Trade Deadline: Four Hours Remain

It’s just about noon here in Washington, D.C., and I am simply overcome with anxiety, what with the trade deadline fast approaching. Guys like Sean Casey (traded to the Tigers), Wilson Betemit (traded to the Dodgers for Danys Baez), Ronnie Belliard (traded to the Cardinals), and, of course, Bobby Abreu (traded to you-know-who), have all been dealt and will play with their new teams today/tonight.

And, as most of you surely know already, Miguel Tejada is one of the biggest names on the market and is speculated to go, if he’s traded, to either the Angels or the Astros. I think he’ll still be here after 4:00 passes, but you never know….

Other O’s who’ve been mentioned in trade talks are Rodrigo Lopez, LaTroy Hawkins, Javy Lopez, Jeff Conine, and Kevin Millar. I wouldn’t mind seeing Todd Williams and/or Russ Ortiz get dealt, too….but the chances of those jokers going anywhere other than the free agent pool are slim.

At any rate, I’m at work now (not working) and will naturally be checking the wire for breaking trade news. If anything big happens, you will surely find it added to this very post. Let’s cross our collective fingers and hope something good happens!

Hey, Look On The Bight Side — At Least It Was Exciting!

If you didn’t notice, I’ve been on a brief hiatus the past few days. Just been catching up on some “me” time, if you know what I mean. Actually, I don’t even know what I mean. I’ve pretty much been sitting around doing not too much of anything — something I’ve been in much need of. I did go to the O’s game yesterday. Which was fun. But hot. And at four hours in length, the fact that it was at least exciting (as was alluded in the title of this post) made it that much more bearable.

At any rate, the O’s, not surprisingly, have lost their two first games to the White Sox. But what was surprising was the manner in which these losses came. Both games saw the Birds’ bats come alive. However, the pitching kept them in the loss column, which is too bad since the offense and defense, without a doubt, came to play.

The first match-up, a 6-4 loss which essentially came at the hands of backup first baseman Ross Gload — he hit a granny off Chris Ray in the top of the 9th — was the type that rips the collective heart out of fans of the orange and black. The O’s, guided by their ace, Erik Bedard, led the world champs for the entire game. Brian Roberts hit his second homer on the year off of Freddy Garcia and Miguel Tejada, a target of much trade rumors the past few days, drove in two runs as he DH’d his way to a 2-for-4 night. Kevin Millar added an RBI, too.

Bedard should have won his eighth-straight game; his 7.0 IP with seven Ks and two walks, along with eight hits allowed, was good enough to keep him ahead by two runs after Sam Perlozzo replaced him with big Chris Britton. Britton is continuing to have a very solid year; since we last checked his numbers here on Since 1954, he’s bettered his stats as he’s lowered his ERA to 2.70 and now stands at 32 Ks and 10 BBs in 40.0 IP.

Then came Ray.

In the spirit of keeping this short and not bashing Ray any more than he needs to be bashed, he gave up two consecutive base hits, walked a guy, and then surrendered a very untimely grand slam to an unlikely candidate in Ross Gload. That was Ray’s second blown save of the year, which is  one less than former teammate B.J. Ryan….he’ll get over it and so will we.

Yesterday, however, was a different story. The O’s still lost, but this one came in a different fashion. Starting for the Birds was six-foot-five, 22-year-old prospect Jim Johnson, who was possibly auditioning as part of a potential trade package. Too bad for Jim, though, as he was facing A.J. Pierzynski (5-for-5 with four RBI and a homer) and the White Sox.

The Sox won 13-11. Here’s how:

Johnson made it through 3.0 innings. In those three innings, he gave up nine hits, walked three, and surrendered eight runs. He threw 93 pitches (54 for strikes) and, obviously, showed he needs more time down on the farm.

At any rate, that made the score 8-4 after three.

Russ Ortiz then came in and pitched 4.1 solid innings — well, solid for him — as he gave up three runs and five hits. The worst part of his outing was the homers he surrendered immediately after taking the mound. Jermaine Dye and Pierzynski hit back-to-back shots off Russ to make the score 10-4. At that point, I though Russ was cooked but he turned it around and gave up only three hits after the unfortunate dingers. On one occasion, Russ was helped out big time by Corey Patterson, who made a fantastic Web Gem-worthy catch in center field to rob Brian Anderson (at least I think it was Anderson) of a double and an RBI; Patterson also doubled-up Juan Uribe at first due to the fact that no one in the stadium, including Uribe, thought that ball was remotely catchable.

To sort of run through this, Melvin Mora was 3-for-5 with an RBI, a walk, and three runs scored. Miguel Tejada hit his 19th homer on the year as he went 4-for-6 with three RBI. Jay Gibbons made his long-awaited return as he collected two walks and a double. Along with his great catch, Patterson added three hits, and RBI, and a stolen-base. And Nick Markakis, after going 4-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI, raised his season average to a very respectable .290.

The hardest part to watch was Ramon Hernandez‘s shot to dead centerfield with the bases loaded fall just short of a grand slam as Brian Anderson caught it with his back literally against the wall. If it would have cleared the fence, it would have put the O’s up by one after they made a gutty comeback in the sixth. It’s worth noting that the Birds scored runs in each of the final four innings, but the effort was slightly too little.

The O’s are playing, well, right now, actually. Bruce Chen takes on Javier Vasquez in a game which decides a whether or not the Sox sweep. Hopefully, the time off from starting has given Chen some time to compose himself and regain his control, command, and confidence….wow, that’s a whole bunch of “C’s”.

Ok, at any rate, let’s hope for a win. For the O’s, that is.

Loewen Gets “Numero Uno”!

Okay, I lied. Yesterday, I said I’m taking a break from this team. But then I realized that my life essentially revolves around the O’s and taking a break would entail a whole lot of willpower. And I’m way too lazy to muster up all that willpower…

And luckily, for the sake of my sanity, the O’s beat the Royals last night, 4-3, behind a solid performance by rookie Adam Loewen, who collected his first big league victory after eight opportunities. “I was kind of antsy, just because it was my first win,” Loewen said to the Baltimore Sun. “I really wanted to get this out of the way. It was a little nerve-racking, but that’s baseball. That’s the way the game goes.” I think that now the monkey’s off Loewen’s back, he’ll perform with much less nervousness and will go out and give his team a chance to win.

On a side note, Adam missed out on a common practice after one wins his first Major League game: keeping the game ball after the final out’s recorded. After catching the final out, a liner to left field, Luis Terrero tossed it in to the stands….

From the Baltimore Sun:

While Loewen celebrated his first victory with handshakes in the dugout, Luis Terrero, who caught the final out, tossed the ball in the stands, denying the Orioles’ rookie pitcher, who was their No. 1 pick in the 2002 draft, the game ball from his first victory.

Loewen, who gave up one run on seven hits and three walks while striking out five, took the news in stride, saying that he didn’t know where he would have put the ball anyway. Several Orioles presented him with other balls from the game, including the one Conine hit out, on what turned out to be the last pitch of the night from Kansas City starter Runelvys Hernandez, for his eighth home run. The Orioles have vowed to try to get back the ball Terrero tossed away.

Asked what he would have done with the ball, Loewen said: “Probably toss it with the rest of them until I get a house. I’d have to get a cabinet, I guess.”

As far as the game went, rookies Brandon Fahey and Nick Markakis both collected doubles; Markakis went 2-for-2, drove in a run and scored a run as he pushed his season average over .280. Kakes also had a great outfield assist when he threw out Esteban German at home. The stars of the game were Melvin Mora (3-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base), Jeff Conine (4-for-4 with a homer), and recently-returned utility man Chris Gomez, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Brian Roberts and Miguel Tejada put up goose-eggs as they combined to go 0-for-9 with eight men left on base.

Todd Williams, recipient of much criticism from your’s truly, pitched a solid sixth inning after he inherited two of Loewen’s base-runners on first and second with no outs. He got out of the jam and kept the O’s three run lead. LaTroy Hawkins then came in and proceeded to make this game interesting (good for K.C. fans, bad for O’s fans) by surrendering two hits and two runs in his 1.2 innings of work. After allowing his second run, Hawkins was removed with two men on base and one out remaining in the bottom of the eighth. Chris Ray was put in, got out of the jam, and recorded his 25th save in 1.1 innings of work.

The O’s look to take the series tonight as Rodrigo Lopez (6-11, 6.73), possibly making his final start as an Oriole, takes on youngster Jimmy Gobble (3-3, 4.88). The O’s haven’t seen much of Gobble during his three year career; in 22 team at-bats, Kevin Millar has fared the best against the lefty, going 2-for-6 with a double and an RBI. As for Lopez, Matt Stairs loves facing Rodrigo, as shown in his eight hits in 13 ABs (.615), which include a double, homer, and three RBI. Matt Stairs (4-for-12, 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI) and Angel Berroa (4-for-11, 2 HR, 5 RBI) both like facing RoLo, too. However, Lopez definitely has Joey Gathright‘s number as the speedy outfielder has only netted one hit in 13 opportunities (.077) against the 30-year-old right-hander.

I’m really hoping the O’s can win tonight because losing four of six to the D-Rays and Royals prior to entering in to a series with the White Sox would not be good for momentum. Although there’s no “prize” to play for anymore — there hasn’t been for quite some time now — the O’s must show their fans they still care. After all, they are professionals….

Until tomorrow….Mahalo!

I’m Taking A Break

After last night’s pathetic loss, I’m taking a break from this team for the next two games. If we win tonight, great. If we win tomorrow, awesome.

But last night? Pathetic.

Just pathetic.

More later….I just don’t think it’s worth writing about this “team” when they play lousy ball.

At any rate, if you happen to care, Adam Loewen is taking on Jimmy Gobble (what a great name!) in a battle of young southpaw prospects pitching for “winning-challenged” teams. Hopefully, Loewen can give us a good start against this Royals team.

Oh, and by the way, someone please get Kurt Birkins off this team! And while you’re at it, get rid of that joker, Kevin Millar, too. And Todd Williams, the pictured-fellow right above this paragraph, likely celebrating after throwing a rare strike. Regarding their standing with the team…like that terribly-annoying White Sox announcer so disappointingly says: “He Gone!” Simply put, these guys have played like garbarge the past few weeks and I’m sick of seeing them wear Orioles’ uniforms. They Gone!
End rant here.

(UPDATE: Per Baltimore Sun:

Kansas City, Mo. // When the media was allowed in to the visiting clubhouse at Kauffman Stadium last night, Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo’s voice had lowered considerably, but his frustration level hadn’t.

In a loud post-game meeting, following a 7-5 loss to the Kansas City Royals, easily one of the Orioles’ poorest games of the season, Perlozzo ripped into his team, questioning their effort and focus. His voice was loud enough where it was audible to reporters waiting several yards outside the closed clubhouse doors.

“He got his point across,” said Orioles first baseman Kevin Millar .

The Orioles (45-56) left 13 runners on base and were 3-for-16 with runners in scoring position, failing to blow open a game that Kansas City had no business being in. The Orioles committed three errors, including one by catcher Ramon Hernandez that led to a game-tying, two-run home run in the sixth inning. Kris Benson , once considered the most consistent starter on the team, couldn’t hold a 4-0 lead against the worst team in the American League, and then the bullpen surrendered a one-run seventh-inning advantage.

Kansas City third baseman Mark Teahen had two home runs and five RBIs and the Royals erased a 5-4 deficit with three seventh-inning runs off relievers Kurt Birkins (5-2) and Todd Williams. The Orioles then heard about it afterward.

“He’s frustrated, just like us,” Orioles third baseman Melvin Mora said. “We just need to play better, take the game more seriously. This ain’t funny.”

Asked if the club agreed with Perlozzo’s message, Mora said, “He’s the manager. We’re 100 percent behind him. “

….Here’s the rest of the article….WOW! I think this really is the first time Sam’s really laid into the guys. I’m proud of him. After that sickening display of ball yesterday, what with the total lack of ability to drive runners in when the situation is almost in their favor, the O’s deserved to be knocked down a couple notches.

Nonetheless, I’m not even thinking about them for a few days because, as you can see, I’ve been devoting way too much attention to a team that is hardly worth watching. Except for Bedard.)

And Now — Your 2007 Baltimore Orioles!

The Orioles will play their 101st game of the 2006 season today, leaving only 61 to go. And since I’m bored and the trade deadline is looming, I figured it would be fun to predict what our 25 man roster will look like come Opening Day 2007. And just for the sake of not arbitrarily throwing out names, I’ll add a bit of analysis/explanation as to why I believe a specific player will be where he is. Alright, let’s get this thing going….

First Base – What a way to start this off! The “black hole” of the O’s defensive alignment, first base is our biggest need other than starting pitching. Before the start of 2006, fans were generally pretty comfortable with Kevin Millar and Jeff Conine platooning after the “Javy Lopez 1B Experiment” failed to come to fruition. Both Millar and Conine are proven Major Leaguers who have a lot of experience on winning teams and are solid hitters and fielders. However, from Opening Day all the way up through May and in to June, neither Millar nor Niner was producing at a rate that meant anything to the success of the team. So to get to what I think we’ve got in store for next year….I think Conine will be gone before the July 31 deadline and we’ll keep Millar for next year. However, the O’s starting first baseman will be soon-to-be Free Agent Craig Wilson. Wilson is on the trade block up in Pittsburgh and will probably be dealt to a team currently in the playoff hunt. But there’s a possibility he won’t get re-signed and the O’s can scoop up his 25-30 homers and 80-100 RBIs in the off-season. And if Jay Gibbons gets around to playing first, which I think he will, we’d have quite a DH/1B tandem in Gibbons and Wilson….oh, the possibilities!

Second Base – This position is filled and will be for the next several years. Brian Roberts is not only one of the best middle-infielders in the game, but he’s home-grown and has been in the Orioles’ system for the better part of the past decade. His contract is up after this year, but I think the 28-year-old will re-sign and will bat at the top of the O’s order for the next three or four years. Put it this way — if your team makes bobble-heads for you, you know you’ve found your home.

Third Base – After signing a three year extension with a no-trade clause this season, Melvin Mora sealed his stay in Baltimore, likely for the remainder of his career. The 34-year-old is still producing like he’sfour or five years younger, but many forget that he got a late start on his baseball career (he was a pro soccer player in his home country of Venezuela). Melvin’s got several good years left in him and will contribute, on top of his solid hitting, great defense at the hot-corner and a wonderful team-oriented, loyal attitude to the soon-to-be very young Orioles team.

Shortstop – This is where things get a bit iffy. Miguel Tejada, although I’ve said we should trade him, is a great player — scratch that….a fantastic player — who, honestly, is a bargain at $12 million per year due to his power, ability to hit for average, and fielding. He is rumored to be the focus of trade talks with Houston but O’s owner Peter Angelos has gone on record saying the organization has no interest in dealing Miggi….unless, of course, they’re blown away (see: Adam Everett and Roy Oswalt for Tejada). Nonetheless, I’ve changed my mind over the past couple weeks and think it’d be a good idea to keep Tejada. Doing so would show the team and the fans that when we sign big-name guys like Miggi, we intend to keep them around. I think he’ll be playing for us in 2007 and will have another monster year in which the 30-year-old will be more productive since he’s been banged up a bit this year, leading to a bit of a drop-off in the field and at the plate. Still, he’s one of the best and will be for a few more years.

Left Field – Just like first base, left is another question mark. At the start of the year, this position was supposed to be a platoon between David Newhan and Nick Markakis., with Jeff Conine making occasional starts there, too. That plan, of course, went to hell as Newhan broke his leg and Markakis moved to right after Jay Gibbons went on an extended DL vacation. Brandon Fahey has stepped in as a solid option in left and Conine has played on par with what was generally expected of him out there. But, as far as the future is concerned, I think someone new out there is of the utmost importance. Carlos Lee will be a free agent in 2007, but he’ll probably be traded before the deadline and whoever gets him would be extremely stupid to not work out an extension to keep him around. Regardless, he’d be my number one choice as the guy to fill that spot. Also, Bobby Abreu would be a great fit there as the O’s have expressed interest in acquiring him in a trade with the Phillies. This is really up in the air still and, for all we know, no one will be signed and Newhan will be our starter there next season. I’m going to bank of Lee, however, and stay optimistic.

Center Field – It’s funny that at the beginning of 2006, we weren’t sure who’d be our center fielder — Corey Patterson or Luis Matos. Well, that question is clearly answered now as Matos was designated for assignment and is now a National and Patterson has solidified himself as the O’s permanent center fielder. C.P. is only 26 and has the talent to be one of the better outfielders in the game. He’s got power, speed, and defensive skill and the only think keeping him from being the O’s guy next year is us re-signing him. I think this will happen since we gave him a chance to prove himself after essentially being ousted from Chicago last year. Let’s hope Corey Patterson is an Oriole for many years to come.

Right Field – After Gibbons went on an extended DL stint, Nick Markakis was able to move to his natural position in right field. And since then, he’s basically won the job there and, as an added gift, raised his average about 50 points. Kakes is a great outfielder, but seems to completely be in his element in right. It would be completely stupid to put Gibbons back out there since Kakes in better in every facet of fielding. Plus, keeping Gibbons out of the outfield will be better for his hitting — which is why we’ve got him in the first place — since he’d be less physically strained because he’d avoid strenuous outfield activity. This is one position the O’s have locked up for the next decade and, to be quite frank, I’m really damn excited!

Catcher – In what seems to be the Orioles best off-season acquisition, Ramon Hernandez showed O’s fans that he’s one of the best catchers in the entire league. His ability to produce offensively and defensively is uncommon among catchers and we’re lucky to have a guy like him who can do just that. The 30-year-old will most likely do even better next year since he’d have a full season under his belt of working with Orioles pitchers and coaches. Hernandez should be here for at least three or four more years pending his production, which surely will continue at a 15-20 HR/70-90 RBI/.260-.280 AVG rate. Folks, we’re really lucky to have this guy!

Designated Hitter – This has got to be, without a question, Jay Gibbons. According to O’s beat writer, Spencer Fordin, Jay will not be playing any outfield for the remainder of the year and will soon give first base a try once again. Jay is too valuable a bat to risk getting injured again and keeping him at DH or 1B will not only be better for his knees, but it will be good for the longevity of his career. At age 29, Gibbons is still young. But for a guy with a bad knee, things only get worse as the years pass and the stress from running in the outfield takes its toll on his precious ligaments. I think if Jay fully dedicates his spring training to hitting and getting comfortable at first, he’ll be more productive and will stay healthy the whole year through.

Bench – Brandon Fahey has solidified himself as the O’s utility man. Former O’s catcher Sal Fasano was just released by the Phil’s, so he could be a nice backup catcher. Luis Terrero, when given enough ABs, could be a solid backup outfielder and hitter. Chris Gomez, although most-likely pushed to the back-burner by Fahey, is a dependable backup. David Newhan is a guaranteed member of this 25-man roster. Jeff Fiorentino and Val Majewski are possible backup options, too. In the spirit of keeping this one short, those are likely faces you’d be seeing on the bench in April ’07.

Starting Pitching – Without a doubt, Erik Bedard will be the ace of this staff in 2007. That’s a given. The rest of the rotation is questionable. Adam Loewen, due to the stipulations of his contract, will be in the rotation next year. Daniel Cabrera should be a much more productive pitcher next year; it’s unlikely he’ll suffer from similar control problems next season like he did this year. Hayden Penn is ML-ready at age 21 and will be set to take the 4th or 5th spot in the rotation in 2007. The only true question mark is who will be the fifth man? James Johnson and Garret Olson are close to being ready; they’ll most likely be the “Loewen and Penn” of 2007 and won’t be viable options as starters come April ’07, but later in the season, they could (will) get call-ups. The O’s have several more pitching prospects, but none are close to being ready yet. What about Kris Benson? It’s likely the team hangs on to him, but his $8.7 million salary is a bit unsettling considering his average performance this season. I think it’s a 75% chance we keep Benson (Bedard-Benson-Cabrerea-Loewen-Penn) and a 25% chance we sign someone like Tony Armas, Jr., Jason Marquis, Vicente Padilla, or — wouldn’t this be nice — Mike Mussina. Either way, we’ll definitely be a much better staff come ’07 than we are this season.

Bullpen – If there’s one guarantee, it’s that Chris Ray will be our closer for the next four or five years. He’s sickeningly good. As far as the rest of the pen goes, we need to do some major house cleaning if we want a solid pen. Chris Britton is a keeper; he could possibly be our set-up man, but I’d be more comfortable with him as a middle reliever. Kurt Birkins and Sendy Rleal should have good seasons next year and will be valuable middle relievers and even long relievers. I’d like to see us hang on to Bruce Chen and give him one more go-around, only this time, start him off in the bullpen and see how that goes. But LaTroy Hawkins and Todd Williams need to go. Hawkins will probably be traded within the next couple days and Williams, I think, has worn out his welcome here in Baltimore. If we could sign one or two guys, such as Dennys Reyes, Aaron Fultz, Chad Bradford, Brian Meadows, or Justin Speier, we’d be much more solid in the bullpen and wouldn’t lose leads late in the game as often as we seem to be doing this year.

And now, just to go out on a limb and play a little guessing-game, here’s what I think the 25 man roster will be come Opening Day 2007:

Lineup:

1. Brian Roberts 2B

2. Melvin Mora 3B

3. Miguel Tejada SS

4. Carlos Lee LF

5. Jay Gibbons DH/1B

6. Craig Wilson 1B/DH

7. Ramon Hernandez C

8. Corey Patterson CF

9. Nick Markakis RF

Bench: David Newhan, Brandon Fahey, Chris Gomez, Luis Terrero, Sal Fasano

Rotation: Erik Bedard-Kris Benson-Daniel Cabrera-Adam Loewen-Hayden Penn

Bullpen: Chris Ray (CL), Brian Meadows (SU), Chris Britton, Kurt Birkins, Sendy Rleal, Bruce Chen

I know, some of this looks very unlikely, but who cares? Besides, this is my blog so I do what I want! At any rate, I just hope that we sign guys similar to the new names you see on my hypothetical roster. We need a legit power threat like Lee and we need solidarity in the bullpen and off the bench.

Let’s just hope Angelos and Co. realize they can put out a magnificent team next year if they dedicate a few more million dollars to salaries. And let’s hope ‘Year 10′ of our losing ways is the final year in a decade of suffering and futility.

In the mean time, let’s beat the crap out of the Royals tonight!