« May 2009 | Main | July 2009 »
Of course, you had to wonder when George Sherrill hit Kevin Youkilis on the arm to put the tying run in scoring position in the ninth, but Sherrill has been so dependable that it's hard to doubt him.
He struck out Jason Bay for his 17th save in 19 opportunities and I think we know who the Orioles All-Star is going to be.
This was a throwaway game an hour ago and now it could end up at the top of the list of the greatest comeback victories in Orioles history. Nick Markakis's two-run double off Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon has put the game in the left hand of George Sherrill.
This game was 10-1 two innings ago.
What else is there to say?
If this holds up, it will be the first time in the franchise's 55-year history that the O's have come back from more than eight runs behind to win. The O's came back from an eight-run deficit in 1956. It was also the first blown save opportunity by Papelbon in 21 opportunities against the Orioles.
Dustin Pedroia just made a great leaping catch to rob Aubrey Huff of an RBI single, but the thing that made it even more important was that it kept Nolan Reimold from coming to the plate in the bottom of the seventh representing the tying run.
Who knows what would have happened, but if you had told me during the lengthy rain delay that the Orioles would make a game of this, I would have bet the farm against them even showing signs of life.
Of course, I don't own a farm. I don't even have a vegetable garden. It's a figure of speech.
Anyway, nice catch.
Hey, I spent some time before the game talking to Andy MacPhail and Dave Trembley about the club's atrocious baserunning and other fundamental issues that might impact the future of the team. If you want to read my column on the subject, click here and let me know what you think.
I don't know if the recent spate of fundamental lapses will end up affecting Trembley's job security, but it certainly has gotten the attention of the front office.
Weather or not: By the way, there was another rainbow over the ballpark while the Red Sox were scoring six runs in the fourth inning, but it pretty much disappeared when the Orioles came up to bat. Draw your own conclusions.
Adam Jones has been removed from the game after getting shaken up trying to go over the wall to get Kevin Youkilis's first-inning home run. He has been replaced by Felix Pie, but the only announcement from the club is that his removal was precautionary and he's day to day.
Dave Trembley is hopeful that starting pitcher Rich Hill has better command of his pitches tonight when he faces the Red Sox in the second game of the three-game series at Camden Yards.
"The Red Sox showed last night how patient they are,'' Trembley said. "They won't chase the ball out of the strike zone."
The All-Star teams are going to be announced soon, so Dan Connolly asked Trembley for his thoughts on the potential Orioles candidates.
"I think Georgie (Sherrill), J.J. (Jim Johnson) and Adam (Jones),'' he said. "I think those three guys should get consideration, but I have not talked to Joe Maddon."
He acknowledged that Johnson is an unlikely choice because he is a setup reliever. Sherrill, however, has been very impressive since he made the mechanical adjustment that turned his season around.
"I'd like to get him out there a little more,'' Trembley said.
Manager Dave Trembley revealed today that Koji Uehara has undergone an arthrogram on his sore right elbow, but the results were not yet available. Orioles orthopedist Dr. John Wilckens is expected to evaluate the results later this afternoon.
An arthrogram is an xray that is enhanced by a contrast material -- usually some kind of dye -- that is injected into the joint to reveal either structural or soft tissue damage. Trembley said it was the routine next step in evaluating Uehara's elbow, but it is not necessarily a routine procedure. It's not unreasonable to speculate that the Orioles medical staff sent Uehara for the test because there is suspicion that the injury is more serious than simple tendinitis.
Uehara will not accompany the Orioles on their West Coast road trip.
Every year, more people complain about player salaries and ticket prices and wonder if Major League Baseball has finally reached the point where it is starting to alienate its huge fan following. And every year, it seems, MLB reports record total attendance and record revenues, disspelling the notion that the game is on the eve of destruction.
Could this be the year, however, that the naysayers turn out to be right?
The Yankees and Mets just opened their glitzy new stadiums and figured that fans would flock to pay ridiculously inflated ticket prices for the chance to see the Yankees and Mets in their new digs. The reality has been much different, as evidenced by this story in the New York Times over the weekend.
The Yankees originally priced the front row seats on the field level at $2,625 per single-game ticket and also put big numbers on other premium tickets, only to find out that the country is in this pesky little economic crisis and people just don't have $10,500 to plunk down for four seats to one baseball game.
Okay, that's just in New York, but it seems like the economic insensitivity of the Yankees, in particular, has become a national issue that is hurting the overall image of the sport.
If I was a conspiracy theorist -- and, come to think of it, I am -- I'd wonder if that's an accident, with another round of labor negotiations on the distant horizon and some owners starting to make noises again about a salary cap.
Getty Images
Nobody to second-guess after this one, except maybe the Orioles' security people who allowed Jon Lester and J.D. Drew into the ballpark earlier today. Lester did what Jon Lester does to the Orioles -- improving to 8-0 lifetime against them -- and the Red Sox bullpen did what it has been doing to just about everybody this year. The terrific catch by Jason Bay to end the game was just a bonus for the Red Sox faithful that pumped up the crowd at Camden Yards tonight.
If Bay had not made the diving pick, the Orioles would have brought the tying run to the plate, but we're still talking about closer Jonathan Papelbon on the mound needing just one more out.
Manager Dave Trembley said after the game that it's no secret why Lester dominated the Orioles again.
"He's got three pitches,'' Trembley said. "He goes from 88-89 to 95-96 with his fastball and he cuts it in on right-handed batters...throws that sweeping breaking ball and the two-seamer away. He's just got a repertoire and he seems like when he pitches against us, he's on his game...Like I said, I wish three or four of those line drives had fallen in, but they didn't."
...and I don't mean in a good way. He's upset about the called third strike that ended the fifth inning. The ball appeared to be outside and he showed his displeasure with home plate umpire Jerry Layne by throwing his bad and helmet toward the Orioles dugout.
Layne's ears were burning during the top of the sixth and he had went face to face with manager Dave Trembley in between innings. Roberts tried to join in the argument from the top step of the dugout and appeared close to being ejected, but Layne let both of them have their say and tempers cooled.
Jason Berken has been walking a tightrope all night, and he just dropped his balance bar. J.D. Drew, who tripled to lead off the game and scored the first Red Sox run, just hit a towering home run to center field to give Jon Lester and Boston a 4-0 lead in the fourth inning.
Berken has not won a game since his major league debut against the Toronto Blue Jays, and it appears that won't change tonight. He just got out of the fourth because Adam Jones went over the fence to rob Kevin Youkilis of what would have been the second home run of the inning. That came on Berken's 87th pitch of the game, but it looks like he'll come out for the fifth.
It's still early, but I'd have to be the house that Lester improves to 8-0 lifetime against the O's tonight. He just threw his 40th pitch, so he could be out there until the end.
The Orioles continue to be hampered by fundamental baserunning mistakes -- particularly by veteran players who should know better -- and Dave Trembley tried to address the subject when he was pressed on it during his pregame news conference.
The question was, how do you deal with that when you have a clubhouse full of young players who should be getting a better example from their elders. In the past couple of weeks, in particular, Melvin Mora, Ty Wigginton and Aubrey Huff have all tried to stretch on the bases and cost the team big outs in big sitautions.
"It's certainly not something you want to put on a highlight film or use as an instructional video,'' Trembley said. "What you learn from it is, that decision that was made wasn't the right one. They were aggressive mistakes, but they were out-of-control baserunning decisions. I don't like to give away outs."
So, if you're the manager who stands to pay the price if this team is considered fundamentally unsound, how do you handle it?
"I think you address it,'' he said. "I think it has been addressed."
Radio dogma: Join me at six on WBAL (1090 AM) for Sportsline for a look at the series against the Red Sox and -- I'm sure -- a lot of calls about the Orioles' flawed baserunning. If you're not in signal range, go to WBAL.com and click on the "Listen Live" icon.
It's okay to vent after a loss, and I should know because I did just that about the Orioles season-long penchant for making key baserunning mistakes, but you've got to be able to see past one game.
I've got some posters ready to pull the plug on Matt Wieters because he missed a throw from the outfield and sailed a throw over third base. He certainly did have a hand in Sunday's loss -- and he'll have a hand in many more over his career -- but he didn't prove in one afternoon that he's not ready for prime time.
There was also a poster who talked about how he was glad the Orioles "got their (butts) kicked by the Nationals" because it shows how lazy and unaccountable they are. Can't agree with that frame of mine either, since the Orioles won the series and have won five of their last nine games. That's not exactly playoff caliber baseball, but it a better percentage than most anyone expects them to play over the whole season.
Don't know about you, but I think it's possible to critique this team without losing sight of what this season is about. It is a transitional year, not a season in which these players are robbing fans of their chance to buy playoff tickets, so each loss should not be cause to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
The Orioles introduced No. 1 draft choice Matt Hobgood to the media yesterday afternoon and to a big crowd at Camden Yards last night. I think the kid is mature beyond his 18 years, but you can judge for yourself from this video of his news conference and signing ceremony, which was shot and produced by Sun photographer Karl Merton Ferron.
Remember that Ty Wigginton baserunning error on Tuesday that got everybody all up in arms? Well, Aubrey Huff did almost exactly the same thing in the eighth inning today, getting thrown out stretching at second base in a situation where the risk didn't come close to being worth the reward.
Instead of hot-hitting Nolan Reimold coming up with a chance to tie the game, the Orioles were out of the inning. Can't believe that nobody is learning from these fundamental mistakes. Who knows what Reimold would have done in that situation, but when you're trying to come back from a four-run deficit in the eighth or ninth inning, the focus is on getting in a position where one swing can tie the game. Huff got them into that position with his RBI hit and then took them out of it by overplaying his hand -- and overrating his legs.
This isn't just about Wigginton and Huff. This team has been defeating itself on the bases regularly all season.
With all due respect to comedian Ron White, you can fix stupid, and it's time for Dave Trembley and the coaching staff to do something about this team's inept performance on the bases.
David Hernandez pitched a pretty good game and, obviously, should have been out of the sixth in spite of that fat pitch to Anderson Hernandez, but his inexperience and that of Matt Wieters was apparent at several junctures in the game.
Hernandez held the Nationals at bay largely because he was pitching to contact with his fastball and locating it well. When he got in trouble, it was because he could not locate his breaking ball and stubbornly kept trying in key situations.
There were at least three instances -- including Anderson Hernandez's "RBI" single in the sixth -- where Hernandez got ahead with his 94 mile-per-hour fastball and then tried to close the deal with the curveball. The first couple of times, that makes perfect sense, but after you hang that pitch repeatedly and get punished for it, you've got to stop going to the well. The Nats figured that out before Hernandez and Wieters, which cost the Orioles a big run.
That said, don't give up on this game just yet.
It was a sad situation -- the death of Rick Kranitz's father-in-law -- that necessitated the arrival of minor league catching instructor Don Werner as a fill-in coach this weekend, but the Orioles are making the most of his expertise while he's here.
Werner spent part of Saturday working with Matt Wieters on his throwing mechanics, hoping to help him improve on his 1-for-12 success rate against opposing basestealers at the major league level.
So, what happens? Anderson Hernandez tested him in the third inning today -- and got a great jump against rookie pitcher David Hernandez -- and Wieters made a terrific throw to get him on a bang-bang play.
Wieters didn't get the call on another very close play at second but sailed a throw over Oscar Salazar later in the game to bring home a run. He also failed to handle a throw from the outfield that would have saved a run.
Rookie pitcher David Hernandez will be making his third start and fourth appearance in the major leagues today against the Nationals, and he needs to reinforce the great first impression he made in his major league debut against the Detroit Tigers a month ago today. He pitched 5 2/3 innings and gave up just one run on five hits, but struggled in his second start against the Mariners in Seattle.
He also made one relief appearance during that first stay in the majors and pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings. All in all, he did a nice job filling in the last time, and needs to build on that to secure his place in the rotation if the Orioles decide to move Koji Uehara to the bullpen when he gets back from the disabled list.
Orioles manager Dave Trembley is going with a whole new version of his popular Sunday lineup, hitting Adam Jones leadoff, with Ty Wigginton hitting second at second and Brian Roberts getting a day off to clear his head after going 0 for 10 with five strikeouts in his last three games. Melvin Mora also is off, so Oscar Salazar is going to get a rare start at third.
The crowd of 39,633 gave No. 1 draft choice Matt Hobgood a nice standing ovation when he was introduced on the field between the second and third innings tonight. If you want to read more about his visit to Baltimore this weekend, his signing ceremony and the impression he has made while he's been here, you can read my Sunday column early here.
Impressive relief effort by right-hander Matt Albers, who came in after Brian Bass loaded the bases with no one out in the sixth and got out of the jam clean with a pair of ground balls -- the second getting a huge inning-ending double play. Then came Jim Johnson, who pitched two scoreless innings to hand the game over to closer George Sherrill in the ninth.
The infield has played very well in the late innings tonight, enough so that Guthrie and Bass should take the whole group -- especially Robert Andino -- out for brunch before tomorrow's game.
Jeremy Guthrie spun out of control in the first inning, but -- amazingly -- is in the dugout right now with a chance to get the win. He walked in two runs in the first, before working out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam, but ran his pitch count so high that Dave Trembley pulled him after the fifth inning.
Nolan Reimold's three-run homer in the fifth brought the Orioles from behind, prompting Trembley to yank Guthrie after 95 pitches. Don't know what went on in the dugout between innings, but it seemed like a pretty quick hook. Guthrie created the pitch-count problem and, in this case, I think he should have been left out there at least one more inning.
Brian Bass is just about to help me make that point.
Top draft choice Matt Hobgood just signed his contract at a media conference in the auxiliary clubhouse at Camden Yards. He came to the ballpark for the second day in a row with his family and agent Len Strelitz, this time dressed in a nice black suit rather than the "Cali look" that got him some good-natured ribbing from the Orioles players around the batting cage yesterday.
Hobgood, the fifth overall pick in this year's draft, got a signing bonus of $2.42 million, which is pretty much in line with the way major league teams slot the No. 5 guy. He signed quickly because he wants to get right to work, and will join the Orioles rookie team at Bluefield (W.V.) tomorrow.
"I'm ready,'' Hobgood said, "I can't be happier. This is the team I really wanted to go to."
Orioles scouting director Joe Jordan couldn't have been happier either. He handled the signing ceremony and sat beside Hobgood during the news conference.
"As an organization, we're happy to welcome Matt Hobgood and his family to the Orioles. I can't tell you how good it feels to have this guy up here next to me. He's the guy I wanted. It was a rough seven days (leading up to the draft), but this guy came out as the guy our staff really wanted."
Riverside Press Enterprise photo
Dave Trembley confirmed -- well, almost confirmed -- that Koji Uehara is going on the disabled list tomorrow and David Hernandez is going to take his place in the rotation until about the All-Star break. Not that he needed to confirm anything, since Hernandez is here already.
Trembley met with Koji to discuss his elbow injury and the way the club will handle it, and came away with the impression that Uehara is more than just frustrated with his inability to answer the bell every fifth day in the American major leagues.
"I know it's difficult to have a dialogue with him without an interpreter,'' Trembley said. "He feels like he's let us down. I had to tell him that is not the case. There is a lot of baseball yet to be played...What we want to do is get him 100 percent healthy and send him out to pitch."
Orioles beat reporter Jeff Zrebiec got right to the heart of the matter with the next question, asking if Uehara will come back as a starter or a reliever. The answer was non-committal but telling.
"I don't know,'' Trembley said. "For me, he's a starting pitcher, but first thing, let's get him healthy and go from there."
If you want to read between the lines a little more, here's how Dave followed up his answer to that question:
"If anything positive has come out of this, we've had some guyd who have come up and done the job for us. Bergesen, Berken, Hernandez...They've come up and done well. That's a positive for us."
Orioles lineup:
Brian Roberts 2B
Adam Jones CF
Nick Markakis RF
Aubrey Huff 1B
Nolan Reimold LF
Luke Scott DH
Melvin Mora 3B
Gregg Zaun C
Robert Andino SS
Jeremy Guthrie RHP
Though I don't make a habit of featuring anonymous comments, I thought I'd pass this one along because it's indicative of a small group of posters here who are really down on Brian Roberts right now:
My anonymous friend's take: "I would like Trembley sit Brian Roberts for a week. It seems that his head is not in the game - at the plate and in the field. He is swinging at bad pitches and when he has men in scoring position, he not getting the job done. I would like to see either Jones or Scott try the leadoff spot.
Pete's reply: I'll pass it along, but don't be offended when the $10 million leadoff man who leads the major leagues in doubles, ranks eighth in the majors in runs and 10th in the league in stolen bases is still batting leadoff tonight.
Manager Dave Trembley gave Brad Bergesen a lot of credit for pitching six strong innings without his good command on a steamy night.
"I thought Bergesen pitched with his heart tonight,'' Trembley said. "He struggled to get through it. You saw so many three-ball counts early in the game which is really uncharacteristic for him. I think that's the best way to characterize it. He stepped up."
Bergesen accepted the compliment and agreed that it was a difficult night made easier by the middle-inning run support.
"Tonight was such a battle for me in that humidity,'' he said, "but we needed a win tonight and that was huge. The whole night was an absolute battle."
Somebody asked Dave if Bergesen is the team's most consistent starter.
"That's a fact,'' he said. "Look at what he does. It's a fact. He is."
Meanwhile, Melvin Mora was making his manager look good for moving him back to the seventh spot in the order. He had driven in just three runs in June until last night, but knocked in four -- including three in the eight-run sixth.
"Melvin had some classic at-bats tonight...Classic,'' Trembley said. "Even his last one, with the score being what it was, he wanted that RBI. You could tell he wanted it. And the other guys did as well."
Baltimore Sun file photo
Koji Uehara met with reporters after the game and comfirmed that he will not make his scheduled start on Sunday. He was wearing a tight wrap on his elbow after seeing Orioles orthopedist Dr. John Wilckens earlier in the day.
"I talked to the doctor and I'm going to skip my next start,'' he said through interpreter Jiwon Bang.
He seems likely to be placed on the disabled list, but he could not confirm or deny that.
"I don't know about that,'' he said. "It's up to the ballclub."
Though Uehara said he knew of no plans for further medical tests, he admitted to being discouraged by the string of injuries that has hampered him in his first season of American baseball.
"I'd have to say I'm really frustrated,'' he said. "It (the elbow soreness) is still there."
The Orioles are taking a short week's worth of frustration out on the hapless Washington Nationals right now. They scored eight times in the sixth inning and have run up an 11-1 lead to all but guarantee Brad Bergesen his fifth victory in seven decisions. The O's sent 13 batters to the plate in the inning, which tied the biggest of the year (May 9 vs. Yankees).
Melvin Mora, who was dropped to seventh in the batting order tonight because he had driven in just three runs in all of June, drove in three in a pair of at-bats in this inning and has four RBI in all tonight. Aubrey Huff had a two-run single in the inning and Adam Jones and Nick Markakis also drove in runs.
For one night at least, manager Dave Trembley comes out smelling like a rose for switching Reimold and Mora in the lineup. The 5-6-7 third of the batting order accounted for four runs, six hits and eight baserunners in the middle innings.
The O's also tied a season high with their fourth 16-hit performance in a nine-inning game.
It only took until the second time through the batting order for Dave Trembley's revised batting order to produce some results. Nolan Reimold, hitting in the fifth slot, doubled to left with Aubrey Huff on base in the fourth inning and eventually scored on an RBI single by Melvin Mora,.
Reimold also singled in the sixth and has scored two runs. Mora added a two-run double in that inning and has three RBI so far in the game.
Trembley switched Melvin and Reimold in the lineup because Melvin was not producing runs or hitting for extra bases. Problem solved...at least for the moment.
Cesar Izturis (appendicitis) has been cleared to increase his baseball-related activities, but manager Dave Trembley would not speculate on when he'll go out on an injury rehabilitation assignment.
"I think you'll know he's getting close when he goes out on the field with the team and takes batting practice and works out with us,'' Trembley said.
Pitching coach Rick Kranitz has left the team for a few days following the death of his father-in-law in California and has been replaced by minor league instructor Don Werner.
The Orioles are expecting to announce a crowd of more than 40,000 tonight, including 21,000 union members attending the game on Union Night. It would be the fifth crowd of 40,000 or more this year.
If Melvin Mora does not homer tonight, he'll have gone 40 consecutive games without a home run, which is three games short of the longest homer drought in his career.
Somebody in the Orioles clubhouse painted a batting glove silver and hung it on the screen in front of the dugout for tonight's game as a silent tribute to Michael Jackson.
The Orioles wives are hosting a pair of silent auctions at the ballpark on Monday and Tuesday to benefit the University of Maryland Hospital for Children and the Nick Adenhart Foundation. The auctions will take place on the lower concourse near Gate D and start at 5:30 p.m.
Tomorrow night is Nick Markakis Replica Baltimore BP Jersey Night. The first 10,000 fans 15 and over will get a black jersey with Baltimore across the chest.
Koji Uehara was examined by Orioles orthopedist Dr. John Wilckens and a report was made to manager Dave Trembley, who said that Koji's sore elbow has improved but it remains "highly doubtful" that Uehara will be able to make his scheduled start on Sunday. Based on that, it seems likely he will go on the disabled list and David Hernandez will be called up from Norfolk to take his slot in the rotation.
"There was improvement,'' Trembley said. "The inflammation is down, the swelling is down, the soreness is down. Both Dr. Wilckens and (head athletic trainer) Richie Bancells are going to talk to Andy MacPhail. I have not talked to Andy about what will happen."
Trembley indicated that Wilckens and Bancells will go to MacPhail and present some possible scenarios, one of which might be to have Uehara undergo an MRI to make sure there is no structural damage in his pitching elbow.
According to a member of the Japanese media, Koji did have a sore elbow in 2006 when he was with the Tokyo Giants, but missed only a couple of weeks after receiving a cortisone injection. Uehara, through his interpreter, said he would address the situation with the media after tonight's game.
Sun file photo by Kenneth Lam
The Orioles No. 1 draft choice, Matt Hobgood will sign his contract and be formally introduced to the media and fans tomorrow, but he's in the ballpark right now, and has been socializing with the players and coaching around the cage.
He got an earful from future teammate Adam Jones for his outfit. He showed up in a pair of white pattern Bermuda shorts, black shoes and gym socks up to mid calf. Jones and several teammates introduced themselves and ribbed him about his wardrobe, but he enjoyed every minute of it.
"He seems like a great kid, but it's a terrible outfit,'' Jones said. "It was awful. I had to tell him."
Hobgood, who is from Norco, CA, (I earlier wrote Corona, CA because I'm an idiot) also spent quite awhile talking to Hall of Famer Jim Palmer, as well as manager Dave Trembley and hitting coach Terry Crowley. We'll have his side of the story tomorrow. The Orioles are keeping him away from the media to avoid upstaging their own press conference.
Dave Trembley could not update the Koji Uehara situation because he is scheduled to be examined by team orthopedist John Wilckens later in the afternoon, but it appears that Triple-A pitcher David Hernandez will be called up to make Koji's scheduled start on Sunday.
"We're in a situation where we have a backup plan,'' Trembley said.
That plan became apparent when Hernandez was removed from a game earlier in the week after pitching four perfect innings.
The situation with Uehara will remain uncertain regardless of the outcome of today's examination of his elbow, which he described as "fatigued." His schedule has had to be manipulated several times during the first three months of the season and it is doesn't appear that is likely to change.
I asked Trembley today what he would do -- hypothetically -- if it turns out that Koji can really only be effective as a starter every six or seven days. He didn't answer directly, but you can read between the lines.
"I don't know how you would pitch him like that with five starters,'' Trembley said. "We're going with five starters until the rosters expand (in September). I think what we've tried to do, whenever possible, when we can pitch him on six days, we've done that."
Trembley also announced that he has moved Nolan Reimold into the No. 5 slot in the batting order and moved Melvin Mora down to No. 7.
"I would say that Melvin is going to hit seventh,'' Trembley said. "Maybe he'll knock in some runs from the seven spot...I feel Nolan Reimold is ready to hit up in the lineup. I did a lot of thinking about it. People were circling the wagons on that question a month ago, but we've been patient."
The Nationals are supposed to be the elixir for whatever ails their opponents, but the Orioles can't take anything for granted when their designated interleague rivals come in for a three-game series that starts tonight at Camden Yards. The Orioles suddenly look helpless again. The Nats were no pushover in New York last week and they also won their weekend series against the Toronto Blue Jays. They lost their most recent series to the Red Sox, but closed it out last night with a 9-3 victory.
It all depends on which Orioles team shows up, the one that swept the Phillies on the road over the weekend or the one that self-destructed in Miami. I'm going to guess that coming home -- and playing the team with the worst overall record in baseball -- should perk the Orioles right up.
More cowbell: In the meantime, if you need some cheering up, I've got a new "News Item" column posted on the Web site. Check it out here. If you still can't get enough Schmuck, I'll be cutting up on The Week in Review with Clarence Mitchell IV on WBAL(1090 AM) from noon to three.
The runs didn't matter and the grand slam by Hanley Ramirez was just window dressing. It's one bad pitch whether it drives in one run or four, but the struggles of reliever Chris Ray in the Orioles' 11-3 loss to the Florida Marlins matter a great deal. The O's need Ray to re-establish himself as a late-inning reliever, but his psyche had to take a pretty big hit over the 1 2/3 innings he was pitching batting practice at Land Shark Stadium.
Ray gave up seven hits and five runs, including Ramirez's second grand slam of the series. He shouldn't have been out there that long, but the Orioles bullpen was wrung out during the Marlins' three-game sweep.
Here's my only problem with the Ray situation. Dave Trembley justified sending him down to Norfolk by pointing out that he is a late relief guy and he wasn't getting late-relief appearances at the major league level because of his mechanical issues. Now, he comes back supposedly all fixed and he gets his head handed to him in a mop-up appearance. Maybe there wasn't any other option, but it's still a head-scratcher.
Rich Hill struck out the side on 10 pitches in the first inning and gave up five runs over the next two, another study in contrast for a team that refuses to be pigeonholed on any level. How do you explain a three-game road sweep over the defending world champion Philadelphia Phillies and what is shaping up as three-game meltdown against the Florida Marlins at Land Shark Stadium?
No sense even trying to explain what happened to Hill, who pitched so well and delivered a decisive hit on the way to an uplifting victory in the series opener against the Phillies. Tonight, he gave up two homers and six earned runs over 4 1/3 innings before giving way to Mark Hendrickson.
Maybe the O's have another late rally in store for the Marlins, but the competitive pendulum is swinging way too far in each direction right now to seriously believe the Orioles can make a run at .500. This lack of consistency -- along with the string of fundamental errors that have accompanied the downturns -- has to reflect on the team's mental toughness and intensity.
While we're throwing out obscure and altered references from my favorite movie comedy -- Airplane -- I might as well do it one more time:
Funny, Peter has never been conflicted about Pie before.
It's pronounced Pee-AY, of course, and I am conflicted about Felix Pie on so many levels I'm not really sure what I think about him. Last night's stumbles notwithstanding, I think Felix (shown at right after beating a throw to third during last week's big comeback against the Mets) might turn out to be a great No. 4 outfielder who can fill several roles on the Orioles bench if he can get his game together. But I'm not confident that will ever happen and I wonder if fans are ever going to warm up to him.
What I do think is that the Orioles will eventually be forced into deciding between Pie and Lou Montanez, and if I had to make that decision right now, I would probably go with Lou. Since that decision does not have to be made for awhile, I suspect this isn't the last time he is a hot topic of discussion here.
Guess we'll see what comes out of the meeting Dave Trembley is expected to have with Pie later this afternoon, though I agree with some posters that his treatment of Pie last night was unusually harsh in light of the many fundamental blunders from other more-established players that have not received the same kind of public rebuke.
Associated Press photo
To paraphrase Lloyd Bridges in Airplane, I guess I picked the wrong Wednesday to quit blogging the Orioles, who clearly are taking their fans on the all-time emotional roller coaster ride this summer.
Let's review. Late last month, they took off on a 7-1 run that had everybody buzzing about how they were going to build on it in Seattle and Oakland and maybe get over .500. Instead, they went 1-7 over their next eight games and reminded us that's it's a little early for that kind of thinking. So, what do they do? They go 7-1 over the next eight games and happy days were here again.
I knew it was going to be dicey when some posters wrote in before the Florida series that the next six games against the Marlins and Nationals were going to be a snap. Don't know if they were the same people who were predicting a 5-1 roadtrip to Seattle and Oakland, but you all are seeing the folly in reading too much into anything right now -- other than this team is piling up fundamental mistakes that are eventually going to come home to roost on Dave Trembley and the coaching staff.
If you're an optimist, I suppose you look for a win tonight and say it was a solid 4-2 road trip, but it's going to continue to be a rocky ride.
Fallback career update: By the way, I finished 12th in that Hold-em tournament in Atlantic City yesterday, which was respectable enough, I guess, but did not return any money. My career poker earnings remain at $175 for a sixth-place finish a couple of years ago in a tiny event in Las Vegas.
Don't expect to hear much from me today. I'm going to Atlantic City for the day to try my hand in a couple of Texas Hold'em tournaments, something I do a couple of times per year with little or no success.
That doesn't mean you can't continue to engage in a lively conversation here about last night's roller coaster of an Orioles game. No doubt, I'll have one of my evil minions monitoring the site and making sure your posts get up.
Wish me luck.
It's always tough to lose when you play that far into extra innings -- especially on the road -- but I don't think this one is going to linger. The game was essentially lost before the Orioles battled back in the eighth and ninth, and it was all but over when closer Matt Linstrom got the first two outs of the ninth with a three run lead.
The positives: Koji Uehara pitched well. Chris Ray pitched very well upon his return from Norfolk. Jim Johnson was overpowering. The Orioles showed great resilience. Pitcher Jeremy Guthrie scored the tying run in the ninth as a pinch runner. Pitcher Rich Hill had a good at-bat as a pinch hitter. Ty Wigginton and Oscar Salazar each had two big hits after coming off the bench.
The negatives: Danys Baez gave up five runs in the seventh. Adam Jones struggled at the plate all night. Wigginton made a critical baserunning mistake. Brian Bass walked the leadoff hitter in the 12th.
Except for the final score Mrs. Lincoln, it was a pretty entertaining night.
Can't believe what I just saw. Ty Wigginton, who was one of the heroes of this unlikely comeback, making an unbelievably bonehead baserunning mistake that very possibly cost the Orioles the go-ahead run.
He was out by a mile trying to stretch his base hit down the right field line with Gregg Zaun safely at third. Hard to get too upset when he has two hits in his two at-bats since coming into the game -- and the game would have been over a long time ago without him -- but you just can't throw away that out.
There have been some instances where I've spoken too soon, but my last item takes the cake. I didn't see any way the Orioles were going to rebound after that, even though they chipped away and got two runs back in the eighth. When Matt Lindstrom got the second out of the ninth with no one on base, I would have bet the house that the game was going to be over in a matter of seconds.
Not my house, of course. I would have bet someone else's. I'm not stupid. But give the Orioles hitters credit for an amazing comeback, no matter what happens from here on out. Jim Johnson is in the game and Hanley Ramirez due up third in the inning, but I'm not going to rule anything out with the resilience this team has shown over the past week.
The O's came back against KRod on Thursday night. Came back on Saturday night in Philadelphia. And came back from three runs down tonight after they were down to their last out with nobody on base.
Remember, five days ago, the Orioles were 0 for 34 in games they trailed after the eighth inning. They've won two of those since then. This one, we'll just have to wait and see.
This time, I've got to agree with Buck Martinez. There's not much point in over-analyzing the Marlins' five-run inning against Danys Baez, since the Orioles managed just one hit in seven innings against Florida starting pitcher Andrew Miller.
The Orioles had to be pleased to get six strong innings from Koji Uehara, but he was walking a tightrope during his final two innings and looked gassed in the dugout. The Orioles made a little noise against the Marlins bullpen -- including Matt Wieters' second major league homer of the year -- but it's hard to draw any conclusions from that since it was no longer a close game.
The return of reliever Chris Ray could give a significant boost to the Orioles bullpen if his numbers at Norfolk are indicative that he has solved the mechanical problems that drove his major league ERA near double digits earlier this season.
If Ray is truly back, that will take some strain off Jim Johnson and create the possibility of a true 7-8-9 bullpen schematic that would give manager Dave Trembley greatly improved middle-late flexibility even without a proven situational left-hander.
Of course, it's a big if. Ray was a very good reliever before he missed a year recovering from Tommy John surgery, so his upside is way up, but he could not sustain his solid spring performance during the early weeks of the regular season. Everybody's rooting for him, because he's a great kid and solid citizen, but he's got quite a bit to prove before the Orioles can, say, think about dealing closer George Sherrill at the July 31 deadline and replacing the Johnson/Sherrill late relief combination with a Ray/Johnson combo.
Check it out: My latest column is up on the Web sitem, so if you want my opinion on what the O's should do leading into the July 31 trade deadline, read it here.
Today on the radio: I'll be talking Orioles tonight at six on WBAL (1090 AM) as the club gets ready to face the Florida Marlins in a three-game interleague series at Dolphin Stadium. If you're outside of signal range, go to WBAL.com and click on the "Listen Live" icon.
I've left the All-Star question up for awhile, ostensibly because I wanted to give everybody a chance to weigh in, but -- really -- you all know it's because I was dogging it on my Monday off, at least from a blog standpoint. I did spend part of the day chopping up some dead trees and managed not to cut one of my legs off with the chain saw, so it was a good day all around.
Back to the subject at hand. I've reviewed all of your posts on the subject and come to the conclusion that the posters here are split pretty evenly between George Sherrill and Adam Jones as the Oriole who will go to St. Louis for the All-Star Game if there is only one Baltimore representative.
When the question asks who should go, I think fans lean toward Jones, partly because of how his numbers project over a whole season and partly because some aren't totally sold on Sherrill's recent hot streak. There were even a couple of votes against Sherrill because some fans think last year's long All-Star appearance contributed to his second-half downturn.
Not a bad point, though his appearances have been spaced out better this year and he may be less vulnerable to overwork.
Associated Press photo
Got into an interesting discussion with your favorite Orioles beat reporter, Jeff Zrebiec, last night about who really deserves to be the Orioles representative in this year's All-Star Game in St. Louis.
Maybe a month ago, you could have made a case for several offensive players, and there's no rule against more than one Oriole being on the team, even if it has seemed that way at times over the past 11 years. But the club's lengthy offensive slump dampened the individual numbers to the point where it may come down to one guy.
Who do you think it will be...and who do you think it should be, because those two criteria may not produce the same name?
Jeff was pointing out that in a perfect world, you might have to take a hard look at setup man Jim Johnson, but not many middle relievers get an invitation. In a not-so-perfect world, it's possible -- and who would have believed this a month ago -- that the lone representative might be the same guy as last year. Closer George Sherrill (right) has turned his season around so dramatically that another week or two of throwing the way he is now and he could be hard to pass up.
I'm still partial to Adam Jones, even though he has had his problems over the past couple of weeks. His numbers project out right now to a full season with a .318 average, 110 runs, 28 homers and 101 RBI. Those are All-Star numbers.
I'm sure everybody thought Nick Markakis would be an obvious choice back when he was among the major league leaders in RBI, but he has fallen far off the leaderboard and continues to battle back from a deep run-production slump. Brian Roberts has solid numbers across the board, but probably would be the odd man out in a second base numbers game. Aubrey Huff also is having a productive season, but his numbers don't jump out at you.
Okay, I've rambled long enough. Cast your blog ballot. Who will be the Orioles representative at the All-Star game and who should be? Those are the questions.
Getty Images
Sure glad I gave Melvin a pass on that baserunning mistake a couple of entries ago, because he made the defensive play of the game with that diving play to save closer George Sherrill a leadoff double in the bottom of the ninth.
The Orioles had a lot of things spin their way this weekend, not the least of which the illness that put Ryan Howard on the sidelines for most of the series and ended baseball's longest consecutive games streak at 343. They also got that questionable call in the eighth inning that Jimmy Rollins off base ahead of Shane Victorino's double.
The net result was a three-game sweep and an end to the Orioles' 0-9 streak in Sunday games on the road.
Nice outing for Jeremy Guthrie, who seemed determined to upstage my column today saying he is not ready to be a No. 1 starter. Well, he managed to outduel a guy (Cole Hamels) today who definitely is No. 1 material, so I guess Jeremy got the last word today. Good for him.
Postgame roster move: The Orioles optioned left-handed situational reliever Alberto Castillo back to Norfolk. They'll likely make the reciprocal move on Tuesday before they open a three-game series against the Marlins in Florida.
This game might be tied if the Orioles had not gotten that call at first base, and I don't blame Charlie Manuel one bit for getting himself thrown out over it. Jimmy Rollins did a great job to evade Ty Wigginton's tag and was not out of the baseline. First base umpire Larry Vanover was not in great position to see whether the tag was made, but assumed that it was instead of asking home plate umpire Larry Reliford for help on the call.
I'm guessing he'll use the baseline argument to defend the call after the game, but it was just a bad decision not to ask for some help to get it right.
No reason for O's fans to feel bad about it. The Orioles have been on the wrong end of their share of bad calls this year, so maybe they really do even out.
Buck Martinez just made the case on MASN that it was a "good gamble" when Melvin Mora went for third on Ty Wigginton's single in the seventh inning, even though Gold Glove center fielder Shane Victorino was picking up the ball as Mora rounded second base.
Though I don't think any of baseball's unwritten rules are chiseled in stone (ergo, they would not be unwritten), but the one about not making the first or last out of an inning at third base trumps just about all of them when you're in a tie game in the late innings. Victorino was charging straight into the throw, but Melvin doesn't run as well as he used to and -- in this case -- the outcome does determine whether it was a good decision or not.
Forcing the action at that point does not make sense for a couple of reasons, one of which is the pitch count of opposing pitcher Cole Hamels. He was closing in on his 100th pitch at that point and would have been looking at two on and none out in that situation. Instead, he gets the free out at third and is out of the inning a couple pitches later with the double play ball.
The other reason is because I agree with Dave Trembley's desire to turn the lineup over at every opportunity. Even if the Orioles don't score after getting the first two guys on, they likely would have gotten through the No. 8 and No. 9 spots in the order if Mora doesn't gamble, along with putting another inning's worth of strain on Hamels arm and psyche.
That said, it's Father's Day and Melvin has six great kids -- including quintuplets -- so I'm giving him a pass.
Rare Mike Klingaman plug: If you want to read more about Melvin on Father's Day, check out Mike's cover story in today's print edition or read it here.
It looks like Jeremy Guthrie will not have face Ryan Howard in today's series finale against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Ryan reportedly returned to the hospital after hitting a dramatic three-run pinch homer in last night's game. He had gone to the hospital the night before with symptoms of severe dehydration.
If you want some more info, here's the link to the Associated Press report on ESPN.com.
Back-up column plug: I seldom do this, but I'm going to include another link to my column on Guthrie on the Web site and in the print edition. Interested to hear your opinion on why he has struggled so much this season.
Okay, for all of you who posted your complaints about Dave Trembley letting Danys Baez pitch to Ryan Howard, I'm only going to say this once -- and it has nothing to do with being a Dave apologist. There were a few things he did in the game I didn't agree with, but the Howard non-decision is such a no-brainer I'm surprised I have to do this.
The situation was this: The Orioles were up by one run with runners at FIRST and THIRD base and TWO outs. Howard was out of the starting lineup because he had gone to the hospital the night before with dehydration, but that's actually irrelevant, because it shouldn't affect the decision. To quote one correct poster, there is not one manager at any professional level who would have walked Howard in that situation.
The guy is a monster, but even at his best he is only going to hit a home run about once every 10 at-bats. If you walk him, you load the bases, which brings the next batter to the plate with a chance to drive home the tying and go-ahead runs with a SINGLE. The average hitter in that situation gets a hit about once every four at-bats.
It's really that simple. The dynamic changes if the runner steals second base, but you still might pitch to Howard if the guy behind him has a better statistical chance to get a hit (not a home run) than Howard.
I really have to call some people out here, as one poster already did. The only way you justify an intentional walk to Howard in that situation is if you can see into the future. I don't doubt some of you can do that, but if you can, you should be at the racetrack and not wasting time with my blog.
There have been quite a number of posts over the past couple of weeks criticizing Brian Roberts for not displaying enough intensity, but he sure was focused with two strikes and two outs in the top of the ninth inning tonight. No one should doubt his desire to win, but this was a great way to change the subject.
"I really just wanted to go up there and try to have a good at-bat,'' Roberts said on the postgame show. "I just go up there and what happens, happens, but I didn't think we deserved to lose, I'll tell you that."
Roberts drove in a season-high four runs in the game, all of them from the sixth inning on.
Shameless column plug: Jeremy Guthrie takes the mound looking for the sweep in tomorrow's finale at Citizens Bank Park. If you want my take on Guthrie and the burden of being the O's No. 1 starter before his time, check out my column on the Web site or in Sunday's print edition.
Associated Press file photo
Don't know if the Orioles hold on to win this game, but you have to be impressed that they staged their second ninth-inning rally in three games, coming from behind with home runs by Gregg Zaun and Brian Roberts.
Two nights ago, they beat Francisco Rodriguez to end an 0-34 drought in games they trailed this year after the eighth inning. This was just as impressive, even though the Phillies are without their lights-out closer Brad Lidge.
Guess you still don't know if I'm going to say that Rich Hill IS back after the two tough starts the led up to last night's strong 111-pitch performance, or that this item is about Hill's back, which seemed to become an issue at the end of his outing.
He said afterward that it was a false alarm when he looked uncomfortable after a pitch to pinch hitter Eric Bruntlett. Manager Dave Trembley saw what everybody watching on MASN saw and went out to the mound to see if Hill was okay after he appeared to land wrong after the pitch and then stretched his back before returning to the pitching rubber. He got one more out and continued to look uncomfortable during a four-pitch walk to Shane Victorino before being replaced by Jim Johnson.
Maybe it was a false alarm, but I saw what I saw and everyone watching on TV also saw him talking to trainer Richie Bancells in the dugout after he left the mound. Something happened out there. Whether he actually suffered an injury that might affect him in his next start is another question, but he claimed this past spring that it was a lower back issue the previous spring that contributed to his control problems last season.
Don't know about anyone else, but I'm concerned.
The Orioles have now won five of their last six games and have a chance to win their fourth interleague series in a row with a split of the final two games against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The 7-2 victory improved their interleague record to 7-3 with eight games remaining against the National League East. That's the fourth-best interleague record in the major leagues.
Meanwhile, down the Parkway, the Nationals stayed up late to defeat the Blue Jays in extra innings for their third consecutive won, so it's been a pretty good week so far for the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, too.
Strange stat: The Phillies are on top of the NL East by two games, yet have the third-worst home record (13-20) in the major leagues behind the Nationals (11-22) and Diamondbacks (14-23). Oddly enough, of the eight major league teams that have losing records at home, four are in the National League East. The Mets are the only NL East team with a winning home record. The Phils are in first place because they also have -- by far -- the best road record in all of baseball at 23-9.
Rich Hill cruised into the seventh inning, but something happened while pinch hitter Eric Bruntlett was at the plate. He landed uncomfortably on his front foot and winced, seemingly straining something in his back.
Dave Trembley went out and asked him if he was okay, and he stayed in the game. But Hill continued to look uncomfortable on the four-pitch walk to Shane Victorino and Trembley went to the bullpen.
Must not have been too serious, because Hill stayed in the dugout to see the end of the inning, but he may have tweaked his lower back in that inning. Regardless, he turned in an impressive performance, but may have fallen victim to too many swings and the plate and too much time on the bases.
If the youngest Orioles didn't fully appreciate Baltimore fans before they arrived this weekend at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, they certainly should now. This Phillies team is coming off a world championship, and there have been several junctures in the series opener where the fans have booed the home club.
They got all over starting pitcher Antonio Bastardo for popping up a bunt in the second inning and voiced their displeasure with leadoff man Jimmy Rollins after he made an out.
That might be understandable if the Phillies were underachieving right now, but they entered tonight's game in first place in the National League East by three games.
Maybe it's just me, but it seems to be a little early to be spoiled just eight months after your first title in 28 years.
Rich Hill, once again, is a study in contrast. One minute, he looks confident and is throwing his nasty curveball for strikes. The next minute, something bad happens and he becomes instantly vulnerable.
In the first inning, he walked Ryan Howard with two outs and gave up a two-run double to former top Orioles draft choice Jayson Werth. In the second inning, he delivered a two-out single to cap a three-run comeback rally, but continued to go back and forth with his command in the bottom of the inning.
Still, a very positive start overall for the O's, who also got a two-run double from Matt Wieters. That's four straight games with at least one hit for hit for the boy wonder, who has 10 hits in his last 26 at-bats (.385).
Phillies pitcher Antonio Bastardo, who might be the only player in baseball with a worse last name than mine, looks very vulnerable. He came in with a 6.28 ERA and spent the second inning in the upper part of the strike zone. He also gave up a shot to deep center to Aubrey Huff in the third that was run down on the warning track by center fielder Shane Victorino.
I realize the title of this entry sounds like the name of a bad movie. Just be grateful I didn't call it "The House on Haunted Rich Hill" or "Rich Hill is for Heroes,'' which would just get me in more trouble with all the people who think I don't take my baseball seriously enough.
Rich Hill really is something of a mystery. There are times when he channels Sandy Koufax (which isn't easy to do since Sandy is alive and well) and other times when he couldn't hit the broad side of Sid Fernandez, which put him in the same Orioles category as Daniel Cabrera and Sidney Ponson.
Not that there is any visible similarity among those three pitchers. Hill is a timid sort with a great arm and, apparently, a few of what Glenn Davis liked to call "Mind Monsters." Sidney was a boisterous buffoon who just didn't (and doesn't) have the self-discipline to harness is talent. Cabrera was a highly talented pitcher who was just too tall and ungainly to maintain a consistent delivery.
Former Orioles pitching coach Ray Miller used to look at guys like that and sum them up this way:
"That's the kind of pitcher who gets a pitching coach fired."
Don't think Hill will put Rick Kranitz (with Hill and catcher Chad Moeller above) in any immediate jeopardy, but he clearly has talent and is having trouble holding it together. Eventually, that leads to organizational frustration and reflects badly on the coach who can't figure out a way to tap that potential. At least in this case, the Orioles do not have much invested in Hill, who came over in a conditional deal with the Cubs that won't cost the club much unless he turns into a star.
Hill brew up completely two starts ago. He looked very good for three innings his last time out before giving up four runs in the fourth and exiting the game. He's going to have his hands full in Tiny Citizens Bank Ballpark against the big-swinging Phillies, but it wouldn't surprise me if he jacks up a big performance.
Associated Press photo
Join me, Scotty Donahoo and Clarence Mitchell IV for "The Week in Review" at noon on WBAL (1090 AM). Promises to be another crazy show, so you won't want to miss it. Nobody ever knows what Scotty is going to say and I'm never quite sure what I'm going to say either.
I've got a pretty good idea what C4 is going to say, and we'll slam dunk him for three solid hours.
If you're outside of radio range, go to WBAL.com and click on the Listen Live icon.
I knew if I looked hard enough I could find a silver lining to this horrible economic recession, and this is it: There is a new trend toward regular food at fancy weddings, both because real people like me like real food and because rich people don't want to flaunt their wealth during this time of great economic stress for their fellow Americans.
Take a look at this article from the New York Times, but don't drool on your laptop. It looks like I'll be crashing a few fancy weddings this summer. It appears the cheeseburger has become acceptable wedding fare at even the toniest receptions.
Credit line: I was referred to this story by WBAL producer and fill-in talkshow host Greg Bianco, who thinks cheeseburgers are disgusting. He'll be hosting my show next Wednesday night.
Shout out: Also hope this finds its way to a former blog participant named Danny, who wrote in recently to say that he would no longer be stopping by because I posted a blog entry about cheeseburgers when I should have been blogging Delmarva Shorebirds stats or something. I told him that some days I wake up hungry and just can't help myself.
Associated Press photo
Francisco Rodriguez tied Adam Jones in a knot on Tuesday night, striking him out easily with runners on base to end the game. So, when he jumped ahead 1-2 on the count in the ninth tonight, you had to wonder if Jones would be overmatched again.
Not this time. Jones remained patient and KRod served up three more balls to walk home the tying run. It is, after all, a game of adjustment.
"Man, I was talking to Crow (hitting coach Terry Crowley) and he has the nastiest changeups or splits – or whatever he was throwing – that I have ever seen,'' Jones said. "He (Crowley) said that, too. I tried to battle him and it was good that he missed with his fastball. It was down and away and I was happy with that."
Jones agreed when someone asked him if it was the best team win of the season. Hard to disagree when the Orioles entered the game with an 0-34 record in games they trailed after eight innings.
"Yeah, this is. It’s off arguably the best closer in all of baseball," he said. "To get a win like that, Wieters starting it off with a double, a hustle double at that. He’s not known for his speed. And Reimold had a great at-bat and Pie came in and ran. He’s probably the only guy on this team that would have gotten there. Everybody had good at-bats."
So what was he thinking when he fell behind on the count?
"I just took a couple of deep breaths and just laid my foot down and I saw every pitch,'' Jones said. "I didn’t jump at any of them."
For all the complaints this year about Felix Pie, you have to give him credit for turning a pinch running assignment into a game-turning play. He flew into third to beat the throw on Brian Roberts' sacrifice bunt and that was the play that unraveled Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez. He had trouble finding the plate after that and walked Adam Jones to drive in the tying run.
The Mets disputed the call and the replay was inconclusive, but one thing wasn't in doubt. Putting Pie out there was the right move and he made it count. Of course, Aubrey Huff had a little something to say about the outcome, too.
Big win, or as big as a win can be in June when you're in fifth place.
Jason Berken stayed in the game for another inning after giving up two runs to tie the game in the sixth. Just another example of Dave Trembley starting to give some of the young starters a little more rope, but it was also another situation where he guessed wrong. Berken was very impressive through five innings, giving up one hit and striking out seven, but he clearly was losing steam in the sixth.
Jason Berken lost his last three starts and gave up 13 earned runs in 7 1/3 innings in his last two, but has been solid through four innings tonight. He has given up just one hit and has struck out six, which is already twice his career high.
The Orioles haven't done a whole lot against Livan Hernandez, who came in with a 5-1 record, but Robert Andino gave the Orioles the lead in the third inning with a home run to left field -- his first in an O's uniform and first since April 7, 2008 against the Nationals.
Talked to Sam Mayfield earlier this evening on the phone and he chalked the whole Wieters ball controversy up to a "misunderstanding." He has talked to the Orioles and he got an invitation back to the ballpark with his family to meet Matt.
"I just want everyone to know that I didn't try to renegotiate the deal after it was made,'' Mayfield said today. "It was just a misunderstanding."
So, glad that's over, though I was happy for the subject matter here and all the nice phone calls on my WBAL talkshow.
Okay, now I'll give you my opinion on the overall issue of what a fan should do with a historic or collectible baseball if one is lucky enough to get one:
Whatever he or she wants to.
This is not a statement in favor of either the guy who caught Matt Wieters' first home run or the Orioles. It is a statement of fact. The fan who catches the ball is entitled to it, which means that he (in this case) is entitled to keep it on his mantle and tell his grandkids about it, auction it to the highest bidder or barter it back to the player.
The only issue here is whether Sam Mayfield went back on his word and tried to get a second bite of the apple or the Orioles didn't give him all of what was what was promised. I really don't care. If the O's are willing to have him and his family over to meet Matt again -- which is what Sam and his wife are saying is all they wanted -- that should be the end of the matter and we all can go back to wondering who will be the next American Idol.
Back to the bigger issue. If I were a fan and caught a truly valuable collectible baseball (and Wieters' first homer does not yet fall into that category), I would attempt to authenticate it and auction it to the highest bidder. Might pay a year of college tuition for one of my kids, which I think would be more important than showing I'm a great fan and handing it back to the ballplayer for a song.
However, I applaud everyone who claims to be willing to just hand the ball back for nothing for that spirit of altruism and true fanship. (I don't know if fanship is a word, but it seems to get my point across.)
In this particular case, the guy catching the ball had a problem. Since it was not one of those historic 700-homer balls that is premarked with an invisible number to prove it is authentic, he would have had a problem proving it was the real thing once he left the ballpark. That means the best option probably was to make the best deal for it with Wieters, so I certainly wouldn't hold that against him. It just got messy. Which is sad.
Editor's note: The ball pictured above is not the actual ball. That one has a big scuff on it.
It seemed like a simple enough transaction. Matt Wieters hit his first major league home run and a guy named Sam Mayfield was on the other end of the deal, retrieving the ball and trading it back to the team for a Wieters autographed bat and ball and a chance to meet and talk to the boy wonder.
Except we all have awakened to a different version of the story. Mayfield and his wife have both posted comments on the blog (and I believe the posts are legit because of the e-mail addresses that accompanied them) claiming that the Orioles should have offered them much more for the ball and making it sound like the Orioles owe them more stuff and some kind of apology.
If you want to read their accounts, you can go to the comments under my previous post on the Wieters souvenir. I also followed up and talked to Orioles officials who were party to the transaction to try and get a better idea of what happened.
It's a little bit of a he-said, she-said situation, and here are both sides of the story:
The O's side: Mayfield first agreed to the bat, ball and a chance for him and a friend to meet Wieters after the game, then -- after that meeting and autograph session -- had second thoughts and demanded more souvenirs and some game tickets. The Orioles stood firm on the original offer and Mayfield left the ballpark an angry man. The club also claims to have offered him the ball back if he was unhappy with the deal.
Mayfield's side: Mayfield, according to his wife's post here, thought all along he would also be getting tickets to another game and a chance for his wife and kids to meet Wieters, but O's officials said he had agreed to the bat and ball and that was all he was going to get.
The outcome: We'll have to wait and see. Orioles officials say that they are willing to resolve the issue by inviting Mayfield and his family back to a game and letting his kids meet Wieters, which seems like a reasonable enough compromise, but that is always in the eye of the beholder.
In a few minutes, I'll post my opinion of the whole catch-it-sell-it-back situation in baseball, but will refrain from taking sides in this dispute since I was not there and have no first-hand knowledge of what happaned.
Matt Wieters did get the ball from his first home run. He said he gave the fan who returned it to him a signed bat and ball.
Wieters also got a shaving cream pie in the face from Adam Jones while he was doing the MASN postgame interview.
"Any time you get a shaving cream face, it means you won the ballgame,'' he said. "I'll take as many of those as I can get."
Dave Trembley stressed before the game how important it was for the Orioles to win the second game of the series and give themselves a chance to close out the homestand on a winning note. He got his wish.
"I just liked the fight that we showed tonight,'' he said. "There were a lot of big plays, Hendrickson got the big double play...It was a big game for us, evening up the homestand going into tomorrow."
He was also happy to see Matt Wieters hit the first homer of his major league career, but didn't buy into the notion that Wieters needed to get his first home run out of the way.
"I think every time he plays he's learning and getting better,'' Trembley said. "I think everybody needed it. I think it's a lift for your entire ballclub."
He also explained that he didn't want to push starter Koji Uehara past the fifth inning, even though he had surrendered just two runs, but probably will give him a little more rope the next time he takes the mound.
"He was much better than he was the last time,'' Trembley said, "and I suspect that next time he'll be back where he was...I didn't see any point in trying to extend him any further than he had gone. He was either going to win it or get no decision."
Well, maybe. Aubrey Huff hit his first home run in 17 games (May 26) and Matt Wieters hit his first major league home run, while Nick Markakis went 4 for 4 to raise his average almost back to .300 (.298). Does that mean the offense definitely back after a long and painful team slump?
"Hitting's contagious,'' said Markakis afterward. "We go out and the guys who are supposed to hit the ball start hitting the ball and it's contagious and it's good to see it...The biggest thing is to go out and have fun and not stress out too much."
Nick tried to minimize the impact of his own personal slump, which appears to have ended with the six hits he has in his last seven at-bats, including a homer on Tuesday night, but he admitted that it has been a difficult time.
"Yeah, I would say it's one of the toughest stretches in my career so far,'' Markakis said, "but I'm sure there will be others."
Brian Matusz is through five innings and has given up just three hits in his Double-A debut against the Reading Phillies. The O's top draft choice of 2008 has struck out eight batters and has not allowed an earned run, though Reading did score an unearned run off him in the second inning.
Instant update: Matusz has completed six innings and is out of the game after giving up the aforementioned three hits and striking out 10.
Apparently, Nick Markakis just needed that big swing on Tuesday night to snap out of his offensive doldrums. He has singled in each of his first three at-bats tonight and just stole second base. He has five hits in his last six plate appearances, raising his average from .283 to .296.
Matt Wieters just hit his first major league home run, a 366-foot shot to left field that also scored Nolan Riemold to to break a 1-1 tie in the second inning. It came in his 14th game and 48th at-bat.
Dave Trembley said today that he is not going to judge the performance of Koji Uehara on the basis of his pitch count, which is something of a departure from the way he seemed to be viewingUehara's previous starts. When Koji came back from the disabled list, Trembley estimated he would throw between 75-85 pitches, which made it sound like the pitch count was fairly important. Not anymore.
"I wouldn't get too wrapped up in pitch counts with Koji,'' he said. "I don't look at that with thim. I look at how hard he has to work to get outs."
What does that mean?
"I think with most pitchers,the other team's hitters tell you,'' Dave said. "He's a master of deception...of upsetting hitters' timing...Just like when the hitters tell you on Guthrie or Bergesen or whoever, when they start fouling fastballs straight to the screen and centering every pitch, that's when you know they (the pitchers) are losing it."
Injury update: Dennis Sarfate will go to the Orioles extended spring training camp on Friday for 10 days to continue his rehab program. He said today he expects to get on the mound next Wednesday.
Radio update: Don't forget to join me tonight at six for Sportsline on WBAL (1090AM). We'll talk Orioles and Ravens while we all wait to see if the O's can get tonight's game in. If you're out of signal range, go to WBAL.com and click on the "Listen Live" icon.
There have been a ton of reader posts here criticizing the Orioles, and second baseman Brian Roberts in particular, for looking lackadaisical and not hustling. I agree that there have been times when the club (and Roberts) have looked very flat, and I agree that the fans pay the bills and the players are paid well enough to give a full effort every time they take the field. No argument there.
This may come as a surprise to everyone, but I bet every player in the clubhouse thinks the same thing, even if it doesn't always show.
If you're going to focus on Brian, let's get a little more specific. There definitely have been times when he seemed frustrated and there definitely have been times when he has jogged the final 15 feet of routine ground ball outs, though it's important (and fair) to point out that I can't recall a time when he would have been safe at first if he had busted it all the way down the line. I know, I know. It's the principle of the thing, but we're really talking about appearances here.
There also have been a handful of base running mishaps that have cast Roberts in a negative spotlight over the past month or so, but getting caught leaving too early on a stolen base attempt is definitely not a hustle issue. If it was anything effort-related, that would be an over-hustle issue, but it's really just a case of Roberts making some bad reads on the opposing pitcher.
It's also important to point out that nothing that happened in last night's game was hustle related. Roberts made a physical error at a very bad time, but he was there in time to make the play and was -- if anything -- guilty of rushing the play rather than slacking off on it. He also had a couple of bad at-bats and was too far from the foul line to call off Aubrey Huff on that costly popup in the seventh, though his inability to make that play was the result of where he was positioned when the ball was hit.
Since Brian is a de facto leader on the team, he needs to realize that appearances matter, but I do not believe he's giving half an effort, and I certainly don't believe he's letting down after signing a big contract. I've been around a long time and I know one thing about pro athletes. With few exceptions, they have tremendous drive, even bigger egos and way too much pride to dog it because of a big pay raise. Brian, if you want to use him as an example, has made a ton of money in his career already, so the new contract didn't change his life or the way he plays the game.
Now, for an opinion that's going to make a lot of the baseball purists bristle. There are two kinds of hustle -- real hustle and phony hustle. Everybody loved the way Pete Rose (right) played the game, and they loved how he sprinted down to first base after a walk like he was running away from an unpaid bookie. But running out a walk is a silly waste of energy and Rose did it largely for show. Real or not, I loved watching him play with that enthusiasm, but you can't hold other players up to that standard.
That said, it is the responsibility of professional athletes to stay focused and motivated. If they appear not to be either when they are on the baseball diamond, the football field, the basketball court or wherever they make their living, they deserve to be criticized. But that goes for everybody who takes a paycheck. If' you've ever called in sick to go to the beach -- or the ballgame, for that matter -- you really shouldn't be throwing the first stone.
Associated Press photo
Manager Dave Trembley tried to put the best possible spin on the 6-4 loss to the Mets, and particularly the performance of Jeremy Guthrie, who faltered in the fourth inning but held things together and worked into the seventh.
"Jeremy came out and started the game and pitched very well,'' Trembley said. "Tonight was the kind of game that you win more times than not, but we didn't do what we needed to do to win."
Guthrie did not give up a hit until Brian Roberts misplayed a routine double play ball in the fourth inning, then gave up a string of well-hit balls to spot the Mets a four-run lead. But Trembley chose too look on the bright side.
"I'd rather have him keep throwing strikes than walk people,'' he said. "I don't think he gave in one bit. He kept throwing strikes. His velocity was good. He kept us in the game."
Dave also took Aubrey Huff's seventh-inning error in stride. Huff tried to make an over-the-shoulder basket catch as Brian Roberts bore down on the play, but Trembley said he did not feel Roberts could be expected to get there in time.
"If you look where BRob was playing, he was shading toward second base,'' Trembley said. "If he's over more, he settles right under it. To our disadvantage, the ball wasn't hit high enough."
It's not often that you see Brian Roberts look bad in just about every facet of the game, but I guess everybody's entitled to a night like this once in a while. BRob made that error in the fourth inning that opened the door to a four-run Mets rally, then struck out with the bases loaded in the fifth with a chance at redemption. He finished the night 0 for 5.
"We play a lot of games,'' Roberts said afterward. "It's not the first time I've gone 0 for 5, not the first time I've made an error, not the first time I've done both in the same game. It's not fun, but we play a lot of games in our careers and that happens. I'm going to go home and get a good night's sleep and come back tomorrow."
His eventful evening didn't end there. He had the better angle on the popup that Aubrey Huff dropped in the seventh inning to account for the other two Mets runs, but he had a long way to go because he shading Mets third baseman David Wright toward second base. Huff tried to make an over-the-shoulder basket catch and the ball appeared to glance off his wrist.
Stuff happens, but this kind of stuff doesn't usually happen to Roberts.
Associated Press file photo
If you want my take on the Ravens' iffy receiver situation, you can read my latest column right here. If you want my opinion on whether they should seriously pursue troubled wideout Brandon Marshall, you're already in the right place.
I've been going back and forth on this all day. I've consulted Ravens beat reporter Jamison Hensley, who said on my radio show that he thinks Marshall would be a difference-maker for a team that fell one game short of the Super Bowl last year. I consulted my talkshow callers, who were pretty much split down the middle on the issue.
For me, it becomes a matter of personal consistency. I argued strongly against the decision by the Orioles to sign Albert Belle (left) in 1998 entirely on the basis of his character issues -- and Albert had a small fraction of the off-field baggage this guy would bring to Baltimore.
So, I vote no.
AP file photo
If you're wondering why Ty Wigginton wasn't in the starting lineup tonight after hitting a pair of home runs in Sunday's 11-run performance, you're not alone, though I didn't really start thinking about it until Melvin bounced into that double play a few minutes ago.
Dan Connolly already weighed in on the subject before the game, so you might want to take a look at his Orioles notebook here.
Nick Markakis finally snapped his home run drought, launching No. 8 on a 2-0 pitch in the sixth inning off Mike Pelfrey. It was his first homer since May 21 against the Yankees and it came at a pretty good time for the O's, who needed something to get them started while there is still time to rally in this game. The homer traveled 375 feet and sailed over the Esskay sign behind right field.
Don't know what Jeremy Guthrie has to do to get a break. He held the Mets hitless through three innings and coaxed Carlos Beltran into what appeared to be a routine, base-clearing double play in the fourth,
So what happens? Brian Roberts tries to make the pitch to Robert Andino before he actually has the ball and fumbles it, leaving the Mets with two runners on and no one out. Guthrie all but unravels, wrapping four hits around a sacrifice fly to give up four runs (two earned). It took just one negative event to turn a great game around, which says something about his mindset right now, even if he should have been out of the inning fairly easily with some routine defensive help.
Melvin Mora just got hit on the right hand by a pitch and has spent several minutes with trainer Richie Bancells, but he's going to stay in the game. He is not, however, going to get first base, since home plate umpire Jeff Kellogg ruled he was swinging when he got hit by the pitch and was out on strikes.
Manager Dave Trembley argued with Kellogg and had to hold Mora away from the umpire. It really looked like Melvin was trying to get thrown out of the game, but Trembley finally steered him back to the dugout.
The Orioles need Jeremy Guthrie to pick up tonight where Brad Bergesen left off on Sunday and go deep into the series opener against Mike Pelfrey the New York Mets, but it's anybody's guess whether that will happen.
We'll just have to wait and see which Jeremy Guthrie shows up. He has been struggling with his command and consistency, even as he appears to be throwing harder than he was in late April and early May.
This has been a difficult year for Guts, and I believe that has something to do with being forced into the No. 1 starter role by default. He is a nice pitcher when his head is on straight, but he hasn't established himself as an ace and he hasn't really gotten the opportunity to grow into that level of responsibility. That has to play with your head a bit, and it seems to be doing just that.
Radio, radio: Join me tonight at six on WBAL (1090 AM). We'll preview the series between the Orioles and Mets and also talk about today's activity at Ravens camp. Jamison Hensley will join me to discuss the possibility of the Ravens acquiring disgruntled receiver Brandon Marshall from the Denver Broncos. If you're out of signal range, go to WBAL.com and click on the "Listen Live" icon.
Stopped by the Ravens facility today for the media portion of the team's rookie camp, which runs through Wednesday and is the last OTA before the team opens training camp in Westminster in six weeks.
Got a chance to talk to coach John Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron about the receiver situation, and the reports that the Ravens might be interested in trading for troubled wideout Brandon Marshall (left). If you want to know more about that right now, check out Jamison Hensley's story here.
If you want to get my take on the overall receiver situation situation, check back in a little while and my latest column will be up on our newly redesigned Web site.
Getty Images
The Orioles, as expected, moved 2008 top draft choice Brian Matusz from Class-A Frederick to Double-A Bowie, where he'll try to build on a very strong first two months of his professional career. He made 11 starts for the Keys and went 4-2 with a 2.16 ERA. He also closed out his Keys career with a string of 23 scoreless innings, which would have been longer if his last start wasn't postponed by rain after he pitched four more scoreless frames.
Matusz is scheduled to make his Double-A debut on Wednesday against Reading. To make room in the Bowie rotation, pitcher Sean Gleason has been sent back to Frederick after going 3-5 with a 5.96 ERA in 10 starts for the Baysox.
Join me at six for Sportsline on WBAL (1090 AM) as we dissect the Orioles' two-game turnaround and broach this important question:
Is the Orioles' hitting slump really over?
It sure looks like it, but there are some reasons for concern as they head into their upcoming three-game series against the New York Mets. If you're out of signal range, go to WBAL.com and click on the "Listen Live" icon.
The Orioles are off today and that is both good news and bad news. It's certainly good news for Adam Jones, who can use another day to recover from that nasty foul ball off his shin on Saturday night. He insisted yesterday he'll be back in the lineup tomorrow night when the Orioles open a three-game interleague series against the New York Mets. If he isn't, then we'll start wondering if he needs an MRI, but it doesn't look like anything too serious.
The other good news is that the Orioles will dodge Johan Santana this week, though maybe that isn't such great news after he had the worst start of his career yesterday against the Yankees.
The bad news, of course, is that you probably don't want to take the day off when you've scored 17 runs in your last 10 innings at the plate after a 12-game stretch in which they scored three or fewer runs 11 times. That couldn't be helped.
I'm getting schooled again on the people who went to the same school as I did. My trivia question yesterday that asked which comedian/actor attended Santa Ana College brought several answers and most of them were correct.
The question was sparked by the appearance yesterday of Atlanta Braves pitcher Kris Medlen, who -- according to Jim Palmer -- played baseball at Santa Ana College, a community college about two miles from the neighborhood I grew up in, and an institution I attended briefly before heading off the a four-year college.
One of the first answers I got was from Dave, who thought it was Steve Martin, but I said he was incorrect. The answer I was looking for was Will Ferrell, but quickly realized with the help of some readers that Diane Keaton also fit the description. Well, turns out that Dave was right, too, and here's his response to my response.
Dave's take: Hey Pete, I went looking because I knew someone from SNL of the 70's went to Santa Ana and it was Steve Martin, before he went to Long Beach State.
"After high school graduation, Martin attended Santa Ana Junior College, taking classes in drama and English poetry. In his free time he teamed up with friend and Garden Grove High School classmate Kathy Westmoreland to participate in comedies and other productions at the Bird Cage Theatre, a theater concession inside Knott's Berry Farm. Later, he met budding actress Stormie Sherk, and they developed comedy routines while becoming romantically involved. Stormie's influence caused Steve to apply to Cal State Long Beach for enrollment with a major in Philosophy."
Pete's take: Funny thing is, I went to a site that listed the college's prominent students and Martin wasn't there, and I knew he went to Long Beach State, so I assumed Dave was wrong. Guess a quick run by Wikipedia would have saved me another serving of crow. Good job, Dave.
Associated Press photo
Orioles starter Brad Bergesen thumbed his nose at the Sunday jinx against the Atlanta Braves and pitched a complete game just for good measure. So, I've got no problem with MASN viewers voting him the Player of the Game, but I've got a bone to pick with the rest of the poll.
Bergesen, based on the results through the top of the ninth inning, got 45 percent of the vote, followed by Ty Wigginton with 40 percent and Robert Andino with 15 percent. I know that everybody digs the longball, but I think Andino played a much bigger role in this game than Wigginton.
No big deal. If you're a fan, you're probably just happy there were three Orioles to choose from.
As so often happens, the readers of this blog are smarter than I am. The question asking which comedian/actor went to Santa Ana College actually had two answers -- a blogfan who calls himself Mr Trifecta submitted Diane Keaton and regular O's commenter Andrew went with Will Ferrell.
I was looking for Ferrell, who stopped by SAC on his way to the big time on Saturday Night Live and a new movie about once every two weeks. Keaton spent part of her youth in Santa Ana, but she didn't pop into my mind because I don't think of her as a comedian, despite all the Woody Allen movies. My bad.
Of course, the reason the whole thing popped into my mind was because Jim Palmer mentioned that Kris Medlen went to Santa Ana College and it sparked my fond memory of a semester there when I was 17 and had graduated a semester early from high school. The place was called Santa Ana Junior College then. We high school slackers used to call it UCSB -- the University of California at Seventeeth and Bristol (Streets).
Getty Images
Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Kris Medlen played baseball at Santa Ana Community College in Southern California. One very famous comedian/actor and one infamous sportswriter/blogger also attended that institution of slightly higher learning.
Can you name them?
Before you give all the credit to Ty Wigginton for jumping on Derek Lowe in the first inning, consider how important Robert Andino has been in this game so far. He's made a couple of big defensive plays, and his smart swing in the second inning might just end up being the key to the Orioles holding on and winning this game.
Andino (shown leaping Brian McCann on Friday night) reached out and poked that breaking ball into right field to push the runner to third base and bring up Brian Roberts, who also did a nice job of hitting to lift a hard sinker into right field for an RBI single. Andino also bailed the O's out of another baserunning mistake after Roberts was picked off first.
The three runs in the first inning were big, of course, but the reason the Orioles are so far below .500 is because they have been hard-pressed to tack on runs after an initial rally. The two runs in the second will be the decisive runs if they break their Sunday jinx today -- just wait and see -- and Andino had a hand in both of them. He also drove in the first run of the third inning by working Lowe for a bases-loaded walk. Don't know about you, but this guy is starting to grow on me.
Associated Press photo
The Orioles lineup ended up looking like a Sunday lineup after all, but only because that foul ball that Adam Jones hit off his shin left a mark. Jones never likes to be out of the lineup, but today and offday tomorrow should allow the bruise to heal, so it's the right move. Felix Pie started in his place in center field.
Normally, I wouldn't focus a whole lot of attention on a single game in June, but I think today's series finale against the Atlanta Braves is a little more important than your average Sunday rubber game. Obviously, Dave Trembley thinks so, too, since he's going with much of his everyday lineup instead of the collection of reserves that usually play a day game after a night game.
The only exceptions (other than temporary starter Robert Andino) are Ty Wigginton at third and Gregg Zaun behind the plate, and I probably would have thrown Matt Wieters out there with the day off tomorrow and the relationship he seems to have with starter Brad Bergesen. Trembley has the catchers scheduled well in advance, which is fine, but it shouldn't be chiseled in stone.
The Orioles need to build on last night's victory and they need to get over the hump on Sundays and in the final games of series. They are just 3-17 in series finales -- which is beyond pathetic even for a rebuilding team -- and have lost nine of their last 10.
The odds aren't exactly on their side today, with Derek Lowe (7-3) going for the Braves, even though Bergesen has been pitching very well. Lowe has as many wins as the Orioles two winnings pitchers -- Jeremy Guthrie and Bergesen -- combined.
Stat of the day: Relievers Brian Bass and Dany Baez, who were considered the last two guys on the pitching staff at the end of training camp, are 8-2 combined. The rest of the pitching staff is 18-34.
It's a little early to declare the Orioles offensive slump over. It'll take more than one home run from someone other than Luke Scott or Nolan Reimold and one six-run seventh inning to wash away the bad taste of a month of offensive frustration, but maybe Dave Trembley will sleep a little better.
Now, all the Orioles have to do is break their Sunday jinx against Derek Lowe and maybe things will really be looking up. That'll be a tall order, with Lowe pitching very well this year, but Brad Bergesen seems to be hitting his stride, so who knows.
If you read my column today, you probably noticed that there was an interesting comment from Hall of Famer Jim Palmer, who called out the Orioles for their lack of a "killer instinct" and pointed out that they "don't know what winning's about" because few players on the roster have ever won anything.
Cakes had more to say on the subject, but I didn't have room in the column, so I thought I'd share a little more of yesterday's interview here.
Palmer didn't buy completely into my theory that the Orioles need a single clubhouse leader to help them get over these rough patches. He said that everyone in the O's clubhouse has to be accountable for the way the team has wallowed in this lengthy slump. He didn't single anybody out in particular, but you can draw your own conclusions from this comment about the way some of the biggest Orioles stars have looked flat and frustrated:
"Ever see Derek Jeter loaf on a ball?'' Palmer said. "Ever wonder why you never hear anybody talk about how much money he makes? Nobody talks about that because he busts his ass on every play. They have to start playing their asses off. It's as simple as that."
Palmer also offered this advice to manager Dave Trembley, who tried to bridge the leadership gap on Friday by calling a team meeting to get everyone back on the same page.
"Somebody asked Pau Gasol why he thought Phil Jackson was such a successful coach,'' Palmer said. "Gasol said, 'He keeps us in the moment.' They (the Orioles) need to be in the moment."
Sun file photo
Adam Jones finally wiped away that strange stat that been hanging over the Orioles offense -- the fact that Luke Scott and Nolan Reimold had been the only Orioles hitters to homer since May 26.
Jones turned on a pitch from Kenshin Kawakami and lined it over the left field fence to give the Orioles a 2-0 lead in the second game of the three-game series against the Atlanta Braves. Maybe that will break the O's out of their lengthy hitting slump, but it was just one swing. The Orioles have to build on that lead instead of waiting around for the Braves to battle back.
Stay tuned.
Great heads up from Shawn, a regular contributor to the blog who goes to Virginia Tech and apparently has an encyclopedic knowledge of defining Orioles moments.
He just chimed in with the fact that today is the 10th anniversary of one of the greatest games the club has ever played -- the 22-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves that featured a six-hit performance by Cal Ripken. Maybe that's the kind of instant Karma that is going to get the O's out of their funk tonight.
In the meantime, I would be honored if you would go right over to the main sports page on the Web site and read my new column on the Orioles' lack of clubhouse leadership.
Let me know what you think.
The first thing you have to do to survive this ugly period in this transitional season is to stop comparing how you feel about the team now to how you felt on the night Matt Wieters made his Orioles debut.
Remember how good that felt? The Orioles won that night for the seventh time in eight games and everybody overreacted and thought that happy days were here again. It was fun, of course, because some of the young pitchers had come up and made solid starts, Nolan Reimold was rolling and Wieters appeared to be the icing on the cake. It wasn't real, however, and everyone should have recognized that and just enjoyed the moment.
Oops, there I go again telling other people how to feel. The fact is, the Orioles are very much the team they were expected to be, though this particularly offensive slump has been deeper and more extended than most. It will end soon and the team will start winning about half of it's games and the Orioles will end up with 70 wins or so. If you expected anything more than that and you're fuming about another lost season, this is more about you than it is about them.
The Orioles are holding another giveaway night tonight. The team is teaming up with Old Bay to give the first 10,000 fans 15 and over who show up for tonight's game against the Atlanta Braves a pair of crab mallets.
It's a unique promotion, especially when you consider that they also don't work with two outs and runners on base.
Bounced that stat off a few players in the clubhouse after the game and got basically the same response:
Adam Jones: "How many did I leave on base...a lot? I left a (bleep)load. I left too many on base and we all left too many on base. What are you going to do? It's hitting. It's not easy. It's tough. Keep going out there and swinging...keep playing...that's the game of baseball."
Luke Scott: "Pitchers made good pitches. They didn't give in. We're slumping. That's a bad combination. Guys were making pitches. It's harder to hit than it is to pitch. The odds are against you. But (12 hits and 19 runners) is a step in the right direction."
Matt Wieters: "That's the way it's been for the past two weeks or so. We aren't getting any two-out hits. We just have to battle through it. Baseball is a game of streaks."
Manager Dave Trembley hoped to jumpstart his team with a pregame meeting today, but the Orioles remain locked in an offensive box that Harry Houdini apparently would have trouble escaping.
They put 14 runners on base in the first six innings against Braves rookie Tommy Hanson, but managed to score just two of them, which was only good enough to inch back into a tie after Braves shortstop Yunel Escobar slammed a two-run homer off Jason Berken in the top of the first inning.
The Braves jumped back in front with two in the fifth and continued to pad their lead in the late innings to push the Orioles to the brink of their 10th loss in the last 12 games.
It just keeps getting worse, but my guarantee stands. They'll snap out of it by the end of this series.
Former Orioles executive Jim Duquette is helping organize a walk on Saturday to raise funds for the fight against Nephrotic Syndrome, a kidney disease his daughter, Lindsey, is battling. If you donate $20 and participate in the walk, which starts at 5:30 p.m. at Sliders Bar & Grille across from Camden Yards, you’ll get a complimentary ticket to the Orioles-Braves game that night.
For more info, cut and paste the following link into your browser:
www.active.com/framed/event_detail.cfm?CHECKSSO=0&EVENT_ID=1720576
Braves
Nate McLouth CF
Yunel Escobar SS
Chipper Jones DH
Brian McCann C
Garret Anderson LF
Barbaro Canizares 1B
Jeff Francoeur RF
Kelly Johnson 2B
Martin Prado 3B
Tommy Hanson RHP
Orioles
Brian Roberts 2B
Adam Jones CF
Nick Markakis RF
Aubrey Huff DH
Melvin Mora 3B
Luke Scott LF
Oscar Salazar 1B
Matt Wieters C
Robert Andino SS
Jason Berken RHP
Manager Dave Trembley brought the players together for a team meeting today in hopes of lifting some of the weight off them during this 2-9 tailspin.
"It's a new day,'' he said. "It's a nice summer day in Baltimore. Let's just play baseball."
That was the message he tried to get across. The game is supposed to be fun and there's nothing you can do about yesterday. Who knows if it will find its way into the deep recesses of the collective team mentality, but he had to do something.
"Let's just have a little fun playing,'' he said he told the team. "Let' start all over again."
"I usually leave the players alone,'' Trembley added during his pregame media conference. "I talk to a lot of guys one-on-one. Today, I talked to the group as a whole. It's all about basics. Don't worry about what you can't control. Let's not live in the past. Let's all turn the page."
The manager was the only one to talk.
"I'm the only one who needed to talk,'' he said. "I want to make them feel comfortable. We've played 60 games. We've got 102 to go and we're going to win a lot of them. I told them I wouldn't trade them for anybody."
Today is my day to talk current events on the radio, so join me at noon on WBAL (1090 AM) for The Week in Review with Clarence Mitchell IV, Sean Dobson of Progressive Maryland and Kendel Ehrlich as we delve into the issues of the day -- including but not restricted to the David Letterman/Sarah Palin controversy.
If you're outside of signal range, you can go to WBAL.com and click on the "Listen Live" icon. I guarantee you'll have a good time.
Today's featured comment was actually a request. Somebody who calls himself Orsulakfan (aren't we all?) saw my entry on the mammoth home run by Russell Branyan last night and wants the list of the other homers that were as long or longer at Camden Yards. As always, your wishes are my commands.
1. Darryl Strawberry (NYY) -- 465 feet (Mike Mussina) on June 17, 1998.
2. Pedro Munoz (Oak) -- 463 feet (David Wells) on May 25, 1996.
3. Jeffrey Hammonds (O's) -- 460 feet (Erik Plunk) on Sept. 15, 1997.
4. Mo Vaughn (Bos) -- 457 feet (Randy Myers) on July 7, 1998.
5. Eric Davis (Det) -- 452 feet (Arthur Rhodes) on Sept. 26, 1993.
6. Juan Gonzales (Tex) -- 450 feet (Mike Mussina) July 26, 1992.
7. Manny Ramirez (Cle) -- 450 feet (Jamie Moyer) Aug. 14, 1995.
8. Russell Branyan (Sea) -- 450 feet (Brian Bass) June 11, 2009.
Associated Press photo
Manager Dave Trembley and Koji Uehara disagreed on the impact of the short rain delay that interrupted the game in the third inning, though Uehara gave up three runs after he returned to the mound.
"I would think the rain hurt him,'' said Trembley. "That's easy to say because he gave up those three runs after the delay."
"I would say it was (the Mariners),'' said Uehara through interpreter Jiwon Bang. "I thought they came out and were more aggressive."
Trembley didn't dance around the offensive slump that seems like it will never end. The Orioles scored two runs in the first inning off former teammate Garrett Olson, then waited around for the M's to battle back. It has become a familiar pattern.
"It's a particularly difficult pill to swallow because we know we have a lot of good offensive players on this club and we're just not getting it done,'' Trembley said. "It's tough for everybody. When it rains it pours. I think you stay with your guys. You back them up. There's not a whole lot else you can do."
The Orioles are giving away floppy hats to the first 25,000 fans 21 and over on Friday night, which may be why they are calling it Floppy Hat Night, though it could just be an amazing coincidence.
In the interest of public safety, I acquired one of the reversible floppy hats in advance and tried it on in the press box tonight. I think it will be fine for normal-sized heads, but one size apparently doesn't fit all. Even the Orioles public relations staff thought I looked like Mr. Met, and they gave it to me hoping to get some publicity for the giveaway.
This, by the way, is part of a series of blog entries in which I test items around the ballpark. I test-drove the $11 crab pretzel on Wednesday night. It was a little pricy, but it tasted way better than the hat.
Russell Branyan's mammoth home run to center field in the seventh inning traveled 450 feet, tying it for the sixth-longest home run in the history of Camden Yards. There actually have been eight homers that have traveled 450 feet or more, but three of them have been measured at exactly 450 feet.
In other words...boom!
Nick Markakis has been automatic lately, and not in a good way. He just flied out to left field with runners at second and third in the bottom of the fourth inning to come up empty for the second time tonight with runners in scoring position. In his second at-bat, he popped up with a runner at third in the second inning.
The scary numbers: Nick has not had a run or an RBI in his last 10 games and has not had a home run in his last 18 games (not including Thursday night).
The entire O's offense has treated former teammate Garrett Olson respectfully. They've gotten eight runners on base in the first four innings and have managed to get just two of them all the way around.
The Orioles are starting to push their young pitchers up the ladder. Jake Arrieta and Troy Patton are headed for Triple-A Norfolk and Brian Matusz is expected to make his next start for Double-A Bowie.
Matusz has been on a terrific role at Frederick and pitched four scoreless innings tonight against the Lynchburg Hillcats to extend his scoreless innings streak to 27 1/3 innings. That game was in a rain delay after four the last time I looked. Matusz has given up just two hits and struck out seven.
Matusz update: The game between the Keys and Hillcats eventually was postponed without becoming an official game, so Matusz does not get credit for those four scoreless innings. His scoreless streak reverts back at 23 1/3. Guess he can pick it up in Bowie next week.
Here are the Orioles last 20 picks in the 2009 First Year Player Draft, which ended earlier today:
RD (PK) Name........Pos...School.............Hometown......DOB......HT..WT..B..T...Scout
31 (926) Flacco, Mike 3B Catonsville CC Audobon, NJ 01/17/87 6’5 220 R R Albany
32 (956) Nadolski, Matthew LHP Casa Grande HS Petaluma, CA 02/06/91 6’2 185 L L Keller
33 (986) Naquin, Tyler OF Klein Collins HS Spring, TX 04/24/91 6’1 165 L R Morales
34 (1016) Clapsaddle, Malcolm RHP Oviedo HS Geneva, FL 09/10/90 6’2 170 R R Martin
35 (1046) Lucas, Jeremy CA West Vigo HS W. Terre Haute, IN 01/10/91 6’2 190 R R Dorsey
36 (1076) Firth, Scott RHP Adlai E. Stevenson HS Buffalo Grove, IL 04/20/91 6’0 170 R R Szymkwski
37 (1106) Rogers, Taylor LHP Chatfield HS Littleton, CO 12/17/90 6’3 175 L L Gillette
38 (1136) Dowdy, Josh RHP Appalachian St. U. Raleigh, NC 01/18/87 6’1 190 R R Viola
39 (1166) Alexander, Kevin RHP Taravella HS Coral Springs, FL 05/04/91 6’0 160 R R Martin
40 (1196) Shore, Robert RHP Palomar JC Oceanside, CA 01/27/89 6’0 175 R R Ralston
41 (1226) Magleby, Mason RHP Del Oro HS Loomis, CA 04/29/91 6’1 190 R R Keller
42 (1256) Velleggia, Joseph CA Old Dominion U. Monkton, MD 07/23/88 6’6 235 R R Albany
43 (1286) Decater, Brad SS Cuesta College Sammamish, WA 12/28/88 6’1 190 R R Kubski
44 (1316) Westwood, Kyle RHP Palm Harbor Univ. HS Tarpon Springs, FL 04/13/91 6’2 170 R R Martin
45 (1346) Rivera, David OF Francisco Oller HS Cantanto, P.R. 03/20/91 6’0 190 L R Albany
46 (1376) Swinson, Scott RHP U. of Maryland Ellicott City, MD 03/11/88 6’1 185 R R Albany
47 (1406) Martz, Nolan RHP McKendree College East Alton, IL 02/24/88 6’5 230 R R Szymkowski
48 (1436) Burnaman, David 3B San Jacinto JC Sugarland, TX 03/06/90 5’11 165 R R Morales
49 (1466) Bulluck, Ashley RHP South Broward HS Hollywood, FL 05/13/91 6’9 270 R R Martin
50 (1496) Berry, Timothy LHP San Marcos HS San Marcos, CA 03/18/91 6’2 165 L L Ralston
Dave Trembley is giving Aubrey Huff the night off in an effort to help him pull out of his offensive slump.
"He deserves a day off,'' Trembley said. "Huff's a heckuva hitter and a heckuva run-producer. I'm giving him a mental offday."
There's a joke in there somewhere, but I'm going to lay off Huff, too. He had a terrific year last year and got off to a good start, but he looks tired and frustrated, so a day off might do him good.
Trembley also gave Matt Wieters the day off, which was curious since he appears to be starting to hit, but Dave explained that the catching schedule is laid out well in advance and tonight was a Gregg Zaun night.
"Zaun is familiar with Koji (Uehara),'' Trembley said. "This is a good time for him to catch."
Dave, however, dodged questions about Uehara's pitch count tonight after speculating that he would probably be in the 75-85 pitch range in his first start back from the disabled list (hamstring).
"Kranny (Rick Kranitz) will let me know,'' he said, "I think we'll just watch him and he'll tell us. Not verbally. Just by watching him pitch."
Seattle Mariners
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Russell Branyan 1B
Adrian Beltre 3B
Ken Griffey DH
Jose Lopez 2B
Yuniesky Betancourt SS
Wladimir Balentien LF
Guilermo Quiroz C
Endy Chavez CF
Garrett Olson LHP
Orioles
Brian Roberts 2B
Nick Markakis RF
Adam Jones CF
Luke Scott DH
Melvin Mora 3B
Nolan Reimold LF
Ty Wigginton 1B
Gregg Zaun C
Robert Andino SS
Koji Uehara RHP
