O's-Yankees, O's Fall To Drop Another One

The Orioles first visit to the new Yankee Stadium has gone exactly as planned. First it was CC Sabathia shutting down the Birds as Brad Bergesen and Chris Ray each gave up four runs (in 6.1 and 0 IP respectively) in a 9-1 loss in game one of the series. Then Phil Hughes K'ed 9 in his five decent innings for New York which Jeremy Guthrie couldn't match (5 R on 3 HR in 7 IP). Danys Baez let it get out of reach giving up four runs while only getting one out, and the O's fell in game two 11-4.

Game three has Adam Eaton and his 7.93 ERA (and 5.71 tRA) trying to contain the Yankees relatively potent attack, as the O's will try to scratch some runs out against Joba Chamberlain (3.76 ERA, 5.89 tRA and 40 K's in 40.2 IP).

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Top 1:

• Breaking-ball gets Brian Roberts looking.
• Adam Jones waves at a slider off the plate for strike one. That's the type of swing we saw a lot of last year. Jones connects with another one and lines it off of Joba, who is able to throw him out at first but may be hurt.
• After a few practice throws, it looks like Joba's OK. That doesn't stop Nick Markakis from singling into left-field though.
• Aubrey Huff lines a single into right, and the O's have runners on the corners with two down.
• Maybe Joba's not OK after all. Alfredo Aceves will come in from the pen and be given as much time as he needs to warm up.
• Melvin Mora flies out to short center to end the inning.
  

Bottom 1:

• Derek Jeter lines a double off the wall in right. Nick makes a nice barehand catch of the bounce and almost gets Jeter sliding into second.
• Robinson Cano lines a double into right-center. 1-0, Yankees. Looks like both bullpens will be getting some work today.
• Mark Teixeira lines a double into the right-field corner. 2-0, Yankees.
• A-Rod grounds out to third.
• Hideki Matsui grounds out to second.
• Nick Swisher draws a walk, after a passed ball had moved Tex to third.
• Melky Cabrera hits a line-drive to center that slices away from Adam Jones. Two runs score, but Jones' throw is able to cut Melky down at third for the final out.
  

Top 2:

• Nolan Reimold pops out to the catcher.
• Felix Pie pops out to first.
• Gregg Zaun works a walk.
• Robert Andino - in there for the injured Cesar Izturis - flies out to center.
  

Bottom 2:

• Fransisco Cervelli, the New York catcher, flies out to left.
• Brett Gardner draws a walk.
• Baltimore Chop off the plate by Jeter, but Eaton is able to throw him out.
• Cano with a rocket into the right-field seats. 6-0, NY. Eaton had been doing a nice job keeping the ball down, but he left that fastball up and out over the plate.
• Teixeira with an infield hit.
• A-Rod lines out to left. At least the O's have a chance against the Yankees' pen.
  

Top 3:

• Slider on the inside corner gets Roberts looking.
• Jones singles into left-field.
• Markakis singles through the right-side.
• Huff flies out to deep right, with Jones moving over to third.
• Mora grounds out to short and the O's fail to score again.
  

Bottom 3:

• Matsui strikes out swinging.
• Swisher grounds a ball up the middle for a single.
• Melky flies out to left.
• Cervelli grounds out to end the inning.
  

Top 4:

• Reimold singles into the whole, with Jeter only being able to knock the ball down.
• Pie pops out to A-Rod in foul territory.
• Zaun grounds to second, with Cano making a spinning throw to get the force at second. Nice play, even though they weren't able to turn two.
• Andino grounds out to second.
  

Bottom 4:

• Eaton finally has a perfect inning, retiring the side in order.
  

Top 5:

• Jon Albaladejo takes the mound to start the fifth, and gives up a home run to Brian Roberts on the first pitch he throws.
• Jones lines out to left, with Swisher making a completely unnecessary leap to catch it.
• Markakis grounds out to second.
• Huff grounds out to first. The O's are on the board, but still down 6-1.
  

Bottom 5:

• With two outs, Matsui takes one into the second deck in right to get the one run back. 7-1 now.
• Swisher draws a five-pitch walk. The 95th pitch will be Eaton's last - Brian Bass will try to eat some innings.
  
• Groundout to short ends the inning.
  

Top 6:

• Mora lines out to left.
  
• Reimold gets his second infield hit of the day on a slow roller down the third-base line.
• Fastball tails back over the middle of the plate to get Pie looking.
• Zaun drops a double down the left-field line. Another two-out scoring opportunity for the Birds.
• Ty Wigginton pinch-hits for Andino (and will play short?). He pulls a double down the line, and both runners come in to score.
• Roberts strikes out swinging this time.
  

Bottom 6:

• Cervelli strikes out swinging on a good fastball running in on his hands.
• Wiggington gets tested at short on a bouncer, and he's able to scoop it and make the running throw for the out.
• Jeter walks.
• Cano lines a single up the middle; he is really swinging the bat well.
• Teixeira walks to load the bases.
• A-Rod grounds to Mora, who steps on third for the out. Yanks threaten, but it's still 7-3.
  

Top 7:

• Jones lines out to center.
• Markakis takes a low fastball out to center to make it 7-4. That's Nick's seventh of the year, and it'll be the last pitch Albaladejo throws today. Jose Veras coming in.
• Huff grounds out to second.
• Mora with a high flyball to left, but Melky makes the catch at the track.
  

Bottom 7:

• Bass sets New York down 1-2-3.
  

Top 8:

• Reimold flies out to left.
• As does Pie.
  
• Zaun picks up his second hit of the game with a single to right.
• Wigginton picks up his second hit with a double to left-center. Potential tying un coming to the plate.
• Roberts hits it hard to center, but Gardner is there for the catch.
  

Bottom 8:

• George Sherrill in, presumably to get some work.
• Three up, three down go the Yankees.
  

Top 9:

• Mariano Rivera and his 22 to 1 strike-out to walk ratio going for the save.
• Adam Jones gets jammed and hits a little dribbler down the first-base line. Teixeira makes a sliding grab and throws to Mo covering for the out.
• Markakis pops out to second.
• Huff strikes out to end the game.
  

Adam Eaton got knocked around and may have cemented his exit from the rotation sooner rather than later. Brian Bass pitched well in relief, but the O's weren't able to come back all the way. It was nice to see that Wigginton can play a little short in a pinch, and Nick Markakis went 3-5 with a homer. The O's get swept in New York, and will now travel to Washington for round one of the Beltway series.
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O's-Yankees, Put The Broom Back In The Closet

I was very careful not to find out the score of the game before getting to see the replay. I have my broom ready, so hopefully Alfredo Simon was able to continue the solid starting performances put in by Guthrie and Uehara. The Yank's third big free agent pick-up - AJ Burnett - started for the Evil Empire. I remember him shutting down the O's pretty well as a Blue Jay, but this Orioles offense is playing really well.

Melvin Mora has a minor leg injury, so Ty Wigginton saw his first start at third-base. Since it was a day game after a night game, Gregg Zaun got some rest with Chad Moeller filling in behind the plate.

On an unrelated note, this is the 500th post on this blog. I honestly didn't think I'd stick it out this long, but I'm happy I've done so. Hopefully the O's helped me celebrate by winning the game.

Top 1:

• Simon gets Derek Jeter swinging to start things off. It seemed to be a high change-up that the Cap'n swung through.
• Alfredo falls behind Damon 3-1, but gets him to flyout to right.
• Teixeira wasn't boo'ed too badly as he came to the plate. The relative calm didn't help, as he flew out to center. Easy inning for Simon, and he didn't look as bad as I was expecting.
  

Bottom 1:

• Brian Roberts works the count full, but flies out to left, with Johnny Damon going into the stands to get it. I guess O's fans only interfere on home runs now.
• Adam Jones fouls off a few pitches, but can't get to a good down-and-in curveball and heads back to the dugout.
• Then Burnett uses that hook to get Nick Markakis looking.
  

Top 2:

• Simon doesn't look as impressive as Burnett in doing it, but he retires the Yank's in order just the same.
  

Bottom 2:

• If Burnett can keep throwing that breaking-ball over for strikes, this may be a long day for the Birds.
• Aubrey Huff grounds out to second.
• Ty Wigginton chases a fastball up around his shoulders for strike three.
• Luke Scott flies out to left.
  

Top 3:

• Cody Ransom flies out to left.
• Brett Gardner becomes the first baserunner of the game with a soft single to right.
• Gardner steals second as Moeller's throw was high. Doesn't much matter, as Jose Molina draws a walk.
• Simon throws Jeter three straight breaking-balls, with the last one being tribled out in front of the plate. Alfredo has only one play, and throws Jeter out by a step.
• Damon grounds to first, with Huff tossing to Simon covering for the out. The Yank's threaten, but Alfredo is able to get out of it.
  

Bottom 3:

• Felix Pie takes an outside fastball into left-field for the first O's hit of his career. Pie then steals second, with Molina having a little trouble getting the ball out of his glove. Felix went in standing, and almost over-ran the base.
• Chad Moeller lines the ball off of Cano's glove at second. It looked like Robby was going to make the lunging catch, so Pie had to wait and was held at third.
• Cesar Izturis strikes out looking at three pitches. Runners still on the corners for the top of the line-up.
• Roberts with a line-drive to center gives the O's a 1-0 lead.
  
• Adam Jones flies out to deep right, with Moeller tagging up and moving over to third.
• Roberts takes off, and there's no throw as Molina can't quite handle a curveball in the dirt. Two in scoring position for Markakis.
• Maybe not. Burnett doesn't really want any part of Nick and walks him on five pitches (how's that for respect, coming from a guy with a 96 mph fastball and an excellent curveball? The one called strike was on a pitch well outside).
• Huff swings at a 3-1 fastball inside and fouls it off. That would have been ball four, and walked in a run. Then he chases a curveball down and in to leave the bases loaded.
  

Top 4:

• The lead lasts not at all, as Mark Teixeira takes the first pitch of the fourth out to dead center.
• Xavier Nady - batting clean-up for the New York Yankees - flies out to right.
• Cano walks on five pitches.
• Nick Swisher with a drive to deep right... Markakis makes the leap but a Yankees fan makes the catch right above Nick's glove. 3-1 Yankees, and Simon's not looking good in this inning.
  
• Alfredo strikes Ransom out with an 89 mph fastball on the outside corner.
• Gardner flies out to center, but New York has their first lead of the series.
  

Bottom 4:

• Wigginton flies out to center.
• Luke Scott one-ups Tex, hitting his own home run into the O's bullpen but a few feet farther.
• Pie picks up his second hit of the day with a single to left-center. Normally - given how Burnett looked early in the game - I would have written this game off. The way the Birds are swinging the bats though, I still think they end up pulling it out.
• Pie tries for second and is thrown out fairly easily despite AJ throwing a curve. Felix can run, but he's not a great base-stealer.
• That looms large, as Moeller drives the next pitch off the wall in right-center for a double. The caught stealing likely cost the O's a run.
• Izturis grounds out to short to end the inning.
  

Top 5:

• Simon gets Molina swinging at a high change-up. Second time he's gotten a K with that pitch, though I don't recommend him continuing to throw it that often.
• Jeter with a flyball to deep center, but Jones is able to track it down.
• Damon flies out to Pie in short left-field.
  

Bottom 5:

• Roberts flies out to left.
• Jones works the count to 2-2 after falling behind 0-2, but ends up grounding to third.
• Markakis strikes out swinging at a curveball in the dirt, though he thought he had fouled it off.
  

Top 6:

• Simon still out there to start the sixth.
• Teixeira works a full count and pulls a single into right-field.
• Now Alfredo gets taken out, with Brian Bass coming in. He finishes with a line of 5 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 3 K, and 3 runs on two home runs, with the runner on first still being his responsibility. I was expecting worse but hoping for better, though I think the O's will gladly take this kind of game from him against a team like the Yankees.
  
• Bass strikes Nady out with a high fastball at 93 mph.
• Cano singles passed a diving Wigginton at third-base.
• Swisher singles passed a diving Wigginton at third-base. The guy just doesn't have much range over there. Teixeira comes in to score to make it 4-2, with that fourth run being charges to Simon.
• Ransom walks to load the bases. This game is coming perilously close to getting away from the O's.
• Gardner grounds right back to Bass at the mound, but his throw home is off the line. Two runs score to make it 6-2, and everybody's safe. That was a huge mistake - the kind this team can't afford to make if they want to be at all competitive this year.
• Molina bloops one just over Roberts' head to bring in another run.
  
• Bass gets Jeter to ground into a double play. Crooked number there in the sixth.
  

Bottom 6:

• Huff flies out to left.
• Wigginton lines a single to center. The O's need base-runners. And that'll end the day for AJ - he pitched pretty well, considering the way the Birds are hitting.
• Lefty Phil Coke in to face Scott. First pitch - line-drive ripped foul down the right-field line. Nice slider at the knees gets Luke looking.
• Down by five they're letting Pie hit against the lefty. Given the remote chance of a come-back, I agree with the decision - have to find out how he handles them sometime. Slider gets him looking to end the inning.
  

Top 7:

• Two-out double by Nady and a bomb by Cano to left-center makes it 9-2. I think I'm done with this game.
• Swisher grounds out to end the inning. Skipping to looking at the boxscore... O's lose, 11-2. Damn. That was a huge let-down.
  

Simon looked OK enough to be a #3 starter on this team for now. The team's plate discipline went out the window a little bit (1 BB to 12 K), but you can't expect them to walk more than they strike out all season long and Burnett was on his game today. Bass didn't pitch well out of the pen, but a lot of that had to do with poor defense (his own included). Chris Ray gave up a couple more runs in the ninth - good thing they didn't anoint him as the closer right away.

I would have preferred to cover a win in my 500th post, but this is more realistic. May #1,000 come with the O's in first-place. Read more ...

O's-Yankees, On Pace For 162 Wins

Vice President Joe Biden literally threw out the first pitch, and he will literally be in the booth with Jim Palmer and Gary Thorne later. God bless 'em.

Starting line-ups:

Brian Roberts - 2B
Adam Jones - CF
Nick Markakis - RF
Melvin Mora - 3B
Aubrey Huff - 1B
Ty Wigginton - DH
Luke Scott - LF
Gregg Zaun - C
Cesar Izturis - SS

Jeremy Guthrie - P

vs

Derek Jeter - SS
Johnny Damon - LF
Mark Teixeira -1B
Hideki Matsui - DH
Jorge Posada - C
Robinson Cano - 2B
Xavier Nady - RF
Cody Ransom - 3B
Brett Gardner - CF

CC Sabathia - P

I'm glad Luke Scott is in there, since he hits lefties better than either Freel or Pie. Odd seeing Mora batting clean-up; guess they wanted to split up the lefties (which wouldn't be an issue if they just flipped Nick and Adam like they should).

Top 1:

• Derek Jeter works the count full, fouls off a couple of pitches, and then lines a single back up the middle.
• Johnny Damon flies out to Jones in center.
• Mark Teixeira is coming to the plate to a chorus of boo's. And they aren't letting up much as Guthrie pitches to him. He flies out to Jones in right-center.
• Hideki Matsiu grounds to Roberts, who flips to Izturis covering at second to end the inning.
  

Bottom 1:

• Roberts starts things off well with a single to center-field.
• Sabathia throws a wild pitch (possibly due to some distracting dancing at first) allowing Brian to get to second.
• Adam Jones walks on four pitches.
• Nick falls behind 0-2, and CC gets him to flyout to center.
• Another wild pitch (passed ball?) by Sabathia allows the runners to move to second and third.
• Mora grounds to third. With Roberts going on contact the ball beats him home easily though Posada never tags him. That doesn't stop the ump from calling him out, however.
• Huff grounds sharply to short on the first pitch, with Jeter stepping on second for the third out.
• The O's threaten but can't score, and they may regret not being able to take advantage of the wild pitches.
  

Top 2:

• Guthrie hits Jorge Posada on the foot with a 1-2 breaking-ball.
• Cano flies out to Scott in left.
• Guthrie strikes out Xavier Nady on three pitches, using a darting slider to get him swinging.
• Ransom flies out to Nick in right. Jeremy has looked a lot better thus far than I would have expected given his spring.
  

Bottom 2:

• Ty Wigginton flies out to right on the first pitch.
• Scott works the count full and hits the ball hard, but it's right to Gardner in center.
• Zaun grounds out to short.
  

Top 3:

• Gardner serves one into left-field for a single.
• He runs, and Jeter singles through the hole that Izturis left at short (covering second)to put runners on the corners with no outs. Good time for one of those K's, Jeremy.
• Damon flies out to left-field, with Adam Jones cutting in-front of Luke to catch it. Gardner scores to give New York the 1-0 lead. Neither guy was likely to throw him out though.
• The boo's are even louder the second time for Teixeira, who grounds back to the mound.
• Matsui hits a long flyball to center, but Jones is able to glide it down. (I guess he was running, but it didn't look like he was putting much effort into it.)
  

Bottom 3:

• Cesar Izturis hits a single down the first-base line in his first Orioles' at bat.
• A huge jump allows Izturis to steal second-base easily.
• Roberts works the count full, and draws a walk. CC isn't showing his usually good level of control today. May the O's have more success against him than the Reds did against Santana.
• And they do! Adam Jones, after bunting a ball foul, takes an inside fastball to the wall in right-center to give the O's a 2-1 lead. Jones gets into third with a triple.
• Nick lifts a flyball to left. Damon makes the catch, but Adam comes in to score and make it 3-1.
• Mora grounds out to second on the first pitch he sees. Bad approach against a guy that's having some control issues.
  
• Huff gets ahead 3-1, but ends up grounding out to first. When Tex fielded it he was showered by boo's again.
  

Top 4:

• Guthrie K's Posada swinging with a good slider on the outside corner.
• Cano grounds out to Huff at first.
• Nady runs the count full and takes a fastball just low for ball four.
• Great diving catch by Melvin Mora to rob Ransom of a line-drive hit.
  

Bottom 4:

• Wigginton gets ahead 2-0 and lines a single to left-field. CC definitly isn't having his best game.
• Luke draws a five-pitch walk. Go get him, guys. And remember - that may invlove not swinging.
• Zaun tries to bunt and misses the ball. Swing away, man. The O's want to give him an out, but Sabathia is having trouble throwing a strike. A foul makes it 2-2, so maybe Zaun can actually do some damage. It's not like Izturis is a particularly good hitter. Gregg flies out to the track in left, and with Damon's noodle of an arm out there Wiggy tags up and goes to third
  
• Izturis grounds into the inning-ending double play. Oh well.
  

Top 5:

• Aflac Trivia Question in the Nat's-Marlins game (where Washington is getting killed 8-2, including three HR by Florida): Adam Dunn is 2nd amongst active players with 5 Opening Day HR; who's first? Answer: Ken Griffey Jr. (Correct - 1 for 1 on the young season)
  
• Gardner drops down a bunt, but Zaun makes a strong throw to get him at first.
• Jeter grounds out to short.
• Damon hits a flyball to deep center-field. Jones tries for an over-the-shoulder basket catch (think Willy Mays) but it goes off his glove and Damon goes into third with a triple.
• Even more boo's for Teixeira throughout his at bat. I'm impressed that the fans can keep it going for so long. 3-2 slider called high for ball four (I thought it might have been in the zone.)
• Matsui pops out to end the inning. Guthrie's doing his usual deal - couple of K's, couple of walks, some hits, but not a lot of runs.
  

Bottom 5:

• Roberts hits a flyball to deep right-center that just keeps carrying. Nobody can run it down, and it bounces over the wall for a ground-rule double.
• Jones tries to bunt (again) and fouled it off (again). Just let the man swing away. Jones hits a grounder to the left side that goes off of a diving Ransom's glove for an infield single. Roberts alertly moves over to third. Runners on the corners with no outs.
• Markakis runs the count full, and Jones takes off from first. Jeter moves over to cover, and Nick hits a grounder towards short. Jeter is able to get to the ball, but he has no chance to throw anyone out. Infield single makes it 4-1. Sabathia has had no command, and Jon Albaladejo is warming in the New York pen.
• Mora grounds to third. Ransom knocks it down, but he can't make a throw in-time. Everyone is safe, and the bases are loaded with no outs.
• Huff grounds out to second, but they can only get one and another runner scores.
  
• Wigginton will be walked intentionally with first-base open and the lefty Scott on-deck.
• Luke does a nice job to run the count full (Sabathia has thrown a ton of pitches). A chorus of LUUUUKE erupts from the crowd, and Scott takes a slider just outside for ball four. That forces in the O's sixth run of the game, and that's it for CC. Enjoy the New York media after this game - 4.3 IP, 6 ER, 8 H, 5 BB, and 0 K. Yikes.
  
• Zaun laces a pitch deep but foul down the right-field line against Albaladejo. Flyout to center, with Gardner throwing Melvin out at the plate to end the inning. Even though the tag was late. Stupid Yankee Magic.
  

Hanley Ramirez just hit a monster grand-slam to make it 12-5 Marlins (Adam Dunn hit one out earlier for Washington).

Top 6:

• First pitch to Posada is launched way to to center. Cuts the lead to 6-2.
• Cano draws a walk.
• Nady doubles down the left-field line to bring in Robby. That makes it 6-3. A fan touched the ball, so it's possible that Cano shouldn't have scored. But the umps will let it go. How nice of them.
• Guthrie gets Ransom looking with a slider on the outside corner.
• Gardner flies out to Scott in left-field.
• Awesome. Jeter hits a groundball up the middle. Izturis dives and knocks it down, but has no shot at first. Luckily, Nady took a big turn around third, and Cesar was able to throw to Mora to apply the tag as the runner retreated back to the bag. Inning over.
• Guthrie's night is over, with a reliever coming in for the seventh. 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 3 K. A very Jeremy pitching performance.
  

Bottom 6:

• Izturis grounds out to second to start the sixth for the Birds.
  
• Roberts pulls a hard groundball passed Cano at second for his third hit of the day.
• Brian gets picked off, but does give us a fairly entertaining run-down.
• Jones with a line-drive to left for his third hit of the game. The top of this line-up is really firing on all cylinders.
• Lefty Phil Coke in to face Markakis. He gets to Nick to groundout to third to end the inning.
  

Top 7:

• First pitch for Chris Ray is a 94 mph fastball at the knees for a strike. The second gets looped into short right for a single by Damon.
• We don't even have time to hear the boo's, as Teixeira swings at the first pitch and pops out down the third-base line with Izturis ranging over to make the play.
• Matsui, deep and gone to right-center. Lead cut to 6-5, and that is not the best way for Ray to make his comeback.
• Posada walks on four pitches. I thought the bullpen was supposed to be a strength for this team? That's it for Ray, with Jamie Walker coming in.
• Cano singles up the middle, and that ends Walker's day. He couldn't get the lefty, and it'll be up to Dennis Sarfate to get Nady.
• After falling behind 2-0, Sarfate is able to get a couple of fastballs over before getting nady to ground to Mora at third. Melvin steps on the bag and then throws over to first to complete the inning-ending double play. Still 6-5.
  

Bottom 7:

• Melvin draws a lead-off walk against Coke. That makes five different Oriols who have taken a free pass in the game.
• Luke grounds to Jeter at short, who steps on second and completes the easy double play with the throw to first. Some insurance runs would be nice.
  
• Wigginton strikes out check-swinging. That's the first K by the Birds.

Top 8:

• Jim Johnson in for the eighth, facing Nick Swisher as the pinch-hitter.
• Swish starts the Yanks' attack with a ground-rule double into left-field. He'll be removed for a pinch-runner.
• Gardner bunts Pena (the runner) over to third with one out.
• JJ gets Jeter to ground to a pulled-in Izturis who throws him out at first. Pena stays at third, and there are two outs now.
• Damon draws a walk to bring up Teixeira to boo's again. I have to say, a hit here would be really heartbreaking for the O's faithful.
• Sick sinker on the inside corner for strike one. It started out letter high and inside. Groundball to second - Roberts flips to Izturis covering second, and they're out of it.
  

Bottom 8:

• Scott goes down swinging. Even with the 0-2, he's walked twice and had a good at bat every time up.
  
• ZAUN! Double to right-center. It's been 13 years inbetween hits as an Oriole for him.
• Izturis! Deep... off Damon's glove and into the stands! It's gone! Home run Izturis (we may not see another for a while). On replay it looks like a fan may have hit Damon's glove. They may review this one, but Izturis is all smiles in the dugout for now. They don't, and the homer will stand. 8-5, Orioles.
  
• Brian Bruney in to face the top of the line-up. Roberts is finally retired on a groundout to second.
• Jones is fouling off a bunch of pitches in running the count full. And he walks for the second time.
• Markakis singles to left-field.
• Wild pitch advances both runners, as Bruney is losing some control on the mound. Mora walks on four pitches.
• Damaso Marte in to face Huff. Mistaaaaake. Aubrey sends an absolute rocket into the right-center gap. Two runners score to make it 10-5, O's.
• Wigginton with a slow roller to short - Teixeira had to pick Jeter's throw out of the dirt to end the inning and keep at least one more run from scoring.
  

Top 9:

• It's not a save situation, but Ol' Flat Breezy was already warmed up in the pen.
• Felix Pie comes in to play left.
• Matsui can't check his swing and is Sherrill's first strike-otu victim of the year.
• Posada swings at the first pitch and flies out to Jones in right-center.
• Cano draws a walk.
• Nady swings at the first pitch and flies out to Jones in center.

Wooo! Put one in the WIN column! It's only one game, but when I look at the standings tomorrow morning it'll have the Orioles in first and the Yankees in last. Birds win, 10-5.

And I know it's last year's version, but...

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The Beast & The Least Of The East

Continuing their off-season series, the BaseballAnalysts went through their AL East Preview by position, using a combination of projections systems.

C:
Navarro, D. - .267/.334/.389
Varitek, J. - .236/.328/.390
Posada, J. - .273/.366/.448
Barajas, R. - .243/.303/.392
Wieters, M. - .298/.382/.499

Matt Wieters has easily the best projection, being tops in BA (by 25 points over second place Jorge Posada), OBP (16 over Posada again), and SLG (51 over Posada, again). Even my .289/.359/.482 line would make him better with the bat than the other catchers (though Posada’s .366 OBP would be tops in that category).

Pete: “I wonder how much we'll see of Matt Wieters. It doesn't make much sense for Baltimore to start his clock yet.”

Sully: “Wieters in the Minors would be an absolute mockery. After he wins the MVP this season, I fully expect him to fix Healthcare and restore economic prosperity in America.”

Idea... Matt Wieters Facts. Thanks, Sully.

Gregg Zaun’s .241/.340/.374 line actually compares pretty favorably to the other non-Posada catchers.

1B:
Pena, C. - .254/.370/.500
Youkilis, K. - .283/.377/.474
Teixeira, M. - .290/.383/.525
Overbay, L. - .265/.343/.419
Huff, A. - .279/.340/.471

At least Huff is a better hitter than Overbay.

2B:
Iwamura, A. - .270/.346/.389
Pedroia, D. - .307/.368/.456
Cano, R. - .292/.331/.450
Hill, A. - .277/.334/.408
Roberts, B. - .282/.359/.424

I’d like to see how Roberts would rank in this group with the bat if Pedroia didn’t play half is games at Fenway.

3B:
Longoria, E. - .273/.347/.499
Lowell, M. - .275/.336/.444
Rodriguez, A. - .291/.387/.548
Rolen, S. - .263/.342/.434
Mora, M. - .271/.337/.431

Oh, Melvin. With his injury, does A-Rod drop behind Longoria this year?

Marc:” I'm betting 2009 is the year Mora plays like he's 37 years old.”

I had the thought yesterday that maybe Melvin has the reverse problem of a lot of Latin American players (like Tejada) and that he’s really a couple of years younger than we think. That would match up better with his career arc (peak at 29-30 instead of 32-33), and Mora is enough of a space-cadet on the field (and I mean that in the nicest possible way) that I wouldn’t be completely surprised if it turned out to be the case. I’m not saying it’s true, I’m just sayin’ there’s a chance. And it would be really funny.

SS:
Bartlett, J. - .274/.332/.366
Lowrie, J. - .265/.346/.410
Jeter, D. - .299/.367/.419
McDonald, J. - .231/.278/.312
Izturis, C. - .259/.310/.325

Izturis obviously can’t hit very well, but he doesn’t look that horrible in this group. Imagine if he was in the NL East with Hanley, Rollins, Reyes, Escobar, and Guzman.

Marc: “Cesar Izturis should impress defensively in Baltimore but his offense will be abysmal.”

Sully: “With defense factored, will Lowrie be better than Jeter this season?”

Now that is a very interesting question.

LF:
Crawford, C. - .291/.334/.433
Bay, J. - .272/.364/.487
Damon, J. - .279/.352/.423
Lind, A. - .281/.330/.458
Pie, F. - .263/.317/.410

Everyone knows Pie is a project going into the season.

Marc: “Generally speaking, I am really looking forward to watching the young outfield in Baltimore play, with Felix Pie, Adam Jones, and Nick Markakis included. Pie was a steal from Chicago and, if motivated, could be just as good as the other two players.”

CF:
Upton, B. - .279/.376/.432
Ellsbury, J. - .293/.350/.415
Gardner, B. - .260/.342/.359
Wells, V. - .274/.329/.457
Jones, A. - .274/.324/.420

The Bossman is #1 (and should be even better than that line), but Jones may find himself in the second spot with even a mild break-out.

RF:
Joyce, M. - .247/.324/.448
Drew, J. - .270/.381/.460
Nady, X. - .278/.332/.462
Rios, A. - .285/.338/.459
Markakis, N. - .297/.378/.477

Replace that Markakis line with my .301/.401/.493 and it’s not even close. I mean, it’s close as it is but he’s still at the top. With A-Rod hurt, Nick might actually be the third best hitter in the AL East next year (after Teixeira and Ortiz).

DH:
Burrell, P. - .245/.368/.464
Ortiz, D. - .281/.387/.543
Matsui, H. - .279/.358/.442
Snider, T. - .262/.330/.462
Scott, L. - .261/.343/.477

Luke holds up pretty well as the DH, considering he’s the only one of these guys that isn’t a minus (sometimes severely) on defense. He would have been second only to Bay in left.

Sully: “Give me the under on Papi and the over on Luke Scott.”

If that under for Ortiz is correct and/or he gets hurt, and Tex has a slow first season in the Bronx, then I can easily see a certain Oriole being the best hitter in the division.

SP: Yeah, we know the O’s rotation sucks. They have an M. Waters putting up a 5.12 ERA. I don’t know who that is; I assume they meant Chris Waters (or maybe Matt Wieters will don an alter-ego and appear on the mound (he did close in college), sometimes pitching to himself – that sounds like on of those “Chuck Norris” type facts [Edit: addressed above]).

Sully: “Sort of like San Francisco's offense heading into last season, I am nothing short of astounded at how bad Baltimore's pitching looks. Of course San Fran wasn't the historically bad lineup I thought they would be so maybe there is hope for that O's staff.”

RP: They only went through the top three relievers for each team, but Sherrill, Ray, and Johnson came out as the worst group.

Bench: They don’t list players, but just discuss them. Every team is mentioned except the Orioles, who’ll have a pretty good one later in the year (Zaun, Wigginton, Freel, Util. player). Stupid (North & South) East Coast (Plus Canada) bias.

Awards:
Wieters got no votes for Rookie of the Year – probably because they don’t think he’ll spend enough time in the Bigs.

Sully: “AL MVP sleeper: Nick Markakis.”

If he wins the AL MVP it’ll be because the O’s at least made a run at the playoffs. And if the O’s are going to make a run at the playoffs, Nick is going to have to have a monster season.

Surprises:

Pete: “I think the Blue Jays could lose 90 games. They have a chance to be dreadful.”
Sully: “I am with Pete. Toronto is going to be horrendous.”

Both guys predicted the O’s to finish fourth. One year in last place and getting to fourth seems like a joyous event. I’ll gladly take it, and it may be becoming more likely than not that that’s how it shakes out (though some Toronto fans let them have it in the comments section). Read more ...

Sicker

I didn't feel well today, and now I feel worse.

Mark Teixeira has agreed to an eight year $180 M contract with the New York Yankees. The Yanks have signed the top three free agents on the market (Tex, CC Sabathia, and AJ Burnet) for a grand total of $423.5 M. The now have the four highest paid players in the majors (Tex, CC, A-Rod, and Jeter). It's a fine deal - just about right on the money actually - though the Orioles apparently didn't budge from their first offer of 7/$140 M (even if they claimed that they were flexible). Teixeira is from Maryland, but his favorite player was Don Mattingley (he wears Donny Baseball's number) and so it's not a very surprising outcome. The Red Sox looked like the favorites for a while, but New York came in at the last minute with a higher offer (by $12 M).

My first reaction was "I'm done with baseball." The real test will be how long the Rays can stay competitive. They are very smart and have a lot of talent, but are extremely limited financially. If they can't keep up with Evil Empire and Evil Empire Jr. for more than a couple of years every decade then clearly the system is very broken (as opposed to just kind of broken, which it is right now at a minimum - the Yankees' payroll may be bigger than the four lowest teams combined). That the Orioles can't compete shouldn't really be blamed on money as much as being a very poorly run team.

Still, it's pretty depressing. The chances of Brian Roberts signing an extension now (for less than market value if not over) have gone down, and Nick Markakis' willingness to go through arbitration and then test the market has likely gone up. The O's were afraid to spend an extra million bucks on Daniel Cabrera and now he'll pitch 180 below potential-level innings for the Nat's for under $3 M. They're targeting Mark Hendrickson, Tim Redding, and maybe Brandon Looper if even he is willing to come here. Will there be any position players left other than Adam Jones and Matt Wieters by the time the Big Three (Chris Tillman, Brian Matusz, Jake Arrieta) are ready?

Also of note: it's entirely possible that the Yankees may spend more per player in 2009 (say, $230 M payroll divided by 25 players) than the Orioles will pay to any player at all. That's sick. And it's not good fro baseball, even if other teams still technically have a chance. Read more ...

Stolen Swisher

I have to say that I don't know what Kenny Williams was thinking. After giving up two top pitching prospects last year for Nick Swisher, one unlucky season has him send him packing for filler.

The White Sox get:

Wilson Betemit, 26 year-old third-baseman, .265/.289/.429, .324 wOBA, 98 wOBA+. The guy can play a few positions, though none very well. He's got some pop but isn't a particularly good hitter, and his switch-hitting prowess is largely limited to the left side. He has two years left before free agency.

Jeff Marquez, 23 year-old RHP, 4.69 ERA, 3.7 K/9, 2.7 BB/9, 1.3 HR/9, 6.67 tRA, 62 tRA+ in Triple-A. He used to get groundballs but that skill hasn't been as prevalent this year. Future likely is in middle relief.

Jhonny Nunez, 22 year-old RHP, pitched out of the pen in Double-A getting K's and showing OK control and out of the rotation at Single-A with 9.1 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, 1.2 HR/9, 4.25 tRA, 116 tRA+. Looks like an alright prospect but nothing too special.

The Yankees get:

Nick Swisher, 27 year-old 1B/OF, .219/.332/.410, 24 HR, .328 wOBA, 94 wOBA+. Versatile switch-hitter had an unlucky season on balls in play (.251 BABIP when it should have been .329) but still showed patience (80 BB) and power (.191 ISO). Can play the outfield corners well enough as well as first-base, and can fill in in center in a pinch. Signed relatively cheaply for three more years ($22 MM).

Kanekoa Texeira, 22 year-old RHRP, 2.01 ERA, 9.7 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, 0.8 HR/9, 4.25 tRA, 113 tRA+ in Double-A out of the bullpen. Looks like a solid relief prospect to me.

I find this to be a pretty horrible deal. How many teams wish they could have gotten a potential 30 HR bat for scraps? Nunez might turn out well, but so might Texeira. That the Sox had to add a prospect to the deal is astounding. Melvin Mora (+ cash) and Hayden Penn for Nick Swisher? Yes, please. Seriously, I don't get it. Maybe Swish is done as a player but the low-low price is definitely worth the small-ish risk of that. Stupid Yankees having tons of money and getting discounted players. Read more ...

O's-Yankees, Loss In The Game - Victory In Life

Radhames Liz was called back up from the minors and thrown right into the fire against the New York Yankees. I'll set the over/under on walks by Liz at 4.5. The guy has a live arm, but I don't have a lot of confidence in him as a major-leaguer yet.

Johnny Damon gets ahead 2-1 but doesn't walk. Instead, he doubles into the corner in right. Cap'n Jeter bloops a single off of Brian Roberts' glove in short center and the Yankees have runners on the corners - not the best start for Liz. Bobby Abreu takes some awkward swings on a couple Liz fastballs, but then adjusts and pulls one through the hole on the right side for an RBI single. A-Rod continues his un-clutch season, grounding to Mora who starts the 5-4-3 double play. Giambi and his 'stache take a 3-1 change-up for a strike, and then Liz comes back to throw a fastball by him for the K. Though it's 1-0 New York, Liz wasn't bad in the inning.

Brian Roberts singles to left to start the O's attack. And then easily steals second. Mike Mussina teaches Nick Markakis something, dropping in a curve for strike one, and fastball on the inside corner for strike two, and then after missing further inside with a second heater, gets him swinging on another curveball. That's vintage Moose. After Melvin lines out to left, Huff comes through yet again with a bouncing single passed a diving Cano at second to tie the game at 1-1. Millar pulls a single just off of Jeter's glove - the middle-infield defense for the Yankees isn't very good. Actually, the outfield defense isn't really either (especially Abreu, who's awful). Luke Scott grounds out, but the O's and Yank's have matching three-hit, one-run innings.

Xavier Nady goes down looking at a 3-2 slider. I like that Liz is willing to throw any pitch in any count, but that strategy would work way better if he could throw those pitches for strikes. Matsui doesn't chase any two-strike pitches and draws a walk. That's one. Liz gets ahead of Cano 0-2 but can't put him away. His single to right brings up Jose Molina. No problem putting him away, as Liz gets him swinging on a slider bouncing in the other batter's box. Ramon has a high fastball go off his glove as he makes only a half-hearted attempt at it. No damage done though, as Damon pops to Millar and leaves a couple on.

1-2-3 go the Birds in the second. I really enjoy watching Mussina pitch. The catcher puts up the glove and Moose throws a fastball right to it. Curveballs dropping in for strikes, varying arm angles - it's not Maddux in his prime but it ain't half bad.

Abreu hits a one-out single up the middle, but gets thrown out trying to steal after A-Rod swings through a high fastball. The generous zone from the plate ump isn't hurting, but Liz is looking pretty good.

Great battle between Mussina and Markakis. Moose starts him off with another curve for strike one, and then a second on a 3-1 count (though Nick started towards first). On 3-2 kakes lines a fastball into center for a single. Mora reaches out and hooks a slider into left for a single. Huff almost takes out an umpire with his line-drive single up the middle. Nick comes around to score and the O's lead 2-1.

The Giambino is first-pitch swinging and ropes and single to right. Unfortunately for him, Giambi wanted to make it a double and his horribly awkward slide took him off the base where Roberts applied the tag. A flyout and a grounder to first on which Millar makes a nice play end the inning. [Brian Matusz is being interviewed in the booth - he seems like a pretty smart guy. When Tillman was interviewed he sounded like a bit of a block-head. I will reserve judgment until there's a larger sample-size, and frankly I don't care as long as he puts up zeroes on the mound. Say what you will about me, but part of why I like Mussina is because he's really bright off the mound. Well, and on the mound.]

Ramon... deep and gone. A laser-beam into the left-field seats makes it 3-1. Can't leave 86 mph fastballs in the middle of the plate. Payton lines a pitch up the middle, but Mussina displays those Gold Glove skillz (sorry; skills), snagging it for the out. Castro takes a slider on the outside corner for the third out, and isn't too pleased about it.

Robbie Cano crushes a high fastball to DEEP right. Onto Eutaw street. Wow. Jose Molina doesn't crush one, but it still clears the right-field fence. Hanging slider and just like that the lead is gone. Abreu singles with two outs, and that'll end Liz's night. He only walked one and K'ed four, but gave up 9 hits and the two homers. I thought he was pretty good - if he had only given up 5 hits instead of the 9, would Trembley have left him out there? He did throw 83 pitches though. Dennis Sarfate comes in and gets A-Rod to end the scoring.

Round three of Markakis vs. Mussina goes to the latter, who gets Nick looking on a slider at the knees. Three-up, three-down go the Birds in the fifth.

Sarfate blows Giambi away with a fastball in the middle of the strike-zone. Man, I missed that while he was in the rotation. Then he blows Nady away. I think it's clear what Sarfate's role on the team should be. Matsui walks, but a flyout to center ends the inning.

[On the broadcast, they are comparing Mike Mussina to Jim Palmer. I have made the point before that, context considered, Palmer wasn't really a much better pitcher (if at all). K/BB? 1.7 for Palmer and 3.6 for Moose. FIP? 3.50 for Palmer and 3.58 for Mussina. That Mike needs to win 20 games this year to maybe get into the Hall of Fame is ridiculous.]

Huff lifts a flyball into the right-field corner, where Bobby Abreu makes a great running catch. Abreu (and Damon) can't get to Millar's drive to right-center though, and it bounces over the fence for a double. Luke Scott singles into right to put runners on the corners. Ramon hits a hanging curveball to the track in deep left, but Nady is there. Millar comes in to score though, and the O's get the lead back.

[I missed a couple innings talking to a friend of mine. Apparently, he's now engaged. Crazy stuff (it wasn't a surprise to me, but there's the "holy crap, my friend is getting married" factor in there). Congratulations to Sean and Zoe, who are both awesome and make each other happy. I once heard, or read, that love is finding someone who's just the same kind of crazy that you are. I think that applies in this situation. Maybe eccentric would be better. In any case, I wish them the best, as well as all the other things people say to that kind of news.]

I'm not paying too much attention to the game now, but why not just bring Jim Johnson in in the eighth with two on and Nady coming up. Going to Kam Mickolio in his second career game just to preserve JJ's "role" as the current closer is stupid. No matter the results. First pitch bounces away from the plate and Abreu scores on the wild pitch. 4-4. Stupid. Nady singles through the drawn-in infield to make 5-4 Yankees. Now Trembley will take him out in favor of the lefty, Alberto Castillo, with Matsui coming up. Stupid. Not that Dave was the one throwing the pitches, but still.

Two home runs later it's 9-4, and that's the score the O's lose by. Sucks. Oh well, at least there was some good news from today. Read more ...

"Huh?", Part II

I have no idea what Ed Wade is thinking. Does he actually believe that the Astros (13.5 back in the NL Central, 9.5 back in the Wild Card) have a chance at the play-offs this year?

In another perplexing move, Houston traded second-base prospect Matt Cusick to the Yankees for LaTroy Hawkins. Now Cusick is no great shakes (he’s hitting .285/.356/.462 in A-Ball, but is already 22 years old), but Hawkins isn’t good either (5.71 ERA) and he’s a free agent at the end of the year, and likely won’t net any draft-picks. Even with the Yankees picking up a good bit of the money he’s owed for the rest of the year, it still doesn’t make sense. Ed, for the sake of the fans in Houston, please stop trading cost-controlled years of even mediocre players for crappy veterans who are going to leave at the end of the year. There will be no late season surge – you aren’t making the play-offs. The longer it takes you to accept that, the longer it’s going to take for the franchise to dig itself out of this hole. Read more ...

Another Solid Move For The Highlanders

With Jorge Posada out for the rest of the season, the Yankees needed an upgrade at catcher over Jose Molina. Luckily for them, the Tigers are having bullpen issues this year.

New York got:

Ivan Rodriguez, 36 year-old C, hitting .295/.338/.417 this year. He’s making $13 MM and will be a free agent.

Detroit got:

Kyle Farnsworth, 32 year-old RHRP, 3.65 ERA in 44.3 IP this year, with 43 K’s, 17 BB’s, and 1.35 WHIP. He’s making $5.5 MM and will also be a free agent.

The Tigers solidify their pen a bit and can plug Brandon Inge in behind the plate without a major loss in production, and the Yankees will need to find some relief help somewhere but are in a better position with Pudge at catcher. Though the Yankees are picking up more salary, they’ll get two draft-picks once Rodriguez leaves at the end of the season (he’ll be a type A free agent) while Detroit may only get one (if the Farnz is only a type B). Of course, the Yankees have to offer Pudge arbitration to get those picks, and he might just accept it (which wouldn’t be that horrible for one year, since they could just move Posada to first-base). The Yankees got the better of this deal, as they likely pick up a win at very little cost and get the extra pick. The Tigers may have been able to get more from Florida, but it isn’t horrible for them. I doubt Farnsworth has an ERA below 4 for the rest of the year, though. Read more ...

Getting Close To The Deadline

Three more trades going down this weekend, with two contenders picking up some pieces for a play-off push, and another team re-tooling for future contention.

First, the Pirates finally put a stop to the constant rumors, sending both of their best trade chips to New York.

The Yankees got:

Xavier Nady, 29 year-old OF, hitting 330 / 383 / 535 this year and 281 / 337 / 456 career. He's making $3.35 MM this year and has one more year until free agency.

Damaso Marte, 33 year-old LHRP, 3.45 ERA with 47 K's and 16 walks in 46.7 IP, and a 1.15 WHIP. He's making $4.7 MM this year and has a team option for 2009 at $6 MM.

The Pirates got:

Ross Ohlendorf, 25 year-old RHP, 6.53 ERA in 40 IP out of the pen this year, with 36 K's, 17 BB's, and a 1.73 WHIP. He's in his first ML season.

Jeff Karstens, 24 year-old RHP, combined 5.56 ERA in 57.3 IP split between starting and relieving in 2007 and 2008, with 21 K's, 20 BB's, and a 1.52 WHIP. He has just one year of service time.

Dan McCutchen, 25 year-old RHP, 3.58 ERA in 70.1 IP in AAA this year, with 58 K's, 11 BB's, and a 1.19 WHIP. He has no ML experience.

Jose Tabata, 19 year-old OF, hitting 248 / 320 / 310 in AA this year. He has no ML experience.

I have to say that this is a good deal for the Yankees. Nady is clearly playing above his head this year, but he is still a quality outfielder. His updated Marcel projection has him at 281 / 329 / 450, and I have him worth about 1 WAR a year. Marte is a very good LOOGY (.585 OPS against career) and isn't half bad against righties (.717 OPS). Both guys will be helpful to New York (about one wins worth combined) as they continue their run (14-6 in July) towards Boston and Tampa Bay. They also should net some draft picks for Marte.

I don't really like the trade from the Pirates perspective, as the three pitchers are more #4/5 starters or middle-relievers. McCutchen might be interesting, but he's already 25. How this deal will be looked at will depend almost entirely on how Tabata turns out. The kid is talented and young for his level, and has shown the ability to hit for average and some plate discipline. The power is still lacking and he is said to have some attitude problem. There's a lot of risk there, but also a lot of upside.

The Rauch deal really may have depressed the reliever market, since I thought Marte and Nady were both quality trade chips - the return for both wasn't that close to what I thought they would bring back combined if dealt individually. The Pirates probably will end up getting value out of the deal, but I assumed they would get a little more back.

Second, the Dodgers - a game out of first and a half-game below .500 - picked up a versatile and underrated player from the very busy Cleveland Indians.

Los Angeles got:

Casey Blake, 34 year-old 3B/1B/OF, hitting 293 / 368 / 470 this year. He's a pending free agent making $6.1 MM (which the Indians are covering).

Cleveland got:

Jonathan Meloan, 23 year-old RHP, converted to starting this year and has a 4.97 ERA in 105 IP in Triple-A with 99 K's, 60 BB's, and a 1.70 WHIP.

Carlos Santana, 22 year-old C, hitting 323 / 431 / 563 in high A-Ball this year.

LA picked up a pretty good player (about 2.25 WAR a year, so the Dodgers get about a win) in Blake. He is probably only a little better than Andy LaRoche right now, but is less risky (especially for the salary cost; 0). I think they should have just gone with LaRoche's upside, but LA has been blocking their youngsters for years. They got some value, but also gave up a couple of quality prospects - a lot more than having Blake for the rest of the year is worth, even with the one or two prospects he might net (if LA offres him arbitration).

Cleveland continued to retool, and decided that throwing in $3 MM was worth getting back better players. Meloan could probably be an effective reliever right now - he has very good stuff. He's still young too, so if he can successfully make the transition to the rotation, then it's a bonus. Santana is old for his level, but he's hitting very well and is solid behind the plate. Both players should have at least some impact in the majors, though neither are likely to be stars. Very good deal for the Indians.

The third trade involved a contender not actually improving itself.

St. Louis got:

Luis Perdomo, 24 year-old RHRP, 3.52 ERA in 15.1 IP in AA this year, with 17 K's, 7 BB's, and a 1.24 WHIP.

Cleveland got:

Anthony Reyes, 26 year-old RHP, 3.25 ERA in 52.2 IP at Triple-A this year, with 47 K's, 21 BB's, and a 1.37 WHIP. He's in his second ML season.

The Cardinals never committed to giving Reyes a long-term chance to start for them, and didn't get a great return for him. Perdomo is projected as an OK middle reliever, but he's pretty old for his level.

Reyes still has some up-side, and it's likely that he'll be in the Cleveland rotation next year. I don't think he'll set the world on fire, but he's still cheap and could turn into a 1-2 WAR player. His mechanics leave a little to be desired, but it was another good trade for Mark Shapiro. The Indians haven't drafted well in recent years, but Shapiro has done a good job of restocking the system with the team far out of contention this year.

I think there will be a few more deals going down in the next few days - if I was the Twins GM I'd seriously look into trading for Adrian Beltre. I'm also interested in seeing if the O's make any deals (which they should). Fun times. Read more ...

O's-Yankees, Missed Opportunities

Camden Yards (or Fenway South, as the Sox fans call it) host the first game of the four game series between Boston and the O's, with Daniel Cabrera facing Josh Beckett. Hopefully Daniel can bounce back for a poor start against the Rays.

Jacoby is very, very fast. He slices one to left and, even though Scott got to it quickly, made it into second with a double. Dustin Pedroia lays down a sac bunt (in the first?) and Daniel fields it cleanly and tosses to first for the out. I've been surprised how rarely batters have tested Cabrera, given his reputation (earned) of being a very poor fielder. David Ortiz lines one past a diving Bynum (playing where Roberts usually does) into right for an RBI single. Manny doubles to left, and the Sox have a big inning in the making. Mike Lowell puts a ride into one, but Scott tracks it down at the wall. Both runners tag, with Ortiz scoring to make it 2-0 Boston. Youkilis flies to Scott swell, to end the inning.

O's go down in order in the first.

With one out, Coco Crisp gets a two-base walk. I'm sure there will be lots of jokes about that tomorrow. Ball four was in the dirt and bounced away, and Crisp was able to get all the way to second before Ramon found it. Then he steals third pretty easily. Alex Cora tried to put down the suicide squeeze, but misses the ball. Crisp is dead-in-the-water between third and home, and Razor runs him down easily. Cora then gets drilled in the leg by a pitch. Daniel doesn't look like he has it today. Jacoby grounds to Roberts, who handles a tricky hop and throws him out.

Huff goes down looking to start the second. Millar gets the O's first baserunner, singling to left. Scott pulls the first pitch he sees past Youk at first for a single, with Millar going to third. Luke takes off on a 3-1 pitch, and Varitek's throw was off-line. Scott is safe, and Millar comes in to score to make it 2-1. Ramon grounds out to second. Adam Jones grounds sharply to first, but Youk shows why he won a Gold Glove, making a sliding catch and tosses to Beckett who just barely beats Jones to the bag. On replay actually, Beckett never touched the bag. Dave Trembley argued it, but that kind of thing is never overturned.

Ortiz ropes a one-out double over Nick's head in right to bring up Manny, who is sitting on 499 career home runs. Ramirez goes down swinging at a high fastball. Lowell grounds out to end the inning.

After Bynum strikes out on three pitches, Brian gets on via a Pedroia error. Mora strikes out swinging, as Roberts steals second. The throw beat him, but Pedroia couldn't apply the tag. Say what you will about runners distracting pitchers (and I have - I think it's mostly hoowie), but seeing the runner moving behind the pitcher probably does more to distract the hitter. Nick strikes out looking on a 3-2 fastball on the inside corner.

Cabrera has his first 1-2-3 inning, ending it with a K of Coco.

Aubrey Huff ties the game with a solo home run to right-center field. It was a first-pitch fastball on the outer half, and he just turned on it. That's all the O's get, but it's now 2-2.

Jacoby double into the right-field corner, but is left stranded. Daniel is using his breaking-ball and change-up more than I he has recently. It may be in response to not having command of his fastball tonight.

Dustin Pedroia has a very good defensive reputation (and from what I understand has backed it up) but hasn't looked too good tonight. Bynum hit one sharply at him, but he wasn't able to back-hand it and the ball went into right-field. Beckett K's Roberts and Mora to end the inning.

Manny hits one deep to center, but Jones is there to make the catch. Mike Lowell pulls a double down the third base line, but Melvin is able to get to a Youkilis grounder and throw him out. Daniel walks Varitek on five pitches, and looks visibly frustrated with the strike-zone. None of the pitches were that close, and Crisp does him a favor by expanding the zone and grounding to Roberts. Still a 2-2 game.

Nick goes down swinging again, on a fastball at 96 tailing off the plate away. Strike-out number nine is Aubrey Huff, unable to check his swing at a curve in the dirt. Millar draws a two-out walk to bring up Luke Scott. Scott follows suit, with a walk of his own. Razor coming up with two on and two out. Ramon runs the count full, and takes a high fastball to load the bases on Beckett's third consecutive walk. Adam Jones is coming up with a big chance to give the O's the lead. He has a pretty good at bat, but ends up striking out swinging at a fastball.

Jacoby is on again - he hit a grounder to third where Melvin gets it, spins, and hurries the throw past Millar at first. Ellsbury steals second, and then later third, but the Sox can't bring him in. Daniel is up to 113 pitches (just 64 for strikes) and so this may have been his last inning. At least it looks like Beckett is done too with 118 pitches and faltering control.

Hideki Okajima is in to face Freddie Bynum. Groundball to short results in the first out, with Roberts coming up. Brian singles to right-center and takes a big turn around first. Don't take too many risks here - bad baserunning has cost the O's enough runs this year. Mora flies out, and Nick strikes out again. Despite lots of chances on both sides, it's still a 2-2 game.

Jim Johnson is in the game, so we can close the book on Daniel. He didn't have his best stuff, but the 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K day doesn't look that bad. JJ gets Manny to pop out on the first pitch. Then he gets Lowell to pop one up, but it falls between three fielders in left-center for a single. Oh, but boy the the O's turn a nice double play to end the inning. Youk grounds up the middle; Bynum gets to it and flips to Roberts as he is falling backwards; Roberts catches it with his bare hand, touches second, and then throws to first. Very nice play.

The O's go down in order in the bottom of the eighth.

George Sherrill is coming in for the ninth - I like that Dave Trembley uses Sherrill in non-save but still high-leverage situations. If he's your best reliever, then that's how you're supposed to use him. With one out, Coco Crisp is called out looking on a 3-1 pitch. That is fantastic. Crisp actually thought it was a ball, and started to go to first. Jim Palmer is bringing up a comparison to Leslie Nielsen from Naked Gun, where he is the ump at the Angels game. I think it's apt. That's embarrassing to both the ump and the player. Anyway, Crisp ends up popping out and then pinch hitter Jeff Bailey goes down swinging.

Manny Delcarmen is in for Okajima. Razor hits a ball to deep center-field, but Crisp has plenty of room to make the catch. Jones strikes out swinging at a curve in the dirt. These Sow pitchers have some good stuff. Bynum grounds one past a diving Pedroia for a single - that turns the line-up over. Bynum steals second to put the winning run in scoring position. Roberts is behind in the count at 1-2, but it takes just a single to (probably) win the game. Brian battles back though, running the count full and fouling off a few pitches before taking ball four. Melvin Mora up now. A groundout ends the inning - it'll be extras once again for the Birds, with Matt Albers coming in.

Albers is looking really sharp tonight - he's keeping the ball low in the zone and has good break on the curveball. He retires the Sox in order, including getting Ortiz to ground out to Bynum at the second-base position.

Side-arming lefty Javier Lopez is in to face Markakis, who already has three K's on the day. His average is down to .246, and he hasn't looked good at the plate. Nick works the count to 3-1 and fists an inside fastball into short left-field for a single. Lopez gets Huff to flyout to center, and then is removed for Craig Henson. Millar grounds out to third, and with first base open, Luke will get the intentional pass. Ramon once again has a chance to put the O's on top. 3-2 count... and he goes down swinging. If the O's lose this game, there is going to be talk of all of the failed opportunities.

Manny pops out on the first pitch again - it's nice to have a guy like Albers who can go a few innings in the pen. Lowell flies out to right, and then Youk goes down swinging. Boston still has Papelbon out there, but I think the pen advantage shifts to the O's at this point.

The Orioles don't threaten in this inning, going down in order.

Albers is still in there, and he gets Tek swinging to start the 12th. Julio Lugo (in for Cora after Bailey pinch hit) draws a two-out walk, and Jacoby follows it with yet another hit. Ellsbury steals second without a throw, and Albers falls behind Pedroia 1-0. Dustin grounds to Mora, who avoids Ellsbury almost running right into him, and makes the throw to first. We go to the bottom of the 12th. Jeez.

Former Oriole Mike Timlin brings his 6.89 ERA into the game. At 42, Timlin is probably nearing the end of the road. Mora thinks he checks his swing on a 3-2 pitch, but he sure didn't (and the umpire calls him out). Kakes! Finally he hits one hard, lining a double past a diving Crisp in left-center. Huff gets the IBB, to bring Millar up. Timlin falls behind 2-0, and things are tense. Millar grounds one to short where Lugo bobbles the ball. Things look good, but Millar doesn't ran that hard to first and Lugo has time to throw him out. With first open again, Luke gets an IBB. Ramon up (again) with runners in scoring position. Razor shows bunt, but pulls the bat back - that reminds me of the game in Oakland that he won by beating out a bunt hit to drive in the winning run. A flyout to left ends the inning. So many men left on...

Albers is done after three very good innings, and Jamie Walker is coming in. My confidence level isn't high here. He gets Ortiz to pop up the ball in foul territory, but Ramon drops it. Not a good night for him. Ortiz ends up grounding out anyway. He will only face one batter, as Chad Bradford is coming in. Not a lot left in the pen - Dennis Sarfate and Lance Cormier. Manny is on, as Mora throws his groundball away. He's on second for Lowell. The error comes back to hurt, as a single to left brings Ramirez in to make it 3-2. Papelbon will be coming in. An infield single by Youkilis will end the day for Bradford. He got no outs and will be saddled with the loss baring an O's comeback. Sarfate coming in. He has a good K rate, but is walking too many - that's been his general profile and he's sticking to it. Lowell and Youk pull off a double steal - not something you usually see from those guys. Tek goes down swinging at a fastball at 97 up at the letters. Crisp hits what should be an inning ending groundball to short, but this time it's Bynum throwing it away. Two runs score, and it's 5-2 Boston. I'm gonna call this one, as the chances of the O's scoring 3 or more against Papelbon are extremely remote. Sarfate losses command, walking Lugo on four pitches and then starting Ellsbury off with a ball. Good move by Rick Kranitz to take a trip to the mound. Sarfate comes back to strike Jacoby out. Bottom of the 13th.

It looks like Adam Jones beats out an infield single, but is called out on a bang-bang play. Jay Payton hitting for Bynum - he swings at a 3-2 pitch a foot outside and obviously misses. Two outs. Roberts goes down looking to end it.

The O's lose 5-2. It was a game that they should have won, and the missed chances were painful to watch. The probabilities were in their favor, but they couldn't make it happen. A team like the Orioles can't beat a team like the Red Sox if they make so many mistakes.

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O's Beat The Last Place Yankees

That game was amazing. It calls for two things.

(1) A look at the win probability over the course of the game:



The Yanks were in good positions throughout the game, but that upward sloping line at the end is all that matters.

Individually, Damon has the player of the game (.519 Win Probability Added) while A-Rod, despite the HR, was Choke-Rod in this one (-.343 WPA). It's cool, because Nick was almost as bad (-.331 WPA). Aubrey Huff (.391 WPA) and Kevin Millar (.255 WPA) came up big for the O's.

and (2) ORIOLES MAGIC

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O's-Yankees, Home Run Derby

Brian Burres just needs to follow the same gameplan he had last time out against New York, and hopefully the O's can get to Ian Kennedy this time around (6 IP, 1 R last week against the Birds).

Bobby Abreu beats out an infield single, but that's all the Yanks get in the first.

[Apparently, Joba Chamberlain's first name is pronounced "jah-buh". I think that sounds dumb, and will continue to refer to him as "joe-buh". Alrighty then.]

The O's go down in order in the first.

Jason Giambi - the Giambino - puts a Ruthian swing on a hanging curveball. It went oh so very far, landing on Eutaw Street. 1-0 NY. Former Brave and Dodger, Wilson Betemit follows that with a single to left. Then Robbie Cano lines a single to center. Burres isn't fooling anyone in this inning. With two outs, Johnny Damon shows why he was such a valuable lead-off hitter (other than the OBP) - his flashes of power. Damon hits a line-drive over the scoreboard in right to make it 4-0. Burres hits Jeter in the foot with a bouncing curveball. A come-backer to the mound from Abreu finally ends the inning.

Aubrey Huff gets the O's first hit, lining a pitch up the middle for a single. 4-0 score, meet Kevin Millar. His seventh home run of the year cuts the lead to 4-2. Did I say 4-2? Make that 4-3. Razor Ramon hits his fourth, and boy did he unload on that one (87 mph fastball right down the middle). Adam Jones with the let-down; he just singles past Derek Jeter (how does anyone think he's a good shortstop? Miguel Tejada could have gotten to that ball). Freddie Bynum flies out to deep center, and Adam Jones tags up and goes to second. Damon's throw is not nearly in time. On a passed ball, Jones then scampers to third. Brian Roberts chops one that A-Rod fields, but he hurries his throw and the error allows Jones to score. The game is now tied at 4-4, and that last run is based largely on Jones' baserunning. Another passed ball allows Brian to get into scoring position at second for Mora. Melvin goes down swinging, but it's now a brand-new ballgame.

Giambi hits an opposite-field double that Luke Scott can't quite get to, but Burres is able to keep NY off the board.

Scott is the only baserunner of the O's half inning, getting on via a Cano error.

With two outs, Damon rips a double down the right-field line, and Cap'n Jeter follows it up with an RBI single up the middle. A third lefty takes Burres deep as Bobby Abreu hits a two-run homer. 7-4, Yankees. Brian tried to drop-down on that pitch (well, he did succeed in lowering his release point) but it ended up right in Abreu's wheel-house. The lead is back to four, as A-Rod goes back-to-back with Abreu. He just sent it out to dead-center, and that will end Burres' day. Lance Cormier will come in to try to eat some innings, but the way the ball is flying out of the park, the O's are certainly still in the game. Cormier gets the final out of the inning.

A-Rod makes another throwing error; this time allowing Razor to reach. Adam Jones erases him though, with a double play grounder. Bynum lines one to third for the final out. No quick answer this inning from the O's offense.

Jason Giambi, who swings at pitches out of the zone less than anyone in baseball, strikes out looking at a 3-2 fastball just below the outside corner. Cormier then gets Betemit swinging at a curveball. A Cano groundout means the Yanks are retired in order for the first time today.

Roberts singles to right to start the O's rally. Is it a rally when the guy just hits a homer? Mora's sixth of the year (and the seventh of the game overall) makes it 8-6. Nick pops up the first pitch he sees and is now 0-3 on the day. All this was off of Ross Ohlendorf, who came in for Kennedy after the third inning (and I barely noticed - they both look similar and have high-socks; I guess I should have realized that "Kennedy" wasn't doing his "Mussina" dip to start his wind-up.) Jeez, I wonder if I could hit one out of Camden Yards right now. Luuuuke takes an outside fastball and send it deep into the warm night air. 8-7. What the hell is going on? I wish I had someone to call about this. Kevin Millar send one deep to left. That's the third set of back-to-back home runs in the game (two by the Birds). The game is now tied at 8-8, and 14 of the 16 runs have scored via the longball. Razor strikes out to end the fifth. What an incredibly entertaining game.

Cormier gets a couple of outs, but also allows a Damon single and walks Abreu. Dennis Sarfate will come in to face A-Rod. And he doesn't even have to as the Captain gets picked off second base before Sarfate even has to throw a pitch. Just like that, the Yankee threat is over.

With one out, change-up specialist Edwar Ramirez will come in to face Bynum. Freddie is retired, but Brian battles and serves a pitch into left for a single. Mora singles past a reaching Jeter (I wonder how often New York commentators have to say that?) and Roberts motors over to third. Now would be a good time for Nick's first hit of the day. Nope. A grounder to first ends the inning. Suddenly neither team can score a run.

Sarfate blows A-Rod away with a high fastball at 97. That's a pitch that Rodriguez is actually susceptible to, but if you don't get it up enough then he can hit it a long way. Matsui and Giambi fly out, and it'e time to stretch.

Kevin Millar's good night continues as he pulls a two-out double to left. The Farnz is coming in to face Razor. Aww... Ramon singles to first and Millar is sent home (despite him being slow and Abreu having a good arm) - he is just out (actually, he might have gotten his toe on the plate before the tag was applied).

JJ comes in and gets Betemit on the first pitch. A quick 1-2-3 inning for Johnson.

Adam Jones works Farnzy for a four-pitch walk to start the bottom of the eighth. Bynum puts down a sac bunt with two strikes (I don't think that's a great play against a but who just threw four straight out of the zone and brings high heat) and the Yanks intentionally walk Roberts with first-base open. It works, as Mora grounds to second for an inning-ending double play. To the top of the ninth.

Despite his easy eighth, JJ is removed in favor of closer George Sherrill. I like that Dave Trembley doesn't just keep Sherrill for save situations, but brings him in if the score is close and there are lefties coming up. Johnny Damon hits it to left and thinks double right out of the box. Luke Scott has a pretty good arm, but he isn't able to get him at second. Jeter is way out in front of a breaking-ball, and goes down swinging. And then Abreu goes down looking on a fastball on the inside corner. It is pouring down rain, and I don't know if there will be an end to this one. With first-base open, the O's are playing match-ups and walking A-Rod to bring up the lefty Matsui. After some delays for the batter to towel himself and for Joe Girardi to complain that the game hasn't been delayed yet, Matsui lines out to Millar. I'm with Joe (and the broadcasters), the game was going to be stopped before the O's bat anyway; there's no reason not to stop it before the field took on too much water. I don't know if they will be able to get the bottom of the ninth in.

Back after the delay, Mo Rivera comes on and pitches a 1-2-3 ninth with K's of Markakis and Huff. It'll be extra innings.

Matt Albers relieves Sherrill, and will be in for the next few innings if need be. Giambi grounds out, but Betemit pulls a pitch past Millar for a single. The go-ahead run is on, and Albers falls behind Cano 3-0. Robbie grounds to Mora, but the relay throw from Roberts at second is not in time to turn the double play. Jose Molina flies to center for the third out.

Mo is still in there, and he gets Millar to ground out. Razor gets a high cut fastball and hits down the first-base line for a double (his slide into the bag was... let's say less than graceful). Alex Cintron comes in to run for him with Adam Jones coming up. Jones strikes out swinging on the cutter. It really is an amazing pitch. Jay Payton pinch hits for Bynum - this is where it's troublesome to not have a lefty on the bench. (That's not necessarily true against Mo because of the cutter, but every time I say something like this it seems that Payton comes through.) Jay walks on four pitches - I guess that's OK, as he didn't end the inning. Jim Palmer is complaining about Mo getting a called strike on Roberts on a pitch 4 inches outside. I agree generally, but it's not an unusual occurrence for a future Hall of Famer to get an extra inch or two. Brian pops out on the next pitch.

Damon draws a lead-off walk to start the 11th. Jeter lays down a sac bunt down to third, but Roberts is late covering first and Mora's throw is off-line setting up a first and third with none out. Abreu is getting intentionally walked to load the bases for the guy who will probably go down as the greatest player of all time. It's the top of the inning, not the bottom. Being down by one run is bad, but being down by three or four is much worse. What a fantastic defensive play by the O's infield. With the fielders in, A-Rod hits a shot towards second base. Roberts gets it and throws a strike to Quiroz at home to get the force, and then Guillermo fires to third to get a not-sliding Jeter (not a good night for the Captain). The unconventional double play leaves the O's one out away from getting out of it, but Matsui grounds one right through Albers' legs. The hit brings in Abreu to give NY the 9-8 lead. How comes out for the Yanks in the bottom of the inning (assuming Albers gets Giambi)? And he does, swinging at a curveball. Come-back time, guys.

Former Orioles and occasional head-hunter LaTroy Hawkins is coming in for the save. Mora takes a close pitch with two strikes (called a ball), gets a fastball in the middle of the plate, and hits it to right-center for a single. Come on Kakes, break that 0-5. Nick puts a charge into one to left, but it doesn't carry as well as similar balls did earlier in the game. Matsui is there to make the catch.

Woooooo! Aubrey Huff lines one into the left-center and Melvin Mora comes aaaaaaaall the way around to score. The throw to the plate is not in time, and allows Huff to get to third with just one out. He is the winning run. Luke gets walked intentionally to set up the double play. Then Millar will also get the free pass. What a good chance for Alex Cintron (getting his first PA of the game) to endear himself to the O's faithful. Didn't the Pelican come through in just such a situation earlier in the year? Why yes he did, and so does Cintron! He hits one more than deep enough - no one catches it and Huff comes in to score. The O's win. The O's WIN! 10-9 in eleven innings.

New York scores 4, the O's come back with 4 of their own. The Yankees score 4 more, the O's follow suit. The Yanks put 1 up in the top of the eleventh, the O's decide "hey, lets stop this whole match-and-no-more thing", scoring 2 to win it. 26-25, and in good position to end May with a .500 record. Not many people thought the team would be here at this point (even I only though so in my more optimistic and closed environment situations). Read more ...

O's-Yankees, (Another) Blowout In The Bronx

The Orioles try to continue their winning ways after beating up on the Yanks yesterday.

Two strike-outs for Darrell Rasner in the first - Roberts swinging and Markakis looking on a pitch way inside.

I guess Jeter wasn't hurt to badly by that pitch, since he's in the game today. Bobby Abreu singles, but Garrett Olson comes back to get A-Rod looking to end the inning.

1-2-3 go the O's again. No early lead today.

At least not for the Orioles. A Shelly Duncan single and Robbie Cano double put New York up 1-0. Chad Moeller singles to make it 2-0. Then Melky singles. Olson looks like he is getting hit around pretty good. Usually after a coaching visit pitchers settle down a bit, but Olson walks Damon to load the bases. Jeter grounds out to bring in another run, but an Abreu groundout ends the inning. 3-0 Yanks.

Rasner is changing speeds, mixing his pitches, and throwing strikes. Freddie Bynum doubles with two outs, but Roberts strikes out swinging again.

A-Rod homers for the second straight day, and Matsui walks. I doubt Olson will be in much longer. One out later, Cano singles to right. I don't know what happened, but Mora is hurt and Cintron is coming in for him. Another groundout, and then Melky gets hit with a pitch to load the bases. Olson clearly doesn't have it today. 6-0, as Damon singles to left. Dennis Sarfate is coming in. He ends it by getting Jeter looking. I guess this is some payback for yesterday.

Cintron gets off to a good start with a line-drive single. I wish he had been up all year, though I am under no illusions that he is a particularly good player. Nick follows it up with a single of his own. The O's still have time, but they need to put some runs on the board. Huff flies out, Millar pops out, and Scott strikes out. Two on but they fail to score.

Sarfate keeps dealing, striking out Abreu swinging. A-Rod fouls off some fastballs, and finally gets a curveball that he hits to right for a double. He doesn't score though, as Matsui grounds out and Duncan strikes out. Nice job by Dennis, who we haven't seen much of lately.

1-2-3 again. Come on guys, don't get shutout by Darrell Rasner.

Sarfate is taking one for the team, pitching more innings than he usually would. He walks Melky, but gets another strike-out and keeps the Yanks off the board.

Roberts walks to start the sixth, but Cintron erases him with a double play ball. Kakes gets his second hit of the day, lining a single to center. Huff grounds out to end the inning. Still 6-0.

That's it for Sarfate. Lance Cormier is in to just finish things off. Jeter walks and steals second (up 6-0). Nice. Abreu strikes out, but A-Rod brings the Captain in with another double to right. There's a reason he was the MVP last year - the guy is the best player in baseball. Matsui walks, and Rodriguez goes to third on a passed ball. He comes in on a Duncan groundout to make it 8-0. Cano hits it Roberts to end the sixth.

Millar singles, but the O's can't bring him around. What a poor offensive display tonight.

Jamie Walker is coming in. Maybe he can regain his 2007 form in the low-pressure situation. Single-out-single-out-single loads the bases. Maybe not regaining form then. The Yankees do the nice thing and pinch-hit for A-Rod with Morgan Ensberg. He goes down swinging to leave three on.

Joba is in to get some work. Cintron draws a walk, but that's it. Just one run, guys - just one.

Matt Albers relieves Walker and pitches a quick, scoreless eighth. Time for a rally.

With one out, Millar singles and then Luke works Joba for a walk. Quiroz and Jones both go down though, to end the game.

An all-around poor game for the Orioles, as the drop the second game of the series 8-0. Olson had his worst start of the year, and the offense could not solve Darrell Rasner. On the bright side, Albers and Sarfate both pitched pretty well. It'll be Brian Burres vs. Ian Kennedy in the rubber game. Hopefully Burres can figure out what Olson did wrong and not make the same mistakes. Read more ...

O's-Yankees, Blowout In The Bronx

Good pitching match-up with Daniel Cabrera trying to continue his success against a returning A-Rod and the Yanks, facing past Oriole and future Hall-of-Famer Mike Mussina.

Brian Roberts falls behind 1-2 but comes back to draw a lead-off walk. Mora grounds to third, with Roberts going to second. Moose appears to be throwing a whole lot of non-fastballs. He doesn't throw a single one to Nick, who goes down swinging at a splitter. Two outs and it's up to Aubrey Huff. He lines one down to right-field line for a single, 1-0 O's. Kevin Millar singles to center - he went down a got a curveball. Luuuke grounds one to Cap'n Jeter. It's an easy play, and Jeter just throws it high, pulling Giambi off the bad at first. Scott is safe, and the bases are loaded. Ramon Hernandez walks on four pitches to drive in a run. 2-0. Adam Jones falls behind 0-2, but takes a high fastball the other way for a bases-clearing double. 5-0 Orioles. Mussina doesn't throw nearly hard enough anymore to get away with pitches like that. Freddie loops a low breaking-ball into right field. Jones scores from second to make it 6-0. Roberts gets his second plate appearance of the inning. He slices one to left and Johnny Damon can't make the diving catch. It's a stand-up triple for Brian, and Mussina will leave down 7-0 (though only one run is earned). Mora grounds out to A-Rod (again) to end the first. Daniel will have a pretty big cushion with which to work.

Not a great start as Cabrera falls behind Damon 3-0. Johnny singles to right to start the Yankee attack. The Captain continues his excellent first inning by grounding into a double play. Bobby Abreu hits one deep to left, but Scott is there and makes the catch.

Millar walks with two outs, and Luke Scott lifts one to left. The ball takes off on Damon a bit, and it bounces off his glove, scoring Millar. 8-0 O's. Ramon walks. No lead is really safe with the Yankees offense, but I feel pretty confident with Cabrera on the mound. I feel even better now as Jones bloops a single to right to bring in Luke. Bynum flies out to Damon, but it's 9-0 already.

Mora returns the throwing-error favor, allowing A-Rod to reach. Matsui just beats out a potential double-play ball. Jason Giambi breaks his bat, but his bloop into left falls in front of Scott. Robbie Cano goes down swinging at a low fastball. Daniel really pounded him inside in that at bat. Melky Cabrera flies out deep to center to end the threat.

Brian Roberts takes his third trip to the plate in as many innings. Ross Ohledndorf, who relieved Mussina, gets him looking. Mora grounds out again, and Nick follows it up with his first hit of the day, lining one to center. Huff grounds to Cano to end the inning.

With two outs, Daniel comes up and in with a fastball to Jeter, and hits him on the hand. He'll be leaving the game. Abreu can't capitalize, as he grounds out to second.

Kevin Millar extends the lead to double digits with his solo home run to start the fourth. An Adam Jones infield single is all the O's would get after that. 10-0.

Two groundouts and a strike-out by Giambi (looking an that tailing fastball on the inside corner at 96) as the Yanks go down in order.

Former Orioles Latroy Hawkins comes in from the pen. 1-2-3 go the Birds.

Daniel follows suit with a 1-2-3 inning of his own. He got Melky with another of those "Maddux" fastballs.

Two quick outs, and Edwar Ramirez relives Hawkins. He walks Scott and gives up a single to Ramon, but gets Jones swinging to end the inning.

Damon lines one towards right, but Kevin Millar takes to the air and makes the catch. Alberto Gonzalez - in there for Jeter - strikes out looking on a fastball on (off) the outside corner. Abreu grounds one up the middle, and beats it out even though Roberts kept it in the infield. A-Rod puts the Yankees on the board, hitting the next pitch out to deep left-center. 10-2. Matsui grounds out to Millar to end the comeback.

Another 1-2-3 inning.

Giambi starts the seventh with a single up the middle. After a flyout by Cano, a Mora to Roberts to Millar double play off Malky's bat ends the inning.

Markakis goes down on strikes for a third time. In Nick's defense, he does take a lot of pitches and the strike-zone was fairly wide today. Huff works new pitcher Jose Veras for a walk. Ramon goes down swinging. The lead is back to 10, as Luuuke hits one into the upper deck. He did a good job of fouling off pitches until he got a good one; a down and in fastball that he absolutely crushed. Ramon grounds weakly to Morgan Ensberg (in for A-Rod) for the third out.

Dave Trembley is getting some starters out of the game. The Pelican makes an appearance coming in for Roberts at second; Cintron replaces Mora at third; and Lance Cormier is in to finish the game for Daniel Cabrera. Luis makes a great play, diving to catch a liner off the bat of Johnny Damon. He has looked much batter at second than he did at short. 1-2-3 go the Yanks.

Adam Jones greets Mo Rivera with a single up the middle. That's Jones' fourth hit of the game. A groundout and a line-drive double play (by Luis) sends the game into the bottom of the ninth. I wish this game was in Baltimore and I was there. What a fun experience that would be.

Abreu singles to left to start the inning. How horrible of a loss would this be? Shelly Duncan flies out to right for the first out. Matsui singles to put two on. Cormier may have some trouble with lefties. Not with righties though, as Morgan Ensberg grounds into a double play to end the game. I don't remember many games like this. The O's route the Yankees, 12-2.

Daniel left the game having thrown 86 pitches (52 for strikes). Of those, 83 were fastballs (and 3 sliders). That is insane. The Yankees pretty much knew exactly what pitch was coming every time and a two-run homer by A-Rod was all they could get. His final line was 7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 4 K. It's his second straight game without a walk (and against a generally patient line-up). Daniel is now 5-1 with a 3.48 ERA and 41 K's to 24 walks. Take out his 7-walk game in horrible weather versus Chicago, and it's 39:17 - he's never had a ratio over 1.8 before (that's a ratio of 2.3 - not great but not bad). People are going to write the standard "Contenders or Pretenders" articles, and the Orioles will be mentioned as "pretenders". They main not be "contenders" yet, but they will still be competitive. That's something, at least.

This is nice to see. The Yankees were pretty much out of it by the bottom of the first. Complete domination by the Orioles.

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Designated Hebrew

Billy Crystal signed a one-day contract with the New York Yankees, and played as the DH and lead-off hitter in their spring training game against the Pirates. He ran the count to 3-1 before striking out swinging on two quality pitches. He even managed to foul a pitch off down the first base line. It sounds like some people thought that it made a mockery of the sport (or whatever), but I think it was pretty cool. It was like seeing one of your people (non-professional athletes, I guess - in this instance Crystal wasn't an actor, he was just a regular Joe) up there. If only I was rich and famous enough to get a chance to go and stand in that batter's box, shaking with fear as 90+ mph fastballs fly not all that far from my head. He looked better than some professional hitters I've seen. Read more ...