if there is a worse base running team in the league I don;t know who it is. i've watched two socring opportunitie ruin a great outing by hernandez. what a shame. whoever is in charge of teaching baserunning to these guys should be removed tonite!

Why is Mora so high in the lineup? He appears to come up again and again in important situations - and is a limited asset as a low average, no power hitting corner infielder. If we're not supposed to win yet then please bring up Snyder (or anyone) and let them cut their eye-teeth...

I don't blame Trembley for many things. But baserunning is on the list.

I know it's hard defending some of the decisions tonight, but I'll try. Reimold and Izturis didn't have a chance to score from second, as they had to make sure they didn't make an out.

Izturis should have probably waited for the ball to clear the infield before trying to steal home, but the Yankees traded a run for an out. Not a big loss there.

Brob slide to home, would have been a great play. When you play against the Yankees sometime you have to force the issue, especially in the night where you have to fight the umpires as well. Poor game calling by the home plate umpire.

Pete,

As frustrating as games like this are . . . its good to see the development of someone like Hernandez. We have 2/5 of a really good future rotation already in place.

I'm pretty sure most people won't question Trembley's yank of Hernandez tonight, though he certainly didn't look tired. It was the textbook move - rookie pitcher in Yankee Stadium.

Can't tell you how frustrating these baserunning blunders are getting. It's been pointed out that Izturis and Roberts were both thrown out at home, but Izturis didn't even attempt to evade the tag, and Roberts was evasive enough to miss the bag completely. That kills that Izturis didn't score on that play. There's no excuse for that. Forget that he was running and had his head down. That's what the third base coach is for. So either Juan Samuel wasn't talking or Izturis is out there - like many O's vets - making his own decisions on the basepaths.

Hey Pete,

There's no definitive way to know but what's your best guess for how many additional wins the O's would have right now had they signed Mark Tex?

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Pete's reply: Maybe four or five.

That's about as frustrating a loss as I've seen in a while. Chalk up another loss to the vets.

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Pete's reply: I don't know about that. The only play that was really frustrating was Izturis running in three directions on Roberts' double in the eighth. Don't know if he scores, but he can't do what he did. Otherwise, it was a pretty good ballgame that ended badly.

Has anyone else noticed that we've put together a very effective bullpen? Sherrill, Johnson, Albers -- they all have consistent roles now, and more often than not they're getting it done. Hendrickson lifetime is very effective up to 45 pitches or so, then downhill in a hurry. It's great to see DT and RK getting the most out of him, and out of everyone. A real bright spot amid the dark ones.

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Pete's reply: Hard to feel too good about it after a walkoff home run.

Here we go again. The game was lost due to lack of timely hitting. You have to push the runner from second base with nobody or one out. The O's didn't do that several times tonight.

Please, somebody find Jimmy Johnson a good sports psychologist. How can a sinker-baller give up clutch home runs?

Thank u Mr Izturis. Way to look for the 3rd base coach on BR's dbl. You should have scored on the play. Just another example of a player not doing what players learn in Little League. Too bad he can't be fined for stupidity. This is not on DT. Just another example of how to lose a ball game by a player making an unacceptable mental error..... Good job Mr Hernandez . Too bad another Veteran player had his head stuck up his .....

I don't blame JJ. We should have gone ahead and Sherill would have been in there. JJ was being extended because we didn't get it done at the plate (Markakis) or on the bases (Izturis). It's time for DT to go. How the team plays fundamentally--which includes baserunning--falls on the manager. Time for his head to roll and maybe these guys will wake up realizing they cost this guy his job.

Terrible baserunning even though Izturis beat the tag,he should have scored on the ball hit by Roberts.And Roberts should have slid feet first and taken the pitcher out,he didn't even know where the baserunner was.Another case of wasting your best pitcher left in the bullpen,Sherrill,to let Johnson pitch to a lefty.Result,another loss,another case of poor situational hitting,managing,and pitching.And it's not the rookies making the mistakes for the most part,that's the sad part.Juan Samuel has been horrible at third base all year.If Brian Roberts had headed for home when the ball bounced he would have scored.Unbelievable,unless you watch the same thing happen night in and night out and nothing done about it.Here comes the slide,Here comes the slide,it's only Juky and here comes the slide.

Yeah, the ending hurts, but we had every opportunity to score a run or two. As it was, we asked the pitchers to give us a shutout. Hitless nights happen, and can't be avoided, but dumb base running decisions are a tough way to lose. (Picture Don Knotts as Deputy Barney Fife, shooting himself in the foot every time he draws his gun.)

I don't really get why people on here keep asking for Trembley's firing. Will that motivate guys that are vets and making millions of dollars in guaranteed money to start hustling and to think on the field? Trembley's fine for now. My problem is with veteran players not hustling and leading by example. I do question Trembley's lineups though. Not sure how anyone at this point in time can bat Huff cleanup, Mora 5th and Scott 6th. I get the whole lefty-rightie thing, but why in G-d's name would Huff be hitting 4th and Scott 6th? And what has Melvin done in the last ... um, 2009 ... to warrant the 5th spot in the order?

Alright. I'm frustrated as much as everyone; however give the O's some credit. They pitched well, they played hard in hostile territory but came up short. We lost to the hottest team in baseball on the road. Did you really expect to win the game before it started tonight? They battled the Yankees and the umpires all night long. When you force the issue it could go either way. You have to be aggressive and try to make things happen on the bases. I'm not a DT fan, but I think DT made the right moves. I don't think I would have felt more comfortable with Sherrill instead of JJ. Timely hitting is the key. We did not have it tonight. Let's get them tomorrow.

Go O's

Burt from Essex makes a point I was also considering. Why didn't Roberts take out Coke at the plate instead of sliding around the bag? He beat the ball. Would've love to see a little Charlie Hustle on that play, minus the Ray Fosse injury.

"Picture Don Knotts as Deputy Barney Fife, shooting himself in the foot every time he draws his gun." Hahaha...

OR... Chevy Chase running the bases!

More base running errors, no clutch hitting and a loss to the Yankees. You start to feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. There really is no need to watch, the outcome is pretty much a given with only the final score being in doubt.

It is sad being relegated to playing the role of the Washington Generals to the Yankees Harlem Globetrotters. I am hoping this starts to change in 2011 or 2012. We should have the talent, if we can just stop shooting ourselves in the foot by then.

Hernandez showed something tonight. He battled hard through the first two innings and threw close to 60 pitches. It looked like we were going to be in the pen real early. Instead, no hits and just 1 walk over his last 4 innings. Outstanding stuff.
A tough loss to be sure, but if we can get that kind of pitching most nights, we will be a winning team.

How about they go out and get a couple of corner infielders?
The teams way ahead of them -Yanks, Sox, Rays- have serious run producers at those positions.
You figure the minor leagues are stuffed with enough arms for the next couple of years. They ought to be able to get 2 starters out of the guys at AA and AAA.
Why should it surprise anyone that they lose the game on a home run? This team has trouble keeping the ball in the ballpark.

But if all they do the rest of the year is pitch better, that's a giant step.

It's wasted breath talking about the bad baserunning.

I'm not a Tex is a saviour guy, and its tough to figure his worth in extra wins. But a switch hitting first baseman with some power and 65 rbi's replacing that clunker currently playing 3rd base, and all of his 3 homers and 20 rbis would be nice to see. And you think the guys hitting in front of him don't see more good pitches? And he plays pretty good defense. Put Huff at third and you might have another 50 runs or so.

jim66:
I happen to agree generally. I think Peter was being a little cheap saying Tex would only have given us another 4-5 wins. See, now normally that's the case. But in the hypothetical case that Tex replaces Mora, you're looking at more like 8 to 10 wins. It's almost a half-run differential a game in ribbies.

Of course, Melvin still would have been on this team. Wigginton likely wouldn't have been. So you're probably replacing Wiggy, not Mora.

Regardless, until the O's have a legitimate shot at contending, or more likely, after several years of contending, the O's will just be the bargaining chip for the premium free agents. And you can expect more Vlad Guerrero and Mark Texeira disappointments.

But at the end of the day, I was happy they didn't sign Tex. This was a rebuilding year in the true sense. That's why guys like Reimold and Wieters are getting their shot instead of guys like Eaton and Moeller. And that's when you don't go and sell the farm, even for a guy like Tex.

i think it would be a good idea for dave trembley to start fining the players who mess up like izturis did in tonights game. have a certain amount depending on what blunder they do in a game.the players union would most likely object,but something has to get these guys straightened out.

The pitching is coming along but the lineup is still suspect and especially so against left handed pitching. There are not many bats in that lineup that scare too many people especially when only Luke Scott has the only descent on base percentage on the whole team.

When is DT going to realize that Huff, Mora, and Scott in the middle of the lineup against lefties is killing us?
I'd like to see:
Roberts
Reimold
Markakis
Scott
Jones
Huff
Mora
Wieters
Izturis

Reimold has a great eye and should see a number of good pitches in the 2 hole. Jones is clearly more of a power hitter and should get more RBI opportunities at the 5 rather than Mora.

Yeah this loss sucked and its gonna be a start of a very frustrating week for O's fans. Hopefully I am wrong but tomorrow we will be talking rich hill getting tagged for 5+ early and who knows what on Wed. If the O's Come home with 3-6 record or better I will be happy . Hey at least we are winning on Sundays !!

I would not be too hard on the hitters. They have been putting up with some bad pitching for a long time. It does not help when the expectations for the season are setup very low to begin with. There isn't a whole lot of motivation to go out there and win. They have seen leads evaporate due to bad pitching. Don't forget we had something like 30+ come from behind wins last year. It has become apparent that the team doesn't seem to get both good hitting and good pitching too often. I don't know how much of it is mental, how much is managing. I have the feeling they are trying too hard feeling the pressure from all sides.

I have a cost saving idea.... get rid of the third base coach... they obviously don't need him...

Am I the only one that would like to see some Oriole take a Pete Rose style dive for the plate instead of the wimpy tries for a tiny piece of the plate slide? I bet the pitcher in Brob's case drops the ball. And at worse feels a little pain.

We all know it's very difficult being an Orioles fan, but how would we all like to be a Royals fan right about now? Pitching for KC in tomorrow's doubleheader - Sidney Ponson and Bruce Chen. Wow.

Jon:
Fantastic post. Makes me feel a little better being a Jewish O's fan in Crabtown.

Hey Pete,
When do you think the times gonna be up for Hill and Berken? I would presume it will depend on our record on this road trip. I like Guthrie , Bergesen and Hernandez to stay and if we want to end the year on the upswing now would be the time to give Hill and Berken their final auditions ( For Now) so we could get maybe Tillman and maybe Waters or Patton?

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Pete's reply: It can't be much longer, depending on their performance over the next week or two.

I think the players are so keyed up about baserunning mistakes, they are a little gun shy and wanting to be careful.

We lose 2-1, not a bad loss. Could have been a win, but not like we got killed out there. More positves in the loss than bad things.

Pete -

Hope you are getting and feeling better.

Part of the frustration is the baserunning. We are 6th in BA, 12th in runs, and 23rd in SB. Gotta think more attempts = more pressure on pitchers = more aggressive play overall = more runs. (Glad to see Jones steal a base tonight).

We see the bad baserunning almost every night. I hope Dave benches Izturis for 1 game; shouldn't he look for 3B coach? Sitting him one night for Andino is no big loss.

We should have won this game, Pete. We need to learn how to win these games before next year. If the O's are stressing fundamentals, let's see it and reinforce it.

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Pete's reply: I agree, they don't know how to win, but I'll cut them just an ounce of slack on last night's weird baserunning. That diagonal wall in the right field corner obviously is hard to read for visiting baserunners. Still, Izturis never even tried to pick up the third base coach.

I am so tired of the base running errors that the O's have committed. This is a joke. I am so tired of Dave and the "play the right way" speech, as maybe he should call out Juan Samuel, instead of Felix Pie. Juan, is a lousy 3B coach. I don't say that because of tonight's game, he hasn't impressed me at all with his decisions of whether or not to send the runner, over the last couple of years. He might be great with the fielding, but he sure as hell doesn't belong as a 3B coach for a MLB team, although some might argue the O's are a 4A team.

I am tired of seeing the Orioles living with pitchers who can't go more than 5 or 6 innings. No wonder the bullpen gets beat up! Hernandez, like many power pitchers, throws way too many pitches. He won't be an effective starter that way. He could, however, be developed into an excellent closer with his power fastball and biting curve. If he throws 20+ pitches to close a game, who cares?

And Rich Hill should be tried as that left-handed specialist who comes in just to get out one or two left-handed hitters. With his curve ball, he might excel in that role. Koji too can't go more than 5-6 innings and should be used as a middle reliever or setup guy. That could give us 3 excellent additions to the bullpen without costing the O's a thing.

So move Sherrill and Huff and Baez and anybody else that will bring value in return. The starting staff of Bergesen and Guthrie can be bolstered with Matusz, Arrieta and Tillman. What the hell are we waiting for? And for God's sake quit pulling these young guys in the minors after 4 or 5 innings because of a stupid pitch count. Stretch them out so they can go at least 7 or 8 innings. You want a good bullpen? Don't ask them to pitch half a game every night!

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Pete's reply: JIm, I think you want to give Hernandez time to be developed into an effective starter. He's only had a handful of major league starts and he went long in the minors a lot.

Good point, Pete, but I still think a power pitcher like Hernandez may be best suited to the closer role, assuming he has the mental makeup to handle it. Power pitchers tend to break down when used as starters (except for Nolan Ryan, and he was exceptional in other ways too). See how Pedro Martinez was affected, and Josh Beckett encountered problems too. Jonathon Papelbon excels as a closer, and Joba Chamberlain might have been better served if kept in that role. Power closers are all the more effective when they relieve starters who were throwing in the 88-91 mph range. Throwing at 96-98 mph just takes too much out the arm & shoulder if thrown 100 times every 5 days.

I think Hernandez has tremendous potential, but his value may be greatest to the organization as a closer. It appears that the O's may be very, very close to an embarrassment of riches in the pitching department, so new roles may be required for some pitchers. And I still can't figure out why Rich Hill isn't being tried in Jamie Walker's former role - as the left-handed specialist that gets out just one or two left-handed hitters late in a game. I'd surely give him that tryout before unloading him. Curve balls like his aren't often seen.