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Left-hander Wei-Yin Chen (pictured) was on his way to his second strong performance in a row when he grabbed at his side and exited Sunday's game with a right oblique strain. That's very bad news for a team that already has called on four Triple-A starters to fill in the fifth slot in the rotation and replace injured Miguel Gonzalez. It was a tough week already, after so-so outings by Jason Hammel, Freddy Garcia and Steve Johnson, and that was reflected in the combined numbers. The rotation posted a 2-2 record with a 6.03 ERA and averaged just five innings per start. Even though the team managed to go 4-2 in those games, this is starting to get scary.
Grade: D (Hannah Foslien / Getty Images /May 12, 2013)
The Orioles' first-half success has paid dividends at the Camden Yards box office.
Doug Duennes, executive vice president of business operations, told the Baltimore Business Journal that the team experienced a 21 percent increase in ticket sales so far this season. Duennes also mentioned "some uptick" in suite rentals and group sales.
A winning product on the field combined with new additions to Camden Yards certainly have contributed to the increased profit.
“There’s a lot of things that go into it,” Duennes told the Business Journal. “Certainly, the team’s play has played an enormous role in all of this.”
Recently, the team put up statues of legends behind left field. Another interesting new feature that could be a contributor is the party deck in center field. Duennes told the Business Journal that the ballclub is looking for a title sponsor for the party deck, which would further drive revenue.
The report mentioned that the Orioles want to bring in more outside events to Camden Yards. The ballpark last hosted anMLB All-Star Gamein 1993.
