News Archives: August 1999

You might want to make small children leave the room before reading this: the woeful Baltimore Orioles are now in last place. After a disastrous weekend which saw the Orioles drop the final game of the Royals' series, 6-0 and then lose two out of three to the Tigers, the Orioles hoped to salvage a little bit of the month, if not the season, against the woeful Devil Rays. It didn't happen. They got what Ray Miller's obsessed with: a strong pitching performance from their starter. But despite Sidney Ponson's excellent performance, it wasn't enough. The Orioles got virtually no offense -- their real problem this season -- and lost for the fifth time in six games, and seventh time in ten tries against the Devil Rays, 3-0.

The good:

• Sidney Ponson's strong performance (7 IP, just 2 runs allowed).
• Albert Belle's team record-tying performance on Sunday, when he hit four doubles against the Tigers.
• Brady Anderson had a 3-hit game on Saturday, and Mike Figga chipped in with one of his own on Sunday. Jeff Conine added a two-hit game.
• Scott Erickson had a strong outing on Saturday (a complete game, allowing just 3 earned runs),
• Derrick May, getting playing time thanks to the Clark injury and Baines trade, hits his first homer as an Oriole; B.J. Surhoff's 25th homer of the season.
• The Os debut of B.J. Ryan: a scorelss inning.

The bad:

• Scott Kamieniecki: 1.2 IP, 2 hits and a run allowed, not to mention allowing an inherited runner to score. And this is the role where he's allegedly successful
• The Orioles managed just three singles, two of them infield hits.
• And it wasn't a fluke; other than Sunday's outburst (11 runs on 13 hits and 9 walks), the offense has been silent, tallying no runs (4 hits) on Thursday, 4 runs (5 hits) on Friday, and just 3 runs on Saturday.
• Despite all the gushing about Jason Johnson's "strong performance" on Sunday, he allowed 4 runs (3 home runs) in just 6.2 innings.
• Mike Mussina is still not ready to come back. We just hope he's not rushing things in a futile attempt to win twenty games.

The ugly

• Ryan Minor went 0-9 since our last update, extending his hitless streak to 17 ABs.
• The feud between Miller and Frank Wren, which is obvious despite their denials.
• Miller's insistence on playing aging veterans makes him a joke.

Roster moves from the last week: after debating a trade of Scott Erickson, the big one completed was the trade of Harold Baines to the Indians for Juan Aracena (assigned to Frederick) and a PTBNL, since announced as Jimmy Hamilton. Lefty reliever B.J. Ryan, acquired in the Juan Guzman trade, replaced Baines on the roster. In addition, Jim Corsi was placed on the disabled list and speedy (but powerless) Eugene Kingsale was added to the major league roster in his place.

With the September 1st roster expansion deadline having been reached, several more transactions are now to be made. Cal Ripken will be coming off the disabled list, as will Mike Fetters (like anybody cares). Then the Orioles have to decide who to bring up. Rumor has it that the Os will promote a handful of people from Rochester. Note that Calvin Maduro, pitching well for the Red Wings, isn't listed, nor is catcher Julio Vinas, who the Orioles risk losing if they don't promote.

Harold Baines has made an immediate splash in Cleveland, and although Juan Guzman was hit hard on Tuesday, he's been a major success story for the Reds since the Orioles sent him to Cincinnati. And those aren't the only Ex-Os who are doing well; Rafael Palmeiro and Roberto Alomar are both MVP candidates. Meanwile some negative ex-O notes: Geronimo Berroa, injured most of the last year, was released by the Blue Jays, and his career is probably over at this point. And Vlad Guerrero had a 31-game hitting streak stopped last week; the streak, longest of the decade, beat Eric Davis's streak from last year.

Rosters for the two fall leagues were announced. The established Arizona Fall League will see Os prospects Ryan Kohlmeier, Jayson Werth, Calvin Pickering, Eugene Kingsale, Jesse Garcia, and Matt Riley playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions, which (as previously noted) will be managed by Os coach (and future manager?) Eddie Murray. And the new California Fall League, which replaces the Maryland Fall League, will see Richard Bauer, Sean Douglass, Franky Figueroa, and Darnell McDonald playing for the Lake Elsinore Land Sharks.

Finally, a few stories you might be interested in:

• A view of Cal Ripken from the opposing sidelines.
• Brief profiles of prospects Augie Ojeda and Luis Matos.
• Praise for Jeff Conine.
• Rochester fans picked their Team of the Century. Familiar names like Johnny Oates, Bobby Grich, Cal Ripken, Don Baylor, Mike Boddicker, Mike Flanagan, Dennis Martinez, and Joe Altobelli made the list.

Although the Orioles won Monday's game 4-2 and Tuesday's game 5-3 behind strong pitching performances by Scott Erickson and Jason Johnson, respectively, if anything epitomized the Os season and the Os organization, Wednesday's matchup did. The Kansas City Royals sent youngster Jeff Suppan to the mound. Suppan had struggled badly the first four years of his major league career (a 5.90 career ERA over 236 innings), but is pitching well this year at the age of 24. The Baltimore Orioles sent veteran journeyman Doug Linton to the mound. Doug Linton, like Suppan, has struggled badly the first five years of his major league career (a 5.84 ERA over 237 innings). Linton, unlike Suppan, is 34 this year, and hasn't pitched well in his limited time on the Orioles. He's done pretty well at Rochester, but so what? You'd expect a 34-year old to dominate younger players. But predictably, unlike Suppan he's not going to learn how to handle major leaguers. So, not surprisingly, this game turned into a 8-6 victory by the Royals.

The good:

• Mike Figga's first career homer.
• A good outing from Scott Erickson (8 innings, just 2 runs).
• A decent outing from Jason Johnson (5 innings, 5 hits and 2 earned runs allowed), although he walked five and was miffed after being pulled after just 89 pitches by Ray Miller.
• The bullpen has pitched pretty well, pitching 9.1 innings in the series and allowing just 2 runs. Mike Timlin, in particular, has really turned things around.
• Three multihit games for Brady Anderson, two for Mike Bordick and BJ Surhoff, and one each for Albert Belle and Delino DeShields.
• A clutch tenth inning homer from Albert Belle to win a game; hopefully this will silence the critics who think that Belle "doesn't hit when it counts."

The bad:

• Doug Linton: 4.2 innings, 10 hits, 6 runs, 1 walk and 2 strikeouts.
• Delino DeShields failing to hustle after Johnny Damon's home run,
• Miller's continued overuse of the bullpen. Did the Orioles really need five pitchers to get through five innings on Tuesday, with Orosco and Scott Kamieniecki (!) each pitching one third of an inning?
• Or what about Wednesday, where, down 6-1, Miller pulled long reliever Doug Johns after just 2.1 innings. Does Miller know the definition of long relief? And another 1/3 of an inning outing for Orosco?

The ugly

• Whether Delino DeShields deserved criticism or not, did we really need to see it in the paper? Or should it have been handled in private? Once again, Miller chose the "public flogging" route, despite his claim that he never criticizes players in public.
• Ryan Minor: 0-8 in the series with 4 Ks. What idiot scouts think this guy is a prospect?

Although the injury suffered by Mike Mussina when he was hit by a line drive does not appear to be serious, he is expected to miss his next scheduled start, and there's a chance he might miss the one after that. This could once again derail his shot at winning twenty games. And speaking of injuries, Cal Ripken's return from the disabled list is still uncertain, though he has begun working out.

While we've been obsessing about Miller going elsewhere, we would be remiss if we didn't point out that Frank Wren's job is also shaky. While we're not thrilled with the job he did this offseason -- in fact, it was pretty darn terrible -- we're willing to give him another chance. After all, if the Os let Frank Wren go, he could be just one of many Ex-O executives who are thriving elsewhere.

And speaking of Ex-O executives, we wanted to mention that Frank Cashen, architect of the Orioles' teams of the late 1960s and early 1970s, was inducted into the Orioles' Hall of Fame along with Eddie Murray. (For a complete list, check out our Hall of Fame page.

And speaking of Ex-Os, the Red Sox picked up pitcher Kent Mercker for the stretch drive.

The Orioles inked Richard Stahl finally on Monday, their last unsigned first round pick from this June's amateur draft. Under the rules, as soon as a drafted player attends his first college class, the drafting team loses the rights to that player. Classes at Georgia Tech (where Stahl was prepared to attend) began on Monday, so the Orioles really went down to the wire on this one. Whatever Frank Wren's fate, his legacy will be determined by the (hoped-for) success of the many first round picks the Os had this year. And speaking of first round picks, for those optimists among you who actually expect Orioles' minor leaguers to be given a chance to contribute, you might be interested in this profile of 1997 draftee Darnell McDonald.

The roller coaster continues: after getting swept by the Indians and then sweeping the Twins, the Orioles had dropped a doubleheader against Chicago to open their three game series. Fortunately, the Os were able to salvage the final game of the six game homestead -- fortunately, only because a loss would have dropped Baltimore behind the Devil Rays into last place. Their 9-4 victory was tempered, however, by an injury sustained by Mike Mussina when yet another line drive struck him.

The good:

• This was one of those big offense days: other than Mike Bordick's 0-4, every Oriole had at least one hit. In fact, other than Bordick and Charles Johnson's 1-3 day, every Oriole had at least *two* hits. BJ Surhoff's included a homer, as did Jeff Conine's, who went 3-3.
• After a couple of bad outings, Jason Johnson finally had a good one.
• As we noted last update, Mike Timlin seems to have finally turned things around.
• As we've said (see below), we're not big Jeff Conine fans, but he's been playing well lately.

The bad:

• Arthur Rhodes, who has struggled much of the year, was forced to leave the game with an injury; we don't know how serious it is.
• We complained about Sidney Ponson being overworked, so Ray Miller went out and made the situation worse, giving him 109 and 111 pitches in his next two outings.
• Oh, that bullpen overuse. It wasn't Miller's fault on Sunday, since Mussina was (literally) knocked out of the game early. But on Saturday, he used four pitchers to get through three innings, knowing that the Orioles had to play another game that day, and then he went one better, using five pitchers to get through three innings in the second game of the doubleheader. He's going to be fired anyway; can't he just accept that and stop overmanaging?

The ugly

• Mike Mussina's one of the only bright spots on the Orioles; if he's hurt, well, we don't want to think about it.
• Miller can't stop feuding with Jason Johnson, and he just can't get the whole pitcher-management thing down. Two weeks ago he had a slow hook for Jason Johnson, and then last week he had a quick hook.

As everyone knows by now, Jesse Orosco set the all-time games pitched record earlier this week. But (to state the obvious) it has been a really long road. What has been overlooked is that Jesse Orosco has also moved into the top 10 all time in games pitched as an Oriole, surpassing Dennis Martinez and tying Gregg Olson for ninth place.

The event came just after the Sun pointed out that the only thing the Orioles really have to play for are milestones. If that means that Orosco gets his celebration, that's fine. After a slow start, Orosco's been performing really well, allowing runs in just 3 of his last 31 appearances this year. If it means that Cal Ripken gets to reach the 3000 and 400 hit barriers -- assuming he ever gets off the disabled list -- that's fine. But if it means that no prospects are allowed to play because Miller feels that the veterans somehow "deserve" the chance to pad their stats -- as Miller announced last year -- then no thanks. The only reasons we say Cal should be allowed to play are because (a) he's The Franchise, and (b) because Ryan Minor, who's struggling, is unlikely ever to amount to a quality major leaguer, given his lack of command of the strike zone. Hopefully it might even be possible to unload some of the other veterans, though that seems unlikely.

The Sun is (as usual) wrong. There's something else for the Orioles to play for: the future. Some roster decisions have been made already, and GM Frank Wren needs to make some more. So far, Ricky Bones has been released, and in addition, Will Clark has been placed on the disabled list for the rest of the year. To replace these two, Doug Linton was called back up and Derrick May was added to the roster. Linton was called up because he did very well in a minor league start observed by Wren; we can't fathom why May was called up. (Mike Fetters is also close to being ready. Whoopee.)

So what else needs to be done? Well, the team needs to decide on September callups. Julio Vinas, who has hit very well this year for Rochester, is apparently on the bubble, but with all the upheaval in Rochester, we don't know who else will be called up. Some of the options apparently include Jerry Hairston and Jesse Garcia, Calvin Pickering, Eugene Kingsale, Calvin Maduro, Tommy Davis, and Matt Riley. And of course the big decision: Ray Miller's replacement. Ken Rosenthal of the Sun thinks the Os should go after the recently-fired Phil Garner, while John Eisenberg, also of the Sun, isn't so sure the Os should lock their focus on Garner.

Quirky Os-related story of the week: Peter Angelos sued for malpractice. We'll let you know how it turns out.

Finally, in a few Ex-O reports, Terry Mathews was released by the Royals (Gosh, we're shocked) and Chris Fussell was recalled from the minors to take his place, and Lenny Webster was designated for assignment by the Red Sox. Juan Guzman pitched well once again for the Reds. Finally, Frank Robinson had prostate surgery recently, and will hopefully make a full recovery.

A jinx is finally broken... the Os finally manage to do something against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, against whom they were previously 1-6. And when they play the way they did the last two days, it makes you wonder how they're such a bad team. A great formula for success: Sidney Ponson pitches well, Mike Mussina pitches well and the team wins. (Then you realize that they only play this way when Mussina and Ponson pitch.) But the last two days illustrate perfectly why they're not as good a team as people think they are. People look at their offense and think they're a powerful team which scores a lot, but what they are is an erratic team which sometimes wins 17-1 and sometimes can only score 4 runs. On Tuesday, everybody got into the act, beating up on a hapless combination of Devil Ray pitchers before being shut down by new knuckleballer Wade Boggs. Wednesday's game was more normal, a 4-2 victory over the Devil Rays which featured strong starting pitching, solid relief work, and just enough offense to win. The two victories kept the Orioles solidly ahead of Tampa for fourth place in the AL East.

The good:

• The offense simply let it all out on Tuesday, tallying 20 hits (13 singles, six doubles, and a triple) and 8 walks en route to 17 runs.
• The outburst consisted of multihit games from Charles Johnson, Delino DeShields, Jeff Conine, and Harold Baines. It also featured Mike Bordick's best game as an Oriole, as he went 4-6 with two doubles and 5 RBIs, as well as Ryan Minor's best game in the majors, going 3-5 with an RBI while not striking out.
• On Wednesday the offense wasn't quite as prolific, but featured multihit games from Will Clark, Johnson, Albert Belle (including his 28th home run), and BJ Surhoff. Surhoff, the only Oriole not to get a hit on Tuesday, went 4-5 with a double and a homer.
• Sidney Ponson -- what more needs to be said? A complete game 6 hitter, allowing just 1 run.
• Mike Mussina had yet another strong outing, going 7.2 innings while allowing just 2 runs on 9 hits and striking out 7.
• Mike Timlin seems to have finally turned things around, shutting own Tampa for his 15th save.
• Jesse Orosco's closing in on the all-time appearance record, after yet another successful outing on Wednesday.

The bad:

• Should Sidney Ponson really be throwing yet another complete game (his league leading sixth), 120 pitches, just five days after Ray Miller announced that he seemed tired and overworked? Shouldn't a team this far out of contention be extra-cautious with their young star?
• The previous prognosis about Ripken appears to have been optimistic; now nobody is sure when he's coming back.
• A day after Minor's best day as an Oriole, he was back to old form, going 0-5 with 2 strikeouts.

The ugly

• Did we ever tell you how little we think of Ray Miller's people skills? We think that part of the job of a manager is to support his players. Jason Johnson criticized the home plate umpire's strike zone; while agreeing with that, Miller still felt the need to take shots at Johnson.
• Don't think we're the only ones who dislike Miller; ex-O Heathcliff Slocumb becomes the latest Miller player to criticize his arbitrary management style.
• Want more reasons? When Will Clark suggested that the batting order may have affected his RBI output, Miller pulled out stats to explain why not, implying that Clark was choking in the clutch.

With Ricky Bones presumably out of the rotation after his aborted trial, the Orioles need to decide what to do to fill the fifth slot, when they need one. One possibility is someone from earlier this year, Doug Linton, who has pitched well in Rochester. Another is the once-and-future Oriole, Ponson's fellow Aruban Calvin Maduro, who (despite a recent loss) has also pitched very well at Rochester. Maduro, traded to the Phillies in the Todd Zeile/Pete Incaviglia deal a few years ago, was reacquired by the Orioles earlier this season, and unlike Linton, is young enough to be a real prospect.

In other news, Phil Garner was just fired in Milwaukee, and Tony LaRussa has announced that he might stay in St. Louis (where he was reported to be unhappy). These are two of the names that have been floated around as potential replacements for Ray Miller. We're not particularly interested in either; Garner's made a career of losing, while LaRussa has made a career of being bigger than the team. While LaRussa is one of the few managers who have the stature to stand up to Peter Angelos, his hiring would send the signal that the Orioles plan to win right away, regardless of the costs. You don't hire Tony LaRussa to oversee rebuilding. Ken Rosenthal of the Sun praises LaRussa, but doesn't think he's an option, either.

Ex-O Juan Guzman, after pitching well but getting the loss in his Reds debut, picked up his first National League victory with another strong performance. Meanwhile, in an odd Ex-O report, Curtis Goodwin, recently picked up on waivers by the contending Blue Jays, suddenly walked away and announced he was retiring. Goodwin, you may recall, was the speedy no-hit centerfielder that the Roland Hemond regime tried to tout as a prospect; when Pat Gillick came to Baltimore, he traded him for David Wells. We should note that Ex-O Garrett Stephenson also pitched well the other night.

A few stories from earlier that we wanted to keep pointing out to you:

• A discussion of some of the Os prospects, from the Sun.
• Eddie Murray's fall plans: managing in the Arizona Fall League.
• An outside perspective on Albert Belle.

Finally, check out our most recent Bricks from the Warehouse columns, as we explain how the team is directionless and then defend our earlier criticism of Jeff Conine.

Well, we said we'd try to update more frequently. And try we have. But it's been a hectic, hectic summer, so enjoy us when we are here :-) We don't plan to disappear anymore, so get used to our ranting. Anyhow, a lot has happened since we last updated, so let's get right to it.

The Orioles made all the right moves to get back into contention this offseason. Ha! Just wanted to see if you were paying attention. In case you weren't, the last two days have epitomized the Orioles' season. Some days they lose because they can't get any offense. Some days they lose because they can't get any pitching. All days they lose because they have a horrible manager. On Sunday, they managed just 2 runs in 11 innings in dropping a 5-2 decision to the Detroit Tigers. Inexplicably, starter Ricky Bones, who had given up just 2 runs on 3 hits and a walk through 3.2 innings, was pulled from the game, and we got to see a parade of relievers, brought into the game and taken out willy-nilly, with no regard for how they actually performed in the game.

So then on Monday, the bullpen was worn down, and Miller decided his starter, Jason Johnson, was going to pitch five innings no matter what. Johnson got pounded, giving up 6 runs on 10 hits through 4 innings. Miller sent him out for a fifth inning. He gives up a single to start the fifth. Miller leaves him in. He gives up a two-run homer to the next batter. Miller leaves him in. (For those of you counting at home, that's eight runs on 12 hits through 4+ innings.) He goes to 3-0 on the next batter, and then hits him. Only THEN does Miller remove him. Finally the offense got things started, but pecking out a single run here-and-there against the dregs of the opposing bullpen while trailing by 7 runs isn't a formula for success. So once again the Os lost, this time 10-9, to another AL East foe.

The good:

• BJ Surhoff, coming out of a mini-slump, went 2-4. Harold Baines and Mike Bordick also chipped in multihit games, with one of Harold's hits being his 23rd homer of the year.
• The offense managed 12 hits (including 2 doubles and a homer) and 7 walks, after struggling recently.
• Doug Johns and Jim Corsi piched four innings, allowing just 1 run.

The bad:

• Jason Johnson: ouch! In four-plus innings, he allowed 9 runs on 12 hits. Just when you thought he might be turning things around, his ERA takes a huge leap to 6.24.
• Mike Figga, getting a rare opportunity, went 0-3, dropping his average to .190.
• Mike Bordick, the steady veteran shortstop who still provides far too little production in this day-and-age, had his contract option vest for next season, meaning the Orioles owe him $3 million while he helps block prospects from getting a shot.

The ugly

• Ricky Bones -- we're not a big fan of his, but he's justifiably upset at Miller for the poor treatment Miller has given him. Among other adjectives, the word "stupid" comes to mind for this treatment. Either he thinks Bones can pitch or he doesn't. If he doesn't, then starting him is moronic. If he does, then yanking him in the _fourth_ inning, after allowing just 3 hits and 1 walk, is incomprehensible. Either way, grounds for firing him.
• But that treatment of Bones wasn't the weirdest part of Miller's managing on Sunday. He then proceeded to use six more relievers, pulling people like Jim Corsi and Jesse Orosco for no obvious reason.
• So then on Monday, Miller left Jason Johnson in to throw batting practice. What's up with a lightning-quick hook on Sunday and no hook at all on Monday?
• While Cal's temporarily on the DL, Ryan Minor's in the majors. But he sat, so that 35-year old .170-hitting utility infielder Jeff Reboulet could get a start at third. Gotta love Ray Miller.
• Have we ever mentioned Ray Miller's managing as being a problem? In Sunday's game, we also got to see the debut of the Orioles' pinch-bunter, Jeff Reboulet. Keep in mind that the Orioles had just singled, homered, and singled to start off the inning. Wouldn't want to keep the pressure on the pitcher, right? Let's just give him a free out. Miller did, and the Os didn't score.

The Orioles are directionless, as our latest installment (finally) of Bricks from the Warehouse points out. With the initial trade deadline having passed with minimal action, they're busy tinkering with the edges of the roster right now, worrying about when Mike Fetters will be back from the disabled list. The official story is that his injury is what caused his struggles this year, and that now he's healthy and ready to make a positive contribution, but of course he struggled last year, too, and the official story the Os put out when signing him was that an injury was the cause, that he was healthy when signed and ready to make a positive contribution.

And speaking of roster tinkering, Todd Dunn was released after doing nothing at Rochester, hitting just 173/248/286 for the Red Wings. Why are we bringing up an insignificant AAA roster move? Find out in yet another new installment of Bricks from the Warehouse. (Like we said, we finally had some free time.)

As for the Red Wings, and the rest of the Os' organization, they are finally starting to improve. But don't believe the p.r. campaign by the Sun; for some reason, Joe Strauss (yes, the same Joe Strauss whose bad journalism was singled out by Albert Belle) keeps "misreporting" Cal Pickering's great performances, while talking up long-shot prospects like Luis Matos.

It was also announced that bench coach Eddie Murray will be managing in this year's Arizona Fall League. With Ray Miller's career in jeopardy, some have taken this as a sign that Murray may be being groomed to replace him. (Miller apparently suspected the same thing, so he felt the need to explain to reporters what Murray's flaws were.)

Finally, we wanted to point out that many of the things said about Eddie Murray's attitude are now being said about Albert Belle's. The Baltimore media has their own axes to grind, so reading about Belle from an outside perspective might be of interest to some of you.