Orioles GM says he doesn't see panic -- but team has plenty of concerns amid slow start

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Orioles GM says he doesn't see panic -- but team has plenty of concerns amid slow start

2025-04-16 10:41 Last Updated At：10:50

BALTIMORE (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles and general manager Mike Elias could have used a fast start this year.

Instead, most of their biggest offseason questions are still pertinant.

The Orioles are 6-10 after Tuesday night's 6-3 loss to Cleveland. That's after some second-half struggles in 2024 and a first-round loss to Kansas City in the playoffs. Baltimore still has plenty of talent, but also some real issues — perhaps more than seemed likely after the Orioles won 101 games in 2023 and had a farm system still churning out standout prospects.

“I certainly haven’t seen any signs of panic, and we’re continuing to retain the same approach on a night-to-night basis. I try not to get too high when things are going great, and try not to get down when we’re losing," Elias said Tuesday. “That’s how you have to approach baseball.”

The Orioles lost Corbin Burnes in free agency, and the three main starters they added were all older players on one-year contracts. So there was some skepticism about whether the rotation would hold up.

And that was before the injury bug went to work. Grayson Rodriguez hasn't pitched at all this season, Zach Eflin went on the injured list last week, and Albert Suárez will miss significant time. Plus, neither Kyle Bradish nor Tyler Wells has returned from elbow surgery.

So the new arrivals — Tomoyuki Sugano and Charlie Morton — have needed to perform, and it hasn't gone great. They were a combined 1-5 with a 6.68 ERA following Morton's start against Cleveland on Tuesday.

“I feel like we’ve already tapped into, basically, the depth,” Elias said. “To say that on April 15 was not the plan. Obviously, we knew Bradish was going to be out. But to have Grayson and Eflin on the shelf simultaneously this quickly into the season, at no point were we forecasting that, or expecting that. And that’s just the truth.”

Kyle Gibson, the third significant starter added, signed in late March and is in the minors. He's expected back with the Orioles by May. As for Baltimore's brigade of injured pitchers, Elias said Eflin will start playing catch in a few days, Rodriguez has thrown a couple bullpens, and Bradish threw a bullpen recently. Wells is expected to start his mound progression in the next two weeks.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Colin Blackwell gets his chance and rises to occasion for Stars with OT winner in NHL playoffs

2025-04-22 15:03 Last Updated At：15:31

DALLAS (AP) — Colin Blackwell was hoping for another crack at the playoffs when he signed with the Dallas Stars in free agency last summer. This is his sixth team in seven NHL seasons, and he had only been in the postseason one other time.

After being a healthy scratch for the Stars' playoff opener, he got his shot and changed the trajectory of their first-round series against Colorado with his overtime goal for a 4-3 win in Game 2 on Monday night.

“I always felt my game’s kinda built for the playoffs and stuff along those lines. I love rising to the occasion and playing in moments like this” Blackwell said. “That was a big win for us. I think if we go into Colorado down 2-0, it’s a different series. I think that’s why you’re only as good as your next win or your next shift.”

Blackwell's only previous playoff experience was a seven-game series with Toronto in a first-round loss to Tampa Bay three years ago.

Stars coach Pete DeBoer talked to Blackwell when he didn't play in Game 1 on Saturday.

“(I) said be ready, you’re not going to be out long,” DeBoer said. "I wanted to get him in Game 2. He's one of those energy guys. I thought after losing Game 1 we needed a little shot of energy. He’s a competitive player and I thought he was effective all night. But it’s also great to see a guy like that get a goal, out Game 1, work with the black aces, and then come in and play a part in playoff hockey.”

Blackwell scored 17:46 into overtime after his initial shot ricocheted off teammate Sam Steel and Avs defenseman Samuel Girard in front of the net. But with the puck rolling loose on the ice, the fourth-line forward circled around and knocked it in for the winner.

The 32-year-old Blackwell, a Harvard graduate who played for Chicago the past two seasons, said he has often had to go in and out of lineups and has learned over the years to stay sharp mentally and keep working hard on and off the ice. In his first season for Dallas, he had 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) over 63 regular-season games.

“It’s been a long season, and not playing the first game, stuff like that, just kind of been in and out of the lineup toward the end here,” he said. “I don’t really worry about making a mistake. I just go out there and play hockey and good things happen.”

And they certainly did for the Stars, who were in danger of dropping their first two games at home in the first round for the second year in a row before his winning shot. Game 3 is Wednesday night in Denver.

“Colin’s one of those guys, especially me being out, I get to see how hard he works every day,” said Tyler Seguin, who missed 4 1/2 months after hip surgery before returning last week. “I get to see how he is in the gym. I get to see how good of a basketball player he is. There’s many things that I get to see with some of these guys that are in and out of the lineup. You’re just proud of a guy like him and what he did.”

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl