Orioles News - 10/19/07 - Who Will Close Next Season?

Since the Baltimore Orioles' season is over, the main personnel is focusing on next year. A major question is: Who will be the O's closer next season? Our real closer, Chris Ray, will be out most of next season after having Tommy John Surgery. So, who else? Not reliever Dany Baez (who took over once Ray got hurt earlier in the year), because he too is having Tommy John Surgery. So who will it be? Chad Bradford? Jamie Walker? Or someone else that the O's sign or trade for this off season? My money is on a new closer that will come in via trade or free agency. Why? Well, Chad Bradford is one of our few good relievers, so Baltimore will keep him as a reliever simply because they really don't have many more good relievers. The same can be said about Jamie Walker. He is a top reliever for Baltimore and when your relievers are that thin, you need to protect what few relievers you have. So look for a new closer to come into town via trade or free agency. Otherwise, we might be in trouble. - John T.

Orioles News - 10/9/07 - Changes The O's Need To Make To Compete

Now that the Baltimore Orioles season is over, some of the many questions on every one's mind are these: 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 changes do the O's need to make to compete? The rest will be answered in the coming days.

What Off Season Changes Do the Baltimore Orioles Need to Make to Compete?

The Baltimore Orioles off season checklist should look like this:

1. Relievers.

2. A good, middle-of-the-order hitter.

3. Starting pitchers.

Why is getting relievers ranked first? Well, reliever Dany Baez will most likely be out for all of 2008 with an arm injury that will require Tommy John Surgery. Not that he was all that great. He was 0-6 with a 6.44 ERA. He won't be missed by me. But, closer Chris Ray is also expected to be out for all of next year as he is having Tommy John Surgery too. Reliever Jamie Walker and Chad Bradford were good this year, but other then that, Baltimore didn't really have any good relievers. With two more arms gone from the bullpen, we need more relievers.

Why is a good, middle-of-the-order hitter a need? Well, the O's scored 756 runs last year, but the pitching gave up the 3rd most runs in all of baseball. Your not going to win a lot of games when your being outscored like that. Plus, this move would take pressure off of Miguel Tejada and Nick Markakis, because they would know they have a great hitter coming up behind them.

Why are starting pitchers a need? They are because our rotation has only 1 proven pitcher, Erik Bedard. Yes, Jeremy Guthrie is good but he was a rookie last year, and he'll need another good year to prove himself. Adam Loewen is good but who knows how he'll be after coming off major surgery. Other then that, we don't have any good pitchers for our rotation. We have young pitchers but they're just that: Young. And young pitchers means inexperienced pitchers. The O's need to pick up at least 1 veteran starter to help out the rotation and the younger players.

Coming tomorrow: Should Miguel Tejada Leave The Orioles Or At Least Move To 3rd base? - 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 - 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 - 9/9/07 - Gibbons & Steroids - Bedard out for year, Guthrie too? - O's lose again

Yesterday was a very busy day for the Baltimore Orioles. Jay Gibbons, a Orioles outfielder, was linked to HGH and other steroids. This information was found when a pharmacy was raided last spring, linking Gibbon's adress as a buyer. Jay recieved these shipments from October 2003 to July 2005. That's a shame. In more O's news, Erik Bedard's oblique strain is now ending his season. Rookie pitcher Jeremy Guthrie just suffered the same injury, and it looks as if his season might be over also. Ouch. Double Ouch. In more Orioles news, the O's lost to the Boston Red Sox, 3-2. In case your keeping track, that's 16 losses in 19 games. Ouch again. This loss has now assured the Orioles of their 10th straight non-winning season. Nick Markakis and Melvin Mora both hit solo homers in yesterday's game, providing the Orioles only runs. In the 8th inning, JD Drew singled, stole 2nd base, went to 3rd base on a sacrifice fly, and then scored on Coco Crisp's single off of Chad Bradford. That was it, the final run that secured a Boston victory. It was a busy, yet terrible day for the Baltimore Orioles. - John T.

Orioles News - 8/29/07 - O's drop 8th straight

Another game slipped away from the Baltimore Orioles last night, 5-4 to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 12 innings. This was the Orioles 8th straight loss. The O's had a 3 run lead going into the 8th inning, but the bullpen blew another game. (Surprise, surprise.) The D-Rays scored twice in the 8th, with both runs coming off Chad Bradford. Then in the 9th inning, with a 1 run lead, 2 men out, 0-2 count, and 1 pitch away from ending the Orioles losing streak....and pitcher Dany Baez gives up a single to B.J. Upton. A walk to Delmon Young and now there's 2 men on with 2 men out. Brendan Harris then hit a single to left field to tie the game. Fast forward to the 12th inning, and Rob Bell wasn't able to keep Tampa from scoring, as they take the lead. Aubrey Huff had hit a home run against his old team, but it didn't matter anyway. Now for a look at starter Steve Trachsel, who was great in yesterday's game, allowing only 1 earned run. He should have gotten the win if not for a terrible bullpen. But, more on that later.Anyway, Trachsel might be on his way out. Teams must have their final roster set by Friday, and several teams have been interested in possibly trading for him. I can't blame other teams for being interested. Look at some of his stats. He hasn't allowed more then 3 runs in a start since July 26. And yesterday he threw his 2nd straight game in which he allowed only 1 earned run. But the bullpen always ends up blowing it anyway. Here's a look at how the bullpen was before the O's lost 8 straight and how it is now.

Reliever ERA Before ERA Now
Chad Bradford 3.47 3.76
Brian Burres 4.45 5.48
Dany Baez 5.74 6.20
Rob Bell 4.18 6.49
Paul Shuey 6.75 9.82
Jim Hoey 3.38 12.10

Pretty sad huh? I'll leave you with that. - John T.

Orioles News - 8/28/07 - O's give up 11 runs in 8th in loss

The Orioles lost last night to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 15-8. This is their 7th straight loss. Baltimore gave up 11 runs in the 8th inning! 11 runs! The O's hit 6 home runs in the game but that was still not enough to get a win. The Orioles had a 3 run lead in the 8th inning. Surely our shaky bullpen can hang on to this 3 run lead with only 2 innings to play right? Nope. The Rays sent 15 men to the plate, and 11 of them ended up scoring. Reliever Jim Hoey gave up 5 earned runs, reliever Brian Burres gave up 3 earned runs, and Chad Bradford gave up 3 earned runs all on a grand total of....2/3 of an inning. Miguel Tejada had 2 of the 6 home runs for Baltimore, but it was all for nothing. The O's also hit back-to-back home runs twice yesterday. Nick Markakis hit a 2 run shot in the first inning, which was followed by Miguel Tejada's solo shot. Then in the 8th inning, Tejada hit another home run, followed by Kevin Millar who also hit one out. Before last night, the Orioles hadn't had back-to-back homers all year. Thats 130 games without back-to-back homers. And the worst part of giving up 11 runs in the 8th inning, is that the D-Rays did so without hitting 1 home run. They scored the 11 runs on base hits. But, look at it this way. If the game ended after 6 innings, the Orioles would be one awesome team. So, 11 runs in one inning, 3 pitchers, 2/3 of an inning, and one more blown game. - John T.

Orioles News - 8/19/07

Whats been going on with the O's lately? Well...

They lost yesterday to the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 in a heartbreaker in overtime. JR House made a key base running error in the top of the 10th inning that helped kill a possible rally. He had just hit a pinch-hit single to centerfield, and Brian Roberts headed to third, but the shortstop cut off the throw, and fired it over to first base to get House, who had gone too far from the base. Nick Markakis then grounded out to end the inning. Then, in the bottom of the 10th, the Blue Jays had runners on 1st and 3rd with one out. The only hope to get out of the inning without being scored upon was a double play ball. Aaron Hill came up to bat for the Blue Jays and wasn't willing to cooperate. Hill hit a fly ball to left field. Vernon Wells tagged and scored from third base to win the game. Chad Bradford took the loss for the Orioles. This was a shame though because Jeremy Guthrie pitched a great game for the Orioles, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits as he struck out 6. He went 8 strong innings. Kinda shows how this season has gone so far. Missed opportunities. But I'll get to that and Guthrie later. Anyway, this loss has dropped the O's to 57-65 and gave them a 3-3 record during the road trip. They are now 16.0 games back of the leader, the Red Sox, in the A.L. East. Tonight they face the Texas Rangers in the first of a three game series, and the first game of a 10 game homestand.

Now for Guthrie. This is a great young pitcher who definitely has potenial to become the team's ace. But the big question is already on O's fans minds. Will he want to stay here in Baltimore? Or will he want to leave for somewhere else, somewhere with a better chance at winning? With the run support he's getting, can you blame him? What about Erik Bedard, our ace? When his contract is up, will he want to stay? With the size of the contracts other teams are giving lefty's, will we even be able to afford him? Or will he want to play for a winner? So many questions to be answered... - John T.