Orioles Lose A Heartbreaker to Yankees, 5-4 in 12

Tonight was Wei-Yin Chen's MLB debut.  It started off a bit rocky, as he gave up a leadoff homer to none other then, Derek Jeter.  The home run was followed up by a double off the bat of outfielder, Nick Swisher.  After that first inning came to a close, Chen settled down.  He was economical in his pitch count and was around the plate, evidenced by his 7 strikeouts.  There was one point where Chen even retired 11 straight batters.  Overall, a solid debut for the Taiwanese import.  He walked a batter and gave up 7 hits with 2 earned runs over 5 and 2/3 innings.

The bullpen also gave good performances; Lindstrom, Ayala, Johnson, Troy Patton, and Pedro Strop all were solid.  Our bullpen totaled 8 strikeouts tonight while only surrendering 2 walks.  The Orioles pitching turned in another above average performance.  

The problems started with the offense.  Other than Hardy's home run, the other runs scored were due to Freddy Garcia's wild pitches.  The offense stagnated at a time when runs were desperately needed.  The Orioles were 0 for 8 with RISP and left 8 men on base.  Both of those numbers are unacceptable normally, but magnified when playing the Yankees.   The situational hitting was non-existent tonight, as the Orioles could get NO rally together whatsoever.  Hats off to the Yankees relief core, as they picked up Freddy Garcia tonight and bridged the gap to Mo Rivera at the end.  

My biggest complaint of the night is our defense.  I am not upset with the collective defense, just an individual.  First, I'd like to compliment Matt Wieters, who made some definite game changing plays.  Wieters is always dependable and he totally deserves his Gold Glove for the difference he makes day in and day out. 

 I'm normally not one to call out one player, but tonight, I shall make an exception.  Mark Reynolds single-handedly cost the Orioles the game tonight.  There were three plays I can think of, just off the top of my head, that most other third baseman would have handled with ease.  He gives the opposing team extra outs, which will burn you in the end.  A perfect example was that pop-up in foul territory that he overran.  That "extra out" led to the Yankees scoring what would be the game winning run.  I, along with MANY others have grown quite frustrated with these defensive "lapses".  There is ONE solution and one solution alone; MOVE Reynolds to DH or 1B so we can win some games!!!  Frankly, I want Reynolds nowhere near the field when the game is on the line.  Even if he were moved to 1B, at least he is passable there.  Put Davis at 3rd, or Betemit, or even Josh Bell; just PLEASE do not have Reynolds continuously costing us on defense. That was my rant for this evening, after an all too draining loss.  

PS:  If anyone has a petition for moving Reynolds off the hot corner, please forward me a link.  Much appreciated.

Guerrero's Trouble in the Dominican

Former Oriole Vladimir Guerrero was reported to be in police custody today for his part in a brawl that took place in the Dominican Republic.  As MLB.com's Joey Nowak reported:

"Nine-time All-Star and 2004 American League MVP Vladimir Guerrero was in police custody in the Dominican Republic on Tuesday and was being charged with physical and verbal assault to an authority, according to multiple reports."

Guerrero is still currently a free agent, having not caught on with an MLB team this year.  He was linked to Cleveland and the Yankees, but it seems that both teams moved in other directions.  As most Oriole fans can remember, Guerrero is just a DH nowadays, having lost his mobility and ability to play the outfield at a high level.

Nowak also went on to report that:

"A report by the newspaper Dominican Today said that the National Police revealed that Guerrero was being sought for an alleged aggression against a police major and for "unleashing a brawl in the discotheque."

"An NBC Sports report said that Guerrero had been taken into police custody and charged." 

This news story could very well impact Guerrero's chances of returning to an MLB team this year, even later on in the season.  It's sad to hear things like this about former Orioles players.  With that said, Guerrero was always a player that I admired.  His accomplishments certainly warrant consideration for the  Hall of Fame one day!  Best of luck to him getting through this ordeal and returning to baseball.

Is Wieters' Future With The Orioles?

I know it's early, but let me pose a question for you all.  Who has been the MVP so far this season?  Take a moment, think about it.  My vote of course, is backstop, Matt Wieters.  Yes, I realize we now are a whole 4 games into the 2012 season.  This topic came to me and got me thinking; we seem to be witnessing another season in the maturation of our young catcher.

Wieters is playing his age 26 season in 2012.  A quick glance at his career numbers, courtesy of Baseball Reference, indicate that his offensive capabilities are beginning to be realized at the major league level.  In 2011, Wieters hit 22 homeruns, which was good enough for the fifth highest total for a catcher that year.  The Orioles backstop also received a Gold Glove, awarded for defensive excellence over all other AL catchers.

Over the years, as Wieters was set to debut, I heard from analysts on TV, that he profiled as a "Mauer with power."  While that comparison was ridiculous at the time, if we revisit the conversation now, I think they compare favorably.  While Mauer is certainly the better overall athlete and pure hitter, Wieters holds the edge in power, durability, age, and is approaching Mauer defensively.

Another story that made me consider this topic was that of current St. Louis Cardinals catcher, Yadier Molina.  As many of you may have heard,  Molina signed an extension to stay in St. Louis (reaction to losing Pujols), which amounted to 5 years and $75 million.  You may ask, what does this have to do with Wieters?  The answer is that while Yadier Molina is currently better than Matt defensively, he has not shown the same power potential throughout his career.  Once the ink is dry on one contract, that contract effectively sets the market for that position.

The earliest that Matt Wieters can become a free agent is 2016.  If Wieters keeps improving his game and becomes a star, will the Orioles be able to resign him?  Wieters' agent is Scott Boras, notoriously known for pushing his players to test the free agent market.  I think the Orioles have no choice but to start exploratory talks to lock up their catcher now, before he effectively prices himself out of their range.  As of now, Molina set the bar at $15 million a year.  That number will probably only increase, given that Mike Napoli and Brian McCann (two other star catchers) are set to hit the market soon.

It would ABSOLUTELY be in the Orioles best interests to try and lock Wieters up now.  He can be a building block for our organization for years to come.  He handles the staff well, can throw out baserunners, holds his own offensively, and is a good clubhouse guy.  If Dan Duquette is listening or reading this, DO NOT let Wieters get away!! There would be NO worse feeling than seeing a homegrown guy flourish in another uniform!

Orioles Lose First Game to Yankees, 6-2 Final

Well it's official.  The Orioles are no longer undefeated.  The Yankees handed it to us tonight.  It was nice while it lasted.  It was evident tonight that Brian Matusz did not have his best stuff.  His pitch count was high, he wasn't getting first pitch strikes, too many walks, and overall inconsistency plagued him tonight.

The offense was held in check by Ivan Nova, other than a solo HR by Matt Wieters.  Wieters did have a 4 for 4 day at the plate which was the one bright spot.  The Orioles totaled five pitchers in todays game, with Matusz getting hit the hardest.  His four free passes certainly did not help things.  When you face the Yankees, having 13 hits but only 2 runs is unacceptable.  You CANNOT expect to win a game with two runs against them.

With all that said, tomorrow is a new day.  Wei-Yin Chen will take the mound in his MLB debut.  The Orioles may have that as an advantage since none of their players have faced the Taiwanese import.  All we can hope for is that the Orioles learned from today's mistakes and are able to salvage what is left of this big series with the Bronx Bombers.

AL East Showdown

At 7:05, the Orioles will be taking on the vaunted New York Yankees to open up a three game set here at Camden Yards.  Keeping much of their roster from last year intact, the Yankees are once again an offensive juggernaut.  Taking the mound tonight for the Orioles is Brian Matusz, opposing Ivan Nova. Matusz will definitely be tested tonight by Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, and Nick Swisher, the thump in the Yankees order.

A big key this series for the Orioles pitchers is to get first pitch strikes.  The Yankees are a VERY patient lineup from top to bottom and will make a pitcher work.  This series brings excitement to Baltimore early in the season as the Orioles try to prove they are not just a pretender so far this season!  It may finally be time for the shifting of the powers in the AL East.  Tampa Bay has already risen and the Blue Jays are certainly capable of surprising some people.  I say the Orioles use this series and make a statement; not only to the Yankees, but to ALL of Major League Baseball!

2012 Baltimore Orioles

After a leave of absence yet again, here I am returning to update everyone as the 2012 season has began.  A bunch of new faces are in Camden Yards this season.  The Orioles acquired Nick Johnson, Jai Miller, Taylor Teagarden, Dana Eveland, Matt Lindstrom, Jason Hammel, Wilson Betemit, Ronnie Paulino, Tsuyoshi Wada, Wei-Yin Chen, Endy Chavez, Matt Antonelli, and Luis Ayala via trades and free agency.

Hammel and Wada will be in the rotation to start the season.  Hammel pitched a gem yesterday, allowing just 2 hits.  While his no-hit bid was broken up by Justin Morneau, Hammel made a great first impression.  Even prior to that, Jake Arrieta (on Opening Day) and Tommy Hunter had great pitching performances as well.  The Orioles swept the series from the Minnesota Twins and currently reside at the top of the AL East Division.

Right fielder, Nick Markakis is off to an excellent start offensively having 3 extra base hits (two homeruns and one triple) through the first 3 games.  The Orioles have gotten timely hitting with power so far this season plus great pitching.  The keys to doing well over the long haul this year will be maintaining a well balanced team plus avoiding the injury bug.

Orioles Mid-season Update (FINALLY!)

Hey Orioles fans! As you can see, I haven't been quite updating this at all. To be frankly honest, I had such high hopes coming into this season. We had a well-respected manager, some key veteran acquisitions, and one more year of upcoming experience for our young starters.

Things looked great, as we started off well. Soon to follow, the wheels fell off. The pitching staff has been decimated by both injury and ineffectiveness. Brian Matusz, Chris Tillman, and more recently, Zach Britton have all been inconsistent and have split time between the minor and major leagues. As for the rest of the rotation, Jeremy Guthrie and Jake Arrieta have been the two fairly dependable starters. That number is now down to one as Jake Arrieta will be having season-ending surgery.

The non-waiver trade deadline passed on July 31st and the Orioles made a few trades. We lost both reliever Koji Uehara and 1B Derrek Lee. Uehara was shipped off to the Texas Rangers in exchange for 1B/3B/DH Chris Davis and SP Tommy Hunter. I think the Orioles got some great pieces in that trade. Davis can plug right in at 1B (for the departed Lee) and Tommy Hunter slots right into the starting rotation behind de facto ace Jeremy Guthrie. In more of a minor move, Derrek Lee was sent to the at the time potentially playoff bound Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for minor leaguer, Aaron Baker. At the very least, this creates more 1B depth for Baltimore.

Some other moves including releasing pitcher, Justin Duchscherer and adding pitcher, Jo-Jo Reyes.

Some highlights so far this season have been the play of J.J. Hardy and the power numbers put up by new arrival Mark Reynolds. Adam Jones is also having a breakout season, recently surpassing his previous career high of 19 HR's.

There are still lingering question marks for Baltimore. Can they get through the season with this makeshift rotation, including the likes of Chris Jakubauskas and Alfredo Simon? Will Jim Johnson make the move to the rotation? The biggest question...what is in the future for Brian Matusz?

We will just have to wait and see as this season carries on. While the Orioles may not be in playoff contention, they can at least play spoiler for some teams. Stay tuned everybody!