154 days remaining

Best win of the young season. Good to see Lee, Vlad and Whiff get some key hits.

Looked like more than 18k in the stands tonight, must've been the tube.

Good talk you and Steve had Pete..... Glad you talked people into letting you keep the blog the way it is - for now anyway.

Got you back big guy.......

White Sox are looking better.
Lilibridge saved the day for the Sox.
Made two spectacular catches (A Rod and Cano) to end the game. They might have found a new closer in Santos.
So they will be a challenge to be sure for the O's. Hey if Kevin Gregg can pitch the way he did tonight every time, I just might let him out of the dog house.
Maybe =P

PS - Boy did the Red Sox overpay for Crawford and Gonzalez. They played so much better last year when they were fighting the injury bug.

155 days or less...

till you go away

I don't remember too many early wins like this last year. Good pitching, no mistakes, small ball.
Maybe if they can get the bats heated up with the weather they'll be as fun to watch as it seemed during hot stove.
How long til matusz is back ...

The weathers warming up and so are the Orioles bats. Derrek Lee is getting on track. Wieters is starting to hit and Vlad Guerrero is returning to form. Jim Johnson might be the most valuable guy in the bullpen.

My only concern is this teams lack of speed on the basepath. How can we win consistantly when we go 13 games without even attempting a stolen base?

Read this article wayne. Then tell me about the warehouser shill Angelos enabling sports writers in this town. Tell me how other sports teams get killed by the hometown reporters.

http://www.overthemonster.com/2011/4/27/2136209/boston-red-sox-score-orioles-game-recap-april-27

Spin away!

Baltimore put some perfect swings on some good pitches... what LOL???
The Orioles swung no differently then they have really all year. That is just ridiculous. Also, Zach Britton seems like the real deal and a super nice kid. He would do well to stay like that!. Also, he would do well to have a conversation with Brooks Robinson another super nice guy who was a superstar and beloved as ever in Baltimore. Obviously, they played two different positions, but Brooksie has staying power and if Zach want to enjoy the same successes that Brooks did, he should go talk to "The Man" right now.

Lastly, Beckett is a fast ball pitcher, the Orioles are a fastball hitting team. Should be interesting tonight. Guthrie just stay within yourself!

Pete: Has there been any (ANY!) thought from the O's coaching staff to consider giving Johnson a start in the rotation? He just made the Red Sox lineup look like it was on its heels for two innings, and this is the Red Sox. If momentum is only as good as your next starting pitcher, it might be time to make some creative momentum.

(P.S. If anyone here read my last post after the 15-3 loss to the Yankees, I regret it. Sorry.)

153 days remaining

Real good, desperately needed win last night. The O's got contributions from all over the order, Britton was great again, JJ and Gregg looked great. That's more like it!
Now let's see if they can do it again.

CoffeeDog,

I don't think they'll consider that. He's the best of the bullpen right now. If anything, they ought to make him the closer, Koji the setup and Gregg/Gonzalez the 7th inning middle men.

Look at the rotation:
1-Guthrie
2-Britton
3-Matusz
4-Arrieta
5-Bergesen/Tillman

Pretty good 1-3, and Arrieta is an up-and-comer.

Bergy and Tillman...who knows. They'll flash one of five starts, just enough to keep you hoping. But the other four...

It seems like we're going to be watching them all summer. I believe that is the best plan. We'll know what we have in them come September.

.500 ball was just about the best realistic hope the O's had. So it's not like having Tillman, Bergesen and to a lesser degree Arrieta taking lumps is going to cost us the wild card.

Tillman is 23. Let him pitch until there's no open spot for him, then send him down if he's not progressing. Leave him there until his numbers demand a call up.

Bergy is getting to the point where consistency is expected. He'll be 26 in September. His numbers have been regressing. Let him prove what he's worth this year. If he's Norfolk material, let him stay there until his numbers demand promotion.

I for one am tired of "wait til next year". Give the young guys the ball every fifth day and let's sort out the pros and pretenders

Jim Johnson, still the closer of the future. Real nasty stuff.
Back end of bullpen looking good, except Gonzo of course. Too bad he can't locate.
Rockets off the bat of Vlad for once. Is he heating up ?

I love JJ, but he can't be a closer. He doesn't have the mentality to be one. He may have closer stuff, but we saw what happened when they tried him as a closer. He got bombed. I think JJ needs to develop a bulldog mentality. He needs to learn how to put batters away. Often you see him getting ahead 0-2 and then giving up a double with the next pitch. Then once he puts men on, he starts getting flustered, starts elavating the fastball and gets bombed some more.

JJ has been filthy for years, but you don't see the O's making him a closer. There is a reason for that. I think he is fine where he is.

Good article, looking more like it, hope you can still see good work. usbonlinegroup

Good article, looking more like it, hope you can still see good work. usbonlinegroup

Pete,
Why is Andino not stealing second immediately in the 8th, with Varitek behind the plate? I remember watching the Rangers steal on him at will last year, and not just the fast guys.

Johnson as a starter may not be a bad idea. Only 1 Norfolk starter (Ballard 4.85) has an ERA under 5.00, and 4 starters have ERAs over 6.00. Looks like we're growing bad arms down on the farm.

The problem though is with the timing. You can't try to stretch him out this year - you'd almost have to make it a late season/offseason project. And then, if it didn't work, it could take time for him to redjust to setup man.

He doesn't seem to possess closer mentality - agree with Meso. Really like him in current role. We desperately need that decent 4th and 5th starter. Matusz healthy fills one of those spots. But the #5 spot is a question mark - is Tillman for real, what Bergy version do we have, Norfolk anyone, will Duch ever pitch again, could Simon be a wild card in this, etc.... best we can do now is status quo, becasue there really are not other alternatives.

Britton looked terrific. Loved the tweet from his brother.

Fear not. During spring training I was able to recover a piece of Zach's discarded chewing gum, and since then I've been able to isolate intact, viable DNA. I am currently working feverishly to produce clones. I should have two or three prototypes ready by the All Star break. Keep your fingers crossed.

Vlad,

You are probably right, but going into another season with low expectations is why you saw the pitiful attendance last night with the Red Sox in town. There are probably about 12,000 die hard fans in this town, just about the number that show up for fan fest every year. Hoping for a .500 season after 13 losing years doesn't excite the former fans or future fans. Attendance will never begin to come back until the team is playing meaningful games in September. If not this year, then when?

I know you are a pragmatist because I have read many of your posts, but l still have some hope that the team can contend. Sure, everything has to go right and a lot of things have gone wrong already. On paper, this team should hit. The starting pitching will be the key from here on out. Rather than dumping the one year rentals for prospects at the trade deadline, I want to see the Orioles in a position to do what the contending teams do at the deadline...add a starter or another bat. As I told bob on another htread, don't even think about 2012, it will give you a headache. For this franchise, the future is now. Lsoing another 200,000 in attendance this year will not convince Angelos to spend more money on FA's next year.

I saw this on Dave Cameron's chat over at Fangraphs:

Comment From Mason: I'm an Indians fan. Is my hope completely misplaced?

Dave Cameron: No, you're a fan, having misplaced hope is the whole point.

Love it!

Can't wait for tonight's game. Here's hoping Guthrie steps it up in a big way.

I say leave Johnson where he is. Once Matusz comes back, we should be OK with a rotation of he, Guthrie, Britton, Arietta, Tillman. I like the 2 lefties, Guthrie is pretty solid and hopefully, the others can hold their own.
Johnson is a decent set-up man, especially if he can go 2 innings once in awhile. Koji and Accardo are the only ones who hasn't faltered much and I am nervous any time Gregg and Gonzalez even warm up. It would still be nice to have a dependable lefty reliever as Rapada isn't likely the answer and I'm sure Buck will send Gonzalez packing if he doesn't show he get get hitters out.
So, in summary, our 'pen needs Johnson and there's also no guarentee he can stretch it out as a starter. Besides, now is not the time for this type of experiment.

Jimmy Johnson was born in Johnson City NY. You can't make this stuff up. Let's hope he didn't grow up a Yankee fan.

Here is a crazy thought. What if the O's could dangle Jimmy Johnson for a closer prospect and a young power bat? (oh no I di'ent) That would definitely break my heart, but if it could make this team better, I think it would be fair game.

Yes, I can think of nothing more ironic than Mes and I both liking JJ as our favorite Oriole. Kinda pathetic really...a bull pen pitcher as the favorite. Not even a closer. Yeap, I'm not proud of it, but I'm a pitching nut. I love "stuff", and there really aren't many Orioles pitchers that appear to have exceptional "stuff" (until Britton).

Jim Johnson is not a closer. I firmly believe he's not a bull pen guy either. I WANT him to be in the rotation...as I see him as the Right handed version of Britton.

Last night on Baseball Tonight they were talking about Zach Britton, (they were glowing about him and his future), but they mentioned his "2 Seamer". The point made by the Pro's was that minor leaguers in all organizations are taught to throw the 4 seamer only. To perfect throwing the 4 seamer in-out, up-down. They are told to not throw the 2 seamer until the majors...which is counter productive according to the Pros. With Britton, he was encouraged to throw it, and the results are obvious.

4 seamers get greater speed, but less "movement". 2 seamers have bite, and fall away in the strike zone. 4 seamers go straight, and can be sent back out straight, but even John Kruk said the 2 seamer is virtually impossible to do anything other than ground out with.

The Orioles have 2* pitchers that throw mid-90's 2 seamers in Britton and Johnson, and that's pretty rare. Most 2 seamers in the majors are 88-91, but the O's have two guys that can locate it and throw it in any count in the mid 90's.

*(there are actually 3 O's that use that pitch...Simon used it to devastating effect last year as the closer. Simon was a SP in the minors, but was thrown into the closer role when we needed it. Now Simon is back and being developed as a Starter again. Congrates to the O's for figuring that one out correctly!!! I hope Simon is ready soon....like I said, I love "stuff".)

2 seamers vs. 4 seamers...thoughts?

Guts is painting tonight! He's throwing his breaking stuff all over the lines.

paulie;

4 and 2 seamers compliment each other. I don't think you can set one over the other. I'll take Kruk's word that he couldn't do anything with a 2 seamer other than hit it on the ground, but if that was true of everyone, you wouldn't see anything but 2 seamers getting thrown.

Hitters will adjust to the movement of pitches, all the way from 2 seamers, cutters, sinkers to 12 to 6 curveballs. Having three or four of them that you can throw for strikes is the key.

dan qz,

No doubt about 4 and 2 seamers complementing each other. (and the change-up complements both like steak and potatoes).

No argument that hitters adjust to things, and that the more "looks"/"stuff" you have the more successful you are as a pitcher.

I just think the 2 seamer ought to be more encouraged. Other than maybe the cutter, the 2 seamer is the fastest-moving thing thrown. I figure it's the most difficult to adjust too. I've seen 2 seamers at 95-98, but never anything other than a 4 seamer at that speed.

2 seamer best of both worlds...speed and "life". I dunno, just a fan.

dan qz,

And Kruk didn't qualify it as "he" couldn't hit the 2 seamer, he was talking about anyone hitting Zach Britton's. Question was asked: "so what do you do against Zach and his pitch". Kruk: "Short answer?...Nothing. Well, other than pound it into the ground."

I guess I'm talking about exceptional 2 seamers. As we saw last year with Simon...middle of the plate 2 seamers at 96 go very very far. (Of course, he'd thrown it 4 pitches in a row, got into 3-0 counts way too often, adn could never really put it in the zone when he wanted too...maybe too much life on his stuff...)

Britton and Johnson seldom seem to leave that pitch up. They seem to be able to make it look either middle and drop to bottom, or look bottom of the zone and fall into dirt.

!!!! Luke Scott, Adam Jones....loving a lot about Adam's swing these days. Right handed Griffey? It is pretty...but he's no Griffey (no need to post the comparison's not brooks).

That was a bigger meltdown than fukushima.

paulie;

Agree with you about Jones. He's been hitting pretty good for the last 12 games or so. Gotta love 5 HRs this month. Is this his breakout season?

Got to love what Weiters has done as well. Started slow but also for the last dozen games or so he's been a house on fire. He's not showing any signs of having trouble getting around on fastballs. And he's playing great defensively.

Good teams find ways to win these kinds of games...

Good GM's find the players to win these kinds of games...

Back on track and headed for first place with the best starting staff (when Matusz returns) in all of baseball...

Accardo and Koji made it interesting, but a win is a win.

Two for two. No better time than tomorrow to put a stop to Lester's dominance.

Fearless prediction:

Wieters hits a three run homer, Nick goes three for three and drives in four. 10-6 O's.

I guess that means I shouldn't start Lester on my fantasy team.

A big"I told you so!" is in order about Jonesy. He is letting it rip. What does he have now, 3 home runs in the last 6 games?!

Luuuuuuuuuuuuuuke!!! Hot damn!

What can Guthrie do to get a win? Vlady = clutch! Gregg is pitching like the guy they thought he was when they acquired him. Outstanding. Uncharacteristic meltdown by Koji, but $#!% happens.

I'm sure a lot of locals went home with their head down tonight. Oh yea, I'm talking about you Redsuck Nation. Front runner SOBs. You travel well from Bel Air, DC, and Hagerstown to represent your team. Now go sink your face in a bucket of ice cream and watch "Fever Pitch" ... again.

the fact that gonzalez is useless to ths team right now will hurt them down the road. he needs to be available to get guys like AGon and Ortiz. To think that Rapada is more trustworthy than MGone is pretty sad.What exactly is hs problem?

Matt Wieters aka, "Golden Wheat" is looking Gold Glove like. Along with 2 Oriole Out-fielders.

I don't remember ever seeing soo many plays at the plate as there have been this year. Both Orioles Defense and opponents. Felix Pie not running over Joba still funny. What gives? Plays at the plate so hot right now.

I got Derrek Lee with that 3 run Homer for the sweep tomorrow.

Bets on LFer tomorrow? Scott? Fox? Andino...

@paulie,

Is it just me or is Matt Weiters making a bid for the All-Star team? His game calling is second to none. His defense is outstanding, making guys look ridiculous as they try to steal. He is devastating with men on, and he is hitting the ball with authority.

Mes,

maybe a little early for the AJ "I told you so." Maybe after a solid 45 days...but I'm liking what I'm seeing recently. Break out maybe...he sure seems to be "taking the emotions" out of his AB's. Good job Buck. Good job Adam. Go O's!

Mes,

Yeap, hard to hate on Matt's game these days. I love that he's catching soo much too. Who needs a back up catcher?!!??!

Interessant fände ich übrigens mal, wie häufig Links auf Twitter überhaupt angeklickt werden. In Blogs ist ja die Rate recht niedrig. Bei Twitter kommt noch hinzu, dass Neues schnell von der Startseite verschwindet und nicht jeder nach hinten blättert, um Verpasstes nachzuholen.

wie häufig Links auf Twitter überhaupt angeklickt werden. In Blogs ist ja die Rate recht niedrig. Bei Twitter kommt noch hinzu, dass Neues schnell von der Startseite verschwindet und nicht jeder nach hinten blättert, um Verpasstes nachzuholen.

Nützliche Informationen.sehr gut

Ich finde es toll, dass ich aus einem taz-Blog erfahre, warum Droste nicht mehr in der Zeitung schreibt. Weiter so!

I like very much your way of presentation. Looking forward to reading more from you. Thanks a lot.

A Little Red Sox Story,

By wayne...

As I mentioned on a thread, there are no worse fans than Sox fans (for many reasons).....

Anyway,

If you want to get to them, like my friend and I did tonight - this works....

When they get over the top obnoxious, go here...... 'dude, why don't you sit down until you have a team to ever be proud of'.... then they ALWAYS go 'we have 2 rings this decade losers (even though they weren't this decade, but hey - these are Sox fans)'... then we hit them with...

'bro, at least our championships are real. Yours consist of Ortiz, Manny and 1918. So until you can win a championship without roids or having the other team lay down, then perhaps you should take your inflatable date and head on up the road'.

Let's just say the big guy had nothing...... Oh he tried... but in the end...

Nothing

Bei Twitter kommt noch hinzu, dass Neues schnell von der Startseite verschwindet und nicht jeder nach hinten blättert, um Verpasstes nachzuholen.

Ich nehme auch einen Blick。

First game for me at the Yard in a couple of years tonight, and it was a dandy! Great to get a win, Guthrie was dealing, longballs always welcome. Top of the 8th wasn't much fun, but Koji settled down after the Youkilis dinger, and we booed down the Sox chanters! Vladdy brings home the winner, and Gregg made the 9th look easy!

Shall we sweep tomorrow? Let's shall.

That's awesome wayne. More stories like that and maybe they'll think twice about coming next time.

Tifanny and chanel, Why are you here and GO AWAY.

yes ,and also i have a question.

I like very much your way of presentation. Looking forward to reading more from you. Thanks a lot.

Your article is very good also very attract eyeball

Pete, Your article is very good also attract eyeball. I like very much at your presentation.

wayne, Looking forward to reading more from you about bad the ass sox reders. kick ass them.

Your Russian Friend

153 days remaining

Hey MacPhail watch. Last time you did your watch, you jinxed everything. As you can see, the guy is still here. I love your thought process, but I feel you'll be disappointed, as many of us will be.

wayne, so how many jerk rsox losers were in the stands last night? Was it as bad as it sounded on tv?

Peter- Who picks the 'player of the game' they announce at after the games? Do they know anything about baseball? Guthrie pitced a great game anf Lee is announced as the 'player of the game'? Sure he has some hits, but he wasn't even mentioned in any article. Whoever makes those decisions is either trying to score brownie points or just doesn't get the game.

Peter- Who picks the 'player of the game' they announce at after the games? Do they know anything about baseball? Guthrie pitched a great game anf Lee is announced as the 'player of the game'? Sure he has some hits, but he wasn't even mentioned in any article. Whoever makes those decisions is either trying to score brownie points or just doesn't get the game.

Peter- Who picks the 'player of the game' they announce at after the games? Do they know anything about baseball? Guthrie pitched a great game anf Lee is announced as the 'player of the game'? Sure he has some hits, but he wasn't even mentioned in any article. Whoever makes those decisions is either trying to score brownie points or just doesn't get the game.

Andy's not going anywhere.

@joefoss,

I could be wrong, but I think the fans do. They give them 3 choices and the fans text the number corresponding to a player. Isn't it called AT&T player of the game? Again, I could be wrong, but that's my recollection of it.

Calling a World Series win void is a slippery slope.

Sure, Manny and Ortiz have been found guilty, but what about the guys they played against? Weren't A-Rod, Giambi and Sheffield a part of that historic 2004 ALCS as well? And if Canseco's claims are accurate, and most of them have been proven so, then 75% of the league was using during the Steroid Era.

And speaking of Canseco, are we taking away the A's World Series win in '89, as well as their AL Championship trophies from '88, '89 and '90? Mark McGwire was on those teams too.

What about Clemens? What about Bonds? What about Pettitte? What about Ken Caminiti's MVP Award? What about Jim Leyritz's playoff home runs? What about Edinson Volquez? What about Bret Boone? Should we just go back in time, forget about what actually happened and simulate all of the seasons from the Steroid Era? And when, exactly, did the Steroid Era begin?

Heck, the Manny/Ortiz Red Sox were playing against a similarly juiced Orioles team, with Roberts, Miggy, Palmeiro, Gibbons, and how many more?

Does it really count as a competitive advantage if everyone else is cheating too?

Just a thought.

@not brooks,

You are correct sir! All of the cool kids were doing steroids. Manny and Oritz are winners in my book, hands down. I don't embrace steroids, but I have a funny feeling that steroids didn't give them an edge over other roided-up players, as much as their own God given talent did.

Just my $0.02

Mesotheliangelos - Thanks, but not on MASN, but at the game.

Mesotheliangelos - Thanks, but not on MASN but at the game.

@joefoss,

Oh I see. Well ... in that case, Perhaps some overzealous MacPhail shill trying to make his master's off-season acquisitions look good.

Meso -

A bit early on the Jones ITYS.

But you've got to love what we've been seeing from Jones and Wieters over the past two weeks:

Jones, last 44 PA's: .289/.341/.579, three homers, two doubles, six strikeouts and, get this, four walks.

In his first 39 PA's, Jones struck out ten times and walked just once.

Wieters, last 32 PA's: .345/.406/.621, two homers, two doubles, ten strikeouts, two walks.

I'd like to see the walks flip back around (5 K's, 4 BB's in his first 40 PA's), but if it takes a more aggressive approach to put up better numbers, I'll take it.

Both of these guys are raking right now, but I need to see a bit more to buy it. If they're both still hitting well in another month or so, I'll be thrilled.

Bergesen's major league future is in long relief or at least he needs to move to the NL. His stuff just isn't good enough to be an effective major league pitcher for the long haul, particularly in the AL East.

Is it too early to give D-Lee an extension? @ year deal at 15M? (club option if Andy's got cover his bases).

Jon,

TOTALLY agree. Perfect.

{2} year deal at 15M.

11 runs in the 3 game series, and you win 2 out of 3
tell me again how you even hope to win without pitching
Wait, give derek lee a 2/15 m/yr contract? for what?playing great defense? hitting without power?being 2 yrs older?
derek lee won't even be here in July.
get a grip.

I agree with Jim66
D Lee is killing us with his inconsistency at the plate. Great Defense, but it's really not helping us.
Vlad can't be continually be the lead off hitter or up with 2 outs and nobody on base. Nice solo shot on Lester.

Our middle relief pitcher are ineffective, it's still my opinion that Bergy can help us more in the bullpen. Love his attitude

Gonzo is done, he has to be! Here's to hoping he pulls a Gil Meche. He just can't help us!

this team cannot hit. plain and simple.
good job taking 2 of 3.
even so, they stink with the bats against everyone.the opposition does not matter.lester. baker. garcia. names. no names.until this team develops or somehow brings in a respectable 3-4-5 combo, they will continue to struggle in the best division in baseball.
jake fox in left?ohmy. c'mon buck, cut the crap.just play scott against everyone.who cares. fox saw 4 pitches tonite. sit down jake.please.

Can we get rid of Gonzales for a pair of used cleats please!

Let's end the Fox experiment at left field. Pie would have caught that fly ball after running to the nearby Starbucks, ordering an americano, paying for it, and drinking it.

Why go for the matchups if the right handed batters you're throwing out there can't hit to save their lives?!

Does Derek Lee have a minor league option? Because that's where he belongs.

Paulie ... do you seriously believe Lee should get an extension? If I were Angelos, I'd pay him additional money just to get him off my team.

I thought I'd wait to grade the MacPhailures, but let's call it right now: Lee is a bust.

Okay fellas, deep breaths. I wanted the sweep as much as any one.

The two previous games against Boston D-Lee scored 2 runs in each game, an RBI today. Career averages fellas. This guy hits falling outta bed.

Just good defense? Gold Glove defense! How many outs has he recorded that wouldn't have been by others @ 1B (Luke Scott? Jake Fox?) How many errors does he save, almost nightly? That's not worth something? That's not valuable part of a team?

I know Snyder is doing well in AAA, but he's no sure thing and will take time in Bigs to come around...like most.

Who else is there?

You can stop before you start with Pujols and Fielder stuff, we all know Andy is coming back and those type of contracts are not in the mix.

Carlos Pena anyone? (with Mark Reynolds in the line-up too...yikes!)

I'm just saying, give the man some time to get the bat going, as he does every single year. A little early to be calling Adam Jones "there" yet, nor Derrek Lee "bust".

Adam Jones puts together a string of 40 good plate appearances and Meso's almost ready to say "I told you so."

D-Lee puts up three multi-hit games in the last five, adding 40 points to his batting average, and Meso's ready to call him a bust. In April.

Tough crowd...

By the by...

Most guys get, what, 65-70 at bats in spring training?

Lee got 22.

Heading into that two-hit game against the Yankees last week, Lee had 67 at bats. Since then, he's got seven hits in 18 at bats.

With that in mind, I'll stand by what I said a while back: Lee will be fine. He was behind this spring while recovering from thumb surgery. But now that he's got his at bats in, he's getting his timing back.

He'll be fine. Not two year, $15MM extension fine, but fine enough to be our first baseman for the rest of this year.

Buck mismanaged from the 7th inning on. Why bring Johnson in to face crawford: that was the most important out of that inning and it set up the rest of the game. You either have to let Bergeson pitch to him or you have (this is scary) Gonzalez come on to pitch to him. Then you go to Johnson.

Last year Buck kept saying he did not have to be conventional and use people in certain spots or in any order. Well so far he has done just that. He has been very predictable.

Keeping it as a tied game would have given the team a chance in that 8th inning to move Andino's leadoff double to 3rd and a chance to score.

Trembley could have figured this out.

nb,

Way to miss the point bro. Said just like someone who is never at a game when surrounded by such opposing fans.

In your constant attempt to say black when I say white, you've become quite the a-hole.

Meso,

You missed the point as well.....

Of course Ortiz, Manny and many others were on Roids..... but consider the atmosphere of the Yard fella's... Consider you're in the HUGE minority in your home park, and not the comfort of your sofa in front of the tv.

One of the problems is many, many O's fans have become pzzzz's, and Boston fans know it.

You guys missed that with your generic, vanilla, whimpy responses.

Too bad...

We take 2 of 3 from divisional rival, with very good starting pitching, and it goes right back to andy's failure and (fill in blank) is a bust. How insightful.....

Hitting was good 1st two games, bullpen had its +/-. Lester owns the O's as usual in Game 3, that should not come as a surprise.

The concern should still remain on starting pitching. Over the entire season, this will remain our weak point, especially with no one in Norfolk to back us up.

Yes, the two biggest issues right now are lefty relief and Reynolds' bat. But this must fall on coaches' shoulders - fix either Gonzo or Rapada, and if you cannot fix Reynolds' bat by mid-May, call up Bell. A bit tired of seeing Buck's commercials talking about taking risks. (sorry Wayne, live too far to be at the game with you bashing the Bostoners.) Stop talking Buck, and start taking a few....you can start by having someone steal a base.

I got your point, wayne. It was pretty clear: Red Sox fans who take over our stadium are obnoxious and if you want to get under their skin, tell them that their World Series wins don't count.

Tell us something we don't know, buddy.

Once again, you succeeded in calling someone an idiot without actually saying the word. Proud?

Anyway...

I was just throwing something out there about the Steroid Era. It's at least an interesting discussion. Don't get so defensive.

By the way, I haven't been to OPACY in a few years, but that doesn't mean that I haven't been to OPACY for a Fenway South game.

PeteyPablo;

Couldn't disagree more with your take on our starting pitching. Guthrie, Britton and Arrieta have all been good. As evidenced by last night's start, Bergesen is starting to come around. Add Matusz to the mix very soon and we just might have one of the better 5 man staffs.

'something out there about the steroid era'...

To use your words....

Tell us something we don't know, buddy

wheeeew,

Good thing the previous regime set us up with Guthrie, Britton and Arrieta..... Imagine what the team would look like otherwise?

Of course AM could always hook us up with the Hills, Eaton's, Simon's, Millwood's and Duch's (just to name a few - a very few).....

Oh but wait... AM's only had 4 years..... so patience everyone......

@dan qz,

We'll very much agree to disagree. 1 start by Bergesen doesn't convince me he's in '09 form. Matusz was shaky in ST, and after an injury, has a ways to go before he perfoms like end of last year. Britton has pitched well so far, but he's still a rookie. And then, they all have to remain healthy. All those variables spell weakness, although I'd love to be wrong.

not brooks;

Let me be the first to offer my congratulations. Being called an A-Hole by Wayne is an honor I'm sure you'll wear proudly.

I mean, this is the guy who Pete thinks is delusional and who last year was outed by Roch Kubatko for posting under multiple names, first as "Wayne" to make a point, then by patting himself on the back in posts he wrote using different names. One has to be some kind of sick to be having conversations with oneself on a blog.

I'm with Petey on pitching.

Bergesen kept us in the game last night, and he gave up just two runs, but I wouldn't call it a strong start, especially considering the fact that you know Adrian Gonzalez was going to get a hit every time he came up. Bergy struggled from the beginning. And I need to see a lot more before I trust him like I did in '09.

On Matusz: I'm as excited as anyone that he seems to be no more than three weeks away from a big league start, and I hope he picks up where he left off in 2010, but to expect that is asking a little too much.

On Guthrie: Aside from the hiccup against Cleveland, he's been excellent this year. Extend him. Now.

On Britton: He might take some rookie lumps, he might not. Some guys are just real good from the start. Here's hoping that's the case with this guy.

But now we're back to the biggest question mark: depth. By running Tillman out there, we're already seeing the effects of losing one of our top guys for an extended period. What happens if someone else goes down? What if Britton loses steam in August?

There's certainly no major league type depth in the rotation. And AAA is full of a bunch of pretty pathetic journeymen. I guess I would have a different outlook if I had more faith in Bergesen and Tillman.

Well, I'd like to say something about the steroid era, and it's this:

Everybody that used it benefited, but not everyone used!

I remember sitting at a Ranger's vs. O's games in one of the seats right behind the Rangers' dugout sometime in the early 90's. Canseco and Gonzales were in the on deck areas and you could see had physiques that clearly were the result of intense training. They had bodies that looked like cartoon statues. As an avid weightlifter myself, I knew many people with these kinds of builds, and with the exception of a rare few, they were juicing.

The thing is, you looked at the Orioles standing next to them, and they were nowhere near the same size and build, even a relatively strapping guy like Ripken. So to suggest that certain teams did not have an advantage over others from the early 90's through 2004 is bull. Talented, solid ball players like Ken Camminitti, Juan Gonzales, Brett Boone, McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Jason Giambi, Tejada became MVP caliber, while MVP level guys like Bonds, Ramirez, and A-Rod became among the BEST EVER.

Could you imagine the damage that Ripken could have done on the juice, or Eddie? The O's juicers were marginal players trying to hold onto or preserve their careers, like Grimsley, Bigbie and Segui.

I don't think there was an even distribution of this behavior throughout the game. Certain teams, namely the Rangers, Red Sox, A's and probably others, had a clubhouse culture where this went on. It is reflected in the stats, in the contemporary pictures of these people, and the history of these teams star players having rapid and significant gains in muscle mass. Whether or not steroids were specifically banned prior to 2004 is immaterial. Baseball players were prohibited form taking illegal drugs. These guys broke the LAW to get an advantage over their peers, giving them a stark choice: either break the law with them, or sit back and rely on your natural ability. Some guys did it on their own and with terrific success. Derek Jeter is a guy that could have been a 40+ HR guy if he juiced. He didn't use and was still one of the best in the game. But still others were marginalized from the game because they could not produce at the pace of their PED using colleagues.

BTW, I know the effects of PED's well, having worked out along side people for years who become suddenly stronger and faster than ever, only to have them reveal their secrets. You can't always tell who is and who isn't juicing, but rapid results from training, past a particular age, are a dead giveaway. It's one thing for someone to have incremental improvements over the years, it's another to come back after 4 months packing on 25 lbs of muscle when you are over 28 years old.

The Red Sox victories are tainted probably more than others, mainly because their season and playoff successes, particularly performances by hitters in the clutch, were fueled by juicers. So when the SOx fans open their fat obnoxious mouiths, it is right to shove this fact back at them.

Hi PP,

Sorry my brother.... Never have, never will post on Roch's. Thanks for the shout out though.

Roch is an Oriole paid employee and depends on apologist like you to ALWAYS be there for him.

You do so very well....

Pete already acknowledged that the person you claim was me, wasn't.

Ya... I know.... Pete hates me but he stands up for me. Why do you think that is PP?

Wanna guess?

We'll give you some time.....

Think it over PP....

Got it yet?

No?

Oh..... it'll come to you my friend. Surely, it will....

please....

Thank you for 'getting' it.

Not only did you give a terrific take on the Roid era, but you UNDERSTOOD the meaning behind giving it to Sox fans.

You understand how they think, how they have a complex (due to the Yanks), and how targeting their wins (including 1918 now) eats at them like nothing else.

Good form...

I think most fans get it wayne. I said most, not all. Way to stick it to the Red Sox jerk fans. They come in and act like they own the place, To hear at least some had it taken to them is great.

I think most fans get it wayne. I said most, not all. Way to stick it to the Red Sox jerk fans. They come in and act like they own the place, To hear at least some had it taken to them is great.

Hi to you too Wayne,

In your narcisstic rush, I think you meant to mix it up with dan qz.

'Thanks for the shout out though'!

not brooks;

I have more faith in Bergesen than you do. As I'm sure you remember, after 5 starts or so in 09 he was pretty mediocre with an era in the mid 5s. Once he got settled in though, he put on a stretch of 15-16 starts averaging 7 IP and an era in the mid 2s. That wasn't just good, it was excellent. Roy Halliday territory in terms of length and era.

He struggled last year trying to get back from the injuries he had, but once he did he put together another string of 10-11 starts of similiar length and quality.

So for me, having performed like that through a couple of stretches, I'm pretty confident that there is something to this guy. Add him to Guthrie, Arrieta, Britton and Matusz and we just might be cooking.

I think Bergesen is better suited to middle relief but he can probably spot start if necessary. Hey, he did a decent job last night and holding the RSox to only 2 runs in 6 IP is a good outing. The problem is that with our shaky pen, we need our starters to go 7 innings because expecting 3 run free innings is to much to ask for.
This is due mainly to not having a dependable lefty. How many more times is it going to take for Buck to realize that Gonzalez is a dud? I had to laugh at his comments that he wasn''t frustrated with his appearance last night! I mean his gave up 2 hits and a walk and was all over the place with his control(or lack of). He gets 2 strikes on Cameron, who is hitting .136 and strikes out a lot and manages to cough up a walk.
This guy has to go; his mechanics are off by a mile and when he is missing the plate, it's not even close. If it means eating the 6 mill so be it, surely there must be a lefty somewhere in the system is better than him. I mean even Hendrickson can do better!

wayne,

It kills me, but you're dead right. The O's fans at OPACY are a bunch of p******. I guess it's a lot of families.

I was on the third base line last year, under the deck, and was yelling my head off. The lady in front of me after the 3rd inning, turns to me and says "could you please be quite?"

WTF!!! If she were a he, I be across that face in an instant!!

During the double header against the Rangers this year, I'm out in RF bleachers talking trash to Nelson Cruz; "two more innings until your not the best baseball team in the Majors!!" "One more inning NEEELLLSSSSOOONNNN!!"

The silence around me was deafening.

We win the first game, are tied for best record in the Majors, and I'm letting any Rangers fan know about it.

I felt like was on another planet. O's fans were watching my antics with confusion and disgust.

How many times do you think I'm going to be able to yell "O's are #1!!!"???

I took full advantage of the 40 minute intermission.

...and it was lost on most fans. It's sad, you're right.

BTW, I do love the crack @ Sawx fans. Brilliant.

(I've now gotta do some soul searching, agreeing with you and Mes a couple times in a week has caused a bit of a soul searching...jokes)

Jon mentioned it earlier, PeteyPablo and TerryP both reiterated it, and I still agree; Bergensen seems like a #6.

That said, I understand dan qz point; IF Guthrie, Britton, and Arrieta can all win 12-15, you've gotta think Matusz is good for 12-15 too, and that'd make a fine rotation. Best in the business...maybe not, but maybe top half.

not brooks and PeteyPablo fairly point out that "if" is about health, and Arms are about the last thing to count on for health. But there is Mr. Healthy Duecsherer at some point too...that's 5 guys w/o Tillman or Bergensen.

The health issue of the arms though, which are inevitable, hopefully has already come to pass. It could very well be that Matusz and Duecsherer are the "if". Better now than latter?

Britton, whether hitting a physiological wall or an Innings Pitched limit, looks to be fine otherwise. ROY run? (that'd be 3 years now that the O's have had a ROY canidate Riemold, Matusz, Britton)

But there is another unmentioned issue. The dreaded sop**** slump. So vile is this accursed malady, that it doesn't bear mentioning how J*** A****** could be in line for it.

Damn you, paulie...

Well, there goes Luke Scott again. Costing the O's another run with his defense.

At least he's hitting over the past three games. Maybe it's the start of one of his hot streaks.

And at least Matt Wieters is a dominant defensive catcher. Pierre wasn't even close.

What a weird night. First I was mocking the Nationals broadcast guys for calling Jason Marquis "equal" to Tim Lincicum. Than Jason goes 9 innings...

Now, I just watched Luke Scott rob a HR...

There's something strange in the air tonight.

Maybe that means Mark Reynolds hits for the cycle.

...and not brooks. I never "said" it. Maybe I should say, never spelled it out.

luke just needs to play and hit and at some point this offense needs to get into the middle of the AL pack. and it would not hurt if markakis woke up. but right now they're asking a young staff- that's missing one of its pieces- and a mediocre bullpen to be near-shutdown every night. it's a tall order, and not happening.
the lineup out there tonight has to produce. there's no one behind them, no one waiting in the wings, for better or worse, this is what they got.

3 runs off a lefty? don't stop now...

good inning. nick is swinging a shovel right now.

So Danks throws four straight balls to Roberts, and Markakis swings at the first pitch...?

Is Nick ever going to break out of this funk?

maybe not.

MATT WIETERS!!! Been hitting 'em to the warning track all night...finally it goes beyond!

I said it was a strange night...Mark Reynolds gets 2 bases on wild pitches...inning should have been over, but wild pitch puts Mark on, and Matty goes yard!

matt has been on danks all night

What would we do without the play by play by posters?

Brilliant!

is the nfl draft a 2 week event now?
talk about marketing.

strange inning. is it a full moon tonight?

wow...Matt Wieters again. Again warning track. Tagging it.

Why is Showalter waisting JJ on a blowout, wouldn't a 6 run lead be a safe place to to get Gonzalez some work?

I'd love to find out what we could do without you, Wayne....

Wouldn't that be brilliant?

By the way, a lot of Red Sox fans may be jerks, but your comment about their championships "consisting of Ortiz, Manny, and 1918" is absurd. For all your criticism of the Orioles and their free agent signings, you of all people should know that teams built solely on the strengths of a couple free agents don't go very far. The Red Sox teams of 2004 and 2007 were strong and deep. Just look at their starting pitching, for goodness' sake.

But really, thanks for speaking on behalf of Oriole fans, Wayne. You always know how to make the fanbase sound like a bunch of cluelessly bitter idiots....

Hey BB,

Or should I say moron from birth? You're exactly the kind of fan Sox fans love beating the shxt out of.....

Now I'm not suggesting such.... but I'd understand.

paulie,

Please allow me to deal with your last post for at least a day. I'm not sure how to deal with or or how to react......

I just need some time....

i guess someone figured out how to derail freddy garcia's cy young campaign

Wow, wayne, you really don't deal well with people calling you out for being wrong. You respond with immature name-calling and obscenity... but nothing of substance, as usual.

What's wrong? Sore that the O's are winning tonight?

Better luck next time.

In other news, I really figured Gonzalez might get some work with this lead....

This was a good night for O's baseball, all 5 teams in the O's organization won! It's not very often all 5 win on the same day, tomorrow's a new day, what are the odds of 10 for 10?

Givens finally broke out of his slump at Delmarva, Mahoney hit a double and a homer, and Riemold went deep as well.

Nah BB,

More posters got it, while a few like to go to the Yard and root for the O's in their izod shirts, khaki's and no orange or black to be found.

Or....

They're like you who watches the games from your comfy sofa, not understanding how the Yard is when The Sox come to town.

Substance BB? Go to the Yard once in a while (although you'll have some lame excuse why you don't) and grow some substance.......... and trust me, I realize yo have no idea what I meant by that.

And by the way my friend.... I'm here win or lose. Remember, even the worst teams in the game win at least fifty some games each year.......

Enjoy your wins while you can get em BB.

You're in rare form tonight, wayne.

Who pissed in your Wheaties?

no one nb.......

I just get a little unnerved when people don't understand how important it is to keep control of your own house.....

Many, many O's fans just let opposing fans come in and take over. Sox fans for example, take great pride and joy in rubbing the fact that OPACY is their home in the faces of Baltimore fans. Anyone who doesn't think they have fun at Baltimore's expense is just a fool.

I wear my Oriole hat, and my friends and I enjoy the games immensely, albeit expecting the O's to lose far more than they win. Nevertheless, the Yard is suppose to be a little bit of an oasis for hometown fans.

It's not...... and it's getting worse every year.

So my friends and I do our little thing (and trust me..... it's small scale when you're dealing with thousand of fans), to get under the skin of a few incredibly obnoxious fans.

Do I get the complexities of the Roids era? You bet. Was it prevalent throughout baseball? Yep. Should the Red Sox be singled out? Probably not.

But did it make the one fan we said it to so angry that it ruined the rest of his evening? Oh yeah.....

The fact that the O's won was simply icing in the cake... Problem is, we can't count on such on any kind of regular basis. So....... from time to time nb, instead of simply sitting on our hands, the way that 99% of O's fans do, we push back a little.

paulie is one of the 1% of fans who actually stands up for his team when at the Yard. I respect that. If everyone did what he describes, a big # of opposing fans would stay away, or at least they'd stop being so rude. But what he described has become rare.

So nb.... when I come on and tell a little story about my friends and I doing our little part in holding down our home turf, I get to see the true colors of certain fans....

Like PP....

Let's just say that Yank, Sox and Philly fans FEAST on so called fans like PP.

In fact..... They count on them.

Guys, wayne is a better fan than we can ever hope to be. He goes to the games. He goes to Fan Fest. Like us, he posts on here and the Insider. But unlike us, he tell the whole hard truth about the Orioles organization. His hard hitting posts kept MacPhail from signing Joe Crede last year.

So, in summation, wayne is better than us and we should all stop questioning him. Right, wayne?

@Wayne,

Read through the blog and get your people and facts straight. If you want to talk about the starting pitching which is what I've been discussing, feel free to join in with something relevant for a change.

@dan qz,

Good pitching by Arrieta, good not great. Enough to keep us in the game which is minimum to expect. We should probably bet a cheeseburger and a beer - that by August, the starting pitching is decent. I'd gladly pay that bet off.

PeteyPablo;

A little perspective with Arrieta is in order. At the beginning of ST he was 4th or 5th on our depth chart. No he hasn't been great so far, just good, but how much more do you expect from your 4 or 5 guy? He got hammered once which makes his era a little ugly, but didn't give up more than 3 runs in any of his other 5 starts. If he keeps that up he'll win his share of games. He's 3 and 1 for a reason.

@dan qz,

Agree with you on Arrieta. I think 5 IP with 3 R on the road is OK. He's got the tools to do much better, so maybe I 'm setting his bar too high. Becoming more consistent is his next step in progressing, and yes, take away that game against Tex and he's been very good.

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