100 Most Likable American Athletes (90-81)

Two weeks ago, I started looking at the most likable athletes in this country following the retirements of Derek Jeter and Champ Bailey. That continues today with the latest look at some awesome American athletes. First, let's look back at what we have gone over so far...
Preview
100-91

90. Damian Lillard

Oakland, California

Current Team: Portland Trail Blazers

Damian Lillard is a guard for the Portland Trail Blazers. He is a fantastic player who was Rookie of the Year during his rookie season and is an all-star level player currently. Lillard has also become quite involved with charity work including hosting a New Years Eve party for the Brian Grant Foundation. That event which ran a few weeks ago ran from 8pm to 2am and benefited Parkinson's research. He refuses to openly campaign for himself for an all-star spot although he is deserving and just plays the game. This guy is awesome he only calls attention if it is a charity event like the one I mentioned. His play on the court is the biggest reason he is on this list, but his work on it adds to his popularity. With only 2 NBA seasons under his belt following a career as a mid-major star in college, we can expect to see a lot more of Damian Lillard.

89. John Carlson

Natick, Massachusetts

Current Team: Washington Capitals

John Carlson was on Team USA of the 2014 Winter Olympics and also represents the Washington Capitals. He was a strong defenseman on that USA squad and represented our country well. Who doesn't like rooting on the old red, white, and blue anyway? He even scored the first goal of that 2014 tournament enduring him with American hockey fans. During the 2010 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Carlson scored the winning goal in the Gold Medal Game against Canada. Carlson was the alternate captain of that 2010 squad. His international success is a big reason why Carlson made the cut for this list.

88. Jozy Altidore

Livingston, New Jersey

Current Team: Sunderland

Jozy Altidore is obviously best known for being on the US Men's National Team in this country. Altidore represented the United States in both the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. He had to be carried off the field though in that 2014 World Cup opener against Ghana. Because he did not play more in the actual World Cup, I don't think he can be higher than this. However, Altidore became very popular with American sport enthusiasts during the qualifying stage. Altidore does not appear to be going anywhere anytime soon.

87. Heath Miller

Richlands, Virginia

Current Team: Pittsburgh Steelers

Heath Miller is a tight end and football player that just goes about his business. I tend to think that Americans respect that. In my opinion, he is one the best blocking tight ends in football (was the best at one time) and has been a consistent player for the Steelers for years. He just does impressive things on the field without calling attention and always gets the job done. Miller even has a fan page talking about why he is so likable. After browsing through that page, you can see why people love Miller as a player and a person. This guy does a ton of charity work and is just an all-around great guy. The Steelers love Heath Miller and he is a guy that any fanbase would love to have on their team.

86. Cullen Jones

New York City, New York

Swimming

Cullen Jones is one of the most recognizable swimmers that we have here in America. He won the 4x100 meter medley relay at the 2012 Olympics on Michael Phelps' team. Jones also won 2 silver medals in 2012 at those game. His American team holds the 4x100 freestyle World Record. This guy's story is very interesting as he learned to swim at 5 following a near death experience from drowning. Years later he is an Olympic athlete and one of the most famous ones we got. Of course, let's be honest we remember him for this back in 2008 and being on this team...

85. JJ Hardy

Tucson, Arizona

Current Team: Baltimore Orioles

The first current Oriole of the list. JJ Hardy is the perfect professional baseball player. Great team leader that doesn't run his mouth and is awesome in the community. Many consider him the best and most consistent shortstop in the American League. Because of this great consistency at defense, Hardy has won 3 straight gold glove awards. Luckily for O's fans he also signed a three year extension back in October and will remain an Oriole for the next few seasons. The fact that he signed for less money to stay on his current team is not lost amongst sports fan and it is a rare site today. He could have easily taken the money that the Yankees would have thrown at him, but that would have made Hardy far less likable as a baseball player. Hardy also as mentioned does his own charity work and volunteers for causes of other athletes. Here is an example of that as Hardy volunteered at this baseball clinic for Shelley Duncan's cause.

84. Klay Thompson

Los Angeles, California

Current Team: Golden State Warriors

Klay Thompson this season has seemed to take the step from really good player to superstar player. He has gone from scoring 16.6 PPG to now over 21 PPG. This leap has been accompanied by the Warriors having the best record in basketball and a certain all-star game appearance for Thompson. Last season, he and Steph Curry set an NBA record for most three pointers in a season by a duo. That record will likely be crushed this season. Thompson was a member of the gold medal winning FIBA Basketball World Cup team this summer. Picking up the gold increased his popularity and likability as did picking up his game. The most recent feat that Thompson accomplished of scoring 37 in a quarter, really set him up to be loved. He set social media on fire with that one and it leads many to believe some more spectacular play is coming.

83. Kyla Ross

Honolulu, Hawaii

Gymnastics

Kyla Ross is the least popular member of the Fab 5 team from the 2012 Olympic Games. People remember Gabby Douglas and Jordyn Wieber dominating. They remember McKayla's vault and they remember Aly's grace. A lot of people forget that Kyla was on the team. However, everyone that remembers loves her for it. Those that don't remember, tend to get a refresher when reminded. The girl was awesome at the games and it would have been hard to win gold without her.

82. Matt Bonner

Concord, New Hampshire

Current Team: San Antonio Spurs

The first Spur on this list is Red Mamba. This team has gone from one of the most hated in sports to one of the most likable in a very short period of time. Most people hated them because they always won, but now respect them because of their team first attitude. They love that a guy like Matt Bonner who is nothing outside of San Antonio is a stud in this system. This guy had crazy fanfare at the 2014 All-Star Game where he almost won the 3 point contest. Eventhough he finished 2nd in the contest, Bonner impressed a lot of people. He impresses them more with his unselfish play as a key member of the San Antonio machine. Matt Bonner has made a name for himself in San Antonio.

81. Anquan Boldin

Pahokee, Florida

Current Team: San Francisco 49ers

Anquan Boldin is my personal favorite football player. Nobody plays with the same passion that this guy does. No receiver I have seen has been more fearless going across the middle. There aren't guys that get more out of what they have. He was a clear first rounder, but went in the 2nd because he ran a 4.7 40. The fact that he ran that speed shows that he isn't a speedster. I ran 4.7 as an offensive lineman in  HS and I am not fast. Boldin also isn't the fastest or the greatest leaper. Boldin is a guy with reliable hands that runs fantastic routes. He is a rock in the offense and you don't have to worry about him dropping passes. Every team that has had Boldin has loved Boldin. Despite WR being a loaded position during his career, Boldin has appeared in 3 Pro Bowl Games. The wideout was also the 2003 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. During his first game in the NFL, Boldin made a quick impression by setting a rookie receiving record in his first game. Those 217 yards receiving in his NFL debut left quite the impression. During the 2009 season, Boldin became the 5th fastest player ever to reach 7,000 yards receiving in his career. In 12 NFL seasons, Boldin has 12,406 yards receiving. That puts Boldin 4th among active players and 19th all-time in receiving yards currently.
Boldin is also likable for his Q81 foundation. That foundation does fantastic work and provides the following services. The NFL sure could use more individuals like Anquan Boldin.

Come back next week for numbers 80-71

-Noland

More Comparisons Between This Team & '89

The Orioles continue to do well and exceed expectations. You cannot count them out. There was another year they were expected to compete and they did that until the very last day. When that happened it was 1989 and it looks like it is happening again. Behind another amazing extra inning victory in which the Orioles won in 14 innings they shrunk the division lead to 4 1/2 games. Baltimore is now tied with Oakland for a wild card spot as well. However, nothing matches up to the 1989 team like a familiar face. One of the faces of that team, was Dave Johnson the pitcher. Yesterday, the Orioles called up Dave's son Steve to make his 1st major league start tomorrow! Now this team is really looking like 1989.

I have long been saying that Steve Johnson should join the rotation as the 5th starter. Showalter and Duquette finally agreed with me. This is very exciting to a lot of Orioles fans. Steve Johnson was not the most hyped prospect. However, he was most deserving of the opportunity, he is on normal rest, and he is a good local kid. The Orioles faithful loves Steve Johnson. I expect a hug crowd @ Camden Yards tonight.

How did Johnson finally join the rotation? Zach Britton got shelled. Britton has not been effective since his return other than the one start. Tonight, he gave up 7 runs in 5 innings to really put the Orioles in a hole. Britton's loss is Johnson's game. Because of the fact that he had to warm in the bullpen to go in, Tommy Hunter is unavailable to start tomorrow night now. Hunter looks like he would have entered in the 15th if the game had continued. Showalter said they were getting close to Chris Davis time though so maybe he was coming not far behind.

Let's start with the craziest news first and go from there. The Orioles have played in the most games this season lasting 13 innings or more. This is their 5th game past 13 and they are 5-0 in those games! Amazing. After Britton left the game, the score was 7-2. The bullpen pitched 9 scoreless innings to lead the comeback effort. 6 pitchers led to that scoreless performance. Surprisingly, Kevin Gregg was the 1st pitcher in that unit and he pitched 2 scoreless. Patton, Ayala, Strop, Lindstrom, and O'Day also pitched in the game. With O'Day picking up the win. The win moved O'Day to 6-0 on the season. Everyone besides Gregg in that groups has a sub 3 ERA. Obviously, the best one in that group is Pedro Strop @ 1.27. Strop was huge once again.

The comeback started in the 6th inning. The Orioles scored 1 in the 6th and 4 in the 7th to help push it to extras. They won the game on an Adam Jones single with the bases loaded in the 14th. The Mariners intentionally walked Davis to get to Jones. I don't know why anyone would want to pitch to Jones in a walkoff situation, but Go Mariners. I will gladly take it. Guess which Oriole scored the winning run? Omar Quintanilla.

Making the decision to walk Davis more strange was the fact that he was the only Oriole not hitting last night. Davis was 0-6 for the game. Adam Jones and Omar Quintanilla each had 2 hits in the game. Btw, if you need more reason to love Robert Andino, look at that smile in the picture above. I absolutely love the passion and fun he plays the game with.

Other key contributors last night were Markakis and Hardy. Nick Markakis was 4-7 from his leadoff spot. He is now hitting .294. JJ Hardy was 1-4, but hit a very crucial 3 run homer. It was Hardy's 16th homer of the season. Great job by JJ!

There was only one guy more impressive than Markakis, Hardy, and Jones. That man is Matt Wieters. Not only did Wieters catch 14 innings like a boss, but he played it amazingly defensively. Oh, and he hit 2 home runs! Now Wieters is up to 15 on the season. Terrific job last night by Wieters. There is a strong chance that he gets a night off or is the DH tonight.

Ok, now the other ugly part of the game. Wilson Betemit made his 15th error last night. The guy is horrible at 3rd. Just play Andino!

All that being said, WHY NOT?!?!

-Noland

Did I Say 4? Well Now It's 5

So these Orioles guys must have some heart, eh? Make that 5 in a row after most people started writing off the Baltimore Orioles. 5 straight quality starts leading to 5 straight wins.

This particular brilliant pitching performance was delivered by Zach Britton. Today showed why Zach Britton is my favorite Oriole starter in quite some time. Hopefully, this start signified that Zach is finally healthy from all his injury issues. Britton picked up his 1st win of the season and moved to (1-0) in his second start of the year. He was rather effective for the birds giving them 6 strong innings. When he left the game, Cleveland still had a 0 on the board. Britton also recorded 5 strikeouts in his performance. His ERA now sits @ 3.60.

Luis Ayala entered the game for Britton and was also very good for 2 innings. Unfortunately for him, Buck left him in for a 3rd. In the bottom of the 9th inning, Ayala gave up a 2 run homer that made the game 4-2. Then he exited...

Who was there to clean up the mess? Well, Jim Johnson of course. Johnson did give up another run, but picked up a save in the 4-3 victory. That save gives Johnson 30 on the year! 30 saves for an Oriole pitcher in July! Amazing!

The offense didn't do too much, but it did enough. Nick Markakis continues to excel hitting from the leadoff spot. Markakis was 2-5 and is now hitting .276. He has brought life to a punchless offense since his return. I hope no Orioles fan sells Nick short again. This guy is the heart and soul of this team.

Markakis wasn't the only one to excel with the bat. Two Orioles hit huge home runs in this game. JJ Hardy was 2-5 tonight with his 14th HR. Hardy also had 3 huge RBIs. This was a great day for a struggling athlete. Hardy is still one of the best in the game. The other big HR was hit by Wilson Betemit. Betemit was 2-4 and raised his average to .255. The home run was Wilson's 11th on the season.

Let's keep the Oriole Magic going!

-Noland

Now That's How You Make A Debut

Many Orioles fans including many of my friends hated the Teagarden trade this offseason. They said I told you so when Teagarden got hurt. Who is laughing now? Teagarden, didn't start the game (his 1st as an Oriole), but man did he ever finish it. The backup catcher launched a walk off homer in his 2nd at bat for the birds. Now, it is my turn to say I told you so. I was pumped when Teagarden replaced Paulino. Turns out I was justified. Actually, I was watching the at bat with my wife and I said "come on Teagarden you have to hit a homer because Mark Reynolds is up next and Kevin Gregg is pitching." Next thing you know, he does. I then leaped for joy. There have been few times as an Oriole fan I was more excited than tonight. Feel so good for Teagarden.

Speaking of Oriole debuts, another Oriole made his regular season debut. Actually for Miguel Socolovich, it was his major league debut. Socolovich looked great in an extremely high pressure situation. He retired the Tigers 1, 2, 3 in the 10th inning. One of the batters he retired was Miguel Cabrera. Socolovich did give up a run in the 10th, but it was just a guy he left on, Patton was the guy who actually gave up the run.

Wei Yin Chen actually pitched 6 brilliant innings and only gave up 1 run. It should have been an easy win, but Ryan Flaherty had a huge error in the 9th (some defensive replacement) and Jim Johnson blew the save. It's a shame Chen couldn't get the victory, but that's just how it goes sometimes.

Kevin Gregg picked up the victory for the Orioles. Gregg pitched 1/3 inning and lowered his ERA to 3.86. Gregg improved to 3-2 on the season. Seems like a perfect time to trade him! I mean he picked up the win and lowered his ERA, it isn't going to get better than this. Offer to pay his entire salary and see if we can get a prospect or two or a spare part. Gregg and Reynolds for Rickie Weeks?

While we are on topic of getting rid of guys, I must bring up Ryan Flaherty. Do we have to keep this guy? He is dead weight on a team trying to make the playoffs. I hate to give him up for free too, but he offers nothing at this point. A defensive replacement cannot be making huge errors that turn the game.

In other news, JJ Hardy also hit a 13th inning home run to break out of a huge slump. As a huge Hardy fan that thinks some fans have been way too hard on him, this was an awesome sight. Very happy for JJ.

Finally, Nick Markakis had 3 doubles! 3 of them. What an awesome performance. If I ever said Nick wasn't my favorite baseball player, I sincerely apologize. I apologize to Nick and Orioles fans everywhere. This guy has been the heart and soul of our team in recent years. He has been all we had on many nights. Thank God that he is back in an Orioles uniform. The guy can play baseball.

Also Robert Andino had a homer tonight. More Andino!

Finally, it was Jim Palmer night at the Yard. Great to see the O's honoring their best pitcher ever. Palmer is a class act.

-Noland

Cal Ripken Jr. Talks JJ Hardy

MASN's Roch Kubatko sat down for an interview with Cal Ripken Jr. on his blog. The interview was great stuff, as is pretty much everything that Roch posts on his blog. I love checking out the School of Roch. This post stood out to me though, because it was a Hall of Famer talking about one of our best players. We O's fans love JJ Hardy because he does all the little things right. I was a huge Hardy fan before he ever came to Baltimore. While he was with Milwaukee, I was on the Hardy bandwagon and wanted us to look into trading for him. Luckily we did and it worked out for everyone. It is great to get a Hall of Famers opinion on any of our players though. Even better to get an opinion of a shortstop from the greatest shortstop of all time...

"He doesn't do it flashy,"
"He knows himself, he gets good jumps on the ball, he gets good reads, he positions himself well. I like all the little fundamental things he does. He gets there early on steal coverages, he makes tags the right way, he's in the right position early on cutoffs and relays. You can tell that he's a thinker. He thinks about the game, he thinks about what his responsibilities are. And he doesn't make the highlight reel because he's not that flashy-type player. He makes the hard plays look much easier than they are."
"If you're in your position early and you're anticipating, not the good hop, but the bad hop, then you're ready for it," Ripken said. "Those are the small, little things he does. Even on a double play throw, one of the most common mistakes that big league players make, and any guys make, is they go to second base anticipating that it's going to be a good throw so they can turn it. But players like J.J. go there thinking, 'OK, this might be a bad throw.' If it's a good throw, it makes it easy. If it is a bad throw, then you're already ready to catch it and at least get the out, or catch it and then finish the foot work that can let you turn the double play.
"To me, it's his approach all around. He's anticipating, he's thinking, he looks at all the possibilities."

Good to see Cal Ripken Jr. agrees with me. I don't need flashy, I want someone that does that job right. We had flashy and bad in Pie. We don't need players like that. We want competent major leaguers. Luckily the O's have a very competent major leaguer in Hardy.

-Noland

Orioles Beat Pirates

Before I get into the Orioles beating the Pirates in back to back games, I want to say that I will get to Matt Cain's perfect game at some point today. It may be part of the all-star post, if Cain makes my NL Squad for pitchers. However, as always the Orioles come first here at RAN.

Brian Matusz was injured from the batting cage incident the other day, so he had to have his start moved back a day. That change called for a new starter last night. Therefore, Jake Arrieta who was working on normal rest was re-inserted into the starting rotation after being moved to the bullpen following his last start. Based on how he was pitching lately, we should have expected disaster. We actually got brilliance for Arrieta though. Arrieta got a quality start as he went 7 innings and only gave up one run. The performance also got Arrieta a win and raised his record to (3-8). His ERA is still an awful 5.89, but he did earn another start. Hopefully, this is the start of a big change for Jake.

Pedro Strop also pitched well in this one. Strop pitched a scoreless ninth for the birds. That lowered Strop's ERA to 1.44. You might see Strop on my list of all-stars later today as well.

Brian Roberts went hitless in the 7-1 victory, but his average is still .333. JJ Hardy was 3-4 with 3 runs scored. Chris Davis was 3-4 with 3 RBIs. Davis also hit his 12th home run of the season and is now hitting .305. If 1st base in the AL wasn't so stacked, Davis would have a real shot at the all-star game. He may make it still. New OF Steve Pearce was 2-4 with an RBI. Pearce is hitting .286 since joining the Orioles. Not to shabby, Steve. Finally, the star of the night offensively was Wilson Betemit. He was 3-3 with 3 RBIs. Betemit also had his 8th home run of the season. Some may not like what Wilson provides and may liken him to Vlad, but Wilson has provided solid production for the Orioles. Are there other players I would rather have? Of course, but Wilson gets the job done.

-Noland

My MLB All-Star Ballot

Before I released my ballot, I wanted to release the picture above so everyone knew where the top Orioles stood. Let me be clear though before I release my ballot. I love JJ Hardy, I think he is awesome, but Derek Jeter is going to win. Now let's get to the ballot and when you vote, #VoteOrange.

American League
1st Base
Paul Konerko  White Sox
.365 12 HR 35 RBI
Plays for the 1st Place White Sox
Konerko is currently 3rd in voting

2nd Base
Ian Kinsler   Texas Rangers
.273 7 HR 30 RBI
Plays for the 1st Place Texas Rangers
Kinsler is currently leading voting
I was extremely tempted to vote for Andino because he is one of my favorite players, but decided it wouldn't be right. Cano may be the better player, but he's a Yankee so vote Kinsler.

3rd Base
Mark Trumbo  Los Angeles Angels
.326 14 HR 39 RBI
Plays for the 2nd Place Los Angeles Angels
Trumbo currently not in the top 5
This guy deserves to be the starter, but probably won't be anywhere near the top. Beltre looks like the best choice and will likely win, but picking between him and Cabrera is tough. Trumbo is the top guy.

SS
JJ Hardy  Baltimore Orioles
.248 11 HR 27 RBI
Plays for my surprising competitive Baltimore Orioles
Currently 3rd in voting
I was tempted to vote for Jeter, I am not even going to lie. However, when I thought about it, JJ Hardy is a big reason for the Orioles success. Additionally, 11 HR from a SS is incredible.

Catcher
Matt Wieters  Baltimore Orioles
.255 9 HR 27 RBI
Best catcher in baseball
Currently 2nd in voting
Wieters has a real shot to start and will likely be returning to the game no matter what. What he does can't even be measured in the box score. He is vital to the Orioles success.

Designated Hitter
Edwin Encarnacion  Toronto Blue Jays
.290 17 HR 44 RBI
Currently 5th in voting
Time for a rant about David Ortiz. Why does Ortiz get a free pass on steroids? He took them. Can we stop loving him. Encarnacion is the better hitter in a weaker lineup. Not only that, but he has more RBIs. He should be the guy.

Outfield
Josh Hamilton  Texas Rangers
Adam Jones  Baltimore Orioles
Austin Jackson  Detroit Tigers
Hamilton .338 22 HR 61 RBI
Jones .300 17 HR 37 RBI
Jackson .324 6 HR 20 RBI
Hamilton 1st in voting
Jones 5th in voting
Jackson 11th in voting
Jackson is behind Brett Gardner, what kind of sick joke is that?
Hamilton and Jones have arguably been the best two players in baseball and they certainly deserve it, but the 3rd guy is more of a toss up.

National League
1st Base
Joey Votto  Cincinatti Reds
.355 10 HR 38 RBI
Currently 1st in voting
This one won't be close, Votto will win and deserves it

2nd Base
Jose Altuve  Houston Astros
.326 4 HR 22 RBI
Currently 5th in voting
Might as well vote for Altuve for 2 reasons.
1) he deserves it and is the only reason the Astros aren't in last
2) the Astros have to have at least one all-star so it might as well go to someone who deserves it

Shortstop
Starlin Castro  Chicago Cubs
.308 5 HR 38 RBI 16 Stolen Bases
Currently 3rd in voting
I was tempted to pick FSU alum Stephen Drew, but Starlin Castro deserves it and the Cubs have to have an all-star

3rd Base
David Wright  New York Mets
.354 8 HR 34 RBI
Currently 1st in voting
Don't see how it can be someone other than Wright.

Catcher
Buster Posey  San Francisco Giants
Not gonna lie. Didn't even think about this one. Had to vote for Buster.
Currently a close 2nd in voting.

Outfield
Carlos Beltran  St.Louis Cardinals
Matt Kemp  Los Angeles Dodgers
Michael Bourn Atlanta Braves
All deserve it a great deal.
Beltran is 2nd in voting.
Kemp is 1st.
Ryan Braun is 3rd, but didn't pick him due to steroid concerns.
Bourn is in 8th currently.

Johnson Blows Save, but Orioles Still Win

Jim Johnson picked up the win in the 10th inning after blowing the save in the 9th and the Orioles defeated the Red Sox 8-6 on extras last night. It says a lot about Jim Johnson that he asked for the ball in the 10th after blowing the lead. He shut down the Sox in the 10th and helped preserve the victory.

The rest of the pitching was pretty darn good. Jason Hammel gave the Orioles five innings, which could be better, but during those 5 innings he only gave up 1 earned run. With the Orioles struggles in the rotation lately, it would be hard to believe Hammel's ERA. Hammel is pitching to a 2.97 ERA this season. If the Orioles are in 1st place at the break, then Hammel stands a pretty good shot at making the All-Star team after pitching like he has. This guy has to be near or maybe even at the top of the list for pleasant surprises this season. Unbelievable.

Ayala and Strop did their thing combining for 1 2/3 of scoreless baseball. Strop earned his 10th hold and Ayala his 6th. I continue to be amazed that we got Strop for Mike Gonzalez. Pedro Strop may just be the best pitcher we have on the roster.

Obviously, with an 8-6 victory you would expect to hear more about the hitting than the pitching though. The Orioles bats were on point last night. Every Oriole except Steve Tolleson that played last night got a hit. That included Ryan Flaherty who only got one at bat. Why Tolleson is playing over Flaherty is beyond me. Flaherty can actually contribute to this team's future and if we are going to keep him on the roster with so many people out, we might as well let him play. The way Tolleson is playing we might as well.

The top hitter last night may come as a surprise. Endy Chavez went 3-5 in the game with an RBI and 2 runs scored. New OF Steve Pearce was 1-3 with 2 RBIs. Pearce also had a high quality defensive play off the green monster that drew rave reviews from the coaching staff.

Robert Andino, Matt Wieters, and JJ Hardy had two hits apiece. Andino scored twice and leadoff for the Orioles. Wieters in Hardy each drove in a run and Wieters scored. Matt Wieters hit a double and JJ Hardy hit a triple. These were the only extra base hits on the night. Let's hope the O's get more timely hits tonight against the BoSox.

-Noland

Orioles Beat Royals

The Baltimore Orioles defeated the Kansas City Royals handily last night. Baltimore won 8-2 behind excellent pitching, defense, and hitting. This is one of the most complete games the Orioles played all year. At what point do Orioles fans get excited about this team.

Jason Hammel had his best game since the knee injury. He pitched 6 strong innings earning a quality start and his 6th victory this year. Now 6-1, Hammel is showing to be quite the offseason addition. The righty did not give up a run and lowered his ERA to 2.78. What a fantastic outing. With starting pitching like that it is difficult to lose.

The bullpen was also very good. Stu Pomeranz gave up KC's only 2 runs. Pomeranz got the call back up to Baltimore yesterday. He was having a terrific season and those are the first runs he has given up in Bowie, Norfolk, or Baltimore this year. This guy deserves to be in the big leagues with how he has pitched. I am not going to let one outing change my mind on that. He was followed by Dana Eveland. Eveland pitched a scoreless ninth to secure the victory. The lefty lowered his ERA to 3.95.

Next, we need to talk about the performance of JJ Hardy. Hardy made a fantastic leaping catch to rob Billy Butler in this game. It was critical to the outcome and Butler is an Oriole killer. Great to see Hardy make such a fantastic stop. The guy did it with his bat also. JJ was 2-4 in the game with a double. He also walked, drove in 2, and scored. This game is all about scoring runs and when you score or drive in someone else it is huge. Big game from JJ.



Nick Markakis had a big night with the stick. He went 3 for 4 with 2 doubles. Markakis now has 11 doubles for the season and continues to hit well. In the process, he raised his average back up to .271. Not only that, but his on base percentage is .350. He gets on base and has increased power numbers and while this is a down year, you can live with this production from Nicky.

Adam Jones with all the contract talk in the air, had a great game. Jones drove in 2 more, strengthening his MVP case.

Meanwhile, Chris Davis had his best offensive game in a while. Davis was 2-4 with his 7th homer. He also had 3 RBIs and raised his average to .299. Davis pictured above had an awesome night.

Also if you go to the game on Monday you will get these sweet camouflage T-shirts assuming you are one of the first 10,000 fans in attendance.

-Noland

Orioles Beat Nats, Take Series

The Orioles have again defeated the Nats in interleague play. The worst they can do now is take 2 out of 3. This effort was led again by the Oriole outfield. Especially, Adam Jones. Jones hit an AdamBomb in the victory. Jones now has 14 homers on the year. He went 3 for 4 in the game with a run scored and 2 RBIs. Forget all star, this guy is in the thick of the MVP race. Jones is looking at some major $$$$ when the extension rolls around. Did I say this guy has been mashing?

Jones was not the only guy mashing as Nick Markakis hit his 8th homer of the season. Nicky is on pace for 30+ which is a huge increase over last year. The O's right fielder scored twice and drove in two. I take this kind of production any day. Another Oriole that was great is the great Andino. He went 2 for 5 with a run scored and 2 RBI. Andino has been hurt by Reimold being out as he has had to move up in the lineup most nights, but he has been really good still. Xavier Avery was 1 for 3 with a run scored. JJ Hardy was 2 for 4 in the 6-5 victory.

As with most close victories, the pitching is critical. Jason Hammel was good enough to pick up his 5th win today, but it wasn't pretty. Hammel gave up 4 runs over 5 1/3 to preserve the victory. He did record 5 strikeouts though and get the win. The guy just hasn't been as effective since the injury though. Hopefully, he gets back to the dominant stuff pre injury.

Ayala, Patton, and Strop all got holds. They continue to pitch well out of the pen. Then of course, Jim Johnson came in for the save. Johnson now has 15 saves on the season. He is on pace for 50+. The save record belongs to Randy Myers. Myers had 45 in 1997, the last year the Orioles made the playoffs. Crazy stuff. Can Johnson get anywhere close to that mark?

-Noland

Orioles Win in 15

Adam Jones homered in the 15th inning to give the Orioles a 4-3 win over the Kansas City Royals last night. Jones' 12th homer on the season leads the team and keeps the Orioles in 1st place. It is amazing how much Jones is mashing this year. With 12 homers in 38 games, Adam Jones is currently on pace to hit 51 home runs on the season. That would be the most home runs by an Oriole since Brady Anderson had the magical 50 home run season in 1996. It would also make the price to extend Jones skyrocket. Let's see if they get some sort of extension done soon.

The pitching staff was the big story today as they only gave up three runs over 15 innings. Starter Tommy Hunter, only gave up 2 runs in 7 innings. Now the Orioles have 4 quality starts in 11 days and look to be rebounding from the stretch of poor pitching. Back to back quality starts is a good thing. Hunter obviously was not alone in his brilliance on the mound. Dana Eveland threw three scoreless innings for the birds, in the 10-12 innings to keep the score tied. The performance from Eveland was huge. After Eveland was the winning pitcher....Kevin Gregg. Yes, Kevin Gregg got the win last night. Gregg pitched well in one of his first appearances since the 17 inning marathon against Boston. The save went to the great Jim Johnson. Johnson recorded his 13th save of the year and looks to be headed to the all star game. Ironically, the all star game is going to be in Kansas City where the O's were last night. I will have my all star ballot posted sometime in the next week.

There were other Oriole hitters that came through last night. JJ Hardy went 3-6 with a double, raising his average to .261. Nick Markakis went 2-7 and also had a double. Wilson Betemit went 2-7 with a home run and a double. Chris Davis also had multiple hits as he went 2-4. This is the most notable Davis news since he got the win last week. Finally, Xavier Avery was 2-6 last night. Avery had two singles and also had a sacrifice bunt. Seeing how poor the Orioles have been at bunting lately, it was nice to see Avery lay one down. This guy can play.

-Noland

Wei Yin Chen Shuts Down Yankees

Right now, Wei Yin Chen is the best Orioles starter. He is mr. dependable among the group. The guy we can count on. Once again, Chen had a terrific outing tonight. Not only that, but he did it against the team we struggle with the most. Chen was brilliant as he moved to 4-0 on the season. He gave up two runs on four hits over seven innings. The runs he did give up were on a home run hit by Curtis Granderson, but Xavier Avery looked like he was going to catch it. It appeared that a fan hit Avery's glove and we had a Jeffrey Maher 2 on our hands. Only this time it was at our own stadium. I don't know why we can't overturn these home runs, especially with instant replay. These Yankee fans have got to learn that they can not do that. This outing was only the Orioles 3rd quality start of the last 10 games.

That is not all the news about the Orioles' new x-man. This guy plays with such a great energy and effort. We have not seen too much of this over the last 14 years as O's fans. The guy is a breath of fresh air. Avery went 1 for 3 with a beautiful bunt single. Again, the hustle plays, how many bunt singles have we seen lately? He also scored his third run of the season following a walk. Avery is also showing patience, something that has been very rare out of Oriole pitchers. The guy drew a walk against one of the best pitchers in baseball, before this year the Orioles would get shut down by some turkey with a 6.00 ERA and let him only throw 85 pitches in the process. Avery is a keeper.

Steve Tolleson also had a big night for the birds. Every game there's a different star, that's the magic of Orioles baseball. I guess the magic is back. I was not expecting big things from Tolleson when he came up, but so far he has delivered. Tolleson was 2 for 3 with a double. The guy is now hitting .400 in his short time with the Orioles. Small sample size I know, but we have to be pleased with his contribution. Tolleson has come a long way since his previous pro experiences.

JJ Hardy was another Oriole that had a big night at the plate. Hardy was also 2-4 with a double and also drove in two runs. The Oriole SS has been on a tear lately. JJ has raised his average to .252 after being in the .100s all of April. Perhaps it is time to switch him and Nicky in the order?

Adam Jones continues to pace the Oriole offense. Jones went 2-3 with a walk last night. He also registered his 11th home run on the season. This is incredible. At this rate, Jones may get to 50. Absolutely, unbelievable job by Adam Jones. For sure, this guy will be an all-star. I guess it was a really good move to keep him this offseason. We can definitely build around Adam Jones if he is mashing like this.

Pedro Strop got his 5th hold in this game as he held the Yankees scoreless for an inning. Strop now has an ERA that sits at 1.29. This guy has been one of the best set-up men in baseball. He has been setting up for the best closer in baseball. Oriole closer Jim Johnson converted his 12th save in 12 chances last night. The closer has converted 20 straight saves dating back to last season. His ERA now sits at 0.54. If we come into the 8th with a lead, I feel pretty comfortable and that might be the biggest reason we are still in 1st place.

-Noland

Orioles Go Back to Back to Back

The Baltimore Orioles have finally decided to play baseball against the Texas Rangers. During Game 1 of the double header, the Orioles started off with a bang. They went back to back to back. Ryan Flaherty started the party with his first major league home run onto Eutaw Street. Flaherty was followed by JJ Hardy who was followed by Nick Markakis. Ironically the last time a team went back to back to back to start a game was the 2007 Brewers. Why is that ironic? JJ Hardy batted 2nd for that during that game as well. For the Brewers Rickie Weeks led off that game and Ryan Braun hit 3rd. However, the Orioles are the 1st AL team to accomplish that feat.

Back to today's double header, the Orioles were obviously off to a good start with the homers. Even better than the start, was the starter. Wei Yin Chen pitched 7 2/3 against the potent Ranger lineup today. He was only charged with 2 runs and one of them came when Ayala took over for him in the 8th. Anybody that can pitch like this against the Rangers deserves an award. This is the biggest reason the Orioles were able to beat the Rangers 6-5 today.

Jim Johnson gave up a three run homer to David Murphy in the 9th, but held on for the win. Beating Texas is a big step for this ballclub. Johnson picked up his 9th save on the season. His ERA now sits at 0.66. Not too shabby. Johnson is the man.

The Orioles are currently down 4-3 in game 2 of the double header. Tommy Hunter will possibly be sent back down after the game, especially with Dana Eveland the starter tomorrow night. Eveland deserves the chance to start. The guy has been quite good in Norfolk and had a solid spring. Meanwhile Hunter and Matusz have been struggling. Give the guy a chance.

Josh Hamilton has hit another home run against Baltimore. Some things never change. This one landed on Eutaw Street.

-Noland

Orioles Win 17 Inning Thriller

Chris Davis picked up the most bizarre stat line ever in the Orioles win. Davis went 0-8 in this game, but he managed to be the hero. How is that? Davis picked up the win throwing two scoreless innings for the Orioles. Yes, Chris Davis pitched in this game and threw two scoreless innings. He has not pitched since High School, but managed to come through in the clutch. You got to give it up to Chris for coming through in a tough spot. The guy was a stud out there on the mound. Where did this come from?

Baltimore ran out of pitchers because Tommy Hunter had a horrible outing and couldn't get through the 5th. It did not help that the game went 17, but it all worked out in the end. I'd be ok with Hunter going down for a reliever for a few days. If someone in AAA took his turn in the Baltimore rotation, that would be ok. For now the bullpen needs an arm. We should be able to expect some sort of roster move in the next 24 hours.

The bullpen did a terrific job tonight. Even Kevin Gregg threw two scoreless innings. That was absolutely huge. Jim Johnson, Pedro Strop, and Matt Lindstrom also pitched two scoreless. Lindstrom and Johnson still are perfect on the year. These guys have been lights out, and Orioles fans hope it continues. Jim Johnson should be in line for an all-star appearance if he keeps this up.

This game was not only won by pitching. JJ Hardy had an absolutely huge game. Hardy was 5 for 8 with two home runs. He had 12 total bases in this game! Yes, 12! Hopefully, this is the beginning of a hot streak from Hardy.

Adam Jones also had an amazing game. Jones was 3 for 8 including his 8th home run on the season. That home run put the Orioles up for good in the 17th. Can't get much more clutch than a 3 run homer in the 17th. Once again, Jones is having a monster season for the Orioles. Robert Andino also homered for the Orioles. Andino continues to impress me with his effort and attitude.

What a game! Go O's!

-Noland

Orioles Lose, Drop From 1st to 3rd

Is this where the slide begins? The Orioles were riding high early this season and now they look like the typical Orioles teams with no life. They also have the key injuries that fit all Oriole teams. Brian Roberts is still hurt for the what seems like the 5th straight season. I believe it is the 3rd straight season though with Roberts' injuries. Robert Andino has been having a solid year though so that one hasn't hurt the O's too bad. Nolan Reimold has been an animal with the bat this season, but he was out of the lineup last night due to neck spasms. Reimold is our replacement leadoff hitter, he was hitting .370 with 5 home runs. If Reimold is out for any serious length of time, it is big time trouble. Speaking of neck problems, Tsuyoshi Wada was shut down yesterday for neck spasms. Guess we will not see him anytime soon.

Now for the actual game. Jake Arrieta has been outstanding this season and started outstanding again last night. Unfortunately, for Jake he got rocked in the 5th inning. I for one am not gonna hang this one on Jake because of one bad inning. If we hadn't been playing the Angels we still may have pulled it out.

Hard to pull it out though when your offense has no life. Nick Johnson once again went hitless and is still at .000. How long do we remain patient with Johnson? Reimold's replacement Endy Chavez led off and went 0 for 4. He will get a longer rope than Johnson, but hitting .125 just doesn't cut it. JJ Hardy was also 0 for 4. My least favorite Oriole besides Kevin Gregg (Mark Reynolds) went 0 for 3. Just a punchless night from the offense.

There are some positives from last night though.
1) The Orioles found a taker for Josh Bell, more on that trade later
2) Matt Wieters hit his 5th home run
3) Adam Jones was 2 for 4 and is now hitting .311
4) Matt Lindstrom had another scoreless outing

That's it though. Maybe next time.

-Noland

Orioles Bobble Head Vote

The Baltimore Orioles on September 29th will be having a bobble head giveaway and they are letting you choose who is the bobblehead chosen.
Here are the options.
You can vote from your phone as often as you want.
Text 31826 to submit your choice:

• "1" or "Reynolds" for Mark Reynolds
• "2" or "Hardy" for JJ Hardy
• "3" or "Hunter" for Tommy Hunter
• "4" or "Arrieta" for Jake Arrieta
• "5" or "Andino" for Robert Andino

I chose Andino, I mean how can you not, just look at the guy. Although I will not be going to the game most likely, I will certainly send someone to get me an Andino bobblehead here if he wins. To me he is the clear choice although I am a big JJ fan as well. There is no chance Hunter or Reynolds win so who you got between JJ, Jake, and Andino.

-Noland

Orioles Update

The Orioles of course were swept by the Yankees in the past series. They did not look too good that entire series. Two extra inning losses and then there was the 1st game. We learned that Mark Reynolds has not improved much if all at third base and that Kevin Gregg is still capable of blowing games. We also learned that the Orioles are still not good with runners in scoring position. There is some good news though.

Adam Jones has extended his hitting streak to 9 games which dates back to last season.
The Orioles face Brandon Morrow tonight and Nolan Reimold is 3 for 6 and a homer lifetime against him. JJ Hardy is even better at 2 for 3 with two home runs. Leaving Reimold and Hardy at the top of the order might be a good idea against the Jays tonight.
Robert Andino is tied for the team lead in RBIs with 4 (well that one could be bad too depending on how you look at it). I look at Andino's bat as a positive because if Andino is hitting I like our chances a lot more this year. Andino is a solid baseball player with a lot of fire.
The last bit of good news is that we got Matt Wieters, the best catcher in baseball.
Keep smiling O's fans!

-Noland

Beat The Streak Challenge

On mlb.com they are doing a beat the streak challenge where you can win 5.6 million dollars. You win the prize by correctly picking players that will get a hit that day. First one to 57 wins the jackpot unless there is a tie. Check out the game here. There are recommended picks and items to make it easier, but it is not as easy as it sounds. This year they added a tempting double down feature which makes things more interesting. You can now pick two players, but they both need hits for your streak to continue.

Yesterday I picked JJ Hardy and Joey Votto. If you had to pick which one wouldn't get a hit, who would you pick? Well Votto went hitless and JJ Hardy blasted a home run in his first at bat so what do we know. Streak Gone!

Tonight I got Brandon Phillips

And Elvis Andrus!

Some hits would be nice gentlemen.

-Noland