Adam Jones kept apologizing to Nick Markakis last night after costing the right fielder an RBI by holding at third base on a ground ball to first.
Jones could smile about it (I'm not sure about Markakis) because he eventually scored on Luke Scott's single and the Orioles eventually won, but man, the baserunning on this team continues to give me a rash.
New season, same issues.
Like I keep saying, they work on this stuff in spring training. Every...single...day.
Maybe it's like my...
So what exactly did manager Dave Trembley say to Jeremy Guthrie after walking to the mound in the eighth inning with two outs, a runner on first base and Grady Sizemore at the plate?
"I said, 'You've earned the opportunity to be out here and finish this thing off. I trust you'll give it to me straight. If you're out of gas, tell me. If you want it, go ahead.' And he said, 'I'll get him out,' and I turned around and walked away," Trembley said after tonight's 8-1 victory.
"I think...
Orioles manager Dave Trembley went to the mound with two outs in the eighth inning. I thought he was taking Jeremy Guthrie with him to the dugout.
I'm sure I wasn't alone in that assumption.
Trembley stuck with Guthrie, who got the final out and accepted congratulations after his 113th pitch. He allowed one run and two hits, walked one and struck out five. His ERA's down to 4.13.
That's beyond impressive.
Down on the farm, Single-A Delmarva pounded out 17 hits - with no home runs - in a...
Nolan Reimold made his 2010 debut with Triple-A Norfolk tonight, going 0-for-3 with a walk as the designated hitter in the Tides' 5-3 loss to Buffalo. Reimold batted fifth.
Chris Tillman allowed four earned runs (five total) and eight hits in six innings, walking one and striking out two. He served up two home runs.
You never know when a Norfolk infielder will wind up in the outfield. It's become a game within the game.
Blake Davis, who's primarily a shortstop, started in right field...
Do they hand out an award like that one?
Guthrie recorded the first two outs in the first inning before a walk, hit batter and single put him in a 1-0 hole.
I had my doubts about him. The night had the potential to become a long one.
Shows what I know.
Jhonny Peralta's run-scoring single is the only hit off Guthrie through six innings. He's walked one and struck out four. He's also rubbing a little salt in the wounds of an organization that drafted him in the first round and let him...
Luke Scott is 2-for-2 with an RBI that gave the Orioles a 2-1 lead in the third inning.
We don't know how long this is going to last, so enjoy it while you can. Break out the cell phone and take some pics.
Scott bailed out Adam Jones, who inexplicably held at third base on Nick Markakis' grounder to first. The Indians were playing back and conceding the run.
Corey Patterson also has two hits tonight to go with a leaping catch at the fence.
Instant update: Make that three hits.
I would...
The grounds crew has done more than move behind the tarp.
The infield is being covered in anticipation of a storm. It isn't raining at the moment, but I guess it's coming.
The sky is getting darker. No way we're starting on time.
First base coach John "T-Bone" Shelby will miss tonight's game because he's being inducted into the Henry Clay High School Hall of Fame in Lexington, Ky. Bench coach Jeff Datz will handle the first base duties.
Alfredo Simon doesn't always make it look easy, but he remains the team's closer and continues to have manager Dave Trembley's full support.
"I would evaluate him as a guy that is an underdog who has overachieved, who has proven a lot of people wrong, who has come back from a...
For the Orioles:
Corey Patterson LF
Adam Jones CF
Nick Markakis RF
Miguel Tejada 3B
Luke Scott DH
Ty Wigginton 2B
Matt Wieters C
Rhyne Hughes 1B
Cesar Izturis SS
Jeremy Guthrie RHP
For the Indians:
Cabrera SS
Sizemore CF
Choo RF
Hafner DH
Peralta 3B
Branyan 1B
LaPorta LF
Valbuena 2B
Marson C
Masterson RHP
If you have a few minutes - or 7:56 to be exact - check out the following YouTube clip of Double-A Bowie pitcher Zach Britton and catcher Caleb Joseph touring Camden Yards.
You might recall that I mentioned their unexpected appearance in the press box in one of my blog entries.
Joseph shows off his dance moves, and they were nice enough to throw a little love at the School of Roch. Thanks, fellas.
Check out what happens when they try to ride the elevator up to the press box.
It would be nice to wake up to sunshine just once more before winter.
The forecast is ominous again tonight. I've started to get used to it.
How does "a chance of showers and thunderstorms" work for you? I hope it's OK because that's what you've got.
So you're saying there's a chance?
Yes.
We'll talk about a "window" for getting in the game. There's always a window. And we'll keep an eye on the grounds crew and hope that it doesn't move behind the tarp during an inning....
Good morning to all.
Teams throughout baseball were busy this week declining options on their players, turning them loose on the free agent market. Three of them intrigue me at the moment.
Could Jermaine Dye, at the right cost, provide that right-handed power bat for the middle of the order that manager Dave Trembley places high on his wish list?
Dye has averaged 33 home runs over the past five seasons, though he's batted .254 and .250 in two of the last three. He could serve as the...
I heard some rumblings earlier today about Orioles center fielder Adam Jones winning a Gold Glove, with the official announcement coming in another week or so. His brother apparently spilled the beans on his MySpace page.
My first thought: People still use MySpace?
My second thought: He ought to know.
I'm told that it's true, which means Jones will be only the second Orioles outfielder to take home the award. Paul Blair won eight of them.
Somehow, Jeff Stone kept getting snubbed.
Ichiro,...
Is Maryland still playing football this season?
Maybe I should ask whether they've started.
Bodog posted its 2010 World Series odds. You have to scroll down pretty far to find the Orioles:
New York Yankees 11/4
Boston Red Sox 13/2
Philadelphia Phillies 9/1
Los Angeles Angels 10/1
St. Louis Cardinals 10/1
Los Angeles Dodgers 11/1
Chicago Cubs 15/1
New...
I began my morning with a quick check of mlbtraderumors, and decided to cut-and-paste their Top 50 Free Agents list. Should make for some good discussion, especially with
Carlos Delgado, at No. 43, going to the Orioles.
Keep in mind that these are just predictions, and nobody has inside information about Delgado.
He would make sense in one sense. The Orioles need a first baseman and a power bat (and he would probably benefit from the rest provided when serving as the designated hitter)....
Baseball Prospectus has released its list of the top 11 Orioles prospects - a nice, round figure - and Brian Matusz is No. 1. He's also the only five-star selection.
Josh Bell, Jake Arrieta and Zach Britton are four-star choices. Matt Hobgood, Brandon Erbe, Brandon Snyder and Mychal Givens are three-star selections, and Brandon Waring and Cameron Coffey receive two stars.
Click here to view the entire list, which is compiled by Kevin Goldstein and includes four other prospects deemed worthy...
The Orioles have claimed right-hander Armando Gabino off waivers from the Minnesota Twins and added him to the 40-man roster.
Gabino, 26, went 6-4 with three saves and a 2.94 ERA in 38 games (seven starts) with Triple-A Rochester. He also appeared in two games with the Twins.
And I'll admit that I can't picture the guy. Name sounds familiar, but...nothing. I'll do some research.
Update: Gabino went 0-0 with a 17.18 ERA in his two appearances with the Twins. He made his major league...
The general manager meetings begin today in Chicago, which will bring more rumors and speculation than actual activity.
Some deals are struck, but it's mostly a way for executives to lay the groundwork for next month's winter meetings in Indianapolis. They'll express interest in players, discuss parameters of a deal and agree to continue those talks. It gives them a better sense of who's available and whether there's a potential match.
Otherwise, there's a lot of business discussed...
Every game seems to bring a press box debate, or at least a quiet discussion in the interview room before manager Dave Trembley takes a seat behind the microphone.
Since I'm not ready to let go of today's victory, I'll pass along how we talked about Seattle third base coach Mike Brumley's decision to send Josh Wilson with two outs in the top of the ninth inning.
Left fielder Corey Patterson scooped up Ichiro Suzuki's single and fired the ball to the plate, where catcher Matt Wieters...
I just spoke with an Orioles official with some clarity on Jim Johnson's examination today.
The Orioles continue to classify Johnson's injury as a sprained ligament in his right elbow following the reliever's visit with Dr. James Andrews. They say the exam didn't reveal anything new.
Johnson will spend the next four weeks at the minor league complex in Sarasota. Team officials don't anticipate that Johnson will require surgery.
When I asked one official whether Johnson has a slight...