Looking like a team on an inevitable march toward 100 losses, the O's lost 3-1 Tuesday night at Tampa.
The O's have now lost 12 in a row, matching their losing streak of 12 in a row from August 16-28, 2004.
At least they couldn't blame the bullpen this time.
Tampa got a pair of clutch, two-out hits in the first to take a 2-0 lead. Ben Zobrist had an RBI double and Willy Aybar added an RBI single.
Gary and Jim ask Dave Trembley about the O's 3-1 loss to Tampa Bay
Luke Scott's single...
That's a Dozen - The O's suffered their 12th straight loss with Tuesday's 3-1 defeat at Tampa. It's the most consecutive losses since the Birds lost 12 in a row from August 16-28 in 2004.
The losing streak is the longest in the Majors this year.
No beef - The O's offense was held to one run on nine hits tonight. The O's went 2 for 7 with runners in scoring position and left 8 men on base. The Birds have scored just 36 runs during the 12-game losing streak and have left 95 on base...
Game Preview
Orioles (60-97) at Tampa Bay (81-76)
Heading into tonight's game at Tampa, the O's need a win to end a 12-game losing streak and three wins in the next five games to avoid a 100-loss season.
Tonight, in game three of a four-game series, David Hernandez (4-9, 5.20) pitches vs. Tampa's James Shields (10-12, 4.17).
The O's losing streak is the longest in the Majors this year. Tampa (September 3-13) and Cleveland (September 13-24) both lost 11 in a row earlier this...
RHP David Hernandez (4-9, 5.20) tonight makes his 19th start of this season, his 10th on the road and the 2nd of this year vs. Tampa.
Even though he is winless over his last eight starts, Hernandez has pitched better in his last two starts, going 0-1, 3.75 vs. Boston and Cleveland. His last win was August 11th vs. Oakland.
Hernandez has recorded eight quality starts on the season.
Hernandez, 2009 season:
First 10 starts: 4-4, 3.81
Last 8 starts: 0-5, 7.34
The Orioles are 5-13 when...
The Orioles rally from a five-run deficit came up short Wednesday night as they lost 5-3 to Tampa at Tropicana Field.
The O's remain winless on this road trip and their losing streak, the longest in the Majors this year, has reached 13 games.
That's the O's longest since a 14-game streak in August of 1954 and the 1988 team began 0-14 on its way to an 0-21 start.
Down 5-0, the O's scored three in the 8th vs. James Shields on Chad Moeller's sac fly and a pinch hit, two-run homer from Ty...
Not his night - O's starting and losing pitcher, David Hernandez, had another poor outing. Coming off his last two starts, he had pitched pretty well, with an ERA of 3.75.
But tonight he gave up five runs and seven hits over 4 1/3 innings. Over his last nine starts, Hernandez is 0-6, 7.65. The Orioles are 5-14 when he starts, losing the last nine in a row.
Hernandez has lost two starts this season vs. Tampa, pitching a combined 7 1/3 innings and giving up 16 hits and 10ER.
Winning...
Fans have asked about the Orioles moving forward - what is "the plan"?
It's not something that is written on paper. The O's don't have a mission statement like Tom Cruise's character in Jerry Maguire (remember, that was not a memo).
The proof is in their actions.
They have drafted pitchers. And then drafted more pitchers in recent years. They are trying to acquire young position player talent that can stick around awhile.
They are not chasing big-money free agents right now, much...
.......why not send in a comment or question to me while you are tuned in.
I'll be watching today's game from home here in beautiful Harford County.
While you are tuned in and also keeping up with all of Roch's great reporting from the game itself, feel free to send me a comment as well.
We've gotten a lot of interesting comments today on my blog about Guthrie & Tillman. Feel free to keep the comments coming there or you can write them here now as well. (No need to repeat what you...
When Robinson Cano launched that 3-1 pitch over the fence Monday night, you could almost feel Orioles fans confidence in Jeremy Guthrie drop another notch.
He has not done much this spring to provide fans with hope that he will have a bounce back season.
But I do think the concern, some would say panic, over Guthrie's struggles, is a little over the top.
*Why is he being handed a starting rotation spot?
That is the question from some fans. He does have a track record of success, two years...
So after being named Carolina League MVP last year while also winning the Brooks Robinson award as the O's Minor League Player of the Year, what will Brandon Waring do this season for an encore?
In his second year in the O's organization he'll move up to Double-A Bowie and tangle with Eastern League pitching.
"This year will be the most challenging year yet," the 24-year-old Waring said. "The pitchers are more refined, they have a plan and can throw all their pitches for strikes. I'm...
Jeremy Guthrie seems to be one pitcher that many fans feel is in for another poor year. Some reporters are questioning his confidence.
Some don't even feel he should begin the year in the rotation. I am not in that camp. He showed me enough in 2007 and 2008 and I am not yet overly concerned about his spring performance.
Only 15 pitchers in the AL worked more innings than Guthrie last season and that should count for something. His 5.04 ERA came down some in the second half when he...
While the Orioles are closing in on another opening day, so are their four full-season farm teams: the Norfolk Tides, the Bowie Baysox, the Frederick Keys and the Delmarva Shorebirds.
With the parent club rebuilding around youth and pitching, there will be plenty of reasons to follow the O's minor leaguers this year.
Bowie - Early on, this may be the most interesting team to track. The rotation could feature top pitching prospect Zach Britton along with Steve Johnson, Chorye Spoone and...
Of all the players lost via trade or injury this year by the Orioles, the two most important to me, have been Brad Bergesen and George Sherrill.
Within about 24 hours at the end of July, Bergesen took a liner off his leg and Sherrill was dealt to the Dodgers.
The O's have not recovered from that. They are 16-41 since the pair exited.
Game Preview
Orioles (60-98) at Tampa (82-76)
A team on a long losing streak usually finds a variety of ways to lose. The Orioles are no different during their current streak.
For a while the bullpen was imploding. Now that the pen has pitched 4 2/3 shutout innings the past two games, the O's scored just four runs in those games.
The Orioles losing streak has reached 13 games since they beat Tampa, 4-2, September 16th. That's the 3rd longest streak in O's history, topped only by a...
LHP Chris Waters (0-0, 8.10) tonight makes his 5th appearance and 1st Major League start of this season after spending most of the year with Triple-A Norfolk.
The 29-year-old Waters was recalled from the minors on September 8th. In four games in relief with the O's he has pitched 6 2/3 innings giving up seven hits and six runs.
In his last outing he pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings Saturday at Cleveland.
For Norfolk this season, Waters went 9-7, 4.49 in 29 games, 20 as a starter.
Ben Zobrist has been abusing O's pitching this year and he hit a solo homer in the last of the fourth tonight to cut the O's lead to 3-1.
No player the O's have faced all year has hit more homers and knocked in more runs this year vs. Baltimore than Zobrist. He is 6 for 14 this series with three homers and 6 RBI.
Most homers this year vs. O's:
7 - Ben Zobrist, TB
6 - Kevin Youkilis, Bost & Robinson Cano, NYY
Most RBI this year vs. O's:
18 - Ben Zobrist, TB
17 - Kevin Youkilis, Bost,...
The Orioles' 13-game losing streak started vs. Tampa Bay. Tonight it ended vs. Tampa Bay.
Chris Waters and four relievers teamed on a five-hitter as the O's topped the Rays 3-2 to end the longest losing streak in the Majors this season.
It was the O's first win since September 16th and also snapped a ten-game road losing streak. The victory also allowed the O's to avoid a winless road trip, as they went 1-9 on the trip.
Jim Johnson allowed a run and three hits in the 9th, but got...
Finally !!!! - The Orioles beat Tampa 3-2 Thursday in their final road game of the season to end a 13-game losing streak. It was their longest streak since losing 21 in a row to start the 1988 season and losing 14 in a row in August of 1954.
The 13-game losing streak was the third longest in team history.
The O's picked up their first win since September 16th vs. Tampa, their first road win since September 12th at New York and first one-run win since Septmeber 5th vs. Texas.
I hope Dave Trembley returns as O's manager next year.
I say this for one main reason - he works well with young players. Next year's team should be loaded with young players.
Maybe it was all those years in the minors or the man's amazing patience, but young players respond to him and he can relate to them.
Game Preview
Toronto (75-84) at Orioles (61-98)
Now that they've put an end to the third longest losing streak in Orioles history, the Birds will look for a couple of wins this weekend to avoid a 100-loss year.
The O's need to win two of three to finish with 99 or fewer losses.
Tonight, the Orioles host Toronto at 7:05 p.m. to begin the final series of the 2009 season.