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The story of the Orioles series win over the Yankees will likely be the long ball. Chris Dickerson went yard twice against his former team in game two, then Nate McLouth hit the walkoff in the tenth and ended the dreadful six-game skid. The power bats got started early against Hiroki Kuroda in game three as Nick Markakis and Matt Wieters hit balls out in the bottom of the first. Those plays stick out to me and are the ones we’ll see on ESPN (when they talk about baseball), but it’s the Orioles strong defense that I’ve been most impressed with this week. We posted a couple GIFs of Alexi Casilla turning a double play and Markakis making a diving catch in right field in game two. On Wednesday night, the defense shined again as Nate McLouth made a sliding catch in left and Markakis leaped to snag a ball at the wall. Defensive statistics and metrics are often overlooked, but a large part of the reason the Orioles have been competitive in 2013 has been their play in the field. At .992, the Orioles are tied for the MLB lead in fielding percentage with the Diamondbacks. Their .717 defensive efficiency (percentage of balls in play converted to outs) stands alone atop baseball. The O’s have turned 48 double plays this season (one less than the Twins for the AL lead) and have committed the fewest errors in the game (14). By comparison, the Birds had a .699 defensive efficiency and .982 fielding percentage in 2012. They committed 106 errors, six more than the league average. Last season’s additions of McLouth and Manny Machado greatly improved the Orioles defense down the stretch. Among third basemen, Machado’s 8.5 UZR is the highest in baseball, his .977 fielding percentage is second in the American League behind Kyle Seager. McLouth leads AL left fielders with a 2.28 range factor and has a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. Right now the O’s defense is helping to carry their below average starting rotation (4.73 ERA, 25th in baseball). The post Defense Has Been Key For Orioles In 2013 appeared first on Baltimore Sports Report.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports The San Francisco 49ers lost a key offensive weapon this week, as wide receiver Michael Crabtree suffered a torn right Achilles’ tendon on Tuesday during an OTA practice. He reportedly underwent surgery on Wednesday and will be sidelined for at least six months. Crabtree emerged as a primary target for 49ers’ quarterback Colin Kaepernick late last season and during San Francisco’s run to the Super Bowl, so he will be missed as the team looks to put themselves in position for another deep postseason run. The 49ers looked toward the opposite sideline during February’s Super Bowl to bolster their wide receiver group this offseason, trading a sixth-round pick to the Baltimore Ravens for Anquan Boldin. He did not have a terrific regular season with the Ravens in 2012 (65 receptions for 921 yards and four touchdowns), but a strong postseason (22 catches for 380 yards and four touchdowns) may have put rumors of his demise to rest. Boldin now becomes by far the most proven wide receiver on the 49ers’ roster with Crabtree out, but should fantasy football owners view him as a top option for 2013? Boldin will turn 33 during the coming season, and he has not topped 1,000 yards or had more than 65 catches in a season since 2009 with the Arizona Cardinals. Durability is also a primary concern for fantasy owners, as he has played all 16 regular season games just once in the last six seasons, and that will definitely not go away even after the production he had late last season. San Francisco attempted the second-fewest passes in the NFL in 2012 (436-27.3 per game), and that is unlikely to change much in 2013 with running back Frank Gore still around and the running ability Kaepernick brings to the table. Young wide receivers A.J. Jenkins and Quinton Patton should have a chance to earn more playing time with Crabtree out, but Boldin and tight end Vernon Davis are the two players who stand to benefit most in terms of increased targets. Crabtree’s injury has little impact on my overall opinion of Boldin for 2013, as I already considered him a solid WR2 or WR3 in standard leagues. It’s easy to bump Boldin up preseason rankings based on the likelihood for increased production, and there is certainly good reason to do so, but he has just 18 touchdowns over the last four seasons and I think his fantasy value will only change significantly in PPR leagues. Brad Berreman is a contributing writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter @bradberreman24.

Let’s take a look at the O’s minor league players throughout the organization. Updates on all players through games on May 22nd. AAA Norfolk: 31-15, 1st place in the International League South division OF Jason Pridie – .325/.362/.609, 13 doubles, 3 triples, 8 HR, 27 RBI, 3 SB, 151 AB 1B Travis Ishikawa – .318/.393/.547, 13 doubles, 7 HR, 28 RBI, SB, 148 AB -  Sported a .599 OPS in April, he’s been scorching hot in May with a .425/.482/.808 line and all seven of his home runs. 3B Danny Valencia – .306/.339/.600, 14 doubles, 11 HR, 35 RBI, 160 AB – Currently sitting on the Orioles bench after being promoted. 3B Russ Canzler – .282/.389/.466, 7 doubles, triple, 7 HR, 28 RBI, 163 AB 3B Brandon Wood – .341/.341/.512, 4 doubles, HR, 8 RBI, 41 AB – Former Angels top prospect, acquired from Kansas City as depth. OF LJ Hoes – .315/.409/.425, 11 doubles, triple, HR, 20 RBI, 3 SB, 146 AB – Prototypical Hoes. If he can do it in the majors he has a future there. 2B Yamaico Navarro – .303/.395/.434, 8 doubles, triple, 2 HRs, 13 RBI, 3 SB, 122 AB – Currently splitting time at second base with Alexi Casilla in Baltimore. 2B Jonathon Schoop – .268/.331/.386, 6 doubles, 3 HR, 18 RBI, SB, 127 AB – Schoop was coming along nicely before being sidelined with a back injury. Looking like he could miss up to eight weeks unfortunately. RHP Jair Jurrjens – 4-1, 3.14 ERA, 51.2 IP, 36 K, 15 BB – Made a spot start for the O’s before being sent back down. I have a feeling it won’t be his only time up. RHP Josh Stinson – 2-1, 3.68 ERA, 36.2 IP, 22 K, 12 BB LHP Zach Britton – 2-1, 4.08 ERA, 35.1 IP, 20 K, 17 BB – Will we ever get one of our former most promising young starting pitchers back? RHP Jairo Asencio – 1-0, 2.00 ERA, 18 IP, 10 SV, 18 K, BB LHP Tsuyoshi Wada – 0-1, 5.63 ERA, 8 IP, 6 K, 4 BB – Working his way back from an arm injury that derailed his Oriole career. Looking to make his debut soon. baltimoresun.com AA Bowie: 22-21, 2nd place in the Eastern League Western division OF Henry Urrutia – .337/.413/.554, 11 doubles, 3 HR, 18 RBI, 92 AB – Looking great after finally getting to America. I would think at 26, AAA can’t be too far behind. 1B Caleb Joseph – .276/.341/.513, 12 doubles, 8 HR, 33 RBI, 152 AB LF Xavier Avery – .300/.391/.406, 10 doubles, 2 triples, HR, 12 RBI, 12 SB, 160 AB – Recently earned a promotion to AAA Norfolk. 3B Tyler Kelly – .252/.367/.374, 14 doubles, triple, HR, 32 RBI, SB, 155 AB RHP Kevin Gausman – 2-4, 3.11 ERA, 46.1 IP, 49 K, 5 BB – Gausman will make his Oriole debut tomorrow night/tonight to the anticipation of many. He’ll try to help stabilize the rotation until at least Wei-Yin Chen comes back from the DL. The K/BB ratio plus quality stuff gives him a good chance to stick but expectations should be kept reasonable as hes still less than a year from being drafted. RHP Mike Wright – 6-0, 3.69 ERA, 46.1 IP, 43 K, 17 BB – He’s been much better after a slow start. He’ll lead the Bowie rotation with Gausman gone. RHP Eddie Gamboa – 1-3, 4.24 ERA, 46.2 IP, 37 K, 14 BB RHP Devin Jones - 2-2, 4.85 ERA, 39 IP, 30 K, 12 BB RHP Zech Zinicola – 0-1, 3.38 ERA, 16 IP, 16 K, 5 BB A+ Frederick: 22-21, 3rd place in the Carolina League Northern division 1B Nick Delmonico – .333/.459/.652, 7 doubles, 5 HR, 17 RBI, 69 AB – Been great since coming off the DL. Nick Delmonico. Courtesy: bleacherreport.com 1B Christian Walker – .359/.405/.487, 2 doubles, HR, 6 RBI, 39 AB – Promoted after posting an .894 OPS at Delmarva over 116 at bats. He needs to move fast at his age to be considered a prospect. C Zane Chavez – .284/.405/.410, 11 doubles, 2 HR, 22 RBI, 134 AB LF John Ruettiger – .282/.386/.296, double, 8 RBI, 7 SB, 71 AB LHP Eduardo Rodriguez ̵

The Baltimore Ravens held their first full-team OTA of the new season in front of the assembled media, which included Baltimore Beatdown on Wednesday afternoon. The team went through a variety of drills and 11-on-11 drills for most of the two hour practice before ending their day with podium interviews for a few of the key players. From what I observed, WR Torrey Smith looked like a solid veteran, smooth, fast and sure handed. Same thing for TE Dennis Pitta, who caught virtually everything thrown his way over the middle. Center Bino Gradkowski took the majority of first-team snaps at center. As was the case last year, WR Tandon Doss showed solid hands catching everything despite not having the same success last season. There were a lot of dropped passes and a few that were tipped and picked off by the defense. CB Lardarius Webb's mobility was reportedly encouraging after tearing his ACL last season for the second time. Head coach John Harbaugh took to the podium first and said practice was "very, very fast and very efficient." When asked about Jacoby Jones' effort in his 3rd place finish on 'Dancing With The Stars,' Harbaugh said, "He represented all of us very well." One of the more humorous retorts came when Harbaugh was asked by ESPN NFL analyst Sal Paolantonio on the team having to adjust to life without Ray Lewis. He replied, "Ray was never here during the offseason anyway, so I'd say it's business as usual." OLB Elvis Dumervil was next at the microphone and was asked how it felt to be coming to the team that knocked his former team (Denver Broncos) from the playoffs. Doom said, "We often watch film and show the Denver highlights, so it's kind of like, "Uhhh." Finally, QB Joe Flacco stepped up and took questions. Topics ranged from the group of young receivers, Jacoby Jones, what's different about this version compared to last year. On the question of what the locker room is now like, he deadpanned, "The only thing that is different is I probably don't know 80 percent of the guys' names on our team at this point." Check out the full transcript from all the post-practice interviews on BaltimoreRavens.com.

Scott Sewell- USA Today Sports Baltimore Ravens rookie linebacker Arthur Brown had sports hernia surgery earlier in the month when the team had their rookie mini-camp in the first weekend of May. The procedure will hold him from participating in this week’s organized team activities from May 21-23. The linebacker is expected to miss 4-6 weeks, but should be ready for training camp. Despite the injury, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh expressed little to no concerns about the rookie linebacker as he discussed the situation via baltimoreravens.com, saying “he should be fine soon enough.” While a bit unexpected, the latest situation is just another turn in the wild events that have occurred for the Ravens this season so far. Inside linebacker Ray Lewis retired after the Super Bowl, which led to the Ravens using their second-round pick on the Brown, who came out of Kansas State. The Ravens had another retirement, but not one you would expect. 23-year-old Rolando McClain retired due to his off-the-field issues after the Ravens signed him to a low one-year deal with incentives in April. The Ravens still hold his rights if he were to return, as they have him on the reserve/retired list. Dannell Ellerbe, who departed for a $35 million contract by the Miami Dolphins, was believed to be well out the Ravens price range. So with three inside linebackers gone, the Ravens are left with limited experience at the position in Josh Bynes and Albert McClellan holding the fort for now as veteran linebacker Jameel McClain recovers from back surgery.

Ravens second-round LB Brown sidelined by sports hernia surgery - Carroll County Times: Baltimore RavensOWINGS MILLS - The Baltimore Ravens are likely to be without one of their top draft picks until training camp. Lardarius Webb, Jameel McClain showing signs of progress from injuries - baltimoresun.comTwo defensive starters coming off injuries displayed signs of progress during the Ravens ' first organized team activities Wednesday. Jacoby Jones finishes third on 'Dancing With The Stars' - NFL.comThere was no Hollywood ending this time for Jacoby Jones: The Baltimore Ravens wide receiver and partner Karina Smirnoff finished third on Tuesday's "Dancing With The Stars" finale. Jacoby Jones expected at practice Thursday - Carroll County Times: RavensOWINGS MILLS - Baltimore Ravens wide receiver/kick returner Jacoby Jones is expected back in Baltimore Wednesday and could be on the practice field as early as Thursday. Mike Preston's observations from Wednesday's workout - baltimoresun.comPreston never put a lot of stock in OTAs because the season is still a few months away and there could be some significant changes to the roster before the regular season opener. Bernard Pollard To Forgo Baltimore Ravens' White House Visit New Tennessee Titans safety Bernard Pollard spoke out last week, saying he will not accompany the Baltimore Ravens to the White House. Brian Urlacher announces retirement from NFL - SBNation.com One of the best linebackers in a generation has called it a career on Wednesday morning. Troy Polamalu: Pittsburgh Steelers have 'an edge' - NFL.com The Pittsburgh Steelers are expected to come in third place in the AFC North this year. That, and a poor 2012 season, has Troy Polamalu and the rest of the Steelers on edge. Top 20 NFL Games of 2012: #9 Perhaps some of us can relate to Torrey Smith playing against the New England Patriots on the same day that he learned of his brother's death. Late For Work 5/22: 9 Injured Ravens May Not Be Ready For OTAs Look who really won Preakness – Rice. 6 degrees of separation: Harbs & Gillman. Draft in May? Jacoby Jones Finishes Third In 'Dancing With The Stars' Jacoby Jones beat out Olympian Aly Raisman, then posted a perfect score in his final dance.

This week on the BSR Podcast, the guys discuss Kevin Gausman‘s promotion, Jim Johnson‘s recent struggles, the Orioles snapping their six-game losing streak and Jab’s new neighbor. Join Zach, Patrick, Matt and Jab for this week’s edition of the best sports podcast in Baltimore, the BSR Podcast. Subscribe to the BSR Podcast on iTunes or listen on Stitcher Radio. Follow Zach Wilt, Matt Lund, Patrick Guthrie, Jabby Burns and The BSR Podcast on Twitter. You can get in touch with the BSR Podcast by sending your emails to podcast@baltimoresportsreport.com. The post BSR Podcast: It’s Kevin Gausman Time appeared first on Baltimore Sports Report.

Seriously, how can you not love this team? The Orioles are headed to Toronto and are dressed success — or something. Adam Jones tweeted a picture of the O’s in their “Team Canadian Tuxedos” prior to their journey north of the border. There are just so many things to say about this picture, I honestly don’t even know where to begin. Nice overalls Manny. Is that a denim tie, Pedro/where do you get one of those? Could Darren O’Day’s pants be any tighter? I can only assume that Tommy Hunter cut the sleeves off his vest. Josh Stinson’s mustache is coming in nicely. Wow, Alexi Casilla is short. Why did they pose for this picture in concourse? This team is fun. On and, apparently, off the diamond. The post Orioles Head To Toronto In Their Team Canadian Tuxedos appeared first on Baltimore Sports Report.

As OTAs begin to fire up, fans are becoming increasingly excited to see how this offseason's acquisitions will pan out. It looks like Ravens fans will have to wait a bit longer, however, to see how 2nd round pick, Arthur Brown, will turn out. The second-round pick will miss the week of practice after recently having a procedure done to repair a sports hernia, Head Coach John Harbaugh told the media. Brown had the surgery after rookie minicamp, which took place the weekend of May 3-5. “He’s recovering from that,” Harbaugh said. “It’s a four-to-six week deal, and he should be fine soon enough.” (via BaltimoreRavens.com) While this is certainly an unfortunate setback, all we can do is sit back and hope that Brown is ready for the beginning of the season!

Mark J. Rebilas – USA Today Sports Images The Baltimore Ravens made the first move early this off-season in trying to capitalize off of the 2012 NFL season where they eventually won the Super Bowl and took home the Lombardi Trophy when they signed quarterback Joe Flacco to a lucrative contract extension. However, they’re going to have to do much more than that to repeat as champions. They are obviously going to have to re-tool on the defensive side of the ball with the departures of Ray Lewis, Bernard Pollard, Ed Reed and others. Another key departure for them on the other side of the ball is their leading receiver from last year, Anquan Boldin, who left the team after entering free agency. His absence will definitely be felt. Boldin had the most targets and receptions of any wide receiver or tight end last season for Baltimore, getting thrown to 112 times and catching 65 of them for 921 yards and four touchdowns. He was also a bit of a security blanket for Flacco. However, with him gone, it’s likely that Torrey Smith will be taking on an even bigger role. Last season Smith caught just 49 passes, despite being targeted 110 times. He was second on the team in yards at 855 and first in touchdown catches at eight. He was their big play receiver, but defenses were able to prevent him from having a real breakout season as they were able to focus on interrupting his routes. However, Smith could have an even more disappointing 2013 season without Boldin. Other than Dennis Pitta, the Ravens are really hurting at wide receiver and don’t have anyone that’s really proven themselves at that position. Smith has talent, but it’s going to be hard for him to overcome how much defenses are going to be able to focus on him in the upcoming season. Cody Williams is a Senior Writer with Rant Sports. Follow Cody on Twitter @TheSizzle20 and like his Facebook page.