Huff doesnt look like he has missed a beat so far after sitting fore a few days... maybe he was hurting??

Great, now we have to Cabreras who cant throw strikes. Seriously, looking at his stats I am at a loss as to why he is here... We are suppose to have all this minor league pitching depth and this is the best we can do?

So, Ben W., let me get this straight: You're saying if our pitchers hadn't given up two home runs, then last night's 7-4 loss would have been much closer?

That's pretty astute analysis right there.

I couldn't agree more!

'a' is for a-ha!

NICE 8-0 in the 5th...Glad teh BREEZE may/should be able to get more rest...

Payton YOU'VE BEEN COMING UP HUGE!! MUCH LOVE =)

a is for the a$$ kicking we be giving the sCrUBS lol

8-0 - figures I'm at work with no tv.

Dave T:

Haha, that's common sense, of course. But, like I mentioned in the previous blog, the Orioles brought out their hitting shoes like I hoped. This is what they need to do. Lace singles and doubles and don't worry about homeruns.

Liz is pitching excellent. Great day.

Do we still trade Huff if we get an offer? This year he looks good and last year he was really bad. Also last year he platooned a lot in the first half with Gibbons, maybe he did not get the at bats.

11-0 in wrigley so sweet! Liz almost got us a quality start...but still i'll take 5 shut out innings!

At least Burres can pitch today and pick up the slack for the bullpen.

n is for the NL is nothing for the future beast of the east!! go 0's!!!

Albers injury really puts a crimp on what the Orioles can do. I was expecting Liz to be sent down but now that certainly can't do that.

Some rumors floating the O's are looking for a vet to fill in this year. Any truth to that? It has to be true, this team won't last like it's going now.

That 11-0 score sure was beautiful.

Hey Roch,

When they examined your head during the physical, did they find anything? Just kidding, couldn't resist.

I hope by now that is is evident that brian burres just doesn't have what it takes to be a major league pitcher. What a shame that we don't have anybody at all to replace him. he really doesn't belong here.Win or lose these walks are fast becoming a routine that we can do without

Wow I cant believe Burress only pitched one inning in an 8 run game. I would have thrown him out there one more inning just to save the pen a little more. Oh well we are winning and on the verge of taking two out of three from the Cubbies

Amber Theoharris is reporting the team is denying the Weiters promotion. If I'm Jeff Z's editor, I gotta know who he heard it from. You don't run with it unless you have confirmation from the writer, and there is no source or confirmation stated in Jeff's story. It ain't "Dewey Beats Truman," but at this point I don't know WHAT is happening or whom to believe. The only official source is MacPhail, and the story certainly doesn't mention him.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The decision has been made to promote Wieters to Bowie. He's just not joining them today, apparently. See if an announcement comes tomorrow. - Roch

Great win! Taking two of three from the Cubs at Wrigley -- WOW!

Liz pitch okay -- still throwing a lot of pitches. Looks like when he throws his changeup he loses his release point and then takes a pitch or two to find it again. Fastball looked pretty good.

Burres pitch poorly, and that is about the only downside I take from this game.

Oh...and Liz needs to learn how to bunt.

Is there any chance that [ ME ] though I've been wrong many times
[ BUT ] begged to keep Huff. I also begged to try to get Soto [ who you never heard of .] Millar , Roberts and Payton must be traded, REBUILD!!! Adam Jones is a lock for rookie of the year. MMMMM!!! Ricky Henderson he's not.

Looking at the O's next 11 games (3 w/Nats, 4 w/KC, 3 w/Tor) they could be looking pretty good with that competition by the time they go to Boston on 11 July. 8 - 3 or 7 - 4, though KC is playing lights out right now. Sweep the Sux then who knows. Ok I need to stop dreaming hahaha. Great Series clincher O's. Awesome job as ever Roch!

Sweet series win! The way the schedule shapes up the Os could be looking good at the all star break. They've gotta do what good teams do...beat the teams they're supposed to beat and play .500 against the good teams. So far, so good. Can it last? Not likely with the way the pitchers are dropping, but like my good friend Joaquin Andujar once said, "If there's one word that describes what can happen in baseball its 'youneverknow!.'"

OK. I just did some research. The Orioles win today was their 40th win of the season. Last year, they did not win 40 games until after the All Star Break, July 14, 2007 to be exact. So this year, they won their 40th Game 18 days ahead of last year. And their record when they won their 40th Game was 40-50. So it took them 90 Games to win 40. This year, only 77 Games to win 40.

Enough with the Burris bashing. Will he win a Cy Young someday? Not liklely. Can he have a Trachsel or Jamie Moyer like career? Could be. Saying he is not good enough to be here is a little rough since he still leads the team in wins. He has given 80 innings in half a season so far, on track to pitch his most ever. Today was not a good inning, but may he have been feeling the after effects of yesterday's illness? Maybe it was by design to give him a little work and get him back on track for the next start. Why does there have to be so much player bashing? Okay, got that off my chest.

Wieters just hit a two-run home run for Frederick - likely his last hurrah there. It would be surprising if he isn't with the Orioles this time next year. It will be interesting to see what happens if he has a monster spring training.

I dont think I'm the only one, but I owe Payton an apology. I thought the O's should have cut him loose with Gibbons back in the spring. But I was wrong, Payton has been a pro and a valuable member of the O's. Maybe they will trade him at the deadline, but he has definitely been an asset this year. Sorry for doubting you Jay.

Wow, indeed.

We just took 2 out of 3 from the high-flying Cubs at Wrigley! I would have never guessed we would win today. This has to be the high point of the season so far. I had to switch my computer off in the 2nd inning after Liz loaded the bases with one out. Imagine my surprise hours later when I find out no one scored and on top of that, we won easily.

Huff would be my pick for a 2nd O's All-Star selection (I know it won't happen, but he is exceeding expectations so far).

How can we keep winning with such a rag-tag rotation? Amazing.

FLAT BREEZY

lol OMGZ

It looks flat, but is it..... breezy?

Flat breezy OMGZ!

So does Weiters stay in Bowie the rest of the year? If he tears the cover off the ball in Bowie too, is he a September call up? Or does he just rest and come to the big league camp in spring?

Sign the petition!
http://bringmarkhome.withthispetition.com

Stink-tacular has just entered my vocabulary. Awesome.

Roch, I agree about Olson, Liz and Burres. Olson and Burres seem to be leaving the ball in the middle of the plate too much. They should start trusting their offspeed stuff a bit more. Through the batter off-balance. I think Liz will hit the six inning mark pretty soon. But as Palmer said, you have to have someone behind the plate helpnig these guys out. By the way, good job today Quiroz.

Fun Fact: 22 runs in he past three games against the NL leading Cubbies. Very nice.

First time to see Liz pitch on TV. Looks like he has lights-out stuff but no control whatsoever. A young D-Cab maybe. If he can throw strikes he will not need an eleven run lead every time. Great to see the Orioles take a series at Wrigley Field. Only the Brewers--remember them--have done that this year. These Orioles can stay competitive if the pitching staff can stay healthy.

Great win today. Great series! This team just continues to get it done, despite their warts. Aubrey Huff was super, Nick with a great at bat early in the game, and Radhames was very good under the circumstances. I don't think he threw anything but a fastball the first time thru the lineup. Next time, he added some very good off-speed pitches, especially his slider. He certainly baffled the best hitting team in the National league for five innings. Get the pitch count down and he'll get that quality start.

I am really happy with the progress this year - but the starting pitching is going to catch up to them really soon. As for beating the teams they "should beat?" You're kidding, right? they're a few games over 500 - I doubt there's anyone shaking in their boots about a team with a negaive run differential. There's progress, but I don't think expectations should go too high just yet.

I'm guessing Wieters didn't join Bowie today because they played at noon. I say he is a Baysox tomorrow morning. Hopefully Arieta isn't to far behind.

GO O'S

Ben W - The Orioles pitching staff has given up 89 homeruns(tops in the AL). The team has hit 85(tied for 4th in the AL). Not a significant difference.
They do have five guys(Huff,Markakis, Millar, Mora, and Scott) who would project to hit 20 homeruns on the season. In fact, it would be significantly more than 20 for each.

I asked the Bowie coaches this afternoon where Weiters was, as I sat thru 4 of 5 games of that series with Akron, and I got a smirk and a "Yeah, he's not in our lineup...today, anyway... How closely you follow us, anyway?" Close enough to know it's stupid to bring Weiters to Akron for one game then head back to Bowie, but also to know that Steve Torrealba can't possibly be their #1 starting catcher....for long. (I remember Torrealba catching for the Greenville Braves like 6 yrs ago...and he still can't hit.)

Bowie had a no-hitter going into the 6th and then I got up to use the little girls' room and all hell broke loose. Sorry about that. Next time I'll be less frivolous in my facility-using decisions.

"o" is for oh yes she IS superstitious like that....

Tom from M-ville - Huff said on the Anita Marks show yesterday that the injury this winter may have been the best thing to happen to him. He was forced to rest his body. Hence, he believes he came in more rested which would explain his early season success. If he finishes the way he normally does, this could be a huge season. I don't believe the O's trade him though, unless somewhat overwhelmed. He's settled in nicely as a DH, but can also play first and third adequately. Nice versatility. Right now he's hitting the cover off the ball and should not be rested in the Nationals series.

Nick - The minor league pitching depth is at Bowie and Frederick. What we had at Norfolk at the start of the season is now in Baltimore, plus Hayden Penn has struggled.

I believe Payton is being showcased for a trade. The Cubs need a productive left-fielder with Soriano out and 4th outfielder when he returns. Would you trade him even up for Ronny Cedeno? Jose Ceda? Sean Marshall? Can we get Tyler Colvin if we throw in Hayden Penn? Lot's of possibilities here that do not include Brian Roberts.

Roch - You looked great on the pre-game show today. Nice jacket and tie.

Hef in NJ - Thanks for your comments on Brian Burres. I totally agree.

It's nice to see Liz actually swings the bat when he's told to swing away (although his bunting needs work.) Perhaps he should tell Daniel Cabrera to do the same.

Hey anybody here know why "hot-hitting Scott happy not to be left out of the lineup" was out of the lineup today???

Marquis is a RHP - makes no sense

Shopping Payton??

I would almost say this was a statement game, as Jeff Z's story says. Up until now, the O's confidence has been snowballing. Taking two of three at Wrigley is a validation. I'm still not ready to believe the O's can hang with a team of the Cubs' quality on a consistent basis. The Cubs are still head and shoulders above in talent, and let's not say we match up well with them. But this was about as satisfying as it gets.

If Weiters hammers AA pitching as he did Single A, is there a September call-up in store when the rosters go to 40?

And Roch, I appreciate your response on Weiters. But if "the decision has been made," why didn't Jeff's first paragraph just say that, and cite who it came from?
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And "out" a source? Can't do it. - Roch

Ken Francis. With respect to your comments about Markakis, I think strikeouts are overrated. If a guy puts up the numbers-ie high BA, HR, RBI then I don't care how many K's he has. I do agree that maybe he can get better but at this stage, I'd say he's a accomplished hitter.
Comparing him to Jones is doing Nick a disservice. From what I've seen, Jones is far less selective at the plate. He hasn't a clue about breaking balls, swings at tons of bad pitches and where's the pop? Yes, I know he's still young and hopefully will improve over time but he's no where near Markakis at this point.
Payton is playing better than I ever thought possible but I've been one of his harshest critics. Maybe by having the series of his life in front of the Cubs, they might bite on acquiring him in a trade. They are short in the OF as it's just a matter of time before Edmonds goes down.
And my final word is on Liz. There's no way this guy is ready to assume a starter's job at the MLB level. I give him A for effort but come on! He's all over the place with his command and he should be honing his skills in AAA. A rotation full of 5 inning pitchers is going to wear out the 'pen real fast and is already taking it's toll.

Maybe now is a good time to trade Huff for either a shortstop or another starting pitcher... or both? Too bad Trachsel wasn't effective. The club could use a veteran inning-eater right about now. If nothing else, maybe Fahey deserves another shot.

Jake Arrieta is playing at Yankee Stadium next month in the Futures Game. I have a pair of tickets I'm trying to sell. Anyone interested?

Can't be bothered to post about our drubbing of the Cubbies? :)

So how about that Astros clubhouse? Take away a guy like Scott and replace him with Tejada and things don't run as smoothly. Now, I certainly don't blame Tejada for their recent problems (especially not Chacon) but he has not really brought much stability or harmony where he has been recently. I continue to wish him well but the O's really pulled off a great move this offseason. The past two seasons without Tejada in the lineup or in the clubhouse we have been solidly above .500. Probably coincidental (and boy would I love his production at SS!) but it is interesting.

Does anyone else feel like our pitching staff is getting by with tape, glue, and rubberbands holding it together. Other than Guthrie who has been a solid front end starter, the rest is mediocre/inconsistent/hard to watch even when we win. It could be a long second half.

However, we have really played well and now have many more home games left than other teams in our division (Boston +9, TB +9, NY +5, TOR +4) due to our extended road trips. We need to close the gap in the next couple of weeks if we want to entertain the pipe dream of a wild card. Either way we are sellers with the right offers.

HOLY COW Mr Huff, this Bud is for you.... & it isn't even a Dutch Bud....yet.
I am amused at all the love going Huff's way now.... don't get me wrong, I am glad. I am not surprised at his year & sort of expected it. I never thought his remarks were all that bad this winter & stated as much, but many here & in the stands wanted the guy tarred & feathered & it wasn't to make him look like an Oriole bird either.

The team has an opportunity here... 3 with the Nads ,& is it 3? with the Royals. Win 5 of 6 & see where they stand then. It could get interesting....

Amarie, your baseball knowledge is silly. If you look like Annie from Bull Durham we can get married tomorrow.

So F-Cab has a 1-2 record with a 7.21 ERA in 2007; 50 hits, 9 HR, and 31 walks in 43 innings; and for this stellar record he gets a raise to $575,000 in 2008 from a paltry $392,000?

How do you get almost a 50% raise for that?

I'm in the wrong profession...