas. The first-blush numbers suggest it wouldn’t be a bad move as the left-hander has an 8-7 record with a 4.09 earned run average in 19 starts for the lowly Mariners this season. Vargas has a 1.15 WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitcher) and has struck out 86 while walking 32 in 126 innings this season. However, a deeper look at the stats suggest the soft-tossing 29-year-old is far from an ideal target to compete in the American League East. Vargas has thrived at cavernous Safeco Field this season, posting a 2-3 record with a 2.84 ERA in eight starts (57 innings), but his road numbers paint a different picture entirely. The southpaw has a 6-4 record with a 5.09 ERA and has allowed 17 home runs in 11 starts (69 innings) outside Seattle. Those

Orioles ink Cuban outfielder Henry Urrutia to minor-league contract

Luke Jones

The Orioles have signed Cuban outfielder Henry Urrutia to a minor-league deal, according to a Baseball America report. The 25-year-old reportedly received a bonus of $778,500 for signing with Baltimore. The 6-foot-3, 180-pound corner outfielder played in Cuba’s top league at least three seasons before defecting to the United States. Urrutia is a switch hitter with a line-drive stroke that’s more polished from the left side, according to several scouting reports. In his final season in Cuba, he batted .397 with a .461 on-base percentage and .597 slugging percentage in 305 at-bats with 12 home runs. The outfielder also had more walks (32) than strikeouts (23) and tied for ninth in the league in on-base percentage. Urrutia lacks the upside of recent Cuban defectors Yoenis Cespedes and Jorge Soler, but he is considered to have reasonable major-league potential. Given his age, he will likely report to one of the Orioles’ higher-level affiliates in the near future.  

Left-handed reliever Romero granted release from contract with Orioles

Luke Jones

Left-handed pitcher J.C. Romero became the latest retread to leave the Orioles’ organization when he was granted his release from Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday. Signed to a minor-league deal on May 23 after he was let go by the St. Louis Cardinals earlier in the month, the 36-year-old pitched to a 2.51 earned run average in 17 appearances for the Tides. Romero held an opt-out clause that could be triggered at the All-Star break, which the veteran elected to exercise after seeing no imminent opportunity with the Orioles. He owned a 1-0 record and struck out 13 batters while walking five in 14 1/3 innings. Romero took a brief leave of absence from the Tides recently to deal with personal matters and had struggled leading up to the break. Left-hander Zach Phillips is currently at Triple-A Norfolk, giving the Orioles another option should they choose to add a southpaw to their bullpen that already includes left-handers Troy Patton and Dana Eveland. Romero has pitched for six different clubs over his 14-year career and is now a free agent.

Orioles DH Johnson to undergo MRI on injured right wrist

Luke Jones

Plagued by injuries throughout his major league career, Orioles designated hitter Nick Johnson left Wednesday’s game with a right wrist injury and will undergo an MRI to determine its severity. After striking out in the second inning, Johnson was replaced by pinch hitter Ryan Flaherty in the bottom of the fourth inning after experiencing weakness in his right wrist. The 33-year-old has undergone multiple surgeries on the same wrist over the course of his 10-year career. “He said he was good for one swing and after that he lost a lot of the strength,” said manager Buck Showalter after the 13-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. “Had some pain there. I think everyone’s aware of the history, the problems he’s had there.” Johnson has experienced some soreness in the wrist at different times, mostly stemming from preexisting scar tissue from the surgical procedures. The veteran left-handed hitter said he did not experience any swelling after being lifted for Flaherty and remains optimistic that he can avoid a trip to the disabled list. However, he admitted the pain is similar to past discomfort felt in the wrist. “That one pitch got it pretty good and I lost a lot of

Blue Jays ink veteran lefty Moyer to minor league deal

Luke Jones

After deciding he longer wanted to wait for the Orioles to promote him, veteran left-hander Jamie Moyer signed a minor-league deal with the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday. The 49-year-old will report to Triple-A Las Vegas and presumably join the starting rotation. He has not received any assurances of a call-up, but the Blue Jays’ recent rash of injuries in their starting rotation increases the likelihood of Moyer receiving another chance in the big leagues. Toronto has lost starters Brandon Morrow, Kyle Drabek and Drew Hutchison to the disabled list in recent weeks and Henderson Alvarez departed from Monday’s game with elbow soreness. Moyer made three starts for Triple-A Norfolk, allowing three runs in 16 innings while striking out 16 and walking none. He requested and was granted his release on Saturday after the Orioles did not select his contract and asked him to make at least one more start for the Tides. Making 10 starts for the Colorado Rockies earlier this season, Moyer went 2-5 with a 5.70 ERA before being released in early June.

Jones falls to fifth in All-Star voting for AL outfielders

Luke Jones

With four days remaining to vote, Orioles center fielder Adam Jones is falling behind in the quest for his name to be in the starting lineup of the 2012 All-Star Game. The most recent voting results were released on Monday with Jones falling behind Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz, putting the Baltimore outfielder in fifth place. Josh Hamilton, Curtis Granderson, and Jose Bautista would be the American League starters in the outfield if voting ended today, but less than 150,000 votes separate Jones with the third-place Bautista. Matt Wieters is currently third among AL catchers, but the Rangers’ Mike Napoli leads by more than a million votes. Shortstop J.J. Hardy is third in the AL at his position while Robert Andino comes in fifth among AL second basemen. Voting for the 83rd annual All-Star Game on July 10 in Kansas City concludes at 11:59 p.m. ET on Thursday. AMERICAN LEAGUE ALL-STAR VOTING TOTALS FIRST BASE Prince Fielder, Tigers: 2,825,532 Paul Konerko, White Sox: 2,261,388 Mark Teixeira, Yankees: 1,863,873 Mitch Moreland, Rangers: 1,711,659 Albert Pujols, Angels: 1,429,154 SECOND BASE Robinson Cano, Yankees: 3,559,290 Ian Kinsler, Rangers: 3,462,367 Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox: 1,666,282 Jason Kipnis, Indians: 852,325 Robert Andino, Orioles: 714,560 THIRD BASE

Orioles focus heavily on pitching for Day 2 of amateur draft

Luke Jones

A day after selecting right-handed pitcher Kevin Gausman with the fourth overall pick of the 2012 amateur draft, the Orioles were busy adding more pitching to their farm system in rounds 2 through 15. Of the 14 players selected on Tuesday, scouting director Gary Rajsich drafted nine pitchers, including second-round choice Branden Kline, a right-hander from the University of Virginia and a Frederick native. Kline throws a fastball in the low 90s and possesses a hard curveball, and scouts envision him as either a closer or at least a successful arm in the back-end of the bullpen. Two South Carolina teammates were chosen in the first seven rounds as fourth-round first baseman Christian Walker and seventh-round pitcher Matthew Price play for the vaunted Gamecocks program. The draft will conclude on Wednesday with rounds 16 through 40. To this point, the Orioles have selected four left-handed pitchers and six right-handed pitchers, one catcher, one first baseman, two shortstops, and one outfielder. ORIOLES 2012 DRAFT SELECTIONS  ROUND    PLAYER                 POS    SCHOOL                   HOMETOWN          D.O.B          HT     WT    B    T 1 (4)            Gausman, Kevin          RHP      Louisiana State Univ.     Centennial, CO            01/06/91      6’4      195     L      R 2 (65)         Kline, Branden            RHP      Univ. of Virginia               Frederick, MD              09/29/91     

Orioles bring back Bill Hall with Markakis officially on DL

Luke Jones

(Updated: 5:00 p.m.) With right fielder Nick Markakis undergoing surgery to remove the broken hamate bone in his right wrist on Friday, the Orioles have brought back veteran Bill Hall to replace him on the 25-man roster. The move became official before Friday’s series opener in Tampa Bay as the Orioles selected Hall’s contract from Triple-A Norfolk and placed him on the 40-man roster. The club placed second baseman Brian Roberts on the 60-day disabled list to clear a spot on the 40-man for Hall, which won’t interfere with the projected date of June 12 for his return to the big leagues should his minor league rehab assignment continue to go smoothly. Hall will begin his second stint with the Orioles this season after playing in six games and going 2-for-7 with a home run last month. In 21 games with the Tides this season, the 32-year-old Hall is hitting .221 with three home runs and 10 runs batted in over 86 at-bats. He has played 79 games in left and 24 in right over the course of his 11-year career in the majors. Manager Buck Showalter will face the challenge of now finding production in both right and left

Morning Reaction Orioles 10-Game Scorecard (Games 41-50)

Luke Jones

During the 2012 season, Drew Forrester and Luke Jones of The Morning Reaction will provide the “10-Game Scorecard” for the Orioles, rating the club in 10-game increments in a number of categories and looking ahead to how Baltimore will fare over the next 10 games on the schedule. To hear the full explanation from Monday morning, click HERE. 1. Should the Orioles have been better or worse than their 3-7 mark? Drew: Better Luke: Better 2. Most Valuable Player/Least Valuable Player Drew: MVP – Adam Jones; LVP – Matt Wieters Luke: MVP – Adam Jones; LVP – Tommy Hunter 3. Biggest surprise Drew: The long-term signing of Adam Jones Luke: The continued struggles of Matt Wieters 4. Best thing about the 10-game stretch Drew: Brian Matusz continues to make progress from last season Luke: Zach Britton and Brian Roberts moving closer to a return 5. Ten games from now… Drew: Fans will officially be worried about the state of the Orioles. Luke: Mark Reynolds will reestablish himself as a lineup regular. 6. Record in the next 10 games (**0-1 already, three at Tampa Bay, three at Boston, three with Philadelphia) Drew: 3-7 Luke: 4-6 7. Stock rising/falling over the next

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