Donaldson launched his first spring homer."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Talking Chop User’s GuideTalking Chop PodcastAround the NL EastBaseball Analysis PrimerJosh Donaldson homers Bob Feller Jersey , Braves fall to Marlins 7-6New,160commentsDonaldson launched his first spring homer. EDTShareTweetShareShareJosh Donaldson homers, Braves fall to Marlins 7-6Butch Dill-USA TODAY SportsJosh Donaldson hit his first home run in a Braves uniform on Friday but Atlanta’s come back attempt came up just short in a 7-6 loss to the Miami Marlins. Sean Newcomb got the start for the Braves and struggled a bit with his velocity and his control. Newcomb lasted 4 1/3 innings while allowing seven hits and four runs. He walked four and struck out just one. Per the radio broadcast his fastball was in 88-89 mph range which is off from what we normally see. Miami jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on a two-run single by Lewis Brinson in the second. Atlanta answered right back against Marlins’ starter Wei-Yin Chen when Ender Inciarte drove home Ronald Acu帽a Jr to cut the deficit to 2-1. The Braves took the lead in the third when Donaldson connected for his first spring homer, a two-run shot that scored Ozzie Albies that made the score 3-2. The Marlins tied it again in the fourth as a one-out walk came back to haunt Newcomb when Chen singled home Yadiel Rivera to make it 3-3. Miami retook the lead in the fifth. Brian Anderson led off with a double against Newcomb and moved up to third on a ground out by Martin Prado. Newcomb then walked Peter O’Brien and was then replaced by Josh Graham. Austin Dean singled home Anderson to give the Marlins a 4-3 lead. Graham then retired the next two hitters to escape with no further damage. Dean struck again in the seventh against Jonny Venters with a sacrifice fly that scored Jon Berti to make it 5-3. Venters allowed two hits and a run but struck out two in his only inning of work. The Braves battled back again in the bottom half of the inning. Raffy Lopez made it 5-4 with a solo home run to right. Inciarte followed with a bunt single and was replaced by Cristian Pache who moved up to second on a ground out by Dansby Swanson. Rafael Ortega flew out to right but Pache tagged and just beat the throw by Gabriel Guerrero to third. Charlie Culberson then grounded back to pitcher Pedro Lopez who’s throw to first was off the mark allowing Pache to score the tying run. The score would remain tied until the ninth and the teams elected to go with the tiebreaker scenario for spring training games which places the last batted out on second base to start the inning. Pedro Alvarez pulled a single though the shift off of Jesse Biddle to put the Marlins back on top 6-5. Biddle then struck out Guerrero but allowed a single to Harold Ramirez that scored Alvarez to make it 7-5. The Braves opened the bottom half of the ninth with Pedro Florimon on second base. Florimon moved over to third on a ground out by Lopez and then scored on a ground out by Pache to make it 7-6. Riley Unroe followed with a bunt single and Ortega blooped a single into left to give Atlanta runners at first and second but Charlie Culberson popped out to second baseman Justin Twine to end the threat and the game. Albies, Inciarte and Nick Markakis all finished with two hits each. Anderson and Prado had two hits each for the Marlins. The Braves will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to Fort Myers to take on the Red Sox. Kyle Wright is scheduled to get the start and will face off against Chris Sale. There’s not much going on in Birdland, but that’s the case for most of the league."Morning, Birdland!The hot stove is not so hot at the moment; it’s downright cold. That’s unlikely to change anytime soon. Reports indicate that Manny Machado has told teams he will not be picking his new team until after the new year. What does that matter to the Orioles? There won’t be a reunion with Machado, however http://www.indiansfanproshop.com/authentic-b.j.-upton-jersey , it has been said that Mike Elias is prepared to wait out the free agent market before picking the one or two role players that the O’s will sign. Before that waiting game can happen, the names at the top of the market need to sign with new teams. Machado delaying for the next 10 days also pushes back the timeline for less renowned names.LinksHyde talks about process of hiring coaches - MASN SportsThis is from Roch’s blog yesterday, so it’s a bit of old news. Brandon Hyde has basically left the door open that several members of the Orioles coaching from last year could return to the dugout in 2019. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Regardless of what the opinion may be of the fan base, there seems to be a ton of respect for the likes of Bobby Dickerson, Wayne Kirby and John Russell inside baseball.Bowie Baysox rotation could be one to watch in 2019 - Birds WatcherFor the next year or two, it may be more entertaining for Orioles fans to check out the minor league affiliates rather than the big boys. Davis, O’s host holiday event for local kids - MLB.comSay what you will about Chris Davis, but he and his wife Joe Carter Jersey , Jill, always seem to be at a hospital visiting sick kids, and that’s pretty darn awesome! I understand that the players with big contracts are expected to participate in charity events, but it’s still nice to see and gives you a fuzzy feeling.Brandon Hyde epitomizes Santa Rosa pedigree - San Francisco ChronicleLearn a little more about the background on the O’s new manager from his hometown paper.Orioles have several bounce-back candidates. How would you rank them? - The AthleticJust about the entire roster could do with a bounce-back season. Davis is the player that could potentially make the biggest leap forward, but that may not be realistic. Dylan Bundy feels like a logical selection. He has oodles of talent, and may just need some tweaks to his instruction in order to thrive.Orioles birthdays and historyIs it your birthday? Happy Birthday! It’s a big day for birthday celebrations in Birdland, so we won’t get to dedicate too much to each one.Current free agent Rey Navarro is 29 years old; he spent 10 games with the O’s back in 2015. Utilityman Blake Davis, who played in 25 games for the 2011 Birds is 35. Chris Jakubauskas appeared in 33 games and tossed 72.1 innings back in 2011; he is 40. The 63-year-old Lonnie Smith was in the bigs for 17 years http://www.indiansfanproshop.com/authentic-b.j.-upton-jersey , but spent just 44 games in Baltimore between ‘94 and ‘95. And Tom Underwood (b. 1953, d. 2010) pitched in 37 games back in ‘84.Special shoutout to Zach Britton, who celebrates his 31st. The left-handed reliever saved 142 games and posted a 3.21 ERA over eight seasons, including a 2016 season in which he had a 0.54 ERA.Finally, we would be remiss to not wish a happy birthday to the late, great Elrod Hendricks. The former catcher had three different stints with the team as a player, but he became an institution in town after serving as the bullpen coach for the final 28 years of his life. Hendricks passed away back in 2005, but remains a legendary figure in O’s history. 1915 - Two baseball organizations Corey Kluber Jersey , Organized Baseball and the Federal League, come to an agreement that includes the end of the Federal League (FL). The ownership group of the FL’s Baltimore Terrapins were not offered any of the buyout money that resulted, so they sued and eventually took their case to the Supreme Court (Federal Baseball Club v. National League), where they lost.1953 - The name “Orioles” is turned over from Jack Dunn III, who had run the International League Orioles for several years, to the new major league franchise in town.1999 - Left-handed pitcher Buddy Groom inks a two-year contract with the Birds.