Hot and Cold

Aside from her looks, I’m not a fan of Katy Perry by any means, but I think she’d be the perfect person to perform at one of those lame free concerts the Orioles put on every now and then.

She could sing the Orioles new theme song: Hot and Cold.

In late May, the Orioles won 7 of 8 games, including the amazing sweep of the Blue Jays that was capped off by a Nolan Reimold walk off home run in extra innings. Then they went 2-10.

Then they came back east and won another 7 out of 8.

Then they went to Miami and got swept by the Marlins.

What gives?

I know the Orioles aren’t a good team by any means, but how can they get so hot and so cold?

In one word, it’s the offense.

The pitching has been pretty consistent over the last month, with 2 or 3 solid starts, 1 mediocre start, and then 1 terrible start each time through the rotation. And that’s fine. Even winning teams usually get that from their rotation.

But even when it was in the middle of the most recent winning streak, the Orioles erased some disappointing offensive displays by getting some huge clutch hits late in the game, like the final game against the Mets and game 2 of the Phillies series. Even though the Orioles won those games in the 9th inning, they still left 10 and 14 runners on base in those games.

And that didn’t stop against the Marlins. In the series, in which the Orioles were swept, they left a total of 22 runners on base. The difference? They didn’t get that handful of clutch hits that would have made the difference, especially in the first 2 games of the series. Let’s face it, they weren’t winning that last game after Rich Hill and Chris Ray were shelled.

It also doesn’t help that Adam Jones has a .534 OPS in June.

Luckily, the Orioles come back home to face the Nationals, who are still the worst team in the majors. But after that, the Red Sox come to town, followed by another trip to the west coast.

Ugh.

The Orioles better start knocking in those runners soon. Because it could get really ugly.

Until then, expect to see this current cold streak continue. The hot water may have gotten all used up.

****

Chris Ray is in a word, terrible. After his pathetic 1.2 IP, 5 ER performance last night (including a grand-slam from Hanley Ramirez, his second in the series, the first allowed by Danys Baez), Ray’s ERA is up to a whopping 10.13. I know he still may be battling back from Tommy John surgery, but Ray is not getting it done. As a matter of fact, I’d say he’s close to getting released. So before they do that, Rick Kranitz should step in and attempt to overhaul Ray’s herky-jerky wind-up, which has contributed to Ray’s injuries…Danys Baez, who was once the Orioles most reliable reliever, has struggled mightily as of late, allowing 6 ER in his last 2 appearances, which have amounted to just 1 IP. He allowed the 3 run home run to Ryan Howard in game two against the Phillies, and allowed a grand-slam to Hanley Ramirez in game 1 against the Marlins. Baez was once considered to be the Orioles most tradable player, but you have to wonder now, after he’s pretty much resembled a home run derby pitcher lately…Nick Markakis showed signs of life last night, going 4-4 with 2 doubles. Markakis has been “slumping” by his standards since his hot start in April, with a .744 OPS in May and June.

Back on Track?

Like a bad girlfriend, the Orioles find ways of pulling you back in just when you’re about to walk away from them.

To be honest, I was finished with the Orioles after their 2-week long offensive slump where they went 2-10. I was ready to spend more time in the yard or watching Real Housewives of Glen Burnie. Anything other than watching the O’s trot out there, go through the motions and lose another game. 

But then they started playing well again. They took 2 out of 3 from both the Braves and Mets at home and then did the impossible – they swept a team on the road! And that team was the World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies! 

Holy F---! 

So yeah, now I’m an O’s fan again, excited to watch the O’s try to continue their winning ways against the Florida Marlins. 

The Marlins have dominated the Orioles since interleague play began in 1997. The Orioles are 5-13 against the Fish and I vividly remember the Marlins sweeping the wire-to-wire Orioles in 1997 on their way to becoming the shocking World Series Champions that year. 

But all the O’s need to do to continue winning is do what they have done over the last 9 games…pitch well and get clutch hits. 

The O’s team ERA in June is 4.23. And while the offense still strands too many runners on base, they make up for it by getting clutch hits late in the game. You only need to look at the 5-4 win over the Mets last Thursday, the amazing 6-5 comeback win over the Phillies last Saturday and the late-inning 2-1 win against the Phillies yesterday (all won in the 9^th inning) to see clutch hitting at its best. 

That said, the Orioles can’t keep waiting for clutch hitting for much longer. They need to get those runners in more often in the early innings. 

So there you have it. The Orioles are playing good baseball. Every day you can say that past June 21^st is a blessing.

 

A week to forget

Win 7 of 8 games? Check.

Look like the organization has finally turned a corner with rookie players contributing? Check.

So what happened to the Orioles?

A west coast trip happened.

The Orioles must be unable to deal with jet lag or airline food because they completed another miserable west coast trip, going 1-5 and losing 5 straight games. In those six games they scored a total of 10 runs. For those who failed second grade math, that’s less than 2 runs a game.

And just when you thought the offense was offensive, remember all that solid pitching we were getting? Reality check time:

Jeremy Guthrie - 0.2 IP, 6 ER.

Jason Berken - 3.1 IP, 9 ER

Rich Hill - 0.2 IP, 3 ER (including 4 BB and 1 HBP)

As well as the Orioles were playing for a week there, winning 7 of 8 games, they completely erased all those warm and fuzzy feelings (just like they always have) by losing 7 of 8 games.

Matt Wieters, the savior of the Baltimore Orioles, who even has his own Chuck Norris-like website (http://www.mattwietersfacts.com/) is currently batting .143 with 0 HR. Nick Markakis and Brian Roberts are both mired in month-long slumps. Only Adam Jones has been consistent since opening day, but even he hasn’t hit a HR since May 26th.

Remember when we were all saying that the Orioles turned a corner 2 weeks ago? Well they may have, but then they ducked back behind the corner and started cowering like a scared little girl.

When is this team ever going to make a stride and not erase it the second they realize they’ve made one?

Rich Hill needs a complete mechanical overhaul. His delivery is so long and strenuous, it’s no surprise he’s had back injuries and trouble with control in the past. Hopefully pitching coach Rick Kranitz can reinvent Hill so he can consistently become the dominant pitcher he is at times. It’s hard to remember that we acquired Hill for a PTBNL.

Jason Berken was due for a start like his last one. He doesn’t miss many bats, and Oakland (while one of the worst offensive teams by OPS in the AL) was put together by Billy Beane, a GM who picks up players who are patient and will make you pay for mistakes. And boy did they make Berken pay for not having dominant stuff, collecting 9 hits and 3 walks in just 3.1 IP.

But it’s Jeremy Guthrie who is perhaps the most troubling of them all. Guthrie had been the team’s anchor pitcher for the last 2 years. In any given year he’s only had just a handful of bad starts. Well, so far this year, he’s only had a handful of good starts. And that handful is pretty small. The Orioles would be wise to trade Guthrie if he gets back on track because he doesn’t look to be the stabilizer he was for the last few years. And as the Orioles continue to call up their promising pitching prospects, the spaces in the rotation are few and far between.

So, are the Orioles getting better? Will they ever turn this ship around?

It’s hard to tell after the last 2 polarizing weeks.

A Game to Remember!

This is going to be a week to remember for sure.

The Orioles have won 5 of their last 6 and just completed their first sweep and 3-game winning streak of the season.

And boy did it come in dramatic fashion.

Facing Toronto’s ace, Roy Halladay, yesterday, the Orioles ran out their “B-team” which consists of Felix Pie, Chad Moeller and Robert Andino. It was as if they were forfeiting the game.

And after being handed a small 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first inning, Rich Hill promptly gave it back with a miserable performance. He lasted only 3.1 innings, allowed 6 hits, 3 walks and 6 ER.

Trailing 8-3 in the bottom of the 8th, the O’s exploded for 5 runs against Toronto’s bullpen, tying the game on 4 consecutive base hits. Not to mention, Adam Jones was thrown out at the plate to end the inning.

In the top of the 11th, Aaron Hill hit a 2-run bomb to put the Jays back up 10-8, and it looked like the O’s would lose despite their great comeback. And fans were thinking, “oh well, we won the series, David Hernandez is making his MLB debut tomorrow and Matt Wieters the day after that. Can’t complain.”

But wait.

Nick Markakis singled to right to start the 11th. Then Aubrey Huff popped out. Melvin Mora singled to right. Then Luke Scott singled to right, scoring Markakis making it 10-9.

So there were two men on with Nolan Reimold coming up to the plate.

Rewind. Reimold had pinch hit for Pie in the bottom of the 8th and struck out twice since coming into the game. But Reimold won this battle, and the game, but parking a line-drive home run just over the left field fence to win the game 12-10.

As Reimold arrived at home plate, the entire team swarmed him. It looked like Aubrey Huff delivered some celebratory body shots to his mid-section. I hope Huff took something off those rib-blasters or else Reimold is going to need another day off.

In the end, the come-from-behind win just capped an already amazing week that saw Jason Berken earn his first MLB win in his MLB debut, as well as prospects David Hernandez and Matt Wieters making their debuts as well (tonight and tomorrow respectively).

Not to mention, it was the first 3 game sweep of the Blue Jays since 1995.

Mark this week on your calendars, folks. It could be one you want to look back to in a year or two and remember it as the time it all finally started to change.

****

Back-up SS Robert Andino collected 4 hits and made a stellar defensive play at short. He also had an RBI… Luke Scott’s HR off Halladay in the 2nd inning was his 3rd off Halladay in only 6 AB’s... Remember when Brian Bass’ ERA was about as high as the cost of a Blu-Ray DVD? It’s down to 4.22 and he’s only allowed 3 ER in his last 24.2 IP.

A week to remember

Well, it’s finally happened.

The Orioles announced yesterday that super-prospect Matt Wieters will be called up to start Friday, meaning the 2009 Orioles season has officially begun.

I said all along that we really couldn’t measure the 2009 Orioles until Wieters had arrived, and in addition to Wieters, the Orioles have called up 3 rookie pitchers (Brad Bergesen, Jason Berken and David Hernandez) to make their MLB debuts since opening day. They've also replaced a slumping Felix Pie with a red-hot Nolan Reimold.

It’s a much different team now. A much better team.

I’d say it’s safe to start measuring.

Bergesen and Berken both collected wins in their MLB debuts. Reimold has 3 HR already. 29-year-old Rich Hill was activated from the DL and has pitched well in his first 2 starts. So it’s no surprise that the Orioles have won 4 out of their last 5 after being swept by the Yankees in New York.

But the biggest factor going forward is Wieters. He’s the one we’ve all been waiting for. All of the sudden the Orioles line-up is stacked from top to bottom. And by replacing Greg Zaun as the starting catcher, the Orioles finally have a chance to throw out opposing base-stealers (Zaun was only 8 for 25 in that department).

So it’s been a big week with Berken, Hernandez and now Wieters all having been called up and the Orioles having won 2 series in a row.

The future is now. It’s finally arrived.

But it gets even better. The Big 3 (Chris Tillman, Jake Arrieta and Brian Matusz) are still waiting in the wings and all pitching well. Troy Patton, back from Tommy John surgery, has been dominating AA Bowie and is probably the next in line for a call-up. So the best is yet to come, at least in the pitching department.

And at 20-26, the Orioles don’t appear to be as bad as they looked a week ago. No more Adam Eaton. Mark Hendrickson is buried in the bullpen where he belongs and either (the slumping) Chris Ray will be optioned to Norfolk or (the finished) Jamie Walker will be released to make room for Hernandez tomorrow.

So the team continues to get better and better.

And the 2009 season continues to get more and more interesting.

Battle of the Beltway

Well it’s that time of year again.

The Battle of the Beltway. Too bad the beltway is at a standstill because everyone is rubbernecking to get a look at the train wreck that are the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals (or Natinals, if you go by their uniform).

The O’s are 16-25 and have the third most losses in the MLB. The Nationals are 12-28 and have the most losses in the MLB.

It’s safe to say the Baltimore/DC area did something to piss off the baseball gods because no metropolitan area deserves baseball this bad.

Way back in 1997, when interleague baseball started out, I was opposed to it. I was a baseball traditionalist, and liked that the leagues were separated save for the All Star Game and the World Series.

But I can see the “cool” factor of interleague play... O’s in funky NL Stadiums... watching the pitchers bat. Well at least until Daniel Cabrera left (BTW, since Cabrera joined the Nationals, he’s 0-11 and 0-25 for his career).

The O’s and Nats are vertically identical. Both teams have pretty good offenses (O’s 8th in the AL, Nat’s 3rd in NL) and both teams are last in their respective leagues in pitching.

So even though the Nats come into the series with the worst record in the majors, the Orioles shouldn’t be licking their chops yet. They’ve got to try and get these guys out.

And so far they haven’t been able to get anyone out.

Terminator Salvation

The Terminator series is near and dear to me since I grew up watching these films throughout my childhood. Terminator 2: Judgment Day was one of the first R-rated films my parents allowed me to watch. And the original film scared the crap out of me. Arnold’s T-101 killer just... wouldn’t... die.

In 2003 I welcomed Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines despite James Cameron being replaced by Breakdown and U-571 director Jonathan Mostow. And while T3 surely wasn’t up to par with the first two films, it was a worthy continuation of the series.

I watched all 3 films over the course of a few nights earlier this week in anticipation of Terminator Salvation being released this weekend, and what struck me was how well each film advanced the Terminator mythology.

The plot of T1 and T2 are well known. Terminators are sent back in time to wipe out either Sarah (Linda Hamilton) or John Connor (Edward Furlong). Connor, after all, will eventually become the leader of the resistance in the war against the machines. After T2, we assumed that Sarah and John were successful in defeating SkyNet and avoiding Judgment Day.

But then T3 came along and changed all the rules.

In T3, the major theme is that the future is set. There is fate, regardless of what we make, which is why the events in T2 only delayed Judgment Day from happening. In addition to T3 changing the rules, we also learn that John Connor (Nick Stahl) will be killed by a T-101 sometime in the future and that he will marry Kate Brewster (Claire Danes), a simple gal who is about to marry her fiancé.

So if the first two movies were about preventing the future, T3 and to a lesser extent, Salvation are about accepting fate.

Cameron’s first 2 films are classics. There is nothing to say that hasn’t already been said. They are some of the best sci-fi/action movies in the history of cinema. But if Salvation is to become a new trilogy, then T3 was the perfect bridge between the two sets of films. Most importantly, it’s fun. Sure it has its flaws, but what third entry in a franchise doesn’t?

Terminator Salvation picks up the action in 2018, 15 years after the events in T3. The resistance is up and running and John Connor (Christian Bale) has risen to the top of the pecking order with his knowledge of what’s to come.

However, the leader of the resistance, General Ashdowne (Michael Ironside) doesn’t believe in Connor. Instead, he believes the resistance has found a way to defeat SkyNet. Connor is on board with the plan until he meets up with Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), a former death-row inmate who upon his execution in 2003, signs his body over to science. He wakes up in 2018 with no knowledge of Judgment Day or the resistance. But there is something different about Marcus. And he hasn’t aged a day since 2003.

Meanwhile, John’s father, Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin), who is now just a teenager, is captured by SkyNet. And if Connor is to exist, he has to free Kyle so he can eventually be sent back in time to protect Sarah Connor, as well as impregnate her so John can be born. And as Sarah Connor says on one of John’s old cassette tapes, “you can go crazy thinking about this”. Such is the case with all time-travel scenarios.

So can Connor and Marcus work together to rescue Kyle and defeat SkyNet? I’m pretty sure you know the answer, but the fun is getting there anyway.

McG (Charlie’s Angels, We Are Marshall) takes over for Mostow behind the camera, and while he makes the action gritty and somewhat realistic, he can’t milk emotional performances from his actors, save Worthington and Yelchin.

Christian Bale’s Connor is somewhat flat, but Bale is quickly becoming a flat actor. Bryce Dallas Howard’s Kate Connor, not looking a day older than Claire Danes in T3 despite it being 15 years later, is basically a cameo performance. She holds her pregnant belly and opens her eyes wide a lot. The rest of the supporting cast (Common, Moon Bloodgood, Jadagrace) sometimes aggravate with their one-note performances, and are other times mediocre-at-best.

I don't know what to make of the script, originally written by T3 duo John Brancato and Michael Ferris. Early on, reports were that Marcus had a bigger part than Connor, which may explain why the script's original ending had Connor dying and Marcus remade in Connor's likeness to lead the resistance in the next 2 movies. Since then, the likes of Paul Haggis, Shawn Ryan and Jonathan Nolan polished the script even though Brancato and Ferris were credited in the film. The end result of the script is mostly just a few words here and there to advance the plot and fill in the audience with some back story.

But the biggest drawback of the film is the editing. Some scenes end abruptly. Characters appear in places without the audience knowing how they got there. And crucial plot points are glossed over quickly to get to the action sequences. It feels like there is a good chunk of footage missing, and all reports indicate that there will be 30-40 minutes of extra footage on the DVD release. So the jury’s still out on whether Salvation is just a moderately good Terminator movie, or a great Terminator movie.

Yes, it is good, despite the mid-30’s rating that it’s currently getting over on Rotten Tomatoes. It should please the hard-core Terminator fans that haven’t been scared away by the PG-13 rating or McG with several references to the older films. My favorites were the fuel cells from T3 and a fun placement of Guns N Roses’ “You Will Be Mine” late in the film.

It’s also important to keep in mind that Salvation is supposed to be the first film in a new trilogy. Because of that, the film should have felt more epic, as it set up the characters and situations to come over the next 2 films. Perhaps the extended version of the film on DVD will do that.

But it all depends on how Salvation will perform at the box office. It’s unlikely that the film will make back its whopping $200 Million budget in the theater alone, meaning that success on DVD is crucial. And if there is in deed an extra 30-40 minutes to be put back into the film, I think Salvation will do just fine on DVD.

I liken Terminator Salvation to Superman Returns. It’s a worthy addition to the franchise, but has its flaws. And because of these flaws, the future of Salvation is up in the air at this point. Bale has said he won’t make another Terminator film, meaning that the role will have to be recast yet again. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing either.

I personally hope there are 2 more movies. I hope that we get to see the future war evolve into the war we saw in Cameron’s films (laser guns and lots of human skulls!) and we see the series come full circle, with Kyle Reese sent back in time to protect Connor’s mother. And most importantly, I’d like to finally see the human resistance defeat SkyNet.

Only then will I feel like the Terminator series is finished. So until then I’ll keeping hoping that these movies “will be back”.