Orioles News - 10/6/07 - Looking back at 2007

For the final part of the Baltimore Orioles season wrap-up, I will look back at the 2007 season and analyze some stats. This is going to hurt...

• The Baltimore Orioles gave up a total of 868 earned runs all year. That means the Orioles opponent's averaged over 5 earned runs per game. That is pathetic. How are you supposed to win when your giving up that many runs? This Baltimore team is not built for slug fests, as you can see below...
• The O's average 4 runs per game total. That's including un-earned runs too. So, if the Orioles pitching allows 5 runs per game, and the Orioles average only 4 runs per game, then you can see that the Orioles are being outscored, which means more losses for Baltimore. Sad.
• Baltimore's team ERA: 5.17. That's second-worst in the Majors, with only the Tampa Bay Devil Rays having a higher team ERA. Ouch.
• The Orioles hit only 142 home runs last year, which ranks them 23rd out of 30 teams. Camden Yards is a hitter park, one where the Orioles should be blasting many more homers.
• Baltimore walked 696 batters, the most in baseball.
• Roughly 1/6 of those walks came from Daniel Cabrera. And he's supposed to be our "future ace." Riiiiiiiight.

I'll leave you with that. - 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 - 10/4/07 - Grading the Pitching in 2007

As a part of the 2007 season wrap-up for the Baltimore Orioles, I will grade the Orioles pitching. Some pitchers were good, but most were bad. Here are my grades. (Note: Players who finished the year injured are not included, with an exception of Erik Bedard.)

Grading the Baltimore Orioles' Pitching in 2007:

Pitcher: Grade: Key Stat:
Erik Bedard A 3.16 ERA in 182 innings
Jamie Walker B+ 81 games
Chad Bradford B 1 homer allowed all season
Jeremy Guthrie A- 175 1/3 innings for the rookie
John Parrish C+ 33 walks
Daniel Cabrera F 18 losses
Rob Bell C- 5.94 ERA
Brian Burres C- More hits then innings pitched
Dany Baez F 0-6 with a 6.44 ERA
Radhames Liz D Walks: 23. Innings pitched: 24.
Fernando Cabrera F 7.21 ERA
Jim Hoey D- 7.30 ERA
Jon Leicester D- More hits then innings pitched
Rocky Cherry F 7.71 ERA
Garrett Olson F 28 Earned runs
Kurt Birkins F 8.13 ERA
Victor Santos D- 5 homers allowed in 4 games

In other Baltimore Orioles news, executive Jim Duquette resigned. He has been with the team since October 2005. So long Jim.

Coming tomorrow: Grading the Baltimore Orioles position players in 2007. - John T.

Orioles News - 10/3/07 - Worst of the 2007 Season

As a part of the 2007 season wrap-up for the Baltimore Orioles, I will write about the Orioles worst moment and worst players of 2007. (And believe me, there were plenty of moments and players to choose from.)

Worst Moment in the 2007 Season:

It was one game, but it was a terrible game. The Orioles allowed 30 runs to the Texas Rangers on August 22 to lose, 30-3. The Rangers had 29 total hits, with every starter getting at least 1 hit, with one player collecting 5 hits. The Ranger's 8th and 9th hitters drove in 7 runs each!!! Each!!! That's 14 runs the Orioles gave up to a total of 2 players! That's terrible. But then again, it's fitting because the Orioles' season was terrible too....

Worst Oriole of 2007:

This dubious award goes to... Daniel Cabrera in a close race against Dany Baez! Cabrera, the frustrating flame thrower, had 18 losses this season, leading the Majors in that category. He also had a 5.55 ERA, gave up 126 earned runs, and 207 hits. Daniel led the league in walks too, with 108. He gave up 25 homers, the most on the entire O's roster. Well, every body's good at something. Unfortunately, Cabrera is good at helping the other team.

Runner Up:

Dany Baez. He was signed to a 3 year, 19 million dollar contract this off season to help out our bullpen. Well, he certainly didn't help Baltimore. Baez went 0-6 with a 6.44 ERA, in 53 games. He gave up 36 earned runs, and walked 29 batters while allowing 50 hits. Now you tell me, is Dany Baez really worth a 19 million dollar contract?

Coming tomorrow: Grading the Orioles Pitching in 2007. - John T.

Orioles News - 10/2/07 - Best of the 2007 season

As a part of the 2007 season wrap-up for the Baltimore Orioles, I will write about the Orioles best moment and best players of 2007.

Best Moment in the 2007 Season:

There were few great moments for the Orioles in 2007, but this one really stands out.

- Aubrey Huff hitting for the cycle. This was on June 27, as Aubrey hit for the cycle against the Los Angeles Angels. He began with a triple, his 1,000th hit, followed by a double, his 200th of his career, and then he homered. Only a single to go... And... Huff hit the single he needed, a bloop hit that gave him the cycle! He was the first Oriole to hit for the cycle at home. And what a game! His 1000th hit, his 200th double, and the cycle all in one day! Amazing.

Best Oriole of 2007:

There is 1 player that deserves this award the most. Here he is:

Nick Markakis, Right fielder, Baltimore Orioles, Number 21. That's what his bio says. They forgot to mention "Savior of the Baltimore Orioles." Nick Markakis has provided hope in another losing season. He has given fans hope for the future, that maybe, just maybe, he will be able to one day carry this team on his shoulders out of the cellar in the AL East, and into the playoffs. So by now your probably saying "Yeah right, fat chance." But just look at his stats. He hit .300 with 23 home runs and 112 RBI's this season. And he's only in his 2nd year, as he blew the sophomore jinx theory away with those stats. If these are his stats for his 2nd year, just imagine his stats in his prime...

Runner up:

Erik Bedard. He had a great year, going 13-5 with a 3.16 ERA and 221 strikeouts. He would have had even more impressive stats had it not been for an oblique injury that sidelined him towards the end of the season. He probably would have led the league in strikeouts too, had it not been for that injury. He is still a Cy Young award candidate, but his chances are slim due to him not playing late in the year. Oh well, there's always next year...

Baltimore Orioles Rookie Of the Year:

There's really no question about it. It has to be pitcher Jeremy Guthrie. Guthrie did good, finishing with a 7-5 record and a 3.70 ERA. In 26 starts, that is. Yes, 26 starts. That means Guthrie had 14 no-decisions. Those no-decisions are due mainly to poor run support. Guthrie, like Bedard, got hurt towards the end of the season but still came back to pitch one final game before the season ended. As of right now, he is still a possible Rookie Of the Year candidate, though his chances were hurt by his injury.

Coming tomorrow: The worst of the 2007 season. - John T.

Orioles News - 10/1/07 - 2007 season in review

This blog will be about the Baltimore Orioles 2007 season in review.

Season-changing moment:

Firing manager Sam Perlozzo and hiring Dave Trembley. This was key as the team did great when Trembley was the interim manager, but the same night that it was announced he became the Orioles' official manager, August 22, Baltimore lost to the Texas Rangers 30-3. That was a major turning point in the 2007 season as the O's would lose 8 straight after that and be stuck in a slump for the rest of the season.

What was good:

There were few things that were good, but I would say that Nick Markakis' season was the best thing for the Orioles this year. Markakis led the team in doubles (43), home runs (23), and RBI's (112). He also led the team with a .300 batting average. That's great because this shows that maybe, just maybe, the Orioles do have some good, young players that could help them win. But, I'll go into the subject of good moments in the 2007 season more tomorrow...

What was bad:

Just about everything. But to pick one main thing, I would say that injuries tore the team up. Adam Loewen, Jaret Wright, Kris Benson, and Chris Ray all suffered season ending injuries, with most of the injuries coming at the beginning of the year. Not to mention Miguel Tejada and Ramon Hernandez getting hurt... But, I will have more about the bad moments of the 2007 season in a few days...

In more Baltimore Orioles' news, pitchers Jaret Wright and Victor Zambrano were released by the team. Zambrano had a 8.76 ERA in 12 1/3 innings pitched and 11 walks during his stay in Baltimore. He won't be missed.

Coming tomorrow: The Best Moments Of The Baltimore Orioles 2007 Season. - John T.

Orioles News - 9/30/07 - Season ends in loss

It was a long, bumpy ride but now it's over. It ended on a sour note, but then again, the Orioles' season wasn't exactly sweet. The Baltimore Orioles lost yesterday, 10-4 to the New York Yankees to end their season. It was a bad season, as the Orioles didn't even hit 70 wins. Baltimore extended their streak of 10 straight losing seasons. Not a good streak, but a streak that could be turned around... But I'll have more about that in the coming days...

This game was a typical example of how the O's season has gone. Bad pitching, combined with poor hitting, and it's another loss. Want to see how bad the pitching was yesterday? Starter Brian Burres went 3 1/3 innings, giving up 9 hits, and allowing 6 earned runs. And it's not like reliever Victor Zambrano provided much relief as he gave up 3 earned runs and walked 4 in 1 inning. Looks like the bullpen will be a top concern this offseason...Again. But, I'll have more about that in the coming days...

The Orioles hitting was poor too, as the Orioles loaded the bases with no outs in the 4th inning, yet came away with only 1 run. Kevin Millar, Scott Moore, and J.R. House also drove in runs, but it wasn't nearly enough.

In other news, Right fielder Nick Markakis was named Most Valuable Oriole. Congratulations to him, but we need many more players like him to ever compete.

Coming tomorrow: The Baltimore Orioles 2007 Season in Review. - John T.