By Mark Brown, on July 23rd, 2011 There have been a lot of shakeups in recent weeks in the closer role across baseball, and there is plenty more to come with the trade deadline around the corner. For those of you who are in need of saves or will soon be in need of saves after your closer is dealt to another team, here is the current closing situations in baseball, what you can expect in the future, and what would happen if injuries occur.
Arizona Diamondbacks- David Hernandez- Yes the former Oriole David Hernandez that our bullpen would love to have right now. (The Mark Reynolds deal was a good one for the O’s though.) Hernandez is a perfect 7/7 in save opportunities since closer JJ Putz went on the DL. Putz is currently rehabbing and is expected back next week. It’s too late to pick up Hernandez now, and he will only have value if Putz isn’t the same after his injury or gets injured again. Since the D-Backs are in contention Putz isn’t going anywhere.
Atlanta Braves- Craig Kimbrel- He’s been amazing all year. He’s in a three horse race for rookie of the year with teammate Freddie Freeman and Danny Espinosa. Jonny Venters is the best setup man in baseball, but Kimbrel has pitched well enough to hold the closer’s role over him. I do not expect Kimbrel to struggle or to lose that role so you can forget about stashing Venters for later this season.
Baltimore Orioles- Kevin Gregg- In his latest outing he was pulled in the 9th and Michael Gonzalez finished the 9th. The job is still Gregg’s for now (some how) so Gonzalez is not a good option. Even if Gonzalez was the closer he still wouldn’t be a good option since he is the worst relief pitcher in baseball. Koji Uehara obviously should be closing, but may not be with the team after the trade deadline. Here is my big prediction. IF Koji is still with the team after the deadline I believe he moves into the closing role. He is a risky add right now because of the uncertainty of where he will be. If he is traded he surely won’t be a closer elsewhere. If he is still an Oriole on August 1st he is worth adding and taking a chance on if your desperate for a closer.
READ MORE >>>
By Steve Giles, on January 11th, 2011 When you think about attending an Orioles’ game in mid-September, usually the word excitement doesn’t come to mind, for adults at least. Over the past 14 years, Orioles, fans have gotten used to watching meaningless baseball in the late summer months. It stinks for fans like me, who are in their early to mid-20′s, because we don’t even know what it’s like to go to Camden Yards and watch a playoff game and appreciate the intense atmosphere that goes along with it (I’m sure some of us youngsters were there in 1997 when the O’s last hosted a playoff game, but I’m not sure how much we actually remember of it). And the fans who do remember what it’s like to cheer for a good baseball team may have forgotten because of how long it’s been since they have gotten the chance to do so.
One thing I’ve found out from living in Maryland my entire life is that Baltimore sports fans are as loyal as any fans in the country. Baltimore is a great sports town and has been for a long while. READ MORE >>>
By Weston Bruner, on December 6th, 2010  Welcome to Baltimore, Mark Reynolds. It looks as though the Arizona third baseman will be traded to the Orioles in return for once-starter, possible future closer David Hernandez and Kam Mickolio. Reynolds, one of the many high-strikeout power-hitting corner infielders available, will come to Baltimore with 104 home runs over his past three seasons, along with 638 strikeouts. In the AL East, he will be whiffing even more but certainly will have his fun in Camden Yards and at the new Yankee Stadium. But was this a good deal?
READ MORE >>>
By Weston Bruner, on November 19th, 2010  A few days ago someone asked if there were any trade scenarios to bring a bat to Baltimore. Well, ask and ye shall receive. However, this time it isn’t just prognostication or posturing. Word has come out that the Orioles are currently in trade talks with the Rays and Twins for Jason Bartlett and J.J. Hardy, respectively. Either move would upgrade the Orioles offensively at shortstop (then again, signing a mannequin would get about the same production as Cesar Izturis), but which would be the better signing? It depends on what the Orioles have to give up, and which player has more upside. Should the Orioles look outside the organization for a shortstop? Let’s take a look. READ MORE >>>
By Weston Bruner, on July 7th, 2010 The “Cavalry” have arrived, and Orioles fans can only wait and hope that what they have is enough to form into a decent pitching staff. With Jake Arrieta’s arrival, the last piece of the team’s starting rotation-to-be made the majors, without the aplomb or fanfare one might have expected given the hype and excitement before the season. Fans had visions of Matusz, Tillman, Arrieta, Bergesen, and perhaps David Hernandez forming the nucleus of a front-line staff, without one of them having to be signed to some exorbitant free agent contract, and all having either been drafted by the organization or spent significant time in the minors with the organization. Through and through, it was to be an Orioles bred rotation. Last night we saw some of the hope for the future, and the reasons so many fans are a bit more than concerned about whether those visions were just mirages.
Jake Arrieta pitched a solid game, a great bounce-back start in only allowing one run over 6 innings despite giving up 7 hits. Most impressive to me was his 2 walks, the part of his game he had to work the most on this season. While he still carries around an ERA of almost 5, at least Baltimore knows that his first two starts weren’t just the result of a lack of competitor’s scouting. The guy can pitch, but we said the same thing about Chris Tillman before he started to look like a AAAA pitcher. I have seen few pitchers who dominated so thoroughly at AAA but struggled as mightily in the majors as Chris Tillman did- you see it all the time among hitters or even relief pitchers, but starters generally have the makeup to adjust and react to the situation, and to the talent they are facing. Tillman has already pitched a no-hitter and a one-hitter at Norfolk, yet he is lugging around an abhorrent 8.40 ERA in 4 starts so far in Baltimore.
Many people are wondering whether Tillman’s recent success should give him the start on Saturday with Millwood going to the DL; I am going to say no. While I am tempted to give him another shot, I don’t want to happen to Tillman what has happened to Brad Bergesen, being yo-yo’d back and forth between Norfolk and Baltimore every time he has a good or bad start. You either let the kid work on his mechanics (in Bergesen’s case) or new pitches (in Tillman’s case) for an extended period of time or you let it ride in the majors. The Orioles had no problem watching Jason Berken struggle start after start last season, and he found himself this season in his relief role. Let the player know what the plan is or that uncertainty will creep into every start he has.
Whatever happened to the Oriole Way? No, I am not talking about how bad the team is, just the style of bringing up pitchers. It used to be that a top prospect would be brought up from the minors to ply his trade in middle relief, then be used as long relief, and eventually ease himself into the starting rotation. It was a process that alleviated anxiety on the part of the pitcher and allowed him to understand major league hitting over time. More importantly, he knew his role and what it was going to be. I understand that given the lack of existing talent in the rotation some moves are being made faster than even they would like, but there is a better way to manage these prospects. Brian Matusz has benefitted from being able to stay in the majors, and I cannot help but think that Jake Arrieta is better off having spent an extended amount of time to Norfolk- if only the organization would handle Tillman and Bergesen with a committed approach, perhaps they wouldn’t be scrambling to figure out where these prospects are.
A worse plan pursued consistently is better than a better plan pursued inconsistently. Right now the Orioles can’t make up their minds with how to handle the “cavalry” and all Orioles fans can do is hope that the players themselves are talented and strong-minded enough to overcome the organization’s indecision.
By Weston Bruner, on June 28th, 2010 The Orioles have a winning streak going. Not a two-game, when-can-we-call-this-a-streak streak, but a legitimate sign of life from a team that has been D.O.A. since Spring Training started back in March. But 4 wins, three against a mediocre Nationals team without having to face Stephen Strasburg, isn’t a huge reason to celebrate, and I am sure our readers will remind me that this team is still the worst in the majors. Agreed. But if Orioles fans were looking for their team to give up, they will be disappointed. The Orioles are still fighting. For better or for worse, this team’s record may not be a result of poor effort after all. At least, not anymore.
Nick Markakis has made a splash in the last several weeks, going public with his criticism of the team and offering surprisingly specific areas where his teammates need to improve. They needed to work the count, choose their pitches, scout pitchers better and adjust. They needed to come up with a plan for attacking every pitcher and stick with it. No, he didn’t call anyone out, but he took on a role as a leader of this club, one sorely needed in the absence of veterans with a winning background. He then took it a step further, meeting directly with Peter Angelos to discuss where the team needs to improve and voice his frustration with the team. This was a move I did not expect. I knew that the team had wanted more contact with the owner (why, I have no idea) but for Nick to make his appeals directly to the boss shows a level of concern and proactive effort that I didn’t expect out of this club. I hope Angelos is now as committed to creating a winning team as Markakis appears to be.
While the starting pitching has been a mess as of late (Kevin Millwood is looking more demoralized every start), the bullpen seems to be finding its way without Jim Johnson, Mike Gonzalez, or Koji Uehara. Which, speaking of Koji, can we count him for maybe half a roster spot? I give him 4 innings spread over two weeks before another hamstring injury sends him to the DL. David Hernandez is committing to his move and getting great results thus far, and Jason Berken has been a revelation in long relief. The bullpen combined to pitch 12 1/3 scoreless this weekend alone, which would make me worried about exhausting the bullpen’s arms, but not this year. For one, this team has much bigger worries than that. Secondly, the bullpen has been such a rotating door this season that I don’t think anyone stays there long enough to get a dead arm. Unless they go on the DL, of course.
Now, 4 games won’t turn around what has already been an historically bleak season for Baltimoreans. It won’t make those ugly ERAs go down, it won’t suddenly bring respectable numbers for Orioles hitters, and it won’t make Jake Fox and Scott Moore permanent fixtures in the majors. However, the way the lineup struck back from every deficit over the weekend, scored runs whether by opponent’s errors or by overcoming their own baserunning errors or by stringing together some timely hits showed a resilience this fan base hasn’t seen so far this season. Oh, and scoring 11, 7, 6, and 4 runs in a season when the team is averaging 3.5 runs per game is fine with me regardless of how it gets done.
They won’t hit .500 this season or even come close, but Baltimore fans can take heart that their team still has some fight left after a season of halfhearted losses.
By Matt Sadler, on May 30th, 2010 I’m not so sure.
I am a huge Chris Tillman fan. HUGE. The few times I have seen him pitch live, in Norfolk, he has been dominating. I was really bummed when he was beat out by David Hernandez for the 5th spot in the rotation during Spring Training. I was bummed by his slow start in AAA. I was elated by his no hitter and his eventual return to form. So. I want to be excited about yesterday’s performance.
The stat line was fine. Some would say the stat line was good.
5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 K
It’s how the 2 runs were scored that bothered me. It was 2 home runs, something that plagued Tillman last season. Something, I’m concerned he didn’t fix in his time down in the minors.
O’s Blogger and Numbers Junkie, Daniel Moroz, explained it like this-
Tillman gave up quite a few flyballs though (and those two longballs), which one would expect given that his fastball wass still pretty straight, of the high riding variety, and was thrown up in the zone. He used the pitch a lot, and didn’t seem to throw a real cutter. Off-speed wise, his curveball was still awesome and the change-up looked good, though he only threw the latter s7 times.
He is 22 and will continue to make mistakes. My goal for Tillman this season is to see some improvement. I’d like to see the cutter. I’d like to see better location on the fastball. I’d like to see a better mix that included the change-up. The O’s need something to smile about. Hopefully, that can be Chris Tillman by the end of the season.
By BSR Staff, on May 27th, 2010 In this week’s edition of our podcast, Jeff and Zach talk about the Chris Tillman call up, take credit for moving David Heranandez to the bullpen and come up with their own Frank Mata catch phrases.
All that and more on Birds On The Wire, BSR’s official podcast. Check it out and don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes.
Podcast: Play in new window
By Weston Bruner, on May 26th, 2010 Okay, so let’s try to tally this up- Chris Tillman is back from Norfolk, and brings along Frank Mata, a former minor league free agent in his first season at AAA. Meanwhile, Alberto Castillo gets another shot in Baltimore in the bullpen and gets to pitch alongside David Hernandez, the 5th starter who will now be a reliever. Oh yea, and in case you blinked, Justin Turner is gone from the organization after being picked up by the Mets. With Koji Uehara going back in the DL (shocker) along with Alfredo Simon, the O’s needed relievers, and this part of the team once hailed as its strength is now all but unrecognizable.
In 2009, the relief staff was made up of Jim Johnson, Chris Ray, Dennis Sarfate, George Sherrill , Danys Baez, Jamie Walker, and Matt Albers. Only one of these players remains with the major league club, and Albers is only with the team right now because he is out of minor league options, and the O’s are out of alternatives. Sarfate is down in Norfolk, Johnson is on the DL, and everyone else is gone. In 2010, Will Ohman has been the most reliable reliever, initially brought in as a left-handed specialist and was an afterthought to fans. He may now be the closer. Of course, this isn’t all bad. Most experts saw David Hernandez as a better fit for the bullpen down the road, with his explosive fastball and the tendency of hitters to get a bead on him the second or third time through the order. He has the endurance to throw 2 or 3 innings and can make a spot start, so he will be a valuable asset in the pen.
Alberto Castillo will likely take over the left-handed specialist duties, but he will have to prove that he isn’t a AAAA player and has a future after his first lackluster stint in Baltimore this season. Frank Mata is the wildcard in all of this relief reshuffling. The 26 year old started closing this year for Norfolk after being acquired from the Minnesota Twins over the offseason. In his first season at the AAA level, Mata was dominating hitters, but only in 19.1 innings so far. That could be a complete aberration, but the Orioles are out of alternatives- at this point they need to take the hottest pitcher at Norfolk at any given time.
While I wish Chris Tillman could have gotten a few more starts at Norfolk to show that he had worked out whatever kinks had plagued him during Spring Training, it makes sense to bring up the pitcher with at least some major league experience. He had posted a 3.12 ERA in 57.2 innings over 10 starts at AAA after a tough first couple outings as he attempted to work on the cut fastball he added to his repertoire this offseason. Among those ten starts was a no-hitter on April 28 against Gwinnett, showing a quick rebound from his early struggles. However, he hasn’t completely dominated the competition, allowing 4 earned runs in 6 innings on May 14. Once again, he makes more sense than Jake Arrieta, who would be facing live major league pitching for the first time. At least Tillman has an idea of what to expect, and the Orioles know what they can expect from him. Even if he pitches no better than in 2009, his 5.40 ERA will be no worse than what they got out of David Hernandez.
Finally, the Orioles lost Justin Turner to the New York Mets, failing to pass the utility infielder through waivers. I know we have a lot of Turner fans out there, but I didn’t see him becoming the heir to Brian Roberts at second or ever becoming an everyday starting infielder- he just didn’t have the bat for it. It always stings to lose a potential complimentary piece however, and while he wasn’t getting many reps in Baltimore, it would have been good to have him around and try to work him into the mix down the line.
Just a quick question: Why in god’s name was Pedro Florimon, Jr. protected during the Rule 5 draft and remains on the 40-man roster? He is hitting .183 at Bowie and is lugging around a .927 fielding percentage at the shortstop position. They must see something in him that I don’t quite understand.
By Jeff Wolfson, on May 14th, 2010 The Cleveland Indians and Baltimore Orioles will meet for the first time this season this weekend at Camden Yards. Cleveland is in clear rebuilding mode after dumping Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez before the trade deadline last season. The Indians haven’t produced much on offense, scoring just 118 runs, but their pitching has been solid with a 4.09 ERA.
In addition to a new manager, Manny Acta, Cleveland is breaking in a new catcher, Lou Marson who was acquired in the Lee trade with Philadelphia and a few new pitchers like Justin Masterson who was part of the Martinez trade with Boston. Masterson will start Friday night for Cleveland. Masterson is 0-3 with a 5.23 ERA. He will face Jeremy Guthrie.
Guthrie (1-4, 4.67) is coming off of his first win. He beat Francisco Liriano and the Twins in his last outing in Saturday’s first game of the doubleheader. It was his best outing of the season as he went 6.2 innings allowing just three runs, five hits and one walk. It was clearly his best start of the season and he will look to repeat that performance against a team that always seem to give the Orioles trouble.
In the second on Saturday night, Brian Matusz (2-3, 4.91) will take the hill coming off his worst outing of the season. Matusz last pitched Sunday and allowed six earned runs in 3.1 innings against Minnesota. His opponent will be Mitch Talbot. Talbot (4-2, 3.43) earned a win against the Tigers in his last start even though he was less than stellar, allowing four runs in five innings. The Orioles tend to have trouble with pitchers they haven’t seen before, so Saturday could be a challenge.
To conclude the series, Baltimore will send David Hernandez to the mound to oppose Jake Westbrook. Hernandez (0-5, 5.84) has struggled lately, but that hasn’t been the whole story. When Hernandez is pitching, it appears the Birds’ offense goes silent. He had a rough outing Tuesday night against the Mariners, allowing five runs (four earned), including a home run and four walks, in 5.2 innings. Sunday afternoon could be his last chance to remain in the starting rotation. Westbrook (1-2, 5.06) will be making his eighth start since having Tommy John surgery last season. This could be a very wild game for the bats, or it could be on the other end of the spectrum and be very low-scoring. Either way, expect anything to happen in this game.
Baltimore could easily win the series if the bats break out of their slumber. The pitching hasn’t been terrible for Baltimore this year and Cleveland’s offense has scuffled as well this season. For the middle series of this homestand, Baltimore will try and get a couple wins.
By Steve Giles, on May 11th, 2010 The Seattle Mariners come into Camden Yards for a three-game set against the Orioles starting Tuesday. Both teams have underachieved so far this season, but the Mariners haven’t fared nearly as well as they were supposed to. Many baseball “experts” thought the Mariners would win the AL West with the addition of LHP Cliff Lee and bats like Chone Figgins (.185 average, seven RBI, zero homeruns in 2010) and Casey Kotchman (.194, 14 RBI, three homeruns). It’s still early, but having a 12-19 record in mid-May and being 5 ½ games back in the division isn’t exactly where they wanted to be at this point.
Their pitching hasn’t been the issue, as they are ranked in the top-five in the AL in most major pitching categories. But much like the O’s, the Mariner’s bats haven’t been producing many runs. They are batting .229 as a team, which is 13th in the AL and they don’t rank better than 13th in any major hitting categories. If your offense isn’t producing but 3.3 runs per game, it doesn’t really matter how good your pitching is. The Mariners made some progress Sunday, though, as they won their first game since April 28. They “exploded” for 12 hits and eight runs against the Angels and hope to build off that performance against the O’s pitching. Here are the pitching match ups for the upcoming three-game series.
Tuesday, May 11, 7:05 PM
Seattle – Cliff Lee (0-1, 2.40 ERA)
Baltimore – David Hernandez (0-4, 5.74 ERA)
The O’s face the Mariners ace in the first game, which could prove to be the toughest game of the series. Lee started out the season on the DL, but since he’s been reactivated he has pitched relatively well. He held the Rangers to three hits and no runs over seven innings in his first outing, but was a victim of no run support and received a no-decision. Lee lost his second start to the Rays, but still pitched a decent game allowing four earned runs and 10 hits over eight innings. He was solid last year for the Indians and Phillies and is expected to get on a similar roll this season with the Mariners. Lee is going to give his team a chance to win every time he steps on the mound, it’s just a matter of his offense putting some runs on the board for him. Hernandez, on the other hand, hasn’t won since Aug. 11, and is 0-10 with a 6.84 ERA in 15 starts. He’s coming off his worst start of the season after allowing six runs and six hits in 3 2/3 innings in Wednesday’s 7-5 loss to the Yankees.
Wednesday, May 12, 7:05 PM
Seattle – Ryan Rowland-Smith (0-2, 6.21 ERA)
Baltimore – Brad Bergesen (2-2, 7.36 ERA)
Bergesen is easily coming off his best start of the season after throwing 6 2/3 solid innings and allowing just six hits and no runs in Minnesota last Thursday. Let’s hope the Mariners’ anemic offense can supply Bergesen with some much-needed confidence. I really like what Bergesen has to offer and I hope he can find what made him successful at the end of last season. The opposing pitcher, Rowland-Smith, has been struggling with his focus this season and his statistics surely show that. He hasn’t been throwing particularly well, so hopefully the O’s can take advantage of that.
Thursday, May 13, 12:35 PM
Seattle – Felix Hernandez (2-3, 4.30 ERA)
Baltimore – Kevin Millwood (0-4, 3.26 ERA)
The lone afternoon match up should be the most interesting of the three games in this series. King Felix, as he is known, has been one of the most consistent pitchers in the major leagues over the past few years. He has always thrived against the O’s, but he hasn’t been as sharp this season as he is used to being. He has been dealing with some back stiffness, which could explain his recent struggles. Millwood has pitched very well this season, but has been a victim of low run support and, in turn, has no wins to show for his effort. I expect this to be a low-scoring affair (big surprise, right?) with it possibly coming down to who can hit in the clutch in the late innings.
If the O’s bats wake up a little, I think they have a chance to take at least two of three from the Mariners. Lee and Hernandez are always tough to score off of, but the Mariners haven’t been giving them much run support either. Hopefully the O’s get this eight-game home stand started off with a couple of much-needed wins.
By Matt Sadler, on May 10th, 2010 This week we have Taylor and Griffin from the Mariners Blog- SoDo Mojo. Let’s make sure to go over there and give them hell when David Hernandez out-duels Cliff Lee.
1) The M’s swept the O’s a few weeks ago, what has happened to the team since then?
Oh boy, so many things. Felix hasn’t looked good, the offense has completely fallen apart, Mark Lowe has gone to the DL, Milton Bradley has gone to the RL, and Jack Wilson is day-to-day. It’s been an extremely tough week in which seemingly nothing has gone right for this team. The fact that this roster has so many fixable issues hasn’t helped, but man they’ve just looked awful.
2) How well does this team play on long road trips?
It’s a little bit early to say, but they haven’t looked real good on the road as of yet. Having so many games strung together is tough too, as this team is carrying more than it’s share of injury prone players
3) Can anyone not playing the OF hit the ball?
Sure, Kotchman has impressed his critics with some monster home runs, and I have no doubt that Chone Figgins will start to put up his usual numbers (any day now, Chone…). Lopez’s 25 home runs last year was a fluke, but he also shouldn’t be hittingthis poorly. And as to our DH tandem — they couldn’t hit the ball if it was the size of a watermelon.
4) You guys have Cliff Lee and King Felix going against the anemic O’s offense. How does this team not win the series if not sweep it?
I’d be shocked if the Mariners somehow managed to lose this series with both Lee and Felix going, but I’m not so sure about a sweep. Ryan Rowland-Smith has looked really bad thus far, and while I’m not convinced yet that anything’s seriously wrong, the O’s might just have a good shot at taking a game.
5) With Adam Jones hitting .220 and Chris Tillman back in the minors, have the fans forgiven the M’s for the Bedard trade yet?
No. Chris Tillman is a stud, Kam Mickolio could still end up a star reliever, Adam Jones won’t keep hitting .220, and George Sherrill is exactly what the M’s need in their bullpen right now. Bill Bavasi screwed up our organization so badly that even Jack Zduriencik is having a little trouble fixing it.
Extra Credit- A-Rod used to be so cool as a 19 year old playing for the M’s and now he is arguably the biggest douche in baseball. How does this happen?
I don’t know. I like A-Rod. Sure, he cheats on his spouse and whatnot, but a lot of professional athletes do that. He just happens to be a big name and he doesn’t handle the spotlight as maturely as he should.
By Weston Bruner, on April 20th, 2010 Ineffectual, hurt, or both. In trying to come up with a way to put my head around the rash of injuries and failures this team has endured in the most excruciating start to a season since before I was a fan, that is the only thing I can come up with. Brad Bergesen and Felix Pie are the most recent Orioles casualties so far this season, with Pie living up to his reputation as injury-prone and Bergy exchanging his groundballs for home runs sometime over the winter. Who knows, maybe there was a sale.
In all seriousness, an ungodly 12.19 ERA is too high to ignore, even only three starts into the season. I understand that pitchers can take a while to get going, but Bergesen had not shown any poise on the mound characteristic of someone who was going to get their act together. In short, he looks like a bundle of nerves right now, and it shows in his inability to stay relaxed after giving up a big hit or adjust to the batter – he is just struggling to get the ball over the plate. In fact, at times last night I wondered whether Bergy just wanted to go home. And that was in the 1st inning! The coaches surely saw this and more when they decided that Bergesen, almost a full year after being brought up to the majors, needed some more time down at Norfolk to get his bearings and rediscover his 4 quality pitches. And so Brad Bergesen has been optioned to AAA and will try to work on his mechanics or whatever is bothering him, but it is another knock to an already reeling Orioles ballclub.
I once went to see Matt Wieters and Nolan Reimold in Bowie but was blown away by Brad Bergesen on the mound, who quickly and effectively dispatched of the Akron Aeros without any flash or 96 mph fastball. He could simply locate all of his pitches and deceive hitters with his delivery. I believe that with some time in Norfolk and perhaps without the stress of feeling that he has to do it all he will be able to return to form. Remember, he blew out his shoulder before Spring Training because he was trying to go all-out for a commercial. Perhaps in his rush to come back from his devastating shin injury he developed some bad habits, but whatever they are I trust the staff in Norfolk to straighten them out. Then again, I thought the Orioles could fix Rich Hill as well.
Who will replace Bergy? Let’s not forget, Jason Berken was pitching very well in the spring before losing the 5th starter job to David Hernandez, and he could easily move from the long relief spot into the rotation. In fact, it may have been his disastrous ’09 that kept him from ever having a real chance to start this season in the rotation. I loved his attitude last season, when even his good starts were wiped out by poor hitting and despite his skyrocketing ERA he always wanted the ball. He is a player you want to have on the mound when things aren’t going well, because he has the poise not to let it get to him, and while he doesn’t have the best stuff he has the right mental makeup for this club. However, there is that problem of his gigantic ERA from last season. But who knows, maybe he’s worked it out- it certainly couldn’t hurt to give him another shot, and even his 6.54 ERA from ’09 would be better than what they are getting out of Bergesen.
Another option is Jake Arrieta, who in three starts has a paltry 0.50 ERA, giving up his first earned runs of the season last night in a 6 inning, 5 K performance against Gwinnett. However, the sample size is too small to be convinced that Arrieta, who had an up-and-down season in Norfolk last season, is ready to come up to the majors- especially when he didn’t exactly blow anyone away in Spring Training. Arrieta is an incredible talent, one who could be near the top of the Orioles rotation one day. The time to bring him up is not now, not when the Orioles are about to go through a murderers row against the Yankees and Red Sox and especially not when the plan was to leave Arrieta in Norfolk until at least July or August at the earliest. I understand bringing him up early if you have to, but he has yet to dominate the level he is at in the minors; so I would definitely give him a few more starts in Norfolk.
Felix Pie is a different case entirely. There is no AAA for Pie, and there shouldn’t be. The young left fielder was hitting .400, albeit in a small sample size, and performing admirably in the field in the absence of Nolan Reimold. There were some mental errors in the field and on the base paths, but Pie was picking up where he left off in 2009 and developing into the player the Cubs always hoped he would. With news coming out that Pie could be out for the next three months, it is a harsh way of clearing out the glut of outfielders the organization is carrying. However, it gives an intriguing opportunity to Lou Montanez, who will be getting the majority of starts in left field while Reimold continues to heal.
Montanez has nothing left to prove in the minors, and tore up opposing pitching during limited action in Spring Training. He knew that he wouldn’t get playing time unless someone got hurt, and rather than complain or ask for a trade he accepted it and showed his disappointment in more polite ways. He was a class act even when placed in a terrible situation for any talented player. Before the Orioles even acquired Pie they had picked up Montanez in a minor league contract in 2007. The former #3 overall pick has been a late bloomer but has had no problem with his bat, homering in his first ever at-bat in the majors. I could easily see him being another breakout outfielder for this team in 2010. While he won’t replace Felix Pie’s speed, he could add some pop after winning the 2008 Eastern League Triple Crown despite missing almost a month of the season after being called up to Baltimore.
Before the season fans were counting on Bergesen to be an of the rotation, and hoping for Felix Pie to keep up the torrid pace he had in the latter part of 2009. Just three weeks into the season, fans are faced with Bergy showing no signs of life, and Pie is parked on the DL. Luckily for the Orioles, it seems that they might have just enough organizational depth to fill those spots for the moment. Besides, at 2-12, the replacements can’t be that much worse… right?
UPDATE: Alberto Castillo has been called up from AAA to take the roster spot, indicating that Berken will move into the rotation and Castillo will be added to the ‘pen. This is a great move, I would have called up Castillo even before Kam Mickolio was.
By Zach Wilt, on April 17th, 2010 I’m sure my old school solution for the Orioles troubles, detailed below, is far too ancient for current baseball fans. These methods seemed to have gone the way of the dinosaur in Major League Baseball. But with the current eight game losing streak, the worst start in the franchise’s history since 1988 and morale at an all time low, I can’t help but think the Orioles need some fire.
This club has been clearly out matched in their eight straight defeats and bullied in the fundamentals this season. They need to send a message and there are a couple ways to do it.
In game one of the series in Oakland, it appeared David Hernandez had clearly picked of Rajai Davis in the 1st inning, after he reached base on an infield single. The first base umpire called Davis safe and Dave Trembley came storming out of the O’s dugout to argue for his young starter. Dave must not have used terrible language, as he exited the field and was able to return to his duties in the dugout, but I was hoping like heck that he would hit the showers early.
Guys like Hernandez, Brian Matusz and Brad Bergesen need that overwhelming support from their manager and I don’t see any issue with Trembley lighting a fire under his guys during the losing streak. The skipper told Scott Garceau yesterday that he wasn’t trying to do anything of the sort, but in my opinion, pulling an Earl Weaver is great for the club’s morale and for supporting these young guys.
Facing Boston on the road is going to be incredibly difficult and I’m sure the Red Sox are going to try to walk all over the Orioles early. So the O’s have got to beat them to it. Throw some chin music at Dustin Pedrioa or Kevin Youkilis in their first at bats and prove that you’re not gonna go down with out a fight. Those guys won’t be looking for junk balls across the plate after an O’s starter sends that sort of message.
Sure, you might have Nick Markakis or Miguel Tejada take one on the back, but at least your message is clear.
I’m fulling prepared to be disagreed with on this post. I’m not quite sure how a guy that never saw “old school” baseball or an Earl Weaver tirade got to be the way I am. But I’m old school. Light the fire, end the losing the streak.
By Zach Wilt, on April 6th, 2010 Over the past couple months, the BaltimoreSportsReport.com staff has spent massive amounts of time previewing the Orioles season. Tonight at 7, the previewing is over as the Orioles take the field at the Trop against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Below, we’ve archived our previews so you can easily go back and check up on anything you may have a question about before the first pitch.
O’s starting pitcher previews
O’s infield previews
O’s outfield previews
O’s bullpen previews
O’s coaching previews
AL East previews
|
|
|
Recent Comments