Closer Situation

The Orioles had signed Mike Gonzalez, the former Braves closer, in hopes of solidifying a shaky back end of the bullpen this past offseason. On paper, it seemed like a great move, since Gonzalez had great numbers the past years in Atlanta, and even prior in Pittsburgh. Gonzalez has been anything but dominant so far in 2010 blowing multiple saves and having and ERA which hovered around 18.00. He has lost all command as well as confidence, while only being able to manage one save this year.

Recently, Dave Trembley informed the media that Gonzalez was placed on the DL with a strained left shoulder. The injury was realized during a bullpen warm-up in a game when we faced Tampa Bay. In a corresponding roster move, right-hander Kam Mickolio was summoned from Triple-A to take over. It is not yet known how long Gonzalez will be out, but for right now, you would have to think Mickolio is in the mix for action as the closer for the Orioles.

Orioles 2010 Outlook

It's about 19 hours before the first pitch of the Baltimore Orioles 2010 season. Baltimore made some key stopgap acquisitions as I profiled previously this past offseason. With some key position prospects emerging and potentially ready to fill in for 2011, the Orioles have mixed in some veteran leadership with the youth already in the majors. Kevin Millwood got the nod to start opening day this year, and should provide some stability to the rotation while taking pressure off last year's ace, Jeremy Guthrie.

As much as I root for them to, the Orioles will not be claiming the AL East crown this season. This is a good chance to get more seasoning and growth from the young core group that the team possesses including Adam Jones, Nolan Reimold, Matt Wieters, Felix Pie, and Nick Markakis. I would say that Baltimore has the talent to finish very close to, if not right at .500 for the season. My prediction will be 79-82 wins. The Orioles can play spoiler to the East powers such as the Red Sox, Yankees, and Rays when not in contention at the end of the season. One thing that is important every year is staying healthy. Health questions already surround Brian Roberts, who is in the first year of his big extension, as well as whether Nolan Reimold is fully recovered from offseason surgery.

I think with the opportunity for maturation and growth, the Orioles can make some noise, even in the very talented American League East, a la the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays, in years to come.

Orioles News and Notes

Recently, the Orioles made two important decisions regarding their roster moving towards opening day. The backup catcher to Matt Wieters was named as was the number five starting pitcher to open the year. Craig Tatum will be backing up Wieters. When the move was made, Chad Moeller was to be optioned to the minor leagues, but refused the assignment. By doing that, Moeller declared himself a free agent.

On the pitching side of things, David Hernandez was selected to be the fifth starter. This may come as a bit of a shock because people thought Chris Tillman was a virtual lock for the position before spring training began. Tillman, along with a bunch of others, got optioned to the minor leagues for more seasoning. Tillman will be brought back and play a role in the future of this franchise, just not right now.

The Orioles also acquired Julio Lugo from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for a player to be named later. Lugo will primarily be used as insurance in case Brian Roberts injury is more serious than was thought and may keep him out longer than expected. With this transaction, Robert Andino and Ty Wiggington may find themselves with less playing time or even on their way out of Baltimore since Lugo can fill in at most of the infield positions.