Pete,

Whats the chances Garrett Olson gets a W tonight?

Guthrie is going to continue to get hit hard until he figures out he needs to change speeds. He throws virtually everything at 93-94 mph. He should probably dump his slider and use his curve ball and changeup a lot more, giving him 3 different pitches at 3 different speeds.

why is the focus on Guthrie? Why was the focus on Hill a few days ago when he went 2/3 of an inning but the bullpen shut down the Athletics? Is Trembley afraid to criticize the incredibly anemic offense? Once again, the Orioles swing at every borderline pitch and some beyond - Markakis swung at the first pitch in the first inning after Jones had just walked on 4 straight, and hit ball 1 to the centerfielder. Jones, Scott and Andino in particular swung at both ankle high and shoulder high throws. Mora almost fell down swinging at a ball that nearly hit him in the ankle with a runner in scoring position. Every team goes thru this, but to slam the pitcher/staff for not throwing a shutout seems counterintuitive and unproductive. But thats the company line, and Dave will toe it.

Good old boy dave t said he just hung 2 curveballs. Well guess what he leads the league in hung curveballs 16.But don't fear dave t put a postive spin on things when he said the other guy just pitched great, it's never we just are leaving to many man on base,Pete by the way do you know where david steele and rick maese are located. We sure do miss them around here. There is way to much home cooking around here for me IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.

Why get rid of Guthrie? He's 30 and has yet to throw 500 ML innings. Not the same a dumping a 38-year-old lefty specialist. Heaven help Tillman or Arrieta if they get leashes as short as that. If the team was hitting we could have won 6-4 last night, and all would be peace, love, and understanding. The O's have 3 starters with 5+ ERA and are in last place. The Red Sox have 3 starters with 5+ ERA and are in first place. The Sox have a better bullpen and a more consistent lineup. The O's have a ways to go yet, and shedding Guthrie isn't going to get them there.

If Guthrie pitches the exact same way last night and the O's win 6-4 instead of lose 4-1, then this morning we would talking about what a nice bounce-back performance it was coming off the Oakland outing. It's amazing how this offensive funk has put so much pressure on the pitching. You make two bad pitches and you're dead.

Perspective is difficult when, after 11 losing seasons, your team is in last place, ten games out, and on a pace to win 69 games on June 11.

It is hard to watch these games. The team is in the the middle of a batting slump of biblical proportions. The players themselves display losing body language. And it's only June. The manager appears to be in another dimension, spinning each loss as character building.

We are left to ponder the progress and success of the increasing infusion of youth to the roster. Yes, the team is getting younger, but not better. Prospects are merely prospetcs until they go around the league a few times. A young team is nice. A winning team would be even better.

My 401k may recover faster than the Orioles.

It's really hard to watch these games.

someone commented on guys swinging a low pitches. last night the home plate ump was calling anything low a strike. some of the pitches seem to around the ankles almost. but it does seem that the o's are a little anxious at the plate forgetting they have 3 strikes to work with instead of one or two.

It sems to me that when the O's were an offensive machine, they were first or second in WALKS drawn....now they're 2nd FROM THE BOTTOM. And as one sees Jones, Scott, Huff swinging at anything that moves, one can see why. I hope they remember that Olson doesn't throw the ball over the plate and wait him out tonight!

Seems like everyone pitches a great game against the O's lately. Either that or they are making a lot of pitchers look a lot better than they are. Our starters have gotten a little better but if they have to throw a shutout every time in order to have a chance at a win, they won't even come close to 70 games this year. I don't remember ever seeing a team that had such a potent offense just a little while ago, fall so completely flat up and down the lineup.

I think the piling on Guthrie is a little unfair. We all know he's not a legit ace. He knows it. He's what we have, and oh by the way, he's really cheap.

He went 6 innings and gave up 4 runs. As I listened to the game, when he hung a slider, my first response was, "Guthrie sucks." But really, he (usually) eats innings and needs to figure out his head.

None of our pitchers would have won tonight with an offense scoring ONE run. That's where the trouble is right now, not the starting pitching. Making Guthrie the scapegoat just ain't right. I hope he gets it figured out.

Oh, and trading him wouldn't yield much at all. Especially after his statements regarding "mental" issues.

Any word on whether or not Mike Flacco got picked up yesterday?

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Pete's reply: The Orioles drafted him today in the 31st round.

Peter,
Have you heard of anything on the Orioles interest in Miguel Sano? I would think this would be a primary front in the Orioles supposed vamp up of their International scouting efforts, similar to how the Os invested into Uehara to establish a foothold in the Japanese baseball community. Would signing him also be a public message that the Os are serious about signing international undrafted Free Agents.

I am suprised to have heard nothing on this in the Sun, but hear some word from other affiliates in other cities about the Orioles interest, esp. since Stockstill saw a tryout and he is regarded as a elite prospect.

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Pete's reply: I don't know how deep they will be in this, but they clearly are interested like everybody else.

Jim--Right you are about Guthrie's dire need to change speeds. Until he does that, he's an Iron Mike.

A tip for posters: Putting things in all caps does not make your point any stronger. It makes you look like you just discovered the 'caps lock' key and you are a MORON.

The offense is struggling right now and when hitters struggle they expand the strike zone and doubt their eye. The young guys will have these growing pains but watching Mora, Huff and at times Wiggeton flail at poorly thrown pitches is sad. I hope they trade Guthrie, Sherrill, Mora, Huff and anyone over 28 who is not part of the youth movement.

onceawarrioe - I saw the O's take a few borderline pitches that were called Ks. I can recall Markakis striking out looking at one. I think Jones may have as well (or at least he struck out subsequent to a borderline picth being called a K). Even in the 9th, Weiters took a few on the corners both called Ks. I though the zone last night was large and made the guys swing. With that said, clearly the offense is slumping. However, I see signs it is ready to bust out. Roberts is heating up and he is the catalyst. Weiters has back to back multi-hit games. I hate to sound like Trembley, but the offense will come back.

Hey david fisher and who the heck are you telling anybody that they are a moran and giving tips.