By Ross Gore, on May 14th, 2012 
What’s up with Jake Arrieta? He began the year with improved velocity and through May 2nd he had two outings where he gave up 0 runs and only one disastrous outing (a 4 inning, 5 run outing in LA against the Angels). However, since May 2nd Arrieta appears to have turned into a pumpkin. On May 8th against the Rangers Arrieta gave up 6 runs in 6 and 1/3 innings and yesterday as the O’s appeared poised for a sweep of a hobbled Tampa Bay team, Arrieta was chased in 3 and 2/3 innings after giving up 7 earned runs.
It’s undebatable, right? Arrieta was good, then something happened and now he isn’t good anymore. However, Arrieta’s skills (strikeout rate and walk rate) in his two bad starts appear strong. The factors that are causing Arrieta to look inept (high batting average on balls in play, a high home run to fly ball rate and a low strand rate) are typically considered “random” or “luck-based”. Here we’ll look at Arrieta’s skills (strikeout rate and walk rate) in more detail and explain why Arrieta doesn’t have as much control as you may think he does over the three factors that have doomed his last two starts. Analysis after the jump, all graphs in the posts are courtesy of our friends at Fangraphs.
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By Zach Wilt, on May 14th, 2012  The Sun's Eduardo A. Encina proves that beat writers CAN snap good pictures from their cell phones... and that fans showed up to OPACY on Sunday. Okay, I admit it, I was wrong.
I questioned the loyalty of Orioles fans and they made me look like a fool this weekend.
After 11,938 people showed up on Monday to welcome home the Birds after their 5-1 road trip in New York and Boston I wrote this:
The Ravens will likely get bigger crowds at their practices this summer.
If you want the Orioles to do well, you’ve got to go out and support them when they do. If you want Adam Jones to re-sign in Baltimore, go out to the Yard and cheer him on.
This team just took five of six from the Yankees and Red Sox. What’s it going to take to put some butts in seats?
Apparently all it took was a battle for first place in the AL East between the O’s and Rays. 26,669 fans attended game one on Friday, 32,862 came to the Yard on Saturday and 29,552 showed up for the Mother’s Day matchup. Well done Orioles fans.
The fans were so ruthless that Rays third baseman Evan Longoria told them to simmer down. Mark Viviano tweeted that Saturday’s crowd was “by far the loudest” of the year even beating out Opening Day.
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By Zach Wilt, on May 14th, 2012 
This gimmick where I take a screenshot of the AL East standings and post it every Monday morning hasn’t gotten old yet. I’m not tired of it and I’m sure you aren’t either.
It could be because the Orioles sit atop baseball’s most difficult division with their 22-13 record. Or maybe because they have the second best record in the entire American League.
Any number of reasons, really. They’re playing damn good baseball right now.
While we’re talking about standings can we mention how soft the AL Central is? The Blue Jays sit in fourth place in the East at 19-16, they would lead the Central by a game over the Indians and two over the Tigers.
Time for a balanced schedule.
AMIRITE?
By Dave Gilmore, on May 14th, 2012  A weekly wrap-up of the best stuff you may have missed on our excellent Tumblr:
By Mark Brown, on May 13th, 2012 This morning we posted Evan Longoria’s tweet to Orioles fans “Don’t Get Too Obnoxious.” A member of the BSR family responded to Longoria resulting in Evan backlashing against Baltimore Sports Report. Here is the string of tweets that happened this afternoon.
By Zach Wilt, on May 13th, 2012  If the Orioles keep winning games at the pace they are on now, I’ll wear my O’s hat Strop Style every day for the rest of my life.
In case you were wondering, the Orioles would finish in the ballpark of 108 wins at their current pace. That would be quite the turn around from 2011.
As the O’s continue to dominate the AL East — yes dominate, they just won three straight series against the Yankees and Red Sox on the road and the Rays at home — many are wondering when reality is going to set in and Baltimore will slide back down to the bottom of the standings.
Stud reliever Pedro Strop doesn’t think it’s going to happen.
“A lot of people are surprised, but we’re not,” Strop told Roch Kubatko. ”We are going to keep winning games.”
I really hope he’s right.
I’m ready to order my hat one size to big.
By BSR Staff, on May 13th, 2012  32,862 people came out to Camden Yards to watch the first place Baltimore Orioles secure a series win against their AL East foe, the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday night.
That ain’t too shabby. For once, I actually won’t complain about the attendance.
Mark Viviano said that crowd was “by far the loudest” of the year tweeting that it was “louder than Opening Day.”
Rays third baseman Evan Longoria even commented on the fans in Baltimore, although his reaction might not go over as well. ”I love all these Os fans now diggin themselves too,” Longoria tweeted. ”Just don’t get too obnoxious, it can sometimes be a bit excessive.”
I’m a bit confused by the first part of the tweet.
I also have to imagine that obnoxious Baltimore fans couldn’t hold a candle to the hecklers Longoria is used to in the Bronx or Fenway.
To be fair to Longoria, his team continues to finish on top of the division and has become a proven winner, but the fans in Tampa Bay don’t come out to support the Rays at Tropicana Field. I would imagine that Camden Yards had been a comfy slice of home for the Rays until the Baltimore fans started showing up to support the first place O’s.
By Zach Wilt, on May 12th, 2012 The Orioles Mother’s Day giveaway hat was too pretty for Gary Thorne to pass up. Thorne put on the hat during last night’s broadcast with Jim Palmer and Liam McCusker tweeted us the outstanding picture you see below.
By Avi Miller, on May 12th, 2012  …over Mitch Atkins. And Rick VandenHurk. And Jo-Jo Reyes.
Okay, maybe that last one is a bit of a stretch.
The point is, Dana Eveland got the spot start for the Orioles last night with Jason Hammel being skipped for his start this week due to a sire right knee; and he performed just as a spot starter should. His stat line of three earned runs over six innings is a bit deceiving considering he let up five hits, walked five, hit two batters, and only struck out three. His changeup and curveball were hanging up in the zone all night, and his fastball was quite unimpressive in my opinion, topping out around 89-90 MPH.
But getting back to the subject at hand.
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By Zach Wilt, on May 11th, 2012 
Ravens safety Ed Reed stopped by Camden Yards to watch the Orioles battle the Rays for first place in the American League East tonight. Before the game he shagged some fly balls and took batting practice with the team.
The Sun’s Dan Connolly reports that both of Reed’s Achilles “look OK.”
Too soon?
By Zach Wilt, on May 11th, 2012 
The Orioles have struggled to get fans excited about their hot start to the 2012 season.
You’ve heard me complain enough about it already.
After sweeping the Red Sox in Boston for the first time since 1994, the O’s are hoping to get some fans to travel north to support their team on the road.
This afternoon the Orioles sent an email out to fans encouraging them to make Boston “Camden Yards North” for the Orioles series with the Sox between June 5-7 and offered links to the Red Sox box office to purchase the tickets.
By Zach Wilt, on May 11th, 2012 
Despite spending just six of his fifteen years in the NFL with the Ravens, Derrick Mason still considers Baltimore home.
“I had some great, great memories there and I met a lot of great people,” Mason told The Sun’s Matt Vensel. ”That’s my football family.”
Mason was released by the Ravens in 2011 and bounced around between the Jets and Texans this season before calling it quits. He faced the Ravens in back-to-back weeks last season.
The All-Pro wide receiver told Vensel that he wants to retire as a Raven and has discussed the opportunity with the franchise. Vensel tweeted that an announcement will likely be made when Mason officially retires.
By Zach Wilt, on May 11th, 2012  My how the tables have turned.
The Boston Red Sox entered 2011 as the favorite to win the American League and were destined to face the Phillies in the World Series. That obviously didn’t happen as the Baltimore Orioles bounced them from postseason contention in the biggest collapse in baseball history.
Since then things have spiraled out of control in Boston. A new manager and GM have taken over, a locker room scandal has been the talk of the offseason and the Red Sox find themselves sitting in last place in the AL East, 7.5 games back from the first place Rays and Orioles.
Last night at Fenway Park a new low was reached as a fan was spotted behind home plate wearing a bag on his head. The #paperbagman hashtag exploded on Twitter and became the talk of the night in Boston.
Boston fell to Cleveland 8-3 and Josh Beckett pitched just 2.1 innings surrendering seven hits and seven earned runs.
By Steve Giles, on May 10th, 2012  As I sat there in the press box watching the second game of the doubleheader against the Rangers, I couldn’t help but think of how exciting it would be if Camden Yards was packed on a consistent basis. It has been a very, very long time since this ballpark had the type of crowds we saw when it first opened back in 1992. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Camden Yards, and I can’t think of a better anniversary present to The Yard than to fill the seats with passionate fans who can’t get enough of their beloved Orioles.
I was here last season when the O’s knocked the Red Sox out of playoff contention, and the atmosphere in this place was out of this world. Just think of how nuts this place would be if the O’s were fighting for a playoff spot in late September. And with the way they are playing so far this season, who knows where they’ll be come September. I will tell you one thing, though. It makes a huge difference to these players when the stadium is packed full of passionate, screaming hometown fans instead of those of visiting teams (Yankees and Red Sox, especially). There are plenty of reasons to come out to The Yard and watch your O’s play, but here are five good ones.
There is never a dull moment
No matter if it’s a three-run walk-off homer to erase a two-run deficit in the bottom of the ninth or a bases loaded save with a one-run lead, the O’s never fail to raise our blood pressure at critical points in the game. READ MORE >>>
By Zach Wilt, on May 10th, 2012  Pierce arrives to The Castle UPDATE: Jeff Zrebiec at The Sun reports that the Ravens have agreed to terms with six round pick Tommy Streeter, which means that Baltimore has have finished negotiations with their entire 2012 draft class.
It’s been a busy week at The Castle, as Ozzie Newsome and the Ravens continue to sign their draft picks.
This afternoon, the Ravens locked up second round pick Courtney Upshaw with a four year deal reportedly worth $5.296 million, $3.59 guaranteed. Upshaw joins fellow second rounder Kelechi Osemele, third rounder Bernard Pierce and fourth rounders Gino Gradkoski and Christian Thompson to receive four year deals.
Pierce arrived to the Ravens facility this afternoon to get the tour.
As CBSSports.com’s Jason Butt points out, Pierce will likely be used this season as a replacement for Ricky Williams. ”I can get short yardage,” Pierce said. ”I can definitely get in and pass protect. If they need me on special teams I can do that, too.”
I still see Pierce as the guy that was brought in to replace Ray Rice in a season or two and think that this season will be a big test for him as the franchise will analyze if he can fill that role.
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