Orioles News

"What is it about the Baltimore Orioles in general, and Daniel Cabrera in particular, that brings out the worst in the Royals? It happened again Thursday night when Baltimore slapped down the Royals 4-1 in the first of a four-game series at Kauffman Stadium. In doing so, the Orioles broke a five-game skid and beat the Royals for the 10th straight time. That’s right, 10 in a row."

"In the up-down elevator of a career that has defined Orioles enigmatic right-hander Daniel Cabrera, there have been few consistent successes. One has been his dominance against the Kansas City Royals. That trend continued tonight, and so did Cabrera's career-long streak of quality starts as he picked up his fifth career complete game and helped the Orioles break a five-game skid with a 4-1 win before an announced 11,781 at Kauffman Stadium."

"Orioles infielder-outfielder Freddie Bynum was recalled yesterday from his injury rehabilitation assignment at Double-A Bowie and was immediately inserted into the starting lineup for last night's game against the Kansas City Royals and beyond. "Right now, Bynum is the starting shortstop on this team," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said. "What that means is he will be the regular guy that plays."

"Orioles manager Dave Trembley called it the best he has ever seen Daniel Cabrera pitch. Statistically, Cabrera's complete-game, three-hitter against the Kansas City Royals last night -- which gave the Orioles a 4-1 win and ended their five-game losing streak -- was on par with Cabrera's memorable one-hitter at Yankee Stadium in 2006."

"The Baltimore Orioles' continuing quest to find a replacement for departed shortstop Miguel Tejada took another turn on Thursday. The Orioles activated Freddie Bynum from the 15-day disabled list and Manager Dave Trembley installed him as the team's starting shortstop, ending Luis Hernández's tenure at the position. To make room for Bynum, the Orioles optioned utility player Eider Torres to Class AAA Norfolk. Torres went 2 for 9 in three starts for the Orioles."

"After Kansas City's Billy Butler struck out, Baltimore Orioles starter Daniel Cabrera spun his body and pumped his fist. He couldn't help but rejoice -- he'd just notched his first complete-game victory since one-hitting the New York Yankees in 2006... The strikeout punctuated the right-hander's fifth career complete game, which lifted Baltimore to a 4-1 victory Thursday night that ended the team's season-long five-game losing streak."

"Mark Ellis had been playing his usual brand of impeccable defense, but he still didn't feel like he was making much of an impact for the A's while he slogged through a 0-for-17 slump that began May 2. Safe to say Ellis is still capable of being a difference-maker at the plate. He connected on a Lance Cormier fastball in the bottom of the 10th inning that bounced off the left-field foul pole to give the A's a 6-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday afternoon before an announced crowd of 15,235 at McAfee Coliseum."

"Going into Wednesday's game, Mark Ellis wasn't doing much hitting and the A's weren't getting many extra-base hits. Everything else is going Oakland's way, though. So it stood to reason that Ellis would bang his first-ever game-winning homer, off the foul pole in left with two outs in the 10th inning, and give the A's a 6-5 victory over the Orioles. Oakland swept Baltimore and finished the homestand 4-2, moving into a first-place tie with the Angels in the AL West. "

"I hope some club signs Barry Bonds this summer. And I hope he leads that team to the playoffs with a fusillade of walks and 450-foot homers. I don't wish for this because I have any rooting interest in Bonds. Whether he never homers again or hits 50 more, my opinion of him won't change. No, what I'm rooting for is the unconventional, a general manager who doesn't give a hoot about disapproving scrutiny as long as Bonds can help his team win. If we're going to create entertainment markets in which we reward those who win at all costs, then by Job, I want some executive to stick his neck out and make this move. Because, make no mistake, Bonds can still be a major help to plenty of teams that fancy themselves contenders."

"While the Orioles produced some of the best teams in baseball over three decades, beginning in the 1960s, they went unchallenged when it came to their garden. The tomato plants that grew at old Memorial Stadium, and the competitions between head groundskeeper Pat Santarone and manager Earl Weaver that sprouted along with them, are almost as legendary as any championships that were won. Santarone died unexpectedly Tuesday at his home in Hamilton, Mont. He was 79. "Pat and I were very close. He was the best man at my wedding," Weaver said. "And he meant a lot to Memorial Stadium. He was just like a part of that park itself.""

"Base-running gaffes have defined the Orioles' brutal road trip, seemingly every bit as much as close losses and a stagnant offense. In yesterday's 6-5 loss to the Oakland Athletics, shortstop Luis Hernandez, the potential go-ahead run, was picked off first base by A's pitcher Dallas Braden with two outs in the 10th inning and Brian Roberts awaiting a 3-1 pitch. "He got me there in that situation," Hernandez said. "I don't know what happened. He made a good move there.""

"The Orioles have completed the second stop on their road trip back to reality, which has featured five losses in six games and a number of fine pitching performances delivered for naught. They have four games left in Kansas City before they play the division-leading Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, so a weekend recovery is not out the question, but this seems like as good a time as any to bail on the notion that 2008 might be some kind of miracle season."

"With the way this road trip has gone for the Orioles, there shouldn't have been any doubt. Ellis' 10th-inning drive clanked off the foul pole, and the Oakland Athletics poured out of the dugout to celebrate a 6-5 victory and a three-game sweep over the Orioles, who are finding more excruciating ways to lose games."

"Slumps — and the hysteria that surrounds them — make ballplayers do strange things. The Chicago White Sox, for instance, offended sensibilities Sunday by bringing two naked female dolls into their clubhouse and arranging bats around them in an X-rated display. Actually, not all of the bats were around their inflatable guests. One of them was ... oh, never mind. Anyway, this is how the White Sox, last in the American League in hitting at .232 (going into last night), tried to get their offense going again — with some unconditional love from a couple of blown-up Baseball Annies. To complete the picture for you, each wore a sign over her breasts bearing an, uh, inspirational message. Call it a Shrine to the Mendoza Line. If the dolls had any effect on the team's fortunes, it was delayed. The Sox managed only four hits that day and four the next before "erupting" for seven runs and 11 hits in a win over the Twins."

"The Baltimore Orioles lead the majors with five base runners picked off, and only two teams have been caught stealing more. But the Orioles have no plans of being more conservative on the bases. "You have to think positive," Manager Dave Trembley said before Wednesday's 6-5 loss to the Athletics. "You take the extra base, you go first to third when they allow you to do it. I don't think you play defensive. You play defensive now, you're looking to make mistakes. I don't like that." Baltimore came into the game tied for third in the American League with 29 stolen bases, a testament to the team's commitment to the running game. "

"A critical error by Mora and a failed double-play chance -- both in the bottom of the eighth inning -- allowed the Athletics to force extra innings. Mark Ellis ended it in the 10th, bouncing a homer off the left field foul pole against reliever Lance Cormier, to send the Orioles to a 6-5 loss before 15,235 at McAfee Coliseum."

"The Major League Baseball Players Association has expressed concern to the commissioner's office over the lack of offers to Barry Bonds, asking for additional information about the offseason's free-agent market. The union did not go as far as to file a grievance on behalf of the outfielder, 43, who remains unsigned and hasn't received any offers since the San Francisco Giants decided not to re-sign him last year and he became a free agent."

"Trembley has tried just about everything, including lineup changes, but nothing has helped the Orioles' offense get out of its funk. Starter Brian Burres was not particularly sharp last night and the Orioles were held to two runs or less for the fifth time in the past seven games in a 4-2 loss to the Oakland Athletics before an announced 11,492."

"Tuesday's outing was a lot more uneventful than Justin Duchscherer's previous one. The A's right-hander went just five innings Thursday against the Los Angeles Angels in a blowout victory that was comical in its one-sidedness. A dropped fly ball led to Duchscherer allowing five unearned runs that night. He also sat on the bench for what seemed like an eternity as the A's scored eight times in the top of the fifth inning. No such bizarre happenings Tuesday night at McAfee Coliseum, where the A's cashed in a workmanlike 4-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. But it goes in the win column just the same, and it clinched the series victory for the A's, who finish up a six-game homestand this afternoon against the Orioles."

"When he arrived for his new assignment as a relief pitcher with the Baltimore Orioles, right-hander Jim Johnson understood the simple formula he needed to follow to earn opportunities to pitch. So, as the long reliever, Johnson excelled. He did not allow an earned run until Monday night's 3-2 loss to the Oakland Athletics. He surrendered the game-winning run in the bottom of the 10th, ending his 17-inning scoreless streak. That Johnson was on the mound during a critical stretch for the team was a signal of progress. "

""Just like I told the guys, we have been competitive in just about every game and I think that's because of our pitching," Trembley said before the game. "The other parts of the game will come and I'm confident they will. It's just a matter of getting this started. And when we do, I think every thing else will fall into place." Perhaps Trembley will be proven right. But the starting point did not come Tuesday night, when the Orioles fell, 4-2 to the Oakland Athletics after stringing together what's become a familiar storyline during the team's recent fall to earth. "

"Emil Brown got a good look at Orioles reliever Jim Johnson when Johnson walked him to start the ninth. Then, he watched closely when Johnson walked Frank Thomas on four pitches in the 10th. That brought Brown, the A's top RBI man, to the plate with two outs and two on, and he rapped the first pitch from Johnson up the middle to send in Daric Barton and give the A's a 2-1 victory over Baltimore on Monday at the Coliseum."

"The Baltimore Orioles are in town, playing Oakland for the championship of May. Both teams would have you believe it's a longer road, and that's the beauty of the latest standings. No one can tell them they're wrong. Neither was in first place as the Monday-night opener began, but it sort of felt that way. It took the Orioles an eternity to override the tyranny of a meddlesome owner, Peter Angelos, and they're finally enjoying the sensation of league-wide respect. The A's, written off so mercilessly in spring training, are suddenly the envy of half the teams in baseball, matching a highly competitive roster with a conga line of intriguing prospects in the minor leagues."

"I'm pretty sure that if you got yourself a big federal grant and did a study, you'd find that professional athletes are not - on average - any less intelligent than the general population, but you'd never know that by the headlines. On almost any given day, somebody in sports is proving the timeless wisdom of fictional philosopher Forrest Gump, who was fond of pointing out that "stupid is as stupid does." Case in point: Former Orioles pitcher John Bale, who fractured his hand punching a door Friday in Cleveland."

"Glance at the important numbers -- the record (1-4), the ERA (7.43) and the age (37) -- and what to do with Orioles starter Steve Trachsel seems obvious. Dump him. Cut him and your losses and give his rotation spot to a young pitcher who might be part of this team's future. But it's just not that easy. In fact, it's a surprisingly tough call. Because a team such as the 2008 Orioles needs Trachsel -- or a guy like him -- to get through this season. The bullpen, which has been one of the Orioles' strengths so far, needs a consistent Trachsel so it can stay relatively fresh."

"Orioles pitcher Adam Loewen, who is on the disabled list with a sore left elbow, will report to the club's minor league complex in Sarasota, Fla., and start a throwing program in the next couple of days. Loewen's elbow, which was operated on in June, was examined yesterday by Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., and no damage was found. Loewen is expected to stay in Sarasota for two to three weeks and could return to the Orioles late this month or in early June."

"It's becoming almost a daily occurrence for the Orioles. They'll get a quality outing from one of their young starting pitchers, a handful of key outs from their bullpen and watch both get rendered afterthoughts by an offense that simply can't get on track. Oakland Athletics outfielder Emil Brown was the hero last night, lining an RBI single off Jim Johnson to score Daric Barton in the 10th inning and deal the Orioles another frustrating 2-1 loss before an announced 10,128 at McAfee Coliseum."

"Left-hander Adam Loewen and the Baltimore Orioles received encouraging news on Monday when an exam with noted orthopedist James Andrews revealed no structural damage in Loewen's pitching arm. Manager Dave Trembley and team president Andy MacPhail expressed relief that Loewen isn't expected to miss more than eight weeks. "Obviously, we're pleased that there isn't anything that is demonstrably wrong," MacPhail said. "That's good news. We'll get Adam started in Sarasota and get him back on track." "

"With his support group in the stands, the left-handed Olson continued his surprising dominance since being called up from Class AAA Norfolk last week, allowing just four hits in 6 1/3 innings against the Oakland Athletics. He allowed only one run and struck out seven, the highest total for any Orioles starter this year. Still, Olson's effort was not enough in a 2-1 extra-innings loss to the A's before an announce crowd of 10,128."

"Bowie Baysox third baseman Jeff Nettles knows time is running out on his dream of a major league career. "I still feel like I have enough left to help the [Orioles] organization," he said. "It's something I love to do. I've been doing it my whole life. I want to take every advantage of it." Nettles faced the age issue openly. "I'm 29. I'll be 30 pretty soon [Aug. 20]," he said, realizing that baseball purists believe 30 means the end of the line."

"Kevin Millar has been through this plenty of times before, and he figures the best way out of it is to keep playing every day and wait for that one at-bat when everything changes. "I'm taking it as good as you can take it," said Millar, who entered yesterday's game in a 4-for-38 slump that dropped his average to .204. "Bottom line, it ain't fun to hit .200, and I don't give a [damn] who you are."

"Trachsel had another miserable outing, surrendering six runs and three home runs in three-plus innings. That, and a few base-running mistakes, sunk the Orioles in a 6-5 loss in front of an announced 39,273 at Angel Stadium."

" Pitcher Joe Saunders carried the Angels the best he could during the first few weeks of the season. Sunday afternoon was the time for his teammates to return the favor. Saunders turned in his worst start of the season, allowing four runs and 12 hits in five innings, but the rest of the Angels picked him up and carried him to his sixth victory of the season. Gary Matthews Jr., Torii Hunter and Robb Quinlan hit home runs, and catcher Jeff Mathis threw out two would-be basestealers as the Angels beat the Baltimore Orioles, 6-5, at Angel Stadium. "

"Saunders survived his worst start of the season; Gary Matthews Jr., Torii Hunter and Robb Quinlan clubbed home runs; the Orioles committed a pair of baserunning gaffes to thwart two rallies; and the Angels' bullpen held on for a 6-5 victory in Angel Stadium."

"Before the Baltimore Orioles lost, 6-5, to the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday, first baseman Kevin Millar went through a laundry list of things he's tried in an effort to avoid his annual slow start, which has been particularly bad this season. "Like [Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman] Adam LaRoche said, 'I've tried to hunt less, and I've hunted more,' " Millar said. "I've hit more and I've hit less in the offseason. I've lifted before games and I've lifted after games." But Millar, who called his April struggles a "miserable scene," finally showed signs of breaking free. He drove in two runs with two singles. "

"But none of it was enough to overcome pitcher Steve Trachsel's latest debacle -- a three-homer, six-run, seven-hit mess -- that turned a breakout game into a 6-5 loss for the Orioles before 39,273 at Angel Stadium."

"Observations, opinions and musings from the week in major league baseball: When Monday's 3-3 tie between the Orioles and Chicago White Sox was suspended because of rain after the 11th inning, several interesting questions arose. And so did some ludicrous ones. Here are answers to them all. First, the game will resume in the 12th inning Aug. 25 at 6:05 p.m. That's an hour before the Orioles host the White Sox in a regularly scheduled contest. Since the Orioles don't revisit U.S. Cellular Field this season, the game finishes at Camden Yards with the White Sox as the home team."

"Orioles manager Dave Trembley said his juggling of the lineup before Friday's series opener here was done to get Nick Markakis on track. Trembley flip-flopped Markakis and Melvin Mora in the order, with Markakis hitting second and Mora third. He also moved Kevin Millar out of the cleanup slot in favor of Aubrey Huff. Markakis and Mora drove in all four of the Orioles' runs in a 4-3 win Friday night, prompting Trembley to stick with those lineup changes for yesterday's game."

"The thought crossed Orioles manager Dave Trembley's mind early in yesterday's game against the Los Angeles Angels. "The way [Jon] Garland was pitching, it looked like our best hope was to win the game 1-0," Trembley said. It's becoming an all-too-familiar feeling for the Orioles, who continue to waste solid outings by their starting pitchers because of a slumping offense, which struggles to string together hits, never mind runs. Trying to protect a one-run lead, Daniel Cabrera finally cracked in the sixth inning, and the Orioles fell, 3-1, in front of an announced 37,601 at sun-drenched Angel Stadium."

"What helped kill the Angels in October 2005 made them stronger Saturday, as Jon Garland rebounded from an erratic opening month with his new team to throw eight superb innings in a 3-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles at Angel Stadium."

"James Shields saw no reason to mess with success, so he took the same plan that worked so well last week into Saturday's rematch with the Red Sox at Fenway Park. The approach was similar, but the results couldn't have been more different. The followup to his two-hit complete-game shutout gem was a dud, as Shields failed to get through the fourth inning of a 12-4 loss on another cold (game-time temperature 45 degrees) and damp New England night."

"Shortly after his last outing on Wednesday -- a nightmarish escapade in which each of his inherited runners scored -- Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Dennis Sarfate decided that change was in order. "Today, I'm going to start thinking about doing things different, forcing contact early instead of trying to strike guys out," he said last week. "And try to get out of the inning as fast as possible." "

"For the second straight game, Baltimore Orioles Manager Dave Trembley used a newly shuffled lineup in hopes of sparking some life from his team's struggling offense. But on Saturday afternoon, the Orioles appeared beyond help. Jon Garland surrendered just one run in eight innings -- facing only two more hitters than the minimum -- to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 3-1 victory over the Orioles at Angel Stadium."

"Vladimir Guerrero, who collected his 2,000th hit in Detroit last Saturday, reached another milestone of sorts Friday night, but there were no comparisons to some of the game's all-time greats, and no one called for the game ball. The Angels slugger went hitless in four at-bats in a 4-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles in Angel Stadium, and for the first time in his illustrious 12-year career, Guerrero has gone five straight starts without a hit."

"When Orioles manager Dave Trembley summoned reliever Lance Cormier into his office in March to inform him that he would be sent to Triple-A Norfolk, the veteran right-hander acknowledged that he didn't deserve to make the team. After all, he allowed 14 earned runs in 7 1/3 innings this spring. So Trembley told him to go to Norfolk and get outs and that he eventually would get his opportunity. That happened yesterday when the Orioles selected Cormier's contract to fill the roster spot created when Randor Bierd was put on the disabled list because of right shoulder tendinitis."

"Jeremy Guthrie had seen this before and decided that he wasn't going to put himself through the agony again. So with a two-run lead and the pitcher's first win since July 27 of last year in the hands of the Orioles bullpen, Guthrie ducked in the training room last night and asked that the televisions in the room be turned off... He missed a pulsating ninth inning that ended with the result Guthrie has long been seeking, a 4-3 Orioles' victory over the Los Angeles Angels before 41,515 at Angel Stadium. "

"The Rays were pleased with how far they got in April. But they began May somewhere they've never been, alone atop the American League East. They got there by beating Baltimore 4-2, with more good pitching and another injury, then moving percentage points ahead of Boston, as well as four games over .500, at 16-12, for just the third time in franchise history. It's by far the latest into a season they've been on top, and they open an unexpected battle for first place tonight at Fenway Park. "

"When things go well, they say, you're supposed to act like you've been there before. That's all well and good for the Red Sox and Yankees, who have, in fact, been there before. The Tampa Bay Rays have not. Yet, there they were at Camden Yards, calmly enjoying the aftermath of a 4-2 victory Thursday afternoon against the Orioles, busily readying themselves for the quick charter flight to Boston and (another) three-game series to determine the leader in the American League East."

"Orioles rookie right-hander Randor Bierd, who arguably had been the club's most effective reliever early on, will be placed on the disabled list tomorrow with right shoulder discomfort. He is expected to go to the club's minor league complex in Sarasota, Fla., to strengthen the shoulder and said he probably won't pitch for two to three weeks. He hopes to be back with the Orioles within a "month and a half, a month and 10 days.""

"There will be good days and bad days for Orioles center fielder Adam Jones, a byproduct of his youth and inexperience. And sometimes, they'll come in the same afternoon. Jones hit a game-tying, two-run homer in the fourth inning today, but his error in the seventh contributed to a 4-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays before an announced 16,456 at Camden Yards that prevented the Orioles from holding at least a share of second place in the American League East"