Archive for Baltimore Orioles

Jul
31

Davis acquisition likely takes O’s out of Fielder sweepstakes

by Jeff Wolfson

The trade deadline started with a bang for the Orioles. They traded reliever Koji Uehara to the Texas Rangers for right-handed pitcher Tommy Hunter and first baseman Chris Davis.

The value the Orioles got for a setup man is tremendous. However, there’s a downside to the Davis acquisition.

Davis is a young first baseman that is under team control until after the 2015 season. Although it was an unlikely signing, the Orioles have no reason to pursue Milwaukee’s Prince Fielder this offseason.
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Jul
16

Picking a bone with baseball

by Jeff Wolfson

I’m not one to usually complain about things that happen in sports. Generally, if a team is bad, it’s about the personnel, not the umpires or referees. However, the discipline handed down from Major League Baseball to the Orioles is ridiculous only because it wasn’t equal to the discipline to the Red Sox.

Kevin Gregg, Mike Gonzalez and Buck Showalter all received suspensions of varying lengths and Jim Johnson received a fine for his actions in the brawl last weekend. If that’s fair discipline, which it is, why didn’t Boston get the same reaction from MLB.
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Jun
30

What will it cost to extend J.J. Hardy?

by Jeff Wolfson

Shortstop J.J. Hardy, acquired for Jim Hoey and Brett Jacobson this offseason, is having a standout offensive season. He has 11 home runs, including a home run in nine straight series.

The problem is he’s on a one-year contract worth slightly less than $6 million. There is no obvious replacement from the minor leagues for next season. So what contract should the Orioles extend to Hardy?
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Jun
7

Is it time to send Zach Britton to Triple-A?

by Jeff Wolfson

Rookie left-hander Zach Britton was wildly successful for the Orioles for the first two months of the season, pitching to an ERA of 2.14. In his last three starts, though, Britton’s ERA has risen to 3.33 and hasn’t gone beyond six innings in any of his outings.

It was assumed, after spring training, Britton would be sent down for 20 or 21 days so he would have an extra year of service time with the Orioles. However, Brian Matusz was injured and Britton was recalled on the third day of the season. He was fantastic having just one glitch until May 24.
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May
16

Did the O’s really miss J.J. Hardy that much?

by Jeff Wolfson

The Orioles made four offensive acquisitions this offseason. It was widely believed designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero would be the offensive force in the middle of the lineup. For the most part, Guerrero has done his job.

However, the key to the entire offense may be shortstop J.J. Hardy. Hardy was out for 27 games and the Orioles went 10-17. He has been in the lineup for 12 games and the Orioles are 9-3. One of those losses was against the Texas Rangers when he had one at-bat and it was decided he needed to go on the disabled list.
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Apr
18

Losing ways the norm or an aberration?

by Jeff Wolfson

The Orioles’ 6-1 start was surprising to fans and media alike. Even more surprising, though, may be the team’s current seven-game losing streak.

During the seven-game streak, the Birds haven’t been hitting very much. Worse than the hitting has been the pitching.

After starting the season with brilliance, the starting staff has struggled to get deep in to games. As the starting pitching falters, the bullpen then becomes overused making the pitching staff very average.
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Apr
14

Should Tillman remain with the O’s?

by Jeff Wolfson

After Wednesday night’s performance, there should be some more questions surrounding O’s right-hander Chris Tillman. The starter got rocked in his start against the Yankees, going just 1 2/3 innings and giving up six earned runs.

Tillman was fighting for the fifth starter’s spot in spring training, but because of injuries was made the No. 2 starter. In his first outing, although he had a no-hitter through six innings, it was an uneven outing because of control issues.
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Mar
28

O’s roster starting to shape up

by Jeff Wolfson

The end of spring training is looming for the Orioles and the other major league teams so cuts have to be made to get the roster down to the limit of 25. Well, eight roster moves were made Monday to get closer to that number.

The most notable of the cuts is outfielder Nolan Reimold. Reimold had an option left so, according to a team press release, the outfielder will start the year at Triple-A Norfolk. Felix Pie has won the backup outfield spot, presumably because he doesn’t have any options remaining and can play center field.
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Mar
21

Your O’s fourth outfielder is…

by Jeff Wolfson

I really have no idea. Heading in to this spring, I would have sworn Felix Pie was a lock because of his ability to play center and left fields. Moreover, I thought the Orioles were sure to trade Luke Scott for a couple minor leaguers, but it appears they want his bat in the lineup behind Vladimir Guerrero.

Pie has gotten off to a slow start this spring, batting just .205 with less than two weeks to go before opening day. Also, at times the last two seasons, Pie has had several defensive lapses, but did show improvement last season. The biggest issue that I have with Pie is his health. Pie missed a good portion of last season with a torn muscle in his back.
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Mar
18

Who will win the O’s fifth starter job?

by Jeff Wolfson

Heading in to the offseason, the Orioles were targeting a starter for the middle or back of the rotation, a presence in the middle of the lineup and some bullpen help. In my eyes, they did all of the above with the signing of Justin Duchscherer, several acquisitions for the middle of the lineup, including Vladimir Guerrero and a few signings for the bullpen like Kevin Gregg.

However, with only a couple weeks left until opening day, Duchscherer has only pitched two innings in one spring training game. The rest of the rotation appears to be set with Jeremy Guthrie, Brian Matusz, Jake Arrieta and Brad Bergesen. So who will fill the fifth spot in the rotation?

At the moment, Duchscherer is supposed to be that starter, but he is injury-prone and has lived up to that this spring. That leaves the competition for the fifth starter role between Chris Tillman, Rick VandenHurk and Zach Britton.
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