Juan Samuel Leaving Organization and More...

The biggest news out of Birdland today is that former interim manager and third base coach, Juan Samuel, will not be returning to the Orioles.

Today, he took a job as third base coach of the Philadelphia Phillies. From various reports, it looked to be that Samuel was set to come back to Baltimore; however, both sides could not agree on compensation and a contract. Thus, Samuel moved on.

As most of us know, Samuel has a long history with the team, serving as a player during the 80’s.

He seemed to be highly regarded with the team and throughout baseball. I’m sure he’ll help a Philadelphia team already stacked with a ton of talent.

It seems that there will be more changes and additions with the Orioles' staff, so we’ll wait and see what happens.

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Trembley & Renovations/Modernizing Camden Yards

If you all have not read this, former Oriole manager Dave Trembley is back in Major League Baseball. According to the Baltimore Sun, Trembley will be the minor league field coordinator for the Atlanta Braves, working throughout their organization with young players and prospects. He will also work with coaches and key personnel as well.

Good for him.

The man was stuck between a rock and a hard place with the Baltimore Orioles. Seriously, after each and every loss, he looked very grim. Obviously, Trembley didn't have the talent to compete in the American League East; however, a poor start in 2010, struggling players, injuries and just very bad luck did him in.

In addition, Trembley just didn't get the best of his squad that he could have and over time that probably got him fired more than anything. I did feel bad for him when he was let go by the team and declined another position; however, the right decision was made considering the impact of Buck Showalter.

He was probably done a favor by being fired when it happened. I don't think much has been heard from Trembley once he left the team. So far, I don't think he's even given an lengthy interview about his time in Baltimore, much less said anything negative.

The one thing I will remember about him is that he was very much a nice, humble person, plus always said hello to people and interacted with fans before the game. Literally, Trembley would walk down the first base line, wave at fans, sign some autographs and chat (it's a stark contrast to what I see from Showalter before games).

Trembley could get serious at times, but overall, I think he was sincerely glad to have the job as manager of the Baltimore Orioles.

We all should wish him well. The man presided over some horrible teams, but there's was only so he could do.

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Changes coming to Camden Yards

Fans sitting in the upper deck will get a bit more room to stretch their legs as the Maryland Stadium Authority has announced that there will be some changes made to Camden Yards. Larger seats in the upper deck is just one of the few minor changes announced for the ballpark as it enters its 20th year in service. Railings that currently obstruct the view of the field in the upper deck will be redesigned to be less conspicuous and out of the way.

The left field "all you can eat porch" will have its bistro-style seating expanded and further minor improvements. All-in-all the end result will be a reduction in the stadium's overall capacity from just under 49 thousand seats to just under 46 thousand seats.

So any rumors about a restaurant or expanded bar or picnic area - this should put them all to rest. For now at least.

In other Orioles news; in a recent tweet Sports Illustrated Jon Heyman stated that the Orioles were being "aggressive" at the early onset of Free Agency. What exactly does that mean? I have no idea. The cynic in me immediately goes: "...when I see it.." and there is next to nothing we can actually sink our teeth into here but its nice to think that the Orioles are being proactive for a change.

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The Rawlings Gold Glove Awards for the American League

The Rawlings' Gold Glove winners for the American League were announced today and this time around there were no Orioles on the list. I really have no qualms about who earned the award this year (except for the up-the-middle-combo, ahem, mainly Derek Jeter), but I do figure if Nick Markakis played for a winning team, the conversation as to who is selected might be different.

As for Adam Jones - who won the award as one of three outfielders selected in 2010, he was not worthy this season. Jones was inconsistent at times in the field, made quite a few gaffes, and just didn't have the form he had in the year prior. Adam's a great athlete and if he can play the position a tad deeper in the field, he'll be better off.

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Random Thoughts on the Orioles

The free agency period for Major League Baseball starts in a few hours (Sunday at 12am) and thought among most Oriole fan is this question – who will the team get?

As it is right now, no one expects the Baltimore Orioles to be a contender, but stranger things have happened in sports. The team did finish strong last year, but that still didn’t stop Buck Showalter from making wholesale changes with his staff.

It’s obvious that the Orioles need a power bat in their lineup, a strong corner infielder, perhaps another starting pitcher or two (an ace would be beautiful – but, I see Andy MacPhail getting a middle-of-road, innings eating arm).

Lest we forget, the Orioles do potentially a shortstop along with some bullpen help. Again, the team has some serious needs and at this point, finishing up with a respectable record would be nice to see.

With a plethora of young talent on the team and up-and-comers, will the Orioles make a splash in Spring Training? These days, unless you’re one of big financial powerhouses of the sport, the mantra for most teams have been building from within (especially arms) and retaining young/cheap talent.

This offseason, I sincerely hope the Orioles do go after an established bat such as Adam Dunn – who played down the road in Washington, or a Paul Konerko, Carlos Pena (the low BA in ’10 was a concern).

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The Mobbies - Vote!

This year, the Oriole Post blog has had the distinction for being nominated for "The Mobbies", the awards given out by the Baltimore Sun for outstanding blogs in the state of Maryland.

As you have probably figured, we are in the "Best Oriole Blog" category.

We're up against some of the most renowned professionals in the business, such as Roch Kubatko and Steve Melewski. In addition, excellent larger fansites and blogs such as Orioles Hangout and Camden Chat are also included.

It's a nice honor the be part of this group; thus, if you feel so inclined, show us a little love and vote.

You have to register and can only vote once every 24 hours.

Feel free to click on the icon to vote!

World Series Thoughts and the Orioles...

Sorry for the lack of posts over the past week or two, but I had gone on vacation and pretty much took a break from blogging for a bit. In addition, life had gotten in the way and to attend to some other things.

In the meantime, the 2010 baseball season in winding down and it’s a big surprise to me that the Texas Rangers and the San Francisco Giants are against one another for the championship. Personally, I would have expected Texas to win the American League pennant (or maybe New York), but the Giants I didn’t see taking the National League at all.

I’m sure most fans expected to see the Philadelphia Phillies with their big payroll, high-powered offense and the pitching triumvirate of Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels in the World Series. Let's not forget the Yankees -- I go can on and on about them; however, one has to think they will have to think about their aging playing and the lack of pitching efficiency in the ALCS.

Again, I sure as hell didn’t see the Giants playing for it all. I mean they have a real strong pitching corps with two-time Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez in the fold; however, their everyday lineup perhaps with exception of Buster Posey are filled with non-household names and veteran who have been around the league.

They are an odd team for sure. With the roster they have (Aubrey Huff, Pat Burrell (?), Edgar Reneteria, Freddy Sanchez, Cody Ross, Andres Torres & Juan Uribe) don’t note anything special, but they have come together and won. Heck, their highest paid player - Barry Zito - was ommitted from the post-season roster!

I’ve never seen a hodgepodge of players such as the Giants play in the World Series, but like they say you can’t script October and games aren’t decided on paper, in the media, or online.

That being said, I’ll be rooting for the Giants since they have a handful of former Orioles (Huff, Eli Whiteside, Mike Fontenot and Chris Ray) who suited up for the this year. Nothing against Texas and they definitely would make a fine champion, but the Giants would make one hell of a story if they win it all.

Plus, Cliff Lee losing that first game, combined with a litany of Texas errors may have swung the pendulum in the Giants’ favor.

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Musings and Happenstance

Good morning fellow readers.

With the Orioles' season over and my day job in full swing life has torn me away from the internet. This morning, however, I find myself with some time to rattle off some of the thoughts that have meandered through my baseball mind the past week. Meandered like a shallow stream through an autumnal glen; or a small child lost in the mall.

You pick.

-If I hear the phrase, "Great series - no one will watch it," one more time I am going to need bail money. Yes, we get it. Texas and San Fran are not the markets of Philly and NYC. We get it. We get that West Coast teams not based in LA are largely ignored by the national mind with its rather large Eastern bias. But guess what, the networks only really care about four maybe five teams anyway so odds are there is going to be a series every once and awhile that "no one" will watch. The snark behind that comment always drives me nuts. The people in San Francisco will certainly watch it as will all of the people in the greater Dallas-Arlington-Fort Worth metro area. That is who we should be worrying about. Don't these teams deserve a chance to play on the big stage just as much as the Yankees, Phillies, Red Sox and Angles?

-As you all know by now the Yankees lost and were knocked out of the playoffs again. I know I am just all broken up about that. Haven't been able to sleep for days. Neither has the NYC press which has been, delightfully, all over the Yankees. What does this have to do with the Orioles? Because as Mike Lupica in the Daily News and the Joel Sherman in the NY Post bring up - the Yankees are getting old. Next season Jeter will be 37, Posada will be 40, Rivera will be 41and as these players have aged everyone has expected them to finally succumb to age like EVERY player - especially Posada. But the problem is they never seem to do it. After the lackluster performance in the ALCS people are starting to seriously look at this Yankee team and wonder how it will go on from here. This is great news for the Orioles.

The Yankees simply have to bring back Jeter and Rivera. I mean, I think Yankee fans could deal with Posada going and even Pettite but not Jeter. Jeter is Ripken. In the Sherman piece linked above he likens Jeter to Ripken as both a blessing and a curse. The difference here is that as Ripken aged he was able to shift over to third to keep from being anything less than a defensive asset to the team - Jeter and the Yankees do not have that option with a soon to be 36 year-old A-Rod and his albatross-like contract parked at third base. The Yankees have to bring him back he is the international face of a near-trillion dollar empire, but in the sense of good baseball it is probably a bad idea, but they are stick with him.

Again, great for the Orioles? Because if the Yankees have to trot out an older version of Jeter 162 times a year that makes them just that much weaker. Going out and getting Cliff Lee and Carl Crawford can help but the Yankees are getting old quickly in key positions with next to no help in the minor leagues and huge contracts that no other team could take on in a trade. The more questions the Yankees have this offseason the better. I think we are seeing a team finally on the downswing.

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The Season that Was; Playoffs

As we are well into the MLB Playoffs, it seems like the 2010 regular season didn’t end just nine days ago – rather it feels like it’s been a month or so.

On October 3rd, the season for the Orioles came to a conclusion. Despite a 66-96 record, for the first time in perhaps a decade plus, there’s some tangible hope for fans.

Under Buck Showalter, the team played well over .500, finishing up with a 34-23 record. They wound up splitting a four-game series at the very end, but they didn’t fold at all towards the homestretch. Frankly, they looked like they could compete with any team in baseball.

It was quite astonishing – albeit, in a good way to witness. The young pitching rose to the occasion – especially Brad Bergesen and Brian Matusz (who recovered from poor starts to the season), the team got injured players back and the hitters seemed to do much better in the clutch.

As we all saw in the final months of the season, the team does have pieces to build upon for the future. However, it’s also pretty obvious that they need help – a big bat, perhaps another starter, help at the corner positions, and also another bullpen arm.

Something needs to be done.

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The 2010 Orioles, Part 2: What it could be

Brian Matusz was masterful last night. Six innings pitched, a career-high nine strikeouts and one earned run. The run came on a homerun in the second inning courtesy of Brandon Inge; Matusz did not allow a Tiger reach second base for the rest of his start. Matusz's final line: 10-12, 4.30 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 7.1 K/9. Nice.

At the beginning of the year Matusz was on a lot of writer's short-lists for Rookie of the Year, as the Orioles went into their tailspin those thoughts went down with it. But Matusz deserves votes. He deserves to be a serious contender, but I know he won't be. Look at the way Matusz has pitched in the second half: 3.63 ERA, 7-3, 7.9 SO/9. Since Showalter has joined the team in August Matusz has just one loss against seven wins and an ERA of 2.11!

Matusz leads American League rookie starters in strikeouts, innings pitched, fewest walks, starts, WHIP and is second only to Wade Davis in ERA by .16. Matusz deserves to be in the Rookie of the Year conversation, and last night dominant performance put an exclamation point on that argument.

Last night's win was a lot more meaningful than some may realize. First, the obscure, that win tied an MLB record for wins after futility (I made that up). After a team has recorded their 73 loss, only one other team has won at least 37 games (Terry Francona's Phillies). Also, more importantly and visible, last night's win means that the Orioles will have no worse than a .500 record in the second half of the season.

Let me repeat that. No matter what happens today, the Orioles will have played at least .500 ball in the second half. This team was THIRTY (!) games under .500 at the break and was challenging for the worst recod of all time. They have played .500 ball since and have a chance to finish the second half over .500 with a win today. If that happens it will be the first time since 2004 and only the second time since 1997 the Orioles finish strong.

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The Season is Winding Down...

With the season down its final two games, I’m happy this team didn’t fold towards the end like they during the past decade. It’s clearly evident with the doubleheader sweep yesterday against the Detroit Tigers and taking two-out-of-three from the playoff bound Tampa Bay Rays.

It’s obvious that the Orioles do have some keys to rebuilding what was once a proud franchise. However, it’s also pretty obvious that they need help – a big bat, perhaps another starter, help at the corner positions, and also another bullpen arm. The holes must be plugged in.

They may be better in 2011, but even with improvements, will they contend against the best in the East?

The Rays may slip some because of the inevitable departures of Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena; however, the financial wherewithal of the Yankees and Red Sox will always make them threats. The Jays, in the past several seasons have always managed to put a good team out on the field and this season is no exception.

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The Orioles, Tampa and what might be

With the win this evening the Tampa Bay Rays clenched a playoff spot - something that was little more than a foregone conclusion. Congrats to the Rays and their fans, they are a great young team and they are truly one of the best this year. Moreover, the Rays really need this because I think everyone in baseball can see the writing on the wall and the Rays' window may be rapidly closing. Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena, Eric Aybar among others are most likely gone. Longoria, Price, Davis et al will still be around but with the Rays' ownership announcing that payroll will be cut next year I think everyone can feel that the 2011 Rays will seem like a much different creature.

I think Rays fans feel the same thing. A lot has been made of the atrocious attendance in St. Petersburg this series. With a chance to clench a playoff spot and the best young team in baseball the Rays drew only 12,466 fans out to Tropicana Field, tonight was did not differ that much only drawing a little more than 17,000. Evan Longoria and David Price did not mince words calling the showing "embarrassing". Adam Jones tweeted: "I wonder what Baltimore would look like [in that situation]?".

Why am I writing about this in an Orioles blog? Because as an Orioles fan seeing an empty stadium entertaining a team with as much talent as the Tampa Bay Rays angers me. Jones, I will tell you what Baltimore would look like - it would be packed to the gills. If in 2011 the Orioles are in a situation to clench a playoff berth I guarantee that not only will the stands be packed to capacity but every local establishment not only in the city-proper but the greater Baltimore metro-area will be packed waiting for the final out and a ticket to the post season.

But this post isn't meant to denegrate the people of the Tampa bay area, they have their reasons I'm sure, but rather to comment on the state of the Orioles, Rays and AL East going forward.

2010 will soon be in the books, and the Baltimore Orioles season can not be summed up in one post. So let this be part one: The Baltimore Orioles; what could have been.

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Thoughts and Jose Bautista

Three games. Three straight losses.

This weekend, the Orioles got swept by the Jays. While the black and orange didn't embarrass themselves, they only really came close to beating the Toronto on Saturday, where they lost in extra innings. The pitching wasn't terrible (ok, it was shaky on Sunday - especially VandenHurk and Simon), but the homer happy Jays got the best of the Orioles this series.

Perhaps the Orioles will get back on track against the Rays this week and finish out the season next weekend against the Tigers.

Really, overall during these past three games, I've just been astonished by Jose Bautista and his success. As we all know, he was once a Rule 5 pick by the Orioles, but then bounced around, ended up in Pittsburgh and found himself in Toronto. Many observers thought he had the skills to be more than a platoon/part-time player, and sure enough, he broke out of it.

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The Boston Series; Millwood

Last night, the Orioles could not complete the three game sweep in Boston on Wednesday with a 6-1 loss after wins on Monday and Tuesday; however, they've continued their strong finish to the 2010 season. After getting their arses handed to them the past few seasons by the Red Sox, the Orioles finished with a .500 record - at a 9-9 clip.

I though the Orioles might made a smart move by signing Kevin Millwood in the off-season. One would figure that signing a veteran pitcher might help to stabilize a young rotation, but it's funny how Millwood has the worst record statistics-wise for any starting on the team.

He fell to his 16th loss on the season, giving up five runs in his outing and for the most part looked like the pitcher he's been all season. Millwood has shown some flashes of brilliance, but overall, his season has been one to frankly, say has been a great disappointment. Despite the lack of success this year on the mound, Millwood never really complained and he went out did his job - start after start.

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The Yankees Come and Go...

The Orioles avoided a three-game sweep by the New York Yankees with a incredible walk-off win, 4-3, in front of slight less than 40,000 on Sunday afternoon.

Despite losing a heartbreaker on Friday off a Alex Rodriguez go-ahead, three-run homer in the ninth and getting their arses handed to them on Saturday, the O’s fought back on in the final game of the set. Down 3-2 in the ninth, Luke Scott tied the game with a home run off Mariano Rivera and then earned the win in the 11th off Ty Wigginton’s double.

What was more amazing is that the Orioles won a game they surely would have lost not too long ago. The bullpen came through a held the game in check, with Koji Uehara striking out the side in the 10th and Mike Gonzalez nearly blowing the game in the 11th, but getting a crucial double play with the bases loaded.

New York had plenty of chances to finish off Baltimore, but they seemingly could not get the knockout punch.

Although we all probably hoped that the Orioles could have taken two-of-out-three or swept the Yankees, it was great to see them fight. Once again, the park was full with Yankee fans – I’d say they were at least 70% of the attendance that day – but it was good to see them frustrated at the outcome and Joe Girardi’s overmanaging.

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The Orioles finally beat the Jays...

...But the Ravens were on Monday Night Football to open the season and no one cares.

Seriously, the Orioles recorded the fourth lowest all-time attendance with their game against the Jays last night in Baltimore. Fewer than 10,000 people turned out to see what was actually a very good game between the suddenly respectable Birds and the homer-happy Jays. The Orioles finally beat the Jays having gone 0-12 against them so far this year. Not only that, but last night's win means the Orioles are no longer the worst team in AL. The birds have jumped over the Seattle Mariners and are closing in on the Indians and Royals.

The resurgent birds need only to win eight more games to eliminate the possibility of a 100-loss season, something that seemed like a foregone conclusion a couple of months ago.

The Orioles did not get away unscathed. Brian Matusz left the game after throwing only nine pitches and recording only one out. A line drive of Yuniesky Betancourt struck Matusz square in the throwing arm. He was removed for purely precautionary reasons. Brain Roberts was also hit by a pitch in the leg and left the in the eighth. The fastball from Jason Frasor nailed Roberts just above his knee and he crumpled to the ground. After getting up and gingerly jogging to first he would be removed from the game for Josh Bell.

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Orioles Finally Win Against Jays

It's been a great month-and-half for the Baltimore Orioles. After taking two of three from the Tigers over the weekend and winning six out of their last nine games, the Orioles returned home to take on the Blue Jays at home.

Despite being well out of the AL East race, the Jays have managed to stay over .500 and play for something -- pride.

Having beat Baltimore in twelve straight games this season, one could consider that Toronto had their number. However, the Jays were facing the Orioles managed by Buck Showalter - not Trembley or Samuel.

They finally beat the Jays last night, 4-3, off a walk-off single by Luke Scott that plated in Nick Markakis. Brian Matusz, who has looked like a different pitcher over the past month, started the game, but left after being hit on the arm in the first inning. The Baltimore bullpen which had blown the game on Sunday in Detroit did a bang-up job, thanks to Rick VandenHurk's 5 1/3 innings in relief and everyone else doing their part to keep the game close.

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On a Roll...

The Orioles have been on quite a roll as of late, as we know. They won their fourth game in five chances this week, defeating the Tigers in Detroit last night, 6-3.

After their gut-wrenching loss in New York on Wednesday, thanks to a Nick Swisher ninth-inning homer run off Koji Uehara, the Orioles held firm on Friday. Although Kevin Millwood didn’t get a victory, the bullpen once again in as many times for the past few weeks kept Baltimore in the game.

They broke open a 3-3 tie in the eighth off a Matt Wieters’ sacrifice fly and Adam Jones’s RBI-single help put away the game for the Orioles.

Uehara bounced back from his Wednesday outing and got the save. David Hernandez got the win.

At this point, it is conceivable that the Orioles may not lose 100 games after all? They are as of this morning, 54-87 – not good, but much better than where they stood at the beginning of August.

The surge of the Orioles has been to due players coming back – healthy, much better clutch-hitting, a starting pitching corps greatly improved and the bullpen (a healthy Uehara and Gonzalez). Perhaps some players may have realized their jobs are on the line and are now playing with some initiative and hustle.

It’s good to see that the reasons above plus the influence of Showalter has brought some promise to Birdland.

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The Weekend That Was, A Good Start in New York

After a bumpy start to September, the Orioles are once again looking like the team we saw in August.

Now the question in September is – can they avoid the swoon that has engulfed them for more than a decade? So far, the answer may be yes.

The Orioles took two-of-three games from the AL Wild Card leading Rays over the weekend thanks to a dominant win on Saturday and a razor thin victory on Sunday. As well, they kicked off a three game set in the Bronx on Monday against the Yankees and won it, 4-3.

It’s nice to see the young arms picking it up and the work of Brian Matsuz as of late has been impressive. After a horrific start to the season, he won his fourth straight game yesterday going six innings and allowing three runs to come in.

If you look at it all, Baltimore’s surge in the last month has been due to the starting pitching – not the offense. The New York Times, this morning has a piece on Buck Showalter and his effect on the 2010 Baltimore Orioles since he took over:

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September off to a rocky start

The Orioles have encountered their first three-game losing streak of the Showalter-era having lost their first three games of September. The Orioles saw two very winnable games against the Sox slip away and then last night were shut down by the Rays and the ever-chatty Matt Garza.

During the losses the Orioles have seen a regression in their overall game. The starting pitching has been solid enough but defensive miscues, shoddy pen work and an inability to get get that one clutch hit have reared their ugly heads yet again.Injuries to Adam Jones and Corey Patterson haven't helped out much. Nick Markakis continues to be mired in a month-long slump hitting only .232. Heck, Nicky is only hitting .243 for the second-half! If this is any indicator on how things are going to go from here-on-out it will be a long September.

One bright-spot has been the starting pitching. Despite losing the last three the Orioles starting pitching has only given up 10 ER over the last week, Millwood being responsible for four of those runs last night. The starters' ressurgence over the last trip through the rotation was just a wonderful thing to watch and even though they don't get to play the Angels every game in September if the starters can keep that type of momentum up the Orioles should finish fairly strong. Or at least a lot stronger than they normally finish.

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