Orioles News - 11/9/07 - Mora Outta Here?

There is hope. It could happen. Maybe, just maybe it could happen. What could happen? Baltimore Oriole Melvin Mora (pictured to the left) is thinking about waiving his no-trade clause in his contract if he would be traded to a winning team. My first thought: Remind me again why the Orioles gave him a no-trade clause in his contract? My second thought: This is huge news. This could open up 3rd base and let Scott Moore come in and play there. Or, it could help the O's to put more pressure on Miguel Tejada to switch over to 3rd base. Either way, it would great. - 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 - 9/30/07 - 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.

Orioles News - 9/21/07 - O's fall to Texas

The Baltimore Orioles lost on Friday to the Texas Rangers. The final score was 3-2. It was a heartbreaking loss for Baltimore. The O's left 6 men on base. But, Miguel Tejada hit a homer, his first opposite-field homer all year. Wait, his 1st opposite-field homer all year? And Tejada is a power hitter right? That's sad. After that homer in the 2nd inning, the Orioles bats seemed to fall asleep. Until the 9th inning. In the 9th inning, the bases were loaded with no outs and Scott Moore hit a sacrifice fly to bring in a run. Now with 1 out, Paul Bako came in with the game on the line and.... Bako struck out. Melvin Mora was then caught stealing, and the game was over. That hurts. So, it was another loss for the Baltimore Orioles. (Sigh.) - Jon 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 - 9/13/07 - O's win - Trembley suspended 3 games, Cabrera suspended 6

Baltimore Orioles manager Dave Trembley was suspended for 3 games for his actions on Wednesday night, including pretending to eject the umpire who had blown a call. Orioles pitcher Daniel Cabrera was also suspended, but he was suspended for throwing a pitch at Boston Red Sox 2nd baseman Dustin Pedroia. The ball just missed Pedroia's neck. Cabrera got 6 games for that pitch. But yesterday, the Orioles finally won!! They have now won 4 of their last 22!!! Do you feel a comeback?!?!?!? Me neither. They won the game 3-0 over the Los Angeles Angels. The main story of the game didn't come on the field though. The main story was Miguel Tejada, who didn't play and was clearly upset about it. The Orioles didn't play him so that they could look at some of their younger talent at shortstop. Tejada was clearly frustrated. But, lets face it. Miggi isn't going to last forever, so why not look at the young talent they have at shortstop? It's not like the game even meant anything anyway, because the O's have already assured themselves of a 10th straight losing season. So why not? Brian Roberts, Ramon Hernandez, and Melvin Mora were also benched, as most of the players in the game were back-ups. They did good though, as shortstop Luis Hernandez went 3-4 and 3rd baseman Scott Moore drove in 2 runs. Tike Redman also drove in a run. This win came against 16-game winner John Lackey. Lackey is a Cy Young canidate too. Now if only we could do this everyday... - John T.

Orioles News - 9/12/07 - A Loss Again... - Trembley Tossed

The score of last night's Baltimore Orioles-Los Angeles Angels game was 18-6. I bet you can guess what team had 18 runs... In case you can't, it was the Angels who scored the 18 runs. The O's main excitement was manager Dave Trembley getting ejected, as the Orioles were never really in this game. The ejection, by the way, was hilarious. Trembley drew a line in the dirt with his cleats several times, as if to show where 2nd baseman Howie Kendrick of the Angels was when runner Scott Moore was called out. It was a force out, but Kendrick's foot was still very far off the bag. It was so far off, he was actually standing in Virginia. Just kidding, but you get the point. Trembley also pretended to eject the umpire who had blown the call, a move that almost certainly will result in him getting suspended by Major League Baseball. At least then he won't have to watch the O's for the next few games... Pitcher Daniel Cabrera was horrible for the O's, giving up 10 runs on 9 hits as he also walked 4 batters. Yes, you heard right, 10 runs. He threw 105 pitches. All of this came on a whopping 4 1/3 innings pitched by Cabrera. And now, I leave you with that. - John T.

Orioles News - 9/8/07 - A rare win vs. Boston

The Orioles picked up a rare win last night, over Boston. (When does that happen?) The final score was 11-5. Ohmygod. The Orioles scored runs? This win snapped the O's 11 game losing streak at home. The Orioles had a 7 run 3rd inning, and Scott Moore, a player aquired in the Steve Trachsel trade, hit a grand slam in the inning. Dice-K, the Red Sox pitcher, was terrible, giving up 6 hits, 8 runs and 3 walks in 2 2/3 innings. The bases were loaded and Dice-K actually walked Nick Markakis and Kevin Millar. That's 2 free runs right there. Miguel Tejada hit a single that scored a run and then Scott Moore hit the grand slam, sending Dice-K out of this game. Nick Markakis hit a homer later in the game, as did Tike Redman. Jon Leicester gave up 4 runs in 5 innings, only walking 1 batter. He made this start because of injuries in the rotation and just plain bad pitching. Camden Yards was sold out, with most of the 48,043 fans in attendence rooting for the BoSox. They walked away unhappy, as the Orioles grabbed a victory. - John T.