matusz mania

There's been a lot of buzz about the Orioles getting University of San Diego pitcher Brian Matusz. And now it seems like things are really coming true. The Sun's Jeff Zrebiec has been covering the situation extensively and found out that Matusz is scheduled to take a physical in Baltimore today, which is one of the final steps in reaching an agreement. According to a source, the two sides are closing in on a deal that could be done within 24 hours.

Let's hope so, because the Orioles have until midnight tomorrow to reach an agreement, or they'll forfeit their draft rights to the left-handed pitcher.

Orioles president Andy Macphail said, "The fact that it's not done yet and we thought it would get done earlier, that makes it a concern. We really don't have much in the way of progress to report at this present time." And O's director of scouting Joe Jordan said, "We're working on it as we speak, but there's no need for me to publicly comment."

Matusz himself wrote in an email: "Both the Orioles and myself have been working diligently on getting a deal done. I want to sign and will do so upon receiving a fair (not record-breaking) deal. While I am not at liberty to discuss any parameters or numbers of the deal, I am hopeful that a resolution can be reached."

I certainly hope that we hear more finalized news soon because we could use the skills of this 6-foot-5 left-hander with a 90-93 mph fastball. During the regular season, he went 11-2 with a 1.88 ERA and 131 strike outs in 96 innings. And as this season, especially, has shown us, pitching truly makes or breaks a team.

@ cleveland, tuesday and wednesday

Tuesday night's game against the Cleveland Indians was like deja vu all over again for the O's. Starter Garrett Olson allowed four first-inning runs, but he bounced back to work through the sixth without allowing anymore earn runs. The first was certainly rough for Olson, who hadn't pitched since July 11. He hit the first batter, then watched as the Tribe bunted the runner into scoring position. Then Asdrubal Cabrera and Ben Francisco both singled making it four-zip.

But The O's offense caught up in the seventh: Luke Scott doubled and scored the tying run on a single by Nick Markakis. The Orioles also scored twice in the first and once in the fifth. But on a rare double error charged to Melvin Mora, Cleveland scored in the fourth to add an insurance run. Final score was 7-5.

This game really felt like same old, same old. Though I give props to Olson for bouncing back from his horrible start, it seems like a shaky beginning is all the O's need to lose a game. Oh, and poor defensive moves in the infield. That'll do it, too. Our poor offense keeps catching up, but our mistakes cost us in the end.

---

Wednesday night's game, however, was a breath of fresh air. That is usually the case when the Orioles' ace, Jeremy Guthrie, is on the mound.

Guthrie ran up a high pitch count in the first four innings, but he held his former team to two runners in scoring position. The Indians finally broke through in the fifth with doubles from Andy Marte and Grady Sizemore.

But that measly pair of doubles didn't stand a chance to our O's offense. Aubrey Huff got a solo home run in the second and Kevin Millar scored on a groundout later in that rally. The O's also had an awesome ninth inning when Markakis got a two-run single and the O's used a Huff double and a wild pitch to score the final two runs. Closer George Sherrill worked the final three outs to seal the game with a score of 6-1.

Guthrie had pitched to his former team twice on relief stints, both unsuccessful. But last night he looked pretty flawless. With every one of his starts, it's becoming more and more apparent that Guthrie is our team's MVP for the season. No other player spurs that much confidence with the fans and, evidently, the players.

olympics break

Let's take a break from Orioles baseball (just for a post) to talk about the U.S. Olympic team and their incredible performances thus far. Of course there is local (and fellow Towson High '03 grad) Mike Phelps, whose performances, both individual and team, have been amazing to watch. He has already won three gold medals: 400-meter IM, 4 x 100-meeter freestyle relay (he can thank his teammate Jason Lezak for that amazing performance) and the 200-meeter freestyle. He set world-records in all three of the races, as well. Congrats so far!




We also have to recognize the U.S. Men's Gymnastic team, who were definitely underdogs because both their stars, Paul and Morgan Hamm, withdrew due to injuries. But the U.S. prevailed to earn a bronze medal, with special highlights including Jonathan Horton's near flawless floor exercise and Alexander Artemev's flare sequence on the pommel horse.

It figures that sports is one of the few things to really make me feel patriotic. Go USA!

frustrating loss to the tribe

A familiar Orioles game was played last night: shaky pitching start, but an incredible offense brought us back. Unfortunately, the Indians got the last word.

Starter Dennis Sarfate allowed seven runs (six earned) in four-plus innings. He surrendered five hits and walked five. But there was light at the end of the tunnel in the seventh, when Indians pitcher Fausto Carmona issued back-to-back walks and then a single to Alex Cintron. Then Brian Roberts hit an RBI single to right, making it 7-4. Nick Markakis got a triple to tie the game and Mora got a sac fly, bringing the O's to an 8-7 lead.

But reliever Rocky Cherry (which sounds more like a Ben & Jerry's flavor than a pitcher) allowed a leadoff double and a single. Then a pinch hitter followed with a ground ball to Melvin Mora, but Hernandez didn't play the ball correctly and nobody was out. The next hitter tied the game at 8 with a sac-fly.

Jamie Walker then got Asdurbal Cabrera to hit into a routine double play, but it hit off Mora's glove and trickled into shallow left field, and the Indians took the lead. One last mistake: Kevin Millar opted to take the out at first on Grady Sizemore's ground ball before throwing home. Final score: 13-8.

The embarrassing triple-threat of defensive mistakes towards the end cost us the game. Without a doubt. As Dave Trembley said: "Obviously, there was probably lapses in concentration."

It is certainly one thing when AAA players come up and look like they've been in the majors forever. It is quite another when MLB players make minor league mistakes.

weekend wrap-up

I know I've been slacking with posts. Let's just blame the Olympics. So we'll have to do a quick catch up session to get back on track. The Texas Rangers were in town this weekend and we ended up taking two out of three from the Lone Star team.

On Friday, the O's star pitcher Jeremy Guthrie gave up just five hits over seven innings and our offense was a total powerhouse. Kevin Millar hit his 17th and 18th home runs in consecutive at-bats. Other multi-RBI performances were delivered by Brian Roberts, Ramon Hernandez and Juan Castro. Final score was 9-1.

Saturday's game was eerily similar, with starting pitcher Daniel "DCab" Cabrera allowing only four hits over six innings. Melvin Mora homered and had four RBIs, Nick Markakis also connected and Roberts scored three runs. Final was 9-0, which is a combined 18-1 for the first two games, for those keeping score.

We didn't fair so well on the cursed Sunday at the Yard. Revered rookie Chris Waters allowed six runs, seven hits and three walks in four innings. Josh Hamilton hit a three-run homer, Marlon Byrd had a home and four RBI's and Ian scored three runs and had three RBI's. Our usual stars looked great: Aubrey Huff homered, Roberts was 4-for-4 and Mora had a homer and four RBI's. But without the backbone of strong pitching, we lost to the Rangers 15-7. Ouch.

payton's glove turns to gold!

Though the Angels took two out of three from the Birds this series, Jay Payton did make some amazingly impressive grabs from center field:


How about that thud after the second grab?

These make a nice trio with his end-of-the-game catch against Seattle last Saturday. Besides (obviously) robbing the opposing team of home runs, he displayed a very strong defensive game, showing that we could get a pretty decent trade out of him!

montanez's moment!

When left-fielder Lou Montanez (called up from Double-A) made his major league debut in the third inning last night, the O's were down by five runs. Ervin Santana pitched a fastball over the plate and Montanez shot it over the fence in left center-field, becoming only the second Oriole in history to hit a home run in his first majors at-bat. Watch for yourself:

Montanez was leading the Double-A Eastern League in all three Triple Crown Categories, including 26 home runs for Bowie. The left fielder had this to say about his major at-bat: "You never expect that, but you do envision this when you were a kid for your first at-bat," he said. "You want to go deep, and it actually came true, so it's real special."

Like I said before, the only other Oriole to ever get a home-run in his first majors at-bat was pitcher (that's right a pitcher) Les "Buster" Narum on May 3, 1963 in the top of the fourth in Detroit. But the O's ended up winning that game 8-5.

Montanez was very flattered to be in Narum's company: "That means a lot, It means my name's going to be in the record books for as long as baseball exists, so it's real neat."

His confidence was obviously boosted by that first home run because, in his next at-bat, he singled and scored. The hits should probably come as no surprise because of Montanez's numbers in the minor leagues. In one incredibly impressive week (July 27-August 2), he was 17-32, batting .530 with 12 runs and 17 RBI's. Not too shabby.

As Dave Trembley says, "When you're hot, it doesn't matter who's pitching or where you're playing. I told him that it's the same game, maybe a little bit faster. Do the same things that you were doing in Bowie."

And apparently, Lou listened.

o's fall in finale

The star of the O's third game against the Los Angeles Angels was, unfortunately, Vladimir Guerrero, who homered and drove in four runs as the Angels beat the Orioles 9-4.

The Angels were up 9-1 after four innings against Garrett Olson (8-6) and Lance Cormier. The Angels had a three-run first with Guerrero's two-run homer, and Garret Anderson's RBI double. Then Jeff Mathis made it 4-zip in the second with a homer. Teixeira led off the third with a triple (on Lou Montanez's error) and then scored on a wild pitch. Anderson had an RBI single later in the inning. The Angels got three more in the fourth on Guerrero's two-run single and Torii Hunter's sac-fly.

But it wasn't all bad news at Angels stadium! Montanez homered on the second pitch he ever saw in the major leagues. (The only other player in Orioles history to homer in his first big league at-bat was relief pitcher Les "Buster" Narum on May 3, 1963). Another Triple-A success story!! And recent powerhouse Nick Markakis hit a three-run shot in the fifth, which was his 16th homer of the season. Markakis was 5-for-12 with seven RBI's against the Halos this series.

But it was our dismal pitching, as usual, that cost us the game. Olson lasted only 2 2/3 innings, allowing six runs and seven hits. Then the Angels scored three runs off "reliever" Cormier in the fourth.

lou in left

Outfielder Lou Montanez (who did come in last night to make an out) will be starting in left field tonight. Maybe our luck with minor leaguers will continue!

contemplating chris

After last night's awesome pitching performance from Chris Waters, players and coaches had a lot to say:

Torii Hunter: "He was making adjustments and that’s what the game is all about. He didn’t throw off speed until the second time around. He threw all fastballs and one changeup the first time around. The third time around he brought the slider out. He knew what he was doing. He didn’t want us to see all his pitches. He’s kind of bright."


Kevin Millar: "He did a great job throwing strikes, man. From the first inning on, he was pounding the strike zone. He had great movement. He reminds you a lot of Kenny Rogers. He changed speeds, big sinker and he fielded his position. He was an athlete on the mound. He knew what he was doing. It’s a perfect example of if you can throw strikes and keep the ball down, you can have success in this league."


Melvin Mora: "I know you have to give credit to the guy, but you also have to give credit to the guy behind the plate, Ramon. He called a great game. He knows those guys. If Ramon called the best pitch and he threw it the way he wanted, I think he was going to be fine. That’s what this kid did. Whatever Ramon called for the spot, he hit the spot. No problem."


Dave Trembley: "I watched the body language is what I watched. I watched his body language, I watched his eyes. And I watched him on the bench in between innings and I watched his body language on the mound after he threw the ball. He just looked like he had tremendous poise. He was under control. He didn't walk around. He got in a rhythm and a tempo. He just kept throwing."


Aubrey Huff: "He just took out nine years of frustration on the best team in baseball. How great is that?"






Ramon Hernandez: "You have somebody's career in your hands. I was trying to make it a success so he can be in the big leagues for the rest of his career. He was throwing strikes no matter what. It didn't matter who was hitting. He wasn't scared to get hit. That's the main thing about young guys coming in like that."



Chris Waters: "It's been a bumpy road. I went through surgery in '04 and it's taken a while to get everything back. This year is probably the first year that I really felt like I was before I got hurt. I came in knowing that they were probably going to take on me because a rookie coming into a big stadium, I was just focusing in on really trying to find the zone."

effing sweet!

I stayed up until the very end of the game last night because I just had to see if it could really come true. Could we really bring a guy up from Triple-A Norfolk for his major league debut and have him pitch a one-hit shutout to the best team in baseball?

And, apparently, we can.

It was one of the most awesome games of this Orioles season. Chris Waters held the Los Angeles Angels to one hit over eight innings, and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Angels 3-0 last night. All the league leaders could muster against Waters was a leadoff single in the second inning by Vladimir Guerrero.

Waters (who turns 28 in a couple of weeks) threw 104 pitches, struck out three, walked three, and hit a batter. He retired 14 of the last 15 halos. Closer George Sherrill came into pitch in the bottom of the ninth earning his 31st save, but not before scaring the crap out of us with a leadoff single -- thanks again for the mini-heart attack, George!

This was the Angels only shut out at home this season. The only time it was a little scary was in the third inning, when Erick Aybar grounded out to the shortstop with runners at second and third. But Torii Hunter's hitting streak ended at 15 games, as did Garret Anderson's 12-gamer.

The Orioles offense got started early with four consecutive hits, including an RBI double by Nick Markakis and a run-scoring single by Melvin Mora. Then Luke Scott hit his 19th home run of the season in the seventh to add a little extra cushion.

Gold without a doubt goes to starting pitcher Chris Waters who, after nine years of toiling in the minors, had an amazing major league debut. Gary Thorne said it all last night while introducing the "player of the game" poll: "Chris Waters, Chris Waters, or Chris Waters?"

Silver to Luke Scott, whose seventh inning home run felt really clutch when George Sherrill got sketchy in the ninth. If that was only a two-run ball game, my mini-heart attack might have been upgraded to actual. And bronze to Nick Markakis for another solid game.

Who knew the key to Orioles success is calling up a mediocre pitcher from the minors and putting him against the best team in the MLB?

pitcher profile: chris waters

name: Chris Waters
age: 27
height: 6'0"
weight: 170 lbs.
throws: left
season record: 8-6
season ERA: 4.65
on: Bowie Baysox and Norfolk Tides
mr. july: 3-1 with a 3.60 ERA in six games for the Tides in July
last outing: allowed one hit in 7 innings

It really is a shame that we can't start Hayden Penn because of his freakish broken-bat injury. Waters doesn't have the best career numbers and certainly isn't the youngest guy we can bring up from Triple-A, but his recent stats have been pretty good. I guess when it's your only option, you have to look at the bright side.

jones and pitching update

As many people expected, pitcher Chris Waters from Triple-A Norfolk will be tonight's starting pitcher (Brandon Fahey was optioned back to the Tides to make room). Also, Trembley said that Adam Jones would be sent back to Baltimore for further tests on his foot.

From the man himself:

trembley on regis and kelly!

Thanks to emily for this tip: If you happened to catch last Tuesday's (July 29) episode of Regis and Kelly, you would have seen our very own Dave Trembley in the audience, during our series up in the Bronx.

After Regis talked about the Florida Marlins for a while, he said "Speaking of baseball, you know who we have in the audience today? Dave Trembley, manager of the Baltimore Orioles!" Then they pan to the audience and Trembley stands up and waves.

Regis makes a joke about how they couldn't get him better seats, then asked Trembley how his team won over Moose and the Yanks the night before. The skipper said, "He threw it over the plate." Then Regis didn't miss an opportunity to remind us that the O's are the last place team. "Not for long," Trembley replied. Nice.

Besides that cut and Regis saying "Dave Guthrie," it's a pretty fun little clip, which you can view here. Just go to the July 29, 2008 host chat and fast-forward to about 13:54.

aaaaalmost

If you stayed up late enough to watch the Orioles' ninth-inning rally against major league saves leader Fracisco Rogriguez, you would have been pumped. If you stayed up past that? Not so much. Closer George Sherrill allowed a bases loaded walk to Chone Figgins, giving the Angels a 6-5 lead over the O's.

Angels starter Joe Saunders lasted six innings, only allowing a run and six hits. The O's only run came in the fifth when Saunders hit Luke Scott with a pitch, Jay Payton and Brian Roberts walked and Scott came home on a groundout by Nick Markakis.

Orioles starter Dennis Sarfate, demonstrating his rookie status, gave up five runs, six hits and three walks over three-plus innings in his second big league start.

But it seemed like we were going to salvage the damage in the ninth. Kevin Millar led off with a leadoff single against Scot Shields, who retired the next two batters. But pinch-hitter Alex Cintron kept the rally going with a single, bringing Rodriguez into the game. Then Roberts loaded the bases with a grounder to first that two-time Gold Glove winner Mark Teixeira misplayed. Then Markakis had a two-run single and Melvin Mora tied it with a two-run double. Yes!

Then George "Why Was He an All-Star" Sherrill blew it big time. He gave a leadoff double to Torii Hunter, who advanced on a groundout. Then Howie Kendrick was intentionally walked and Juan Rivera popped out. But Sherill walked Jeff Mathis and Figgins to bring in the winning run.

Another game with a powerhouse (albeit late) offense and unreliable pitching. If we can't get a confident beginning and end to these games, it's hard to stay focused in the middle.

PS: Scot and Torii? What is with the names on this Angels roster?

perplexing pitching

Tomorrow's hole in our starting rotation keeps getting bigger. On Friday, it was announced that the O's optioned starting pitcher Brian Burres to Triple-A Norfolk. Then on Saturday, Hayden Penn got hit in the leg by a scrap of broken bat.

So who does that leave to start for us tomorrow?

Well it appears the Orioles are bringing up Chris Waters from Triple-A Norfolk, but they haven't said if he would start Tuesday or not. And you can't forget about Brad Bergesen, who is 13-3 with a 2.68 ERA for Double-A Bowie.

Either one would be very scary considering we're going against the best team in baseball who, oh yeah, now have Mark Teixeira. I guess we'll see what Trembley decides to do.

adam's foot

On Saturday, Adam Jones fouled a ball off of his left foot and underwent an X-ray on Sunday that was inconclusive, requiring further testing. He is wearing a protective boot and is expected to undergo a CT scan today, but there is no word yet on the status of his injury. He's expected to sit out tonight's game against the Los Angeles Angels.

It's especially unpleasant for Jones who has had a sprained right ankle for a while now. "It's not comfortable," Jones said. "I'd be able to play if it was comfortable."

The center fielder has played in 108 of the O's 110 games, and is batting .279 with seven home runs. Though he's been pretty awesome lately, I definitely agree with Dave Trembley's decision not to play him until we know more about the injury, especially if both feet have had problems.

"My right ankle felt like this the other day," Jones said, "so hopefully I can bounce back as quick as I did the other time."

weekend recap

So I watched two out of the three Mariners games this weekend (maybe or maybe not in bars -- hey, they were on the West Coast) and apparently they were the right two to watch.

Friday's game was just a whole lot of fun. Starter Garrett Olson threw eight scoreless innings and the O's scored six early runs off Jarrod Washburn in a 10-5 victory over Seattle.

We scored a season-best eight runs in the fifth when 12 Orioles went to bat. After Roberts singled, Jones grounded into a double play. Then Markakis, Huff, and Mora all hit singles to bring in a run. Hernandez got an RBI double and Millar walked to load the bases. Ray Corcoran jogged out of the bullpen and Payton got a bases-clearing triple. Then Juan Castro singled him in, Roberts doubled, and Jones got a two-run single for a 9-0 lead. Whew, that was a mouthful!

As Payton said, "It was a good inning." You can say that again, Jay.

Olson was incredible until the ninth when Seattle loaded the bases and Trembley brought in Lance Cormier. Kenji Johjima and Jeremy Reed had RBI singles, Ichiro Suzuki drove in a run with a groundout and Willie Bloomquist and Bryan LaHair had RBI's before Adrian Beltre (finally!) flied out to end the game.

Still, gold to the Orioles offense for that incredible fifth inning and silver to Olson for going eight scoreless innings. Before this game he had never gone longer than seven. No bronze necessary.

---

Saturday's 3-1 victory was of a whole different caliber. I just love it when Jeremy Guthrie's on the mound because I know I don't have to be nervous for a while (if ever). While he had a rough start, Guthrie retired 26 of the final 28 batters and got his first career complete game! This is his sixth win in his last seven decisions.

But Guthrie gave up one-out doubles to Jeremy Reed and Raul Ibanez, as well as walked Adrian Beltre in the first. After that he was near perfect except he allowed an infield single to Jose Vidro in the fourth and he got an error in the eighth. But still, gold to him for an amazing performance.

The offense worked too: Huff got a pair of singles, Jones had three hits and scored twice, Mora had an RBI double, and Hernandez singled in a run. Huff gets the silver for extending his hit streak to 11 games. Keep 'em coming!

Bronze to Jay Payton, who finished the game with a leaping catch against the left-field wall to rob Jose Lopez of a home run. Was the number one web gem! Watch it here.

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Another bad Sunday for the O's as the Mariners avoided being swept in an 8-4 victory over Baltimore. The Mariners can thank Daniel Cabrera in the seventh inning, as he allowed walks to Brian LaHair and Yuniesky Betancourt and an infield single to Jeff Clement. Then Jamie Walker came in and Ichiro Suzuki got a grounder that Roberts fielded well, but Alex Cintron at second never caught the ball and it hit him in the stomach. Pinch-runner Miguel Cairo scored to break the 4-4 tie. Then Raul Ibanez got a two-run single and Jeff Clement got an RBI in the eighth. Jose Lopez got a home run and Jeremy Reed got two RBI's.

Carlos Silva pitched well for Seattle, but Daniel Cabrera kept losing the lead every time an Orioles would get it back. He allowed six earned runs and struck out six.

o's vs. mariners, 8.01.08

The Orioles (51-56) had a very good April against the Seattle Mariners, playing them in two different series in the month. We swept them in the first four-game series (April 4-7) and took two out of three at Safeco Field (April 22-24). Also, we're coming off a pretty exciting series in the Bronx, where we took two out of three from the Yankees. Since the All-Star break, our hitting has been pretty awesome (.286 batting average and 5.8 runs per game). But we've gone 6-8 thanks to our 6.07 ERA, which is second worst in the American League.

The Mariners (41-67), however, had their sixth consecutive double-digit hit total in an 8-5 win over Texas last night. They also had eight walks, which is bad news for Orioles starter Garrett Olson (7-5), who played a great game against the Los Angels Angels on Sunday. But, in his previous four starts, he went 0-2 with a 10.53 ERA while walking 13 in 19 2/3 innings. Yikes.

On the mound for Seattle is Jarrod Washburn (5-9), who also had a great Sunday, giving up one run and four hits in eight innings of a 5-1 win over Toronto. Against the O's, he's 6-4 with a 4.46 ERA in 14 career games.

So, once again, it's all about ball control for Olson. Let's hope he has a start like last Sunday and our offense continues to slam base hits.

born to be wild

So the MLB suspended and fined Daniel Cabrera for six games two days after being ejected and accused of intentionally hitting Alex Rodriguez. His only scheduled start during the suspension is this Sunday against the Seattle Mariners. Also Yankees reliever Edwar Ramirez was fined and suspended for three games after he threw a pitch over Kevin Millar's head on Wednesday (presumably in response to the A-Rod incident). Last season, Cabrera was also given a six-game ban after throwing a pitch at Dustin Pedroia's head in September.

MacPhail says Cabrera's suspension was automatic once he was ejected by plate umpire Chad Fairchild. But MacPhail says that he's encouraging Cabrera to appeal the suspension and he's "confident that [the MLB] will look favorably on the appeal."

I would hope so, considering several Yankees (including Rodriguez himself) stated that they didn't think the pitch was intentional. Also something to consider: Fairchild is a minor league call-up umpire, which explains why he didn't understand Cabrera's wild track record and should also give more grounds for the appeal.

some talk, no action

So Andy MacPhail did speak up about the results (or lack thereof) at the trade deadline. In a press conference yesterday evening, he said: "We didn't have one of those situations where we had several conversations marching toward a conclusion.''

On moving some vets through waivers in August: "I hold out hope to the extent that it would be something that makes sense for us."

On Roberts: "It was not something that intrigued us unless we got something we really wanted. With Brian Roberts, that was a very high bar to clear."

In general: "We just didn't find an intersection of self-interest between ourselves and another club...You have to discipline yourself so you don't come out with something just to say you made a trade. You have to make sure you come out better than you were before."

In a season where the Orioles did do better than expectations, but still remain in last place, was no move really the best move? I've admired MacPhail and Trembley's bold and gutsy moves thus far, but it seems a little silly for the O's not to do anything yesterday. I guess we'll see what happens with our veteran players in mid-August.

you can hear a pin drop

Well it's 4 p.m. eastern-standard time and we haven't heard anything from Orioles club president Andy MacPhail. MacPhail told Sun reporter Dan Connolly that the O's have received offers for closer George Sherrill, but, "We didn't have a lot that would make a lot of sense for us, frankly."

It seems like a lot of the veterans (Kevin Millar, Jay Payton, Ramon Hernandez, Chad Bradford, and Jamie Walker) could be traded through waivers in August if there's a market. Sherrill and Brian Roberts, presumably, will remain on the team at least until the off-season.

But all of this will become more clear when MacPhail holds a press conference at 5 p.m. More to come.

congrats!

I realize I'm a little late on this, but I forgot to congratulate Luke Scott for being named American League's Player of the week on July 21. The previous week he batted .538, which included two doubles, three homers, six RBI's and four runs scored in four games. His OBP was .571. Way to go, Luuuuuke!

thanks, but...

Does anyone else think that this is a little bit odd? I'm not one to venerate Yankees history or anything, but you would think that a) at the end of the 85-year-old ballpark's last season, the organization would plan to play the Red Sox, Mets, or another team with a long shared history. And b) shouldn't their last game be at home? I'm sure scheduling is way more complex than I can wrap my little head around (and I know it's just moving across 161st Street), but c'mon! This is the end of an era! It's the House That Ruth Built! Though I'm flattered, it seems like an anti-climactic ending to me.

touché, yanks get their revenge

Bobby Abreu slides into home, AP Photo/Frank Franklin II.

The Orioles' series at Yankees Stadium has sure been interesting. And yesterday's game was no exception. The Yanks pounded the O's 13-3 to avoid a three-game sweep. The star for the Bombers was designated hitter Bobby Abreu, who hit two home runs and doubled for a total of three RBI's.

Top of the first, Roberts scored off of Huff's RBI. Seemed par for the the course. But things got off to a bad start in the bottom of the first with rookie starter Dennis Sarfate on the mound. Derek Jeter and Abreu both walked, then A-Rod got a base hit to right field. Markakis tried to nab Abreu at home, but his throw was high. Then A-Rod came home on a past ball. Yanks winning 3-1.

In the third, the Orioles got one back on an RBI single by Markakis, but the bottom of the inning was the beginning of the end. Abreu hit a two-run homer off of Sarfate with Damon on board to make it 5-2.

The Yanks added four more in the sixth, getting RBIs from Jason Giambi and Xavier Nady. After Fernando "Wilder Than Daniel" Cabrera came into pitch, he issued a bases-loaded walk to Melky Cabrera (no relation!) and threw a wild pitch to Jeter. Sweet. 9-2.

There was more drama in the seventh inning when Yankees reliever Edwar Ramirez threw his first pitch over the head of Kevin Millar. Because of Tuesday's incident plate umpire Mark Wegner immediately rejected Ramirez. Then Orioles reliver Alberto Castillo hit Jose Molina in the eighth, but the pitcher remained in the game, which caused a chorus of boos from the crowd.

And Abreu got another solo home run in the eighth and A-Rod followed him with a solo shot to right. This was the third time New York has gotten back-to-back homers this season. Juan Castro got his first home run of the season in the eighth! But it didn't do much becuase the final score was 13-3 Yanks.

Though people say it's silly to consider us rivals with the Yankees, this series was a testament to the tension between the two ball clubs. During the first two games, New York was outscored 20-10, so the last game they really came back swingin'. Not to mention three different incidents of controversial wild pitching.

A sweep would have been incredibly awesome, though. Considering we haven't taken all three in the Bronx since 1986 (when I was one!)

teixeira gets a halo

On Tuesday, Severna Park native Mark Teixeira was traded to the Los Angeles Angels, who already have the best record in baseball. The Angels sent first baseman Casey Kotchman and minor league pitcher Steven Marek to the Braves.

This is a bold move for the Angels and will almost certainly increase their chances of going to the World Series. Kudos to the Angels for making such a ballsy move.

cabrera controversy

To give a little recap of the Cabrera incident last night: It was the top of the eighth and Bobby Abreu was on second with nobody out. With a 6-1 lead, Cabrera threw a high-and-tight fastball that hit A-Rod in the shoulder. Home plate umpire Chad Fairchild immediately ejected the starting pitcher. Cabrera was very confused and Dave Trembley ran out of the dugout to argue the call. If you didn't see what went down, these will give you an idea:

So that's what happened. And there's been a number of responses. First of all Yankees manager Joe Girardi (probably steaming from his team's three straight losses) said: "I don't know. I mean you never know. Danny Cabrera is wild and I don't like it. He was down in the zone all night, and we just don't like it." Going right the source of the matter, however, reporters asked A-Rod if he thought it was intentional, to which he said, "No." Asked again, he responded, "6-1 score?"

Then the starting pitcher weighed in for himself. "I was surprised because the score was 6-1, nobody out...How can I put somebody on base?" Cabrera said. "So [it] surprised me." Then Fairchild (the ump) gave his explanation. "There had been no warnings given to that point in the game, but my thinking with the ejection is when Alex came to bat the prior time, he had hit a home run, and the very first pitch his next at-bat was up towards the head area," Fairchild said. "I deemed that pitch intentional and I removed Cabrera from the game."

And Girardi still wouldn't let it go and pointed out that this was not the first questionable encounter with Cabrera; he also hit Derek Jeter earlier in the season. "It's happened a few times with this guy, Daniel Cabrera," Girardi said. "We know at times he has control issues, but it's just awful dangerous when you're up there."

Then today's addition of the New York Daily News had this on the cover of their sports section:

The headline and deck (particularly the words "dirty" and "drilled") blatantly imply that the pitch was intentional. The article recapping the game was mainly focused on the pitch/ejection. And apparently Dennis Sarfate saw the cover and had this to say: "He's leading the league in (expletive) walks," Sarfate said. "You think he’s got pinpoint control?” You can read more about the cover reaction here.

Seems like a lot of drama over one inside pitch. But I need a chance to add to it! First of all, let's look at the specific situation last night. The Orioles were winning 6-1, there were no outs, and he already had a runner on second. It seems crazy that Cabrera would intentionally put a stunt like that. And what's worse, Trembley was probably going to pull Cabrera anyway, considering he had just passed 100 in the pitch count and he had two men on with no outs. Waaay presumtiuous of Fairchild to eject him.

Now, let's look at the broader context. As Girardi kindly points out, "Cabrera is wild." That's a bit of an understatement. He is very wild and he's known for that. He led the AL in walks in both 2006 and 2007. And he's currently leading the league again in walks (66), hit batsmen (15) and wild pitches (12). So for Girardi to think that this was an isolated incident is ridiculous. Cabrera is a wild pitcher, that's just a fact. The ump should have known Cabrera's track record and not have reacted so impulsively.

Girardi and the New York Daily News can do all the finger-pointing they want, because at the end of the day, we're still 2-0 in the series.

o's hold off yanks!

Wow last night's game was pretty eventful. First of all, the Orioles held off a ninth-inning rally to beat the Yankees 7-6 last night, extending New York's losing streak to three consecutive games. This is also the Orioles' first series win since July 24-26 against the Cubbies.

Our productive hitting against the Yanks showed itself early last night. In the top of the first Markakis (10-for-12 lifetime against Rasner) hit a single to shallow right, Huff singled up the middle, and so did Mora to score Markakis. In the top of the fourth, Millar homered to left field for his 16th of the season. God, the Yanks must hate him.

The Yankees get on board in the bottom of the sixth when A-Rod homered to center for the 540th of his career. But the game really blew open in the top of the seventh when Roberts singled up the middle and Jones got hit by a pitch. Damaso Marte came in for Rasner, but Markakis still singled to center to load the bases. Then Aubrey Huff (who's hitting .388 in July) hit a three-run double. Mora hit another to make it 6-1.

Then this is where things get strange. Bottom of the eight and Cabrera was still in. Awesome. Abreu doubled to right. A-Rod came up and Cabrera threw a high-and-tight fastball that hit Rodriguez's left elbow. Home plate umpire Chad Fairchild immediately ejected Cabrera, which came as a shock to the pitcher and Dave Trembley (and me! more on this to come). Next Jim Johnson came in, but Giambi singled to left to load the bases. Cano hit a two-run single up the middle. It's now 6-3.

Top nine, Huff (amazing!) hit a home run, making it 7-3. But then Rivera retired the next three. Bottom nine, George "Scarier Every Time He Comes In" Sherrill was on the mound. Damon singled. Jeter walked. Abreu hit an RBI double, which brought the Yanks to 7-4. I continued to get really nervous. A-Rod struck out swinging. Zing! Giambi hit a two-run single that bounced off Flat Breezy and into shallow center. 7-6. Oh god! Christian (pinch runner) stole second. Cano and Betemit both struck out...phew! O's win 7-6. Not sure why every time Sherrill comes in he has to load the bases and/or allow runs. THEN strike the last two guys out like cake. It needs to stop!

This is tough, but the gold medal goes to Aubrey Huff. His July stats are AMAZING (.388 BA, .409 OBP) and he had four RBIs last night. He hit his second home run in two days and 22nd of the season (lots of 2's!). Without that last crucial homer in the ninth, we might have seen extra innings. He tied a career high with four hits and is 17-for-34 in an eight-game hitting steak. Definitely gold material -- keep it up!

Silver to Cabrera for sure. First of all he (7-6) pitched into the eight inning. He was changed with three runs and eight hits, improving to 3-0 with a 3.15 ERA against the Yanks. If Cabrera hadn't gotten ejected in the eighth, he would have had the team's longest start since his complete game against the Kansas City Royals on July 2. Also, good job handling yourself after the surprising ejection. You did look a little confused, but it could have been much worse.

Bronze to Millar, who put the Orioles ahead 2-0 with a leadoff drive in the fourth inning. It was his 16th of the season and he's batting .362 (17-for-47) with six homers and nine RBI's against the Yanks this season. I guess it's that Red Sox blood still flowing through him that revs him up against New York. I'm likin' it!

So the game was definitely strange, but we ended up on top once again thanks to our veterans on offense. Never thought our little orange bird would strike so much fear into the Bombers!

o's vs. yanks preview, 7.29.08

It's pretty ironic (and awesome) that the team in the AL East giving the Yankees the most trouble is the Baltimore Orioles. As of last night's defeat, New York (58-47) is 4-6 versus the last place O's (50-55).

It goes without saying thats yesterday's 13-4 game was really sweet, but if we want to win this series, we're going to have to work on some things tonight. First of all Daniel Cabrera (6-6) has been totally struggling recently with only two wins in his last 13 starts. Cabrera needs to stay focused and in control or else we could have another 7-1 loss, like his game against Toronto on Thursday. But, like most other Orioles, Cabrera has shined against the Yankees, with a 2.77 ERA against the Bombers this season.

On that same token, Yanks starter Darrell Rasner (5-7) has been successful against Baltimore this season, limiting them to 10 hits in 13 innings while walking two and striking out nine. But Nick Markakis seems to have Rasner's formula down: Cakes is 9-for-11 (.818) with a home run against the pitcher.

So we need our offense to remain productive against Rasner so Cabrera will have the confidence to stay focused and maintain ball control. Pray for no wild pitches.

time: 7:05 p.m.

tv / radio: WJZ / 105.7

teixeira trade talk (say that three times fast)

So many bloggers and fans out there want the Orioles to make a play for Atlanta first baseman Mark Teixeira, who becomes a free agent at the end of this season. As the Major League trade deadline looms (THIS thursday!), O's fans are surely thinking about this Severna Park native who, in a 102-game total for the Braves this season, has been .283 with 20 home runs, 78 RBI's and an OPS of .902. We could use a little of that, I'd say.

Now I know we need to be concentrating on getting a truckload of pitchers, but we shouldn't lose sight of what an important impact getting Teixeira could have on the team. First of all, he's a local guy. Everybody loves a local guy. And if we didn't get him by trade deadline, then we'd have a lot more work ahead of us to sign him in the offseason. I know it makes sense for him to make a deal with Boston, Tampa Bay, or Arizona in order to boost their tight October races, but he was quoted as saying this:

"I realize that things are going to happen in this game that are out of your control. And over the next two months, a lot of things are going to happen that are going to be out of my control. But once I get to free agency, that's when I get to start making the calls."

So maybe when he's calling the shots, he'll remember the soft spot he has for his hometown.

pitching shake-up

Dave Trembley certainly doesn't just let things lie. Yesterday he announced that Dennis Sarfate is replacing Brian Burres in the rotation. This was after the Orioles optioned Radhames Liz to Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday. They haven't announced a replacement for Liz yet, but won't need a fifth starter until August 5. Trembley explained to MLB.com that all the changes are meant to get the O's pitching rotation back on the right track.

"Sarfate will pitch on Wednesday as a starter. Burres will go in the bullpen as a long guy," he said. "We'll go with a four-man rotation with the off-day on Thursday and Olson will just go his regular turn on Friday, and we'll pick it up from there."

Though Sarfate is improving (he threw 3 1/3 innings in his most recent relief stint), he has never started in the majors and has yet to throw more than 50 pitches this season. His first game will be a big test, Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium.

Still, Trembley's coaching seems to be a lot about risk-taking and constant change. Whether it's the ever-changing lineup, risky base-running, or a shakeup in the starting rotation, he never lets the team get stuck in a rut. And that's a welcome change for an Orioles team who have dealt with 10 straight losing seasons.

If it's broke, DO fix it.

o's clobber the yanks!

John Dunn for The New York Times

The game just kept getting better after my update last night! The Orioles crushed the Yankees 13-4 thanks to a powerhouse offense (every Oriole got a hit last night) and a solid start from Jeremy Guthrie. The Orioles set a season high for runs and matched its top hit total with 17.

To pick up where I left off: To start off the fifth, Brian Roberts hit a double, then Adam Jones tripled and scored on Aubrey Huff's sac fly. Mike "Moose" Mussina was pulled after allowing six runs and eight hits in five innings. Mussina continues to falter against his former team -- a phenomenon that is oh-so-fun to watch.

David Robertson comes into pitch and what follows is the highlight of the game: Jones hits his first career grand slam to left in the sixth. It was the first home run allowed by Robertson in his professional career, which began last year. Ouch.

Guthrie was shutting the Yankees down until the bottom of the seventh when Xavier Nady hit a solo shot for his first base hit as a member of the team. The Yanks also got pumped up when Johnny Damon (always hits us well) hit a three-run homer down the right field line, making the score 11-4. But the O's responded in the top of the eight when Aubrey Huff hit his 21st homer (a two-runner), bringing his RBI count to three for the game.

Adam "total domination" Jones also singled in the eighth and scored three runs. He (almost!) hit for the cycle in the ninth, but he flied out with the bases loaded. Hey, we're not complaining! And I've got to mention Jamie Walker, just off the disabled list, who worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings to close it out.

The gold medal definitely goes to Adam Jones, who hit a grand slam, an RBI triple and single to almost clinch the cycle. Also, in the bottom of the fifth, Jones made a nice play on a fly ball to center by Robinson Cano. During last night's game, you could hear chants of "AJ!" from across the Baltimore metro area.

Silver's for Kevin "Morale" Millar. He hit a three-run drive in the second (his 15th HR of the season) and finished a triple shy of the cycle. Bronze to Guthrie (7-8) for his awesome start: he shut out New York on two hits through six innings, giving the Orioles offense his second consecutive solid outing.

The Orioles improved 6-4 against New York for the season...I guess we just have them down!

game update

Orioles are off to a hot start! There has been some dangerous base-running: Brian Roberts got thrown out by a mile at home, but Mora went first to third on Luke Scott's single and both were safe. Then Millar got a three-run home run to make it 3-0. Ramon Hernandez stepped up to the plate and his 1000th career hit was a solo shot out of Yankee Stadium! Awesome. And props to starter Jeremy Guthrie who retired the first six Yankees.

I had a feeling we'd psyche Moose out again...let's hope it conitues!

o's vs. yanks preview, 7.28.08

After yesterday's rejuvinating win, the Baltimore Orioles (49-55) head up to the Bronx to face the New York Yankees (58-46). The Yanks are looking to win their 11th straight home game as they open this three-game series. In May, the Orioles took two out of three from the Yankees, but the pinstripes have been on a roll ever since the All-Star Game. After the break, the Yankees won their first eight games, sweeping a six-game homestand. They also just took two out of three from the Red Sox, so they're probably amped about that. Now they are only three games behind division leaders Tampa Bay.

Obviously our toughest challenge is going against former Oriole Mike "Moose" Mussina (13-6). In his two starts since the All-Star break, Mussina has allowed one run in 14 innings. But we all remember his start against the Orioles on May 20, when we won 12-2. Since 2006, Mussina is 1-3 with a 6.18 ERA against the Orioles. So we can hope playing his former team can continue to psyche Moose out. However Johnny Damon and A-Rod have dominated against the O's, hitting eight RBI's in the last seven games and 13 RBI's in the last 12 home games, respectively.

But, of course, the Orioles are coming out with the motivation of ending their 15 straight Sunday losing streak. Jeremy Guthrie (6-8) is starting for the Orioles and he allowed only two runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings to Toronto on Wednesday. In Guthrie's only start of the season against the Yanks on May 28, he allowed three runs and six hits in seven innings of a 4-2 loss.

All in all, we're going to have to score a lot of runs to out-hit the Yanks, something we don't usually do with Guthrie on the mound. But given Moose's track record pitching against the Orioles, we might just be able to pull it off.

game time: 7:05 p.m.

tv/radio: MASN HD, WHFS 105.7

thong song

I read about this before yesterday's game. Besides the fact that playing baseball in 90-degree weather in a thong is probably one of the most uncomfortable things ever, I think it's awesome. And no not because I want to get my hands on the undergarments of Brian Roberts or Nick Markakis. But, because it builds morale.

Ever since Millar signed with the Orioles in 2006, he has been boosting the mood in the clubhouse. From dying his hair crazy colors to playing lead singer in the Orioles Magic video, Millar has always tried to pull more tricks out of his sleeve. Maybe it's coming from a World Series championship team, but he has become the unofficial leader and, more importantly, motivator.

And, apparently, the team met before the game at Millar's locker and took part of some sort of mysterious ritual where they "broke something." Hey, whatever works!

bat-breaking work

We all know that in every ballpark there are certain foul ball danger zones. But soon there might have to be shattered bat ones, too.

Major League Baseball instructed all 30 teams to save broken bats since July 2, a span of 260 games that has produced 257 broken bats, or nearly one per game. The MLB is consulting with a wood research institute at the University of Wisconsin, a statistician at Harvard and Forest Products Laboratory to understand why so many bats break during games.

It's been suggested that the bats are shattering because of inferior wood, players shaving their bat handles or the needs for stricter qualifications for companies to be approved to make bats. The study is also surveying more than 30 manufacturers to try to solve the mystery.

Why do you think bats shatter so easily?

sunday surprise

Some people out there are saying that yesterday's post-game celebration was a little over-the-top. Yes, we are still in last place in the American League, our pitching is completely unreliable and even our (almost) all-star Brian Roberts sat out because of a recent slump. So some might say it was excessive when the Camden Yards crowd went wild, the word "FINALLY!" was broadcast on the bottom of the MASN screen and Dave Trembley showed up to the post-game press conference puffing on a cigar.

All I say is that it's obvious what the Orioles are (and aren't) going to do this season. But that doesn't mean we should not be able to celebrate a winning game, especially against a starting pitcher who's 11-5 on a team that had scored 31 runs in its previous three games. If we don't have excitement for the Orioles, we don't have much.

so long, streak!

(Garrett Olson, AP Photo/Gail Burton)

When I walked into Camden Yards yesterday, I had a good feeling. I didn't want to vocalize it to my father, as not to jinx it. After all, the Orioles had lost their past 15 Sunday games, not winning on the day of rest since April 6 against Seattle. Not to mention the fact that today was my dad's birthday, so he had high hopes that everything would come together just for him.

And come together it did! Starting pitcher Garrett Olson retired the Angels in order to start off the first inning, no small feat for this team. Then Nick Markakis hit an RBI double and Carlos Santana hit Luke Scott in the shin with a pitch (he walked it off for five minutes with trainer Richie Bancells) with the bases loaded to force in a run. Then Jay Payton didn’t deliver and Quiroz struck out. But we were wining 2-0 after the first.

In the third, the Orioles loaded the bases with two walks and a single. Then chokes-under-pressure Payton struck out. But unsung hero Quiroz singled in two runs with a broken-bat hit to left. That brought it to 4-0. The Angels scored a run in the fourth when Guerrero got an RBI with runners on the corners. But Olson held his own and retired Robb Quinlan with two outs and the bases loaded.

Payton finally delivered in the sixth with a triple and Quiroz again made a clutch hit to bring him home. Anderson singled in a run for the Angels in the seventh, bringing the final score to 5-2. They had finally done it.

The gold medal for this game has to go to starting pitcher Garrett Olson. Olson (7-5) allowed two runs and seven hits in six-plus innings, which was his first win since June 28. When Trembley took Olson out in the seventh, the boisterous crowd gave him a standing ovation. Imagine that. A starting pitcher on the Orioles, who isn’t Jeremy Guthrie, lasting until the seventh. Pure bliss.

The close silver goes to the underdog backup catcher Guillermo Quiroz, who went 3-for-4 with a career-high three RBI’s for the Orioles. He was the shining light in what would have been an abysmal bottom of the lineup (Payton, Quiroz, Castro). The bronze goes to George “Flat Breezy” Sherrill. Not only does he seriously rev up the crowd when he jogs out of the bullpen, but he worked the ninth for his 30th save, which matches the totals of the entire Orioles pitching staff in 2007.

After the game, we realized that the man in front of us was also celebrating his birthday. We joked that the Orioles pulled it off just for them. But there is no doubt that yesterday’s game felt like a gift-wrapped package for Sunday ticket holders all over Baltimore.