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Saturday, May 7, 2016

Columns:  Finding health, motherhood — and the strike zone The Sun 5/7  Orioles closer Zach Britton is back, but will still have to maintain ankle injury The Sun 5/7  Orioles notebook: O's-A's game postponed as string of damp, dreary weather continues The Sun 5/7  Orioles catcher Matt Wieters puts arm worries in past, sees success ahead The Sun 5/6  Remembering 's historic, outside-the-park , 50 years later The Sun 5/6  Orioles and Athletics rained out, will play doubleheader Saturday The Sun 5/6  A's-O's opener postponed, twin bill set for Saturday MLB.com 5/6  Wright set for matinee of twin bill vs. A's MLB.com 5/6  Trying to get the roster right after Wright MASNsports.com 5/7  Orioles-Athletics game postponed MASNsports.com 5/6  The weather and whether the Orioles keep a short bench MASNsports.com 5/6  Early notes from Camden Yards MASNsports.com 5/6  A look at home and road splits and playing time in left field MASNsports.com 5/7  Mark Trumbo on ups and downs on offense, his first month as an Oriole MASNsports.com 5/6  Wright, Jimenez Get The Call As Orioles Play Two Against Oakland CSN Mid-Atlantic 5/7  Orioles Rained Out, Will Play Saturday Day/Night Doubleheader CSN Mid-Atlantic 5/6  With Rain Dominating Talk, Orioles Try To Ignore It CSN Mid-Atlantic 5/6  Will Orioles Go With 13-Man Pitching Staff Indefinitely? CSN Mid-Atlantic 5/6  The passing of an Orioles’ ‘Moonlight Graham’ BaltimoreBaseball.com 5/7  Friday’s game postponed; day-night doubleheader slated for Saturday BaltimoreBaseball.com 5/6

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-orioles-mothers-day-20160508-story.html

Finding health, motherhood — and the strike zone

By Jonathan Pitts / The Baltimore Sun May 7, 2016

For as long as Crystal Silins can remember, she has wanted to be like her mother.

Her mom taught her right from wrong and the value of hard work. She coached Crystal in sports. She was cool enough to be considered the most popular mother in town.

"She was a rock star at being a mom," recalls Silins, 33. "I always hoped to be able to pass that gift along."

But life has a way of dashing dreams.

Three years ago, Silins learned she had an aggressive form of breast cancer. Months of harsh treatments followed. She would be declared cancer-free, but doctors told her that she and her husband, Aaron, would likely never be able to conceive children.

"That was hard to hear," she says.

But Silins has handled the trials and disappointment with such courage and grace that plans to honor the lifelong Orioles fan at her team's Mother's Day game Sunday against the at Camden Yards.

The Honorary O's Bat Girl for 2016, she'll throw out the ceremonial first pitch — and discuss her fight against cancer — as part of a slate of activities planned for the day.

The first 10,000 women at the ballpark will receive black-and-orange scarves. Dozens of moms will play catch on the field before the game. Players from both teams will wear pink-trimmed jerseys and caps and swing pink bats — gear that will be auctioned for charity.

Given what she has been through, it might seem surprising that Silins — a cybersecurity analyst and Navy veteran who now lives in Norfolk, Va. — was nervous this week as she thought about tossing a baseball in front of a Mother's Day crowd.

A longtime softball player, she says the illness and treatments sapped enough of her arm strength that she's not sure she can make the throw across the plate.

Then she thinks of her mother, who still tells her to work hard to make the best of every situation.

"I've been practicing," Silins says with a laugh.

It was seven years ago that Major League Baseball decided to step up its involvement in the fight against breast cancer.

The disease will be diagnosed in nearly 250,000 American women and claim more than 40,000 lives in the United States this year alone, according to the American Cancer Society.

Baseball has long used Mother's Day as an occasion to showcase the cause. Players have worn pink ribbons, and used custom-made pink bats — hundreds of them provided by Hillerich & Bradsby, makers of the Louisville Slugger — for more than a decade.

Orioles spokesman Greg Bader said women make up an indispensable portion of the team's fan base, and that it only makes sense to show appreciation while spreading the word about a major women's health concern.

MLB began its Going to Bat Against Breast Cancer initiative in 2009, setting aside $50,000 a year for the breast cancer research and advocacy group Susan G. Komen, partnering with that organization and Stand Up to Cancer, and working with major league teams to offer Mother's Day programs.

One aspect is the Honorary Bat Girl initiative, in which a panel of judges, including major league players who have a personal interest in fighting the disease, join with fans voting online to select a breast cancer survivor from each team's geographical region.

The winners' stories, according to guidelines, should "provide hope and motivation in the fight against breast cancer" and "demonstrate a commitment to breast-cancer awareness."

This year's judges included fitness instructor Jillian Michaels, right fielder Curtis Granderson, Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman and Orioles starting Kevin Gausman, whose grandmother died of breast cancer after a long struggle with the disease.

They could scarcely have come up with a more apt honoree for the Orioles than Silins, who grew up in tiny Fairfield, Pa., just north of Emmitsburg, the only child of Charlie and Colleen Koski.

A strong student and committed athlete, Crystal Koski seemed born with a cheerful outlook.

That was reinforced by her father, a computer programmer who taught her that nothing good comes without hard work. Her mother, a machine operator in the printing business, coached her in field hockey and softball, rarely missed a school event and often sat her down to tell her there's a bright side to everything, no matter the challenge.

She carried the attitude into an eight-year career in the Navy, for which she used her computer skills in information security.

"I like to keep the bad guys out of the networks," Crystal says.

While stationed in Norfolk, Va., she met a young master-at-arms, Aaron Silins. The fell in love and soon realized they had a mutual interest in having a family — soon.

They married in 2011, and began working on the goal.

The plan didn't last long.

When the Silins had trouble conceiving, they kept trying.Crystal suffered a miscarriage, and they continued on.

But when she found a lump on her breast just before Christmas 2012, the equation changed radically.

Her doctor identified an aggressive, malignant tumor about 3 centimeters across, its cells multiplying rapidly.

As surgery loomed, she made jokes — "I'm just getting a boobjob," she told Aaron and her friends — but it didn't keep him from pacing, or both from sobbing.

Silins opted for the most radical first step, but the one likeliest to prevent recurrence: a bilateral mastectomy, which doctors atNaval Medical Center Portsmouth in Virginia performed in January.

She allowed herself one private cry, then helped Aaron plan a head-shaving party. Nine friends attended, many shearing their locks in support.

Her "super strong network" kept her going through 16 weeks of chemotherapy that brought nausea, baldness and a medically induced form of menopause, complete with hot flashes.

Then came 16 weeks of chemotherapy, followed by two months of radiation therapy — less painful than chemo, theoretically, but it caused necrosis, a condition that leaves the skin burned, blistered and often black. Nine reconstructive surgeries followed.

Doctors told her that some of the life-saving drugs couldradically reduce fertility. Silins lacked the energy to worry. She was too busy focusing on the positive: the strength she had to take walks, the return of "peach fuzz" on her head in September and, finally, the doctors' declaration in June 2014 that she was cancer-free.

She still takes hormones and visits physicians, but she's back at work, does CrossFit training, runs obstacle courses, keeps tabs on the O's and their Triple-A affiliate in Norfolk, the Tides, and often tells friends about breast cancer.

When Aaron Silins learned of the MLB contest, he thought about how much his wife loved the game and applied on her behalf.

"Crystal took every punch and punched back twice as hard," he wrote in the application. "I would love nothing more than to give her the opportunity to be a bat girl for … the on Mother's Day!"

Go to honorarybatgirl.com and you can read Aaron's piece, along with 29 other inspiring tales.

From Elizabeth Haffner, a grandmother of 13 from Seattle, to second-grade teacher Mayra Ordiales of Miami, the winners are described by loved ones variously as a "warrior for the fight," "a superhero" who "kicks butt," an "an angel with an unbelievable story of hope for others."

Crystal is the only one who says she's grateful for her disease.

One of the first things she did after she was declared cancer-free was to team with her husband to pursue adoption. They knew the process could take two years and consume much of their savings, but they were determined to fulfill their dream.

Seven months later, an agency matched them with a newborn from Crystal's home state of Pennsylvania. Brianna Silins, now 17 months old, has changed their lives in ways they say they still have trouble describing.

Crystal can't stop taking pictures of the "crazy" 2-foot toddler, who will join her parents at Sunday's game. Aaron says it's too much attention, but he can't stop doting, either.

Crystal's parents live two hours away and visit often.

The child has put Crystal's trials into perspective.

"I say this, and people think I'm crazy, but if it weren't for all the garbage I went through, we wouldn't have this little girl in our lives," she says. "I'm truly thankful."

Her goals for the next few years, she says, are to get off hormone therapy, enlarge the family if possible, and share with her daughter the kind of love Silins' mother has always shown her.

Like throwing a strike on Mother's Day, it may not be easy. But she has to think it's possible.

"My mother always instilled in me that there is a bright side to everything, no matter the obstacles," she says.

"I believe it."

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-closer-zach-britton-is-back-but- will-still-have-to-maintain-ankle-injury-20160506-story.html

Orioles closer Zach Britton is back, but will still have to maintain ankle injury

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun May 7, 2016

The key to Zach Britton’s recovery from a left ankle sprain figured to be how he felt the day after returning to game action, so hearing that Britton reported no setbacks the day after earning the win with 1 1/3 scoreless innings in the Orioles’ 1-0 extra-inning win over the on Thursday pleased Buck Showalter.

“That was the best thing that’s happened today so far is that he came in today feeling good,” Showalter said Friday.

Britton received some help from catcher Matt Wieters, who picked Starlin Castro off second base to end the ninth inning right after a Britton wild pitch allowed Castro to move into scoring position. But after issuing a leadoff walk to Brian McCann, Britton struck out the side in the 10th.

Britton will still pitch through some discomfort, but in his return, the results were obviously there.

He carried his typical velocity -- Britton’s sinker averaged 97 mph -- and all three of his strikeouts in the 10th came on swinging strikes on his sinker, so it was obvious he was getting the needed dip with to pitch to miss bats. Twenty-two of his 23 pitches were sinkers.

Still, Britton knows that he’s not out of the woods yet. Since the day he was injured, he acknowledged that ankle injuries can be tricky. The good thing is that he didn’t roll the ankle, he just jammed it, which is good news for a shorter recovery.

“Everything I’ve been told is that you just have to stay on top of it with the treatment until it’s completely gone,” Britton said. “There’s no timetable. It’s all based on how you feel. The doctors say everyone’s different. It could linger for just a few days or it could be a few weeks, so I’ll continue to get treatment with Richie and the training staff and hopefully it will get to the point when I don’t need that and I can kind of ween myself off the brace to the point where I don’t need it at all.”

Britton will still wear a bulky ankle brace on his ankle – more so to provided added stability to the joint than for necessity to pitch – for now. The brace is like the ones basketball players wear – Britton joked it’s the same model worn by Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry – and had to switch to low-top cleats to fit the brace in.

“It’s just an extra piece of protection. I’ve never pitched with an ankle brace on, so I had to go to some low-top shoes to fit the brace on,” Britton said. “It’s kind of what I have to do right now, but I feel like it didn’t hinder anything I was doing in terms of pitching. I felt pretty good.”

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-notebook-0507-20160507-story.html

Orioles notebook: O's-A's game postponed as string of damp, dreary weather continues

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun May 7, 2016

The Orioles' series opener against the Oakland Athletics at Camden Yards on Friday was postponed by rain and will be made up as part of a split-admission doubleheader on Saturday.

The postponement of Friday's game, which was announced about 30 minutes before the scheduled first pitch, is the latest in an early season full of weather-related delays and postponements.

Over the first five weeks of the season, games at Camden Yards have been almost exclusively cold, dreary and especially damp throughout April and into May.

"Trying to predict weather? What's the saying? If you want to make God laugh tell him about your plans," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said on Friday afternoon. "Nobody really knows. What is it, April showers bring May flowers? I'm waiting for the flowers."

Fans who have tickets and parking passes for Friday's game can use them for admission to the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, which will begin at 1:05 p.m. Gates will open for that game at 11:35 a.m.

The second game of the doubleheader will be played at 7:05 and tickets marked for Saturday's game will be used for that game.

Fans who have tickets for Friday's game and cannot attend Game 1 of the doubleheader can exchange them for a future game this season on a dollar-for-dollar basis. All exchanges are subject to availability and must be completed before July 11. Complimentary tickets are non- exchangeable.

Right-hander Mike Wright, who was slated to start Saturday night's game, will now start the day game, and right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez, who was scheduled to pitch Friday, will start Saturday's nightcap.

The Athletics will keep their starting pitching in order, with left-hander Rich Hill starting Game 1 of the doubleheader and right-hander Jesse Hahn pitching on Saturday night as scheduled.

This is the Orioles' second postponement in 17 home dates. Their game against the Tampa Bay Rays on April 9 was postponed due to wintry conditions. A makeup date has yet to be set.

But that barely goes to show how much bad weather has hindered the Orioles' early season routine. Rain delays for games that were played totaled three hours and 12 minutes.

Opening Day featured two rain delays totaling two hours, 51 minutes, while later that week, a 21-minute rain delay halted their eventual 4-2 win over the Twins.

The Orioles' April 16 road game at Texas was also postponed due to rain, forcing the Orioles to travel back down to Texas on June 20 in the middle of a homestand in order to play a makeup game in Arlington.

Britton feels strong after return

Even though the Orioles deemed closer Zach Britton ready to return from a left ankle injury for Thursday's game — he pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings and earned the win after striking out the side in the 10th inning — the true test of his recovery was always going to be how he'd feel after testing his ankle in a game.

"That was the best thing that's happened today so far is that he came in today feeling good," Showalter said Friday.

Britton will still receive daily treatment and pitch with a bulky brace on his left ankle to give the joint added stability, but the fact that Britton had no setback — and got results — in his first game back was a positive.

"It feels pretty similar to when I came in yesterday, just kind of taking it day by day as far as getting treatment on it and being ready for the game, but obviously I just have to stay on top of it for the next few days," Britton said.

The Orioles would like to get back to a four-man bench and Britton's uncertain status played a role in the team keeping an extra reliever. Infielder Paul Janish would be the most likely addition because he gives the Orioles a valuable utility infielder who can play shortstop. Janish was with his wife in Houston on Thursday for the birth of his third child, but he did not go on the paternity list in order to allow the team to add him if he was needed.

But before Friday's game was rained out, Showalter said that it's possible the team sticks with a three-man bench.

"It may not be anybody," he said in reference to the notion that Janish was coming up. "I don't want anybody to think there's a firm commitment. We'd like to. Last night, again, was a challenge. We've been fortunate to overcome it with the bench and you always have to pick when to go for it and throw caution to the wind."

Orioles scout Lincecum

The Orioles were one of several teams to attend two-time Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum's showcase in Arizona on Friday afternoon. The Orioles have long shown interest in Lincecum and monitored his recovery from surgery on his left hip last September to repair a torn labrum.

But since Lincecum is seeking a major league deal — and his showcase was reportedly attended by more than 20 teams – it's unclear how much of a play the Orioles would make for him. They'd be interested if they could make him a minor league deal and add him to their starting pitching inventory, but offering Lincecum a guaranteed major league deal seems unlikely.

Around the horn

The Orioles won last year's season series with Oakland 6-1. … Thursday's 1-0, 10-inning Orioles' win marked the third time — in 1,028 meetings between the Orioles and Yankees — that the two teams were both scoreless after nine innings, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. … Thursday's game marked the fourth homerless game at Camden Yards this season through 15 home dates. There were only eight home games last season in which neither team hit a home run.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-as-0507-20160506-story.html

Orioles catcher Matt Wieters puts arm worries in past, sees success ahead

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun May 6, 2016

Matt Wieters said he's long since overcome the mental hurdle of thinking about his surgically repaired right elbow before he rifles a throw. And while his arm strength isn't yet where he wants it to be, he's comfortable with the pace of what's been a methodical recovery from Tommy John surgery.

Yet whatever that pace, there are those moments that make you think the old Matt Wieters is back. And one of those slices in time was perhaps the pivotal play in the Orioles' 1-0, 10-inning win over the New York Yankees on Thursday night.

With the go-ahead run on second base in a scoreless game and two outs in the top of the ninth inning, Wieters caught Yankees shortstop Starlin Castro inching too far off base. After a slight delay, Wieters popped out of his catcher's stance and ripped a throw to second that beat Castro to the bag.

"For me, it was just something where I thought I had a chance at him, so I thought I'd take a shot," Wieters said. "I thought I'd take a shot at him. I had all the confidence that [closer Zach] Britton would be able to make the next pitch to get out of the inning anyway, so with the type of secondary [lead] he took, I thought the out was there, so I decided to take it."

After the game, Orioles manager Buck Showalter called it the play of the game because it got his team — and Britton — back into the dugout. Britton went out in the 10th and struck out the side after a leadoff walk, and the Orioles won in the bottom half of the inning on Pedro Alvarez's sacrifice fly.

But for teammates who have seen Wieters go through a long journey since undergoing Tommy John surgery in June 2014, his making that throw without hesitation was a promising sign he's back.

"I think that play kind of sums it up a little bit," Britton said. "He was sitting back there for nine innings and he's got an opportunity like that. He's got a long throw and he's got to be on point with the throw and definitely has to let it go to get a guy sleeping a little bit at second. That's a tough play, especially when your arm is cold and everything like that.

"He's done a few times with that this year. He's obviously not thinking about it if he's going to attempt those plays. I think he feels good. He's smiling out there and throwing good, and I think that's a good sign."

Wieters said Friday that while he's overcome thinking about his elbow before he throws, he's noticed that his throws are coming out smoother and quicker this season. It's still early, but he's thrown out two of five potential base stealers, a 40 percent success rate that exceeds the current 32 percent league average.

"I've been there," Wieters said. "I've been mentally ready to make any throws. This year, it's been a lot more reaction as opposed to last year really having to think through some things, which is good. That's where I wanted to get it. The arm is still improving. [I'm] still trying to get it stronger and stronger each day, but just, reaction-wise, this year has been a lot different than last year in that aspect. I feel like I can react to whatever situation is out there and be good with it."

Wieters overcame a spring training scare, when he left a game March 12 after one inning following a throw to second base prompted deeper concerns because of the nature of his elbow history. But the Orioles exercised caution, and Wieters was back for Opening Day.

"I'm pleased with how the ball's coming out," Wieters added. "It's a thing where even last year, when it still feels good, sometimes you just don't have your strength there. That's what I'm noticing, that I'm able to kind of aim a little bit lower on throws and be able to get the carry now than I did last year. Last year, I had to play a lot more of kind of a fade-in there than this year. It's nicer to be able to see this year, just eyesight-wise, the different trajectory I'm able to throw at this year as compared to last year."

Showalter — who has watched Wieters' play and body language carefully — has seen a difference already this season.

"You can see," Showalter said. "He's talking about pitching and sequence and hitting and not [throwing]. Just because a guy is doing this [extending and stretching his arm], it doesn't mean his arm is hurting. I just walked by him in the weight room coming down here and he's soaking wet. He's going through a workout. I think some of this has actually been good for he and [backup catcher] Caleb [Joseph] because we should have two fresh catchers as we go through the season. At some point, Matt may catch more. We'll see. It'll be his call."

Wieters has said he wants to get back to playing behind the plate as regularly as he was before the surgery — he averaged 129 starts at catcher over a four-year stretch from 2010 to 2013 — but so far, Wieters has caught on back-to-back days just once, which came April 29 and 30.

"We'll get there," Wieters said. "I think that's the thing. We want to make sure as long as we keep strengthening it and it keeps getting stronger and stronger, we're on the right track. And Caleb's done a really great job with the staff, we feel really comfortable right now. And I know and Buck knows and everybody in this clubhouse knows that we're playing for September and October.

As long as we have a good thing going, it's not going to be a macho ego thing where I have to catch more games. It's just a matter of, 'Hey let's keep a good thing going while we can.'"

The Orioles have a strong catching duo with Wieters and Joseph, who has grown into a capable starter in Wieters' absence and would have been the everyday catcher had Wieters not accepted the Orioles' $15.8- million qualifying offer in the offseason.

And the team's faith in Joseph allows the Orioles to make sure Wieters, who becomes a free agent again next offseason, can continue to strengthen his arm while not overexerting it.

"I don't know time-wise, but I think there's definitely room to strengthen it," Wieters said. "One, it's being able to not only [have] the strength to be able to make those throws, which I think I'm getting pretty close, arm strength-wise, but also being able to make the throws and make them again tomorrow and make the good throws.

"It's been a slow process where it took a while to get the strength back. Now, the strength is there and it's about being able to repeat that strong throw every time. And it's a slow process, but as long as we're moving in the right direction, that's encouraging."

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-robinson-homer-0508-20160505-story.html

Remembering Frank Robinson's historic, outside-the-park home run, 50 years later

By Mike Klingaman / The Baltimore Sun May 6, 2016

The pitcher, Cleveland's Luis Tiant, peered in for the sign and delivered a fastball, low and inside. Frank Robinson swung from the heels. The crowd of 49,516 rose as one to watch as the ball soared over the left-field wall — and kept climbing. It cleared the football press box, 50 rows of bleachers and a 12-foot TV camera stand sitting at the top of Memorial Stadium before it disappeared.

The place exploded. On May 8, 1966, in his 19th game as an Oriole, Robinson had done the unthinkable, becoming the first (and only) player to hit a home run out of the ballpark. As he rounded the bases with that gingerly gait, the crowd — then the largest ever to see an Orioles game — gave him a standing ovation. The applause lasted a full minute, until Robinson had touched his cap five times. Or was it six?

"I have hit balls as hard, but it would be difficult to say that I have hit any harder," he said afterward. "I was a little embarrassed [by the ovation]; it hit the soft spot."

Half a century later, Robinson called it a seminal moment in his baseball career. Hearing the cheering, "I felt like I really belonged in Baltimore," the Hall of Fame slugger told The Baltimore Sun in December.

The 50th anniversary of the feat will be commemorated in a community event Sunday not far from where the ball landed.

Robinson's historic 1966 home run affected others, too. Outside the park that Sunday afternoon, two youths passed by. Fifteen-year-old Mike Sparaco and his buddy Bill Wheatley, 14, were returning home to Waverly in a sullen mood.

"We'd gone to meet two girls at a miniature golf course on Hillen Road, but they never showed," Sparaco recalled. Crossing a parking lot outside the stadium, they heard a roar, looked up and saw fans pointing at them from the top row of the bleachers.

"We thought, 'What's going on?'" said Sparaco, now 65, of northeast Baltimore. "Bill said, 'Maybe somebody hit one out.' I said, 'Great, maybe we'll get a new baseball and play with it.' The first car I looked under was a white Cadillac and there was the ball, right in the middle. No sooner had I crawled under to get it than all these people came running over. A guy with a transistor radio shouted, 'Frank Robinson just hit that!'"

The ball had traveled 451 feet on the fly before rolling to a stop 540 feet from home plate.

Ushered into the stadium, the boys hoped to lean over the Orioles dugout and present the ball to Robinson. Some fans thought otherwise. Sparaco said: "One man stood up from his seat and offered $50 for it. His wife said, 'Sit down, Harry.'"

Instead, they met with Harry Dalton, the Orioles general manager who took them to the press box. There, the public address announcer introduced the two ninth-graders to the crowd, who gave them a standing ovation.

"I couldn't believe it," Sparaco said. "Five minutes earlier, I'd been a nobody. Now we were doing an interview on a Cleveland radio station. After the game, we visited the Orioles locker room. Reporters swarmed us. We shook hands with every Oriole, from to . They all signed a ball and a program. Then we jumped up on a training table, gave the ball to Frank Robinson and had our picture taken with him. The Orioles gave us both season passes, we said our goodbyes and that was it."

Not quite. Walking home, Sparaco was met by neighbors shouting, "We saw you on TV!" On Monday, at Woodbourne Junior High, he and Wheatley were celebrities.

"I was flabbergasted. It's hard to deal with all that," Sparaco said. "Relatives called from all over the country. I delivered papers for the Baltimore News American and that afternoon, when I opened my bundle, our picture was on the front page."

Wheatley has since died, but Sparaco, a semiretired bricklayer, can recall every detail of that afternoon on 33rd Street 50 years ago.

"Every once in a while, someone will come up to me and want to talk about it," he said. "That was my 15 minutes of fame."

Robinson's home run, in the first inning of an 8-3 victory during the second game of a doubleheader, was more remarkable having come off an Indians pitcher (Tiant) who had thrown three consecutive shutouts to start his season. The feat so moved the city that a sports booster club sought to commemorate the blast. A week later, in a pregame ceremony, an orange flag with black lettering was raised at the spot where the ball left the park. "HERE" is all it said.

The flag flew until the end of 1991 — the Orioles' last at Memorial Stadium — when it was won by a fan in a club-sponsored giveaway during the penultimate game of the season.

"I still have it," said Les Kelly, 57, of Fort Worth, Texas. A retired Marine, he keeps the flag folded in a Ziploc bag, with a certificate of authenticity, in the bottom of a foot locker that accompanied him during tours in Okinawa, Japan, and Hawaii.

It's only by chance that he's the owner of the HERE flag, Kelly said. Stationed at Quantico, Va., in 1991, after serving in Operation Desert Storm, he'd driven to Baltimore with his wife and two sons Oct. 5 to visit the National Aquarium — or so he thought.

"They surprised me and said we were going to the Orioles-Detroit game for my birthday," said Kelly, who's from Michigan. "But we didn't have tickets and the game was sold out. Then a guy walked over and said, 'I'll sell you four tickets for $12.' They were upper deck but we took them."

Next thing Kelly knew, his seat had been selected and he'd won a prize.

"When [the Orioles] told me what it was, everybody swarmed around me, wanting to buy the flag," he said. "What are the odds of all that happening? Frank Robinson signed it 'Best Wishes' and shook our hands. One guy offered $1,000 for it, on the spot. The Babe Ruth Museum asked to display it, but I kept it."

The HERE flag has been at Kelly's side ever since, except during his deployment to Iraq in 2005.

"I've been thinking about it lately," he said, but not because it's the golden anniversary of Robinson's home run. "Antiques Roadshow," the PBS television series, goes to Fort Worth in July, and Kelly hopes to have his keepsake appraised.

On Sunday, Baltimore will stage its own celebration. At 1 p.m., Mark Melonas, a neighborhood activist, will raise a replica of the flag atop a 16-foot pole on the chain link fence in the left-field corner of the YMCA ballfield where Memorial Stadium once stood. Youngsters can also compete in Major League Baseball-sponsored Pitch Hit & Run contests, whiffle ball games and a home run derby (ages 14-18).

"We'll hang the flag and give a quick history lesson on Robinson and what it meant for blue- collar Baltimore to embrace a hero who had darker skin than many of them," said Melonas, a furniture maker. "After the arrest last year of Freddie Gray, and people having a poor opinion of the city, the metaphor of HERE is an interesting one, overlaid on that history. We're still an amazing town, and this neighborhood is surprisingly diverse."

At 40, Melonas wasn't alive when Robinson played for the Orioles. But praise from his father, Jim Melonas, is good enough for him.

"Mention Robinson and dad gets a funny look in his eye," Mark Melonas said. "'There are players,' he'll say, 'and then there's Frank.'"

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-and-athletics-rained-out-will-play- doubleheader-saturday-20160506-story.html

Orioles and Athletics rained out, will play doubleheader Saturday

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun May 6, 2016

The Orioles’ series opener against the Oakland Athletics at Camden Yards on Friday was postponed by rain and will be made up as part of a split-admission doubleheader Saturday.

The postponement of Friday’s game, which was announced about 30 minutes before the scheduled first pitch, is the latest in an early season full of weather-related delays and postponements this year.

The Orioles’ first five weeks of the season have been almost exclusively cold, dreary and damp in Baltimore.

“Trying to predict weather? What’s the saying? If you want to make God laugh tell him about your plans,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said Friday afternoon. “Nobody really knows. What is it, April showers bring May flowers? I’m waiting for the flowers.”

Fans who have tickets and parking passes for Friday’s game can use them for admission to the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, which will begin at 1:05 p.m. Gates will open for that game at 11:35 a.m.

The second game of the doubleheader will be played at 7:05 p.m. and tickets marked for Saturday’s game will be accepted for that game.

Fans who have tickets for Friday’s game and cannot attend Game 1 of the doubleheader can exchange them for a future game this season on a dollar-for-dollar basis. All exchanges are subject to availability and must be completed before July 11. Complimentary tickets are nonexchangeable.

Right-hander Mike Wright, who was scheduled to start Saturday night’s game, will now start the day game, and right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez, who was scheduled to pitch Friday, will start Saturday’s nightcap.

The Athletics will keep their starting pitching in order, with left-hander Rich Hill starting Game 1 of the doubleheader and right-hander Jesse Hahn pitching Saturday night as scheduled.

This is the Orioles’ second postponement in 17 home dates. Their game against the Tampa Bay Rays on April 9 was postponed by wintry conditions. A makeup date has yet to be set.

But that's just a sample of the bad weather that has hindered the Orioles’ early season routine. Rain delays for games that were played totaled 3 hours, 12 minutes.

Opening Day featured two rain delays totaling 2 hours, 51 minutes, while later that week, a 21- minute rain delay halted their eventual 4-2 win over the .

The Orioles’ April 16 road game at the was also postponed by rain, forcing the Orioles to travel back to Texas on June 20 in the middle of a homestand in order to play a makeup game in Arlington.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/176603674/athletics-orioles-postponed-due-to-rain

A's-O's opener postponed, twin bill set for Saturday Day-night doubleheader will begin at 1:05 p.m. ET

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com May 6, 2016

BALTIMORE -- The Orioles-Athletics game on Friday night has been postponed due to inclement weather and has been rescheduled for Saturday at 1:05 p.m. ET as part of a split- admission doubleheader.

The second game of the doubleheader will begin as scheduled at 7:05 p.m., and separate admission is required for each game.

Right-hander Mike Wright will start for Baltimore in Game 1 on Saturday, while Friday night's scheduled starter, Ubaldo Jimenez, will start Game 2. Oakland will start left-hander Rich Hill for Game 1 and right-hander Jesse Hahn for Game 2.

Tickets and prepaid parking passes marked for Friday will be honored for the 1:05 p.m. game on Saturday and do not need to be exchanged. Gates for the first game will open at 11:35 a.m., and gate times for the 7:05 p.m. game will be announced at the conclusion of the first game.

Fans unable to attend the makeup game can exchange their May 6 game tickets for any remaining home game this season on a "dollar-for-dollar" basis. All exchanges are subject to availability and must be completed before July 11. Complimentary tickets are non-exchangeable. StubHub tickets are also non-exchangeable and must either be used for the 1:05 p.m. game on May 7 or resold on StubHub. Prepaid parking permits dated for May 6 are valid only for the 1:05 p.m. game on May 7.

Ticket exchanges can be performed at the Box Office or submitted in writing along with the original tickets and mailed via certified mail by July 11 to:

Baltimore Orioles Attention: May 6 Rainout 333 West Camden Street Baltimore, MD 21201 1-888-848-BIRD

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/176603674/athletics-orioles-postponed-due-to-rain

Wright set for matinee of twin bill vs. A's

By Rick Eymer and Jane Lee / MLB.com May 6, 2016

The A's and Orioles will play a day-night doubleheader on Saturday, following Friday's rainout.

Baltimore will throw right-hander Mike Wright in the first game at 1:05 p.m. ET, while the A's counter with lefty Rich Hill, who pitched for the Orioles in 2009. The second matchup, scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET, will feature a pair of right-handed starters in Baltimore's Ubaldo Jimenez and Oakland's Jesse Hahn.

Both clubs are allowed to add a 26th man to their active roster for the second game, per league rules.

The A's, attempting to snap a four-game losing streak, will have to go through a group of Orioles sluggers to do so.

"There's a lot of pop in that lineup," A's manager said. "They have guys who have played together for a while; veteran guys who know how to play."

The Orioles are without J.J. Hardy, who was placed on the disabled list Tuesday, but they have plenty of firepower and are among the league leaders in getting on base.

The Orioles won six of the seven meetings last year, including a four-game sweep in Baltimore during which the O's outscored the A's, 34-13.

Things to know about this game

• Hill is 3-0 with a 0.95 ERA in three starts on the road this year and 1-0 with a 0.60 ERA in 11 career appearances (15 innings) against the Orioles.

• A's designated hitter Billy Butler is a .345 hitter (10-for-29) against Jimenez.

• Danny Valencia was activated from the disabled list Friday, after missing 15 days with a strained left hamstring.

Rick Eymer is a contributor to MLB.com based in Oakland.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/05/trying-to-get-the-roster-right-after- wright.html

Trying to get the roster right after Wright

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com May 7, 2016

Let’s try this again.

The Orioles are playing a day-night doubleheader because it’s not going to stop raining until Christmas. I’m no longer surprised or disappointed by the forecast. Just accept that the team is changing its logo to a black cloud.

I can’t wait for the next giveaway, when the first 10,000 fans 18 and older will receive a tarp.

The roster will change today. Both teams are allowed to add a 26th player for Game 2, as it’s been explained to me.

Infielder Paul Janish would appear to be the logical choice, except that the Orioles would have to purchase his contract from Triple-A Norfolk and he couldn’t be sent back down afterward without clearing waivers.

One solution would be to purchase his contract before Game 1 and option a reliever, then choose someone else as the 26th player for Game 2. This would be a way to place Janish on the roster and get back to a four-man bench.

Let’s see how it plays out.

Mike Wright is starting Game 1 for the Orioles. He’s never faced the Athletics or anyone on the current roster.

Jesse Hahn is starting Game 2 for the Athletics. He’s never faced the Orioles, and Pedro Alvarez is the only player on the current roster to step in against him. Alvarez is 1-for-2 with a home run.

(Am I the only one who hears “Jesse Hahn” and thinks “Jessica Hahn,” which really shows my age?)

Wright has gone five, six, 6 1/3 and six innings in his four starts, the last coming on April 29 against the White Sox. He worked a scoreless inning on Wednesday, with manager Buck Showalter making sure the right-hander didn’t have too much time between appearances.

Showalter flip-flopped his starters today. Ubaldo Jimenez will wait until the nightcap.

The Athletics are staying in order, with left-hander Rich Hill starting Game 1. He’s going to throw a lot of curveballs, the old-school power kind that helped to earn him that $6 million contract over the winter.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/05/orioles-athletics-game-postponed.html

Orioles-Athletics game postponed

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com May 6, 2016

The Orioles have been subjected to their third postponement of the season. Tonight’s game against the Athletics won’t be played due to rain. The clubs will play a split doubleheader Saturday with separate admission. Game 1 is slated for 1:05 p.m. The second game remains at 7:05 p.m.

Both games will be broadcast live on MASN2 and the Orioles Radio Network. Tickets and prepaid parking passes marked May 6 will be honored for the 1:05 p.m. game on May 7 and do not need to be exchanged. Gates for the first game will open at 11:35 a.m., and gate times for the 7:05 p.m. game will be announced at the conclusion of the first game.

Fans unable to attend the makeup game can exchange their May 6 game tickets for any remaining home game this season on a “dollar-for-dollar” basis. All exchanges are subject to availability and must be completed before July 11. Complimentary tickets are non-exchangeable. StubHub tickets are also non-exchangeable and must either be used for the 1:05 p.m. game on May 7 or resold on StubHub. Prepaid parking permits dated for May 6 are valid only for the 1:05 p.m. game on May 7.

Ticket exchanges can be performed at the Box Office or submitted in writing along with the original tickets and mailed via certified mail by July 11 to:

Baltimore Orioles Attention: May 6 Rainout 333 West Camden Street Baltimore, MD 21201 1-888-848-BIRD

Update: The Orioles have announced that Mike Wright will pitch the first game of the split doubleheader, with Ubaldo Jimenez starting the second. For the A’s, Rich Hill will work the opener and Jesse Hahn the nightcap.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/05/the-weather-and-whether-the-orioles-keep- a-short-bench.html

The weather and whether the Orioles keep a short bench

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com May 6, 2016

The Orioles apparently will make it through tonight without a roster move. The three-man bench remains intact.

Infielder Paul Janish remains in Houston with wife Maria and their baby girl. It’s a mystery whether he’s going to return to Triple-A Norfolk, come to Baltimore this weekend or meet the team in Minnesota next week.

“It may not be him. It may not be anybody if we and whoever decide to continue down this path with the 13-man (staff),” said manager Buck Showalter.

“It may not be anybody. I don’t want anybody to think there’s a firm commitment. Last night again was a challenge. We’ve been fortunate to overcome it. You’re always picking when to go for it and throw caution to the wind.

“Paul, I told you the club intentionally didn’t put him on paternity leave in case there was a need overnight. I’ve been texting back and forth with him a little bit, wishing him luck, him and Maria. She was actually due the 13th. They kind of pushed this up, I think, because of the schedule. Modern medicine is unbelievable.”

The weather has been unbearable. No one can remember the last time they saw the sun, though Showalter recalls hopping on his riding mower and cutting a portion of his lawn. Perhaps teams that visit Camden Yards for only one series should arrive later in the summer.

“I try hard to not talk about things I’m not versed in,” said Showalter, whose club already lost two games in April to postponements - one here against the Rays and one in Arlington, Texas.

“We all think we have a better way with the schedule. If you sat down with the people who did it, you’d probably understand a lot of the challenges they have. We’re not the only team. There are 29 others. I’ve seen the schedule come out and you request certain things in a perfect world. You don’t always get them.

“Trying to predict weather? What’s the saying? If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans. Nobody really knows. What is it, April showers bring May flowers? I’m waiting for the flowers.

“We complain about the schedule without really understanding the challenges they have in putting it together because everybody is wanting something. You might make it perfect for five teams and make it miserable for 25 teams.”

Showalter was back in the rain room today at Camden Yards, with contingency plans in place in case of a postponement.

“They’ve already got it up on the board of all the like dates, all the off-days, what this would mean, what that would mean, where the travel would come. There’s about seven scenarios they do before every series where they go through all the possibilities and what have you,” Showalter said.

“I don’t like guys talking to our players about rain and scenarios and all that. They look at radar, but he have to approach the rest of the afternoon to get ready at 7 o’clock to play Oakland. If something else comes up, the powers that be, they have it wired. They do a good job of it.”

While the tarp remains over the infield, Zach Britton and Brian Matusz did some light running in the outfield and played catch. Britton reported no discomfort in his left ankle following last night’s outing.

“That was the best thing that’s happened today so far is that he came in today feeling good,” Showalter said.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/05/early-notes-from-camden-yards-1.html

Early notes from Camden Yards

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com May 6, 2016

The tarp just came off the field at Camden Yards, and this time it’s not about dumping water. The grounds crew is raking the infield while the mound and batter’s box remain covered.

A light rain continues to fall, however, and we’re still unsure about the status of tonight’s game.

There’s talk of a window around 7 p.m. and the Orioles are hoping to play. They’ve discussed various makeup scenarios if a postponement becomes necessary.

“What’s the saying? April showers bring May flowers? I’m waiting for the flowers,” said manager Buck Showalter.

Showalter joked that a window these days means playing in a drizzle.

The Orioles are sticking with a three-man bench for now.

Infielder Paul Janish and his wife Maria welcomed their third child into the world today, their first daughter. Janish wasn’t placed on paternity leave and can have his contract selected at any time.

“It may not be him. It may not be anybody,” Showalter said. “I don’t want anybody to think there’s a firm commitment.”

Showalter said the best news of the day arrived with closer Zach Britton, who reported that his left ankle felt good following last night’s outing.

The Orioles sent special assignment scout Ron Schueler to watch Tim Lincecum’s workout today in Arizona.

Lincecum is trying to come back from left hip surgery in September.

At least 20 teams reportedly sent representatives to scout Lincecum, who is seeking a starting job in the majors.

Infielders Steve Tolleson (groin) and Michael Almanzar (thumb) have been placed on Triple-A Norfolk’s disabled list. Infielders Corban Joseph and Garabez Rosa have moved up from Double-A Bowie.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2016/05/the-orioles-are-4-3-with.html

A look at home and road splits and playing time in left field

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com May 7, 2016

The Orioles are 4-3 with three games to go on this 10-game homestand. They host Oakland today in a split doubleheader at 1:05 p.m. and 7:05 p.m. after last night’s rainout.

If they win two of three this weekend the Orioles will have a winning homestand of 6-4. They have played much better this year at home than on the road. Taking a look at the stats, that has been more about pitching rather than offense.

* The Orioles are 11-4 at home with a team ERA of 2.82. They have hit .278 at home, slugging .446 with 18 homers and averaging 4.06 runs per game.

* The Orioles are 5-7 on the road with a team ERA of 4.63. They have hit .247 on the road, slugging .433 with 18 homers and averaging 4.42 runs per game.

In home games only this year, Manny Machado is batting .426 with nine doubles, five homers, 13 RBIs, a slugging percentage of .820 and an OPS of 1.297. Among players with 30 or more home at-bats this year, that was the best average in the AL heading into Friday’s games.

Atop the division: With Boston’s 3-2 loss at New York last night, the Orioles move back into first-place by a few percentage points over Boston. The Orioles are playing .593 ball (16-11) to .586 (17-12) for Boston.

Remember this?: It was four years ago yesterday that the Orioles won a wild, wacky and wonderful game (for them) at Boston’s Fenway Park. It might have been the first real sign that the 2012 Orioles would be a playoff contender. Here is the game story from that game.

About left field: The Orioles have used five different players to start in left field this year with Joey Rickard leading the way with 13 starts there and he has also made six starts in center and six in right field.

The O’s are 6-7 with Rickard starting in left. They are 5-2 with Nolan Reimold there, 3-2 with Hyun Soo Kim and 1-0 each with Mark Trumbo and Ryan Flaherty there.

Rickard’s bat has clearly cooled. He was batting .350 on April 21. But he now has two hits over his last 16 at-bats. Over his past 12 games he is batting just .159 (7-for-44). Included in that stretch was a three-run homer on April 27 at Tampa Bay off Matt Moore that helped win a game.

With Nolan Reimold batting .333 and Hyun Soo Kim hitting .556 (10-for-18), some fans are wondering if Rickard will begin to start less and one of the others will begin to start more. Manager Buck Showalter gave the young a public vote of confidence this week.

“Joey’s been good,” Showalter said. “Our players won’t let him be bad. He’s living the American dream. He’s fine. We’re real proud of him.

“When I see him starting to have those anxiety at-bats, that’s when I’ll kind of go ... But when he’s still taking that walk late in the game (that’s) 7-0, that’s what I want to continue to see. Continue to be who he is.

“He’ll make the adjustments. He’s too athletic and too smart not to. The biggest thing about jumping up here is the quality of pitching day in and day out. You may see one guy in a three- game series in Triple-A that you go, ‘OK, that’s one of those.’ Here, you see it every night.”

Showalter is certainly loyal to his players and he will give them every chance to pull out of slumps. Should he stay with Rickard right now? If he starts to sit him more often would that hurt his confidence? Have Reimold and/or Kim done enough to warrant a bigger shot?

Farm notes: Triple-A Norfolk went to the seventh inning last night at Durham losing 7-1. But the Tides scored two in the seventh, three in the eighth, one in the ninth and two runs in the tenth inning for a stunning comeback 9-7 win. The game featured the first Triple-A home run for Trey Mancini. Sharlon Schoop (Jonathan’s brother) hit two homers and drove in four runs. Christian Walker hit a two-run homer and Audry Perez had two RBIs.

Single-A Delmarva won 5-4 at Lexington. Ryan Mountcastle had a two-run double and Steve Laurino went 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Starting pitcher Ofelky Peralta, a 19-year-old right-hander from the Dominican Republic, gave up just one run over five innings. In his last four starts, he has pitched to an ERA of 1.83 with 19 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings. Patrick Baker got the win in relief and is 2-1 with a 1.56 ERA. Christian Turnipseed picked up his fifth save with two perfect innings to close it out.

Double-A Bowie was rained out at home against Erie and Single-A Frederick was rained out at Potomac.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2016/05/mark-trumbo-on-the-ups-and-downs-on- offense-and-his-first-month-as-an-oriole.html

Mark Trumbo on ups and downs on offense, his first month as an Oriole

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com May 6, 2016

The Orioles offense has seen some ups and also some downs in recent games. Here is a look:

* After an 8-3 win on April 23 in Kansas City, the Orioles scored just five runs in the last four games of a road trip to K.C. and Tampa Bay, going 1-3. Three of those runs came via a Joey Rickard homer.

* Then the Orioles returned home and scored 23 runs in three games against the team with at that time the best team ERA in the majors, the . They went 2-1

* Since then, they have scored six runs in four games, going 2-2 against Chicago and the Yankees. They are batting just . 211 in this most recent four-game run and are batting just 2-for- 27 (.074) with runners in scoring position in this span. Why all the ups and downs?

“Good pitching, for sure, 100 percent,” O’s outfielder Mark Trumbo said this afternoon. “(CC) Sabathia threw an excellent game and (Masahiro) Tanaka was very sharp yesterday. I’ve always believed that good pitching is going to shut down good hitting.

“It’s just the grind of the season. That is what makes it so much fun. There are going to be times you are going to have to scrap and do everything you can to get even one or two runs. Sometimes we will be the team that will score eight to 10 runs with a bunch of homers. The last couple of days haven’t been as good, but we are looking forward to getting back to the team we think we can be.”

If last night’s win felt like a big win to the fans, it also did to the players, it seems. The Orioles ended a 21-inning scoreless stretch with the walk-off sac fly by Pedro Alvarez to beat the Yankees 1-0 in 10 innings to improve to 16-11.

“I think especially with the performance by Kevin (Gausman),” Trumbo said. “When somebody throws the ball that well, you do not want to lose those games. That can be a real gut punch. That was an ideal pitchers’ duel yesterday. If people are into that, what a game to come to and see two guys at the top of their craft.

“But that was a huge win. It won the series, but it gave us that confidence that, if you get into these tight ballgames late, even against premium All-Star caliber pitching, we were able to get a win.”

While the O’s have fallen to seventh in the American League in runs scored with 114, they continue to rank second in the AL in batting (.264), OBP (.326), slugging (.440) and OPS (.766.). The O’s 36 homers ranks third in the league.

Even after that slow stretch with RISP, they still rank second in the AL with a team average of .292 when batting with runners in scoring position.

Trumbo continued his strong start in the Yankees series, hitting two homers in Tuesday’s win. He is batting .324 with eight homers, 22 RBIs and an OPS of .953. He is seventh in the AL in batting, fourth in homers and tied for fourth in RBIs.

His first month or so as an Oriole? It’s been great.

“This is as much fun as I’ve had playing. Just feeling comfortable here and I’m playing on a winning ballclub. We have a chance for a really nice season,” Trumbo said.

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/baltimore-orioles/wright-jimenez-get-call-orioles-play-two- against-oakland

Wright, Jimenez Get The Call As Orioles Play Two Against Oakland

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic May 7, 2016

Today's Games:

Oakland Athletics (13-16) vs. Baltimore Orioles (16-11), Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, 1:05 p.m and 7:05 p.m.

Starting pitchers:

Game 1: Rich Hill (3-3, 2.53) vs. Mike Wright (1-2, 5.18) Game 2: Jesse Hahn (1-0, 0.00) vs. Ubaldo Jimenez (1-3, 5.20)

Keys to the Game:

Can Wright and Jimenez both give the Orioles a solid start to match Kevin Gausman's on Thursday night?

Can the Orioles hit Hill? In his last start against them, Hill pitched a two-hit shutout last Sept. 25, striking out 10 when pitching for Boston.

News and Notes:

The Orioles have been rained out three times this year. This is the first game being made up.

Wright hasn't pitched against Oakland. Hahn hasn't faced the Orioles.

Hill is trying for his fourth win, which would be his most since 2007.

Current Orioles are batting .174 (4-for-23) against Hill.

Jimenez is 3-1 with a 5.28 ERA in six starts against Oakland.

Billy Butler is batting .345 (10-for-29) with a home run against Jimenez.

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/baltimore-orioles/orioles-rained-out-will-play-saturday- daynight-doubleheader

Orioles Rained Out, Will Play Saturday Day/Night Doubleheader

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic May 6, 2016

BALTIMORE – About 35 minutes before the scheduled start of Friday night’s game with the Oakland Athletics, the Oriole announced the game had been postponed.

Friday’s game will be made up as part of a day/night doubleheader beginning at 1:05 p.m. on Saturday. The second game will begin at 7:05 p.m.

Mike Wright, who was originally scheduled to pitch Saturday night will start the first game against Rich Hill. Ubaldo Jimenez, who was listed as Friday night’s starter, will pitch in the second game against Jesse Hahn.

This is the third rainout of the season for the Orioles, the second at home.

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/baltimore-orioles/rain-dominating-talk-orioles-try-ignore-it

With Rain Dominating Talk, Orioles Try To Ignore It

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic May 6, 2016

BALTIMORE – Hard rain fell through most of Friday, and as game time neared for the Orioles’ game with Oakland, the tarp covered the Oriole Park field.

So far this season, the Orioles have had two rainouts, one at home, and one at Texas and delays totaling three hours, 12 minutes.

Complicating matters, the Athletics are making their only scheduled trip to Baltimore.

Manager Buck Showalter doesn’t want to second guess the schedule makers.

““I try hard to not talk about things I’m not versed in. We all think we have a better way with the schedule. If you sat down with the people who did it, you’d probably understand a lot of the challenges they have. We’re not the only team. There are 29 others,” Showalter said.

“I’ve seen the schedule come out and you request certain things in a perfect world. You don’t always get them. Trying to predict weather? What’s the saying? If you want to make God laugh tell him about your plans. Nobody really knows. What is it, April showers bring May flowers? I’m waiting for the flowers.”

Showalter wants as few distractions as possible for his players.

“I don’t like guys talking to our players about rain and scenarios and all that. They look at radar, but he have to approach the rest of the afternoon to get ready at 7 o’clock to play Oakland. If something else comes up, the powers that be, they have it wired. They do a good job of it,” Showalter said.

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/baltimore-orioles/will-orioles-go-13-man-pitching-staff- indefinitely

Will Orioles Go With 13-Man Pitching Staff Indefinitely?

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic May 6, 2016

BALTIMORE – As the Orioles prepared to face the Oakland Athletics on Friday night, they were working with the same roster they had the night before.

Since Apr. 25, the Orioles have had 13 pitchers and a three-man bench.

At that time, Ryan Flaherty was sent to Norfolk. He was recalled when J.J. Hardy went on the disabled list, but the Orioles stayed with 13 pitchers because of uncertainty over Zach Britton’s ankle.

Now that Britton is better, the Orioles could have been expected to make a move, but they haven’t. The major reason could be because Paul Janish, who the Orioles would like to have, is home with his wife, who had the couple’s third child, a baby girl, on Friday.

“It may not be him. It may not be anybody if we and whoever decide to continue down this path with the 13-man [pitching staff]. It may not be anybody. I don’t want anybody to think there’s a firm commitment,” manager Buck Showalter said.

In Thursday night’s game, Showalter used Nolan Reimold and Joey Rickard as pinch runners and had only Caleb Joseph on the bench.

“Last night, again was a challenge. We’ve been fortunate to overcome it. You’re always picking when to go for it and throw caution to the wind,” Showalter said.

Norfolk didn’t place Janish on the paternity list in case the Orioles wanted to immediately activate him.

http://www.baltimorebaseball.com/2016/05/07/passing-orioles-moonlight-graham/

The passing of an Orioles’ ‘Moonlight Graham’

By Dan Connolly / BaltimoreBaseball.com May 7, 2016

The Orioles and A’s were rained out, so it’s kind of hard to give you analysis of something that didn’t happen.

So I thought I’d share a little tale about an old Orioles ballplayer today – yeah, call it a rainy-day story (or post-rainy-night story).

It was brought to my attention Friday that Gordon “Gordie” Sundin died this week in Florida. Sundin was a big, strong right-hander that once pitched for the Orioles. It’s OK if you don’t remember him. He wouldn’t expect you to. No one would expect you to.

Sundin pitched in one game, one inning, in 1956 for the Orioles. He was only 18 and a little more than a year removed from a Minnesota high school when he debuted.

He had been signed to a five-year, $50,000 contract – he could have played college halfback at Notre Dame, Minnesota or Wisconsin, but chose baseball – by the Orioles’ , who was collecting a stable of bonus-baby-type pitchers.

I interviewed Sundin back in 2006 when I was with the Baltimore Sun and wrote a couple pieces about the Orioles’ “Moonlight Grahams,” guys who played in just one big league game in their entire careers. (The movie “Field of Dreams” immortalized Archibald “Moonlight” Graham, who played in one game for the New York Giants in 1905.)

At the time my story ran, there were six players who qualified as Moonlight Grahams for the Orioles: Roger Marquis in 1955, Sundin and George Werley in 1956, Tom Patton in 1957, Jeff Rineer in 1979 and Radhames Dykhoff in 1998.

There appears to be two more since I wrote those pieces: pitchers Zach Clark and Mike Belfiore, both of whom pitched one game in 2013 and are out of affiliated baseball.

I focused one story specifically on Sundin back in 2006. It ran on the 50th anniversary of his lone game. The full story is here.

Sundin was fantastic when I talked to him. In fact, he joked about the whole incident; realizing his lifelong dream turned into a bit of a nightmare.

Sundin had been hurt most of the year, and was just waiting for a chance to finally get into a game in 1956. It happened on Sept. 19. He entered to start the eighth inning at Briggs Stadium in Detroit against the Tigers. He walked the first batter he faced and then the second – on a total of nine pitches.

He then had to pitch to , the AL’s hits leader that season. After two more balls, Luman Harris came out to remove the hard-throwing kid with no control. Ten balls in 11 pitches will do that.

Sundin retold a mound exchange between him and Harris that was straight out of a baseball movie.

“Let me take care of Kuenn,” Sundin pleaded to Harris.

“That’s what we’re afraid of, son,” Harris responded. “Give me the ball.”

And that was it.

Sundin never got the chance to accidentally maim a big league batter. He walked off the mound and never pitched in the majors again.

He ended up with an infinite ERA when reliever Billy O’Dell allowed a sacrifice fly to Hall of Famer and Baltimore native Al Kaline in the eighth. The run was charged to Sundin, who gave up one run without recording an out in his career.

“There’s nothing I can do about it,” he told me 50 years later. “I might as well grin and bear it.”

Sundin didn’t live to see the 60th anniversary of that moment.

So I’m telling his tale again for him – roughly 60 years after his not-so-shining moment on the big league mound.

I figured it’s a great rainy-day story.

http://www.baltimorebaseball.com/2016/05/06/fridays-game-postponed-day-night-doubleheader- saturday/

Friday’s game postponed; day-night doubleheader slated for Saturday

By Dan Connolly / BaltimoreBaseball.com May 6, 2016

The Orioles were hoping to avoid their third rainout of the early season and second at Camden Yards.

They didn’t.

Friday night’s game against the A’s was postponed around 6:30 p.m. – and it has been rescheduled as part of a Saturday, day-night doubleheader.

The first game is scheduled for 1:05 pm. with Mike Wright facing former Oriole Rich Hill. The second, separate admission game will begin as regularly scheduled – at 7:05 p.m.

Fans with tickets for Friday’s game can use them for Saturday’s afternoon contest. No exchange is needed. If fans can’t attend Saturday’s make-up, they can exchange Friday’s tickets for any remaining home games on a “dollar-for-dollar basis.”

Ubaldo Jimenez, who was supposed to start Friday night, will pitch the nightcap against Oakland right-hander Jesse Hahn.

The Orioles don’t have any other doubleheaders scheduled, though they still need to announce the make up for the rainout that occurred Saturday, April 9 against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays next come to town from June 24 to June 26.

The Orioles’ other postponement so far this year, Sunday, April 17 in Texas, will be made up with a one-game trip to Arlington on June 20.