Sunday, Bloody Sunday

OK, what's going on here?

I can't really complain about anything this year, since the Orioles are at .500 after being expected to lose 100 games, and they've had more comebacks so far this year than they've had in the last 10 years (it seems), but what the hell is going on with this team on Sundays?

They're 1-10 on Sundays so far this season and have lost 10 games in a row on the sabbath.

The good news about the latest Sunday loss is that the Orioles mounted awe-inspiring comebacks on Friday and Saturday night before coming back again on Sunday, only to eventually lose to the Pirates in extra-innings.

Maybe the Orioles are looking forward to that usual Monday off.

Who knows.

But Jay Payton had this to say about the O's woes on the Lord's Day...

"We should just quit playing on Sundays and we'll be in first place," Jay Payton said. "It's just one of those stats. Maybe we need to cut the head off a monkey or something to switch it up. I think it's usually a chicken, but I'm thinking maybe a monkey would work. But that's animal cruelty. I wouldn't do that."

I haven't been crazy about Payton being on this team, but quotes like that are making me like him more and more.

Anyway, let's hope the O's start performing a little better on Sundays.

Welcome Matusz

The Orioles selected LHP college pitcher Brian Matusz with their 4th overall pick in the 2008 Amateur Draft today.

It's a move that some view as risky, since the top 10 players in this draft were mostly comprised of power hitting prospects, and most of them first basemen, which the Orioles have been in desperate need of since Rafael Palmeiro left after 1998.

Justin Smoak was the coveted player by fans, especially when he was still available when the Orioles were on the board, but the O's played it safe by selecting Matusz, who can be added to the already trench-deep stock of young arms in the minor leagues.

What the Matusz drafting could possibly signify is that the Orioles do intend on making a serious run after free agent 1B Mark Teixeira. Teixeira is a Baltimore native and on several occasions has publicly said that playing for the Orioles would be a dream come true. Just so long as he's paid handsomely for it.

But while O's Draft Guru Joe Jordan said that potential free agent signings should never play a part in draft strategy, it's hard to ignore the writing on the wall here, especially when the O's have had a black hole at 1B for the last 10 years and had a great chance to fill it today by drafting Smoak.

Matusz, while a highly-touted college pitcher, doesn't have a great fastball and it's been said that he "pitches backwards", meaning he relies on breaking balls and offspeed pitches early in the count and uses his fastball as an out pitch.

But as with all drafts, fans only tend to focus on the few people saying a player will be a bust, ignoring the scores of others who say the player will be fine.

The Orioles still have several rounds of draft left to fill in the numerous positional holes they have throughout the minors, but it was definitely a risky move selecting Matusz with the 4th overall pick.

Remember, Adam Loewen was a LHP who the O's selected in with the 4th overall pick in 2002 and has only pitched 161 career innings. Prince Fielder was taken 4 spots later.

Hopefully Brian Matusz will work out better. Because Smoak was there's for the taking.

The end of an era...

Luis Hernandez was designated for assignment yesterday to make room for starting pitcher Radhames Liz, bringing with it the end of an era for the Baltimore Orioles.

Luis Hernandez played in 66 games with the Orioles from 2007-2008. His career OPS as an Oriole was .601.

Hernandez came from the tomato and onion fields of Quibor, Venezuela with a baseball glove and a dream of one day playing in the major leagues.

His career stats are astounding...

39 Career Hits
1 Home Run
3 Doubles
10 RBI

His hard-nosed play in the field was thing of beauty to watch.

Insert the sound of a needle scratching across a record.

OK, so I'm being sarcastic.

Luis Hernandez will go down in O's history along with Carlos Mendez and Luis Lopez as meaningless players who will live in infamy.

But never has such a weak player (Luis Hernandez was a mid-500 OPS hitter in AA ball) been given a starting position by a major league team to start a season.

Luis was the cause for much debate over at the Orioles Hangout, where several posters instantly fell in love with Hernandez's solid defense when Miguel Tejada went down with an injury. They also tried to draw the conclusion that Hernandez was the reason for the O's winning when Tejada was on the DL.

Others looked at Hernandez's stats, which were quite simply pathetic, and wondered aloud and often how such a terrible player could be given such a huge benefit of the doubt by others.

And when the 2007-2008 offseason ended without GM Andy MacPhail finding a better option at SS, Luis Hernandez was given the starting job to enter the 2008 season.

Turns out, Hernandez's defense wasn't as great as initially thought, as his range was diminished and his erratic mechanics caused him to throw balls to first base into the dirt. Rumors of Luis showing up to spring training 25 pounds over weight also surfaced.

At the plate, Hernandez was a tad more patient than he had been in 2007, but overall, it seemed like he was swinging a toothpick.

And when MacPhail realized that Hernandez was who fans knew he was all along, he signed Alex Cintron and removed Luis Hernandez from the starting line-up when Freddie Bynum came off the DL.

One thing is for sure, neither Cintron or Bynum is the answer at SS, but Hernandez wasn't either, and Cintron and Bynum are both slightly better all-around players than Hernandez, who was a "defensive specialist" with average defense.

Now that he has been DFA'd, Hernandez will probably clear waivers and report to Norfolk to continue his minor league career. And to his credit, Hernandez was never a good player, but he did play the game hard. But if he did show up to spring training over weight, one has to wonder what he was thinking, since he was basically being handed a position he didn't deserve, and should have taken advantage of it.

In the end, Luis Hernandez means nothing in the grand scheme of things. But he was the subject for much debate, and now that he's gone, I think I'll kind of miss him.

Time for some rebuildingesque moves

It's June.

And you know what that means.

It means the Orioles' best baseball is behind them and the summer will get hot and long at the Yard as the Orioles continue to show their true colors.

If losing the first 3 games of a 4-game series with Boston is indicative of anything, it's that the O's have a long way to go before they can hang with the big dogs.

So now that the usual two-month run of decent baseball to start the season is over, it's time the Orioles started acting like a team that is in rebuilding mode.

And that means getting rid of some dead weight.

First and foremost, Steve Trachsel.

Trachsel was skipped in the rotation when off days allowed the O's to do it and in his last start Trachsel gave up 9 ER in 1.2 IP against the Rays.

It's clear the Orioles don't have faith in Trachsel getting them quality innings and no one can blame them. Steve Trachsel has a huge fork sticking out of his back.

When Loewen becomes healthy, Trachsel is as good as gone, but why not reward reliever Jim Johnson with a start or two before Loewen is back to get rid of Trachsel a little earlier?

Trachsel may be a good leader for the younger pitchers, but he'd have to be Albert Einstein with them in order to justify keeping him in the rotation at this point.

So it's time for Trax to make some tracks. Away from Baltimore.

Next up is Jay Payton.

Plain and simple, Payton doesn't fit on this team anymore. As a matter of fact, he never did. He was the prototypical dollars-for-mediocrity Flanagan-era signing and his contract is now an albatross hanging across the neck of this team.

It's time to get the most value out of Jay Payton and that is paying him to not be on the team.

He's old, his contract expires at the end of the year, and he's a terrible defender. Plus, he's being mis-used. He still hits LHP at a .805 OPS clip, but he's got more AB's against RHP so far and his .557 OPS against RHP is horrid.

Leave it to the O's to platoon two players the wrong way.

Why Luke Scott and his .887 OPS against RHP is ever sitting against a non-southpaw is baffling to me. Used in the right role on a contending team, Payton can still be a useful player at 35. But at his salary, and with Luis Terrero (.895 OPS in Norfolk) and AA prospect Nolan Reimold on the verge, Jay Payton has never been more expendable.

Andy MacPhail made the right move in releasing Jay Gibbons before the season began, and he should do the same thing with Payton in order to get a good look at Terrero and Reimold.

Next. Why all of Cintron, Bynum and Luis Hernandez are still on the team is ming-boggling. It's time to release Hernandez and give Scott Moore a shot. Yes, he's been slumping in Norfolk, but his career MiL numbers are solid and he plays as many positions as Hernandez. Even in a slump Moore could outhit Hernandez.

And as much as I love Kevin Millar for being a great clubhouse guy and getting the occasional clutch hit, I just don't know why he is still a starter. And while there is no one else on the roster or on the farm to take his place, as soon as a promising career MiL player is put on waivers, the Orioles should snatch them up and hand them a starting gig. Someone like Jason Botts or Josh Phelps would fit the bill. And ironically, the Orioles had their chance to have both of those guys and missed their chance.

Millar is another guy who isn't going to be in Baltimore next year and it's time to start running through the usual suspects who could be. Yes, that may include watching a guy like Botts flail away at everything thrown to him at the plate, but it'd be no worse than Millar at this point.

That's not to take away from Millar. Like I said, he is huge to the chemistry of this team (if there is such a thing -- I bet we'll hear less and less about chemistry the more the O's lose) and his defense is still solid at 1B. But it's time to find the next Kevin Millar. The next 26 year old Kevin Millar that is.

That, along with making solid trades and drafting well is rebuilding, after all.

To Wie or not to Wie

With Ramon Hernandez's aching wrists threatening to send him to the DL, the Orioles Hangout insiders are saying that the O's are pondering whether or not to call-up catching prospect Matt Wieters from high-A Frederick.

Currently, Wieters is tearing up Frederick to the tune of a 1.053 OPS with 8 HR.

And while it's a risky move to call up a player from single-A ball, Wieters is making the idea hard to simply reject.

At this rate, Wieters is looking like he'll be the starting catcher in 2009. Calling him up to replace Hernandez for a few weeks will allow him to get a feel for the big leagues so that he won't have to deal with the jitters when he returns to the Orioles either later this year or next.

However, Wieters would skip two crucial MiL levels to get to the majors, and his adjustment period would possibly be long and hard to watch. You don't want to damage his ego. But, Wieters definitely has "it", and given the right amount of time, he would more than likely get adjusted to the majors.

Personally, I don't see much of a problem with calling him up. If he's being over-matched, send him back down to Frederick to get him feeling good about himself again and then promote him to Bowie as soon as possible. But, if he comes here and looks good, there is no reason to send him back down.

I would like to get the adjustment period out of the way early so he can become a crucial part of the offense next year which could possibly have Mark Teixeira in it.

One thing is for sure though, if Ramon goes to the DL, the O's will need another catcher. If it's not Wieters, it should be Chris Heintz, who is currently holding his own at Norfolk with a .805 OPS. He would serve as back-up to Guillermo Quiroz, who deserves more playing time, even with Ramon healthy.

So, the Orioles have a decision to make, and for once, it's a decision they really can't screw up no matter what they decide.

Die Hard

It's been 10 days since the Bad Oriole returned to the nest with a worm in its beak, so I've got a lot to cover in this blog post. Open wide!

First and foremost, the Orioles have to be commended for their "never say die" spirit. Last night, after being down 5-0 early to the Seattle Mariners, the Orioles battled back yet again, and won the game 8-7.

They're 7-1 in one run games and have 9 comeback wins so far.

Since my last post, the O's have split 2-game series' with the Blue Jays, the White Sox, and took 2 of 3 from both the Yankees and the Mariners.

They now sit at 13-9, 1 game back of the first place Boston Red Sox, as they enter into a 4-game series with the first place Chicago White Sox.

The starting pitching has improved. Daniel Cabrera threw one of the best games of his career on Wednesday night, going 8 IP, allowing 2 ER, striking out 5 and wait for it..... walking zero.

Don't look now, but Cabrera has strung together 3 great starts, in which he has gone at least 6 IP and allowed 2 ER or less. His walks are now decreasing and it finally looks like he could be coming into his own.

On the flip-side, Adam Loewen took the hill last night, and got hit hard, only lasting 2.2 IP before being taken out. The bad news, Loewen complained of pain in his arm, and is now on the 15-day DL. It appears likely that Loewen is headed for another long-term shutdown, one that could end his season, again.

The good news is that the bullpen kept the Orioles in a game that was seemingly out of hand, allowing them to mount a huge comeback for the win. And on top of that, there are at least 4 pitchers either on the Orioles or down on the farm who are very deserving of taking Adam Loewen's spot in the rotation.

Other positives: Randor Bierd has been an anchor in the bullpen, eating innings like they are cupcakes. He's pitched 12.1 innings so far and has yet to allow an ER.

George "the Sheriff" Sherrill is 8 for 8 in save opportunities, and got another one last night, making that 5 against his former team. Think Seattle misses him much?

The Mariners are sure to also be missing Adam Jones, who had 3 RBI last night, and has raised his average to .270. Not to mention, his defense in CF is improving by the day.

Nick Markakis is blistering hot, with a .995 OPS. He's not getting much to hit in the #3 hole with a slumping Kevin Millar behind him, and being pitched around has raised his OBP to a whopping .468, but he's crushing everything that's in the strike zone.

Luke Scott has cooled down after he kicked his way through the gate, guns blazing, but his .878 OPS is still 70 points higher than the next man. He's also making up for his lack of HR's with doubles. He leads the team with 9.

And even though the offense is starting to cool down overall, they are at least getting hits and scoring runs when they need to, as they did last night.

One thing that is frustrating, however, is the questionable roster moves the Orioles keep making.

When the O's sent Adam Loewen to the DL, they called up middle-infielder Eider Torres, creating the redundant trifecta of weak hitting middle-infielders currently made up of Luis Hernandez and Brandon Fahey.

Torres was hitting well so far this season in Norfolk (.338 AVG, .795 OPS), but Torres should prove to be no better than Hernandez or Fahey with his career .675 MiL OPS.

One would hope that if Torres can swing a bat well, it would result in sending one of Hernandez or Fahey back to Norfolk where they belong. Alex Cintron is also in the mix, and is currently getting into baseball shape in Norfolk as well, so the trifecta could become even more crowded.

Meanwhile, Luis Terrero is hitting well (.877 OPS) and could be used as a bat off the bench late in the game.

Another head scratcher is why Greg Aquino is still taking up space in Baltimore. He's only pitched 6 innings thus far and has looked terrible in each one. Manager Dave Trembley clearly doesn't trust Aquino in close games, and for good reason. If this is the case, the Orioles should release Aquino and call up one of the impressive relievers in Norfolk.

Lance Cormier (1.15 ERA), Alberto Castillo (2.70 ERA) or Bob McCory (1.93 ERA) would fit the bill.

All in all, the Orioles are fun to watch. When it looked like they would fall into a season-ending nose dive after getting swept in a double-header by the Rangers, the battled back to play well over the last week or so.

They've got a stiff challenge ahead of them in the White Sox, who seem to be doing everything really well. Splitting the series seems like a possibility, and would be a success in my opinion.

But with the way the O's are playing, a letdown seems inevitable.

We shall see.

That time of year again...

In what appears to have become an annual thing, there are rumors going around Orioles Hangout that the Orioles are considering putting Baltimore back on the road uniforms for 2009.

I don't know what there is to consider.

Baltimore should have been put back on the road uniforms years ago, and it should be added now, especially since the Nationals are in Washington, DC.

The deadline is May 1st to submit uniform changes to the MLB.

This has become one of those much-debated issues concerning the Orioles. Some people dismiss it as meaningless fodder, and then there are others, like me, that think it is a big issue, and a problem that the Orioles have repeatedly failed to fix.

There has always been a disconnect between the Orioles and the city of Baltimore ever since the Orioles moved to Camden Yards. And that disconnect only got bigger once the Ravens came to Baltimore and won over the hearts and minds of its people.

It's a small thing, but adding Baltimore to the road uniforms would be an olive branch from the Orioles to the city and its people. And there is no better time than now, as the Orioles are turning over a new page in their history books, and are rebuilding for the future the right way.

Not only would it surely increase merchandise sales, it would reconnect the team and the city. It's much harder to bad-mouth a team that wears the name of your city on its uniform.

But apparently, the only people who don't understand this are the Orioles, who appear more interested in milking the last penny from the regional territory outside of Baltimore than listening to the fans who live inside of the 695 loop.

The Orioles play home games in Baltimore, and will be doing so well into the future. So they might as well go ahead and put the city's name back on the uniform.

It's about time.