Friday, September 29, 2017

Transcription

1 World Champions 1983, 1970, 1966 American League Champions 1983, 1979, 1971, 1970, 1969, 1966 American League East Division Champions 2014, 1997, 1983, 1979, 1974, 1973, 1971, 1970, 1969 American League Wild Card 2016, 2012, 1996 Columns: Friday, September 29, 2017 Orioles face option decision on left-hander Wade Miley, a known but frustrating quantity The Sun 9/29 Machado, rotation among offseason questions MLB.com 9/28 Mancini, Miley aim to finish strong vs. Rays MLB.com 9/28 September struggles and the final season series MASNsports.com 9/29 Miguel Castro listed as Saturday starter MASNsports.com 9/28 O s road woes a big factor in 2017 losing record MASNsports.com 9/29 For Orioles, September Has Been A Month To Forget PressBoxOnline.com 9/29 Orioles Catcher Chance Sisco Making Smooth Adjustment To Big Leagues PressBoxOnline.com 9/28 Walking Off Memory Lane: 2017 O s one of 7 in club history with a dozen or more walkoffs BaltimoreBaseball.com 9/28

2 story.html Orioles face option decision on left-hander Wade Miley, a known but frustrating quantity By Jon Meoli / The Baltimore Sun September 29, 2017 As simple as it might seem to send left-hander Wade Miley into his offseason with a $500,000 buyout check in lieu of picking up his $12 million team option for 2018, the Orioles' offseason will be shaped in part by what they do with one of the few known, if not expensive, quantities that could return to their beleaguered rotation. Miley, a veteran acquired last summer in a trade with the Seattle Mariners, has been a frustrating but constant presence in their rotation since that time, and a disastrous September similar to that suffered by the rest of the staff leaves him with a 5.52 ERA entering his final start of the season Friday night at the Tampa Bay Rays. Once the season ends, the Orioles must decide whether it's worth bringing back a pitcher who has thrown the lowest percentage of pitches in the strike zone of any full-time major league starter just for the peace of mind that they only need to fill two rotation spots this winter instead of three. "I haven't talked to them at all," Miley said. "I know on the business side, I haven't done my job. We'll see what happens. I don't know." Said executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette: "Deciding those decisions, the club needs to look at the totality of work and see if it's worth the investment. They're significant investments." The timing a 9.92 ERA in September after a 2.60 mark in August is unfortunate, Miley said. "At the same time, it's not like I tried to suck in my last three starts," Miley said. "For whatever reason, I didn't perform at the level I wanted to perform at. I've got one more start. Hopefully, I can go out there and not even worrying about the option, just for my own good, be able to go into the offseason on a little bit stronger note. We'll see what happens." There's plenty to back up the idea that $12 million for a pitcher with a 5.52 ERA is an expenditure any team working with budgetary constraints would want to avoid. While Friday will be his 32nd start of the season which represents a full workload for a modern-day starter, he'll need to pitch 8 2/3 innings to avoid being one of two major league pitchers this season with at least 30 starts but without the requisite innings to qualify for the ERA title. Miley has 153 1/3 innings this year and the minimum requirement is one inning per team game, 162. Among the 74 pitchers this season with at least 150 innings, Miley stands out in some dubious categories. According to FanGraphs, just 35 percent of his pitches have been in the strike zone and only 40.9 percent of his pitches have elicited swings. Both figures are the lowest in the major leagues, though the pitcher one spot above him in swing percentage is fellow left-hander Gio Gonzalez of the Washington Nationals, who has used a similar profile to great effect this year. Nothing shows just how exasperating Miley's season has been for the Orioles than the fact that his 161 full counts are 20 more than the total of any other pitcher, according to Baseball- Reference.com's Play Index. Opponents have hit just.153 in those situations, but Miley has walked 46 hitters in those situations en route to an overall major league-leading 88 bases on balls. It's all created a picture of inefficiency, though there's no denying that bad luck has been a factor. Miley has allowed an abnormally high.330 batting average on balls in play, and while it s true

3 that his walk rate makes his major league-worst 1.71 WHIP mostly his own doing, those runners have scored at a disproportionate rate. His fielding-independent pitching (FIP), which calculates ERA based only on strikeouts, walks and home runs factors a pitcher can control is a slightly better And his xfip, which substitutes the league-average home run rate instead of a pitcher's actual one, is a But expecting improvement from Miley's homer and walk rates at age 31 after two seasons of each spiking might be unwise. So there s reason to believe it will be difficult for Miley to turn around his performance in For the Orioles' part, having Miley in the organization for two years can inform the decision. "It's always helpful to have the player on your club, Duquette said. You get an opportunity to be around him, observe his work habits, how he goes about his business. You have a relationship with him. Those relationships resonate with Miley, too, to the point that he's open to returning even if the option isn't picked up. "I do love it," he said. "There's no doubt about it that that would be something I would consider, but at this point, I'm trying to get through the rest of the year and my last start and hopefully end on a good note." Whether one good start would change the Orioles' plans, though, is unclear. "Again, you have to look at the whole picture," Duquette said. "We're going to need to improve our starting pitching in Obviously, we're disappointed with our staff this year. There's time for that."

4 Machado, rotation among offseason questions By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com September 29, 2017 BALTIMORE -- The Orioles will wrap up 2017 with plenty of questions surrounding their rotation, lineup and even front-office personnel, making '18 an intriguing -- and potentially game-changing -- year for an organization that is nearing a crossroads. While this list is by no means exhaustive and subject to change in the offseason, here are five of the biggest questions for the O's right now looking ahead to next spring. 1. Who is in the rotation? First things first after watching the Orioles' rotation become one of the worst in baseball. If there is just one thing that gets addressed over the next five months, it has to be this. Otherwise, Baltimore's chances of competing are pretty slim. We know Dylan Bundy will be in the rotation, as well Kevin Gausman -- who had a frustratingly erratic The early word has been that the O's will look to add two starters. I wouldn't stop there -- I'd add three legitimate starters and look into another one or two as depth pieces you can stash in Triple-A. Could Gabriel Ynoa or Miguel Castro be among this group? Sure, as the additional pieces. The Orioles have to go out and get qualified, experienced Major League pitchers. They can't keep giving starts to guys who haven't earned them, simply because they don't have any other options. 2. Where do they go with Manny Machado? There's no indication that the O's are intent on signing Machado long term before he becomes a free agent. That could certainly change, but this is an important domino for the organization. If they trade Machado -- which doesn't seem likely -- before next spring, they'll have lost their best player for If Baltimore lets Machado walk (he can become a free agent after the '18 season), it will have missed a key chance to cash in on a hefty return for him. Sure, the Orioles could wait and see how they look at the 2018 non-waiver Trade Deadline. But with the addition of the second Wild Card spot, fewer teams are true sellers. Plus, trading Machado to a team as a rental wouldn't bring back near the return that trading him before the season would. The O's are in a tough spot. And the only real solution that would make keeping Machado a smart move -- and other potential future free agents like Zach Britton, Adam Jones and Brad Brach -- would be winning. 3. Are some of these young guys for real? Manager Buck Showalter likes to say Spring Training and September are the great foolers when it comes to evaluation. What, then, to make of Austin Hays, Chance Sisco, Tanner Scott and Ynoa? No one is sure. But those are the tough decisions Baltimore is going to have to make this offseason as it projects what roles these young guys have moving forward. One sure graduate looks to be Trey Mancini, whose sensational rookie season has been overshadowed on a national level by Yankees rookie Aaron Judge. The most impressive part of Mancini has been his consistency, as the young outfielder has shown an ability to make adjustments and has played his way into an everyday role. 4. How do the O's improve their all-or-nothing lineup? It seems like every offseason, the Orioles proclaim they want an on-base percentage guy to help balance out their lineup. But it never comes to fruition. To be fair, there's not a plethora of those

5 players available anymore, and something would need to change as an organizational philosophy in the Minor Leagues to have real success with it as a team at the big league level. Improving that -- and the defense -- will be a big part of Baltimore's to-do list this offseason. 5. Do the O's go all in for 2018? I think the Orioles have to go for it one more time with this current group. One, they have some money coming off the books, which should theoretically help them make moves elsewhere (like their rotation). And as I mentioned above, the window is closing on Machado and others. It's also the final year of Showalter and executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette's contracts. A lot could change this offseason depending on what the organization does. Mancini, Miley aim to finish strong vs. Rays By Bob Cohn / Special to MLB.com September 28, 2017 Trey Mancini surprised nearly everyone, including himself, with how quickly he adapted to playing left field this season. The Orioles' rookie sensation will try to get better, going to work not long after the O's season ends with a three-game series starting Friday against the Rays at Tropicana Field. Rather than return home to Winter Haven, Fla., Mancini said he will spend some time in Washington and work out at Camden Yards. "I always think I can improve in every area," he said. "I'm going to do some agility [drills], work on getting my jumps right off the bat. Just try to get stronger." Mancini, who showed he could hit Major League pitching during his brief stint at the end of the 2016 season, needed to find a new position when he reported to Spring Training. He was a first baseman, but the O's signed incumbent Chris Davis to a long-term deal. Going into Wednesday's game against the Pirates, Mancini ranked second in batting average and slugging percentage and third in home runs and RBIs among American League rookies. A bunt single in his first at-bat against the Pirates extended his hitting streak to 16 games. Mancini will try to extend his hit streak to 17 against Rays starter Jake Odorizzi (10-8, 4.26 ERA), who is 3-1 with a 1.21 ERA in his past four starts. Mancini is 1-for-7 with two strikeouts when facing the righty. Odorizzi has been enjoying a strong finish to the season. In two of his past four starts, he carried a no-hit bid through at least five innings. He is 3-1 with a 1.21 ERA in September, a run that has included 26 strikeouts in 22 1/3 innings. "It's just one of those things where it's unfortunate that the time of the year you start throwing well is at the end of the year," Odorizzi said. "But, at least it's well to end the year. I'd much rather it be that way than to continue to battle and grind through starts like I was earlier this year." Left-hander Wade Miley (8-14, 5.52), who has struggled like most of his fellow O's starters, is scheduled to take the mound. He has yielded 16 earned runs in his past 10 1/3 innings. Three things to know about this game: Since his 2012 All-Star season with the D-backs, when Miley was with a 3.33 ERA, he is and has a 4.57 ERA.

6 The Orioles entered Wednesday ranked second in the Majors in batting average with runners in scoring position (.290). Opponents are 4-for-36 (.111) with 15 strikeouts and a.222 slugging percentage against Odorizzi's four-seam fastball in September, missing on 33 percent of their swings against it. September struggles and the final season series By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com September 29, 2017 The Orioles are down to their last three games of the season and it can t be said that they re stumbling to the finish. To stumble would require a semblance of footing. They ve lost 16 of their last 20 games and are 7-18 this month. A nasty and abrupt reversal from their August record that raised false hopes. This is more like crawling to the finish line and trying not to be trampled. The pitching staff has registered a 4.94 ERA this season that ranked 27th in the majors before last night and next-to-last in the American League. The Tigers were bottom dwellers at The rotation s 5.71 ERA is last in the majors, passing the Reds (5.60). The 1.52 WHIP also is the worst in baseball. The September numbers further explain why the Orioles will miss the playoffs. The pitching staff has registered a 5.37 ERA, the rotation has posted a 6.46 ERA and the lineup is carrying a.227 average that s tied with the Rays for lowest in the league. The 80 runs scored also are the fewest in the majors. Besides continuing the evaluation process, the Orioles will determine this weekend whether they finish in third place or in last. They re currently tied with the Blue Jays for worst record in the division. For reasons that can t be explained, the Orioles are 2-10 on the road on Tuesdays and Fridays. There s 20 of the 84 losses this season. Adam Jones could return to the lineup this weekend, though the artificial surface isn t going to magically cure his legs. If he didn t play at PNC Park, I m not sure why he d be trotted out at The Trop. Manager Buck Showalter could give Austin Hays a few more starts in center field and keep Anthony Santander in right. The Orioles need to evaluate their Rule 5 pick in the field, since he was restricted from playing it at spring training due to elbow soreness. I ll spare you the comparisons between playing right field in the Eastern League and the majors, but they involve third decks, lighting, crowd noise, etc. The Orioles are 3-3 at Tropicana Field this season, also making them 3-3 indoors when it s 72 degrees. In Wade Miley s only start beneath the dome this season, he allowed five runs over six innings in a 5-4 loss on July 25. Tim Beckham hit a three-run homer off him. Maybe they can reminisce on the team shuttle. Evan Longoria is 5-for-28 (.179) with 10 strikeouts lifetime against Miley. The hits consist of three doubles and two home runs.

7 Miley has gone with a 5.69 ERA and WHIP in 42 starts with the Orioles, and tonight could be his last. They ve got to decide whether to pick up his $12 million option, and he hasn t done much lately to entice them, with 12 runs and 10 hits allowed in his last two starts over 4 2/3 innings. The 5.2 walks per nine innings this season are the most in Miley s career and it s not really close. He averaged 3.4 with the Diamondbacks in With Mike Wright working three scoreless innings Wednesday night against the Pirates, it became more likely that Miguel Castro would make his first career major league start Saturday night after 75 relief appearances. The Rays are, indeed, listing Castro as the starter. Castro went from eliminated candidate to the favorite in a couple of days. The Orioles are expected to bring up another pitcher from their minicamp in Sarasota to replace Castro in the bullpen. The drive to St. Petersburg is a simple one if you avoid rush hour traffic. Kevin Gausman was supposed to be done after Tuesday s start, but he s getting the ball on Sunday. Let him try to go out on a high note. The chorus of pitchers doesn t need another baritone. If you re planning a trip to Florida for spring training - and this is completely unrelated to the above content - the Orioles play the Tigers on March 19 in Lakeland. It s the only confirmed date so far, but it s a start. Miguel Castro listed as Saturday starter By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com September 28, 2017 The Orioles apparently will close out their season this weekend with a new member in their rotation. The Rays are listing Miguel Castroand Chris Archer as Saturday s starters at Tropicana Field. Manager Buck Showalter hinted yesterday that Castro could get the ball despite earlier indications that the Orioles preferred to keep the young right-hander in the bullpen. Tampa Bay s game notes provide confirmation. Never say never with the Orioles, who also are starting Kevin Gausman on Sunday after indicating a few days ago that Tuesday s outing against the Pirates would be his last in Wade Miley will oppose Jake Odorizzi on Friday night. The Rays are starting left-hander Blake Snell opposite Gausman in the finale. Castro will become the 11th pitcher to start for the Orioles this season. He joins Gausman (33), Miley (31), Dylan Bundy (28), Ubaldo Jiménez (25), Chris Tillman (19), Jeremy Hellickson (10), Alec Asher (six), Gabriel Ynoa (four), Jayson Aquino (two) and Tyler Wilson (one). The Orioles used nine starters in 2016 and eight in 2015: Showalter also considered Mike Wright for Saturday night, but the right-hander worked three scoreless innings last night in Pittsburgh. Left-hander Tanner Scott was another pitcher on the board, but he stays in the bullpen. Hellickson has been shut down with tightness in his back, though he probably was going to be skipped anyway.

8 Someone will need to piggyback Castro, who hasn t thrown more than 69 pitches with the Orioles this season. He worked a career-high six scoreless innings on Aug. 3 against the Tigers, allowing only one hit, but hasn t gone more than 3 2/3 in the 16 appearances that followed. Castro hasn t exceeded 44 pitches this month. He s been scored upon in his last six outings, most recently on Friday against the Rays at Camden Yards, and his ERA has increased from 2.38 to Combined with his 24 1/3 innings at Double-A Bowie, Castro has logged a career-high 87 1/3 innings this season. It s a significant jump from the 30 1/3 he totaled last year in the Rockies organization. Showalter is curious to find how Castro responds to a start, however long it lasts. Today s offday provides rest for the bullpen and the Orioles may bring up another pitcher from their minicamp to fill Castro s spot. Castro, 22, was acquired from the Rockies on April 7 for a player to be named later who turned out to be minor league pitcher Jon Keller. He s expected to compete for a job in the rotation in spring training, with Bundy and Gausman the only starters assured of returning. losing-record.html O s road woes a big factor in 2017 losing record By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com September 29, 2017 It is one of the failings of the 2017 Orioles. They are one of the worst road teams in the American League this year and it cost the team. Had an Orioles club that went at home this season won the same percentage of road games, they d be a 92-win team. That would be enough wins to host the wild card game and also keep the team in the hunt in an AL East led by Boston, which currently has 92 wins. But the Orioles, while going 11 games over.500 at home, are 20 games under on the road. The home record is tied for fifth best in the league. The road mark is 12th in the AL. Why the big disparity? Good question. One that may lead to various theories, but few concrete answers. Here are some home/road stats: * The team slash line is.268/.323/.460 at home and.255/.303/.417 on the road. * The team averages 4.88 runs per game at home and 4.42 on the road. * The team hits 1.67 homers/game at home and 1.24 on the road. * The team ERA is 4.60 at home and 5.33 on the road. Individually, some players hit much better at home. Welington Casillo bats.304 with a.929 home OPS, and those numbers are.263/.706 on the road. Manny Machado hits.288/.895 at home and.232/.676 on the road. Trey Mancini is a rarity: a player with better numbers on the road. He bats.281/.793 at home and hits.307/.867 on the road. The Orioles have had a losing road record for three straight seasons, since the 96-win 2014 AL East champs went at home and away from the Yard. The 2015 Orioles won 81 games, going at home and on the road. In 2016 the Orioles won 89 games, going at Oriole Park and away from Camden Yards.

9 So since the 2015 season, the Orioles are a combined (.420) in road games. That is a pace to win 68 games over a full season. From 2012 to 2014, when the Orioles made the playoffs twice, they went (.539) on the road. That is a pace to win 87 games over a full season. If you rank the Orioles this year in home and road stats against the rest of the American League, the bigger difference is on offense. Mainly because the team was not good in pitching stats either home or road, ranking 12th in the AL in ERA and WHIP at home and 14th in both on the road. At home the Orioles rank fifth in batting average, second in homers and sixth in runs. On the road they rank sixth in average, ninth in homers and 11th in runs. I recently asked Mark Trumbo why the Orioles record on the road was so much worse this year? It is weird. I think everyone approaches each game the same, he said. It is not that we have a huge advantage playing here or big disadvantage playing there. It s a baseball game. I think it is one of those weird things that you can t point to anything specific. But we have to be better. You don t want that huge discrepancy. I floated a theory by Trumbo, one that goes this way: The Orioles, as a homer-hitting team, are more suited to hit in Camden Yards. Since they have to produce runs in other ways more often on the road, they don t fare as well. I think home-run hitting teams generally, in most parks, still play pretty well. Especially with guys here that can drive it out of any park. I don t... I know that some of these teams have a little bit of a different look than us at times. Some teams are putting a premium on younger, faster, more explosive types. Those teams are out there. But a lot of times when we are hitting the homers, they probably wish they were doing that too. It probably goes both ways, he said. So what is your take? Why did the Orioles fare so much better in 2017 at Oriole Park?

10 For Orioles, September Has Been A Month To Forget By Rich Dubroff / PressBoxOnline.com September 29, 2017 When the Orioles began September with three pulsating wins in their first five games, there was some excitement around the ballclub. On Sept. 5, they were and trailed the Los Angeles Angels by a game for the second wild card. Since then, the Orioles have been in freefall, losing 16 of 20. Not only were they eliminated from playoff consideration last weekend, but their streak of five straight non-losing seasons ended, too. The Orioles enter the final three games of the season at the Tampa Bay Rays tied with the Toronto Blue Jays for last place in the AL East. Manager Buck Showalter said once the team was eliminated, he would play younger players more often, and in the past three games, that's been the case. In two losses at the Pittsburgh Pirates Sept , Showalter started an outfield comprised entirely of rookies: Austin Hays, Trey Mancini and Anthony Santander, the team's first all-rookie outfield since September Rookie catcher Chance Sisco also has started the past three games, as the team has begun its evaluation of him. At 7-18 in September, the Orioles have experienced their worst month since July 2011 when they went It's their worst September since 2009 when they lost 20 of 26. The starting pitching has struggled. In September, Orioles starters have lost 15 of 18 decisions and have a 6.46 ERA. The bullpen, strong much of the season, has slumped to a 4.28 ERA. The offense has been disappointing as well. In 25 games, they've scored 80 runs, an average of a little more than three runs per game. Designated hitter Mark Trumbo is in a 1-for-22 slump and is batting.186 in September. First baseman Chris Davis has a.177 average in September, his worst month of the season. Shortstop Tim Beckham, out the past three games with a strained right hamstring, is hitting.188 this month after hitting.394 in August. Beckham badly wants to play the last three games at Tampa Bay, the team that traded him to the Orioles July 31, but he may not be able to. Third baseman Manny Machado, named the American League's Player of the Month in August, is hitting.216 with seven RBIs in September. Showalter moved Machado, who has 95 RBIs on the season, from second to third in the batting order for the Pirates series to try to get him some additional run-scoring opportunities. Even second baseman Jonathan Schoop, the winner of the Most Valuable Oriole award, has slumped this month, batting.238. Center fielder Adam Jones, worn down by leg soreness, missed the games in Pittsburgh, but Showalter said he may make an appearance this weekend. Jones is one of the few offensive players who hasn't struggled in September. He's batting.308, although he hasn't had a home run this month. Before Kevin Gausman's Sept. 26 start at Pittsburgh, Showalter said it would be the righthander's final one of the season, but a day later he changed his mind. Gausman is now expected to start the season's final game Oct. 1.

11 Left-hander Wade Miley starts Sept. 29, and it's possible right-hander Miguel Castro could get the Sept. 30 start. Orioles Catcher Chance Sisco Making Smooth Adjustment To Big Leagues By Rich Dubroff / PressBoxOnline.com September 28, 2017 PITTSBURGH -- As soon as the Orioles were eliminated from postseason consideration, manager Buck Showalter began writing catcher Chance Sisco's name into the lineup. Sisco, who has started the past three games, was 1-for-3 with an RBI double during the Orioles' 5-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates Sept. 27. Sisco is 5-for-15 (.333) with two home runs and four RBIs in nine games. He hit.267 in 97 games for Triple-A Norfolk this season. The 22-year-old Sisco, who was the Orioles' second-round draft choice in 2013, has enjoyed the big league experience that began when he was added to the roster Sept. 1. "It's been really good," he said. "It's been pretty smooth so far, and [I'm] just happy about that and happy they're helping me out and working with me on things. "It's definitely exciting. Just getting here in the first place was exciting, now getting a little bit of playing time just adds to it." At first, Sisco appeared only in one-sided games after being called up. He played in six games but never got in before the seventh inning. On Sept. 14, Sisco got his first major league hit -- a double -- and hit home run during a 13-5 loss at Yankee Stadium. He obviously wasn't in awe of his surroundings. "Just try to remind myself that it's a baseball game and have fun out there," Sisco said. "Don't let any situation dictate your emotions. If you take that mindset into it, you'll be all right." Sisco is not yet a polished major league catcher. He's been working with bench coach John Russell, who Showalter praises as a catching instructor. "I'm really pleased with the way he's handled himself," Russell said. "He's been really calm. I thought he's received the ball very wall. He's blocked the ball. The fundamental parts of it, I'm very encouraged about." Sisco allowed his first stolen base Sept. 27. This year with the Tides, he threw out just 23 percent of base-stealers, although he showed marked improvement in the second half of the season. "I think he made great strides, especially in the last couple of months of the season," Russell said. "That's what you like to see out of a young catcher. He's pretty young. To be able to do what he did and handle himself well in Triple-A and do what he's done so far, it's encouraging." Sisco believes there aren't significant apparent differences between the minors and majors. "Just the atmosphere is really the big difference," Sisco said. "Having the crowds that you do. That would be the only thing right now that would stand out." Overall, Russell likes what he's seen.

12 "I think he's got a good mindset for it," Russell said. "The overall skills of the position, he looks pretty solid. It takes time, but I think he's got a good head on his shoulders, and I think he's going to figure it out." Walking Off Memory Lane: 2017 O s one of 7 in club history with a dozen or more walkoffs By Paul Folkemer / BaltimoreBaseball.com September 28, 2017 Let s face it: 2017 has been a pretty uninspiring year for the Orioles. Between shoddy starting pitching and a slump-prone offense, the club clinched its first losing season since But there s one thing the 2017 Orioles did very well: Win games in walkoff fashion. The Orioles notched 12 walkoff victories this season, marking the seventh time in club history that they ve had a dozen or more walkoffs. So while the Orioles didn t win as many games as they would have liked, they did tend to show a flair for drama. Here s a look at the seven Orioles seasons with the most walkoff wins: *ONE GAME HAD NO WALKOFF RBI (WINNING RUN SCORED ON AN ERROR) Notable games and stats: *On May 10, with the Orioles tied with the Royals, 5-5, manager Earl Weaver elected to let relief pitcher Jim Hardin bat for himself in the ninth (remember, this was the pre-designed hitter era). Facing former Oriole Moe Drabowsky whom the Royals had selected from Baltimore in the expansion draft the previous winter Hardin clubbed a game-ending homer. It was the only walkoff home run by a pitcher in Orioles history. *On Oct. 1, the final day of the regular season, the Orioles denied the Tigers Mickey Lolich a 20-win season when Mark Belanger slapped a walkoff single against him in the 10th. Lolich had to settle for a record that year, though he picked up a pair of 20-win seasons later in his career. *The Orioles carried over their regular season walkoff success into the playoffs. In Game 1 of the first-ever ALCS, Paul Blair stunned the Twins by dropping down a perfect, two-out bunt in the 12th inning to score Belanger from third base. *An equally dramatic Game 2 of the ALCS ended with another walkoff win. Both starters, the Orioles Dave McNally and the Twins Dave Boswell, carried shutouts into the 11th. McNally completed the inning; Boswell didn t. The Orioles put two aboard with two outs before Boswell was replaced by Ron Perranoski, who surrendered a game-winning single to pinch-hitter Curt Motton. Perranoski allowed three walkoff hits to the Orioles that season, including two in the playoffs. Notable games and stats: *Old friend Drabowsky was the losing pitcher for the Royals in the Orioles walkoff win on May 7. Just over a month later, the Orioles reacquired Drabowsky in a trade, and he was the winning pitcher in two Orioles walkoff wins later that year (July 8 and Sept. 29). If you can t beat em, join em.

13 *On July 7, Brooks Robinson blasted a walkoff grand slam against the Yankees Lindy McDaniel. The following night, the Orioles walked off the Yankees a second time and it was again McDaniel who coughed it up, this time on a Don Buford RBI single. *The Orioles walked off both ends of a doubleheader against the Senators Sept. 29, winning the opener on a Belanger sac fly and the nightcap on a Frank Robinson double. Notable games and stats: *You probably recognize most of the hitters who delivered walkoffs, but a couple of names are much more obscure. Bob Oliver was a journeyman first baseman who played only nine games with the Orioles, but his game-ending fielder s choice provided the only run in a 1-0, 17-inning victory over the Brewers on Sept. 27. Then there s Mike Reinbach, whose 12 games with the Orioles in 1974 accounted for his entire stint in the majors. His walkoff single April 21 provided the second and final RBI of his brief career. *Poor Tom Buskey. The right-handed reliever was the losing pitcher for the Yankees in their walkoff loss to the Orioles April 21. He was traded to Cleveland five days later, and on May 22, he again lost a walkoff to the Orioles, this time as an Indian. *The Orioles walked off the Brewers on Sept. 29 without putting a ball into play. Jim Slaton walked the bases loaded in the ninth, and Tom Murphy walked Boog Powell to force home the winning run. *ONE GAME HAD NO WALKOFF RBI (WINNING RUN SCORED ON AN ERROR) Notable games and stats: *In April, the Orioles had three walkoff wins against three different teams during a single homestand (April 22, 29 and 30). All three losing pitchers were right-handed relievers named Mike: The Tigers Mike Henneman, the Mariners Mike Jackson and the Angels Mike Witt. *Light-hitting utility infielder Rene Gonzales won the April 29 game with a ninth-inning homer. It was his only home run of the season in 121 plate appearances. He hit just 19 blasts in his 13- year career. *The Orioles won a June 8 walkoff on a throwing error by Yankees third baseman Jim Leyritz in the 10th. Still, the Yankees couldn t be too upset with Leyritz if not for his game-tying RBI single in the ninth, they would ve lost an inning earlier. Notable games and stats: *Leave it to Orioles legend Brooks Robinson to provide one last magical moment at the twilight of his Hall of Fame career. On April 19, the 39-year-old Robinson who was no longer an everyday player at that point came off the bench to pinch-hit in the bottom of the 10th with the Orioles trailing Cleveland, 5-3. The announced attendance for the game was 4,826, but surely millions of Orioles fans will claim they were at Memorial Stadium for what happened next: Brooks powered a walkoff, three-run homer, winning the game for Baltimore (video available here). It turned out to be the final home run of Robinson s career, as he retired later that season. *On the opposite end of the spectrum from Robinson was Dave Criscione, a backup catcher whose MLB career lasted less than a month. He played seven games for the Orioles in 1977, but he made the most of his one career homer and RBI. On July 27 against the Brewers, Criscione ended the game with an 11th-inning homer off Sam Hinds. *Among the many classic Earl Weaver stories in Baltimore lore is when deeply religious outfielder Pat Kelly told him, It s great to walk with the Lord, only for Weaver to respond, I d rather you walk with the bases loaded. Earl got his wish May 23, when Kelly indeed walked with the bases loaded in the 10th inning to bring home the winning run. *ONE GAME HAD NO WALKOFF RBI (WINNING RUN SCORED ON AN ERROR)

14 Notable games and stats: *The fact that the Orioles had 12 walkoff wins in 2010 was kind of amazing, considering how bad the team was for most of the year. The Orioles languished to an MLB-worst record through Aug. 1 before Buck Showalter took over as manager and went Six of the Orioles walkoff wins occurred under Showalter, including three in his first homestand as skipper. *The Orioles walked off the White Sox on Aug. 6 with an Adam Jones RBI single in the 10th, but the more significant moment occurred earlier in the game when a rail-thin, 21-year-old lefty named Chris Sale made his MLB debut for Chicago. He faced two batters in relief, giving up a hit and a walk. Notable games and stats: *For someone who has had a poor offensive season overall, Mark Trumbo has a knack for walkoff heroics. Trumbo led the 2017 team with four walkoff hits, including his Opening Day home run off the Blue Jays Jason Grilli on April 3. *The Blue Jays were the most frequent victims of Orioles walkoffs, surrendering four of them. Grilli was responsible for two, as Welington Castillo tagged him for another walkoff homer May 19. *Manny Machado launched three walkoff home runs this year, all of them since mid-august. That included an Aug. 18 game-ending grand slam against the Angels.