Man, I hope Huff is ok. Great comeback indeed, something about those 4 run leads I suppose...

Is there such a thing as a reverse game ball? If so, Jose Lopez is our man.

Hope Huff is OK? Did I miss something? This comeback is what keeps Orioles fans coming back for more. Oriole Magic

Sweet win!

Pete, where is Buck Martinez? I've been really enjoying Jim Palmer, but miss the twangy color analysis.

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Pete's reply: They just split up the season and Buck wasn't on the trip.

I'm certainly not going to complain about a victory, but Pete, does Trembley have something against the bunt or do his players just refuse to use it?

4th inning, down 2-0, runners on first and second with no outs and Zaun coming up...I know it's still kind of early in the game, but to me, that's a text book bunt situation. Instead, Zaun gets out, and what could have been a sacrifice fly by Andino, wasn't.

What gives?

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Pete's reply: I don't know. Zaun should be able to bunt those guys over, but this is not a good bunting team. They had Andino try to sacrifice the other day and it was ugly.

That's one feel-good win!

Wow!

I'm somewhat impressed with these come backs--I'd be more impressed if they won the other games, in which they build a four run lead.

This is the goofiest baseball team I've ever watched. They go from being one-hit, then pile on 12 runs, then look like the same knuckleheads at the plate and on the base-paths, only to come back against a hot closer for 5 to win it.

Goofy, man.

Any reason why Huff continually gets picked off base? It isn't as if he has any speed.

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Pete's reply: I wasn't there yesterday, so I don't know if there was some kind of play on with him there, but it was another potentially disastrous baserunning mistake. That run at third was pretty important, but they ended up getting it anyway.

Come on Pete, this win was gift wrapped. We didn't win it, it was given to us! Of note Hernandez pitched a decent game, except for that one pitch. He and Bergy seem to be two spots in the rotation and if Guthrie could stay focused once he gets two strikes on a hitter we would be 3/5ths of the way to a decent rotation!

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Pete's reply: There's some truth to that, Keith, but in baseball, there's always that yin and yang. Give them credit for being into the game at that point enough to create the action that led to Seattle's bad reaction.

Pete - I have to agree with Keith R.
We didn't exactly win the game as much as it was given to us . Not to sound negative , but I guess a win is a win nevertheless .

I have been hard on this team's fundamentals, or lack there of, recently, but that 9th inning for Seattle was brutal. Just like the O's gave up a few on this trip, the M's gave us this game. Good on the O's for continuing to send batters to the plate in the 9th. Gift wrapped win.

Back to the bunting theme...are they a bad bunting team because they don't practice, it's not an AL thing, or do they just not have the skill?

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Pete's reply: All of the above, I think. They do practice, but it's not an AL thing and they are not very good at it.

Pete: I think if the O's were entertaining the idea of shopping Sherrill for some nice prospects...that chance has essentially evaporated with the Blue Jays just releasing BJ Ryan.
If I'm a GM looking for an experienced left hander...I'm probably more willing to grab Ryan & hope for the best as opposed to giving up some real talent for George.
Last thing...Salazar has done the job & deserves to stay & play wherever Dave can fit him in. I think he's far more valuable to us as a very good role player than the 24 year old AA player hitting .267 he'll bring in.

That was sort of like some NL ball on DT's part. Very well done actually. Very happy that we have those kinds of versatile guys so that we can pull that kind of stuff off. Props to the FO.

and this:

Has anyone noticed that Huff is pretty much worthless this season? He's got a .330 OBP, a .430 SLG, 9 GIDPs, and now he has 6 caught stealings without a single stolen base.

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Pete's reply: Yeah, other than being 11th in the league in RBI and playing a pretty decent first base, he's pretty worthless.

Posted by: Bryan | July 8, 2009 7:36 PM
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I mean do people have memories of a Nat? Seriously, stats, folks. Look at them once in awhile. While you're at it, only click post once. It will go through!

How does BJ Ryan dry up the closer market? He's been absolutely hammered. That's like saying there is no lefty specialist trade market because Jamie Walker is still available. Letting him (Ryan) go through FA is probably the only good bullpen move the old regime made.

Anyway, this team just can't bunt. I remember listening to Joe Angel belabor that fact when Andino popped one foul and got lucky. Then he just went and popped one fair and got out. You could just hear him literally getting sick to his stomach on air.

On a positive side. How about Trembley after the ejection? He is officially The Man in my book for basically putting his money where his mouth is on taking the officials and the haters to task. THAT is what can motivate a team searching for a leader. God that was awesome.

When is the last time you have seen Markakis, or Jones, or Reimold drive the ball with authority? Sure Jones and Markakis are scratching out a few hits here and there but the major league scouts now have the book on these guys and they are not adjusting. My point is they had better be careful throwing away Salazar and Pie in some sort of trade for prospects. In my opinion, Pie and Salazar bring a lot to the table and should be rotating in and out of the lineup more. You get rid of these guys and Markakis, Jones, and Reimold continue as they have been for the last month you are really going to see this team take a nose dive. What do you think Pete?

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Pete's reply: The problem here is, you've got to find a roster space and -- I agree -- those guys are useful. But if you have to choose between Pie, Salazar and Izturis, either Pie or Salazar may have to go. That said, I would be very disappointed if they sent out Salazar. He has really added something off the bench.

Well, it was a gift, but at least the O's were able to unwrap it this time.

The O's took advantage of what they were given in the 9th. Yes, an error here and there keeps an inning alive and allows for a rally. That's part of the game. What would have been worse is if the O's could not take advantage when the bases were loaded. They still had to drive in the runs and Sherrill still had to come out in the 9th to complete the save. The O's won the game by not giving up and taking advantage of their opponents mistakes.

Also, any truth to the rumor of getting Josh Fields? I would not give up Salazar for him. They need to deal Pie and get a reliever. If they can bring up Tillman and Arrieta to solve the rotation problems, all they need then is to hold them and bring Sherrill in at the end for the save. As critical as everyone has been, the numbers are there.

Pete--Do we have a Charlie Finley celebration going on here?

Will the Birds be warming up with orange baseballs next?

Hey, the mustaches are working.

Beards and long hair, any one?

The seventh inning stretch song: "Give me a head with hair...."

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Pete's reply: Really didn't take you for a Cowsills fan.

~~Letting him (Ryan) go through FA is probably the only good bullpen move the old regime made. ~~

Joe Jordan!

oops, sorry Barry. I missed the word bullpen and was saying that Jordan was the best move the Flanny regime made but it obviously doesnt apply as a bullpen move. sorry

~~Hope Huff is OK? Did I miss something?~~

he got caught in a rundown and did the splits awkwardly. Slow getting up and walked off kind of gingerly but then came in for the last of the ninth.

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Pete's reply: He suffered a slight groin strain. Don't know if he's in there tomorrow night.

The key to being a winning team is being consistent, something this team isn't (yet).

The pitchers need to pitch well; the hitters need to hit well and Trembley needs to make decisions well on a consistent, day-in, day-out basis.

If you are consistent, you don't need big late-inning rallies to win, and you don't lose games that you have 3-4 run leads in.

They can't just play hard, they have to play well.

While its exciting to see them come from behind and win a few games, its just as frustrating (and angering) to see them lose games they should win.

A good team doesn't need a special motivation to win because they consistently play well.

That consistency starts with the starting pitchers getting deep into games and pitching well.

The old adage is that momentum in baseball is only as good as the next day's starter.

I'm sure Thursday's blog comments will be full of praise for Angelos for letting BJ Ryan walk away in 2005...

Well said Ed, it's all about starting pitching. Doesn't take a genius to figure that out. We can nitpick all we want about baserunning, the manager's moves and the lack of a killer instinct. But it's amazing how all that stuff gets pushed to the backburner if you have 3-4 or very good starting pitcher, which I hope the O's will in 2010. I am surprised Berken is getting another start. I would think he better pitch effectively Friday or he could be sent back.

As the eternal optimist, it was hard not to be feeling down when Nick struck out in the 7th with the bases loaded and no one out against Olsen, and Ty grounded into a double play.

But, then the ninth. And Melvin was the guy who started in off with the opposite field double.

Pete--When we enjoy these times I can't help but celebrate the chorus of "Let it Ride":

"You never know."

What a strange game baseball is. You lose your first 34 games when trailing after 8 and then all of a sudden, you are beating legitimate closers with multi-run leads. Look at the guys this team has beaten. Rodriguez, Papelbon, and Aardsma had been close to perfect. They are just so streaky. Either streaky good, or streaky bad. They seem to feed off one another which is good when things get rolling but when things go south, it seems no one can get it started. Think of last week against the Sox. They go on a run Wed. night, then continue that for the first few innings before going completely cold and losing the game the next day. This series they are ice cold, then explode, then shut out again for 8 and explode in the 9th. Weird!

By the way, Peter, can't you delete the posts when someone posts multiple times?

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Pete's reply: Yes, I am doing that, but I've been indisposed, as I explained in the most recent entry on the main page.

First time all year I thought Dave really messed one up badly. After Oscar singled in the 9th to load the bases with none out, Dave should have waited to pinch run Pie. Leave Oscar on first in case Adam grounds into a force out. The only thing you get by pinch-running immediately instead of waiting until after the next batter is the ability to score on a double. Sure, if Jones rips one to the wall, Pie scores when Oscar wouldn't, but there's plenty of chance that Jones hits a groundball and Pie is forced at 2nd. At that point DT has burnt a bench player for nothing.

Mostly, I think Dave has done a nice job this season, but I thought he managed that one poorly.

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Pete's reply: Interesting point, but it was the tying run and if Adam does double and Salazar ends up stranded at third, Dave would have gotten hammered.

Yes you did miss something... Huff strained his groin and did not come out in the bottom of the 9th..... I really love baltimore sports, but get really annoyed with the "FANS" that do not seem to know much about the teams or games... yet they always feel compelled to post their thoughts or call into The Fan and waste folks time....

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Pete's reply: Well, in this case, it was my fault because I didn't follow up last night.

Good win for the O's. On another note have you seen the article by Jerry Crasnick on our outfield? I found it a good read and thought the rest of you would enjoy it if you haven't seen it already:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=crasnick_jerry&id=4309422

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Pete's reply: Yes, I did and I should have posted the link on the main page. I'll do that soon.

Hang on Pete -- I can't let you get away with defending Huff by simply mentioning RBI figures, as if that negates all the other problems he's had. RBI is more of a team stat than an individual one to begin with.

The poster you commented on has a valid point -- Huff is pressing at the plate, with a significant decrease in power numbers, and has been abysmal on the bases, truly terrible. He's 30 points lower than last year in OBP, and over 120 points lower in Slugging percentage (!!). He's already grounded into more double plays here at the halfway point than he did all last year.

I'm not saying he's a bum or we should dump him. Just pointing out that I was hoping for more than "plays a decent first base" from him, as he's making something like $8 mil this year. The base running blunders are just stupid mistakes. He needs to get his head on straight, or maybe just stand on the base and not move until the ball is hit. This team can't afford to waste outs in such a stupid manner, especially since he's absolutely no threat to steal anyway!

I'm hoping he has a better second half, and looses the 'stache.

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Pete's reply: I was responding to the comment that he was "worthless." I think being 11th in RBI in the league, at the very least, absolves you of being worthless. I never said he was Albert Pujols.

You only like to choose stats that make certain players look good? Huff plays a power hitting position. Only than RBIs which he is 4th amongst AL 1B, his stats aren't very good for 1B. He is 2nd in ABs batting behind guys who have been on base fairly often (Jones, Roberts, Markakis).

Excluding guys who don't play 1B often in the AL Huff is:
13th in OBP
11th in slugging
10th in avg
And his baserunning has been inexcusable. I'm not saying he shouldn't be starting but for a 1B his numbers are at best avg and in many categories in the bottom 1/3 of 1B in the AL.

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Pete's reply: Again, the guy said he was "worthless." That garnered my response defending him and I stand by it. He isn't a perfect player by any means, but he has played better than advertised at first base and drives in a lot of runs. The baserunning stuff is a side issue, but a real one for several members of the team.

Two things
1. thank god for the Bedard pitch count yesterday.

2. Thank the mariners for giving us a win today with a few errors.

A win is a win though , I don't feel guilty for taking it hopefully we can get some good momentum going into the break!

Let's give credit where credit is due, however let's not call this game a comeback. This was a gift. I don't think I have seen a worse 9th inning. Of course there is the Mother's Day massacre, but those hits were earned, not like tonight where the Seattle second baseman basically was playing for the wrong team in the 9th.

Pete, you were talking about the O's lacking a killer instinct which I agree with 100%, but they also don't build off momentum. They played so well before the 1st trip to Seattle and Oakland which looked on paper, to favor the O's, but didn't. The next road trip to Florida after the sweep in Philly, ended up being a nightmare so what are the issues? Pete, is it really playing away from home, the rookies or do you think they overlook teams? I know the last part sounds impossible in how can the O's overlook anyone, but they seem to be up for the games against the big boys, they might not won them, but they are in them. It's frustrating.

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Pete's reply: I think they are just an inconsistent team, which is not surprising with the personnel -- young and not-so-young -- on this roster. There's no way to explain how they had four four-run leads in a five-game stretch and blew three of them. That doesn't happen, especially with a decent offensive team that should build on a lead like that once in awhile.

I think the umps should have called a balk on the pitcher that picked off Huff. After watching the replay you can definitely tell. I hope Huff is OK and he doesn't end up on the DL.
Although that would postpone the Pie/Salazar situation a couple more weeks.

With Huff hobbling, I'd like to see more of Salazar at 1B this week... before we do our annual 'trade him for a PTBNL'.
Go BaySox!

Pete,
I know Tillman on the verge of the show. Can you remind me of the rules on Service time. Is there a particular date that would allow the Orioles to maintain more service time for him?

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Pete's reply: No, not really. If he comes up this year, they would have six more years of reserve starting next year. If they wanted to extend that, they'd have to hold him back until late April next year. I doubt that will happen.

As this team gets more experienced and plays all 27 outs like they did last night, road trips like this will start looking a whole lot different. They're not losing becuase of lack of talent, but because they often don't do the little things they need to do to win. A pitch here, a throw there, smart baserunning, all the cumulative stuff winning teams do well. When they do this, they are competitive and usually win games. When the fundamentals break down, they lose. They're close to a tipping point here. Pitching has to continue to develop as well.

Two things to read between the lines here. one, with Trembley complaining about the calls against Boston last week, two things need to be reminded to those who forget. It seems the better teams make their own luck and get those calls. Having said that, never forget that the league needs and wants the spankees and blow-sox to do well. It sells the game to TV and the masses when these teams win. It is not a coincidence that the yankess are near the top in walks every year. it's not institutionalized coaching, it's a benefit of playing for the team the league wants/needs the most to win for ratings. Same with the sox..There may not be any memo issued but it is understood by all, even the umps.

As for Ryan, the O's tried very hard to sign him as they offered just alittle less then the Jays, so stop saying the O's made the right call, they were willing to overpay him anyway, just not as much as the jays were. Ryan's greed exceded our ability to sign him just like messina left "to win".... 13 mil wasn't enough he loved it so much in Bmore, he had to have 15 mil...How many world series rings you got from the spanks mike -ZERO!!! both players say they wanted to stay and the O's offered better then market deals, so it doesn't bother me that somebody else spent too much money on guys that in the end helped them very little to succeed. Personally ,I hope Adam lowen can't hit a curve ball ! Now get Scott, Sherrill and Huff signed while the market is down because our minor leagues have no new players left that can help us in the next year at these positions. they are at least 2-3 years away with maybe, only maybe synder ready to compete for a job sooner. As the pitching grows and inproves and develops, you still must field another competative 8 and an average Huff is still better then what we have. GO O's !!

Think it might be worth offering BJRyan a minor league deal in hopes that his TJ surgery will be overcome eventually (see Baez?) Might be a help down the road.

I don't believe Pete said Huff was having a great year.. he just said Huff wasn't "worthless" as the poster suggested

With the trade deadline approaching, I would like to see the O's trade Huff for a few top prospects. MacPhail knows how to build a team and the future is bright with all of the young arms in the minors. Oscar Salazar could be given the opportunity to play first and we'll find out if his numbers this season with Norfolk and with the O's translate on an everyday basis.

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Pete's reply: I'd be surprised if they could get anybody significant for Huff with free agency three months away.

This is totally unrelated but BJ was just released I know most people point towards other competing teams, but we have no lefty specialist if for cheap any chance on him getting back in an O's uni. How much of they have to pay of his old contract?

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Pete's reply: He's like Eaton. The club would owe just the prorated minimum salary...about $200,000 for the rest of this year.

I hope Huff's brain cramp heals fast.

Pete, do u know if many teams have been calling and asking about huff?

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Pete's reply: I do not know that. I'll try to talk to Andy this weekend if I can get out there.

Agree w/ posters - Salazar should have played more so far; maybe he gets chance now w/ Huff dinged up. If they dl Huff now he only misses like 9 games w/ the off days and the all star break. Let him heal.

Pete: Can you maybe post an instructional for the dummies who post here that Don't know not to click 4 or 5 times so their post clogs up the entire joint multiple times with their moronic ravings?

Ummm...Thanks.

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Pete's reply: I've tried, but it's partly because the software doesn't react quickly all the time. Generally, readers figure it out after it happens once, so there's really no way to tell them in advance not to keep hitting the button. I suspect the one guy who did it recently did it on purpose and I deleted all his entries.

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Pete's reply:

Let's please slow the run 37-year old Melvin Mora out of town talk and give him a little credit for the win. He started the 9th inning rally and made a great bare-handed do-or-die play behind 3rd base. If we resign him it won't be for 8 million a year and if we don't it should be because we are upgrading with someone like Chone Figgins who would bring game-changing speed to the top of the lineup. To downgrade defensively merely to add another home-run bat doesn't make sense on a team whose stated methodology is to win with pitching & defense. If he stays merely flip-flop him to the #2 spot and Adam Jones to the RBI position. At least we will have a #2 hitter who can lay down a bunt.

I agree Cameron. Mora is an ideal 2 hitter; he's better when he's shooting the ball into right center field as he did twice last night w/ authority. That was promising. Lets hope he gets just half as hot as he did last year, and yeah he should be back. His defense seems to get better every year.