Are we seeing the real Nick Markakis?

Source: Oriole Post by Oriole Post

I wrote this for MASNSports.com last week.



 ***

As we are seven weeks into the 2012 season, the Orioles are flying high with a 19-11 record, and are a half-game out of first in the American League East.

Baltimore's fast start has given players like Matt Wieters, Adam Jones and Chris Davis some national attention. However, one name that I don't see mentioned a lot happens to be right-fielder Nick Markakis. It's almost like he has become an afterthought at this point.

Now, Markakis did win a Gold Glove last season, and has always been the steady type when it comes to fielding. However, his work at the plate has left a lot of questions over the past few seasons.

As of this morning, he is batting .246 with a .326 on-base percentage, .733 OPS, with four home runs and 13 RBIs. These numbers are decent for the average ballplayer a month into the season; however, it seems that we all as fans seem to want more of Markakis.

Overall, Markakis is a .294 lifetime hitter with a .364 OBP, .815 OPS, with 108 homers and 508 RBIs.
Obviously, he has done fairly well throughout his career. Alas, what Markakis did in prior years in comparison to the last couple has left many wondering if the slugger will ever live up to the promise he showed as a young player.

Is he - gasp - perhaps regressing and not going forward?

>>> Read More

The Juice: Another Albert Pujols home run sighted, Orioles beat Royals in 15 (Big League Stew)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

The Juice is back for its fifth season of fun! Stop by each weekday for an ample serving of news from the action, plus great photos, stats and video highlights. Was that Bigfoot or Sasquatch?: Oh, neither. Just the second home run of the season for Albert Pujols, who went deep for the Los Angeles Angels in a 7-2 victory against the White Sox on Wednesday night. Some were beginning to wonder how many homers he had left in his bat after a drought of 33 games and 139 at-bats to start the season. Now he's got two deeps, giving him 447 for his career so far, on his way to 500-plus. You know, Albert. "It's been awhile,'' Pujols said. ''There are some times I feel good at the plate and hit the ball hard but don't catch any breaks. But you can't lose your focus. Every at-bat, no matter how I feel, I try to take it as the last at-bat of my career. Hey, listen - this game is not easy. I've been saying that all year long. There are things that are out of your control.'' Jim Eppard fixes everything: The Angels have knocked out 24 hits in their past two games with the memory of fired coach Mickey Hatcher still on their minds. New coach Jim Eppard tutored many of the Angels in the minor leagues, so at least he's coming in with an idea of how to help. ''What's great about it is that a lot of the guys here I've had come through Salt Lake, so I have a mental tape of those guys." O's so good: The Baltimore Orioles are 24-14 after Adam Jones hit a tie-breaking home run in the 15th inning to carry them to a 4-3 victory at Kansas City. Jones' 12th homer of the season came after he started the game 0 for 6. ''Some people were behind me, yelling at me, 'Hey, come on Jones.' I showed them. After I hit that, they shut up the heck up.'' Said.

On-base percentage: Money for the Orioles

Source: Birds Watcher by Olivia Witherite

By Olivia Witherite (@oliviawitherite)

True or false? There’s nothing better than seeing the longball.

Lately, I’ve been reading Moneyball by Michael Lewis after … [visit site to read more]

On-base percentage: Money for the Orioles - Birds Watcher - Birds Watcher - A Baltimore Orioles Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Joe Nathan-Back Dominating the Ninth Inning: Fan's View (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

The Texas Rangers may have not been concerned about Joe Nathan during the first week of the season, but it was hard to find many fans that were not. Nathan did save two games during that first week, but also took two losses, which happened to be the only two games the Rangers lost during the first 14 games of the season. At that time Nathan looked nothing like the pitcher he once was with the Minnesota Twins and many were concerned that he might not ever be that pitcher again.

Pick 6 Weekly Contest - Day 3 Update

Source: Camden Chat by Stacey

First, let me address the concern that zknower raised over Jim Johnson's score being incorrect. It is still showing him as having 2.4 points and he should have 7.4. I don't know why it hasn't updated, but I checked the top twenty or so on the daily leaderboard and it shouldn't affect the top rankings too much. So if you look at the weekly or daily leaderboard later today, it might be off a bit. Maybe the Pick 6 guy they keep locked in a closet to do the updates fell asleep.

Now, let me congratulate yesterday's daily winner, HIO'sFan! 61 points was enough for the lead yesterday, and following him were jacob.raim (58.1), dukespike20

Baltimore Orioles: The Comeback Kids

Source: Birds Watcher by Domenic A. Vadala

It seems like ages ago Tommy Hunter took to the mound at Kaufman Stadium in Kansas City to take on the Kansas City Royals. I suppose that’s what happens in these longer extra inning games. This sounds somewhat familiar for some reason; strange, huh? Ultimately it doesn’t matter how many innings it takes, but if you have more runs than the other team at the end of the game you win. But back to Tommy Hunter for a moment; Hunter’s line: 7 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K. Hunter only threw 82 pitches in those seven innings, and I’m sure that had manager Buck Showalter known the game would go 15 he would have tried to get more out of him. You’ll also notice that Hunter only struck out one batter; that’s what pitching to contact will do. In theory a strikeout pitcher is going to work harder because it takes him at least three pitches to get the guy out. If you’re getting them to put it in play, that’s not necessarily the case.

Hunter really grabbed the bull by the horns in this game, and he deserved the win tonight in my opinion. However until very late in the game it looked like he was going to be a hard-luck loser. With the Birds trailing 3-1 in the top of the ninth, Wilson Betemit hit a solo home run with one down to bring the O’s to within 3-2. Chris Davis singled to center field, and the comeback was suddenly on. Davis was lifted for pinch-runner Ryan Flaherty, who later scored from second (after being moved over) on J.J. Hardy’s single. It ended up being one of those bang-bang plays at the plate, and home plate umpire Angel Hernandez ruled that Flaherty slid just under the tag to tie the game.

Going into the season we talked a lot about the depth on this team being so much better. This isn’t more true than in the bullpen. If you play this same set of circumstances last year or in 2010 the ‘pen would have blown it in the last of the ninth and Kansas City would be celebrating at the Orioles’ expense. Dana Eveland pitched three innings in relief (following Troy Patton and Darren O’Day), which in retrospect possibly saved the Orioles from having to burn another pitcher. Eveland allowed one hit and struck out two. The much maligned Kevin Gregg also was good for two innings (potentially saving another pitcher), walking one and striking out two. I feel that manager Buck Showalter managed the bullpen a bit more stringently in this extra-inning game as opposed to the 17 inning deal in Boston. (Although granted when you go 17 innings it’s tough to criticize someone’s handling of the bullpen.) The O’s ended up with some relievers to spare, this after only a mere 15 innings!

In marathon games as such, it really comes down to who’s bullpen folds first. Based on what we’ve seen thus far from the Orioles’ pen, I’ll take the Birds every time in these situations. Speaking of mismanaging the pen, I feel that Kansas City manager Ned Yost perhaps managed himself out of a potential win. He called on reliever Nate Adcock to pitch five innings of the game in relief. Even for a long man, that’s a long time to be in the game as a relief pitcher. There’s no doubt that thoughts of burning the pen out in a game like this crosses every skipper’s mind, and it’s a valid issue to weigh. However the short of it is that after getting the first out in the top of the 15th, Adcock hung a fastball to Adam Jones on a 2-2 count which Jones deposited in the left field bleachers. Jim Johnson stranded the tying run at second in the last of the inning to complete the unlikely comeback win for the O’s.

Going back to managing the bullpen in these kinds of games, I’m not overly concerned about today’s game in Kansas City because their bullpen is in the same taxed situation as the Orioles’ might be. However moving forward one has to hope that Oriole starters can continue to go deeper into games to avoid using the bullpen too much in the next couple of days as the O’s head to DC after this afternoon’s matinee. The good news in the interim is that as I said above the Orioles have two relievers in Ayala and Strop that weren’t used last night. I would expect them to be the first ones out of the pen today if needed, and if the Orioles can get out of Kansas City without having to use anyone else (other than perhaps Jim Johnson) everyone that pitched last night will be fairly rested heading to DC.

Ultimately that means that the Orioles need Brian Matusz to go deep into this afternoon’s game. If he struggles and ends up getting yanked after four innings or so, that might put the entire relief staff at risk for some burn out in the aftermath of this series. However Matusz did look good in his last start against Tampa, although he only pitched 5.2 innings. The Orioles are probably looking for him to go somewhere in the neighborhood of seven tonight. I would also expect that Matt Wieters will not play today given the day game after a very long night game scenario. Matusz will be opposed by Luke Hochevar, who went deep into his last start against Chicago. However in his career, Hochevar is only 1-4 against the O’s with a 6.63 ERA.

On a side note, manager Buck Showalter apparently was taken ill during the day yesterday due to an undisclosed reason. He went “someplace” with trainer Richie Bancells to get it “checked out,” and apparently everything is fine. I’m not going to speculate on what it was, however I’ll just leave it at the fact that I hope all is well with Buck.

… [visit site to read more]

Baltimore Orioles: The Comeback Kids - Birds Watcher - Birds Watcher - A Baltimore Orioles Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Matusz faces Royals coming off strong outing

Source: MLB.com by Tom Green

Right-hander Luke Hochevar (3-3, 7.20 ERA) will take the mound as the Royals and Orioles wrap up the two-game series. Brian Matusz hasn't pitched deeper than 6 1/3 innings this year and will look to change that against the Royals, a team he has faced just once in his career.

Orioles-Royals Preview (The Associated Press)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

Adam Jones seems to do his best work as a one-man wrecking crew, and that's fine with the Baltimore Orioles.

Red Sox-Rays Preview (The Associated Press)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

Tampa Bay Rays left-hander Matt Moore is universally considered among baseball's top pitching prospects, but his performance thus far in 2012 has been disappointing.

Orioles 4, Royals 3 (15): Gregg and Eveland? I knew it all along.

Source: Camden Chat by Stacey

It took fifteen innings, but the Orioles finally won tonight against the Kansas City Royals. Strong performances by both starting pitchers were almost forgotten by the time this one ended thanks to a homer in Adam Jones' 7th at bat and a phenomenal job by two unlikely pitchers in the bullpen.

Tommy Hunter pitched a very effective game, and although he looked like he was losing it a couple times, I'll take seven innings and two runs every day of the

AL Capsules (The Associated Press)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) Albert Pujols welcomed his new hitting coach to town with a go-ahead three-run homer and Vernon Wells added a two-run shot to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 7-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night.

Pujols, Wells homer to lead Angels over White Sox (The Associated Press)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) Albert Pujols welcomed his new hitting coach to town with a go-ahead three-run homer and Vernon Wells added a two-run shot to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 7-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night.

Rivalry with Nats takes on new significance

Source: MLB.com by Brittany Ghiroli

The Orioles and Nationals will play a home and home series as is yearly tradition, with Baltimore also playing host to the Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates and traveling to the Atlanta Braves' Turner Field and the New York Mets' Citi Field in this year's Interleague schedule.

Jones homers in 15th, lifts Orioles to win (The Associated Press)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) Adam Jones homered with one out in the 15th inning, lifting the Baltimore Orioles to a 4-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night.

Jones homers in 15th after O's rally in 9th

Source: MLB.com by Robert Falkoff

Adam Jones snapped a tie in the 15th inning with a 431-foot solo homer, lifting the Orioles to a 4-3 victory over the Royals on Wednesday at Kauffman Stadium.

Quick Hits: Reds, Youkilis, Angels, Beltran, Orioles

Source: MLB Trade Rumors by Zach Links

Links from around baseball as Wednesday becomes Thursday..

• The Reds are not seeking outside help at third base with Scott Rolen on the disabled list, writes John Fay of the Cincinnati Inquirer.  General Manager Walt Jocketty also said that he hasn't had discussions with the Red Sox, shooting down any speculation that the club might have interest in Kevin Youkilis.
  
• Angels manager Mike Scioscia wouldn't go into much detail about the firing of hitting coach Mickey Hatcher, but it clearly wasn't his choice, tweets Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com.  "Obviously the GM’s position is to try to make changes, whether it’s personnel or staffing, that he believes is going to help us [get] better, and we have to respect that," said the skipper.
• Carlos Beltran didn't feel that the Giants made a strong effort to re-sign him last season even though the club knew that he liked playing in San Francisco, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter links).  However, the team did talk with agent Dan Lozano in generalities, Schulman tweets.
• Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun hopes that the Orioles will spend the money neccessary to keep Matt Wieters and Adam Jones in the fold despite the team's bad luck with hefty contracts in the past.
• In a piece for Deadspin, Craig Fehrman gives an inside look at the Atlantic League's Bridgeport Bluefish.

O's @ Royals, Overflow Thread

Source: Camden Chat by Stacey

Tie game top of the 12th! Let's go O's!

Former Orioles pitcher Hickey dies at 56

Source: MLB.com

The Orioles' organization expressed sadness on Wednesday after learning that former left-handed reliever Kevin Hickey had died at 56.

Showalter undergoes pregame exam

Source: MLB.com

Orioles manager Buck Showalter, who wasn't feeling well on Wednesday afternoon and underwent an examination, arrived at Kauffman Stadium in time for the first pitch against the Royals.

Jones has ground rules covered in KC

Source: MLB.com

Orioles center fielder Adam Jones prides himself on knowing the ground rules of every American League ballpark, and a trip to Kauffman Stadium reinforced why that kind of homework is important.

American League notebook -- Wednesday, May 16, 2012 (The SportsXchange)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

Baltimore: LHP Zach Britton threw four scoreless innings Tuesday during his second start in extended spring training, and he is due to pitch there again Monday. Britton, on the disabled list all season due to a left shoulder impingement, might be able to rejoin the Orioles in late May or early June. ... LF Xavier Avery started for the fourth consecutive game to open his major league career. After hitting ninth Tuesday, Avery was back in the leadoff spot for the series opener at Kansas City.

Game 38: Orioles (23-14) @ Royals (15-20), 8:10pm

Source: Camden Chat by Eat More Esskay

The Orioles need to stick it to the Royals in the same way that Texas stuck it to the Orioles. They have emerged on the far side of the 15-game tough stretch with a few scratches, still far better than I anticipated. Now they have to keep their collective foot on the accelerator, because the injury-plagued Royals need to have their Duke-blue butts beaten silly by a team that has designs on emerging as a power in the AL East, or at least as a decent baseball team.

In order to accomplish this, someone who has thus far had a lackluster 2012 is going to need to step up his game. That player's name is

MLB Roundup: Clemens trial continues, Lawrie appeals suspension (The SportsXchange)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

Roger Clemens' lawyer Rusty Hardin began his first extended cross-examination of key prosecution witness Brian McNamee by explaining that he would set up a chart to list McNamee's recollections as a mistake, a case of bad memory or a lie, according to an MLB.com report.

Lawrie joins list of baseball's wildest rants (The Associated Press)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

Helmet tossing and bat banging have become all the rage, it seems. Yet Brett Lawrie and Bryce Harper still have a long way to go before hitting our list of baseball's wildest rants and raves.

The View from Gamecock24's Seat

Source: Camden Chat by Stacey

GC24 watched the Wei-Yin Chen and the Orioles shut down the New York Yankees last night from section 12.

Who is the Orioles Best Replacement for Nolan Reimold?

Source: Birds Watcher by Brad Kronthal

Ever since Nolan Reimold was placed on the DL before the Boston series, the Orioles have struggled to find production in left field. Unfortunately, the injury is not healing as fast as originally predicted. Reimold received a shot and the O’s … [visit site to read more]

Who is the Orioles Best Replacement for Nolan Reimold? - Birds Watcher - Birds Watcher - A Baltimore Orioles Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Series Preview: Orioles @ Royals

Source: Camden Chat by twistedlogic

Baltimore Orioles (23-14, T-1st AL East) @ Kansas City Royals (15-20, 4th AL Central)

After a rather grueling homestand against some of the American League’s better teams, the O’s hit the road for five games. They’ll start with two games in Kansas City. The Royals are currently 15-20 (winners of 4 straight and 7-3 in their last 10), but they sport the MLB’s worst home record at 4-13. Can the Orioles end the winning streak and extend their home woes?

The O’s survived Monday’s poor showing (both defensively and from

Atlanta Braves 2012 Interleague Schedule: Fan’s Take (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

The 2012 interleague schedule is nearly upon us in Major League Baseball. Despite not being a fan of the format, I have to say I am excited about the prospects of my Atlanta Braves traveling to New York to play the Yankees and Boston for a series with the Red Sox. The only other series the Braves will travel for will be against the Tampa Bay Rays, but fans in Florida have the chance to see the Braves play enough as it is without interleague play.

Washington Nationals Split Series Against San Diego Padres as Strasburg Gets Roughed Up: A Fan’s Take (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

The Washington Nationals were unable to sweep the two game series against the San Diego Padres, losing on May 15 by the score of 6-1. Stephen Strasburg had his first loss of the year for the Nationals while Anthony Bass had his first win.

Ex-White Sox, Orioles pitcher Hickey dies at 56 (The SportsXchange)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

Kevin Hickey, who spent parts of six seasons in the major leagues with the Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles, has died at age 56.

Former major leaguer Kevin Hickey dead at 56 (The Associated Press)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

CHICAGO (AP) Kevin Hickey, who pitched in six major league seasons with the Chicago White Sox and the Baltimore Orioles, has died. He was 56.

Baltimore Orioles: Could Kevin Youkilis Be the Answer at Third?

Source: Bleacher Report

The Orioles currently have a dilemma. Mark Reynolds is their regular third baseman, and his defense—which he claims to have worked on—is just as bad as ever. Reynolds has started 15 games at third base this season and has six errors. His fielding percentage is just .850.

Before an injury sent Mark Reynolds to the DL, he was mostly starting at first base or DHing with the equally poor-fielding Wilson Betemit at the hot corner. The Orioles need to improve their defense at third, and they don't have any options on the current roster with the ability to also hit. They should look outside the organization for a replacement.

The Boston Red Sox are facing a dilemma, as well. Their starter at third, Kevin Youkilis, also got hurt, opening the door for their top prospect, Will Middlebrooks. Middlebrooks came in and immediately started hitting, something that Youkilis struggled with before his injury. With Youkilis set to return from the DL, someone must go, because Middlebrooks needs consistent playing time to develop properly, and Youkilis' $12,000,000 contract is too much for a bench player.

That sets the table for a terrific trade opportunity, albeit within the division. The Orioles would gain one of the most patient hitters in baseball in Youkilis and a pretty solid defensive third baseman. They could also occasionally use him at first, where his defense is Gold Glove caliber. His presence in the lineup could also dramatically improve the offense, as they need more players with high OBPs.

In exchange, the Orioles should give up a bullpen arm. Boston's bullpen is horrendous and the Orioles have a surplus of quality arms. One interesting option could be Brad Bergesen, who was recently designated for assignment. If paired with another minor league arm, the Red Sox might be willing to deal.

The question that comes up is: What to do with Reynolds? He and Youkilis could probably not coexist. Hopefully, they could trade him to another team, but that may not be an option. His salary this year is $7,500,000, so a release is out of the question.

Read more Baltimore Orioles news on BleacherReport.com

Miami Marlins at Atlanta Braves Highlight MLB Schedule for May 17, 2012 (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

The 2012 MLB regular season is well underway with a full month of baseball already in the books. It is still a long road to October baseball but paths are already starting to take shape and many surprises have already occurred along the way. The beginning of the year brings promise but at this point in the season anything can still happen.

Baltimore Orioles: Why the Orioles Will Sign Adam Jones to a Long-Term Deal Soon

Source: Bleacher Report

Baltimore Orioles management and fans have seen the writing on the wall for months now. Adam Jones has developed into one of the premier outfielders in all of baseball and it will take a large contract to lock him up for the next several seasons.

Jones isn't a free agent until after next season, but the time for the O's to act is now. The Orioles must either sign Jones to a long-term extension or trade him away for several top prospects while he is still under team control through next season.

His value on the trade market will suffer the longer the Orioles wait because most teams don't want to trade away their top prospects for only a few months with a star, like the Brewers did for CC Sabathia in 2008.

On the other hand, the longer the Orioles wait, the more expensive it will be to sign Jones long-term.

I believe Baltimore management will shift their attention from finding possible suitors for Jones to striking a deal with the All-Star.

Begin Slideshow

Is it too soon to be excited about the Orioles?

Source: Roar from 34 by Roar from 34

Yes No

Is it too soon to be excited about the Orioles?

Source: Roar from 34 by Roar from 34

Is it too soon to be excited about the Orioles?

The team has experienced 14 consecutive losing seasons.

In 2005, their record was one game better than it is now after 37 games; nevertheless, they finished the season 14 games under .500 and 21 back of the first-place Yankees.

Recent history tells us to temper our enthusiasm, right?

Actually, recent history tells us to enjoy every moment of this ride for however long it lasts.

read more

Chen, Hardy and Jones help Orioles defeat Yankees; Earn series split

Source: Oriole Post

In the offseason, I questioned a lot of Dan Duquette’s moves – especially Wei-Yin Chen. Honestly, it was to be determined what Chen brought to the table with the Orioles and fans were intrigued what he could do in the majors, most notably against the beasts of the American League East.

So far, Chen is passing the test. In fact, he may be singularly well the best pickup that Duquette has had throughout the young season so far. Although he does not throw all that hard – from the high 80’s to very low 90’s – Chen locates so well and paints the ‘black’ so effectively on either side of the plate.

That being said, the Taiwanese southpaw earned his fourth win of the season and helped give the Baltimore Orioles the split over the Yankees in their brief two-game series. They defeated the Bronx Bombers, 5-2, in a masterful effort by Chen who allowed two runs on four hits in seven innings of work. Jim Johnson got the save, his 12th.

The Orioles were significantly helped out by the double play – especially in the eighth and ninth innings, where the Yankees looked to possibly break things open.

The Orioles are 23-14 and share the American League East lead with the Rays. The offense broke through against southpaw C.C. Sabathia, who was off on the night, and left many pitches in zone. Sabathia’s offerings were hit hard and times; therefore, he was tagged for four runs in six innings of work.

Adam Jones hit his 11th homer of the season in the second inning, and J.J. Hardy – who has been red hot as of late – drove in two runs and had two hits. Steve Tolleson also has two hits. Jones also scored twice, including during the seventh inning as Yankee catcher Chris Stewart allowed a passed ball.

Finally, with Adam Jones’ start to the season, do you think now is the time to possibly extend him, or would it be best to wait to see what he does? I would say, the better he does – especially into the summer – the more expensive Jones will get. I know there’s an inherent risk in signing a player to a long term deal, especially in light of the Roberts’ injury and Markakis’ effort the past few years.

Should the Orioles take the risk on Jones?

Chen, Hardy and Jones help Orioles defeat Yankees; Earn series split

Source: Oriole Post by Oriole Post

In the offseason, I questioned a lot of Dan Duquette’s moves – especially Wei-Yin Chen. Honestly, it was to be determined what Chen brought to the table with the Orioles and fans were intrigued what he could do in the majors, most notably against the beasts of the American League East.

So far, Chen is passing the test. In fact, he may be singularly well the best pickup that Duquette has had throughout the young season so far. Although he does not throw all that hard – from the high 80’s to very low 90’s – Chen locates so well and paints the ‘black’ so effectively on either side of the plate.

That being said, the Taiwanese southpaw earned his fourth win of the season and helped give the Baltimore Orioles the split over the Yankees in their brief two-game series. They defeated the Bronx Bombers, 5-2, in a masterful effort by Chen who allowed two runs on four hits in seven innings of work. Jim Johnson got the save, his 12th.

The Orioles were significantly helped out by the double play – especially in the eighth and ninth innings, where the Yankees looked to possibly break things open.

The Orioles are 23-14 and share the American League East lead with the Rays. The offense broke through against southpaw C.C. Sabathia, who was off on the night, and left many pitches in zone. Sabathia’s offerings were hit hard and times; therefore, he was tagged for four runs in six innings of work.

>>> Read More

Pick 6 Weekly Contest - Day 2 Results

Source: Camden Chat by Stacey

Day two of our Pick 6 contest is in the books and zsiv took home the top score for Tuesday with 77.7 points and a heck of a start from his 50 cent catcher, A.J. Pierzynski. The rest of the top five for yesterday day were sjtoomey (66.6), Mark E (66.1), UH-60 (66.1), and kba26 (62.9). Pick 6 newcomer zknower flashed some beginner's luck with 60.6, good enough for seventh place.

zsiv's score of 77.7 is the new daily leader, and here is your weekly top ten:

Camden Chatter Score UH-60 116.8 WestcoastO'sFan 101.5 Holymittens 100.3 T.L.

Baltimore Orioles Survive Tough Early May Schedule

Source: Bleacher Report

Earlier this month I wrote a piece that discussed how the Baltimore Orioles’ challenging May schedule may very well dictate the ballclub’s course.

This piece pointed to Baltimore facing a brutal 15-game stretch of five games against the New York Yankees, four games against the Texas Rangers and three-game sets against the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays.

Brutal to say the least, but Baltimore has withstood this fierce storm, compiling a 9-6 record in this stretch.

Now at 23-14, the Birds are perched atop an increasingly black and blue American League East division with the Tampa Bay Rays.

To point to how competitive this division is this season, every team but Boston has a winning record. Yet after a difficult start to the 2012 season, the last-place Red Sox have won five straight games and are just five-and-a-half games back of first place.

One of the most surprising developments this season, the Orioles have won ball games via the long ball. Currently, Baltimore leads the big leagues in team home runs with 58.

Offensively, the Orioles are in the top 10 in the big leagues in team hits (314), doubles (68), slugging percentage (.449), OPS (.799) and RBI (158).

Pitching-wise, the Birds are 11th in the league in team ERA (3.49). They are also ninth in WHIP (1.26), 10th in opposing batting average (.243) and 12th in strikeouts (271).  

But for all the success the Orioles have enjoyed, they do have two key issues they must address.

First, Baltimore is fourth in the league in offensive team strikeouts (294). Second, the Orioles are 27th in the league in fielding percentage (.976). The team is also third worst in baseball in errors committed (36).  

But overall, the Orioles and their fanbase are enjoying one of their finest seasons since Cal Ripken Jr. wore orange and white.  

For this, Charm City should be excited.

With continued unity, resolve and address of these listed flaws, the Orioles will go on to achieve great things this season.

Perhaps even a playoff berth.

I know, I know. Knock on wood.

 

Related Articles:

2012 AL East Race May leave Division Black and Blue

2012 Baltimore Orioles Displaying Signs of Greatness

Read more Baltimore Orioles news on BleacherReport.com

Baltimore Orioles: Playing under protest?

Source: Birds Watcher by Domenic A. Vadala

For only the third time in history, the Orioles beat C.C. Sabathia last night. They’re now 3-16 against him lifetime. However I suppose that for the time being last night’s 5-2 win over Sabathia and the Yankees is the one that counts. Sabathia wasn’t horrible…but he certainly wasn’t great either. From his standpoint it was one of those “in-between” starts. On the other hand, Wei-Yin Chen was lights out. I noticed last night that Chen has a heck of a curve ball. His fastball is probably his best pitch, however when he needs to get out of an inning or a situation he can easily rely on his curve or even a backup slider.

Chen gave up two runs in the game, and they should have and could have been considered disputed. Curtis Granderson hit a shot to left field with a runner on. Oriole left fielder Xavier Avery appeared to have the ball taken away from him by – get this – a Yankee fan sitting in the stands. I guess my issue is first off why Buck Showalter didn’t come out and demand a review. Secondly, the umpiring crew themselves had to have seen what happened, or at least that there was a potential issue. Why didn’t they decide to go to instant replay on their own? This was shades of Jeffrey Maier taking the ball away from Tony Tarasco in the 1996 playoffs.

Again, in my opinion Buck Showalter should have been out there screaming. After the game he said that “we had a call where we didn’t get much cooperation.” Be that as it may, part of that might be the result of Showalter not attempting to go out there. In fairness the Orioles still won the game, and for the most part I agree with Showalter’s in-game decisions. However this does bring up an interesting point; could the Orioles have played this game under protest? That’s a concept that does still exist in major league baseball, however it’s only allowed when a manager thinks that an umpire is interpreting a rule incorrectly.  In essence, a judgement call is not “protestable.” So that means this play would have been out, right…?

…maybe not. Had Showalter demanded a replay and gotten it, the umpires could have still ruled in NY’s favor. (Showalter also said that he didn’t go out there because he knew what the answer would be. He didn’t specify if he knew they wouldn’t review it or if they would review it and not overturn it however; but that comment was interesting to me.) They could have said that in their interpretation Avery wouldn’t have caught the ball. However the fact remains that the fan reached over the fence. That’s fan interference, right? Survey says: absolutely.

In order to play a game under protest the manager must tell the crew chief he’s doing so prior to the next pitch being thrown. The umpire then records the fact that the team is playing under protest, and the manager has until noon the following day to file a formal protest with the league. They’ll review it in the league offices, and if the commissioner feels that the umpire’s interpretation was wrong he can order the game replayed from the moment of the disputed call. Here’s the thing in this case though; the Orioles won the game anyways, so had Showalter done that the protest would have been dropped. However it’s an interesting concept that isn’t seen much any longer in major league baseball.

While Adam Jones hit a solo home run in the second inning, this was a game where the O’s were able to score mostly without the long ball. The coud de grace for NY was Adam Jones scoring from third on a passed ball. Aren’t those things that normally happen to the Orioles against teams like NY? I suppose the Yankees got their little stroke of luck with the Granderson homer. The one nervous moment came in the 8th when Pedro Strop came on in relief and appeared to be a bit shaky. Strop walked the first two batters and appeared to be nowhere near the strike zone. However he was able to get Nick Swisher to ground into a fielder’s choice, and then Robinson Cano grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The Orioles flew out to Kansas City after last night’s game, where they’ll be for all of a day-and-a-half or so. They play the Royals tonight at Kaufman Stadium at 8 PM (EST) with Tommy Hunter getting the start. Hunter as we know has been somewhat suspect in his last few starts, however he gets another chance tonight against a team that’s struggled at home. Oriole bats will be facing Felipe Paulino of Kansas City. The O’s will head back to Kaufman Stadium on Thursday for a 2 PM (EST) matinee, before flying to our nation’s capital to open up a three-game set with the Washington Nationals for the weekend.

The Orioles remain tied for first place with Tampa in the AL East at the moment, and they’ve just completed perhaps the most grueling part of the schedule. Over the last 15 games (where they played NY, Boston, Tampa, and Texas),  the O’s finished 9-6. Many people figured that they had a great start but that the stretch in May might be what did them in. Now on the other end of that 15 game stretch, those people appear to be wrong. Not even a botched fan interference call could do them in!

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The Juice: Mike Trout homers, Angels get 12 hits, coach Mickey Hatcher gets fired (Big League Stew)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

The Juice is back for its fifth season of fun! Stop by each weekday for an ample serving of news from the action, plus great photos, stats and video highlights. Hit the bricks: The Los Angeles Angels made batting coach … Continue reading →

Orioles-Royals Preview (The Associated Press)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

If the Kansas City Royals had any lingering memories from last month's 12-game losing streak, their play of late should put those completely out of mind.

Red Sox-Rays Preview (The Associated Press)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

A string of impressive pitching performances is helping the Boston Red Sox make their recent struggles a distant memory.

AL Capsules (The Associated Press)

Source: Yahoo! Sports

TORONTO (AP) Blue Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie slammed his batting helmet to the ground and it ricocheted into plate umpire Bill Miller as the ninth inning turned nasty Tuesday in Toronto's 4-3 loss to Tampa Bay.

In KC, Hunter hopes O's keep slugging

Source: MLB.com by Josh Liebeskind

The O's -- tied with the Rays atop their division -- will look to keep the power supply coming in the opener of a short two-game series with the Royals on Wednesday.

Yankees throw some kudos the Orioles’ way

Source: Britt's Bird Watch by Britt Ghiroli

The Orioles ended a tough 15-game stretch 9-6 –taking series from Boston, New York and Tampa Bay in the process — as this team continues to get contributions up and down the roster despite some key . But Tuesday night belonged to starter Wei-Yin Chen, who flummoxed the Yankees over seven innings and allowed only a two-run homer to Curtis Granderson in the 5-2 win.

Afterwards, the Yankees had some high praise for Chen and an Oriole club that is turning heads around baseball, improving to 23-14 and staying tied with the Rays for first-place in the AL East.

“He’s sneaky,” Yankees captain Derek Jeter said of Chen, who improved to 3-0 with a 1.98 ERA in his first four home starts. “It’s not like he’s throwing changeups like [Jamie] Moyer, you know what I’m saying? He gets it up there 91, 92. He hits his spots. He knows how to pitch. It’s a little unfair to say he’s not overpowering because he mixes in his offspeed stuff and his fastball gets up there pretty good. He knows what he’s doing.

“Evidently, he has been pitching well against everyone. I don’t think today was a surprise, at least for them. He has pitched pretty well. If I recall, I think he pitched well against us the first time too. I think he pitched well. He’s been doing that since the season started so he knows what he’s doing.”

Said Yankees manager Joe Girardi: “He’s got four pitches he can go to. He can locate to both sides of the plate, It seems his fastball is a little sneaky.”

“They’re a much improved team,” Girardi said of the Orioles. “Much improved. Their pitching has improved dramatically and that’s a big difference.”

Yankees ace CC Sabathia, who suffered his first loss of the season, has also been impressed with how Baltimore has come on in the season’s first month-and-a-half.

“They’ve been good,” Sabathia said. “They played us tough even that first series here. Every game was grind-it-out tough even yesterday. So, that’s a really good team over there.”