Orioles News - 11/30/07 - Arbitration Deadline Approaches

As the arbitration deadline looms, it is appearing more and more likely that the Baltimore Orioles will not offer any of their free agents arbitration. The arbitration deadline is at 11:59 P.M. ET on today, Saturday. The O's aren't likely to receive any compensation draft picks for their free agents leaving. A main reason for this is that none of the Orioles free agents are ranked as Type A or Type B free agents. So, whats that mean? It means that the O's aren't losing any great players, so they won't get a free compensation draft pick. It is true, the O's really aren't losing anyone big. Their biggest loss to free agency will be Center Fielder Corey Patterson. Patterson had speed and could field very well, but he couldn't hit all that well. It won't be a huge loss, so the Orioles won't get compensation. Oh well. I guess that's a good thing... - John T.

Orioles News - 11/21/07 - Podsednik Coming To Town? - O's On Hold

Happy Thanksgiving to all. I just wanted to say that. Now, it's time for some Baltimore Orioles baseball chatter.

Is Scott Podsednik coming to town? If the O's chose not to re-sign free agent centerfielder Corey Patterson, Podsednik should be an option. He was designated by the Chicago White Sox, so the O's can pick him up. Last years stats aren't a good way to measure Podsednik considering he played in only 62 games as he was injured most of the year. But, boy can this guy run. In 2004 he stole 70 bases, 59 in 2005, and 40 in 2006. The O's should definitely think about picking him up if Patterson's asking price is too high.


The O's have been put on hold - again. The New York Mets have acquired Johnny Estrada, a catcher, so one would think that the Mets will no longer have any interest in Ramon Hernandez. Right? Maybe. The Mets can still non-tender Estrada next month. So? If the Mets decide to do this, Estrada would become a free agent. That would put the Mets back in the market for a catcher, like Ramon Hernandez. But until then, the O's and a possible trade will be on hold. - 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 - 10/31/07 - O's Decline Option On Benson - Patterson Leaves - Bako Gone Too

Busy, busy, busy. That is what the Baltimore Orioles have been. I'll begin with the news about Kris Benson.

The O's have decided not to pick up the option on pitcher Kris Benson's contract today. Benson missed all of last season with a partially-torn rotator cuff. He underwent surgery last March to repair it. And to think we traded away a young pitcher with potential (John Maine) for a few starts by Kris Benson. Real good move there. Riiiiiight.

Center fielder Corey Patterson has officially filed for free agency. He will be joining a free agent class that includes Andruw Jones and Torii Hunter. That is a good class between those two players alone. Since those players are out there, Patterson is likely to get over looked by many teams. He will probably find out that little teams show interest in him.

Backup catcher Paul Bako has also officially filed for free agency. He wasn't the greatest backup ever, but still a good backup player. - John T.

Orioles News - 10/17/07 - Odds Of Re-Signing Corey Patterson

What are the O’s odds of re-signing free-agent to be center fielder Corey Patterson? Though Corey is a great defensive player, but he isn’t great at hitting. He’s a good base-stealing threat but other then that, he is poor on offense. And with other free agent center fielders such as Torii Hunter and Andruw Jones, Patterson will be over looked by many teams. Patterson has been around for 8 seasons, (not full seasons) so teams know what they can expect from him if they have interest in signing him. But what about his asking price? Well, his price he’s asking for will likely be more then he is truly worth, and with other stars on the market like Hunter and Jones, there will probably be little interest in Corey. He’ll probably find out that no one will meet his asking price, and he’ll reduce his offer to an amount where more teams show interest in him. So unless his asking price is low, the Orioles are not likely to re-sign him. – 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 - 9/4/07 - O's win

The Orioles picked up a rare win last night, 8-4 over Tampa Bay. The O's had a 5 hit, 4 run 8th inning to help them win. For once, the tables were turned, as it was not the Orioles bullpen that gave up a win, it was the Devil Rays bullpen that gave up a win. The O's gave rookie pitcher Jeremy Guthrie a 2-0 lead in the 1st inning after Corey Patterson hit a solo homer and Miguel Tejada doubled, scoring on Nick Markakis's weak infield single. The Rays fought back in the 2nd inning, earning a run on 2 hits. Tampa Bay took the lead in the 5th inning on a bases loaded single that scored 2 runs. In the 7th inning, Melvin Mora walked on a full count and on the 1st pitch he saw, Aubrey Huff hit a 2 run homer to rightfield. The O's took the lead, 4-3. Tampa Bay tied it in the 7th inning, WITHOUT EVEN GETTING A HIT!!!! In the 8th inning however, Melvin Mora hit an RBI single to give the O's a 5-4 lead. Ramon Hernandez later hit a 3 run double to provide the games final runs. So, the O's finally pick up a win. - 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.

Orioles News - 8/24/07 - O's lose 4th straight

The Orioles lost again last night, 7-4 to the Minnesota Twins. It's their 4th straight loss. Corey Patterson singled in the 1st inning to begin. Then Miguel Tejada came up and crushed a homer to left field to make it a 2-0 game. Later in the inning, Nick Markakis was up and he got a 2-1 pitch that he liked as he sent it over the centerfield wall to give the Orioles a 3-0 lead. Then in the 6th inning, Corey Patterson lead off with a homer to right, to extend the lead to 4-0. Surely Jeremy Guthire, the O's starting pitcher who had been throwing a shutout, can hang on to this lead right? And the bullpen could hang on to this lead to right? Wrong. In 3 pitches, Jeremy Guthrie went from pitching a shutout with a 4-0 lead to a less comfortable 4-3 lead after Justin Morneau hit a solo homer and Jason Kubel hit a 2 run homer. After he finished that inning, the bullpen came in. I bet you can guess what happened next. If you can't here's what did happen. With a 4-3 lead in the 8th inning, the bullpen blew another game. In the 8th inning, Jamie Walker came in to pitch with runners on the corners. 2 sacrifice flys and a double later, the Twins had taken the lead 5-4. Then in the 9th with Dany Baez pitching for the Orioles, Torii Hunter took a pitch and ripped it for a 2 run homer to score the games final points. The O's have allowed 33 runs between innings 7-9 in the last 5 games. So much for revamping the bullpen this past offseason. In other Orioles news, Radhames Liz is making his Major League debut tonight. He was 11-4 at AA Bowie this year. Now if only he could get some run support...-John T.