Steve Melewski

Looking at 81-game math and the rotation

Looking at 81-game math and the rotation
Today provides a unique opportunity. Since the Orioles have played exactly 81 games with exactly 81 more to go, it is that one day that we can simply double some player and team statistics to project what totals they could finish with. Of course they probably won't exactly duplicate their first-half performance over the next 81 games but we have enough of a sample size now to make those projections with numbers that should at least be in the ballpark. So, at the end of the season, based on...
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Steve Melewski

Chris Tillman comes up big in his return to the majors

Chris Tillman comes up big in his return to the majors
Well, that was impressive. As the Orioles search for some consistent starting pitching, Chris Tillman, at least for one afternoon, presented a very strong case for himself. In his first major league start of the season and his first since last Aug. 11, Tillman pitched the Orioles to a 4-2 win this afternoon at SafeCo Field. Tillman threw a career-high 8 1/3 innings allowing two runs, both unearned. He walked two and fanned seven. He left after a one-out double by John Jaso put runners on...
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Steve Melewski

Chris Davis' bat starts to heat up again

Chris Davis' bat starts to heat up again
Chris Davis is getting hot again at the plate. He recently went through a 10-game stretch where he went just 1-for-35 which dropped his average to .267. But he began today at .275 and his RBI single in the third inning gave the O's a 3-0 lead this afternoon at Seattle. Davis is 1-for-2 so far today and that makes him 8-for-21 over his last six games with two homers and nine RBIs in that time. He now has 40 RBIs on the year to tie for second on the team with Matt Wieters behind team leader...
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Steve Melewski

As strikeout rate increases, Tillman's ERA decreases

As strikeout rate increases, Tillman's ERA decreases
Unlike some fans and analysts, I am not a huge believer that a high strikeout rate is generally a predictor that a pitcher will do well. But I do put some importance on it and it stands to reason that a pitcher with a lot of strikeouts must have something going for him. If you look at Chris Tillman's strikeout rates at Triple-A Norfolk this year, he is ringing up the Ks at his best rate since 2009 when he had an ERA of 2.70 for the Tides. Tillman averaged 9.2 strikeouts for every nine...
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Steve Melewski

Should we worry about the Orioles bullpen?

Should we worry about the Orioles bullpen?
Don't look now, but after last night's games, the Orioles no longer lead the major leagues in bullpen ERA. Cincinnati and Pittsburgh have 'pen ERAs of 2.70 and the Orioles' mark went up to 2.71. That still ranks first in the American League. The Orioles bullpen has now given up runs in eight straight games; before this, five in a row was the longest stretch of the year. Over those eight games, the 'pen ERA is 5.81, raising the season number from 2.30 to that current 2.71. The Orioles...
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Steve Melewski

This time the Orioles lose the lead, but not the game, at Seattle

This time the Orioles lose the lead, but not the game, at Seattle
A pitcher on a roll takes a perfect game into the seventh inning but doesn't even get a win. A struggling hitter delivers a huge home run. Just another night with the Baltimore Orioles. Wei-Yin Chen lost a perfect game bid when Casper Wells hit a solo homer off him after he had retired the first 19 batters tonight. The O's took a 4-1 lead for Chen into the last of the eighth, but reliever Pedro Strop gave up three singles, hit a batter and issued a bases-loaded walk as the Orioles lost the...
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Steve Melewski

Brandon Erbe heads to Frederick's DL

Brandon Erbe heads to Frederick's DL
It appears that the comeback of right-handed pitcher Brandon Erbe, the Orioles third-round pick in 2005, has hit another roadblock. Erbe had been pitching well and was pain-free for Single-A Frederick, but after two straight poor outings, has been placed on the Keys' disabled list today. For now, Erbe is being shut down due to more shoulder issues. It's possible he won't be able to return this year. Erbe had been on the comeback trail from labrum surgery in August of 2010. He had an ERA of...
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Steve Melewski

Machado's bat heats up at Bowie

Machado's bat heats up at Bowie
Wasn't it just a few weeks ago that we were talking about Manny Machado being in a slump. Actually, it was. Remember this story. Yeah, that didn't last long. Machado was not picked for the Eastern League All-Star Game and maybe league officials are regretting that now. He will play on the big stage of the Futures Game Sunday for the second year in a row. Machado's bat is now sizzling at Double-A Bowie. Since being selected to participate in the Futures Game, Machado is batting .383 (18-47)...
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Steve Melewski

The O's continue to hold the second wild card spot, but for how long?

The O's continue to hold the second wild card spot, but for how long?
The Orioles' current slide is nothing that a four-game winning streak couldn't fix. It's just that right now, the Orioles don't look capable of winning four in a row. The O's have lost six of their last seven games and have been outscored 58-25 during that stretch. They have looked every bit as bad as that run differential would indicate. Here is something pretty amazing: From May 20-June 1, the Orioles lost nine of 11 games. Currently they have lost 10 of 13 games. That is a record of...
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Steve Melewski

The Orioles can't hold late lead as Seattle comes back to win

The Orioles can't hold late lead as Seattle comes back to win
The Orioles had just three hits tonight, but for a while it looked like they had enough runs to get a win in Seattle. Then the Mariners took advantage of a late O's miscue on defense to score five runs over their last two innings and beat the Orioles 6-3. Chris Davis hit his second homer in the last three games, a three-run shot in the fourth, and that gave the O's a 3-1 edge, which held up until the bottom of the seventh. With a man on first and none out in the seventh, Chone Figgins...
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Steve Melewski

Some Orioles-Mariners pregame notes

Some Orioles-Mariners pregame notes
A couple of pregame notes as the Orioles begin a seven-game road trip with a three-game series tonight in Seattle. The road trip will take them to the All-Star break. * Steve Johnson was officially added to the roster this afternoon. He is 3-5 with an ERA of 2.73 in 14 games in nine starts at Triple-A Norfolk. His last four appearances came out of the bullpen. In those four games he pitched 12 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing just five hits while walking seven and striking out 20. Johnson has...
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Steve Melewski

The Orioles need more production from the big guns in their lineup

The Orioles need more production from the big guns in their lineup
There has been a lot of focus recently on the Orioles' pitching and the starting rotation and for good reason. Since giving up just five runs in a three-game series against the Nationals, the Orioles have allowed 52 runs in losing five of six games. They have allowed 13 homers with a team ERA of 8.17 in that stretch and yes, that is terrible. But at the same time, the Orioles' offense, which put up amazing numbers in that home series with Pittsburgh in mid-June, has not come close to doing...
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Steve Melewski

Seeing the Earl of Baltimore highlights busy weekend at the Yard

Seeing the Earl of Baltimore highlights busy weekend at the Yard
So, did anything happen the last two days at Camden Yards? Well, first Earl Weaver was honored and it was amazing, emotional and special. Just as we were finishing writing our stories on that came word of a trade and that Jim Thome would be headed to Baltimore. Then we interviewed the other players talking about Thome's addition. Then we found out the Orioles had three All-Stars and Jason Hammel could become a fourth. Then we interviewed them to talk about the honor. Then the game...
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Steve Melewski

Brian Matusz on his struggles and going back to Triple-A

Brian Matusz on his struggles and going back to Triple-A
After a lengthy postgame stop in the manager's office, Brian Matusz emerged today to talk about being sent back to the minor leagues. Was he surprised that he is being sent back to Triple-A? "No, not at all. My last five or six outings or so just haven't been getting the job done. Today was just really inconsistent. There were signs of good pitches, but just haven't been putting it together. You know, it's killing the bullpen and makes it tough. Moves have to be made. I have to go down...
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Steve Melewski

Matusz struggles again as Tribe takes series finale

Matusz struggles again as Tribe takes series finale
After getting hammered in two mid-week games against the Angels, the Orioles were hoping to get back on track with a four-game series against Cleveland. The Tribe came to Camden Yards riding a five-game losing streak and a record of 11-19 over its previous 30 games. But another poor outing by another starter led to another loss today as the Tribe beat the Orioles 6-2. Cleveland scored 32 runs in the series in taking three of four. Today, Brian Matusz could not get an out in the fifth inning...
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Steve Melewski

Hardy on Thome: "He's the perfect teammate"

Hardy on Thome: "He's the perfect teammate"
J.J. Hardy is the one Orioles player who has been on the same team with Jim Thome. They played together with Minnesota in 2010 and Hardy said Thome will bring a lot to the Orioles on the field and in the clubhouse. "You guys will all see. He's probably one of the best guys to ever play the game personality-wise. A leader, just a great guy," Hardy said. Hardy said Thome called him yesterday to ask about his new team. "We're pretty close," Hardy said. "I know he's excited and so am I....
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Steve Melewski

Hearing from the Orioles' All-Stars

Hearing from the Orioles' All-Stars
Three Orioles - and maybe a fourth - will be heading to the All-Star game. Adam Jones, Jim Johnson and Matt Wieters have made the American League squad and Jason Hammel will be in the Final Vote, with one player selected from a group of five. The Orioles have not sent more than one player since Brian Roberts, Miguel Tejada, Melvin Mora and B.J Ryan went in 2005. Here are what the four players said about playing in the game: Jones talked about Johnson making it and the Orioles having several...
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Jim Thome talks about joining the Orioles

Jim Thome talks about joining the Orioles
Jim Thome will make his Orioles debut today, batting fifth as the designated hitter. Not long after arriving at the ballpark, he talked about joining the Orioles. "I'm excited to be here," Thome said. "These guys have had a great year and done some special things. Hopefully, we can continue to do that." Thome is batting .242 with five homers and 15 RBIs in 62 at-bats on the year. He hit .333 in nine interleague games with four homers and 14 RBIs and had a 1.062 OPS in June. He has 18...
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Steve Melewski

Chris Davis on the Thome trade: "I think it's exciting"

Chris Davis on the Thome trade: "I think it's exciting"
After he talked about today's game and his homer against Cleveland, Chris Davis was asked about the Orioles adding Jim Thome to the team. "I think it's exciting. He's a guy I loved to watch play growing up. I have a lot of respect for him and I'm excited to have him here, not only as a player, but as kind of a mentor. He's been on winning teams," Davis said. "He obviously knows the game and I've heard nothing but great things about him as far as his character and his personality....
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Steve Melewski

Taking a look at what the O's gave up for Thome

Taking a look at what the O's gave up for Thome
OK, first question. Did the Orioles give up too much for Jim Thome in trading prospects Kyle Simon and Gabriel Lino? Simon, their fourth-round pick out of Arizona last year, is a 21-year-old righty that was with Single-A Frederick. He is 2-8 with a 3.96 ERA over 14 starts. In 72 2/3 innings, he has walked 21 and fanned 49. Simon was supposed to start for Frederick tonight at Winston-Salem, but I heard that he was told a few hours before the game he was not pitching. After going 0-4 with an...
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