Baltimore Orioles MLB News - Orioles Baseball Blog http://www.orioleslocker.com Baltimore Orioles Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:57:35 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=wordpress-mu-1.2.5 en The Baltimore Orioles hire Buck Showalter to manage the team http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/29/the-baltimore-orioles-hire-buck-showalter-to-manage-the-team/ http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/29/the-baltimore-orioles-hire-buck-showalter-to-manage-the-team/#comments Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:57:35 +0000 chinmusic http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/29/the-baltimore-orioles-hire-buck-showalter-to-manage-the-team/ The Baltimore Orioles have hired 54-year old Buck Showalter to manage the team starting next Tuesday against the Angels. Showalter will be taking over for Juan Samuel who has led the team to a 16-31 record since taking over as manager of the O’s. Showalter will have his work cut out for him as he’s taking over a team that is 31-70 right now which has them in last place in the A.L. East, 33.5 games behind the Yankees. Showalter is a winner and the hope is that he will change the team’s attitude the rest of the way. He last managed in 2006 with the Texas Rangers. He has a career record of 882-833 (51.4%) in his 11 years as a major league manager and he was won 2 division titles. He was the A.L. Manager of the Year in both 1994 with the Yankees and 2004 with the Rangers. Showalter has his work cut out for him in Baltimore but I really like this hire for the Orioles.

]]> http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/29/the-baltimore-orioles-hire-buck-showalter-to-manage-the-team/feed/ The Baltimore Orioles DFA Scott Moore http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/23/the-baltimore-orioles-dfa-scott-moore/ http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/23/the-baltimore-orioles-dfa-scott-moore/#comments Fri, 23 Jul 2010 19:26:51 +0000 chinmusic http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/23/the-baltimore-orioles-dfa-scott-moore/ The Orioles have designated 26-year old lefty swinging infielder Scott Moore for assignment. Moore played in 41 games for the O’s this season and he was 18 of 86 (.209 avg, .611 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 3 homers, 10 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. The Orioles needed Moore’s roster spot to activate Brian Roberts from the D.L. Roberts played in 4 games for the Orioles earlier this season and he was 2 of 14 (.143 avg, .464 OPS) with 1 run scored and 2 stolen bases. On his rehab assignment, Roberts played in 8 games in Rookie+AA-ball and he was 14 of 29 (.483 avg, 1.102 OPS) with 4 runs scored and 3 RBIs. The Orioles have to be ecstatic to get a player like Roberts back as they have really missed him this year.

]]> http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/23/the-baltimore-orioles-dfa-scott-moore/feed/ Alfredo Simon is looking good for the Baltimore Orioles this year http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/23/alfredo-simon-is-looking-good-for-the-baltimore-orioles-this-year/ http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/23/alfredo-simon-is-looking-good-for-the-baltimore-orioles-this-year/#comments Fri, 23 Jul 2010 17:07:32 +0000 chinmusic http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/23/alfredo-simon-is-looking-good-for-the-baltimore-orioles-this-year/ No one could have imagined 29-year old righty reliever Alfredo Simon being the Orioles’ closer at this point in the season, but he is. Simon has pitched in 27 games (0 starts) for the Orioles this year and he is 2-1 with 13 saves, a 3.14 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. He has walked 15 batters in only 28 2/3 innings this season so he needs to tighten up his control a bit. Simon took advantage of injuries to Mike Gonzalez and Jim Johnson to earn the job as the Orioles’ closer and I think he will keep the job as he has outstanding stuff. But he needs to throw more strikes.

]]> http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/23/alfredo-simon-is-looking-good-for-the-baltimore-orioles-this-year/feed/ The Baltimore Orioles release Joey Gathright http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/22/the-baltimore-orioles-release-joey-gathright/ http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/22/the-baltimore-orioles-release-joey-gathright/#comments Thu, 22 Jul 2010 20:20:01 +0000 chinmusic http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/22/the-baltimore-orioles-release-joey-gathright/ The Orioles have released 29-year old switch hitting outfielder Joey Gathright. Gathright played in 61 games for the O’s in AAA-ball last year and he was 40 of 216 (.185 avg, .477 OPS) with 25 runs scored, 0 homers, 7 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. This is not much of a loss for the Orioles as Gathright was being overmatched in AAA. Speed is his best asset but you can’t steal first base.

]]> http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/22/the-baltimore-orioles-release-joey-gathright/feed/ The Baltimore Orioles need to be aggressive in the next couple of weeks http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/20/the-baltimore-orioles-need-to-be-aggressive-in-the-next-couple-of-weeks/ http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/20/the-baltimore-orioles-need-to-be-aggressive-in-the-next-couple-of-weeks/#comments Tue, 20 Jul 2010 21:41:13 +0000 chinmusic http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/20/the-baltimore-orioles-need-to-be-aggressive-in-the-next-couple-of-weeks/ The Orioles are such a mess right now that they need quality and quantity at the trade deadline and they have some pieces that other teams want. I would ship righty starting pitcher Jeremy Guthrie to the White Sox for outfielders Jordan Danks, John Shelby and righty starting pitcher Jeff Marquez. Then I would flip infielder Ty Wigginton to the Twins for righty reliever Anthony Slama and catcher Jose Morales. The Braves could use another hitter and with that in mind I would send Luke Scott to them for righty reliever Jesse Chavez, outfielder Gregor Blanco and shortstop Diory Hernandez. I would flip lefty reliever Will Ohman to the Phillies for 23-year old reliever Matt Way. Finally I would flip Mark Hendrickson to the Giants for righty starter/reliever Joe Martinez. These trades would be solid ones if the Orioles could pull them off. Danks, Shelby, Slama and Way are solid prospects. Marquez, Martinez and Chavez would give them some solid arms that could help them right now. Morales is a solid hitting catcher, Blanco a solid CF and Hernandez has good versatility in the field.

]]> http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/20/the-baltimore-orioles-need-to-be-aggressive-in-the-next-couple-of-weeks/feed/ Nolan Reimold isn’t on the fast track back to the Baltimore Orioles http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/18/nolan-reimold-isnt-on-the-fast-track-back-to-the-baltimore-orioles/ http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/18/nolan-reimold-isnt-on-the-fast-track-back-to-the-baltimore-orioles/#comments Sun, 18 Jul 2010 22:54:25 +0000 chinmusic http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/18/nolan-reimold-isnt-on-the-fast-track-back-to-the-baltimore-orioles/ 26-year old righty swinging 1B/OF Nolan Reimold played in 29 games for the Orioles earlier this year and he was 17 of 83 (.205 avg, .639 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 2 homers and 10 RBIs. He was then sent to AAA and he hasn’t being playing any better in the minors. Reimold has played in 52 games in AAA-ball this year and he is 39 of 190 (.205 avg, .611 OPS) with 21 runs scored, 6 homers and 19 RBIs. Despite a possible fire sale I don’t see the Orioles calling Reimold back to Baltimore until he starts to show something in the minors.

]]> http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/18/nolan-reimold-isnt-on-the-fast-track-back-to-the-baltimore-orioles/feed/ The Baltimore Orioles have placed Matt Wieters on the D.L. http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/16/the-baltimore-orioles-have-placed-matt-wieters-on-the-dl/ http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/16/the-baltimore-orioles-have-placed-matt-wieters-on-the-dl/#comments Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:31:36 +0000 chinmusic http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/16/the-baltimore-orioles-have-placed-matt-wieters-on-the-dl/ The Orioles have placed 24-year old switch hitting catcher Matt Wieters on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring. Wieters has played in 77 games for the O’s this year and he is 66 of 269 (.245 avg, .672 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 6 homers and 29 RBIs. Craig Tatum and Jake Fox will take over for Wieters while he is out of action. Tatum has played in 24 games for the Orioles so far this season and he is 15 of 61 (.246 avg, .622 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 5 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He will likely handle most of the catching because he’s a lot better defender than Fox is behind the plate. Fox has played in 12 games for the O’s this season and he is 7 of 28 (.250 avg, .847 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 3 homers and 4 RBIs.

]]> http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/16/the-baltimore-orioles-have-placed-matt-wieters-on-the-dl/feed/ The Baltimore Orioles are glad the All-Star Break is here http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/13/the-baltimore-orioles-are-glad-the-all-star-break-is-here/ http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/13/the-baltimore-orioles-are-glad-the-all-star-break-is-here/#comments Tue, 13 Jul 2010 10:16:51 +0000 chinmusic http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/13/the-baltimore-orioles-are-glad-the-all-star-break-is-here/ The first half of the 2010 season was a disaster for the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles are 29-59 on the season which has them in last place in the A.L. East, 27 games behind the Yankees. Not everything has been awful for the Orioles this season and here is a look at some of the surprises and disappointments of the first half for them:

Pleasant Surprises: Ty Wigginton came into this season as a backup player but the injury to Brian Roberts and the lack of performance of the O’s at 1B opened up a lot of P.T. for him and he is the Orioles’ All-Star tonight. Wigginton has played in 83 games for the Orioles this year and he is 76 of 302 (.252 avg, .768 OPS) with 32 runs scored, 14 homers and 45 RBIs. 30-year old lefty swinging outfielder Corey Patterson was signed to a minor league deal with little expectation. But since coming up for the Orioles he has been one of the best players on the team. Patterson has played in 50 games for the Orioles this year and he is 58 of 201 (.289 avg, .758 OPS) with 28 runs scored, 5 homers, 21 RBIs and 16 stolen bases. 29-year old righty reliever Alfredo Simon’s performance has been even a bigger surprise than Patterson this year. Simon has pitched in 25 games (0 starts) for the Orioles this year and he is 2-1 with 13 saves, 3.24 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. His main problem has been his control as he has walked 13 batters in 25 innings this season. 26-year old righty reliever Jason Berken was terrible in 2009 as a rookie starting pitcher. They moved him to the bullpen this season and he has been the O’s best pitcher in 2010. Berken has pitched in 32 games (0 starts) for the Orioles this year and he is 2-1 with a 1.95 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP.

DISAPPOINTMENTS: 24-year old catcher Matt Wieters was supposed to be the next big thing at catcher and he still might be down the road but he has not played well this year. Wieters has played in 77 games for the Orioles this year and he is 66 of 269 (.245 avg, .672 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 6 homers and 29 RBIs. Garrett Atkins was signed to be the starting 1B for the O’s over the winter but he has already been released as he was downright terrible. Atkins played in 44 games for the Orioles this season and he was 30 of 140 (.214 avg, .562 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 1 homer and 9 RBIs. Kevin Millwood was brought in to be the ace of the Orioles starting rotation but he has been pitching a lot of batting practice this season. He has started 18 games for the Orioles this year and he is 2-8 with a 5.77 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP. Millwood has allowed 135 hits (20 homers) in only 107 2/3 innings this season for the O’s and that’s awful. 32-year old lefty reliever Mike Gonzalez started this season as the O’s closer but he didn’t last long before going on the D.L. He has pitched in 3 games (0 starts) for the Orioles this year and he is 0-2 with 1 save, a 18.00 ERA and a 4.50 WHIP.

]]> http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/13/the-baltimore-orioles-are-glad-the-all-star-break-is-here/feed/ Corey Patterson has been a godsend for the Baltimore Orioles http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/09/corey-patterson-has-been-a-godsend-for-the-baltimore-orioles/ http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/09/corey-patterson-has-been-a-godsend-for-the-baltimore-orioles/#comments Fri, 09 Jul 2010 19:41:17 +0000 chinmusic http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/09/corey-patterson-has-been-a-godsend-for-the-baltimore-orioles/ 30-year old lefty swinging outfielder Corey Patterson is making the most of his chance the Orioles have given him. He has played in 47 games for the Orioles this year and he is 52 of 187 (.278 avg, .715 OPS) with 26 runs scored, 4 homers, 14 RBIs and 16 stolen bases. Patterson will likely go back to the bench when Luke Scott comes off the D.L. but if the Orioles start trading players he could get another chance to play. As for now though Patterson has been one of the best offensive players for the O’s since they called him up and for that he deserves a tip of the hat because they weren’t expecting that much from him.

]]> http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/09/corey-patterson-has-been-a-godsend-for-the-baltimore-orioles/feed/ The Baltimore Orioles could have an epic firesale at the end of this month http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/06/the-baltimore-orioles-could-have-an-epic-firesale-at-the-end-of-this-month/ http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/06/the-baltimore-orioles-could-have-an-epic-firesale-at-the-end-of-this-month/#comments Tue, 06 Jul 2010 23:49:57 +0000 chinmusic http://www.orioleslocker.com/2010/07/06/the-baltimore-orioles-could-have-an-epic-firesale-at-the-end-of-this-month/ The Baltimore Orioles are 25-57 on the season as they are in last place in the A.L. East, 26 games behind the Yankees. The Orioles have no chance of turning this season around and they will likely have an epic firesale where they could move 11 players or more by the end of the month. The Orioles don’t have a lot of big trade chips but I think they could put of couple of players together in trades to maximize the return they get. Ty Wigginton, Miguel Tejada, Luke Scott (if healthy), Jeremy Guthrie and Will Ohman would be the biggest pieces they have to offer. Cesar Izturis, Corey Patterson, Julio Lugo, Kevin Millwood (if healthy), Mark Hendrickson and Koji Uehara each could also be long gone by the end of July. The Orioles certainly won’t be able to restock the minors with the guys they have to offer but if they get 3-4 keepers it will have been a successful trading season for the O’s.

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