Sunday Bird Droppings

Hardy's error helps Yankees rally past Orioles 4-3 - WSJ.com
"Shortstop J.J. Hardy's bases-loaded error let New York complete a seventh-inning comeback and the Yankees stung the Baltimore Orioles 4-3 Saturday to restore their AL East lead to three games." That ball done ate him up.

Yankees subs Steve Pearce, Jayson Nix and Eduardo Nunez take center stage with Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and Curtis Granderson hurt - NY Daily News
"This was only the biggest game of the year so far for the Yankees and here they were trying to stem the tide with .203-hitting Andruw Jones batting cleanup, newcomer and journeyman Steve Pearce replacing Granderson in the five hole, .196-hitting Russell Martin at No. 6, backup utilityman Jayson Nix at No. 7 and out-of-exile Eduardo Nunez batting ninth." Steve Pearce, huh? Didn't we cut him? An O's cast-off is batting for the MFY? Times have changed...

Jason Hammel goes five scoreless in rehab start | HardballTalk
"According to beat writer Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun, right-handed starter Jason Hammel threw five scoreless innings Saturday in his rehab debut with High-A Fredrick. He struck out seven batters, issued just one walk, and reported no abnormal pain or discomfort during or after the outing." I'd link to The Sun's article, but paywalls and all, you know...

Orioles activate INF Wilson Betemit from disabled list, recall 3 from Triple-A - The Washington Post
"Baltimore promoted outfielder Xavier Avery, catcher Luis Exposito and infielder Steve Tolleson from the minors. Big league rosters are allowed to expand to 40 players on Sept. 1." Who cares about Wilson, half of Team Steve is back!

Duquette and Orioles Back in the Game - NYTimes.com
"Ask Dan Duquette about the Orioles’ success in juggling an ever-shifting roster, and he credits Manager Buck Showalter. Ask about the signing of Wei-Yin Chen, a left-hander from Taiwan and the only Orioles pitcher to make all his starts, and he credits the scouts who have watched him for years. Ask about the reinvention of Chris Tillman, a promising right-hander who had struggled since 2009, and he mentions the work of Rick Peterson, the new director of pitching development, who helped simplify Tillman’s delivery." Just don't ask him about cut fastballs...

Orioles Q&A: Omar Quintanilla - Carroll County Times: Orioles
"Orioles second baseman Omar Quintanilla recently spoke with Times staff writer Jake Rill about joining the team mid-season, playing for a playoff competitor in Baltimore, manager Buck Showalter, and his favorite players." Somehow, "The Wire" never comes up.