May 13, 2008

Lineup and lots more

Brian Roberts - 2B

Melvin Mora - 3B

Nick Markakis - RF

Aubrey Huff - DH

Kevin Millar - 1B

Luke Scott - LF

Adam Jones - CF

Guillermo Quiroz - C

Freddie Bynum - SS

Jeremy Guthrie - P

Hernandez received a cortisone injection in his sore left wrist yesterday. X-rays and an MRI didn't reveal any serious damage, and the Orioles are saying that the wrist is sprained.

Hernandez won't swing a bat today, which makes him unavailable for tonight's game. We might not see him before Friday, leaving the Orioles' bench short again.

Steve Trachsel is being skipped in the rotation because of the open dates on the schedule. Garrett Olson starts Friday, followed by Brian Burres Saturday and Jeremy Guthrie on Sunday. Trachsel could be used out of the bullpen, but manager Dave Trembley sounds hesitant to do that because the veteran doesn't have much experience in a relief role.

In fact, he almost has none. His only relief appearance in his entire major league career came in 1995 with the Chicago Cubs. That's it.

The rotation will require another adjustment after Sunday, though Trembley hasn't revealed it. He did indicate, however, that he'd like to put a right-hander - likely Trachsel - between Olson and Burres.

Chris Ray and Adam Loewen will join the team in St. Petersburg, Fla. next weekend, since they're rehabbing at the minor league camp in Sarasota. They'll both throw a bullpen session. Ray will get his first work off a mound on Monday.

Randor Bierd still hasn't been cleared to throw while dealing with a right shoulder impingement, but it could happen soon. He remains on a strengthening program.

Bullpen coach Alan Dunn will serve as pitching coach over the weekend while Rick Kranitz attends his daughter's college graduation.

 

Posted by Roch Kubatko at 4:09 PM | | Comments (2)
                    

Before heading to the ballpark...

I just hope I can find my way. It's been a while. I might have to stop and ask for directions.

It's called Camden Yards, right?

I freaked out this morning when I pulled back the curtains in my bedroom and saw a bright light. It momentarily blinded me and forced me to shield my eyes. I hadn't seen anything like it. 

Turned out it was only the sun.  

I don’t often provide links to other blogs at my paper – it would take six months to recognize them all - but I’m making an exception so you can read Kevin Van Valkenburg’s moving tribute to a former co-worker, Chris Ewell, who passed away over the weekend. I had to wipe away a few tears by the time I reached the end. It’s beautifully written and truly captures the qualities that made Chris so special, including courage that, while facing his own mortality at such a young age, I can’t even begin to fathom.

It also makes me step back and appreciate all that God has given me, including my health, my loving and supportive parents and sister, wonderful friends who occasionally pick up a bar tab - though not nearly often enough - and a beautiful daughter who, though still unable to pick up the wet towels on her bedroom floor or take the six steps necessary to deposit her trash in the appropriate receptacle, remains my single greatest accomplishment.

Changing my blog photo would be No. 2.

For all the angst over the stretch of 17 road games in 20 days, the disappearing offense, Steve Trachsel’s early exits, Jamie Walker’s sudden vulnerability against left-handed batters, a thin bench and the nagging injuries, the Orioles are a .500 team on May 13 and only 3 1/3 games out of first place.

Raise your hand if you would have gladly settled for this back when we were dissecting the club over the winter.

Me, too.

Julio Lugo leads the majors with 11 errors. Jonathan Papelbon has blown two of his last three save opportunities.

The Orioles’ strategy should be obvious: hit a lot of ground balls to shortstop and don’t fall behind by more than three runs going into the ninth inning.

The Red Sox have activated first baseman Sean Casey from the disabled list and designated reliever Julian Tavarez for assignment – giving him the chance to go elsewhere and disappoint his ninth organization.

Said Red Sox manager Terry Francona: “We thought we can win more games with other pitchers.”

True. And three of them currently have mothers who pass out snacks after their games and car-pool their teammates back to their parents’ homes.

Single-A Frederick is 2-2 on its current road trip. The Keys have scored 19 runs in their two wins, and none in their two losses.

Brandon Erbe allowed six runs in five innings last night, leaving him 3-3 with a 5.53 ERA. He’s shown improvement over last season, but he’s still got a long way to go at age 20. He also illustrates just how advanced Chris Tillman is by comparison. Tillman turned 20 last month and is 3-0 with a 2.87 ERA in seven starts at Double-A Bowie. He allowed one hit over six innings in his last start.

Hopefully, they’ll both be in the Orioles' rotation in a few years, along with Troy Patton and Matt Albers. And Radhames Liz and Hayden Penn. And Jake Arrieta and Tim Bascom. And Chorye Spoone and Pedro Beato. And David Hernandez and Brad Bergeson.

And we’ll still be debating whether the Orioles should trade Daniel Cabrera.

Scott Moore hit his second home run last night at Triple-A Norfolk. Oscar Salazar went 2-for-4 with a double and his fifth RBI. He’s batting .307.

Craig Anderson served up four home runs in 2 1/3 innings. He allowed nine runs (eight earned) and 10 hits, walked three and staggered away with his ERA at 10.13.

Bob McCrory, reminded what it’s like to pitch in a game, struck out two in a perfect inning. He threw 10 of 13 pitches for strikes.

That’s the guy we’re expecting to see the next time he’s in Baltimore.

 

Posted by Roch Kubatko at 10:39 AM | | Comments (33)
                    

May 12, 2008

A few items

Don't forget that tomorrow night is Nick Markakis T-shirt Tuesday. The first 10,000 fans 15-and-over attending the Orioles' game against the Red Sox will receive a shirt - and a chance to bat third in the lineup.

OK, just the shirt.

Pitcher Tony Butler, acquired from the Mariners in the Erik Bedard deal, is on the disabled list at Single-A Delmarva with tendinitis in his left arm. I'm told he's optimistic that he'll miss one start, two at the most. He's with the team and receiving daily treatments.

Butler is 1-2 with a 3.97 ERA in seven games (six starts). He's walked five and struck out 26 in 34 innings.

Jim Duquette, former vice president of baseball operations for the Orioles, passed along word that his family is holding a fundraiser May 31 in the Maryland/DC area aimed to fight a disease known as "Nephrotic Syndrome" that his 6-year-old daughter, Lindsey, still suffers from. Donations are being accepted to the Nephcure Foundation through the Web site, linked below, that the Duquettes created with her current status included. Please give it a read:

http://www.active.com/donate/stepforwardmddc/PDuquet1
 
Duquette said prayers also are appreciated.

"We are accepting anything that helps," he wrote in an e-mail.

Consider it done.

Posted by Roch Kubatko at 5:14 PM | | Comments (28)
                    

Back home

With all the rain and flooding in the Baltimore area, I wonder how the Orioles avoided having a game scheduled for tonight. The elements seem appropriate. Well, there’s always tomorrow night.

Because I stated in an earlier blog entry that I wouldn’t settle for anything less than the Orioles taking three of four in Kansas City, I won’t complain about their inept offensive showing yesterday. They ran into a pretty good pitcher. And they went 3-1 in the series.

They also went back to a four-man bench and optioned reliever Bob McCrory to Triple-A Norfolk so he can get reacquainted with the mound. All in all, a successful trip to Kansas City.

I agree with manager Dave Trembley’s decision to keep Freddie Bynum at shortstop and Luis Hernandez at second base, with Alex Cintron waiting his turn in reserve. Perhaps Bynum can slide over to second when Cintron plays short to provide more offense. Just keep Bynum in the lineup until he plays his way out of it.

And don’t forget about Oscar Salazar.

Interleague play begins this weekend, a reminder that the Orioles have the worst record among American League teams at 79-114.

Matt Wieters has been named the Carolina League’s Player of the Week after batting .421 with three homers and four RBIs. He’s hitting .355 with eight homers this season.

It gets better: Jake Arrieta was named Pitcher of the Week after going 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA in two starts, with 13 strikeouts in 12 innings. He’s 3-0 with a 2.01 ERA this season, and his 53 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings lead the league.

Opponents are batting .147 against Arrieta.

So how do you like the 2007 draft so far?

I sense it’s going to get better once Tim Bascom returns.

 

Posted by Roch Kubatko at 11:09 AM | | Comments (25)
                    

May 11, 2008

A few observations

Did anyone see where Brian Burres balked earlier today? I watched the replay and still didn't catch it, though the infraction can be pretty subtle at times.

Maybe the wind blew his hair.

Worst call today still goes to the catchers interference ruling that allowed Guillermo Quiroz to reach in the fifth inning. The Orioles got a baserunner they didn't deserve. But there have been so few. Take the charity where you can get it. 

The more I see of Luis Hernandez at second base, the more I wonder why he ever played shortstop.

Luke Scott has one of the Orioles' two hits today, so we'll go easy on him. But only one home run this year? Really?

It's early, of course, but I thought we'd see a lot more power from Scott.  

Down on the farm, Chris Waters is finding Triple-A hitters to be a little tougher than Double-A. He's 0-2 with an 11.00 ERA at Norfolk after allowing six runs in four innings today. He also walked four. Waters was 5-0 with a 1.69 ERA in six starts at Bowie before his promotion.

Greg Aquino tossed another scoreless inning and still hasn't allowed a run since his demotion.

Oscar Salazar raised his average to .301 by going 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored.

Catcher Ben Davis, who also started out at Bowie before being assigned to Norfolk, had two passed balls today. He had a similar issue with the Baysox.

 

Posted by Roch Kubatko at 4:17 PM | | Comments (31)
                    

Make room on the bench

It just got a little more crowded.

The Orioles have purchased Alex Cintron's contract from Triple-A Norfolk - giving them a full 40-man roster - and optioned reliever Bob McCrory. They're back to a 12-man pitching staff.

Thank you.

At least there's more space in the bullpen now. Guys can stretch out, catch a quick nap.

Cintron isn't a big bat off the bench, but he's an extra body - and especially needed with Brian Roberts day-to-day with a contusion on his left foot (that's a bruise to you and me).

Freddie Bynum is starting at shortstop and batting first today, with Luis Hernandez replacing Roberts at second. Hernandez actually looked better at second last night than he did at short.

Jamie Walker is scuffling, but here's my question: What other choice do the Orioles have besides running him out there and hoping he snaps out of it? What other lefty would you use to take over his role, at least temporarily? 

OK, that's two questions.

If the Orioles lose to a team wearing powder-blue jerseys today, they should hide their faces in shame.

If the Royals really want to go old-school, they need matching pants. And John Mayberry at first base.

 

Posted by Roch Kubatko at 2:09 PM | | Comments (13)
                    

Last night's joyride

I feel like I downed 10 martinis for dinner last night, though I’m pretty sure that I stopped after two. I haven’t been this nauseous in a long time.

Must be from watching last night’s game. That center field camera has thrown off my equilibrium.
I’m popping a Dramamine today, just to be safe.

It was the only game that should have come with a seat belt and an air bag.

There should have been a sign next to my television that read: "You must be this tall to watch."

Having the last few innings transmitted from a camera behind home plate was so old-school, I was expecting Brooks Robinson to field the next ground ball hit to third base.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one: Get rid of the three-man bench!

The Orioles ran out of reserves by the fourth inning last night, after Jay Payton picked a rotten time to get ejected. Ramon Hernandez (left wrist) and Brian Roberts (left foot) are listed as day-to-day. The arrangement wasn’t ideal before their injuries. Now it’s impossible.

Say goodbye to Bob McCrory, who is waiting to find out how effective he is on 27 days rest. Get another bat up here.

I’m not judging Garrett Olson by his numbers last night, since your command tends to suffer when you’re pitching in a tsunami. He had to wait out a delay of 1 hour, 52 minutes. Then he learned what it’s like to pinpoint your fastball under water.

Major props go to Olson for working into the sixth inning and leaving with a lead.

Down at Triple-A Norfolk, Scott Moore went 0-for-3 in Game 2 of last night’s doubleheader against Pawtucket, lowering his average to .149. We’re not going to see him in Baltimore anytime soon. And he’s exactly the kind of player needed on this roster, with his ability to play every position in the infield, as well as left field, and provide some offense coming off the bench. But he’s not hitting. A golden opportunity for Moore is lost, just as he appears to be at the plate.

Hayden Penn allowed two runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked four and threw 106 pitches. I wouldn’t clean out a locker for him at Camden Yards, either. It’s apparent that Penn and Radhames Liz need to stay in Triple-A.

At Single-A Frederick, Billy Rowell hit his first home run and drove in four runs – raising his RBI total to 13 in 17 games. He’s batting .304.

It’s amazing what can happen when you’re healthy.

Matt Wieters hit his eighth homer, tops in the Carolina League. He’s batting .355.

It's amazing what can happen when you're a stud prospect.

Jake Arrieta improved to 3-0 with a 2.01 ERA. He allowed two runs in six innings, striking out eight and walking none.

You have to figure that Arrieta will be pitching for Double-A Bowie by the second half. I know the Orioles don’t want to rush their prospects and prefer to have them dominate at one level, but he’s so advanced - we're not talking a high school kid here - it's silly to keep him in the Carolina League for a full season. He can dress beside Wieters.

Posted by Roch Kubatko at 8:50 AM | | Comments (25)
                    

May 10, 2008

Done with the delay

The Orioles and Royals will try to squeeze in five innings tonight. And nobody is happier than Kevin Millar, whose three-run homer provided a 3-0 lead in the first.

I'll never understand why a game has to go five innings or start over from the beginning. What's the harm in resuming it tomorrow with the Orioles ahead, 3-0? And I'd say the same thing if the Royals were leading.

Honest.

Down on the farm, Triple-A Norfolk's Radhames Liz fell to 0-4 after losing Game 1 of tonight's doubleheader with Pawtucket. Liz allowed three earned runs and four hits over six innings, with four walks and six strikeouts. His ERA is 5.22.

Scott Moore went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts and is batting .156. Brandon Fahey had two hits and an RBI, but he also committed an error in left field.

 

Posted by Roch Kubatko at 9:26 PM | | Comments (23)
                    

Getting even

Hello, .500. Great to be back, as always. I see the place hasn’t changed much. Nothing personal – you seem nice and all – but we don’t plan on sticking around for very long. We have other stops to make, and they’re all upstairs. We’ll try to keep down the noise.

Don’t know if you’ve heard, but Julio Franco has decided to sign a one-day contract so he can retire with his original team. The Cleveland Spiders wouldn’t confirm or deny the report.

Memo to Richie Sexson: If you’re going to charge the pitcher, don’t throw your batting helmet at him. You lose man-points for that little maneuver. I also see you didn’t land any solid punches, which proves that you can swing-and-miss on the mound, too.

Did you notice how a bunch of Orioles had the bills of their caps turned up after George Sherrill recorded the save last night? I spotted Kevin Millar, Brian Roberts and Freddie Bynum.  

Bynum can wear a bonnet and get away with it. The guy had two more hits last night, including a double.

I don’t expect him to hit .300 this season, but he’s provided just the spark that many of us anticipated. Maybe it’s just fresh blood in the lineup. He can get on base and be disruptive once he’s there. He has a little pop in that bat, too. Keep playing him and see how long it lasts.

Going back to Sherrill, I keep hearing how the Orioles could trade him later this summer. And I keep wondering why they’d do that when he’s been a more dependable closer than Chris Ray – though it’s never easy, is it? - and he could keep that job or become a set-up man (perhaps replacing Jamie Walker) if Ray returns to that role next season.

Trade him, and you’re stuck looking for another George Sherrill over the winter. Or would you rather give John Parrish another shot?

Speaking of Walker, lefties are batting .355 against him, with three home runs. That can’t possibly continue. We’ll check back in a month or so.

Steve Trachsel serves up a two-run homer to Alex Gordon in the first inning, and I can hear televisions throughout the Baltimore area switching to another channel (Jennifer?). Or maybe it was the sound of remotes being thrown against the wall. Sometimes, it’s hard to tell from here. But he got into the sixth without allowing another run and picked up a much-needed win.

Nothing fancy, nothing pretty, nothing that reminds us of Daniel Cabrera from the previous night, but it was significant progress – and perhaps a sign that Trachsel has straightened himself out. Or that the Orioles need to play Kansas City six times a week.

Aubrey Huff might be the most marketable Oriole at the non-waiver trade deadline. You know he’ll be hot in the second half, and he hasn’t been too shabby in the first. He also has another year left on his contract, so teams wouldn’t be renting him for half a season.

Then again, the Orioles might need his bat to secure that wildcard.

Jim Johnson has surrendered a run in his last two appearances. And I expected him to be perfect all year. Now I feel foolish.

The decisive run that he allowed on the West Coast came in his fifth appearance in six games. We’ll excuse that one. But snap out of it, kid, and take some air out of that bloated 0.93 ERA!

If a spot opens in the rotation, do you want Johnson filling it, or staying in his current role? It’s a subject worth revisiting.

Posted by Roch Kubatko at 8:37 AM | | Comments (50)
                    

May 9, 2008

Updating Wieters

Matt Wieters homered twice tonight, drove in three runs and scored three more for Single-A Frederick, He has an eight-game hitting streak.

I still don't see him rising above Double-A Bowie this year, but the temptation to reward him with a September call-up will be awfully strong.

Wieters and Brandon Tripp are tied for the Carolina League lead with seven home runs. Jake Renshaw picked up his fifth win, tops in the league.

Renshaw, 21, was acquired from the Cubs in the Steve Trachsel deal. He was a late addition to the package that also included Scott Moore and Rocky Cherry. Nobody seems to be talking about the former 10th-round draft pick out of Ventura College, but he won 12 games last year at the Single-A level and shows a lot of promise.

 

Posted by Roch Kubatko at 11:04 PM | | Comments (22)