Granted, the Orioles were plagued by walks and hit batsmen during that resounding three-game sweep by the Tampa Bay Rays (and you can't get much more resounding than scoring in double figures three straight times for the first time in franchise history). Granted, the Orioles continue to struggle on Sunday. But I really didn't think of Dave Trembley as a particularly spiritual man until he waxed biblical after today's game.

"You reap what you sow,'' he said, when Jim Hunter and Jim Palmer were questioning him on the MASN postgame show about the outlook for some of the young pitchers who have been struggling to hold their places on the major league staff. "The opportunities you get, you'll be evaluated accordingly."

Now, I should have suspected Dave was a religious guy, since he says "Oh God!" whenever a ball is hit to Alex Cintron, but I hope he doesn't go all Pulp Fiction on somebody when he and Rick Kranitz meet with the pitching staff before tomorrow's game at Fenway Park.

"We're going to talk to the pitching staff, Rick and myself,'' Trembley said during the same postgame interview with Jimmy and Cakes. "I'd rather have them throw the fastball right over the plate and let them hit it than walk four guys and hit three or four guys."

That probably won't place Dave (left) alongside Knute Rockne (right) or Vince Lombardi in a compendium of great pep talks, but -- at this point -- what else is a manager to do?

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (28)
        

It doesn't matter how many major league baseball games you've seen in your life, every game provides an opportunity to see something you've never seen before. The latest, for me, was provided by reliever Alberto Castillo (right) when he hit batters with back-to-back pitches to drive in a run. The two bases-loaded walks that came next were just gravy.

Dave Trembley is getting that "Why me, Lord?" look on his face, and who can blame him? This pitching staff has fallen harder than Hasim Rahman in the second Lennox Lewis fight.

Haven't seen Fernando Cabrera since his little indiscretion on the mound on Friday night. He was fined for flipping the ball at Trembley on his way out of that game, but there was some speculation that he might spend some time in bullpen exile. That wouldn't surprise me, but I'm starting to think the best way to punish the guy might be to make him pitch against the Red Sox.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)
        

On paper, it certainly doesn't look like September is going to go well for the Orioles, who face another apparently mismatch today when Brian Burres faces Tampa's James Shields in the finale of the three-game series against the Rays, then head to Boston to open the month at Fenway Park.

I'm already over today's game, and it hasn't even started yet. The Orioles have lost six of the last seven games that Burres has pitched in, so what exactly are we supposed to expect when he faces the team with the best record in the American League on the road. If you have to watch, at least bring some reading material.

The O's have lost nine of their last 11 and, with four of the six games remaining on this road trip, I'm guessing you wouldn't get even money if you bet they'd win one of them. They're going into the notoriously hitter-friendly Fenway with a starting rotation of Garrett Olson, Radhames Liz and what appears to be a tired Jeremy Guthrie.

Guess I'll have to go with my old friend Jim Henneman, who loves to pick the underdog when absolutely everything points in the other direction. I'm picking the O's to win two of three in Boston.

Radio Free Schmuck: If you're not water skiing or something, join me at noon for "WBAL Sports Sunday" on WBAL (1090 AM). If you're out of the area or your radio is on the fritz, you can go to WBAL.com and click on the "Listen Live" icon.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Could the worm have turned any more dramatically than it has for Aubrey Huff, who hit his 30th home run yesterday and now has 98 RBI. This is the guy you all loved to hate coming into spring training. This is the guy who was so overpaid there was no way to get rid of him after he dissed Baltimore on the air with shock jock Bubba the Love Sponge.

Yeah, that guy.

So, now I'm hearing people use Huff as the reason the Orioles don't need to pursue slugger Mark Teixeira in the free agent market this coming offseason. Now, some of the same people who thought Huff was the most overpaid guy since Jay Gibbons are talking about what a bargain he'll be next year at $8 million.

That might be true, but today is the deadline for traded players to be eligible for the postseason, and you'd think there would be some interest in a hitter who is a good game away today from entering September with 30 homers and 100 RBI.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

When Ravens safety Ed Reed revealed that he's suffering from a "nerve impingement' in his neck that has affected his shoulder and could threaten his career, I had a nasty Orioles flashback.

The Ravens are loathe to give real specifics on injuries, but it's fair to wonder if the problem that has sidelined one of the NFL's best defensive players is similar to the one that forced a premature end to the baseball career of former Oriole Glenn Davis.

Davis, every Orioles fan unhappily recalls, was acquired by the Orioles in a trade for Curt Schilling, Steve Finley and Pete Harnisch, three players who all went on to better things after the supposed blockbuster deal. Davis never lived up to his reputation as one of the most dangerous power hitters in baseball, because of a nerve injury suffered during his first spring with the Orioles.

He damaged the spinal accessory nerve in his neck during an exhibition at-bat in March of 1991, the severity of the problem only becoming apparent when the trapezius muscle in his right shoulder began to wither. He spent a couple of years trying to regain his powerful swing, but was never the same.

Hopefully, there's no such parallel with Reed, but he's all but certain to miss the season opener next week and could be out for the season. He even speculated Friday that if surgery is necessary to correct the problem, his career might be over.

Baltimore Sun photos

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (20)
        

Today's featured comment comes from a wise guy named eric, who looked at this picture of Kevin Kennedy in one of my earlier posts and couldn't help himself:

Eric's take: Is that picture Ron Burgandy or Bruce Cunningham?

Pete's take: Good question. I don't think it's Bruce, because the guy in the picture isn't trying to convince me he birdied the hole after driving into the water three times.

Fox Sports photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Today's featured comment
        

Trying to keep up with three games at the same time. The Orioles are trying to score in double figures to give themselves a decent chance to win with their seemingly helpless pitching staff. It's almost gotten to the point where the Ravens have as good a chance to win scoring 13 as the O's.

Meanwhile, the Terps just finished grinding out an unspectacular victory over the post-Flacco Delaware Blue Hens on ESPN, and my USC Trojans are busy crushing Virginia on national television ABC. I've been switching around so much I'm starting to worry about carpel tunnel syndrome. I'm proud that Southern Cal played a real opponent on the road while top-ranked Georgia took on Georgia Southern and Ohio State played Youngstown State.

Georgia was ranked first in both major polls. USC and Ohio State flip-flop in the next two places. That'll be settled when my favorite team mugs Stan White's favorite team in LA on Sept. 13.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

The Fernando Cabrera incident was replayed duriing the pregame show on the national Fox broadcast today and stimulated an interesting conversation between studio analysts Mark Grace and Kevin Kennedy.

Grace teed off on Cabrera and said he would be surprised if the O's middleman made another appearance on the mound this season. Kennedy (right) went even further. He said if a pitcher disrespected him in that manner when he was managing, there would have been a fist fight on the mound.

Trembley promised the situation would be dealt with. His quote to that effect was in an earlier post. Baltimore Sun beat writer Jeff Zrebiec is reporting that Cabrera has been fined an undisclosed amount. Wouldn't be surprised if he also has some trouble getting back to the mound.

FOX photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Roberts 2B
Payton CF
Markakis RF
Huff 3B
Hernandez C
Scott DH
Millar 1B
Montanez LF
Castro SS

Waters SP

Roster move: Shows how much I know. The Orioles did not bring up Brandon Fahey to provide infield depth in the absense of injured Melvin Mora. The club called up Oscar Salazar from Norfolk and sent out Radhames Liz, though Liz will simply be re-activated on Monday when the rosters expand.

Rotation update: Liz will pitch on Tuesday night in Boston. It appears that Garrett Olson will come up to make the start on Monday at Fenway Park.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

The Orioles may not be able to wait for Monday's roster expansion, now that Melvin Mora will miss at least the next couple of games with a hamstring strain. The team figures to call up an infielder -- Brandon Fahey, most likely -- to provide some depth for the rest of the weekend.

Look for Aubrey Huff to fill in at third and the two left-fielders -- Luke Scott and Lou Montanez -- to both be in the lineup. Of course, one of them will be the DH, though you could have made a case for putting both of them in left field at the same time in last night's 14-3 loss.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

It was one moment of frustration and disrespect, but it could cost reliever Fernando Cabrera, who showed up manager Dave Trembley on the mound last night by flipping the ball to him on the way off the field after giving up back-to-back home runs in Tampa's seven-run fourth inning.

One of those homers was a grand slam by Ben Zobrist after Lou Montanez misplayed a fly ball in the outfield, so the frustration was understandable. Cabrera just took it out on the wrong person and apparently heard about it from a couple members of the coaching staff when he got to the dugout.

"He was frustrated that he gave up the home runs, and he thought that Montanez could have caught the ball,'' Trembley said. "But still, that's not an excuse for what he did. I'll deal with it, and when I say I'll deal with it, it won't mean I'll ignore it. I'll deal with it, which means I'll do something about it."

Cabrera regretted it afterward, and -- with a 5.33 ERA -- he's vulnerable to the possible consequence, which could be either a fine or a plane ticket.

"That was just a bad action that I do," Cabrera said. "It's not something that I feel good doing. It was all frustration."

Media update: If you'd like to actually talk to me, I'll be doing my show on WBAL (1090 AM) from noon to 2:30 today. If you're outside the area or not near a radio, you can also listen on WBAL.com by clicking on the "Listen Live" icon.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

When ESPN.com decided to rank the fan bases of all the NFL teams, you could see this one coming a mile away. The Ravens faithful, despite more consecutive regular-season sellouts (96) than 19 of the 32 teams, ranked only 17th and got a fairly tepid evaluation by the ESPN panel of experts.

Here's an excerpt: The loyalty factor is pretty good. But with the Redskins to the south and Eagles to the north, the Ravens geographically have a much smaller, boxed-in fan base than most NFL teams.

Here's a link to the entire survey, but don't go there if you have a low tolerance for the absurd. When you see that the Raiders, with their hordes of trick-or-treating wannabe bikers, rank in the top ten, you might lose your lunch. Their sellout string is a resounding four.

That bothers me way more than Steelers fans being ranked on top or even Eagles fans being ranked fourth. I've banged heads with the Eagles faithful for years, but I've never disputed their passion. Their IQ's and their BAC, of course, would be another story.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (25)
        

The Frederick Keys still entertained playoff hopes until last night, when the Winston-Salem Warthogs bounced them from postseason consideration with a fairly resounding 12-4 victory at Grove Stadium and clinched a postseason berth for themselves. Brandon Tripp hit his 16th homer of the year for the Keys.

It wasn't a great night for the Norfolk Tides either. Andy Mitchell gave up four runs over 3 2/3 innings in a 7-2 loss to the Richmond Braves. Mike Costanzo and Chris Roberson had two hits each.

The Baysox were rained out last night in Harrisburg and will play a twi-night doubleheader today starting at 5:05 p.m.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Jeremy Guthrie's uncharacteristic mound meltdown was just the beginning of an ugly evening that also has featured Melvin Mora limping off the field with a hamstring injury, Ramon Hernandez getting ejected for arguing balls and strikes and some apparent friction between reliever Fernando Cabrera and manager Dave Trembley.

In other words, it's late August and the Orioles are falling apart, which isn't going to be pretty. That's one of the reasons I made such a case for Trembley's contract extension. I know it's supposed to be a foregone conclusion, but the players are getting tired and grumpy and the fans are getting restless. The longer his job security is considered a non-issue, the more likely it is going to become one.

Somebody told me the other day that there are some players in the clubhouse who are not so enamored with Trembley's management style anymore, and I couldn't help but laugh. There isn't a major league team -- and that includes the three teams with 80-plus wins -- that doesn't have a player or two who thinks the manager is an idiot. The farther you go down the standings, the more of those players there are likely to be.

If you want the best example of that I can come up with, it would be the Rays near the end of Lou Piniella's tenure with the team. The guy is a proven winner and the Rays had never won anything, but you'd be surprised how many players thought that Piniella was the problem and weren't afraid to go off the record to tell that to a national baseball writer they had never met before.

The point I'm trying to make is this: The 2008 season was supposed to be a washout from the start. Now that's it's finally washing out, it's not fair to start pointing fingers and trying to evaluate everybody based on revised expectations, especially in a rapidly deteriorating competitive environment.

AP photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (23)
        

Today's frustrated featured comment comes from TerryP, who had a front row seat in his living room for Jeremy Guthrie's meltdown tonight:

Terry's take: Wow. Even Guthrie seems to have been inflicted with ineffectiveness. Maybe bad control and serving up fat pitches is contagious. Not to be outdone, Fernando comes in and serves up a couple of long ones. Too bad there isn't a mercy rule!

At least the handful of Rays' fans will go home happy tonight. What's tonight's attendance,10 thou? Pretty pathetic for a first place team, they don't seem to draw any better than when they were in last. And it's not like it's expensive to watch a game in Tampa so what gives?
So when does Tampa nation start making it's presence known around MLB? Can they fit the four of them in a Honda Civic?

Pete's take: That's a good question. It's not like the Orioles are a big draw right now, so I'm not surprised that more people don't attend an indoor baseball game in the Tampa Bay area with a tropical storm looming. I was more shocked when they couldn't draw 20,000 for a playoff preview against the Angels recently.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Today's featured comment
        

Give me a break. I threw a question out earlier today asking whether Jeremy Guthrie is a legitimate AL East pitching ace or just a solid guy who stands out in very thin Orioles starting rotation. So what happens?

He sets a season high with six walks in three-plus innings and gives up seven runs to pump up his ERA from 3.28 to 3.57 in little more than an hour.

Guess it wouldn't be the O's pitching staff if every single pitcher didn't have a question mark hanging ominously over his head. Guthrie is entitled to one bad outing, but it couldn't have come at a worse time for the perception of the team...and this is the time of year when you start wondering if all the innings are taking their toll.

He could be forgiven if he's starting to feel them. He threw a career high 175 1/3 last year, but missed some time late in the season with a strained oblique. He's already 10 innings past that this year with a full month to go in the season.

Injury update: Reliever George Sherrill came up sore again after playing catch the other day, so his return will be further delayed. And the Orioles are going to play it very conservative with Chris Ray, so he will not be activated for the final month of the season.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Roberts 2B
Markakis RF
Mora 3B
Huff DH
Hernandez C
Millar 1B
Scott LF
Payton CF
Castro SS

Guthrie SP

Rotation update: Chris Waters will be the starter tomorrow night and Brian Burres will get another chance at redemption on Sunday. Radhames Liz will start on Monday and Tuesday's starter is TBA. Could be one of the September call-ups.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Daniel Cabrera's six-game suspension has been upheld and he will begin serving it today, which means that he should have ample time to rest his sore arm, especially when you consider that he could have dropped the appeal days ago when it became apparent that he was going to be moved back in the rotation anyway.

Dave Trembley was asked about that possibility the day he announced that the MRI on Cabrera's elbow was "clean," but he didn't really address it. Which means that one of three scenarios played out -- either the Orioles whiffed on the timing, Cabrera was holding out hope that the suspension would be overturned and he would save nearly a week's pay or the soreness is significant enough that the timing doesn't make any difference.

Guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

I was all set to talk about Jeremy Guthrie and how he might be the biggest steal since the Louisiana Purchase when John McCain's choice for vice president leaked out. Sadly, it's not Jeremy, who would do quite well in command and control situations, but he isn't old enough anyway.

It's Alaska governor Sarah Palin (right, of course), a gun-toting, former beauty queen who officially becomes the first vice presidential candidate I've had a crush on since Walter Mondale.

I mean, we all know Dick Cheney is an attractive man, but has he ever been on the cover of Vogue? This is a big coup for the GOP, which has been looking for a vice president who can hunt without hurting anyone. The Miss Alaska runner-up thing is just a bonus.

OK, back to baseball. Guthrie goes tonight against Scott Kazmir and the Tampa Bay Rays in one of the better pitching matchups of the weekend. Both pitchers have numbers that aren't totally representative of their abilities (Guthrie because of poor offensive support; Kazmir because he was hurt for a significant chunk of the season), but they are two of the premier starters in the American League.

If the game plays to form, Guthrie will lose, 2-1. Sorry, that's just the way it is.

Question for the day: Is Guthrie a legitimate No. 1 starting pitcher in the American League East, or does he just benefit from the stark contrast with the rest of the Orioles starting rotation?

Shameless self-promotion: Pardon the political goofiness, but Friday is my day to talk politics and other non-sports stuff on "The Week in Review" with Clarence Mitchell IV on WBAL radio at noon. Today's guest panelist is former governor Robert Ehrlich, whom -- I suspect -- is in for a whuppin'.

AP Photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (27)
        

Joe Flacco didn't knock anyone's socks off during last night's 10-9 loss to the Atlanta Falcons at M&T, but he made quite an impression in the interview room after the game. When he was asked if he felt like he was ready to start the first regular season game against the Bengals on Sept. 7, he didn't lapse into typical athlete-speak and defer the question to the coaching staff.

"Yes," he said, and did not elaborate.

So, somebody asked him what he thought of the conventional wisdom that a rookie quarterback should sit for a year to learn the ropes at football's highest level of competition.

"How are you going to learn if you sit,'' he answered. "I think the best way to learn is to go out there and experience it."

Not sure that John Harbaugh and the Ravens braintrust agree, but they may not have any choice? Flacco is on the verge of winning the starting job by default, though there still is a chance Troy Smith will get healthy over the weekend and take over in time to face the Bengals on Sept. 7.

The QB soap opera is far from over. Casey Bramlet may stay around only long enough for the team to get some definitive information on Kyle Boller's shoulder, which may not be as badly damaged as it has been portrayed. The Ravens are holding out hope that both the Boller and Smith situations will clarify by Monday, though that wouldn't seem to leave sufficient time to get Smith to the point where he's a better option for the opener than Flacco.

Don't expect any announcement until late in the week. No sense giving the Bengals a heads up, but I'm sure they're assuming it's Flacco, too.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

The Akron Aeros lost the nightcap of that doubleheader with Altoona, 1-0, securing the Eastern League Southern Division for Bowie, which will have home-field advantage in the best-of-five first playoff round that starts next week.

The Baysox, who lost 9-3 to Trenton and had to wait out the Akron twinbill to celebrate the clinching, reached the playoffs for the first time since 1997 and won the division title for the first time in team history.

Tickets to all potential playoff games at Prince Georges Stadium are available on the Baysox Web site.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

John Harbaugh remained non-committal about the starting QB for the opener against the Bengals, but I don't think you have to be the reincarnation of Vince Lombardi to figure the thing out.

Joe Flacco is the only quarterback who has played well enough to be considered at this point, though the coaching staff wants to get Troy Smith back on the field as soon as possible to establish how he fits into the equation.

"Even if we planned to name a starter, we couldn't right now,'' Harbaugh said at halftime. "We'll find out more about Kyle in the next couple of days. We don't know about Troy. He was starting to feel a little better, but he couldn't play tonight. We'll see what the next few days bring."

There aren't a lot of days left. The Ravens have little more than a week to prepare for the opener, so it's hard to imagine anyone but Flacco being the starter at this point, unless some secret organizational decision has already been made to hold him back. Can't imagine that either.

The new era begins Sept. 7.

Sun photo/Gene Sweeney, Jr.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (37)
        

The Baysox may have to wait another day to clinch their first-ever division championship. Their magic number is down to one -- a Bowie win or an Akron loss -- to clinch the Southern Division title, but they are getting waxed by the Trenton Thunder (8-0 after six) and the Aeros won the first game of a doubleheader. So, it's status quo for the next couple of hours, at least, since the Aeros are just getting underway in their nightcap against Altoona.

The Baysox and Aeros are going to play each other in the Southern Division playoffs. It's just a matter of who gets home-field advantage in the best-of-five series. That will be Bowie, unless the sky falls this weekend.

While we're on the Baysox bandwagon, three members of the team have won Eastern League postseason awards. Lou Montanez was named Most Valuable Player, which wasn't a hard choice since he's leads the league in just about every relevant offensive category. Brad Bergesen was named Pitcher of the Year for a season in which he is 15-5 with a 3.11 ERA. And Brad Komminsk was named Manager of the Year.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Didn't take long for Casey Bramlet to show up on the field. He replaced Joe Flacco with about 11 minutes left in the second quarter, and zipped his first pass to Daniel Wilcox for 21 yards. His second pass appeared destined to be a touchdown over the middle to Wilcox again, but the ball was tipped up in the air and eventually intercepted by Falcons safety Thomas DeCoud just short of the goal line.

Bramlet, who was claimed off waivers from the San Diego Chargers, has some history with Cam Cameron's offensive scheme, so he looked fairly comfortable running the offense one day after flying in from the West Coast.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Maybe someday we'll be watching Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco going head-to-head in the Super Bowl, but tonight was just more classroom time for the two top quarterbacks in this year's draft.

Ryan didn't look particularly sharp in his first couple of a series and Flacco was wild with a few throws, though he did pass for a couple of first downs on the Ravens' opening drive. Just as he did in the last game, he seems to be gaining confidence as he goes along.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Remember all that outrage when Kevin Millar went up to Boston and threw out the ceremonial first pitch during the postseason last year? It was considered by many to be a show of disloyalty to the Orioles, even though Millar was commemorating his role in the first Red Sox world championship in 86 years.

So, what are all those disgruntled fans thinking now...after Cal Ripken donned a Rays jersey and threw out the first pitch at last night's game in St. Petersburg?

Cal was at Tropicana Field because Ripken Baseball announced the purchase of a Single-A minor league team that will be affiliated with the Rays and play in Port Charlotte, Fla, the site of the old Texas Rangers spring training site.

My take: I thought Millar's "first pitch" was appropriate to the situation and so was Cal's. I'm wondering if anyone thinks that Cal's was OK but Millar's wasn't, or vice versa.

AP photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (48)
        

Since the Orioles are off, it's raining outside and the Ravens have asked me to rest up in case they need me to take a couple of snaps tonight, I find myself in a reflective mood. I think it's important to count your blessings once in awhile, so I'm debuting a new feature that allows me to express my appreciation for being able to live in a country where...

...Major League Baseball has finally fixed the problem that cost the Orioles the 1996 American League Championship Series.

...Navy beat Notre Dame last year and still can fit Towson into it's schedule this season.

...Dave Trembley can be seven games under .500 and still have a local columnist crusading to get his contract extended.

...Orioles fans can forgive Aubrey Huff for his offseason transgressions, as long as he keeps hitting.

...Bill Clinton is one of the most popular speakers at a Democratic National Convention where John Edwards is not welcome because he cheated on his wife.

...John McCain has so many homes he can't remember all of them.

...Dennis Kucinich is from so many other planets he can't remember all of them.

...Amber Theoharis has to act like she respects my opinion twice a week on MASN.

...I don't have to be able to pick you out of a police lineup for you to be the No. 3 quarterback for the Ravens.

...they can't see your face on the radio.

...they pay you to blog.

It's your turn: Feel free to add to this list.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (24)
        

Today's featured comment is from Jack, who -- like many of you -- is a little overwhelmed by all the bad news that has come out of Ravens training camp the past week or two:

Jack's take: I gotta say, at this point I am less optimistic about the Ravens chances this season than I was about the Orioles in March.

Pete's take: I totally understand. I don't think the Ravens are going to win 70 games either.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Today's featured comment
        

There's still a chance that Troy Smith will be healthy enough to start tonight's final preseason game against Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons, but the notion that Joe Flacco might start the regular season opener has gone from pipe dream to probability, at least in my book.

The apparently loss of Kyle Boller for at least a few weeks (and probably more) and the decision to sign San Diego Chargers castoff Casey Bramlet only increases the likelihood that Flacco ends up starting against the Bengals 10 days from now. Even if Smith plays tonight, he's not likely to play much, which means that Flacco will get another extended look.

It's still possible the Ravens make a run at Daunte Culpepper, but Flacco clearly is growing on the coaching staff...and it is largely a new coaching staff that isn't haunted by Boller's bad experience as a rookie.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Sweet vindication. I took a little heat for having some fun at the expense of Michael Phelps on one of my radio shows during his Olympic medal-fest. Got lectured by several talkshow callers (and my wife) for not treating our hometown hero's magical quest with sufficient reverence.

Well, I can't wait to see how Michael spoofs himself as the host on the season premiere of Saturday Night Live come Sept. 13. No word on how far the show will go to squeeze every laugh out of Phelps' appearance, but I'll make a prediction. Mark Spitz will show up to spoof himself, too, perhaps heckling Michael during his monologue.

The musical act will be Lil Wayne, one of the artists Michael listens to on his IPod before races.

Here's a thought: Why don't we brainstorm and come up with an idea for a skit.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Bowie defeated Trenton, 4-1, last night behind another strong pitching performance -- this time from Zach Clark, who worked 7 1/3 innings and gave up five hits. More importantly, the Baysox reduced their magic number to one and can clinch their first-ever division title with a victory tonight or a loss by the Akron Aeros, who are in second place in the Southern Division of the Eastern League.

The Orioles have assigned Matt Wieters, Blake Davis, Nolan Reimold and Frederick's Brandon Snyder to the Arizona Fall League. The O's also will assign three pitchers to the AFL, but have not announced the names yet. Top draft choice Brian Matusz is expected to be among them.

Norfolk's Mike Costanzo had three hits last night, including the 10th-inning hit that gave the Tides a 5-4 victory over the Durham Bulls. Costanzo short-hopped the left field fence with the bases loaded to score Tike Redman. The three hits raised his average to .261. Kam Mickolio got the win while he waits to return to the major league club on Sept. 2.

The Keys were rained out.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

The Ravens finally gave up on injury-ravaged linebacker Dan Cody, releasing him on the same day they reacquired defensive lineman Marques Douglas from Tampa Bay for a late-round draft pick in 2009 and a conditional pick in 2010.

It's a sad conclusion for Cody, who came to the team with great promise as a second-round pick in 2005, but suffered a series of debiliitating injuries that limited him to just a handful of plays over three seasons. He ended his Ravens career by playing 10 snaps at the end of Saturday night's preseason loss to the Rams.

Cody (right) suffered a sprained anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during his first year with the team and a torn posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in 2006. Last year, he proved to be both fragile and snake-bitten, tearing cartilage in his right knee and a suffering a foot injury in a charity run.

Schmuck media overload: Watch me tonight on the MASN pre-game show with Amber Theoharis and then listen at 7 p.m. when I join Steve Davis on Sportsline on WBAL (1090 AM). If you're out of the area, you can also listen to the radio show by going to WBAL.com and clicking on the "Listen Live" icon.

Sun photo: Gene Sweeney, Jr.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Orioles

Roberts 2B
Markakis RF
Mora 3B
Huff DH
Hernandez C
Millar 1B
Scott LF
Montanez CF
Castro SS

Liz SP

White Sox

Cabrera SS
Pierzynski C
Dye RF
Thome DH
Konerko 1B
Griffey CF
Ramirez 2B
Swisher LF
Uribe 3B

Danks SP

Lineup update: Alex Cintron originally was scheduled to start at second base and give Brian Roberts back-to-back days off (with the offday), but he had to be scratched with a case of food poisoning, which forced Roberts back into the starting lineup.

Roster update: The Orioles activated reliever Greg Aquino from the disabled list and designated him for assignment, which will gain the club another spot on the 40-man roster for any non-roster September call-ups.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Daniel Cabrera apparently has no structural damage in his elbow, but manager Dave Trembley said today that Cabrera is feeling some discomfort in his forearm near the elbow. The date of his next start depends on how he feels over the next few days.

"We'll see what we're going to do,'' Trembley said. "We might have to give him an extra day. Our think is, maybe he plays catch tomorrow and we see how he is."

Trembley also confirmed that Adam Jones and George Sherrill will be activated when the roster expand on Monday if all continues to go well with their rehab programs.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Fresh off his appearance in the Beijing Olympics, Jake Arrieta has been named Carolina League Pitcher of the Year, becoming only the second Frederick Keys pitcher ever to win the honor.

Here's a sampling of previous winners: Dwight Gooden (1983), Randy Myers (1984), Kent Mercker (1988), Charles Nagy (1989), Julian Tavares (1993), Bartolo Colon (1995), Rick Ankiel (1998), Zack Greinke (2003), Zach Duke (2004).

Arrietta was 6-5 with a league-best 2.87 ERA in 20 starts with 120 strikeouts in 113 1/3 innings. His strikeout total led the league when he left for Beijing, where he threw six shutout innings (two hits, seven strikeouts) against China in an Aug. 18 victory.

USA Baseball photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Okay, so it's not as big a deal as the July 31 waiver deadline, but there's another trade deadline coming up this weekend and we're not hearing anything in the way of buzz around the Orioles.

Last time I looked, Aubrey Huff was having a terrific year and would seem to be the kind of player who would draw some interest at this point in the season. His run-production numbers have risen to the point where his $8 million salary for next year no longer seems like the albatross it once was.

Huff (right) reportedly cleared waivers, but all remains quiet on the front office front. Maybe other clubs are still skeptical about him after several years of declining numbers. Maybe it's just that nobody sees him as the perfect fit as the last days run out to be eligible for the postseason with another team. Maybe the Orioles changed their main switchboard number to 1-800-WELOVETHERAVENSNOW and forgot to tell anybody.

I'm guessing Huff isn't complaining. This couldn't be a worse time for trade speculation in his life, since his wife is very close to delivering the couple's first child.

AP photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

If Kyle Boller's sore shoulder ends up forcing him on injured reserve, do the Ravens go looking for a veteran quarterback to compete for the starting job at this late date, or do they sign a veteran to hold a clipboard and mentor young quarterbacks Troy Smith and Joe Flacco?

I'm guessing Ozzie Newsome would do what he does in the draft, which is go for the best available player. Hopefully, he won't get confused and sign a tight end. The big name out there is Daunte Culpepper, who wouldn't be content to just provide insurance and help bring along a green QB. The Ravens might also consider making a draft choice play for Miami Dolphins backup John Beck, who played a bit for Cam Cameron last year.

Personally, I like the clipboard idea. The Ravens could sign someone like Trent Dilfer (left) to serve as a sort of player/coach on the sidelines. Notice I said someone "like" Trent. Not necessarily the actual Dilfer. When he announced his retirement last month, he cited an Achilles injury as one of the reasons for his decision to walk away, and it was enough of an Achilles injury to cause him to withdraw from the American Century Celebrity Golf Classic just three weeks before NFL training camps opened.

AP photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (79)
        

The Orioles close out their nine-game homestand tomorrow. I guess when you lose seven of the first eight games (not counting Monday's completion of a suspended game), getting dominated by a pitcher who grew up 15 miles from the ballpark is just a bonus.

Severna Park's Gavin Floyd showed that it is possible to stay under 100 pitches and still complete eight innings, which should be enlightening to the struggling young pitchers in the Orioles rotation who usually pass 90 in the fourth or fifth. He threw 98 pitches (68 strikes) and gave up just four hits to improve to 14-6. He's got six more starts, so an 18-win season is not out of the question.

Meanwhile, the Orioles have lost their offensive edge at a time when they need all the runs they can get to prop up a rotation that is 60 percent Triple-A call-ups, 20 percent Jeremy Guthrie and 20 percent what the heck is wrong with Daniel Cabrera.

"You need better starting pitching is what you need. It starts with starting pitching. That's the name of the game: starting pitching,'' said manager Dave Trembley, who obviously was hoping that if he said "starting pitching" enough, some might fall from heaven.

It doesn't get better on the road, where the Orioles play the Rays and Red Sox next.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Either the Orioles have caught a bad case of Ravens Fever or they finally have discovered the miracle of cross promotion. Maybe both.

Last week, they announced that they had moved their Sept. 7 game up a day to solve a scheduling conflict on the opening Sunday of the NFL regular season. Now, they've taken their cooperation with the Ravens to a new level, scheduling a "Ravens Rally at Oriole Park" between the two games of the Sept. 6 split-doubleheader.

The first 15,000 fans ages 15 and over will receive a Ravens Rally t-shirt that features the Oriole Bird carrying a football and wearing a Ravens jersey. I heard it was either that or a t-shirt featuring Willis McGahee on the Physically Unable to Perform list.

The celebration also will feature appearances by the Ravens mascot, several cheerleaders and the Marching Ravens. Team president Dick Cass will throw out the ceremonial first pitch. In addition, Ravens PSL holders can show their cards to get a $7 discount off any regularly priced ticket and non PSL holders can get $5 off by wearing both a Ravens and Orioles article of clothing.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Chris Tillman pitched six innings and gave up four hits in an overpowering performance against the Trenton Thunder tonight. He was relieved by rehabbing O's closer Chris Ray, who pitched a perfect seventh inning and struck out the last two batters he faced.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Dave Trembley indicated today that he and pitching coach Rick Kranitz have talked about the possibility of going with a six-man rotation in September, which is great news for those of us who thought they were having trouble coming up with three.

They'll get an infusion of talent on Monday and there are several pitchers at the Double-A and Triple-A level who have earned consideration, most notably Bowie 15-game Bradley Bergesen (right), whose name kept coming up while the club was shuttling in starters over the past few weeks.

Trouble is, Bergesen and many of the pitchers everybody is curious about are not on the 40-man roster, which complicates the situation, since there are a few position players in the same boat. The top non-roster candidates are Bergesen, David Hernandez, Andy Mitchell, Jason Berken and Jon Leicester, but I can't imagine you'll see more than a couple of them.

My take: I've been itching to get a look at Bergesen for weeks, but the club may feel he has thrown enough pitches this season. Trembley already has said Kam Mickolio will rejoin the bullpen and wouldn't be surprised to see Bob McCrory, since he is on the 40-man.

Now it's your turn. Who do you want to see? And don't say Chris Tillman because Trembley just said he won't be here this year and probably next year either.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

Talked about the catching situation in this morning's minor league report, and it's a bit anticlimactic since the club has made it abundantly clear that Matt Wieters will not be under consideration. That leaves Omir Santos and Chris Heintz at the Triple-A level and Eastern League Player of the Week Steve Torrealba at Bowie.

Neither of the Norfolk catchers has shown a lot of pop at the plate, but the O's likely will take the player they think will do the best job behind the plate if pressed into service because the two veteran guys are unavailable for some reason. In other words, which one is most like Joe Flacco?

Torrealba has been overshadowed by Wieters at Bowie -- and rightfully so -- but he has some power (8 HR in 106 AB) and is peaking with the bat right now.

Pete's take: Jeff Zriebec is guessing Heintz. I'll take a flyer on Torrealba.

Now, it's your call.

Next up: The pitchers.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Orioles

Roberts 2B
Montanez LF
Markakis RF
Huff 3B
Hernandez C
Scott DH
Millar 1B
Payton CF
Castro SS

Burres SP

White Sox

Cabrera SS
Swisher CF
Quentin LF
Dye RF
Griffey Dh
Konerko 1B
Ramirez 2B
Crede 3B
Hall C

Floyd SP

Injury update: Closer George Sherrill played catch today and reported no pain. He said he could still "feel something" in his shoulder, but said it was not soreness or achiness. He is eligible to come off the disabled list on Sunday, but acknowledged that there is little chance he will be available that soon.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

The outfield situation is hard to read for a number of reasons, from the outlook for injured center fielder Adam Jones to the 40-man roster implications to the difficult situation that will develop when manager Dave Trembley starts sitting veteran Jay Payton to get playing time for younger guys.

Let's focus on the possible call ups and round up the usual suspects. There are four outfielders on the Norfolk roster who warrant a look, though Jeff Fiorentino is the only one already on the 40-man. Tike Redman, Luis Terrero and Chris Roberson each would have to displace someone to get the call. The same goes for Double-A outfielder Nolan Reimold, who has put up some strong run-production numbers at Bowie.

My take: I'm guessing Fiorentino but hoping to see Reimold.

Now it's your turn.

Next up: The catchers.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

In the various conversations that have gone around the ballpark leading up to the September roster expansion, manager Dave Trembley and O's officials have left the impression that there will not be wholesale promotions. The club intends to promote a catcher, at least one infielder and outfielder and several pitchers.

Here's what we know, or at least feel confident about: Brandon Fahey will be coming up and Kam Mickolio will be coming back after being demoted last night to make room for starting pitcher Brian Burres. Top prospect Matt Wieters will be going home to rest up for the fall league.

The rest is open for discussion, and we'll start with the infield. Fahey will come back to play a utility role and the Orioles could bring up middle infielder Eider Torres and first baseman Oscar Salazar. Both are on the 40-man roster, so it's just a matter of how many guys the club wants in the clubhouse and which ones Trembley would actually use enough to justify their presence.

Third baseman Mike Costanzo is a different story. He is not on the 40-man, which could make it difficult to justify bringing him up -- if his 22 errors at Norfolk don't already. Freddie Bynum also has to be under consideration, but he isn't on the 40-man either and there isn't as much flexibility there as their was earlier in the season.

The O's also would have considered Scott Moore under normal circumstances, but he's still in a cast with a fractured thumb.

Call for the question: If the club ends up going with either two or three infield call-ups, who would you like to see them promote?

Next up: We'll talk about the outfield situation in about an hour.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

Today's featured comment comes from Scooter, who wasn't satisfied with my list of the oddities of yesterday's unsuspended game:

Scooter's take: Here's another weird but true fact about the game. From the "Too much time on my hands" department: The game started on the 119th calendar day of the year and ended on the 238th calendar day of the year...119 days after it started.

Pete's take: That really is quite a weird coincidence...and I back-checked Scooter to verify the information, saving thousands the trouble of clicking on their Calculator function and trying to remember how many days are in each month. Important hint: This is a leap year, or -- if you want to be snooty about it -- an intercalary year.

Confidential to Scooter: When you get done with whatever strange calculation you're working on now, could you come over and balance my checkbook?

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Today's featured comment
        

Did you hear the one about the nine-year-old pitcher in New Haven, Conn., whose entire team has been disqualified by his youth league because he's way too good and it's discouraging to the other kids in the league?

Yes, this is a real controversy with real people and, you guessed it, real lawyers. Young Jericho Scott is so fast and accurate that New Haven's Liga Juvenil de Baseball de New Haven directed his coach to stop using him as a pitcher and charged the team with a forfeit for refusing to take him off the mound.

Now, I'm pretty sure you're wondering why the league's name is in Spanish, but that's a totally separate issue that I'll address later on my Spanish blog El Schmuck Para Aqui at ElSolDeBaltimore.com. Let's stay on subject here. This appears to be one of those youth sports situations that wouldn't be a big problem if there weren't youth sports parents with messed-up youth sports parent egos to overthink and manipulate a situation and basically ruin it for everyone. (I know because I used to be one of them.)

The best part, and you can read the article from the New Haven Register here, is the wonderful, caring lawyer talking about peace, love and understanding. That's the part I always like the most about this kind of story.

Apparently, there's also the small issue of the second place team in the league being sponsored by the barber shop connected to the league president, who might have a vested interest in pushing the best pitcher on the best team out of the picture.

Of course, you're outraged about this and you're all thinking the same thing right now. Would it be legal for the Orioles to sign this kid and bring him up when the rosters expand in September?

No, and they wouldn't bring him up in that situation anyway because they wouldn't want to use up the service time.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

Bowie catcher Steve Torrealba was named Eastern League Player of the Week after hitting .409 during a week in which the Baysox clinched their first playoff berth since 1997 and moved close to the first division title in their history. They were off yesterday before heading into their final seven games of the regular season.

The Orioles will call up a catcher on Sept. 1, and Torrealba is a candidate along with Triple-A catchers Chris Heintz and Omir Santos.

Norfolk pitcher Craig Anderson (7-8) gave up just a run on seven hits over 6 1/3 innings in a 4-1 victory over Charlotte. He got off to a rocky start this year, but is 5-0 with a 3.05 ERA since the All-Star break.

The Frederick Keys got a one-hitter by committee last night when starter Jake Renshaw had to be placed on the minor league disabled list before the game. Five relievers -- Brett Bordes, Ryan Ouellette, Mick Mattaliano, Jose Barajas and Ryan Rodriguez -- combined to pitch the one-hit shutout. Brandon Snyder and Miguel Abreu had three hits each in the 5-0 victory.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Reliever Chris Ray has been making the rounds during his comeback from Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery. He pitched a couple of rehab innings in the Gulf Coast League, pitched for the Ironbirds in Aberdeen, stopped in for a visit with his major league teammates at Camden Yards and pitched on Sunday at Delmarva. Today, he's expected to pitch for Double-A Bowie.

I've got to believe he wouldn't be keeping this kind of schedule if the Orioles weren't going to take a look at him in September, though Dave Trembley has been non-committal.

More rehab: While we're on the subject of injured closers, George Sherrill may play catch today for the first time since going on the disabled list. He says he can raise his arm above his shoulder again and is optimistic about a quick recovery from an inflamed shoulder.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

None of this will come as a surprise, but the Orioles optioned Kam Mickolio back to Norfolk tonight and will recall Brian Burres tomorrow to start the second regularly scheduled game of the series against the White Sox. Dave Trembley said Mickolio won't be gone long.

"He'll only go out until the rosters expand and then he'll be back,'' Trembley said.

Mickolio wasn't too concerned about spending a week back in Triple-A after only a short stay at the major league level.

"You take it as it is,'' he said. "No big deal. It happens. They had to make a move -- a needed move. Take it as it is...I picked up a lot here in two days."

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Right after Lou Montanez singled home a run in the 14th inning tonight to give the Orioles the lead in the resumption of the April 28 suspended game, the Orioles checked with the Elias Sports Bureau to make sure he still gets credit for hitting a home run in his first major league at-bat a couple of weeks ago.

Turns out, he does. Since he was not in the major leagues on the original date of the suspended game, his statistics are counted as if they came in the Orioles' 130th game of the year instead of the 26th.

The game, however, goes into the books as having been played on the original date, so the Orioles did not end their three-game losing streak with the victory.

Cabrera update: Daniel Cabrera will undergo an MRI on his elbow tomorrow after seeing Dr. John Wilckens today. Manager Dave Trembley said the examination didn't reveal any serious health issues, but an MRI was ordered anyway as a precautionary measure.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Just asked White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen before the resumption of the suspended game if he had any recollections of the April 28 game that is being finished tonight. He didn't either.

"The only thing I remember was Alexei Ramirez' hit to win yesterday's game,'' Guillen said. "That's a lot of vodka between that game (April 28) and today's game. You just keep everything from that game -- the lineups and everything -- to make sure everything is right."

Guillen could be forgiven for not remembering much after Sunday's victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. A.J. Pierzynski was involved in another controversial baserunning play in extra innings, and benefitted from a questionable obstruction call by umpire Doug Eddings -- the same umpire who made the call on Pierzynski's game-changing dash after a disputed "dirt" third strike in the 2005 playoffs against the Angels.

Strangely enough, it happened on the day after Melvin Mora was called out after reaching base on a dropped third strike -- the victim of a new rule that came out of the Pierzynski playoff controversy. Want one more coincidence: Rays coach Joe Maddon was the Angels bench coach in 2005.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Here are the lineups for the resumption of the suspended game and some housekeeping stuff:

Orioles

Roberts 2B
Mora 3B
Markakis RF
Millar 1B
Cintron DH
Scott LF
Montanez CF
Castro SS
Hernandez C

Cormier RP

White Sox

Swisher RF
Cabrera SS
Thome DH
Konerko 1B
Pierzynnski C
Quentin LF
Crede 3B
Anderson CF
Uribe 2B

Ramirez RP

Roster talk: The Orioles will recall Brian Burres from Triple-A Norfolk after the regularly scheduled game tonight. He'll start tomorrow night's game against White Sox against Severna Park's Gavin Floyd. To make room on the roster, The Orioles are expected to option middle reliever Kam Mikolio back to the Tides.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

If you show up at the ballpark early tonight, you'll get to see the Orioles play on the road. They are the visiting team in the continuation of the suspended game that will be resumed at 6:05 p.m. The team has so little depth left starting the 12th inning that they could actually bring somebody up in the next few hours to avoid using Kam Mickolio at first base if Kevin Millar suddenly decides he's needed for comic relief at the Democratic National Convention.

OK, there's probably a better option than that, but the point is that they don't have anybody on the bench in case the game goes on for any length of time. I'm not really worried about that at this point, but give Dave Trembley credit for playing every game -- and suspended game -- like it was his last. After watching Daniel Cabrera's performance yesterday, maybe he hopes it is.

Talk about a time warp. You'll be watching the game in which MVP frontrunner Carlos Quentin (above left, biting his bat) hit his sixth home run, and he's leading off the bottom of the 12th, so you've got a chance to see him also hit his 37th homer and drive in his 100th run of the year in the same game.

Like I said, too weird.

If you want to take a walk down memory lane -- and it's not a short walk -- here's the box from the first five hours and 44 minutes of the game (including the 2:06 weather delay).

Associated Press photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

Norfolk Tides starter Andy Mitchell became the first Orioles Triple-A pitcher to throw nine innings yesterday, giving up a run on six hits in a game the Tides lost, 2-1, in extra innings. The only Norfolk run came on a homer by Chris Roberson, who had two of the Tides four hits in the game.

Matt Wieters hit his 11th home run since being promoted to Bowie as part of a 2-for-5 performance that raised his average to .357 and gave him 48 RBI in 54 Double-A games. The Baysox beat the Binghamton Mets, 4-2, and inched closer to securing home-field advantage for the first round of the playoffs.

Frederick pitcher Kyle Schmidt pitched seven hitless innings in the Key's 2-1 loss to the Salem Avalanche. Chris Amador (3 for 4) and Brandon Snyder (2 for 3) combined for five of the Keys' nine hits, but the bullpen gave up two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

It'll be interesting to see how Ravens coach John Harbaugh handles the quarterback rotation for Thursday night's game against the Atlanta Falcons at M&T Bank Stadium. It'll be a very short practice week, but Harbaugh seemed to concede late Saturday night that Joe Flacco's emergency performance did enhance his standing in the team's quarterback competition.

If Troy Smith is over his flu bug, he figures to start against the Falcons, but we could again see plenty of Flacco in that game. I don't think the coaching staff is looking for an excuse to start the rookie in the regular-season opener, but you can't discount the possibility that Smith will provide one if he doesn't play well.

Kyle Boller may have temporarily fallen out of the picture. He banged up his shoulder in the second preseason game and is unlikely to see any action against the Falcons. That sets up the a very plausible scenario in which Troy struggles against Atlanta's first-string defense and Flacco continues to get comfortable -- albeit against second- or third-string competition.

Maybe I'm crazy, but I'm starting to think that Flacco might be the last quarterback standing on Sept. 7.

Associated Press photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (17)
        

Our featured comment of the day comes from Deke, who is regular in these parts and usually has something cogent to add to the debate -- in this case, the ongoing conversation about what to do with this O's pitching staff:

Deke's take: They should get rid of Walker and sign one of the kids that pitched at Williamsburg. Anything would be better. I feel sorry for Trembley, his relief staff has fallen apart, in part due to injuries and political and business decisions on the part of the front office, and he has one solid starter. Now the bats are cooling off, so how can you expect him to win?

Pete's take: I'm going to give Deke the typographical benefit of the doubt (as so many of you have given me) and assume he meant Williamsport, which is the site of the Little League World Series. I don't think they played baseball back in Williamsburg, though one-time resident Patrick Henry did speak of the "clash of resounding arms" in his famous "Give me liberty or give me death!" speech in 1775.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Today's featured comment
        

Daniel Cabrera didn't have to say anything. It was what he wouldn't say that made it clear what's going on.

He was asked two questions about his health and lack of velocity after today's game and he answered both with a very articulate refusal to comment, leaving plenty of room to speculate that he is injured and (a) he isn't telling anyone, or (b) he has been told not to say anything about the situation..

Don't be surprised if you're hearing a medical report on him before the O's finish that suspended game against the White Sox tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Probably won't be good.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
        

Aubrey Huff already has a home run and two doubles in today's game, and he'll get at least one more at-bat. The two doubles give him 39 and tie him with Nick Markakis for second on the club behind Brian Roberts. There's still a ways to go around the league today, but -- right now -- three Orioles rank in the top five in the American League in that department.

Huff continues to sizzle at the plate, even though he has a lot on his mind lately. His first child could arrive in the next few days.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Wouldn't be surprised if Daniel Cabrera gets scratched from his next start, though nobody has said anything to indicate that he's pitching hurt.

Can't think of any other reason for him to be throwing his fastball in the mid-80s. This is a guy who used to be able to jack it up near 100 and today he looked borderline helpless against the Yankees. If you're keeping score at home: 3 2/3 innings, nine hits, seven runs, three walks, and I'm trying to block out all the other three-ball counts. It was only the second start of his career without any strikeouts.

Dave Johnson and Joe Angel were using a golf analogy to speculate why he had some success taking something off his fastball earlier in the season, but they were wondering along with everybody else what's going on now.

I'm hearing that he has been getting treatment for a sore back. If that's true. Shut him down for the rest of the season. He's not doing himself or anybody else any good doing what he's doing right now. Might as well take a look at somebody -- anybody -- out of the system instead.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

Manager Dave Trembley outlined his plans for the September roster expansion and explained why Matt Wieters will not be getting a promotion during this morning's pregame news conference:

"A catcher, an infielder, an outfielder. We haven’t determined yet how many pitchers. [The catcher] will not be Matt Wieters. Matt Wieters will not be coming up here in September. We've hopefully put that situation to rest.

"It's nothing about Matt. He's had a great year. He'll play in the Arizona Fall League if that's where we send him. It's his first year as a pro baseball player, above and beyond everything. There's no reason for him to come up here this September. There is no reason at this particular point in time to put him on the roster. He’s going to play in the fall league, get ready for spring training and then we’ll go from there.

"He gets six weeks off before that. Plus from my perspective, him going to the fall league is not so much for him to do anything other than to catch and maybe to catch some pitchers that are a little more advanced. He doesn't need to show me anything as far as hitting, catching or throwing. The reports I've gotten on him have been outstanding."

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Manager Dave Trembley confirmed again today that the Orioles do not intend to add top prospect Matt Wieters to the major league club when roster limit expands from 25 to 40 on Sept. 1 or after the Bowie Baysox complete their playoff run.

I'm sure that comes as a disappointment to many who have been following his progress at Frederick and Bowie, but it'll just increase the anticipation as the Orioles get closer to spring training next year. There's certainly no reason to think Wieters opens next season in the major leagues -- in fact, I'd bet against it -- but he'll get a good look in training camp and be one of the major storylines of the spring.

Radio Free Schmuck: I'll be talking Orioles and Ravens on WBAL Sports Sunday from noon to 2. Go to WBAL (1090 AM) or go to WBAL.com and click on the "Listen Live" icon.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

...would you reconsider the Ravens quarterback situation in the aftermath of Joe Flacco's solid performance in last night's 24-10 loss to the St. Louis Rams?

OK, we'll call it a relatively solid performance. It's pretty hard to evaluate a young quarterback when the other team is auditioning defensive players at the same time, but the Ravens have to be happy with the way Flacco carried himself throughout.

Coach John Harbaugh said after the second preseason game that there was a significant separation between Flacco and the two more experienced quarterbacks. I've got to think he closed some of that gap last night, but I wonder what effect it will have on the quarterback competition as time grows short until the regular season opener against the Bengals.

I think I'd want to keep an open mind.

What would you do?

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (49)
        

Nolan Reimold hit his 20th home run in a three-hit performance for the Baysox, but Brad Bergesen struggled through four innings and Bowie came up short, 6-2, against the Binghamton Mets.

The Baysox are in the playoffs, but still must hold off the second-place Akron Aeros to win their first-ever Eastern League division title and gain home-field advantage in the postseason. Despite last night's loss, they maintained a four-game lead with eight regular season games to play.

The Triple-A Norfolk Tides went down, 9-5, to Charlotte, but Eider Torres and Mike Costanzo had three hits each in a 14-hit attack. Class-A Frederick defeated Salem, 9-2, as Paul Winterling contributed three hits and four RBI.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Umpiring crew chief Joe West explained late last night why Dave Trembley was ejected from the game after the strange play in which Melvin Mora went all the way to second base on a dropped third strike, then was called out for surrendering the baseline:

Essentially, Mora hesitated too long before running to first base on the third strike in the dirt. The rulebook states that the batter must make his move immediately. and Mora stood pondering the situation too long to legally exploit the situation. The rule was changed after Chicago White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski made a similar dash and affected the outcome of Game 2 of a 2005 playoff series against the Angels.

In this case, however, Mora originally was called safe at second base before Yankees manager Joe Girardi objected and the umpires huddled and changed the ruling. That ended the inning and cost Trembley two runners in scoring position, which explains why he argued himself right out of the game.

"...I explained to him that after a crew consultation that you cannot argue the decision after the explanation,'' West said. "We gave him his explanation and he continued to argue. We warned him twice. I told him, ‘You cannot argue this. We’ve given you an explanation and that’s it so don’t argue again.’ When he argued the second time, we had to eject him."

MLB photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Today's featured comment comes from Chris Humbertson, who has a creative solution to the Olympic baseball conundrum:

Chris's take: How about we make baseball a sport they play during the Winter Olympics. Don't think I am crazy, just follow my logic. NBA is a fall/winter sport that they play during the summer Olympics when the season is out, why can't MLB, the IOC and baseball do the reverse and play during the winter Olympics when MLB is out??? I am sure there is an available stadium, somewhere close to the host city that would gladly put these games on. Who is the crazy one now!!!!!!!!!!!! Baseball for winter Olympics in 2014!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pete's take: I don't know who's crazy, except maybe the Redskins fan who keeps cleaning out my fridge, but I'm going to give Chris extra credit for thinking entirely outside the box with this one. I'm guessing, however, that coming up with an indoor baseball stadium in, for example, Lillehammer, Norway, is going to be a problem.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Today's featured comment
        

Everybody wanted to know what Dave Trembley thought of his ejection after that strange play involving Melvin Mora, but Dave wasn't going to bite. He knows what happens -- and how much it costs -- to publicly criticize the umpires.

"I am not going to talk about me getting thrown out,'' he said. "I am not going to talk about that because I will probably say something that I shouldn't, so I'm not going to talk about it."

He did sum up the game pretty well:

"We had first and second three different times and nobody out and didn't score for a variety of reasons. Pavano mixed his pitches, got some big outs on breaking balls and a split. They got some hits with two strikes (and) a home run that obviously hurt us. We had some chances and it didn't happen. And that's the game."

Heads up: I'll give you umpire Joe West's account of the ejection in my first post tomorrow morning.

AP Photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Joe Flacco didn't accomplish a whole lot in the first half -- while Marc Bulger was leading the Rams to a 17-3 lead -- but he came out swinging in the second half. Flacco looked polished and determined as he drove the Ravens 76 yards for a touchdown on their first posession.

He completed a nice pump-fake throw to Derrick Mason and then hit Mason in the corner of the end zone for the score. In all, he hooked up with Mason four times on the drive.

This is no time for irrational exhuberance, but -- for a few minutes, at least -- he looked like an NFL quarterback. How much more could John Harbaugh ask under the strange circumstances that led to him starting the game?

Flacco didn't get the Ravens into the end zone again and they lost, 24-10, but he played pretty much the entire game, completing 18 or 37 passes for 152 yards and taking good care of the the football. It wasn't a great performance, but I bet the coaching staff was thrilled to see him come through it unscathed and clearly better for the experience.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Talk about a dynamic development! The Ravens scratched Troy Smith from tonight's start against the St. Louis Rams with a sudden case of the flu and don't want to start Kyle Boller because of some shoulder soreness.

Does this mean the Joe Flacco era is going to start early?

Probably not, but it certainly is an intriguing development. If Flacco plays adequately (asking him to play well under these conditions would be unfair), it could have an impact on the team's plans for him, though I doubt you're going to see him starting against the Bengals in the regular season opener.

The bigger question is this: Do the Ravens have to consider signing Daunte Culpepper (right) to assure they'll have at least two viable quarterbacks on Sept. 7?

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Sure enough, Brian Burres has been scratched from his Triple-A start tonight. Bob McCrory took the mound for the Norfolk Tides at Charlotte, which simply confirms what everyone already suspected. Burres will be starter on Tuesday night against the Chicago White Sox at Camden Yards.

Burres, like Radhames Liz, pitched very well for Norfolk after pitching his way out of Baltimore. The O's can only hope he doesn't also emulate Liz upon his return.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Center fielder Adam Jones has been driving Dave Trembley to distraction. He's impatient to get back in the lineup and keeps pushing to expand his on-field activities. Trembley said yesterday that Jones will hit in simulated game action a couple of times next week before a determination is made on when he might return to the starting lineup.

"He's been in my office a lot for a guy who never does anything wrong,'' Trembley said on his radio show.

The fracture in Jones' left foot has healed rapidly, but Trembley estimates that he won't return to action until the second week of September.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Manager Dave Trembley said today that he's looking at Matt Albers to be part of next year's starting rotation. Albers, who is rehabbing a labrum injury, pitched largely in relief this year, but the Orioles hope to assemble a solid group of candidates for a rotation that -- as of right now -- has three slots open for next season.

Albers has been out since his shoulder became inflamed in June. He is eligible to come off the 60-day disabled list this week, but the team is in no hurry for him to rejoin the major league bullpen.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Rehabbing reliever Chris Ray suited up with the big league club today after making last night's rehab appearance in Aberdeen. Ray, recovering from Tommy John surgery, was summoned by manager Dave Trembley to rejoin the team for the day to reinforce his importance to the franchise.

"He's a big league pitcher and I wanted him to suit up with the big league team,'' Trembley said on his pregame radio show.

Trembley said that no determination has been made about Ray's status in September. Obviously, he wants to come back and rejoin the major league bullpen, but the club figures to handle him very conservatively. He could join a healthy George Sherrill and up-and-coming setup guy Jim Johnson to create a pretty formidable back end of the bullpen next season.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Orioles

Roberts 2B
Markakis RF
Mora 3B
Huff DH
Hernandez C
Scott LF
Millar 1B
Payton CF
Castro SS

Guthrie SP

Yankees

Damon CF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
A.Rodriguez 3B
Giambi 1B
Nady LF
Matsui DH
Cano 2B
I.Rodriguez C

Pavano SP

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

IOC president Jacque Rogge made it pretty clear that baseball will not be an Olympic sport again until Major League Baseball decides to interrupt the season to send its stars to the summer Olympics.

Here's the complete story from Reuters.

Rogge cites all the other sports bending over backwards to send their best athletes to the games, but I think MLB has it right. The NBA doesn't have to interrupt its season. The NHL does for the winter games, but there is a great deal less revenue (and fan interest) at stake. As I wrote the other day, I like sending the minor leaguers and college players to compete. Thought they did pretty well under the circumstances.

Shameless self-promotion dept: Listen to me on WBAL (1090) at 2 p.m. today. My show was backed up a couple hours to lead into coverage of the Ravens preseason game against the St. Louis Rams. If you're out of area, you can go to WBAL.com and click on the "Listen Live" icon.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

While Brian Billick is busy with his new television career, former Raven Peter Boulware (shown at right with his family at his Ring of Honor ceremony) is beating the bricks in Florida trying to win a Republican primary for a seat in the Florida House of Representatives.

Boulware is living by the words of legendary Florida State coach Bobby Bowden, who liked to tell his players at inspirational moments "Don't go to the grave with life unused." He retired from football after setting the Ravens all-time sacks record and now is looking to politics to give him the sense of purpose he used to get on the football field.

Here's the full story from SI.com.

Now that we've made the smooth transition from coaches who go into broadcasting to athletes who go into politics, here's a question that should spark some lively conversation:

Who is the greatest athlete-turned-politician and why?

Sun photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

New Fox analyst Brian Billick has sized up the AFC North and come away with the impression that the Pittsburgh Steelers are the team to beat. He's not alone in that view -- I'm pretty sure former Steelers coach Bill Cowher (with Billick at left) would agree -- but here's Brian's thumbnail analysis:

When you look at Pittsburgh vs. Cleveland, obviously Pittsburgh, coming back from what they did last year, Ben Roethillisberger to me still is one, along with Tony Romo, are still two of the more interesting quarterbacks, more dynamic quarterbacks in the league because of their ability to make plays outside of the structure of the offense that you can’t account for. Draft wise for Pittsburgh, uniquely I think Limas Sweed and Rashard Mendenhall are going to affect their teams more so than you might think of by terms draft choices, just because of the positions they’re at. The one-two punch of Mendenhall and Willie Parker could allow Pittsburgh to do what they like to do and then in terms of receiving game, Limas Sweed might not have the 20/25 receptions but a big receiver to go with Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward brings them back an equation that they didn’t have before when they lost Plaxico Burress. So I really think, along with Ben Roethillisberger that balance that they have, that Pittsburgh still is the team to beat.

Here's a little more Brian -- compliments of FoxSports -- for your viewing and listening enjoyment.

Sun photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Some final thoughts from manager Dave Trembley's postgame news conference:

On the outcome: "I would say it probably would have been to our advantage to get (Bobby) Abreu out, and we didn't do that...I thought the key to the game was, we didn't get Abreu out at all. He doesn't chase bad pitches and that's probably why he's the great hitter he is."

On Radhames Liz: "I thought his velocity was good and he threw a couple of good sliders, but too many pitches were up...With the exception on Sarfate and Cherry, we didn't get in on them and we got some pitches up."

On the O's success against Mike Mussina: "We've done our homework on him. Early in the game, you have to make him throw the ball over the plate, because he can expand the strike zone. He's a master at hitting his spots and changing speeds."

On the bullpen minus injured George Sherrill: "There's an example there, you're squeezing guys into situations that guys haven't been in before."

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Congratulations to the Bowie Baysox, who scored a 7-1 victory over the Binghamton Mets to clinch their first playoff berth since 1997. They hold a four-game lead in the Southern Division of the Eastern League standings and appear to be on the way to their first-ever division title.

Right-hander Jason Berken (12-3) continues to be very effective. He threw seven shutout innings tonight, giving up three hits, striking out eight and walking none.

Garrett Olson was not particularly impressive in his first start since he was demoted to Triple-A Norfolk. Olson pitched five innings and gave up five runs (four earned). He struck out five and walked three in a 6-5 loss to Toledo.

The Frederick Keys staged a seventh inning rally to close a six-run gap to just one, but the Salem Avalanche regrouped and scored a 10-5 victory. Starting pitcher Pedro Beato struggled early and got the loss, falling to 4-9 with a 5.78 ERA.

Rehab update: Reliever Chris Ray (elbow surgery) pitched one inning, giving up two hits and striking out two, for Class-A Aberdeen.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Mike Mussina pitched six innings and gave up four runs on nine hits. More importantly, he left with the Orioles ahead by a run, meaning that he's winless in three starts against his old team in a season when that could easily cost him a chance to win 20 games for the first time.

He's 16-5 with a 3.05 ERA this year against the rest of the major leagues.

His total line for the three starts against the O's: 11 2/3 innings, 17 runs (11 earned), 22 hits, 8.49 ERA.

Ouch!

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Top prospect Brian Matusz took part in his first news conference as a member of the Orioles organization, fielding questions before the game along with scouting director Joe Jordan in the Oriole Park interview room. Later, he was introduced on the field (to polite applause) between the second and third innings.

Don't read too much into that. The crowd was heavily pinstriped and wasn't really tuned into the announcement. He's going to be a very popular young player, based on the enthusiastic response to his signing on the fan boards and blogs.

He described coming to the ballpark for the first time as an Oriole "a great experience."

"I've been waiting for this for awhile,'' he said, "but it's a process."

There were some tense moments as the deadline for retaining the right to sign him neared, but Matusz and Jordan now insist they never had a doubt the deal would get done. Didn't seem that way a week before Matusz agreed to terms, but that's pretty much par for that kind of contract situation.

"I knew from the beginning we'd get it done,'' Matusz said. "I knew for the last few weeks it would happen. There was some movement."

Matusz will spend the evening at the ballpark with his parents and brother, then leave tomorrow for Aberdeen, where he'll work out with the Ironbirds. He won't pitch competitively until the fall, and the club still has not decided whether to send him to the Arizona Fall League or the Hawaiian League.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Orioles

Roberts 2B
Markakis RF
Mora 3B
Huff DH
Millar 1B
Scott LF
Hernandez C
Payton CF
Castro SS

Liz SP

Yankees

Damon CF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Giambi 1B
Nady LF
Matsui DH
Cano 2B
Molina C

Mussina SP

Lineup note: I'm guessing you've figured out by now that the Orioles recalled Liz from Triple-A Norfolk, where he pitched very well after his demotion.

Later: The Orioles will introduce top draft choice Brian Matusz to the media at a news conference at 6 p.m.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

...but today is the first anniversary of the Orioles' historic (or was that hysteric) 30-3 loss to the Texas Rangers in the first game of a doubleheader at Camden Yards. That was also the day the team announced that manager Dave Trembley would manage the O's at least through the 2008 season.

So, I guess today wouldn't be a good day for the club to pick up his 2009 contract option.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Norfolk: The Tides had to pitch by committee after Radhames Liz was scratched from last night's start to head for Baltimore and today's start against the Yankees. Newly promoted Felix Romero pitched three innings and gave up just an unearned run on two hits. Craig Anderson, Fredy Deza, Scott Chiasson and Jim Miller followed him to the mound and gave up three hits over six scoreless innings of relief. Tike Redman's three-run homer in the third was all the offense they really needed.

Bowie: Zach Clark pitched seven innings and gave up just a run on five hits to raise his record to 3-1 and drop his Double-A ERA to 2.70. Top O's prospect Matt Wieters and shortstop Blake Davis had three hits each.

Frederick: Billy Rowell hit a solo home run in the 10th inning to give the Keys a walkoff 2-1 victory over the Lynchberg Hillcats. Brandon Erbe pitched six shutout innings and Ryan Rodriguez (5-1) got the win in relief.

Bowie All-stars: Lou Montanez, Brad Bergesen and Nolan Reimold have been named to the postseason Eastern League All-Star team.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Thought that might get your attention. Erik Bedard is not an Oriole any more, of course, but it looks like he won't be a Seattle Mariner much longer either. The M's are less than thrilled with their end of last spring's deal with the O's -- and Bedard isn't too thrilled with them either -- so he's likely to be traded again this winter. Things have gone so badly, in fact, it wouldn't surprise me if he's gotten a little nostalgic for Baltimore.

Which brings us to a totally hypothetical question: If he was offered back to the Orioles for a reasonable price -- or becomes a free agent after next season -- would you welcome him back into the O's rotation?
AP photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (79)
        

Birdland Todd has put me on the spot:

Todd's take: Pete, since a lot can happen from now till the end of the season, how about a list of your picks as of today for AL and NL MVP, Cy Young, R.O.Y and Manager of the year awards.

Pete's take:

NL MVP: Brandon Webb (Diamondbacks)

AL MVP: Carlos Quentin (White Sox, right)

NL Cy Young: Tim Lincecum (Giants)

AL Cy Young: Cliff Lee (Indians)

NL Rookie: Geovany Soto (Cubs)

AL Rookie: Evan Longoria (Rays)

NL Manager: Lou Piniella (Cubs)

AL Manager: Joe Madden (Rays)

Brief explanation: The pick I'm squirming with most, of course, is Webb as NL MVP. I seldom go with a pitcher, but if the MVP criteria is most valuable to his team, I can't think of anyone in the NL who fits that description better than Webb in the soft NL West. I stared at Ryan Howard's numbers for a long time, but really think Chase Utley has been more valuable to the Phillies this year. Even though I picked Webb as MVP, I think Lincecum is having the better statistical season so I gave him the Cy. The AL Rookie was tough, too. Hard to overlook Detroit's Armando Gallaraga (12-4, 3.17), but I've got Rays fever like everybody else.

AP photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
Categories: Today's featured comment
        

When it became apparent that Adam Jones had fractured his foot with a foul ball early this month, I think most fans were resigned to him being lost for the season...or shut down for his own good if he recovered quickly.

Now, it looks like he'll play again relatively soon. He got off crutches and out of his walking boot earlier in the week, and we're hearing he might start taking batting practice before tomorrow's game against the Yankees. It's great to see him chomping at the bit to get back. Just not until he's 100 percent ready.

Unrelated and unsolicited opinion: Can't wait to see $40 million pitcher Carl Pavano make his comeback start against the Orioles on Saturday. From the perspective of the Orioles -- who also showed interest in Pavano when he signed that contract -- that old saying is true that some of the best deals are the ones that are never made.

Radio Free Schmuck: I'll be joining Steve Davis tonight from 6-9 on WBAL's "Sportsline." Join in at WBAL (1090 AM) or online by clicking the Listen Live icon at WBAL.com.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

When the Norfolk Tides lineup went up today, newly promoted Felix Romero was listed as tonight's starting pitcher. Of course, the originally scheduled starter was Radhames Liz, who just about everybody already knew was going to make tomorrow night's start against the New York Yankees at Camden Yards.

No doubt, the official move will come either in the next half-hour, or tomorrow morning.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

The New York Daily News ran an online story under this headline yesterday:

Mark Spitz: Michael Phelps Couldn't Have Beaten Me

Now, if you just read that headline, you'd think that Spitz was raining on MIchael's parade, but the quotes for the story were almost identical to those from the three-way televised interview with Bob Costas, Phelps and Spitz soon after Michael won his eighth gold medal of the Beijing Games.

"I think that the relationship between people that are great is they have a common thread of knowing how to beat their competitors and they know how to constantly be in shape and in top form," Spitz said. "If that's the case, I'd know everything about how to beat Michael. He'd also know everything to beat me. We'd have to tie."

Say what you want about Spitz, I watched the original interview and his response to Costas' question was an appropriately diplomatic reply to a question that really has no legitimate answer.

There's no way to match up athletes from different eras. If Spitz were 23 now and took advantage of all the most modern training techniques, nutritional advances and space age swimwear, who knows what he would do. Maybe it would have been nice for him to demur and say that Phelps would be better than him in any era, but there's no way of knowing that and he's under no obligation to diminish his own accomplishments.

Never been a huge Spitz fan, but he has played his proper role in Michaelmania.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Ravens coach John Harbaugh made a lot of sense when he explained why he has designated Troy Smith as the starter for Game 3 of the preseason against the St. Louis Rams. Kyle Boller already has a long paper trail and the Ravens have limited time to evaluate Smith, who played only a couple of games last year compared to Kyle's 42 career starts.

The logic is unassailable, but I think there's more to it than that. The Ravens have played the first two preseason games behind a makeshift offensive line that is riddled with injuries. The team talks tough about pulling the O-line back together before the opener against the Cincinnati Bengals just 18 days hence, but who really knows who will be ready to step up when the time comes.

That's why Smith is an even more logical choice, since he has the escapability to survive if the team continues to have serious problems up front after the season begins. He needs to show he can find receivers downfield, something that appeared to be a problem last Saturday night, but Job One is to remain standing long enough to give the offense a puncher's chance.

He'll likely play most of the game on Saturday, and then we should have a better idea one way or the other.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (37)
        

For all the years of complaining about the Orioles player development pipeline -- and there were a number of legitimate complaints -- the club's satellite farm system has come together on a couple of levels.

Most obvious, of course, is the actual geographic proximity of the minor league affiliates, which allowed for a variety of minor league machinations over the past 24 hours. Chris Ray and Greg Aquino pitched an inning each at Frederick (40 miles), advancing their respective injury rehab programs. Kam Mikolio was called up from Norfolk (250 miles) and Radhames Liz soon will be recalled to make Friday night's start. The Bowie BaySox, meanwhile, are chipping away at their magic number just 25 miles away.

And don't underestimate the importance of that same proximity when Orioles front office types want to eyeball a player close up. Not many teams have such a convenient alignment.

More important at the moment, however, is the fact that there are enough viable prospects to spark a debate over who should come up now and who should come up when the rosters expand in September. The Orioles can't boast a player development pipeline like the one that has lifted the Tampa Bay Rays off the floor in the American League East -- not even close -- but Andy MacPhail has made clear progress in broadening the talent base of the organization.

By the way, MacPhail was interviewed in-game on MASN last night and made it pretty clear that Matt Wieters (pictured above) will not get a cup of coffee with the club in September. That's going to be a little disappointing to some fans, but no one should have a problem with the club being over-protective with its top prospects. That's actually a good problem to have.

Rehab updates: Ray gave up three hits, including a home run, in his single inning of work for the Keys. Aquino pitched a scoreless inning, striking out two.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)
        

No official word yet, but Radhames Liz is all but certain to start on Friday against the Yankees and it looks like Brian Burres could be back in the rotation next week. Both have pitched very well since being sent back to Triple-A.

Chris Waters has settled down after giving up four runs in the first two innings tonight, but he has joined the legion of Orioles starters who -- night after night -- make you wonder whether they're going to get to the fifth inning before they get to 100 pitches. Waters threw 92 pitches through the first four innings, which means that Dave Trembley is likely to use a lot of bullpen after a big offensive performance that should have provided a breather for the beleaguered relief corps.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Top prospect Matt Wieters had the night off last night, but he already has homered in tonight's game at Reading. Wieters hit a solo shot in the second inning and Steve Torrealba hit one in the fourth to give the BaySox a 4-0 lead.

Wieters has hit 10 homers since he was promoted to Double-A. He also drove in a second run in the game and now has 45 RBI in 50 games for the BaySox.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

I'm sure there are some Orioles fans who feel Chris Waters got squeezed by the home plate umpire in the first couple of innings tonight, and maybe he did, but I've never thrown in with the conspiracy theorists who think the good teams get all the calls.

It's frustrating to watch as a series of close pitches goes against your guy, but it shouldn't come as a complete surprise. I know that's hard to believe, but the guy behind the plate -- whoever it is on any given night -- is human just like you.

He wants to call every pitch right, but the borderline strikes often go to the pitchers who have built a certain level of credibility over the course of the game. When you throw 30-plus pitches in the first inning, as Chris Waters did tonight, you're probably not going to get the benefit of the doubt.

Sad but true.

The hitters also play a role in all this. No self-respecting umpire will admit it, but the veteran hitters who are known to have outstanding batting eyes are likely to get some close calls because -- basically -- they've achieved an additional level of credibility with their own knowledge of the strike zone. In other words, if it's close and one of those guys doesn't swing at it, it probably wasn't a strike.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Roberts 2B
Markakis RF
Mora 3B
Huff 1B
Scott DH
Hernandez C
Montanez LF
Payton CF
Castro SS

Waters SP

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

The Orioles called up right-hander Kam Mickolio from Triple-A Norfolk to take George Sherrill's place on the roster. Mickolio, who was acquired from the Seattle Mariners in the Erik Bedard deal, had a 1.50 ERA in 15 games (18 innings) after being promoted from Double-A Bowie.

To make room on the 40-man roster, the club moved Matt Albers to the 60-day disabled list.

The Orioles still need to decide on a starter for Friday night's game against the Yankees at Camden Yards. Despite a blog-driven clamor for Bowie 15-game winner Brad Bergesen, it appears the club is leaning strongly toward Radhames Liz, who has pitched very well since he was sent back to Norfolk. That roster move probably won't come until tomorrow or early Friday.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

Cincinnati Reds president Bob Castellini and general manager Walt Jocketty have released a letter to the team's fans, basically apologizing for the club's disappointing performance and explaining why the front office decided to trade Ken Griffey and Adam Dunn.

If you want to read it, here's the letter in its entirety. Plug in Orioles in place of Reds and replace Ken Griffey and Adam Dunn with Miguel Tejada and Erik Bedard and you have basically the same letter Andy MacPhail sent to Orioles season ticket holders during the offseason...except the part about hiring Dusty Baker as manager.

Sometimes you have to take a couple steps back to make any meaningful progress. Hope it works out for both clubs, since both play in great baseball towns that deserve better than they've gotten the past few years.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

The Bowie Baysox reduced their magic number to five with a 3-2 extra-inning victory at Reading last night and Akron's 8-0 loss to Connecticut. The Baysox are 76-54 and lead Akron by three games in the Southern Division of the Eastern League standings.

There are just 12 regular-season games to play, so it looks pretty good. If the Baysox get to the postseason, it'll be their first playoff appearance since 1997. If they win the division, it would be the first time in team history. Playoff tickets are already on sale at the Baysox Web site.

David Hernandez was removed from last night's game after just four innings, though he gave up just a run on four hits. The bullpen gave up just one run over six innings, with Felix Romero getting the win and Julio Manon recording his 30th save of the year. Top prospect Matt Wieters did not play.

Triple-A Norfolk also played into extra innings, losing 2-1 in 11 despite a strong seven innings from starter Andy Mitchell, who gave up just a run on three hits and struck out seven.

Okay, it's unanimous. The Frederick Keys played past the ninth inning, too, dropping a 5-4 decision to the Lynchburg Hillcats. Kyle Schmidt started that game and gave up two runs on five hits over six innings.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Injured closer Chris Ray is expected to pitch tonight for the Frederick Keys as he continues the slow business of working his way back from Tommy John ligament reconstruction surgery. Greg Aquino, who is coming back from a hamstring injury, also will begin a rehab assignment at Grove Stadium tonight.

Club officials projected at the time of Ray's surgery that he might be ready to return by August, but abandoned that timetable early this season. He has pitched a few innings in the Gulf Coast League over the past week or so and will continue to be brought along slowly. Dave Trembley has been saying all along that he does not expect Ray to pitch for the Orioles this year,

The plan appears to be to let him build some confidence in his repaired elbow in a low-impact environment, then bring him back at full strength next spring.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

The Orioles will call up a pitcher tomorrow to replace Sherrill on the roster. The club will need a starter for Friday, but Dave Trembley confirmed after the game that the need for more bullpen depth will force a series of moves that start with a minor league reliever.

Right-handers Kam Mickolio and Bob McCrory both have been mentioned over the past few days as possible call-ups, though both are coming off rocky outings on Monday night. Mickolio has the better stats (1.50 ERA since his promotion to Triple-A), but he is not on the 40-man roster, which complicates the situation slightly.

To make room, the club likely would have to move Matt Albers onto the 60-day disabled list.

Correction: I earlier referred to the 60-day disabled list as the "60-man" disabled list. Obviously, I've been watching this team too long.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

Funny how fast momentum can shift. The Orioles had the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the fourth with Melvin Mora and Aubrey Huff coming to the plate, which looked like a fairly promising situation. The Orioles were down by one with their top two RBI guys lined up to knock Daisuke Matsuzaka through the ropes.

No such luck. Mora jumped ahead 2-0 and 3-1 on the count and struck out on a ball well out of the strike zone. Huff popped out and that was that. The next thing anybody knew, Daniel Cabrera was looking around the clubhouse for a sandwich and the Red Sox were four runs ahead.

Hmmmm. Let's see if I have this straight. The best two Orioles starters are 0 for the series and Chris Waters gets to try and pick up the scraps tomorrow night? Please tell me they're giving away a bobblehead or something.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Today's featured comment/question comes from Jeff:

Jeff's take: Montanez sits again? Why is he up here if we're not going to give him a fair shot?

Pete's take: Don't despair. I think you'll see Lou Montanez in the starting lineup tomorrow, even though the Red Sox are throwing right-hander Clay Buchholz. Trembley doesn't usually sit guys more than two or three days in a row.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Today's featured comment
        

Club president Andy MacPhail said during the game that the MRI results on George Sherrill's sore shoulder were "good news." Comparisons with a similar test taken when the O's acquired him from the Seattle Mariners revealed no structural variance.

Sherrill received an anti-inflammatory injection and will not throw for about a week, then begin working toward a return in early September.

MacPhail also denied any second thoughts about his decision not to deal Sherrill before the July 31 deadline for making trades without waivers.

"I don't have any interest in sticking anybody,'' he said.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Melvin Mora is one of the hottest hitters in baseball, which would figure to make him attractive to a contending team in advance of the Aug. 31 deadline for traded players to be postseason eligible. That is, if he was looking for an exit.

He's not, but he's not ruling anything out either.

"It's not something I think about,'' he said yesterday. "If something came along, I'd have to go to my wife and my agent and discuss it...It would depend on what the deal is."

Of course, Mora would have to clear waivers and he would have to waive his no-trade clause for a deal to be made. No word on whether the team has even put him through waivers, so any conversation about that possibility is largely hypothetical.

Mora's intention is to remain in Baltimore after his career is over. Even if the opportunity to play for a World Series team came along, he said he wouldn't want to jump a bunch of time zones, which is why he held out for the no-trade clause in his current contract.

"That makes it so I would have to choose where I go,'' he said, "and I wouldn't want to go very far from my family."

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Reliever George Sherrill has been placed on the 15-day disabled list (retroactive to Aug. 16) with inflammation in his left shoulder. If it is nothing more than that, he would be eligible to return to the active duty on Sept. 1, the day rosters expand from 25 to 40.

Sherrill informed manager Dave Trembley yesterday that he was unable to loosen up before the series opener against the Red Sox. He was examined today and underwent an MRI, leading to the decision to DL him. Presumably, Jim Johnson will take over the the closer role for now, though Trembley could simply go with a bullpen by committee and play the matchups in the ninth inning.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Reliever George Sherrill, who experienced stiffness in his left shoulder before Monday night's game, underwent an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) this afternoon, but results were not available when Dave Trembley held his news conference a few minutes ago.

No doubt, there will be some kind of update during or after the game.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The newest copy of the Orioles Magazine features Nick Markakis, Luke Scott and Adam Jones on the cover, which brought Kevin Millar out of his chair in the clubhouse yesterday afternoon.

"I guess Nick and Luke and Adam Jones are going to play the Red Sox all by themselves today,'' Millar chirped, for all to hear. "You guys don't need the rest of us."

It was classic Clubhouse Kevin, but he could be forgiven for noticing that the emphasis everywhere in the ballpark seems to be on the young guys, from the faces on the program to the pictures in the hallway leading to the lockerroom to the promotions in the stands.

"The gripe is, Aubrey Huff has never had a T-Shirt Day,'' Millar said. "Huff has never been on the cover of the program."

Still, it was all in fun.

"That was just today's skit,'' Millar said.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Orioles

Roberts 2B
Markakis RF
Mora 3B
Huff DH
Hernandez C
Scott LF
MIllar 1B
Payton CF
Castro SS

Cabrera SP

Red Sox

Ellsbury RF
Pedroia 2B
Ortiz DH
Youkilis 3B
Bay LF
Casey 1B
Varitek C
Cora SS
Crisp CF

Matsusaka SP

The Orioles took their team picture at 3:45 p.m. today in right field, which will make for a great trivia question three years from now: "Who are those 22 guys standing around Nick Markakis, Jeremy Guthrie and Adam Jones?"

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Mike Costanzo and Tike Redman combined to drive in five runs in the Norfolk Tides' 8-7 victory over Charlotte last night. Costanzo had the biggest offensive blow with a three-run double in the third inning. Redman homered and Jeff Fiorentino added three hits in five at-bats to boost his average to .283.

It was not a great night for the bullpen. Reliever Kam Mickolio got just two outs and gave up two runs on four hits. Bob McCrory allowed three runs in the ninth.

Bowie was off last night and opens a three-game series at Reading tonight. Frederick also was idle and continues a seven-game homestand against Lynchburg tonight at Grove Stadium.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

So far, all anybody knows about George Sherrill's shoulder is that it stiffened up when he was playing catch before last night's series opener against the Red Sox. Presumably he'll get a look from team doctors today -- if he hasn't already -- and likely be shut down for at least a few days to allow any inflammation to subside.

Maybe it's nothing, but you have to wonder after the schedule he's kept through the first 4 1/2 months of the season. He never worked this much during his three years in the Seattle Mariners minor league system or his first four major league seasons.

Sherrill was largely a situational guy with the Mariners, averaging just two outs an appearance during his four seasons in Seattle and never throwing more than 45 2/3 innings in a full season. He already has exceeded that with about a quarter of the schedule left to play and has been pitching in much more stressful situations.

Does that mean he has a serious shoulder issue? Of course not, but it's pretty clear he's not the same pitcher he was during his first three months as the Orioles closer.

The numbers don't lie. He surrendered a total of 12 earned runs over 35 innings (3.09 ERA) before giving up two-out, last-gasp home runs in back-to-back blown saves on June 29 and 30. Including those two games, he has given up 13 earned runs over his last 15 1/3 innings (7.63 ERA).

Maybe he's just tired and a few days rest will do him good.

Maybe not.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)
        

Today's featured question/comment comes from Slim Charles, who has been featured once before in this featured comment area that features comments from featured commentators:

Slim's question: Can you explain September call-ups? I'm pretty sure I understand but if I have it right then why would you waste a call-up for Bergesen now instead of waiting two more weeks. I know our starters are absolutely horrid (with an obvious exception, maybe two) but we are rebuilding. We can not lose site of that goal, despite our recent success.

Pete's reply: I checked with an Orioles official and found out that the Sept. 1 roster expansion is not really relevant to the Bergesen situation. He's not on the 40-man roster, so the issue is whether or not to add him to the 40-man and start his service time/option clock. It would be the same issue today as on Sept. 1, except for the amount of service time burned for the remainder of the season.

There are some subtleties to the roster expansion, but teams generally promote players who can add legitimate depth to the roster. That decision is impacted by the value of the player and his service status, so it has become more and more unusual for teams to bring up top prospects just to give them a taste of the major league environment.

In the case of Matt Wieters, for instance, the Orioles could probably make a legitimate case for bringing him up to be the third catcher in September. But they also could make a strong case for treating him like Evan Longoria, and remain very stingy about using any major league service time until he's here to stay.

Hope that helps.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Today's featured comment
        

If you were wondering why Dave Trembley went to Rocky Cherry and Alberto Castillo in the eighth inning and Jim Johnson to open the ninth, it was because closer George Sherrill came up with a stiff shoulder before the game.

Sherrill went out to play catch and couldn't get loose, forcing Trembley to rearrange his decimated bullpen to handle a tense setup and short-relief situation. Didn't work out particularly well, but he really didn't have any other option.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

There's an old saying in baseball and it goes something like this:

You can't hide a guy at shortstop.

Well, to be fair, I don't know if it's an old saying. I just know that it's a saying and it's true and I would take credit for it if I could get away with it.

Dave Trembley has lived it during the past few weeks. Alex Cintron was brought here because he figured to add some offensive punch at the shortstop position. Instead, he has too often been at the center of some costly defensive snafu.

Tonight, he came on to pinch hit for Juan Castro in the eighth and made a pair of poor throws in the ninth as the Red Sox answered a late Orioles rally with two runs off Jim Johnson and Randor Bierd.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

The Orioles and the Maryland Lottery (New slogan: "Let Yourself Vote for Slots") plan to honor the 2,861st fan to pass through the turnstiles at Oriole Park tomorrow. Of course, that will also be the theoretical 50 millionth fan to attend an Orioles game at Camden Yards.

Might want to show up early dressed like you're going on the Orioles version of The Price is Right.

If you don't end up winning the $50,000 and season tickets for five years, there's always later in the homestand when the Orioles honor the 100 millionth fan to attend an Orioles game since the St. Louis Browns moved here for the 1954 season. Tonight's crowd of 40,429 reduced that countdown to 157,273, so the Orioles could reach 100 million during the Yankee series this weekend.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

The Orioles have moved their Sept. 7 game against the Oakland A's up one day and will play a split doubleheader on Sept. 6. The first game will begin at 1:05 p.m. and the second game will begin at 7:05. Tickets for Sept. 7 will be honored for the 1:05 game.

The move was necessary because of a Camden Yards conflict with the Ravens, who open the regular season that day against the Cincinnati Bengals. The game always figured to be rescheduled, and the time of game has been listed as TBA all along.

The Ravens game obviously is going to be a sellout, so there really was no way that both games could have been played at or near the same time with the limited amount of common parking for both stadiums.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Adam Jones just walked onto the field under his own power and started playing catch, which means he's off crutches and has taken a major step toward returning to the lineup. He has not been cleared to start running and hitting, but appears to be on pace to return for the final two or three weeks of the season.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Dave Trembley said during his pre-game news conference that Garrett Olson and Dennis Sarfate have been removed from the starting rotation. Friday's starter against the Yankees, however, will not be announced for at least another day or two.

Olson and Sarfate will remain in the bullpen for the moment, though Trembley would not rule out a minor league assignment for Olson, whose confidence -- and the club's confidence in him -- clearly has been shaken by a string of very shaky starts.

"I think we had to do something to be fair to the team and to be fair to Olson,'' Trembley said.

I've been pushing for Bowie's Brad Bergesen to be the Friday starter, but the O's might go back to either Radhames Liz or Brian Burres, who both have pitched very well at Norfolk since being demoted from the big club. Bergesen's non-roster status could be a stumbling block until Sept. 1.

Injury update: Adam Jones will be reexamined today and could be off crutches if all goes well. Matt Albers is close to pitching off the mound and could throw in a simulated situation in a week or so.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

Orioles

Roberts 2B
Markakis RF
Mora 3B
Huff