Looks like somebody was telling Luke to "hit it here"!

Luke has officially taken over the role of the power hitting DH that Huff played last year. Wow! He is making it look easy, but the best part is he is hitting .336 so he made some serious adjustments over the winter. You can't compete in the AL East without hitting for power and avg. from your DH, and Luke is doing a great job with both aspects.

I think you made a great point Pete, when you said that the cream of the crop pitching prospects haven't even been brought up yet. It's a big IF since not everyone pans out for a variety of reasons, but the O's could have an elite home grown staff that could rival any team. Last year, the team fell apart when a pitcher got hurt, but know we are replacing them with guys who are even better. It's hard not to think that it wont be long before the O's can match up with the Yanks and Sox.

Pete, I don't hear much about the work Kranny is doing so since you would know better, is he getting the props he deserves for significantly reducing the walks and getting these guys to go deeper than last years team? I know it's easy to say he has better talent to work with, but he is doing a really good job in a very short amount of time with some really young kids. His work with the young Marlins staff, seems to have paid off for the O's.

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Pete's reply: I don't think he's gotten much credit yet. He has reduced the walks, but until a week ago, this team was giving up more hits than anybody.

can you upload a high quality version of that? somthing that could be used as a computer background because that is an awesome picture.

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Pete's reply: That's all I can access, but I believe it is possible to get that picture in many forms by going to the baseball photo gallery. It's picture No. 3.

It's time to get rid of Wieters. He's only been here one night and he already has the lowest average on the team! I can't believe I fell for all the hype..... :>)

After the grand slam, I told my brother and best friend that if Luke hit another dinger they'd have to hit on these two cute coeds at the end of our aisle. Needless to say, the fifth inning confirmed that they are, indeed, both pansies.

Seriously though, we need to lock up some of these guys. There are 113 games left in this season and Luke won't finish with 236 homers but things are looking pretty good for him in this DH role. I know players want to take the field and that he was a bit restless early this year, but he's settled in and I can't imagine him complaining too much right now. Any chance he could become a DH like Harold Baines and David Ortiz were, with a few spot starts in left? If he keeps up his production, I think he might like that, though he'll probably "say" that he'd prefer to contribute in the field.

The same goes for Huff. He's made some great plays at first, had some great at-bats and I'm just waiting for him to warm up a bit at the plate and hit for average. He doesn't practice in the off-season and has consistently shown that it takes him about 2 months to get things going (end of May last year: .244, but finished: .304), so this is actually the best start he's had since 2003. He's also found his place with the fans - he's blunt and comfortable with himself and people respect him for it.

Huff's only 32 and everyone's willing to trade him away for more prospects. We have a real good thing going now - I say sign him for another couple years. He won't command much more than the 8mil he's making now. Give Snyder some time at AAA next year and then bring him up around the All-Star Game and trade Huff or Scott at the deadline, then, if it makes sense.

We need good prospies to maintain what we have going, but we can't give up what we have, in the process. With 162 games a year, it's so easy to get caught up in a particular mindset only to see it change with new circumstances. Whether it's blaming McFail for holding Wieters down and then exulting him for what he's done to develop this team, or looking for the big-budget quick-fix starter and then becoming prospect hungry.

Wieters went 0-4 today, but from the stands, surrounded by 42,000 fellow fans, I felt something that I'd forgotten about since attending the last game at Oriole Park in 1997. It ranks up there with Cal's 2131 game that I was lucky enough to attend. It wasn't Wieter's debut, Luke's rockets or Bergesen's dominance - it was the sort of pride you hope for as a fan of anything in life. It was magic, and everyone around me was feeling it too. Let's keep this thing going and build a franchise on what we have building up in the minors and what is happening in the big leagues now.

Luke Scott may have stolen the show but I think Brad Bergesen deserves a very big shout out for shutting down the Tigers who were a hot hitting team coming into this series. Everyone is talking about Wieters and Scott, I just think Bergesen deserves his piece of the pie.
Love your blog Pete, I rely on it a lot living in Hawaii. The sports coverage out here sucks.

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Pete's reply: Thanks very much. I agree about Brad. He looks very mature.

Trade Wieters, he's a bum!! Maybe we can get Curt Schilling, Pete Harnisch, and Steve Finley back in return for him.

Ok, I keeed I keeeed. I honestly thought the first pitch and swing he saw/had was gonna be a homer. He JUUUUUST missed it.

The future is now!

I think it quite appropriate. We, as O's fans, have endured the rain, and now, comes the rainbow.

Go O's!

You journalists are acting like a bunch of little kids, and it is annoying, the way you are frothing over Weiter's appearance. Get over it. Very little was said about Bergesen and that is a travesty, because what will really launch this team will be starting pitching, not any one offensive player. We've seen it before - without starting pitching, this team goes NOWHERE. So give the kid (Brad) some props for going 8 flippin' innings and giving us what we really need, man.

Weiters likely will have a great bat for his career and make his name off that, but there is growing opinion that the kid is not a long-term catcher, so he doesn't have Cal's or Brook's defensive qualities. Give him some room to breath, and handle the other aspects of reporting a bit better right now. I think if you look back over the last few days, other than Scott's bombs, you've lost your mind over Weiters. And no, you're not any more entitled to it than other writers or fans. Brad and Luke were the studs last night.

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Pete's reply: I think that's obvious from the front page of sports in the print edition. Luke got his due and then some. As for Wieters not being a long-term catcher, I haven't heard that growing sentiment. Just because he's a tall guy doesn't mean he can't play catcher. Bob Boone did just fine defensively. Piazza did great offensively. Maybe this kind can do both. We'll wait and see. As far as fawning, 15,000 people showed up just to see Wieters (out of 42,000). That's more people (the 15,000) then the O's drew total in some of the other games this week. It was a legitimate story. After all the negativity over the last few years. I'm surprised you want to heap on some more after such a great all-around night.

Pete: Nice shot. Only you would get that in. It is good to see these young guys up. You never know what will happen, but they are only fthree games under 500 now, I think they can play and compete now for a wild card. It is a different team. Interesting thing is the players they are bringing up 2 were the result of McPhail (Hill and Wieters) and the others were in the system before. Someone needs to give them credit for what was done in the past. It is obvious the rebuilding process started well before AM's arrival (not to take anything away from what he has done) but really if the old staff did not do their job, we would be in trouble still. Good to see 42k at the ball park once again, I bet even PA was smiling.

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Pete's reply: I agree. We should not forget that Reimold and Markakis were drafted by previous front office administrations. So was Wieters, though Andy got him signed. It's never a short process. Some credit should go to Mike, Jim Beattie and Jim Duquette.

the kids are alright

the orioles are out in field in that pitcure? I doubt they are in the field and have loaded the bases. Unless it wieters is that gooood!!!!!!!!

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Pete's reply: You're right. That must have been taken right at the start of the next half inning.

I think Luke Scott has more than earned the right to at least platoon in left field with Nolan Reimold. Maybe if we start him there on Sundays we might break the Sunday jinx. With all the shaving cream pies each nite, I suggest Dave Trembly stock a case of it in his office. Peter, any chance of Brandon Snyder coming up this year? Heard him interview on the radio and he said while the club has handed him a first baseman's glove, he feels his natural position is 3rd base (but he'll play anyshere). And if I'm not mistaken, Melvin Mora is on the last year of his contract?

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Pete's reply: Doubt we'll see Brandon Snyder this year. Huff is the first baseman and I doubt they will trade him at midseason. I wouldn't mess with Scott right now. He's sizzling as the DH, so let him DH. He'll get some outfield time when it's necessary.

Pete-

Any word on how involved Matt actually was in calling the game? Or did he take pitch calls from the dugout?

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Pete's reply: I think he was working with Bergesen on that. I don't think he was getting the pitches from the dugout, but I'll check.

Hans: I remember Trembley saying on the pregame show that he doesn't call games from the dugout, so I do believe that was all Wieters and Bergeson.

Good to know... I was curious with all the talk about how great a game he called whether or not they had let him go on his previous experience with Brad or if they were going to call it from the dugout.

Interesting that they let him go.

Pete, I have to agree with Christian above. Watching the game here in Indiana, something just looked diferent about the team last night. It was almost as though they are starting to believe in themselves a little bit. I always have been and will continue to be an Oriols fan and I have my two kids believeing in them too. I don't know if Wieters is going to be the next Babe Ruth, but this team looked like the O's of old last night. Even if it was only for one night, it still looked good from here.

Keep it up O's!!

Great Photo Karl!!

Pete, now that the O's have recalled Berken, Bergesen, Hernandez, Reimold, and Wieters, is there anybody else that could be called up from the minors this year?

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Pete's reply: Sure, but unless there is a big need, the best pitching prospects will stay down for awhile.

Scott was actually hot before he was injured. All he's doing now is continuing that trend. Ride him while he's hot...put him in the 5th spot and move Mora down some.