O's implosion in full gear

The past week has been interesting for O's fans as long as you're not actually watching the team play games.

First off, Bobby Valentine interviewed with the Orioles, and then talked about the interviews a bit on a radio show. Based on what he said about the Orioles, I don't think we can pencil Valentine in as the next O's skipper. I don't blame him.

In the last few days, some pretty substantial rumors have been flying around the Orioles Hangout about distension in the warehouse, including Angelos not being happy with the moves Andy MacPhail made last offseason, as well as a possible civil war between the O's draft team and player development.

Then, if it couldn't get crazier, Mr. Code of Silence himself, Nick Markakis, spoke pretty harshly about his teammates in a Sun article. He didn't name names, but you can figure out who he was talking about pretty easily (Adam Jones, Matt Wieters, Garrett Atkins, Julio Lugo, et al).

It's nice to see an Orioles player -- and one as reserved as Markakis -- finally say what's on everyone's minds about the Orioles' approach at the plate, but will anything change?

I doubt it.

Markakis also stood up for Terry Crowley in the article, saying what's happening with the offense is none of Crowley's fault. Well, the same thing could be said of Dave Trembley, but that didn't stop him from getting fired, did it? So I am not exactly backing off my stance on firing Crowley just yet.

I still stand firm on my belief that the Orioles need -- and should be headed for -- some drastic changes this offseason. But will the notoriously slow Andy MacPhail be able to handled all of it over the course of one offseason?

I think the bigger question is: will he still be here this offseason?

Things are getting interesting in Birdland, all right. And you don't even have to watch the games.

O's back to losing

Please, make it stop!

The Orioles didn't wait long to get back to their losing ways after Jake Arrieta beat the Yankees in his major league debut last Thursday night. They were just swept over the weekend by the New York Mets.

The Orioles have lost 22 out of their last 27 games since having that "respectable" stretch of baseball that lasted from April 25 to May 14th.

It's safe to say that any good vibes this team gets after a good win disappears like smoke the next day.

Each time the Orioles win a game I think "maybe this can get them started". I need to stop thinking that way. It doesn't exist.

The Orioles are 17-46, a whopping 29 games under .500, and it's only June 14th. It's unhealthy to think about how bad this team is. Seriously. Think about it too long and it gives you headaches. It makes you dizzy. It raises your blood pressure. The same thing happens when I think about black holes or the beginning of the universe for too long. The human mind is not advanced enough to embrace such complex thoughts.

The 1962 New York mets lost 120 games in a 161 game season. The Orioles have the same record after 63 games. Amazing.

So what now?

You got me. I thought the O's would be in store for some drastic changes this season once they got off to that horrid start, but so far only Dave Trembley has been let go. Terry Crowley is still the hitting coach. Garrett Atkins is still a Baltimore Oriole.

And Andy MacPhail is still asleep at the wheel.

He did interview managerial candidates last week, including Eric Wedge and Bobby Valentine, as well as a third mystery candidate according to The Baltimore Sun. But The Sun also said that the search for a manager could last until the offseason, so don't expect a massive coaching exodus to happen any time soon.

The current Oriole team is likely to remain the same well into the future. And as long as that happens, the Orioles have a chance to set the record for losing.

And if you would have told me at the beginning of the season that the Orioles had a chance to make history, I would have never guessed that it would be potentially setting the record for most losses in a 162 game season. I would have thought they were closer to setting the record for wins in a 162 game season.

But the Orioles suck. And even those harsh words are unable to express how bad this Orioles season really is.

Great. Now I've got a headache.

Arrieta impressive in win

Arrieta gets some props from Adam Jones after a solid 6 IP, 3 ER major league debut performance against the Yankees.

Jake Arrieta beat the defending World Series champion Yankees in his major league debut.

Talk about impressive.

Arrieta went 6 innings, allowed 3 runs on 4 hits, walked 4 and struck out 6. He exuded confidence and swagger on the mound, pumping his fist as he struck out Marcus Thames with the bases loaded to end the 6th inning, and his night.

It was the first time I'd seen Arrieta pitch since Frederick in 2008. His delivery is sound, and repeatable. He looks a lot like Mike Mussina, physically and in the way he pitches. His fastball had some great late movement and his change-up fooled Derek Jeter. His curveball was off all night, but what more could you ask for? He pitches his way out of a few jams and never lost his poise.

Outside of Arrieta, the bullpen did its job, as Frank Mata, Will Ohman and David Hernandez combined for 3 innings of work, allowing 1 hit and no runs. David Hernandez made his first appearance as closer and looked good in the role, walking a batter, but otherwise getting out of the inning easily. After the game, Juan Samuel said that Alfredo Simon will be the closer when he comes back from the DL, but I have to wonder how long that will last. Hernandez is clearly the best pitcher in the bullpen and that pitcher should always be the closer. Simon would make a good set-up guy, however. And Samuel may not last long enough as Orioles manager to make that decision. Andy MacPhail interviews former Mets manager Bobby Valentine today.

Offensively, the Orioles continued their recent "surge", especially in the clutch. Scott Moore hit a solo home run and Luke Scott could have had an inside-the-park HR had he not slammed down his bat coming out of the box and jogged to first before seeing Swisher missing the ball as he slammed into the scoreboard. Scott ended up with a triple, but it was disturbing to see him jog to first just a few days after he did the same thing. Thankfully, Samuel greeted him after he scored, and the two men had a discussion that was shown on MASN. Samuel appeared to be taking a light approach to reprimanding Scott, but Scott seemed to be offering up some BS excuses that broadcaster Gary Thorne took issue with. I agreed with Thorne. But whatever. At least Scott knows that he's being watched. And I wonder if that is something that Dave Trembley would have done under the same circumstances.

Adam Jones had a decent night at the plate, and looks a lot better than he did earlier in the season, despite the fact that he still can't hit a curve ball to save his life. But still, a 2 for 4 night with 2 RBI is solid for Jones who was a major disappointment to start the season. In his last 22 plate appearances, Jones has a .935 OPS including 3 -- count 'em -- 3 walks. He has 8 on the year. Maybe he is finally getting hot.

So it was a good all-around win. And it was against the Yankees, who the Orioles are 2-10 against on the year. Savor this moment. Arrieta got his first win and looked really impressive. Will the team carry this momentum into the future?

Is this the start of some *gasp* good baseball? We shall see.

Arrieta makes his debut tonight

Jake Arrieta, 24, makes his major league debut tonight against the New York Yankees.

For all the fans out there who have completely tuned out the Orioles, and I don't blame you, you will at least have a reason to watch tonight.

Jake Arrieta, the final piece of the "Big 3" (other members include Brian Matusz & Chris Tillman) makes his debut tonight against the New York Yankees.

The Yankees? Tough draw.

The other night, Nationals pitching phenom Stephen Strasberg made his debut against the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates, went 7 innings, allowed 2 ER and struck out a whopping 14 batters.

Arrieta won't have that kind of success against the Yankees. Probably not even close.

But it's OK. This is the AL East. Arrieta might as well get baptized by fire. He also has a bulldog mentality and would probably tell you he wanted it to work out this way.

Arrieta, 24, was drafted in 2007 after turning down offers to sign with both the Reds and Brewers in the 2005 and 2006 drafts to play baseball at Texas Christian University. He started off in Frederick in 2008 and struck out 120 batters in 113 innings while posting a 2.89 ERA. Toward the end of 2008 he joined Team USA in the Beijing Olympics where he allowed only 1 ER in 35 innings. The following year he stopped in Bowie for 11 starts before moving up to Norfolk where he made 17 starts. He ended the year with a combined 3.40 ERA and 148 K's in 150 innings.

And so far in Norfolk this year, Jake has an astounding 1.85 ERA. The problem is his strikeouts are down to 8 per 9 innings and his walks are up to 4.3. He previously averaged 3 walks per 9 innings, so the increase is quite alarming. But, Arrieta has made it work.

Will it work in the majors? Probably. But expect him to struggle like Matusz and Tillman have before him. The walks will be frustrating to watch, that's for sure.

But aside from any potential growing pains, it is refreshing to finally see Matusz, Tillman and now Arrieta all in the Orioles rotation. It may not translate to a better record right off the bat, but those three pitchers are the foundation for any future success and they are all in Baltimore to stay.

So, are you going to watch tonight? Is the major league debut of another highly-ranked prospect enough to make you tune in these days, as the Orioles are 16-43, good for the worst record in baseball?

For just one night, it should be.

Trembley fired, Samuel made manager

Dave Trembley is OUTTA HERE!!!

Well, it's about time the Orioles did something.

After their dreadful start to the season -- the second worst in franchise history -- the Orioles finally made a drastic move in response to the lost season and fired manager Dave Trembley.

I'd been calling for a drastic move since the 2-16 start to the season, and it included firing Trembley, among others. But now that it's happened, I have mixed feelings about the whole thing.

First off, Trembley is a good guy, and I appreciated his honesty and bluntness in interviews. It was refreshing to hear an Orioles manager openly speak his mind, even when things were at their worst. But at the same time, it was painful to watch him continue to manage the club. He looked beaten at times in the dugout and when he argued with umpires he didn't even have the energy to get thrown out of the game and rally his players.

I am not happy that Trembley has been fired but I am glad that the Orioles finally made a change to address the horrible season. They just couldn't avoid it any longer.

But firing only Trembley is not going to change a damn thing. I think Terry Crowley, the hitting coach, should also be given his release. Crowley has been the hitting coach for the Orioles since 1999, and over that time, the Orioles have been at the bottom of the league in hitting. I don't blame Crowley for the poor offense -- just look at the rosters he's had to work with over that time -- but, like Trembley, I just don't see how the Orioles can allow someone to continue holding down a position when they are getting zero results.

Young potential stars like Adam Jones and Matt Wieters have looked awful at the plate in 2010 and I do hold Crowley responsible for their regression. These were both great hitting prospects in the minors and since Crowley got a hold of them, they have drastically regressed. The same can be said of Nolan Reimold.

It's time for a new perspective when it comes to hitting. We can't allow Jones and Wieters to falter any longer. Crowley must go too. But it looks like he is still safe.

Moving on, third base coach Juan Samuel takes over for Trembley as the O's manager. And while I wish Samuel the best of luck, excuse me if I am not exactly thrilled by the news. For one, the Orioles desperately need a manager from outside the organization. Maybe Andy MacPhail couldn't get the guy he wanted mid-season, and that is fine, but I expect -- and demand -- a full house-cleaning this offseason. It's time to fill out the coaching staff with guys who have no experience in the Orioles system. It's time for a new perspective in pretty much every aspect of this organization.

As for Samuel, he looks like he could be a firey manager -- and a welcome change from the docile managers of the past: Trembley, Sam Perlozzo, Lee Mazzilli and Mike Hargrove. Samuel has been openly critical of the team in the past and it will be refreshing to have a manager who won't take sloppy play from his team without saying something about it.

And the most important thing: Samuel was a player in the major leagues. While I have always thought that mention of Trembley having never played professional baseball was an unfair slight against him, I do believe that Samuel's established career will garner respect from the players. So at least there's that.

But, in the end, it's the same old story. The Orioles made a change because they had to, and failed to do enough to make an impact to what has been a disaster of a season. There are still some people in the organization and on the roster who have no business being here.

Until that happens, color me unimpressed.

Time travel

It's starting to look a lot like 1988 in Baltimore.

After 53 games, the 2010 Orioles and the 1988 Orioles are pretty much identical twins.

In 1988, the Orioles were 12-41.

In 2010, the Orioles are 15-38.

Here is some more amazingness.

The Orioles are on pace to score 542 runs.

That is....

- 200 runs less than they scored last year.
- 240 runs less than they scored in 2008.
- 400 runs less than they scored in 1996.
- 8 runs less than they scored in 1988.

They are on pace to allow 811 runs.

That would be...

- an improvement over 9 of the last 11 years.
- 31 more than they allowed in 1988.
- 240 more than they allowed in 1997.

But wait. Just when you think that the O's have made some improvements in the pitching department, they are still 10th in the AL in ERA, and offense is down all across baseball.

Take, for example, the perfect game that never was last night. An umpire's blown call ended Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga's perfect game. If he would have gotten the perfect game, it would have already been the third perfect game this season. So offense is definitely down across the league, which may explain some of the Orioles' offensive woes.

Or maybe not.

This is just a terrible baseball team, especially on offense, and until MacPhail does something, it's only going to stay the same -- or get worse.

Until then, we'll at least be able to enjoy the 1988 season all over again.

Nothing has changed

I haven't posted since Friday, May 21st and since then, the Orioles are 2-7. And they were just swept by the Blue Jays this past weekend in a series where they scored only 3 runs.

They are 15-36 on the season and yet no major moves have been made.

Dave Trembley is still the manager despite owning the worst record in baseball and has never won more than 68 games since taking over as manager of the Orioles mid-way though 2007.

Terry Crowley is still the hitting coach despite the Orioles being dead last in runs scored, 10th in batting average, 13th in on base percentage and 11th in slugging and overseeing an offense that has routinely finished near the bottom of the league over the last 10 years.

And Garrett Atkins and his .555 OPS is still on the major league roster. And it's not like Atkins' .555 OPS is a fluke. The writing was on the wall for 3 years that Atkins was finished. But MacPhail took a $4.5 million dollar chance on him anyway.

It's inexcusable. It's maddening. And it's not fair to fans.

Andy MacPhail shouldn't have to atone for the decade of losing that took place before he arrived in Baltimore, but in 3 years as GM of the Orioles, he's beginning to create his own legacy in Baltimore. And it's one of indecisiveness and disregard for the fan. So where is the urgency to save his legacy? Does he even have one?

I am not saying that Dave Trembley should have his heart ripped out at home plate so fans can feel better. But I would like to see him held accountable for the embarrassment that occurs each time the Orioles take the field. Despite the injuries and slumps this team has had to deal with, they are a lifeless and spineless group of players. And while the manager can't bat or pitch, he can have an impact on a player's mentality and attitude, and right now, Dave Trembley is not getting results.

Terry Crowley is way past his expiration date in Baltimore. And the proof that so many hitters are struggling is in the pudding. This wasn't going to be the 1931 Yankees offense by any means, but it was supposed to be better than average thanks to some promising young hitters like Matt Wieters, Adam Jones and Nolan Reimold. And Crowley has to take some of the blame when NONE of those hitters has improved.

Garrett Atkins is a complete waste of a roster spot on a major league baseball team. He should join Eric Byrnes on his slow-pitch softball team...and I even wonder if Atkins would be any good there.

What I basically want to see, is a GM who holds his employees responsible, like any other business would. Yet, in Baltimore, you can be a mime in the dugout (Trembley), fail to help any hitter under the age of 26 improve (Crowley) or produce a .555 OPS (Atkins) and your job is completely safe.

Most businesses that allow for this kind of mismanagement fail quickly. Imagine a restaurant where the results in the kitchen or on the floor were similar to what is going on with the Orioles. Its tables would be empty in no time.

And it's no mistake that the seats are empty in Camden Yards. The fans are onto the Orioles. They aren't buying this steaming pile of shit they pass off as major league baseball any more.

At least not until we see people judged by the results they've put forth on the playing field.