D-Cab dominates while Trembley moves swiftly to fix D-fense
Daniel Cabrera is becoming a dominant force to be reckoned with. His intimidating presence on the mound coupled with his newfound control is a nasty combination.
He pitched a complete game last night and with every start it seems his reputation around the league grow. He's the one player I get more questions about from the opposing team's media. This could be a big year for the big righty.
Dave Trembley made an inevitable move yesterday. He called up Freddie Bynum who was on a rehab assignment in Double-A Bowie and named him the Orioles everyday starting shortstop, "for now." Eider Torres was sent down, but the real reason Bynum came up was Luis Hernandez struggled defensively at short.
Trembley was the most decisive I've ever seen when it came to demoting Hernandez to a utility role. "To be honest, there were plays that could have been made, should have been made, but weren't made, so we had to try something different," said Trembley.
Nobody expected Hernandez to be an offensive powerhouse, but he was expected to play solid defense like he did in 30-games with the Orioles last year. After failing to make a handful of routine plays, Hernandez lost the starting job. Trembley said Hernandez played 'tentatively' and acknowledged Wednesday's botched double-play ball in the 8th inning against the Oakland A's was the final straw.
It was apparent to everyone there needed to be an upgrade at the position. Andy McPhail looked outside the organization to find a veteran shortstop a few weeks ago. The Orioles President of Baseball Operations confirmed the Orioles did show interest in free-agent shortstop Juan Castro, who ended up signing with the Colorado Rockies organization after Troy Tulowitzki was place on the 15-day DL.
It was good to see Freddie Bynum back in the clubhouse. He's very popular with the other players and helps keep his teammates loose. Plus, he's a natural shortstop and looked very comfortable there last night. Bynum was credited with 8-ground ball assists and 2-hits.
With that many ground balls hit at him, I'm convinced the Kansas City batters wanted to test his knee. That, or he had a magnet in his glove.
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