O's-Mets, Wieters Pied After Team Win

The Orioles had interest in signing Tim Redding in the off-season, but he decided to go to the Mets instead (he'll start for NY tonight). Well, Redding is currently sporting a 6.18 ERA (though with a 4.32 tRA, partially as a result of his flukey low HR rate) so I don't think any O's fans are feeling any regret there.

One pitcher the team did bring on board is Koji Uehara, and he has been even better than advertised. Koji was billed as having pin-point control, and thus far that's what he's displayed with a first-pitch strike 68.2% of the time. His 1.94 BB/9 is 12th in baseball amongst pitchers with at least 50 IP, and he's walked two or less batters in nine out of his ten starts thus far. Koji's been about average as far as K's go too, striking out 6.63 per nine. The big worry with Uehara was the home run ball, as he's a flyball pitcher (just 0.57 GB/FB this year) in Camden Yards. Well, Koji has managed to keep the ball in the park pretty OK thus far (0.97 HR/9), but that's with an unsustainably low 6.4% HR/FB. Once those flyball start to go over the fence, it's likely that his FIP (3.66) and tRA (3.17) will start to approach his ERA (4.37).

As far as stuff goes, Koji doesn't throw hard at all (just a little over 87 mph as his average fastball) and pretty much only uses two pitches - that riding fastball and a splitter at around 80-81 mph - which he throws a total of about 92% of the time (with around a 47% - 45% split between the two, at least according to FanGraph's Pitch/FX). Then he also mixes in a cutter, a curve, a slider, and a change-up. It's not a particularly impressive arsenal to watch, but its been getting the job done.

Don't think anyone's have any regrets about this decision either.

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Top 1:

• Alex Cora hits a soft liner to second.
• Very nice splitter gets Fernando Martinez swinging.
• Carlos Beltran flies out to center. Quick inning for Koji.

Bottom 1:

• Brain Roberts flies out to left.
• Adam Jones starts his bobblehead night with a nice plate appearance, culminating with a base on balls.
• Nick Markakis lines the first pitch he sees into right for a single.
• Aubrey Huff pulls a single through the right side to bring in Jones. O's have an early 1-0 lead. Haven't seen too many leads for the Birds in the last couple weeks.
• Melvin Mora swings at the first pitch he sees, and grounds into a double play. That strategy works better when you're actually a good hitter.

Top 2:

• David Wright pops out to first.
• Ryan Church hits a double into right-center field.
• Gary Sheffield fouls off several pitches, but Koji eventually gets him to chase a splitter in the dirt.
• Daniel Murphy singles down the left-field line to tie the game.
• Brian Schneider hits a check-swing roller to second, with Roberts throwing to first for the out.

Bottom 2:

• Luke Scott goes down swinging at a cut fastball.
• Nolan Reimold works a walk.
• Matt Wieters swings at the first pitch and hits a flyball to deep left-field... and it's GONE! That's the first of his career (and his first RBI too). Yaye, Matt!
• Robert Andino takes a fastball at the knees for strike three.
• Brian Roberts grounds out to second to end the inning.

Top 3:

• Fastball on the outside corner gets Luis Castillo looking.
• After fouling off a few pitches, Cora pulls a single into right-field.
• F-Mart flies out to center.
• Beltran singles just out of the reach of Reimold in left.
• Fastball gets Wright swinging to leave the runners stranded.

Bottom 3:

• Jones grounds out to third.
• Markakis falls behind 0-2, but lines an inside pitch into right for a single. Someone's looking better at the plate.
• Huff flies out to center.
• Mora pops up into short center-field, but Beltran is easily able to run it down. How does this guy (Carlos) get criticized so much in New York?
  

Top 4:

• Church lays down a bunt down the third-base line. With Mora playing way back, he doesn't even attempt a throw.
• Sheff pops up to third - Mora lets it drop on purpose and throws Church out at second. That leaves the slower runner on, though Sheffield is a better baserunner in general. Roberto Alomar used to do that kind of thing.
• Murphy singles into the left-center gap to put runners on the corners.
• Schneider hits a flyball to center, scoring Sheffield. The lead is cut to 3-2.
• Castillo grounds to short, with Andino flipping to second for the force.
  

Bottom 4:

• Scott flies out to center.
• Reimold grounds out to third.
• Looks like the HR scared Redding, since he walks Wieters on four pitches.
• Andino bounces out to short to end the inning.
  

Top 5:

• High fastball gets Cora swinging.
• F-Mart laces a ground-rule double into right-field.
• Beltran flies out to center.
• Wright pops out to short.
  

Bottom 5:

• With two outs, Markakis lines another single through the right side. Three-hit game for Nick, and all of them where hit hard. Then, just for kicks, he steals second.
  
• After falling behind Huff 3-0, Redding walks him intentionally.
• Mora grounds a single up the middle to score Markakis.
• Scott pops out to end the inning. O's now up 4-2.
  

Top 6:

• Brian Bass comes out for the sixth, even though Uehara has only thrown 89 pithes
• Church grounds out to second.
  
• Sheffield deep and gone to left. Inside fastball, and Sheff did what he's down so many times in his career - turn on it with authority.
• Murphy singles up the middle - he has three hits as well.
• Schneider grounds one up the middle to put two on with one out.
• Castillo walks to load the bases. Trembley has seen enough, and will bring in Mark Hendrickson.
• Cora walks to force in the tying run.
• Fernando Tatis - of two grandslams in one inning fame - comes off the bench to pinch-hit. No salamies tonight, as Tatis grounds into the inning ending double play.
  

Bottom 6:

• Reimold grounds to third, but hustles down the line and beats out the throw.
• Wieters gets ahead in the count 3-1, and hits a ball hard to center. Beltran is there to make the catch though, and Reimold - who was running - has to hurry back to first.
• Andino flies out to center against new pitcher Bobby Parnell.
• Roberts grounds out to second.
  

Top 7:

• Jim Johnson out for the seventh.
• Beltran grounds to second.
• 97 mph fastball running way in on Wright gets the K, as David can't check his swing. That ball started in the middle of the plate and ended up a few inches inside.
  
• Church flies out to left.
  

Bottom 7:

• Slider gets Jones looking, after he fouled off a couple 97-98 mph fastballs. I had no idea Parnell threw nearly that hard.
• Lefty Pedro Feliciano in for New York.
• Markakis hits a chopper up the middle that the shortstop can't get to. That makes four hits on the day for Nick.
• Huff gets a pitch middle-in and just unloads on it. Over the scoreboard it goes, and the O's have retaken the lead 6-4.
• Mora with a single through the middle.
• Scott is robbed of a hit by a diving Alex Cora at short, who back-hands the ball to second to force Mora.
• Brian Stokes comes in from the pen to get Reimold to pop-out.
  

Top 8:

• Sheffield singles up the middle.
• Murphy flies out to left.
• Nice change-up - at 89 - gets Schneider swinging.
• Castillo grounds out to short.
  

Bottom 8:

• Wieters flies out to center.
  
• Andino lines a single up the middle. A wild pitch during the next at bat allows him to go to second.
  
• Roberts flies out to pretty deep center-field.
• Jones grounds out to third.
  

Top 9:

• George Sherrill in for the save.
• Cora flies out to left.
• Tatis pulls a double right over the third-base bag.
• Beltran flies out to right.
• Wright flies out to center. Each of the outfielders gets some work as Sherrill closes things out.
  

Koji Uehara only went 5 innings, but he pitched well (7 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 5 K). Matt Wieters and Aubrey Huff each hit two-run homers, and Nick Markakis added his 4-4 day as the O's beat the Mets 6-4.
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