If Nolan Reimold is going to play first base this season, he'll need to take care of an important piece of business.
"I don't even have a first baseman's mitt yet," he said, grinning at his locker.
Reimold took grounders at first on the last day of spring training, which created quite a stir after manager Dave Trembley and president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail kept insisting all winter that he was strictly an outfielder.
"People asked why we waited until the end of the camp....
The Orioles are not confirming anything yet, but it appears there have been internal discussions about moving Billy Rowell from outfield back to the infield.
Rowell, who played third base his first three seasons in the organization, played right field last year for the Class-A Frederick Keys.
The 21-year-old Rowell struggled at bat the last two years with Frederick, but also had a tough time last season adjusting to right field.
The O's 2006 first-round draft pick, he made 15 errors with a...
The O's got a decent outing from a starter and six runs on offense, but their struggling bullpen could not hold on again.
Tampa pushed across a run in the last of the 8th to snap a 6-6 tie and beat the Orioles 7-6, handing the Birds their 11th straight loss.
It's the longest losing streak since the O's lost 12 in a row from August 16-28, 2004.
Ben Zobrist doubled off Chris Ray leading off the 8th and moved to third on a groundout. Danys Baez came on and Pat Burrell's sac fly put Tampa...
The pen falters again - The O's bullpen went from bad to worse Monday night. The pen could not protect a 6-3 lead after six and a half innings. Willie Aybar's three-run, pinch hit homer tied it in the 7th and Tampa scored the winning run in the 8th.
Tonight the O's pen allowed four hits and four runs over three innings. The pen ERA on this road trip is 8.37. The bullpen ERA over the last 29 games is 6.77.
Dave Trembley talks with Gary and Jim after the O's 7-6 loss
Starter Mark...
There was a time when it seemed like the Orioles were one of the favorites to sign Dominican shortstop Miguel Angel Sano.
That no longer seems to be the case, but the O's aren't out of it yet, either.
John Stockstill, the O's director of international scouting said, "We have had talks with Sano in the past few days."
While the signing of Sano by any team doesn't seem imminent, Stockstill added, "Things have stepped up in recent weeks."
Baseball sources indicate something that has...
Game Preview
Orioles (60-96) at Tampa (80-76)
You need to get 27 outs to win a baseball game. The way the O's bullpen is performing recently, those final few outs have been hard to pick up.
The O's pen blew a 7th-inning, 6-3 lead Monday night and Tampa beat the Orioles 7-6 extending the season's longest losing streak to 11 games.
That's no where near the club record 21-game streak set in 1988, but it is the 6th losing streak of 11 or more games in franchise history.
The last time the...
RHP Jeremy Guthrie (10-16, 5.10) tonight will make his 32nd start of this season, his 16th on the road and the 9th of his career vs. Tampa.
Guthrie is 0-3, 6.38 over his past three starts. This follows a four-start stretch where he went 3-1, 1.33.
Guthrie is the AL leader in losses, earned runs and homers allowed with 32.
Guthrie, 2009 season:
First half: 6-8, 5.35, 18 starts
Second half: 4-8, 4.80, 13 starts
Guthrie needs to work 5 2/3 tonight to reach a career high 191 innings.
He has...
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...
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.