The Orioles avoided the sweep in the Bronx with a wild extra-inning finish to complete the first road trip of the year, thus bringing the team home for the home opener this afternoon!
Looking to avoid a sweep against them, the O’s are back in action one more time against the Yankees before they head home to play the first series at Camden Yards this season.
There’s no better way to start a season than with a series sweep on the road. For the first time since 2017, the Orioles did just that, taking all three games of this first series over the Red Sox at Fenway.
Birdland couldn’t have asked for a better start to the 2021 season than an opening series win against the Boston Red Sox. And that’s exactly what the O’s have done.
The Orioles are 1-0 to start the 2021 season, as they defeated the Boston Red Sox on Opening Day by a score of 3-0. They look to keep the streak going in game two this afternoon.
It is finally here! Opening Day is here! We hope all you fans are as excited as we are here at The Baltimore Battery. But before we can kick off the season, we must bring our first series preview of the new season!
We’ve made it, Birdland! The last day of Grapefruit League play is today, as the Orioles play the Tampa Bay Rays for their last game of spring training from beautiful Ed Smith Stadium.
Earlier this week, the Orioles announced its three newest members of the team’s Hall of Fame. These inductees are former outfielder Mike Devereaux, former shortstop JJ Hardy, and former radio commentator Joe Angel.
The Orioles made an unexpected roster move this evening, as the club acquired right-handed pitcher Adam Plutko from the Cleveland Indians, according to John Meoli of The Baltimore Sun.
The O’s put on a show last night against a World Series favorite, the New York Yankees. Today, the Birds play yet another World Series favorite, the Atlanta Braves, in Grapefruit League action.
The O’s had the bats on fire last night in a 10-9 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates, and they look to keep it going tonight against the New York Yankees.
Since his hiring in 2018, Mike Elias has constantly loaded the Orioles farm system, mostly as returns from trades he has pulled off. Our No. 18 overall prospect is another one of those reruns; left-handed pitcher Kevin Smith.
Boy, did the Birds look good yesterday! Coming off a 4-3 win against the Tampa Bay Rays, the O’s look to continue their success against another A.L. East rival, the Boston Red Sox.
When Mike Elias took the seat of General Manager in 2018, we all knew things would change. One of Elias’ main points was to invest the Orioles into the international market.
After a close game loss against the Pittsburgh Pirates yesterday afternoon, the O’s return home to Ed Smith Stadium to play the reigning American League Champion Tampa Bay Rays.
The O’s are on a three-game winning streak and are looking to keep it going this afternoon against the Minnesota Twins at beautiful Ed Smith Stadium in sunny Sarasota, FL.
Continuing our offseason coverage, The Baltimore Battery returns with our annual Prospect Profiles series, now highlighting the Orioles’ top 30 prospects for the 2021 season!
The bats finally came alive for the O’s yesterday, as they came up victorious in a 12-3 win over the Pirates. Today, the Birds look to keep the offense hot against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The sun is shining, the days are longer, and baseball is near! Our Orioles are continuing to prepare for the upcoming 2021 season, and I am back to continue delivering some exciting news and updates! This is Monday Thoughts!
UPDATE: Maikel Franco will have a $800K salary and will receive $200K in incentives if he is traded, according to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman. The Orioles have placed RHP Hunter Harvey on the 60-day IL to make room on the 40-man roster.
The Baltimore Orioles are finalizing a deal with third baseman Maikel Franco, according to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman.
Finally, the news we have all been waiting for! There will be fans in Baltimore in 2021! According to The Baltimore Sun, OPACY will operate at 25% capacity, allowing about 11,000 fans in attendance to start the season!
After a tough 7-5 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, the O’s are looking to get back in the win column against the other Pennsylvania team, the Philadelphia Phillies.
O’, happy Monday! Our favorite day of the week is back, and so is Monday Thoughts on The Baltimore Battery. The Orioles have their first of two off days this spring, creating a perfect time for some O’s talk!
Continuing our offseason coverage, The Baltimore Battery returns with our annual Prospect Profiles series, now highlighting the Orioles’ top 30 prospects for the 2021 season!
As the minor leagues gear up to begin their first season in almost two years, things will be different. All teams will have four affiliates, and the short season A-ball no longer exist. For the Orioles, this means our teams are now the Low-A Delmarva Shorebirds, High-A Aberdeen IronBirds, Double-A Bowie Baysox, and Triple-A Norfolk Tides.
After coming off their first win of the spring, the Orioles are back in action, as they take on the division rival Boston Red Sox at Ed Smith Stadium in sunny Sarasota, FL.
Prospect Profiles continues to heat up, as we move on to Baltimore’s No. 21 overall prospect, infielder Anthony Servideo! The 2020 third round pick has high upside as a utility infielder with blazing speed on the base paths.
Throughout the history of the Baltimore Orioles, many managers have come and gone. Some forgotten, some never. One that will never be forgotten is “Mr. Baseball”, Joe Altobelli.
Still looking for their first win after a 4-2 loss against the Yankees yesterday, the O’s are back at it today from CoolToday Park to face the Atlanta Braves.
The Orioles are set to see their division rivals, the New York Yankees, for the first time this spring. In a showdown of starting pitchers, who will be seeing each other again, John Means and Jordan Montgomery take the hill against each other this afternoon at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, FL.
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s finally here! The first game of spring training us upon us, and with that gives us our first lineup of the 2021 baseball season!
Welcome back to another edition of SpringNotes! In this series, we provide Birdland with some information about what is happening at O’s spring training camp! So, let’s get right into it!
Another outfielder? Really? Believe it or not, the Orioles have a nice outfielder brewing in their system, who is just about ready to see some major league time in 2021. This kid is named Ryan McKenna, and he’s up next on The Baltimore Battery’s Prospect Profiles series!
Up next on this year’s Prospect Profiles is a new member of Baltimore’s farm system, Tyler Nevin! The return in last year’s Mychal Givens trade, Nevin plays first and third base and also positions in the outfield.
Hello, Battery Fam, and welcome back to another edition of Battery Q&A! In this series, we answer all of your Orioles questions that you submit to us via Facebook and Twitter! We have a few interesting topics to cover this week, so let’s get right into it!
The Aberdeen IronBirds released their schedule today for the 2021 season in the newly established, 12-team High-A East. The team opens the season on May 4, visiting the Wilmington Blue Rocks (Nationals).
The Norfolk Tides announced their schedule today for the 2021 season in the newly created Triple-A East League. Games are set to start on April 6, with the home opener set for April 13 at Harbor Park.
The Delmarva Shorebirds announced their 2021 schedule earlier today, featuring 60 home games at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium, with Opening Night slated for Tuesday, May 4.
It’s finally here, Birdland! The 2021 season is finally here, as pitchers and catchers have officially reported to Ed Smith Stadium in beautiful, sunny Sarasota, FL, for spring training.
The Orioles have decided to roll the dice on another former All-Star, signing right-handed pitcher Matt Harvey to a minor league deal, just 10 days after signing Félix Hernández to a similar deal. Harvey, a former Met, Red, Angel, and Royal will make $1 million if he makes the team.
The Orioles, along with 29 other clubs, are just one week away from the start of spring training, and earlier today the club announced its revised Grapefruit League schedule and non-roster invitees.
Finally, it is here! The 2021 schedule for the Orioles has been released. This 2021 season kicks off in Boston with a 2:10p.m. EST game Thursday, April 1.
Up next on this season’s edition of Prospect Profiles is left-handed starter, Drew Rom! The 21-year-old took a huge signing bonus out of high school in the fourth round of the 2018 draft, foregoing his potential college career at Michigan.
As an ongoing story over the last month, Anthony Santander and the Orioles were set for an arbitration case to determine the right fielder’s value for 2021. The Orioles won this case and will pay Santander $2.1 million, a mere $375,000 less than his asking price.
In the later hours of the night, Mike Elias acquired an old Oriole who is in the later hours of his career. At 36 years old, Wade LeBlanc was signed backed to the Orioles on a minor league deal worth around $700,000.
Since his arrival, Mike Elias has been all about replenishing the farm system here in Baltimore. In order to do that, trading away some pieces that don’t fit the plan is necessary, and 33-year-old Alex Cobb is the next guy on Elias’ list to go, as he is heading to the Angels. In exchange, the Orioles will receive Jahmai Jones, a former second round pick in 2015.
The Baltimore Orioles announced Tuesday night that veteran infielder Freddy Galvis will be joining the team on a one-year, $1.5 million contract. In order to make room for Galvis on the 40-man roster, Chris Shaw was designated for assignment.
Continuing our offseason coverage, The Baltimore Battery returns with our annual Prospect Profiles series, now highlighting the Orioles’ top 30 prospects for the 2021 season!
On this edition of Tuesday Talks, Jared and Justin talk about the recent MASN budget cuts, along with a couple notable players being asked to defer their salaries. Also, we celebrate the life of Mo Gaba on what would have been his 15th birthday! Come join us for a quick 30-minute chat!
Welcome back to The Baltimore Battery’s Monday Thoughts column! in the past week a whole bunch has happen within the Orioles organization, and I am here today to break all of that down for you guys!
Without further ado, let’s get right into it
1. MASN is severely cut down due to budget cuts
Undoubtedly the biggest news to surface in the past week is the cutting down of the long-time MASN crew, as well as the pre and post game shows. Due to financial hardships as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Orioles decided the best thing to do was take away everything about MASN that every fan loved, and left us with the remains. Jim Hunter, Rick Dempsey, Tom Davis, Gary Thorne, and Mike Bordick have all been relieved of their duties in the broadcast booth. Now instead of a pre game show a half hour before game time, we will only see a short intro by the play-by-play commentators in the booth instead.
One big name that survived these budget cuts is Jim Palmer. Palmer will remain a part of the group, but is unclear whether he will be present or will be tuning in remotely like he had done in 2020. Along with Palmer, the Orioles 2021 broadcast team will consist of Scott Garceau, Brett Hollander, Melanie Newman, Ben McDonald, Kevin Brown, Rob Long, and Geoff Arnold. Brian Roberts will not be in the broadcast booth in 2021, however he will still be a part of the club as the community ambassador.
2. Orioles launch a MASN streaming service for 2021
Finally, the Orioles and MASN have, in a minimal way, entered the world of streaming live games. MASN will be launching an app for 2021, that you can log in with your TV provider and watch live streams of games on the go. Although a step in the right direction, this service is still very limited and far behind the rest as it will be inaccessible if you don’t not already have a cable service to sign in with. The service will cover the seven states under the reign of MASN, but will still have many limits to accessibility.
3. Anthony Santander and Trey Mancini are asked to defer part of their 2021 paychecks
In a very peculiar move that almost immediately followed the canning of the MASN broadcasters, Santander and Mancini were both asked to defer 25% of their paycheck to next season(s), according to a report in The Athletic. The apparent reason is to help alleviate some financial struggle the team is currently facing this year.
Honestly this is a very concerning move the Orioles made. Asking this if your two best players, who are also arbitration eligible, is a very bad look. For a group like the Angelos who is in no way broke, it is nearly unacceptable. While you have a guy playing in less than 20 games where he makes $21 million, it is a slap in the face to the players and fans alike to ask that of two players who are the highlight of what is simply an uncompetitive roster.
After the year that Santander and Mancini especially had to endure, asking this of them is a terrible mistake being made by the Orioles. This story is still ongoing so The Baltimore Battery will be sure to keep you all updated!
What are you thoughts on the week the Orioles has? Let us know in the comments and be sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on the web, and on Facebook and Twitter!
A day after the announcement that long-time Orioles commentator Jim Hunter would not return, another bomb has been dropped on Oriole fans. According to an article in The Athletic, the Orioles have cut ties with a majority of the MASN crew, including the pre and post game shows.
2020 saw many monumental changes all around baseball, with the broadcast team of the Orioles being one of those changes. Long-time greats stayed at home during the pandemic, including current commentators Jim Palmer and Gary Thorne. This extended to the pre and post game group on MASN, that consisted of Rick Dempsey, Mike Bordick, and one, Jim Hunter.
On this edition of Tuesday Talks, Jared and Justin play “So, You Think You Know Baseball?” trivia! Let’s see if you listening at home can keep up and score better than we did! Come and join us for a relaxing 30 minutes of fun!
Brady Anderson is a pretty big deal around Birdland.
Described by Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr. as “the greatest lead-off hitter in Orioles baseball, and the best athlete I have ever played with,” Brady Anderson was a staple at the No. 1 spot in Baltimore’s lineup for over a decade.
Hello, Birdland! The Baltimore Battery’s Monday Thoughts column is back! Going into the 2021 season, we will deliver weekly news and updates, as well as insight on what we think the Orioles should be doing on and off the field. Basically, anything that interests us, we’ll talk about it!
The Orioles and Trey Mancini have agreed to a one-year deal worth $4.75 million in order to avoid arbitration, according to the Orioles official twitter account.
Not too often do you get to see a home grown kid play for his very own home ball club, yet Branden Kline had that miraculous opportunity in 2019. However, at age 25, relief pitcher Branden Kline has decided to hang up the glove and call it a career
The Frederick, MD native that is Branden Kline certainly did not have an easy road to the major leagues. Originally drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 2009, Kline elected to attend college instead and spent four year at the University of Virginia. After a very successful college career, Kline was again drafted in 2012. This time by his childhood home team, the Baltimore Orioles.
At his time in college, Kline was a favorite who was twice voted as an All-ACC selection. Kline Also helped the University reach the college World Series in 2011 while setting the record for save in a season at 18.
When it came time to perform in the minor leagues, Branden Kline was plagued with injuries. His first two seasons in low A ball and A ball saw only 12 games, where Kline held a collective 5.18 era.
2014 finally saw Kline at full health, when he appeared in 26 games. Across those 143.1 innings pitched, Kline showed why he was drafted twice. Kline excelled with 104 strikeouts and a 0.6 HR/9.
Let’s fast forward through a few more injury ridden minor league seasons to 2019, when Branden Kline made his emotional major league debut.
April 20th, 2019. Among as lack luster season for the Orioles, the highly awaited debut of Branden Kline was honestly one of the best parts of that season for me personally. Kline was a guy everyone wanted to see, but I always felt for him as he traveled such a rough road to the majors. When he appeared on the mound for the first time, with his mother teary eyed in the stands at Camden Yards, I can say I was truly happy for the kid!
41 innings in 2019 showed some promise for Kline at the major league level. A 5.93 era was a little raised due to a poor defense behind him, and Kline still registered a decent 7.5 K/9.
2020 was exceptionally short for Kline, where he only saw five games. However, Kline is ending his career in a good note, where he held a 1.80 era in those five games while he striking out seven and allowing just two hits.
Everyone here at The Baltimore Battery and Birdland alike wish Branden Kline the best of luck in retirement and in the rest of his life!
Once an Oriole, always an Oriole. Good luck, Branden!
It’s back, Birdland! Welcome to the first edition of Battery Q&A for 2021! In this series, we at The Baltimore Battery answer your questions about all things Baltimore Orioles!
Continuing our offseason coverage, The Baltimore Battery returns with our annual Prospect Profiles series, now highlighting the Orioles’ top 30 prospects for the 2021 season!
Mike Elias and the Orioles filled their last coaching staff vacancy this past week, bringing in former Cleveland third base coach, Tony Mansolino, to continue the job in Baltimore.
Join Jared and Justin as they introduce a new series on The Baltimore Battery, Tuesday Talks. In this series, our writers will go over everything that was covered during the week, including updates on our current series, Prospect Profiles, Monday Thoughts, and a lot more. Unlike many podcasts around the world, this once-a-week audio series is just 15 minutes in length, enough time to give you all the information you need to know on what’s happening here at The Baltimore Battery! We hope you enjoy!
Continuing our offseason coverage, The Baltimore Battery returns with our annual Prospect Profiles series, now highlighting the Orioles’ top 30 prospects for the 2021 season!
In his 1907 work, Chapters from My Autobiography, Mark Twain popularized the now familiar quote, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.”
Continuing our offseason coverage, the Baltimore Battery returns with our annual Prospect Profiles series, now highlighting the Orioles’ top 30 prospect for the 2021 season!
Orioles fans knew going into today that Mike Elias would make at least one selection in the 2020 Rule 5 Draft, but the organization decided to select four young right-handed pitchers and a catcher this year.
All of 2020, a monumental cloud that was looming over the heads of Oriole fans was the inevitable loss of the Orioles High-A team, the Frederick Keys. Unfortunately, that cloud just rained on us.