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Despite focus on offensive woes, rotation has sealed Orioles’ 2015 fate

Luke Jones

The Orioles’ offseason departures of Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis need to be rehashed about as much as Chris Tillman desires another start against the Toronto Blue Jays at this point. We get it. Even if you might have agreed with the decision not to sign either outfielder to a four-year contract, there’s no excusing an offseason plan that essentially consisted of writing checks to a long list of arbitration-eligible players and trading for a failed former first-round pick (outfielder Travis Snider) after one good half in 2014. But even with the corner outfield woes that have lingered all year, the reeling Orioles entered Tuesday averaging 4.36 runs per contest, a mark nearly identical to last season’s 4.35 scored per game. It may not feel that way with the offense’s extreme peaks and valleys during a difficult 2015 season, but the numbers don’t lie. Would the Orioles still be in contention for a playoff spot with Cruz and Markakis? Certainly. But would Buck Showalter’s club be even with Toronto and the New York Yankees in the American League East race? Based on the way the starting rotation has performed, probably not. That failure has ultimately sealed the Orioles’ fate as

Ravens re-sign Magee, place Urban on IR-designated to return

Luke Jones

The Ravens re-signed running back Terrence Magee and placed defensive end Brent Urban on injured reserve with the designation to return on Tuesday morning. The move to give Urban the designation was expected after the second-year defensive player remained on the 53-man roster when final cuts were made on Saturday. The 2014 fourth-round pick is recovering from a biceps tear suffered early last month, an injury that was projected to keep him sidelined for at least three months. “This is an injury he can come back from,” head coach John Harbaugh said. “This is a league where big guys are very valuable, especially at the end of the year, and we think — just from a football business perspective — putting him in that slot is good for us. It’s going to be up to him to work like crazy and get back and get ready to play.” Urban may not return until after the first eight weeks of the regular season, meaning the earliest he could play would be Nov. 15 against Jacksonville, the first game following the Ravens’ bye week. He may begin practicing after the first six weeks of the regular season. With backup running back Lorenzo

Ravens use disposable centers to improve 2016 draft position

Luke Jones

The center position is in excellent shape for the Ravens entering the 2015 season. The arrival of starter Jeremy Zuttah a year ago was a pivotal factor in the turnaround for an offensive line that was nothing short of a disaster in 2013. Second-year reserve John Urschel may be the center of the future — or at least a starter at either guard position — and is rapidly becoming one of the better backup interior linemen in the NFL. Ryan Jensen also offers versatility as a backup capable of playing center in addition to guard and tackle. But this weekend offered a reminder that the Ravens used a pair of disposable centers to improve their value in next year’s draft. Hours before making their final cuts on Saturday, the Ravens traded rookie free agent center Nick Easton to the San Francisco 49ers for a conditional 2016 seventh-round pick. Despite playing well in the preseason, the Harvard product was never going to make the 53-man roster and Baltimore managed to find a suitor for a player already on his way out the door. On Sunday, another shrewd move from the offseason came to the forefront with Denver cutting former Ravens center Gino

Ravens begin putting together practice squad

Luke Jones

Less than 24 hours after making final cuts to reduce their roster to the 53-man limit, the Ravens welcomed back several players to their practice squad. On Sunday afternoon, Baltimore announced the signings of linebacker Brennen Beyer, wide receiver Jeremy Butler, guard Kaleb Johnson, safety Nick Perry, quarterback Bryn Renner, tight end Konrad Reuland, and offensive lineman De’Ondre Wesley to officially fill seven of their 10 spots on their practice squad. However, the Ravens appear to be on the verge of filling the remaining spots. Waived on Friday, rookie wide receiver Daniel Brown indicated on Twitter that he was joining the Ravens’ practice squad after spending the spring and preseason with them. A punt block and a touchdown reception in the preseason finale in Atlanta helped his cause a great deal. According to multiple reports, the Ravens are also adding former Houston Texans cornerback Charles James to their practice squad. A charismatic figure in HBO’s “Hard Knocks” series this summer, James has also played some running back and has ability as a returner, which could lead to him getting a long look in practices. The third-year defensive back and Charleston Southern product also posted via Twitter that he was joining the

Ravens uncertain about Perriman's status for season opener

Luke Jones

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Just a week before the season-opening game in Denver, the status of Ravens rookie receiver Breshad Perriman remains uncertain as he recovers from a sprained knee. Injured on the first day of full-squad practice on July 30, the first-round pick hasn’t practiced since and has only been spotted doing light work without any running involved. It’s unclear whether Perriman will return to the practice field this coming week to keep his availability — even on a very limited basis — in play against the Broncos. “I don’t know. I really don’t have the answer for that,” head coach John Harbaugh said on Saturday. “I think he has a chance, yes. But to what degree, that’s wide open right now. I don’t know.” The Ravens cut second-year receiver Jeremy Butler on Saturday and have six wideouts on the initial 53-man roster: Perriman, Steve Smith, Kamar Aiken, Marlon Brown, Michael Campanaro, and Darren Waller. Aiken is expected to start opposite Smith with Brown serving as the No. 3 option to begin the season. With Perriman currently sidelined, the Ravens lack a speedy receiver on the outside to stretch the field, an obvious concern for an offense needing to

Ravens trade rookie center Easton to San Francisco

Luke Jones

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — As they counted down to Saturday’s 4 p.m. deadline to pare the roster to 53 players, the Ravens returned to the practice field with all healthy members of their 70-man roster on Saturday morning. But before practice had concluded, Baltimore traded rookie free agent center Nick Easton to the San Francisco 49ers for an unspecified draft pick. As the media viewing portion of practice was wrapping up, head coach John Harbaugh was speaking with the undrafted free agent as ESPN first reported the Ravens were working on a trade. Easton played well in the preseason — grading out as Pro Football Focus’ top center in the NFL — but Baltimore’s numbers on the interior line made him a long shot to make the 53-man roster. “Nick could have made our team, too, if we didn’t have as much depth,” Harbaugh said. “I think [the 49ers] might have had an injury at center. We have guys like that. Those are the type of guys you try to develop first and foremost for your team. When you have a need, they’re there for you, and we want to develop those guys.” Wide receiver Breshad Perriman (knee), defensive tackle

Davis’ two longest bombs of year give Orioles temporary relief

Luke Jones

Chris Davis’ longest home run of the year and the emphatic bat flip that followed are unlikely to save the season, but the Orioles could breathe a temporary sigh of relief on Wednesday night after they hadn’t led over their previous 51 innings before the walk-off blow against Tampa Bay. The 459-foot blast to the back of the right-center bleachers in the bottom of the 11th came after a 446-foot shot in the fourth inning that had been his longest homer of the 2015 season. His 37th and 38th long balls of the year were instrumental in the Orioles snapping a six-game losing streak, but the precursor for his breakout performance may have come a night earlier. With Baltimore trailing 11-0 to Tampa Bay in the late innings and Buck Showalter looking to give his biggest stars — Davis, Adam Jones, and Manny Machado — a breather, the first baseman asked his manager to let him stay in the game. Like many of his teammates, Davis was angry and just didn’t feel like throwing in the towel on what would be the Orioles’ 12th loss in 13 games. The lefty slugger hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the

Struggling Gonzalez undergoes MRI on shoulder, elbow

Luke Jones

(Updated: 11:30 p.m.) BALTIMORE — Performing poorly for more than two months, Orioles starting pitcher Miguel Gonzalez underwent a magnetic resonance imaging exam on Tuesday as he’s been experiencing discomfort in his right elbow and shoulder. Manager Buck Showalter said after the 11-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays that the exam revealed only inflammation and no structural concerns, but the 31-year-old has already received a cortisone injection in his shoulder and is expected to at least miss a start or two. The right-handed hurler could pitch again later this month, according to Showalter. “It was a positive report. They didn’t find any structural damage,” Showalter said. “We’re going to let that quiet down [and] see if we can get him ready to pitch again. It was as good news as you could expect.” Gonzalez sported a 3.33 ERA when he was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a groin strain on June 11. Since returning in late June, the right-hander has pitched to a 6.49 ERA that’s elevated his season mark to a robust 4.85. Signed to a minor-league contract prior to the 2012 season, Gonzalez posted an ERA of 3.78 or better in each of his first

Pitta officially placed on PUP list, Guy returns to practice field

Luke Jones

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens trimmed their roster to the NFL-mandated 75 players on Tuesday by officially placing tight end Dennis Pitta on the reserve physically unable to perform list. Baltimore also waived offensive linemen De’Ondre Wesley and Darryl Baldwin. The latter had been placed on the non-football injury list on Monday. Attempting to return from a second right hip dislocation and fracture in two years, Pitta has been running routes and working out on his own, but the 30-year-old has not been fully cleared to return to the field. Head coach John Harbaugh had already said last month that Pitta would begin the regular season on the PUP list, meaning he is not eligible to return until Week 7 at the earliest. The Ravens prepared all offseason as though Pitta would not be able to return to football by drafting tight ends Maxx Williams and Nick Boyle a year after selecting current starter Crockett Gillmore in the third round of the 2014 draft. “As far as I’m concerned as a coach, I think you plan for the worst, and you hope for the best,” Harbaugh said. “I’m planning on him not being back. That would be the plan

Leftover thoughts from Ravens' third preseason game

Luke Jones

Many were ready to deem Asa Jackson the winner of the Ravens’ return competition after his 103-yard kickoff return late in the first half of Saturday’s 31-13 loss to Washington. But then the fourth-year cornerback committed the cardinal sin of fumbling a punt in the fourth quarter after electing not to call for a fair catch with coverage bearing down on him. The gaffe immediately earned Jackson an animated lecture from special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg on the sideline. To no surprise, the turnover holds more weight in the evaluation process than the explosive return. “The biggest concern I have with those guys is dropping the ball,” head coach John Harbaugh said. “Asa made a bad decision, and he knows that. You have to fair catch that. That kind of hang time, you have to fair catch it. Obviously, dropping the kickoff that we had was not great either.” For now, the job appears to be Jackson’s by default with second-year wide receiver Michael Campanaro currently injured, but you still can’t help but wonder if this year’s return specialist isn’t yet on the team. It will be interesting to see if any teams cut loose a veteran returner for a

Injuries hit Ravens defensive line in third preseason game

Luke Jones

After dealing with a slew of injuries on their offensive line in recent weeks, the Ravens were bitten on the defensive line in a 31-13 preseason loss to Washington on Saturday night. Starting defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan injured his right knee on the fourth defensive play of the game and did not return. The second-year defensive lineman has shown much promise in his brief NFL career, but durability is becoming a concern as he was sidelined earlier this summer with a foot injury and missed five games as a rookie. Rookie third-round pick Carl Davis replaced him on the starting defensive line. The Ravens’ defensive line depth also took a hit on Saturday as defensive ends Lawrence Guy (knee) and DeAngelo Tyson (right shoulder) exited early with injuries. Tyson’s injury was of particular concern as he was writhing in pain and was later being consoled by teammates on the bench. Baltimore is already dealing with the loss of second-year defensive end Brent Urban due to a biceps tear. Offensive lineman Ryan Jensen (concussion) and cornerback Chris Greenwood (leg) also left the game with injuries and did not return. Head coach John Harbaugh did not give any injury updates when asked

Orioles promote Alvarez, option Urrutia to Triple-A Norfolk

Luke Jones

In the last days before September call-ups, the Orioles have promoted 26-year-old outfielder Dariel Alvarez from Triple-A Norfolk for a three-game series against the Texas Rangers in Arlington. To make room for Alvarez on the 25-man roster, the Orioles optioned outfielder Henry Urrutia to the Tides on Friday. With Texas sending three left-handed starters to the hill over the weekend, it made sense to add an extra right-handed bat to the 25-man roster prior to Sept. 1 and to recall Urrutia after rosters expand. Considered one of the few positional talents in the higher levels of the Baltimore system, Alvarez was hitting .275 with 16 home runs, 72 RBIs, and a .729 on-base plus slugging percentage in 541 plate appearances for the Tides this season. The Cuban outfielder has the strongest throwing arm in the organization and was starting in right field and batting eighth in the series opener against the Rangers. Alvarez ranked third in the International League in total bases, fourth in hits, and fifth in RBIs. He was also selected to this year’s Triple-A All-Star Game and won the Triple-A home run derby. Opinions have varied on Alvarez’s ceiling as many members of the organization are high

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