You're absolutely right about Cabrera: the guy is a beast. I was watching the game and saw his line so far this year - .341/20/71. Amazing player. Too bad the O's can't seem to find/develop/trade for/sign as a free agent a player like that.

As for Simon, I haven't given up on him. He's saved, I believe, 11 of 13 so far. That's pretty good. Let's give the guy a chance. What have we got to lose?

On the down side, the O's do seem to always find a way to lose, don't they? Either the bullpen implodes, they can't get a hit with RISP, the starter gets slammed, they make an untimely error, or one of a hundred reasons.

Maybe a new manager from outside the organization can change the malaise that has inflicted the O's for years. How about Buck Showalter?

Fair points Pete, his return has been remarkable and there's no question about his "stuff": his splitter and 2-Seamer are pretty nasty. I like the guy, and think the Bull-Pen/Closer roles are in his best interest for now.

Thing is...A.) there is a closer coming back, and with the guys pay-check, I'd imagine he'd have to be given the opportunity to fulfill his contractual agreement. B.) Simon seems have a heck of time finding the strike zone....last night he was all over the place again (the pitch to Miggy was a good one though...too bad). C.) He was a Starter and, for whatever it's worth, I think that door should be re-opened for him (again though, after coming back from surgery, maybe a less "taxing" role on his arm is better at this point).

I'm not giving up on him, but David Hernadez seems to be showing "closer" stuff too and since he's done the "starter" thing before (and not great results to show for it) I'd like to see David closing the 9th...imho.

I am pulling for Simon, but the closer role for him makes me uneasy.

What we are witnessing this season is not just painful and sad. It's just down right offensive.

Going into the season with these players is the equivalent of jumping off a 1000 ft cliff without a parachute.

Did MacPhail really believe this year was about wins and losses? What a clown!

If I were the Yankees, Redsox, Phillies and other successful teams, I would strongly consider talking to the commissioner to have the O's removed from MLB. MLB teams share revenue among each other. To have a team that doesn't give a crap about revenues and winning, it's destructive, disrespectful and detrimental to the game of baseball.

Berken has 94 fastball so he throws all sliders , Simon throws 98 so he throws all splits . Do we have coaches at all ?

I don't want to take anything away from how amazing Cabrera's season has been, but Simon has been pretty splitter happy in his last few outings. This really sounds like "armchair quarterbacking" after-the-fact but it's like someone mentioned to him how important his offspeed pitches are to make his fastball more effective, and now suddenly he throws back to back to back to back offspeed pitches to nearly every batter.

It's pretty clear that Simon's primary problem is his command. Specifically fastball command. His mechanics are a little sloppy and hard to repeat. He has really great movement and velocity on the fastball, but hitters have been laying off it, or at least Cabrera did. He looked like he was sitting on the splitter right from the start. And, why shouldn't he? Simon pitched nothing but splitters to nearly every batter before him.

Simon scares me every time he's out there -- his control is just not there yet. He's just about the only lucky player the O's have, in that he probably should have blown a couple more saves than he already has with his command problems.

Let's hope he figures it out.

Simon, Hernandez, whatever. None of this matters because Gonzalez is going to be the guy when he comes back. Andy made sure of that when he gave Gonzalez $6M per.

Moving on...

- The Blue Jays, Rays and Rockies have each signed an international free agent. The A's have signed three. Any rumblings from the warehouse about involvement on the international front, Pete?

- It's pretty sad that Connolly is reporting on the Padres GM search when it's so obvious that a change is needed here...

http://twitter.com/danconnollysun

- With the trade deadline approaching, the biggest news from the O's is the release of Garrett Atkins and the fact that Millwood has become untrade-able.

- Apparently Buck Showalter is very interested in the O's job, but it hasn't been offered to him yet. Where I come from, if you've got a manager with a history of success with young teams who's actually willing to take on this mess, you get him on board ASAP. What's the holdup?

I've been saying for months that Hernandez is the man who should be the closer. Simon makes me nervous, too, because of his lack of command.

And any pitcher who can throw in the mid-to-high 90s should throw almost all fastballs, at least until hitters demonstrate they can handle it. Then you go to the slider and/or change.

A reliever with a mid-90s fastball should be able to get through the lineup once on nothing else. If a hitter shows he is timing the fastball, then you can throw him breaking stuff. Low. On the outside corner or off the plate.

That's why relief pitching and closing is for guys with just one or two pitches. Guys who have 4 pitches and can command them (Matusz) make great starters.

In the meantime, I'm not giving up on the O's. I think a starting staff that includes 3 right-handers (Arrieta, Bergesen, and Guthrie) and 2 lefties (Matusz and Zach Britton) gives the O's plenty to be hopeful about next year. And with Hernandez, Berken, and Simon in the bullpen, and maybe even a functional Gonzalez, and with a young corps including Markakis, Jones, Wieters and Bell, the future looks pretty good to me, even if the present is full of mistakes and growing pains.

Let up on MacPhail. Pitching and youth are exactly how you build a strong team, and that's exactly where the O's seem headed. It just doesn't gel in one year.

Jim

NB,

Come on now! Andy MacPhail and Peter Angelos are holding up the works.

Neither want to give up any authority.

Also,both are diligently working on their apologies to fans of the Baltimore Orioles for letting this mess happen.
So they both need time to get it together.

Maybe they could get Tom Clancy to write the apologies for them.
He could call the Apology "The Failure to Get to Play in October" for the uptenth time.
And as for Simon it's not his fault.
The coaching staff has no idea who to put out there and when. The have no idea because Peter and Andy have no clue. When Juan S gets on the phone he's not talking to the bullpen. He's got Andy M on the horn advising him.

Come on get serious! What is the holdup????

Jim:

It's nice to see some positive comments on this blog instead of the usual ranting, but I think you're glasses are tinged just a bit rose.

With the O's headed for between 100-120 losses this year, it's pretty much impossible that they will even field a .500 team next year. Would everyone think 75 wins is progress next year? Probably so. And that's what's just sad about this organization. How long till actual contention?

The reason this year has been so painful is that there was actual optimism going into the year that the actual nucleus of a young, winning team were in place. But a series of letdowns, injuries and meltdowns have turned promise into more heartache for the Baltimore Orioles fans.

One name I never seem to hear mentioned is Kranitz.

Last week, we watched Hernandez strike out two guys on six pitches, ALL fastballs. Yet these guys routinely come out throwing other junk. Or a guy like Matusz, with great stuff who still nibbles or struggles with command.

Command and confidence are the responsibility of the pitching coach. Am I saying our pitching staff is that of the '90s Braves? Not even close.

But when we keep seeing such inconsistent performances from guys who have proven they can pitch well and have dependable stuff, why is the pitching coach never mentioned?

Crowley gets brought up all the time when talking about the hitting woes, but when it comes to the pitchers, it's always their fault.

Perhaps it's time for a change at the pitching coach position, a guy who instills confidence in his pitchers and demands their best, regardless of how they're feeling. Nolan Ryan has stated he wants Texas's pitchers to go after hitters and work out of their own jams...they're measured by effort more than achievement.

You know why? Because effort and that bulldog mentality LEAD TO achievement. And the Rangers pitching improvements over the last couple seasons prove it.

Time for Kranitz to go.

Interesting I stopped reading how Nick Markakis and Adam Jones stink ...

Why don't all the big mouths ever own up to their mistakes in judgment? (I'm not looking for an answer ... I know the answer.)

I also think it's interesting that now Zack Britton is the "savior." First of all, what happened to Tillman? Everyone's given up on the guy? Pretty sure last time I checked he was 22.

Kenny: I think I'm more positive than most who post here because I'm older - in my middle 60s. I've personally seen over 55 years of baseball, and am the grandson of a former major leaguer. I've seen teams cycle between outstanding and awful. Rebuilding takes time. With so many major league teams now, (there were only 16 in the '50s and early '60s), there are a lot of players who are promoted to the big leagues before they have mastered their craft, or sometimes even learned the fundamentals. As a result too many are in the bigs too soon, and it makes for a notably inferior brand of baseball. That's where the O's find themselves now. The young guard will get better with 2-3 years of playing time. It used to be that it was rare for a player to get to the big leagues without 5 years or more of minor league play, during which they made all their stupid mistakes and learned the fundamentals and began to master their craft. Now we have to watch that painful process in the big leagues.

Patience. The young guard will make you very, very proud in about 2-3 years, and the O's WILL be better next year than last, and better in 2012 than in 2011.

And lest anyone overlook the importance of a team catalyst, think about what the O's might have been this year if B-Rob were healthy and having his usual year. Better OBP in the leadoff position, more stolen bases, more rattling of opposing pitchers. He was also
exasperating to pitchers because he fouled off so many pitches, worked the count, and saw so many pitches per AB. Nothing pisses off a pitcher more than throwing 8-10 pitches to a single hitter only to see him walk or get a hit. That's when you think you might as well just plunk him with the first pitch next time!

Jim

Tillman was shipped to KC for Kila Ka'aihue and a low level pitcher.

Oops. Sorry. That was a dream I had the other night.

Jim:

Valid points, but this is a year the "young guard" or at least much of it, was supposed to move forward. Instead many have move backwards, or at best laterally. None have really begun to blossom as many future stars do in their 2nd and 3rd years in the bigs.

Look at Nick Markakis (one of my all-time favorites, by the way (did you see him run out that ground ball last night - that's a pro)) - in his 2nd year in the majors - and he was 23 by the way - he hit .300 with 23 HR and 112 RBI. Guys that are going to be stars in MLB most often are producing at young ages. That's why I think the whole "rushing" thing is ridiculous - like these guys are all so fragile in mind and body.

And I happen to think that while Roberts (I refuse to call him B-Rob) obviously makes an impact from the leadoff spot - the thing is that the O's KNEW he had a back injury going into the season and the only move they made was to pick up Julio Lugo.

Additionally, as I've said before on this blog, the non-trade of Roberts is one of the biggest mistakes of the MacPhail era, and one that supposedly was NOT MacPhail's decision - apparently, Angelos overrode his president's decision because of his fondness for Roberts.

Instead, even without Roberts' injury, you have an aging second baseman whose game relies wholly on speed - where's that likely to go? And at this point, I'd be surprised to see Roberts on the field again. These disc injuries are life-altering.

Andy DOES have a plan, and it's a pretty good one. Does it mean it's guaranteed to work? No.

But remember, the Atlanta Braves were the laughingstocks of baseball from 1985 all the way up until all their young players blossomed at about the same time.

Starting in 1985, they lost 96, 89, 92, 106, 97 and 97 games in six consecutive seasons. But then guys like Smoltz, Glavine, Avery, Justice and Ron Gant started to gel, and suddenly they were the team to beat every single year for more than a decade.

They went from 97 losses in back to back seasons, to winning 90 plus games almost every year for a decade and a half.

Does that mean it's going to happen to the Orioles? Maybe, maybe not. But it's still way too early to write these guys off.

I've been an Orioles fan since the early 80's, watched them through the terrible years after the World Series, then back to greatness again in the mid 90's, before bottoming out again, and I gotta say that this team has HOPE - something no losing Orioles team has had in 30 years.

Chris -

Don't do that to me!

To me, Andy is a fantastic idea man. He's just horrible at application. His plan, in theory, is a good one but he has no idea how to make it work.

For starters, you can't wait for results before you spend money...you need to spend money to get results. And sometimes that means opening the cheque book in a book way.

If you're leary of overspending, I can understand that, but don't blow money on the Atkins' and Gonzalez' of the world while telling us that you don't want to risk spending too much for a Holliday, etc.

Andy has put his plan in motion and it's a good one. He just needs someone else to come in and implement it effectively.

Great post, Christopher.

I wanted to address a point from an earlier comment. It wasnt second guessing regarding Simon throwing too many splitters. I wondered why he wasnt throwing the fastball. Is it Kranitz? Wieters? Is his command that poor right now? I like Simon and thinks he has a closer mentality. But I wondered about the pitch selection too.

Jim,

What a fool. Do you realize that this team won't be competitive in your lifetime?

Enjoy your continued patience my man.

Kenny,

Have you tried to get a job at the SUN? You'd fit in very nicely.

James C:

I'm not sure what your intended point is, but I'll take that as a compliment on my writing (although I'm no fan of The Sun, in general).

Somehow, I have a feeling that's not what you meant.

James C:
Very classy post...calling a gentleman in his mid 60's a fool for having an optimistic view of his team.
Very classy.

Thoughts on tonight's game...

...Jones, Wieters, Bell vs. Scherzer = lots of strikeouts. I'm glad I picked Max up in my fantasy league.

...Bell's got six strikeouts and zero walks since his promotion. No surprise there. I still don't understand why they called him up.

...Julio Lugo's got to be the worst hitter to bat leadoff in MLB this year.

Does anybody know: If Wigginton gets traded before the All-Star mid-summer classic game, do the O's get to send a different guy (i.e. Markakis, who is clearly the team's best player)?

Don't worry about it, CO Oriole. The ASG is in five days. There's no way MacPhail trades anyone before the last minute.

Back to the game: Nice at bat by Bell. Imagine his thought process... "Hey, there's a guy on third base, this is rare for us. I had better make the most out of this at bat... OOH! AN OUTSIDE CHANGEUP! SWING! SWING! SWING!"

Send him down and bring up Joel Guzman.

nb,

In all fairness to Bell, it's not like he has anyone coaching him to do otherwise...

nb,

I know it's not about being right, but you nailed it early on about bringing Bell up.

It's just so puzzling that fans can predict what will happen to these guys while the Oriole brass seems to be clueless.

I NEVER use to think an organization wouldn't do their homework, but when you see the same thing time after time after time after time, it really makes you ask who's making these decisions.

They're striking this kid out regularly now. Imagine what will happen when they get a thorough book on him?

It's as if the guy doesn't have a chance to succeed.

Seems to be a common theme in O's land?

Good point Wayne. And it makes us wonder if these guys are legitimate major league prospects who are just screwed up by an awful orgnanization that does everything wrong or maybe they just aren't very good to begin with. I haven't seen enough of Bell to make a judgment but it would sure be nice to have one of our young players come up from the minors and rip the cover off the ball or at least not look overmatched.

Are we about to get swept by the Detroit Tigers? Another NON AL East team?

Everyone,

When you hear PA, AM and the media talk about how difficult it is to compete in the AL East, PLEASE remember series like this one.

And I'm not saying the O's aren't at a disadvantage being in this division, because they are.

All I'm saying is, PA, AM and the media shouldn't even discuss the subject until this team can be competitive outside the division.

If you don't want to think back to this series, there are plenty other non division series you can refer to.

If you look at Bell's AA stats, he went from walking around 15% of the time vs. 21% striking out in the Dodgers' organization to 10% walks vs. 25% strike outs once he got to Bowie.

What does that say to you?

Hey Chris,
Not to be argumentative but...
Better pitching at AAA?

Sorry Chris I see now what you are saying I misread

Chris -

For guys like Bell, who have immense talent but major flaws, it's all about coaching.

Only guys like the A-Rods and Griffeys of the world can coast through the minors on talent alone. Guys like Bell need to be guided. They need solid, consistent advice. They need accountability. And considering the fact that this organization hasn't drafted and developed a real major league ballplayer since Brian Roberts, I'm going to go ahead and say that the coaching just isn't there.

I'm also going to say that if Bell was still in LA's system, he'd be much better off and in prime position to take over for Casey Blake or to make the Dodgers forget about James Loney.

wayne -

Until we get new ownership/management in here, the talking heads at the top of this organization are always going to use the AL East as an excuse.

Isn't it funny though, that as the O's continue to whine about this division, the Rays are on the verge of sweeping the Red Sox?

PS - If the Brewers start selling, I say trade for Rickie Weeks.

BS anecdotes about 40-year-old desk jockeys having same injury aside, who knows if Brian Roberts will ever come back as the player he used to be (if he even comes back at all)?

Weeks is 27, a solid option as a leadoff hitter and he's got a nice power/speed combo. He'll be eligible for an arbitration raise after the season and he's a free agent in 2012. He does have a bit of an injury history, so that might keep the price a bit lower.

Start with Tillman and see what other players the Brewers want.

nb,

If Tillman goes to Milwaukee, how will my trade for Kila ever come true?

The Rays.

For 8 of the last 10 years they lost between 91-106 Losses.

They went to the WS after a 96 loss season.

--"but, it's a culture of loosing, these guys will never win."

--"these guys are getting rushed to the majors, and not developed."

--"the ownership is out to "get" the fans."

they said it about the Rays too...

OK, Chris.

Tillman + to KC for Kila.

Tim Bascom, Brandon Snyder + to Milwaukee for Weeks.

NB,

consider me stunned on ur Weeks pick. He hasn't been healthy for a full season yet, has a bad BB/K ratio, and "personality" problems about effort and respect for the game.

I'm confused...why Weeks? Did I miss something?

I'd trade Tillman for Alcides Escobar before Weeks.

paulie -

I've never heard anything about a lack of effort from Weeks. I seem to remember some personality stuff from his rookie and sophomore years, but I haven't heard anything recently.

Aside from his obvious talent, the reason I brought up Weeks is because I've been seeing rumors about the Brewers trading Corey Hart. I'm thinking if they're trading Hart, they're in selling mode, and I'm thinking the only "untouchables" there are Braun and Gallardo.

I'd love to see Fielder for sure, but unless Matusz or Wieters is in the deal, I don't think the O's have what it takes to get him.

I'd like Escobar as well, but I doubt Milwaukee would trade him when his value is so low.

Cabrera would be even more of a beast if he would drop about 25 lbs. How can one so young be so fat?

nb,

I get what you're saying on Weeks & Roberts, and I agree on your assessment of the Brewers parts to be sold or kept.

As for Robert's, there's obviously a possibility he's a ghost of his former self, but I think there's lost of guys that loose a year or more battling injuries. The O's are invested in him, and when healthy, he's arguably a top 3 lead off man in the league.

Doubling down on a talented 2B man is a solid move.

However, one of the principle parts of the "Plan" is to have excess pitching. Seems like that's either the case*, or could be. In Tillman's case, while his MLB experience has been iffy/spotty, his AAA numbers have been some of the most impressive.

I guess my thing is, while I get that the Offensive performance is wretched and needing a Weeks type yesterday, that it seems to fill a shorter term need than longer.

As an example, Tillman for Weeks, is like David Hernandez for Kila.

Jump at that, right. Well I think if Andy called the Brewers and said "Tillman for Weeks" they'd drop off Weeks in the hour and pick up Tillman before the phone was in the cradle.

...but your right on Escobar...they'd probably laugh they're asses off...

*this may or may not be a laughable/arguable claim.

paulie -

I certainly understand the excess pitching bit, but at some point, this team really needs some offense. Past Bell, who may or may not pan out, there's nothing on the offensive side of the game in the high minors. And there certainly is some truth to the "free agents won't come here" argument, though I think they would if Andy offered them the most money. Of course, I understand not wanting to overpay unless you're overpaying for an absolute stud.

All that said, the best option, at this point, to acquire offense is via trade. And the O's can afford to trade guys like Tillman, Bascom and some of the other guys in Bowie and Frederick because they'll still have Matusz, Arrieta, Zach Britton and Ryan Berry.

not brooks,

Well right, exactly. Excess pitching good, need offense, Bell-maybe, free agents stigma, but yes Max $, but no to less than A++. (examine offensive prospects angle another time maybe...)

Agree on offense via trade, but I thought that Weeks you'd over-pay with Tillman, pretty much, and Weeks has enough of an injury issue to be questionable upgrade of questionable Roberts. I'm thinking Escobar puts them in a thinking mode, and offer up Lugo (paid for contract attractive...throw in LJ Hoes maybe).

loosing point, oh...

I respect the BB/K ratio as a measuring stick (in most instances), and I'm pretty sure you are a big proponent of that too, so Weeks seemed "odd" from you, is all...

I thought you'd be on the Yunel Escobar trades, or something.

Blowing up the O's right now by trading away any of their talented young starting pitchers (Arrieta, Bergesen, Tillman, Matusz, Britton) or their newly strong bullpen (Simon, Hernandez, Berken), or any of their young position players (Jones, Markakis, Wieters, Bell) would only serve to delay the team's progress by a few more years. It takes TIME for these youngsters to learn to play well at the major league level. They have to learn how to make constant adjustments, because the league will surely adjust to them. On that note, I'm sure pleased to see how Adam Jones has raised his average into the .270+ range after a horrible first couple of months. The league adjusted to him. Now he's learned to make adjustments himself. The same will happen to the other young hitters and the young pitching staff.

I think Josh Bell will develop into a solid if not spectacular 3rd-baseman with some pop. But the O's still need middle infielders and a 1st baseman. The rest of the lineup seems set for improvement over the next 2-3 years as they develop and learn to adjust.

This is a team with a solid corps of starting pitchers for the future, a solid trio of relievers, and 4 of the 8 position players. What is needed now is patience. Impatience that blows up the starting staff or one or more of the young position players would be foolish.

You can call me a fool if you want, but I've seen a lot of baseball in the last 55 years, and there is only one way to build a competitive team - pitching, and hitters developed from within. An occasional free agent can help, but not if it's a retread old pitcher or hitter past his prime.

Has anybody noticed that the Marlins went to the World Series TWICE by building young players from within the organization, then blew up the team, then rebuilt exactly the same way?

I'm sorry for all you impatient fans, but lack of patience is the best way there is to doom a team to consistent failure instead of improvement.

Jim

Jim -

Since you've been watching baseball for the last 55 years, you'll know it's highly unlikely for all five of a team's top five pitching prospects to pan out. That's why it makes sense to dangle Tillman or Britton out there in a trade for offensive help.

By the way, the '97 Marlins were most certainly not a team of young players that was "built from within". Gary Sheffield, Jeff Conine, Bobby Bonilla, Moises Alou, Devon White, Kevin Brown, Alex Fernandez and Al Leiter were the core of that team. Sheffield was acquired via trade and Conine was an expansion draftee, but Alou, White, Brown and Leiter were all part of a massive free agent spending spree prior to the '96 season and Bonilla and Fernandez were added as free agents in the winter of '96.

What in the world was simon trying to hit the black of the plate on a 3-2 count to Damon in the ninth. The last thing you want to do is walk that guy! He should have thrown that pitch right down the middle and seen what happened. If he hits a HR at least you have a one run lead. I don't get it. You can not wak that guy! Good closers don't. I understand you are trying to get him out but if you fall to 3-1 on the guy the last thing you do with a 2 run lead is become aggresive with locating your pitches. Make the guy earn his way on. I just don't get it.

The BP blew it during the game on Tuesday, but I was curious why Hernandez wasn't brought out in the bottom of the 8th? I don't know the stats, but it seems like when it's a 4 out save, closers have a tough time coming back in the 9th whether it's from the adrenaline rush they first get or sitting on the bench while the hitters bat.

I really don't understand why Fox didn't get much playing time in the series? He was hot so why not see what he can do? Seems to be similar to the Oscar Salazar situation when Oscar would do something positive over and over gain, but DT would never give him an extended look. I obviously don't think that you build your team around a guy like Salazar, but I do believe he is a guy that can pay dividends like he is doing for the Padres.

Looking at the roster and the guys the O's will likely trade, I really think that Ohman is the guy that will bring the most back. Look at how many teams in 1st or 2nd that are still looking for that one elusive reliever. Ohman has been outstanding all year save for his stint as the closer. Maybe, just maybe the O's can get lucky like the Astros got with Larry Anderson for Jeff Bagwell deal.

Jim,

Actually I'm totally with you; I'd not trade a single Arm from the organization.

Not Brooks is right in saying not All the pitching will pan out. And at the moment, none of them have. So rather than trading now when everyone is an unknown, I'd like to see a couple develop and before making trades. The whole "counting chickens before they hatch."

I think once a couple of the guys prove they're mainstays of the O's future rotation, than you can look at trading Arms for bats. Until such point as an "ace" emerges, trading any of them could mean trading the thing the O's need more than Offensive parts...an Ace. "Cutting your nose off, despite your face."