Tag Archives: Baltimore Orioles

Saturday’s early MLB games: Three interleague contests to enjoy

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MlbHlSqYesterday showed that you only need one early MLB game to make for an enjoyable evening.

ESPN America broadcast the Yankees-Cubs game live from 19.00 and it was an excellent game, full of intrigue, good play and a fantastic atmosphere at Wrigley Field.

There’s another Yankees-Cubs game today, as well as two other contests starting before midnight UK time.  All times are in BST.

18.05. Baltimore at Washington (Brian Matusz – Jordan Zimmerman) * ESPN America

The evening begins with a game between the Orioles and Nationals. They might not be two of the leading lights in MLB right now, but both teams have players worth watching and this is developing into a decent rivalry with the teams being evenly matched.  The Nationals took the series opener 8-4 last night.

Matusz and Zimmerman are two of the more talented young pitchers in the game,  The Orioles’ lefty is slowly getting his season underway after starting the year on the Disabled List. He will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing against the Rays last time out.  As for Zimmernan, he has seemingly put his Tommy John surgery behind him and has pitched very well for Washington this season, even though his win-loss record (4-6) doesn’t reflect this.

21.10. Texas at Atlanta (Matt Harrison – Derek Lowe)* ESPN America

The Rangers snapped a five-game losing streak by beating the Braves 6-2 last night.

The Rangers have a number of players on their roster with links to the Braves, including their scheduled starting pitcher for today’s game.  Harrison was drafted by Atlanta in 2003 and was part of the major deadline day trade on 31 July 2007 that saw Mark Teixeira join the Braves.  Rangers regulars Elvis Andrus and Neftali Feliz were also part of the deal that ended up being firmly in Texas’ favour.

Sinkerballer Derek Lowe is seeking his first win in six starts for the Braves, who will be without Chipper Jones as the veteran sits for a few days with a strained abductor muscle in his right leg.

21.10. New York Yankees at Chicago Cubs (A.J. Burnett – Ryan Dempster)

If the series opener is any guide (I’ll be writing more about it on Monday in my Weekly Hit Ground Ball column), this should be a cracker.  The Cubs are on a confidence-boosting run. The north-siders had lost 13 of their previous 16 games before taking 3 wins in a 4-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers and winning the series opener against the Yankees yesterday.

You’re never sure quite what you’re going to get from Burnett, but when he’s on top of his game he can be a dominating pitcher and he pitched well in his most recent start against the Indians ( the Yankees still lost that game 1-0). Dempster also comes into this game off the back of an impressive performance, pitching seven scoreless innings against the Brewers.

All of these games are available to watch live via the MLB.TV subscription at MLB.com.  The two games being shown on ESPN America are highlighted above.  The full schedule for today’s games can be found on MLB.com.

2011 MLB Preview: American League East

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MlbHlSqThe Tampa Bay Rays beat the odds by winning the East in 2010.  After losing several key players over the offseason, can they hold off the Yankees and Red Sox again?

2010 final standings

1. Tampa Bay Rays (96-66)
2. New York Yankees (95-67) * AL Wild Card
3. Boston Red Sox (89-73)
4. Toronto Blue Jays (85-77)
5. Baltimore Orioles (66-96)

The 2010/11 offseason

As always seems to be the case, the AL East was a hive of offseason activity.

The Boston Red Sox were relatively dormant in the 09/10 offseason, but they showed that this was merely the lull before the 10/11 offseason storm by snapping up two of the best offensive players in the game.  The Red Sox completed the long-anticipated trade for first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and then sent shockwaves through the league with a stealth signing of former Rays hero Carl Crawford. These additions more than made up for the loss of catcher Victor Martinez (Detroit) and third baseman Adrian Beltre (Texas) via free agency.

While Boston were booming, the New York Yankees were left frustrated. Their offseason goal seemed simple enough: sign starting pitcher Cliff Lee. Once he decided to go back to Philadelphia instead, they were left high and dry.  Losing Andy Pettitte to retirement further added to their rotation woes and they resorted to picking up some free agent veterans in Freddy Garcia, Bartolo Colon and Kevin Millwood to provide some depth in their organization.  Their offseason efforts were concentrated on re-signing veterans Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter (the latter in a somewhat strained process) and joining the Red Sox in the ‘Rays Removal’ market by signing Tampa Bay’s closer Rafael Soriano to be their set-up man.  Continue reading →

2010 Season Review: AL East

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MlbHlSqWe conclude our review of the 2010 MLB season by taking a look at the American League East.

BaseballGB predictions

Joe Yankees (WC: Red Sox)
Mark Yankees (WC: Red Sox)
Matt Yankees (WC: Red Sox)
Russ Red Sox
Steve Red Sox (WC: Yankees)

 

Tampa Bay Rays (96-66)

2010 figured to be a crucial year for the Rays.  After making the World Series in 2008, the Rays slipped back to third in the AL East in 2009, so the team was keen to prove that they were not just a one-year wonder.  The Front Office and the fans were also looking ahead to 2011 and the prospect of several key players hitting free agency, while the Rays’ payroll would reduce.

It wasn’t quite ‘now or never’; however there was a real sense that this year was a big opportunity for Tampa Bay.  Cliff Lee proved to be their downfall in the American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers, but it would be harsh to label the year as a failure.  Winning the AL East to reach the postseason was a considerable achievement in itself, something that may become even more apparent in 2011 when the Rays will have to recover from losing several players to richer teams.

Carl Crawford had a great year in 2010, but he’s recently joined division rivals the Boston Red Sox on a seven year/$142m contract that is a long way beyond the Rays’ means. Their bullpen will also be hit by free agent departures.  The Rays benefitted considerably from an excellent reliever duo in Rafael Soriano and Joaquin Benoit, yet the latter has already signed a three-year deal with the Detroit Tigers and Soriano doesn’t appear to be heading back to the Rays.  Losing key players is always a blow; losing them while you’re trying to compete with the might of the Red Sox and Yankees is potentially catastrophic.

The Rays will not be waving the white flag though.  They’ll keep on doing what has made them successful in the last couple of years: developing young talent and picking up a few useful bargains along the way.  Evan Longoria led the team in 2010 with another brilliant year at the hot corner, B.J. Upton played an excellent centre field while contributing notably with the bat, and John Jaso impressed in his rookie season.  Meanwhile former number one draft pick David Price was a Cy Young award contender. 

There’s no doubt that there’s a strong core here and the team is ably managed by Joe Maddon, the question is whether they can fill in the gaps on a budget and still go toe-to-toe with the Yankees and the re-tooled Red Sox in 2011?  The fact that this is even a question shows just how far this team has come over the past three seasons and you wouldn’t bet against them continuing to defy the odds.  Continue reading →

Saturday’s early MLB games: Rangers try to clinch, other playoff contenders in action as well

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There’s barely more than one week left of the 2010 MLB regular season, hard as it is to believe.  So, best enjoy the wide selection of live games while we can.

There are six MLB games starting before midnight UK time today.

All times are in BST.

18.05. St. Louis at Chicago Cubs (Chris Carpenter – Casey Coleman)

The Cincinnati Reds’ magic number in the NL Central is down to 3, meaning that even if the Cardinals win all of their remaining games, the Reds need only to win 3 of theirs to take the division.  In other words, St. Louis are an extreme long-shot to return to the postseason.  Still, victories over the Cubs are always enjoyed by Cardinals fans regardless of the standings.  Adam Wainwright got his 20th win of the season yesterday and St. Louis will go for their third win in a row with their ace on the mound today.

18.05. Atlanta at Washington (Derek Lowe – Yunesky Maya)

It’s all going horribly wrong for Bobby Cox’s Braves.  Their 8-3 loss to the Nationals last night made it 4 defeats in a row, leaves them 7 games behind the red-hot Phillies in the NL East (that ship has sailed) and half a game back in the Wild Card race.  They need to snap that losing streak today and start clocking up some victories fast, otherwise it’s going to be a very disappointing end to Bobby Cox’s managerial career.

18.07. Baltimore at Toronto (Jeremy Guthrie – Ricky Romero)

These are two teams playing out the string, but there are still plenty of reasons to take an interest in the game.  Not least of which is to follow the latest instalment in Jose Bautista’s incredible 2010 season.  He went deep twice yesterday (as did several other players) to take his Major League-leading home run total to 52.

21.05. Texas at Oakland (Derek Holland – Gio Gonzalez)

The A’s headed into this four-game series against the Rangers needing a sweep to give them a chance of making a very late run for the AL West title.  They won the opener on Thursday thanks to another excellent outing by Dallas Braden, but the Rangers responded last night with a 10-3 victory.  That means Texas can clinch the division, and their first playoff berth since 1999, with a victory today.

21.10. Boston at NY Yankees (Jon Lester – Ivan Nova)

Last night couldn’t have been much fun for Yankee fans.  It’s not often a team hits six home runs and loses, but that’s the trick New York managed to pull off against their bitter rivals.  Of more concern to the Bronx faithful would have been the way in which Andy Pettitte pitched.  The Yanks could just about put up with a loss to Boston owing to their different positions in the standings, but they were pinning their hopes on Pettitte providing a steadying influence in their postseason rotation.  Another poor performance next time out and they will be much less confident of retaining their World Series title.  Jon Lester has won his last five starts, while youngster Ivan Nova has been let down by one bad inning in each of his last four starts.

21.10. Cincinnati at San Diego (Travis Wood – Jon Garland)

This NL West/Wild Card race is going down to the wire: never-jangling for fans of the teams involved, exciting for the rest of us.  The Padres are fighting for everything and that showed last night as deadline pick-up Miguel Tejada came through yet again with a two-run single in the seventh inning that would prove to be the game-winner in a 4-3 victory.  Meanwhile there’s a sense that the Reds have slightly taken the foot off the accelerator with the NL Central all but sealed.  If true, San Diego will be looking to take full advantage today.

All the above games can be followed via various resources on MLB.com (Gameday, At Bat with Gameday Audio and MLB.tv).  A complete schedule of MLB games can be found on MLB.com

Weekly Hit Ground Ball: Grace does Bell a favour

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WhgbHlSqThe ‘commentator’s curse’ is a phenomenon that carries across all sports.  If a cricket commentator states that a batsman looks set for a big score, you know he’s going to be walking back to the pavilion in short measure.  Similarly if a rugby commentator claims that the number 10 ‘can’t miss a conversion attempt from there’, the ball is guaranteed to slam off the up-right.

The same holds true in baseball.  That’s why commentators avoid mentioning an ongoing no-hitter attempt, like actors refusing to utter the name of the Scottish play.  If they mention a no-no, they’ll jinx it and be subject to endless grief; despite that being completely irrational. 

We even had an example in last night’s game on BBC 5 Live Sports Extra.  In his preview to the Braves-Cubs contest, Josh Chetwynd stated that Cubs starter Randy Wells is good at keeping the ball in the park. The first batter he faced, Omar Infante, sent the third pitch of the game into the centre field seats for a solo home run.

But there’s another commentating phenomenon that gets less attention and it’s one that Fox’s Mark Grace conjured up on Saturday.

Let’s call it the ‘commentator’s charm’.  Continue reading →

Saturday’s early MLB games: SEA-NYY, Cliff Lee, Slowey and Hanson

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There are four early MLB games starting before midnight today.  All times are in BST.

18.05. Seattle at NY Yankees (Jason Vargas – Javier Vazquez)

Yesterday wasn’t a great day for the Yankees themselves.  Alex Rodriguez, out for the three previous games with a calf strain, lasted just one at-bat before limping off the field and out of the rest of this series, possibly longer.  Meanwhile Felix Hernandez blanked the Bronx Bombers over eight innings as the Mariners won 6-0.  The only saving grace for the Yankees was that the Rays lost to the A’s and the Red Sox’s miseries continued (Dustin Pedroia placed back on the DL, Boston losing 16-2 to the Blue Jays).

The Yanks still lead the AL East by one game, but they can’t keep relying on favours from other teams.  Javier Vazquez has been battling ‘dead arm’ issues of late and the Bronx faithful will not be overly confident of their fortunes changing today with him on the mound.

21.10. Texas at Baltimore (Cliff Lee – Brad Bergesen)

The Rangers received a strong start from C.J. Wilson yesterday to tie this four-game series at 1-1 and this is where the mid-season acquisition of Cliff Lee can really make a difference.  Ron Washington will be backing his starting pitcher to ensure his team gets at least a split from this series today.  Lee has conceded ten runs in his last two starts, but those have been against the Rays and Yankees and few would bet against him returning to form by pitching a gem against the Orioles.

21.10. LA Angels at Minnesota (Trevor Bell – Kevin Slowey) * ESPN America

The Twins have been in great form of late, winning twelve of their last fifteen games including a 4-2 record over the closest rivals in the AL Central: the Chicago White Sox.  Brian Duensing struck-out six Angels over eight innings yesterday, conceding just one run in the process, while the Twins pegged Dan Haren for seven runs over seven innings as they won 7-2.  Kevin Slowey was taken out of his start last Sunday against the A’s after seven innings, despite having a no-hitter going.  Manager Ron Gardenhire received some boos from the Target Field crowd, but it seemed the sensible move considering his pitch count (106) and the elbow problems Slowey has had of late.  

21.10. Atlanta at Chicago Cubs (Tommy Hanson – Tom Gorzelanny)

Yesterday’s early game from Wrigley Field was a cracker, although not in a good way for the home team.  The Cubs led 3-2 heading into the top of the ninth, only for closer Carlos Marmol to let the game slip.  Former Cardinal Rick Ankiel delivered the fatal blow, a bases-loaded triple that brought home three runs to give the Braves a 5-3 lead, which Billy Wagner held on to in the bottom of the frame.  Tommy Hanson has been in excellent form of late for Atlanta, putting up a 1.71 ERA in nine starts during July and August so far, although he’s only been credited with one win over that span and that was back on 3 July. 

All the above games can be followed via various resources on MLB.com (Gameday, At Bat with Gameday Audio and MLB.tv).  ESPN America is showing the Angels-Twins game. A complete schedule of MLB games can be found on MLB.com

Saturday’s early MLB games: Cubs-Cards, Padres-Giants, Orioles-Rays

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As the title suggests, we’ve got three early games to enjoy this evening. All start at 21.10 BST and all involve at least one team in the thick of the playoff race.

21.10. Chicago Cubs at St. Louis (Carlos Zambrano – Chris Carpenter)

Despite the mid-week shenanigans with the Reds, I’m sure Cardinals fans still see the Cubs as the rivals they most like to beat. 

Likewise the Cubs may be out of the postseason race, but they will still take great enjoyment out of ruining the Cardinals’ plans if they can. Add in the always volatile Carlos Zambrano (although he’s trying to tone things down apparently) and the combative Chris Carpenter and this is set up to be a firecracker of a game from Busch Stadium. 

The Cards took the series opener last night 6-3 with recent recruit Jake Westbrook earning the win on his home debut.

21.10.  San Diego at San Francisco (Mat Latos – Madison Bumgarner) * ESPN America

This MLB season has provided an endless stream of wonderful stories, but few can match the unexpected postseason charge by the San Diego Padres.  As weeks have turned to months, the initial impression that their success was just a fleeting triumph has edged away to the belief that they will be strong contenders right to the end.  The Giants, their opponents today, are their closest rivals in the NL West, sitting 3.5 games behind the division leaders after the Padres beat them 3-2 in the series opener last night. 

As with the Cubs-Cardinals game, the excitement caused by having two rivals going head-to-head is increased even further by the pitching match-up as Latos and Bumgarner are two of the most promising pitchers in the National League (ESPN.com published yesterday an excellent feature on Latos by Jorge Arangure Jr. which is well worth a read).

21.10. Baltimore at Tampa Bay (Brian Matusz – Andy Sonnanstine)

No, this isn’t an age-old rivalry or a battle between two postseason contenders, but it should still be a fascinating encounter.  The Rays, of course, are squarely in the AL East/Wild Card race alongside the Yankees and Red Sox; however they’ve lost seven of their last ten and need to get back to winning ways quickly.  They’ve undoubtedly got the talent to do just that, although injuries are starting to bite.  This would have been Jeff Niemann’s slot in the rotation had he not been placed on the Disabled List and Sonnanstine has only just come off the DL himself, pitching 5.1 innings against the Blue Jays last Sunday.

As for the Orioles, it’s another lost year for them,but the recent appointment of Buck Showalter as their new manager should help to move them forward after being out of the running for too long.  The O’s have received a ‘new manager bump’ as they are 9-2 so far under Showalter, including last night’s 5-0 win over the Rays.

All the above games can be followed via various resources on MLB.com (Gameday, At Bat with Gameday Audio and MLB.tv).  ESPN America is showing the Padres-Giants game. A complete schedule of MLB games can be found on MLB.com

Saturday’s early MLB games: Johan Santana faces the Twins

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Ho hum, another no-hitter.  Maybe it’s a freak occurrence, maybe there’s an underlying reason why pitchers are racking up historical feats at an unprecedented pace this season?  I’ll leave such research to people better positioned to delve into the topic and get on with enjoying the games.

And thankfully there’s a decent selection of early games to enjoy live in the British evening today. 

The opener is the highlight of the day from a storyline perspective.  Johan Santana will face his former team for the first time since being traded to the Mets during the 2007/08 offseason.  That would be a notable story in itself, but it’s all the more so coming in a difficult week for the former Cy Young winner, both in admitting that he’s still recovering from offseason elbow surgery and the off-the-field revelation that he was accused of sexual battery last October, a case that was closed due to lack of evidence.  I’m sure he’ll be glad to get back out on the field and it should be a good match-up against Carl Pavano, who pitched a complete game against the Phillies last time out and is quietly having a very accomplished season.  In fact, his moustache seems to be getting more attention than his pitching.

Elsewhere, Cole Hamels takes on the Blue Jays a day after Roy Halladay returned to his former team and got the win, Ian Kennedy has the task of following up Edwin Jackson’s no-no as he matches up against David Price and the Rays, and the impressive Doug Fister makes a very welcome return for the Mariners after a stint on the Disabled List.  All times are in BST.

18.10. Minnesota at NY Mets (Carl Pavano – Johan Santana) * ESPN America
19.10. St. Louis at Kansas City (Blake Hawksworth – Kyle Davies)
20.05. Houston at Texas (Josh Banks – C.J. Wilson)
21.00. Detroit at Atlanta (Max Scherzer – Kenshin Kawakami)
21.05. Washington at Baltimore (Livan Hernandez – Brad Bergesen) * ESPN America
21.05. Philadelphia at Toronto (Cole Hamels – Shaun Marcum)
21.05. Arizona at Tampa Bay (Ian Kennedy – David Price)
21.10. Seattle at Milwaukee (Doug Fister – Randy Wolf)

All the above games can be followed via various resources on MLB.com (Gameday, At Bat with Gameday Audio and MLB.tv).  It’s wall-to-wall MLB on ESPN America tonight, as the two noted games above are followed by Yankees-Dodgers from midnight. A complete schedule of MLB games can be found on MLB.com

Weekly Hit Ground Ball: Searching for starters

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WhgbHlSqWe’re not quite halfway through the season, but teams are already taking stock of how 2010 is shaping up for them.

Some teams are on the right course for a playoff place, many others can paint scenarios that will see them breaking into the October club, while several teams already have one eye on 2011.

Whichever group a team is in, they will be looking at their roster of players, looking at the other twenty-nine teams and giving serious thought to making a deal or two.  The initial trade deadline is six weeks away and a lot can happen in that period.  A good or bad run of form can turn a team from being a buyer to a seller and back again, while the ever-present shadow of injuries can force a team’s hand into going out and replacing a key player. 

Acquiring a new starting pitcher in particular can make all the difference, either by acquiring an ace, such as the Phillies did with Cliff Lee last year, or getting a guy off the scrap heap as the Dodgers did with Vicente Padilla. 

You can never be certain how a deal is going to work out.  Jarrod Washburn went 8-6 with a 2.64 ERA for the Mariners during the first four months of the 2009 season and was much sought after on trade deadline day.  Detroit won the battle to acquire Washburn, but he was hampered by a knee injury and ended with a 7.33 ERA in his eight starts with his new team and is now a free agent and contemplating retirement.

Still, that uncertainty is part of the fun as a fan (not so much for the General Managers).  Here are a few starting pitchers that could be joining contenders over the next six weeks.  Continue reading →

Weekly Hit Ground Ball: Trembley the latest AL victim

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WhgbHlSqDave Trembley was sacked from his position as manager of the Baltimore Orioles last week, becoming the second manager to lose his job this season following Trey Hillman’s departure from the Kansas City Royals in May.  

As with Hillman, Trembley’s fate was widely predicted prior to the decision being made.  The team was playing poorly and there was little evidence that Trembley had any answers to prevent the slide from continuing. 

His ability to take the team forward was undoubtedly hampered by injuries and offseason additions that haven’t paid off.  Garrett Atkins has been terrible, while Miguel Tejada’s 2009 renaissance with the Astros looks like being one final flourish by the veteran rather than a sign that the decline he had showed prior to that had been reversed. 

Both outcomes were entirely predictable and General Manager Andy MacPhail therefore has to shoulder some of the blame; however the injuries to Mike Gonzalez and Brian Roberts have been a cruel blow to a team that could not cope with the absence of such important players.  Continue reading →