By Jeff Wolfson, on April 29th, 2011 The Orioles travel to face the Chicago White Sox in a four-game series. They are coming off of a series victory against the rival Red Sox. The Birds’ key to the series win was their starting pitching. If the O’s want to win their series against the White Sox, the starters will again have to come through.
Friday, April 29: Jake Arrieta (2-1, 4.94 ERA) vs. John Danks (0-3, 3.27)
Arrieta has had one bad start this season, his second one of the season in which he struggled against the Texas Rangers. He has been the Orioles most consistent pitcher holding teams to three runs or less in four of his five starts. His opponent, Danks, has been a tough-luck loser this season. The White Sox starter has given up four runs just once this season, his offense hasn’t been able to score for him. Here’s another left-hander that the O’s could struggle against.
Saturday, April 30: Chris Tillman (0-2, 6.16) vs. Philip Humber (2-2, 3.20)
Tillman has had an uneven season. He pitched six no-hit innings in his season debut against Tampa Bay, but has gotten knocked around a bit in his other starts this season. He has shown potential at times, but has also been terrible at times. Humber, on the other hand, appears to have finally established himself as a big league pitcher. No, he hasn’t been wonderful, but he has steadily lowered his ERA and allowed only one hit to the Yankees in his last outing. This will be another tough pitcher for the Orioles.
Sunday, May 1: Zach Britton (4-1, 2.84) vs. Gavin Floyd (3-1, 3.60)
Britton has been the most consistent starter for the Orioles this season. The left-handed rookie has had one bad start, but rebounded in his last outing. He has been the O’s stopper, so if the O’s have a three-game losing streak, Britton could stop it. Floyd, Britton’s opponent, is another pitcher that has been up and down. Floyd is a very tough pitcher because he’s a hard-throwing right-hander that has the ability to dominate.
Monday, May 2: Jeremy Guthrie (1-3, 2.53) vs. Mark Buehrle (1-3, 5.12)
Guthrie appears fully recovered from his bout with pneumonia earlier this season, but has had some bad luck since he’s returned to the rotation. Guthrie has pitched like a true ace all season. Buehrle is another lefty the O’s will have to face. Tough matchup again for the Orioles.
This series, based on the pitching, is going to be tough for the offense. Derrek Lee and Vladimir Guerrero seem to be heating up a bit, so maybe they’ll be able to knock around the Chicago pitching staff.
By Jeff Wolfson, on March 9th, 2011  The annual Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament will get underway Thursday afternoon when the No. 8 seed University of Virginia Cavaliers face the No. 9 seed Miami (FL) Hurricanes. Each team finished under the .500 in the conference and fighting for the right to face the No. 1 seed North Carolina Tar Heels.
Thursday will have three more games featuring No. 5 Boston College against No. 12 Wake Forest, No. 6 Virginia Tech against No. 11 Georgia Tech and the hometown No. 7 Maryland Terrapins against the North Carolina State Wolfpack.
Let’s take a minute to focus on Maryland’s chances. The Terps were largely a disappointment after last season’s co-championship team. However, at the beginning of the season, they were picked to finish sixth in the ACC. A seventh place finish isn’t a bad place for a young team, but a 7-9 conference record and a late-season swoon doesn’t look good to the selection committee.
The Terps have a good chance of advancing to round two in the conference tournament because the Wolfpack isn’t a very good team. However, they may have trouble getting beyond round two. In the second round, Maryland will have to face the No. 2 seed Duke Blue Devils, a team that swept them this season.
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By Jeff Wolfson, on February 23rd, 2011  Coming off a victory Sunday evening, the Maryland Terrapins will take on the Atlantic Coast Conference’s third place, the Florida State Seminoles. The Terps are in a must-win situation if they want a shot to make the NCAA tournament.
Maryland had struggled offensively before breaking out against the North Carolina State Wolfpack. One player in particular that has come on strong his freshman guard Terrell Stoglin.
Stoglin has scored 25 points in each of his past two games to lead the offense. He has also contributed as a passer, tallying nine assists in Sunday’s win.
Sophomore forward Jordan Williams is still a force inside, but hasn’t recorded a double double recently. Williams is getting good position underneath the basket and putting the ball in the hoop, for the most part.
One advantage Maryland has over Florida State is the Noles’ best player, Chris Singleton, is out with a fractured foot. Singleton was averaging nearly 14 points per game.
With Singleton unable to suit up, Florida State will depend on Derwin Kitchen and Michael Snaer for their scoring from the guard positions. Xavier Gibson will also have to contribute offensively for Florida State to be successful.
This game is a big one for Maryland because it’s against a top-50 RPI opponent, something the Terps haven’t had any success with at all this season. With a win Wednesday night, the Terps will at least get back in the conversation for a tournament berth.
By Jeff Wolfson, on February 20th, 2011 Looking to bounce back from two consecutive road losses that were must-have games, the Maryland Terrapins will face the North Carolina State Wolfpack for the only time this season Sunday evening. To give off some positive vibes, the Terps will even honor former guard Greivis Vasquez before the game.
In their last two games, Maryland has struggled defensively which isn’t good for a team that has been uneven on offense this season. Sean Mosley was terrible Tuesday night showing no confidence in his shot. Mosley is a microcosm of the Terps’ season, very good defensively but can be awful at times on the offensive end.
On the other hand, the Wolfpack has won two consecutive games, but still stand at 4-7 in conference play. Their leading scorer is Tracy Smith who averages 14.3 points per game. Smith will have the task of dealing with sophomore forward Jordan Williams. Smith can be dominant, but he has dealt with injuries this season.
A key to this game will be how well Maryland’s offense gets the ball to Williams. Williams hasn’t been very good inside the last couple games, mostly because of the other team’s defense. He will only be successful if the other players can make their outside shots.
This is a winnable game for Maryland and one they need if they want to get back in to the NCAA Tournament picture. If they lose this one, they will likely be an NIT team.
By Jeff Wolfson, on February 11th, 2011 Coming off of two wins at home against overmatched opponents, the Maryland Terrapins (16-8, 5-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) will travel to Chestnut Hill, Mass. for a rematch against the Boston College Eagles (15-9, 5-5). The Eagles have lost five out of seven, including their last outing against the Clemson Tigers.
The Terps opened their ACC schedule against the Eagles in College Park, Md. in December but came up four points short. Maryland’s biggest issue was their free throw shooting. Since that game, the Terps have improved a bit from the foul line. Maryland plays some of the best defense in the country, but does, at times, have trouble scoring. Boston College was off to a hot start in conference, but has since slowed down as their defense has failed them. READ MORE >>>
By Jeff Wolfson, on February 2nd, 2011 Three straight wins, two of which have been on the road, have the Maryland Terrapins (14-7, 4-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) back in NCAA Tournament discussion. Their most recent win was an impressive performance in Atlanta against Georgia Tech, a place they have struggled in from time to time.
Well, now they have the No. 5 Duke Blue Devils (19-2, 6-1) coming to town. The Terps, although extremely young, had a shot to beat Duke at Cameron Indoor last month, but missed too many foul shots and fell short. Since then, Duke has lost twice to unranked teams on the road, at Florida State and at St. John’s this past Sunday. READ MORE >>>
By Jeff Wolfson, on January 20th, 2011 Thursday night, the University of Maryland Terrapins (11-6, 1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) return home after a three straight road games. In those three road games, they won just one game against a clearly inferior opponent. So for Maryland, the Virginia Tech Hokies (11-5, 2-2) represents a good chance to get a badly needed win against a top-100 RPI opponent.
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By Jeff Wolfson, on January 13th, 2011 Wednesday night in Atlantic Coast Conference play was just what the Maryland Terrapins (11-5, 1-2 ACC) needed heading in to a tough game Saturday afternoon. The Terps traveled to Winston-Salem, N. Car. to face the struggling Wake Forest Demon Deacons (7-10, 0-2) in their second consecutive conference road game.
Coming off of a close loss to Duke Sunday night, the Terps were desperate for a victory. Maryland was able to roll over Wake to the tune of 74-55. Jordan Williams recorded his 10th consecutive double-double with 13 points and 15 rebounds after a slow start. Williams did most of his damage at the line, going 9-for-14.
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By Jeff Wolfson, on December 24th, 2010 In the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl Thursday night, the Navy Midshipmen (9-4) had a chance to improve to 10 wins for a second consecutive season, but the San Diego State Aztecs (9-4) had a say in the matter.
San Diego State got off to a fast start, scoring 14 points in the first quarter and forcing Navy to play catch up the rest of the game. Navy is a strong running team, built to play with a lead, but because of the Aztecs’ big lead, the Midshipmen didn’t stand much of a chance, falling 35-14.
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By Jeff Wolfson, on December 16th, 2010 The University of Maryland’s coach-in-waiting may not hold that title for much longer. Offensive coordinator James Franklin, according to reports from ESPN, has been offered the head coach position at Vanderbilt University.
If Franklin decides to leave and take the head coaching job, Maryland will have to take immediate action.
Maryland will have to hire an offensive coordinator, strong recruiter and quarterbacks coach. Franklin handles all of these responsibilities.
Of course another option is to promote from within.
The bigger question, if Franklin takes the gig, is will Maryland extend the contract of Ralph Friedgen. Friedgen’s contract expires after next season, but if Franklin leaves, there’s no clear head coach for the program.
What do you think? Who should the Terps hire if Franklin leaves and what roles should the new coach take on?
By Jeff Wolfson, on December 7th, 2010 At the beginning of the offseason, it was evident the Baltimore Orioles had needs. One of those needs was a first baseman that can hit, not only for average, but for power. If they want someone that can hit for average, free-agent first baseman Carlos Pena isn’t the answer.
Pena has been talked about among fans and the media as a possible first baseman for the Orioles for the next year and maybe a year after that. I’m of the belief that there are other options available not named Pena.
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By Jeff Wolfson, on November 21st, 2010  It was a big game for the Maryland Terrapins on Saturday night. They failed to come through and are now eliminated from contention for an ACC title.
The Terps haven’t had issues with turnovers all season, but last night they gave the ball away four times. Quarterback Danny O’Brien played well in the first half, but a relentless pass rush by Florida State forced him to make mistakes. The running game was excellent, gaining 163 yards on 34 carries.
Maryland’s defense played a good game all night, but in the end, it wasn’t enough. Seminoles’ quarterback Christian Ponder made just enough plays to put the Terps away.
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By Jeff Wolfson, on November 13th, 2010  For the second week in a row and for the final time this season, the University of Maryland Terrapins went on the road. This time, however, they got the victory over the natural rival Virginia Cavaliers.
With the win, Maryland moves to 7-3 overall and 4-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. They are in contention to compete for the ACC title, but they have to win their remaining games against Florida State and NC State.
Danny O’Brien appears to be the real deal at quarterback. He didn’t throw an interception and led Maryland down the field against the Virginia defense all game.
The defense came up big again, picking off Cavaliers’ quarterback Marc Verica two times in the fourth quarter.
One major issue the Terps have to correct is their special teams. Special teams gave up too many yards and a touchdown on a field goal by Virginia. If Maryland wants to get by their next two opponents, the special teams needs to tighten up their play.
Overall, Maryland played well in their victory over Virginia.
By Jeff Wolfson, on November 8th, 2010 The Maryland Terrapins played one of their better games of the season against the Miami (FL) Hurricanes Saturday and still lost.
Coach Ralph Friedgen called two timeouts with under four minutes to go while the Hurricanes had no timeouts left. That sums up the game.
Freshman quarterback Danny O’Brien played well. The defense was solid most of the day. Special teams was very good. READ MORE >>>
By Jeff Wolfson, on September 24th, 2010 Fresh off a series win over the Boston Red Sox earlier this week, the O’s will continue to finish out their AL East schedule when they travel to Toronto for a weekend series.
The last time these two teams met, the Baltimore Orioles not only beat the Toronto Blue Jays, but they swept them at Camden Yards. Baltimore’s wins delivered the first three wins against Toronto this season after losing 12 straight games.
Manager Buck Showalter has announced his starters for Friday night and Saturday afternoon, but Sunday is still undetermined. With that said, here’s the matchups.
Friday night, Chris Tillman (1-4, 6.42 ERA) will take the hill. Tillman has made nine starts this season, earning only one win. The rookie right-handed pitcher has struggled in the majority of his outings, including the last two, in which he’s allowed six walks in each start. Opposing Tillman will be lefty Brett Cecil (13-7, 4.25). Cecil has one start against the O’s this season. In that start, he went eight innings and allowed two earned runs, but that was all the way back in late May. His ERA has been rising steadily recently even though he has earned wins in his last two decisions.
Saturday afternoon, Jeremy Guthrie (10-14, 3.92) will start. Guthrie has been pretty good in the second half, but had a miserable outing against the New York Yankees in his last start. Guthrie allowed six earned runs in just five innings in that outing. Against the Blue Jays this season, Guthrie has started three times, losing twice. In his starts against Toronto, Guthrie has pitched 19.2 innings and allowed just six runs (five earned). Left-handed pitcher Ricky Romero (13-9, 3.75), who has beaten the O’s three times in three tries this season, will pitch against Guthrie. Romero is a tough lefty that the O’s offense hasn’t cracked yet. In his last outing against Baltimore on July 27, Romero went 7.2 innings and allowed just two earned runs.
Sunday afternoon, the O’s have an open spot at starter. However, the offense will face righty Shaun Marcum. Marcum (3.77, 12-8), has been very good against the O’s this season. He has pitched 17 innings in his three starts against the Birds, winning two of them. In his starts, he has exhibited extremely good control against the Orioles in 2010, walking just three batters while striking out 16.
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