Did Darnell McDonald save Boston's season?

Did Darnell McDonald save Boston's season?
Is it a stretch to say that it's been such a tough start for the Orioles that now former O's first-round picks long since forgotten are now helping O's division rivals out of their doldrums? That is exactly what happened with Darnell McDonald and the Boston Red Sox earlier this week. Boston entered Tuesday's game with Texas at 4-9 and with five losses in a row. The Sox trailed 6-2 after five innings. But McDonald, called up from Triple-A earlier in the day, hit a pinch-hit, game-tying,...
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Some stats, facts and commentary after a loss at Boston

Some stats, facts and commentary after a loss at Boston
They fall at Fenway: Boston's run against the O's bullpen in the 8th Friday gave the Sox a 4-3 win over the Orioles. The game starts a stretch of 12 straight vs. the Red Sox and Yankees. The Birds fall to 2-15 on the year with four losses in a row. They are 1-7 with two games left on the road trip. The Orioles, who went 2-16 last year vs. Boston, are 1-14 in their last 15 games at Fenway Park. They have lost nine in a row vs. Boston since a win on 7-26-09. Boston is 20-2 vs. the...
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Frustration at Fenway

Frustration at Fenway
If it's the late innings we have come to expect the Orioles bullpen to fail to get the job done this year. It happened again Friday night at Boston. J.D. Drew led off the 8th in a 3-3 tie with a single off Matt Albers. Two ground balls later, he was on third with two outs. Will Ohman came on and walked Victor Martinez and David Ortiz to load the bases. He fell behind Martinez 2-0 and then issued an intentional walk. Jim Johnson came on to face Adrian Beltre and threw strike one. Then...
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O's tie it, 3-3 in 8th (w-updates)

O's tie it, 3-3 in 8th (w-updates)
The O's trailed the Red Sox 2-0 after three frames at Fenway. In the Boston second, David Ortiz, hitting .146 with no homers, hit a homer out to left center on a Jeremy Guthrie 2-1 pitch. Guthrie had retired the first five batters. In the Sox third, Guthrie walked number eight hitter Jeremy Hermida to lead the inning and he reached third before scoring on a J.D Drew sac fly. After throwing just 12 pitches in the first, Guthrie threw 19 in the second and 29 in the third for 60 on the...
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Some Orioles do hit Lester

Some Orioles do hit Lester
While tonight's Red Sox starter, Jon Lester, is 10-0, 2.39 in 12 career starts vs. the Orioles, some Birds in tonight's lineup have good stats vs. Lester. Here is how tonight's lineup fares vs. Lester: Montanez: 1-2 Jones: 5-19 Markakis: 7-35 Tejada: 4-9 Wigginton: 6-13 Wieters: 5-9 Reimold: 3-6 Atkins: 0-0 Izturis: 2-6 If you add that up you get 33 for 99, an average of .333. Maybe the slumping O's can get to Lester tonight. Lester has an ERA of 8.44 on the year and has given...
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Tejada returns and Lou stays at the top

Tejada returns and Lou stays at the top
Dave Trembley was just on the Scott Garceau show on MASN and O's flagship station, 105.7 the Fan in Baltimore and said that Miguel Tejada will return to the lineup tonight after missing four games with a hip injury. Tejada last played last Saturday at Oakland when he went 3 for 3. He is batting .239-2-7 on the year. He is 3 for 11 on the road trip. Lou Montanez batted leadoff Wednesday night at Seattle and went 2 for 4. Trembley said he would bat leadoff tonight at Fenway Park. The...
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When will some O's hit to their track record? (w/minors roster move)

When will some O's hit to their track record? (w/minors roster move)
Coming off a series where they scored four total runs, hit .184 as a team and went 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position, the Orioles begin a series at Fenway Park in Boston tonight. Maybe in a park famous for offense the Orioles will find some. Some fans have said of the O's offense that they are just this bad and no one should be surprised. I don't buy that for a second. While no one, me included, expected huge numbers from the offense, it would just be nice to see some of the...
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Surprisingly bad Red Sox stats

Surprisingly bad Red Sox stats
When the Red Sox lost 3-0 to Texas on Thursday night, the Sox fell to 6-10 on the year and 2-5 on their current ten-game homestand. The Sox are off to their worst 16-game start since the 1996 team was 3-13. Here is an amazingly bad Red Sox stat. Their catchers have combined to throw out one runner all year in 37 attempts. That is not wrong, I checked it three times. Victor Martinez has thrown out just 1 of 26 base stealers and Jason Varitek is 0 for 11. (Matt Wieters has thrown out 5 of...
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Mike Griffin talks about working with Bergesen and Arrieta

Mike Griffin talks about working with Bergesen and Arrieta
After going 0-2, 12.19 in his first three starts this year for the Orioles, pitcher Brad Bergesen was sent to Triple-A Norfolk to work out his issues and try to get his sinker back. There he will be reunited with pitching coach Mike Griffin. In 2008, Bergesen went 15-6, 3.22 at Bowie with Griffin as pitching coach. Bergesen was expected to arrive in Norfolk today and Griffin will be waiting. "First of all, he and I will sit down and talk and find out exactly what he feels and thinks. ...
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Norfolk pitching coach talks about Chris Tillman

Norfolk pitching coach talks about Chris Tillman
Norfolk pitching coach Mike Griffin said he is not concerned about Tides pitcher Chris Tillman, who is 0-3, 8.38 on the year through three starts. The leading candidate to be the Orioles fifth starter in March, Tillman has allowed 17 hits in 9 2/3 on the year and got knocked out when he gave up four runs in the first inning of his last start on Sunday. "Right now he is working on some things from spring training. That is what we are concentrating on with his side days," Griffin said. ...
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Post-game notes: O's swept away in Seattle

Post-game notes:  O's swept away in Seattle
Not tonight.....again: The Orioles lost 4-1 to the Mariners and were swept in the three-game series. They scored just four runs on 18 hits in the three games. Seattle scored four runs in the 4th inning in this game. The O's batted just .184 (18 for 98) in the series, going 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position. The Orioles have scored two runs or less in nine of the last 12 games. They have scored a total of 33 runs in their 14 losses. The Orioles fall to 2-14 on the year and have...
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In the minors

In the minors
In the minors this afternoon, the Double-A Bowie Baysox snapped a three-game losing streak with a 5-3 win at Erie. Brandon Waring and Joel Guzman hit back-to-back solo homers in the third. Miguel Abreu went 3 for 5 with an RBI and Ryohei Tanaka gave up 2 ER over 5 1/3 and is 2-0, 2.08. The Baysox improved to 10-4, matching the 1994 team's mark for best 14-game start ever at Bowie. The Baysox host Akron tomorrow at 7:05 to begin a homestand with a post-game fireworks show scheduled. Tim...
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Lugo made Trembley's seat even hotter

Lugo made Trembley's seat even hotter
Julio Lugo was not the first Major Leaguer to jog to first base on a routine ground ball and he won't be the last. If you go to as many games at Camden Yards as I do, you see it every night on pretty much every team. That sure doesn't make it right. My take on it is this. That was Dave Trembley's chance to make an example of someone for lack of hustle. I wish he had been benched there. Dave doesn't and shouldn't have a sense of loyalty to Lugo and could have taken him from the game...
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Hobgood talks about his scoreless outing

Hobgood talks about his scoreless outing
For just the second time in his short pro career last night, Matt Hobgood took the mound and later left without yielding a run. Hobgood, in his third start of the year, pitched seven shutout innings, allowing just two singles, as Delmarva beat Greensboro, 1-0 on a Garabez Rosa homer in the last of the ninth. The Orioles first-round pick last June, Hobgood issued just one walk and had six strikeouts. His ERA for the season is 2.70. "I thought it was a really good outing. My fastball...
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Post-game notes: O's bats went silent in Seattle

Post-game notes:  O's bats went silent in Seattle
Offensive offense: One night after being held to a season-low five hits, tonight the Orioles picked up just four hits in a 3-1 loss to Seattle. The Orioles have scored just three runs with nine hits in the two games of this series. The team average is .143 in those two contests. They have scored just 32 runs on the year in their 13 losses. The O's went 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position and are now batting .150 (16 for 107) with RISP on the season. This is the fourth time on the...
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Another night, another loss

Another night, another loss
For the Orioles it was another lackluster-looking night of little offense that led to another loss. Seattle starter Jason Vargas, a pitcher with a career ERA of 5.44, held the Orioles to just three hits over seven innings tonight as Seattle beat Baltimore, 3-1. The O's, who went 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position tonight, have scored just three runs on nine hits in this series. The O's got a season-low four hits for the game. David Hernandez deserved better, giving up three runs...
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Matt Hobgood talks about his start tonight

Matt Hobgood talks about his start tonight
Delmarva Shorebirds right-hander Matt Hobgood is getting better with each start. After allowing three runs in four innings in his first start this season and two runs over 5 2/3 in his second, tonight he pitched seven shutout innings in Delmarva's 1-0, walk-off win over Greensboro. Garabez Rosa led off the last of the ninth with a homer to give the Shorebirds, now 8-5, the victory. Jacob Smith pitched shutout ball over the last two frames and is 3-0. Hobgood, last June's first-round pick,...
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A closer look at the hitters (w-Hobgood note)

A closer look at the hitters (w-Hobgood note)
It's no great secret that many Orioles are struggling at the bat right now and have most of the year. With the exceptions of Ty Wigginton (five homers his last seven games) and Nick Markakis (.310 his last seven games), most of the others are in droughts right now. Here's a rundown: Garrett Atkins: Is just 4 for 26 over his last seven 7 games and is 0 for 11 vs. left-handed pitching. Cesar Izturis: 0 RBI his last 10 games. Adam Jones: Has three hits his last 18 at bats and is 0 for 7...
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Ryan Minor on Hobgood, Berry and more

Ryan Minor on Hobgood, Berry and more
Former Oriole Ryan Minor has the Delmarva Shorebirds off to a good start in his first year as a pro manager. The Birds, who host Greensboro in Salisbury tonight, are 7-5 and tied for first in the South Atlantic League's Northern division. The Shorebirds have slugged their way to the top so far and lead the SAL with 72 runs scored and 13 homers. Shorebirds players are all over the league leaders at this early stage. Brian Conley leads the league in OBP and is second in batting at .457. ...
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What happened to Bergy?

What happened to Bergy?
It's been a stunning fall from grace for Brad Bergesen. A few months ago he was being featured in that TV promo to promote the upcoming season. Even though that didn't work out well, he was considered important enough to this season that he was chosen for that spot. Now he is headed back to the minors after just three starts in 2010. I'm surprised the O's are sending him out. It will be a popular move with the fans who get restless after a player's performance falls off, even over a...
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