Orioles News - Is Roberts Outta Here?

Could Baltimore Oriole second baseman Brian Roberts be leaving Baltimore? Apparently talks between the Orioles and the Chicago Cubs have gotten very serious. The talks have gotten so serious that the O's have actually contacted Rocky Hall, the agent of free agent second baseman Tadahito Iguchi. They have done this to see if Iguchi would be interested in playing for Baltimore, so the O's know they would have an option at second base should Brian Roberts be traded. It could be a three player deal, including a starting pitcher coming to the O's. But, this could be all talk. Roberts is a fan favorite, and owner Peter Angelos has killed deals in the past that would send Roberts to another team. I say that the Orioles should hold onto Brian, unless the deal being offered is too good to pass up. Roberts is a great player, (one of the few good players on the O's), and a fan favorite. Without him, what player would people come to Camden Yards to see? Erik Bedard could likely be traded, and he only plays every 5 days anyway, so what player would put the fans in the stands? Nick Markakis can't do it alone...

Bottom line: Keep Roberts unless the Cubs are giving some top pitching prospects away. - John T.

Orioles News - 11/17/07 - A Look At The Lineup

The Baltimore Orioles haven't made many moves this year in free agency. The O's haven't had any significant players leave either, besides outfielder Corey Patterson. So, will they make any big moves this off season? Probably not. But, if you look, the base of the Orioles roster is still set. Here is a look at the Baltimore Orioles lineup for next year, as of right now.

The O's still have their lead off man, Brian Roberts. He isn't moving spots. The person who is hitting second is still a little iffy, since Corey Patterson is no longer on the team. It's also still iffy due to all of the trade rumors whirling. The man hitting third is pretty obvious - Nick Markakis. He led the team in batting average, home runs, and RBI's last year. Nick stays in the number three spot. Now for the fourth spot. If Miguel Tejada has a change of heart and decides to stay, and that's a big if, he will likely hit here. Miggi can still hit, it's just that his fielding is declining. A lot. In the number 5 spot, Aubrey Huff is a likely candidate. Huff hit .280 with 72 RBI's last year. Those numbers are OK, even if Huff does run his mouth. Now batting 6th, Melvin Mora. Mora, if he is still in Baltimore, should hit about here. Kevin Millar could hit in 7th, with Jay Payton hitting 8th. Rounding out the lineup, Ramon Hernandez should hit about 9th. - John T.

Orioles News - 10/7/07 - Looking forward to 2008

Now that the Baltimore Orioles season is over, some of the many questions on every one's mind are these: What will the O's everyday lineup look like in 2008? What will the Orioles' pitching rotation look like in 2008? What changes do the O's need to make to compete? Should Miguel Tejada leave or at least move to 3rd base? Should Daniel Cabrera leave or at least head to the bullpen? Today I will answer the first question, What will the O's lineup look like in 2008? The rest will be answered in the coming days.

What Will the Baltimore Orioles Lineup Look Like in 2008?

With Brian Roberts locked down in a contract, his place at second base is secure. Unfortunately, that's about the only spot that's secure in the Baltimore infield. Shortstop Miguel Tejada is unhappy and is likely on his way out of Baltimore. The O's want him to move to 3rd base, but Tejada is not going willingly as he has said that he would rather be traded to another team and continue playing shortstop. There's not much more certainty at 3rd base either as Melvin Mora's play has declined and Scott Moore is waiting in the wings to play. As for 1st base, Kevin Millar has played well but is obviously not the long-term answer. The catcher position is currently held by Ramon Hernandez, and it appears as if he will continue to hold that position. Now on to the outfield. Center fielder Corey Patterson is eligble for free agency this year, and it's not clear yet whether Baltimore will bring him back. The free agent pool is weak this year, so I think it would be wise to bring him back. In right field, Nick Markakis is holding down that spot and will continue to for years. Left field is a different story. Jay Payton wasn't spectacular and left field has been a weakness for years. That will probably continue this year unless the Orioles pull off a move to bring in someone new.

Coming tomorrow: What Will the Orioles Pitching Rotation Look Like in 2008? - John T.

Orioles News - 10/5/07 - Grading the Position Players in 2007

As a part of the 2007 season wrap-up for the Baltimore Orioles, I will grade the Orioles position players. Here are my grades. (Note: Players who finished the year on the disabled list or not with the team are not included.)

Grading the Baltimore Orioles Position Players in 2007:

Player: Grade: Key Stat:
Nick Markakis A .300 batting average.
Tike Redman B More triples then 11 players.
Miguel Tejada C 15 errors at Shortstop. Time to move?
Luis Hernandez C+ Drew only 1 walk.
Brian Roberts B 50 stolen bases.
Aubrey Huff C- Only 15 homers.
Melvin Mora C- 10 errors. Time to leave?
Corey Patterson C- 37 stolen bases, but otherwise a bad year.
Freddie Bynum C Didn't get a whole lot of chances.
Ramon Hernandez D+ Only 9 home runs.
Jay Payton D+ .256 batting average.
Scott Moore D .260 on base average.
Kevin Millar C+ 2nd highest on base average on the team.
Paul Bako D+ 1 homer in 156 at-bats.
Brandon Fahey F 9 hits in 54 at-bats.

Wow. That is bad hitting. I gave out one "A". You can't compete if you can't score...

Coming tomorrow: The Final Part of the 2007 Season Wrap-Up: Looking Back at 2007. - John T.

Orioles News - 9/29/07 - O's fall in close one, 11-10

The Baltimore Orioles lost last night, 11-10 to the New York Yankees. The game was in the Orioles' favor up until the 4th inning as the O's scored 2 runs in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd innings. They entered the 4th inning with a 6-1 lead. Then, the Yankees figured out Cabrera and started to hit off of him. By the time the inning was over, Cabrera had been chased from the game and the Yankees had scored 10 runs to take a 11-6 lead. Every Yankees starter scored a run in that inning. That's terrible. You have to have better pitching then that.

Daniel Cabrera's line for the game: 3 innings, 10 hits, and 7 runs. Looks like a typical pitching performance by Cabrera.

There were only 2 bright spots in this game for Baltimore: Nick Markakis and Brian Roberts. Markakis homered last night to bring his season total to 23. He also has 112 RBI's, 18 stolen bases, and a .300 batting average. Brian Roberts stole his 50th base of the season last night, so congratulations to him. Here's to several more seasons like that in an Orioles uniform.

The O's wrap up their season today with another game against the New York Yankees. If the O's win today, then they will have won the season series against New York. If not, they will have gone .500 in the season series with the Yanks. I figure the Orioles have a good chance since the Yankees will be resting most of their stars for the playoffs. Ahh, the playoffs. If only we could get there... (Sigh) - John T.

Orioles News - 9/25/07 - O's sweep season series against Royals

Swept! As in the Baltimore Orioles swept the season series against the Kansas City Royals with a win last night. The O's won 3-2. This game was being played as a make-up game for a rain out. In this matchup of 2 bad teams, it was actually a good game.

The Orioles struck first in this game, as they scored 2 runs in the 5th inning. The runs came after a Ramon Hernandez single, a groundout to advance Hernandez, and then a double by Tike Redman to score Hernandez. Brian Roberts then walked, and Melvin Mora singled to bring in another run. The Royals came back and scored once in the 6th to make the score a little closer. Daniel Cabrera left the game after he finished the 7th inning, as he allowed only 1 run all game. No, that's not a misprint. Cabrera really did allow only 1 run. He had a 2-1 lead when he left the game. That lead soon turned into a tie after a pinch hit home run in the 8th inning by Kansas City. That homer robbed Cabrera at his chance of getting a decision in the game. But, the O's proved they have some heroics in themselves too. In the 8th inning also, Nick Markakis hit a solo homer to give the O's the lead for good. Markakis now has 22 homers and 109 RBI's this season, a franchise record for a 2nd year player. Maybe we do have some young talent, but we're going to need plenty more players like him and Jeremy Guthrie if we ever want to compete. - John T.

Orioles News - 9/22/07 - O's win in shootout

The Baltimore Orioles won last night, 11-9 over the Texas Rangers in a shootout. Rightfielder Nick Markakis had 5 RBI's. That's right, Nick Markakis, the Orioles 2nd year player had 5 RBI's. That's what the O's need. Markakis now leads the team in home runs, RBI's, and runs scored. In his 2nd year in the Majors. Nice. Markakis also had a homer in the game. But, the Orioles still had plenty of missed opportunities as they left 11 men on base. That's poor.

Congrats to Brian Roberts on stealing his 47th and 48th base last night. Hopefully he can turn that into 50 before the year ends.

Radhames Liz, our starter, went 2.2 innings giving up 6 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks. Reliever Rocky Cherry came in, giving up 2 runs. Chad Bradford also gave up a run, but the Orioles could still take a victory. But let's face it. Your not going to win giving up 9 runs in one game. Most of the time at least. You need better pitching or your always going to lose. - John T.

Orioles News - 9/20/07 - O's win in 10 innings

The Baltimore Orioles won last night, 6-3 in the 10th inning over the Texas Rangers. A big part of the win is due to this guy, Brian Roberts (left), who hit a 3 run homer in the 10th inning to help lead the Orioles to a win. Miguel Tejada had the game tying hit, which at that point was only the Orioles 2nd run in their last 26 innings. The Orioles were doing badly, losing 1-0 in the 9th inning before a few hits turned into a run. In that game, the O's were 0-9 with runners in scoring position before the 9th inning. Another key factor in the O's win was pitching. (How often do you hear about the O's pitching doing well?) Starter Victor Zambrano went 5 strong innings, allowing only 1 run on 3 hits. He only walked 2 batters. Reliever Jim Hoey came in and mowed down the Rangers, not allowing a run. Rocky Cherry, Chad Bradford, and Jamie Walker all did the same, as they didn't allow a run. Fernando Cabrera did allow a run, 2 as a matter of fact but the Orioles still picked up a victory. Jamie Walker was the reliever who got the win.

Now for Miguel Tejada. He is our starting shortstop. But is it time for him to move? But where? To 3rd base? Or to another team? His range is declining at shortstop and he's making more errors then ever on the field. Should he move? I say yes. His play is declining. He's not doing well at the plate either. So, as much as I hate to say it, the O's need to trade him, possibly for some pitching prospects.

By the way, I am going away this weekend and I won't be able to post on Saturday and Sunday. - John T.

Orioles News - 9/19/07 - O's swept

Swept. The New York Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles last night, 2-1 to sweep the O's. The O's wasted a great pitching performance by Brian Burres. Burres went 7 1/3 strong innings, allowing only 2 runs on 5 hits. But, Burres' effort didn't matter because the Orioles only scored 1 run, on Melvin Mora's single to bring in Brian Roberts. It's tough to win when you only score 1 run. It's not like the Orioles didn't have chances to score. They had plenty, leaving 7 men on base. The Yankees scored only twice, once in the 2nd inning on a home run by Hideki Matsui and on a wild pitch by Burres in the 5th. If you have any kind of good run support at all, you can expect to win a game when holding your opponet to 2 runs.

Also in the game, Jay Payton was ejected in the 5th inning after striking out on a 3-2 pitch, a called third strike. Payton said something to the umpire, and as he walked away he tosed his helmet in the general direction of home plate. The umpire didn't like that, ejecting Payton from the game.

The O's play a 4 game road series with the Texas Rangers, the O's last road series of the year. Remember one of the last times the O's and Rangers faced off? If not, the final score was 30-3. Hopefully that won't happen again... - John T.

Orioles News - 9/16/07 - A series win!

The Baltimore Orioles won yesterday, 8-6 over the Toronto Blue Jays. This gives them a series win, their 1st since mid-August. This win came in extra innings, 12 to be exact. The game lasted 4 hours and 25 minutes! It was ugly, as both teams went a toal of 5-37 with runners in scoring position. There was a total of 27 men left on base, with 12 of those men playing for the Orioles. They used a combined 15 pitchers and 28 position players! In the game, the Blue Jay's had a 4-1 lead after 3 innings, largely because of back-to-back homers on consectutive pitches by Adam Lind and Russ Adams. Nick Markais brought the Orioles to within 1 after he hit a solo shot to give him a 20 homer, 100 RBI season. This is only his 2nd year in the Majors. That's the kind of young talent we need. The Orioles won the game in the 12th inning, as Aubrey Huff singled to begin the game. Freddie Bynum doubled, sending Huff to 3rd base. Paul Bako up, game on the line, golden oppurtunity, and....he struckout. Ok, lets try this again. Scott Moore up, game on the line, golden oppurtunity, and....he singled, bringing in a run!!! The O's took the lead!! Brian Roberts hit a sacrifice fly after that, sending across a insurance run. For Moore, it was his only hit of the game, but it couldn't have come at a better time. - John T.

Orioles News - 9/14/07 - O's win 2nd straight

Two in a row! Yes, 2 straight wins for the Baltimore Orioles. It has been almost a month since the O's won back-to-back games. They won last night, 6-2 over the Toronto Blue Jays. There was a great pitching performance by Brian Burres, which led them to a win. The Orioles nearly shut out the Blue Jays, but reliever Jamie Walker gave up solo home runs to Aaron Hill and Hector Luna in the 9th inning. Those were the Jay's only runs of the night. Burres was awesome last night, pitching 7 scoreless innings, giving up 8 hits and walking none. He stayed focused and did a great job of getting out of jams. He threw 105 total pitches, and 72 of those were strikes. The team was certainly fired up as Tike Redman had 3 hits, and drive in a run. The Orioles scored early, providing Burres with a 2 run cushion before he even took the mound. The O's got another run in the 2nd inning when Brian Roberts homered to make it a 3-0 game. Aubrey Huff had a two-out triple in the 3rd inning, followed by Ramon Hernandez's single that scored Huff. Baltimore also tacked on 2 more runs in the 9th. It was a great game for the Baltimore Orioles, as they needed this win. - John T.

Orioles News - 8/31/07 - O's snap losing streak

The Orioles won last night, 9-8 over the Boston Red Sox to halt their losing streak at 9 games. It wasn't a very pretty game, but a win is a win. Rookie pitcher Radhames Liz went only 3 innings giving up 2 runs (both earned), on 72 pitches. Of those 72 pitches, only 37 went for a strike. He looks like a Daniel Cabrera in the works, great one night and terrible the next. The O's took the lead in the 4th inning as a double by Nick Markakis followed by a home run from Miguel Tejada (In picture) gave the O's their first runs. Then Kevin Millar walked and Aubrey Huff singled, sending Millar to third base. A single from Melvin Mora scored Millar, followed by a single from Ramon Hernandez which scored Huff. That gave the O's a 4-3 lead. Also in the 4th inning, manager Dave Trembley was ejected for arguing that a Red Sox player had interfered with Ramon Hernandez on third base. In the 6th inning, the Orioles busted this game wide open. The bases were loaded with no one out and Jay Payton hit a sacrifice fly to bring in a run. Brian Roberts then walked to load the bases again, but this time with one out. Another sacrifice fly, this time from Corey Patterson, scored Melvin Mora. Nick Markakis then ripped a 3 run homer to rightfield, and the O's now had a 9-3 lead. The Orioles were done scoring after that outburst. The Red Sox weren't though, as they would score 5 more times and as our bullpen nearly blew a 9-3 lead. In other news, starting pitcher Steve Trachsel was traded away to the Chicago Cubs for 2 minor leaguers, 3rd baseman Scott Moore and reliever Rocky Cherry. Both of them have been staying at AAA this year. Trachsel's stock rose after a 2.37 ERA in 6 starts this August. He was 1-1 in August and would have been better if not for the bullpen collapsing and poor run support that has cost him wins. Also, pitcher Erik Bedard, a Cy Young canidate, could be out for an extended amount of time with a strained right Oblique muscle. That loss is going to hurt the Orioles badly. So, a busy day for the O's. The O's won, the manager got tossed, Trachsel was traded, and our ace, Erik Bedard is injured. - John T.

Orioles News - 8/30/07 - 9 straight losses

The Orioles lost again last night, 8-6 to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. That's 9 straight losses for the O's. Last night's game completed their worst homestand in team history as they went 1-9 through this homestand. The O's gave Jeremy Guthrie a 3-0 lead in the first inning after a double by Brian Roberts. Then on a sacrifice bunt, Corey Patterson moved Roberts to third and was safe while doing so. With a 2-0 count, Nick Markakis then crushed a homer to give Guthrie a 3 run cushion. (This is rare, when does Guthrie get run support?) Guthrie would eventually cough up that lead in the 3rd inning after a solo homer by Josh Wilson and a few batters later, a 3 run shot by B.J. Upton to make the score 4-3, D-Rays. The O's fought back later in the inning, as Miguel Tejada singled off the left field wall. 4 pitches later, Kevin Millar put the ball over the left field wall for a 2 run homer as the O's took the lead, 5-4. Tampa Bay tied the game up in the 4th inning and took the lead for good in the 6th inning. Radhames Liz will make his 2nd major league start tonight against the Boston Red Sox. In the game after that on Saturday, Garrett Olson, another rookie, will make a start. Here's your ugly Orioles fact of the day: During this most recent homestand, the Orioles were outscored 100-44. Ouch. - John T.

Orioles News - 8/26/07 - Twins sweep O's - Bedard gets strikeout record

6. Thats how many losses the Orioles have in a row. Let me throw another number at you. 21. Thats how many games back the Orioles are in the AL East. The O's lost again yesterday, 11-3 to the Minnesota Twins. Our ace, Erik Bedard got rocked for 6 runs. It's his first loss since June 10th. The O's have now dropped 8 of their last 10 games. In the first inning Bedard walked the first batter he faced. He then struck out the next batter he faced, giving him the single-season Orioles strikeout record. After that though, Torii Hunter singled sending the runner on first base to third base. Hunter then tried to steal 2nd base and a bad throw from catcher Paul Bako sent the runner on third base, Casilla, home and Hunter to third base. Justin Morneau hit a sacrifice fly to send Hunter home to score the game's second run. Then in the 2nd inning with 2 men on, Bartlett tripled to knock in both runners. The O's fought back in the 3rd and 4th innings. In the 3rd, Tike Redman singled to start things off. Redman then stole 2nd base. Brian Roberts singled after that and that sent Redman to third. On an error, Roberts addvanced to 2nd. Corey Patterson reached second base after an error by Alexi Casilla which scored both runners, Redman and Roberts. In the 4th inning, Aubrey Huff singled to start things off. Freddie Bynum also singled to advance Huff to third. Paul Bako then hit a sacrifice fly and Huff scored. The O's were done scoring after that. But the Twins weren't as they scored 7 more runs. In other Orioles news, Kevin Millar failed to reach base as his Orioles record of 52 straight games reaching base ended. He nearly had a homer that would have tied the game in the 5th inning but Torii Hunter robbed his home run. So, 6 straight losses...- John T.