Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore Orioles first baseman and outfielder Trey Mancini underwent surgery to remove a malignant tumor from his colon on Thursday, per a statement from the team:

"Trey Mancini underwent successful surgery today to remove a malignant tumor from his colon. The tumor was discovered last week during a colonoscopy. Lab results and the timetable for Trey's recovery will not be known until next week. In the interim, Trey and his family continue to appreciate the respect for his privacy."

Orioles Executive Vice President and general manager Mike Elias also released a statement, per Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports: "We are doing everything in our power to ensure Trey recovers fully, and we can't wait to see him back on the field as soon as possible." 

Mancini released a statement as well:

The 27-year-old has played four big-league seasons, all with the Orioles.

Word that Mancini had a serious health concern emerged last Saturday when Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told reporters (h/t Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun) that Mancini would have a "non-baseball medical procedure" and could be out for an undetermined period of time.

One day later, Mancini posted the following on Twitter:

Dan Connolly of The Athletic provided more background on Mancini and the discovery of the tumor:

Mancini played college ball at Notre Dame prior to the O's picking him in the eighth round of the 2013 MLB draft. He rose through the minor-league ranks quickly, thanks in part to hitting .341 in 2015 in Single-A and Double-A.

He burst onto the scene in 2016 with three home runs in just five games before finishing third in American League Rookie of the Year voting the following season.

Mancini has 86 home runs and a .819 OPS in 462 games. He smacked a career-high 35 homers alongside an .899 OPS last year.

Baltimore Orioles pitcher Miguel Castro said he was robbed at gunpoint Tuesday in the Dominican Republic, according to TMZ.

"I'm alive by the mercy of God," Castro wrote in Spanish on Instagram. "They took my chain and they wanted to kill me. It's unbelievable."

The incident took place while Castro was traveling to work out.

"They took my chains when I got there and they almost shot me," he added, per Joe Trezza of MLB.com. "Thank God that their gun got jammed."

The Dominican pitcher was reportedly unharmed physically.

"We are in contact with Miguel Castro regarding today's incident in La Romana, DR and we are very thankful that he is safe," Orioles general manager Mike Elias said in a statement.

The 25-year-old has spent parts of five seasons in the majors, appearing for the Blue Jays, Rockies and Orioles. He spent the past three years in Baltimore, accumulating a 4.06 ERA in 226 total innings during this stretch, mostly out of the bullpen. 

In the box score, it reads as a flyout to right field. While factually correct, that doesn't necessarily tell the story of Stevie Wilkerson's incredible catch in the eighth inning Sunday against the Boston Red Sox. 

Wilkerson went full extension to rob a sure home run off the bat of Jackie Bradley Jr. Even more impressive, the Baltimore Orioles right fielder didn't even see the ball land in his glove as he hit the top of the wall.

Austin Jackson made a similar catch in August 2017 when he leapt over the wall in center field and landed in the Red Sox bullpen to deny Hanley Ramirez a homer.

MLB.com ranked Jackson's grab as the top play of the 2017 season, and Wilkerson will be a strong contender for the 2019 honor.

Despite Wilkerson's heroics, Boston still walked away the victor when Rafael Devers singled in the ninth to score Mookie Betts from first base.

The Baltimore Orioles etched their name on the wrong side of the MLB history books when they allowed their 259th home run of the season, breaking the 2016 Cincinnati Reds' all-time record.  

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Austin Meadows' solo shot—his 22nd of the year—off right-hander Asher Wojciechowski put the O's into sole possession of the record. Rays shortstop Willy Adames added another in the fifth for No. 260.

The 41-86 Orioles, who are in the midst of a significant rebuild, allowed a league-high 807 runs leading into Thursday. Although their pitching and defense have struggled significantly, they aren't alone in watching long balls fly at record rates. Eddie Matz of ESPN.com explained more:

"With power numbers up across Major League Baseball, Baltimore isn't the only team that has been giving up taters at a record rate. Through Wednesday's games, the Mariners, Angels, Yankees, and Phillies were all on target to surpass the '16 Reds...

"This season, 3.7 percent of all MLB plate appearances have resulted in home runs, up from 3.0 percent a year ago. Compared to 2014, when the leaguewide rate was 2.3 percent, home runs have increased by roughly 60 percent. If the current rate holds throughout the rest of the season, it would break the all-time single-season record of 3.3 percent, set during the 2017 campaign."

Matz also noted the O's were on pace to allow 329 dingers entering Thursday. Four Orioles have allowed 21 or more, led by David Hess' 28. 

With a blast by Kansas City Royals second baseman Whit Merrifield in the third inning of Wednesday night's game, the Baltimore Orioles tied the MLB record for most home runs surrendered in a single season.

Starter Aaron Brooks, who has now allowed eight dingers in eight starts for Baltimore, was responsible for the record-tying blast:

The dinger was the 258th coughed up by Orioles pitchers this season, tying the record set by the 2016 Cincinnati Reds.

And they still have 35 games to play.

As Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun noted, Baltimore had previously set the American League record (242) on Aug. 12.

A total of 33 pitchers, including three position players, have contributed to the cause. Four pitchers have surrendered 20-plus round-trippers, with David Hess (28) leading the way.

The Orioles have now given up 258 homers in 127 games, an average of 2.0 per game. That puts them on pace for 324 long balls over the course of 162 games.

Baltimore may not be alone in surpassing the 2016 Reds this season, though, as baseballs are flying out of ballparks across the league at an unprecedented rate. The Seattle Mariners (215), Los Angeles Angels (207), New York Yankees (207) and Philadelphia Phillies (203) have all eclipsed the 200 mark, putting them on pace to challenge 258.

It may not be long before the Orioles have the record all to themselves, as they will host the Tampa Bay Rays at Camden Yards on Thursday night.

Coming off a 23-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday, the Houston Astros were understandably heavy favorites Sunday.

The Orioles scored three runs in the ninth inning to win 8-7, leading to some sizable payouts to bettors.

According to ESPN's David Purdum, Baltimore owned a +420 moneyline, with Houston a -460 favorite at some sportsbooks in the United States. Using a Bet Labs database that tracks betting odds since 2005, the Orioles were one of the biggest betting underdogs to pick up a victory.

Because of the gulf in the teams' respective odds, Purdum wrote the Orioles had 97 percent of the money at Caesars Sportsbook.

Heading into the ninth, the Orioles trailed 7-5 after an error by right fielder Anthony Santander allowed Michael Brantley to drive in two runs and round the bases.

Chris Davis added a run on a sacrifice fly to halve the deficit before Rio Ruiz hit a game-winning two-run homer to right field.

At 39-78, the Orioles own MLB's second-worst record and have little else to play for over the remainder of the year.

But that won't stop them from occasionally making life a nightmare for oddsmakers.

After being involved in a heated exchange with first baseman Chris Davis during a 14-2 loss to the New York Yankees on Wednesday, Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde downplayed the dugout altercation while saying "frustration boils over" at times.

The first-year skipper told reporters after the game:

"It was just a disagreement we had in the dugout. What was said and what we talked about, I'm not going to get into. We're going to keep it in house. It's private. But, yeah, it's just, you know, something that happens sometimes, and frustration boils over a little bit when not playing our best baseball the last couple games. And unfortunately, I'm embarrassed that it was caught on camera and people had to see it, but sometimes those things happen."

The incident in question came during the bottom of the fifth inning, when Davis had to be restrained by outfielder Mark Trumbo and hitting coach Don Long:

Davis, who was 0-for-1 with a strikeout, was removed from the game for pinch hitter Jace Peterson. When asked about pulling Davis, Hyde made it clear that it was his decision.

"We had words, and I took him out of the game," Hyde said.

He noted that he and Davis have a "good relationship" and that disputes like that happen in "competitive environments." He expects both he and the veteran player will be able to put the matter behind them.

It marked just the latest lowlight in what has been a rough season in Baltimore. Wednesday's loss marked the end of a three-game sweep that saw the Yankees outscore the Orioles by a combined score of 32-12. The loss drops them to 38-76 on the season, putting them 37 games back in the American League East—and there are still 48 games to play.

Meanwhile, Davis has struggled mightily once again, as his average is below the Mendoza Line for the second consecutive season. He is hitting .182/.269/.320 with nine home runs and 31 RBI in 84 games.

From Sept. 14 of last year to April 13, the 2013 Silver Slugger's had to endure a record 62 consecutive plate appearances without a base hit.

At this point, the only thing keeping Davis in the lineup, and possibly on the roster, is his enormous contract. Not only is he making $17 million this season, but the 33-year-old still has three years and $51 million remaining on the seven-year, $161 million deal he signed back in January 2016.

It's been a long season for the Baltimore Orioles, but Jonathan Villar provided a bright spot Monday.

The shortstop hit for the cycle against the New York Yankees in a 9-6 loss:

He was just the third home player to accomplish the feat since Oriole Park at Camden Yards opened in 1992.

Villar got the difficult part of the cycle out of the way early with a triple in the third inning; it was just the 13th of his seven-year career. He hustled on his second hit to stretch a single into a double.

After he homered in the sixth, he needed only a single in his final at-bat and came through in the ninth against Aroldis Chapman. Villar finished 4-for-5 with two RBI and two runs.

Though the Orioles fell to 38-74, Villar is having a strong season with 15 home runs and a .768 OPS, both of which are the second-highest marks of his major league career.

Baltimore Orioles utility man Steve Wilkerson became the first position player in MLB history to record a save, which came Thursday night against the Los Angeles Angels in a 16-inning thriller.

Wilkerson threw 14 pitches in a perfect inning, retiring Brian Goodwin, Kole Calhoun and Albert Pujols in the 10-8 victory.

Below is a closer look at the right-hander's performance:

As manager Brandon Hyde said after the game, "It's below hitting speed [55 mph or so], so that's hard."

Thursday night was not the first time this season Wilkerson has pitched. In fact, it was the third time in the last two weeks he has taken the mound.

He previously threw a perfect inning against the Tampa Bay Rays on July 12 and allowed one run on two hits in two innings against the Boston Red Sox on July 20. While those appearances came during blowout losses for the 33-69 O's, he realized as the night went on he may be called upon.

"I knew we were running thin on guys," Wilkerson said after the six-hour, 19-minute battle. "I knew it was a possibility when the game was getting late."

It's not often that a player who goes 1-for-7 at the plate is the story of the game, but unusual circumstances allowed Wilkerson to be one of the heroes Thursday.

"I don't think I've wrapped my head around it yet," he told reporters.

Saves did not become an official statistic until 1969.

The Baltimore Orioles have reportedly signed No. 1 overall draft pick Adley Rutschman to a signing bonus worth $8.1 million, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

The bonus is the largest of its kind, breaking the previous record of $8 million set by Gerrit Cole in 2011.

The first overall pick came with a slot value of $8.42 million, per MLB.com, leaving the Orioles the opportunity to spend the rest of the money on their other picks.

The team's second-round pick, Gunnar Henderson, signed an overslot deal worth $2.3 million, while third-round selection Zach Watson remains unsigned.

While this represents an important haul for a team desperate for talent, getting Rutschman signed was a must considering his overall talent.

Jim Callis of MLB.com argued he was easily the top catching prospect in the past decade, while some scouts rated him even more favorably to Buster Posey and Joe Mauer:

"Adley Rutschman has everything scouts want in a catcher. He's a switch-hitter who's a monster at the plate, capable of hitting for plenty of average and power while drawing a ton of walks. Behind it, he has a strong arm, impressive receiving and blocking skills—plus leadership ability off the charts."

He is coming off a dominant season for Oregon State, hitting .411 with a .575 on-base percentage and adding 17 home runs in 57 games. He earned 76 walks while only striking out 38 times as one of the most feared players in college baseball.

With an advanced skill set, Rutschman has a chance to rise quickly through the minor leagues and make a positive impact for the Orioles before too long.