koji uehara

Peter Schmuck's weighs in on Rich Hill, Ezekiel Elliott, Koji Uehara, Jim Kelly, Gleyber Torres and more.

Previewing the Orioles' AL East foes

As free agency kicks off, how will the Orioles' AL East rivals operate this offseason?

The Orioles struck out 15 times in Monday's victory over the Boston Red Sox, but there are good reasons for that and no reason to be alarmed.

Looking at the key additions, key losses and outlooks for the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays.

As 2015 comes to an end, we take a look at the 10 most memorable moments of last year¿s Orioles season.

Who has the best bullpen in the AL East? And who has the best late-inning combo in the division?

With all due respect to Dan Duquette and his willingness to look for talent in every corner of the baseball universe, it's time to get real. The deadline for free agents to accept qualifying offers from their original clubs arrived Friday and Orioles fans can only hope it removes the last obstacle standing in the way of the team embarking aggressively on its offseason rebuilding project.

Standing at his locker Friday afternoon after learning he had won the Most Valuable Oriole Award for the second time in three seasons, Orioles slugger Chris Davis admitted that he wanted the honor badly, given the uncertainty of his future with the organization. Davis has said repeatedly that he wants to return to the Orioles for the right deal. But according to one industry source, there's been no tangible negotiations between the club, Davis and his agent, Scott Boras, in that time.

When the dust settled following Friday afternoon's nonwaiver trade deadline, the Orioles had filled their most glaring need by dealing for an established, hot-hitting outfielder while dealing away one of the core members of their bullpen in a separate move. On Friday morning, the Orioles acquired 28-year-old outfielder Gerardo Parra from the Milwaukee Brewers for minor league pitcher Zach Davies. Then, at the 4 p.m. deadline, the Orioles sent right-handed reliever Tommy Hunter to the Chicago

The Orioles have traded right-hander Tommy Hunter to the Chicago Cubs for outfielder Junior Lake.

In what proved to be one of the strangest nights in Camden Yards¿ 23-year history ¿ a business-as-usual ballgame inside the stadium and a tumultuous environment outside it ¿ the Orioles ultimately broke their five-game losing streak by beating the Boston Red Sox, 5-4, on a walk-off homer by David Lough in the bottom of the 10th inning.

The last-place Orioles (7-10) didn't lose five in a row last season; it's their longest skid since dropping six straight in late September 2013.

The Orioles could repeat as division champions partially because the other teams are also flawed.

The Orioles have seven players who chose free agency and soon can be signed by any club.

Koji Uehara re-signed with Boston. It could have an affect on Andrew Miller's marketplace

The Blast signed defender Kaoru Forbess and goalkeeper Phil Saunders with the MASL season closing in

Buck Showalter has been frustrated by the ambiguity of baseball's new replay review system, so when a call was overturned against the Orioles in the seventh inning of the club's 8-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday afternoon, the manager wanted some answers.

There's roughly 80 minutes left before the nonwaiver trade deadline expires, and the Orioles have not yet made a move.

When Ubaldo Jimenez walked off the mound in the fourth inning in the nightcap of the Orioles' split doubleheader Saturday night, a split of their twin bill against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park seemed unlikely.

Adam Jones makes a strong case to join Nelson Cruz as an All Star. Others seem unlikely

Despite two rain delays and an uneven but effective performance by starter Chris Tillman, the Orioles had a chance against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night. But they turned in their weakest offensive performance of the season in a 1-0 loss.

Friday¿s series opener in Detroit will be the first of five straight day games for the Orioles.

Club has emphasized signing foreign players under Dan Duquette, and manager Buck Showalter has built team chemistry despite language barrier

While there have been some international hiccups during executive vice president Dan Duquette's time in Baltimore, there's no question that the overall impact of the Orioles' recent effort to expand their global reach has been positive.

After an injury-filled season, Steve Johnson is hoping for another shot at the rotation this spring.

The Orioles don't have an established closer, but the Rays have shown in the past that you don't necessarily need one.

The possibility of the Orioles opening spring training with Tommy Hunter as the team's closer is becoming more real by the day. Once the team dealt 50-save closer Jim Johnson to Oakland, the club saw Hunter as a fallback option. But now he's turning into much more of a possibility.

A pitcher who could have possibly replaced Jim Johnson as the Orioles' closer came off the board on Thursday when the Boston Red Sox signed former St. Louis Cardinals reliever Edward Mujica to a two-year, $9.5-million deal.

The Orioles-A's trade had little to do with the relative strengths of Jim Johnson and Jemile Weeks. Instead, it was a commentary on our evolving understanding of the value of closers.

If you went to bed early last night, you woke up this morning to the news that the Orioles suddenly have an opening at closer.

For Orioles fans, the only thing more painful than watching an October without their favorite team this season was probably seeing the Red Sox win the World Series.

On a night when slugger Chris Davis made Orioles history with his 51st home run of the season ¿ setting a single-season franchise record ¿ the team's hero was its unheralded hottest hitter.

Leading by two runs in the seventh, the Orioles bullpen allowed the Red Sox to tie it and then Tommy Hunter gave up a go-ahead bloop single to Mike Carp in the bottom of the eight as Boston rallied for a 4-3 win.

Orioles lefty Wei-Yin Chen's ERA skyrockets when he gets to the seventh and eighth innings.

Two years ago Tuesday, Tommy Hunter and Chris Davis received a set of phone calls in a Toronto hotel room: They were traded from the pennant-chasing Texas Rangers to the last-place Orioles in a move that would help alter the course of a franchise and their careers.

The Orioles made what could be considered a classic trade deadline move Tuesday, dealing promising prospect Nick Delmonico to the Milwaukee Brewers for right-handed reliever Francisco Rodriguez, a piece that could be critical to a postseason run.

All three of the Orioles' All-Star starters were acquired in trades, by former president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail.

The Orioles deserve props for their campaign to get players into the All Star Game.

The prodigious power has always been there for Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis. Now with a more patient approach at the plate, he is making the baseball world aware of it on a nightly basis.

Chris Davis' astonishing start to this season hasn't occurred by accident. Through 12 games, he's putting up numbers that are only fit for video games. But it's the result of the 27-year-old Orioles first baseman realizing that he can truly get more with less.