So here we go again with another Orioles game.
Time to find out if the team can get a lead, get a clutch hit, hold a lead, get a win.
It's the start of a three-city, ten-game road trip in Oakland.
I'll be watching the game from the Melewski estate in beautiful Harford County. I hope you'll add some comments to this blog all night long and into tomorrow morning.
Write in with a question or comment - your take on the game as it's going on, a story about going to O's games, tell us where...
O's right-hander David Hernandez has been looking forward to tonight's start at Oakland. And, not just to build on his first start last week, a solid outing vs. Toronto.
But, because Hernandez will be pitching in his home state in front of quite a few family and friends. He's from Sacramento, which is about 90 minutes from Oakland.
Hernandez should also get some time to see his infant son. His wife Rachel gave birth to their first child, Jayden Joseph in January.
"I'll probably need...
There have been a few moves today on the farm.
Triple-A Norfolk: Kam Mickolio officially sent to the Orioles. Also today, RHP Dennis Sarfate has been placed on the DL. As Roch first reported yesterday, he suffered a strained oblique Wednesday while warming up. Sarfate had pitched three scoreless innings with five strikeouts for the Tides. Norfolk has added pitchers Jim Miller and Armando Gabino from Bowie.
Double A Bowie: Added pitcher Zach Clark from Aberdeen's roster.
Single A...
Of all the stats, most of them negative, compiled already by the 2010 Orioles, here is maybe the most telling one of all.
O's record when leading after 7 innings:
2009: 52-5
2010: 1-4
So, last year, when they held the lead after seven, they won the game 91 percent of the time. This year that number is just 20 percent. Last year, they blew five such leads all year. This year, they have blown four in just nine games.
If that number were 4-1 instead of 1-4, their record would be 4-5...
The excellent pitching we've seen from Orioles minor leaguers so far this season continued in a stunning way on Wednesday afternoon and evening. All four O's affiliates won, three via a shutout. The four starting pitchers combined to pitch 23 scoreless innings.
The O's four clubs are off to a combined 18-9 start.
Jake Arrieta started for Norfolk in a 9-0 win over Charlotte. Steve Johnson started for Bowie in a 1-0, 12-inning win over Harrisburg. Rick Zagone was on the hill for...
Blown out: Today's 9-1 loss was the most lopsided of the year. The previous biggest margin of defeat was the four-run loss, 5-1 to Tampa on Monday.
The Orioles completed a winless first homestand, going 0 and 6. They were outscored 37 to 16 during the six losses vs. Toronto and Tampa. Tampa outscored the Birds 22-8 during the three-game sweep.
The 1-8 start is the worst since the 0-21 start in 1988.
Tampa Bay is 5-1 vs. the O's on the season. Today's win evened the all-time series...
Any Orioles' mistake seems to be costly these days.
In the first inning Wednesday, Tampa's Carl Crawford, batting second with one out, hit a popup on the infield. It was right near Cesar Izturis at short.
But he never saw the ball. Miguel Tejada, playing third base, thought he heard Izturis calling to make the play. Tejada came over at the last moment and the ball popped out of his glove for an error.
Of course, a few batters later Carlos Pena hit a three-run homer and all three runs...
For the Orioles a winless first homestand.
At least today there was no late-inning, gut-wrenching loss. The drama ended early. It was 6-0 after three and 8-0 after Tampa batted in the fourth. The final was 9-1, Rays.
Brad Bergesen got rocked for eight runs in three innings plus. Mike Gonzalez went on the disabled list. The Orioles went 0 for 3 with runners in scoring position. They weren't exactly all over the bases today.
They were outscored 37 to 15 during the 0-6 homestand and...
Brad Bergesen is getting hit hard early today by the Rays, who already lead 6-0 in the third.
He has allowed a pair of 400-foot, three-run homers, one to Carlos Pena and one to B.J. Upton. Pena has hit two three-run homers in his last two at bats here in less than 24 hours. Pena's first-inning three-run homer produced three unearned runs after Miguel Tejada dropped a pop up.
Through three frames, Bergesen has allowed six runs on five hits. The Rays are 5 for 15 against him with four...
Since today's game has started so well here today, let's check the minors where two O's affiliates have day games.
Delmarva has already beaten Greensboro 9-4 in a game that began at 10:35. The Shorebirds are now 5-2 and had 11 hits. They've had ten or more hits in six games. Towson University product Gary Helmick hit two homers with 5 RBI today and Tyler Kolodny added a two-run shot.
Jake Cowan, last year's 10th-round pick, pitched six innings of shuout ball to go to 1 and 0. He...
If you think the Orioles are not taking enough pitches and working the count well right now, you are probably right.
As of yesterday, the Orioles as a team saw 3.63 pitches per plate appearance and that ranked next to last in the Majors. They were ahead of only San Francisco at 3.56.
Dave Trembley felt the stat gets played up more because the club is losing. He said today he felt the team was doing a better job working the count earlier in games, but was more aggressive at the bat later...
Here is the problem with Orioles baseball right now. You have to play the eighth inning.
The Orioles have allowed 11 runs in the 8th this year and from that inning on have been outscored 21 to 5 on the season.
That's terrible, right?
Who is to blame? Just about everyone. Take a few starters out of the mix, maybe Matt Wieters, but just about everyone else in the clubhouse has had a hand in a 1 and 7 start.
The fans are lashing out. Some of the comments we've gotten have never been...
Going the wrong way: With their latest loss, 8-6 in 10 innings to Tampa, the Orioles fall to 1-7 with five losses in a row. They are off to the worst start since the 0 and 21 season of 1988.
The Orioles are winless, 0 and 5, on this opening homestand which ends this afternoon.
The O's allowed a season-high eight runs tonight. They allowed five runs in the 8th and three in the 10th. They have been scored on in the 8th or later of every game this year.
That's one poor stat: From the...
A few players talked about the O's latest loss, 8-6 to Tampa in 10 innings.
Matt Albers on what happened in the 10th inning: "I think my mechanics are a little bit off. I walked the first two guys and put myself in a hole. I knew I had to throw a strike 2-1 and 2-2 to Pena. I need to work on a few things to get my sinkerball down.
"All the losses sting, but this one, we were up 3-0. Come back and lose it is tough. The game's over so I have to come back and be ready...
The Orioles have lost twice this year when leading after eight innings.
Tonight they led 3-0 after seven and lost 8-6 to Tampa in ten innings to fall to 1-7 with five losses in a row. They have lost four games this year when leading after seven innings. Last year the Orioles went 52-5 when leading after seven.
Brian Matusz was dominant with a two-hitter and 3-0 lead after seven. But Tampa took the lead with a five-run 8th only to see Luke Scott's pinch, two-run homer in the last of the...
It is not Mike Gonzalez's fault this time.
Amazing. Unbelievable, Incredible. Are these guys just cursed?
The O's took a 3-0 lead behind a dominant Brian Matusz to the 8th tonight only to give up five runs and fall behind 5-3. This unraveled quickly and a small but boisterous crowd at the Yard dropped the boos on the home team's bullpen.
With one out in the 8th, the next two batters reached vs. Matusz on a ground single and bloop. Two hard-hit singles followed as Matusz tried to get...
It sure is a joy to watch Brian Matusz pitch. He is making just his 10th Major League start tonight but has the look of someone with much more experience.
He works fast, changes speeds and throws strikes.
Somewhere, Ray Miller is smiling.
He has held the Rays scoreless with just one baserunner (a walk) through three innings. He threw 10 pitches in the first, 19 in the second and just eight, getting three pop ups, in the third.
He struck out Evan Longoria on a great changeup in the second....
Matt Wieters is a pretty low key guy with his interviews. No matter how much reporters tried today, he was just not going to make a big deal out of batting cleanup in tonight's batting order.
He's batted fourth before in college and the minors, but tonight is in that four spot for the first time ever in the Majors.
"It's just a new spot. Go out there and try to get hits and try to put runs up on the board. No change at all, just have to square balls up and find holes tonight. ...
The Delmarva Shorebirds have gotten off to a great start under first-year manager Ryan Minor.
They are 4-1, in first place, with four wins in a row and putting up some big offensive numbers. Delmarva scored six runs in the 9th Monday to beat Greensboro, 11-6.
Tyler Kelly, a 13th-round draft pick last June, has nine RBI the past two games and 10 for the year to lead the South Atlantic League. In his first three games, he went just 2 for 12. In the last two, he is 5 for 11 with a homer and...
An Orioles fan can hang his or her hat on that right now and almost nothing else.
Through seven games, the ERA of the starters is 3.89 with four quality starts.
Last April, the O's didn't produce a fourth quality start until game 16.
But the solid pitching has been wasted by blown saves, awful hitting and base-running mistakes. The pitchers can only do so much.
But moving forward, if they continue to get decent work like this from the starters, the wins should come. At least a few and...