Roch, whatever happened with Adam Stern? I know he's at Norfolk, but is he still a part of the team's plans in any way? I know I asked this before but I never saw a response.

Stern is still playing at Triple-A Norfolk after being on the disabled list with - yes - a strained oblique. He could get a September call-up, depending on how many players the Orioles are willing to add. But he isn't exactly tearing up the league.

Maybe Trembley and Hoey should start a "Tuesdays with Morey" type discussion. And while we're on the topic of talking to people, will someone tell Ramon Hernandez that second base DOES NOT MOVE? He's thrown a ball high, and two to either side of it tonight. Just throw it to the bag, and Roberts or Tejada will catch it. It's not rocket science.

Easy win tonoght. Bout time. For the record Herbie and Schmuck suggested [ begged ] to trade Beddard. I needed police protection at my condo for a couple of weeks.

So the O's have a 1 run lead now that Trax finished the 6th. But he's at 109 pitches. Which spot on the reliever wheel of fortune are we going to land on for the 7th inning??

Ramon Hernandez needs to be benched. He is clearly dogging it out there and it is embarrassing. He doesn't even try to block balls in the dirt, half heartedly throws down to second for attempted stolen bases and swings at everything as if to get his at-bat over with so he can sit down. We have to have someone in the minor leagues that at least wants to be out there.

Finally Rick Dempsey [ funny boy ] proves my point that he should go away. He keeps saying for the last few days on TV that playing in Baltimore is very hard because of the hot and humiod weather we have here. Our top brass must be loving his comments. Go away or shut up about the weather Rick Turk.

Alright ... brace yoursef.

It's the eighth inning.

8th inning....here we go............

We need to remove Ramon in the eighth. Then I bet the pitchers do better.

Here we go again in the 8th inning, one run in and their threatening. What's up with this?

Let's see...
1) Here we go again!
2) You have to be kidding me?
3) These guys suck!

So we're counting on Baez for a 2 inning save now?

In a word, ... “Whew!”

Is it just me or isn't it strange IRONY that the D-Rays beleaguered staff has a guy named "GRANT BALFOUR"?....Does he give up walks?...someone upstairs has a sense of humor...

While Trachsel is hardly someone to build a team around, at least he is functional. Generally keeps his era under 5.00 and will put up quality months like April and August with era under 3.00 but throw in months like July (and june) with it being 8.00.
Unfortunately for the Orioles I don't see them getting 3 better starters than Trachsel to bump him out of the rotation. Bedard is the only 1 definitely better. Gunthrie you hope will do well next year. After that ??? Cabrera, no track record except 5.00+, Loewen was walking 1 per inning so he's no shoe in.
I sure don't see the Orioles signing 3 quality starters so its best to keep him and he'll be the #4 or 5 starter. Or end up as the #3 guy again with the Orioles losing 90+ again next year

Dean--too funny.

C'mon Danny--one more and Trembley can exhale!

OMG--Baez's pitches have movement!

so, if you had Chad Bradford in tonights "Who screws it up in teh 8th pool", collect your winnings.

Unfricken'believable ...

Baez is a four-letter word.

Strike my last comment from the record. Every time I think Baez might have a scrap of dignity, he shows me why I the Orioles frustrate me.

What about Tejada taking a little blame here - those runs in the 8th were both unearned and he got thrown out at third earlier.

did anyone REALLY expect Baez to throw 2 strong innings out there? Really?

Well Danny "Butane" Baez picks up the mantle for tonight.

It is sad really, the second Tejada bobbled that ball in the 8th I knew the lead wouldn't hold up.

don't blame the bullpen... blame the shortstop who can't seem to keep his head in the game for 9 innings... the shortstop that seems to be a little short of leather lately... he's a disgrace!!!

Roch,

I've had enough. See you in '08. That's supposed to be the year we start contending right? If they don't deal Trachsel and some of the other losers before Friday......

This isn't a blog, it's group therapy!

I'll tell you the sacry thing about all this is our "best player" looks pathetic? He has no range and now doesn't even field the easy stuff? That will NOT help any young pitching moving forward...I love the "group therepy" comment....so bleeping TRUE!!!!

Ok, Walker, Bradford & Baez have been used already and Shuey is out so you have to go to one of the kids to win it in extra innings. I don't care what their era or recent history may be I'd rather go to a veteran in this situation. They're doomed!

Roch, Since Ramon seems to be everyones' favorite whipping boy right now I have a question. Weren't they planning on resting him more this year? That way he would be fresh and not tail off at the end of the summer and into Sept? Seems like he only gets Sundays off. How does that compare to the number of games played last (understanding that he has been on the DL twice this year)? Thx

My God this team is absolutely pathetic. If Andy McPhail and Dave Trembley want to ruin their careers by working here, then so be it. This is were guys come to destroy their careers (Thrift, Ray Miller, Beattie, Flanagan, Mazzilli, Perlozzo, etc.), never to be heard from again.

How many more months does McPhail need to 'watch, read, and listen' before realizing this team is a train wreck? Have we officially become the laughingstock of MLB yet? At least KC, Tampa Bay, and Washington are actually developing major league talent.....not sure I can say the same here. I'm sure Bedard is counting the days before he can leave via free agency.

Now up to 112 8th innings runs allowed in 131 games. Most of any AL team in any inning. Need some strike throwers out there. It seems Baez, Hoey et al are 2-0, 3-1 on every hitter. It seems like once Tejada booted that ball the "here we go again" mentality set in.

Hey Eddie,

There have been some unfortunate names for pitchers through the years ... Bob Walk, the Orioles’ own Jamie Walker and Homer Bailey immediately come to mind.

Ken Francis...LOL, you are right, this is therapy...even my buddy the Chisox fan can't believe the updates I email him starting in the 7th inning of course.

Roch, I've got an idea/promotion for you to promote to the O's. Did you see the movie "Invincible"? Well just like the Eagles did when they were pathetic and lacking fan support, why don't the O's hold an open tryout for relief pitchers at Camden Yards? Surely there are people out there that can do better the the guys they keep putting out there. I can't imagine that Angelos would pass up the publicity.

You've all heard of the 7th inn. Stretch. Well, at OPACY they need to start the 8th inn. Dread. Show images of the Grim Reaper on the screen and play the opening to AC DC doing Hells Bells or maybe BOC doing Don't Fear The Reaper. I'm serious here. Get on top of it and make fun of it. Don't sit there and tighten up your you know what. Laugh the demons away.

Yeah, I forgot to comment on the dumbass baserunning mistake of the night by Mr. Baseball... He seems to be good for one or two of them a week lately, too. I hate to even think it... But maybe they need to lose EVERY GAME left in the season... You know REALLY make a statement about themselves... I might even root for it at this point... I'm sick of the whole mess... but can't turn away... I'm as sick as they are!!!

This is getting ridiculous....seriously...how many of us are sick of being fun of by Yankee and BoSox fans...it's about time the Os start waking up...come on!!...it's more than just about pride...this is about honor...the Orioles are a great franchise and right now there's a whole generation (or two) of kids who don't even know about it...

If Bedard makes another start this year, I'd love to see him relieved by Birkins, Bell, Burres, Bradford, and Baez (and only those guys) in the same game. And it's got to be a game in Baltimore.

Uncle.

Chalk this one up to Miggy, Melvin, and the manager.

So, the only way we're going to win any more games this year is if they only play seven innings. Heck, it seems like the team from Warner Robbins GA could play better than this Orioles team. If anyone has "connections" to some sort of "mafia", could you please pay them to make Tejada and Mora, and possibly Hernandez, "take a little trip" before the next game?

The Orioles are so predictable, I even called the plays right BEFORE they even happened.

It's so pathetic. There's no answer for it. Even if Birkins does his job, offense can't come up with one lousy run to tie the game. Can't do situational hitting. Can't even do ANYTHING.

I thought Trembley had been practicing the mantra of "Be on Time. Be Professional. Respect the Game."

I knew there was something funny going on tonight when I saw Baez actually look like he knew what he was doing in the 8th inning. Whew, glad that straightened out. Felt like I was in the Twilight Zone for a bit.

Watching on the fuzzy non-HD broadcast on MASN tonight, I could barely make it out, but indeed, the writing on the top of the dugout had been replaced! Instead of "Welcome to Camden Yards", it now reads "Abandon all hope, ye who enter".

Saddest game i've ever seen with my own two eyes. So sad.

I didn't see it (a victim of the Time Warner/MASN impasse), but Joe Angel said the ball Tejada fumbled was a severe bad hop, that he was in good position and that the ball just took a wicked last-second bounce. Said it should have been scored a hit after they watched replays in the booth. But that's just Joe's opinion.

Still, it wasn't the only factor in the loss. Plenty of blame to spread around, unfortunately.

Maybe Guthrie can stop the bleeding, but I think I'll skip it Thursday night. It's Thirsty Thursday ($1 beer) at the home park here, and a minor league game just might be more enjoyable. I may have more than one.

There will be a season someday when all of the current expectations will be turned around...right now we are all trained to expect an out more than a key clutch hit; we predict giving up a walk or hit more than a 1-2-3 late inning appearance; and, we are not surprised when we see a rookie come up and flop...

...by the law of averages, it's just hard to imagine this continuing the way it has...one of these days, we will see a season where they turn from "Zeroes to Heroes"...at the very least, there is legitimate hope on this team...never in recent Oriole memeory can you say we've had this much promising pitching and depth (i.e. Bedard, Guthrie, Cabrera, Loewen, Penn, Olson, Liz, Erbe, Beato, etc)...the first 7 guys there are all more or less vying for ML spots...that's a ton...seriously...add in Markakis and we are beginning to have the look of a talented youthful core...if it comes together enuff next year, I am beaming to think what the Orioles team could be by the time Reimold, Rowell, and Weiters hit the MLs...

...if we can keep Roberts and add in Teixiera (PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE!), that is a fine team right there...the way I see it, it might be hard to stomach these games, and I know we've all heard this before, but I really do think the Orioles' next playoff appearance will be due to the some of the players on the current roster...

wow i predicted the whole thing, ever play 1-3 innings in advance.

thats sad.

"...so put your little hand in mine..."

I missed the game until the 8th inning. While driving home I wish I had a groundhog to give the wheel to. I had to settle for letting the bullpen drive off a cliff for me.

Now we've got Kazmir tomorrow gunning for the sweep. Have the Rays ever swept us at home? I'm inclined to say no, and I hope Guthrie feels the same way. Let's go O's!

Esethay uysgay akemay emay antway otay ukepay!

Add me to the list of people who absolutely cannot believe there is a pitcher whose name is Balfour. And amazingly got the W tonight against Baltimore.

We know what San Diego means in German. But Baltimore apparently is German for Bad Bullpen.

"If we play a great game [tonight] and have a great series against the Red Sox, no one is going to remember these eight games." (Kevin Millar)

Ummmm, Kev, I believe Mr. Trembley will remember his first 8 games since taking the 'interim' tag off.

If I'm Dave Trembley, here's what I tell Tejada on the first day of Spring Training next year:

"You're my full-time DH this year. You're going to sit on that bench, and when it's your turn to bat in the lineup, you will proceed to the plate and take your swings or you'll be fined."

Simple, end of the defensive shortstop problem. The Luis Hernandez era begins in 2008. We will now have the bat & glove for that position.

Roch,

Did you catch Jeff V's comment up there! What an unbelievable nickname. I sure hope that "Butane" Baez makes it into the mainstream.

Went out and bought a Braves hat. Can't take it anymore. Gonna root for Teixiera and an organization that has its act together. I have gone through 4 years of high school, 4 years of college and 2 years in the workforce since the last good Orioles team. Embarassing.

Way to go O's! My overseas account just keeps on growing and growing! Like stealing candy from a baby...

There needs to be a disclaimer put up before every Orioles game.Warning: watching the Orioles may lead to Alcoholism, madness, insanity, weight gain/loss, drug abuse, depression, and suicidal thoughts.

I have followed these postings most of the season without commenting; as someone noted - it's great therapy. However, I have to post today, as I witnessed this most recent debacle live. My question to anyone still reading this - why did Jay Payton not even make an effort to throw that guy out at the plate in the 8th? From my perspective, he didn't even think about it. He's on my list of necessary dumps.

If we had a real closer, this game would have been won. If late- inning bobbles were eliminated & stupid base running mistakes... if wishes were horses beggars would ride.

We are going to Friday's O's RS game at Fenway. We went to the May 11th & July 31st's games and the Birds won both. Maybe 3 times will be the charm.

Please tell Mr Preston to stick to butchering raven news & not to pile on the O's....

Can this get any worse? How many ways can you lose a ballgame? Poor baserunning? Check Poor defense on almost routine plays for a major leaguer? Check Unable to throw strikes or make good pitches at the right time? Check
They have it about covered.

Also, I can't say Bell didn't do OK, Baez too. Baez was over extended. He is not a 2 inning pitcher & nearly pulled it off anyway. He deserved better.

On a postive note.... can you guys start showing some love for Trachsel? The man stepped up again when needed most. STOP the bs about trading him or dumping him. I say strive to keep him for '08. He has a cheap option to take so why not? Don't tell me that he isn't needed!!
Right now , Trachsel is a lock for the 4th starter's slot if you ask me. That's assuming Bedard, Guthrie, & yes Cabrera are 1, 2 , 3. I don't want to hear about Loewen, unless he can PROVE he is OK & can remain healthy, & please don't talk up Olson, Liz, Penn, or Burres to me either. Neither of them has shown they can even get past AAA or be more than a long reliever in my opinion. Assuming even one of them can be a consistent ML pitcher, next year, & throw 170-200 innings is laughable.

Our guy Trembley has few options now , I realize that, but he has made some dubious decisions on the relievers the last 2 days... specifically, when to pull a guy & when to stay with him. I HOPE it is apparent to him & he is only doing these things because he has no choice.

I am right on the verge of saying F that "plan" for 2008 or 2009 & blow up this team. It's not just the ability level or desire, it's functionality. They try, they might even care alot, but.... They just seem to NOT get it & find a way to lose. It's the so called little things that win or lose close games. They simply don't get it done. NO one should be forgiven & NO one should be untouchable. That atmosphere of screwing it up permeates the team.

Finally , can anyone say Boston Massacre?

Season's over, OK?

Roch, now it's time to bench Melvin, Aubrey, Kevin, and Miggy permanently and go back to the go-go guys that energized not only the team, but also the fan base.

The highly-paid vets are all good guys who can help another franchise in the playoffs. But since they have already hit 7 digits, they don't have to perform anymore; the young guns will.

Who needs to keep watching a $$MM 3B guy hit .265 or watch Mr. SS bobble balls, toss high to first, and lumber around the bases, as he pads his stats late in the season?

And the fans will take that as clear evidence that management wants to win. People can cheer for young guys trying with all their HEART to win.

Tejada is a joke - he never gets any clutch RBI's from the 7th inning on. Also he has the cleanest uni. in the AL- just waves at balls like a matador - range of about 1 foot to either side of him - not to mention his baserunning gaffes weekly - bring up Hernandez !!

I looked back & saw several people saying Liz should be the closer, try him out.
I have but one question for that..... is he worth risking (his arm) to use as a closer (something he has NEVER done) in a lost season? Closing & starting are 2 completely different animals. If they foresee him as a future starter, leave him in that role. Liz to close... As the caveman says in one of those Geico commercials...... whaaaat?

The Joba Chamberlain comparisons don't wash, the Spankees are not using him to close, limit him to an inning, & as I recall, never use him in back to back games, plus they are fighting for a playoff spot.

On any self-respecting team, the manager would bench Tejada, Mora and Hernandez and play some younger guys who want to be on the field. I'm sorry, but what's the knock on House being catcher - his defense and his arm. I have been a loyal O's fan for decades, but last night might be my last for awhile. A game doesn't go by when Tejada or Mora don't boot a ball or throw it away. The O's should give the resulting base runner a pass to second as it reduces the chance of Hernandez throwing the ball away or beaning the pitcher allowing the base runner to take third.

Absolutely, disgustingly pathetic from top to bottom. Outfielders throwing to the wrong bases, infielders botching routine grounders, pitchers unable to throw a first pitch strike, catcher's unable to block the ball and throw out runners, base runners getting picked off first with 1 out. In Rookie or Single A it would get you benched. In Baltimore it gets you a contract extension.

My 8 year old can pitch better than these guys. At least he throws strikes. Tejada needs to go. I have been saying all year he is part of the problem. Does anyone know what the O's record is with and without him this year?

Herbie: No easy wins, as you can see. Heck, there seem to be no wins ever now. Even if the game were over and the win posted to the team’s record, I’d still have doubts at this point. I’d leave it to our bullpen to blow a game even after it’s over.

I’ll have to echo Peter Schmuck’s sentiments in his column today and say, if you’re ready to check out on this team for this year, go right ahead. Last week, after the 30-3 loss, I was thinking differently, but now I can’t blame you. I love baseball, so I won’t and will suffer through this. But this team has clearly hit the point where really they aren’t worth anyone’s attention.

And, as Schmuck indicated, this meltdown, if it continues (and there seems to be no reason that it won’t though I’m sure the O’s will eventually win), doesn’t portend well for the free agent market. Again, as we say every year, why would anyone worthwhile want to come here, particularly after the club gasps and wheezes its way to the end of September, as it appears to be doing? A nice finish would’ve made Baltimore more attractive though still a hard sell, and they wouldn’t necessarily have had to make it to .500. Now, we’re almost guaranteed another offseason of saying we’re chasing the big names, settling for the lesser names who have few options anyway, and talking how we’re going to explore other routes to improve the club in January and February, which will probably mean snagging an aging backup catcher or surgically repaired middle reliever who last pitched in 2004.

The Orioles spending $42 million on the bullpen is the equivalent to drafting an amazing kicker in the first round of a fantasy football draft. If you don't have any running backs, what exactly is the point in spending money on the peripheries.

Nice rims on a beat up car, Roch?

I think the rims just got stolen. It's time to sell the rest for scrap and get a newer model.

Last night was the Orioles' 16th loss this season when LEADING, not tied, but LEADING going into the 8th inning. The team with the next highest amount of such losses is the Devil Rays with 7. $42 million for that?... This front office should fire itself.
If we win those 16 games, our record is 74-57 and we are tied for the lead in the wild card. Thats amazing considering the lineup we have been putting out there night after night.

As Popeye said "Enough is too much."

OK, so Baez has 2 easy outs in the 9th and gives up a hit on a fairly good pitch. No biggie and so far so good.

Next he gets strike one on a nice fastball inside and then has Delmon Young falling out of his shoes with a huge curve.

Great - 1 more strike and we are done!!!!

So he over throws another curve that is, well, poor. Then he badly misses with another curve. He throws a slider that McClellan may have missed but was really a bad pitch anyway and not getting the strike has more to do with Baez. Then he over throws a fastball that is not even close to the to the strike zone for ball four.

0 - 2 to a walk??????

Next he hangs an 0 - 1 breaking ball to Harris and the score is tied.

WHAT IS HE THINKING?????????

2 outs, 9th inning 0 - 2 count on a guy with 105 K and he starts to get cute?

Throw a &@*^!!!! fastball on the corner. THROW IT DOWN THE FREAKING MIDDLE!!!! Why throw 3 breaking balls when you are not getting them over (the one Young chased was a ball, too!)????

This is the kind of pitch selection you might see in amatuer leagues or in the minors, but a major league player is not going to bite on that slop.

Stupid. Just stupid.

Add to that Chad Bradford.

Tejada made an error on the 1st batter. Ugly for tejada but all that left was a man at first with no outs. Tampa stranded 16 runners in the game. How hard is it to make that 17?

Apparantly very hard.

Bradford, a "ground ball specialist" should be able to get a DP, right? Or at least keep the ball in the infoeld and strand the runner.

So what happens? Drum Roll, please: Fly ball single, line drive double for a run, foul pop for an out, walk, fly ball for another run and then, finally, a ground ball for an out.

With men on, opponents bat .348 against Bradford as opposed to .250 with none on. They hit .321 with runners in scoring position, .381 when there are 2 outs, .356 in "late and close situations" and .381 when the score is tied. In the 7th inning, Bradford "holds" opponents to a .306 batting average. It is .341 in the 8th.

This is not a guy who should be in the game after the 6th inning. Period. This is really not a guy who should be in the game at all.

I do not want to hear "who else are you going to use?" Not even Baez has numbers as bad as these. (In fact, Baez's numbers are about 100 points BETTER in all of these situations - except the 9th inning where Baez is hit for a .333 average.)

The error was tough, but it was still only the 1st hitter in the inning. Errors happen in baseball and no one scored because of the error. The error did not allow the tying run to score.

All Bradford had to do was get one of the next two hitters out and he gets out of the inning with NO runs scoring.

But Bradford has a talent for finding whatever needs to be done to aid the other team. Is it a little bleeder? Is it a shot to the gap? Is it a tweener? Is it a walk with the bases loaded and 2 strikes on the hitter? Doesn't matter, Chad will find it.

In almost every one of these 8 losses - except the Texas blowout - Bradford has played a significant role in the O's giving up the lead or losing the game.

I do not understand how this guy keeps getting chances to screw up and how he keeps getting a pass when he does.

LoLz.

Nothing surprises me with this team. I am done now for the year. Done going to games, and done watching them on MASN.

Last night I finished a late dinner and turned on the game. We were up and Baez was on the mound. I said out loud "I know what happens next" and changed the channel.

How sad is it that this exact scene has played itself out DOZENS of times this season?

We are officially the laughing stock of MLB.

Why can't this thing refresh even one 100th as quickly as the Wash Post blogs do?
They have far superior writers, except for Roch of course, must they blow the Sun away technically as well?

JEFF V - I like that one - "Butane" Baez. That is better than my former favorite "Boom Boom" (from the sound the ball makes when it slams into the seats....)

My wife likes to ask which Baez will show up - Danys or Joan?

OK folks, take a deep breath, then click below to see what they're saying about our O's in TAMPA!
http://www.tbo.com/sports/rays/MGBWGIJQY5F.html
(oh, the humanity!

The Devil Rays have always been known, at least in part, for having terrible pitching. Last night the O's had Steve Trachsel, Danys Baez and Rob Bell on the mound. What do those three pitchers have in common?

"Be on Time. Be Professional. Respect the Game."

Admiral Stocksdale

Hey, noting that White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen unloaded on his team after last night's loss(15th in past 18), do you think Trembley should do the same?
He still seems positive about the players' efforts but does his have rose-colored glasses on? There have been a truckload of errors/brain cramps etc, yet Trembley seems oblivious to these things. As others have also mentioned, he also never seems to question the umps on close calls. It's standard procedure to challenge these as maybe the next one will go your way.
The big question is-Is Trembley too laid-back/passive to be an effective manager? I know it's still pretty early to be judging him perhaps but I am getting tired of the standard jargon-'We put up a good fight.etc etc.etc..."

I will agree that Trachsel has been pitching really well Brian. I am suprised that there have not been any trade rumors concering him considering he passed waivers.

And thanks for the kind words on the nickname, I have been using it at work for a couple weeks now and decided to try it out here.

Jeopardy category: Baseball around the world for $1000

How you say "Orioles bullpen" in Russian.

What is "Chernobyl"?

Correct!