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

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

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

(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

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

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

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

Former Ravens linebacker Upshaw agrees to deal with Atlanta

Veteran outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw became the latest Ravens free agent to depart as he agreed to a deal with Atlanta on Friday evening. The 26-year-old visited with the Falcons on Thursday after previously meeting with the New York Jets and reportedly drawing interest from San Francisco and New England. Head coach John Harbaugh suggested earlier this week that Upshaw was still on the radar of general manager Ozzie Newsome, but the Ravens never indicated that they were seriously interested in keeping him. Making 51 starts and having never missed a game in his four seasons, the 6-foot-2, 272-pound Upshaw served as a dependable edge-setting linebacker against the run, but he never developed into a serious pass-rushing threat and collected just five career sacks in Baltimore. “If we can bring back our full team from last year, we would. But we just don’t know,” said Newsome when asked about Upshaw’s future at last month’s scouting combine in Indianapolis. “History will say we’ll get some signed and some will go to other clubs. When that happens, I wish them well.” The Ravens have made it clear that they want to add an edge rusher or two this offseason, and second-year outside

Ravens-related thoughts from league meetings

Even with an active start to free agency in which they’ve addressed the safety, wide receiver, and tight end positions, the Ravens still have plenty of work to do if they want to bounce back from last year’s 5-11 campaign. While pass rusher, cornerback, and left tackle have been discussed at great length, an inside linebacker spot is wide open next to C.J. Mosley with the recently-released Daryl Smith signing with Tampa Bay, ending any thought about his potential return. John Harbaugh mentioned the predictable candidates — Zach Orr, Arthur Brown, and Albert McClellan — to replace the veteran Smith, but the head coach discussed another interesting option when speaking to reporters at the league meetings earlier this week. “We could move a safety down in there,” Harbaugh said. “A lot of teams are doing that now, and one of those guys might move in there. We have the draft still in front of us, so there’s going to be competition. That’s how we like it.” Harbaugh didn’t mention any names when discussing the possibility of a safety shifting to linebacker, but other safeties such as Mark Barron of Los Angeles and Arizona’s Deone Bucannon have successfully made that transition

Spring bringing little optimism from Orioles starting rotation

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

Ravens playing "good cop, bad cop" with Monroe?

Members of the Ravens brass have presented a lukewarm attitude regarding incumbent left tackle Eugene Monroe throughout the offseason, but Steve Bisciotti took a different approach speaking at the league meetings on Tuesday. And while much could change between now and the start of the season, the Baltimore owner sure made it sound like the man who’s been limited to just 16 starts over the last two years will again be entrusted to protect Joe Flacco’s blind side this fall. Monroe is scheduled to enter the third season of a five-year, $37.5 million contract and would carry an $8.7 million salary cap figure for 2016. “He is our left tackle going into next year,” Bisciotti told The Sun in Boca Raton, Fla. on Tuesday. “It’s like [third-year wide receiver Michael] Campanaro. We think the world of him. But you have to know what you get out of the guy, and Eugene has been a pretty durable player these last couple years. But nobody works out harder than he does. “I just feel bad. I think a lot of the speculation about us moving on from him clearly comes down to the fact that he’s been hurt a lot, because he’s

Harbaugh updates health of Gillmore, Flacco, Perriman, Suggs

While speaking at length about the tragic death of cornerback Tray Walker as well as NFL rules changes and instant replay, Ravens coach John Harbaugh also provided health updates on several players at the league meetings in Boca Raton, Fla. on Tuesday morning. Tight end Crockett Gillmore continues to recover from offseason shoulder surgery, but the Ravens learned recently that he would not need surgery for torn labrums in both shoulders as was previously thought. Gillmore’s uncertain status as well as the 10-game suspension of second-year tight end Nick Boyle prompted Baltimore to sign veteran Benjamin Watson two weeks ago, but their 2015 starting tight end appears to no longer be a question mark for the start of the coming season and could even be back on the practice field for organized team activities this spring. “It turned out that as time went on, the other shoulder didn’t need to be done,” Harbaugh said. “He’s had one shoulder done, and they say now that the other one does not need to be done. He’s going to be fine, probably for OTAs — certainly for training camp. That [information came] within the last two weeks, so that was great news for

Fourteen Orioles thoughts counting down to Opening Day

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

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

Walker's death takes on different meanings for Ravens

The Ravens have dealt with tragedy before in their 20-year existence, but never quite like this. The death of 23-year-old cornerback Tray Walker takes on different meanings for various members of the organization, very little of it having to do with football. Fans were limited in their experiences watching the 2015 fourth-round pick as he played just eight defensive snaps as a rookie, but he left an impression with team executives, coaches, and teammates in his far-too-short time in Baltimore. We’ll never know what kind of football player Walker might have become, but that pales in comparison to such a loss of young life. It’s gut-wrenching to know a family that celebrated the start of his NFL career less than 11 months ago must now bury a young man whose adulthood was just getting started. “Tray was one of the most humble persons we brought in for a pre-draft visit,” general manager Ozzie Newsome said. “That was striking. After we drafted him, he and his family were so excited to receive the call that he was about to become a Raven. It was one of the calls I will always remember. There was such joy for Tray and his family.”

Ravens' Tray Walker dies from injuries sustained in Thursday crash

Ravens cornerback Tray Walker died Friday from injuries sustained in a motorbike accident in southeast Florida the previous night. He was 23 years old. A fourth-round pick out of Texas Southern in the 2015 draft, Walker was treated at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. According to WPLG-TV in Miami, he had been in “bad shape” due to head trauma and was in surgery after his bike collided with a sport utility vehicle around 8 p.m. on Thursday. Walker was wearing dark clothing without a helmet, and his dirt bike was not equipped with lights. Walker’s agent, Ron Butler, told ESPN earlier on Friday that he was unresponsive and “fighting for his life” after the accident and a full night in surgery. Head coach John Harbaugh sent a powerful letter to his players on Friday in response to Walker’s accident. Team officials were traveling to Miami to support Walker and his family before the start of the league meetings in nearby Boca Raton, Fla. on Sunday. Walker dedicated his rookie season to his father, who died of a heart attack in November 2014. “That’s all he wanted,” Walker said a week after being drafted by the Ravens. “He just wanted the

Ravens propose two rule changes to discuss at league meetings

The NFL announced Thursday an extensive list of proposed rule changes for the 2016 season that will be discussed at the league meetings in Boca Raton, Fla., and the Ravens offered two of their own. The Ravens were one of a few teams to propose changes to the instant replay challenge system as they would like to see coaches have three challenges instead of two and for the system to be expanded. Under Baltimore’s proposal, replay would cover all play situations except offensive or defensive holding, offensive or defensive pass interference, illegal contact, illegal use of hands, whether a forward passer has been forcibly contacted, whether a defenseless receiver has been forcibly contacted, whether a kicker has been forcibly contacted, and unsportsmanlike conduct. The second proposal is the silliest of the entire list of proposed rule changes on the docket and would require an offensive player to wear a jersey vest with a number appropriate to the position at which he’s lining up for a given play. In other words, instead of an offensive player with an ineligible number reporting as eligible to the referee — or one with an eligible number reporting as ineligible — the Ravens are suggesting

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