Post-game Trembley
Seven more home runs, and Kevin Millar will tie his career high of 25, set in 2003 with the Boston Red Sox. He's already exceeded last year's total.
"I just told him, he went home to Beaumont, Tx. and it must be the water," manager Dave Trembley said. "The guy just works. I'm talking to you in here right now and he's watching video. The guy works at it."
The Rangers were feeding Aubrey Huff a steady diet of off-speed stuff. Millar, batting behind him, "kind of equalized it," Trembley said.
"I just think he's a guy that hits with men on base and gets an awful lot of big hits for you."
The Orioles are big on preparation. Players occupied every video screen before the game, studying Rangers pitcher Luis Mendoza.
"Then five more guys came in, studying what he throws," Trembley said.
Trembley also was generous in his praise of starting pitcher Jeremy Guthrie.
"When we saw him in the minor leagues, he wasn't a minor league pitcher. He was a major league guy pitching in the minor leagues," Trembley said.
"Jeremy Guthrie is in a position now where his due is coming. The guy's getting recognized as a legitimate top-of-the-rotation guy for any team in the big leagues. That's how I see Jeremy Guthrie. And I'm glad a lot of other people are starting to recognize what he's all about. He's for real. And we're very, very fortunate to have him."
Guthrie has finally climbed above .500 - not that his personal stats ever really mattered to him. He just wants the team to win.
Me?I would have been punching holes in the walls. With my pitching hand, no less.
"There's no added satisfaction," Guthrie said. "I don't feel any different with my record today than I did with my record a month ago. I try to compete, and I really feel like, for the most part, when I've been on the mound, our team has been in the game. That's the most important part."
Down on the farm, Single-A Frederick's Brandon Snyder extended his hitting streak to eight games tonight, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Second baseman Miguel Abreu went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
Oscar Salazar had an RBI double for Triple-A Norfolk.
You forgot Wieters and his 2 homers and his 6 rbi...
Speaking of down on the farm, how about Roy Hobbs I mean Matt Wieters. He is flat out raking!! 3-3 on the night with two homeruns and 6 rbi and a walk to round out the night. If they don't want him in Baltimore that's fine, but at least move the guy to Norfolk.
Montanez sitting makes no sense unless they are convinced he has no chance to be a ML player for us (which is hard to imagine). Unless he just can't play center, I would put him there and share time in left between Scott and Payton. Scott will get the bulk of the time because there are fewer lefties. If he's going to sit, he should be in AA winning the Triple Crown and helping the Baysox win the title. Let Tike Redman get splinters here. I'm hoping Montanez still can win the Triple Crown. His 450+ AB's should qualify him. The guy behind him in batting probably can't climb to .335 to catch him. Nettles could hit four more homers to catch him, but he has a double digit lead with just over 20 games to play. I know the Triple Crown in AA doesn't really matter, but the kid needs to play.
So imagine a rotation with Bedard (healthy and with his head screwed on straight), Guthrie, and Loewen (healthy). Someday Os fans, someday...
Off subject...Roch, you need to get MASN to have the Blog entry archives off to the side (dare I say, like the Sun) so I can jump from one entry to another without having to go back to the main page.
Tonight I went to see the Winston-Salem (NC) Warthogs (single-A affiliate of the White Sox) play. Not being familiar with their players, I took notice when I saw that their Designated Hitter was John Shelby III. I read an article about him in the program and, sure enough, our third base coach is his father.
While watching John Shelby III bat in NC, I’m tracking the O’s with my laptop on mlb.com’s Gameday and watching a video highlight of Roberts’ 2-run double. The MASN announcers spent more time talking about (and showing) John Shelby’s great decision to wave that second runner in than they did about Roberts’ hit. It was a strange moment…
FYI, an excerpt from tonight’s wrap on the Warthogs’ win: “Shelby III led a Warthogs offensive attack that plated 9 runs on 12 hits. The former University of Kentucky star went 3-for-5 with a double, triple, a home run and 5 RBI. The RBI total matched his season-high when he hit three home runs and knocked in five against Wilmington on May 3.”
Both father and son made significant contributions to their respective teams tonight.
Roch, if you get the chance, please tell John one of your readers saw his son play tonight for the first time and thought he was awesome!
Guthrie seems spot-on with his attitude. (I certainly can't say I ever felt that with Bedard.) He's simply keeping the focus on what he can control and having faith that the rest will fall into place--if not now then soon enough. Brilliant.
Would you consider signing Guthrie to a nice contract extension?
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I sure would before he even begins to think about free agency. - Roch
Roch - A quick question for you that doesn't pertain to anything in particular, but when you get time could you mention where Freddie Bynum is now? I was curious after I saw Montanez wearing his old #3. Oh, and one more: Is Steve Trachsel retired and living out in San Diego now? I appreciate your time. Best of luck to you. Brent in North Carolina
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Bynum is at Triple-A Norfolk. Nobody signed Trachsel. I thought another team would give him a look, but I was wrong. - Roch
Ben W is an idiot.
Lou flies out to right and gets mad at himself. What's that all about? Calm down Lou.
Millar, Payton and Huff stock has risen [ big time. ]Don't wait to long Mac! Night.
2 more HR's for Matt Wieters. The Eastern League still hasn't exploited his obvious weakness: kryptonite
Roch,
You listed the unsigned players and Bobby Bundy was not mentioned, meaning he is signed. Wasn't he a HS whiz that was supposedly unsignable, another Arrieta type steal in the late rounds if he got signed. What have you heard about him?
DS, Bedard isn't coming back here, nor should we want him to. He helped us as much as he can by the haul we got in return for him. That guy is never going to realize his potential--bet on it. And where have you been? Loewen in the rotation? Yeah, right along with Beau Hale.
Further to Montanez being the "leader in the clubhouse" in the AA Triple Crown race. It looks like the only guy with a chance to catch him for the batting title (Campbell) is on the DL. I'm not sure when he's coming back, but he hasn't played since the end of July. With 21 games to play, Montanez seems like a lock with a .335 average. Nettles could hit four more dingers in 21 games or Reimold could hit 7, but then again Sweet Lou might be able to hold on at 26. The guy at Akron (Hodges) could drive in 13 more runs. That one will be close.
Do playoff stats count towards this or is it just regular season? I assume they don't but both Akron and Bowie are in the playoff hunt.
glad to have found you, roch!!! great work, as always....
Growing up in a mixed family (Indians and Orioles fans), I suppose I could say that I was somewhat familiar with Guthrie while he was still wasting away down in Buffalo or Akron or wherever. I always found it odd that he was often overlooked and/or passed over by Tribe minor leaguers who have since come and gone In a system developed by John Hart --and subsuquently Shapiro--where they focus hard on minor league and draft talent evaluation, give the guys a shot, and then lock them up young (i.e. Nagy, Baerga, Lofton, Belle, Sizemore, etc), Guthrie never really got a chance to go through a season of potential ups and downs with the mindset that he one day would occupy one of the rotation slots. From what I gather, he had MLB caliber stuff but a AA mind. He was emotionally fragile and lacked the attitude to succeed, however it seemed he would get called up for a spot start, then get sent down to the minors right afterwards. The Indians really had no clue what to do with him and the really messed that situation up.
It's clear however, that a guaranteed spot can yield enough security to allow a player to thrive. A few bad outings won't result in a bus ticket to Norfolk or Bowie for Guthrie. One can't argue with his stuff. All of his pitches are plus, his ability to field his position might rival that of Mussina in his prime, and he's a bulldog. He eats up innings and more often than not, has complete control on the mound. Guthrie is a perfect example of why having a a great fastball doesn't automatically deturmine success (i.e. Cabrera). His location and ability to change speeds in any count are the primary reasons for his success.
One could also argue that he has a greater upside than Bedard. His service time is much less than Bedard's, his health has really never been much of an issue and he's more polished. Rarely does he labor through 5 innings like Bedard did. Bedard may strike out 8 or 9 in 5 innings, but his pitch count usually was nearing triple digits by that point. I think Guthrie has the opportunity to become a number one for many teams and at the very least, one of the best two starters in the game.
To parallel what the Indians did in the early 90's though, I think the O's should lock Guthrie up now. Give him a 5 yr deal. You avoid arbitration and will probably get a very reasonable contract. While not as young as Tulowitzki or Braun or Longoria, he clearly has a lot left in his right arm and all of those guys signed early and make less than what they most likely would have commanded after arbitration or upon entering the free agent market.
If the O's were smart, they'd spend their energy locking both he and markakis up as soon as possible and not wait until both can go (and would) elsewhere.
Also, here's hoping that former number 3 pick Montenez just needs the same chance Guthrie got to become a solid major leaguer. Guthrie has proven that some players just develop a bit slower than others and sometimes just need extended playing time to turn into what they were originally projected to become. Guthrie--and Montenez--weren't 1st round picks by accident.
Good to read you again and thank you for posting the post show interview bacause us out- of- towners don't get to see this too often. Seems MASN allows us more game info than the Sun :)
Roch,
I've seen a fair amount of critiscism on some posts, for playing Payton rather than Montanez. My personal read on this is that the O's are trying to build/guage any interest in trading him prior to the date rosters are set for the playoffs. If he doesn't get traded prior to September 1, I'm thinking his playing time will decrease. Do you think that might be what's going on? It makes sense to me, if that's what they're doing.
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That's a pretty good read. Scouts have been checking out Payton for quite a while. Can't imagine there's much more to see. You know what you're getting with him. I assume that if he's still around in September, he'll find more time on the bench while the Orioles evaluate some younger players. That's usually how it works. - Roch
Bundy did indeed sign... a record for that round as a matter of fact...link below and article from BA
http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/?p=412
Posted Aug. 7, 2008 5:56 pm by Jim Callis
Filed under: Signings
The highest bonuses in the seventh and eighth rounds this year were handed out Thursday. The Indians signed North Carolina outfielder Tim Fedroff for $725,000, while the Orioles inked Sperry (Okla.) High righthander Bobby Bundy for $600,000.
Fedroff's bonus eclipsed the $600,000 that the Rangers gave Texas high school righty Matt Thompson in the seventh round. A draft-eligible sophomore, Fedroff batted .404 and led the Tar Heels with 12 homers this season. He's a lefthanded hitter with a compact yet powerful stroke, and he also has plus speed. His fringy arm may relegate him to left field as a pro.
Bundy's bonus surpassed the $425,000 that the Astros paid Texas prep lefty Brad Dydalewicz in the eighth round. Bundy projected as a possible first-rounder until he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee playing basketball in December. He had surgery that usually requires a nine-month rehab, but he returned to the mound with a knee brace this spring and led Sperry to its second Oklahoma 3-A title in the last three years. Though he wasn't 100 percent, he still pitched at 88-91 mph and topped out at 93, and he maintained his big-breaking curveball and command. Bundy, who had committed to Arkansas, threw 91-94 mph last summer before the injury.