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...

Of all the players off to good starts in the O's minors, perhaps the one creating the most buzz is Xavier Avery. Some in the organization feel he has a real chance to be a future Major League leadoff hitter and right now Avery is doing nothing to hurt that projection. He is one of the youngest players in the Carolina League, but the 20-year-old outfielder is batting .375-0-9 with a .898 OPS and his name peppers the list of league leaders. Avery hit .262 last season at Delmarva, his first...

Not made of clay: Cla Meredith picked up his first career save after 271 Major League appearances as the O's beat Boston 7-6 Sunday in ten innings. Meredith got the final two outs to strand runners at first and second. The O's trailed 4-1 after six but scored three in the 7th to tie it and three in the top of the tenth for the lead. The O's improve to 3-16 with the win and end the road trip at 2-8. They also snapped a ten-game losing streak with Boston posting their first win over the...

The O's hung on for a 7-6 win Sunday at Boston. Cla Meredith got the final two outs to record the save after 271 career appearances without a save. Cla Meredith talks with Mark Viviano about his first career save I would use him in a save situation on Tuesday. Not kidding, he did the job for one day and with this bullpen right now that qualifies him to get a second day. On the upside, the O's offense has started to hit. The offense produced 13 runs on 31 hits the past two games. The...

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....

The most recent line I posted on Brad Bergesen turned out to be his final one. Bergesen allowed two runs and seven hits in seven innings today for Triple-A Norfolk, with no walks and four strikeouts. He threw 81 pitches, 56 for strikes. He got 14 ground ball outs and two fly ball outs. Bergesen could be recalled to make Saturday's start against the Red Sox at Camden Yards, though Jake Arrieta deserves serious consideration. It's nice to have choices. Alfredo Simon tossed a scoreless eighth...

If I had more time, I'd check the Red Sox blogs to find out whether fans are ripping manager Terry Francona for allowing Hideki Okajima to pitch to Miguel Tejada in the seventh inning. Before today, Okajima was 0-3 with a 5.84 ERA and four blown saves lifetime against the Orioles. He allowed 25 hits in 24 2/3 innings. They've always had his number, for whatever reason. Tejada figured out how to avoid being robbed again by third baseman Adrian Beltre: Launch the ball over his head for a...

David Hernandez took a shutout into the sixth inning, but he kept walking the leadoff hitter, which is a recipe for failure. A leadoff walk and two straight hits tied the game and brought left-hander Mark Hendrickson into the game to face two lefties. David Ortiz grounds a run-scoring single into right-center field and J.D. Drew lifts a sacrifice fly. Boston 3, Orioles 1. Hernandez is charged with three runs and four hits in five-plus innings, and another reliever is scuffling. The Orioles...

After a dominant outing for Triple-A Norfolk Saturday night vs. Charlotte, Jake Arrieta is certainly doing his part to prove he is ready for a shot at the Major Leagues. His 2-0, 0.36 start has sure created buzz around Birdland, where we'll take all the pitching help we can get. Saturday, Arrieta pitched seven scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts. He has now made 21 starts at Triple-A level counting last year and his time could be at hand. "The learning experience that he got last year...