(Garrett Olson, AP Photo/Gail Burton)

When I walked into Camden Yards yesterday, I had a good feeling. I didn't want to vocalize it to my father, as not to jinx it. After all, the Orioles had lost their past 15 Sunday games, not winning on the day of rest since April 6 against Seattle. Not to mention the fact that today was my dad's birthday, so he had high hopes that everything would come together just for him.

And come together it did! Starting pitcher Garrett Olson retired the Angels in order to start off the first inning, no small feat for this team. Then Nick Markakis hit an RBI double and Carlos Santana hit Luke Scott in the shin with a pitch (he walked it off for five minutes with trainer Richie Bancells) with the bases loaded to force in a run. Then Jay Payton didn’t deliver and Quiroz struck out. But we were wining 2-0 after the first.

Continue reading "so long, streak!"

Some people out there are saying that yesterday's post-game celebration was a little over-the-top. Yes, we are still in last place in the American League, our pitching is completely unreliable and even our (almost) all-star Brian Roberts sat out because of a recent slump. So some might say it was excessive when the Camden Yards crowd went wild, the word "FINALLY!" was broadcast on the bottom of the MASN screen and Dave Trembley showed up to the post-game press conference puffing on a cigar.

All I say is that it's obvious what the Orioles are (and aren't) going to do this season. But that doesn't mean we should not be able to celebrate a winning game, especially against a starting pitcher who's 11-5 on a team that had scored 31 runs in its previous three games. If we don't have excitement for the Orioles, we don't have much. 

Continue reading "sunday surprise"

We all know that in every ballpark there are certain foul ball danger zones. But soon there might have to be shattered bat ones, too. 

Major League Baseball instructed all 30 teams to save broken bats since July 2, a span of 260 games that has produced 257 broken bats, or nearly one per game. The MLB is consulting with a wood research institute at the University of Wisconsin, a statistician at Harvard and Forest Products Laboratory to understand why so many bats break during games.

It's been suggested that the bats are shattering becuase of inferior wood, players shaving their bat handles or the needs for stricter qualifications for companies to be approved to make bats. The study is also surveying more than 30 manufacturers to try to solve the mystery.

Continue reading "bat-breaking work"

I read about this before yesterday's game. Besides the fact that playing baseball in 90-degree weather in a thong is probably one of the most uncomfortable things ever, I think it's awesome. And no not because I want to get my hands on the undergarments of Brian Roberts or Nick Markakis. But, because it builds morale.

Ever since Millar signed with the Orioles in 2006, he has been boosting the mood in the clubhouse. From dying his hair crazy colors to playing lead singer in the Orioles Magic video, Millar has always tried to pull more tricks out of his sleeve. Maybe it's coming from a World Series championship team, but he has become the unofficial leader and, more importantly, motivator. 

Continue reading "thong song"

After yesterday's rejuvinating win, the Baltimore Orioles (49-55) head up to the Bronx to face the New York Yankees (58-46). The Yanks are looking to win their 11th straight home game as they open this three-game series. In May, the Orioles took two out of three from the Yankees, but the pinstripes have been on a roll ever since the All-Star Game. After the break, the Yankees won their first eight games, sweeping a six-game homestand. They also just took two out of three from the Red Sox, so they're probably amped about that. Now they are only three games behind division leaders Tampa Bay. 

Obviously our toughest challenge is going against former Oriole Mike "Moose" Mussina (13-6). In his two starts since the All-Star break, Mussina has allowed one run in 14 innings. But we all remember his start against the Orioles on May 20, when we won 12-2. Since 2006, Mussina is 1-3 with a 6.18 ERA against the Orioles. So we can hope playing his former team can continue to psyche Moose out. However Johnny Damon and A-Rod have dominated against the O's, hitting eight RBI's in the last seven games and 13 RBI's in the last 12 home games, respectively. 

Continue reading "o's vs. yanks preview, 7.28.08"

Orioles are off to a hot start! There has been some dangerous base-running: Brian Roberts got thrown out by a mile at home, but Mora went first to third on Luke Scott's single and both were safe. Then Millar got a three-run home run to make it 3-0. Ramon Hernandez stepped up to the plate and his 1000th career hit was a solo shot out of Yankee Stadium! Awesome. And props to starter Jeremy Guthrie who retired the first six Yankees.

I had a feeling we'd psyche Moose out again...let's hope it conitues!

Continue reading "game update"

The game just kept getting better after my update last night! The Orioles crushed the Yankees 13-4 thanks to a powerhouse offense (every Oriole got a hit last night) and a solid start from Jeremy Guthrie. The Orioles set a season high for runs and matched its top hit total with 17.

To pick up where I left off: To start off the fifth, Brian Roberts hit a double, then Adam Jones tripled and scored on Aubrey Huff's sac fly. Mike "Moose" Mussina was pulled after allowing six runs and eight hits in five innings. Mussina continues to falter against his former team -- a phenomenon that is oh-so-fun to watch.

Continue reading "o's clobber the yanks!"

Dave Trembley certainly doesn't just let things lie. Yesterday he announced that Dennis Sarfate is replacing Brian Burres in the rotation. This was after the Orioles optioned Radhames Liz to Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday. They haven't announced a replacement for Liz yet, but won't need a fifth starter until August 5. Trembley explained to MLB.com that all the changes are meant to get the O's pitching rotation back on the right track. 

"Sarfate will pitch on Wednesday as a starter. Burres will go in the bullpen as a long guy," he said. "We'll go with a four-man rotation with the off-day on Thursday and Olson will just go his regular turn on Friday, and we'll pick it up from there."

Continue reading "pitching shake-up"

So many bloggers and fans out there want the Orioles to make a play for Atlanta first baseman Mark Teixeira, who becomes a free agent at the end of this season. As the Major League trade deadline looms (THIS thursday!), O's fans are surely thinking about this Severna Park native who, in a 102-game total for the Braves this season, has been .283 with 20 home runs, 78 RBI's and an OPS of .902. We could use a little of that, I'd say.

Now I know we need to be concentrating on getting a truckload of pitchers, but we shouldn't lose sight of what an important impact getting Teixeira could have on the team. First of all, he's a local guy. Everybody loves a local guy. And if we didn't get him by trade deadline, then we'd have a lot more work ahead of us to sign him in the offseason. I know it makes sense for him to make a deal with Boston, Tampa Bay, or Arizona in order to boost their tight October races, but he was quoted as saying this:

Continue reading "teixeira trade talk (say that three times fast)"

It's pretty ironic (and awesome) that the team in the AL East giving the Yankees the most trouble is the Baltimore Orioles. As of last night's defeat, New York (58-47) is 4-6 versus the last place O's (50-55). 

It goes without saying thats yesterday's 13-4 game was really sweet, but if we want to win this series, we're going to have to work on some things tonight. First of all Daniel Cabrera (6-6) has been totally struggling recently with only two wins in his last 13 starts. Cabrera needs to stay focused and in control or else we could have another 7-1 loss, like his game against Toronto on Thursday. But, like most other Orioles, Cabrera has shined against the Yankees, with a 2.77 ERA against the Bombers this season.

Continue reading "o's vs. yanks preview, 7.29.08"

Wow last night's game was pretty eventful. First of all, the Orioles held off a ninth-inning rally to beat the Yankees 7-6 last night, extending New York's losing streak to three consecutive games. This is also the Orioles' first series win since July 24-26 against the Cubbies.

Our productive hitting against the Yanks showed itself early last night. In the top of the first Markakis (10-for-12 lifetime against Rasner) hit a single to shallow right, Huff singled up the middle, and so did Mora to score Markakis. In the top of the fourth, Millar homered to left field for his 16th of the season. God, the Yanks must hate him.

Continue reading "o's hold off yank's!"

To give a little recap of the Cabrera incident last night. It was the top of the eighth and Bobby Abreu was on second with nobody out. WIth a 6-1 lead, Cabrera threw a high-and-tight fastball that hit A-Rod in the shoulder. Home plate umpire Chad Fairchild immediately ejected the starting pitcher. Cabrera's very confused and Dave Trembley runs out of the dugout to argue the call. If you didn't see what went down, these will give you an idea:

Continue reading "cabrera controversy"

On Tuesday, Severna Park native Mark Teixeira was traded to the Los Angeles Angels, who already have the best record in baseball. The Angels sent first baseman Casey Kotchman and minor league pitcher Steven Marek to the Braves.

This is certainly a bold move for the Angels and will almost certainly increase their chances of going to the World Series. Kudos to the Angels for making such a ballsy move.

Continue reading "teixeira gets a halo"

Bobby Abreu slides into home, AP Photo/Frank Franklin II.

The Orioles' series at Yankees Stadium has sure been interesting. And yesterday's game was no exception. The Yanks pounded the O's 13-3 to avoid a three-game sweep. The star for the Bombers was designated hitter Bobby Abreu, who hit two home runs and doubled for a total of three RBI's.

Top of the first, Roberts scored off of Huff's RBI. Seemed par for the the course. But things got off to a bad start in the bottom of the first with rookie starter Dennis Sarfate on the mound. Derek Jeter and Abreu both walked, then A-Rod got a base hit to right field. Markakis tried to nab Abreu at home, but his throw was high. Then A-Rod came home on a past ball. Yanks winning 3-1.

Continue reading "touché, yanks get their revenge"