Twelve Losses in a Row & Trembley

The Baltimore Orioles have lost 12 in a row. Forget the game, we all probably know what happened by now, and it is what it is.

The blog has been a supporter of Dave Trembley though the good, the bad and ugly; however, the past two weeks -- give or take a day or two -- has been nothing short of seeing the last portion of the Titanic sink into the icy cold waters of the ocean.

Does he stay around for 2010? I would have thought if the Orioles had come close to winning 70 games, sure; however, being that the team is trying avoid the psychological impact of 100 losses, could MacPhail just show Trembley the door?

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Eleven Losses in a Row...

I don't know what to say about the Orioles anymore. As much as an optimist as I am, while showing some cynicism, it is pretty much destined that the Orioles will lose 100 games in 2009?

As the Orioles left Cleveland over the weekend, they arrived in Tampa Bay, this time to face the Rays; however, despite having a 6-3 lead in the 7th inning, they found another way to lose. On Monday, they lost 7-6, only after reliever Matt Albers gave up a three-run homer to Willy Aybar in the seventh, and then Chris Ray gave up the tying run in the 8th.

Mark Hendrickson -- in a spot start for Baltimore -- went six strong innings and gave up three runs (all off of homers), and Brian Roberts had a two-run homer in the fourth, and Melvin Mora had two runs driven in; however, the bullpen could not put out a little smoldering fire, but instead let it burn and burn until it got too late.

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O's Swept in Cleveland: Nothing to See...

The Orioles got swept in Cleveland as the bullpen could not help out matters on both Friday and Saturday, plus Sunday's game started off in diasatrous fashion. At 60-95 now and in the midst of a 10-game losing streak, the '09 version is well into it's swoon and this time, it's more painful to watch. It's not as if the Orioles are facing the Yankees or Red Sox; however, they are finding crazy ways to lose to the likes of the Blue Jays and Indians -- two teams that occupy the second division?

And yes, sadly now, I expect the Orioles perhaps see 100 losses for the first time in two decades. Obviously the Orioles have a lot of young pitching, their lineup has been affected by injury, trades and whatever else, but I didn't even expect it to be this bad...

There are some positives like Matt Wieters improving in front of our eyes and Matt Aubrey coming through with some key hits, but there's really been nothing else to see.

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Eight in a Row and Melvin Mora's Tenure in Baltimore Coming to an End?

The Orioles lost their eighth consecutive game last night, as the Cleveland Indians -- who has lost 11-in-a-row going into Friday night -- pulled out a victory, 4-2. David Hernandez looked solid, but he took the loss as he gave up three runs in six innings of work.

Hernandez was cruising along until the fifth inning, but Cleveland would score three times in that period and decide the game. Luis Valbena homered to start the frame, then Lou Marson drove in a run with an RBI double, and then third baseman Melvin Mora let another run in for the Indians with a critical throwing error that allowed Marson to score.

The bullpen -- a source of consternation for fans theses days -- didn't help out Baltimore's cause as they allowed Cleveland to score again in the eighth inning thanks to a bases loaded walk by Matt Albers. The Orioles scored twice in the game -- once in the 2nd off a Michael Aubrey double, and then other in the sixth off Nick Marakakis' 17th homer -- but their offense has gone anemic in the final weeks of the season and could not do much with numerous opportunities given to them.

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Losing One Hundred Games and Fandom

When it comes to September, the Orioles for the past several seasons, to be blunt – have sucked. Right now, it seems to be par for the course with this team. On Wednesday night, the Orioles lost their seventh straight game as the Blue Jays defeated them, 7-3.

Well, long story short – Jeremy Guthrie gave up five runs in seven innings, after he could not hold a brief lead. The Jays took the lead, 5-2, in the fourth inning and never looked back thanks to a three-run fourth inning.

Michael Aubrey hit his first homer as an Oriole off Scott Richmond -- who earned the win – and Matt Wieters hit his 8^th home run in the fifth inning, but overall, the offense struggled, plus Guthrie who battled on the mound, just didn’t have it.

Rather than ramble on the game, the Orioles just need to win 3 more games to avoid the 100 loss plateau. Look, we all knew pretty much that the team was going to struggle with the young pitching, but could things have gotten this bad? The organization shows a lot of hope and talent, but as a fan and a customer it’s hard, and very disheartening to see your team lose season after season.

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Orioles Lose Again, Blue Jays Defeat Them, 9-2

Last night, the Orioles lost again to the Jays, 9-2, and stretched their current losing streak to four games. Furthermore, the Orioles are now 60-90, an unfathomable 30 games under .500. It looks like the Orioles will certainly avoid 100 losses; however, now I don't discount it based on the performances I have seen from the bullpen.

Chris Tillman took the loss on Monday night as he lost his fourth game of the season, going five innings and giving up four runs; however, the bullpen -- which has been awful the past month -- gave up four runs in the eighth inning, thanks to a subpar performance by Bob McCrory (who each and every time I have seen him on the mound, he's been hit hard).

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Red Sox Dominate Orioles -- Again

The Red Sox earned a series sweep over the Orioles on Sunday as they earned an easy victory, 9-3, as once again, their bats came alive -- this time early. For the second day, Boston hammered Baltimore pitching; however, instead of the victims being members of the bullpen, starter Jason Berken got knocked around. The Orioles finish their season series against the Red Sox in 2009 with a 2-16 record, which partly shows why they are in the cellar of the American League East.

Berken lost his 12th game of the season as he gave up six runs on ten hits. The Red Sox jumped on an inffective Berken in the opening frame Jason Bay plated in a run with an RBI-single, and then with the bases loaded, Mike Lowell drove had a two-run double, to give them a 3-0 lead.

The Red Sox raised the score to 4-0 as Victor Martinez had an RBI-single in the second inning, and then in the third, they took a 6-0 lead as Jacoby Ellsbury hit a ground double and plated in two runs. They inflicted more plain on Baltimore as Jason Bay hit his 35th homer -- a solo shot -- in the fourth inning to give them a 7-0 lead.

Luke Scott was hot again on Sunday as he hit his 24th homer -- a two-run shot -- to put Baltimore on the scoreboard. They would score their final run as Michael Aubrey earn an RBI as he walked with the bases loaded.

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Nolan Reimold Done For The Season...

It looks like Nolan Reimold is out for the season due to his nagging Achilles tendon. Now 2/3 of the young, much praised Orioles outfield has been shut down for the season...

Outfielder Nolan Reimold's first big league season, and most likely his chances at becoming American League Rookie of the Year, ended Friday when he was placed on the 15-day disabled list.

He will have surgery in Baltimore on Wednesday to repair the Achilles tendon in his left foot and will be sidelined for three to four months.

Reimold, who led all AL rookies in homers (15), on-base percentage (.365) and slugging percentage (.466), is hopeful that he will be ready for the start of spring training in February.

"I hate to stop playing now, but I think going forward this is probably the best decision," said Reimold, who finishes the season with a .279 average in 104 games after being recalled from Triple-A Norfolk on May 14.

The Orioles will add outfielder Lou Montanez to the roster for the final two weeks of the season. Montanez, who missed most of the season with torn ligaments in his right thumb, was sent home after a brief rehab stint in the minors earlier this month.

It's sad to see as he was having a great rookie season and was in the chase for the ROY award; however, at this point, it's safe to assume he's going to be the regular left fielder in 2010 and there's no point having him play the rest of the current season. Well, it looks like he'll be ready for the 2010 season, and there's little point seeing him take a chance on further injuring himself plus allowing one problem to become something else.

If there's a positive out of this, Felix Pie, Jeff Fiorentino and Luke Scott should see even more playing time in the outfield.

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Boston Invades Camden Yards -- Again; They Take The First Contest of Three Game Set

For the second night in a row, the Baltimore Orioles offense was listless, and in the end, the more-than-likely-playoff bound Boston Red Sox, upended them, 3-1. Young Clay Buchholz pitched his way to victory number three on the season as he went six innings and gave up a run on five hits. Jonathan Papelbon earned the save, his 37th.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Guthrie, who has struggled throughout the season, took his 15th loss of the year, which leads all of baseball. Guthrie was not terrible, but against a very strong Buchholz, he just didn't get the job done. He labored through 5 2/3 innings, and gave up three runs -- off a Casey Kotchman RBI-single in the second inning, a Jason Bay homer in the fourth -- a solo shot, and Jacoby Ellsbury plated in a run in the sixth inning.

Luke Scott looks to have finally gotten hot as he hit a solo home run in the bottom of the second, his 23rd; however, that was all the offense Baltimore could really muster.On the night, the Orioles weren't terrible, but the Red Sox found ways to execute and create opportunities when they needed to against Guthrie. One must consider that the Baltimore offense has been sapped of much of it's firepower due to Adam Jones being hurt, Aubrey Huff being traded, and Melvin Mora's average, RBIs, and power all but being sapped, the Orioles will more than likely have their hands full against premium teams.

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Few See the O's Lose to Tampa; Red Sox Come To Town...

Well, it was a decent night to be out at the Yard and I had pretty much a front row seat to the action; however, there was really not that much to see. In perhaps one of the smallest crowds I have even seen at a baseball game in Baltimore -- there could not have been more than 7,000 people in the stands, tops -- the Orioles were shut out by the Rays, 3-0.

Tampa starting picher Wade David looked like an old pro as he struck ten, walked two and allowed only four hits. His teammates provided more than enough support on the evening as Carl Crawford had an RBI-single in the third inning, and they scored in the fourth off Gabe kapler sacrifice. Tampa added another run in the ninth off a Evan Longoria RBI-single.

Mark Hendrickson, in a spot start took the loss as he gave up two runs in 3 1/3 innings worked. The bullpen for Baltimore was respectable as they only gave up a single run in 5 2/3 innings of work.

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Wieters' Walk-off Gives Baltimore a Victory Over Tampa...

It was a hell of a game last night, as the Orioles seemingly were setup to win a close one, but in the top of ninth, leading 2-1, closer Jim Johnson served up a one-out homer to Ben Zobrist to the game at two.

After both teams endured a lengthy rain delay before the ninth inning began, one figured that the game could have gone into extra innings; however, the Orioles in the bottom of the inning prevented that from happening.

Jay Howell – reliever for Tampa – came into the game and walked Luke Scott, and moments later, Mat Wieters came up to the plate and would hit a towering flyball which landed over the left-center field wall for a two-run game winning homer.

And at the end of the night, the Orioles would earn a 4-2 win over the Rays.

Baltimore got another great start from youngster Chris Tillman as he went 6 2/3 innings and gave up a run on five hits. The only run he gave up came in the sixth inning as Gregg Zaun hit a solo homer – his sixth. He didn’t strike out anyone, and while he allowed a lot of flyballs, it’s perhaps better to be lucky than good.

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The Youngsters Come Through

I attended last night’s game, and when I arrived to the park in the opening inning, things looked bad for Baltimore. They were already down 4-0 to a Tampa team trying to find its way back after an 11-game skid. Jason Berken – who started the game for Baltimore – gave up two singles to start off the game, allowed Ben Zobrist to plate in a run with a double, and then gave up a three-run shot to Pat Burrell.

It looked like all hope would be lost in opening frame; however, the Orioles fought back thanks to a gutsy outing by Jason Berken along with a five-RBI night by Matt Wieters. In the end, Baltimore ended up defeating Tampa, 10-5.

Berken earned his 5^th win on the season; meanwhile, Jeff Niemann – a Rookie of the Year candidate – labored, and struggled as he took the loss, lasting only four 4 1/3 innings on the mound. Also, Brian Roberts passed a milestone with Orioles as he hit his 52^nd double with the team in a season – breaking his own record of 51.

It looked like certain doom for the Orioles, but perhaps something clicked in Berken, and he ended up going 6 1/3 innings, giving up five runs; however, after the first inning, he’d only give up one run. The only other run Berken gave up was in the third inning as Burrell struck again with an RBI-single.

Baltimore finally got on the board in the third inning to make the score, 5-2, thanks an RBI-double by Brian Roberts and a groundout by Nick Markakis. They got another run in the fourth as Cesar Iztruis had an RBI-single.

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Rays End 11-Game Skin; Hernandez Ineffective -- Again; Matusz Shut Down, '10 Schedule Out...

Last night, the Tampa Bay Rays – who fell out of the playoff hunt with an 11-game losing streak – came into Baltimore with David Price on the mound to somehow themselves again.

Tampa did as they jumped on starter David Hernandez and the Rays ended up with an 8-4 win over the Orioles. Tampa ended an 11-game losing streak; however, the larger story may be the struggles of Hernandez. Baltimore was actually up 4-1 at one point thanks to hammering starting pitcher David Price for Tampa to the tune of four runs – all on singles during the opening frame, but he would shut them down for the rest of game.

Hernandez looked so promising, when he came up, but now it's a different story. If you want to read a sobering piece of reality, here’s what Dan Connolly wrote in the sun about the hurler:

“It was the second consecutive outing in which Hernandez failed to get at least 10 outs, and the third straight in which he has allowed at least five runs.

In his first 13 big league starts, Hernandez (4-8) had yielded five runs or more on only three occasions.

Despite Monday's short outing -- he was lifted after allowing a homer and a walk to start the fourth -- Hernandez, 24, officially eclipsed his career high in innings pitched for a season. And it's showing. He's now 1-6 with a 7.86 ERA in his last nine games.”

I’m sure most people who saw the game know what happened, the Rays jumped on Hernandez in the fourth with four runs when Baltimore had the lead, 4-2. A two-run homer by Reid Brignac and a B.J. Upton solo shot put the Rays up 5-4 when the frame end; thereafter, in the fifth inning, Tampa Bay scored three times thanks to inept fielding by Baltimore due to a Nolan Reimold error that sailed over home plate, followed by a errant toss by Brian Bass to third.

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Yankees Blow Out O's With an Eight-Run, Eighth Inning

Sunday’s game against New York started out as a close game, and it looked like Baltimore was perhaps going to suffer a close loss; however, the Yankees hurt the Orioles in the eighth inning by scoring, yes, eight times – a similar event took place a few weeks ago at Camden Yards.

In the end, the Yankees took what was a 5-3 game and turned it into a 13-3 final whipping once the Orioles got their bats in the frame. The Orioles could not get the sweep, and Chris Waters along with Bob McCrory got shelled hard in the eighth inning, being charged with four runs each. It looked like a virtual hit parade as New York batted around and then some, which started off with a Hideki Matsui three-run homer and fell apart from there.

Matsui ended up having five RBI, Melky Cabrera with three and Mark Teixiera with two thanks to an RBI-double in the eighth inning. The game was made eventful as both Alex Rodriguez and New York manager added great theatre to their ejections, but the rest of the afternoon would suck for Baltimore.

Jeremy Guthrie was not as effective as he on Sunday as in his past four starts, and he took the loss – his 14th on the season. He lasted 5 2/3 innings and was charged with five runs given up. He would allow the Yankees to score in the first off an Alex Rodriguez RBI-single, and then twice in the fourth off a Melky Cabrera RBI single, and gave up two more in the sixth off two-run single from Hideki Matsui.

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O's Win Against Yankees; Derek Jeter Passes Lou Gehrig as All-Time Yankees Hit Leader...

The eyes of the baseball world were on the Bronx last night as history -- depending on your perspective -- was made.

Derek Jeter finally became the all-time Yankee hit leader passing Lou Gehrig with a third inning single of Baltimore's Chris Tillman; however, the Orioles would spoil the momentous evening for New York fans by jumping all over their bullpen. Down 4-1 at the start of the fifth inning, the Orioles would score nine runs off a shaky New York bullpen and emerge victorious, 10-4, over the Yankees. Damaso Marte, who pitched in relief took the loss for New York, as Andy Pettitte started on the mound for New York, but left after five innings and didn't factor into the decision.

The Orioles endured two crazy rain delays -- one at the beginning, the other in the seventh inning -- to earn the win. Tillman -- who started the game for Baltimore on the mound -- earned the win as he went five innings and gave up four runs, while Mark Hendrickson pitched three innings of shutout relief for his first save of the season.

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O's Win Again in the Bronx; Matusz Brilliant, Is This His Last Start of '09?

If this is Brian Matsuz's last start of 2009, he sure made it worthwhile to watch. He went into one of the most intimidating places in all of sports and just dominated as the Orioles won their second straight in the Bronx, defeating the Yankees, 7-3. Baltimore put a six-spot on the scoreboard in the second inning off a very shaky A.J. Burnett -- who has been struggling for a while with the Yankees and took the loss -- and that was all they needed.

Matusz -- the young lefty -- went into the Lion's Den and pitched seven innings of one-run ball, allowing only four hits, striking out three and walking two. The only run he gave up came in the first inning as Mark Teixiera hit a sacrifice fly to center allowing a run to score, but after that, Matusz was on and didn't yield anything else.

Nolan Reimold tied the game at one as hit he went deep by hitting a solo home run -- his 15th of the year -- in the second inning, but the fun was only starting. Burnett allowed a walk and back-to-back to singles, loading in the bases and then Robert Andino plated in a run with yet another single. With one out in the frame, and the bases still loaded, the next batter, Brian Roberts took Burnett deep for a grand slam home run to put Baltimore up 6-0.

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Derek Jeter, Passing Gehrig and the Rain...

And why is this game being played now?

... um, because of Derek Jeter. If this were anyone else in baseball, this game is not played. Yes, I said it -- this game is being played to make sure he gets the record on Friday night. I don't think anyone wants to endure a doubleheader on Saturday.

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Red Sox Take Two Game Set From Orioles...

Unlike last night, the Orioles fought against the Red Sox in a hard-fought game; however, the Boston smelled blood and jumped on the Baltimore bullpen. With the score tied at four in the bottom of the seventh, Victor Martinez came up as a pinch hitter with the bases loaded and came through with a bases-clearing double to give the Red Sox a 7-4.

Instead of folding, the Orioles got a run off Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon as Nick Markakis and Matt Wieters got on base with singles and Luke Scott hit a sacrifice fly to plate Markakis; however, with a runner on first base and two outs, Ty Wigginton hit a shallow a fly to end the contest. In the end, Baltimore lost 7-5, and Boston took both game of the two-game set.

Matt Albers took the loss on Wednesday as he was charged with the deciding run, although it was Danys Baez who gave up the deciding hit. Meanwhile, Jason Berken, who started the game for Baltimore certainly was a lot better than Hernandez – who pitched the night before – on Wednesday as he went 5 1/3 innings and gave up four runs (three earned).

Reliever Billy Wagner earned the win, and Papelbon got his 35th save although he made things interesting as usual with his inning pitched.

Boston scored twice in the first inning as Jason Bay had a two-run single; however, Berken dug a hole for himself early with two walks in the frame that setup Bay’s at-bat. The Orioles added a run off a Cesar Izturis groundout in the second inning, but the Red Sox added another run in the fourth thanks to a Jason Varitek RBI-double.

Baltimore scored once in the fifth inning off a Nolan Reimold sacrifice fly, but took a brief 4-3 lead in the sixth as Boston reliever Manny Delcarmen loaded the bases, and walked Brian Roberts allowing a run to score. Moments later, Felix Pie plated in a run with a single to give Baltimore the lead.

However, Berken gave up an RBI-single to Dustin Pedroia as he beat out an infield single, and the game was tied once again.

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Nothing to See: Baltimore Clinches 12th Losing Season in Baseball, Jones Done & Dumb Asses Among Us

If the Orioles were going to lose on Tuesday, one hoped that they could have given a little more fight. David Hernandez and the Oriole bullpen got lit up in Boston to the tune of six home runs -- some of them quite majestic -- and ten runs; therefore, at the end of the night, one had to avert their eyes as the Orioles lost to the Red Sox, 10-0. With the loss, the Baltimore Orioles -- at one time, one of the crown jewels of Major League Baseball -- clinched their 12th losing season.

Clay Buchholz -- who started the game for Boston, whose struggles in 2009 have been well noted, went seven shutout inningd, struck out five and allowed three hits on the night. Meanwhile, Davod Hernandez got hit early, often, lasted 2 2/3 innings and gave up six runs.

The offense was non-existent, the pitching was terrible, and with a Boston team looking forward to the playoffs, they decided to have open season on the Birds. I guess at this point for us as fans hoping to see the Orioles perhaps put a dent into the playoff hopes of some and play some competitive baseball, the goal now is to not see the team cross the 100-loss mark.

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Under Armour Event in Annapolis

On Saturday morning, fans that got up early enough got a chance to meet Oriole outfielder Nick Markakis, Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman and the Marlins Jeremy Heremdia at the Under Armour store at the Annapols-Westfield Mall.

The event in Annapolis was a meet-and-greet autograph session, plus to prove that video games and professional athletes indeed go hand-in-hand, both Zimmerman and Heremida participated in a video game Home Run Derby by playing MLB 2K8.

Being that the city of Annapolis is within proximity of both Washington and Baltimore, fans of both the Orioles and Nationals got to meet their young franchise icons, while getting valuable autographs on postcards provided at the event and whatever memorabilia fans could bring with them.

During the event, Under Armour provided parting gifts for fans who came out as they gave out complimentary batting gloves, sweat bands and stickers.

The autograph session ran for an hour, and fans were waiting inside the store for the athletes starting at around 9:45 and once it started, about 200 or so fans filed in. Although Markakis had to leave the event at noon to participate in the Rangers-Orioles game, Heremida and Zimmerman went head-to-head in the video game Home Run Derby; in the end, Zimmerman completely smashed Heremida for the title.

As well, the Home Run Derby event was interactive as kids were invited to play along with the major leaguers – which made quite a memorable day for everyone in attendance.

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Orioles Take Two of Three From Rangers

The Orioles bats came through on Sunday, and Jeremy Guthrie delivered on the mound throwing seven shutout innings to defeat the Rangers, 7-0. With the 'B' team on the field in yesterday's game, Chad Moeller came through with a 2-for-4 say with two RBIs, and Ty Wigginton had three hits. Recent callup Jeff Fiorentino had two RBIs as well as Brian Roberts.

Guthrie earned his 10th win on the year and struck out six while allowing six hits. Matt Albers and Kam Mickolio helped complete the combined shutout. The Baltimore Orioles are 56-81 and avoided clinching their 12th losing season -- at least for a day.

The Orioles head up to Boston, and then onto New York for the weekend for a tough five game stretch.

Click Here for the Picture Set: Link

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O's Beat Rangers 5-4 on Saturday and Honor the Negro Leagues...

On Saturday, Brian Matusz earned his fourth major league win and Melvin Mora had a huge day with a 3-for-4 afternoon plus drove in three runs as Baltimore beat Texas, 5-4, in second contest of a three game set.

Texas jumped all over Matusz to take a 3-0 lead in the first inning and scored again in the thirs, but the Orioles chipped away at their lead and ended up tying the game at four in the bottom of the third inning. Baltimore took the lead in the fifth inning thanks to a Mora RBI-single. He also had a solo home run in the second inning, plus drove in another run in the third.

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It Was a Great Game For Eight Innings, Then the Yankees Annihilate Orioles

I went to the game last night, and for eight innings, I had a great seat, ate some good food, had fun, and watched the Orioles battle for eight innings against C.C. Sabathia and the Yankees. However, when Jim Johnson came on for the ninth inning, you could smell the Yankees plotting a comeback, planning a attack, and trying their best to warn another victory despite having a comfortable lead over the Red Sox in the American League East.

The New Yorkers might have a store-bought team; however, they have a killer instinct, and each guy on that team is fighting for a worthy cause -- that's of course, a championship. They used a nine-run seventh inning, where they drew walks and got hit after hit to dismantle the Orioles, 10-2, in what was a fell-fought game which later turned into a mess. Johnson gave up five runs in the fateful frame, and replacement Dennis Sarfate was not even better by a longshot. Kam Mickolio -- who came into the game in the sixth inning with the game tied, gave up two runs off an Alex Rodriguez two-RBI single in the seventh-- took the loss.

The Bronx Bombers came to win, and by the end of the night on Wednesday, they got the brooms out and swept the Orioles.

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Yankees Use Five Homers to Kill The Birds...

It was a fun exciting night at the Yard that felt like a playoff game, but in the end, the Yankees emerged victorious – again – against the Orioles, 9-6. New York used the longball – five in total, including two by Jorge Posada – to defeat Baltimore and send them to their 79^th loss, plus eliminating them from winning the division (which was a foregone conclusion anyway).

The Orioles kept pace with the Yankees as they had a 6-5 lead in the fifth inning thanks to Luke Scott’s 21^st homer, but the Yankees tied the game in the sixth inning thanks an Alex Rodriguez RBI-single.

New York put the game away in the top of the seventh inning as they crossed home three times thanks to a two-run homer by Nick Swisher (his 23^rd) and a solo shot by Eric Hinske (his 6^th) all off of Oriole reliever Chris Ray (who took the loss).

With a 9-6 lead, the Yankee bullpen took care of the rest, and the legendary Mariano Rivera got his 38^th save. Damaso Marte earned the win for the Yankees on the evening.

Baltimore starting pitcher David Hernandez didn’t factor in the decision, but he gave up four hits – the problem with three of them were home runs. He struck out seven, but walked six, and showed that he could use his stuff to get guys out; however, he missed a few spots and left pitches high in the zone, but the Yankees made him pay.

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Harold Baines and Julie Wagner Inducted Into Orioles Hall of Fame - With Pictures

On Saturday, Harold Baines -- an Eastern Shore native out of St. Michaels -- who wore the black and orange for parts of seven seasons in his 22-year career and Julie Wagner, who worked in the community relations department of the team were inducted into the Orioles' Hall of Fame.

Congratulations to both Harold and Julie.

Here are some pictures taken by friend, Mike Oliver.

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Pettitte Was On and Throws a Gem; O's Lose 5-1

In the past few years, I thought Andy Pettitte might have been close to the end of the line as a top-tier pitcher (in fact, until this season he's looked awfully average); however, last night at the Yard, he showed why he's been a solid and dependable arm for the past decade as he threw 6 2/3 perfect innings against Baltimore, until an error and a Nick Markakis single ruined it.

New York defeated Baltimore, 5-1, but the defining moment of the game came when Jerry Hairston -- in place of Alex Rodriguez -- allowed a Adam Jones grounder get past him with two outs in the seventh inning. That moment spoiled a perfect for Pettitte, and the ever vocal New York fans -- they were plenty in attendance from what I saw as I sat in section 55 with my little brother -- let Hairston have it with boos and other stuff that cannot be mentioned in this blog. Nick Markakis followed up with a single that got past Hairston to spoil the no-hit bid. After Pettitte got gave up the hit, he got a standing ovation from the Yankee fans, and once the frame ended, he got another hearty applause.

When all was said and done, Pettitte struck out eight and only gave up a run -- a Melvin Mora solo homer in the eighth and his 6th -- on two hits. It goes without saying the Orioles were completely dominated by Pettitte, and really had no chance to win on Monday as the New York veteran southpaw was that good. Mariano Rivera got his 37th save of the season as he stopped a potential Oriole rally by striking out Nolan Reimold to end the contest.

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