Brad Bergesen will make his first start for Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday.
Alfredo Simon is moving to the bullpen.
Check Steve Melewski's blog for his interview with Tides pitching coach Mike Griffin, who discusses Bergesen, Jake Arrieta and Chris Tillman.
I wondered whether Brandon Erbe was in danger of losing his rotation spot. He gave up five runs and seven hits over five innings today in an 8-3 loss to Gwinnett, and is 0-3 with a 7.98 ERA in three starts. He's never pitched above Double-A...
I know there has been rampant speculation about manager Dave Trembley's job status and the possibility that he could be fired today, but it's not going to happen.
Trembley will remain in charge throughout the upcoming series in Boston and after the Orioles return home.
Team officials remain committed to giving Trembley every opportunity to straighten out this mess.
Concerns have grown over a stagnant offense, but Trembley won't take the fall this early in the season.
That doesn't...
The first off-day of the 2010 season has arrived. No baseball after 16 straight games.
The Orioles can chill out in Boston, drown their sorrows in chowder, retell stories of Brian Matusz's two victories, resist the urge to take a header off the Green Monster.
Or they can gather with manager Dave Trembley and brush up on their baseball skills by taking the following quiz:
A runner is in scoring position with two outs and you're the next batter. You should:
A: Get a hit to drive in the...
Adam Jones appears to have injured his right arm after stumbling out of the batters box.
Jones reached down to break his fall. Let's hope that's all he broke.
MASN's cameras have caught Jones flexing his right hand and massaging his bicep and elbow. He grimaced at one point and bent slightly at the waist.
Of course, the first batter in the fourth inning hit a fly ball to Jones, who made the catch and gingerly threw the ball back to the infield.
The Orioles have enough players on the...
The Orioles got a leadoff single from their new leadoff hitter.
They got a two-out single from Nick Markakis after Lou Montanez was erased on a double play, and Markakis hustled to second base when Seattle left fielder Matt Tuiasosopo overran the ball.
Markakis stumbled as he reached the bag, but his ankle didn't snap. Possible injury averted.
Matt Wieters delivered a clutch two-out hit with a runner in scoring position, accounting for the only first-inning run off Mariners pitcher Felix...
For the Orioles:
Lou Montanez LF
Ty Wigginton 3B
Nick Markakis RF
Matt Wieters C
Luke Scott DH
Adam Jones CF
Garrett Atkins 1B
Justin Turner 2B
Cesar Izturis SS
Kevin Millwood RHP
For the Mariners:
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Chone Figgins 2B
Franklin Gutierrez CF
Jose Lopez 3B
Casey Kotchman 1B
Mike Sweeney DH
Matt Tuiasosopo LF
Rob Johnson C
Jack Wilson SS
Felix Hernandez RHP
Reliever Mike Gonzalez's visit to renowned orthopedist Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala. didn't reveal a more serious injury to his left shoulder than diagnosed by team physicians.
President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail told me that Gonzalez received the "same prognosis as before." Gonzalez went on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to April 10, with a strained left shoulder.
Gonzalez, who sought another opinion that he hoped wouldn't lead to surgery, will report to...
The Orioles have claimed left-hander Pedro Viola off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds and optioned him to Triple-A Norfolk.
I guess he can take Alberto Castillo's spot with the Tides. Lose a lefty, sign a lefty.
Viola, 26, appeared in nine games for the Reds last season, posting a 5.14 ERA in seven innings after going 2-2 with eight saves and a 5.47 ERA in 54 games with Triple-A Louisville.
So who's going to be the first person to mistakenly refer to him as "Frank?"
I really hope it...
Nothing major here, but I wanted to pass along via BlackBerry that Felix Pie is flying to Sarasota tomorrow to join the rest of the crew at extended spring training.
Pie could be sidelined three months with this lat injury. It's never good when muscle pulls away from the bone.
The Orioles don't believe that he'll require surgery, which would increase his recovery time. The body will just have to heal on its own.
Pie has only been cleared to run. He'll eventually begin light exercises....
I'm running a little late this morning (I always blame the kid.)
These West Coast games are killing me. They're not doing the Orioles much good, either.
The record is abysmal, but I had plenty of concerns before the season began. The schedule is absolutely brutal, and this team has issues. It was a combustible combination, and it's blown up in their faces.
I don't ask for much in this world, but I expect my players to run out ground balls and bust their tails no matter the score or...
Major League Baseball will announce the AL's Gold Glove winners around 3 p.m. You can watch live on ESPNews if your boss isn't looking over your shoulder.
Adam Jones will become official, and we'll learn whether Torii Hunter and Ichiro Suzuki will join him. You'll probably collect on your bet if you choose them.
The assumption is that Grady Sizemore's injury-filled season, which resulted in an early shutdown and two surgeries, will prevent him from taking home the hardware. But that's...
Could someone remind Julio Lugo that it's 90 feet from home plate to first base?
it looked like he might have become confused and slowed up after nine.
If manager Dave Trembley wanted to send a message to his players tonight, he had an opportunity right there. Run out every ground ball or keep going directly into the clubhouse. Towels are hanging in the shower.
David Hernandez is headed toward one of those "he deserved better" starts. He hasn't allowed a run since the first inning, and...
Triple-A Norfolk might want to tighten up that defense.
The Tides have committed three more errors tonight, including No. 7 for Scott Moore, who continues to struggle with his throws at second base. Josh Bell and Brandon Snyder also have errors tonight, giving them three on the season.
Alfredo Simon allowed two runs (one earned) and six hits, with three walks and five strikeouts, in seven innings. He threw 97 pitches, 58 for strikes.
Gwinnett leads Norfolk, 2-0, in the eighth.
Double-A...
MASN's Amber Theoharis reports that Koji Uehara will throw one inning Thursday in an extended spring training game.
Uehara remains on the disabled list with a hamstring injury, and the Orioles can't project when he'll be ready to pitch for them. But I guess this qualifies as progress.
Also, Brian Roberts has been cleared to begin light exercises and strengthening activities, and he'll be examined again on Friday by back specialist Dr. Lee Riley at Johns Hopkins.
Manager Dave Trembley...
Brad Bergesen just stepped off a plane at BWI and is getting ready to pack up his gear at Camden Yards and head to his next destination: Triple-A Norfolk.
Bergesen said he was "a little bit surprised" when manager Dave Trembley and pitching coach Rick Kranitz broke the news following last night's game that he was being optioned after only three starts.
"Obviously, I haven't been pitching well, so I knew I needed to turn it around or that was inevitable. But I was surprised by it coming...
For the Orioles:
Adam Jones CF
Ty Wigginton 3B
Nick Markakis RF
Nolan Reimold DH
Luke Scott LF
Matt Wieters C
Garrett Atkins 1B
Julio Lugo 2B
Cesar Izturis SS
David Hernandez RHP
For the Mariners:
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Chone Figgins 2B
Franklin Gutierrez CF
Jose Lopez 3B
Ken Griffey Jr. DH
Milton Bradley LF
Casey Kotchman 1B
Adam Moore C
Jack Wilson SS
Jason Vargas LHP
The Orioles agreed to terms today with outfielder Corey Patterson on a minor league contract.
Patterson will report to extended spring training tomorrow.
You might remember that Patterson played for the Orioles in 2006 and 2007. He spent the 2008 season with the Reds and appeared in five games with the Nationals and 11 with the Brewers last year.
Patterson signed a minor league contract with the Mariners on Dec. 9, but opted out of it on March 31 when told he wouldn't make the team out of...
We can probably agree that Jason Berken has been invaluable coming out of the bullpen and consuming innings in long relief.
The debate centers on whether he should be rewarded with a spot in the rotation or left alone to thrive in his current role.
Berken has allowed two runs and nine hits in 12 innings, with two walks and eight strikeouts. He's held opponents to one run over his last three appearances spanning 9 1/3 innings.
You'll recall that Berken lost 12 games as a starter last...
We've learned at least one thing from the Orioles' decision to option Brad Bergesen to the minors, a move that will be made official later today: They don't believe that he's injured.
He's going to Triple-A Norfolk, not the disabled list.
Update: The Orioles just confirmed that Bergesen is going to Triple-A. They'll announce the corresponding roster move later today. The word out of Norfolk is that left-hander Alberto Castillo is joining the team in Seattle. If you're there, please...
It looks that way.
I woke up to a flashing red light on my BlackBerry and a text message that Brad Bergesen is heading to the minors.
I'm assuming that president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail would prefer that I not attempt to contact him at 3 a.m., so confirmation will have to wait until later. But I trust the person who's alerting me.
Bergesen is 0-2 with a 12.19 ERA after allowing seven runs (four earned) in only 2 2/3 innings tonight. We almost forget that he still has...