About Ryan Blake

Ryan joined the Eutaw Street Report crew for the site's launch in 2013 having spent the 2012 season as a member of the Orioles' tarp crew. Before then, he had never really considered writing, but has grown to enjoy sharing his opinions and is now ESR's "Hot Take" artist. In addition to his Orioles commentary for ESR, he contributes to baseballfam.com. He is also the man behind the @OriolesFanProbz account on Twitter, where he provides both insight and jokes while interacting with fans. Ryan started working in 2016 as a bat boy with the Bowie Baysox. You can follow his personal twitter: @ryguyblake

Steve Pearce Will Write Next Chapter of His Feel-Good Story in Tampa

Posted on January 21, 2016 by Ryan Blake

The story of his journey to the Major Leagues is not an uncommon one. High school record-breaker, college standout and All-American, thrice an MLB Draft selection, journeyman for a few years, and then, all of a sudden, valuable asset to an MLB division champion. On Thursday, Steve Pearce, who has spent the majority of the past four seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, signed a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Rays. A native of Lakeland, Florida – just over an hour west of Tampa’s Tropicana Field – Pearce will return […]

15 Reasons Why I’m Excited to Have Chris Davis Back

Posted on January 18, 2016 by Ryan Blake

orioles player about to hit baseball from home plate with blurred crowd in background

I woke up on Saturday morning around 10:45, checked my phone, and realized I was a couple hours late to a party in Baltimore. No, it was not a celebration of Ravens QB Joe Flacco’s 31st birthday, although I’m sure that party would be quite elite. Rather, the re-signing of slugging first baseman Chris Davis was the reason for elation in Baltimore. While many of us (myself, admittedly, included…) are a bit distressed over the large sum of money ($161 million) we will be paying Davis over the next seven […]

O’s Should Listen to Offers for Zach Britton, J.J. Hardy

Posted on November 24, 2015 by Ryan Blake

The MLB offseason has hit the ground running over the past few weeks and we have seen a several trades already take place, most notably those involving SS Andrelton Simmons and RHP Craig Kimbrel. The Los Angeles Angels acquired Simmons, the reigning Wilson Defensive Player of the Year winner, from the Atlanta Braves in a deal that sent the Angels’ shortstop, Erick Aybar, to Atlanta. Just about 24 hours later, the San Diego Padres and Boston Red Sox struck a deal that sent Kimbrel, a four-time All Star closer and […]

On his “Trade-iversary,” Robert Andino’s Top Moments

Posted on November 20, 2015 by Ryan Blake

The city of York, Pennsylvania is home to two things which were enticing enough that I decided to take a road trip up I-83 this past August. The first is the Orioles’ official team store, located in the York Galleria Mall. The second is an Atlantic League baseball team called the York Revolution. Former Orioles starting pitcher Brad Bergesen now plays for the Revolution, but my adventure to Santander Stadium was not to watch another failed member of The Cavalry. Instead, I wanted to see a member of the visiting […]

5 Things I Learned About the Orioles in 2015

Posted on October 5, 2015 by Ryan Blake

two orioles ball players looking to side while running with gloves

I learned a lot in 2015. I learned a lot about our players, our coaching staff, our front office, our fans, and much more. To save a little time and energy, I decided to focus on five specific points that have been running through my mind as the season came to a close. Some are opinion-based, some are fact-based, and all are reflections on a very mediocre 2015 campaign. In no particular order… Machado and Schoop need to be locked down long-term We as Orioles fans have had the […]

With the Right Pieces to Sell, “Selling” Can be Fun Too

Posted on June 5, 2015 by Ryan Blake

still of orioles player after hitting baseball

“Looking at the future through orange shades” Buck Showalter has spoiled Orioles fans. Since taking the helm of an abysmal 32-73 team in August 2010, Showalter has won 401 games as manager of the Orioles. In that 2010 season, he doubled the team’s win total in the final two months, going 34-23 over that span. 2011 was a rebuilding year that ended with a magical “Game 162” in which the Orioles came from behind in the ninth inning to knock the Red Sox out of playoff contention. Over the next […]

Drought Bracketology: Time to Crown a Champion!

Posted on May 19, 2015 by Ryan Blake

orioles player with pie on face and stadium in background

First and foremost, I would like to thank everyone who participated in this tournament. Whether you voted for every matchup in each round, voted in just a couple, or simply followed along, you helped turn this post-midnight idea into a success amongst Orioles fans. You may have heard about this tournament on 105.7 the Fan’s Vinny and Rob Show at some point this past month. Rob (@RobLongSports) was nice enough to invite me on the show after seeing the link to this tournament on Twitter, and I am equally grateful […]

Baltimore Drought Bracketology: THE FINAL ROUND!

Posted on April 23, 2015 by Ryan Blake

back to shot of orioles team members roberts and mora

A month ago, we introduced to you all a new, fun twist on March Madness. In conjunction with my friend Danny at Orioles Uncensored, we created a tournament of 64 players from the Orioles dark years from 1998-2011. We seeded them 1-16 in four, manager-themed regions based on performance, popularity, longevity, etc. Over the course of the tournament, we have totaled over 12,000 votes and narrowed the field week-by-week to bring us to this point. The championship matchup is all set and it certainly is a good one. In a […]

Baltimore Drought Bracketology – FINAL FOUR!

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Ryan Blake

koji uehara with fist in air holding glove and excited look

The time has come. It’s the most exciting event in all of sports. After starting with a field of 64, we have narrowed it down to our Final Four. OK, so maybe this isn’t quite as exciting as the NCAA Final Four, but fortunately, you will not find any Blue Devils here. Instead, four players from the Orioles dark years will duke it out (no pun intended) in the hopes of being crowned Baltimore’s favorite Oriole from 1998-2011, when the team failed to finish above .500 even once. Our regional […]

Norris’ Spring Struggles Carry Over

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Ryan Blake

Are you worried about Bud Norris? That’s OK. So am I. Bud finished the 2015 spring with a 9.26 ERA over 11.2 innings. Simply put, he got rocked. I saw it firsthand when I was in Sarasota for the Orioles vs Red Sox game on March 7 and found myself shaking my head as four Sox crossed home plate in Bud’s inning of work. He surrendered an RBI triple to former Oriole Jemile Weeks and later in the inning a three-run shot to Blake Swihart. In his season debut at […]

A New & Improved Ubaldo? So Far, So Good

Posted on April 12, 2015 by Ryan Blake

Last night, Ubaldo Jimenez made his first start of the 2015 season after a somewhat encouraging spring in which he posted a 4.44 ERA in seven starts while working on his mechanics and a tweaked delivery. The outing was quite impressive, to say the least. He pitched seven strong innings, allowing only one single to Jose Reyes. The hit was a sinking liner to left field that Alejandro De Aza seemed to misplay. Had De Aza gotten a better jump on the ball, I think he could have made a […]

Baltimore Drought Bracketology: Cinderella Ryan Makes Elite 8

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Ryan Blake

pitcher with arm up about to throw baseball

Once again, thank you all for continuing to follow along with our Baltimore Drought Bracketology tournament. We have narrowed the field to eight players and we remain split up between ESR and Orioles Uncensored, with the Perlozzo and Trembley regions right here and the Mazzilli and Hargrove regions over there at OU. The time has come to unveil the Elite 8 and determine our regional champions. All four #1 seeds (Mora, Tejada, Guthrie, Roberts) remain. Our lowest seeded player still alive is #6 B.J. Ryan, who we said from the […]

Opening Day O’verreactions to Avoid

Posted on April 7, 2015 by Ryan Blake

Travis Snider takes a swing in spring training.

Game 1 of 162 is in the books. Naturally, spirits are high in Birdland after a commanding 6-2 win over the Rays in which Chris Tillman pitched like an ace with good defense behind him and the offense fired on all cylinders despite being without Chris Davis, J.J. Hardy and Matt Wieters. It’s great to be excited about all of this. I, for one, am ecstatic with how we started the season. But try not to get too hyped up. Contrary to popular belief, the Orioles are not going to […]

One More MLB Preview

Posted on April 6, 2015 by Ryan Blake

angels player falling on field catching baseball

Since I know you all care very much what I think and because I’m sure you have not already read 30 articles just like this from bloggers and beat writers across the country, I’m going to share my 2015 MLB predictions. So buckle up (pun absolutely intended). The 2014-15 offseason has been interesting, to say the least. Here in Birdland, we lost three important pieces of our team in reliever Andrew Miller, right fielder Nick Markakis, and 40-HR man Nelson Cruz. Teams like the White Sox and Padres did their […]

Baltimore Drought Bracketology: Sweet 16

Posted on April 4, 2015 by Ryan Blake

baseball player with both arms up ball in glove

If you have been following our Baltimore Drought Bracketology tournament over the past couple weeks, then you’ll know that it has become a much bigger hit than we anticipated. Over the first two rounds (48 matchups), we have drawn in a total of 11,073 votes between ESR and Orioles Uncensored. I have appeared twice on 105.7 The Fan’s Vinny & Rob Show to advertise the tournament, and I am truly grateful for that opportunity. We have some very exciting matchups coming up, including some great ones in the Sweet 16 […]

Baltimore Drought Bracketology: Round 2

Posted on March 30, 2015 by Ryan Blake

pitcher with arm back before throwing pitch

After a very exciting first round of Baltimore Drought Bracketology that saw nearly 10,000 total votes and got us featured on 105.7 The Fan’s “Vinny and Rob Show,” the time has come to begin the “Round of 32” here on Eutaw Street Report and at Orioles Uncensored. As we expected, there were not very many big upsets in the first round, which makes for some great matchups down the road. The most notable low seed moving on is #12 Cesar Izturis, who handled #5 Jack Cust by over 200 votes. […]

Baltimore Drought Bracketology: Trembley Region, Rd. 1

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Ryan Blake

kris benson next to wife wearing orioles shirt

For a full introduction to this series, and to vote on the SAM PERLOZZO REGION, click here. Yesterday, we introduced “Baltimore Drought Bracketology” by unveiling the Sam Perlozzo region, which can be found at the link above, as well as the Mazzilli and Hargrove regions over at O’s Uncensored. Today, we present the Dave Trembley region, which features guys like Miguel Tejada, Kevin Millar, B.J. Ryan, and Sidney Ponson. So, without further ado… VOTE VOTE VOTE! Dave Trembley Region (1) Miguel Tejada Simply put, Tejada was a beast. The […]

Baltimore Drought Bracketology: The Battle of “Dark Years” O’s!

Posted on March 24, 2015 by Ryan Blake

ball player with arms stretched about to throw baseball

Are you tired of filling out brackets? Well too bad. My friend Danny from Orioles Uncensored and I created a March Madness-style tournament of Orioles players. These aren’t just any Orioles players, though. We focused on players from the not-so-great teams. Let me explain. Now that the Orioles are actually good and have had a few winning seasons under their belt recently, it’s kind of fun to look back at our losing seasons and laugh about how bad we used to be (I think so, at least). So Danny and […]

Sky is the Limit for Schoop, but Fans Need to be Patient

Posted on March 18, 2015 by Ryan Blake

baltimore maryland orioles player with arms up

Whether you pronounce his name “shoop,” “scoop,” “scope,” or something completely different, there is one thing upon which we all can agree: Johnny Beisbol is a talented kid. Jonathan Schoop (it’s “scope,” by the way…) started his “career” as a member of his native Curaçao’s Little League World Series championship team in 2004, before he was even a teenager. The Orioles signed the amateur free agent in August of 2008, just two months before his 17th birthday. He began working his way up through the minors and developed into a […]

What Will the Opening Day Rotation Look Like?

Posted on February 4, 2015 by Ryan Blake

orioles players standing around locker room spraying champagne

Yesterday at ESR, a couple of our writers participated in a point/counterpoint argument regarding the Orioles’ potential use of $50 million man, Ubaldo Jimenez. After reading both articles, I became curious to know what other fans think is the smart thing to do. I would like to take a look at our six starters individually, break down their statistics, and ultimately take a vote to see what you all think should be done with the Orioles rotation. “The Ace” – Chris Tillman After a brilliant 2013 campaign in which he found […]

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