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Friday, May 1, 2015

Columns:  Connolly's Bar: How did the Orioles handle things this week? The Sun 5/1  How Orioles' relocated series at will take on a more neutral feel The Sun 4/30  Orioles manage to stay even at end of strange first month The Sun 4/30  O's gamut of emotions during trying week MLB.com 4/30  Taking tonight's game to The Trop MASNsports.com 5/1  Comparing Orioles' Aprils, Chris Davis heating up and take on home games in St. Petersburg MASNsports.com 5/1  Frederick Matt Taylor hospitalized after by liner (Taylor tweets he is OK) MASNsports.com 4/30  Rays-Orioles Preview AP 5/1  April All-Stars: Stanton, Cruz, Archer lead way as month's top players SI.com 4/30  Orioles' gesture showed respect for totality of ESPN.com 4/30  Orioles will be home in St. Petersburg this weekend CSN Baltimore 5/1  Orioles' John Angelos: Gutted manufacturing sector helped fuel unrest in Baltimore Baltimore Business Journal 4/30  may not be back until June NBCSports.com 5/1  on Analytics FanGraphs.com 5/1  Chris Davis: God used my time off for His glory WORLD 4/30  "Check-Ins" At Baltimore's Empty Camden Yards Top 200 A Minute Vocativ.com 4/29  Orioles Play in Eerily Empty Stadium, Sirens in Distance New York Times 4/29  Inside Baltimore’s Closed-Door MLB Game Wall Street Journal 4/29  Orioles blow out White Sox at empty Camden Yards Reuters 4/29

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-connollys-bar-how-did-the-orioles-handle- things-this-week-20150430-story.html

Connolly's Bar: How did the Orioles handle things this week?

By Dan Connolly / The Baltimore Sun May 1, 2015

It really has been one of the craziest weeks I’ve ever experienced. And, frankly, I’ve been on the edge of all of this in Charm City. So many more people had much more difficult challenges than I did.

And I’m still drained. So the drinks are on me. I’m buying this fake joint a round. And maybe more if I’m feeling inspired.

All I want from you is your opinion.

And not about the unrest or the riots or the causes and ramifications of what has transpired in our fair city. Barkeeps a lot smarter than me can moderate those discussions.

Sports are an escape. And times like these, I’m glad we have them.

I want to know how you think the Orioles handled this week.

I know this probably isn’t a popular opinion, because many felt alienated when it was announced that no fans would be allowed into Wednesday’s game.

But I have the Orioles’ back on this one.

The franchise lost a ton of money this week – from the no-attendance game Wednesday, Monday’s and Tuesday’s contests being wrapped into a one-gate in May and this weekend’s three “home” games in Tampa Bay, which will probably yield one-third (at the most) of the money that could have been made on a normal weekend here.

The Orioles did what they did because they didn’t want to take away from security resources that are needed in downtown to quell the unrest. And I support that decision. They needed to play at least one of those games against the White Sox (they couldn’t ask the White Sox to come back twice and you can’t have a tripleheader), and it just wasn’t feasible to try to move everything to on such late notice.

Some people complained to me that there are enough Orioles fans in the D.C. area to make it feel like a home game, but that’s not the point. It’s about making the logistics happen exceptionally quickly: Security and parking and ticketing and concessions. Plus, you are talking about three entities involved, the Orioles, their opposition (White Sox or Rays) and the Nats’ organization - - it is their park after all. And all of it would have to be approved by and the players’ union.

It was a terrible situation, but I think the Orioles made a good call. And be honest, you were at least slightly more intrigued by Wednesday’s no-fan game than you would have been if 20,000 had showed up for a regular April night game against the White Sox.

Let me know what you think. Even if you think I’m wrong, I’m still buying a fake round.

Daily Think Special: What’s your take on how the Orioles handled things this week?

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-trop-series-0501-20150430-story.html

How Orioles' relocated series at Tropicana Field will take on a more neutral feel

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun April 30, 2015

Will John Denver play during the seventh-inning stretch this weekend when the Orioles travel to St. Petersburg, Fla., to play three "home" games on the road at Tropicana Field, nearly 1,000 miles away from Baltimore?

Will Evan Longoria's walk-up music be played on his home field even though he will be wearing a gray road uniform?

And just how exactly do you play a home game in an opponent's stadium?

Those were among the internal questions and discussions this week after the Orioles relocated their three-game home series – originally slated for Camden Yards – to the Rays' home field because of the unrest throughout Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old African-American city resident who died in police custody.

From a baseball perspective, the past week has been a bizarre one for the Orioles. When protesters began marching along Gate H of Camden Yards before Saturday's game, the gate was closed. Later that night, the ballpark was briefly under lockdown under order of the city as concern grew that fans flooding out of the park at the end of the game could be in danger.

Monday was the darkest day of riots in the city, forcing the team's game against the White Sox to be postponed and Tuesday's was as well, as a 10 p.m. city-wide curfew was enacted. Both games will be made up as part of a doubleheader on a mutual day off. Wednesday's game was played, albeit in front of an empty seating bowl with the game closed to the public, mainly in order to allow police officers and National Guard troops who would be securing the park the ability to be deployed elsewhere around the city.

That's also the main thrust why the Orioles, along with Major League Baseball and the Rays, worked to get this weekend's series relocated to Tampa Bay.

Even though the Orioles wanted to swap this weekend's series for one slated to be played at Tampa Bay in July, MLB decided that it was already difficult enough costing the Orioles fan base five home dates in Baltimore this week, and would be unwise to affect another franchise's fan base as well, according to industry sources.

The Rays have an annual summer concert series that is tied closely to their season-ticket plans. During that July series, the Rays are hosting a postgame concert featuring country music artist Kacey Musgraves, certainly creating one of their best summer weekend draws of the season.

Since these games are still technically Orioles home games, the Orioles did request playing the same crowd prompts and videos that are played at Camden Yards, but were rebuffed by MLB, which preferred a more neutral experience.

The Orioles will certainly have some home privileges. They will wear their home white uniforms, take batting practice first and bat at the end of the inning.

And the host Rays are making several efforts to make sure the series will have an impartial feel to it. There will be none of the typical sponsorship elements presented during a regular Rays home game, no game emcee and no pump-up-the-crowd elements.

Walk-up music for both Orioles and Rays players will be played. And the Oriole Bird mascot, as well as Rays mascots Raymond and D.J. Kitty, will all be there.

The seventh-inning stretch, however, will undoubtedly be Orioles-slanted, with John Denver's "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" to be played.

Both teams had to make several on-the-fly adjustments to make this series work. The Orioles had to book a charter flight on a different airline carrier and aren't staying at their usual team hotel because of last-minute bookings. Typically, those travel plans are made before the season begins.

The Rays will have to bring in about 700 gameday staff members – all of whom expected to have the weekend off – to work the series.

Tickets for all three games will be general admission with seating only offered in the lower bowl of Tropicana Field. Tickets to Friday's and Sunday's games will be $15 and Saturday's game will be $18. The Orioles, who set the ticket prices in conjunction with the Rays, will receive the gate revenue of the series minus the Rays' staffing expenses.

Since Sarasota is less than an hour south of The Trop, Orioles season holders were emailed the opportunity to purchase tickets for a $3 discount.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-day-off-0501-20150430- story.html#page=2

Orioles manage to stay even at end of strange first month

By Dan Connolly / The Baltimore Sun April 30, 2015

In what likely has been one of the most trying periods of his career, Orioles has attempted to deflect the spotlight away from him and his team.

Yes, the Orioles made baseball history Wednesday by playing a game in front of no fans due to ongoing unrest in the city. Yes, they'll have a doubleheader on a May day off due to postponements Monday and Tuesday. Yes, their next three "home" games will be played in St. Petersburg, Fla.

But Showalter scoffs at the idea that things are difficult for his crew.

"To say something that we are going to go through on a playing in the big leagues is difficult is really insensitive to everything else that's going on," Showalter said. "It's a small thing for us, comparatively speaking."

Frankly, Showalter's Orioles thrive under adversity – as says, "It seems like our backs are always against the wall."

Heading into Saturday, the Orioles were on a five-game losing streak and in danger of being left behind in the American League East. But that night, reserve David Lough hit a 10th- inning, game-ending and the Orioles haven't lost since, bringing their record to 10-10.

It matches their record through 20 games last year, when they ultimately ran away with the AL East. The Orioles had a losing April (11-12), and were 15-15 in May, but eventually posted their best campaign in 17 years.

The bottom line: 20 games in a big league season are akin to two games in the NFL. There's plenty of time for things to go right – or wrong. But with one month officially behind them, there are some observations that can be made about these Orioles. Here's a look at some interesting storylines one month in.

Wieters and Hardy sidelined: The hushed hope for catcher Matt Wieters' return from elbow surgery last June was May 1. Well, that's here, and he hasn't played in a real minor league game yet. (He's been limited to catching parts of extended spring games.) If the progression continues, a minor league rehab assignment is probably on the horizon in a week or two. Wieters doesn't like to speculate on return dates, so we'll do it for him. Late May to early June seems reasonable.

Shortstop J.J. Hardy initially provided the media with a few timetables for his return – but he won't do it anymore. His left shoulder still isn't quite right after hurting it while diving for a ball in March. At the time, he thought he might be back by the club's first homestand.

But he has experienced lingering discomfort after swinging a bat and had a cortisone shot Saturday. His hope is he can start a rehab assignment this upcoming week. He'd need to play in three or four games before returning, so the best guess is, if all goes well, he is a week to two weeks away.

The Great Ubaldo?: The Orioles knew that right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez was frustratingly inconsistent when they signed him to a four-year, $50 million deal before last season. And he was pretty consistently terrible for most of 2014. This year, Jimenez has a renewed purpose.

More important, he's repeating his mechanics and his split-fingered fastball is disappearing from batters. He's compiled a 2-1 record and 1.59 ERA while allowing just 10 hits and eight walks while striking out 22 batters in 22 2/3 innings.

He was the Orioles' best starter in April. And, though he seemingly is always one mechanical issue away from disaster, his emergence could end up being a huge lift for the club.

What's up, Bud?: Right-hander Bud Norris has been the opposite of Jimenez so far. After a strong season last year in which he set personal bests in wins (15) and ERA (3.65), Norris struggled in the spring and his woes carried into April. In four starts, he's 1-2 with a 12.18 ERA, though he lowered that mark significantly in his last start by allowing just three earned runs in 6 2/3 innings against Boston on Sunday.

He has struggled with his fastball command, which makes his nasty slider less effective. And armchair managers have already called for him to be put in the , where is waiting his turn. Norris bought some time with his last outing and deserves a fairly long leash after his 2014 performance, but he needs to produce consistent results. He's capable of that.

Defending the defense: Showalter puts an emphasis on defense, and his Orioles clubs are traditionally among the best defensively in the AL. Not so much this season. Heading into Thursday, the Orioles' .979 was 13th of 15 teams in the AL.

They have made 15 errors in 20 games and third baseman , who was named the league's best overall defender in 2013, leads the team with five errors. He has uncharacteristically rushed throws and whiffed at choppers. Getting Hardy – and eventually Wieters – back will certainly help. So there's no panic here. But it's worth monitoring.

The incomparable Mr. Jones: Simply put, is the club's best and most consistent player. At age 29, this could be his signature season. It sure has started that way. He is hitting a league-best .400 with five homers and 19 RBIs while playing all 20 games.

He's also being a little more disciplined at the plate – walking five times and fanning 10 times in 84 at-bats. He's on pace for 40 walks; his career high is 36. Could this be the year he cracks the top five in AL MVP voting? He finished a career-best sixth in 2012.

Taxing a limited 'pen: Heading into Thursday, the Orioles are 13th of 15 AL teams in ERA (4.78), in starters' ERA (5.06) and bullpen ERA (4.35). There is something to be said for consistency. The starters also are averaging just over five innings an outing, and that puts a lot of stress on a bullpen that has demonstrated more cracks than in the recent past.

Zach Britton has done a fine job closing so far this year, but his bullpenmates have had some trouble getting to him (thanks in part to some shaky defense). Part of the problem is that Brian Matusz is the only other lefty besides Britton. Also, the team is carrying 22-year-old rookie Jason Garcia, who must be kept on the roster all year or be exposed to waivers. He has shown flashes, but can't be used in high-leverage situations. It's a tough spot for Showalter, who is better than most at using his bullpen.

The corners: Machado's healthy knees have made him a fixture at third base, which is encouraging. But the first base situation is muddled. Chris Davis has gotten his swing back recently, but Pearce, last year's big surprise, lost his for a few weeks. Davis has been holding down the first-base job while Pearce has been limited to part-time duty. That's partially because of the recent emergence of switch-hitting Jimmy Paredes, who is considered a third baseman, but is best at . It has created a logjam of playing time, which is fine if everyone buys into Showalter's team-first concept.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/121542156/orioles-run-gamut-of-emotions-during-trying- week

O's run gamut of emotions during trying week Club played game without fans, postposted two contests due to unrest in Baltimore

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com April 30, 2015

BALTIMORE -- The Orioles -- who played Wednesday's game, an 8-2 win over the White Sox, in front of no fans for the first time in MLB history -- are headed south to host a "home" series at Tropicana Field this weekend.

With everything going on in the city of Baltimore, here's a quick refresher on the O's past few days and what's to come:

Saturday, April 25: The Orioles played their regularly-scheduled Red Sox game, although there was a brief lockdown of Camden Yards announced on the video board in the ninth inning due to protests that had become potentially dangerous in the area. Fans were permitted to leave in the 10th inning, with the Orioles advising them of the safest routes to take home. The planned demonstration was for Freddie Gray, and it clogged downtown Baltimore, causing the team to close an entrance gate for part of the evening.

"It's a challenging day for a lot of people, but probably a lot more than a baseball game," said Orioles manager Buck Showalter, who arrived in-game after attending his father-in-law's memorial service. "It's a game of baseball, and those are life issues, so [baseball] kind of pales in comparison to what's going on in my life off the field and what's going on in our city. Just have to continue to have confidence that we'll get through it, like we get through most things in Baltimore, and hopefully learn from it."

Monday, April 27, and Tuesday, April 28: While Sunday's day game was relatively quiet, Monday brought about unrest in the city that started four miles northwest of the stadium and moved closer to downtown. The Orioles pregame activities went off as planned, but as groups of protesters moved to Eutaw Street, the team shut down all but two entrance gates. At approximately 6:20 p.m. ET, the Orioles announced the game would be postponed due to safety reasons.

"The decision was reached after consultation with local officials," said MLB Commissioner , who was in town on a previously-planned trip. "We feel like we made the decision that would provide us the greatest possible security in terms of the fans, the players, the umpires and everybody involved in the game."

With a citywide curfew of 10 p.m.-5 a.m. ET starting Tuesday, the O's decided to postpone Tuesday night's scheduled game by early afternoon. They also outlined a plan for the rest of the week, including Wednesday's 2 p.m. start, which would be closed to the public.

Wednesday, April 29: With an announced attendance of zero, the Orioles scored six runs in the first inning and went on to beat the White Sox, 8-2. There was limited in-game entertainment, and the eerily silent game, which was televised, flew by in just over two hours.

"We were yelling, and then we kind of felt bad because we're like, 'Show some sportsmanship a little bit, too," closer Zach Britton said of the home dugout's reaction to the early offense, including a three-run homer from Chris Davis. "You don't want to over-do it, because you knew everyone could hear you. It was just weird, because it kind of tempered our celebration a little bit."

Thursday, April 30: In lieu of a scheduled off-day at home, the Orioles boarded a plane to St. Petersburg on Thursday afternoon. Before leaving on the bus to the airport, several players stopped and thanked the National Guard, with catcher Ryan Lavarnway tweeting out a photo.

Friday, May 1: The O's will play a "home" series at Tropicana Field, with $15 tickets for general admission and game times the same as the originally scheduled times in Baltimore. The Orioles will wear white uniforms and bat in the bottom of the innings, and in-game entertainment at the Rays' home dome will be limited. For Baltimore, now on a nine-game, 10-day road trip, it will be one more break from the norm.

"It's tough. Everyone knows how much we like playing in front of our fans, how important baseball is to the city of Baltimore," said Orioles right-hander Chris Tillman, who will start Friday's game. "It goes to show how bad this really is, that we actually have to move it. You know, better safe than sorry."

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/05/taking-tonights-game-to-the-trop.html

Taking tonight's game to The Trop

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com May 1, 2015

Chris Tillman didn't expect to be back at Tropicana Field this quickly after making the start for the Orioles.

He also didn't imagine that he would be working on seven days rest.

Perhaps a shift in the norm will get Tillman back in the proper direction.

Tillman comes into tonight's game against the Rays with a 7.58 ERA in 19 innings. He's made it through the sixth in only one of his four starts, in the season beneath the dome.

The rotation's ERA, which ranked last in the majors a week ago, moved up to 26th yesterday at 5.06 after Ubaldo Jimenez allowed two unearned runs over seven innings against the White Sox at empty Camden Yards.

Orioles starters have posted three consecutive quality starts since Miguel Gonzalez brought an element of calm by completing six innings and allowing four runs against the Red Sox. Wei-Yin Chen permitted two runs and four hits in eight innings, Bud Norris allowed three runs and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings and Jimenez lowered his season ERA to 1.59 in 22 2/3 innings with a dominating performance against the White Sox.

Tillman will attempt to extend the streak of quality starts to four after allowing seven runs and walking five batters over 4 1/3 innings at . He's 13-3 with a 3.52 ERA in 26 career starts working on six days rest or more.

Tillman is 5-6 with a 3.87 ERA in 15 career starts against the Rays and 2-2 with a 3.03 ERA in six starts at Tropicana Field. He's never been the "home" pitcher there, so we're venturing into uncharted territory.

Hopefully, he won't be distracted by having both teams' mascots entertaining whatever constitutes a crowd this weekend.

Evan Longoria is 14-for-36 (.389) with two doubles and six home runs against Tillman. James Loney is 3-for-24 (.125) with a and home run, and Desmond Jennings is 2-for-21 (.095) with a double.

Alex Colome is making his first appearance for the Rays this season after contracting pneumonia in spring training and posting a 2.35 ERA in 15 1/3 rehab innings between -A Charlotte and Triple-A Durham. He walked three and struck out 17.

Colome, who was suspended for the first 50 games of the 2014 season after testing positive for the steroid Boldenone, allowed one run and two hits over 5 2/3 innings in his only start against the Orioles.

The Orioles are 1-for-10 against Colome, with Manny Machado producing the only hit in two at- bats. Adam Jones had the most at-bats against him and is 0-for-3.

The bullpen is rested coming into the series, with manager Buck Showalter using Kevin Gausman and Zach Britton for an inning on Wednesday to avoid a longer layoff. Other relievers need work, but Jimenez was on a roll and Showalter said he didn't want to mess with karma.

Rule 5 pick Jason Garcia, who served up two home runs to Boston's Hanley Ramirez on Sunday, is going through what's commonly described as a "dead arm period," according to Showalter. Garcia's fastball was touching the upper-90s in the minors last season, but it's mostly been topping out at 93-94 mph with the Orioles.

"I think he's going through a little bit of a period, they used to call it a 'dead arm' period in spring training where he's not quite carrying the pure stuff," Showalter said before Monday's postponement. "There's a lot of new things thrown at him, that sense of intensity with the pitches here.

"When you look at it, you only really need 34 more days of active service to have him in our organization because you're going to get September, where you can cover him, and you're going to get a little bit of October there, so if you do the math of how many days you need ...

"We haven't put our bullpen in harm's way yet. It's been close a few times, but we're always going to err on that side. We'd like to keep him. We think there's better there. There's a good chance he's going to be a quality pitcher in the big leagues. We'd like to be the one to have him, but if we get to the point where it keeps us from winning or puts any of our in harm's way physically, then we'll make the adjustment."

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2015/05/comparing-aprils-chris-davis-heats-up-and- a-take-on-home-games-in-st-petersburg.html

Comparing Orioles' Aprils, Chris Davis heating up and take on home games in St. Petersburg

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com April 30, 2015

The Orioles ended April of last year with a 12-12 record, and they were 2 1/2 games out of first place. They have ended April 2015 at 10-10, and are two games out of first place.

So far, they have hit better than last April but the pitching stats have been behind the April 2014 numbers.

April 2014 batting: .265 avg., .319 OBP, .393 slugging, .712 OPS, 17 homers, 4.5 runs/game April 2015 batting: .286 avg., .345 OBP, .482 slugging, .827 OPS, 29 homers, 5.6 runs/game

The Orioles lead the majors in runs scored per game. Going into last night's games, three of the top four in runs per game were from the American League East, with Toronto and Kansas City at 5.3 runs per game and Boston at 5.1. New York is not far behind at 4.95.

The Orioles rank third in the majors in batting average, tied for third in OBP, second in slugging and OPS and tied for second in home runs. The Orioles have scored five runs or more five straight games and 14 times on the year, and they've scored six runs or more 10 times so far.

April 2014 pitching: 4.49 team ERA, a 4.74 rotation ERA April 2015 pitching: 4.78 team ERA, a 5.06 rotation ERA

So far the teams in the American League East have been beating up on each other, and no team has gotten off to a red-hot start to open any separation from the rest of the division.

AL East records within the division only: * Tampa Bay is 10-9 * New York is 8-7 * Boston is 8-8 * Baltimore and Toronto are 9-10

Don't look now, but the much-criticized Chris Davis has gotten hot. It is just a four-game sample, but a strong one. Davis is 6-for-15 with three homers, six runs and nine RBIs in that stretch. His last three games have produced three multi-RBI games with him driving in two, three and three runs.

Davis has struck out a lot, but his K rate is down a bit in recent games. He fanned 15 times over the first eight games and has struck out 14 times his last 11 games.

His season stats now look quite solid: Over 19 games, he is batting .268 with five homers, 16 RBIs, a .549 and a .883 OPS.

Did Davis' critics rush to judgement too fast?

MiLB president comes to Bowie: President Pat O'Conner is scheduled to attend the Double-A game tonight at 6:35 p.m., to present Baysox third baseman Jason Esposito with the MiLB Rawlings he received as a member of the 2014 Single-A Frederick Keys.

Keys win, but pitcher hurt: The Single-A Frederick Keys scored three runs in the top of the ninth last night to beat Salem 9-8 to end April at five games over .500 for the first time since 2008. That win leaves the Keys with a 13-8 record, their best at the end of the first month since the 2008 team went 15-10. The Keys have the best record in the Carolina League and lead their division by 2 1/2 games.

Catcher Steel Russell drove in four runs last night while Brenden Webb added two RBIs as the Keys improved to 10-4 in games decided by two runs or less.

Frederick left-hander Matt Taylor was hit in the head by a line drive in the third inning of that game and was hospitalized with a concussion. Click here for the story filed here last night on that. Late last night, Taylor tweeted that he was in some pain but that a CT scan came back clean.

Single-A Delmarva also won with a three-run rally in the top of the ninth last night as the Shorebirds beat Savannah, 7-6. Outfielder Conor Bierfeldt's three-run double in the ninth gave the Birds the lead, and he drove in four on the night. Over his last five games, he is 8-for-20 with nine RBIs. Bierfeldt's double came on a 2-2 pitch as Delmarva was a strike away from losing last night.

Triple-A Norfolk lost 5-3 on Thursday afternoon at Buffalo. Dariel Alvarez went 3-for-4 and is batting .250 and Tyler Wilson gave up four runs over 4 2/3 to fall to 1-3 with an ERA of 3.86.

Bowie had the night off and will host Harrisburg tonight. Outfielder Mike Yastrzemski is 10-for- 25 over his last five games with four doubles and five RBIs to raise his average from .194 to .253.

Final word: We have heard a few times now that the Tampa Bay Rays will put on a "neutral presentation" tonight when the Orioles play "home" games there the next three days.

I guess they mean the Rays won't put on their usual between innings entertainment and so forth. I don't understand why this is important. It doesn't benefit the Orioles as a team in any way that I can see, and it doesn't benefit the Rays fans that will not see what they usually see in their own ballpark.

Is this somehow supposed to make the Orioles feel better about losing these home games?

By the way, according to rule 2.00 in the MLB rule book, the home team is the team on whose grounds the game is played; therefore, statistics from the games will be recorded as home games for the Rays. The Rays will finish the season with 84 home games and the Orioles with 84 road games I don't truly understand why MLB and the Rays could not have just decided to have Tampa Bay swap out home series and have each team play the same number of home games. I'm sure they had some reasons, I just don't know what they are, but maybe I shouldn't be too critical here.

But having a "neutral presentation" doesn't really help anything. It is wasted effort in my opinion. Take it for what it is, a Rays home game being called an Orioles home game. At least the Orioles get to bat last.

As Buck Showalter will say, no one will feel sorry for the Orioles here and this is just another challenge they have to meet, playing home games at Tropicana Field where they are 8-4 since the start of last season.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2015/04/frederick-pitcher-matt-taylor-is- hospitalized-after-being-hit-by-a-line-drive-tonight.html

Frederick pitcher Matt Taylor hospitalized after hit by liner (Taylor tweets he is OK)

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com April 30, 2015

Single-A Frederick Keys pitcher Matt Taylor was taken by ambulance tonight to a hospital in Salem, Va., after he was hit by a line drive in a game against the .

"He got hit by a line drive on the side of the head, just above the temple," Orioles director of player development Brian Graham said tonight. "The doctor on site feels he definitely has a concussion, but he was conscious and they took him to the hospital for further review. Now the doctors will do further tests to see what the situation is."

Taylor was taken to LewisGale Medical Center in Salem.

A fifth-round draft pick in 2011 out of Middle Georgia College, Taylor was making his third start of the year for the Keys. He was 0-0 with an ERA of 2.00 coming into this outing.

Salem came to bat against Taylor in the bottom of the third tonight with a 4-1 lead. The leadoff batter doubled and then Jordan Betts hit the liner back to the box that struck the 24-year-old left- hander. Taylor's line tonight was two-innings plus, allowing six hits and five runs with four walks and no .

Taylor went 6-2 with a 3.69 ERA over 13 starts for the Keys last year when he missed some time due to a herniated disc in his lower back.

He made the Carolina League All-Star team last season, but was unable to play due to the back injury.

Taylor just tweeted that he is doing OK.

http://www.si.com/mlb/2014/04/13/ap-bba-rays-orioles-preview

Rays-Orioles Preview

Associated Press / SI.com May 1, 2015

After cruising to a win at Camden Yards with no fans present in their last game, the will now play as the home team in a visiting ballpark.

The Orioles look for a fourth consecutive victory as they take on the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Friday night, when they'll bat last in each inning in what will be another bizarre on-field situation.

The silence was deafening Wednesday when Chris Davis hit a first-inning, three-run home run onto Eutaw Street in an 8-2 win over the , believed to be the first major league game played without fans.

After the first two games of the series were postponed amid the unrest in Baltimore, the contest was closed to spectators due to safety concerns following rioting sparked by Monday's funeral of Freddie Gray, a black man who died in police custody.

MLB also moved this Friday-to-Sunday series from Camden Yards to Tropicana Field. The Orioles (10-10) are making their second trip there after taking two of three to open the season.

"It's tough, everyone knows how much we like playing in front of our fans, how important baseball is to the city of Baltimore," Friday's starter Chris Tillman told MLB's official website. "It goes to show how bad this really is, that we actually have to move it. You know, better safe than sorry."

Tillman (2-2, 7.58 ERA) has alternated good and bad outings in his four starts, allowing one run apiece in two of them and seven in each of the other two. One of the rough ones came last Thursday, when he walked five and lasted 4 1-3 innings in a 7-6 loss at Toronto.

The right-hander has won three straight starts against the Rays, posting a 0.83 ERA. He'll make his second start of the season in St. Petersburg after allowing one run over 6 2-3 innings in a season-opening 6-2 win April 6.

Evan Longoria homered off Tillman in that contest and is hitting .389 with six home runs against him. James Loney and Desmond Jennings are a combined 5 for 45 in the matchup.

Jennings has not played since Saturday because of left knee soreness, but the Rays are hopeful he'll be able to return Friday. The outfielder is batting .333 during an eight-game against Baltimore.

Loney delivered the go-ahead RBI single in the 13th inning of Wednesday's 3-2 win over the . Afterward, the Rays (12-10) scrambled to find a crew to fly them to Tampa in the middle of a nine-game road swing.

They'll try to take advantage of the schedule shift by notching their sixth straight victory at Tropicana.

"It's like being at your own house, but visiting," right-hander Alex Colome said of the strange circumstances.

Colome is making his season debut after dealing with a case of pneumonia. He gave up one run and two hits over 5 2-3 innings of a 5-2 road win in his only career start against Baltimore on June 27.

The Orioles have averaged 8.4 runs in their last five games. Manny Machado is 10 for 23 with three home runs in his past six, though he's 6 for 43 in his previous 12 against the Rays.

Davis has gone 6 for 15 with three homers in his last four but is 4 for 45 in his past three versus Tampa Bay.

http://www.si.com/mlb/2015/04/30/april-all-stars-stanton-cruz-archer-lead-way-months-top- players?page=3&devicetype=default

April All-Stars: Stanton, Cruz, Archer lead way as month's top players

By Cliff Corcoran / SI.com April 30, 2015

Major League Baseball opened up the voting for the All-Star Game on Wednesday, which seems rather absurd. Put simply, the captain has not turned off the “small sample” sign yet. But as the season's opening month comes to a close, we have all the information we need to pick the April All-Stars. Below is a look at the best player at each position (including both righthanded and lefthanded starting pitchers and a closer) entering action on the final day of April, as well as some thoughts as to how sustainable their hot starts might be.

Note: All statistics are through April 29.

1B: Adrian Gonzalez, Dodgers

Season Stats: .383/.432/.790, 8 HR, 19 RBIs

Gonzalez opened the year on an unprecedented tear, going 10-for-13 and becoming the first player ever to homer five times in the first three games of a season. He has hit just three more home runs since then, but he has hardly slumped, with a .309/.373/.544 line. He didn't even take his first 0-fer until the 12th game of the season.

Gonzalez hasn’t had a full-season performance that rivals that line since 2011, so even without that absurd start, he’s been more productive than could have been expected in his age-33 season. He edges out the Tigers' , the Diamondbacks' Paul Goldschmidt and the Reds' Joey Votto.

2B: Devon Travis, Blue Jays

Season Stats: .342/.405/.658, 6 HR, 19 RBIs

The small sample involved in assembling this team will always yield a few surprises, and this year, the 24-year-old Travis is by far the biggest unknown. As recently as early November, Travis was a Double A with the Tigers who had played just 100 games at that level. Traded to the Blue Jays for outfielder Anthony Gose on Nov. 13, Travis was thought to be a year away from the majors until the end of spring training, when veteran Maicer Izturis went down with a groin injury, leaving a hole at second base.

One of several rookies aggressively promoted to prominent roles on Toronto's roster, Travis became the first player to hit a home run in his major league debut on Opening Day since Jason Heyward in 2010 and has been the Jays' best hitter since, ranking fifth in the majors in slugging and OPS (1.063) to this point in the season.

What’s fascinating about Travis is that because his minor league track record is so short, there’s reason to believe he may be emerging as a true star. Travis, who wasn’t drafted until the 13th round in 2012, hit .351/.418/.518 in his full-season debut in '13 across two levels of . Last year, a core muscle injury in April cost him six weeks, but from May 27 through the end of the year, a span of 88 games, he hit .321/.385/.506.

Travis isn’t going to slug .650 in the major leagues, but he maintained a 20-homer pace when healthy over his last two seasons and is playing his home games in a homer-friendly ballpark with frequent stops in other hitters' havens like Boston, Baltimore and the Bronx when the Blue Jays hit the road. Meanwhile, the rest of his performance this April isn’t that far removed from his level of production over his last two minor league seasons.

SS: Jose Iglesias, Tigers

Season Stats: .379/.431/.515, 5 SB

This was the most difficult pick. Jed Lowrie was off to blazing start for the Astros before tearing a thumb ligament on Monday, but he also lost this spot due to his poor play in the field. Slick- fielding Adeiny Hechavarria has been red hot for the Marlins, leading all in both runs and RBIs (16 each). My choice, however, is Iglesias, another slick fielder, who, despite having scored just six runs and driven in just three, bests Hechavarria in all three slash stats and has an on-base percentage just one point behind Lowrie’s. Iglesias also leads all shortstops with five stolen bases (in six attempts); those extra bases put him very close to Lowrie in terms of total bases acquired (slugging plus steals).

Iglesias has earned this spot on the merit of his performance, but it’s worth noting that he’s doing it despite missing the 2014 season due to stress fractures in both shins. As was the case in '13, when he was the runner-up for the AL Rookie of the Year award, Iglesias is succeeding due to a preponderance of luck on balls in play (.414 BABIP) and is sure to regress (as are most players on this list).

3B: Matt Carpenter, Cardinals

Season Stats: .361/.418/.639, 3 HR, 13 RBIs

In his first season as a regular in 2013, Carpenter led the majors in runs, hits and doubles and batted .318/.392/.481, but he had a disappointing follow-up campaign last year, with his slash line dropping to .272/.375/.375. Therefore, it’s interesting to see how his hot start this year compares to his overall performance the last two seasons. Digging into the numbers, it appears that Carpenter, who led the in walks in '14, adopted an overly passive approach last season.

YEAR P/PA 1ST PITCH BB% K% SWING %

2013 4.12 11.7 10.0 13.7

2014 4.36 8.0 13.4 15.7

2015 4.11 10.9 8.8 12.1

Note that in addition to his increased walk rate in '14, Carpenter also had an increase in strikeouts. Given his overall drop in performance last season, one could argue that Carpenter was taking too many hittable pitches, resulting in a drop in his overall production. This year, he has returned to his 2013 level of aggressiveness and has seen his production return. He’ll cool off a bit from these early season numbers—he won’t hit the 97 doubles for which he’s currently on pace—but there’s good reason to expect him to finish the season with numbers that look much more like his MVP-quality '13 than last year’s underwhelming encore.

C: Stephen Vogt, Athletics

Season Stats: .348/.421/.606, 4 HR, 15 RBIs

The 30-year-old Vogt made an Opening Day roster for the first time in his career this spring and entered the season with a career line of .254/.298/.396 in 149 major league games. He has already started more than twice as many the plate for the A’s this year than he did last year. Everything about his hot start screams fluke—except for Oakland's long track record of making something out of nothing. Have the A's struck gold again?

It’s worth noting that the lefty-swinging Vogt is actually being platooned with righty Josh Phegley and is a career .276/.324/.433 hitter against righthanded pitching. There’s no real expectation that Vogt is going to emerge as an everyday star, but this April, there was no catcher in baseball close to his level of production: He's led qualified catchers in all three slash stats, as well as home runs and RBIs.

RF: , Marlins

Season Stats: .284/.376/.593, 6 HR, 21 RBIs

Stanton is one player on this list who isn’t due for regression. That line above is well within the range of his established level of performance, which is impressive given that he started the season 3-for-23 and didn’t hit his first home run until the Marlins’ 10th game. Since April 14, he has hit .345/.406/.759 with six homers in 15 games, erasing any concerns about his slow start.

CF: Adam Jones, Orioles

Season Stats: .400/.440/.707, 5 HR, 19 RBIs

Jones is one of just three qualified hitters still batting .400 or better heading into the final day of April, joining the Marlins' Dee Gordon (.409) and DJ LeMahieu of the Rockies (.406). As one might expect, Jones is also among the major league leaders in batting average on balls in play, though he hasn’t been nearly lucky as Gordon and LeMahieu, posting a .403 BABIP to their .463 and .450 marks, respectively.

There’s more going on here than luck. Jones has experienced a sharp drop in rate and walked nearly twice as often as last year. He’s also hitting far more line drives and fly balls than ever before. All of that would seem to indicate a hitter who is simply locked in right now, though it could also be an indication that Jones, a four-time All-Star, is beginning what could be a career year at the age of 29.

LF: Hanley Ramirez, Red Sox

Season Stats: .293/.341/.659, 10 HR, 22 RBIs

The idea behind signing Ramirez and moving him to leftfield was that, if he could stay healthy and make hitting his primary focus, his value as an elite hitter over 140-plus games would equal or surpass his value as an extremely productive but fragile and defensively subpar . So far, so good. The only game Ramirez hasn’t started this year came the day after he played all 19 innings of the Red Sox' 6–5 win over the Yankees on April 10, and he is currently tied with the next player on this list for the major league leads in home runs and RBIs. Ramirez’s pace in those two categories will slow, but don't expect much regression elsewhere. If he can stay healthy, Boston's gamble will pay off.

DH: , Mariners

Season Stats: .337/.389/.759, 10 HR, 22 RBI

Cruz has actually started twice as many games in rightfield as at designated hitter this year, but he’s a DH on the official All-Star ballot, and there’s no question where he belongs on this team. There’s also no question that he belongs on this team. Cruz is not only tied with Ramirez for the major league lead in home runs and RBIs, but he also leads the American League in slugging, OPS (1.148), OPS+ (221) and total bases (63). In the season’s second week, he hit six home runs in five games with at least one round-tripper in each, and he has hit .367/.404/.714 in a dozen games since.

It is interesting to note, however, that Cruz is indeed doing most of his hitting on the road, with seven of his 10 home runs coming outside of Safeco Park. His road OPS is more than twice his home figure. The Mariners would probably be satisfied with the .271/.300/.500 line he has put up in Seattle thus far—it is not a far cry from his career line coming into the year—but if he can do that and rake on the road, he’ll remain one of the game’s most productive hitters.

RHP: Chris Archer, Rays

Season Stats: 3–2, 0.84 ERA, 0.74 WHIP, 10.3 K/9, 6.17 K/BB, 474 ERA+

Since a middling Opening Day start, Archer has allowed just one unearned run in his last four turns, three times throwing seven scoreless innings. His 37 strikeouts lead the AL, he’s second in the league in WHIP and strikeout-to-walk ratio and third in both raw ERA and ERA+. Coming off his first full major league season, all of the elements are in place for a breakout year for the 26-year-old Archer. His strikeouts are up and his walks are down, he’s getting more ground balls and allowing fewer line drives, and his velocity is up, topping 96 mph on his average four-seam fastball.

LHP: Dallas Keuchel, Astros

Season Stats: 3–0, 0.73 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, 5.4 K/9, 2.00 K/BB, 563 ERA+

The worst of Keuchel’s five starts thus far saw him allow two runs in seven innings. He has only allowed one other run this season, that coming in an eight-inning outing against the Padres on Wednesday night, and he’d have a shutout on his ledger if the Astros had bothered to score during his nine scoreless innings in his previous turn. As it is, he is tied with the Reds' Johnny Cueto for the major league leads in innings pitched (37) and WHIP, stands alone with the fewest hits allowed per nine innings (3.9) and ranks second in the majors in ERA and ERA+.

There is absolutely a lot of luck on balls in play in Keuchel's performance, but his Fielding Independent Pitching figure, which corrects for that good fortune, is in line with his ERA from a year ago, both roughly 2.90. That confirms my belief that the 27-year-old groundballer should be able to repeat his breakout success from a year ago.

RP: , Yankees

Season Stats: 8 SV, 0.00 ERA, 0.62 WHIP, 15.9 K/9, 5.00 K/BB

Miller has made 10 appearances for the Yankees this year, all of them scoreless and all of them including at least one strikeout. He is a perfect 8-for-8 in converting save opportunities, has allowed just three hits and has struck out 20 men in 11 1/3 innings. Perhaps best of all, he hasn’t been simply a ninth-inning guy. Twice he has entered game in the eighth inning and remained to nail down the save, and on Wednesday, in a game the Yankees ultimately lost to the Rays in 13 innings, he worked two perfect frames, striking out three of the six men he faced. It’s that willingness and ability to work multiple innings, which was so valuable for the Orioles last October, that earns him this spot over the Reds' Aroldis Chapman, who has yet to throw a pitch in an inning other than the ninth this season.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/12793629/baltimore-orioles-made-correct-call-not-mixing- fans-protesters

Orioles' gesture showed respect for totality of Baltimore

By Howard Bryant / ESPN.com April 30, 2015

Without the incessant 3-0 counts, a high school baseball game was played at Camden Yards on Wednesday. Nobody was there, so the actual sandlot sounds of the game -- dugout chatter, the tapping of gloves, foul balls crashing into empty seats and benches -- echoed throughout the park.

The novelty of the Orioles-White Sox game played in front of no one was out of necessity, but not because the entire city of Baltimore is aflame (it is not, despite repeated images of a local CVS pharmacy burning), but because of the high potentiality that another front in a war between two Americas risked being opened on national television, with sports at center stage. Perhaps Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred was wrong to have the two teams play the game. Maybe they could have played another time, when emotions in Baltimore had cooled. Maybe church and community groups could have bused kids into the game or they could have played the game without selling alcohol. If the league was committed to playing the game under normal circumstances, however, Manfred was 100 percent correct to play it without fans, for sports, ostensibly the great healer, is revealing itself as the great divider when it comes to the racial and class issues that have returned protest to America.

How quickly the narratives change. A year ago, sports was a place of defiance and renewal, when a record number of entrants ran the Boston Marathon on the one-year anniversary of the deadly 2013 bombings.

Four months later, in August, when Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson shot Mike Brown dead, sports became a mirror into which America had for so long refused to look, a place where some of society's deepest divisions were reflected. Kenny Britt of the St. Louis Rams engaged with his teammates in a salute to Brown and other fallen black youth. Ferguson and the violence at the hands of the police was especially personal for black athletes, for so many know that by being in the wrong place at the wrong time and on the wrong day, they might have been Brown. Better than anyone else, those athletes know the immediate reflex by some to blame Brown's death on his petty theft and subsequent questionable decision-making is tempered by the hundreds of examples of harassment of black citizens who did not steal by police. To some cops, being black and poor from that particular neighborhood is the crime.

In response, the stitches holding together the fragile American cloth tore. The St. Louis police union shouted down Britt and the players, demanding an apology from them, and from the Rams for not punishing them. White fans attending Rams games collided with black protesters. Weeks later, white fans attending the St. Louis Cardinals playoff games chanted "Darren Wilson" as a counter to Ferguson protesters chanting "Black lives matter." Sports was not an ally, nor was it neutral to the cause.

When Eric Garner's death at the hands of the New York Police Department in July -- followed by a grand jury's December decision not to indict the officers involved -- fueled the "I can't breathe" protests, the offered no moment of silence or acknowledgement of Garner's death, but on Opening Day held a pregame ceremony honoring two slain policemen, even though no connection was ever made linking the lone assailant to the protests, as the New York policeman's union asserted. Instead of lamenting the unfortunate deaths of three people, the Mets focused only on two, sending a message that only cops' lives mattered, and siding with the police over the widow of a troubled citizen killed at the hands of police. There was no healing, no reconciliation or recognition that everybody in New York had lost. The Mets, ostensibly the entire city's team, could have chosen not to get involved, given the emotional climate that was created by an officer choking Garner to death. Instead, the Mets sided with the police. The line is clear.

Imagine for a horrible moment the disastrous scenario of alcohol coursing for hours through the bloodstreams of people at Camden Yards. Imagine a significant portion of that crowd, which might already be largely unsympathetic to the Freddie Grays of the world, pouring into the streets by the thousands only to meet up with a black community protesting a senseless death by cop, and the marginalization and historical harassment of many in that community by the Baltimore Police Department. The Ferguson-Cardinals fans collisions were ugly but hardly noticed. If the Orioles-White Sox game had been played in front of a full stadium, the entire nation would have seen through sports what is abundantly clear: There is a conflict between fans and the poor and angry and displaced, a class war with both police and the better-off America isolated from them. It is a class conflict that has often masqueraded as only racial tension when the truth is that class as much as race is the source of their isolation and hopelessness, as well as the source of the aggression that too often erupts between them and the police.

Instead of providing diversion and city unity, over the past nine months, sports puts the poor in its place; few can afford to attend games. The increased glorification of police and the military manifests most clearly at sporting events, and the combination of that glorification contributes to a circumstance in which the National Guard and MRAP anti-minecraft vehicles are rolling down American streets, a militarized police dynamic that terrorizes black communities. The next sports team -- independent of the players -- that recognizes the black youths being killed by the state, also recognizing that this moment in time is shattering the already specious myth of post- racialism, will be the first. The sports machine siding with law enforcement only furthers the isolation. Police aren't only protecting property from the poor, but protecting the middle-class ticket-buyers from them as well.

Whether it is LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony, Ray Lewis or Kenny Britt or Adam Jones, it is incorrect to suggest that athletes have gotten involved. Black athletes have gotten involved. For whatever reason, whether through a lack of comfort, interest, or disagreement with what has occurred, white athletes have been largely quiet.

As intractable as the divisions appear, Orioles executive vice president John Angelos did what the Cardinals, Rams, and Mets did not: He actually listened, and through a series of tweets to an angry fan gave Baltimore's disenfranchised some respect and some dignity by having perspective, by connecting the economic, social and racial dots, and by actually giving the people in his city respect and humanity.

On Thursday, Orioles manager Buck Showalter did the same. The Orioles did not pander to the police, did not take sides. In a novel move, the team actually attempted to represent the totality of the city and how its challenges are devastating some of its communities, black and white. Angelos and Showalter recognized its hurt, aided in its healing, announcing in their own way that their black lives actually matter, too, that the city name includes them as well. It was an enormous gesture by Showalter and Angelos that only in this climate, where the poor are invisible until they erupt, might have seemed too much to ask.

http://www.csnbaltimore.com/blog/orioles-talk/orioles-will-be-home-st-petersburg-weekend

Orioles will be home in St. Petersburg this weekend

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Baltimore May 1, 2015

Tonight’s Game:

Tampa Bay Rays (12-10) vs. Baltimore Orioles (10-10), Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla., 7:05 p.m.

Starting pitchers:

Alex Colome (0-0, 0.00) vs. Chris Tillman (2-2, 7.58)

Keys to the Game:

How will the Orioles react to being the home team in a park they always bat first in?

How many fans will show up? The Rays have put 18,000 general admission tickets on sale.

News and Notes:

The Orioles have followed their longest losing streak since Sept. 2013 (five) with their longest winning streak of the season (three).

Evan Longoria is 14-for-36 (.389) against Tillman with six home runs.

Tillman is 5-6 with a 3.87 ERA in 15 starts against Tampa Bay, but has won three straight against the Rays.

Current Orioles are 1-for-10 against Colome, who is making his 2015 debut.

http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/news/2015/04/30/orioles-john-angelos-gutted- manufacturing-sector.html

Orioles' John Angelos: Gutted manufacturing sector helped fuel unrest in Baltimore

By James Briggs / Baltimore Business Journal April 30, 2015

Baltimore Orioles executive John P. Angelos is emerging as an unlikely voice of Baltimore's protesters.

Angelos, the chief operating officer of the Orioles and son of team owner Peter G. Angelos, took to Twitter April 26 after fans were asked to stay inside at Camden Yards while protests outside escalated. He turned the attention away from the game, tweeting, "there is a far bigger picture for poor Americans in Baltimore and everywhere who don’t have jobs and are losing economic civil and legal rights and this makes inconvenience at a ball game irrelevant in light of the needless suffering government is inflicting upon ordinary Americans."

Angelos on Thursday elaborated on his comments in an interview with MSNBC's Chris Hayes. You can watch the interview below. Angelos begins talking at the 5:16 mark.

Angelos said the loss of manufacturing jobs in Baltimore during the last 20-plus years has helped fuel the protests, looting and riots that have come in the wake of Freddie Gray's death in police custody. Here's an excerpt:

If you look at the periphery of the Baltimore Inner Harbor, it's wonderful. And if people come here as tourists, they're completely safe. And there's no crime problem here in those areas if you're a tourist. ... The problem is not on the Baltimore Inner Harbor. The problem was the same time that tourism rejuvenation was going on, on a national level, the manufacturing base in the country was being gutted by notions of globalization and off-shoring ... now, that was a philosophy that became policy. I think if you look back on that 25 to 50 years now with hindsight, you can say, "Has it worked?" I don't think it's worked at all. My grandmother worked at a factory on Broening Highway called Western Electric. That was one of many factories — Bethlehem Steel, Bethlehem Shipyard, Unilever, Western Electric, automotive plants. None of that exists anymore. It's easy to look across the city and say, "Look at these poor neighborhoods, why don't people just work harder?" Well people, depending on your education level, only have certain options and the education system's failing, because why? Because the manufacturing base has gone away, which reduces tax incomes and so forth. So the opportunity my grandmother had, I don't see that here today. And I don't think the people in these neighborhoods ... it's not any failing of theirs. Eventually, you need jobs.

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/05/01/matt-wieters-may-not-be-back-until-june/

Matt Wieters may not be back until June

By Craig Calcaterra / NBCSports.com May 1, 2015

The timetable for Orioles catcher Matt Wieters’ return from surgery keeps being pushed. First of May . . . sometime in May . . . now would you believe June?

The hushed hope for catcher Matt Wieters’ return from elbow surgery last June was May 1. Well, that’s here, and he hasn’t played in a real minor league game yet. (He’s been limited to catching parts of extended spring games.) If the progression continues, a minor league rehab assignment is probably on the horizon in a week or two. Wieters doesn’t like to speculate on return dates, so we’ll do it for him. Late May to early June seems reasonable.

Wieters is a free agent after this season. You figure he’s itching to show off his bat and his arm by now. Bright side: it’s unlikely that the Orioles will make him a qualifying offer this fall.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/30/sports/baseball/orioles-play-in-eerily-empty-stadium- sirens-in-distance.html?_r=0

Orioles Play in Eerily Empty Stadium, Sirens in Distance

By Jeré Longman / New York Times April 29, 2015

BALTIMORE — On what might have been a perfect spring afternoon to sit with a beer and a hot dog and watch baseball, an eerie emptiness greeted the Baltimore Orioles and the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday in what was believed to be the first major league game played without spectators.

Except for two scouts sitting behind home plate and a press box full of reporters, the 45,971 seats and three decks at Camden Yards were an empty expanse of green when the first pitch was thrown at 2:06 p.m. in what became an 8-2 Orioles victory.

“This isn’t the way you want to make history,” Chris Davis, the Orioles’ first baseman, said before he hit a three-run homer in the first inning as Baltimore took a 6-0 lead.

The police presence was light around the empty stadium amid the unrest in this troubled cityafter the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old African-American who died after sustaining a severe spinal injury while in police custody.

Three dozen or so fans peeked through a fence beyond left-center field, shouting, “Ohhh,” at the familiar moment of “O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave” in the national anthem, a Camden Yards tradition. Still, for the first time in recent memory, the anthem was recorded instead of sung.

Those distant fans clapped and yelled when Chicago’s first batter, Adam Eaton, struck out, and they greeted each Baltimore run with jubilant cheer. A “Go Orioles” banner hung from the balcony of a nearby hotel, where other fans gathered to watch. But that faraway support could not relieve a barren afternoon.

When the Orioles’ leadoff hitter, left fielder Alejandro De Aza, fouled off a series of pitches in the bottom of the first before drawing a walk, one of the balls bounced back onto the field. The other two came to rest among the empty seats and were not immediately retrieved.

When Davis followed with a long blast to right field, the crowd’s usual roar of anticipation for a home run was strangely absent. So was the customary scramble for the ball as it cleared the fence and landed on the Eutaw Street walkway. Normally, the street would have been busy with foot traffic for a restaurant, a barbecue stand and the team’s souvenir shop. On Wednesday, though, the walkway was closed. Only a television cameraman stood in the vicinity of the home run.

The stadium was so quiet that , a television announcer for the Orioles, could be heard exclaiming, “Goodbye!” from his booth as Davis’s shot left the park.

The scoreboard was in operation. “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” and John Denver’s “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” played as usual during the seventh-inning stretch. But the sound of the ball against the bat left a hollow echo in the vacant stadium. Buck Showalter, the Orioles’ manager, said the bullpen phone could be heard ringing more than 400 feet from the dugout. Relief pitchers for the Orioles said they could hear strikes called by the umpire Jerry Layne, a rarity in the bullpen, and could even follow the chatter among the . This only added to a sense of desolation.

In the eighth inning, an announcement was made in the press box that apparently had never been made at a major league game. For official record-keeping purposes, the announcer said, Wednesday’s paid attendance was — pause — “zero.”

Still, there was some levity on the field. Caleb Joseph, the Orioles’ catcher, gave imaginary high- fives to imaginary fans, and signed make-believe autographs, as he headed to the bullpen for his pregame warm-up. Several times, Davis said, he tossed balls to nonexistent fans behind the Orioles’ dugout between innings.

“Laughter does something for the soul,” Joseph said.

Yet early on, intermittent sounds of distant sirens, their source unclear, brought a more somber tone to the afternoon. Adam Jones, the Orioles’ and perhaps the most popular African-American athlete in Baltimore, described the turmoil in previous days as a cry of frustration by the city’s youth.

“Your frustration is warranted; it’s understood,” Jones said before the game.

At the same time, he said about the destruction of property: “The actions I don’t think are acceptable. But if you come from where they come from, you understand. But I think ruining a community that you have to live in is never the answer due to the fact you’re going to have to wake up in three or four days and go right back to those convenience stores.”

After postponements on Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday’s game was shifted to the afternoon from its scheduled 7:05 p.m. start because of a nightly curfew here. And the public was locked out for reasons of safety and the more urgent need for the police in other areas.

Jones suggested that Wednesday’s game could be valuable in providing a small distraction from the city’s troubles for a few hours, saying that sports “unite communities in dark times.”

But given the rawness of feeling in Baltimore and the need for a police presence elsewhere, Jones said, “It makes sense not to have any people here today.”

Others disagreed. Brendan Hurson, a public defender, wore an Orioles jersey and carried a sign on Camden Street, beyond left field, that said, “Don’t Forget Freddie Gray.” He said that closing the stadium was a missed opportunity to “show the whole world what this city is really about,” to help raise money for rebuilding and to give disenfranchised youth a chance to see a ballgame.

“So many chances were lost by locking us out,” Hurson said. “It sends the wrong message about what this city is really about.”

Walking past left field along Camden Street, Kweisi Mfume, a past president of the N.A.A.C.P. and a former Democratic representative from Maryland, said he had been an Orioles season- ticket holder since the mid-1980s and had to see for himself the odd circumstance of Wednesday’s game.

“This is surreal,” Mfume said.

As he walked through other Baltimore neighborhoods earlier, he said, he heard sounds of the game coming from some homes.

“It made me feel good,” Mfume said, “not that people were trying to forget their pain and misery but that they were trying to find a way to hold on to something normal in a very abnormal situation. For a moment, perhaps, it just kind of eased their pain and distress to focus on something else.”

But in this distraught city, he added, “we know that when the game is over, everything stays as it is until the structural issues are dealt with.”

http://www.wsj.com/articles/inside-baltimores-closed-door-mlb-game-1430332794

Inside Baltimore’s Closed-Door MLB Game Orioles top White Sox at empty Camden Yards in wake of unrest; umpires, scouts, walk-up music and not much else

By Brian Costa / Wall Street Journal April 29, 2015

Baltimore

The game unlike any other looked, in some respects, like every other.

As the Baltimore Orioles and the Chicago White Sox lined up in front of their dugouts Wednesday afternoon, the Camden Yards public-address announcer asked “ladies and gentlemen” to stand for the national anthem. There was even a seventh-inning stretch, complete with a playing of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”

It was all in keeping with baseball tradition, except for one small detail: There was no one to stand, no one to sing and no one to stretch.

Two days after riots shook Baltimore, the Orioles returned to the field in front of more than 45,000 empty green seats. In a game closed to the public for safety reasons, they beat the Chicago White Sox, 8-2. It was the first Major League Baseball game ever played with an attendance of zero.

About two dozen fans peered through a gate beyond left-center field, cheering loudly at times. Others watched from balconies at a hotel overlooking the ballpark. But inside Camden Yards, only music and the sounds of the game pierced an eerie silence.

“It was a weird experience,” Orioles pitcher Zach Britton said.

As hitters stepped to the plate, walk-up songs blared from stadium speakers, just as they normally would. Music also played between innings. But what made the game unique was how audible everything else was in between.

From the sidewalk on West Camden Street, fans could hear the thwack of a bat striking the ball. From the infield, players could hear outfielders making small talk. From the bullpen, relievers could hear home-plate umpire Jerry Layne bellowing, “Stri-eeeke!” And from the mound in the ninth inning, Britton could hear Orioles broadcasters calling the game from the press box.

Sounds normally imperceptible to most people in a stadium were suddenly amplified: the pop of a fastball into a catcher’s mitt, players whistling from the dugout, White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu shouting “I-got-it-I-got-it-I-got-it-I-got-it!” on an infield fly.

“You usually can’t hear the guy sitting next to you, let alone an umpire standing 400 feet away,” Orioles pitcher said.

The largest group in attendance was the media. An Orioles spokesman said the game drew nearly 200 reporters, broadcasters, cameramen, photographers and the like, more than the team attracted on opening day. Three scouts sat a few rows back in the stands behind home plate. And a lone stadium employee walked around picking up foul balls, which clanked off empty seats with no fans to give chase.

As a historical oddity, the game drew widespread intrigue. “I didn’t want to miss out on a once- in-a-lifetime experience,” said Ben Bloom, a 24-year-old medical student who was among the fans watching through the gate. But that sentiment was largely dwarfed by the somber reason that the game was closed to the public.

The Orioles’ previous two games had been postponed, following the unrest that stemmed from Monday’s funeral for Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man who died in police custody earlier this month.

Before the game, Orioles outfielder Adam Jones said protesters’ frustration was warranted. “This is their cry,” he said. “It’s not a cry that’s acceptable, but this is their cry. They need love. They need hugs. They need support.”

During the game, one of the fans watching from outside the gate held a sign that read “Don’t forget Freddie Gray.” Another fan, 32-year-old Liina Sarapik, said she came because “it’s a beautiful way to show there is still so much good in Baltimore.”

MLB moved the Orioles’ series this weekend against the Tampa Bay Rays from Baltimore to St. Petersburg, Fla. The league will provide at least some financial support to the team to help offset revenues lost this week, according to a person briefed on MLB’s plans. The amount of money remains to be determined.

Also unclear is whether stadium employees such as ushers and concession workers will be paid for Wednesday’s game, for which they weren’t needed. Orioles officials declined to answer that question, though Jones said he was confident team owner would do the right thing. “I think having the owner that we have, they will be compensated,” Jones said.

The previous record low attendance for a major-league game was 6, for a Sept. 28, 1882 National League game between Troy and Worcester. In the modern era, games occasionally draw crowds that are significantly smaller than the official attendance, which is based on tickets sold. But no other game matched the complete emptiness of Camden Yards.

The downtown ballpark was an oasis of calm. In the hours before the game, the surrounding streets were silent, save for birds chirping and the hum of a few TV satellite trucks. About an hour before the game, five National Guard trucks drove by.

On the other side of Washington Boulevard, two sports bars that typically attract fans had doors and windows boarded up. One of them, Sliders Bar and Grille, had its windows covered in orange boards but its front door open. Lettering on one of the boards near the door read, “We are open.”

Forty-five minutes before the game, there were seven customers inside the bar. Typically, at that time, there would be easily more than 100 people there, one of the bar’s managers said.

“I was thinking of all the businesses that depend on us playing games here,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “There are so many people impacted by it.”

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/30/bbo-whitesox-orioles-writethru- idUSMTZEB4TL4V45T20150430

Orioles blow out White Sox at empty Camden Yards

Reuters April 29, 2015

BALTIMORE -- The talk Wednesday normally would have been about how Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis belted an early three-run homer and Baltimore starter Ubaldo Jimenez shut down the Chicago White Sox.

But Wednesday was not a normal day.

That's because the Orioles and White Sox played the first game in major league history that was not open to the public. Cheering, screaming and yelling were strangely absent on a sunny spring afternoon, and the game was played in an eerily quiet Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Just a few miles from where rioters had trashed, burned and looted two nights before, the Orioles and White Sox played a private baseball game, with Davis' homer in the first inning and Jimenez's solid seven-inning start lifting the Orioles to an 8-2 victory.

The Orioles chose to close the game to the public due to concern for fan safety after the riots spawned by the recent death of Freddie Gray while in police custody.

"You tried to stay focused on the competition, us trying to get where we want to be at the end of the season," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "But I also talked to them about the people who are going to be sitting around our city watching this game (on TV). How many things have (been) normal here in the last few days in our society?"

Much remained the same at Oriole Park on this unusual day. The music played, the scoreboard and videos kept working, and there was even a seventh-inning stretch with "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" being played.

Still, the fans were absent. A small group of Orioles watched and cheered from behind the closed gates in left-center field and from a hotel right behind the stadium, especially when the Orioles pounded out one of their 10 hits.

And the Orioles heard them.

"A game with no fans, but they were out at the hotel," center fielder Adam Jones said. "You could see on the balcony; you could hear them outside the gates. A lot of people were telling me to look up the check-ins on Facebook. So there were people around supporting, just not inside the stadium."

Sounds from the field also found their way to the press box. Screams of "back, back" on a deep fly ball or "no, no, no" when a player was considering taking an extra base, or "right there" from an umpire on a tag play were easy to hear.

So were nearby sirens or the helicopters that flew overhead from time to time.

The troubles in the streets still are simmering, and players talked before the game about their concerns about the difficult situation. In the end, though, the Orioles and White Sox needed to play a baseball game.

Baltimore quickly took command and needed only two hours and three minutes to finish the job.

The White Sox are heading to Minnesota and want to turn the page.

"I think it was just such a surreal experience that you get past it get ready for tomorrow," manager Robin Ventura said. "I don't think we really want to play another one like this."

The Orioles (10-10), who have won three straight after a five-game losing streak, quickly removed most of the suspense in the game, scoring the first-inning runs off White Sox starter Jeff Samardzija (1-2). They loaded the bases with no outs before Jones hit a sacrifice fly to right for a 1-0 lead.

Davis followed with his three-run homer to right. That broke the game open and gave him an interesting trip around the bases in a very quiet stadium.

"It hit me when I made contact that you could hear it echoing off the empty seats, and obviously when you're rounding the bases and the only cheers you hear were from outside the stadium," Davis said. "It's a weird feeling. I'll take any home run I can get at any time I can get it, but it's definitely more fun where there are fans in the stands."

Shortstop Everth Cabrera added an RBI double and catcher Caleb Joseph an RBI single for a 6-0 lead in the first. Joseph added an RBI single in the third to make it 7-0.

"It was definitely a little different," said Samardzija, who gave up eight runs in five innings. "It had a spring training feel to it. This is a weird day. I'm not going to put too much into how we played today."

Chicago (8-10) got two unearned runs in the fifth. One scored on third baseman Manny Machado's throwing error, the other on catcher Geovany Soto's groundout that cut Baltimore's lead to 7-2.

Machado answered in the bottom of the inning with a solo homer to left-center for an 8-2 lead. He finished 3-for-4 with three runs scored and one RBI thanks to the home run, a double and a single.

The early lead made life easier for Jimenez (2-1), who breezed through seven innings. He gave up two runs (both unearned) and three hits, striking out six and walking one. The right-hander stayed in command the entire time in a game he knew the city was watching even if no one was in the stands.

"We all know everything the city is going through," Jimenez said. "So that's something you put in your mind. You have to go out there and do something that would be good for the fans."

NOTES: The Orioles will be wearing their home uniforms in this weekend's series that has been moved to Tampa Bay. The Rays are going to wear road uniforms and bat in the top of the innings, just like a visiting team. ... SS J.J. Hardy appears to be moving along with his rehab on his left shoulder. He could be going with the Orioles to Tampa Bay to keep working and might go on a rehab assignment shortly thereafter if everything works out. ... This is Chicago's lone trip to Baltimore this season, which is why rescheduling these games proved so difficult in the wake of the city's problems this week. The White Sox return May 28 for a doubleheader to make up the other two postponed games. ... This is the first time either team has played outside of its division this season, the Orioles in the American League East and the White Sox in the Central.

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/brady-anderson-on-analytics/

Brady Anderson on Analytics

By David Laurila / FanGraphs.com May 1, 2015

Brady Anderson‘s title within the Baltimore Orioles’ organization is Vice President of Baseball Operations. According to the team’s media guide, the 51-year-old former all-star “collaborates with and manager Buck Showalter on player development and roster management.”

Anderson, who hit .256/.362/.425 over a 15-year career, isn’t your typical ex-player. He spends a lot of time in the clubhouse – his multi-faceted role includes working with hitters — but he’s equally comfortable interacting with the analytics department. A stat geek for most of his life, Anderson is well-versed in sabermetrics.

——

Brady Anderson on stats and understanding value: “I’ve always been interested in statistical analysis. From the time I was five years old I was quizzed by my dad and my uncle about members of the 500-home-run club, the 3000-hit club, and a variety of other stats. It was just part of what seemed like normal conversation to me, because that was the environment in which I lived.

“I was drafted in 1985, and remember getting the Bill James “Historical Baseball Abstract.” I used to enjoy his rankings of players and his rationale for his rankings. I also grew up reading ‘ “The Science of Hitting.” I used to travel with it and read it frequently while in the minors.

“My dad’s favorite player was Ted Williams. He was my uncle’s as well. I had a poster of Williams’ strike zone, with batting averages assigned, hanging on my wall when I was 12 years old. My dad and his family grew up in Los Angeles and my mother and her family are from Marblehead, Massachusetts. so Ted Williams was a frequent topic on both sides of my family. In retrospect its clear that my family’s love for baseball, with Williams at the forefront, is the reason I determined that getting on base was the only goal a hitter should have. It was why I adopted that philosophy from a very early age

“It’s always bizarre and absurd to me when a hitter looks a bit disgusted and indignant after a walk. I don’t care who you are, a walk is a victory over the pitcher and so is a hit-by-pitch. Hitters like Williams and Ruth and Gehrig and Bonds knew it all too well. Many hitters, past and present, hurt themselves due to their seeming cluelessness of this simple concept.

“There are so many factors that go into walking frequently. I’d never factored in philosophy as one of them, but it’s clear it is. To many, the route to bases on balls is “working the count.” That’s too simplistic. It’s also a good way to ensure hitting with an 0-1 count in many of your at bats.

“The number-one factor in the ability to draw walks is power, the ability to drive to ball into the gaps or out of the park with consistency. A player with power and a good command of the strike zone should get on base at a high rate That’s why Frank Thomas lead the league in walks, while players like Juan Pierre will not. Factor in Thomas’s lack of speed and Pierre’s great base stealing ability and you wonder why Pierre walked as much as he did and why Thomas didn’t walk 200 times a year. At least that’s what I wondered.

“I used to imagine what Thomas would have done had pitchers refused to pitch to him the way they did Bonds. I felt they may have been able to frustrate him in a way that would never have worked with Barry. Barry was never willingly going to chase pitches out of the zone. Not ever. Frank may have, if pitchers had worked around him more.

“I personally benefited from having enough power to keep pitchers honest, which increased my walk totals. Because I was a base stealer, I got good pitches to hit in situations where true power hitters would not have. I knew my 20-homer power was my ticket to drawing walks and my base stealing ability was a way for me to hit 20-plus homers. So it drove me crazy, and almost prematurely ended my career, when I was given the take sign after getting to a 2-0 or 3-1 count during my first several years in the majors. I got to those hitter’s counts by knowing the strike zone and I didn’t need help on what to do after I arrived there.

“I’ve been surprised, since I’ve been back in baseball, by people’s lack of ability to look at numbers and put them into context. I think they understand what the numbers represent, but many don’t seem to fully understand what’s good or bad or relevant. I had a conversation the other day where someone was explaining that Slugging Average overvalues extra base hits. I thought, well, it simply divides total bases by at bats and gives you a measure. It wasn’t until it was simply added to on base average to come up with OPS that it became overvalued, from which wOBA emerged, which is a brilliant idea.

“Sabermetrics continually evolve, and attempt to come up with the best ways to measure production and value. It drives me crazy when people act like there needs to be some division between sabermetricians and those known as “baseball guys.” The metrics — the numbers — give you a glimpse, and it’s a really good glimpse. It’s science, or at least much of it is. People rejecting this are missing the point, and in the process openly rejecting some of the best ideas available.

“Conversely, and sadly, many in the game are adopting statistics as the tell all, and misusing the science to further whatever their particular agenda is. Using small sample sizes to dictate lineups etc. is just as misguided. That’s not science. The thing I love about true science, and true scientists, is the desire and necessity to attempt to disprove their own beliefs. This is in stark contrast to those who cherry pick the data to come to the conclusion they want to be true.”

On Adam Jones winning Gold Gloves despite metrics suggesting he shouldn’t: “I haven’t researched it, although I have heard occasionally that metrics don’t favor him. I’ve addressed that a few times on his behalf. One of the reasons I haven’t researched Adam’s defensive numbers is that it’s unnecessary. We have in Adam the rare player who posts 160 games per year, with a production you can rely upon like clockwork. His offense undoubtedly helps him win Gold Gloves, as has been the case as long as I can remember. He’s solid, he’s reliable, he’s got a terrific arm and he’s into defense.

“There are very few players who play day in and day out, and Adam in one of the few. It’s not easy, it’s a grind. One of the most laughable complaints I hear, and heard during my career, is the part-time players refrain about how hard it is to perform during limited at bats, or how they had two at bats last week and they were both against the closer. Well, its way harder to play every day. The everyday player plays against all the closers as well, and also against the game’s best starters. Anyway, back to Adam: he gathers awards because he’s a gamer and very skilled.”

On the Orioles outperforming their projections: “We have a manager who is a master of managing his bullpen, and a master manager in general. I could go on for quite some time explaining Buck’s uniqueness in the game, starting from his incredibly young start as a manager in the minor leagues. His experience is massive, and combined with his intelligence and obsessive desire to be prepared, it’s easy to see the edge he provides. He’s strategic and tactical. He knows not only what to do when situations arise, he knows how to maneuver the game in a way which makes the match ups he desires more likely.

“Our defense is superb. We have the ability for the spectacular with our personnel, but we also are terrific at the nuts and bolts of defense. The tough double plays get turned, our relays are terrific, our pitchers and catchers control the running game, Our game is tight and maybe those things cant be projected.”

http://www.worldmag.com/2015/04/chris_davis_god_used_my_time_off_for_his_glory/page1

Chris Davis: God used my time off for His glory Back from a long suspension, Baltimore Orioles first baseman reflects on what he learned during his time away from Major League Baseball

By J.C. Derrick / WORLD April 30, 2015

BALTIMORE—Chris Davis was on top of the baseball world in 2013. The Baltimore Orioles’ first baseman led Major League Baseball with 53 home runs and 138 RBIs, and finished third in the American League MVP voting.

But 2014 was a different story: Davis hit only .192, missed time with an oblique injury, and saw his home run total drop to 26. Worse yet, in September the league suspended Davis for using amphetamines without approval. He watched from home as the Orioles won their first division title since 1997 and advanced to the American League Championship Series.

During his torrid 2013 season, Davis told WORLD how his faith in Christ helped him navigate the adversity of an up-and-down career (see “Called Up,” May 17, 2013). In a recent interview at Camden Yards—shortly after returning from suspension—Davis talked about how his faith helped him overcome a different kind of adversity.

“It was pretty dark,” Davis said of his time away from the game. “Not surprisingly, God was able to use it for His glory.”

Davis started the 2014 season as cold as he’d started the 2013 season hot. He finished the month of April batting .196 with two home runs and one trip to the disabled list. In May he got some good news: He and his wife, Jill, welcomed their first child, a girl named Ella.

Davis said life circumstances pushed him to a point where he was spiritually going through the motions. His prayer life and Bible reading suffered. He lost his two closest Christian teammates—one to a different team, one to injury—and found himself obsessing about baseball.

“When you separate yourself from God and don’t have Him at the center of your life, you’re going to be more susceptible to temptation,” he said while sitting on the bench in the Orioles dugout before a game, donning a backwards cap and Oakley sunglasses. “I just kind of got lost and I slipped into a trap.”

Davis, who was previously diagnosed with ADHD, began using the prescription medication Adderall to help him focus at the ballpark. Although he had received therapeutic use exemptions for the drug when he was with the Rangers (2008-11), he had not been authorized to use it since then. After testing positive twice during the 2014 season, Major League Baseball suspended Davis for 25 games under the league’s drug policy.

It took a couple of days for the punishment to sink in, Davis said, then turn into frustration. It wasn’t the lost paychecks, playing time, and inability to be at the stadium that bothered him as much as “the impact it had on the people around me … my teammates, my friends, my family, the people who have really stood behind me.”

Many players appeal suspensions, but Davis never considered it, saying he didn’t want to cheat the system to delay the punishment. “Once you make a mistake you own up to it,” he said “I didn’t want to act like it caught me by surprise. I wanted to own it, serve my suspension, and move on.”

Moving on took a considerable amount of time. Since Davis received his suspension on Sept. 12, he was sidelined for the final 17 regular season games and the Orioles’ seven playoff games— leaving one last game to sit out on Opening Day of the 2015 season. He was technically suspended for 209 days.

During that break, he reached out to former Christian teammate , who mentored Davis in Texas and is a recovering drug addict. Davis credited Hamilton with helping him put things in perspective: “When we stumble we’re so hard on ourselves that we forget what it means to be forgiven—to have the slate wiped clean. A lot of times we ask forgiveness and we’re forgiven before we forgive ourselves.”

Davis, who turned 29 in March, also learned fans forgave him, too. He said his biggest concern about the suspension was what it would do to his Christian testimony, but at offseason events, fans welcomed him with open arms. “They understand what it means to fail,” he said. “They didn’t see me as this perfect, blameless character. It made me more relatable.”

That experience relieved the pressure of returning home this month to play his first home game in Baltimore. The fans greeted him with cheers and watched him log his first two hits of the season. Davis, who obtained league permission to use a different ADHD medication in 2015, finished April hitting .268 with five home runs and 16 RBIs in 19 games.

His take-home lesson? “The biggest thing God showed me [was], ‘This is not about you. This is not about your imperfections. This is not about how people view you. This is about me.’”

http://www.vocativ.com/news/188457/check-ins-at-baltimores-empty-camden-yards-top-200-a- minute/

"Check-Ins" At Baltimore's Empty Camden Yards Top 200 A Minute

By James King and Adi Cohen / Vocativ.com April 29, 2015

The Baltimore Orioles didn’t allow any fans into its game Wednesday against the Chicago White Sox, but tens of thousands of them checked-in at the stadium anyways.

As a show of support for the city, which has been wracked by protest and violence, fans have been checking-in on Facebook at Camden Yards a rate of roughly 200 per minute since the game began at 2 p.m.

“Why not check in at Oriole Park at Camden Yards? Let them know we are there in spirt,” Maryland resident Linda Vine posted on Twitter. Another Orioles fan, Rhonda Jester, wrote: “The stadium may be empty, but our hearts aren’t. Check-In in spirit! Go O’s!”

After consulting with the City of Baltimore and Major League Baseball, the team decided to play the game Wednesday but not to allow fans into the stadium—out of concern for fan and player safety. So far this week, some 250 people have been arrested and almost 150 cars have been burned in the protests in Baltimore over the death of Freddie Gray, whose spine was severed while in police custody.

Number of "check ins" at Camden Yards at 2:45 p.m. Wednesday

Number of "check ins" at Camden Yards at 3:45 pm Wednesday