News Archives: May 2001

Wow. What's going on here? After hitting like a little league team offensively for weeks -- particularly at home -- the Orioles have come alive of late. On Wednesday, playing a rare scheduled weekday afternoon game, the Orioles had their biggest scoring burst of the season, punching 12 runs across the plate in a 12-5 walkover of the visiting Anaheim Angels. The offense came from everywhere, as every member of the starting lineup had at least one hit, with five players -- Mike Bordick, Jeff Conine, David Segui, Brook Fordyce, and Jerry Hairston -- providing multihit games. (Conine's was a three-hit day.) And the Orioles tied their season-high with 5 extra base hits, all doubles -- from Bordick, Melvin Mora, Conine, and Segui twice. The biggest overall damage came from Segui and Conine, who each had 3 RBI and 2 runs scored. The game was over early, as the Orioles sent ten men to the plate in the first inning, the first six batters reaching base safely before an out was recorded, and scored five runs.

That's the good news. The bad news? The Willis Roberts experiment appears to be a complete disaster. It's lucky that the Orioles put up 12 runs, because Roberts tried to give as many back as he could, allowing 4 runs on 7 hits (5 doubles) and 3 walks before being mercifully pulled after just 5 innings. Fortunately, the bullpen was rested thanks to two off-days, one scheduled and one caused by rain, because they were needed to pitch the last four innings today. B.J. Ryan served up one gopherball to Troy Glaus, but otherwise it was easy goings for Ryan, Chad Paronto, and Ryan Kohlmeier.

What's the next number in this sequence? 1.23, 1.25, 1.95, 2.60, 4.54, 5.15, 5.36? We don't know, and we don't want to find out. That's Willis Roberts' ERA after each start this season, in order.

With the victory, the team's sixth in its last 8 games, the Orioles moved to just 3 games under .500, and moved to within 4 1/2 games of first place for the first time since May 3rd. Let's not go overboard -- as we said, they're still 3 games under .500. But when you're a bad team, it's the little streaks that you have to get excited about.

The Inside Scoop Willis Roberts SP 5 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 6 K. Hasn't had a good start since May began. Put this dog out of its misery, okay? There are real prospects in Rochester awaiting a chance. The bullpen: Ryan, Paronto, Kohlmeier 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 K, 1 HR. When you've got a big lead, your job is to throw strikes and not give up the big inning; despite the HR allowed by Ryan, they did that effectively. Brady Anderson RF 1-3, 2 BB, 1 RBI, 2 runs. It's obvious, but we'll say it anyway: a good day from the leadoff hitter usually is a good day for the team. Mike Bordick SS 2-3, 2B, SF, HBP, RBI, SB, 2 runs. And when your number 2 hitter also has a good day, that's usually a big day for the team. Jeff Conine 1B 3-4, 2B, 3 RBI, BB, 2 runs. Now hitting .312 to lead the team. Along with Chris Richard, the only regulars whose offensive numbers aren't embarassing. David Segui DH 2-4, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 2 runs. Now if he only did this more often, he'd be a legitimate #5 hitter. Brook Fordyce C 2-4, run scored. Bumped his average back over the Mendoza line. Jerry Hairston 2B 2-4, run scored. Good game. Mike Hargrove Manager It's great that the Orioles put up a big game, but what exactly is the point of playing Conine and Segui and Ripken and Anderson and DeShields? Hey, Mike, they ain't the future of the team! And it isn't exactly unique to Mike Hargrove, but we're going to complain about his bullpen usage anyway. With a 12-4 lead, why is he using 3 different relievers? Why not give the ball to one guy and keep him out there all game?

Notes:
• It appears that Pat Hentgen's arm may not be as sound as was originally claimed; after Tuesday's game was rained out, the Orioles said that he would easily be ready to go on Sunday, his next scheduled start. Now they're discussing putting him on the disabled list.
• Although David Segui was praised by the Washington Post last week for having a "dangerous bat," and although he had a big day yesterday, he hasn't hit at all since his return from the disabled list, batting just 217/357/348.
• While other teams get excited about 23 game hitting streaks (Ichiro of the Mariners) or 22 game steaks (Marty Cordova of the Indians), the Orioles have to be content with Jeff Conine's 8 game streak, which he extended with his big day on Wednesday.
• With an 8-run lead, why are Jay Gibbons and Mike Kinkade sitting on the bench for three more innings? It's bad enough they're not starting; why aren't they coming into blowouts, either?
• Before Wednesday's game, Mike Hargrove explained that the reason that Chuck McElroy is practically missing in action (just two appearances in two weeks) is that he's the long reliever, and there haven't been any opportunities to use a long reliever in a long time. But on Wednesday, with a 12-4 lead and four innings to go, Hargrove used three relievers -- none of them McElroy. Why would you use three relievers with an 8 run lead? Ask Hargrove.
• One of those three relievers was Ryan Kohlmeier, the team's putative closer, who pitched a scoreless ninth inning with a 7-run lead. Although Hargrove insists that Kohlmeier hasn't lost his job as closer, Kohlmeier hasn't pitched at all since May 15th, and hasn't pitched in a save situation (or even a close game) since May 13th, when he blew a 2-run lead against the Yankees before the Orioles pounded Mariano Rivera to win the game in the 11th.
• Sadly, the Orioles have indicated at least a small interest in Damon Buford. We know he's a farm system product and that his daddy runs the farm system now, but come on. Isn't it taking nepotism a bit too far to sign a guy who has never been a good player, and who has been released by the Chicago Cubs?
• Barry Bonds had his home-run hitting streak snapped at six games yesterday; that's one game longer than the Orioles have managed as a team this year. One Oriole in history, Reggie Jackson, had a streak of 6 games, in July of 1976.

Ex-O Notes: Two OFs lost their jobs, as Trenidad Hubbard and Lyle Mouton were designated for assignment by the Royals and Marlins, respectively. On the flip side, OF Mark Smith was called up from AAA by Montreal.

Baseball's not a sport where snap judgments are a good idea. If you had evaluated Willis Roberts after two starts, he'd be the team ace. Now, he'll be lucky if he stays in the rotation. Roberts was pounded for six runs in six innings of work on Thursday, raising his ERA as a starter to 6.17 and his overall ERA to 5.15. Ouch. And while Chuck McElroy did his job in throwing 1.1 scoreless innings in relief, Mike Trombley did not. Coming into a 6-5 game where the Os were trailing, he gave up a homer to make the score 7-5. Trombley's been good this year, but the insurance run was key, particularly when the Orioles put the leadoff hitter on in the ninth.

At the plate was a mixed bag. The Orioles recorded 10 hits, including five for extra bases, including one home run, which has been their Achilles heel this year. On the other hand, they walked just once, and scored 5 runs, which isn't a lot in today's game. It's not bad, certainly, but we'd like to see more. Jerry Hairston had a three-hit game (including 2 doubles -- wow), and Mike Bordick and Greg Myers each had multihit games, with Bordick contributing a double and 2 RBI and Myers contributing a 2-run homer. Solid, but just not enough, as the Orioles went down to a 7-5 defeat, snapping their winning streak at three games.

The Inside Scoop Willis Roberts SP 6 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 HR allowed. Is the honeymoon over? Mike Trommbley RHRP Good news, bad news: Stranded two inherited runners. Gave up a key insurance home run. Also walked 2 men in 1.2 innings. Brady Anderson RF 0-4, run scored on a HBP. Either he's hurt or he's finished. Either way, he's killing the team. Mike Bordick SS 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI, run scored. Greg Myers DH 2-4, 2 RBI, HR. He's among the team leaders in just about every statistical category. Brook Fordyce C 0-4, as he continues to plunge. He also made an error. Remind us again why he was signed? Jerry Hairston 2B 3-4, 2 2B, run scored. Mike Hargrove Manager At the risk of looking foolish, we're going to continue to blast him every time he bats Greg Myers at DH. Even if Myers is hot, so what? Jay Gibbons, not Greg Myers, is the future of the Orioles. Syd Thrift Pseudo-GM Why hasn't Myers -- or DeShields, or Conine -- been traded already?

Notes:
• According to manager Mike Hargrove, Ryan Kohlmeier hasn't precisely lost the closer job, but he will have to share it with B.J. Ryan and Mike Trombley. Good idea -- not because we dislike Kohlmeier as closer, but because the idea of a single designated closer is stupid. Why not use whoever is rested and who matches up well, in any situation, rather than singling out one guy to use just so he can pile up personal statistics?
• We're not sure what the idea is of having a bench if you're not going to use it. With the Orioles down by 2 in the ninth, manager Mike Hargrove lets Brady Anderson bat for himself with a man on first and nobody out. Anderson, hitting .179 and slugging .255 at the time, might not have been the best choice. Maybe Jay Gibbons or Mike Kinkade, or even Jeff Conine, might have been better?
• For an analysis of why the Orioles are struggling offensively, check out our latest Bricks From the Warehouse column, Lies, Damn Lies, and Orioles Propaganda.

Ex-O Notes: The Mets inked RHP Doug Linton to a minor league contract, the Indians called up IF Mark Lewis, and the Expos called up 3B/Basketball Player Ryan Minor. Finally, the Cubs waived CF Damon Buford. Why is it that every team except Baltimore can figure out that bad veterans need to be released? Scarily, Buford's reaction to being placed on waivers was that it was okay, because he could just play in Baltimore. Pretty telling, no?

Now that's the Orioles we all know and love. Well, not love, per se. But it is the Oriole team we're used to. A day after recording 15 hits and 9 walks, the team managed just a single extra base hit (a double) among its three meager hits and two walks. Delino DeShields doubled, walked twice, and and scored twice. Mike Bordick was 1-3 and drove in and scored a run, and David Segui also was 1-3 with an RBI. Fortunately, Detroit was self-defeating, as the Orioles scored two of their runs in the first on only one hit, thanks to Bordick reaching on a HBP and then advancing into scoring position on a passed ball.

Also fortunately, the pitching was superb. Pat Hentgen, whose signing we opposed, was strong yet again, going seven innings and allowing just 2 runs on six hits, not walking anybody. He lowered his ERA to 3.47 with the outing. And then he was picked up by the bullpen, which managed to hold a one-run lead for two innings. Buddy Groom, Mike Trombley, and B.J. Ryan gave fans a scare by allowing 5 baserunners in those two innings, but a game-ending double play on a diving play by Jerry Hairston saved the game with runners on first and third in the ninth inning.

And somehow, despite the lack of hitting, the team managed to pull out the victory, 3-2, to match their season high with a three-game winning streak, as they raised their seasonal record to 4-1 against the mediocre Tigers.

The Inside Scoop Pat Hentgen SP 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 4 K. Well, we were sure wrong about him. Right now, he's not only good; he's great. B.J. Ryan LHRP/Closer? 1 IP, 1 H, 1 K. He stranded the runner he inherited, too. Is he now the closer? Delino DeShields LF 1-2, 2B, 2 BB, 2 runs scored. Getting a rare start in the leadoff slot, he made the most of it. But he also made an error in the ninth that almost cost the team the game. Cal Ripken 3B 0-3. His so-called "hot streak" has him at .209. He has a lot of nerve to question his lack of playing time. Brook Fordyce C 0-3. After finally getting his average over the Mendoza line, he drops back below, to .196 Mike Hargrove Manager What a joke. Greg Myers has a few good games and he's back to being the DH/Cleanup hitter? Does Hargrove understand that a rebuilding team is supposed to use young players like Jay Gibbons?

If you didn't start following the Orioles until Tuesday, you'd have thought they were running away with the AL East. A dominating performance like the one exhibited on Tuesday against the Tigers makes the team look like big winners. They got pitching, they got offense. And they got a blowout win, 11-3.

Offensively, the Orioles got hits -- fifteen, a season-high for a non-extra inning game -- and walks -- nine -- from almost everyone. Every starter except Brady Anderson had at least one hit; Anderson had none, but he walked three times in his five plate appearances. Every starter except backup catcher Greg Myers, getting a start at DH, reached base safely at least twice. Melvin Mora led the way with 3 hits and a walk, driving in three. Mike Bordick, Jeff Conine, Chris Richard, and Jerry Hairston each had multihit games, with Bordick and Hairston driving in 2 and Conine scoring 3. David Segui, returning from the DL, had a double and a walk, and drove in three.

And then there's Sidney Ponson. In his second start back from an injury layoff, he went only 5 innings -- but he struck out eight in that time. And while he gave up 3 runs, they were all the result of a single swing of the bat. And when he left, Chad Paronto, who has been erratic, came in and completely shut down Detroit for 3 scoreless, hitless innings, before Ryan Kohlmeier came in to pitch a scoreless mopup ninth inning.

The Inside Scoop Sidney Ponson SP 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 8 K. Still working his way back to full strength in his second start since coming off the DL, but showed flashes of overpoweringness. Chad Paronto RHRP 3 IP, 1 BB, 1 K. His best outing of the year. Brady Anderson RF 0-2, 3 BB, SB, run scored. It's a lot easier to score runs when your leadoff hitter is getting on base several times a game instead of making outs. Mike Bordick SS 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, run scored, BB. Chris Richard RF 2-4, BB, 2 runs scored. Jeff Conine 3B 2-3, BB, 3 runs scored. David Segui 1B 1-4, 2B, 3 RBI, run scored Melvin Mora CF 3-4, BB, 3 RBI, run scored. Jerry Hairston 2B 2-5, 2 RBI, run scored. He did get caught stealing once. Still, two hits.

The last time the Orioles scored 6 runs in a game was two weeks ago, on April 25th. They matched that total all in one inning on Wednesday -- all after two outs -- and then held on to beat the Devil Rays, 8-6. The win, which snapped a six-game losing streak, was only the third time all season that the team scored more than 6 runs in a game. The game started out looking like a typical Oriole offense-free day, as they were held without a baserunner for the first four innings. Tampa starter Albie Lopez was perfect, in fact. The only problem for the Devil Rays was that he left after just 3 1/3 innings with a strained groin... and Tampa's bullpen was not perfect. The Orioles beat up on it, particularly Ryan (9.00 ERA) Rupe. Offensive contributions came from a variety of sources for a change. Every starter except Jay Gibbons reached base safely at least once. Chris Richard was 3-4, and reached on a HBP. Cal Ripken and Melvin Mora each had multihit games which included a double (and Mora also walked). Even Brook Fordyce walked twice.

It may seem like pointless grumbling to note flaws when the team scores 8 runs, but we will anyway: the team still didn't hit home runs, or much in the way of extra base hits at all (2 doubles). You can bunch singles together to score runs in some games, but it's no accident that the team is struggling. If Tampa hadn't fallen apart and hit two batters in the same inning, would the Orioles have scored at all?

The big pitching story was the return of Sidney Ponson from the disabled list. Ponson was put on three weeks ago with an unspecified ailment which caused his velocity to drop; he started yesterday. He wasn't particularly sharp, but he threw with no pain and at full velocity, which was encouraging. Josh Towers, who relieved him, wasn't especially sharp either, but he did pitch well enough to keep the Orioles in the game long enough for them to make their comeback. Buddy Groom continued his struggles, though, giving up a walk and a homer to two of the three batters he faced, before Mike Trombley came in to nail the door shut and earn his second save.

The Inside Scoop Sidney Ponson SP 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 HR. Good to see that he seems to be healthy. Now he needs to get back to pitching well. Josh Towers RP 3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 K. Not great, but good enough to earn his first major league victory. Buddy Groom LHRP 1/3 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K. HR. Handed an 8-4 game, he promptly turns it into an 8-6 game. Mike Trombley RHRP 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 K. Records his second save for the team, though Mike Hargrove insists that Kohlmeier is still the closer. Brady Anderson RF On a day where just about everyone is hitting, he goes 0-4. He did walk and throw out a runner advancing to third, but his .181 AVG and .262 OBP aren't cutting it. Chris Richard CF Big day: 3-4, 2 runs scored, reached on HBP. With his average up to .287, he's the only regular on the team whose seasonal numbers don't look pathetic. Cal Ripken Jr. 3B A mixed bag. A good day at the plate: 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI, run scored. On the other hand, this "hot streak" only raised his average to .213, and he made his fifth error of the season already. Melvin Mora CF 2-3, 2B, BB, 2 runs, 2 RBI. Another player who had a big day, but who needed it just to get his average over the Mendoza line.

Notes:
• Josh Towers earned his first major league win on Wednesday.
  
• Obviously, before the game the Orioles made a roster move; they activated Sidney Ponson from the disabled list and returned OF Eugene Kingsale to Rochester. For our Transactions Breakdown....
  

If it seems like the Orioles are always playing Tampa Bay, it's not your imagination. They are. So far, the Orioles have played 33 games... and 11 of them have been against the Devil Rays. Given the (lack of) expectations for the two teams, perhaps the schedule-makers just wanted to get these games out of the way as quickly as possible. Certainly, the 33,300 people disguised as empty seats in Tampa must have felt similarly. But the 11,000 brave souls who inexplicably decided to show up were treated to a show of fireworks to rival that of a typical backgammon game.

In short, Tuesday's game wasn't exactly a barrel of excitement. Rather, it followed the standard Oriole-Devil Ray script for 2001: "Let's see which team is slightly less crappy." And while the Orioles have come out a tiny bit ahead on that scale this season, Tampa managed it on Tuesday. Oriole starter Jose Mercedes was solid -- if a complete game allowing 4 runs against the terrible Devil Rays can be termed solid -- but not good enough. Most of the damage came in a 3-run first by Tampa, which recorded 4 hits and a walk en route to the three runs. After that, Mercedes settled down, except when he faced Fred McGriff, who doubled in the sixth and then hit the game-winning homer in the eighth. Unfortunately, this isn't Olympic diving, and you don't get to throw out your worst inning in tabulating your scores, so the 3-run first counted.

Offensively, the less said the better. And there isn't much to say. The Orioles got 5 hits. No homers. Nobody got as many as two hits. And it wasn't as if they were facing Pedro Martinez; Tampa's starter was the interestingly named Tanyon Sturtz, whose ERA was 5.40 coming into the game. But the Orioles managed just 3 runs, two of them on groundouts. To add insult to injury, ex-O Esteban Yan retired the side on 9 pitches to pick up the save. And at the end of the day, the Orioles had lost 4-3, dropping their sixth straight game and falling seven games under .500. The only consolation they have is that the Devil Rays are just as bad, to the point where even a Tampa sweep of the series wouldn't get them past Baltimore.

The Inside Scoop Jose Mercedes SP 8 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 7 K, 1 HR. A mixed bag: it was his best start of the season, and it could have been enough to get a win, but it wasn't exactly great. The offense Virtually nonexistent, again. 3 runs, no home runs, just 5 hits. Jeff Conine 1B 0-3, error. Always a bad sign when your cleanup hitter is batting .233 with 3 HR five weeks into the season... Delino DeShields LF 0-4. ...but when your #3 hitter is batting .194 with 2 HR (in twice as many AB), it's even worse. Chris Richard CF 1-2, 2B, 2 runs, 2 BB. Hey, it's not exactly an all-star day, but he was the team's best offensive performer.

Notes:
• Sidney Ponson is expected to be activated to start Wednesday's game. Ponson has been on the disabled list with shoulder problems for three weeks. Ponson will probably take Chuck McElroy's spot in the rotation and B.J. Ryan's spot on the roster, but it hasn't been officially announced.

Ex-O Notes: RHP Rocky Coppinger, his career threatened with injuries, was sent from extended spring training to AA by the Brewers. And RHP Mike Johnson, his career threatened by not being able to pitch, was traded by the Expos to the Rangers on Tuesday; he is expected to be sent to AAA. It's hard to believe that Johnson is only 25.

The distinction between baseball and football is that the best teams in football kill the bad teams every game, while in baseball, the differences are more subtle. A good team beats a bad one 2 out of 3, not every game. And it beats them by a few runs, not a bunch of touchdowns. Over the season, those add up, but in any one series, the games may be close. And that's what happened this weekend, and that's what happened this Sunday. There were no blowouts, no particular incidents you could point to and say "See, this shows how much better the Yankees are." But at the end of the day, at the end of the series, it was still obvious.

Mike Mussina was making his return to Camden Yards on Sunday for the first time since joining the Yankees as a free agent, and that was the media's story of the day. How would Moose be treated? Gently, or roughly? Well, we didn't know how fans would react -- mostly positive, as it turned out -- but we knew how he'd be treated on the field: very gently, by the Orioles' "bats." The Orioles scored first in this game, on a double by Brady Anderson and single by Mike Bordick in the third inning... and that was all they got. They managed a handful of other scattered hits, nothing more.

Despite that typical offensive vacuum, starter Jason Johnson almost made it hold up. Johnson pitched six shutout innings before tiring in the seventh and allowing the tying run on a couple of singles and a sacrifice fly. And the bullpen? Well, Mike Trombley and Buddy Groom pitched the last two innings, facing 7 batters and retiring six of them, walking none and striking out two. Unfortunately, the one guy they didn't retire was Scott Brosius, the first batter Trombley faced, who crushed a homer off him, costing the Orioles the game. With the 2-1 loss, the team's season-high fifth-straight, the Orioles fall a season-high six games under .500. (We suspect that the Orioles will be setting a lot of season highs in these departments as the year progresses.)

When you're not getting a lot of people on base (team OBP: now .301), what's the worst thing you can do? How about: waste the opportunities you do have. That's why Mike Hargrove's strategy in this game was so appalling. In the fifth inning, leadoff hitter Cal Ripken got on base, and Hargrove put on the hit-and-run with Brook Fordyce. Fordyce is a bad enough hitter to begin with, but the predictable happened -- he was forced to foul off two pitches to protect Ripken, and then struck out on the 0-2 pitch. As Earl Weaver said, "the hit-and-run is the worst play in baseball." The next batter up was Jerry Hairston; Jeter muffed his grounder and so he reached first safely, but Cal decided to Be Aggressive and try to take third. He was thrown out, since he runs worse than a '72 Gremlin. Then, for good measure, Hairston was caught stealing on a 2-1 pitch, which was ball 3. In the 9th, Conine walked to lead off the inning. Kingsale replaced him, and got caught stealing on a strikeout-throwout double play, effectively ending the game. Also, the Orioles had another player, Mike Bordick, taken off the bases also; he was picked off/caught stealing in the third. Now, does this stuff really matter? No; when you're slugging .329 (!) as a team, you couldn't score runs if every player on base stole successfully every time he reached. But it's still disappointing to see.

The Inside Scoop Jason Johnson SP 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 3 K. Has he finally come into his own? Is he going to live up to the hype? We hope so, after waiting for a few years. He's been erratic this year, but more good than bad. Mike Trombley RHRP 1 IP, 11 H, 1 R, 1 K, 1 HR. Comes into a 1-1 game in relief after a strong performance by the starter, throws four pitches, and then hangs one which Brosius hits out. He's had a good year, but that was just terrible. Mike Bordick SS 2-3, 2B, RBI, BB. We want to single out exceptional performances for notice, rather than just good days. But with the Orioles' awful offense, even a routine 2-3 day is an exceptional performance, especially since Bordick managed a rare extra base hit for the Orioles. Cal Ripken Jr. 3B 2-3. On a day when he sets another record, he finally gets his average over .200 as he has his second multihit game in a row. Mike Hargrove Manager We've been leaving him alone; after all, it's not his fault he has no talent. But his Be Aggressive strategy really killed the Orioles today, erasing a bunch of precious baserunners and snuffing out rallies. Peter Angelos Owner Gee, Mike Mussina is a pretty good pitcher. Might have been nice had Angelos tried to retain him.

Notes:
• Sidney Ponson had a successful rehab start for Bowie on Friday -- four shutout innings, allowing three hits and one walk and fanning 2 -- and is now expected to be activated in time for his rotation slot's start on Wednesday. Doing so would necessitate that a player be demoted; rumor has it that reliever B.J. Ryan, who has been hit hard, will be the one to go.
  
• David Segui could be back from the DL at any time, but he still hasn't tested his finger under game-type conditions, meaning that it will probably be a little longer. Who needs him, anyway? Gibbons and Kinkade, not Segui, need playing time.
  
• Perhaps we spoke too soon: now Mike Hargrove has started giving Fernando Lunar some playing time. He has now gotten two starts in the last five days after having had only one all season before that. We believe the cliche that fits here is "Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should do it." Starting Fernando Lunar is like waving a flag saying "We don't know what a baseball player is." Meanwhile, backup catcher #3 Greg Myers got two pinch-hit ABs over the weekend, which is the most playing time he has seen in weeks. When will Pseudo-General Manager Syd Thrift wise up and cut these two?
  
• On Sunday, Cal Ripken played in his 2,897th game as an Oriole (no, not all consecutive), breaking Brooks Robinson's all-time record for games played in a Baltimore uniform. Somehow, it just doesn't seem that thrilling anymore. And we still think that for the good of the team Cal Ripken needs to retire -- or be retired right away. (4/30)
  
• A couple of lesser, less positive, milestones: Barry Bonds passed Eddie Murray last week on the all-time HR list with his 505th homer, and Fred McGriff passed Cal Ripken on that list with his 420th.
  
• After an off day on Monday, the Orioles play Tampa Bay for the 11th, 12th, and 13th times this year before beginning the tougher part of the schedule. After this, the Orioles don't get the relief of playing the Devil Rays until the end of July, meaning that they'll have to beat a real team to avoid embarassing themselves.

Ex-O Notes: Manager Johnny Oates stepped down as manager of the Texas Rangers on Friday, one step ahead of being fired after the team's poor start. In reality, General Manager Doug Melvin, who did nothing to bolster an already weak pitching staff, should probably have taken the fall, but the manager is always the first scapegoat. Oates was replaced by his coach Jerry Narron, who coached for the Orioles under Oates in 1992-1993. In an unrelated note, Kansas City called up OF Trenidad Hubbard in an attempt by the GM to make it look like he was doing something about the Royals' poor start.

Three days, three losses to the Evil Yankees. Unlike the first two games of the weekend series, the Orioles decided to avoid any drama, avoid any pretense of putting up a fight. Instead, they gave up some runs early and went down meekly. Starter Willis Roberts was shaky, giving up 4 runs in the third inning on four singles and two walks, and a steal of home by Derek Jeter. He settled down after that, allowing just 2 hits and no runs, but the damage had been done. Chuck McElroy, in relief, put a couple of runners on and was charged with a run after Jose Mercedes, getting some work in, allowed one to score. Ordinarily, it would have been an insurance run... but with the Orioles, the other team doesn't need insurance runs.

And then there's the offense. Or maybe not. The Orioles managed six hits -- none for extra bases -- and two walks, and were extremely lucky to pull out two runs. Cal Ripken and Jerry Hairston had multihit games (i.e., two singles each), but it took the help of three New York errors and a passed ball for the Orioles to get their runs. Much has been made of the team's poor batting average, but their lack of power has been far more pronounced. And because of it, the Orioles drop their season-high fourth-straight game, this time 5-2, falling a season-high five games under .500.

The Inside Scoop Willis Roberts SP 7 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 5 BB, 4 K. For the first time, he didn't have a good outing. But while it was not exactly an overpowering start, it was not a terrible one, either. If he had gotten offensive support, he might have gotten a W out of it. Eugene Kingsale CF 0-4, 0 BB. The search for a leadoff hitter continues? The offense In addition to Kingsale, Bordick, DeShields, Conine, and Lunar (1,2,3,4, and 8 hitteers) combine to go 0-18. Gee, no hits from your 1-4 hitters? Makes it a little tough to score. And the entire team combined for 0 extra base hits. Cal Ripken Jr. 3B 2-4, run scored. Nobody's as bad as he was looking earlier in the season. Jerry Hairston 2B 2-3, RBI, run scored, BB. Hey, he's up to .250 now!

We're not big believers in momentum. Each game is a new day, with a different starting pitcher (and on this team, a different lineup) -- and if momentum shifts as often as announcers say it does, then it couldn't mean much even if it did exist. But if it did exist, this game would have to be a killer as far as the Orioles were concerned. The team isn't scoring many runs to begin with, so they need to make the most of what they get. And half of their rotation has been bad, so they need to take advantage of the starters who have been good. So what happened on Friday? They got some offense (not a lot, but more than usual), and they got a good outing from their starter...

...and they still lost. Pat Hentgen had a quality start, going 6 innings and allowing 3 runs, leaving with the lead. With 4 walks and just 3 strikeouts, he wasn't exactly dominant, but he did his job. And then the bullpen came in, and everything fell apart. Buddy Groom gave up a triple to the first batter he faced, Paul O'Neill, (though he didn't get a lot of help from his outfielders) and a single to the second, Bernie Williams, and a few batters later, a double by Jorge Posada scored Williams, and the lead was gone. An inning later, Chad Paronto came into the game, and gave up the game-losing homer to the first batter he faced, Scott Brosius. Sure, BJ Ryan and Josh Towers shut the Yankees down for 1.2 innings after that, but it was too late.

Meanwhile, the offense actually did a little damage. After the Yankees scored a run, Jeff Conine hit a two-run home run, and after the Yankees came back to tie it up, Conine singled to start another 2-run rally, capped by Brook Fordyce's run-scoring single. Fordyce later scored the team's fifth run. It wasn't a huge outburst, but it was 5 runs and 10 hits. It might have been more, but the Orioles walked just once, and had just one extra base hit. You're not going to score a lot of runs with singles. As it turned out, they scored one run too little, and lost 6-5 to the Yankees.

The Inside Scoop Pat Hentgen SP 6 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 3 K. So far, he's been better than we expected. Not only has he kept the Orioles in just about every game, but he's been very good, though he and the Orioles have little to show for it in their records. Buddy Groom LHRP 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 K. He's been good most of the year, but blew this game badly. Chad Paronto RHRP 1/3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB. HR. Gave up the game-losing run. Josh Towers RP 1.1 IP, 1 K. Stranded all his inherited runners. Two outings, both perfect. Why can't the front office understand how exciting that is? Brady Anderson RF 0-5, error. When your leadoff hitter is hitting .183 with a .266 OBP, it's not hard to see why your team can't score runs. And if you're not hitting, you sure should be avoiding errors. Jeff Conine 3B 2-4, 2 RBI, 2 Runs scored, HR. He hasn't played much or well, but he had a good day substituting for Cal Ripken at third. Brook Fordyce C 3-4, RBI, run scored. One of his few good games this season; he's still hitting just .181. Jerry Hairston 2B 3-3, RBI. 2 SB. After a miserable start, at least his average is up to .240, though he's neither walking nor hitting for power nor stealing bases well.

The Orioles got their biggest hit of the season on Thursday -- literally and emotionally. Jeff Conine hit the team's first grand slam of the season, and it came at a key moment, with the Orioles trailing the defending World Champion Yankees 5-1 in the fifth inning, bringing the team back from what seemed like an insurmountable deficit. The crowd roared, the team was on its feet, and you could feel excitement in the air.

And it wasn't enough. The Orioles still lost.

Other than the grand slam, the Orioles got little offense, and while 5 runs would have easily been enough if Ex-Oriole Mike Mussina were on the mound, and while 5 runs would probably have been enough if Sidney Ponson were on the mound, neither one was. Mussina is now a Yankee, and Ponson is rehabbing from an injury in Bowie. Instead, career reliever Chuck McElroy was on the mound, and continued to pitch about like you'd expect a 35 year old person who hadn't started a game in 15 years would pitch. He gave up five runs in his five innings of work. Not only is his seasonal ERA terrible (5.92), but he has struck out just 8, while walking 11, in 24 innings of work.

Meanwhile, reliever Chad Paronto, who had been superb (pitching scoreless ball in 5 of his 6 outings this year), came into the game the potential beneficiary of Conine's grand slam. But Paronto succeeded only in giving back the lead immediately and getting his manager ejected (okay, the second part wasn't really his fault), as Mike Hargrove came out to argue when Yankee second baseman Alfonso Soriano scored on a short sacrifice fly to left field. Replays showed the call to be correct, but Hargrove, clearly showing the frustration he must feel, argued anyway. But of course it was to no avail, and the Orioles went down to a 7-5 defeat in the opening of a four game series.

The Inside Scoop Chuck McElroy 5 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 2 K. Continues not to do the job as a starter, but the Orioles continue to run him out there. He still hasn't reached the sixth inning, and his ERA is now 5.92 Chad Paronto 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 K. Only his second bad outing since his promotion to the majors, but it came at an extremely inopportune moment. He allowed a controversial run, but the call was correct. Veteran bullpen: Buddy Groom and Mike Trombley 3 IP, 5 K. Buddy Groom threw one run-scoring wild pitch, but since he came in with the bases loaded and nobody out and didn't allow anything else, it's hard to complain. The two of them gave the Orioles a chance to come back, and it's hardly their fault that the team has no offense. Jeff Conine 1-4, HR, 4 RBI, run scored. Only one hit, but it was a big one: a grand slam to dead center to (momentarily) tie the game. He hasn't played much and hasn't played well, but he made the most of it today. Jerry Hairston 2B 1-3, 2B, RBI, run scored. Recorded the team's only other extra base hit of the night, driving in the team's first run to give them a brief early lead.

Notes:
• Although the Orioles are determined to keep backup catcher Fernando Lunar because they think he's so valuable and that other teams would claim him, he has gotten a total of just one start, and just eight plate appearances spread out over six games. At his current pace, he'd end up with 40 at bats all season. Why exactly do they want a guy that they don't want to use? And if that wasn't enough, backup catcher #3 Greg Myers is also starving for playing time; after two good games that saw him get a start as cleanup hitter, he has gotten just 1 start (and one pinch hit appearance) in two weeks. And that's when starting catcher Brook Fordyce isn't hitting (138/222/262). What will happen to the playing time for Lunar/Myers if Fordyce ever does get hot?
  
• On Thursday the Orioles optioned RHP Jorge Julio to Bowie, and called up OF Eugene Kingsale from Rochester. For our Transactions Breakdown....
• At Frederick, OF Tim Raines Jr. was cruising along at Frederick, though he slumped briefly in the past week. He has been rewarded with a promotion to Bowie as part of a cascading promotion. With Kingsale going to Baltimore, Darnell McDonald was promoted from Bowie to Rochester, leaving an opening for Raines.
  
• Sidney Ponson is scheduled to make a rehab start in Bowie before rejoining the Orioles. Tickets may still available for this game by calling 301-805-2233.
  
• We have a new Bricks from the Warehouse column, where we argue that for the good of the team Cal Ripken needs to retire -- or be retired right away. (4/30)

Ex-O Notes: RHP Garrett Stephenson, now a Cardinal, had season-ending elbow surgery last week. Meanwhile, LHP Jesse Orosco signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers. He had done that earlier in the spring, but when he wasn't given a major league roster spot, he asked for, and was granted, his release. Apparently he found the market not to his liking, so he came crawling back to LA for another shot at that minor league deal. Montreal swapped Ex-Os, activating RHP Anthony Telford from the disabled list and sending RHP Mike Johnson to AAA Ottawa. And finally, recently-fired Dodger GM Kevin Malone is now claiming that he never challenged a fan to a fight, and that he's just a victim of biased reporting.

Well, the Orioles may have found a way that they can stay in contention this year: petition commmissioner Bud Selig to rewrite the schedule so that they can play Tampa Bay every day. The Orioles won't win every game that way, but they'll make a good showing. Unfortunately, the two teams are scheduled to meet "only" 19 times this year, not 162, and they have already completed 10 of those games. In those 10 games, the Orioles are 6-4; in their just completed 3-game series, the Orioles took 2 out of 3. Watching the series, you got the feeling that it was the battle of the inept lineups, and whichever team scored first was likely to win because the other team didn't have the ability to come back, and that's the way all three games played out. The losing team never scored more than 3 runs in any of the games, and the teams each averaged just 3 1/3 runs per game.

The Orioles got good pitching from two of their three starters -- Willis Roberts and Jason Johnson -- while once again Jose Mercedes failed to impress, though he wasn't terrible. In the bullpen, the Orioles got strong performances from everyone except new pseudo-phenom Jorge Julio. Ryan Kohlmeier, who had been hit hard in recent weeks, threw two scoreless innings for two saves, and didn't even put anybody on base. Except, against this pathetic Devil Rays lineup, who can say what it signifies? One gets the feeling that the Tampa-Baltimore games are part of baseball's master plan for reducing offense.

On offense, the Orioles, once again, were flailing. And that's the kind word for it. They recorded nine runs (eight earned) on just twenty hits in three games. They hit four homers in the three games, which isn't so bad -- but just one other extra base hit, a double. Jay Gibbons recorded his first major league homer, and Jerry Hairston, Melvin Mora, and Brady Anderson also hit the ball out. Hairston even had two multihit games in the series, but Gibbons and Anderson were the only others to get more than one hit in a game. A litany of negative stats could be listed, but what's the point?