So far, the only thing that feels like it's on vacation is my self-discipline. I tried to get through the drive from Los Angeles to Fresno yesterday with only one stop at In-and-Out Burger, but you probably know how that ended.

Badly?

Tastily?

Well, both. If you've had the No. 1 combo from In-and-Out, you understand that I had to make the second stop in Bakersfield. Now, before you show your ignorance and joke about what else there might be to do in Bakersfield, you need to show a little respect. The town may be the butt of some jokes in California, but it's the birthplace of country music legend Merle Haggard and was the home base of fellow country star Buck Owens.

If you want a less upbeat travelogue. Bakersfield was also the site of the infamous Onion Field murder, which was chronicled in the best-selling novel by Joseph Wambaugh and a 1978 movie starring James Woods, John Savage and Ted Savage.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (126)
Categories: Schmuck being Schmuck
        

Apparently, I've grown bored with the Orioles' winning streak, because I'm at the airport getting ready to board a flight to Los Angeles this morning. Everybody deserves a little time off once in awhile, and it has been awhile.

I'll be attending a college reunion at my beloved Cal State Fullerton and visiting family. I'll also be bringing my golf clubs along, just for show. The highlight on my drive from the LA airport to Fresno will be a stop at In-and-Out Burger. Hopefully just one, but you never know.

See you on the left coast.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (90)
Categories: Schmuck being Schmuck
        

When Brett Gardner's soft ground ball hopped over the glove of Cesar Izturis in the ninth inning, you were thinking the same thing that I was: How many weird, screwed-up ways are the Orioles going to find to blow leads in the late innings.

Except that it didn't happen. Alfredo Simon was forced to pitch to Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez because of that fluky hop, but he wriggled out of the jam to record a tough first save as the Orioles closer-apparent.

"With all the stuff we've been through in the first 19 games,'' said manager Dave Trembley, "that ninth inning was a piece of cake."

That's two wins in a row and a 2-2 record in the first four games of this tough 12-game stretch against the Red Sox and Yankees. So far, so good.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (50)
Categories: Just baseball
        

My sleeper pick for last year's Opening Day roster was left-handed reliever Wilfrido Perez, who had a very good spring and made me look smart even though he did not stick with the major league club.

Unfortunately, he struggled with arm soreness last year in the minor leagues and has been erratic this spring, which is why the Orioles designated him for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for the promotion of Alfredo Simon to the major league club.

Perez appeared in five games for the Bowie Baysox this month and allowed six earned runs (10.80 ERA), so the Orioles may be able to pass him through waivers, but it still leaves you to wonder. How often do you see a left-handed pitcher with a 2.59 career ERA in the minor leagues get DFA'd.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (40)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes was on the ropes in the bottom of the second inning after he walked in a run and came face to face with Adam Jones with the bases loaded and one out, but Jones got him off the hook with a sharp double-play grounder to third.

It was the kind of missed opportunity that has characterized the Orioles' early-season collapse, and it looked like the Yankees would come home to roost when Kevin Millwood found himself in a similar situation in the top of the third.

Miguel Tejada booted a sharp grounder to allow a run to score and the Yankees loaded the bases with one out for Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano, but maybe the fates are getting tired of dumping on the O's. Rodriguez hit a scorching line drive, but right at Tejada, before Cano flied out to right field to end the inning.

It's all square, 1-1, in the bottom of the third.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (29)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Don't get me wrong. I want Brad Bergesen back in the major league rotation as soon as possible, but I want the 2009 Brad Bergesen who drove hitters crazy with his great command and beguiling pitch selection, not the guy whose confidence took a beating in his first three starts of 2010.

That's why I wonder if it's too soon to bring him back to face the Red Sox on Saturday, even after a solid start for Triple-A Norfolk that seemed to show that he had corrected some issues with his mechanics.

You saw his face as he walked off the mound after his last start. He was clearly confused and devastated. I don't know if you get your confidence back with one minor league performance, and I don't know if you're going to get it back facing a team like the Red Sox in your first game back.

If I was making the decision, I think I'd throw somebody else out there for a spot start and let Bergesen wrap one more minor league lineup around his finger before bringing him back.

Of course, that's problematic because the Orioles are not going to bring Jake Arrieta up for one start and send him back, so they would have to go to a lesser option. That's why it looks like they'll rush back Bergesen.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (75)
Categories: Just baseball
        

If you're waiting around for the other shoe to drop on Dave Trembley, I think you might be waiting for awhile. There hasn't been any indication from the front office the past few days that anything is imminent, and I'd be surprised if Andy MacPhail would throw a brand new manager in front of nine games against the Yankees and Red Sox.

Of course, anything's possible when you've won three of your first 19 games, so don't take my word for it. I just think that the Orioles are, by nature, slow to the trigger on these kinds of things, which is probably a good thing. If you really think Trembley is to blame for this miserable start, you're probably not watching the games close enough.

I'm not saying that I agree with every move he has made. If you read this blog regularly, I have taken issue with the way he has handled some pitching decisions and I would have liked a more demonstrative reaction to Julio Lugo's jog-out on that broken-bat ground ball last week, but this early collapse is the result of three major factors -- the bullpen, the flat offensive performance and injuries.

Two of those factors, in my opinion, were totally out of Trembley's control. He didn't put this bullpen together and he didn't kick Brian Roberts and Felix Pie in the back. He doesn't swing the bats for these guys either, but I think responsibility for the offensive performance of a team does come under the manager's job description. It may not be his fault that the club went 1 for its first 40 at-bats with runners in scoring position and two outs, but it happened on his watch and he gets paid to take that heat.

Can Trembley hold on?

I wouldn't rule anything out. If MacPhail already had somebody lined up to replace him, I don't think he would wait around to see how things turn out over the next nine games. So, I do believe the club could buy him some time with a decent performance over that period.

What are the chances of that? Based on the past three weeks, not very good, but the O's did pile up 31 hits the past two games, so maybe they are ready to make up for some lost time at the plate.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (164)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Maybe it's appropriate that the Orioles finally won a game at the moment when it looked like they were about to find another way to suffer a devastating loss. Cla Meredith, who owned the distinction among active pitchers of making the most career relief appearances without a save (271), came on to get the final two outs of the 10th inning after the O's came within a hit of blowing a three-run lead in extra innings.

The Orioles should have won the series at Fenway Park, but lost yesterday's game after getting 17 hits. They had 14 more today, which could be an indication that the are ready to break out offensively, but the Yankees may have something to say about that when they open a three-game series here on Tuesday night.

How does this play in the front office? Does one win buy Dave Trembley some cover? Only Andy MacPhail knows the answer to that, but I'm guessing everybody will be on alert throughout the offday tomorrow.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (110)
Categories: Just baseball
        

It's interesting to watch the way hitters approach knuckleballer Tim Wakefield. I've heard them describe facing a good knuckleball as "trying to eat soup with a fork," but I'm always amazed at how eager they are to swing at it.

If you're watching Wakefield, who is the reigning knuckleball king, you probably have noticed how many of the K-balls he throws that end up up out of the strike zone, yet the Orioles hitters keep finding themselves in a two-strike count where they have to swing at the one that dives into the dirt.

Maybe I'm just an armchair warrior, but I've been counting strikes and balls -- based on location and not outcome -- and I think the best strategy is to stay completely off the knuckleball until there are two strikes. I'm guessing Wakefield would be behind on the count a lot more and would have to go to that 74-mile-per-hour fastball to keep from walking a bunch of guys. I could be crazy, but it sure seems like swinging at the knuckler early in the count right now is an exercise in futility.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Though I understand the logic of removing Brian Matusz from tonight's game after he allowed two baserunners in the seventh inning, I've reached the point -- and I bet Matusz agrees with me -- where I believe he deserves a chance to get out of that jam. Once again, a pitcher gets taken out because he hit the magic 100-pitch count, but I thought the idea was to make these guys go farther into the game.

The fact that Matusz walked a guy and gave up a hit doesn't mean that he's not the best guy to pitch to the next batter, especially when the O's bullpen has given Dave Trembley little reason to be confident that the game isn't about to blow up in his face -- as it did again tonight.

I'm sure Trembley just wanted to make sure that Matusz didn't lose the game after pitching so well for that long, but I bet he'd rather have his fate in his own hands than in somebody's else's right now.

It isn't Trembley's fault that the bullpen can't nail down a game, but at some point he's going to have to find out if Matusz is good enough to get out of a late-inning jam. If not tonight, then when?

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (117)
Categories: Just baseball
        

I've been a little preoccupied with the NFL draft and some other obligations today, so I'm just getting up to speed on the Orioles. Can't say I'm surprised at the roster move today, since Justin Turner had not provided an offensive spark and Miguel Tejada's return made an extra utility infielder unnecessary.

Rhyne Hughes deserved the call up. He made a real nice impression on the coaching staff during spring training and he was swinging the bat well at Triple-A Norfolk. He's still swinging the bat well, as evidenced by his RBI single in his first major league at-bat tonight and a second hit in the game.

Now, if Brian Matusz can just hang onto this slim lead. The Orioles have scored first a lot this season, but they have a bad habit of just scoring in one early inning and then waiting around until their opponent whittles the small lead away and wins at the end.

If the O's don't score some runs, I suspect it will happen again, but I'm trying real hard not to be fatalistic, no matter how logical that might seem.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (48)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Ravens coach John Harbaugh dropped by the press room earlier today for a casual conversation with reporters during the fourth round of the draft. He, like everyone else in the Ravens braintrust, has been immersed in the team's draft machinations for days, but he took some time to give the writers and broadcasters some perspective on the final day.

That's one of Harbaugh's real strengths. When he's in the middle of game prep, he isn't going to let anything mess with his focus. But when he has a moment to let his hair down, he's a charmer.

Here's the thing that impressed me most about him today. Even though the discussion was about the draft and the outlook for the Ravens -- and all of us were thinking entirely about football -- he made a point to ask me how Dave Trembley is holding up. I doubt Harbaugh has ever been associated with a team off to as bad a start as the Orioles, but he clearly sympathizes with a fellow coach who has had fortune turn against him in so many ways.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)
Categories: Just football
        

Ozzie Newsome and Eric DeCosta just finished their post-draft news conference, and tried to allay concerns about top pick Sergio Kindle. Newsome said that Kindle could speak for himself about a couple of off-the-field incidents over the past three years -- which he did during his conference call -- and Ozzie denied that there is any concern that Kindle's knee could require more surgery that might cost him his rookie season.

Newsome said at the outset that the Ravens were very pleased with all three players they acquired -- Kindle, run-stopping defensive lineman Terrence Cody and tight end Ed Dickson.

"At the top of our list were five players,'' Newsome said. "We got three of those five players. We not only got players we like, we filled some needs. We wanted to get younger on defense. We needed a pass rusher. Sergio can do that. We wanted somebody to stop the run. That's what Cody can do. We only had two tight ends on the roster."

DeCosta kept it simple.

"We got guys we wouldn't want to play against,'' he said.

When the draft resumes tomorrow morning, the Ravens have four picks remaining in the final rounds.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (38)
Categories: Just football
        

Linebacker Sergio Kindle just talked with the Ravens reporters on a conference call and tried to explain a recent automobile incident in which he drove into a building.

"That was just some texting and driving,'' he said.

Guess the Maryland legislature passed those cell phone laws just in time.

Kindle also explained that his 2007 DWI was a stupid decision to get into his car after several drinks.

"I feel things happen for a reason,'' he said. "I think I've learned from those mistakes...I think those incidents made me smarter."

Some teams were concerned about the condition of one of his knees, which may explain why he slipped well into the second round. He has had several medical procedures on the knee in question, and was not particularly direct when he was asked whether he might need more work on it.

"When I get there, I'll let them take a look at it,'' he said. "I feel I can go practice right now."

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: Just football
        

If the outlook for the Orioles tonight wasn't bad enough, consider that Jeremy Guthrie has pitched pretty well in his first three starts, as evidenced by his 3.15 ERA. Even though he's 0-2, you have to wonder if the law of averages is lurking behind the Green Monster.

Meanwhile, Jon Lester is an uncharacteristic 0-2 with an 8.44 ERA, which tells me he's due to pitch well, especially since he always seems to pitch well against the Orioles.

The pressure is on both teams and both pitchers. The Red Sox are trying to fight their way back from a very slow start and we all know the situation for the Orioles. They need to win the series at Fenway Park to buffer speculation about the job security of manager Dave Trembley. Good luck with that.

Tonight's game is the first of 12 straight against the Red Sox and Yankees. Good luck with that, too.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (52)
Categories: Just baseball
        

When the Rams took Indiana offensive tackle Rodger Saffold with the first pick of the second round, it probably didn't impact the Ravens' plans for the 43rd pick, but the Vikings used the second pick of the round to take Virginia cornerback Chris Cook, a player who is thought to have been on the Ravens' list.

The early consensus in the Sun war room has the Ravens looking at Alabama nose tackle Terence Cody, because the Ravens have had so much success with second round picks with the surname Cody.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Just football
        

I'm sure that a lot of Ravens fans were disappointed that Ozzie Newsome chose to give up the first-round pick for a boatload of draft picks, but they're probably going to feel a lot better when the names start popping up Friday night and Saturday.

Ozzie and Eric DeCosta wanted to regain some draft position lost in the Anquan Boldin deal, and they succeeded in recovering some middle-round picks that improved their original position in those rounds. They'll have seven picks over the next two days, barring a deal to move up from the 43rd pick in the second round.

Obviously, there were some players taken just ahead of No. 25 who would have been attractive, but once they were gone, the Denver deal made sense, especially with the Ravens finding themselves in an auction situation that late in the first round.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (38)
Categories: Just football
        

It wasn't as crazy as last year, when the Oakland Raiders selected Maryland receiver Darius Heyward-Bey with the seventh pick overall, but they again went with a counter-intuitive choice in inside linebacker Rolando McClain with the eighth overall pick. He figured to go no earlier than 11th and could have gone in the middle of the round.

That doesn't make it a bad pick, but you have to figure -- like last year -- that the Raiders could have picked up a late pick by trading down several slots and probably still getting McClain. That said, the conventional wisdom on the Raiders this year was that they would go with one of the top offensive or defensive tackles.

Too early to tell whether the ripples from that choice could impact the Ravens late in the first round, but the draft has already taken a couple of unexpected turns, so that's certainly possible.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Just football
        

Since our Ravens beat writer Jamison Hensley is too humble to blow his own horn on the Ravens Insider blog, I'm going to have to do it for him. His mock draft is perfect through the first six picks. If you want to play along with Jamison, you can find his draft predictions right here.

This reminds me of last year, when Sun football writer Ken Murray's first round mock turned out to be far more accurate than any of the big name television draft gurus. In short, our guys are pretty good.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just football
        

Just arrived at The Castle in Owings Mills for the NFL Draft, which will start in about 40 minutes. Barring an unforeseen trade up, the Ravens won't pick until late tonight -- probably around 11 p.m. -- but there's plenty of intrigue to keep everybody interested until then.

The ESPN guys are obsessing right now about Tim Tebow, who may or may not go in the first round. Jon Gruden, who worked with Tebow on his mechanics after his disappointing performance at the Senior Bowl, thinks that he can be a very successful NFL quarterback. Steve Young, a fellow left-hander, also was touting Tebow as a late first-round pick. Guess we'll find out soon enough.

The Ravens could go in a number of directions, of course, so it's just about anybody's guess who they'll take with the 25th pick in the first round. Everybody's got an opinion, so I'll give you mine. I think Ozzie Newsome will trade back a handful of slots and take Penn State defensive end Jared Odrick.

What's your guess?

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Just football
        

While we're all waiting for the first prime time NFL Draft and the other shoe to drop at the Warehouse, some interesting things are happening elsewhere in the wide, wide world of sports. Here are some of the recent headlines:

NCAA to expand tourney from 65 to 68 teams

This is a great step forward, because it means that the 66th best college basketball team no longer has to whine about being the No. 1 seed in the NIT. Now, the 69th best team gets to do that.

Brees chosen for cover of Madden 11

Great news for the Ravens, who will play the Saints well after Brees is put on Injured Reserve.

Cubs move Zambrano to bullpen

I probably don't have to tell you who was one of the top picks of my fantasy draft.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)
Categories: News of the day
        

Dave Trembley gave the Orioles a piece of his mind before yesterday's game, but he isn't going to have any peace of mind going into the upcoming weekend series against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

The Orioles offense remains in a state of suspended animation. Trembley put Lou Montanez in the leadoff spot and Lou singled in each of his first two at-bats against tough M's pitcher Felix Hernandez (17-2 in his last 19 decisions), but Ty Wigginton followed each of those hits with a double-play ball.

The O's still managed to get a run in the first inning, but were not heard from again, so one big swing from the Mariners in the fourth inning was enough to send the Orioles to 2-14 for the season and 1-6 for the road trip.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (165)
Categories: Just baseball
        

It's pretty obvious that Adam Jones hurt his right arm when he fell down in the batters box in the top of the fourth inning. He has been opening and closing his right hand in center field and rubbing his elbow and bicep.

The replay didn't show where he might have hurt himself. He didn't twist his arm when he landed on both hands in the box, but he must have jammed his elbow or shoulder. Judging from the way he's reacting in the outfield, it appears to be some kind of numbness or nerve pain.

Can't be too bad, because he made a catch and didn't have any trouble throwing the ball back to the infield, but I'm surmising a lot by watching his movements on the TV feed. Let's see if he plays the rest of the game.

One thing is certain. With Brian Roberts, Mike Gonzalez, Felix Pie and Miguel Tejada hurt, the Orioles can't afford to lose another key player for any length of time.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (59)
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NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has socked Ben Roethlisberger with a six-game suspension for his involvement in two tawdry sex scandals, though he apparently will be able to serve only four games if he keeps his nose (and his other appendages) clean. I guess that makes sense, though I felt Goodell should have been even tougher with Roethlisberger because of his stature in the league.

I realize that Big Ben wasn't charged with a crime in either case, but he certainly tarnished the image of the Steelers and the NFL with his scummy behavior, so I was hoping that he would be suspended for half the season without parole.

You're going to have to trust me that I'm wasn't hoping for that because it would benefit the Ravens. The four-game suspension will turn out to be will benefit them anyway, since they are scheduled to play Pittsburgh in Week 4.

Goodell basically cut the baby in half. There was speculation that he could have imposed anywhere from two to eight games. He obviously wanted to send a strong message to Roethlisberger, but he didn't want to completely change the balance of power in the AFC. I'm sure some people don't think that's important, but if he had banned Ben for half a season or more, he would have been severely punishing everyone else on the Steelers roster, too.

Associated press photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (64)
Categories: Just football
        

Today's featured comment comes from Jay, who hasn't gotten over the way I lectured Orioles fans for booing Michael Gonzalez when he took the mound for his first appearance as an Oriole at Camden Yards:

Jay's take: HEY PETER, How do you feel about BOOING now? I, for one, recommend it. Makes your powerless, humdrum, everyday life palatable. Besides, it helps to clear the sinuses, puts a spring back in your step, and the team knows loud and clear you're mad as hell and aren't going to take it anymore. Twelve years of losing and heading for thirteen will make even the strongest of us a member of the BOOBIRD CLUB. We have plenty of room. Try it. You won't be sorry.

Pete's reply: I've got no problem with booing, but if you read that particular blog entry past the first paragraph, you know I was ripping the fans for booing the guy in his first appearance when he had nothing to do with the last 12 years of losing. General booing is just fine. Booing guys who don't run out ground balls is just fine. Booing a new player in his first appearance at home, well, if you want to give big-time free agents another reason not to come here, just keep booing those kinds of guys and the message will get out.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (31)
Categories: Today's featured comment
        

If you stayed up all night last night, you probably noticed that I got a little peeved at the way the Orioles waited around for something to happen last night when they might have manufactured enough runs to keep David Hernandez from taking a loss he really didn't deserve.

Matt Wieters doubled to open the second inning and was still standing there three outs later. Ty Wigginton doubled to open the sixth and was still standing there whent he inning ended. In both cases, the Orioles were down by one run and stayed that way.

Should Nick Markakis bunt in that sixth-inning situation? Absolutely. He has been struggling with men on base and you'd be surprised how a productive at-bat and a few high fives going back to the dugout can lift your spirits.

It's not just a matter of playing for one run at this point. It's a matter of doing positive things to move the team in the right direction instead of wallowing in the frustration of one of the worst starts in the history of the franchise. When you bunt, you force the other team to make a play. When you bunt successfully, you force the opposing pitcher to pitch under the added pressure of having a runner at third base.

I doubt Markakis or Garrett Atkins wants to bunt in that situation, but I think we're way beyond the point of sparing anybody's feelings. Right now, this team needs to try to make it happen instead of let it happen. Doesn't seem like a tough concept to me.

Great line: I have to give Roch Kubatko a shout this morning for his comment on Julio Lugo, who jogged out a broken bat grounder last night. Roch was in the midst of making the point that the Orioles can't act like Earl Weaver is the manager and wait for the three-run home run, but he spun it to Lugo. "If he was, Lugo might still be carrying part of his bat, just not in his hand." Priceless.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (48)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Guess I'm just old-fashioned, but I'd like to see somebody in an Orioles uniform blow off some steam one of these nights. The aura of resignation surrounding the ballclub is becoming more obvious by the game.

The only way to get out of a slump like this is to fight your way out of it, but the only Orioles hitter displaying a pulse right now is Ty Wigginton, who continues to deliver big hits -- though seemingly in a vacuum.

It might be a little easier to understand if the Orioles were getting handcuffed by the best pitchers in the league, but they're getting dominated by everybody. It's not about the competition anymore. It's about confidence. It's about refusing to lose instead of waiting around for the other team to win.

This is where leadership would normally come into play, but the Orioles are a quiet, rudderless team that has grown too accustomed to losing.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (118)
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...it would seem that when your lineup is in an unprecedented funk and you're down by a run and you get a leadoff double -- as the O's did on more than one occasion tonight -- you might try to do something to move that guy over and put the tying run at third with one out.

Instead, they might as well have erected a statue at second base. That's on both the hitters and on Dave Trembley. If you're waiting around for a big inning to produce itself at this point, you've either quit or you haven't been paying attention.

David Hernandez deserved a chance to win tonight and nobody was willing to give up an at-bat for him. That's a damned shame.

Mariners 3, Orioles 1.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (42)
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While you're waiting for tonight's game to start at Safeco Field, you could take a look at my latest column on the Orioles -- which you can find right here. I've never seen anything quite like this start, at least up close, and I'm starting to wonder what it's going to take for something to go right.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (29)
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The Orioles officially announced that left-handed reliever Alberto Castillo has been recalled from Triple-A Norfolk to join the Orioles in Seattle. Castillo was one of the final cuts of spring training, where he had a 2.08 ERA in Grapefruit League action. His return to the majors was forecasted by Jeff Zrebiec late last night, but Andy MacPhail doesn't like to announce roster moves until the player has reported.

The move for a reliever made perfect sense, of course, since the Orioles won't need another starter until May 1. Theoretically, that starter could be Brad Bergesen, since he will have been down for 10 days, but the O's also could bring up Alfredo Simon or Jake Arrieta.

Instant update: Simon (1-1) looked good again tonight in a 2-1 loss to Gwinnett. He pitched seven innings and gave up just one earned run on six hits.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
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You had to figure the Orioles would have a short leash on starter Brad Bergesen, but I didn't think it would be quite this short. I said last night that I believed he would get one more start to try and straighten things out, but that start likely would have been against the Red Sox at Fenway Park, and I guess the prospect of that did not appeal to manager Dave Trembley and president of baseball ops Andy MacPhail.

If you don't already know, he was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk this morning. The corresponding move is pending, but that's only until reliever Alberto Castillo can get to Seattle today.

This is a sad day, obviously, for Bergesen, who was a Rookie of the Year candidate last season until Billy Butler's scorching comebacker in late July hit him square on the shin and ended his season. His comeback was further complicated by the shoulder strain he suffered during a commercial shoot in December.

There was always concern about how he would rebound, since he's a finesse pitcher whose mechanics have to be all but perfect to be an effective starter in the major leagues. Let's hope that he'll be able to work things out under less pressure at Triple-A Norfolk. He's a great kid and he got a couple of real bad breaks that he didn't deserve.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (97)
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The lopsided score is only deceptive in the fact that it was largely irrelevant. Mariners starter Doug Fisker was almost unhittable after hitting a batter and walking another in the first inning. Ty Wigginton made a key error in the seven-run third inning, but the Orioles offense never made Fisker or the Mariners sweat.

So much for that winning streak.

The good news: The Orioles are only 2 1/2 games behind the Red Sox.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (53)
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What has happened to Brad Bergesen during his first three starts is, for lack of a better way to put it, just sad. He clearly is not the same pitcher he was before taking that nasty comebacker off his leg last July and hurting his shoulder during that December commercial shoot.

He probably deserved a better fate tonight, since the double play that should have been made in the third likely would have kept the game close, but it was still his responsibility to minimize the damage in that seven-run inning.

Is it too soon to wonder about his job security?

Unfortunately, no. I think he'll get a chance to bounce back, but the Orioles are in no position to be particularly patient right now. I'm rooting hard for him to turn things around his next time out, because he doesn't deserve this, but I just don't know how long Dave Trembley can stick with him in the rotation with the team off to such a horrendous start.

Update: After the game, Bergesen was sent down to Triple-A Norfolk. "I think he's searching, to be honest with you," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said. "I think he's trying to find a comfortable arm slot, I think he's trying to get the ball down. He's just not able to do it."

Mea culpa dept.: Hey, how stupid do I look for questioning Doug Fister's mechanics during the first inning? Since he hit Ty Wigginton with a pitch and walked Nolan Reimold, he hasn't allowed a baserunner through the fifth. If he ends up throwing a no-hitter, I might have to turn in my blogspot.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (50)
Categories: Just baseball
        

The Seattle Mariners are pretty high on tonight's starting pitcher, 6-foot-8 Doug Fister, but you could see in the first inning how difficult it is for the tallest pitchers in the game to sustain solid mechanics.

Fister, who comes in with a 1-1 record and a 1.50 ERA in his first two starts of 2010, hit Ty Wigginton with a pitch and walked Nolan Reimold before getting out of the inning when Ichiro Suzuki made a shoestring catch on a line drive by Matt Wieters. But he pulled it together in a hurry and settled into a nice groove after that.

If you're looking for an example closer to home, gangly Orioles reliever Kam Mickolio looked overpowering at times last season and pitched well for a good chunk of spring training this year, but also has struggled with his command.

The best super-tall pitcher in history, of course, is Randy Johnson, and he wasn't immune to mechanical confusion early in his career. He led the American League in walks his first three full seasons with the Mariners.

Looking for the exception: Orioles reliever Mark Hendrickson has been able to keep his walk totals moderate throughout his career, but that might be because he is not a particularly hard thrower, relative to his height.

Of course, you don't have to be unusually tall to struggle with your mechanics. Brad Bergesen was hoping a small change in his arm angle would pull him out of an early season funk, but he just gave up seven runs in the third inning and put the Orioles way behind the eight ball. Bergesen has given up four home runs in his first 10 1/3 innings of work.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (41)
Categories: Just baseball
        

If you've read Cal Ripken's statement about the controversy that bubbled up over the weekend -- which you can do by just scrolling down a bit -- you might have noticed a few things.

First, he rebutted one aspect of Ken Rosenthal's FoxSports.com report Friday night about him supposedly offering his help to the beleaguered Orioles organization and allegedly being rebuffed by owner Peter Angelos. He denies only that Angelos told Cal that he did not want him to get too much credit if the team eventually turns around.

Nowhere in Ripken's statement, however, does he deny offering to join the front office and nowhere does he address whether the team refused any offer of help. That seems significant to me because it leaves open the possibility that he suggested some role with the team and was told that the timing of his return to the organization would not be right. From that, you could surmise all sorts of reasons why the Orioles wouldn't be ready to welcome him back in the midst of a horrible season-opening slump -- one of which would be the possibility of him getting undue credit when the team turned around.

Angelos already has been quoted denying that Cal asked for a job or was rejected. Cal's statement seems to leave open the possibility that a job in the organization could be forthcoming fairly soon.

This soap opera is far from over.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (105)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Cal Ripken was not available to immediately comment on the story that broke over the weekend claiming his offer to help the Orioles was rebuffed by owner Peter Angelos. Angelos already has commented on the situation, but here is Cal's statement -- released a short while ago by Ripken Baseball and Maroon Public Relations -- attempting to clarify the matter:

"In my baseball experience, rumors and stories seem to break when things aren't going well. Let me address recent media reports.

"First I want to say that Mr. Angelos never said that he didn't want me to get credit for any success that the club might have. That’s just not true.

"I have had a very good relationship with Peter for a long time. He has been an advisor to me, a great supporter of my foundation and it is because of him that we have an Orioles affiliate in Aberdeen.

"I have met with Andy and Peter on a number of occasions to discuss many subjects. Ultimately our discussions have turned to baseball, the Orioles and me. I have enjoyed those talks very much, and yes the subject has been broached about me potentially joining the organization. I look forward to those talks continuing.

"I have been consistent in my statements about a return to baseball since my retirement in 2001. With my son Ryan approaching the end of high school in a couple of years I have been thinking more seriously about a return to the big league game. I am more excited now to explore all opportunities and find the right situation that could lead me to the next phase of my life.”

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (20)
Categories: Just baseball
        

...the Orioles snapped that nine-game losing streak and averted a four-game sweep at the hands of the Oakland A's. Now, they've got to go to Seattle and keep swinging the bats and hope the starting pitchers continue to get the job done.

Stat of the day: Brian Matusz is now 2-0. The rest of the pitching staff is 0-11, but that doesn't tell the whole story. The rotation has been solid, for the most part, but Brad Bergesen needs to deliver his first strong performance of the regular season tomorrow night at Safeco Field.

What a series for Ty Wigginton, who drove in four runs today with a two-run double and a two-run homer. He looked like he was going to have trouble getting any playing time when the season started, but I've got a feeling he'll be playing every day for awhile.

Baby steps.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (96)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Maybe you can identify with this. I just watched the Orioles score three runs in the third inning and another run in the fourth to take a 4-0 lead over the Oakland Athletics, but I'm going to have to keep an emotional distance from this game.

I've been hurt too many times. You keep thinking that this is going to be the time that they don't let you down, and you keep laying your heart out there and then taking a sharp line drive off the left ventricle.

Not this time. I'm just going to assume the Orioles find some way to blow this game. I might even go to a movie. You can get along without me for a few innings. I've heard Ghost Writer is pretty good, but don't write in and tell me the ending. As long as it doesn't involve somebody giving up three runs in the ninth, I'll probably enjoy it.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (34)
Categories: Just baseball
        

First of all, I'd like to thank Fox for forcing Saturday's game between the Orioles and Oakland A's to be blacked out in the Mid-Atlantic region. The last inning sounded pretty bad on the radio, but at least you didn't have to watch it.

Secondly, my column on the Ripken/Angelos controversy is up on the Web site. You can read it in the Sunday print edition or just click here.

Today, by the way, marks the two-week anniversary of the opening of the regular season. I think the Orioles should celebrate it with a three-hit shutout by Brian Matusz. That's probably the only way they're going to get a win at this point.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (88)
Categories: Just baseball
        

The latest development in the Cal Ripken/Peter Angelos controversy can be found at ESPN.com, where Buster Olney has quotes from Angelos denying that anyone turned Cal down for a job in the organization and would welcome an offer from Ripken to join the front office in a supporting role.

If you want to check that out, click here.

Want to talk about it? I'll be on Sportsline at noon on WBAL (1090 AM).

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (113)
Categories: Just baseball
        

I'm still trying to get my arms around the story -- from Ken Rosenthal at FoxSports.com -- that broke last night asserting that an offer by Cal Ripken to join the Orioles front office and help with Andy MacPhail's rebuilding program was rejected by O's owner Peter Angelos. I'll be writing a column about the situation for the Web site and tomorrow's print edition later in the day, but we'll also be talking about this on WBAL (1090 AM) from noon to 3 on Sportsline. If you're out of signal range, go to WBAL.com and click on the "Listen Live" icon.

Maybe you can enlighten me about this. On one level, it seems a bit manipulative on the part of Ripken, if he's behind the story. On another, you have to wonder why he'd want to get anywhere near this team right now and why Angelos wouldn't welcome the public relations boost Cal would give his slumping club. Great fodder for conversation, which is why I can't wait for the show to start.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (25)
Categories: Just baseball
        

My former Sun colleague Ken Rosenthal has an interesting tale to tell over at FoxSports.com. He is citing several sources claiming that Cal Ripken approached Orioles owner Peter Angelos about a job with the organization assisting President of Baseball Ops Andy MacPhail, but the idea was rejected.

According to Rosenthal, Angelos told Cal that -- among other reasons -- he didn't want Ripken to get the credit when the Orioles finally return to respectability in the American League East.

It's an intriguing story that is going to light up the message boards and fuel more anti-Angelos sentiment among Orioles fans. Not that there is any shortage of that already. You can read the story right here.

Frankly, I don't know what to make of all this, but I can guarantee that you're going to hear a lot more about it over the next couple of days. Our guy Jeff Zrebiec has already made several inquiries, but we have yet to confirm the story.

Sun photo by Gene Sweeney Jr.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (146)
Categories: Just baseball
        

If this was the same time a year ago and Felix Pie was placed on the disabled list and replaced with Lou Montanez, most Orioles fans would have been dancing in the streets. Pie looked lost at the plate in his early games of 2009 and a lot of people were questioning the wisdom of Andy MacPhail forcing him into the starting lineup, but things have changed dramatically since then.

The case could easily be made that he was the most consistent offensive player in spring training and one of the few Orioles who still seemed to have some fire in his eyes after the club started its season-opening collapse.

So, of course he would be the guy to end up on the DL after Thursday night's road opener in Oakland with a strained muscle in his back.

Things really are going that badly. But who knows, maybe Lou Montanez -- who has been recalled to take his place --- can come in and inject a little life into the Orioles lineup.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (22)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Some of the posters here have been taking me to task for mentioning all the bad luck the Orioles have had lately. I'd like to stress that I don't mention that to make any excuse for them, since there is no excusing seven straight losses, a winless opening homestand and a 1-9 overall record, but I'm often amazed at how a slumping team finds ways to lose.

To some extent, of course, you make your own luck. The Orioles, obviously, are not a good team, so they already figured to lose more than half of their games. The difference between 4-6 -- which might have been expected -- and 1-9 is really just three bad innings, so maybe this season-opening swoon isn't really off the charts.

But that's not the point I'm trying to make here. The thing that amazed me last night was the way the Oakland A's suddenly morphed into one of the best defensive teams in the league -- making diving catches all over the field to keep the Orioles from getting a hit with runners in scoring position.

You never would have imagined -- unless you go to the MLB fielding standings -- that the Orioles actually rank third in the major leagues in fielding percentage and the A's rank 24th. In fact, only two of the 30 teams in the majors have made more errors than the A's so far this season.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (108)
Categories: Just baseball
        

For those who didn't stay up to watch the Orioles on the West Coast last night, well, that was a pretty sound decision. The Orioles continue to struggle with men on base and the Oakland A's had little trouble opening the four-game series with a 6-2 win.

If it's any consolation, Adam Jones had three hits -- single, double, triple -- and an RBI, but the Orioles did not get a hit with runners in scoring position. It's hard to win like that, as they have proven over the past 10 games.

The O's have got to be wondering if the whole world has been turned upside down. Just across the Bay on Wednesday, former teammate Aubrey Huff -- whose footspeed can only be described as glacial -- legged out an inside-the-park home run for the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (88)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Felix Pie looked like he hurt himself on a swing-and-miss in the seventh inning. He eventually walked and looked pained as he ran from first to third on a single by Adam Jones. He scored on a sacrifice fly by Nick Markakis, but appeared to be favoring his shoulder as he came off the field and went right to trainer Richie Bancells in the dugout.

He suffered a shoulder strain last week making a throw and missed a game. If he reaggravated it, he might be the next Oriole to join the early season parade to the disabled list. I realize it's too early to speculate about that, but the way things have been going for this team, it's getting pretty easy to expect the worst.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (29)
Categories: Just baseball
        

It's starting to look like the Orioles just have to wait until their luck changes. They got two well-hit balls with Adam Jones at second base in the top of the first inning, but Rajai Davis ran down a gapper by Nick Markakis and Kevin Kousmanoff made a terrific play to flag down the screamer that Miguel Tejada hit down the third base line and end the inning.

So, we're through the top of the second inning and the Orioles are now 0 for 3 with runners in scoring position.

Meanwhile, the A's get a leadoff hit in the first on a nubber by Davis and then catch a break when David Hernandez all but picks him off first, only to have him somehow evade the tag by Garrett Atkins.

The A's went on to put runners at second and third with no one out in the first and got two runs on a groundout and a fly out.

Is there some kind of pattern forming here?

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (44)
Categories: Just baseball
        

It's bad enough that you've got to suffer through the Orioles' horrific start, which is the worst since 1988, but tonight you've got to stay up until about 1 a.m. to see if the club finds some refuge on the road.

When I covered the team as a beat reporter, I hated the West Coast night games because you could barely get the score in the paper since they ended so late. But I also loved them because after you punched that score into the story you had to write during the game, you could walk out of the ballpark with the fans and have the whole evening to look for trouble on the boulevard.

It was even better for me, because I'm from the West Coast and had lots of friends to hang out with back then. I don't get out there much anymore, so I'll just have to live vicariously through my buddy Jeff Zrebiec, who will be covering all seven games in Oakland and Seattle.

What do you think the Orioles' record will be after that?

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (66)
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In what should not be a shock to anyone, the Orioles just announced that Kam Mickolio has been recalled to join the Orioles bullpen.

Kam will only be a week or so late to the party. He was projected to be part of the 25-man Opening Day roster, but was a little shaky at the end of spring training. He figured to be back at some point this season, but nobody expected the $12 million closer to go on the disabled list a week into the season.

I'm a big fan of Kam's ability. He throws hard and he's a big tall guy who can intimidate hitters. Of course, one of his strengths -- that big lanky body -- can also be a weakness. The real tall guys often have trouble maintaining consistent mechanics. Hope he figures things out in a hurry, because the Orioles need help on just about all fronts.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)
Categories: Just baseball
        

There is a small but faithful segment of the Schmuck Stops Here readership that, like me, is always looking for the next great ballpark taste sensation. And, when you're talking unusual concession food, the conversation is eventually going to find it's way to the West Michigan Whitecaps.

If you recall, I called your attention last year to the infamous "Fifth Third Burger" that was unveiled by the Whitecaps. It included 1.67 pounds of hamburger (or five thirds of a pound), nearly a cup of chili, five slices of American Cheese, salsa and Fritos on an eight-inch sesame seed bun.

Well, the giant burger -- which can be quartered with a pizza slicer to serve four -- got so much national attention that the Whitecaps have come back with some new gastronomical monstrosities this season.

My favorite is the "Declaration of Indigestion," a half-pound hot dog on a foot-long sub roll that is covered with the ingredients of a full-size Philly cheesesteak. I'm not a big hot dog guy, but I may have to make an exception if I'm passing through Grand Rapids, which could be any day now.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (19)
Categories: Schmuck being Schmuck
        

When the Tampa Bay Rays completed the three-game sweep at Camden Yards Wednesday, there was nothing for manager Dave Trembley to do but tip his cap to them as both teams headed out of town.

"Tampa came in here and played great,'' he said. "They got great starting pitching. They got big hits. They played good defense. Very good team."

Of course, what everybody wanted to hear was his opinion of his own team, which remained winless at home and is now 1-8 as it heads to Oakland and Seattle.

"It's not the end of the world,'' he said. "We haven't played well. We expect that we'll play better. We'll go on the road and try and get one out there...It's certainly not the way you draw it up. We didn't want to come in here and start like this."

Trembley revealed during the postgame media briefing that Michael Gonzalez will undergo an MRI on his sore shoulder. It appears that Jim Johnson will move into the closer role for the moment, though the manager only hinted at that.

"Everybody's disappointed,'' Trembley said. "No one is happy with it. No one is accepting it. We'll just have to play better. We're going to have to step it up.

"Obviously, when it snowballs like this, maybe this is the final purge. Maybe we got it out of our system. It can't go on forever."

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (130)
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Orioles starter Brad Bergesen has given up three unearned runs in the top of the first inning after third baseman Miguel Tejada and shortstop Cesar Izturis lost a Carl Crawford pop up in the bright sky. Carlos Pena eventually made the O's pay for that mistake with a 408-foot home run.

At almost the exactly the same moment that the ball left the yard, the Orioles sent out an e-mail press release confirming what we all feared earlier today. Mike Gonzalez, who is just starting a two-year, $12 million contract, has a shoulder strain and has been placed on the 15-day disabled list.

This has reached the point where it's almost hard to believe that so much could go wrong so fast this season. This is an amazing run of bad luck even for a team that is coming off 12 straight losing seasons.

Simply amazing.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (93)
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There already have been a handful of ugly baserunning mishaps during the first eight games of the season, and Dave Trembley is not making any excuses for them.

"Poor decisions,'' he said, when somebody asked about Felix Pie getting himself thrown out in a rundown after an ill-advised attempt to stretch a single on Tuesday night.

Pie's big sin was, according to the manager, "indecision." Pie took a wide turn around first base when B.J. Upton bobbled his single and then overthrew the cutoff man. Though Pie probably would have been out anyway, he should have run the play out and made the Rays make a clean play to get him. Instead, he stopped and got into a rundown, which he obviously did not escape.

It was basically the same situation when Luke Scott and Ty Wigginton got hung up in a more important situation on Monday night.

"Indecision is what gets you in trouble,'' Trembley said. "Make a decision and live with it."

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
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Reliever Michael Gonzalez told manager Dave Trembley he was not available to pitch last night because he couldn't get loose. Trembley said that he went to the training room today to check on his new closer and found him getting treatment on his shoulder.

This appears to be another strange chapter in the Michael Gonzalez saga, and it is particularly interesting to me because I was the first one ot ask him during the early days of spring training if he was having a problem getting comfortable on the mound. He mildly rebuked me for my inquiry, since I had not spent enough time watching him pitch to determine whether he looked comfortable or not. It was a fair point at the time.

He insisted his arm was fine and continued to insist that right up until Tuesday night. He did struggle with some lower back soreness about midway through training camp, but that apparently is no longer an issue.

What followed were weeks of wondering why his velocity was not up to his normal standards and why he did so much of his pitching against minor league competition instead of in exhibition games.

Of course, there were also the scouts who passed through Sarasota and wondered about him, some of whom seemed convinced that he was pitching hurt.

Everybody knows what has happened since. He has made three appearances and has been ineffective in all of them, though he managed to get a save in the final game of the season-opening road series against the Rays.

He was up in the bullpen last night and Trembley said there were several junctures in the game when he might have used him if Gonzalez had not declined to pitch.

"He didn't feel comfortable getting loose last night,'' Trembley said.

Gonzalez apparently is being checked out by Orioles orthopedist Dr. Andrew Cosgarea about now. It wouldn't surprise me a bit if he ended up on the disabled list and the Orioles called up Kam Mickolio or Alberto Castillo by the end of the day.

Instant update: And I'm not surprised that the Orioles just announced that Gonzalez has been placed on the 15-day DL with a strained shoulder.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (50)
Categories: Just baseball
        

When a team turns south the way the Orioles have over the first 11 days of the season, there's nothing left to do but rationalize to try to maintain your sanity, so here are the things to keep in mind while you're waiting to see if Brad Bergesen can turn the tide in today's afternoon series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays:

Rationalization #1: This is still about the closer situation. If Michael Gonzalez had saved those two games, the Orioles would be at least 3-5, which wouldn't really raise all that many eyebrows.

Rationalization #2: The starting pitching has actually been quite good so far. Only Bergesen has turned in a sub-par outing during the first eight games.

Rationalization #3: The defense has been surprisingly good, particularly at third base. Who would have thunk that?

Frankly, if I had told you two weeks ago that the Orioles would get seven decent starting performances in their first eight games and only make one error over that period (and even that ball took a bad hop), I think you would have figured the Orioles to be at least .500 at this point.

Does that make it any easier to stomach this 1-7 start. Just the opposite. After all that rationalization, I feel even worse.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (50)
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When Ty Wigginton's mammoth fly ball to center -- which seemed destined to tie the game -- was run down at the warning track in the eighth inning, I was certain the baseball gods had it totally in for tonight's T-shirt-induced crowd at Camden Yards. That's why I was all but sure that Luke Scott's ensuing line drive down the right field line was going to tail foul at the last possible moment.

Not this time. Luke's shot found the corner of the flag court and brought the Orioles back into the game and took Brian Matusz off the hook for a loss that he didn't deserve.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (64)
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Brian Matusz seemed to have this game well in hand with one out in the eighth inning, before a ground ball got under Ty Wigginton's glove for a single and Gabe Kapler dropped a pop fly into left field. That didn't raise any eyebrows until the next two Rays hit sharp singles to left to break up the shutout and bring Dave Trembley out of the dugout.

Could this be another huge meltdown?

Instant update: Yes. The Rays have just come back to take the lead.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (66)
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There were so many responses to may tiny blog item about the Orioles' tiny crowd on Monday night that I thought I would write a whole column about it for tomorrow's print edition. Of course, you don't have to wait that long, because it's already up on the Web site. Take a look at it right here and tell me what you think.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)
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Finally, somebody came through with a huge two-out swing. Ty Wigginton just launched a 1-0 pitch from Rays starter Jeff Niemann 378 feet to left center to give Brian Matusz a couple of insurance runs.

The Orioles have been so quiet in clutch situations, they can only hope the Wigginton bomb was a sign that they are finally snapping out of their horrible early slump with runners on base and in scoring position.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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Brian Matusz just retired the Rays in order in the top of the sixth inning and has thrown only about 70 pitches, so why does this feel like every other game this year? The Orioles have done almost nothing offensively and it feels like they're waiting to lose again. Hope I'm wrong, since Matusz seems to be on the march to be Rookie of the Year.

What a switch from his first start, which he swung way out of character to walk five batters. He's been so untouchable that the only hit was a bunt single by Ben Zobrist, who laid it down to break up the no-hitter in the fourth.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
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After spending the spring listening to Dave Trembley pound away at the notion that everything begins and ends with the starting pitching, I'm not sure what to think about the Orioles' strange -- and potentially disastrous -- 1-6 start.

The starting rotation has been just fine, pitching to a sub-4.00 ERA and falling down hard just once. Even then, it wasn't that bad. Brad Bergesen lasted into the fifth inning and the Orioles took a lead into the ninth.

Frankly, I never would have imagined the offensive performance would be this toothless, even over such a relatively short period. I know there's no Mark Teixeira in the lineup, but there are enough good young hitters to score more than 2.9 runs per game and rank 28th among the 30 major league clubs in that department.

It is, of course, just seven games, so drawing any sweeping conclusions would be a bit silly, but something better change in a hurry or it'll be hard to find a reason to show up at the ballpark. Obviously, a lot of people are having trouble already, considering that last night's crowd was the smallest in the history of Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (205)
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The crowd of 9,129 is the smallest in the 19-year history of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, which is just the latest indignity in the Orioles' frightening start. Of course, it wouldn't have been much of a crowd no matter what -- it's Monday night and the Rays never draw particularly well here -- but it's still another sign of the baseball apocalypse.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (209)
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Jeremy Guthrie has displayed very good velocity and command during his first five innings of work, with the exception of one 0-2 pitch in the third that Reid Brignac launched onto the flag court behind right field.

Guthrie will enter the sixth with 77 pitches. He has given up one run on five hits and struck out four.

Instant update: Guthrie couldn't hold back the tide forever. The Rays got a one-out double by Carl Crawford in the fifth and took the lead when a gapper by Ben Zobrist bounded just past the diving attempt of Adam Jones. Evan Longoria followed with a sacrifice fly and another decent pitching performance is going to waste because the offense remained in a state of suspended animation.

His final line: 7 IP 3 R 3 ER, 8 H 0 W 5 K

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (19)
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The latest injury news on Brian Roberts doesn't exactly engender confidence that he'll be ready to return to the Orioles lineup in a couple of weeks. He reportedly has undergone another epidural injection on his sore lower back and is seeking more medical opinions.

Could the first month of this season get any worse? Well, unfortunately yes, but it's hard to imagine a more discouraging first week for Orioles fans, who face the prospect of their already modest expectations for this season being dashed.

I don't have to tell anybody what it means if Roberts is lost for a month or more or -- worse -- ends up requiring surgery to repair that herniated disk. The inability of the club to generate any appreciable offense during the first week of the general season reflects both the days he couldn't play and the fact that he did not have enough spring at-bats to be effective in the handful of regular season games he did play.

Andy MacPhail may have bought some insurance when he picked up Julio Lugo for a song at the end of training camp, but Lugo can't fill that void. Neither can Justin Turner, though I think fans would probably rather see him get a long look at second base if somebody is going to get one.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
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Left fielder Felix Pie is in the leadoff spot for tonight's game, but manager Dave Trembley said a few minutes ago that no one should assume that Pie will be the guy throughout Brian Roberts' stay on the disabled list.

"He probably makes the most sense,'' Trembley said, "but I can't say he's going to be the leadoiff guy for 15 straight games while Roberts is gone."

Trembley said there are basically three or four possibilities -- Pie, Julio Lugo, Adam Jones and Cesar Izturis -- but Pie really does make the most sense if he can get on base consistently and stay healthy.

Dan Connolly asked Dave if Luke Scott has been politicking to bat in the No. 2 hole. Scott has told a couple of reporters that he thinks he would be a decent guy in that slot. Trembley apparently does not agree.

"I would politick for The Caveman to hit a few more balls up on Eutaw St. so they can put some more plaques up there,'' Trembley said. "I don't care where he is in the lineup."

Triple-A call up Justin Turner is in uniform, but was not in the lineup. Turner will get some playing time at second base, but Trembley said the choice between him and Lugo will be determined by several variables, including the pitching matchups.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)
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My colleague, Kevin Cowherd, was all ready to pull the plug on Dave Trembley last September, but he has come to Dave's defense in today's print edition of The Sun and on the Web site right here.

I happen to agree with Kevin this time. I don't know how you would blame the 1-5 record so far on Trembley, since he didn't pick the new closer and he has put the best possible Orioles team on the field every day -- such as it is. He didn't punch Brian Roberts in the side either.

Cowherd is a good guy and, like a lot of people, he wants to be just like me. He even told me on Sunday that he's wondering why the Baltimoresun Store isn't marketing a line of T-Shirts bearing his likeness and some catchy phrase that plays off his name.

He thinks it's time for a "Follow the Herd" T-shirt featuring his own caricature by great sports artist Mike Ricigliano.

I don't make those kinds of decisions, of course, and I wonder just what Ricig would do with Cowherd. Since Kevin's kind of a feeble old fellow, I'm afraid just about anything would hurt his feelings.

He likes to golf, so maybe a caricature of him being beaten with a five-iron by an angry Orioles fan would do the trick.

Was that too soon?

Anyway, I'm all for Kevin being immortalized on 100 percent cotton. If they want, they could even use the same website www.gotschmuck.com to sell them.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (49)
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Remember in spring training when I wrote that column complaining that I couldn't find the new Dave Trembley? Well, I just found him in the dugout, defiantly defending today's lineup and claiming that every lineup will be made on a day-to-day basis from now on.

"I'm putting the lineup together one game at a time,'' he said. "You know I always did it two or three days in advance. I'm not doing that any longer. We're going to play to win. Tomorrow doesn't matter to me."

Trembley didn't come right out and say it, but I think he learned a lesson when his attempts to keep players informed only got him criticized -- in particular by veteran Melvin Mora. He acknowledged, however, that the shift is concurrent with Andy MacPhail's proclamation last September that the 2010 season would be judged on wins and losses.

"That (the old way) was in 2008 and 2009,'' Trembley said. "This is 2010. I'm taking a different direction. Player development is over. I did player development ayt the major league level for 2 1/2 years. It's over."

Today's lineup does not include Garrett Atkins, who has a five-game hitting streak, but that's because he took a foul ball off his shin last night. But when I asked Trembley if he could still use Atkins late in the game, the new Dave was ready.

"I'd use my mother late if I have to,'' he said.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (122)
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Can't wait to see if Kevin Millwood can stem the receding tide for the Orioles today against the Toronto Blue Jays, who -- you might recall -- were supposed to be the worst team in the American League East.

While I'm headed over there, you could take a look at today's column on the Mike Gonzalez situation if you haven't already. It's right here.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)
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The Orioles are now one time through the rotation and I'm guessing that if you're like me, you're thinking that the cumulative effort of the five starters was pretty good. Every starter other than Brad Bergesen gave up three runs or fewer and the Orioles were leading Bergesen's game in the ninth inning.

However, if you actually add up the numbers, they aren't really all that impressive. The five guys combined to pitch 27 innings and give up 14 earned runs, which works out to a 4.67 ERA, on 33 hits and 13 walks.

But, bottom line, every starting pitcher who took the mound for the O's kept them in the game, and they went into the ninth inning with the lead three times. Guess that should have been good enough.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (79)
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What are the odds? I was walking through the stands at Oriole Park tonight and happened upon a couple of fans with impeccable fashion sense. That's Tim and Alex Thomas modeling the new "Got Schmuck?" and "Big Schmuck Fan" T-shirts right behind the visitors dugout.

Now for a little truth in advertising. Tim, the distinguished older gentleman on the left, works at the Sunpapers and threatened to show up at the ballpark in one of my T-shirts. We noticed him and his son on the press box TV monitor in a shot from the first base camera, so I had to embarrass him by putting him on the blog. While we're on the subject, you can get your own T-Schmuck at www.gotschmuck.com.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)
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Jeff Zrebiec covered some of the roster possibilities over at Orioles Insider, but if the Orioles put Brian Roberts on the disabled list tomorrow and decide they want to bring up a reliever instead of another infielder, they must get special permission from the Commissioner's Office.

Since we're in the early days of the season, the players who were optioned out at the end of spring training -- who, logically, would be the first players called back -- must stay in the minors for 10 days. Players can be brought back earlier in case of an injury, but only when they replace a player at the same general position. So, if the Orioles want to bring up Justin Turner for Brian, they can do that, but if they want to bring up Kam Mickolio to bolster the bullpen while Mike Gonzalez works out his mechanical problems, they need clearance from above.

Club officials say it's still pretty much a formality.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
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Today's featured comment comes from Dave, who thinks I'm on the wrong side of the Michael Gonzalez boo-bird debate.

Dave's take: I like ya Pete but you're wrong on this one and should stop trying to plead your case. If the booing affected Gonzales then he's even worse then even us fans give him credit for being.
A major league pitcher with a 12 million dollar contract is affected by being booed, c'mon Pete, be real.

I know with that big contract they are going to let him try to work it out but closing a game isn't where a pitcher should be working out his problems. Would ya rather try to get your monies worth out of a pitcher doing poorly or win games? I know my answer.

Pete's reply: I agree with your last comment. I hope Dave Trembley is flexible enough to create a better situation to get Gonzalez back in gear, but I don't agree that a single player -- particularly a new one -- should serve as the whipping boy for fans who are frustrated with 12 years of losing he had no part in.

Bonus plug: By the way, we're having this argument live right now at WBAL Radio (1090 AM) and WBAL.com. Check it out.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (33)
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Boy, did I stir up a hornets nest for having the gall to question whether Orioles fans should have booed Michael Gonzalez after he pitched to his first batter in the ninth inning on Opening Day at Oriole Park.

Let me be clear on a couple of things: The fans have a right to boo anybody at any time for any reason. They paid their money and they can do what they want as long as they don't disrupt the game or infringe on the comfort and well-being of the fans around them. I doubt anyone would disagree.

In this particular case, I felt the booing was premature, even though Gonzalez blew the season opener against the Rays on Tuesday night and did not pitch that great in his one successful save opportunity on Thursday. I also felt the booing may actually have contributed to the loss, since Gonzalez looked flustered and bounced a pitch past Craig Tatum moments later. If the fans had booed him when the tying or potential winning run crossed the plate, I wouldn't have had a problem with it.

To those who wrote in to say that after 12 years of losing, no one should complain about anybody booing, I respectfully disagree. I admire the passion of the fans who burn for this team to finally start winning again, but 12 years -- or even 100 years -- of losing should not be used as an excuse for losing your humanity.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (68)
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I'm looking forward to David Hernandez's first start of the year tonight against the Toronto Blue Jays. The kid worked his butt off to win the fifth starter role after arriving in spring training as the odd man out in the rotation. Dave Trembley insists that was never the case, of course, but all you had to do was see who was starting every fifth day (Chris Tillman) to know that Hernandez did not start out with an equal opportunity this spring.

He pitched well and he deserves another chance to establish himself as a major league starter. His repertoire was too limited last year for him to be real successful, but he has learned to work more in the lower end of the strike zone, which should help him be more consistent.

If you haven't already, take a look at my column about Brian Roberts and Michael Gonzalez in today's print edition or right here. We can all just cross our fingers that Brian's abdominal strain is minor and only keeps him out for a few days. I'm rooting heavily for Gonzalez, because he seems like a standup guy, but I don't see enough command or velocity to get major league hitters out. Hope I'm wrong.

He has been a very good relief pitcher throughout his career, but he has been a mystery all spring. He needs to figure it out in a hurry or the Orioles need to figure something else out for the closer role. The first thing I would do is push one of the situational guys into the early part of the eighth inning and use Jim Johnson for the last one or two outs of the eighth and the first out of the ninth. That would relief some pressure on Gonzo and maybe bring him to the mound in a different mindset.

Self-promotion dept.: I'm back on the radio today, doing the noon Sportsline program on WBAL (1090 AM). We'll be talking Orioles and taking your calls, so tune in and join in the fun. If you're out of signal range, go to WBAL.com and click on the "Listen Live" icon. I'll take you right up to the start of our live Masters coverage at 2 p.m.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (19)
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I'm not sure what to think of Michael Gonzalez right now, but I'm fairly disappointed in a ballpark full of fans who began booing him heavily after he walked one guy in the top of the ninth inning.

There's a lot of angst left over from the disappointing finish on Tuesday night, but that was no excuse for abusing the guy before he even got his feet on the ground. What happened next may have been a self-fulfilling prophecy, because he quickly moved the runner up with a wild pitch and gave up a run-scoring double.

Like you, I'm real concerned about the closer situation, but I thought the initial reaction was premature and not in keeping with the quality of fans in this town.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (243)
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This doesn't look good. Brian Roberts, who walked to start the game and scored the Orioles first run, has been removed from the game between the first and second innings with a strained abdominal muscle.

Julio Lugo has taken over at second base.

It's too early to speculate about the situation or draw any connection with the back injury that has hampered Roberts all spring, but you have to wonder if this is going to put him on the disabled list. Whether it's connected to the back injury or not, abdominal and rib cage strains are often hard to shake.

Losing Roberts for any length of time would be a tremendous blow to the Orioles, but the club is fortunate that Andy MacPhail moved decisively to pick up another middle infielder at the end of training camp. Lugo is a decent offensive player who can fill in for an extended period.

If Roberts is lost for awhile, the Orioles will have to recall one of their Triple-A infielders. I'm guessing it would be Justin Turner, because he is on the 40-man roster. The team would have to move someone off to make room for either Robert Andino or Scott Moore.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (34)
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My friend and former Sunpapers colleague Jim Henneman has his own Opening Day tradition. He always wears a tuxedo with an orange dress shirt to the ballpark. Jim is semi-retired now after many years of covering baseball, but he is one of the regular official scorers at Oriole Park.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
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Just stopped by Home Plate Plaza and ran into my friends from the Cool Kids Campaign. I'm guessing you'll recognize at least one of them. Yes, that's former figure skating world champion Kimmie Meissner (in the O's cap) along with Chris Federico, Danielle Robinson and Sharon Perfetti. They claim they hopped a fence to get into the game, but I know that's not true because Federico is afraid of heights.

The Cool Kids Campaign promotes programs that help children who are being treated for cancer. It's a really cool program and Kimmie has devoted a great deal of her spare time during her skating career to help the staff make it a success. If you'd like to help, you can click right here to go to their Web site.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
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Just want to congratulate Roch Kubatko on his first night in the broadcast booth for MASN last night at Tropicana Field. He did fine and is getting props from everyone, but the thing I was most impressed with was his ability to find his way back to Baltimore. The guy isn't very good with directions. Even in the accompanying photo, he has a bit of a dear-in-the-headlights look, because I was trying to tell him how to find the Orioles clubhouse.

If you haven't noticed, this whole thing is a play on the title of Mitch Albom's book The Five People You Meet in Heaven. Obviously, wasn't going to meet Roch there, so I had to come up with something else.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
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The great thing about Opening Day is you get to see a lot of people you don't usually see around the ballpark during the dog days -- which are all the days except Opening Day. Today, I ran into my colleague Kevin Cowherd for the first time in two months. Never saw him in Florida, though I begged him to come down and give me a breather, but was bouyed to see him at Oriole Park for the first home game.

Since he went to all the trouble to show up, I thought I'd include a photo here to prove that he actually attends some sporting events when he isn't out touring the local microbreweries. He's really a pretty good-looking guy for his age.

Keep an eye out for Kevin's column on all the hoopla surrounding the home opener, including the first ball ceremony that will feature Brooks Robinson and Boog Powell. I'll put up a link later in case you can't find it.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
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Dave Trembley was asked during his Opening Day news conference about the fan loyalty that was shown at FanFest and at spring training. He responded by recounting the way Andy MacPhail presented the rebuilding plan to the fans.

"I think it started with the approach Andy MacPhail took from the beginning,'' Trembley said. "He was honest. That's what people wanted. There was no mystery about it.

"I know people want to win. I know they are tired of losing. I know they don't want the same old song and dance. They have supported us and we have to hold up our end."

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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I've got to admit, I cringed a little bit when Dave Trembley defended the decision to drop veteran reserve catcher Chad Moeller by saying "This is Matt Wieters' team." It just seemed like he was placing the weight of the world on the shoulders of one of baseball's most promising young players.

Apparently, however, Wieters doesn't mind at all. He opened the season by going 6 for 12 against the Rays and dismissing concerns about his lack of power during the spring with his first home run and another shot that was caught at the fence in dead center field at Tropicana Field.

Defensively, he already has served notice to baserunners around the league that it's going to be very tough to run against the Orioles this year. All of this is terrific news for Orioles fans who are looking for something to hang their caps on at the start of another season that will be measured by incremental progress rather than a trip to the playoffs.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (20)
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I realize it's Opening Day and most everybody who comes here wants to read about baseball, but I've got to say something about the already infamous Nike commercial featuring a silent Tiger Woods listening to the words of his dead father.

Creepy? Yes.
Provocative? Absolutely.
Disturbing? I think creepy pretty much covers that.

What I think is the most damning thing is that Nike made a commercial about this at all, since it exposes this whole apologetic comeback as a public relations charade. And I'm guessing we're all pretty tired of Tiger exposing himself just about everywhere he goes in one way or another.

"Did you learn anything,'' intones Earl Woods.

Apparently not.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (28)
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There was a lot of talk the past few weeks about the tough turnaround the Orioles would have to make to get home for Opening Day after playing a night game on Thursday at Tropicana Field. We were all a little surprised that Major League Baseball didn't mandate that the final game of the Rays series be played in the late afternoon to facilitate a reasonable return for the O's.

Instead, they got in quite late, but they should be okay with today's game starting at 3:05. I'm sure it has been a little bit tougher for the ballwriters and bloggers covering the team, since they do not get to take the chartered flight home with the team. Jeff Zrebiec, Roch Kubatko and Brittany Ghiroli (MLB.com) all were up at 4 a.m. this morning to catch the first flight out of Tampa so they could get to the ballpark this morning to cover all of Opening Day.

The smart ball writers -- that would be me and Dan Connolly -- came home early, so we should be fresh as daisies for today's festivities.

AOL Headline of the Day: $45 Charge for Carry-Ons a Boon for Nudist Resorts

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
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If I recall, the temperature reading on my dashboard when I returned to BWI on Wednesday was 92 degrees. It was pretty warm yesterday, too, until late night storms pushed the warm air away and brought temperatures way down for today's home opener against the Toronto Blue Jays.

That's why they call this Charm City, because we care enough to make the visiting team from the great white north feel at home.

On the brighter side, I don't think we'll see any snow flurries today. The temperature is supposed to top out at about 62 degrees and the likelihood of precipitation is listed on weather.com as 20 percent. I'm going to bring a jacket just in case, but the heartiest Marylanders can proudly wear their new Schmuck T-shirts. I'm partial to the one that says "Big Schmuck Fan" on the front, since I am one.

Fun fact: This is only the fourth time in the past 30 years that the Orioles have opened the season in Baltimore after playing the regular season opener on the road.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (17)
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Michael Gonzalez got it done, but not before he summoned up images of Don Stanhouse and George Sherrill. The Orioles held on to win, 5-4, and avert a three-game sweep at Tropicana Field, but Gonzalez loaded the bases with a two walks and a hit before finally getting Ben Zobrist to fly out and end the game.

It was about time. The O's played three one-run games at the Trop and were competitive at every turn, but needed to come home for Opening Day with at least one victory over the Rays. Brad Bergesen can get them back to .500 with a big performance tomorrow at Oriole Park.

Don't even want to think about what might have been if Gonzalez had blown another save. He got the first two outs of the inning before walking Dioner Navarro, giving up a hit to Jason Bartlett and walking Carl Crawford to load the bases.

Got to give some credit to Garrett Atkins, who had his first multi-hit game as an Oriole, drove in two big insurance runs and hit safely in every game of the series. Matt Wieters also had a terrific series, going 6 for 12 with a home run.

It wasn't easy for Brian Matusz, but he took his first step toward a possible American League Rookie of the Year Award with his first victory of the 2010 season.

"I'm real happy for him and the team,'' said manager Dave Trembley. "He said before the game that he was going to win and he would not let them beat him...I think the key for him was poise and determination."

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (49)
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Give Brian Matusz a lot of credit. He struggled throughout the early innings and still managed to fight his way through the fifth inning with the game still well within reach. So what happens, the Orioles put up four in the sixth to put him in position to win if the bullpen can hold on this time.

I won't bore you with the notion that an erratic outing can actually be a good one -- because it won't be unless the O's hold on to win -- but it's got to be great for Matusz going forward that he could win a game when he struggled so much with his command. He walked five, but gave up only two hits, and held things together when the game appeared close to blowing up in the third.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (36)
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Brian Matusz picked a bad day to look human. He's been the most effective Orioles pitcher all spring, so who would have thought he's lose the strike zone and walk the bases loaded in the third inning of his first regular season start?

The Rays scored twice in the third and Matusz is closing in on 70 pitches, so he isn't particularly long for this game. Jason Berken has been warming up in the bullpen. The game is still salvageable, but Matusz has not displayed his normal great command at any point in the first three innings.

The highlight of the game for the O's so far is Nolan Reimold's first home run of the season, but the O's have fallen behind on a night when they badly need to avert a three-game sweep at Tropicana Field.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (19)
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Because of a scheduling conflict that made Gary Thorne unavailable and a nasty cold that has attacked Jim Palmer's mellifluous vocal cords, my blogging rival Roch Kubatko will make his debut in the MASN broadcast booth tonight as the sidekick to play-by-play guy Jim Hunter.

I'm sure Rocco will be a little nervous -- I know I would -- but it's the kind of thing you just have to go with. Hunter is a pro and he'll tee it up. Roch just needs to keep it on the fairway.

When I did the old WBAL Hot Stove Show with Hunter, I had a collection of quick hits that got a laugh and kept the pressure off, and Roch is welcome to use a few of them.

For instance, when Jim says something outrageously positive -- which he has been known to do on occasion -- it's always fun to ask him whether he has a phony prescription for medical marijuana or just buys the stuff on the street.

When Jim says that the two one-run losses to the Rays are proof that the Orioles are more competitive this year, Roch could get a big laugh if he simply invoked his Miranda right to remain silent and not incriminate himself.

If I know Roch, he wants to do great and he's probably afraid everyone is just waiting to pounce on him if he makes a mistake or two. I'll be watching tonight and rooting for him. Of course, if it turns into the Rochy Horror Picture Show, I just hope they don't cut the scenes with the young Susan Sarandon in her underwear.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (30)
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With the exception of Mike Gonzalez's blown save on Tuesday night, the Orioles bullpen has performed admirably through the first two games of the season, so I've got no problem whatsoever with the way manager Dave Trembley has handled it.

Will Ohman has pitched well twice. Jim Johnson and Matt Albers looked good in their first outings. Cla Meredith gave up a home run to Evan Longoria last night, but that's going to be a big club by the end of the season.

If I have a problem with the bullpen, it's really more philosophical. Trembley, like almost all major league managers, goes with a fairly standard bullpen schematic that calls for a couple of matchup middle guys for the seventh inning, an eighth-inning setup guy and a go-to closer that starts the ninth inning.

It looks great when it works, and it generally will work pretty good if you've got a good bullpen and your starters get you an out or two in the seventh inning. It looks even better if you hit well enough to have more than a one-run lead at that point in the game.

Even in that situation, however, I've got a problem with the doctrinaire nature of the thing, since it contains one mathematical flaw that almost guarantees a surprisingly high level of failure if you don't have an absolutely outstanding bullpen.

If you have an average bullpen and trot four relievers out to pitch in a close game, there's a pretty good chance that one of them is not going to be at his best, and it only takes that one shaky guy to wipe away all the good things that happened in the course of a hard-fought game.

This theory has not come into play for the Orioles...yet. Trembley got exactly what he was looking for from his bullpen on Tuesday until Gonzalez gave up three hits in the ninth, and there isn't a manager in baseball who wouldn't have brought in his new closer in that situation. Dave pretty much got what he needed on Wednesday night, too.

But looking down the road, there's something to be said for playing the hot hand once in awhile and leaving a middle guy in to pitch to a couple more batters -- regardless of matchup -- if he's throwing well. The more buttons you push, the more the likelihood that you push the wrong one.

For instance, if you're eighth-inning setup guy comes in and looks overpowering getting out of the eighth, doesn't it make more sense to let him start the ninth than gamble on how sharp your closer is going to be at the start of the inning?

I know the argument against that. If you do it too much, you might wear out your setup guy. Maybe so, but I'll start worrying about that when the Orioles have enough leads going into the ninth inning to find out.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (41)
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The past two nights have certainly been discouraging. The Orioles have gotten decent performances from the starting rotation, but have been unable to come up with the big hit at the right time to win either of two one-run games. I'm sure you'll see that a few more times this season, and it's all because they didn't sign Mark Teixeira a year ago.

I'm joking, of course, but the Orioles actually appear to be nearing the point where one of the game's top boppers might really make a huge difference in their competitive outlook.

The O's were 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position in Tuesday night's opener. They could not build a sustainable lead for Jeremy Guthrie last night. Bottom line: They're 0-2, but they did not play badly in either game.

They got two decent starts. They've gotten power from their power guys. They got a series of solid relief appearances, with one major exception. And, they have played pretty good defense, particularly at third base. If I had told you that was going to happen three days ago, you might have predicted a series victory over the Rays.

Opening Day at Camden Yards tomorrow. Pass it around.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (76)
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Don't know about you, but I'm damned tired of Evan Longoria. The guy has -- pretty much single-handedly -- pushed the Orioles to the brink of a three-game sweep at Tropicana Field, and when he's not hitting 470-foot home runs, his face is all over the TV in South Florida.

They've got this commercial where he jumps out of a helicopter chasing a guy who he thinks has stolen his Tampa Bay Rays hat at a restaurant, as if the players wear their caps when they go out to eat. In Tampa, they don't even wear shoes.

My point is this, they guy is doing way too much and he's going to wear down by the end of the season if Joe Maddon doesn't give him the night off tonight. That's all I'm saying. I'm really just looking out for the guy.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (20)
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Really, it seems like yesterday that the Orioles were filtering into their new training site in Sarasota, and I'm already getting nostalgic. When I think of the first time Will Ohman asked Roch why he wears all his t-shirts two sizes too small, I can't help but mist up.

It also seems like yesterday that Brian Roberts reported to camp and dropped the bombshell on us that he had suffered a slightly herniated disk in his lower back during offseason workouts. It actually was yesterday when Brian made good on his promise to be in the lineup for the regular season opener.

The switch from Fort Lauderdale to Sarasota took some getting used to, if only because you can't drive through Pollo Tropical at 1 a.m. and get a full chicken dinner. I definitely missed that. It's a little slower on the gulf coast, but the people are great, the beaches are beautiful and the training facility -- even before the coming renovation -- is a huge improvement over the old Yankees complex.

We'll have to wait and see if the team is a huge improvement over last year. It certainly looked that way until the ninth inning last night, but let's not make too much of one ridiculously frustrating game.

Well, my Southwest flight awaits. It'll be great to see all of you at Camden Yards this weekend.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (95)
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My time in Florida has come to an end. I'll be flying back to Baltimore this morning to get ready for Opening Day at Camden Yards, and last night's game made it a lot easier to leave. I'll have nothing but fond memories of our first spring with the Orioles in permanent spring residency in Sarasota, but I'm already trying to forget St. Petersburg.

Still having trouble believing that the first game of the regular season could end in such a trainwreck, but you could almost see it coming as the Orioles squandered several scoring opportunities.

Here's to a big night by Jeremy Guthrie tonight. I'll be watching on TV like most of you.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)
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It didn't have to be like this.

The Orioles held a thin lead from the third inning on -- thanks to solo home runs by Adam Jones, Luke Scott and Matt Wieters -- until Mike Gonzalez gave up a bunch of hits in the ninth inning to blow his first Orioles save opportunity in particularly devastating fashion. But before you lay all the blame on the new closer, keep in mind that the Orioles had opportunities all night long to put some real distance between them and the Rays and were absolutely abysmal with runners on base and runners in scoring position.

To be precise, they were 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position, when just one big hit probably would have secured the victory behind a solid performance by Kevin Millwood and the rest of the Orioles bullpen.

Gonzalez didn't look too good, but it should not have been a one-run save opportunity when the Orioles had runners at first and third with no one out. The three solo home runs were nice, but they were no substitute for good clutch hitting.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (81)
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Kevin Millwood had everyone fooled in spring training. He couldn't get anybody out when he pitched against major league competition early in the spring and he spent much of March pitching against minor league competition, but he delivered a pretty solid performance in his Orioles regular season debut.

He gave up just a run on six hits through five, but the Rays finally got to him in the sixth when Evan Longoria launched a moonshot into the upper deck above left field. Two hits later, he turned the game -- and a one-run lead over to middle reliever Matt Albers, who worked out of a two-on, no out jam to keep the O's in front.

Millwood's line: 5 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 9 H, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 HR. He threw 100 pitches, 64 for strikes.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (75)
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Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail was standing behind the batting cage before the season opener, so I asked him whether he felt like an expectant father.

Quite the contrary.

"I said this on the radio the other day and I probably shouldn't be saying it, but I always like to get Opening Day behind me,'' he said. "Let's just get into the routine of baseball."

MacPhail said that his most memorable Opening Day was in 1987, his first year as general manager of the Minnesota Twins.

"I was almost catatonic,'' he said. "We won in 10 and Danny Gladden, who I had traded for, knocked in the winning run in the 10th. You always like it when the new guys you bring in get off to a good start.

"They're all yours if they're wearing orange and black, but you'd be less than honest if you didn't say you're rooting a little more for the guys wearing the orange and black for the first time."

Sun file photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
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My powers of prognostication are well known in these parts, so I'm going to put my reputation on the line right off the bat and make a startling prediction about tonight's game. We've all spent a lot of time bemoaning the lack of time Kevin Millwood spent on the mound against major league competition this spring, so there's a lot of fatalism in the press box right now, but I'm going to predict he pitches well and the Orioles open with a victory.

I understand that it's a longshot, especially when you consider that Rays starter James Shields is 6-2 with a 2.92 ERA in 15 career appearances against the O's and had an outstanding spring, but that's why I'm going to look so smart after the game.

It's just a hunch, of course, but it seems like every year the Orioles are in this position and somehow they find a way to win the first game. They've won seven of their last nine openers, which should count for something, though all of those victories were at Oriole Park. They have lost the last two times they played the opener on the road, most recently against the Twins in 2007.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
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I don't care what you think of the Orioles chances this year -- or the current state of the Andy MacPhail rebuilding program -- you can't be a baseball fan and not be fired up for the opener tonight. This is what being a ball fan is about, a fresh start with a handful of new faces and a chance to improve on last year.

The oddsmakers have set the over/under on Orioles 2010 victories at 74, which is about where I would have set it. That doesn't mean it's some kind of median. Obviously, there's a lot higher probability of the Orioles ending up six games below that number than ending up with 80 victories, but it seems like a fair-enough tipping point.

Standings update: So far, the Orioles have spent two consecutive games out of the AL East cellar. Pass it on.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
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By popular demand, I'm bringing back the featured comment, which fell by the wayside over the past few months, largely because Wayne had everyone so stirred up I couldn't find any that could be reproduced in polite company. This one is from Waspman, who wanted an enlarged view of my new T-shirts and ran into a cyber roadblock:

Waspman's take: I wanted a closer look at the t-shirts so I clicked the link. My federally funded computer landed me this message:

This Websense category is filtered: Potentially Damaging Content. Sites in this category may pose a security threat to network resources or private information, and are blocked by your organization.

Oh well, better schmuck next time.

Pete's take: It's happening again. Some web filters treat Schmuck as an obscenity. So do many people who read me. This kind of thing has been happening to me since the California Department of Motor Vehicles denied my request for a personalized SCHMUCK license plate way back in 1980 and said that the word I requested was "in bad taste and offensive to public decency."

Don't be detered. Here's a closeup of Mike Ricigliano's great Schmuck caricature, which has already been on the blog. I don't want to spend too much time hawking T-shirts here -- though I would be derelict if I didn't point out that you can get one at www.gotschmuck.com. We just thought creating a line of Schmuck Stops Here shirts would be fun and give us a chance to do some promotional things to draw attention to the blog. God knows I'll need that now that I have to compete with both Orioles Insider and School of Roch.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (20)
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Well, there have been so many, but I think I can narrow the list down to three Opening Days that stand out in my memory.

April 9, 1981: In my first year covering the Los Angeles Dodgers, veteran pitcher Jerry Reuss came up sore late in spring training and manager Tommy Lasorda had to switch gears and award the Opening Day start to a relatively unknown cherubic Mexican pitcher named Fernando Valenzuela. All Fernando did that day was pitch a five-hit shutout and begin a string of eight victories in his first eight major league starts, which would include five shutouts. He went on to be the Rookie of the Year and Cy Young winner and the Dodgers went on to win the World Series. And I came away thinking that kind of thing happened all the time.

April 9, 1990: In my first season in Baltimore, Opening Day was pushed back because of labor problems and the Orioles opened on the road in Kansas City. Everybody in Baltimore who is old enough remembers what happened that night. Swingin' Sammy Horn blasted two homers and drove in six runs in a 7-6 extra-inning victory. And I came away thinking that kind of thing happened all the time.

April 6, 1992: The Orioles opened sparkling new Oriole Park at Camden Yards with a 2-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians and veteran pitcher Rick Sutcliffe pitched a complete-game five-hit shutout to kick off the last big-win (16-15) season of a very good career. And talk about things coming full circle, Rick was in that Dodgers starting rotation along with Fernando Valenzuela in 1981 and had a great April (2-1, 2.30 ERA), but that went largely unnoticed in the euphoria of Fernandomania.

So, how about you? What are you're greatest Opening Day memories?

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (44)
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I'm very happy that Brooks Robinson will be part of Friday's Opening Day festivities, even if it doesn't necessarily signal a full thaw in his relationship with Orioles ownership. I'm also happy Boog Powell will be honored during the tribute to the 1970 championship team, but Boog has not been disconnected from the club.

Brooks is such a huge part of Orioles history that I continue to hope and pray for the day when he's a regular part of the Camden Yards experience, but I'm not going to hold my breath. He has plenty on his plate already, with his ownership interest in the York Revolution and his various charitable endeavors. He also has been wrestling with some health issues, but nothing keeps Brooks down for long.

It'll be great to see him on Friday.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)
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Hey, I've found a way for you to have me close to your heart at all times. My new T-Shirts -- featuring the artwork of Mike Ricigliano -- are available at the baltimoresun store right now at the amazingly low price of $14.99. I'm still in Sarasota, so I haven't been to any meetings, but I believe we're going to have a promotion where you can win something by being seen in public in one of them.

Here are the two versions that are currently available at www.gotschmuck.com:

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
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The Orioles are at Tropicana Field for their final workout before tomorrow night's regular season opener against the Tampa Bay Rays, and Dave Trembley just held court with the Orioles reporters.

For more on that, you'll have to head over to our new baseball blog -- Orioles Insider -- which features the reporting of Jeff Zrebiec, Dan Connolly, Dean Jones and our baseball editor, Steve Gould. Take a look, but don't stop coming here, because I'm much funnier than any of those guys.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
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The Orioles hold their final workout out of the spring -- or is it their first workout of the regular season -- this afternoon at Tropicana Field in anticipation of tomorrow night's regular season opener. Team Sun will be leaving Sarasota shortly to take up temporary residence in the Tampa Bay area, but not without a tip of the cap to the area for its hospitality and charm.

I'm not just blowing smoke. Everybody was very impressed with Sarasota and we're all looking forward to coming back every spring for the next 29 years -- though, in my case, that's probably overly optimistic.

By the way, starting today you've got two must-read Sun blog sites for your Orioles news, analysis and occasional wildlife rescue anecdote. We kicked off Orioles Insider this morning, so you might want to take a look. Of course, I'll expect you all back here just as often as before.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (63)
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One last thing about yesterday. I'm still scratching my head over the decision by the Orioles to work out Nolan Reimold at first base on the last full day of spring training. Can't count how many times I've asked about that possibility since it became apparent last year that Reimold was going to be hobbling around for awhile on that sore heel.

Each time, Orioles officials waved it off as if it wasn't even a serious consideration. So, I'm trying to figure out what it all means with the Orioles just two days from the season opener.

My best guess is that the club didn't expect to see the progress that Felix Pie seems to have made since last year. You could make the case that he was the best offensive player in camp this spring, which is why he will open the season in left field. Reimold needed some time to get his feet on the ground -- starting the Grapefruit League season 0 for 22 -- but charged back with 15 hits in his last 31 exhibition at-bats (.484) with three homers and five RBI.

Garrett Atkins hit .255 with one home run and three RBI over the spring, which isn't exactly reason to panic about his offensive potential. He's going to be the first baseman, so I'm going to have to assume that the club is working Reimold out at first and in right field to be in a position to get him extra at-bats when Atkins and Nick Markakis need a blow.

Based on their performance late last season and in spring training, both Reimold and Pie need to be in the lineup every day, which presents a real challenge for manager Dave Trembley.

Associated Press photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (100)
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The Orioles were nice enough to take the day off today so I think it would be inconsiderate not to do the same. They have basically broken camp and will move into the team hotel in St. Petersburg later today, though Brad Bergesen will throw a few innings in an intrasquad game this afternoon behind closed doors at the Ed Smith Stadium complex.

Since there won't be much to report, Jeff Zrebiec and Dan Connolly did double duty yesterday and cranked out a bunch of great stuff. I suggest you go to the Orioles page on the Web site and read all of it if you haven't already. The 25-man roster is set. The regular season opens at Tropicana Field on Tuesday night.

In particular, you'll want to take a look at Jeff's big story on Brian Matusz and, well, I also hope you'll take a look at my column on the end of the Orioles' first spring as a permanent resident of Sarasota. You can find that right here.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
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Following the Orioles' Grapefruit League season-ending 11-0 victory over the New York Mets, the club made its last two cuts to get down to 25 players, though the final roster will not be official until tomorrow.

The Orioles designated infielder Robert Andino for assignment and apparently will try to pass him through waivers and outright him to Triple-A Norfolk. The O's also optioned reliever Kam Mickolio to the Norfolk roster. The Andino DFA makes room on the roster for left-handed reliever Will Ohman.

Andino knew what was coming when the Orioles traded for infielder Julio Lugo on Thursday, but he got the official word a few minutes ago. The Orioles undoubtedly tried to deal him and could not find any interest.

"They're going to put me on waivers and see what happens,'' he said. "I guess I wasn't good enough. They feel more comfortable with Lugo. They say he's a better ballplayer than me."

Not sure that's exactly what they said, but the logic of Andino's comments was indisputable.

"It's obvious,'' he said. "They went out and got somebody else."

Andino hopes he gets picked up on waivers, but knows that the chances of that are fairly slim at this time of year. He has to accept the assignment to Norfolk if he isn't claimed by another team.

"I don't think I belong in Triple-A,'' he said. "For a backup, I thought I did pretty well (this spring). It's a business."

Mickolio also was understandably disappointed, since he figured to make the club until a groin injury contributed to inconsistent command at the end of training camp.

"I'm pretty mad at myself,'' he said. "For all the work I put in this offseason and then to have the groin injury in the last week...I'm not going to worry too much...just go down and work."

The minor leaguers and the minor league coaches have started heading out of town already. Major league camp is over, except for Brad Bergesen's intrasquad tune up tomorrow in the minor league camp.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (50)
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Brian Matusz was pleased with his performance against the Mets today. His teammates seem to be having fun, too, if the 10-0 score after six innings is any indication.

"I got my work in,'' he said. "Fifty to 60 pitches was what we were looking at, and I think I was at 55. It was nice to work with Matt [Wieters] to get on the same page. I didn’t shake Matt one time. When I faced Luis Castillo the second time, we went four fastballs down and away, and he ended up coming back to me. I was unsure why we were going four pitches down and away in a row and then I talked to Matt afterwards.

"I didn’t shake, I didn’t doubt it. I just continued to do it. After I talked to Matt, it was the right thing to do. Just to trust Matt was good for me. It took me a little while to get in a groove today. I was getting behind guys. It wasn’t like me. I just had to get in my groove and finally in the third and fourth innings, I was able to do that. I got in the groove and got things going. I threw some curveballs over for first-pitch strikes. I threw some good changeups and I was able to move the fastball in and out. It was a good start to get going for the season.

Matusz said he was pleased with the way things went for him this spring.

"It was good,'' he said. "Not even looking at numbers, but just how I progressed and I was able to get all four pitches going. It was great for me in keeping the walks down. It was huge. I only walked three guys the entire spring. That’s what I wanted. I wanted to come out and throw strikes, get ahead of guys and get my work in. I feel like I progressed well and I’m ready to get started for the year."

Now, it's time to take it out to the mound in a real game on Thursday night.

"I can’t wait,'' he said. "I’m excited for Tuesday to see what this team can do, to get things going, to get the group together. I feel like everybody has progressed really well this spring and we’re ready to go and start winning some games."

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
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Miguel Tejada picked an interesting time to deliver his first home run of the spring -- the last game -- but at least he made it a memorable one. He just launched a grand slam off Mets left-hander Jon Niese in the fifth inning to give the Orioles a 5-0 lead.

Brian Matusz was already out of the game by then. He pitched just four innings in his last exhibition start and gave up no runs on three hits. He struck out two. Looks like he's ready for his 2010 regular season debut on Thursday night at Tropicana Field.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (25)
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This probably won't come as a big surprise, but the Orioles just put pitcher Koji Uehara (left hamstring) on the disabled list to start the season, retroactive to Mar. 26. No other information was announced, but Dave Trembley said earlier today that Koji would not accompany the Orioles to Tampa and Baltimore next week, so he apparently will stay in Sarasota for extended spring training. He'll be eligible to pitch on April 11.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (27)
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Utility Infielder Robert Andino isn't willing to predict the future, but it isn't hard to do it for him. He was displaced by the trade that will put veteran Julio Lugo on the 25-man Opening Day roster and is just waiting to see where he lands.

"I can’t do nothing about it,'' he told Jeff Zrebiec earlier today. "I ain’t going to let them mess up my thing. I go about my thing like I do every day. I go about my business. I ain’t worried about it at this point. Whatever is going to happen, it’s going to happen."

The club is believed to be trying to find another team that needs him. Failing that, he likely will be designated for assignment in the next 24 hours and either released or reassigned to the minor leagues. The decision could come as soon as late this afternoon. So far, he hasn't heard an official word.

"They don’t tell me nothing,'' he said. "You never know because nothing has happened yet. I’m just waiting to see. You don’t know what’s going to happen in this game. I’m just going about my business. Life is too short to be all mad and stuff."

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
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Dave Trembley was pretty shook up about the death on Saturday of Orioles pitching great Mike Cuellar, who spent much of spring training with the Orioles the past two years.

"If there was ever a guy who epitomized what the Orioles are all about, it's Mike Cuellar,'' Trembley said. "I talked to him in December. "All he ever wanted to do was help the Orioles. Just look at the guy's record -- that's just unheard of in this era of baseball.

"I'm not exaggerating. I talked to him every week in the offseason. He would call me and leave me a message and I would call him back. He would say, 'Dave, I want to help.' I talked to him before Christmas and he was coming (to spring training), then he told me he couldn't because he had to get checked out. That's the last time I talked to him. I called him several times, but his phone was not accepting calls."

If you want to read more about Cuellar, I think you should check out Mike Klingaman's tribute story in today's print edition of The Sun or just click on it right here.

Sun file photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
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Dave Trembley just held court on one of the back fields, where the Orioles are taking batting practice a little later than usual. He gave a quick update on Felix Pie, who is feeling good enough after getting hit on the leg yesterday that he'll probably play part of today's exhibition game against the New York Mets at Ed Smith Stadium.

"He's okay,'' Trembley said. "He's going to take batting practice today. I would expect Reimold and Pie to split the DH role today."

Trembley also confirmed that Koji Uehara will not go north with the team, but would not announce a decision on what he'll do during the first few days of the season. There really aren't a lot of choices. He almost certainly will stay here in Sarasota at extended spring training until he's ready to go on a rehab assignment with a couple of minor league appearances.

The roster is basically set, and there is a chance the Orioles will announce it officially after the game, but they don't have to until 3 p.m. tomorrow.

Here's today's starting lineup:

Brian Roberts 2B
Adam Jones CF
Nick Markakis RF
Miguel Tejada 3B
Luke Scott LF
Matt Wieters C
Nolan Reimold DH
Garrett Atkins 1B
Cesar Izturis SS

Brian Matusz LHP

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
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There was some curiosity after Mariano Rivera hit Felix Pie on the lower leg with a pitch, because Rivera walked off the mound before he threw a pitch to the next batter and looked into the Orioles dugout.

When manager Joe Girardi and a couple of teammates joined him at the mound, it first appeared that he might be hurt. But Girardi told the Yankees reporters afterward that somebody in the Orioles dugout yelled something at Rivera.

Girardi conceded, however, that the alleged chirping in the O's dugout may have been partly in response to his own outburst against Jeremy Guthrie on Monday night after Guthrie hit Mark Teixeira in the elbow at Ed Smith Stadium and also nicked catcher Francisco Cervelli.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (44)
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Felix Pie is back in Sarasota getting x-rays on his bruised right lower leg after being drilled by Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, but manager Dave Trembley said he doesn't think his Opening Night left fielder is seriously hurt.

“I don’t think it’s anything,’’ Trembley said. “He went to get x-rays. That’s just standard whenever anybody gets hit.”

Update: Pie's x-rays have come back negative.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
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The Yankees came back from two runs down in the bottom of the ninth to tie today's final road exhibition game and it was agreed that the game would end there in a 6-6 tie since both teams had used up most of their players and pitchers.

The final Grapefruit League game will be played tomorrow against the New York Mets at Ed Smith Stadium. The Orioles will have a closed workout on Sunday and finalize their roster. They also will work out at 3 p.m. on Monday at Tropicana Field in preparation for Tuesday night's season opener.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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Julio Lugo just entered the game at shortstop, creating the awkward double play combo of Lugo and Robert Andino, who he may replace on the Opening Day roster. It also created an interesting dynamic when Lugo and Andino came up back-to-back with the bases loaded and the score tied in the seventh.

Lugo struck out on four pitches.

Andino singled to left to bring home two runs.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
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Felix Pie is having a great spring, so what do you think happened today? Yankees closer Mariano Rivera just hit him square on the back of the ankle with a pitch. Pie went down in the batters box and has been removed from the game.

Oddly enough, he was hit on the leg that he wears a shin guard, but the ball found the exposed area right behind it.

I'm sure we'll get an update soon.

Game update: The Yankees scored four runs in the first inning off Orioles starter Alfredo Simon, but have not been heard from since. The Orioles just rallied with three unearned runs against Rivera in the sixth inning.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
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Just got a question from Ferg Deluxe that warrants an answer outside the comment section:

Ferg's take: Pete -- do you know if Mike Ricigliano will be doing the cartoon-per-game for the coming O's season? I loved that last year.

My take: I checked with the office and the answer is yes, Mike will be doing the game cartoons again this season. Thanks for asking.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Jeremy Guthrie made his final spring start today, pitching four innings against minor league competition at the Ed Smith Stadium. He threw 51 pitches against the Twins' Single-A team and gave up one run. His next start will be in the second game of the regular season on Wednesday night at Tropicana Field.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
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Dave Trembley expanded a little bit more on the acquisition of Julio Lugo, who will back up Cesar Izturis and Brian Roberts.

"He'll be a a guy who gives us versatility in the middle of the infield,'' he said.

Lugo is known as a guy who can play just about anywhere, but he likely will not play more than second and shortstop with Ty Wigginton on the roster to fill in at first base and third.

"I haven't through about playing him (Lugo) anywhere other than second or short,'' Trembley said. "He'll get in the game today."

Trembley said that Brad Bergesen and Kam Mickolio will pitch in a camp intrasquad game on Sunday at the Ed Smith Stadium complex. Otherwise, the major league Orioles will have the day off to pack and break camp.

The roster appears to be set, but after the Lugo deal Trembley is hesitant to make anything firm before he has to.

"I would say we're close,'' Trembley said, "but you never know. I've been around long enough to know that things happen at the last minute."

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (20)
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Corner infielder Mike Costanzo has been released by the Orioles. The team offered him the opportunity to become a pitcher, since there was no future for him in the organization at first or third base, but he asked to be released so he could pursue other possibilities.

Costanzo is the first one of the 10 players acquired in the two deals involving Miguel Tejada and Erik Bedard to wash out of the organization. Eight of the players remain. George Sherrill, of course, was traded to the Dodgers for Josh Bell and Steve Johnson.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (28)
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When I heard that one of the great sports cartoonists of our time – Mike Ricigliano – had been asked to do a caricature of me for my blog and other promotional purposes, my head swelled up even more than usual.

I hope this doesn’t sound egotistical, but I think Mike captured the essence of Schmuck – from the huge noggin to the embarrassing wardrobe to the love of any endeavor that requires a ball, a bat, a puck or a menu.

You’ll be seeing Mike’s artwork here on the blog, in some advertisements for The Sun and on a series of wacky T-shirts that will be available soon. Let me know what you think.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (29)
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New utility infielder Julio Lugo was in the clubhouse this morning and will be on the bus to Tampa for today's game against the New York Yankees. He said he is happy to be here and hopes to more of an opportunity to play with the Orioles than he would have with the Cardinals. We'll see about that.

Lugo said that when he found out about the deal, he was okay with it, especially since there was not a lot of playing time to be had in St. Louis.

"It was fine,'' he said. "I just want to come here and do my best...I like to play. and I'm fine. It was going to be uncomfrotable (there). I'm happy they found a way to do it, I'm happy that I'm here."

Lugo seemed rather subdued, but that might have something to do with the early morning after getting the news and coming all the way across the state of Florida to report. He is known as a high-energy guy, but that wasn't apparent in his response to starting his Orioles career.

"It's just another different hat, another different uniform,'' he said, "but it's all the same."

Clearly, it's not something he was thinking about before the deal, because he really didn't seem to know much about the team.

"Baltimore has a team that has a lot of winners,'' he said, "There are a lot of good people who have been through here and a lot of people feel good about this team. I just want to lay low and try to fiugre it out myself."

The Orioles obviously were looking for someone they would be comfortable playing a lot at either middle infield positions if necessary. Brian Roberts seems to be ready to start the season, but the club still needs to treat his situation with great caution.

"They told me I am going to play more,'' Lugo said. "I'm aware that he's hurt but I know he's the second baseman here. I think Dave is going to try get me some playing time."

Here's today's starting lineup:

Brian Roberts 2B
Nolan Reimold RF
Adam Jones CF
Miguel Tejada 3B
Garrett Atkins 1B
Matt Wieters C
Ty Wigginton DH
Felix Pie LF
Cesar Izturis SS

Alfredo Simon RHP

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (21)
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Manager Dave Trembley was satisfied with the performance of the young pitchers who combined to defeat the Tampa Bay Rays, 4-3, this afternoon. Jake Arrieta, Steve Johnson, Pedro Beato and Eddie Gamboa pitched with runners on base all day, but kept the game under control.

"I thought Arrieta in the first inning, the command of his fastball wasn't where it needed to be,'' Trembley said. "It improved. Got better. Showed some good breaking pitches. Was aggressive with his fastball. You've got to like that.

"Johnson gets ahead of the hitters. I'm sure he would like to put it away without running it out to 3-2, but shows a lot of guts...and not giving in. To me that was the turning point in the game when he got the bases loaded with no one out and held them to one run. He really minimized the damage and showed real good pitchability.

"Beato is a guy who I had in the Instructional League a few years ago. He's had some arm surgeries. It was good for him to get out there and pitch. He showed some life down in the strike zone. And Gamboa threw strikes. I don't know how many situations he's been in like that, but he showed poise. It was a nice game for our guys."

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
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Steve Johnson just finished his two innings against that tough Rays lineup and had a similar experience to Jake Arrieta. He loaded the bases with nobody out in his first inning, but worked out of it with only one run crossing the plate. He also struggled with the strike zone in his second inning, walking two batters, but got out of that jam with a strike out. Pedro Beato is now on the mound for the Orioles in a 3-3 game.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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Robert Andino doesn't know what's going to happen to him now that the Orioles have acquired Julio Lugo to be the reserve middle infielder, but he apparently isn't moping about it. He started today's game in Port Charlotte and just hit a two-run home run to bring the O's from behind in a three-run fifth inning.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
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Doesn't look like Jake Arrieta is going to remember his start against the Tampa Bay Rays fondly. He allowed three hits in the first inning, including a two-run homer to young superstar Evan Longoria and a double to Carlos Pena. The inning ended on a long fly ball by B.J. Upton.

Maybe I spoke too soon. Arrieta settled down in the second inning to retire the side in order and got through the top of the Rays order in the third without much trouble. He has collected himself very well and turned this into a decent performance, which has got to be a big plus in the eyes of the major league coaching staff.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
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Jeff Zrebiec is back at camp and watched Kevin Millwood pitch four innings in his final spring start, facing the Rays' Triple-A club and throwing 64 pitches. He allowed two runs on three hits, both runs scoring on a two-run home run.

Chris Tillman is pitching against the Double-A team and has given up three earned runs through his first three innings.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
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When manager Dave Trembley held court earlier today, he could not confirm or comment directly on the Julio Lugo deal -- which was still unofficial at the time -- so we'll have to get his take on it after today's game.

Trembley's only comment came after he was asked if the prospective trade reflected on the spring performance of utilityman Robert Andino.

"I don't think it's about Andino or anybody else,'' Trembley said. "What you're looking for is to put the best nine guys out there every day. The nature of the game is you're always looking to improve. That's the best way I can answer because I don't know."

Trembley did admit that there is good reason for the Orioles to have as much infield depth as possible with Brian Roberts just getting back into the swing of things after missing much of the exhibition season with a back injury.

"Absolutely, I would agree with you,'' Trembley ealry in the year when you'[re playing so many days in a row with the travel being like it is with no days off and on turf. Coming home as late as we are, Opening Day the next day, the short turnover time. Playing a day game the last game of the homestand. i would agree with you wholeheartedly."

Though Trembley has some concern about Roberts playing on turf at Tropicana Field, he said that Roberts will play all three games of the opening series if he says he's ready and willing to do so.

"If he wants to play all three games and he's capable of playing all three games like he has played these last three games in a row, it's a no-brainer,'' Trembley said.

Jake Arrieta will start today's game at the Port Charlotte Sports Complex. Minor league pitcher Steve Johnson will also pitch today. Dave Johnson, by the way, is pacing like an expectant parent.

Dave on Arrieta: "It's a nice test for him, they have a very good lineup, You know what I'd like for Jake, I'd like Jake to just take it as a game where he can go out and throw all his pitches and leave with a real good feeling when he's done, whenever we take him out. I'd just like him to have some success today. This is a real nice oppportunity for him to let him know we feel really highly of him. Not me, but the entire organization....It should be a shot for his confidence, letting him know that, hey, we're expecting a lot out of you and hopefully it'll be real soon when you get up and help us."

Dave on Johnson: "Another guy that should take it and run with it. Show what he can do. Leave a positive impression on everybody here, but more important, leave with a good feeling for yourself."

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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The Orioles have announced the deal to acquire infielder Julio Lugo from the St. Louis Cardinals for a player to be named. The Orioles also have announced that first base prospect Michael Aubrey has been designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster. The club has 10 days to make a move to him to the minor leagues, trade him or release him.

Aubrey played 31 games and batted. .289 for the Orioles last year. His playing time in spring training was limited because of minor surgery on his back and a slight groin strain.

The move figures to unseat Robert Andino as the reserve middle infielder, but Andino tried to take the news of the Lugo deal in stride.

"I don't got no call for that,'' Andino said. "That's their call. I'm here. I work here...whatever happens, happens. It's a game. It's a business."

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (29)
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Ty Wigginton has played with Julio Lugo in Tampa and describes him as a high-energy player who can swing the bat.

"He's a fun, energetic guy,'' Wigginton said. "Everybody came to appreciate him. He's definitely an exciting ballplayer. It's going to be fun to have him around."

Lugo brings the kind of versatility that manager Dave Trembley loves.

"I probably saw him play every position on the field except catcher,'' Wigginton said.

Moeller update: The Orioles have granted reserve catcher Chad Moeller his unconditional release. He could have accepted assignment to Triple-A Norfolk, but figures to sign a minor league deal with another club.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
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We had a sneaking suspicion last night that Andy MacPhail was up to something, but none of us could put our fingers on it. Today, our old buddy Joe Strauss broke the story that the Cardinals have traded infielder Julio Lugo to the O's, apparently for the proverbial player to be named later.

Lugo batted .280 between the Boston Red Sox and Cardinals last year with three homers and 21 RBI in 88 games. He can play both second base and shortstop and likely will supplant Robert Andino as the reserve middle infielder. We'll obviously know more later, so stay tuned.

Andino is in the lineup for today's exhibition game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Port Charlotte. Here's that lineup:

Felix Pie CF
Ty Wigginton 2B
Nick Markakis RF
Luke Scott LF
Nolan Reimold DH
Scott Moore 1B
Brandon Waring 3B
Craig Tatum C
Robert Andino SS

Jake Arrieta RHP

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (73)
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