On Saturday, the Orioles traded reliever Koji Uehara to the Rangers and first baseman Derrek Lee to the Pittsburgh Pirates, jettisoning two of the club’s more popular veterans.

It wasn’t easy to say goodbye — or sayonara, for that matter.

“It was tough [to tell Lee], just like it was with Koji. They are good people,” Showalter said. “Pittsburgh is getting a good man, a good person and a guy that’s starting to play pretty well. So it’s a good move for them and a good move for us. We like the guy we got back. But it’s bittersweet for us.”

Showalter said he knew how much Uehara enjoyed being in Baltimore, so that conversation — which included Uehara’s interpreter and a conference call with MacPhail — was difficult.

“I don’t say it was a tough day for me. It was a tough day for them,” Showalter said. “Everything was going on. Koji’s family is entrenched in Baltimore. They have found a great school for their son, and they are planning on making [Baltimore] their home. It was emotional for both of us. We both got teary.”

When the remaining Orioles relievers left the clubhouse to go to the field before Saturday’s nightcap, they tipped their caps as a salute to Uehara, who appreciated the gesture.

“Besides him being a good guy and all, this is all he knew, and you could see it,” lefty Michael Gonzalez said. “We are Americans here — you get traded, it’s not that big of a deal. But this is all he knows, and, besides his translator and therapist, he is going to a whole new team, new place.”
Center fielder Adam Jones was particularly close to Lee and said he — and Uehara — would be missed.

“I tried to learn a lot from [Lee] about being a man in this game. And he helped me a lot,” Jones said. “Both of them, it kind of [stinks] they are not here anymore. But it’s a business, and I wish the best for them. But they are late in their careers, they are not getting younger and they need to win. Everybody in this game wants to win, and I realize this is the best opportunity for them.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 10:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Given Saturday’s doubleheader, which drained the bullpen, and the two deadline trades, the Orioles were forced to make several moves Sunday.

They put Davis on the roster, added lefty relievers Pedro Viola and Mike Ballard from Double-A Bowie and sent Jason Berken to Triple-A Norfolk.

Berken, who was 1-2 with a 6.27 ERA in 31 games, was demoted after Saturday’s 17-3 loss in which he entered in the first to replace Zach Britton. Berken allowed seven earned runs, including two homers, in 2 2/3 innings.

He had a 2.04 ERA in his previous 15 games since being recalled June 15.

“My stats coming back, since the last time I got sent down, were pretty good. So, there’s a lot of positives, things to take out of the last six weeks. A lot of good things,” Berken said. “[Saturday] night wasn’t so good, obviously, but I’m not going to let that dictate or influence the way I think I’ve been throwing. I feel like I’ve been throwing pretty good. [Saturday] was a bad outing. It [stinks] getting sent down, but I don’t feel sorry for myself.”

After Sunday’s game, Viola and Ballard were sent back to Bowie without having pitched. That happened to Viola previously this year and to Ballard when he was with Texas. Ballard still has not made his big league debut despite having been called to the majors twice. But at least he got a chance to see Yankee Stadium.

“I grew up a Yankees fan. My dad, that was the only team that was on [TV] when he was a kid, so naturally he was a Yankees fan, and I kind of followed suit,” said Ballard, who is from Virginia Beach, Va. “I grew up watching the Yankees, so it is definitely cool. It’s kind of a boyhood dream to be here.”

The Orioles likely will fill the two open spots on their 25-man roster Tuesday when Hunter is activated and Brad Bergesen is reinstated from the paternity leave list.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Minors
        

Chris Davis was in the visiting clubhouse at Yankee Stadium by 10:30 Sunday morning and, within a half hour, learned that he would be batting fifth for the Orioles and starting at first base for his new team.

“I'm eager to play,” said Davis, who along with pitcher Tommy Hunter was dealt to the Orioles on Saturday for Koji Uehara and $2 million. “That's why I got here as early as I did, but I think the biggest thing for me is to relax and enjoy myself and get to know these guys.”

Davis, 25, had spent his entire career with the Rangers, who drafted him in the fifth round in 2006. By 23, he was the Rangers’ Opening Day first baseman and hit 21 homers in 2009 while batting .238. The left-handed hitter has been in an elevator between Triple-A and the majors since. He has hit .250 with three homers in 76 at-bats for the Rangers this season.

“It's tough because I'm from Texas and I grew up there. It's the only club I knew,” Davis said. “But it got to the point where I felt like I wasn't in their plans to play every day, and I feel like I'm an everyday player. I'm glad to get the opportunity to come here.”

Orioles manager Buck Showalter was the skipper of the Rangers when Davis was drafted but didn’t really know him. He believes Davis’ lack of big league time had more to do with his path being blocked at the majors by Adrian Beltre and Mitch Moreland than Davis’ high strikeout totals and low average.

“We offer an opportunity to not have him looking over his shoulder,” Showalter said. “At some point, you might have to do it, but he is going to get a great opportunity here. That’s another reason he is so excited about being here.”

Davis’ best position is first base, but Showalter said he could get time at third base and left field.
“He really throws well, athletic,” Showalter said. “He is a good guy. Obviously, he was blocked there by a great player in Beltre. And they really like what Moreland is doing, and I don’t blame them. They have a lot of depth at a lot of different places. There were a lot of players that Andy [MacPhail] talked about.”

But MacPhail, the club’s president of baseball operations settled on Davis and Hunter, another 25-year-old with promise and big league experience. Hunter will join the team in Kansas City.
“It was kind of fun watching [Hunter] throw out of the bullpen because he was throwing 96, 97 mph,” Davis said. “He's a good pitcher, man. He's a smart pitcher. He knows how to pitch. You've got a good pitcher on your hands.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

It was an absolutely long day at Yankee Stadium – one of the longest I have dealt with since covering the Orioles. And there have been some crazy ones in the past.

By now you know the obvious stuff: The Orioles sent Koji Uehara and $2 million to the Texas Rangers for first baseman Chris Davis and right-hander Tommy Hunter, both 25-years-old.

Then they dealt incumbent first baseman Derrek Lee and some cash to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Class A first baseman Aaron Baker.

They also got embarrassed by the New York Yankees in a doubleheader, losing 8-3 in the first game and 17-3 in the nightcap. In the second game, the Orioles were down 12-0 in the first inning and 15-0 in the second.

Crazy. But here are some other things I picked up today and didn't have time to write:

It has become highly unlikely that Jeremy Guthrie will be dealt this season. Basically, the Orioles found that the return they could get for a starting pitcher wasn’t nearly as good as the return for a reliever.

It makes sense. Relievers are spotty from season to season. Contenders in July know what holes they need to fill, and bullpen help is always a big one. And they are willing to pay handsomely for a reliever that is pitching well at that moment.

Starters, however, probably have a better market in the offseason, when teams are planning their rotation and want a full season of an additional starter. The exception is for a guy like Cliff Lee or maybe Ubaldo Jimenez. But those guys are rare at the trade deadline.

Look for trade talk involving Guthrie to heat up again this offseason.

From what several sources have told me, Uehara’s value was all over the board. Some contenders worried about his durability and didn’t make much of an offer. Others pushed for him hard.

Ultimately, Texas was the best fit for the Orioles. The Orioles have so many ties to the Rangers that they know everything about Hunter and Davis. I’m not sure Texas is the best fit for Uehara. He’s not a fan of pitching in the heat, so it’ll be interesting to see how he does there.

He is such a good guy, though, I think everyone wishes him the best.

Davis can play left field and third base, but his best defensive position in first. The Orioles are going to give him a chance to sink or swim and see if he can overcome the struggles that have plagued him (low average, high strikeouts). If he can, he’s a 30 homer guy. But there’s no guarantee of that.

Hunter likely will start out in the bullpen, but the Orioles see him as a starter. He’s got the reputation of not staying in good condition, but there is no question he is talented.

Honestly, neither guy could work out, but it was definitely worth the risk.

It’s my sense the Orioles are done trading and won’t be pushing Sunday’s 4 p.m. non-waiver deadline. A guy like Vladimir Guerrero or Michael Gonzalez could get moved in August. But unless there is a surprise, there will be no more movement Sunday.

At least trade-wise. Expect several bullpen reinforcements on Sunday. It’s possible Gonzalez and Mark Hendrickson, both of whom were hit by liners on Saturday night, might have to be shelved – though Gonzalez said he suffered nothing more than a wrist bruise.

Also, relievers such as Troy Patton, who pitched in both ends of the doubleheader, Chris Jakubauskas and Jason Berken, who got beat around in the second game, could be sent down for fresh arms.

Hunter and Davis will join the Orioles on Sunday, so there will be plenty of pending roster moves.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 12:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (35)
        

The Orioles officially traded first baseman Derrek Lee and a small amount of cash to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Single-A first baseman Aaron Baker on Saturday night.

Lee, 35, became expendable when the Orioles acquired first baseman Chris Davis and pitcher Tommy Hunter from the Texas Rangers for Koji Uehara and $2 million.

Lee was pulled in the eighth inning of the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader and sat out the second game. The trade was officially announced about an hour the second game ended.

“How do I feel about it? It’s the business of baseball,” said Lee, who hit .246 with 12 homers and 41 RBIs in 85 games for the Orioles.

He signed a one-year $7.25 million deal with the Orioles this offseason.

“I knew coming into the year there was a pretty good chance I wasn’t going to finish it here,” Lee said. “So, I understood all of it.”

He’ll now be in the middle of a pennant race. The Pirates (54-51) are in third place in the National League Central, 3 ½ games out of first.

“Yeah they are playing good,” Lee said. “They turned it around so good for them. I’m still playing baseball, so that’s always a good thing,”

Overall, Lee said he enjoyed his time in Baltimore and with Buck Showalter and Andy MacPhail.

“Ballpark is beautiful. We didn’t play as well as we wanted to. I didn’t play as well as I wanted to,” he said “But I enjoyed my time.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 12:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (27)
        

The Orioles are apparently on the verge of trading first baseman Derrek Lee to the Pittsburgh Pirates for a low-level minor leaguer, according to an industry source.

The Orioles will also throw in some limited cash -- not enough that the deal will have to be approved by Major League Baseball.

Lee, 35, became expendable when the Orioles acquired Chris Davis from the Texas Rangers on Saturday as part of the Koji Uehara deal.

The prospect is not expected to be a top prospect but is a hitter at the A ball level, a source confirmed.

The Pirates are looking at Lee’s medicals before the deal is consummated.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 10:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (40)
        

Always calm and collected, right-hander Koji Uehara breezed through his farewell press conference in the bowels of Yankee Stadium on Saturday night until he was asked which of his Orioles teammates he would miss the most now that he had been traded to the Texas Rangers for first baseman Chris Davis and pitcher Tommy Hunter.

“Everybody,” Uehara said through interpreter Jiwon Bang.

And then, as reporters shook his hand and began walking away, tears filled Uehara’s eyes and trickled down his cheeks.

After becoming the first Japanese player in Orioles history when he signed a two-year deal before the 2009 season, Uehara, with his sideburns and wide smile, morphed into a fan favorite, especially this season when he went 1-1 with a 1.72 ERA in 43 games in relief. He walked eight batters and struck out 62 while allowing just 25 hits in 47 innings pitched.

“We're not going to be on the same team anymore, but if they have time to check me out,
that would be great,” Uehara said about his supporters in Baltimore. “I just want to thank the fans for their cheers and everything.”

Although rumors had been swirling for days about Uehara potentially being traded, he said, “Honestly speaking, yes. I was surprised.”

Uehara is expected to meet the Rangers on the road in Toronto on Sunday and will join a first-place team in the American League West after spending the past two-plus seasons with the American League East doormat.

"There are two contradicting feelings. Part of me says that a contending team wants me, and that's gratifying,” Uehara said. “At the same time, Baltimore -- I've been there for two years. It's really sad.”

The Rangers, the defending American League champs, need to solidify their bullpen and Uehara should help do that. However, he has never been a fan of pitching in the heat, and in May 2010 had a meltdown in Arlington in which he was perspiring so badly it looked as if he had gone swimming on the mound.

“Maybe that's one big concern that I may have,” Uehara said about the Texas heat. “I'm not sure, yet, but maybe.”

But he knows he’ll be going to a good team that has a chance to go far in the postseason.

“They have a great lineup and great starting pitching,” Uehara said. “They give me a chance to pitch, and I'll do my best.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 9:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (35)
        

In an attempt to fill holes in the rotation and at first base for now and in the future, the Orioles have acquired first baseman Chris Davis and right-handed pitcher Tommy Hunter from the Texas Rangers for reliever Koji Uehara and roughly $2 million.

The deal is pending approval from Major League Baseball because it involves an exchange of more than $1 million. The Orioles have not officially confirmed the trade.

Uehara, 36, developed into one of the best relievers in baseball this season, going 1-1 with a 1.72 ERA in 43 appearances. He walked eight batters and struck out 62 while allowing just 25 hits in 47 innings pitched.

But the Orioles apparently felt it was necessary to deal Uehara – arguably their best trade chip – in order to get two young players with major league experience.

Davis, 25, has three homers in 72 at-bats for the Rangers. He has 42 career homers, including 38 in his first two seasons in 2008 and 2009. But a low average (.248 in parts of four seasons) and an alarmingly high strikeout rate (301 times in 878 at-bats) has kept him shuttling between the majors and Triple-A in the past two seasons. Davis was a fifth-round pick of Texas in 2006.

Hunter, 25, is 1-1 with a 2.93 ERA in eight games this year. He is 23-13 lifetime as a big leaguer and was 13-4 with a 3.73 ERA in 2010. He missed the first 82 games this season with a groin injury and has pitched exclusively out of the bullpen once he returned to the majors. He was the 54th overall pick by the Rangers in 2007.

The acquisition of Davis, who can also DH, puts the already precarious future of fist baseman Derrek Lee in further doubt.

Lee came out in the eighth inning of Saturday’s first game and was not in the lineup for the second game. The 36-year-old Lee is batting .248 with 12 homers this season.

Potential fits for Lee would be the Arizona Diamondbacks and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Uehara made $3 million in 2011 and had $4 million option for 2012 that vests with 12 more appearances (55 total). He was the Orioles’ first Japan-born player when they signed him to a two-year free agent deal before the 2009 season.

In three seasons with the Orioles, Uehara was 4-7 with a 3.03 ERA in 98 games, including 12 starts and 41 games finished. He was 13 of 15 in save opportunities in 2010.

The Rangers wanted to shore up their bullpen, and Uehara seemed like a fit. However, he has battled with difficulty pitching in the heat during his career, with the worst example coming in May 2010 in Arlington, in which he was bathed in sweat during an appearance. .

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (23)
        

The Orioles have dealt right-handed reliever Koji Uehara to the Texas Rangers for first baseman Chris Davis and right-handed pitcher Tommy Hunter, according to several sources.

Uehara, 36, was 1-1 with a 1.72 ERA in 43 games for the Orioles.

Chris Davis, 25, has three homers in 72 at-bats for the Rangers.

Tommy Hunter, 25, is 1-1 with a 2.93 ERA in eight games this year. He won 13 games for them in 2010.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (29)
        

Getting ready for the first game of day-night doubleheader here in Yankee Stadium.

A few quick things:

To make room for Saturday’s first-game starter, Chris Tillman, on the 25-man roster, the Orioles placed Brad Bergesen on the paternity list. He will be there three days and likely will be activated Tuesday for the series in Kansas City.

Bergesen’s wife, Shea, is about to give birth to the couple’s first child, a son named Parker. If the baby isn’t born this weekend, the birth will be induced Monday morning.

The Orioles will have to make a move to activate Saturday night’s starter, Zach Britton, after the first game. It’s most likely that Tillman will be sent back to Triple-A Norfolk to make room for Britton.

But if Tillman dominates the Yankees, that plan could be altered. A reliever, such as Chris Jakubauskas or Troy Patton, could be victim of the roster-crunch. Infielders Blake Davis and Josh Bell are also potential candidates. Davis, who is starting the first game, likely will be sent out when Cesar Izturis is ready to be activated.

Izturis, who is recovering from elbow surgery, is back with the team but hasn’t been cleared to play. That could happen Sunday or for the Kansas City series.

Of course, the roster also could be shaped by the possibility of a trade before Sunday’s 4 p.m. waiver deadline.

With about 27 hours to go until then, the sense I get is that reliever Koji Uehera still would bring the most back in a trade of those being discussed. And he is still the most likely to be moved.

The cadre of scouts has thinned out a bit with Jeremy Guthrie no longer pitching this series. He presumably showed them enough by allowing one run in seven innings Friday.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 1:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

The Orioles-Yankees game started at 8:54 p.m., after a rain delay of one hour and 49 minutes.

The Orioles celebrated the start of the game by being retired, in order, on 10 pitches.

Jeremy Guthrie is starting for the Orioles. Will this be his final start as an Oriole? Not sure. But there are plenty of scouts here, including those representing the Rangers, Tigers and Cardinals, among others.

Guthrie also pitched a perfect first and was handed the lead in the second after Mark Reynolds hit his team-leading 22nd homer, a two-run shot to right-center on a 93-mph fastball from A.J. Burnett.

Now that the game has begun, it’s certain that Chris Tillman will start the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader. It was possible if this game was postponed, Guthrie would be pushed back and start Saturday’s opener. That won’t happen now.

So Tillman will pitch the opener and Zach Britton will follow in the nightcap, as expected.

To make room for Tillman on the 25-man roster, the Orioles likely will place Brad Bergesen on three-day paternity leave. If Bergesen’s wife does not deliver the couple’s first child this weekend, she will be induced Monday morning.

If Tillman pitches well, he could remain on the roster. Or he could be sent back down after the first game to make room for Britton. It’s also possible a reliever could be sent out for Britton. And there is always the possibility a trade opens up a 25-man roster spot. The club is currently at 39 on its 40-man roster (now that Mark Worrell has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Norfolk).

Infielder Cesar Izturis is also with the team in New York and could be activated Saturday or Sunday. When he does, Blake Davis is the most likely candidate to be demoted to Triple-A Norfolk.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 9:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

The game did not start on time.

But the tarp is now off the field. The new scheduled first pitch is 8:50 p.m.

I, for one, am not ready for a triple-header on Saturday (just kidding about that possibility), so let's get it on.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Oriole officials have been mostly mum with the non-waiver trade deadline looming Sunday afternoon. However, nothing has really changed about the club’s position.

They have heard from teams with interest in several different players, but the main guys that they are discussing are starter Jeremy Guthrie, reliever Koji Uehara, and to a much lesser extent, first baseman Derrek Lee.

I would think that if another team is interested in Lee and is willing to absorb a good portion of the approximate $2.5 million that he has left on his one-year contract, the Orioles would be happy to give the veteran another chance to go the playoffs for little more than a low-level prospect or two. If that happens, I would suspect that the Orioles would give Mark Reynolds an extended look at first base to see if he could be an option there next season.

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Arizona Diamondbacks seem like logical fits for Lee, and they both had scouts watching the Orioles-Blue Jays over the past three days
.
As for Guthrie and Uehara, Orioles President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail spoke with his manager, Buck Showalter, for a while yesterday to fill him in on some different trade possibilities. MacPhail is expected to do the same with owner Peter Angelos either today or tomorrow.

The expectation of people around the club is that the Orioles will likely make at least one move, and Uehara is the most likely to go. Even with how dominant that he has been this year, there are legitimate concerns about Uehara’s health and durability. The Pirates, Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies and Detroit Tigers could all be fits there, and all those teams have had scouts around the Orioles in recent series.

The Orioles lost a potential suitor for Guthrie when the St. Louis Cardinals acquired Edwin Jackson. But I’m told the Tigers and Cleveland Indians have talked to the Orioles about Guthrie, while the Rangers, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees remain on the periphery as potential suitors. It will be interesting to see how Guthrie fares tonight, and what teams are there watching him at Yankee Stadium. Guthrie hasn’t faced the Yankees this season, but he’s 3-9 with a 5.46 ERA in 16 career outings against them.

One game probably isn’t going to determine Guthrie’s fate, but it certainly won’t help MacPhail’s desire to extract that extra piece from a contender that he’s been holding out for if the right-hander gets knocked around.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (45)
        

It was hard to pick out what aspect of the Orioles' latest defeat, an 8-5 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, was worse: the starting pitching of Brad Bergesen or the defense.

Bergesen allowed four six runs (four earned) on six hits and three walks, and needed a staggering 83 pitches to make it through three innings. Meanwhile, the Orioles defense made two errors and could have been easily charged with four.

First baseman Derrek Lee’s error in the first led to a two-run inning. Third baseman Mark Reynolds and catcher Matt Wieters both took turns mishandling throws that would have led to outs, prolonging the third inning long enough for Toronto to score four runs. Reynolds then failed to catch Wieters’ ill-advised pickoff throw in the fifth, bringing home a run.

“We had two sure outs we should have had, and some things that we have to do better, but we’re just trying to get the [starter] to stay a little deeper in the game,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “If we do that, we like our chances, like we have all year. But it hasn’t been the case. It’s just been such an unknown of what our starting pitcher is going to do for us. Guys go out there and get after it. A lot of guys having good swings and good at-bats, but you have to play on all sides of the ball, including the pitching and the defense.”

The best at-bats for the Orioles were once again delivered by shortstop J.J. Hardy, who rebounded from his 0-for-4 with four strikeout performance on Wednesday to go three-for-five with a double and two solo homers.

"It's good to see J.J. Hardy leave," Toronto manager John Farrell said. "He had a heck of a series."

Hardy had two multi-homer games in the series and now has 18 homers for the season. Adam Jones added two hits and two RBIs, and Vladimir Guerrero homered for the first time since July 6. But none of that could make up for an awful performance defensively, and another bad effort by Bergesen, who had his shortest start of the season.

Bergesen's night was encapsulated by the third inning when he got two quick outs, and then quickly got ahead 0-2 on Edwin Encarnacion. However, Encarnacion hit a home run, as did Eric Thames, who came up next. That started a stretch where five straight Blue Jays reached base as Toronto scored four runs in the inning to take a 6-2 lead.

“Obviously, you look at the earned runs, but 80-something pitches in three innings, that’s not going to work,” Showalter said. “It’s disappointing. We had an 0-2 count and two outs [in the third] and nobody on and next thing you know, he’s given up runs that were a dagger for us. His pitches didn’t have a whole lot of depth to them tonight and they put a lot of good swings on them.”

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

ORIOLES
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Derrek Lee, 1B
Matt Wieters, C
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Nolan Reimold, LF
Robert Andino, 2B
Brad Bergesen, SP

JAYS
Yunel Escobar, SS
Colby Rasmus, CF
Jose Bautista, 3B
Adam Lind, 1B
Edwin Encarnacion, DH
Eric Thames, RF
Aaron Hill, 2B
Travis Snider, LF
J.P. Arencibia, C
Carlos Villanueva, SP

A couple of other pre-game quotes: Orioles manager Buck Showalter said that at this point, the club is leaning toward starting Chris Tillman and Zach Britton in Saturday's doubleheader. Britton is pretty much set for Game Two Saturday. Tillman is the lead candidate for the first game, but that couldchange depending on the Orioles' bullpen usage the next two games.

Infielder Cesar Izturis (elbow surgery) is expected to meet the club in New York, but Showalter said that it's uncertain whether he'll be activated over the weekend. Izturis will work out with the club and give team officials a better idea of where he's at.

Brad Bergesen, who is starting tonight, could leave the team after the game to return to Baltimore and be with his wife, Shea, who is due to give birth to the couple's first child this week. The club will discuss plans with Bergesen after the game,

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 5:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)
        

Here’s a look at what other media outlets have been saying about the Orioles during the past week:

• The (Salisbury) Daily Times writes that it might be time to give up hope on this Orioles season.

These are the days when it's tough to be an Orioles fan. After an offseason full of hope and a competitive couple of months, Baltimore has plummeted out of the American League East race. You know it's bad when the Seattle Mariners -- who lost 17 games in a row before Wednesday -- still have more victories than the Birds, who currently own the worst record in the AL.

If you enjoy a adult alcoholic beverage, it might be time to crack open another one. Might dull the pain some.

The best thing now is to look toward the future and how the Orioles can best improve themselves for 2012 and beyond. Baltimore has some solid pieces in place -- J.J. Hardy, Matt Wieters, Nick Markakis and Adam Jones -- but obviously not enough yet to compete with the big boys of the division.

• Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com takes a look at baseball’s longest losing streaks of all time due to the Seattle Mariners’ victory over the New York Yankees that ended their 17-game losing streak. The Orioles hold the record for longest losing streak in American League history with a 21-game skid in 1988. 

With Wednesday's 9-2 victory at Yankee Stadium, the Mariners ended their 17-game skid, helping them avoid tying the 2005 Royals' mark for most consecutive single-season losses since the Wild Card era began 16 years ago.

The American League record is 21 by the Orioles in 1988, the Major League record is 23 by the Phillies in '61 and 10 franchises -- the Athletics, Braves, Nationals/Expos, Orioles, Phillies, Red Sox, Reds, Royals, Tigers and Twins -- have dropped more than 17 straight games in a season since '01.

Orioles: 21 (1988): The O's began that season 0-21, and Cal Ripken Sr. was let go as manager only six games in.

• Heath Bintliff of Dempsey’s Army writes that while many people are blaming pitching and offense for the Orioles’ failures, fans shouldn’t forget to look at just how bad the team’s defense has been.

The Orioles are playing at right about the level they usually do in late July, jockeying for position for one of the top three picks in the amateur draft for 2012 and basically filling the role of American League doormats. The fans are pointing fingers at the pitching staff - rightly so since they are dead last in ERA among American League teams, and it's not really close. Some also point fingers at an anemic offense which, while not as abysmal as the pitching, is slightly below league average in run production and has underachieved in 2011.

But I'm here to tell you that it's even worse than all this because the defense has been pretty awful as well.

Feeling lonely out there, Matt Wieters? He should, since he is playing Gold Glove-caliber defense behind the plate while the rest of the team is below average at best.

• Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated analyzes the upcoming trade deadline with a team-by-team breakdown.

[Jeremy] Guthrie is likely to go somewhere, and so are a few relievers. Koji Uehara is the most attractive of those, but Mike Gonzalez and Kevin Gregg are also candidates for trade. They've gotten calls on outfielders Adam Jones and Nick Markakis but don't seem ready for that type of overhaul. It's possible Mark Reynolds could go, though (the Angels and Reds are among teams that might look at third base).

• Cliff Corcoran of Sports Illustrated believes former Oriole Roberto Alomar, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame last weekend, is the seventh greatest second baseman of all time.

The greatest second baseman of all time was either Eddie Collins or Joe Morgan. Collins, a deadball-era superstar for the Philadelphia Athletics and Chicago White Sox, hit .334/.424/.430 with 3,217 hits and 734 stolen bases in his 19 seasons as a starter at the position, won the American League MVP in 1914, played on six pennant-winners, and was a four-time world champion. By the numbers, he was clearly the best second baseman in the game's history, but given the wildly disparate eras in which the two men played, there's room to argue for Morgan, who hit .272/.393/.428 with 688 steals in his 20 seasons as a starter at the position, won five Gold Gloves, and was the National League MVP in 1975 and '76, when his Cincinnati Reds won the World Series.

Alomar does not enter into those discussions. He was not the greatest, most productive, best-fielding, or most significant second baseman in the game's history. Can we at least say he was the best second baseman of the last 20 years?

Sandberg's last great season was 1992. Alomar won the first of his 10 Gold Gloves and first appeared on an MVP ballot (something he did seven times, five times in the top six) in 1991. Since then, the only men to challenge his career value at the position have been Craig Biggio, whose first season at the keystone was 1991, and Jeff Kent, who didn't become a star until he arrived in San Francisco in 1997. Among active players, Chase Utley appears to already be in decline in just his seventh season as a full-time player, and it's too early to know what kind of careers Robinson Cano, Dustin Pedroia or Ian Kinsler will have.

• Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com wonders if the Orioles young pitching staff, which started the season with so much promise, will ever live up to its potential.

No one said it was going to be easy, but with 10 weeks of the season remaining and a 14th sub-.500 season nearly a foregone conclusion, no one could have predicted it would be this difficult. Largely, that same group of Orioles arms that flourished upon Buck Showalter's arrival last August -- pitching to a 3.16 ERA in the final 57 games -- has struggled all season with injury and ineffectiveness, as a spring that started with promise has become a summer littered with setbacks.

In lieu of their young starters, the Orioles have been forced to employ Alfredo Simon, Chris Jakubauskas and Mitch Atkins with a roster in a constant state of flux as Showalter and president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail piece together starts game by game. To say that the trio of arms -- none of whom was on the Opening Day roster -- weren't in the team's original plans would be putting it mildly. Simon, who has filled in admirably, missed all of Spring Training with legal issues. Atkins was sidelined with injury and didn't throw a meaningful pitch in camp, and Jakubauskas didn't even get an official big league invite.

The team's projected No. 2 starter in the Opening Day rotation, Matusz (1-4, 8.77 ERA), is in Triple-A with Tillman (2-3, 4.69 ERA), while Britton (6-7, 4.05 ERA, an early American League Rookie of the Year Award candidate) was sent to Double-A earlier this month to help stretch his season and alleviate a rough patch preceding that. Bergesen (2-6, 5.54 ERA), who has seen time in the Minors and the bullpen, has struggled to get into a rhythm all season, although he is coming off a quality outing on Saturday, while Arrieta (9-7, 5.02 ERA) has been the best of the group -- but largely inconsistent. It is a far cry from the final two months of the 2010 season in which Matusz and Bergesen both posted sub-3 ERAs, with Arrieta (3-3, 3.78) and Tillman (1-1, 4.08) also showing marked improvement.

[Compiled by Jakob Engelke. If you enjoy reading these posts about the Orioles, Ravens and other Baltimore sports, check out Matt Vensel’s Coffee Companion posts every morning, Monday-Friday.]

Posted by Matt Vensel at 3:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: What They're Saying about the O's
        

There have been no recent developments in the quest to sign fourth-overall selection, Dylan Bundy, before the Aug.15 deadline to sign 2011 draft picks, but the Arizona Diamondbacks certainly didn’t hurt the Orioles’ cause earlier this week.

The Diamondbacks agreed to terms with right-handed pitcher Trevor Bauer, the third overall selection, on a four-year contract worth a guaranteed $.4.45 million. The Major League deal could be worth as much as $6.95 million if Bauer, the former UCLA Bruin, makes it to the big leagues at the start of next season, and stays with the club.

What does this mean for the Orioles and Bundy?

Well, we already know that Bundy, the Oklahoma High School pitcher who some pundits felt had the most upside in the draft, is not going to get the $30 million deal that he is reportedly seeking.

In fact, if Bauer’s deal is a guide – and it’s not a totally fair comparison because Bauer is a college pitcher who could move through Arizona’s system quickly, while Bundy is still 18 – then you figure Bundy’s deal will come in slightly under the $6 million bonus that the Orioles gave catcher Matt Wieters in 2007.

Now, I’m sure Bundy’s agent, Jay Franklin, will argue that Bundy is once-in-a-lifetime talent, and make comparisons to Washington Nationals phenom Stephen Strasburg, a college pitcher who was drafted first overall in 2009 and given a record four-year $15.1 million deal. Franklin wouldn’t be doing his job if he didn’t.

However, I’m sure he also realizes that shortstop Manny Machado, represented by Scott Boras, was considered the best high school position player in the 2010 draft and had even drawn some (albeit silly) comparisons to Alex Rodriguez. He also plays a premium position. The Orioles drafted him third overall and got him signed for $5.25 million.

It will probably take a little more than that to agree to terms with Bundy, but it probably shouldn’t be much more. And either way, Bundy stands to be one very rich teenager.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

How do you follow up a game in which you set a season-high with 12 runs and eight extra-base hits to go along with four home runs?

If you are the Orioles, you get shut out for the fourth time this season and the third over their last 14 games in a 3-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. Ricky Romero was masterful in allowing just four hits over 8 1/3 shutout innings, and Jon Rauch came on in the ninth and retired the potential tying runs in the form of Matt Wieters and Mark Reynolds.

“Yeah, it's frustrating, but that’s baseball,” said Orioles right fielder Nick Markakis, trying to explain how a team looks so dangerous offensively one night, and so overmatched the next. “The guy pitched his butt off on the mound. We could have had him early, but we let him off the hook. When you do that against good pitchers and they get in a groove, it’s tough to battle back the rest of the game.”

The Orioles best chance came in the second when they men on first and second with no outs. However, Romero got Reynolds to hit into a double play on a 3-2 pitch. With Derrek Lee on third and two outs, Romero's ball-four pitch to Felix Pie got past catcher J.P. Arencibia. However, Lee got a bad read on the ball and couldn't score.

“It was a tough read down there, one you’d like to see him make,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said.

They figured to get more chances but Blake Davis' inning-ending flyout with two men on in the second started a stretch where Romero retired 12 of 14 batters.

“He was pretty good,” said Davis who was a former roommate and teammate of Romero’s at Cal-State Fullerton. “He’s coming at you with all his pitches and he battles. That’s what he does. He works hard. That’s why they’re paying him what they’re paying him.”

Romero is 5-1 in his last seven starts against the Orioles. In two starts against them at the Rogers Centre this season, Romero has allowed just one earned run, seven hits and seven walks while striking out 21 over 16 1/3 innings.

“He doesn’t throw anything straight,” Markakis said. “The ball cuts, it sinks. He puts it where he wants it. When you’re doing that, you don’t really need much off speed. Even when it seemed to be over the plate, it was either cutting or sinking. Off a guy like that who is throwing 90 to 94, it makes it tough.”

Alfredo Simon pitched five uneven innings, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks. He, along with relievers Chris Jakubauskas, Troy Patton and Kevin Gregg, did keep the defcit manageable, but the Orioles were never able to score. During Simon's past four starts, the Orioles have totaled just three runs.

"That’s part of the game," Simon said. "I don’t get support and the hitters don’t score runs. That’s part of the game. I just have to keep it like that."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

Struggling left-hander Brian Matusz acknowledged today that he wasn’t “mentally prepared” for the start of the season and he lost confidence in himself after being asked to make mechanical changes that he wasn’t comfortable making.

“Obviously, coming in not prepared is pretty clear to everyone,” said Matusz in a phone interview a day after he allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits and three walks in Triple-A Norfolk’s loss to Toledo. “It wasn’t necessarily that I wasn’t physically prepared, but I wasn’t mentally prepared. I was working with two pitching coaches that I didn’t know and they wanted to change things I’ve done for my whole life. Rick Adair and Mark Connor had great intentions of helping us young guys get better. That was the goal, that was the plan. Mentally, I wasn’t prepared to make that happen. Right now, I’m trying to find myself, getting back to what has made me successful through my entire life.”

Matusz, the 24-year-old who was supposed to pitch near the top of the Orioles’ rotation for years to come, is 0-3 with a 4.83 ERA in six starts for the Tides, having allowed 35 hits and 14 walks in 31 2/3 innings. But of bigger concern is scouts who have watched Matusz since his demotion have indicated that his stuff isn’t any better than it was earlier this season when he was getting knocked around in the big leagues. Relying on a fastball that has been in the mid to high 80’s pretty much all season and spotty command, Matusz had an 8.77 ERA in six big league starts when he was demoted June 30.

Those numbers have led to questions about how hard Matusz worked this offseason – Oriole officials haven’t publicly questioned the pitcher but some in the organization are clearly disenchanted by the pitcher’s offseason preparation - and speculation that he is injured. Matusz missed two months with a strained left intercostal muscle, and he also had a sporadic spring after having a wart removed and gettg drilled in the left arm by a comebacker.

Matusz, however, said that he felt good coming into the spring, and his conditioning problems started when he suffered the lintercostal strain and was shut down from doing physical activities. After working out at Athletes Performance the past two offseasons, Matusz did say that he has decided to spend this coming offseason, training with former Oriole and noted fitness buff Brady Anderson.

“My first outing in spring training, I was 90 to 92 [miles an hour]. My velocity was there,” said Matusz, whose playing weight is down about 10 pounds from where he pitched at last season. He admitted that he needs to do a better job of getting stronger and maintaining his weight. “Ever since then, it hasn’t been there. It was all mental. It was feeling that I wasn’t good enough at the time and I had to change everything I had in order to supposedly get better. My confidence was taken away. It was beaten down. Then, I ended up being hurt and it’s just been a fight to get it back.

“What I need is to go out every five days and get better, and work on my delivery where it’s locked down to where I don’t have to worry about it anymore. I just have to continue to grind it out and get better every five days. That’s the ultimate goal. Getting shut down would serve no purpose. I’m not hurt, there’s nothing wrong with me.”

Orioles manager Buck Showalter didn’t want to comment too much on what he thinks has caused Matusz’s disastrous season, but he did defend the mechanical changes that Adair and Connor asked him to make. That included quickening up his delivery so he was harder to steal off of, and getting him on a straighter path to home plate so he wasn’t throwing across his body as much.

“It’s all a learning experience and not many people come here at first and immediately produce,” Showalter said. “Brian has the ability to be a good pitcher here and everyone is trying to figure that out. Generally, if coaches see something that is going to be a challenge for somebody going forward, they try to fix it, and you listen to people who have a long track record of success in the big leagues.”

Despite scouts continued questioning of his stuff and the uneven numbers that he continues to put up, Matusz maintains that he’s on the right track.

“It’s the toughest year of my life so far,” he said. “From the get go in spring training, things didn’t seem to fall my way. Having the wart removed, getting the liner off my arm, and then the [intercostal] strain. Failure is not something that I’ve experienced in the past. It hasn’t happened for me.

“All the Orioles fans, teammates, coaches, they had high expectations for me and not being able to follow through on it has been tough. I don’t feel good about it, but what’s happened in the past is not something I can do anything about. I feel better every day I go out there. I know the numbers haven’t showed it in the box score, but I know that I’m on the right track, the right routine. It will come back. Things like that just don’t go away.”

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

ORIOLES
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Derrek Lee, 1B
Matt Wieters, C
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Felix Pie, LF
Blake Davis, 2B
Alfredo Simon, SP

BLUE JAYS
Yunel Escobar, SS
Eric Thames, RF
Jose Bautista, 3B
Adam Lind, 1B
Edwin Encarnacion, DH
Travis Snider, LF
Aaron Hill, 2B
Rajai Davis, CF
J.P. Arencibia, C
Ricky Romero, SP

Romero is a lefty, but his changeup makes him very tough on right-handed hitters, which is presumably why Blake Davis is playing second instead of Robert Andino, and Felix Pie is in left field over Nolan Reimold.

Also, second baseman Brian Roberts continues to experience migraine headaches after workouts. He's still been able to work out and do some baseball activities, but as long as he keeps having the headaches, it's impossible to predict when he'll return.

By the way, because of their trades today, the Blue Jays will have only a 22-man roster for tonight's game.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 5:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)
        

I totally understand why some people are calling for the Orioles to shut down struggling left-hander Brian Matusz, and let him start fresh next spring. I just don’t agree with it. Look, I have no way of knowing if Matusz, who is pitching for Triple-A Norfolk, is 100 percent healthy. But you have to think that if he wasn’t, he would have admitted it by now, or if there was any doubt, either the team or his agent would encourage the 24-year-old to shut it down. They haven’t and slowly but surely, clues are starting to emerge as to what has contributed to this disastrous year for Matusz, who allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits and three walks over five innings to Toledo. That leaves him 0-3 with a 4.83 ERA in six appearances for Norfolk. I haven’t spoken to Matusz in a couple of weeks, but I’ve heard or read several interviews with him since. And more and more, he’s starting to acknowledge that he wasn’t as prepared as he needed to be coming into spring training. There have been whispers for months that Matusz didn’t do enough in the offseason, and I’ve said many times that he didn’t look right to me from the first day of spring training. Perhaps, some of his recent comments are telling. It’s not hard to imagine a scenario where he was unprepared for spring training, had his preparation cut short following the wart removal and the getting drilled by the comebacker, and then sustained the intercostal injury. Throw in working on the mechanical changes that new pitching coach Mark Connor suggested, and a total loss of confidence and it’s suddenly not hard to see why one of baseball’s better young pitchers last year is struggling to get anybody out at Triple-A right now.

Jeremy Guthrie isn’t scheduled to pitch again until this weekend in New York, but several potential suitors for Koji Uehara had scouts at the Rogers Centre last night. Among the teams represented were the Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Texas Rangers, Arizona Diamondbacks and Milwaukee Brewers. There were a handful of other scouts there as well, but I wasn’t able to catch what teams they represent. I’m sure every stadium in baseball last night was packed with scouts and who is there and who isn’t really doesn’t mean too much, but I figured it was worth passing along with so much attention being paid to potential trades over the final week before the Sunday deadline.

Maybe it’s just because I’ve always admired Derrek Lee as a player and person, but he’s a guy who I wouldn’t mind having on my team during the final two months of the National League pennant race. I can’t see why he wouldn’t fit on teams like Arizona or Pittsburgh, who aren’t exactly getting a ton of production at first base. Lee is batting only .246 with 11 homers and 39 RBIs so it’s not like a team would be getting a middle-of-the-order hitter. However, I would think the combination of his leadership, defense, and the fact that he knows National League pitchers a lot better than the American League ones, would probably be worth acquiring for a low-level prospect or two. You make ask what is the point from the Orioles’ end, and my answer would be that it would allow them to save a little money (from what remains on Lee’s contract) and possibly put it toward the Dylan Bundy fund.

Make no mistake, several young players that really needed to have big years on the farm – Josh Bell, Brandon Snyder, Matt Hobgood and Billy Rowell to name a few – have not, leading to even more criticism for the Orioles’ Player Development Department. They have earned their share, but it would be foolish not to acknowledge that some good things have happened on the farm this year, none bigger than the development of two of the better infield prospects in the game. Ever since I started covering this organization in 2005, all I heard about was that they had no up-and-coming infielders. That has changed. After a slow start at Single A Frederick, shortstop Manny Machado, 19, has really come on and raised his batting average to .278 with two homers and 13 RBIs in 25 games. He has two hits or more in three of his past four games, and three doubles in his past two games. Then, there’s third baseman Jonathan Schoop, the 19-year-old who went 4-for-4 with his first Carolina League homer last night to raise his average to .238 since his promotion to High-A. Throw in LJ Hoes, a former second baseman who is playing mostly outfield for Double-A Bowie and batting .310 in 55 games, and that's a pretty nice group of young infielders.

Here’s a stat that will show how little margin of error that the Orioles have and how few lopsided victories they have enjoyed: Last night’s 12-4 victory was the first since a 5-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on May 24 in which manager Buck Showalter didn’t need to call on Jim Johnson, Uehara or Kevin Gregg to help preserve the lead. The Orioles have won 19 games since then and one or more of those three guys had pitched in each of the victories until last night. There’s certainly something to be said for an extra day off for your three best relievers.

Because we can’t go a day without an incremental Cesar Izturis update, the veteran infielder went 1-for-3 with an error at second base for Double-A Bowie last night. He reported no soreness in either his knee, which has been giving him some problems, or his surgically-repaired right elbow. Izturis is scheduled to take today off and get some individual work in with minor league infield coordinator Bobby Dickerson at Camden Yards tomorrow.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (34)
        

The Orioles' lineup, from one through nine, has clicked on very few nights this season, but this was certainly one of them as the Orioles posted a season-high in runs (12) and extra-base hits (eight), and did it against an opponent that has bullied them around for the past couple of seasons.

“This team has beaten up on us pretty good. It’s nice to come in here, score some runs and get a win,” said first baseman Derrek Lee who got everything started with a two-run double in the second inning that eluded diving Blue Jays’ center fielder Travis Snider. Lee now has 17 RBIs over his past 16 games

Lee went 4-for-5 with a double, a homer and a season-high five RBIs. Shortstop J.J. Hardy hit two home runs, giving him 16 for the season, and also drove in four. Left fielder Nolan Reimold, getting another start against a right-handed pitcher, went 2-for-5 with a homer and two RBIs.

Every Oriole had at least one hit, and all nine starters reached base twice except for designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero, who returned from the disabled list to go 1-for-5 with a single and a run scored.

“There was a nice air about everybody tonight during batting practice. Hopefully it continues,” said Orioles manager Buck Showalter whose team broke a seven-game road losing streak. “It was like every time they started to creep back in it, guys would come in and put another crooked number up. It was one of those not-to-be denied nights."

This was just the Orioles’ fourth victory here in the past 29 games at the Rogers Centre. They have now won two straight here after losing 16 in a row.

After failiing in his previous four tries and after not winning a game sicne June 20, Jake Arrieta collected his10th victory, allowing four runs over five innings.

“It does feel good,” Arrieta said. “It’s nice to get it out of the way. Hopefully, I can pile on a few more and finish the season with some momentum.”

Arrieta exited the game after getting nailed in the right foot by Edwin Encarnacion’s comebacker, the ball bouncing to Lee at first base for the final out of the inning. X-rays taken on Arrieta were negative, and he said that he expects to make his next start.

“Foot is good,” said Arrieta. “Initially, I thought it was maybe going to be a little worse than it was because I had trouble putting pressure on it but now, all my mobility is there. It just seems like a light bruise. I’ll be fine.”

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Despite Zach Britton getting knocked around by Double-A Harrisburg for eight runs (four earned) and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings last night, Orioles manage Buck Showalter said that he got positive reports from the outing and the plan remains for the left-hander to start the nightcap of Saturday’s doubleheader against the New York Yankees.

In three starts since he was optioned to Double-A Bowie, Britton is 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA. On Monday, Britton retired 12 of the first 13 Harrisburg hitters that he faced, eight on strikeouts. However, after getting the first out of the fifth inning, nine of the next 10 batters reached base off Britton. That included two fifth-inning doubles by phenom Bryce Harper and back-to-back homers by Bill Rhinehart and Tyler Moore.

“He was actually good,” Showalter said. “I talked to a number of people and [pitching coach Rick Adair] talked to him, too. It’s probably the best that he’s thrown in a long time, the first four innings. Probably, only two of those runs should have scored. He struck out nine and he was very effective. He got in some two or three defensive situations and he had a real long inning and they thought it best to get him out. That was encouraging.”

Because the Orioles have been going with a four-man rotation, they’ll also need a starter for the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader in New York. Showalter said that they’ll either promote a minor leagues or use somebody out of the bullpen for the other. One candidate is Triple-A Norfolk right-hander Chris Tillman, who would be on regular rest Saturday.

Tillman is 3-3 with a 4.17 ERA in 10 outings for the Tides after going 2-3 with a 4.69 ERA in 10 starts for the Orioles earlier this season.

“He’s an option,” Showalter said of Tillman. “So is Oliver Drake. So is [Dylan] Bundy and if we don’t get him signed, we might take his brother [Bobby].”

In other news, the Orioles optioned reliever Mark Worrell to Triple-A Norfolk to make room for Vladimir Guerrero. Worrell had a 36.00 ERA, allowing eight runs on six hits, two homers, and two walks in four appearances spanning two innings.

Infielder Cesar Izturis (right elbow surgery) played his fourth game tonight for Double-A Bowie, and his rehab assignment will likely continue until at least the end of the week. “You try to keep in mind, it’s been a long time since this guy has played in a baseball game. He was going to play second [Monday] night and his knee was a little sore. That’s not something that is going to happen overnight. I think he knows that he’s a really rusty and he’s not where he needs to be yet.”

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
        

ORIOLES
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Matt Wieters, C
Derrek Lee, 1B
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Nolan Reimold, LF
Robert Andino, 2B
Jake Arrieta, SP

BLUE JAYS
Yunel Escobar, SS
Eric Thames, RF
Jose Bautista, 3B
Adam Lind, 1B
Edwin Encarnacion, DH
Travis Snider, CF
Aaron Hill, 2B
Corey Patterson, LF
Jose Molina, C
Brandon Morrow, SP

Guerrero obviously will be activated from the disabled list before the game. The Orioles haven't announced a corresponding move.

Left-handed reliever Michael Gonzalez will start serving his three-game suspension for throwing behind Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz on July 10. Gonzalez did not have the suspension reduced. He said that Major League Baseball made it clear that it wasn't going to happen so he decided to serve it and put it behind him.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Major League Baseball’s non-waiver trade deadline is Sunday at 4 p.m. and I’m sure there will be plenty of rumors swirling until then.

We have a story on the site and in Tuesday’s paper, but I thought I’d highlight a few things.

Orioles President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail is close to the vest when it comes to this stuff, so many of the rumors you may hear will be coming out of other camps.

The sense I’m getting throughout baseball is that the Orioles are expected to make at least one deal, maybe two, in the next six days. They have two marketable commodities in right-handed starter Jeremy Guthrie and right-handed set-up man Koji Uehara. The only question is whether they’ll get enough for either one to make it worth their while. I’m hearing differing opinions about that.

One thing is for sure: The Orioles don’t have to trade either. Guthrie is eligible for arbitration once more at season’s end, meaning he is under club financial control through 2012. Uehara is a potential free agent, but he has a 2012, $4 million that vests if he makes 55 appearances this year, and he is already at 41.

When asked if he thought the Orioles would be in the trade mix this week, MacPhail said: “Yes, if it makes sense for us. If the opportunity comes up and it makes sense for us.”

MacPhail has said he has gotten more inquiries about his current 25-man roster than he’s received in the past. Not sure who is inquiring and how serious those inquiries are. But I’ve been told by other sources that the tires have been kicked on Adam Jones, Jim Johnson and Alfredo Simon, among others.

But I’d be surprised if those guys were dealt. Really, my guess is it is Uehara and/or Guthrie or no one by Sunday. Other possibilities, such as Vlad Guerrero or Derrek Lee, wouldn’t happen until August if at all. They’d pass through trade waivers.

The guess is if a trade happens, the Orioles will be looking for pitching – younger and major-league ready – in return. That’s MacPhail’s style. Here’s a quote that backs up that assumption.

“Pitching, and particularly starting pitching, is always in demand,” MacPhail said. “That has been a problem for us during the course of this season, and it is always a commodity that you are going to be looking for, as other clubs are.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (35)
        

Orioles outfielder Luke Scott said Dr. James Andrews reviewed the MRA of his ailing right shoulder and made a simple proclamation: You need to get this fixed.

Scott has a SLAP tear in his right labrum and Andrews said the anterior tear affected Scott’s throwing and the posterior affected his swinging.

So Andrews will perform surgery on Scott at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday in Florida, and the Orioles outfielder will be out at least four months.

According to Scott, the regular timetable with the surgery is that a player must refrain from baseball activities for four months and then, with rehab, will return to normal by six months. But Scott said he talked with Los Angeles Angels outfielder Vernon Wells this weekend and Wells, who had his labrum repaired by Andrews, said he was ready for baseball activities after three months.

And now, Wells told Scott, his surgically repaired shoulder feels better than his other one.

“I am optimistic that I’ll be on that side of it (earlier than four months), that I’ll heal fast,” he said. “It’s a tough mountain to climb. I have had Tommy John (elbow) surgery, and I know rehabbing from surgery can be a slow process.”

Scott employs a physical therapist at his home in Florida and said he will work with him for a few weeks before coming back to Baltimore in mid-August to work with the Orioles training staff. He also expects to be back in September for some more rehab in Baltimore.

The always cheerful Scott tried to put at least one positive spin on having surgery – which he was hoping to avoid. An avid hunter, Scott said he’ll now have to learn to shoot a gun left-handed this winter.

“I’ll learn to be ambidextrous with firearms, so I look at it as a positive,” he said.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Here’s a look at the Orioles’ list of realistic trade chips, in order of most likely to be dealt at some point in the next five weeks.

Right-handed reliever Koji Uehara

Stats: 1-1, 1.80 ERA, 41 games, 45 innings, 23 hits, 8 walks, 59 strikeouts

Age: 36

Contract status: $3 million in 2011; $4 million option in 2012 that vests at 55 appearances

Current market value: High

Potential fits: Pittsburgh Pirates, Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds.

Skinny: Uehara, along with Johnson, has been the rock of the Orioles’ bullpen and dealing him would make the late innings even more adventurous in Baltimore, but his value will never be higher. One scout said Uehara’s 2012 option for $4 million makes him especially attractive because he can be shopped as more than just a rental. Texas would be the most logical fit since Buck Showalter and company know the Rangers’ system and the Rangers are a shut-down bullpen away from another long postseason run. But it’s hard to forget the Great Koji Meltdown in the Arlington heat last May, in which he was soaked with sweat and looked as if he were pitching under water. He missed more than a month after that with a forearm strain. But he has been healthy this season and his numbers can’t be ignored, nor can what one talent evaluator called his “magic fastball,” an 89-mph challenger that has befuddled hitters since last July.

Chances he’s dealt: 80 percent

Right-handed starter Jeremy Guthrie

Stats: 4-14, 4.33 ERA, 23 games, 21 starts, 137 1/3 innings, 144 hits, 41 walks, 85 strikeouts. 11 quality starts

Age: 32

Contract status: $5.75 million in 2011; arbitration eligible for final time in 2012.

Current market value: Fairly High

Potential fits: Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds.

Skinny: That age-old baseball question may soon be answered: How much is a guy who has lost more than half his games in a season worth in a trade? The answer will determine whether Guthrie goes to a contender or stays with the Orioles and stares at the potential of a 20-loss season. Guthrie is the Orioles’ primary innings-eater, so trading him would further decimate a shaky rotation and put more pressure on a beleaguered bullpen. Yet there are plenty of clubs that think all Guthrie needs is a change of scenery to go along with his 95-mph fastball. One scout said Guthrie would be an upgrade as a third or fourth starter for most contenders. And since there aren’t a lot starting pitchers being mentioned as available — Colorado’s Ubaldo Jimenez may be the best — Guthrie is likely near the top of the wish list for some. If he can bring back two potential pieces for the future, he is gone.

Chances he’s dealt: 60 percent

First baseman Derrek Lee

Stats: .237 batting average, .292 on-base percentage, .380 slugging, 10 homers, 34 RBIs, 23 walks, 78 strikeouts, 80 games.

Age: 35

Contract status: $7.25 million in 2011; free agent in 2012

Current market value: Fairly Low

Potential fits: Arizona Diamondbacks, San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates.

Skinny: Lee was traded by the Chicago Cubs to Atlanta in August of last year and improved some offensively with the Braves (.384 on-base percentage in 39 games) and provided solid defense. So there is a possibility the same type of move could happen this August and Lee could be dealt to a contending team that could use a bench bat, defensive replacement and calming veteran influence, if not a starting first baseman. Even so, the return would be minimal.

Chances he’s dealt: 30 percent

Designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero

Stats: .279 batting average, .315 on-base percentage, .385 slugging, 7 homers, 31 RBIs, 11 walks, 36 strikeouts, 83 games.

Age: 36

Contract status: $8 million in 2011 ($3 million deferred); free agent in 2012

Current market value: Low

Potential fits: None at the moment

Skinny: One scout said Guerrero could be traded in August because he is Guerrero, and a desperate team might hope to catch “lightning in a bottle” with one of baseball’s streakiest hitters. That risk would be based on past experiences and not current production. It would have to be an AL team since Guerrero is considered a DH only these days, unless a National League club wanted him solely as a pinch hitter (like Jim Thome with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2009). If a contender with a lackluster offense — Cleveland, Tampa Bay, Los Angeles Angels — suffered a key injury, Guerrero could be a fit once he demonstrates he’s over the broken bone in his hand. Like Lee, getting someone to take Guerrero’s salary may be a challenge.

Chances he’s dealt: 25 percent

Left-handed reliever Michael Gonzalez

Stats: 1-2, 5.66 ERA, 37 games, 35 innings, 42 hits, 17 walks, 31 strikeouts

Age: 33

Contract status: $6 million in 2011; free agent in 2012

Current market value: Low

Potential fits: New York Yankees or any team with money to burn and lefty relief issues

Skinny: One talent evaluator said you could file Gonzalez in the “lefty and breathing” category. There’s such a need for left-handed relief that Gonzalez, who has had a rough time in Baltimore, is probably one good stretch away from being dealt. The problem is he hasn’t consistently had one of those stretches this year. Case in point: In eight of his last 10 appearances, spanning 6 2/3 innings, he has not allowed a run. In those other two games, he’s allowed five runs in two innings. He is a seasoned veteran and has been good against left-handed hitters (.229 average in 70 at-bats) despite being awful against right-handers (.356 in 73 at-bats). So he’ll pass through waivers and maybe someone takes a chance on him in August, but salary relief or a low-level minor leaguer is the best that can be expected in return.

Chances he’s dealt: 10 percent

Posted by Dan Connolly at 7:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

Luke Scott is expected to have right shoulder surgery to repair a labrum tear Tuesday in Birmingham, Ala., according to a team source.

Renowned surgeon James Andrews is expected to do the procedure.

Scott was shut down for the season when he felt continued discomfort on Saturday. He came off the disabled list Friday and played one game and was still in pain. He batted .220 with nine homers in 2011.

In other injury news, Orioles designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero (broken bone in hand) joined the Orioles on their trip to Toronto and is expected to be activated on Tuesday. He had one hit in four at-bats during a rehab assignment at Double-A Bowie on Sunday.

Shortstop Cesar Izturis (elbow surgery) is expected to remain with Bowie for at least another game. He will be re-evaluated Tuesday.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 7:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

Here should be a sobering thought for Oriole fans: The organization could go into this offseason with even more holes than the past couple of offseasons. Things could obviously change if the Orioles make a couple of trades before the July 31 deadline, but as things stand, the club may need two starting pitchers, a couple of late-game relievers (assuming Jim Johnson is put in the rotation and Koji Uehara does not return), a power-hitting first baseman, a second baseman (it would be a stretch to count on Brian Roberts right now), a left fielder (Nolan Reimold could have something to say about this) and possibly a DH (Luke Scott is a prime non-tender candidate). That’s going to be quite a challenge, and all the more reason that the Orioles’ front office situation better be settled not long after this season ends. If Andy MacPhail does not return in his current capacity – and I’ve said several times that I’d be surprised if he did – the new general manager is going to have to hit the ground running.

I continue to get emails and read in other places about why the Orioles should trade outfielder Nick Markakis before the July 31 deadline. I don’t object to the philosophy of trading him per say, but it’s just not realistic to do it right now. Markakis still has $44 million guaranteed on his contract over the next three seasons. With Markakis In the midst of another uneven and disappointing season in several facets, there is little to no chance that another team will be willing to both absorb his contract and give you enough value in return to warrant a deal.

Let me preface this note by saying it’s subject to change and it occasionally does: the 2012 schedule won’t be finalized until September at the earliest. However, the tentative one has the Orioles playing home interleague series against the Washington Nationals, Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies, and road ones against the Nationals, Florida Marlins and New York Mets. The Orioles are also expected to open up the season at Camden Yards for the first time in three years. Before you ask, I don’t know the opponent.

We’ll have plenty of time to talk about potential Orioles’ free agent targets once the offseason begins, but here’s a name that I bet we’ll see connected to the Orioles once or twice this offseason: Minnesota Twins first baseman/outfielder Michael Cuddyer. He’s a .340 career hitter at Camden Yards (yes I understand that’s against Orioles pitching), he has averaged 22 homers and 91 RBIs over the previous four seasons in which he’s played 140 or more games, he’s a great clubhouse guy who grew up in Virginia, and he’ll be a lot more attainable than Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols. The Twins may re-sign him for all I know, but it certainly wouldn’t surprise me if he’s an Orioles target if he hits free agency.

This has been written before, but it’s an amazing stat that deserves to be mentioned again. Koji Uehara currently has a career strikeout-to-walk ratio of 6.48. Let me put that in context for you: It’s the best career ratio since 1890 for any pitcher who has logged a minimum of 150 innings.

I think we can all put to rest the notion that young catcher Matt Wieters is too mild-mannered to be a team leader. That tongue-lashing that he gave home plate umpire Todd Tichenor yesterday after the called third strike with Markakis on third base was both well-deserved in Tichenor’s case, and good to see. I’m sure Wieters was none too pleased that he got the bat taken out of his hands on a pitch at his shins, but I’m also quite confident that the catcher was sticking up for his starter Jeremy Guthrie, who he didn’t feel was receiving the same benefit of the doubt as the Angels pitcher
.
Much of the talk for the next four weeks or so will be on Dylan Bundy, the Orioles top pick in the 2011 draft who has to be signed by Aug. 15 or the club loses his rights. However, before the end of the season, I fully expect Dylan’s older brother, Bobby, currently a pitcher for Single-A Frederick, to have his well-deserved moment in the sun at Camden Yards. Bundy has emerged as the clear favorite to win the Jim Palmer Award as the organization’s top minor league pitcher. Bundy threw another gem last night for the Keys, throwing seven innings, allowing just one unearned run, two hits and no walks while striking out six. The 21-year-old right-hander, who was drafted in the eighth round in 2008, is now 10-5 with a 2.92 ERA in 19 starts for the Keys. He’s allowed 99 hits and 30 walks while striking out 97 in 114 innings. If you are looking at prospects who have really made strides this year, Bundy has to be on top of that list.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (51)
        

There are times where Jeremy Guthrie is the most engaging guy in the room. He welcomes visitors to his locker, making eye contact and offering both a handshake and a pulled-up chair. He is courteous and respectful, funny and self-deprecating.

Then, there are times where he can be difficult and even confrontational. He doesn’t tolerate questions that he deems foolish, even though those same questions are being asked in countless clubhouses throughout the Major Leagues, probably at that very moment.

Following the Orioles’ 9-3 defeat to the Los Angeles Angels today in a game where he pitched well but still suffered his Major League-leading 14th loss, Guthrie was a little bit of everything. But the emotion that he appeared to be dealing with most was frustration.

“I guess it was kind of a perfect microcosm of my career in Baltimore if it did happen to be that,” said Guthrie when asked if his seven-inning and three-run outing could be his last home start as an Oriole.

Guthrie is arguably the Orioles’ biggest trade chip and several contenders looking for pitching, including the St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers, had scouts at his start today. Here’s Guthrie’s synopsis of his outing:

“My stuff was better than my mound presence, absolutely,” said Guthrie whose displeasure with home plate umpire Todd Tichenor’s curious strike zone showed throughout his outing. “It was because of frustration with myself. The umpire helped me be frustrated at times, but I can't blame anyone else. I'm just frustrated with my own job. Don't be worried about things you can't control. The things I can't control don't frustrate me as much.”

Guthrie claims that he’s not frustrated with his 4-14 record, the poor run support that he gets, or the ongoing trade talk that surrounds him. He is just frustrated with the way that he’s been pitching.

However, that didn’t stop him from jabbing about the countless trade speculation.

“I only hear it because you guys bring it up every 3 ½ minutes,” Guthrie said. “Most players don't hear the rumors, most players don't know. But I guess it's exciting for everyone else to talk about it, so we hear it through those avenues. They don't call us. I never got a call from another GM saying I'm being discussed.”

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Vladimir Guerrero and Cesar Izturis, both rehabbing injuries at Double-A, are done for the night at Bowie.

Izturis (right elbow) led off for the Baysox and had a double in four at-bats. He scored a run and made a throwing error at shortstop.

Guerrero (broken bone in right hand) singled in four at-bats and scored a run. He batted second and was the Baysox designated hitter.

Both could be activated before Tuesday’s game at Toronto.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 9:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

ORIOLES
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Matt Wieters, C
Derrek Lee, 1B
Nolan Reimold, LF
Josh Bell, DH
Robert Andino, 2B
Jeremy Guthrie, SP

ANGELS
Maicer Izturis, SS
Torii Hunter, RF
Bobby Abreu, DH
Vernon Wells, LF
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Mark Trumbo, 1B
Mike Trout, CF
Bobby WIlson, C
Tyler Chatwood, SP

I spoke this morning with reliever Koji Uehara, who is one of the Orioles' top trade chips along with today's starter, Jeremy Guthrie. Uehara said through his interpreter, Jiwon Bang, that he ignores the trade rumors.

"To be mentioned and to hear my name in the rumors obviously is a good thing. I look at it as a good thing," Uehara said. "I’m not really thinking about that. They are just rumors, right?"

Uehara has attracted interest from a boatload of teams, including the Pittsburgh Pirates, Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers and Texas Rangers. The Orioles are entertaining trade offers for him, but they are looking to get a decent piece back. Uehara, 36, has a $4 million option that vests at 55 games. He's currently pitched in 41 games, allowing just nine earned runs on 23 hits and eight walks while striking out 59 over 45 innings.

"Playing for the contenders doesn’t really concern me," Uehara said. "The fact that I’m playing healthy, that’s satisfying. I’m really excited about that."

Uehara said that he definitely plans to pitch in the Major Leagues next year and if all things were equal, he'd like it to be with the Orioles.

"I love it here obviously," Uehara said. "I love the Baltimore Orioles, but it’s not going to be any fun if we don’t win. That’s the dilemma."

A couple of other notes: Cesar Izturis (SS) and Vladimir Guerrero (DH) are both scheduled to play for Double-A Bowie tonight. Both could be activated in time for Tuesday's series opener in Toronto. ... Orioles manager Buck Showalter said that Zach Britton remains on schedule to be promoted on July 30 to start one of the two games in the doubleheader against the New York Yankees that day. Showalter said that the other starter that day will either come from the Orioles minor league system or the bullpen.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

It’s no secret that the best laid plans of Andy MacPhail haven’t exactly come to fruition this season.

But when the club drew up its blueprint for finishing games, it probably looked a lot like what happened on Saturday night in the Orioles’ 3-2 win against the Los Angeles Angels. OK, a lot like the blueprint with the requisite daily dose of Kevin Gregg drama.

Jim Johnson entered in the seventh and needed seven pitches to get three outs. Koji Uehara came into the game in the eighth and needed nine pitches to get three outs.

Then Gregg, with AC/DC blaring, ran in from the bullpen in the top of the ninth.

Let’s suspend the play-by-play for one moment.

Raise your hand if you didn't feel comfortable with Gregg entering at that point. Raise your hand if you were wondering aloud why Uehara wasn’t still in the game.

Manager Buck Showalter’s hands are clearly down by his side. That’s the spot for Gregg, who had allowed runs in four of his last five outings and gave up a grand slam to Vernon Wells the previous night.

“Oh sure, you’re always tempted (to go with the hot hand), but we want them back tomorrow and we have an off-day coming up and then a pretty good stretch. But I know you get asked that question all the time and that’s why you ask it,” Showalter said. “But there’s a reason why those three guys have stayed healthy this year and I try to keep that in mind with the amount of stress we put on the bullpen over the course of the year. The three guys who are pitching well, I’m going to do everything possible to keep them healthy because I really don’t like the idea of life without them.”

So Showalter summoned Gregg in the one-run game. And Gregg converted his 16th save in 20 tries. He got two groundouts – including one by Wells -- and a strikeout of Howie Kendrick to end the game. He also gave up a two-out double to Alberto Callaspo to put the tying run in scoring position.

“I think you guys know me well enough, I never give in to anybody,” Gregg said. “So, you know, I was going to approach (Kendrick), I know how good of a fastball hitter he is. He doesn’t seem to miss them. I went after him, missed with a couple pitches early but I was able to come back and get him on a slider low and away.”

Gregg started the at-bat 3-0 to Kendrick and, with first base open, it looked like he might be pitching around the Angels’ second baseman. But he threw two off-speed pitches for strikes and then fanned him on the slider.

“(Catcher Craig) Tatum asked me after the game, ‘Were you pitching around him?’ I said, ‘No I was trying to get him to where I was comfortable,’” Gregg said. “You know, got to have a little chaos right there.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 10:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Outfielder Luke Scott, who was placed on the disabled list Saturday, has not decided whether he will have surgery to repair the torn labrum in his right shoulder or whether he’ll rest and rehab it – both scenarios have worked for other players. Scott expects to seek a second opinion, perhaps next week, from renowned surgeon James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala.

“What I’m going to do is gather all the information that I need as quick as I can and then sit down, pray about it, find out what’s going to be the best course to take,” Scott said. “It all depends on their schedule and when they can take me. I’m available whenever they can get me in. I’m gonna go get another professional opinion and put together all the information I need to make this decision.”

Scott attempted to play through the discomfort, which has bothered him since May. He came off the disabled on Friday, had three at-bats as DH, and realized he couldn’t drive pitches properly.

“Basically, (Friday) night was a good indicator of whether I could catch up to a fastball that’s low to mid 90’s,” said Scott, who finishes the season batting .220 with nine homers and 22 RBIs in 209 at-bats. “I did everything I could to get to it, and I just couldn’t do it. It’s just not working.”

If he chooses surgery, he’ll be out four to six months – which means he needs to do it soon to be ready for next spring. Rest and rehab may not take as long, but it still puts him out for the rest of this year. That reality hit Scott hard on Friday.

“It’s like getting kicked really hard in the stomach without someone telling you. You put so much into this game, you put so much into your heart’s desire, so much work. You hope for the best,” Scott, 33, said. “I really believed -- I was thinking positive -- that I was going to get through this. … That’s what it takes whenever you’re going through these difficult times. When you realize that it’s not going to work out the way that you want, it becomes very, very difficult to handle.”

There’s also a possibility this is the end of Scott’s four-season career as an Oriole. He has one more offseason of arbitration eligibility and made $6.4 million this season. Even if he took an allowable paycut, he still would be line for a hefty salary – and the Orioles may not want to invest millions into a slugger recovering from injury.

“My heart's desire is that I want to be here when the organization makes that turn to get back to where we need to be. But that's out of my hands,” Scott said. “All I can do is get ready for this challenge that's coming up, getting myself ready for next spring training and bring to the table what I bring to the table when I'm healthy. Then the rest of that's the Orioles' decision.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

The Minnesota Twins started out terribly this season, but thanks to a relatively weak American League Central race may still be buyers at the trade deadline. Needing middle to late inning relief help, the Twins are one of the clubs eyeing Orioles’ right-hander Koji Uehara, who is 1-1 with a 1.84 ERA in 40 games this season.

One of the Twins’ top pro scouts, Bob Hegman, has been at Camden Yards the past couple days and Orioles’ professional scouting director Lee MacPhail was at Target Field in Minnesota on Saturday. In any trade, the Orioles likely are looking for major-league-ready starting pitching and young position players.

The Twins have a surplus of outfielders and they recently demoted disgruntled right-hander Kevin Slowey, one of their more available trade chips, to the minors.

The sides made a swap last December when the Orioles acquired J.J. Hardy for two minor-league pitchers.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

ORIOLES
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Mark Reynolds, DH
Derrek Lee, 1B
Nolan Reimold, LF
Josh Bell, 3B
Robert Andino, 2B
Craig Tatum, C
Brad Bergesen, SP

Bell has been promoted to take Luke Scott's roster spot. Matt Wieters gets the night off.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

With Luke Scott (torn labrum in right shoulder) headed to the disabled list possibly for the rest of the season, the Orioles are expected to recall Triple-A Norfolk third baseman Josh Bell.

Bell is batting .254 with 16 homers and 57 RBIs in 87 games for the Tides. He is 1-for-1 for the Orioles this season with a single and a run scored. He has struggled lately for Norfolk, going 1-for-17 with nine strikeouts in his past four games.

It will be interesting to see how Orioles manager Buck Showalter uses the 24-year-old third baseman. When Bell was returned to Norfolk earlier this week after serving as a one-day roster replacement for Alfredo Simon, Showalter said that Bell needs to be playing rather than sitting the bench.

We'll see if that happens up here. With Vladimir Guerrero still out, the Orioles could opt to use Bell at designated hitter, or they could start him at third base and use Mark Reynolds at DH. Or they could use him off the bench and use Nolan Reimold at DH while Felix Pie plays left.

Bell wasn't down in Norfolk for the normally-required 10 days after his demotion, but that doesn't apply in an injury situation.

A couple of other minor league notes: Rehabbing pitchers Brandon Erbe and Luis Lebron coud pitch one inning tonight for short-season Single-A Aberdeen. Second baseman Ryan Adams has been dealing with a sore groin, and that's why he's been used more at designated hitter lately.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

You hear so much about how athletes don’t care, about how they are happy to take the money and run and they don’t care about gutting things out.

Pro athletes, we’ve all been told, were so much tougher years ago.

The funny thing is Orioles outfielder Luke Scott has been playing with a torn labrum in his right shoulder for months now. He said doctors have told him it is several inches long. It probably needs surgery. Yet he’s not exactly been lauded for his effort.

Scott has tried to play through it and has had a miserable season – a .220 average, a .301 on-base percentage, a .402 slugging percentage and just nine homers and 22 RBIs in 209 at-bats. This from a guy who was the club’s Most Valuable Oriole in 2010 when he hit .284 with 27 homers and 72 RBIs.

He tried to gut it through, coming back on Friday after a stint on the disabled list in which he attempted to rest the shoulder.

Some fans, however, didn’t view this as selfless. They saw him as selfish – playing 70 percent healthy and standing in the way of younger and healthier players such as Nolan Reimold. They saw him as hurting the team, not trying to help it.

I’m not going to say that some of this wasn’t survival mode for Scott. He currently makes $6.4 million and is in his last year of arbitration this winter. If he doesn’t have a good season, the Orioles could cut him loose. And if he has a bad season and is shut down with a bum shoulder – which looks to be the case now that he is headed to the DL again -- there may not be a whole lot of teams looking to guarantee him a lucrative, guaranteed deal at all in 2012.

So, yeah, surely that’s part of his motivation. We won’t be naïve here. It is his livelihood – yet it also crushes him that he may have played his last game as an Oriole. Scott is one of those guys who truly loves playing this game. And he really, really wanted to play through the pain – that wasn’t an act or a plea for next year’s contract.

In fact, every time he played hurt he probably damaged his chances for a big payday in 2012 because his numbers kept sliding.

The point here is that there are plenty of players who are content to collect their paychecks and don’t feel a responsibility to play through their injuries.

Scott tried. It didn’t work out. But he tried.

He shouldn’t be criticized for that.

If you don’t believe me, here’s a quote from manager Buck Showalter.

“Luke is a tough guy. A lot of guys would want to have flew the coop, but he wanted to play. … I applaud him for that, the want-to, but it's not fair to the Orioles or to Luke to proceed down this path anymore.”

And one from catcher Matt Wieters: “It’s tough because we know what he has been going through all year and hopefully it gets healed and everything gets back to where we know Luke can be. Whatever is going to be best for him and best for his family is what we want him to do. We just want to get him healthy.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)
        

Orioles outfielder Luke Scott, who came off the disabled on Friday afternoon and was hoping to test his ailing right shoulder for a few days before deciding what to do next, experienced enough discomfort on Friday night that it looks like he might be done for the season.

“I think Luke is headed back to the disabled list,” said Orioles manager Buck Showalter after Friday’s 6-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. “First at-bat, he said (he had) discomfort or what have you. I talked to him between at-bats and I didn’t particularly like what I was seeing but he wasn’t giving in.”

Scott declined comment after the game, saying he would speak before Saturday’s contest. But on Friday afternoon he said if he couldn’t make it through the next few days, he would shut himself down for the year and decide whether to have his torn right labrum surgically repaired or rest and rehab the shoulder. Regardless, which decision is made, his 2011 looks to be over.

“It’s tough because we know what he has been going through all year and hopefully it gets healed and everything gets back to where we know Luke can be,” said catcher Matt Wieters. “Whatever is going to be best for him and best for his family is what we want him to do. We just want to get him healthy.”

Showalter said he saw enough from Scott that he would have replaced him with a pinch-hitter if his spot had come up in the ninth.

“I was hoping starting out that it was something we could work through. But we said before it’s not probably going to heal until the offseason and we were hoping he could play through it,” Showalter said. “I talked to him in my office and in the dugout before the last atbat and it’s probably an avenue we don’t go down anymore.”

Showalter said he and President of Baseball Operations would talk about what to do with Scott’s roster spot. One possible scenario is to recall outfielder Matt Angle, who was demoted to Triple-A Norfolk to make room for Scott on Friday. That’s possible since an injury created the opening.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 10:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Luke Scott’s decision on his ailing right shoulder will be made within the next week. He is either going to be a productive member of the Orioles’ lineup or he is shutting himself down for the remainder of the season.

“I’m going to come up here and do well if I’m capable of doing well. If I’m not, then I have to go down the road of rehab or surgery,” said Scott, who was activated from the disabled list Friday and immediately inserted in the starting lineup as the designated hitter and sixth batter. “I’m gathering all the information I possibly can to make the best decision possible if that comes. Right now, I’m focused on going out there and doing a good job (Friday) and the next few days.”

After hitting two homers and driving in six runs Thursday in a rehab game at Double-A Bowie, Scott decided to test his shoulder – he has a several-inch tear in his right labrum – for a few more days in the big leagues.

“We’ve been talking about three to five days,” Scott said. “I feel like that will be plenty of time to measure whether I’ve got enough and it allows me to do a good job.”

Since he has been playing with discomfort for most of the season, he said the determining factor in his decision will be if he can produce offensively the way he expects to. In 63 games this year, Scott has hit .223 with nine homers and 22 RBIs. In 2010, when he was the Most Valuable Oriole, he batted .284 with 27 homers and 72 RBIs in 131 games.

“It’s pointless if I come up here and (play) the way I’ve done the last month. It’s pointless coming out here. It’s not helping the team, it’s not helping myself. It’s not being a benefit,” Scott said. “So, at the end of the day you have to make an honest evaluation. Although my hearts in it, my desire, my work ethic, it’s all there. But something’s broke and it needs to be fixed.”

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he is on board with Scott’s plan, because the club could use his power if he can overcome the shoulder issue.

“I’m hoping it’s fine, it’s manageable, it’s better than it was before, and he's productive and he finishes the year with us,” Showalter said.

If Scott decides to have the labrum surgically repaired, he will be on the shelf for at least four months. He needs to make that call soon so he can be ready for spring training. Scott has been asking teammates about their experiences and said Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy had shoulder surgery and it took him six months to rebound and more than year to return to form. Pitcher Jason Berken used rest and rehab and no longer has any shoulder discomfort.

“I want to avoid (surgery) at all costs, but if its riskier to not have the surgery … then surgery will win out and we come to the question: Who’s going to do it and all that stuff,” Scott said. “I’ve been going through a lot of scenarios in my head, talking to a lot of people, my agent. I’m just getting as much information as I can.”

Scott is arbitration eligible this winter and is under club control for one more year. It’s possible the Orioles could decide not to tender him a contract, which would make him a free agent at season’s end.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 7:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Cesar Izturis (right elbow surgery) played five innings in Sarasota today and is headed to Bowie. He should play Saturday and Sunday in Bowie and, if all goes well, could return to the Orioles on Tuesday, manager Buck Showalter said.

Brian Roberts suffered another migraine today and did not do any baseball activities.

There may have been varying reasons why Brian Matusz had a rough start at Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday (3 2/3 IP, 7 ER, 8H, 3BB, 2Ks) but the bottom line, Showalter said, is “it wasn’t what Brian is capable of. It looked like the arrow was pointing up a little bit each outing and that one was a setback for him. But nothing he can’t get back on his feet with, real quickly.”

Luke Scott (right labrum tear) is back from the disabled list after hitting two homers and having 6 RBI for Double-A Bowie on Thursday. He said he will test the shoulder for the next 3 to 5 days and if he feels he can be productive, he will play through the injury. If he can’t, he will be shut down for the season and rest and rehab the shoulder or have surgery. Showalter said he is on board with that plan.

To make room for Scott, the Orioles demoted outfielder Matt Angle to Triple-A Norfolk. Angle was hitless in seven at-bats, but Showalter liked what he saw defensively from the speedy Angle. The manager said he expects Angle will be back in the big again.

Nothing is set yet on when Michael Gonzalez will begin serving his three-game suspension. A hearing likely would occur when the club is in New York at the end of the month, but Gonzalez could decide to drop it and begin serving before that.

Kevin Gregg has been reinstated after serving his three-game suspension. He said he watched every game from his home and got a “different perspective.”

Zach Britton is still on schedule to pitch July 25 for Double-A Bowie and then back in the majors likely on July 30, a doubleheader in New York. He’ll probably throw five innings on the 25th.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 4:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Earlier this week, Orioles President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail met with owner Peter Angelos to discuss potential moves with the trade deadline now nine days away. I’m told that there is nothing imminent at this point, but the sense that I get from talking to people familiar with the Orioles’ plans is that they’ll make one or two moves before the deadline. Their two biggest trade chips – and this certainly isn't breaking any news - are starter Jeremy Guthrie and reliever Koji Uehara.

There is a lot of action on Uehara right now. The Texas Rangers, Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit Tigers are among the potential suitors that I have heard, but I’d have a hard time believing that any of the contending clubs couldn’t find a spot for the right-handed reliever. I think there is some concern industry-wide about Uehara’s durability and his age (36), and that’s understandable. However, his numbers are awfully hard to ignore. In 44 innings, he’s allowed nine earned runs (1.84 ERA), 23 hits and eight walks while striking out 58. He hasn’t allowed a run in his last 13 innings and he’s surrendered just three hits and two walks while striking out 19 during that span. He’s also managed to stay off the disabled list. The Orioles are certainly listening and are willing to move him, but this isn’t a salary dump situation. They want something in return. Uehara needs to appear in 15 more games to kick in his $4 million vesting option for next season. And the Orioles would welcome having Uehara on their payroll at that number in 2012 if they can’t get a decent return for him.

As for Guthrie, I think the thought process three weeks ago was to hold onto the veteran right-hander because the Orioles needed him the rest of the way to eat innings and protect some of their young arms which are faltering badly. The club didn’t feel that Guthrie would have any more value now than he would after the season or before next year’s trade deadline, where he would almost certainly be moved because he’s in the final year of his contract. I sense that the Orioles have softened a bit on that stance and if they can get a decent return for Guthrie, they’ll send him packing. I’ve seen reported or speculated a bunch of teams connected to him, including the Rangers, Tigers, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels and Cleveland Indians. I’m not sure how serious any of their interest is and I do think it is probably a tough sell for the general manager of a potential playoff team to tell their fans that their new addition is the Major League leader in losses. However, Guthrie has solid stuff and I’m sure there are plenty of GMs that feel that he’ll flourish in a winning environment and in a less hitter-friendly ballpark away from the American League East. But make no mistake, with their lack of pitching depth, the Orioles aren’t in a position to give away a pitcher who is on track to log more than 200 innings for a third straight year. They likely are going to have to get at least one Major League-ready starter as part of the package back for him.

I’m told there is not much going on at this point between the Orioles and Philadelphia Phillies, but I think it’s worth mentioning that two of the Phillies top evaluators have been watching the Orioles during this home stand. Gordon Lakey attended the Orioles-Cleveland Indians series, while Charlie Kerfeld took in Orioles-Boston Red Sox. I would think that Uehara would fit in nicely with the Phillies and I wouldn't rule out Guthrie there either, but that’s just my speculation.

Foxsports.com was the first to report that the Tigers have interest in both Guthrie and Uehara. I can confirm that the Orioles have had scouts watching both the Tigers’ Double-A and Triple-A affiliates in recent days.

The Orioles are in no position to make anybody untouchable, but there are some guys obviously unlikely to be moved. Count Jim Johnson as part of that group. There have been several clubs to express interest in Johnson, including the Rangers, but the Orioles would probably need to get an awful lot in return to prompt them moving Johnson. It’s not impossible, but I would label it unlikely at this point. Johnson is 27 years old and the Orioles still have him under contractual control for three more seasons after this one. Assuming that Johnson does OK as a starter later this season, the Orioles will likely pencil him into next season’s rotation.

This probably goes without saying, but beyond Guthrie and Uehara, I just don’t see any other Orioles being moved before the non-waiver deadline. With their contracts and their lack of production, Derrek Lee and Vladimir Guerrero would almost certainly clear waivers so they could be traded at some point in August. Luke Scott has all but no value right now because of his injury issues and the fact that most teams see him as a DH. Outfielder Felix Pie has had a brutal year offensively and he hasn’t defended or ran the bases well so I can’t see another team having much interest in him as a potential bench player. Left-handed relief help is always in demand, but I can’t see Michael Gonzalez attracting much attention unless the Orioles ate the rest of his contract and asked for nothing in return.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (49)
        

After taking a couple of days off to rest his sore right shoulder, Orioles outfielder Luke Scott continued his rehab assignment tonight for Double-A Bowie, and the Baysox were happy that he did.

Batting third and serving as the Baysox designated hitter tonight against the Trenton Thunder, Scott is 3-for-4 with a double, two homers, six RBIs and three runs scored.

In his first at-bat, Scott hit an RBI groundout to score Xavier Avery. In his second at-bat, Scott drove a Craig Heyer pitch over the wall for a two-run homer. In his third at-bat, Scott doubled to plate Avery and Greg Miclat, and then in his fourth, he drilled his second homer, this one against reliever Josh Romanski.

Scott drove in all but two of the Baysox's runs in a 8-6 victory.

We'll see tomorrow if Scott feels comfortable enough to be activated and play tomorrow night against the Los Angeles Angels.

In other news, I wrote a profile on Orioles reliever Jim Johnson that will be in tomorrow's paper. You can read it online right here.

The story was more about Johnson off the field and his status as one of the Orioles' lower-profile players despite the fact that only Brian Roberts and Nick Markakis have been in the organization longer. I think plenty of ink has been spilled on Johnson's possible transition to a starter, but here are a couple of more quotes about it from Johnson, and then closer Kevin Gregg, who is also a former starter and has talked quite a bit with his teammate about the transition.

First from Johnson who has never campaigned publicly to start but most people think that's what he wants: "Honestly, I have no idea on where it’s going to go from here," Johnson said. "Like I said, I feel like I can do whatever they ask me to do. The preparation is going to be different, but that’s something that has to be figured out down the road. But I know what I’m doing now. I have nothing much more for you on that."

Now, here are the thoughts of Gregg: "I think the last couple of years, I don’t think it would have been a good idea. But I think now, we’ve talked a bunch about his mindset, where he’s at mentally. I have no dobut that he could do it now. He’s learned more about himself this last year and how to pitch out of situations. He’s continually in the tough innings. When you are a starter and you’re cruising, cruising, cruising, you eventually hit that tough inning. Now, he knows how to get out of that inning. That’s what he does, that’s his job now. I have no doubt that he could start at this level. He’s got the pitches, that big heavy sinker. He’s learned that curveball, when to throw it, how to use it. He’s definitely got that good changeup that is progressing and the more he throws it, the better it’s going to get. I think he could definitely handle it."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Minors
        

Here's a look at what other media outlets have said about the Orioles in the past week:

• Dave Schoenfield of ESPN’s SweetSpot blog lists three reasons he believes the Orioles’ three-year contract extension for shortstop J.J. Hardy is a risky deal.

1. Hardy is in the midst of his best season. After good seasons with the Brewers in 2007 and 2008 -- in which he hit 50 home runs -- he struggled in 2009 (.229) and didn't hit for much power with the Twins last season. That means his projected level of play is too difficult to predict. He looks great right now and considering the lack of quality shortstops in the majors, he's been one of the better ones in 2011. But is it merely a good two-month streak or just a guy who's finally healthy?

2. His injury history. He hasn't played 140 games since 2008 and won't again this year -- he's already missed 27 games earlier with an oblique strain, after missing more than 100 games combined in 2009-10.

3. How will he age? While he's not fast, Hardy has played a good shortstop throughout his career. He should remain good enough with the glove for three more years.

All in all, it seems like a good deal for the Orioles, assuming Hardy stays reasonably healthy. The Orioles are never going to be the first choice for top free agents, so they have to build from within and hope they can sign second-line players like Hardy to long-term contracts that don't break the payroll. Trading Hardy also would have left a huge gap at shortstop that would have been difficult to fill.

• ESPN’s Keith Law ranked shortstop Manny Machado as the fifth-best prospect in baseball. He also listed Jonathan Schoop, who plays next to Machado in Frederick, as the 38th-best prospect in baseball.

It wasn't clear how advanced (or raw) [Machado’s] approach was when he was drafted No. 3 in 2010, but it's clear now. He has an .816 OPS across two levels, and it's looking more likely that he'll stay at short than it did last year. … [Schoop is] looking a little overmatched at age 19 in high A but has all the elements to be an above-average regular at third base with power and defense.

• Dave Sheinin of The Washington Post remembers the glory days when the O’s were .500 this season.

And so, the competitive portion of the Orioles’ schedule has ended, and this will most likely be the franchise’s 14th consecutive losing season. If the Pittsburgh Pirates, six games over .500, manage to stay above that mark and end its streak of 18 straight losing seasons, the Orioles’ will be the longest in the sport.

If anything has distinguished this summer swoon from those of the past, it is the fact there had been actual hope in Baltimore — whether real or imagined — engendered by the 34-23 finish to 2010 under new Manager Buck Showalter, the 6-1 start to the 2011 season and the flirtation with .500 that lasted into mid-June.

In hindsight, all that did was make it sting even more when the collapse came.

• Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports believes Andy MacPhail “could walk” after the 2011 season.

It would be an upset if he returned as president of baseball operations.

Manager Buck Showalter has emerged as a leading confidante of owner Peter Angelos, a development that MacPhail says has occurred with his blessing. Showalter, according to Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun and some who know the manager well, might even want to become GM.

MacPhail, who is in the final year of his contract, has given no indication that he wants to remain in his current position. The Orioles, owners of the second-worst record in the AL, are headed for their 14th straight losing season. A shakeup of some kind seems inevitable.

• SI.com’s Joe Lemire discussed how Hardy’s contract extension will affect Machado.

So apparently blue-chip shortstop prospect Manny Machado -- the No. 3 overall pick in the 2010 draft -- will make his major league debut in Sept. 2014. One can reckon that based on the three-year extension given to incumbent shortstop J.J. Hardy, which runs through the end of 2014, so it stands to reason Machado would be a September call-up prior to Hardy's deal expiring (unless he fills out his 6'3" frame and moves to third base). Hardy has a .273/.330/.487 batting line with 14 home runs in 68 games this year and missed 25 games due to an oblique strain.

[Compiled by Matt Castello. If you enjoy reading these posts about the Orioles, Ravens and other Baltimore sports, check out Vensel’s Coffee Companion posts every morning, Monday-Friday.]

Posted by Matt Vensel at 4:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: What They're Saying about the O's
        

So much for the good vibe surrounding Brian Matusz's seven shutout and three-hit innings in his previous start for Triple-A Norfolk.

Facing Toledo today, Matusz was knocked around for eight runs (seven earned), eight hits and three walks over just 3 2/3 innings. Nick Bierdbrodt allowed two of his inherited runners to score, but there is no making this outing look good. Matusz needed 85 pitches to get just 11 outs. I wasn't there, so I don't have any reports about his velocity, but I can't imagine he had much going on, if the numbers are any indication.

It hasn't been a good two days for a couple of the Orioles' younger pitchers on the farm. Norfolk right-hander Chris Tillman allowed four runs (three earned) on nine hits and a walk over six innings against Toledo last night, leaving his ERA at 4.17. The hope was that he would go down there and fix some of his mechanical issues and force the Orioles to call him back up. He's clearly not doing that.

Then there's Double-A Bowie left-hander Zach Britton, who allowed two runs on two walks while striking out four over four innings yesterday. Britton obviously hasn't dominated in the two starts since his demotion, but he's still expected to be recalled July 30 to make the start against the New York Yankees.

In other news, the Orioles have moved the start time of their Sept. 1 game against the Toronto Blue Jays from 7:05 p.m. to 12:35 p.m. The move was made to minimize the level of inconvenience for Orioles fans and Baltimore Grand Prix planners.

(UPDATE: Right-hander Chorye Spoone (Northeast, CCBC-Catonsville), who was designated for assignment earlier this week, has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Double-A Bowie.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 2:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (31)
Categories: Minors
        

One of the best stories in baseball is happening a few hours to our west.

Despite a loss on Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Pirates (51-45) are in the thick of the National League Central pennant race. They’re in a fistfight for first place. They’re trading blows with the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals and are attempting to hold off the Cincinnati Reds, teams that were supposed to be in the mix in late July.

Everyone loves an underdog, so you have to be pulling for the Pirates, right?

Well, maybe everywhere else but here. Things get a little complicated here.

The Pirates have the longest active consecutive losing streak in the history of the four major North American sports at 18 straight seasons and counting.

But if the Pirates go .500 or better this year, the biggest loser baseball crown will be turned over the Orioles, who have had 13-straight losing seasons and counting.

So Orioles fans would have to deal with that indignity. Then there’s the fact that the Pirates play in Pittsburgh. And Pirates fans are, theoretically, Steelers fans as well. And I know most of you that hang out in this bar don’t want joy, of any kind, to rest on the shoulders of Steelers fans.

Then there’s the faction of you that still can’t stand the Pirates because of the 1971/1979 World Series. (I am a professional. I have moved on, but I still can’t hear Sister Sledge without wincing just a tiny bit).

So here’s what I am wondering: Are you pulling for the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Cinderella story? Are you glad that at least one of baseball’s tortured franchises is experiencing hope? Or is that impossible for you because of where this Cinderella grew up? Or the fact that she may wear the glass slipper that Baltimore wants to put on its toes? Maybe that hurts even more.

Daily Think Special: Are you rooting for the Pittsburgh Pirates?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (53)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar
        

If you are looking for some good news from Wednesday’s 4-0 loss to the Boston Red Sox – and you have to look pretty hard considering they could not score against lefty Andrew Miller, who issued six walks and two hits in 5 2/3 shutout innings – it starts with right-hander Jake Arrieta.

No Orioles official came out and said it, but there has been some quiet concern about Arrieta, who entered Wednesday with a 5.10 ERA and had allowed 14 runs in his last 14 1/3 innings.

So it was encouraging that he faced a tough Red Sox lineup and allowed just three runs – on two solo homers and a RBI groundout – in seven innings.

“It's definitely a step in the right direction. I'm not satisfied, I'm never really satisfied,” Arrieta said. “There's always room for improvement with every facet of the game for me as a pitcher.”

Most important, Arrieta didn’t allow a walk. The first time this season and second time in his career he has done that.

He said it was because he had worked on a mechanical tweak this week, aligning himself more straight up with the catcher instead of being off a bit to the right.

“It allows me to throw more consistent strikes and I think that was pretty obvious today,
really pounding the zone well,” Arrieta said. “Just aside for a couple mistakes.”

Arrieta threw a career-high 111 pitches. He threw an impressive 81 for strikes – something his manager appreciated.

“It’s good. He had good tempo. His delivery was a little quicker to the plate from the stretch, with the one exception where the guy stole on him,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “He was pretty good for the most part most of the day, and his tempo was a lot better, which I’m sure his teammates were happy with. It’s something we’ve been trying to stress with him a little bit.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)
        

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said potential plans to move reliever Jim Johnson back to the rotation will be discussed more once the club views its roster after the trade deadline.

“I have a pretty good grip on where we are going,” Showalter said. “But let’s see what happens between now and the end of this month. Things could change that. So I’ll keep an open mind on it.”

Showalter said he has discussed the possibility with Johnson, who started 127 games in the minors but only one in the majors – a spot start in 2006. He has established himself as one of the league’s better setup relievers, but with a wide arsenal he can throw for strikes, the lingering belief is he can be an effective starter.

“I don’t think you close the door on anything with a guy with his makeup,” Showalter said.

Johnson, 28, allowed eight runs in three innings in that lone start against the Chicago White Sox, but that was nearly five years ago.

“There are so many times that guys do a certain thing when they first emerge on the big league scene and people make the mistake of pigeon-holing them and if they don’t do particularly well there they say, ‘He’s not going to be able to do that,’” Showalter said. “And guys change.”

Taking Johnson, who is 5-3 with a 2.64 ERA and one save in 43 games, out of a relief role would certainly weaken the Orioles’ bullpen. And so the club may wait to make sure Koji Uehara or other relievers aren’t dealt at the non-waiver trade deadline before converting Johnson.

But the Orioles definitely will need someone to start in September when Zach Britton is most likely shut down to conserve his innings total. And Showalter would like Johnson to make some starts in 2011 – even if he has to be stretched out incrementally -- if that will be his role in 2012.

“I don’t think it is something that is just, ‘Whenever the season is over you go, All right Jimmy, here it is, be ready for this. I think he could use some valuable experience if that is where you go,” Showalter said. “I think he needs to know when he leaves here. It may be indicative by what happens in late September.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 2:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

With fewer than four weeks remaining to sign his 2011 draft picks, Orioles director of amateur scouting Joe Jordan finds himself in a familiar position in late July.

“We’re just kind of in a waiting mode on some stuff,” Jordan said. “We have offers out there to pretty much all of them. We’re going to sign some guys here soon or we’re going to move on to other things. Obviously, I’m talking about guys down in the draft. We have priorities. We have a first- and second-rounder that are not signed, and they are our top priorities.”

Jordan said he has had periodic conversations with the Orioles’ top pick, Dylan Bundy, a right-hander out of Owasso High in Oklahoma, whom the club selected fourth overall. Jordan fully expects the dialogue to pick up ahead of the Aug. 15 signing deadline.

However, Jordan did express some frustration that the club has been unable to make any progress in negotiations with their second-round selection, Jason Esposito, a third baseman from Vanderbilt.

“We were hopeful that Esposito would be out playing by now, and that’s not the case,” Jordan said. “We’re quite a ways apart. It’s just one of those things. I wish it was different. He needs to be playing, and he’s not. Unless something changes, he’s not going to be for a while unfortunately. We’ve got a big difference in opinion right now, and we’re going to hang in where we’re at.”

The Orioles have agreed to terms with 16 of their 50 picks, including six of their top 10 selections. Because the Orioles eliminated both their Rookie-level team in Bluefield and one of their Dominican Summer League teams and no longer have as much roster space, Jordan has said the organization probably will only sign between 20 and 25 of the 50 players that they selected last month.

Obviously, a good chunk of the draft budget will go toward trying to get Bundy into the fold. The 18-year-old has said he’s looking for a $30 million deal, which he certainly won’t get from the Orioles.

“I’ve talked to him from time to time,” Jordan said. “There’s not a whole lot of first-rounders who have signed. It’s just the nature of the beast right now. There’s not much you can do about it. You just wait until the time to strike, and hopefully we’ll get something done. We’re communicating, but not much is going on other than trying to have a little dialogue from time to time. That’s standard operating procedure unfortunately. “

As for the rest of his draft class, Jordan said it’s time for some of his selections to make decisions on where they want to play next.

“Hopefully, it’s the decision that we want them to make at the terms that we want them to make it at,” Jordan said. “We have priorities, and some guys are going to have to show me they want them to play or they’re going to be going back to school. It’s no different than any other year.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 1:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (24)
        

Right-hander Jeremy Guthrie finally gave the Orioles what they needed to beat the Boston Red Sox: a quality start.

In the Orioles' 6-2 victory at Camden Yards, Guthrie allowed two earned runs on eight hits and one walk over seven innings to break the Orioles' seven-game losing streak versus Boston. It was just Guthrie's fourth win of the season, his second in 11 starts, and his first against the Red Sox since May 13, 2008.

"They're a good team, so obviously you've got to play very well, pitch well, and then you have to hit against some of their top pitchers day in and day out," Guthrie said. "They're a tough team to beat, and it's nice to beat them for the first time since April."

Mark Reynolds went 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs, Adam Jones and Matt Wieters had two hits each, Derrek Lee gave the Orioles some breathing room with an opposite-field, two-run shot in the eighth and Jim Johnson retired all six hitters he faced to pick up his first save.

But the story was clearly Guthrie, who allowed a two-run homer to Jarrod Saltalamacchia in the fifth inning and nothing else.

“It’s obviously good to get off that streak that we’ve had against these guys," Johnson said. "They’ve handled us pretty soundly for the most part, and even the one-run games have turned into blowouts. I was happy with the way Jeremy pitched tonight. He looked like himself again. He went through a funk, and hopefully that’s a turning point for him and the rest of us.”

Johnson and Lee both said it was nice to reward Guthrie with a win. The right-hander leads the major leagues with 13 losses, though his teammates were quick to point out that he has deserved a far better fate on many occasions.

"He’s done everything he could to help his cause to get the wins," Johnson said. "Some of those games were unbelievable, where he’d throw a really good game and things just didn’t work out. Wins are sometimes not the whole story. It seems like every time I was pitching earlier in the year, I would somehow get a win. I’d gladly give a few to Guthrie if he’d give me a couple of strikeouts. I don’t think it’s a true barometer of how he’s been pitching.”

Said Lee: “I’m sure he’s a little bit frustrated. A starting pitcher, you want to get wins. But a lot of times, it’s not in your control. There’s been more games that I could even think of where he should have won, or pitched well enough to win. This guy is a bulldog. He’s an innings-eater, and the wins are going to come for him.”

Guthrie has two more starts before the July 31 nonwaiver trade deadline. I still think it's more likely that the Orioles keep him than trade him because their pitching is a mess and I think they value Guthrie more than other teams would in a trade. However, you're hearing his name out there more and more, and there is so little quality pitching available on the trade market.

There were only a couple of scouts here tonight, but Guthrie's performance certainly couldn't have hurt his value.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 10:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Orioles right-hander Alfredo Simon said his trip back to Baltimore from the Dominican Republic was bittersweet: He knows he’ll be able to pitch the rest of the season without distractions, but he has to return to his homeland Oct. 18 for another hearing surrounding the fatal shooting of his cousin on New Year’s Day.

“It doesn’t make me feel good because yesterday I thought everything was going to be over,” said Simon, who was removed from the Orioles’ restricted list before Tuesday’s game. “So [Oct. 18], I think this will be over. I will be in the Dominican. I will spend some time over there. That’s fine, so I don’t have to miss any games or any time in my job.”

Simon had to leave the Orioles on Sunday for a Monday hearing in the case, but the prosecution’s witnesses did not show so the proceeding was postponed.

“I don’t have to go back until the season is over,” Simon said. “So I can clear my mind and just play baseball and that is it.”

Simon spent nearly two months in a Dominican prison as the lead suspect in the death of his cousin, Michel Esteban Castillo Almonte, and the wounding of Castillo Almonte’s half-brother during an early-morning celebration in which guns were fired into the air. Because he was never charged, he was finally released in March. He was reinstated by the Orioles in May and has pitched nine games, including two starts this season.

He left the team Sunday night to fly to the Dominican. And, frankly, he said, he didn’t know what would happen but was hopeful he would be cleared.

“They don’t have any proof. … They don’t have any proof about the ballistics [on his gun]. It’s negative, so I thought yesterday it was going to be over,” Simon said in his first specific comments about the case since January. “I have never been in trouble like that before. I haven’t been charged. If I had been charged, I’d be in jail. But they can’t because they don’t have enough proof. Sometimes they try to get money from players or whatever, so we’ll just wait and see what happens.”

Simon said that when the Orioles season ends, he’ll return to the Dominican and spend some time with his family before the October hearing. Once it is over, he said, he expects he and his wife will spend the winter in Tampa, Fla., instead of his homeland.

“I will see my family and come back,” he said. “But my mindset is I am going to live [in the United States] because the way [Dominican authorities] treated me like that. I don’t really like that.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

ORIOLES
Matt Angle, LF
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Matt Wieters, C
Derrek Lee, 1B
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Nolan Reimold, DH
Blake Davis, 2B
Jeremy Guthrie, SP

RED SOX
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
Josh Reddick, LF
Carl Crawford, DH
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
J.D. Drew, RF
Marco Scutaro, SS
Kyle Weiland, SP

Orioles outfielder Luke Scott will be shut down for a couple of days before trying to resume playing in some rehab games. Scott acknowledged that his shoulder is still giving him trouble, but he's not ready to shut it down yet. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said Scott is close to the point where he's going to have to decide how to deal with his shoulder or he could risk not being ready for the start of next season.

Infielder Cesar Izturis (elbow surgery) will play Friday for the Gulf Coast League Orioles, then go to Double-A Bowie on Saturday and Sunday. He'll DH for Bowie on Saturday and play shortstop for the Baysox on Sunday. He could be activated by the Orioles in time for Tuesday's game.

Brian Roberts had migraines yesterday, but Showalter said it was unrelated to his concussion issues and the second baseman was able to do some activities today.

The doctor who has operated on Justin Duchscherer before has recommended the pitcher have another hip surgery. Duchscherer will consult with Orioles orthopedist Dr. John Wilckens before making the decision, but the reality is that nobody expects him to pitch for the Orioles this season. That ship has sailed.

Closer Kevin Gregg, who is scheduled to serve the second game of his three-game suspension tonight, beat the storm and threw a simulated game.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Minors
        

The Orioles have traded veteran Triple-A infielder Nick Green and cash to the Texas Rangers for Triple-A left-handed reliever Zach Phillips.

Phillips, who is 1-3 with a 4.43 ERA in 33 games for Triple-A Round Rock, will be added to the 40-man roster and report to Triple-A Norfolk. To make room on the 40-man roster for him, the Orioles have designated right-handed pitcher Chorye Spoone (Northeast, CCBC-Catonsville).

Spoone, 25, has a 4.73 ERA in 19 starts combined between Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk this season.

In 213 games over seven career minor league seasons, Phillips is 31-39 with a 4.10 ERA. This season, the lefty has allowed 50 hits and 21 walks while striking out 38 in 44 2/3 innings.

Phillips went 3-2 with a 2.69 ERA in 45 appearances last season, and 2-3 with a 1.39 ERA in 36 appearances in 2009.

Green, the 32-year-old utility infielder who signed with the Orioles as a minor league free agent before the season, batted .208 with 16 doubles 10 homers and 46 RBIs in 87 games for Norfolk.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (23)
Categories: Minors
        

The Orioles are looking at two possible roster moves before tonight’s game.

The club is hoping that Alfredo Simon will be back with the team Tuesday – and if he is physically able to re-join the club, he has to be taken off the restricted list, even though he won’t start for a few more days.

The other possibility is Luke Scott (shoulder strain), who played two rehab games for Double-A Bowie, going 2-for-6 with a homer and two strikeouts. He said his shoulder feels “all right” but he won’t know what the next step is until he goes to the ballpark later today.

If Scott is activated, the most likely to be demoted is third baseman Josh Bell or outfielder Matt Angle. The belief is that the club would prefer having Bell play every day in the minors than riding the bench in the majors, but with Scott back, there becomes a jumble at left field again, so there wouldn’t be much playing time for Angle.

With Simon back, one would think Mark Worrell or Chris Jakubauskas would be most vulnerable to a cut. Since Jakubauskas can pitch multiple innings, Worrell, who didn’t retire any of the three batters he faced on Monday, is more likely to be designated.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 1:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

J.J. Hardy is officially off the trade board now that he has inked a three-year contract extension with the Orioles.

Hardy was by far the Orioles’ most coveted -- and potentially available -- trade commodity.

Of the pending free agents, the only other one who might draw real interest this month is reliever Koji Uehara, who has been perhaps the club’s best pitcher. I’m not sure how much a right-handed setup man would bring in return, but Uehara has been one of the best.

He is 1-1 with a 1.84 ERA in 40 games. He has allowed 23 hits and eight walks in 44 innings while striking out 58.

The remaining pending free agents are a bucketful of high-salaried disappointment right now: Michael Gonzalez, Derrek Lee and Vladimir Guerrero. Maybe a contender bites and takes a chance on one of those guys, but the return would be minimal, at best. And all almost certainly would pass through trade waivers, so they could be dealt in August if there are any suitors.

Two other potential trade chips are starter Jeremy Guthrie and Luke Scott, who are both arbitration-eligible at season’s end. But neither has helped his value recently: Scott is expected to come off the DL on Tuesday but has batted .223 in 63 games; Guthrie leads the majors in losses (13) and has a 4.45 ERA. You aren’t getting a top prospect in return for those two.

So, really, that leaves Uehara, 36, as your main trade bait. There is another thing to consider with him, though. He needs 15 more games to kick in his $4 million vesting option for 2012. And, honestly, $4 million doesn’t seem bad for a guy who has pitched so well this season in a relief corps that has struggled.

Obviously, we don’t know exactly what the Orioles would get in return for Uehara, so this is a little tough to answer. But let’s say, theoretically, you can get one legitimate prospect for him -- say a top-10 player from another system.

Would you deal Koji at the trade deadline? Or do you want to keep him for next year based on the way he has pitched?

Daily Think Special: Do you trade Koji Uehara at the deadline?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (85)
        

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he didn’t feel hamstrung by his relief options Monday night in the Orioles’ 15-10 loss to the Red Sox.

Don’t buy it. He was hamstrung, tendoned and ligamented by a beleaguered bullpen that was short on experience and rest.

Closer Kevin Gregg is serving a three-game suspension, and Koji Uehara had pitched three consecutive days. Veteran long man Mark Hendrickson also was unavailable after throwing three innings Sunday.

So five of the six pitchers Showalter used Monday (including starter Brad Bergesen) have pitched in the minors this year. The one who hasn’t is Michael Gonzalez, who has a 5.82 ERA.

Showalter was in a tough spot with Johnson -- who was the Orioles’ only legitimate closer option if the team had held a lead in the ninth. Showalter said he was attempting to stay away from Johnson but would have used him to close the game or to face Adrian Gonzalez in the eighth if there were two outs.

But it never came to that. Not in an eight-run eighth that started with a groundout before Michael Gonzalez loaded the bases on two walks and a single. With 2008 MVP Dustin Pedroia coming to the plate, Showalter was forced to bring in Mark Worrell, who was summoned from Triple-A Norfolk on Monday and hadn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2008.

He could have used Johnson, but decided against it -- given the above.

And Worrell, who was Norfolk’s closer, couldn’t come through. He allowed Pedroia's two-run double, intentionally walked Gonzalez, then gave up a two-run single to Kevin Youkilis before being pulled.

“It’s a tough spot, but [those are] spots I want to be in, and I feel like I need to succeed in that,” Worrell said. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. I need to pitch my way out of that. … All I want to do is do my part and help us win ballgames. I didn’t do my part today, and it [stinks].”

Chris Jakubauskas came in and couldn’t stop the bleeding, and by the end of the inning, eight runs had scored and the Orioles had wasted a good offensive night.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 11:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)
        

The Orioles were trailing 6-2 in the bottom of the fifth when Felix Pie struck out against knuckleballer Tim Wakefield. The ball got away and Pie dashed to first.

Who knew a strikeout could be a rally-igniter? Robert Andino fanned but J.J. Hardy followed with his 14th homer of the year. Nick Markakis made the second out (which should have been the third) and then Adam Jones hit an absolute bomb – it was estimated at 434 feet – to deep left for a 6-5 game.

The Orioles then loaded the bases and Nolan Reimold doubled to left to make it 7-6. Wakefield was chased after allowing seven runs (three earned) on nine hits and two walks in 4 2/3 innings.

The rally allowed the Orioles to send Brad Bergesen to the showers as the potential winning pitcher. He lasted five innings and gave up six runs (four earned) on eight hits.

Troy Patton replaced him and pitched a perfect sixth in his return to the big leagues.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
        

Orioles right-hander Alfredo Simon is done with his hearing in the Dominican Republic and is heading back to the United States, according to a source that has spoken with Simon.

The pitcher, who was placed on the restricted list Sunday night so he could return to his homeland and deal with legal matters, is expected back in Baltimore on Tuesday.

Whether he will be back in uniform Tuesday has not been determined, but that is possible.

Simon has been the lead suspect in the fatal New Year’s Day shooting of his cousin and spent nearly two months in a Dominican prison but was never charged with a crime.

He still has not been charged, the source said. But he also has not been completely cleared in the matter.

It’s possible he will have to go back to the Dominican for another hearing in the future, but the source said it was “highly unlikely” that would occur before the Orioles’ season ends.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

A lot going on here at Camden Yards so I don't have time to put this in article form, but here are a couple of quotes from the news conference announcing J.J. Hardy's three-year contract extension.

Opening statement from president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail: “This is a happy occasion for us. We've been looking for one of these shortstops for a few years now. We've gone through a lot of options there, but none of them nearly as attractive or as effective as J.J.'s been. He's one of the leading offensive shortstops in our game today, he's statistically probably the No. 1 shortstop, [in terms of] fielding percentage, in the game today. We're delighted to have him for three more years after this. It's nice to have one position where you don't have to worry about it for a while. It's great to have a good young player contribute to the extent that he has. We've asked him to do things in the beginning of the lineup that he really hasn't been accustomed to. He's done a terrific job for us in every facet of the game. Good teammate. Really, everything that you could possibly ask for, he has more than delivered. So we're delighted to call him a Baltimore Oriole for three more seasons.”

Hardy's opening statement: "I'm also very excited. From Day One, walking into spring training, I've really felt comfortable in this clubhouse, all the coaches, everyone has really made me feel comfortable. I've really enjoyed my time here. ... To come in here and see the way this is, and like it, it definitely helped me make the decision to stay.”

Hardy on why he signed extension despite team struggles: “Really two parts. I think one, the fact that I’ve had so much fun here, enjoyed my time, like the people I’m around, and in this business, being around these guys for 200 straight days, maybe more, I don’t know exactly how many it is, if you’re not enjoying your time, it’s pretty tough to come to the ballpark. The other thing is that I really believe that Buck and Andy and Peter, and everyone that has the power to make this organization better, they’re doing everything they possibly can to do that, and I really feel that the next three years, we can definitely make some improvements.”

Manager Buck Showalter on long-term core in place: “It’s tough to talk to J.J. a whole lot after all these compliments. It’s really hard to find a negative. We have people that make their teammates better. I think that’s the big compliment. I think the biggest compliment that I’ve ever paid players is that they’re a baseball player, somebody you can trust. I think the word to describe J.J. is sincere. Whether the team needs him to hit first or ninth or eighth or seventh, or whatever’s best, I think there’s a trust on both sides of that. Coming in every day and seeing him as a part of what we’re trying to do here, and at a young age he’s established himself as a piece to what we’re trying to do here, and he’s got to have help. We’ve got some people [who] are and can be. It’s just real comforting to me as a manager to know that that’s one less thing that we have to be worried about, and I appreciate Peter, us being able to do this and the work that Andy and his staff did to get it done.”

MacPhail on trade interest in Hardy before extension: “If you look at rosters, there are several contending teams that probably would be happy to upgrade at that position. There was legitimate interest. Plus, we looked forward and looked at the offseason, and as far as we can discern, there was going to be a greater demand for the shortstop position than there was going to be a supply coming out. The teams that we thought were going to be looking over the winter and wherever those guys were going to come from, we just thought the supply-and-demand equation made sense to do it now. That is now off the table. We’re not going to consider doing anything with J.J. He has the power in his contract as well not to go anywhere without his permission for the remainder of this particular season.”

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)
        

Orioles outfielder Nick Markakis has been named the American League Player of the Week for the period ending July 17.

In four games last week, Markakis batted .429 (6-for-14) with two doubles, two home runs, four RBI and five runs. This is his first AL Player of the Week honor and the first for an Oriole since Luke Scott was recognized July 25, 2010.

During the period, Markakis tied for first in the league in home runs, runs and slugging percentage (1.000) and was second with 14 total bases. He also achieved his 1,000th career hit with a third-inning single Friday against the Cleveland Indians.

Markakis has hit safely in 31 of his past 33 games, batting .396 (57-for-144) with
nine doubles, five homers, 21 RBI and 18 runs while raising his season batting average from .236 to .297.

Triple-A Norfolk left-hander Brian Matusz has also been named International League Pitcher of the Week after throwing seven shutout and three-hit innings against Gwinnett on Saturday night.

Double-A Bowie right-hander Mike Ballard was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week after going 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA in 14 innings.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Minors
        

ORIOLES
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Matt Wieters, C
Derrek Lee, 1B
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Nolan Reimold, DH
Felix Pie, LF
Robert Andino, 2B
Brad Bergesen, SP

RED SOX
Jacoby Ellsbury, DH
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
Josh Reddick, CF
Carl Crawford, LF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
J.D. Drew, RF
Marco Scutaro, SS
Tim Wakefield, SP

With David Ortiz out of the lineup, I assume that means that he's starting his suspension. I'd also assume that Orioles closer Kevin Gregg is starting his as well, but no official word from MLB.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

J.J. Hardy has passed his physical, and the Orioles officially announced the three-year, $22.25 million extension with the 28-year-old shortstop.

Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail is expected to discuss the deal before tonight's series opener against the Boston Red Sox at Camden Yards.

The deal removes perhaps the Orioles' biggest chip from the trade market as the club has promised Hardy he won't be moved before the new contract kicks in for next season.

The extension includes a limited no-trade clause, with Hardy able to block deals to eight designated teams in 2012, 2013 or 2014. Orioles right fielder Nick Markakis has a similar no-trade clause, and second baseman Brian Roberts had an escalating one that averaged eight teams per year, but is up to 12 in 2011.

"That's a big part of the whole contract," said Hardy, who has played for three teams since 2009. "That I know I'm going to be here for three years and go from there."

Hardy has also said that he enjoys playing in Baltimore and under manager Buck Showalter, who he feels has the organization going in the right direction despite the team's dismal record.

"I like all the guys in this clubhouse. I like the coaching staff," he said. "I just think overall I've had a lot of fun here, and there's been years I didn't have a lot of fun playing. That's a big thing for me, to have fun, and all these guys allow me to do that."

The Orioles acquired Hardy from the Minnesota Twins in December for minor league relievers Jim Hoey and Brett Jacobson. Despite missing a month with an oblique injury, Hardy has been one of the American League's top shortstops all season.

Taking over the leadoff spot with Brian Roberts on the disabled list, Hardy is batting .278 with 13 homers and 34 RBIs in 65 games, and he's made only two errors at shortstop.

"I get the opportunity to play with him. I appreciate what he does at the position he's at and the position he got put in the lineup," Markakis said. "He's done a great job filling in for B-Rob. You know what you're going to get out of him every day. He plays the game hard, and he plays the game right. You can put him anywhere in the lineup pretty much. He's an all-around ball player and he's a guy you want on your team."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 2:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

The two main combatants in the contentious and ejection-filled Orioles-Boston Red Sox series earlier this month won’t be in uniform tonight as the two clubs renew acquaintances.

Orioles right-hander Kevin Gregg and Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz, who charged the mound in the eighth inning on July 8 at Fenway Park after the closer threw three straight pitches inside and then yelled at him to run to first base, have had their suspensions reduced from four games to three, and their fines reduced. Those suspensions will start tonight, taking both players out of the three-game series.

Both teams will be forced to play shorthanded, and are unable to fill those roster spots.

Gregg and Ortiz appealed the suspensions, which were handed out last Thursday by Major League Baseball. However, after several discussions with the league and the player’s union in recent days, both players have agreed to drop their appeals and serve their suspensions immediately at the reduced three games.

Orioles reliever Michael Gonzalez, who was banned for three games after he threw a pitch behind Ortiz in the July 10 series finale, will be available for the series. He has also appealed his suspension, and he won’t start serving it until after Gregg returns.

The series between the two clubs earlier this month, which resulted in a four-game Red Sox sweep, produced eight ejections, and five hit batters. Red Sox pitching hit four of those batters including Vladimir Guerrero, who is now on the disabled list with a fractured bone in his right hand after he was hit by rookie Kyle Weiland in the series finale.

The Orioles remained miffed at the league for its handling of the incident, that three Orioles (Gregg, Gonzalez and manager Buck Showalter) were handed out suspensions while only one Red Sox (Ortiz) got one.

They felt that Ortiz deserved a harsher penalty than Gregg because the slugger came to the mound twice (though Gregg clearly provoked the second visit by yelling at Ortiz). They also felt that Red Sox starter John Lackey deserved a suspension for hitting both Nick Markakis and Derrek Lee the following day.

Lackey, who was fined, is not scheduled to pitch in the series.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Several people have questioned why in the world would shortstop J.J. Hardy want to sign a contract extension with the Orioles when they are struggling so badly, and he likely would have several contenders bidding for his services after this season. Obviously, a three-year, $22.25 million contract extension is a nice comfort for a player with an extensive injury history. But the two other factors that immediately come to mind are loyalty and commitment. Hardy readily admits that he’s still a little bitter about how his time in Milwaukee ended. He felt that he was one of the guys that helped the Brewers get to the 2008 playoffs, and yet a year later, a struggling Hardy was optioned to Triple-A Nashville, a move that allowed Milwaukee to delay his free agency one extra year. The Brewers then traded him after the 2009 season to open up a spot for youngster Alcides Escobar. Hardy went to the Minnesota Twins, and he struggled to stay on the field and never felt part of that organization’s future. So Hardy was appreciative when the Orioles traded for him and then months later expressed to him that they wanted him to be part of their future. Sure, Hardy wanted the comfort of a long-term deal, but he also wanted to be wanted and feel that an organization was committed to him going forward.He got both feelings from the Orioles.

On to another question that I’ve been asked repeatedly: “Why is Nick Markakis choking up on the bat so much?” I posed that one to Markakis, who enjoys talking about his hitting mechanics with a reporter almost as much as he enjoys wearing a fastball from John Lackey in the ribs. Markakis gave his usual stock answers that he just feels real comfortable now at the plate and he’s staying with what works. About as expansive as he got was indicating that that it allows him to exhibit better bat control. I asked him whether he feels that choking up will further limit his power – I know, I know, Barry Bonds choked up a lot, too - and he opined that it had nothing to do with it, and power was a function of his bat speed. He then went out and homered in his second consecutive game.

I’m guessing that Orioles manager Buck Showalter will happily confront this problem tonight because it will mean that his team actually has a lead against the Boston Red Sox, but it will be real interesting to see who will get the ball late in a close game if such a situation arises. Koji Uehara won’t be available after having pitched in three consecutive games. Kevin Gregg is expected to start serving his suspension tonight. Jim Johnson probably will be available, but he did pitch 1 2/3 innings yesterday. Mark Hendrickson will be off limits after pitching three innings yesterday. Michael Gonzalez has pitched three of the past four days. My guess is Johnson would be the designated closer for the night, but anything beyond that would be purely a guess.

Just a quick note on Johnson’s workload: In his first 22 appearances, the big righty was forced to get more than three outs just six times. In his last 21 appearances, he’s gotten more than three outs 12 times. I don’t think it’s a matter of trying to stretch him out for a transition into a starter either. The Orioles have so few relievers that they can trust, and Johnson is one of them.

And one more thing about the Orioles’ bullpen: I’ve talked to enough scouts of teams that are looking for relievers, and while they praise Uehara for the season that he’s having, and say that he’s a guy that their club is keeping an eye on, they quickly talk about his durability concerns, his problems pitching in really hot weather and his propensity to give up the long ball. Look, I get it, but you can’t ignore the following numbers: 1.84 ERA, nine earned runs, 23 hits, eight walks and 58 strikeouts in 44 innings. The one blemish is the six home runs allowed. Regardless, he’s just having a phenomenal season. I was a little surprised that Showalter brought him into a third straight game yesterday, especially with a five-run lead. I initially wondered if Showalter was trying to send a message to the scouts in attendance that Uehara is in fine form and count be counted on to pitch on a regular basis, but I concluded that was probably a reach. Either way, I don’t know what more scouts would have needed to see about Uehara after watching this series. In three consecutive games spanning four scoreless innings, he retired 12 of the 13 hitters that he faced, six of them on strikeouts. He also threw only 45 pitches (32 for strikes) while getting those 12 outs.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (27)
        

Each day seemingly brings more uncertainty to the Orioles' roster. Today, the Orioles added outfielder Matt Angle and reliever Troy Patton and subtracted designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero (disabled list) and reliever Pedro Viola (optioned to Double-A Bowie).

TOMORROW: The Orioles will add Triple-A reliever Mark Worrell and Triple-A third baseman Josh Bell. Mitch Atkins was optioned to Norfolk after today's game, and the other roster spot will open when the club officially places Alfredo Simon on the restricted list. Simon will head back to the Dominican Republic for a hearing related to his offseason legal troubles. The Orioles will have to add Worrell to the 40-man roster, and they'll likely do that by moving Brian Roberts (concussion) to the 60-day disabled list. It's expected that closer Kevin Gregg could start serving his suspension tomorrow as well, but the Orioles won't be able to replace him on the roster.

TUESDAY: Left fielder-designated hitter Luke Scott, who went 1-for-2 with a homer and two walks tonight for Double-A Bowie, will likely be activated from the disabled list. You would think Angle will be in the most jeopardy when Scott returns simply because the Orioles would already have three left fielders in Scott, Felix Pie and Nolan Reimold. Even if Scott primarily serves as the DH with Guerrero out, Pie and Reimold should be enough to hold down left field. If all goes well with Simon's hearing and he returns to the United States, he'll need to be activated from the restricted list. Worrell or Bell would probably be the two guys considered for demotion with Simon's return.

SATURDAY, JULY 23: If everything remains on schedule, infielder Cesar Izturis, who hasn't played since May 13, could be activated from the disabled list this day. He'd probably replace Blake Davis, who is serving as the team's utility infielder.

TUESDAY, JULY 26: Vladimir Guerrero (cracked bone in right hand) will be available to come off the disabled list.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 8:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: Minors
        

After his second straight poor start, right-hander Mitch Atkins was optioned back to Triple-A Norfolk.

Atkins has an 8.44 ERA in three starts. In the Orioles' 8-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians today, Atkins allowed three earned runs on six hits, including two homers, and two walks over three innings. He needed 77 pitches to get the nine outs.

Over his past two starts since holding the Texas Rangers to one run over six innings in his Orioles debut, Atkins has allowed nine runs, 13 hits, five homers and three walks in just 4 2/3 innings.

The Orioles are expected to fill Atkins' roster space, along with the spot created by Alfredo Simon's trip to the restricted list, by selecting the contract of right-handed reliever Mark Worrell and third baseman Josh Bell. Worrell and Bell are with Norfolk.

Worrell, 28, is 0-4 with a 2.95 ERA in 35 relief appearances for the Tides. He has 12 saves and represented the Tides in the Triple-A All-Star Game. Worrell last pitched in the big leagues in 2008, making four appearances for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Bell, the 24-year-old third baseman who played in 53 games for the Orioles last year, is batting .267 with 16 homers and 47 RBIs in 85 games for Norfolk.

One of the above-mentioned two could be here only for one game if Simon -- as expected -- returns to the team Tuesday and is activated from the restricted list.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 5:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Minors
        

ORIOLES
Matt Angle, LF
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Matt Wieters, DH
Derrek Lee, 1B
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Robert Andino, 2B
Craig Tatum, C
Mitch Atkins, SP

Angle will be making his major league debut. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he felt it was important to get the rookie into the lineup because he doesn't plan on using him tomorrow with knuckleballer Tim Wakefield on the mound for the Boston Red Sox.

Troy Patton, who was also promoted, with Pedro Viola heading back to Double-A Bowie, will be available in the Orioles' bullpen today.

With Alfredo Simon headed to the restricted list tonight, the Orioles will likely add a pitcher for Monday's game against the Red Sox. However, that pitcher might be with the club for only one day because the Orioles are optimistic that Simon will return to the team Tuesday.

Showalter said the club is also hopeful that Vladimir Guerrero (cracked bone in right hand) will be available to come off the disabled list on the day he's eligible, July 26.

Pitching coach Rick Adair said he got positive reports on Brian Matusz, who threw seven shutout and three-hit innings in Triple-A Norfolk's game against Gwinnett last night. Adair said Matusz averaged about 88 mph on his fastball -- he was averaging about 86 when he was in the big leagues earlier this year -- and he did touch 90.

Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy had his physical this morning. The club is expected to officially announce his three-year extension tomorrow afternoon.

Showalter said the plan is still for Luke Scott to play rehab games tonight and tomorrow and be activated from the DL on Tuesday.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

This news probably won't come as a surprise, but Orioles manager Buck Showalter announced after tonight's 6-5 victory over the Cleveland Indians that the club will place designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero (cracked bone in right hand) on the disabled list and option Pedro Viola back to Double-A Bowie.

Those two roster spots will be filled by Triple-A Norfolk outfielder Matt Angle, and Tides left-hander Troy Patton.

Angle, 25, is hitting .266 with four homers, 29 RBIs, 20 steals and a .334 on-base percentage in 81 games. The 2007 seventh-round pick out of Ohio State has never played in the majors.

Patton, 25, is 4-1 with a 1.83 ERA in 17 appearances for the Tides. He has made one appearance for the Orioles this season, allowing one earned run in 1 2/3 innings.

Viola has a 9.82 ERA in four outings with the Orioles this season. Guerrero will be able to return from the DL on July 26 in Toronto.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Minors
        

Not only did Alfredo Simon have the best outing for an Orioles starter in weeks in his team's 6-5 victory tonight over the Cleveland Indians, but the club also got encouraging news on the farm as Brian Matusz put together his best outing of the season for Triple-A Norfolk.

Facing Gwinnett, Matusz pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out eight. He threw 53 of his 88 pitches for strikes, and he got seven ground-ball outs, both very good signs.

The only bad news was that the Tides bullpen blew his lead. Obviously, one good outing isn't going to cure what has ailed Matusz, and I've not heard anything about his stuff or velocity yet, but this is a kid that needs some good results to get some confidence back, and tonight was surely a good start.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Minors
        

With the Orioles' roster in a state of flux, the club has summoned outfielder Matt Angle and left-handed pitcher Troy Patton to Baltimore from Triple-A Norfolk on Saturday night.

It’s possible neither is activated. It all depends on how the Orioles’ roster shakes out in the next couple of days.

Alfredo Simon, Saturday’s starter, leaves Sunday at 7 p.m. for the Dominican Republic to attend a hearing Monday, which could end his involvement as a suspect in a fatal shooting there.

He is expected to be in uniform Sunday -- if he is able, he has to be part of the team -- then will be put on the restricted list Monday. That would allow the Orioles to recall another player until Simon can return to the team (the Orioles are hopeful that will be either Tuesday or Wednesday).

Designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero has not yet been placed on the disabled list with a broken bone in his hand, but he can’t swing a bat right now. So a DL stint is likely for him -- which means he could be replaced by Angle.

But Luke Scott (right shoulder) may be ready to come off the DL by Tuesday, which means they could always wait two more days before making a move with Guerrero (though his trip to the DL can be backdated to July 11).

Complicating matters are also the pending suspensions of relievers Kevin Gregg (four games) and Michael Gonzalez (three games). Manager Buck Showalter intimated that there has been some discussion involving those players and the league office, so reduction in suspensions could be coming by Monday.

The Orioles are not able to replace suspended players on the rosters -- so they’ll have to play short. But Gonzalez and Gregg will not serve their suspensions at the same time.

Got all that?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Minors
        

Lots of stuff today from Buck Showalter’s pre-game news conference.

No decision has been made on Vladimir Guerrero (cracked bone in right hand) this evening, but Showalter called him a “DL candidate.”

Guerrero said he took four swings Friday and felt pain in the hand. He did not swing today and did not expect to -- so you have to assume he’s going on the disabled list, which could be backdated to Monday, July 11, meaning he could be back by July 26 in Toronto.

The problem is there are a whole lot of things to juggle right now. Alfredo Simon is pitching tonight, then will go on the restricted list Sunday so he can go back to the Dominican for a hearing concerning his legal issues there. Michael Gonzalez and Kevin Gregg are appealing suspensions that could be addressed by Monday, Showalter said. And Luke Scott (shoulder) could be back by Tuesday, so the Orioles have to figure out when -- and for whom -- to make a transaction involving Guerrero.

Scott, by the way, is expected to play Sunday at Double-A Bowie and then travel with the Baysox on Monday to Harrisburg. If all goes well, he could rejoin the Orioles on Tuesday when eligible.

Also, Brad Bergesen, who has been in the bullpen, is expected to start Monday’s game against Boston, although Showalter said that could change.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

The big news of today is the three-year contract extension for J.J. Hardy that will be worth between $22 million and $22.5 million through 2014.

But that may not be the only news.

The Orioles are waiting on how Vladimir Guerrero (right hand) feels when he gets to the park today to decide what to do with him.

As of 1 p.m., no minor leaguer is on his way to Camden Yards, but that could change at any moment.

The two most likely call-ups are outfielder Matt Angle and third baseman Josh Bell, both of whom are on the club’s 40-man roster.

Angle, a center fielder throughout his career, played left field Friday for Triple-A Norfolk, which club officials say is more coincidence than indication he is positively on his way up.

The 25-year-old is hitting .266 with four homers, 29 RBIs, 20 steals and a .334 on-base percentage in 81 games. The 2007 seventh-round pick out of Ohio State has never played in the majors.

Bell, 24, has hit .260 with 16 homers and 47 RBIs in 84 games with the Tides. He has a .312 on-base percentage and has struck out 94 times in 334 at-bats. The big third baseman was the key prospect acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2009 trade of George Sherrill. He hit .214 with three homers in 53 games with the Orioles in 2010.

Because the Orioles are limited to a three-man bench, even with a healthy Guerrero, it’s possible a move for an offensive player will be made Saturday and a reliever could be designated or demoted. If Guerrero has to go on the DL, both Angle and Bell could be promoted.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 1:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
Categories: Minors
        

The Orioles have agreed to terms with shortstop J.J. Hardy on a three-year contract extension, which will pay the 28-year-old shortstop between $22 and $22.5 million total through 2014, the Baltimore Sun has learned.

The deal is pending a physical and some specific contractual language. It includes a limited no-trade clause of eight teams during the extension. The Orioles have also given him assurances that he will not be flipped this year (even though the extension does not specifically cover 2011).

The Orioles have not commented on the deal, but it could be agrred upon as soon as today. A physical has not yet been scheduled.

Hardy, who is batting .275 with 13 homers and 33 RBIs and has made just two errors in 63 games this season, told the Sun on Friday, “My thought is that I still hope it gets done … If it gets done or not before the trade deadline, I don’t know what their thoughts are. But I still say I hope it gets done.”

Hardy, who came over this offseason in a trade with the Minnesota Twins for two minor-league pitchers, is a free agent at season’s end and was looking for more stability after being with three teams since 2009. The Orioles have been pleased with his offense, defense and leadership in the clubhouse. Hardy is making $5.85 million this season.

The only knock on Hardy is his injury history – he missed a month this year with an oblique strain and hasn’t played 145 games in a big-league season since 2008. But the Orioles believe he can stay healthy enough to provide the perfect bridge to 19-year-old shortstop Manny Machado, the club’s top prospect who is playing at Class-A Frederick. (Machado left Friday’s game with a hip flexor and will be re-evaluated Saturday, but is considered day-to-day.)

The Orioles have not given a full no-trade clause since Melvin Mora in 2006, but both Nick Markakis (eight clubs) and Brian Roberts (12 clubs in 2011, full protection in 2012) currently have limited clauses built into their extensions.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (26)
        

The Orioles have long debated whether setup man Jim Johnson, who came up through their system as a starter, should move to the rotation, but that dialogue has heated up the past couple of weeks to the point where it may be not a matter of if, but when. The performance of the Orioles’ rotation has left team officials scrambling to find not only starters for the rest of the season, but also guys they can pencil into next year’s rotation. You can’t do that with Brad Bergesen and Chris Tillman, and who knows what will happen with Brian Matusz over the next couple of months? Originally, I felt that the Orioles would wait until the offseason to begin stretching Johnson out as a starter. However, I don’t think that they have that luxury anymore. The organization needs to know whether he’ll be able to handle starting every five days, and it would benefit them to have that information before the offseason. If he can, that’s one fewer starter they need to target and one more reliever they’ll need to add. Also factoring in the decision is the fact taht team officials can’t have too much confidence they’ll be to acquire quality rotation help this offseason, so they are left to figure out ways of filling most of the spots internally.

This is the time of year when you really start paying attention to what teams are represented in the scout seats behind home plate. I was especially interested Thursday because Jeremy Guthrie was on the mound, and he’s certainly one of the Orioles’ bigger trade chips. The only team I recognized in attendance that could be a possible fit was the Texas Rangers, who are reportedly looking for a little rotation and bullpen help. Don’t misunderstand -- I know of no specific talks between the clubs or whether the Rangers have interest in Guthrie or any other Orioles. The Rangers scout could have just been performing his normal coverage area or even looking at a couple of the Cleveland Indians. Who knows? However, it’s not a stretch to suggest that the Orioles and Rangers are decent fits as trade partners. The Orioles have Guthrie and two solid relievers in Johnson and Koji Uehara. The Rangers have plenty of young arms, and there is a familiarity there with manager Buck Showalter, pitching coach Rick Adair, first base coach Wayne Kirby and former pitching coach Mark Connor all having ties to the Texas organization. The Rangers also have 25-year-old first baseman Chris Davis, who entered yesterday hitting .369 with 20 homers and 55 RBIs for Triple-A Round Rock and whom Oriole fans have coveted for a while. The Philadelphia Phillies, by the way, also were represented at last night’s game.

The Orioles have played just two games since the All-Star break, and I already find myself questioning the roster composition of the club. With Vladimir Guerrero unavailable for the previous games and possibly headed to the disabled list, the Orioles played the past two nights with two bench players while essentially carrying a nine-man bullpen. Indians manager Manny Acta, meanwhile, had a six-man bench at his disposal. With just backup catcher Craig Tatum and utility infielder Blake Davis on the bench last night, Orioles manager Buck Showalter was forced to let Felix Pie hit against a tough lefty (Rafael Perez) with a man on in the sixth. He also was forced to use Davis as a pinch hitter in the ninth against a tough closer in Chris Perez. This is nothing against Davis at all, but you’d like to have guys with a little more thump and a more proven track record coming off the bench with games on the line in the later innings. I also understand that Orioles starters haven’t gotten deep into games and you have to protect your bullpen, but a nine-man bullpen on the heels of a three-day All-Star break seems a little much. It’s hard to win a close game, especially against a team with a good bullpen, when you don’t have any weapons on your bench.

Much is made about Mark Reynolds’ 20 errors at third base, and rightly so. However, the defense the Orioles have gotten out of their left field position has been brutal. There were at least two plays Pie could have made yesterday that would have bailed out his pitcher, and he came up with neither of them. If you’re not going to hit, you may want to bring something more to the table defensively, and Pie hasn’t been able to do that. Nolan Reimold has also struggled defensively in left, while Scott is considered below average out there as well. Between poor jobs, poor routes, throwing to the wrong base, missing the cut-off man, Orioles left fielders have done it all this year.

Nobody asked me of course, but if Guerrero goes to the disabled list, which I guess is suspected at this point, and Luke Scott remains unavailable, I’m calling up Josh Bell and having him and Reynolds share DH/third base duties.

Obviously, you’ll continue to hear fallout from the contentious Red Sox-Orioles series over last weekend with the Red Sox coming to town Monday and the appeals for the suspended players still yet to be heard. But I just want to make one more point on the matter: I believe Orioles first baseman Derrek Lee was the only batter hit intentionally in the series, and the pitcher who did it (John Lackey) was not among the players suspended. Certainly, Michael Gonzalez was either trying to hit David Ortiz or purposefully throwing behind him to send a message, and he was rightfully suspended. But as far as the five hit batsmen in the series, Lee was the one who you can say with near certainty that he was hit on purpose. What a cop-out then that MLB opted to fine Lackey rather than suspend him. Either he threw at him or he didn’t, and being that he was fined, that certainly is a sign that MLB felt he did intentionally throw at Lee. So why didn’t he get a suspension like Gonzalez? What’s the difference? Intent is intent. Obviously, MLB had no problem overruling Jeff Nelson’s umpiring crew by not suspending Red Sox right-hander Kyle Weiland, the right move because the rookie surely wasn’t targeting Mark Reynolds or Vladimir Guerrero and didn’t deserve to get ejected. They should have done the same with the Lackey situation despite the fact that Nelson didn’t eject him from the game.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (26)
Categories: Minors
        

Another game, another starting pitching performance that fell short of the mark.

This time it was Jake Arrieta, who gave up more than four runs and lasted fewer than seven innings.

Arrieta got through five innings, allowing five runs on three walks and eight hits. He gave up two homers and was scored upon in three of the five innings he pitched.

“When you only put up two zeroes and you only get through five, it’s kind of an indication things didn’t go very well,” said Arrieta, whose ERA is now 5.10.

The Orioles have now allowed four runs or more in 20 straight games. The starters have failed to go at least seven innings in 27 of their last 28 games. Arrieta is 0-2 with an 8.79 ERA in his last three starts, allowing 14 earned runs, 20 hits and nine walks in 14 1/3 innings.

“Each time I go out I’m trying to win a game for the team and not being able to do that in my last three or four starts, it is not a good feeling,” Arrieta said. “Pile that on top of the way that things have been going overall collectively, as a team, it doesn’t feel great. But we try not to really let that bother us. Just continue to work and try to get back in the win column.”

The Orioles have lost a season-worst nine consecutive games. It’s their longest skid since a 10-game streak from May 26 to June 5, 2010. They have gone nearly a month – since June 19-20 – since winning consecutive games.

“It’s going to come sooner or later, we know that. We’ve got too much talent in this clubhouse to let things continue to go the way they are going,” Arrieta said. “It does wear on you a little bit, but you’ve got to shake it off any way you can. You’ve just got to try and turn the page and come back tomorrow.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 11:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

With a single to right against Cleveland’s Josh Tomlin with two outs in the third inning Friday, Nick Markakis picked up his career 1,000th hit.

The milestone was recognized on the video scoreboard and the fans at Camden Yards gave him a standing ovation. In typical Markakis fashion, he didn’t acknowledge the cheers. Just fist-bumped first base coach Wayne Kirby and then took his lead at first.

It was the loudest ovation at Camden Yards since Luke Scott turned 33 on June 25 (I’m kidding, but Scott was saluted on the scoreboard and took a curtain call).

Here’s what Buck Showalter had to say about Markakis’ impeding milestone before Friday’s game.

“He’s what, 27? That’s pretty impressive. … I’m a big fan of consistency, especially from a manager’s seat, knowing what you are going to get from somebody, not wondering. He’s a guy that’s very easy to trust. Brings a certain element every day regardless of what’s going on in his life on or off the field and physically,” Showalter said.

“Nick’s dinged up. You see him after the game, some of the things that I see, he posts up. It’s very important to him to post up, be there for the organization and teammates. It’s just the way he was brought up. And that something that came with him when he was drafted. It wasn’t something he developed here. You don’t develop that in the big leagues, very seldom.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

The Orioles and shortstop J.J. Hardy continue to make progress on a three-year contract extension that would be worth between $7 million and $8.5 million per season, according to two baseball sources.

“My thought is that I still hope it gets done,” Hardy said. “I know my agent and [Orioles director of baseball operations] Matt Klentak have been talking. I don’t know exactly where they are at or what they are thinking. If it gets done or not before the trade deadline, I don’t know what their thoughts are. But I still say I hope it gets done.”

The sides are attempting to iron out several issues, including specific contract value and some type of no-trade clause, which Hardy would like after being with three teams since 2009. The Orioles haven’t given a full no-trade clause to a player since Melvin Mora in 2006, but both Nick Markakis (eight clubs) and Brian Roberts (12 clubs in 2011, full protection in 2012) have limited clauses built into their extensions.

“Yes, I’d like [some] no-trade. I know how they have done it in the past with Markakis and Brian Roberts. It’s not a whole lot of teams,” Hardy said. “Yeah, that’s a big part of it. Money a little bit. The fact I’d know where I’d be somewhere for a little while. I think there are a lot of things that play a factor. If something doesn’t get done, then I would have that choice in the offseason to make something like that happen.”

If the Orioles can’t agree to an extension soon, they’ll have to consider dealing Hardy by the nonwaiver trade deadline at the end of July, since he is their best trade chip and he likely would not clear waivers. Hardy, 28, is batting .277 with 13 homers and 33 RBIs and has made just two errors in 62 games this season.

Another option would be to hold on to Hardy, offer him arbitration at the end of the year and get two high draft picks if he signs elsewhere as a free agent. Although the club does not characterize its negotiations with players, both sides seem to consider extending Hardy as the best option.

Despite what likely will be the Orioles’ 14th consecutive losing season, Hardy said he believes the team has talent and likes the direction taken by manager Buck Showalter, president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail and owner Peter Angelos.

“I see a pretty good lineup. I see a lot of pieces, like Wieters, Adam Jones, Markakis. If Brian Roberts can stay healthy, that’s five pretty good guys that are filling up the field,” Hardy said. “The pitchers, I feel like you see potential. Everyone sees potential. They are young, and another year under their belts will do wonders. … And I do believe Andy MacPhail, Buck and Peter are doing everything they possibly can to make this a winning team. That’s something I have to believe and go from there.”

If Hardy signs a three-year deal, he likely would be a bridge to top prospect Manny Machado, who is 19 and playing at High-A Frederick. It’s something Hardy has done in the past. In Milwaukee, he was the incumbent while shortstop Alcides Escobar was considered one of the better prospects in baseball.

Hardy said what’s most important is knowing where he’ll be playing for the next couple of seasons.

“This sport has just been that way, you never really know what is going on,” Hardy said. “It’s tough. That is probably the toughest thing for me in this sport. That’s why I feel like I’d like to be somewhere for a while.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)
        

The Orioles aren’t necessarily ready to put Vladimir Guerrero on the 15-disabled list with a cracked bone in his right hand, but things aren’t looking particularly good.

Guerrero took early batting practice on Friday and had to stop because of continual discomfort.

“We had to not put him in the lineup, obviously,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “It becomes a decision now how long we can or will wait. I think the second X-ray we took yesterday, there's a small crack there.”

Guerrero was hit in the right hand by a pitch from the Boston Red Sox's Kyle Weiland in the fifth inning Sunday and left the game. Initial X-rays were negative, but more tests Thursday showed a small crack in a bone just below his wrist.

“Guys have played with it, if there's not a possibility of hurting it more,” Showalter said. “It’s a matter of when the discomfort goes away, if it does.”

Showalter said Guerrero would meet with team physician Dr. John Wilckens later Friday to discuss whether more tests will be needed. Showalter will speak with team president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail about their options with Guerrero. But if he is not available for a couple of days -- and it sounds like he may not be -- then he could be placed on the disabled list.

By the way, Showalter briefly discussed his automatic one-game suspension yesterday stemming from the bean-brawl incidents in Boston last weekend and the fact Boston manager Terry Francona was not disciplined.

“Good for Terry. Saved him some money. … Nobody ever said baseball is fair. It’s pretty obvious we took the short end of it.”

Here’s tonight’s lineup against the Indians: Hardy 6, Markakis 9, Jones 8, Wieters 2, Lee 3, Reynolds 5, Reimold DH, Pie 7, Andino 4, Arrieta 1.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

I’m bringing Prediction Friday back today, because, really, what else do we have going on in the bar right now?

I asked at the beginning of the season how many wins this club would have. I put it between 75 and 78 -- depending on when I was asked (I pushed it up a few when they signed Vladimir Guerrero. Some expert, eh?).

And many of you ripped me for being Downer Danny.

Well after another loss Thursday to start the second half, the Orioles are 36-53 with 73 to play. To get to my original 75, they’ll have to go 39-34 the rest of the way.

I don’t see it happening, especially when 47 of their remaining 73 (64 percent) are against teams with winning records. And 28 of those games are against the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox or Tampa Bay Rays.

So, yeah, there needs to be a market correction.

The Orioles won 66 games last year. I’ll go with 67 this season -- call me the eternal optimist. That would mean they end up 31-42, a .425 winning percentage, which means they’ll need a definite win spike to get there.

But I’ll roll the dice that they are slightly better than what we are seeing during their eight-game losing streak.

Now it is your turn.

Daily Think Special: Prediction Friday: How many wins do the Orioles finish with in 2011?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 12:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (63)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar
        

Orioles starter Jeremy Guthrie is usually pretty effusive after starts.

Sometimes he’ll break down batter by batter. Sometimes he chides -- or chastises -- the media for certain questions. Sometimes he speaks at the manager’s podium.

Not on Thursday, not after he gave up six runs on five hits and four walks in five-plus innings. He has now lost a major league-leading 13 games. In his past five starts, he is 1-4 with a 7.45 ERA and has allowed 37 hits and 17 walks in 29 innings. His season ERA sits at 4.45.

He is obviously extremely frustrated. And it showed Thursday night at his locker when he answered questions.

“I’m just not throwing the ball well. I haven’t been going deep into games for a while now.”

He was asked whether it was a matter of his having poor location, especially in the first, when he allowed three runs on two homers.

“I felt like I wasn’t able to throw the ball where I wanted to. … I wasn’t able to get ahead [much] in the count or when I fell behind, I had a tough time throwing strikes getting back into it.”

He was asked whether he could take any positives from the start -- the fifth time in eight starts he hasn’t gone at least six innings -- and he said: “Not many, so I’ll just try to erase it and build off something else.”

He also was asked whether pitching on three days’ rest made a difference: “Not sure,” and whether this was a particularly tough stretch for the Orioles: “It’s tough like other stretches we’ve had. Each person needs to hopefully play better.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 10:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Second baseman Brian Roberts met with sports concussion specialist Michael Collins in Pittsburgh today and was told that his situation is improving.

He will be able to increase his workouts in Sarasota, but there is still no timetable for his return.

Roberts has not played since May 16 in Boston, when he dove headfirst into first base trying to beat out a single. He has been limited to just 39 games this year.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe passed on some quotes from Thursday's Red Sox workout at Tropicana Field concerning Major League Baseball's punishments stemming from last weekend's bean brawl in Boston.

Designated hitter David Ortiz, who was suspended four games and fined an undisclosed amount for charging Orioles' closer Kevin Gregg on Friday, wasn't at the workout, but manager Terry Francona (no discipline) and catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia (fine) were.

"I haven't really talked to anybody about it," Francona said. "David has to figure out what he wants to do. He's going to talk to his guys tonight and figure out what he wants to do. We'll kind of wait and see."

It is expected Ortiz will appeal.

Francona was not suspended -- Orioles manager Buck Showalter was -- because MLB ruled that rookie Kyle Weiland was not purposely throwing at Orioles' DH Vladimir Guerrero on Sunday.

"Why would I have been suspended? I didn't do anything. I didn't think they would suspend me," Francona said.

Saltalamacchia was ejected on Friday for aggressive behavior.

"I don't really know what I did. But that's what they decided. As far as I'm concerned, it's over with."

Boston catcher and captain Jason Varitek said the teams have to put the bad blood behind them when they meet again Monday at Camden Yards.

"We have to concentrate and play baseball. Those things tend to linger on (more) externally than they do internally," Varitek said. "Both teams need to go out and try and win baseball games."

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

The original press release was right. There was not an omission.

Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona did not receive any suspension or discipline after the beaning war and brawl in Boston this weekend.

Pretty surprising since it’s usually automatic that when a pitcher gets ejected for throwing at a player, that pitcher’s manager is suspended for one game.

But according to the Orioles, MLB explained to them that it was ruled, on review, that rookie Kyle Weiland was not throwing purposely at Vladimir Guerrero. Therefore a suspension of Francona was not automatic or necessary.

We haven’t yet taken this info back to Buck Showalter, who is serving a one-game suspension today. My guess is he won’t be happy when he hears it.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

Here's a look at what other media outlets have said about the Orioles in the past week:

• As part of his weekly power rankings, Sports Illustrated’s Joe Lemire lists each club’s most important figure. The Orioles come in at No. 29 with manager Buck Showalter being the individual to watch:

The Orioles have now played 145 games under Showalter, dating back to when he took over last August, and for the first 105 games were 58-47, a .552 winning percentage that included a 34-23 finish last year and a respectable 24-24 start to this season; for perspective's sake, .552 would be only .002 behind Texas for the third-best record in the AL this season. Since then, however, Baltimore has gone 12-28, with four distinct losing streaks of at least four games, including an active seven-game skid. The O's have won one of their last 13 games, and Showalter would do well to finish strong for the sake of the team's psyche.

• Jason Turbow, author of The Baseball Codes, takes an in-depth look at last weekend’s Orioles-Red Sox fight and how it exhibited some of the baseball’s unwritten rules.

On Friday, Boston's Josh Reddick took this rule to an extreme. He was on third base when [David] Ortiz hit the ball, and tagged up. Once hostilities erupted, however, he headed for the mound rather than the plate. That was enough for the umpires to declare him to be the third out of the inning.

To take things a step further, Red Sox infielder Marco Scutaro -- all 5-foot-10 of him -- was the first guy to reach [Kevin] Gregg (6-6, 230 pounds), and as such was tasked with trying to slow the big fella down. It can only be seen for a moment in the game footage, but Gregg offers an inadvertently impressive show of strength, tossing around a clinging Scutaro basically by waving his arm.

We could also get into the concept of waiting for retribution, as Sunday's series finale featured three HBPs and one near-HBP, most of which were likely unintentional. (It was Red Sox pitcher Kyle Weiland's first big league start, and neither of his hit batsmen bore any hallmarks of intention; also fitting that bill was Orioles pitcher Jeremy Guthrie, who hit Kevin Youkilis with a change-up.) If there was a message pitch, it came from Mike Gonzalez, who in the sixth threw a fastball behind Ortiz.

After that, though, all remained quiet. Gregg had his say, Ortiz had his, each club followed up and everybody moved on. Wildness has its time, but so too does order. It's The Code at work, and it's a beautiful thing.

• David Ginsburg of the Associated Press writes that the Orioles’ lack of consistency on the mound is the principle reason for their recent struggles:

"It's still about our young starting pitching a lot," [manager Buck] Showalter said. "You constantly compare yourself to other clubs in our division, and that's something that we are going to have to get better at, get more consistent with. The conversation seems to always start and end there."

Here's something worth talking about: In the final 26 games before the break, Orioles starters completed seven innings only once and have a 7.76 ERA over that span. That includes unheralded performances by Chris Jakubauskas (2-2, 6.49 ERA) and Mitch Atkins (0-0, 8.22), neither of whom was expected to be thrust into the rotation.

"I think if you're able to get consistent starting pitching on a regular basis, that's where you start," said catcher Matt Wieters, Baltimore's lone All-Star representative. "Our starters have to be able to go six, seven innings to give us a chance to win."

• MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli writes that much of the Orioles’ second-half success will depend on the health of the two Brians -- Roberts and Matusz.

The starting second baseman and leadoff hitter, Roberts' absence in the Orioles' lineup is felt on a daily occasion. While shortstop J.J. Hardy has been raking from the top spot, Roberts' substitutes -- in Blake Davis and Robert Andino -- can't match his productivity, weakening the overall lineup, and to some degree, resulting in the team's struggles with runners in scoring position.

Matusz, who missed two months of the season with a left intercostal muscle strain, showcased an alarming dip in velocity and ineffectiveness upon his return and was sent to Triple-A at the end of June. Projected to be the team's No. 2 starter, the 24-year-old lefty was thought to be a cornerstone of the organization. Having Matusz return to form after the break would help stabilize a depleted starting rotation that will determine much of the Orioles' future success.

• MASN’s Steve Melewski spoke with manager Buck Showalter about the Orioles’ minor league system and the skipper’s philosophy when it comes to player development:

"You have to be consistent," Showalter said. "You are not going from one level to the next and getting a whole different set of defined expectations of players. That is not the way we do things, that is not good enough and it starts from Day One.

"Shame on us if a guy comes through the system and we have to teach him how to hold runners and not be 1.7 (seconds) to the plate. Shame on us if a guy doesn't know where to be on cutoffs and relays or doesn't know how to take a lead properly.

"Guys might hit third and fourth their whole career then come up here and hit seventh or eighth. They are supposed to be able to play another game. Some of these guys come up and they haven't bunted since high school. That is our fault, not theirs. You have to simulate situations they are going to be faced with here."

• Joe Posnanski of Sports Illustrated thinks Adam Jones could be a defensive enigma a la Derek Jeter:

…I think that the next big defensive cat fight will be over Adam Jones. As you probably know, the defensive cat fight the last few years has been over Derek Jeter — with some people whipping up numbers that show him to be a dreadful shortstop and others throwing Gold Gloves at him the way women used to throw underwear at Tom Jones. And there was a mini-fight over Torii Hunter, who was beloved by the eye but not so much by the stats.

Now we have Jones. I spent the other day at the MLB Fan Cave, where two guys are watching every single baseball game all year. They seem like good guys. And they LOVE Adam Jones. I mean that with all capital letters. They believe him to be the “best-looking young center fielder since Ken Griffey Jr.” and “probably the best defensive center fielder in the American League.” And, as mentioned, they watch every game.

The stats tell a very different story. Jones’ defensive WAR this year is -2.1 (Baseball Reference). His Ultimate Zone Rating is minus-10.1 (Fangraphs … and it has been negative for three years). HisDewan Plus/Minus says that this year he has made 20 fewer plays — TWENTY — than the average center fielder, which is 35th in baseball, an astonishing feat considering that there are only 30 teams. Obviously, defensive stats are not black and white, and there’s a small sample size going with his defensive WAR. Still, the numbers point in the direction of “lousy.” And, in this case, there are a couple of scouts I have talked with who agree (though they say it’s about his “instincts”).

I don’t want to take sides in the matter … it’s bad enough being an Orioles fan these days without having one of your few positive vibes shattered by bloodless and vaguely incomprehensible stats. But the conflict is worth watching. Interesting side note: In the very game that I watched at the Fan Cave, Jones made one running catch and had another ball go over his head. In the narrative of the Adam Jones’ lover, the first was a great play and the second was an impossible catch anyway. But it’s not out of the question that in reality the first play was made harder than necessary by a bad route and that Jones should have caught the second ball. Defensive quality is not easy to lasso.

[Compiled by Robbie Levin. If you enjoy reading these posts about the Orioles, Ravens and other Baltimore sports, check out Vensel’s Coffee Companion posts every morning, Monday-Friday.]

Posted by Matt Vensel at 5:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: What They're Saying about the O's
        

Lots of stuff from Buck Showalter’s pre-game session:

Showalter will not be managing tonight’s game. John Russell will. Showalter cannot appeal his one-game suspension, which is usually automatic for a manager when a pitcher is ejected for throwing at an opposing hitter. So he will be serving it tonight.

Kevin Gregg (four games and $2,500 fine) and Michael Gonzalez (three games and $1,500 fine) are appealing their suspensions and will be able to play today.

Jim Johnson was fined just $500 and was not suspended.

David Ortiz was suspended four games and fined an undisclosed amount. He is the only Red Sox player to be suspended. It looks like Boston manager Terry Francona was not suspended. We don’t know why and Showalter was unaware that was the case.

Vladimir Guerrero is not in Thursday’s starting lineup because he still has soreness in his right hand from being hit by a pitch on Sunday in Boston. Showalter said more tests may be needed, but Guerrero apparently said he thought he would be better with one more day of rest.

Matt Wieters will bat cleanup and be the designated hitter. Showalter wanted to give him a day off from catching after the all-star game.

Brian Roberts met with concussion specialist Dr. Michael Collins today, but as of 5 p.m., the Orioles had no information on it.

Cesar Izturis (elbow) had some discomfort on Wednesday but was better today, Showalter said. The plan is for Izturis to play a game in the Gulf Coast League on June 20, play two games at Double-A Bowie and then possibly be ready to return to the Orioles by June 23.

Luke Scott (shoulder) has not resumed baseball activities after his cortisone shot Monday. He likely will go on a short rehab stint and may be ready by July 19.

Zach Britton will pitch July 15 and July 20 for Double-A Bowie.

Thursday’s lineup: Hardy 6, Markakis 9, Jones 8, Wieters DH, Lee 3, Pie 7, Reynolds 5, Davis 4, Tatum 2, Guthrie 1.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 4:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

Orioles closer Kevin Gregg has been suspended four games for his part in last Friday’s brawl with the Boston Red Sox. He was also fined an undisclosed amount.

Gregg jawed with Red Sox slugger David Ortiz after Ortiz popped up and didn’t run down the first base line. Ortiz, who had taken offense to three inside pitches from Gregg, charged the Orioles’ pitcher. Each threw haymakers that didn’t land as both benches cleared.

Ortiz was also suspended for four games and fined.

Orioles left-hander Michael Gonzalez was suspended three games for throwing behind Ortiz on Sunday.

Because it is league policy, Orioles manager Buck Showalter has also been suspended for a game and fined. He likely will sit out tonight's game against Cleveland.

Oriole pitcher Jim Johnson and Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia were fined after they were ejected on Friday. John Lackey was also fined for hitting Derrek Lee on Saturday.

Appeals can be made and Gregg has already intimated he'd consider appealing no matter the penalty.

Unless appealed, Gregg's suspension will begin today, Ortiz's will begin tomorrow and Gonzalez's would begin when the Red Sox come to town on Monday.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 2:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

With the Orioles’ second half set to begin tonight, here’s one final look at the best and worst of the first half:

MVP: You could probably make a decent case for All-Star catcher Matt Wieters and shortstop J.J. Hardy, but the vote here goes to center fielder Adam Jones because he didn’t miss a month like Hardy and he has contributed more offensively than Wieters. Jones is second among Orioles regulars in batting average (.286), tied for second in homers (13) and tied for first in RBIs (49). He has also played with great effort and focus since Day One of spring training.

Most disappointing player: Most expected Brian Matusz to emerge as the Orioles' top starter this season. Instead, he missed the first two months of the season with a strained intercostal muscle and is now pitching for Triple-A Norfolk. He went 1-4 with an 8.76 ERA in six starts for the Orioles, allowing an astonishing 40 hits, nine home runs and 11 walks in 25 2/3 innings. There is no bigger concern in the organization than the 24-year-old’s regression.

Best win: On May 10 against the Seattle Mariners at Camden Yards, the Orioles trailed by a run in the bottom of the eighth inning before Adam Jones’ RBI single gave them the lead. Kevin Gregg blew the save in the ninth, and the Mariners took the lead in the top of the 13th. However, the Orioles got four singles in the bottom of the inning, the final one by Matt Wieters, to beat All-Star closer Brandon League and win, 7-6.

Worst loss: There are plenty to choose from, but it’s hard to beat May 16 in Boston, when the Orioles blew a 6-0 sixth-inning lead, with Kevin Gregg allowing two ninth-inning runs on Adrian Gonzalez’s game-ending double off the Green Monster. Adding injury to insult, second baseman Brian Roberts sustained a concussion and first baseman Derrek Lee suffered an oblique injury. Both headed to the disabled list.

Best defensive play: The best of the first half -- and one of the best in all of baseball -- was clearly Adam Jones’ daring back-to-home plate jump into the center-field wall at Safeco Field to rob the Mariners’ Miguel Olivo of an extra-base hit June 1. However, the most impactful defensive play may have occurred in the second game of the season, when Nick Markakis scaled the wall to take away a likely game-tying hit by Ben Zobrist for the final out of the Orioles’ 3-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Worst case of deja vu: Everybody was reminded of how important Brian Roberts was to the team last season when he played in only 59 games because of a herniated disk in his back and the offense struggled mightily without him. This year, it has been a concussion that has kept Roberts on the sideline for all but 39 games. J.J. Hardy has done a nice job in the leadoff role, but Roberts’ combination of speed, patience and power is very much missed in the lineup.

Most pleasant surprise: Reliever Koji Uehara had two stints on the disabled list in each of his first two seasons with the club, and there was nothing to suggest that trend wouldn’t continue as he was shut down during spring training with a balky elbow. But Uehara has been ready since Opening Day, and he has emerged as of the game’s top setup men, pitching to a 2.03 ERA and allowing just 22 hits and eight walks while striking out 52 in 40 innings.

Most disappointing development: Mark Connor, a baseball lifer, had been Orioles manager Buck Showalter’s pitching coach at his other managerial stops, so it made sense when he joined the Orioles’ overhauled coaching staff this season. However, Connor abruptly resigned June 14, and the Orioles’ pitching staff has been getting progressively worse since. That’s not necessarily the fault of current pitching coach Rick Adair, but it can’t help that the Orioles' young pitchers are working with a third pitching coach over the last season and a half.

Best newcomer/front office decision: The Orioles nearly acquired shortstop Jason Bartlett from the Tampa Bay Rays for outfielder Nolan Reimold and reliever Alfredo Simon, but that trade fell through and they instead turned their attention to J.J. Hardy, whom they got from the Minnesota Twins for minor league relievers Brett Jacobson and Jim Hoey. Hardy has made just two errors this season, and he has been one of the most productive offensive shortstops in the American League.

Least impactful newcomer: The signings of veteran sluggers Vladimir Guerrero and Derrek Lee certainly haven’t worked out for the Orioles, but they have at least gotten onto the field. Justin Duchscherer, the oft-injured former All-Star pitcher for the Oakland Athletics, still hasn’t been able to pitch outside Florida, and it appears hat he won’t pitch for the Orioles this season because of hip issues. Sure, the Orioles paid him only a guaranteed $700,000. However, during a season in which their starting pitching depth has been absolutely depleted, Duchscherer’s inability to give them anything has hurt.

Best individual performance: In just his eighth major league start, young left-hander Zach Britton pitched nine shutout and three-hit innings May 12 against the Mariners. The only problem was Seattle left-hander Jason Vargas did the same and Britton got a no-decision. The Orioles eventually won, 2-1, in 12 innings, but the biggest story of the game was a masterful performance by the talented rookie.

Worst individual performance: Several Orioles starts over the past three weeks could probably qualify, but the one that sticks out is Brian Matusz’s performance against the Rays on June 12 at Camden Yards. The young lefty allowed four earned runs on five hits, including a homer, and four walks over just 1 1/3 innings. He needed 52 pitches to get just four outs, and one of the outs came courtesy of catcher Craig Tatum's throwing out Johnny Damon, who was actually safe in stealing second. Matusz also allowed four stolen bases that day, drawing the ire of manager Buck Showalter.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

There seems to be some confusion on whether Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts is seeing Pittsburgh-based concussion specialist Dr. Michael Collins today or tomorrow. He is actually seeing Dr. Collins tomorrow.

The good news is Roberts has really picked up the amount of physical and baseball activity that he is doing, and he has far more good days than bad ones these days. The bad news is he's still not completely symptom free and he still is experiencing some headaches from time to time.

I would suspect that he won't get completely cleared until he stops experiencing occasional headaches and dizziness, but I'll leave that to the doctors.

In other news, he has rescheduled his annual Brian's Baseball Bash - a fundraiser for the University of Maryland Children's Hospital - for Aug. 28 at Dave & Buster’s in Arundel Mills Mall. The event was originally scheduled for July 24.

All purchased admissions will be honored automatically for the new date. In the event that ticket holders cannot attend on the new date, refunds may be obtained by calling Krista Ellis at (410) 328-6064 or emailing kellis@umm.edu.

“Brian's Baseball Bash is very close to our family's hearts,” Roberts said in a statement. “Each year [his wife] Diana and I look forward to the opportunity to host this event and raise financial support and awareness for the University of Maryland Children's Hospital. Due to my current status on the MLB disabled list, we have decided to push the date of this year’s Bash back to August 28 to ensure that we will be in attendance. We thank everyone for their understanding and their support, and we’re looking forward to making the 6th Annual Brian's Baseball Bash another huge success!”

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

One of the biggest storylines heading into the season’s second half is the future of Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail, whose contract expires after the season. The attention on the topic will only be greater if the Orioles continue to slide.

For a story that I wrote that is currently on the website, MacPhail stays true to form and maintains that his contract situation is not on his mind.

“Let’s just see how we do and how we feel at the end of the year,” said MacPhail, who has never said definitively that he wants to return next season in his current capacity. “Obviously, it’s a two-party decision. We’re going to have to agree. I’ve always said and will continue to say, 'Let’s just see how we do and how we feel at the end of the season.'"

Orioles owner Peter Angelos told The Sun in March that MacPhail “is not going anywhere,” but I would have to think another poor season along with what MacPhail wants to do will impact that decision.

MacPhail also said people should not read too much into the fact that Angelos and manager Buck Showalter meet regularly (nearly once per homestand). In fact, MacPhail said, he encourages the meetings.

“That would be like Buck telling me that I can’t walk over and talk to [infield coordinator] Bobby Dickerson and [pitching coach] Rick Adair or [hitting coach] Jim Presley about the players, that all the information about running the baseball team has to come through the manager. I wouldn’t stand for that, and I don’t know why the owner would,” MacPhail said. “He’s free to talk to whomever he wants. He owns the team. I encouraged Peter to meet with Buck and Buck to meet with Peter.”

It is certainly interesting, however, that Showalter and Angelos meet regularly at the owner’s downtown law office. It is also worth pointing out that the past four Orioles managers -- Juan Samuel, Dave Trembley, Sam Perlozzo and Lee Mazzilli -- had little to no communication with the owner.

“You have to remember, as I told Peter, Buck is used to [his previous owners] George Steinbrenner, Jerry Colangelo and Tom Hicks. He’s probably not going to understand if there is not communication,” MacPhail said. “Plus, why shouldn’t Peter have access to what’s going on at the ground level during games? Do you think that Bill DeWitt of the Cardinals doesn’t talk to [Tony La Russa]? That’s idiotic to suggest for it to be any other way. There’s something wrong if the owner doesn’t talk to the manager.”

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (41)
        

In case you missed it, Orioles catcher Matt Wieters made the first All-Star Game appearance of his career late Tuesday night when he entered as a defensive replacement in the bottom of the sixth inning at Chase Field in Phoenix.

Wieters caught a scoreless sixth from the Cleveland Indians' Chris Perez, who gave way to the Seattle Mariners' Brandon League in the seventh. League allowed a leadoff single to the Houston Astros' Hunter Pence, then struck out the Chicago Cubs' Starlin Castro.

With the San Francisco Giants' Pablo Sandoval at the plate, Wieters couldn't handle a pitch from League, the passed ball allowing Pence to move from first to third before scoring on Sandoval's ground-rule double.

Unfortunately for Wieters, who did not allow a single passed ball in the first half of the regular season and has been sterling defensively, this one came on a much bigger stage than the Orioles usually play on.

That said, the National League already held a 3-1 lead -- on their way to a 5-1 victory -- when Wieters allowed the passed ball, so it's not as if the miscue came in a particularly high-stakes situation.

In his only plate appearance, Wieters grounded out to second base to lead off the eighth.

Posted by Steve Gould at 11:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)
        

The Orioles' rotation for the first series after the break seems to be set. At least mostly.

Jeremy Guthrie, who threw 3 1/3 innings Sunday in relief, is expected to start the second-half opener Thursday. Jake Arrieta will get Friday’s assignment, and Alfredo Simon, who will leave for the Dominican on Sunday to deal with legal matters Monday, is slated to start Saturday.

The starter for the 1:05 p.m. series finale Sunday is still listed as "to be announced."

In minor league news, short-season Single-A Aberdeen left-hander Aaron Wirsch has been diagnosed with a UCL tear in his left elbow.

He is expected to visit Dr. Lewis Yocum, the Los Angeles Angels team physician and renowned orthopedic surgeon, for a second opinion. Ligament surgery is a possibility.

Wirsch, 20, was the Orioles’ seventh-round pick in 2009 out of El Toro High School in California. He was limited to six games last year because of a back injury. This season, he was 0-2 with a 2.70 ERA in three games for Aberdeen. He had walked 10 and fanned 13 in 10 innings.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 12:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

On the site and in the paper this morning are two Orioles-related items worth checking out.

Jeff Zrebiec’s annual midseason grades are definitely worth a read. He puts a lot of time into those and tries to be as fair and honest as possible.

And I have a longer piece about Matt Wieters, the club’s lone All-Star and emerging leader.

Like many of these stories, you do a lot of research and you can only use so much in print. There is plenty that didn’t make it in story form. So, technically, these are leftovers, but I thought I’d pass them on.

One was a story that Wieters’ mom, a high school English teacher, told me that demonstrated his selflessness goes pretty far back. Apparently, an author visited his elementary school when he was in first grade. The man signed a bunch of his books, and Wieters’ mother bought several titles for Matt.

He kept one and gave the rest to friends who didn’t have any of the signed books. He didn’t think they should be left out, his mom said. Pretty heady stuff for an elementary schooler. His mom said that was typical of a kid who helped take care of his grandfather when he was sick and made sure to visit his grandmother every day this spring when she was in the hospital in Sarasota, Fla. (she fell ill while visiting Wieters).

Given how grounded Wieters seems, I asked Orioles manager Buck Showalter whether he was concerned that the All-Star bid at age 25 could go to Wieters’ head and change him.

“I don’t ever say never, but of anybody, it shouldn’t. I think it can only help him,” Showalter said. “Because I think it kind of verifies the return he is getting for what he is putting into it. This is a reward for what you put into it. You can say the same thing about Adam [Jones] and his efforts this year. But I think Matt it will only increase the confidence level of things he is doing and the work he is putting in to be good at his trade.”

Another thing I thought was interesting was that Wieters was only 5 feet 6 as a high school freshman. His sister, Rebecca, who was two years older and a collegiate volleyball player, is 6 feet 2, and his dad, Richard, is 6 feet 5.

There was a question as to whether Matt would be as tall as his dad, who was a minor league pitcher, but Matt didn’t care about that. He just wanted to be taller than his big sister (and at 6 feet 5, he is now. Though his dad may still be smidgen taller than Matt).

Also, I put a request into the Seattle Mariners' Justin Smoak, who went to high school with Wieters. This is what Smoak said: “I was very happy to learn that Matt was selected to the American League All-Star team. It is a very well-deserved honor to be chosen as one of the best. … We played together growing up, so I know how very hard he has worked to get to this point in his career. I look forward to watching him on Tuesday in the game.”

One last thing: I asked Wieters whether he thought making the All-Star Game gives him a little more credibility to be a leader in the clubhouse. I was impressed with his answer:

“I really feel that whether I made the All-Star Game doesn’t help me in the clubhouse as far as calling [a game] or dealing with a pitching staff. I don’t think the All-Star Game, just the honor, gives you that much more cred. I think the things that lead up to you making the All-Star Game gives you more credibility. Especially with the guys that you are with every day. Look at guys like Nicky [Markakis], who has never made an All-Star Game. He has the most cred in that locker room because you see what he does every day.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

Midseason grades for the Orioles' players were posted as a photo gallery earlier today. If you're not inclined to browse the photos, here's a text-only version of the report card.

INFIELDERS

Player, Key stat, Grade, Skinny
Robert Andino, 59 starts, C, With Brian Roberts and Cesar Izturis out for extended stretches, the Orioles have had to rely on Andino more than expected.

J.J. Hardy, 13 HRs, A-, Providing a jolt to the lineup and Gold Glove defense at short, Hardy has been the Orioles’ best offseason addition.

Derrek Lee, .127 with RISP, D, The first baseman has done exactly as the Orioles had hoped in terms of leadership and defense but hasn’t hit with any consistency.

Mark Reynolds, 20 errors, C+, The Orioles were prepared for his strikeouts, but his errors have diminished some of the good things the third baseman has done offensively.

Brian Roberts, 39 games, Inc., Concussion symptoms forced the second baseman to the sideline for much of the first half and left the team in a bind for the second straight year.

OUTFIELDERS

Player, Key stat, Grade, Skinny
Adam Jones, 49 RBIs, B, Still not a finished product, the center fielder has played hard and made steady improvements on offense and defense.

Nick Markakis, 11 doubles, C-, Lack of power remains a concern, though the right fielder at least started piling up hits to close an uneven first half.

Felix Pie, .223 avg., D, Pie hasn’t received many opportunities and certainly hasn’t done much with the ones he has had.

Nolan Reimold, 70 at-bats, C, He wasn’t tearing it up at Triple-A Norfolk but got a promotion anyway and has rewarded the club with a couple of big games.

Luke Scott, 22 RBIs, D, He has been hampered all season by a bad shoulder, and his availability for the second half is very much in doubt.

DESIGNATED HITTER

Player, Key stat, Grade, Skinny
Vladimir Guerrero, 7 HRs, D, The potential Hall of Famer’s first half has done little to silence questions about how much he has left in the tank.

CATCHER

Player, Key stat, Grade, Skinny
Matt Wieters, 24 caught stealing, B, The All-Star has emerged as one of the best defensive catchers in baseball and done enough offensively to keep critics at bay.

STARTERS

Player, Key stat, Grade, Skinny
Jake Arrieta, 9 wins, C, Walks have been the biggest issue for the righty, who leads the staff in wins and has made progress in his first full season.

Zach Britton, 18 starts, B-, Recent struggles and a demotion have done little to temper the organization’s enthusiasm about the rookie lefty’s potential.

Jeremy Guthrie, 12 losses, C, The hard-luck righty is at it again, eating innings and compiling a respectable ERA but finding ways to lose.

Chris Jakubauskas, 6 starts, D, The first couple of starts were serviceable, but the righty has been mostly overmatched during his trial run in the rotation.

Brian Matusz, 8.77 ERA, F, If the lefty isn’t injured — and he insists he’s not —his regression has to be the organization’s biggest concern in 2011.

Chris Tillman, 4.69 ERA, D, It has been more of the same for the righty, who falls short in velocity and command, and has failed to take the next step.

RELIEVERS

Player, Key stat, Grade, Skinny
Jeremy Accardo, 5.29 ERA, D, The free-agent acquisition lived a charmed life for a while before line drives starting finding gaps and the righty was designated for assignment.

Brad Bergesen, 5.65 ERA, D, It has been a battle to find consistency or rhythm, and it appears the sinkerballing righty will be in the bullpen going forward.

Jason Berken, 25 games, C-, The righty started the season in the bullpen, became a starter in Triple-A and now is back in the Orioles’ bullpen with mixed results.

Michael Gonzalez, 7 HRs allowed, F, The enigmatic lefty has pitched a little better lately, but the fact remains that the $6 million man has been used mostly in mop-up duty.

Kevin Gregg, 4 blown saves, C+, The closer has been pretty much what the Orioles expected, but three of the righty’s blown saves have started or extended losing streaks.

Jim Johnson, 52 1/3 innings, B+, After an injury-marred 2010, the righty’s return to being a reliable setup man has been one of the first half’s biggest positives.

Alfredo Simon, 4.85 ERA, C, The Orioles weren’t counting on the righty at all this year because of his legal troubles, but they’ve needed his versatility.

Koji Uehara, 2.03 ERA, A-, Other than being a little home run prone, the righty has exceeded all expectations with his effectiveness and durability.

NOTES: Grades are based on performance relative to each individual’s role on the Orioles’ roster. They are not intended to rate players in relation to one another or to other teams. Only players with 50 or more at-bats and pitchers with 20 or more innings were graded. Inc.—incomplete

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 8:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
        

Oriole outfielder Luke Scott (right shoulder) and pitcher Justin Duchscherer (left hip) were examined by team orthopedist John Wilckens today.

Scott’s initial diagnosis was confirmed by Wilckens, that the tear in his right labrum has not gotten worse and seems to be progressing. That means surgery does not seem necessary at this point and that he can return at or around when he is eligible on July 19. He received a cortisone shot – which seemed to help Scott deal with the shoulder pain in June – and will return to Sarasota for rehab.

“It’s good news on Luke, there’s been a lot of progress,” said Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail. “It’s coming along nicely.”

Duchscherer, who has not thrown a pitch for the Orioles this season, also met with Wilckens on Monday. MacPhail said there was no change in his status. Duchscherer, who is still experiencing discomfort in the hip, will return to Sarasota. There is no timetable for a rehab assignment.

Mark Reynolds and Vladimir Guerrero, who were both forced out of Sunday’s game with right hand bruises after being hit Kyle Weiland pitches, are expected to be fine, MacPhail said.

No suspensions or fines from this weekend’s bean-brawl in Boston are expected to be handed down until Wednesday at the earliest because of Tuesday’s annual all-star game.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 3:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (19)
        

Before I go any further, I want to do a little promoting, which is something I normally avoid so I apologize in advance. Even though the Orioles won’t have a game for three days, Dan Connolly or I will probably have at least one Orioles-related story on the site each day during the All-Star break. Coming later today is a nice feature Dan has written on All-Star catcher Matt Wieters, along with my Mid-Season Report Card grades on the Oriole players. We’ll also obviously look at the key storylines heading into the second half and review the disappointing first half. Check that stuff out, and we’d obviously love to hear any feedback you have.

Lost in all the talk of the hit batters and the contentious nature of the series was the fact that the ejection of Red Sox rookie pitcher Kyle Weiland was probably the worst thing that could have happened to the Orioles yesterday. At the time, Oriole fans and players probably were just glad to see somebody in a Boston uniform get tossed after Red Sox pitchers had hit four guys in a nine-inning span. But the Orioles chances of scoring runs were much better with Weiland on the mound than with Alfredo Aceves, who came in after the ejection and stranded men on first and third with no outs. Aceves went on to retire all nine hitters that he faced, four of them on strikeouts. Against the Orioles this season, he’s surrendered just one run and two hits in eight innings. You know things are going bad when an ejection of an opposing player doesn’t work in your favor.

While we are on the topic of ejections, that umpiring crew this past weekend made a couple of questionable decisions. No, they didn’t cost the Orioles any of the four games – nowhere close. What cost the Orioles is that their starting pitching was awful, they didn’t get enough timely hits, and they simply don’t have anywhere near enough talent right now to compete with the Red Sox or any of the other heavyweights in the A.L. East. With that out of the way though, I could use a good explanation for why Jeff Nelson’s crew handled things the way they did. The first problem I had is why were both benches warned after John Lackey drilled Derrek Lee in the seventh inning Saturday? Lee was the second guy that Lackey had hit a night after the whole benches-clearing incident to the Orioles’ none. I’ll let other people debate Lackey’s intent, but by warning both benches the way he did, he basically made sure that the whole conflict extended into Sunday’s game as well. I’m not advocating hitting somebody, but don’t you have to wait until a Red Sox batter gets hit until you warn both clubs? It’s like giving one team a free shot. The Orioles bullpen was taxed as it was and obviously they couldn’t afford to have one of their available relievers thrown out of Saturday's game. And then Marty Foster warning both benches yesterday after Jeremy Guthrie hit Kevin Youkilis with a changeup to load the bases for David Ortiz with one out in a tie game was even more curious? And that obviously led to the ejection of Weiland for hitting Vladimir Guerrero with a pitch that nobody felt was intentional. I understand umpires have pressure on them to control games because bench-clearing brawls are just ugly for the sport, but common sense should prevail.

I do find it a little ironic that the two Orioles being lauded for sticking up for their teammates and showing some fight after Kevin Gregg and Michael Gonzalez, who are probably Public Enemy 1 and 2 among Oriole fans. I wonder if their actions over the weekend will change any opinions.

This is more me thinking aloud than anything, but I’d have to think the Orioles’ front office is active with clubs trying to acquire one or two veteran starting pitchers. I’m not talking about a top-flight starter. I’m talking about a guy capable of pitching five or six innings with some regularity every five days. You just can’t keep running guys out there, and watch them get knocked out of the game after one or two innings. That not only kills your chances to win a game, but it makes your relievers susceptible to overuse and then perhaps injury. Like every year, the Orioles’ second-half schedule is heavy on American League East foes, and things aren’t going to get any better against the New York Yankees and Red Sox with the cast of starters that they’ve been using. I know finding quality pitching, especially in the trade market, is a lot easier said than done and I’m not advocating trading top prospects to get a No.4 or 5 starter. But I would think there are a couple of teams out there looking to dump some salary who may have a middle-to-back end guy that they’d be willing to move.

Showalter and pitching coach Rick Adair are going to have their hands full when the second half starts Thursday just coming up with available pitchers for the night. I say that because I’d expect both Gregg and Gonzalez will get suspensions later this week. They may appeal them, but at some point they are going to have to serve some sort of disciplinary action. Alfredo Simon is also leaving the team following his start Saturday to take care of legal matters. The Orioles also don’t currently have a fifth guy in the rotation unless you consider Chris Jakubauskas whose last start was skipped. That makes a lot of spots and roles to cover.

I wrote about this in the Orioles’ notebook in today’s paper, but I wanted to make sure it didn’t get buried because it says a lot about Mark Hendrickson and why the Orioles feel he is such a valuable guy to have in the organization. On the same day in which he learned that he was going back to the big leagues – a moment that he called the most meaningful of his career – Hendrickson spent some time with struggling teammate Brian Matusz. The two found a local YMCA in Durham, N.C., where Triple-A Norfolk was playing, and shot hoops for about 45 minutes. They then went out to lunch and Hendrickson dispensed some advice to Matusz, advising the young lefty to concentrate on getting his work in and just focus on getting better. Hendrickson also had lunch with Zach Britton during spring training after the young lefty was demoted to minor league camp. You can say what you want about Hendrickson as a pitcher, but there aren’t too many guys like him in this organization. He’s a class act and a total pro.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (45)
        

A contentious four-game series with the Boston Red Sox ended Sunday with four more ejections, Michael Gonzalez’s not denying that he threw a purpose pitch behind David Ortiz, and Buck Showalter and Jeremy Guthrie criticizing the umpiring crew.

“I’ve said it before: Sometimes those who are in control of the game — I know the umpires have to control it — show a lack of feel by not understanding what is going on,” said Guthrie, who hit Kevin Youkilis with a changeup to load the bases with two outs in the fourth inning, resulting in plate umpire Marty Foster’s warning both benches.

“I think that’s … not having been in the situation, not having played the game at a high level, probably. You got first and third and you throw a changeup to the guy trying to get a ground ball, and I miss up and in. If they really had issues with people being hit, they could have warned the benches the second time one of our players were hit versus the third hit batsman of the game on a changeup on a situation where I clearly wasn’t intending to hit a gentleman. It’s difficult, but I’m sure nothing will happen and we’ll just keep going forward from there.”

Two days after Ortiz and Orioles reliever Kevin Gregg were the main combatants in a benches-clearing incident and one day after Red Sox starter John Lackey hit two Orioles, Boston right-hander Kyle Weiland and manager Terry Francona were ejected after the rookie hit Vladimir Guerrero in the right hand in the fifth inning. Weiland also hit Mark Reynolds in the right hand in the third.

“They lead all of baseball in hit by pitches. I lost two players today. I don’t think it was intentional from the young kid; location was a challenge for him,” Showalter said. “I don’t think there was any intent there on his part. I just know that we got hit four, five times here and it wasn’t particularly pleasant. You are looking at Mark Reynolds and Guerrero having broken hands at the time. It looks like we might have dodged the bullet with the initial X-rays, but you don’t know what could show up down the line. It doesn’t make you happy.”

Showalter did say he felt Lackey intentionally threw at Derrek Lee in the seventh inning Saturday night.

“I know the umpires are trying,” Showalter said. “I just wish they would have issued the warnings before the game started because Lackey should have been thrown out of the game for hitting Lee. That was [as] intentional as it gets. [It’ll] be interesting to see if they hand down any punishment for Lackey.”

Gonzalez could face disciplinary action as he didn’t exactly deny that he was trying to send a message to the Red Sox by throwing behind Ortiz in the sixth inning. He and Showalter were ejected afterward.

“Very frustrated. I’ve seen our guys get hit accidentally. It’s just how it is. It’s how the game goes. That’s about it with that,” Gonzalez said.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (22)
        

With the Orioles and his agent engaging in semi-regular conversations about a potential contract extension, shortstop J.J. Hardy is hopeful that an agreement can be reached during the All-Star break.

“I hope it gets done during the break,” said Hardy, who is a free agent after the season. “I don’t know if it will. Right now, the ball is kind of in their court. That’s where it’s at.”

Hardy didn’t want to comment specifically on the negotiations, but he acknowledged that he was optimistic with the dialogue the two sides have had. If the Orioles can’t reach an extension with Hardy before the July 31 nonwaiver trade deadline, they would likely consider moving the sure-handed shortstop who is batting .278 with 13 homers and 33 RBIs. Hardy struggled on the road trip, going 5-for-40 (.125), though two of those hits were home runs.

Hardy has made it clear that his main goal is re-signing with the Orioles, who acquired him before the season in a trade with the Minnesota Twins for minor league relievers Jim Hoey and Brett Jacobson.

“If it doesn’t get done during the break, hopefully we’ll make some good progress,” Hardy said.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 8:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)
        

ORIOLES
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Matt Wieters, C
Derrek Lee, 1B
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Nolan Reimold, LF
Robert Andino, 2B
Mitch Atkins, SP

RED SOX
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
David Ortiz, DH
Josh Reddick, LF
Jason Varitek, C
J.D. Drew, RF
Marco Scutaro, SS
Kyle Weiland, SP

Orioles manager Buck Showalter hasn't unveiled his complete rotation after the break, but Jeremy Guthrie, who is available in the bullpen today, is scheduled to start the second-half opener on Thursday against Cleveland, followed by Jake Arrieta on Friday and Alfredo Simon on Saturday. The Orioles have a 10-game and 11-day home stand after the All-Star break.

Third baseman Mark Reynolds has gotten some praise for cutting down on his strikeouts, but he's certainly picked up the pace lately. He has struck out in 15 of his last 30 at-bats. He has strikeouts in eight consecutive games and he has fanned two or more times in six of the Orioles' last seven contests.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 10:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

So much for that bench-clearing incident from Friday night serving as a rallying moment for these Orioles. They apparently are going to need a lot more than that.

The Orioles dropped their sixth straight game in falling 4-0 to the Boston Red Sox. The home team broke a scoreless tie by scoring three times in the fifth inning off Alfredo Simon. But the story was how the Orioles were shut out for 6 2/3 innings against Lackey, who entered the game with a 7.47 ERA.

"I know Lackey, his last few starts he has gotten hit around, but for some reason, he put his fastball, his sinker, his cutter, whatever the hell he was throwingm his curveball, he put everything in the right spot," Orioles center fielder Adam Jones said. "Early on, we hit the ball hard, just couldn’t muster anything. I thought we could use the energy from last night. We just didn’t."

The Orioles (36-51) are just 1-9 on this road trip which comes to a merciful end tomorrow as the Orioles close the series and the first half. They’ve been outscored 24-7 in this series and 54-18 during this six-game losing streak.

They also had two players hit tonight - Nick Markakis by Lackey in the sixth and Derrek Lee by Lackey in the seventh - but there was no further incident. Home plate umpire Jeff Nelson immediately warned both benches after Lee was hit.

"“If Simon had hit two guys, he would have been ejected,” said Orioles manager Buck Showalter. “They used to do warnings before a game and they didn’t so it kind of gives somebody a free pop.”

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

A lot going on tonight obviously, but I wanted to pass along some quotes from Zach Britton and manager Buck Showalter about the rookie's demotion to Double-A Bowie, along with comments from Kevin Gregg and David Ortiz about the benches-clearing incident from last night. I also wanted to make one more point about Matt Albers' role in ticking the Orioles off the previous night.

First, here's Zach Britton on his demotion
"I wasn’t expecting it. Last night was a terrible outing, but I feel like if you base everything on that outing. I don’t know. I feel like if I’m I under a microscope that much, that’s a lot of pressure for me when obviously I’m still trying to figure everything out at this level. Obviously, you can’t make excuses."

"I feel like this is where I got to learn how to pitch, not in the minors. It’s about learning how to make adjustments at the Major League level, not making adjustments at the minor league level. That’s one thing that’s a little frustrating because I feel like the most important thing for me going into next year and finishing up this year is to make adjustments against Major League hitters. And I feel like I was starting to do that. Like I said, it’s quite the shock."

"From a player's standpoint, you are thinking about winning. I think I give this team a chance to win every time I go out there. Last night was a bad outing, I’ve had some bad outings recently, but when you are player looking at it, you want to win. You are looking for the best guys that give you a chance to win. You aren’t thinking about how many innings have, or what do they think about this, when it comes to service time. So, obviously it’s kind of tough to swallow for those reasons."

Now here are a couple of quotes from Gregg and Ortiz, the two main combatants on Friday night:

KEVIN GREGG
"Tell me this, what did I do wrong? To me, I don’t think I did anything wrong. I pitched, I made my pitches. I got him out. I’d be interested to see if there was anybody out there that says that I did something wrong because last time I checked, I played the game of baseball the way it should be played."

On Josh Beckett’s claim that Gregg was throwing at Ortiz intentionally: "Josh has no idea. If I wanted to hit him, I would have hit him. There have been times that I’ve hit guys on purpose and I wasn’t trying to hit him on purpose. I was trying to get him out and you have to pitch in to get him out.”

DAVID ORTIZ
"He's a guy who I've always faced and he's never pitched in. He threw a whole bunch of pitches
inside and I'm sure he was trying to hit me. No question about that. AfterI hit the fly ball, he started screaming at me, you know what I'm saying?I'm not going to take that like a little [wuss], you know what I'm saying? Everyone's a grown man around here and you've got to be aware of the situation. You saw the argument before and afterward, you're going to act like you're my daddy or something like that, I ain't going to take that. Everybody's a grown man here. And if you want tohave respect, you got to respect [others]."

"Like I said, I apologize to everyone for the situation, even to them, man. I have a lot of friends on that ballclub. Even Gregg, though I don't even know him, but he doesn't seem like a crazy person out there. It's a situation that happenedand I'm not happy about it, and this is not what people come to see whenthey come to the [park]. Hopefully, we'll stay away from that and everybody can turn the page."

And finally, I've wrote a little about this in the morning, but the more I talked to players, the more clear it was that the Orioles - Kevin Gregg notwithstanding - were more angry with former teammate Matt Albers than with Ortiz. Albers struck out four of the six batters that he faced and performed several fist pumps after the strikeouts. But what angered the Orioles even more is that they allege that Albers shouted expletives toward their dugout after one of the inning-ending strikeouts. The big reliever is not exactly a fan of the organization after they nontendered him during the season.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

In somewhat of a surprise move, the Orioles optioned Zach Britton to Double-A Bowie, a move that not only will ease the innings total on the rookie left-hander, but it likely will keep him under team control for one more season.

Britton, who lasted just 2/3 of an inning in the Orioles' 10-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox last night, is scheduled to pitch three innings for Bowie on Friday. If things go according to plan, he'll return to the Orioles on July 30.

That would mean that he'd be in the minors for the required 20 days for the Orioles to gain an extra year of service time.

"It's tough to swallow those reasons," said Britton who was clearly disappointed.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter insisted that the main reason for the demotion was that Britton is clearly struggling. The team also wants to keep his innings total to around 175, and it's easy to limit him down in the minors.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 5:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)
        

Everything kind of got put the backburner with all the late-game fireworks, but as of last night, the Orioles were planning on selecting the contract of veteran left-hander Mark Hendrickson from Triple-A Norfolk. We’ll find out soon if that plan has changed.

(Update: It hasn't. Hendrickson is on way to Boston as we speak).

Hendrickson is 2-4 with a 2.87 ERA in 19 appearances for the Tides. He’s not allowed an earned run in seven of his past eight outings.

The 37-year-old pitched in 105 games with the Orioles over the previous two seasons before spending this year with Norfolk after failing to make the club out of spring training.

Even with the Orioles currently carrying an eight-man bullpen, they are still pretty short down there after Zach Britton just got two outs last night and Jake Arrieta didn’t make it through five complete the night before.

Brad Bergesen was nailed in the right forearm by a David Ortiz comebacker so his availability will obviously be in question. Chris Jakubauskas has pitched on back-to-back days so you’d think he won’t factor in the equation. Pedro Viola has essentially pitched on back-to-back days as well though he didn’t actually throw a pitch in last night’s game. He did go through the full warm-up to get ready.

Hendrickson and Jason Berken could serve as the two long men and one of them will probably be needed as Simon has not pitched more than 4 2/3 innings in the big leagues this season. Jeremy Guthrie will then go down to the bullpen on Sunday to provide an extra arm.

The Orioles have space on their 40-man roster available so selecting Hendrickson’s contract should be a rather easy move. I’m not going to speculate on a corresponding move, but the Orioles do have some options, and some of the decision may depend on Bergesen’s availability as well.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (19)
        

I’m not going to sit here on my soapbox and assign blame and fault or even take sides on the benches-clearing incident in the Orioles-Red Sox game last night. I’ll let the fans or other reporters do that.

But I’d certainly like to revisit it a little and make a few points about what I saw. Obviously, a lot of people are focused on the couple of pitches that preceded David Ortiz popping out and Kevin Gregg yelling at him, but I think the incident was obviously brewing for a couple of days and a result of mounting frustration from the Orioles' side.

Consider this quote from Orioles manager Buck Showalter: “There’s a lot of things that led up to that that some people probably didn’t notice. But we did.”

What was Showalter talking about?

I can’t say for sure, but I have a few guesses: Perhaps the Orioles were ticked at the way Ortiz admired his three-run blast off rookie left-hander Zach Britton in the first inning. Maybe they didn’t like Darnell McDonald lingering in the batter’s box in the third inning to argue a called third strike in an 8-0 game or Kevin Youkilis fussing about a checked swing call during garbage time of the blowout the night before. Or maybe they thought that former teammate Matt Albers was trying to show them up with his multiple fist pumps after he struck out four of the six hitters he faced in two scoreless innings last night.

It probably was a combination of all those things and a few more that I missed, but the bottom line is with how frustrated and beaten the Orioles are right now, it wasn’t going to take much to get under their skin.

Just a couple of other observations: Gregg’s actions during and after the incident certainly didn’t surprise me. Whether you agree with what he did or not, Gregg has the reputation for being a very good teammate. He’s going to stick up for his teammates, especially his fellow pitchers. And if he thought a Red Sox hitter was either showing one of his younger teammates up or getting far too comfortable in the batter’s box, it doesn’t surprise me that he would take it upon himself to do something about it. I wouldn’t even rule out Gregg trying to send a message -- not to the Red Sox -- but to his teammates. Gregg’s four blown saves have made him a lightning rod for criticism, but his teammates and coaches love him for what he does behind the scenes. Gregg is regularly in front of one of the laptops, studying tape and mechanics with the younger pitchers. He’s very much into the game in the bullpen, constantly talking about situations and pitch sequences. And above all, he doesn’t back down from anybody. If nothing else, he certainly proved that last night.

I’ve seen Matt Wieters frustrated. I’ve seen him annoyed. Now I can officially say that I’ve seen him really angry. Wieters, who is one of the most mild-mannered athletes I’ve ever been around, was one of the most visibly ticked off and aggressive players after the benches cleared. The scrum made it very hard to tell what set him off, though the catcher did do quite a job of pushing Ortiz away from Gregg. Orioles hitting coach Jim Presley really worked hard to calm Wieters down and guide him away from the middle of things, but he had his hands full. At one point, Wieters and Red Sox third base coach Tim Bogar appeared to be having an aggressive exchange.

Some people have asked me why reliever Jim Johnson was ejected and the word was that it was a result of “aggressive actions” during the scrum. Johnson was tying up Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who was also ejected, when Boston's closer Jonathan Papelbon started chirping, prompting an exchange with Johnson. Johnson’s involvement was no surprise either. He’s very tight with Gregg, and he’s one of the more outspoken Orioles about protecting teammates and playing the game the right way.

A lot of times, these incidents become a classic case of much ado about nothing and tend to fizzle, but today could test that. Alfredo Simon will start for the Orioles, and not only can he be control-challenged, but he has also been accused of throwing at hitters before. The Toronto Blue Jays made the accusation later year after Simon was tossed for hitting Jose Bautista, and the New York Yankees also complained last spring that Simon was going up and in entirely too much. Red Sox starter John Lackey can also be quite temperamental, and he has a reputation for protecting his teammates.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (71)
        

The bench-clearing incident in the eighth inning tonight might have taken some of the attention off of Zach Britton's dreadful outing, but the rookie left-hander certainly was not shy about taking accountability.

"[I] was pretty much embarrassed," he said after allowing eight runs (seven earned) on six hits and two walks over 2/3 of an inning. "It’s unacceptable. If you want to pitch at this level, you can’t do that, especially since the way we’ve been throwing, the starting rotation. To go out there and not even get out of the first inning, it’s kind of a joke. I really need to step up my game and start going deeper into games."

Britton is now 6-7 with a 4.05 ERA. He’s lost three consecutive decisions and six of his last seven, and he has just one victory since May 1, a span of 12 starts. Over his last eight outings, Britton is 1-5 with a 6.86 ERA, and he’s gone less than six innings six times during that span, including in three consecutive starts.

"I was just leaving balls over the plate, and it seems like when they get something going in that first inning, it was really hard to settle down and get outs," said Britton. "They came out swinging and I couldn’t get the ball down. It’s frustrating to say the least."

Britton didn't get much defensive help as three plays could have easily been made, including two by normally sure-handed shortstop J.J. Hardy. However, the Red Sox crushed several balls off him, including David Ortiz's three-run homer.

"Keep in mind a lot of things this guy is being exposed to, he hasn’t before," said Orioles manager Buck Showalter. "I’m proud of the way he’s handled everything. If I know Zach Britton, he’ll learn from what happened tonight and next time he’s in Fenway, he’ll pitch better. He’s a not a guy that’s going to pull the dirt in around him. I like him. He’s going to be a good pitcher."

By the way, Oriole pitchers have now allowed at least 10 runs in four of their past five games, and 10 hits or more in six straight games. Oriole starters have a 9.09 ERA over their last 14 outings and Jeremy Guthrie and Mitch Atkins are the only two pitchers during that stretch that went at least six innings.

"Hopefully, we can start playing some good baseball the next two days and it starts with the starting pitchers," Britton said. "We kind of got to pull our head out of our [butts] and start pitching because otherwise we are not going to be here very long. So it’s really frustrating. You can make excuses all you want, 'this is only my first year, I’ve only faced them twice,' but at the end of the day pitching is pitching and we had to do something right to get to this level and obviously I’m not doing it right now."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

By now, you've probably seen the highlights of Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz charging Orioles closer Kevin Gregg in the eighth inning tonight of the Orioles' 10-3 loss. Ortiz was ticked that Gregg threw three straight pitches inside to start the at-bat, and then yelled at him as he jogged to first base after popping out. Gregg was sick of watching Ortiz beat up on Orioles' pitching, objected to his reaction to three balls that really never came close to hitting him, and didn't appreciate the fact that he swung at a 3-0 pitch with the Red Sox leading by seven runs. I'll let the Orioles talk about the rest below (Ortiz, by the way, left the clubhouse before reporters were allowed in so nothing from him until tomorrow):

KEVIN GREGG
"To me, it’s a situation [with] Ortiz, the place to get him out is in. You got to pitch him in. The first pitch wasn’t too far off the corner and he jumped away like it was at his head. Next pitch was a little bit further in, he didn’t like it, he stared at me. I’m still going to go in there. I’m not going to let him lean over the plate like he did to [Brad Bergesen], lined a ball back up the middle. He’s hitting stuff off the wall, he’s real comfortable in there. The best way to get him out is pitch him in. I’m pitching him in, 3-0, they are up seven. I think there is some ethics to the game you got to stay within. Run. Hit a fly ball, a lazy fly ball, you got to run the bases. Apparently he didn’t like me telling him that stuff and he came out there. It’s part of the game. He has a right to come out there. I’m going to defend myself if he comes out."

"There’s 17 inches on the plate. You got to use all 17 inches. If you don’t, you are going to get your [butt] kicked every time you go out there. So that’s what we’re doing, that’s what I was doing when I was out there. They are going to whine and complain about it because they think they are better than everybody else. But no, we have just as much right to pitch inside as they do. Everybody’s frustrated. It’s part of the game."

"We are playing the game of baseball. You got to go ask David what he was thinking. It’s 3-0 and you are up seven runs and the opposing pitcher gets upset with you hitting a weak fly ball and not running. If he thinks there’s something [wrong] with me saying that, than he’s got other things he needs to figure out in this game."

"This is a team sport. I take offense to every run scored off every one of our pitchers. I take offense to every one of our hitters that’s hit every time out there. We are a family. We spend more time with these 25 guys than I do with my own family, and I take it personal. And so, to be able to go out there, you get tired of getting your butt kicked every night when you come in here. I’m going to stick up for what ours and try to get the plate back. I think you showed them that we are not backing down. We are not scared of them and their $180 million payroll. We don’t care. We are here to play the game. We have just as much right to play the game here, and we are going to do everything we can to win."

BUCK SHOWALTER
"I’m not going to get into all of that, he said, she said, we said, all that stuff. It is what it is. It’s a game played by passionate men who care about what they are doing. We’re kind of wounded right now. I’m sure he took some exception to him swinging 3-0 there, and I’m sure he took exception to him pitching in. It’s part of the game. There’s a lot of things that led up to that, that some people probably didn’t notice. But we did."

"I’m proud of them. They handled it the right way. We’re a little wounded and some things happen out there that kind of wakens wounded people. We’ll see what happens."

"It’s the way Kevin pitches, it's the way [Jim Johnson] pitches. I just wish other guys take notice because you can’t constantly allow other guys to get extended and feel real comfortable all the time."

NICK MARKAKIS
"I like the guy, I like Ortiz. I respect the way he plays the game, but I think it was a little bush league, bottom of the eighth, up by six, two outs, swinging 3-0. I don’t think we were hitting anybody intentionally there. If it has to come down to that, it has to come down to it. He knows how to play the game. I think he’s going to look back at it and realize that he screwed up there, but what happened, happened. It’s over."

"I don’t understand why he went after him. It’s a 3-0 pitch, two outs and you have a guy tagging up and a guy swinging at a 3-0 pitch in a six-run game. It doesn’t make sense. He knows the game better than that. Put them on our side and us on their side. It’s a little bush league. Like I said, I’m sure he’s going to look back and realize that he made a mistake, especially charging our pitcher regardless of what was said."

"If you ask me, this happened in the right spot at the right time. We still got two more games left with these guys and we have seven more games after the break. We’re going to see them. We’re going to get our opportunities and they’re going to get their opportunities. We’ll see how it works out."

ADAM JONES
"You hate to see it, but it was sure-as-[heck] necessary in that situation. We’ve been getting hit around a bit and [forget] it, we took some blows back. That livens everything up in here. We need to come out and use that as some ammo."

"You have to stand up for yourself. I’m not mad as how that situation escalated one bit. We’ll just use it as an ammo and get after that, and hopefully that energy carries us into tomorrow, and the second half of the season."

Proud of Gregg: "Exactly, 100 percent. Couldn’t be prouder."

ZACH BRITTON
"Pretty crazy. It’s part of the game but those two pitches - I was in here watching the game - the two pitches that Gregg threw to Papi weren’t even close. So it was unnecessary for him to stare in and act like a tough guy. Kevin’s not going to back down if you are going to stare at him like that. There’s no reason we are trying to hit him. We are getting our [butts] kicked, we are not trying to hit him. That’s what you get. Big Papi, he is what he is. And that’s what happens."

"The atmosphere in here right now is great. I’m not saying this is what baseball is about, but I think this brought us a little closer."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (61)
        

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said today that the team got good news on on the MRA taken on Luke Scott's right shoulder. Showalter that Scott's partially-torn labrum has not gotten worse and the plan is for the left fielder to be ready to come off the disabled list when he's eligible on July 19.

Scott will see team orthopedist Dr. John Wilckens Monday and get another cortisone shot.

Showalter said that as long as Alfredo Simon doesn't pitch tonight, he'll start tomorrow's game. Kyle Weiland will start Sunday's series finale for Boston opposite Mitch Atkins.

Jeremy Guthrie will be available to pitch out of the bullpen Sunday.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 5:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

ORIOLES
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Matt Wieters, C
Derrek Lee, 1B
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Felix Pie, LF
Robert Andino, 2B
Zach Britton, SP

RED SOX
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
David Ortiz, DH
Jason Varitek, C
Marco Scutaro, SS
Darnell McDonald, RF
Yamaico Navarro, LF
Josh Beckett, SP

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

I have a real scary and disturbing thought to start your morning and I apologize in advance but here goes: As bad as the Orioles pitching has been lately, I can’t help but think that it could get a whole lot worse. What happens when Zach Britton, who hasn’t gotten many wins lately but still gives the Orioles a chance to win most times out, is officially shut down at some point in late August or early September? The Orioles don’t want the rookie lefty accruing over 175 innings this season and he’s already at 103 2/3 heading into tonight’s start. What happens if the Orioles decide to shut Jake Arrieta down early to get the bone spur in his right elbow removed? What happens if the club decides to trade Jeremy Guthrie, who is really only one of two legit trade chips (J.J. Hardy is the other) that the Orioles have right now? All three are realistic possibilities though I’ve said several times that I don’t expect Guthrie to be moved until this offseason, or next trade deadline. I guess the possibility exists that Brian Matusz and Chris Tillman could string together some solid outings for Triple-A Norfolk and enter the conversation again, or current relievers Brad Bergesen, Jason Berken or Alfredo Simon could pitch well enough to get the ball every five days, but in watching this club this year, it’s probably better to work off the worst-case scenario. You almost come to fully expect the next installment of Victor Zambrano or Victor Santos or Chris Waters to be on the mound in September with the Orioles facing all their divisional foes who need wins to get to the playoffs. It’s not a pretty picture.

Speaking of Matusz and not great news, I was told that his fastball velocity during his start for Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday was even lower than it had been while he was pitching in the big leagues this season. Just for comparison sake, in his six starts for the Orioles, Matusz’s average fastball velocity was 86.7, according to the excellent web site www.fangraphs.com. Matusz’s situation remains a big mystery to me. I’ve probably asked 10 different people either from inside the organization or outside the organization but familiar with Matusz, and gotten 10 different explanations. I’m not sure there is a more impactful issue in the second half for the Orioles than what becomes of Matusz. His progression – or regression - cannot be overstated with where the Orioles are as a franchise.

The frustration over the pitching staff’s struggles is understandable, but I think the calls for Rick Adair’s job are a little unfair. Sure, the staff’s numbers since Mark Connor resigned aren’t pretty, but consider who the Orioles have had to rely on recently, and also who has been on their schedule. In some cases, the Orioles are asking career minor leaguers to neutralize teams like the Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox. It isn’t going to happen more times than not. This isn’t a pitching coach issue. This a depth issue and the Orioles simply not having enough pitching to compete regularly with the American League heavyweights.

I applauded the signing of Vladimir Guerrero at the time, and I also felt that Derrek Lee was the Orioles’ best option to fill their first base vacancy of what remained after they struck out on Victor Martinez and Adam Dunn. Well, I’m not breaking any news here but the veterans have really bogged down the middle of the Orioles’ lineup particularly with runners in scoring position. Between the two of them, they are a combined 23-for-129 (.178) with runners in scoring position. They have also combined to hit into 23 double plays, nine more twin killings than they have total homers. They seemed like good additions at the time and Lee has brought a solid glove and a lot of professionalism to a clubhouse badly in need of it. But in terms of helping out the offense, I couldn’t imagine those signings looking much worse right now. And I know some in the game feel differently, but I just have a hard time imagining a trade market for either developing unless something changes dramatically.

This is sort of an incremental update but it is a question we get asked a lot so it’s certainly worth passing along. The Orioles remain in negotiations with shortstop J.J. Hardy about a potential contract extension. They may not be talking on a daily basis, but the two sides are communicating semi-regularly. Hardy is eligible for free agency after the season and if the Orioles don’t think they have a chance to sign him, they likely will explore a trade. Nothing is imminent at this point, but both sides have expressed a willingness to get a deal done. This is totally me talking, not anything I heard from either party, but it’s hard to imagine the deciding factor in this not being whether the Orioles offer him three guaranteed years or not. Keep in mind Hardy’s history. His free agency was delayed by a year because the Milwaukee Brewers sent him down to the minors during the 2009 season, a move that Hardy has called a slap in the face several times. Hardy eventually kept the shortstop position warm for Brewers’ prospect Alcides Escobar. Hardy was then traded from the Twins to the Orioles are just one season in Minnesota. My point in documenting all that is you’d have to think that Hardy wants a little stability. He signs a two-year deal with the Orioles and probably after just one year of it, he’s again firmly on the trade block, especially if Manny Machado forces the Orioles’ hand a little bit.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (51)
        

With how bad the Orioles' pitching has been -- and that trend certainly continued in the 10-4 loss to the Boston Red Sox tonight -- it's probably unfair to single out Jake Arrieta's recent struggles.

But as of about two weeks ago, Arrieta was perhaps one of a handful of positives to come out of the Orioles' dreadful first half. But I'm not sure that can be said anymore, or at least as strongly.

The young right-hander allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits and four walks while striking out one in 4 1/3 innings tonight. Everybody wants to look at Arrieta's staff-leading nine wins, and that's fine, though it has to be pointed out that he entered tonight's start receiving the fourth-best run support in the American League at 6.87 runs per game.

But you also have to consider that after 18 starts, he now has a 4.90 ERA. He has gone five innings or fewer in three consecutive starts and hasn't gone beyond six innings in 15 of his 18 outings. He has also walked three batters or more in 10 games this season.

"Jake is out there, and you can see it. His tempo slows down, the wheels start turning," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "I think he’s overthinking a lot of things and he’s just not getting in the rhythm of throwing the ball over the plate and trusting his stuff. It’s just not very good right now."

Arrieta has been dealing with elbow troubles related to a bone spur for the past couple of weeks. His velocity has been pretty good in his past two starts, but his command has certainly sputtered at times.

"One of the only things I can control is going out there every fifth day and keeping us competitive and keeping us in the game," Arrieta said. "The last three starts, I really haven’t been able to do that, and that’s not me, that’s not the pitcher or the kind of guy I am. So, just got to do whatever I can and try to get back to where I need to be and help the team in any way possible."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 11:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
        

At this point, it appears that Alfredo Simon will start Saturday's game against the Boston Red Sox followed by Mitch Atkins in Sunday's series finale.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter didn't rule out another guy from the bullpen, like Brad Bergesen or Jason Berken, getting an opportunity, but he did say there are no plans to bring back Jeremy Guthrie on three days' rest to start Sunday.

Simon would take the spot of struggling right-hander Chris Jakubauskas.

In other news, Showalter said Cesar Izturis continues to progress and will go on a rehab assignment after the All-Star break.

Now the lineups:
ORIOLES
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Matt Wieters, C
Derrek Lee, 1B
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Nolan Reimold, LF
Robert Andino, 2B
Jake Arrieta, SP

RED SOX
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
David Ortiz, DH
Josh Reddick, LF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
J.D. Drew, RF
Marco Scutaro, SS
Andrew Miller, SP

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 5:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

Here's a look at recent media coverage of the Orioles:

• In his weekly power rankings, the Sporting News’ Anthony Witrado slots the O’s at No. 28.

28. Baltimore Orioles (23). Matt Wieters’ 1.9 WAR is All-Star worthy. Unfortunately that didn’t do much from staving off a five-game losing streak last week.

• Orioles reliever Koji Uehara made SI.com writer John Heyman's list of Top 70 first-half MLB heroes.

62. Koji Uehara, Orioles RP. Has a 0.78 WHIP to go with 46 strikeouts in 36 innings.

• Cal Ripken Jr.’s home run in the 2001 All-Star game is in the final for MLB.com's top All-Star Game moment of all time.

• The Orioles aren't near the cellar in SB Nation's mascot rankings.

Like the Mariner Moose, he's ranked higher than he might otherwise be, because he doesn't have a stupid name. He's not Mike Cuelloriole or something stupid. He's just a bird. An Oriole. Because the team is named the Orioles. He does mascot things, and this is the last time you'll ever think of him. The team would be better off just hiring Michael K. Williams to walk the stands and whistle "Farmer in the Dell."

-- Chris Branch

Posted by Baltimore Sun sports at 4:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: What They're Saying about the O's
        

It’s hard to keep writing the same things about the Orioles’ most recent skid – which has to qualify as the worst run under Buck Showalter.

I’m sure it isn’t easy to keep reading about it, either.

But you came here, we appreciate that and we want to give you something to chew on.

And we’re running out of words to describe this recent mess. So here are some numbers:

6-17 – That’s the Orioles’ record in their last 23 games.

5.80 – The Orioles’ staff ERA in those 23 games.

1 – How many games the Orioles’ starter has lasted seven or more innings in their past 22 contests.

6.85 – That’s the Orioles’ starters ERA in those 22 games.

35 – The number of hits the Orioles have gotten in their last 200 at-bats with runners in scoring position (.175 average).

.108 – The Orioles’ RISP average in their six July games. They are 4-for-37, and that increased dramatically with an unimpressive 3-for-8 on Wednesday.

18 – The number of errors the Orioles have committed during the 6-17 skid.

14 – The number of consecutive games in which the Orioles have allowed four or more runs. That’s the worst for any team this season and longest for Orioles since 2001.

63-29 – The combined scores of the Orioles’ last nine games (eight losses). Yes, in case there was any doubt, they scored the 29.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (28)
        

It took a while for the doors to the Orioles’ clubhouse to open post-game Wednesday night.

One can imagine there was a whole lot of discussion going on in there before the media was allowed in.

Maybe manager Buck Showalter addressed his troops. Or maybe it was a players’ only meeting. Not sure, and since none of the hitters immediately was in the clubhouse post-game, there was no one to ask.

Showalter kept his composure with the media. His voice was even, but you could see the fire burning in his eyes. His message was clear.

“I think we made a lot more bad pitches. Obviously (their offense) is at a high level. But it is more about us not them. It’s about us not executing things that I wasn’t happy about. And we are going to have to do better. … We need to pitch better, we need to play better period.”

He also said this about the Orioles’ overall ineptitude: “Believe me it is something that I and we are aware of.”

The Orioles are now 36-48, 14 ½ games out of first place. They’ve dropped eight of nine and 17 of 23. And in this three game series were outscored 30-11 by the Rangers.

“We got what we deserved. We didn’t do a lot of things well this series," Showalter said. "It’s only a real problem if it continues to happen, we got to correct it and pretty quick."

Posted by Dan Connolly at 12:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (37)
        

Alfredo Simon will be leaving the Orioles for the Dominican Republic on July 17 for a hearing on July 18.

The club is hopeful that Simon will be able to resolve his legal problems in the Dominican -- although he has not been charged, he has remained a suspect in the fatal shooting on New Year’s Day -- and rejoin the Orioles on July 19 or shortly thereafter.

Manager Buck Showalter said Simon remains a candidate to start Saturday’s or Sunday’s game against the Boston Red Sox -- the starter for both of which is listed as TBA.

Mitch Atkins is also a candidate, and Showalter did not rule out Jeremy Guthrie starting Sunday’s first-half finale on short rest.

A lot, Showalter said, depends on what happens Wednesday and Thursday night with the club’s bullpen (and with Guthrie).

Orioles lefty Zach Britton, who pitches Friday in Boston, likely will not start again until July 17 or 18, in another attempt to limit the rookie’s innings this season. Showalter would like to keep him around 175 innings while having him pitch in September.

Here’s the Orioles' lineup for tonight’s game: Hardy 6, Markakis 9, Jones 8, Guerrero DH, Wieters 2, Reynolds 5, Lee 3, Pie 7, Andino 4

Posted by Dan Connolly at 7:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)
        

I was recently asked about the Orioles’ starting rotation and what has gone wrong.

I don’t have that kind of time.

But let’s just say that no one is the rotation has had the kind of season they dreamed about when April started. And some, like Brian Matusz and Chris Tillman, have had nightmares.

It’s hard to put it in words what it means when Mitch Atkins, who didn’t throw a pitch in a spring game due to injury, has turned in one of the best individual starts of the past month.

Heading into Wednesday’s finale in Texas, Jeremy Guthrie’s 110 innings and 3.93 ERA makes him the rotation’s best pitcher for the first half despite a 3-10 record. And that speaks volumes since Jeremy couldn’t buy a win for a while there.

There are only five games left before the break. So I am asking you to get your crystal ball out. I want to know who you think will be the best Orioles starter of the second half. And, yes, they have to be with the Orioles to count.

Think it through. Because there’s a question circling around most of the candidates. Guthrie could be traded if the Orioles get the right offer. Zach Britton’s innings will be limited. Jake Arrieta’s elbow inflammation may flare up again. And who knows when Matusz and Tillman will be back or how many starts a Brad Bergesen or an Atkins or a fill-in-the-blank get in the second half.

I’m going to go with Arrieta. But that’s a hunch more than anything.

Daily Think Special: Which Orioles starter will have the best second half? Why?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (37)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar
        

It would be real easy to hammer the offense again -- 12 hits and just two runs; 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and now 0-for-10 in this series -- but it’s late and I’ll end this night on a positive note.

Mitch Atkins, in his first major league start, his first Orioles game and eighth major league appearance, pitched well against a great Texas Rangers lineup.

He was hitting only the low 90s with his fastball. So how did he do it?

It’s a crazy, novel formula that may be new to all of you:

He threw strikes: 58 in 90 pitches. He didn’t walk a guy. He kept attacking the strike zone, and the Rangers kept beating his cutter into the ground or popping his fastball in the air.

“I have got a few pitches I can throw in different counts and I trust in my catcher and what he put down, and that really helped,” said Atkins, who allowed two or fewer walks in six of his eight Triple-A starts this year.

I’m not sure whether Atkins can keep another good offense -- like the Boston Red Sox's if he gets another start on this road trip -- at bay. His margin for error looks pretty small. But you have to be impressed with the way he pitched, especially after not throwing at all this spring because of an oblique injury.

Here is Showalter’s take on the 25-year-old’s start:

“I'll take a little breath at some point and realize what a nice night it was for a young man to come over to a new organization at 25, battled his way back from a few injuries to make starts at three different places and have it kind of get to this point where he can get some return at this point. I know the long face he had during the spring when he just couldn't show us what he was capable of doing. He's battled through this whole season and gave us a good chance to win. We are all frustrated that we weren't able to cash it in for him.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 12:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

Left-hander Brian Matusz’s struggles continued in his first start for Triple-A Norfolk since his June 30 demotion from the Orioles, Matusz allowed four earned runs on seven hits, including two homers, and two walks while striking out three over 5 2/3 innings in the Tides’ game tonight at Charlotte.

Matusz surrendered four extra-base hits, including homers by Jim Gallagher and Lastings Milledge, before he was relieved by Mark Hendrickson. He threw 51 of his 87 pitches for strikes.

The 24-year-old was 1-4 with an 8.77 ERA in six starts for the Orioles before being optioned to Triple-A. In 25 2/3 innings, he allowed 25 runs on 40 hits, including nine home runs, and 11 walks. Opposing hitters batted .357 against him.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 9:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (22)
        

Orioles manager Buck Showalter wouldn’t reveal his specific plans for left field now that Scott will be on the DL, but the benefactors will be right-handed hitting Nolan Reimold and lefty-swinging Felix Pie.

“I wouldn’t commit to something straight [platoonwise],” Showalter said. “Let’s just see how it goes. We got a string here where we got left-right-left-right-left-right. I will try to get
them both some at-bats.”

Reimold, who was hitting .255 in 23 games heading into Tuesday, had been limited to the lesser half of a lefty-righty platoon, playing mainly against left-handed pitchers while Pie’s playing time was severely limited with Scott healthy. Heading into Tuesday, Pie had batted .239 in 63 games and had just 35 at-bats in June.

Reimold started Monday and Tuesday, and Pie was expected to start Wednesday against right-hander Alexi Ogando.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Pie plays [Wednesday]," Showalter said. "But you know if Nolan gets it going, I might ride with him, so I’m going to let him get some consistent at-bats too.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Luke Scott will have an MRA -- which includes an ink injection -- on his ailing right shoulder Friday, then will wait to see whether he’ll be able to bounce back with rest and rehab or whether he’ll need season-ending surgery to repair his torn labrum.

“I do not want to be cut on. I want to avoid surgery at all costs if I can,” said Scott, who is batting .223 with nine homers and 22 RBIs in 206 at-bats. “But at the end of the day, if it turns out that surgery is the best option, it’s necessary that I have to do it, then of course I have to do it. But I am still on my knees praying and just hoping that I don’t have to have surgery.”

Scott was placed on the disabled list Tuesday afternoon when the Orioles purchased the contract of Tuesday night’s starter, right-hander Mitch Atkins, from Triple-A Norfolk.

The shoulder has been bothering Scott for months, and a previous MRI showed a tear in the labrum. He has attempted to play through it, but he aggravated the injury -- and also bruised his right knee -- when he ran into the left-field wall making a homer-saving catch June 28 at Camden Yards.

“Since I hit the wall, it started to bother me some more. It’s just not working the way I want,” Scott said. “So the plan is I’ve got an MRA, which is the ink injection one. It is going to be more in-depth and more detailed than the MRI. And I will be able to see if it has stayed the same, if it has progressed or regressed. And then we’ll make the necessary decisions and steps after that.”

If there is no regression, Scott said, he could be able to return in maybe three weeks. If it has gotten worse, however, he would have to have season-ending surgery that likely would put him on the shelf for four months.

“It’s very frustrating,” said Scott, 33, who is under club control for one more season if it chooses to offer him offseason salary arbitration. “The little boy in me still has dreams. I want to do well, and I want to see good things come to the city of Baltimore and be a part of turning around this organization and getting this organization back to the playoffs. That’s the little boy in me speaking.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Ten years ago Sunday, Cal Ripken Jr. took the field in Seattle for the 19th and final All-Star Game of his Hall of Fame career. He headed to third base, where fans had voted him the American League starter in the 72nd Midsummer Classic at Safeco Field.

Once there, however, starting shortstop Alex Rodriguez suggested that Ripken swap places with him, allowing the Orioles great to move back to the position where he had played for 14-plus straight seasons and won two Gold Gloves.

Was Ripken touched by Rodriguez’s gesture? Not exactly — at least, not at first.

“At the time, it wasn’t so meaningful because I was mad. I don’t like to be surprised,” Ripken said Tuesday on a conference call. “I was wired, I was on a mike, and I really wanted to tell [Rodriguez], ‘No, get out of here,’ in a different way than I just described it to you.”

Once his surprise had passed and he had shown he could still play shortstop, however, Ripken felt differently.

“It was the coolest gesture that anyone can give you,” he said. “When it was all said and done and I hadn’t embarrassed myself out there, it was the coolest gesture ever.”

Ripken further added to his legacy that day, being named Most Valuable Player after hitting the first pitch he saw from Chan Ho Park in the third inning over the left-field fence for the game's first run.

Ripken’s performance in the game is a finalist in Major League Baseball’s Midsummer Classics bracket tournament, in which fans vote for the greatest moment in All-Star Game history. Stan Musial’s walk-off home run in 1955 is the other finalist.

Fans can vote through Saturday at mlb.com/moments. The winner will be revealed at this season’s All-Star Game, Tuesday in Phoenix.

Posted by Steve Gould at 5:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Asked Monday night whether the Orioles were definitely sending out a pitcher to make room for Tuesday’s starter Mitch Atkins, manager Buck Showalter said, “not necessarily,” adding that the move could take “another form.”

The obvious speculation written about Monday was that that form could be a disabled list stint for outfielder Luke Scott, who has a right labrum tear and has been trying to play through the pain.

Well, looks like speculation has turned reality and Scott will head to the disabled list today. It will become official later this afternoon. The move can be backdated to July 4, meaning he can come off the DL during the second series after the All-Star break. It’s possible he could have surgery to repair it and miss the rest of the season, but that wasn’t in Scott’s mind last week.

Showalter also hinted on Monday that more than one move could be made. So the Scott decision doesn’t necessarily mean that the roster spot of Chris Jakubauskas or Pedro Viola is safe.

UPDATE: I'm being told now that Scott to the DL will be the only move made today. That could change, but that's the plan right now.

MASN Sports first reported the Scott move was certain to happen.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 2:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (23)
        

The Orioles will purchase the contract of Mitch Atkins on Tuesday so he can start Tuesday night’s game against the Texas Rangers. It will be the 25-year-old’s first big league start after seven relief appearances in the past two years with, you guessed it, the Chicago Cubs.

That means the Orioles will have used Chris Jakubauskas and Mitch Atkins in consecutive July starts. They will have used two starters in the first half who weren’t on the 40-man roster in April. In fact, Jakubauskas didn’t even receive an official spring invite and Atkins didn’t throw a pitch in spring training because of a left oblique strain.

This, I am pretty sure, is not how Andy MacPhail drew up the first half of the season.

That’s not meant to be disrespectful to Jakubauskas, a good guy, or Atkins, whom I’ve never met. They earned the shot to start in the majors, that’s an honor and good for them.

But the Orioles’ starting rotation was supposed to be its great hope. If the club was going to turn the corner this year, it would be led by the young rotation.

And now, before the first half is over, two guys who were back-burner insurance policies will have started consecutive games. That’s problematic. And the worst part is that injury isn’t what caused this.

No, it was ineffectiveness by Brian Matusz and Chris Tillman and Brad Bergesen, three pitchers that were supposed to help lead the Orioles back to respectability. Tillman and Matusz are at Triple-A Norfolk and Bergesen is in the Orioles’ bullpen.

The rotation’s woes don’t end there, though.

De facto ace Jeremy Guthrie leads the team in innings with 110 and has a ERA under 4.00, but has 10 losses to show for his mostly solid effort. Zach Britton, who wasn’t supposed to join the Orioles until late April, was forced into the rotation when Brian Matusz strained an intercostal muscle and was great at first. But he is 1-3 with a 4.64 ERA in his past six starts (which is to be expected for most rookies, of course).

Jake Arrieta leads the team with nine wins but has a 4.74 ERA and has a right elbow that has been barking.

It’s tough to find the rotation’s silver lining.

And what the starters have done recently is most disturbing. In its past 10 games, the rotation’s ERA is 8.75. In its past 20 games, only once has a starter (Jeremy Guthrie) gone at least seven innings in an outing.

The Orioles staff, led by its rotation, also has allowed four or more runs in 12 straight games.

The reality is a perceived strength is becoming a consistent weakness. And if that trend continues, this season will only grow longer.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (43)
        

As of midnight eastern, the Orioles hadn’t officially purchased the contract of right-hander Mitch Atkins to start Tuesday’s game.

But that’s a formality.

The question is who will be taken off the 25-man roster to make room for Atkins (there is an open 40-man spot for him).

Chris Jakubauskas, who is now 2-2 with a 6.75 ERA after allowing seven hits and six runs in two innings on Monday, could be designated for assignment.

Another option would be to demote lefty Pedro Viola back to the minors. He is one of only two lefties in the bullpen, but he has only been up since Friday and allowed a run in 1 2/3 innings on Monday. That would be a painless move since they can send him down without losing him.

Here’s a third thought – and one that I bring up simply because, when he was asked Monday night if the corresponding move for Atkins would be a pitcher, Showalter said: “Not necessarily, we could do something in another form.”

That makes it sound like they are mulling the possibility of placing someone on the disabled list. And the most obvious candidate is Luke Scott, who is dealing with a labrum tear in his shoulder. By placing him on the DL, the Orioles could back date it to July 4, meaning he could be back by the second series after the All-Star break. And that could give him some time to rest and rehab.

We’ll know more by Tuesday afternoon.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 12:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Right-hander Mitch Atkins, who missed all of spring with a left oblique strain, appears to be the Orioles starter for Tuesday against the Texas Rangers.

He was summoned from Triple-A Norfolk and was at the park on Monday but was not activated. However, when Alfredo Simon was needed to pitch in long relief in the third inning on Monday, it took him out of the running for the spot start.

So that means Atkins almost certainly will get the call for his first big-league start. The 25-year-old righty appeared in seven games in relief for the Chicago Cubs in the past two seasons, compiling a 5.25 ERA. He started 14 games in the Orioles’ organization this year, going 3-6 with a 3.18 ERA at Frederick, Bowie and Norfolk.

He is not on the 40-man roster, but the Orioles have an open spot. They will, however, have to make a corresponding move on the 25-man roster when they purchase Atkins’ contract.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 9:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Not a lot here today.

Manager Buck Showalter said who starts Tuesday's game won't be decided until after tonight's is over. He expects a roster move -- one way or another -- to be made post-game.

Mitch Atkins is here at the park, but not in the clubhouse (for us to see anyway). He may or may not be activated. A lot has to do with how long starter Chris Jakubauskas lasts tonight.

Showalter said he still could move Vladimir Guerrero out of the cleanup hole, but not today. The timing is not right, especially with Guerrero coming back to Texas and a team he knows well.

"We’ve adjusted some spots in the batting order. I just don’t think the timing is quite right here," Showalter said. "He’s coming back here to Texas. I think he might get a little juice from there. He’s got a lot of close friends here. We’ll see where it takes us. If we have to make an adjustment after the all-star break or something we will. But I don’t think we are right quite there yet."

Showalter also said his rotation is not yet set for the Boston series. Sunday's game, the finale of the first half, he said he could do something a little different. That was the only hint. Didn't say what that would be.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Buck Showalter hasn’t met with the media yet, but he just put up tonight’s lineup versus the Texas Rangers.

Designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero is back at cleanup after three games off while the Orioles played in a National League park.

Nolan Reimold is in the lineup. Playing left field and hitting eighth against Texas right-hander Colby Lewis.

Mark Reynolds, who has been on a homer tear, is batting fifth.

Here is the lineup: Hardy 6, Markakis 9, Jones 8, Guerrero DH, Reynolds 5, Wieters 2, Lee 3, Reimold 7, Davis 4. Jakubauskas 1.

A couple other things: The Orioles have yet to make a final decision on who pitches Tuesday. If Alfredo Simon isn’t used tonight, he likely would get the call. But Mitch Atkins is a possibility. Atkins wasn’t in the clubhouse, but he may be in Texas.

This is a homecoming of sorts for manager Buck Showalter, who managed the Rangers from 2003 to 2006 and still has a house in Dallas.

It’s also the first time Vladimir Guerrero has been back since he helped the Rangers to get to last year’s World Series.

“Now I am a Baltimore Oriole, but I am looking forward to saying hello to some friends,” Guerrero said through interpreter Rudy Arias. “I only played here one year, it was a great year.”

Posted by Dan Connolly at 6:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

I’m not going to go too much into Nick Markakis’ offense because quite frankly, I don’t want to spend my entire July 4 holiday fending off attacks from the Pro-Markakis crowd (they tell me that I’m too hard on the right fielder), and the Anti-Markakis Establishment (they tell me that I’m too soft on him and remind me that he’s a $66.1 million singles hitter). But I will say this: it had to be a welcome sight yesterday to see him unleash an absolute rocket of a throw to second base to nail Brian McCann trying to stretch a single into a double. McCann isn’t exactly fleet of foot, but it still took a near perfect throw to get him, and Markakis provided it in one of the biggest plays of the game. I’ve said many times that his throwing arm isn’t what it used to be and I attribute that to the wear-and-tear on his left shoulder from his days as a pitcher, but perhaps reports of its demise were a tad premature.

I am traditionally asked by my editors to do a midseason and postseason report card on the Orioles’ individual players. I really haven’t started working on it yet, but I don’t know if there is a harder player that I’ve had to grade than third baseman Mark Reynolds. After his game-winning shot yesterday, Reynolds has 18 homers and 46 RBIs, putting him on pace for a 36-homer and 92-RBI season. I severely doubt that there’s one Oriole official who wouldn’t have signed up for those numbers in February. He’s also cut down on his strikeouts and is on pace to fan 168 times, which seems quite high until you consider that he’s averaged 213 strikeouts over the past three seasons. But it’s impossible to ignore the defense and Reynolds leads all Major Leaguers with 19 errors, many of them leading to runs and big innings. Such is my dilemma.

While we’re still on the topic of Reynolds, do yourself a favor and just once get to the stadium early enough to watch the Orioles take batting practice. On the last home stand, Reynolds deposited one shot into the second deck in left field at Camden Yards. Before Friday’s game at Turner Field, Reynolds put one ball in the upper deck in left field, just below where the Braves retired numbers are. It was easily one of the most impressive batting practice clouts that I’ve ever seen, and that includes the times I saw Josh Hamilton and David Ortiz hit balls midway up the scoreboard in center field at Camden Yards.

Everybody is entitled to a couple of bad games, especially somebody like center fielder Adam Jones who has made nice strides, played his butt off and been the Orioles’ best all-around player in the season’s first half. But Oriole fans should hope that’s all Sunday’s performance was for Jones: a bad day rather than the start of a slump. Jones went 0-for-5 and stranded eight baserunners. Jones mixes in some head-scratching at-bats from time-to-time, but I can’t recall him looking worse at the plate at any point this season. He was swinging at everything and appeared intent on trying to hit the ball 500 feet rather than getting in a run or having a productive at-bat. The result was three strikeouts and two foul outs to first base. Jones is an emotional guy and he wears those emotions on his sleeve. His body language yesterday was particularly poor. I don’t know if not making the All-Star team was the reason, but he was clearly disappointed when he learned that he wasn’t on the squad. I have no problem with that. Jones wants to be around the great players. He wants to be in the spotlight. Those are good qualities for a young player as talented as Jones, as long as he channels that disappointment in a positive manner. I’m pretty confident that yesterday was just a blip and he will.

As a side note, I had no problem with catcher Matt Wieters’ selection to the All-Star game and he may have been a better fit for manager Ron Washington’s squad. Still, that doesn’t take away from the fact that Jones has been the team’s best player through the first half.

Give credit to reliever Koji Uehara for getting out of a jam in the eighth inning yesterday and keeping the Orioles’ one-run lead intact. But if you watched his outing, which he completed by striking out pinch hitter Brooks Conrad to strand two runners, you were reminded about the challenges that manager Buck Showalter is going to face over the next couple of months in handling Uehara’s workload. A couple of pitches into his outing, Uehara was drenched with sweat and appeared to be running out of gas. The heat took a toll on a lot of people yesterday, including starter Zach Britton. But it’s no secret that Uehara, who got used to pitching in climate-controlled domes in Japan, has had some issues physically in the heat. I’m sure the fact that he had also pitched the night before didn’t help matters. Showalter and his staff have done a great job managing Uehara’s workload and keeping him healthy, and the right-hander has rewarded them with a very good first half. But it’s only going to get more difficult in the coming weeks.

Nobody asked me, but here is the lineup I’d like to see Showalter run out for the final seven games before the All-Star break: 1. J.J. Hardy, SS; 2. Nick Markakis, RF; 3. Adam Jones, CF; 4. Mark Reynolds, 3B; 5. Vladimir Guerrero, DH; 6. Matt Wieters, C; 7. Nolan Reimold, LF; 8. Derrek Lee, 1B; 9. Blake Davis/Robert Andino, 2B. Maybe, I’d run out Luke Scott at either first or in left against a particularly tough righty, like the Texas Rangers’ Alexi Ogando on Wednesday. And I’m well aware Wieters will probably sit one or two of the final seven games, but more often than not, that’s who I’d run out there until the All-Star break.

Here’s an interest stat tweeted last night by my colleague, Kevin Van Valkenburg: In 22 at-bats, the Oriole pitchers have as many extra-base hits (three) as Guerrero did the entire month of June in 75 at-bats.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (37)
        

Orioles designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero hasn’t been very productive lately, but his bats are working wonders for Nick Markakis.

The Orioles right fielder started using Guerrero’s bats, which are heavier than the ones Markakis usually uses, about three weeks ago, and that has coincided with the one of the better stretches of his career.

Markakis went a career-best 5-for-5 with an RBI double today, and he was 8-for-10 with a homer, double and two RBIs in the final two games of the series. That two-game stretch came after Markakis went 0-for-4 in Friday’s series-opening loss to Atlanta, ending his career-best 19-game hitting streak.

“I feel a lot better than I did, there’s no question about it,” said Markakis, who has raised his average from .236 on June 7 to .296. “It’s just a comfort thing, getting in a comfortable position up there and not missing the pitch when you get it.”

Markakis, who said he started using Guerrero’s bats to try to add a little more pop to his swing, is 44-for-101 (.436) in his past 21 games.

His five hits today were part of a terrific all-around game for the veteran outfielder. He made a key defensive play in the seventh inning, fielding a ball cleanly off the top of the wall and throwing out Brian McCann trying to stretch a single into a double. He also stole a base in the ninth, giving him seven for the season, the same total he had last year.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

ORIOLES
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markarkis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Derrek Lee, 1B
Luke Scott, LF
Craig Tatum, C
Blake Davis, 2B
Zach Britton, SP

BRAVES
Jordan Schafer, CF
Jason Heyward, RF
Chipper Jones, 3B
Brian McCann, C
Freddie Freeman, 1B
Dan Uggla, 2B
Nate McLouth, LF
Julio Lugo, SS
Brandon Beachy, SP

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said that a final decision won't be made about Tuesday's starter until after the game at the earliest. The candidates are Alfredo Simon or Mitch Atkins, who would have to be promoted from Triple-A Norfolk.

Young third baseman Josh Bell left one of Norfolk's games yesterday with a left knee injury. He's scheduled to see a doctor in the next couple of days.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 1:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

By now, you know that Orioles catcher Matt Wieters was selected to the All-Star game, marking the fifth straight year that the club has had one representative. Center fielder Adam Jones still can get in on the final vote, which will be determined by fans. Here is some reaction from the Orioles clubhouse on the news.

MATT WIETERS
On getting the news: "It was definitely exciting. A ittle shocked but the most exciting news I’ve heard in a while."

On becoming first Orioles catcher since Mickey Tettleton in 1989 to make the All-Star team: "It’s a huge honor to make the team, whether it’s first catcher [or not]. Just to make it
is something you work for for a long time. And it’s real humbling to be able to make the team. I’m excited to get out there."

On whether he thought that he had a chance: "You think you have a chance because you always work hard to get there, and I’ve been able to have a pretty good first half so you know that you have that chance. But we also have other guys in Jonesy and [J.J.] Hardy who have had great first halves, so we’d like for all of us to be able to get out there. But I’m definitely honored to be out there."

On whether this justifies some of the hype: "I don’t really think that there’s anything that really needs to be justified. We are out there playing as hard as we can. It’s nice to be able to selected to the All-Star Game and that’s what I’m taking it as. I don’t think once you are in
the big leagues there’s no longer trying to justify what pick you are, things like that. You are going out there to play your best and try to have the most success you can have."

MANAGER BUCK SHOWALTER
On Wieters making squad: " feel good about all the contributions he’s making. You think about all the pressure on this young man coming in here, he had nowhere to go. So, those are
some of the conversations we had last year. I’m always cautious about saying compared to everybody else, because other people have catchers too that are having great years. But I can’t imagine anybody catching, throwing and calling a game at a higher level than he is. [He’s] getting big hits. Very deserving."

On Wieters' development: "[John Russell's] done a great job with him. [Last year's bench coach Jeff] Datz did a great job with him too, so did his mom and dad. His college coach was here last night. But try as you may, you couldn’t screw up Matt Wieters. Whether it’s a coach or a manager or an organization or an agent, you could not screw up Matt Wieters."

CENTER FIELDER ADAM JONES
On Final Vote: "It’s nice to be in the mix, but it’s out of my hands. I can’t do anything about it. It’s out of my hands. I guess that’s up to the team to campaign or not. I’ll get to relax. No matter what, where I was going, I’ll get to relax, get some time off. We’ll see in a couple of days where I’m going."
On Orioles getting just one guy: "It is [frustrating], but it comes down to voting and it depends on how we’re playing. If we’re playing good baseball, more players will get in. It is what it is.”

NICK MARKAKIS
On Wieters development: "Being a catcher is probably the toughest position on the field. He basically controls the whole game and he keeps getting better every year. He’s still young, he’s an unbelievable talent. I think he’s just going to get better. To be able to handle the position that he’s in and the position that he’s playing, he’s got a lot on his shoulders. I think he’s doing well and this is well deserved."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

The Orioles' 5-4 defeat at the hands of the Atlanta Braves was their fifth straight, their eighth in the last 10 games and drops them to a season-high 10 games under .500.

Their 45th loss of the season appeared to sting more than most as the Orioles' clubhouse was as quiet as it has been all season.

Some players sat in silence. Mark Reynolds, who had two home runs in the game and just missed a third, angrily tossed some equipment into his locker. And nobody was distraught as starter Jake Arrieta, who gave up five runs in the decisive fourth inning, including a grand slam to Braves' backup catcher David Ross.

“I couldn’t make the pitch to get out of the inning,” said Arrieta, who allowed five runs in the five-inning outing. “We got two runs in the fourth. I come out and get two quick outs and I just lost it. It’s just a terrible feeling. That’s it. That’s all I got.”

Arrieta is one of the most engaging and accessible guys on the club. He is also one of the Orioles' best interviews. However tonight, he answered several questions with a couple of words or clauses before returning to his locker, where he sat slumped in his chair.

The good news was that Arrieta looked healthy - his velocity was in the low-to-mid 90's throughout the outing - and showed no signs of the elbow issues that got him skipped in the rotation. However, the young pitcher was fixated on the sequence of events in the fourth inning when he gave up a two-out double to Chipper Jones, hit Freddie Freeman with an 0-2 curveball, allowed an RBI single to Dan Uggla on a ball that left fielder Luke Scott should have caught, walked a sub-.240 hitting Nate McLouth on five pitches and then served up the grand slam to Ross.

"I had a guy 0-2 or 1-2 and I hit him in the foot. Base hit, walk home run. Fell apart," Arrieta said.

Reynolds also was none too please that his the second multi-homer game of his season came in a loss.

"Yeah, it sucks," he said. "I’d take an 0-for-4 and a win. I don’t enjoy losing. I never have. I’m sure nobody does, but it eats at me. Sure, two home runs are nice but it was for nothing. So, hopefully tomorrow we can salvage a game and get out of here."

Reynolds also lamented the team's inconsistency this year.

"It’s very frustrating," he said. "You know, it’s like we play 10 days of awesome baseball and 10 days of crappy baseball. And that results in, you know, our record. I guess it all boils down to consistent play. We have a couple guys get hot over a couple days and we win some games and we go cold. We just need to be more consistent on the mound and at the dish and make all the plays on defense and start winning some games because it’s very, very frustrating."

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 12:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (20)
        

ORIOLES
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Matt Wieters, C
Derrek Lee, 1B
Luke Scott, LF,
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Blake Davis, 2B
Jake Arrieta, SP

BRAVES
Jordan Schafer, CF
Alex Gonzalez, SS
Jason Heyward, RF
Chipper Jones, 3B
Freddie Freeman, 1B
Dan Uggla, 2B
Nate McLouth, LF
David Ross, C
Tim Hudson, SP

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 3:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

As if the “Play Nolan Reimold Crowd” needed any more fodder, consider the following: Luke Scott, who has been primarily starting in left field while Reimold has been riding the bench, is hitting .203 with three RBIs (all on solo homers) since May 26. Reimold had three RBIs on one swing Thursday night and added another RBI later in the game. Obviously, the Orioles have learned over the last couple of years that Scott is one breakout game from starting a tour-de-force two-week stretch where he carries the club offensively. I see manager Buck Showalter’s temptation to put him in the lineup and give him every opportunity to get going. But how long can you really wait? The All-Star break is about a week away. Meanwhile, in Reimold’s limited opportunities this season, he’s provided four things that this Orioles team is desperately in need of: power, speed, quality at-bats and energy.

Speaking of Scott, the Orioles could have an interesting decision to make on the 33-year-old after the season. Scott will be entering his final year before free agency after having made $6.4 million this season. It’s hard to imagine that the Orioles will be willing to pay much more than that – and Scott isn’t getting a pay cut in his final year of arbitration – for a notoriously streaky player possibly coming off a bad year and likely coming off offseason surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Trade him, you say? I just don’t see a market for him. One, he stands to make a lot of money. Two, there is the shoulder issue; Three, there is the fact that most teams view Scott as a designated hitter so that greatly limits the interest there; Four, Scott’s streaky nature and struggles with runners in scoring position are well documented; Five, Scott isn’t the most well-liked guy in the game because of how outspoken he is on religion and political issues.

The consensus in the Orioles’ clubhouse is that the team will likely get one All-Star representative and it will come down to either center fielder Adam Jones or shortstop J.J. Hardy. It’s not that they have any more inside information on this topic than you or I, but it is interesting to get their perspective. The All-Star Game selection show, by the way, will be Sunday at noon on TBS, and Cal Ripken Jr. will serve as one of the analysts.

Speaking of the All-Star game, I kind of downplayed somebody’s post about not wanting young catcher Matt Wieters to play in the Mid-Summer Classic so he could get some rest instead. My point was that even if Wieters makes the team as a reserve, he’ll probably catch for two or three innings and get one at-bat, which wouldn’t be too taxing. However, the more I think about it, the more I agree with the poster (and I apologize for forgetting your name as well). To my eyes at least, Wieters looks a little tired right now. It hasn’t necessarily showed in his defense, but his bat looks kind of slow and the result has been a lot of rollovers and meekly-hit groundballs. Getting three full days off and not even thinking about baseball could probably do the big man some good.

Two things I liked hearing the past couple of days despite the losses:
1. Brian Matusz taking accountability for his demotion and acknowledging that he has a lot that he needs to work on, and Triple-A is probably the best place for him to do it at this point. Matusz obviously has struggled more this year than at any point in his life, and he may not have always said the right things. It can’t be easy for him. However, following Thursday’s demotion, he handled the situation with honesty and maturity, and I’m sure many members of the organization took notice. I know, I know, he needs to start getting people out. Very true. Well, Matusz wouldn’t be the first talented youngster to be humbled by a demotion, work things out in the minors and then come back a much better pitcher.

2. The Orioles taking accountability for their poor offensive performance last night against Braves starter Jair Jurrjens, who spun a complete-game, one-hitter. This may not mean anything to you, but it was slightly refreshing to not get the standard “Tip your hat to him” and “good pitching always beats good hitting” quotes. Those have been a staple of Orioles clubhouses for several years after falling victim to a good pitching performance. Sure, Showalter and the players were effusive in their praise, but they were also frustrated as heck because they felt that they missed too many pitches and let Jurrjens off the hook too easily. This may not mean anything if they don’t take their frustration out on veteran Tim Hudson tonight, but at least the whole fait accompli attitude wasn’t evident last night.

I got a lot of questions about why a guy like lefty Pedro Viola would get called up from Double-A before a veteran like Mark Hendrickson, who is pitching well in Triple-A, has had a long big league career and is often praised by young pitchers for his leadership? One reason obviously would be that Viola is the better fit for lefty-on-lefty matchups and that’s what he was needed for last night with the club trying to stay away from their other lefty reliever Michael Gonzalez, who pitched two innings Thursday. Atlanta had five left-handed hitters and one switch hitter in its starting lineup last night, so the more lefties at the Orioles’ disposal, the better. But the biggest reason is that the club knows that Viola may be in for a short stay, and the Orioles feel a little more comfortable shutting to a younger guy like him back-and-forth from the majors to the minors, rather than yo-yoing around a well-respected veteran like Hendrickson.

Why may Viola be in for a short stay? It’s pretty obvious that the Orioles are seriously considering bringing up a starter from Triple-A Norfolk to go Tuesday in Texas. It appears that their top choice down there is Mitch Atkins who is 2-2 with a 3.11 ERA for the Tides. Atkins’ next start for Norfolk is scheduled for Tuesday, but Showalter said yesterday that Matusz is expected to start for the Tides that day. Perhaps, Atkins will just get pushed back; or perhaps he will be starting Tuesday, but in an Orioles uniform against the power-hitting Texas Rangers. Showalter and pitching coach Rick Adair are also considering three internal candidates – Brad Bergesen, Jason Berken and Alfredo Simon – but Showalter’s admission yesterday that Viola could be in a short stay because the Orioles may need a starter Tuesday is certainly an indication that Atkins is getting serious consideration.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (19)
        

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said that the club likely won't decide who fills demoted Brian Matusz's rotation spot until the Orioles finish this weekend's series against the Atlanta Braves. The Orioles, who will need a starter for Tuesday's game against the Texas Rangers, are waiting to see how much the bullpen is needed this weekend.

Showalter did narrow down the candidates for that start to the three internal bullpen options - Jason Berken, Brad Bergesen and Alfredo Simon - and a couple of members of Triple-A Norfolk's rotation. The two main candidates at Norfolk would be Mitch Atkins and Chris Tillman.

Matusz, by the way, is expected to start for Norfolk on Tuesday.

Showalter admitted that it was tempting to give Nolan Reimold another start after his two-hit, and four-RBI performance against the St. Louis Cardinals Thursday. However, he thought it was important to get Luke Scott back in the lineup.

Showalter said that second baseman Brian Roberts (concussion) had a difficult day on Thursday, but he felt much better today.

Infielder Cesar Izturis (elbow surgery) will start hitting and doing other baseball activities
tomorrow in Sarasota. He's still obviously a couple of weeks away, but he's progressing a little quicker than most people expected.

Triple-A Norfolk reliever Josh Rupe had an opt/out clause in his contract, but he decided to stay in the organization. The club expects fellow reliever Clay Rapada, who cleared waivers today, to do the same.

Posted by Jeff Zrebiec at 6:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)