Orioles close to naming Buck Showalter as manager? - MLB

Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reports that the Orioles are negotiating with Buck Showalter for their vacancy at manager and appear to be close to a deal.

The O’s cut ties with Dave Trembley in early June after he led the club to a 15-39 start. Juan Samuel was named as interim manager and has done a fine job, going 13-20 with little firepower in baseball’s toughest division.

Former Indians manager Eric Wedge was also interviewed for the opening and apparently impressed some of the Orioles’ higher-ups, but Showalter, a current analyst on ESPN’s Baseball Tonight, must have impressed them more. Showalter has managed the Yankees, Diamondbacks and Rangers for parts of 11 seasons and has a 1716-882 lifetime record.

Rosenthal says Showalter could take over for Samuel by Thursday, when the All-Star break concludes.

ATLANTA (AP) Right-hander Darren O'Day, who posted a 4.15 ERA in 28 games with the Atlanta Braves in 2022, announced Monday he is retiring after 15 seasons for six teams in the major leagues.

O’Day said on his Twitter account “it’s finally time to hang ’em up.”

“The mental, physical and time demands have finally outweighed my love for the game,” O’Day said.

O’Day, 40, featured an unconventional sidearm delivery. He was 42-21 with a 2.59 ERA in 644 games, all in relief. He made his major league debut in 2008 with the Angels and pitched seven seasons, from 2012-18, for the Baltimore Orioles.

He posted a 4.43 ERA in 30 postseason games, including the 2010 World Series with the Texas Rangers.

O’Day also pitched for the New York Mets and New York Yankees. He pitched for the Braves in 2019-20 before returning for his second stint with the team last season. He became a free agent following the season.

He set a career high with six saves for Baltimore in 2015, when he was 6-2 with a 1.52 ERA and was an AL All-Star.