Good call guaranteeing that the O's break out of the offensive slump before the end of this series. I imagine that Trembley would love some more of those - maybe even a special one for Sundays. Can you cook up something or does changing the outcome of future sporting events violate your independence?

Think you hit the nail on the head...Sunday jinx...what exactly is their Sunday record over the past year or so?

The only chance they have of winning gainst Lowe is if Trembley doesn't go to his vaunted Sunday lineup.And especially if the foul ball off of Adam Jone's leg is worse then it first apperared,which was bad enough.And I feel bad for Rich Hill,a horrible umpire behind the plate and a bloop that Nick markakis should have caud=ght cost him the chance at a decent start.A defensive miscue,when he didn't call Roberts off the ball,he could have caught it ,and another baserunning blunder against the guy who has had more outfilld assists in baseball since he's been in the majors didn't cost us the game,finally.But at some point somebody has to be accountable.We have decent talent but we don't have Boston/Yankee talent which means we can't afford to make those same mistakes night in and night out.Tonight it didn't cost us,but it usually has and will continue to haunt us until it gets fixed.

We are going in reverse order from when Reimold got called up. Next it is Huff's turn for a homerun.

Please no Sunday lineup! Regulars all the way.

Brad Bergesen has been the most mature looking rookie pitcher since Moose was here. He may get lit up on Sunday or in another start, but he seems to improve from batter to batter, and the biggest thing is that when he does make a mistake, he can shake it off. In the past, those were things that killed D Cab and Olson.

I really hope that Matt will be doing the catching, as it's pretty clear that these two guys are on the same page.

Pete, I know we aren't at the midway point, but any chance of a blog dedicated to the players rating from your perspective? With all the new guys, I am curious to see what you have to say since you have more access to the scouts, players and coaches than we do.

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Pete's reply: Let me give that a little thought.

Pete,

You were right about breaking out, but let's face it, we are not scoring off Lowe. We'll score only 1 run in 7IP off him my friend

Pete, if Jim Palmer won't take the coaching job then who would? It is not a jinx that the O's lose every Sunday. Look at the lineup that Trembley puts out there on Sunday. It is a joke that he puts out 4 or 5 bench players in the lineup religiously every Sunday. The only way the O's will start winning on Sunday is with a new manager, or if the current one has brain surgery and realizes that the team has a better chance to win with the starters. I am not even going to watch the game as soon as I hear the lineup will include Pie, Wiggington, Salazar, and Zaun. That is 4 bench players that will start. Also, Andino would count if Izturis were not still feeling ill. Why even show up on Sunday?

last night before the orioles came to bat in the bottom of the 7th the oriole "bird" mascot was heard yelling from the top of the dugout...I'M SPARTACUS! and the orioles scored 6 runs in the bottom half of the 7th. a major turning point in orioles history. it's good to be the bird.

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Pete's reply: I wasn't at the game, but I heard somebody yell that in the seventh on MASN. I thought it was Dempsey.

Yeah,Bergy has to step it up today and claim the ace spot by beating Lowe.Hope there aren't too many Sunday subs in the line up today.I expect Pie to play for Jones today though.It's pretty much carved in stone Wieters will get the day off despite him and Bergy working well together.There's an off day tomorrow, Wieters can rest then.

Orioles slump can be attributed to many things, lack of hitting, and lack of quality pitching both are obvious. However, when I see time and again bone head plays like Mora repeatitively being thrown out while stretching an additional base with one out in a big inning, against a right fielder who has a cannon for an arm, hits the nail on the head, although lacking veterans, the teams so called veterans head's aren't in the game. Your right all things aside Millar was a leader, like Ripken, althought not the best, very good at what they did, they understood the value of teaching the youngsters "the right way" to approach the game.

It will all depend on if Dave Trembley putts all the bench players in the lineup, as is the custom.

Good Day Mr. Schmuck,
Speaking of the offensive slump, back when everyone was clamoring for Matt Wie to hurry to the majors, I made the point that he needed to be super comfortable before the next jump. I still think that he was bought up too soon, another month would not have hurt his chances. Though he had found the other levels very easy to handle. Matt was not "tearing up" AAA. His avg. is going up. but he doesn't look that focused or comfortable in his at bats. Maybe he needs a little more bench time. Zaunie was getting his stroke down pretty well. I think the kid needs to soak in the MAJOR amount of info needed to complete at this level
The one thing I don't like was mentioned by Jim P. last night. He does not leave the mitt up long enough for the pitcher. He actually flicks the glove and then pulls it back. In contrast, Zaunie has gear that shows where the plate is. I am hoping that the Kid will use the valuable knowledge that Gregg has to offer. Maybe Rick D. Could give him some pointers as well. He has great potential both as a hitter and a catcher. He still has a long way to go.

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Pete's reply: Wieters seems to be settling in. I wouldn't expect him to be as polished as Zaun right now. Hopefully, he's getting a lot of help with the subtleties of the position.

I'm starting to think that the biggest need the O's have right now is that team leader you've been writing, and talking to Palmer about. This team has already given up on this season, despite having enough talent to at least be respectable if not in contention. They play like it's spring training and the games don't count because they've already resigned themselves to finishing last and maybe being good next year. Since there doesn't seem to be any verteran on the team that has that killer instinct and it's not fair to ask any of the rookies to take on that job, that leaves either the manager or picking up a FA who can fill the role. I like Trembley, but it's clear his strength is developing players, not being a motivator. So, is there anyone coming up for FA that might fill the role of team leader?

Pete: great article on how there is nobody on this "team" stepping up & keeping things loose in the club house& busting their tails off on the field. The quote by Palmer is right on the money...these guy's have to figure it out themselves...they need to do it one at bat, one extra base & one run at a time & once they do that, they need to want more.
When the club house is that quiet & there is nobody keeping players loose...they all want to get away from that atmosphere asap & head out & away from the park & that is not a good thing. When things are going well, the team has won a few games in a row & the hits start falling & the pitchers are making their pitches...all of a sudden the house comes alive & players enjoy sitting around goofing off , having a few beverages & making plans to head out together as opposed to blowing out of the players lot without as much as a wave to the fans, who despite all the losses...keep coming back.
Last thing regarding Palmer's statement...last night with 2 out in the top of the ninth there was a fly ball toward the line in right & Nick made a pretty good effort to catch it. He didn't & the ball fell harmlessly in foul territory. The play happened right in front of us...the problem is, if he had dove he probably would have made the catch...however, even if he didn't, the "effort" to end the game with a play like that would have really given most of us a reason to believe that this type hard nosed play is what we can look forward to as opposed to...oh well, someone else can do it. Not a big thing I guess...just business as usual these days.

yes sir i agree. Last game of a series and on a Sunday to boot, against an ace. The starting lineup itself will be interesting to me. I bet i'm the only one who would like to see Pie start over Nick today. Hey an aside thought: Does anyone remember when Earl Weaver used to bat Royle Stillman leading off as shortstop for away games, and then replace him in the field with Belanger in the bottom half of the first inning?