Alfredo Simon says his arm feels good and he's available to pitch tonight.
Now the ball is in manager Dave Trembley's court, so to speak.
"We'll have to see how the game plays out tonight," Trembley said. "I'd like to see him play catch, see how he feels. I think we have to be cautious with him, using him a lot early because he has not been a reliever. He's been a starter and just recently has been pitching out of the bullpen. He pitched on Sunday, had a day off and pitched yesterday....
For the Orioles:
Adam Jones CF
Nick Markakis RF
Ty Wigginton 2B
Miguel Tejada 3B
Matt Wieters C
Garrett Atkins 1B
Nolan Reimold DH
Lou Montanez LF
Cesar Izturis SS
Jeremy Guthrie RHP
For the Yankees:
Jeter SS
Johnson DH
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Posada C
Granderson CF
Swisher RF
Gardner LF
Sabathia LHP
I wanted to share Double-A Bowie pitching coach Kennie Steenstra's observations of right-hander Koji Uehara, who tossed a scoreless first inning last night against Erie.
"He looked good. He mixed his pitches well. Everything was down in the zone," Steenstra said.
"I don't think he's going to blow the ball by anybody, but he knows how to change speeds and he knows how to locate, and when you know how to do those things, you're going to get a lot of people out."
Uehara gets his...
In case you forgot or need to brush up on the terminology, it's called a "winning streak."
Repeat those words out loud a few times and they will start to sound familiar. I kept saying "winnie steak" before I finally got the hang of it.
I just caught the SportsCenter highlights from last night's game, including Cesar Izturis' miscue that prolonged the ninth inning.
"That's Orioles baseball," exclaimed one of the network's anchors.
At least he didn't say "The Oriole Way." That...
The last time two Orioles recorded their first career saves in consecutive games was Mike Flanagan on May 7, 1977 and Scott McGregor on May 8, 1977.
That puts Cla Meredith and Alfredo Simon in elite company.
Manager Dave Trembley decided before the game that Simon would close tonight.
"I've got nothing to lose," he said. "We're going to give guys opportunities and I'm going to try to slot guys back in the roles where they're best suited, not only for themselves but for the club. I've...
Alfredo Simon was brought into tonight's game with a three-run lead and instructions to get the last three outs.
Nothing to it.
It's only the Yankees, and his first major league game since Tommy John surgery.
Simon got a called third strike on Curtis Granderson. His fastballs were clocked at 96, 97 and 96 mph.
Nick Swisher grounded a broken-bat single into center field. Four fastballs were clocked at 97 mph, another at 96.
Nick Johnson worked the count to 3-1, taking some close pitches...
Alberto Castillo struck out three more batters tonight, tying his career high, in only 1 2/3 innings. That's no runs, one hit and six strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings over three appearances since being recalled from Triple-A Norfolk.
The only hit was an infield single. He's been sensational.
Manager Dave Trembley isn't using him as a situational lefty. He let Castillo pitch the entire seventh, which ended with Brett Gardner looking at a third strike.
Jim Johnson is entering the game in the...
Tonight's attendance: 20,536. The total for seven home dates is 146,182.
Kevin Millwood didn't make it through six innings tonight, leaving the game with one out in the sixth and a runner on first base. He allowed two runs and five hits, walked three and struck out four, and left with his pitch count at 112 (69 strikes).
That's not the profile of an innings eater, but he holds down opponents and gives the Orioles a chance to win. The bats just aren't cooperating again tonight.
So much...
During his pre-game session with the media, manager Dave Trembley was asked how he's dealt with the club's terrible start.
He didn't mince words.
"If anybody tells you they deal with it like sweet tea, they're lying," he said. "It's been difficult, but there's certainly been an awful lot of games we could've won that we didn't. We didn't get outs when we needed to, we didn't hit when we could have and should have. But it's done and over with. That's how you deal with it, and...
Koji Uehara isn't pitching in the majors, but he's getting closer.
He's run to test his sore hamstring. He's thrown on flat ground. He's thrown in the bullpen. And tonight, he worked the top of the first inning for Double-A Bowie.
Facing Erie at Prince George's Stadium, Uehara allowed a bloop single and nothing else. He struck out one and threw 11 of his 15 pitches for strikes.
The two-out single came on a ball that fell between three Bowie players.
Uehara also will pitch Thursday,...
Orioles manager Dave Trembley explained to first baseman Garrett Atkins that he's going with the hot hand again tonight. That means Rhyne Hughes stays in the lineup and Atkins stays on the bench.
"I gave it to him straight," Trembley said. "I've got a guy who came up from Triple-A and he's hotter than a firecracker. He's going to stay there as long as he hits."
Could this turn into a platoon situation?
"That depends how Hughes hits," Trembley replied. "That depends when Atkins...
Second baseman Brian Roberts still hasn't been cleared for baseball-related activities after back specialist Dr. Lee Riley examined him yesterday at Johns Hopkins.
Manager Dave Trembley doesn't have one specific closer or set-up man. He's waiting for pitchers to step up and claim those roles.
"I'm all for it," Trembley said. "That's what I told (Kam) Mickolio when I sent him out. I said, 'Hey, listen, what we've been trying in the bullpen has not worked. I've been giving it to just...
For the Orioles:
Adam Jones CF
Nick Markakis RF
Matt Wieters C
Miguel Tejada 3B
Luke Scott DH
Ty Wigginton 2B
Rhyne Hughes 1B
Nolan Reimold LF
Cesar Izturis SS
Kevin Millwood RHP
For the Yankees:
Jeter SS
Gardner LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Posado C
Granderson CF
Swisher DH
Winn RF
Hughes RHP
The Orioles have officially purchased Alfredo Simon's contract from Triple-A Norfolk, and Kam Mickolio has been optioned to the Tides.
Simon is 1-1 with a 1.59 ERA in four games, including three starts, for the Tides.
The Orioles also designated reliever Wilfrido Perez for assignment to create room for Simon on the 40-man roster, which is a shocker.
Perez was 0-1 with a 10.80 ERA and three saves with Double-A Bowie. He's given up six earned runs and walked five in five innings.
Koji...
The Orioles are back home today, and I'll be settling into my press box seat around 3 p.m.
The moves haven't been particularly bold, but president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail is massaging the roster while trying to pump more life into the team.
Continuing efforts to support manager Dave Trembley, MacPhail will add reliever Alfredo Simon to the bullpen for tonight's game, most likely at Kam Mickolio's expense because the right-hander has options remaining. MacPhail already...
I just got off the phone with Brad Bergesen, who had boarded the team bus after Triple-A Norfolk's game in Charlotte.
Bergesen is hopeful that yesterday's start will be his last with the Tides. Nothing against the club, of course, but he'd like another turn in the Orioles' rotation.
It would be a major surprise if the Orioles bypassed Bergesen on Saturday. He did enough yesterday to leave team officials encouraged, allowing only two runs over seven innings, walking none and getting 14...
Josh Bell has homered twice today and driven in three runs for Triple-A Norfolk, which trails Charlotte, 9-7, in the eighth inning.
Update: Both homers came off Charlotte right-hander Matt Zaleski, who entered the game with a 2-0 record and 3.50 ERA in three starts.
Bell's bat is heating up. He's collected three more hits to raise his average to .254. He's belted three homers in his last two games and has hit safely in seven of his last eight, going 11-for-32 with seven RBIs.
Troy Patton...
Double- A Bowie infielder Paco Figueroa has been named the Eastern League's Player of the Week after batting .481 from the leadoff spot. He also homered, collected seven RBIs and scored eight runs.
Figueroa, the twin brother of Bowie's Danny Figueroa, has a six-game hitting streak. He's also the Baysox's first Player of the Week since Nolan Reimold accomplished the feat on Sept. 1, 2008.
To keep the good vibe going, Figueroa has vowed to injure his Achilles.
Left-hander Troy Patton is...
Another off-day brings another 24 hours on the Dave Trembley Watch.
I'll say this much: If the Orioles were ready to make a change, yesterday's game didn't influence the decision. Andy MacPhail doesn't wake up Sunday morning and think, "OK, one more loss today and he's gone." A series finale in Boston doesn't hold that much significance. I've seen managers and coaches fired during small winning streaks.
Cla Meredith didn't save Trembley's job by getting the last two outs. If...
Could someone please explain this bizarre ritual to me?
The Orioles are lining up and slapping hands on the field. Players are smiling.
I'm so confused.
Hold on...I'm told that's what happens when a team is victorious. I'm waiting for confirmation.
Dave Trembley recaps the O's 7-6 win over the Red Sox with Mark Viviano
The Orioles have won three games this season. One more and they eliminate the Montreal Canadians.
Jim Johnson didn't have to worry about getting the save today....