Take it from “Cakes”
We could almost take the Orioles' hall-of-fame team's greatest pitcher's number, and say there are currently 22 questions regarding the 25 roster spots on the Baltimore Orioles with only Nick Martakis, Adam Jones, and Brian Roberts who provide definitive answers for what can be expected from them on the diamond every night. While Matt Wieters absolutely figures to be the team's catcher for years to come and Norm Riemold might be the third outfielder, as with all rookies, the book is wide open on how they will develop as full-time big leaguers.
We could almost take the Orioles' hall-of-fame team's greatest pitcher's number, and say there are currently 22 questions regarding the 25 roster spots on the Baltimore Orioles with only Nick Martakis, Adam Jones, and Brian Roberts who provide definitive answers for what can be expected from them on the diamond every night. While Matt Wieters absolutely figures to be the team's catcher for years to come and Norm Riemold might be the third outfielder, as with all rookies, the book is wide open on how they will develop as full-time big leaguers.
Jim Palmer's seen it all having been a connected with the Orioles since coming to town as a teenaged rookie in 1965. Few can put the Orioles ups and downs in perspective a man with 44 years as a pitcher and broadcaster can do.
Jim Palmer commented on what the young Orioles could learn from watching the Yankees as it was clear they were likely to be swept in yet another futile trip to Yankees Stadium. Palmer observed that the Orioles don’t take batting practice before day games. He indicated the young players could take cues from a player like Derek Jeter who gets his practice in before games regardless. While not maintaining the regular practice routine in day games after night games surely is not the only cause of the team’s miserable performance in such games as their Sunday record the past two seasons so clearly indicates, it does reflect on how much the team and its field management is truly dedicated to establishing a winning routine. While we’re not calling for Dave Trembley’s head at this point, he surely has some positive attributes that are good for a rebuilding team, being more forceful about routine requirements from pregame practice to some in game factors like missing assignments on defense and base running blunders reflects badly on his leadership. Likewise, while it’s good to work all players on the bench in as starters during the course of the week, it appears as though the Orioles field a “B” team in day games where three or four regular starters are rested. If winning games is the goal, these substitutions should be staggered taking into account players’ strengths and weaknesses as reasons to make substitutions at the right time.
It’s on to Boston tonight where the Red Sox are returning to their happy home of Fenway Park after an absolutely disastrous road trip to open after the All Star break. Unless the Red Sox are in the throes of a historic meltdown, they will be in fighting shape ready to take on a team they have mastered with little difficulty in recent years especially when playing in Boston.
While the Orioles could possibly be seen as lucky to escape Boston with a single win, having won just one game out of six since the All Star break coupled with their likely fate in “Bean Town” cannot be the prelude to yet another miserable late season collapse.
Sadly, our question posed in our last evaluation of the Orioles on what it would take for them to finish at the .500 breakeven point has surely been resoundingly answered by their performance this week. Over their next thirty games, they play the Red Sox six games with a home series coming from July 31 to August 2. They also face the Tigers for four games and White Sox for three more games in Chicago, the two teams locked in battle for the AL Central title. From August 14 to 17, four games against the Los Angeles Angels who have dominated the Orioles convincingly in recent history. Add to that trips to Toronto after visiting Detroit and opening a road trip in Tampa for three games at the end of this thirty day span, the Orioles have played miserably against these division rivals particularly on the road. As inconsistent as the Blue Jays have been, they can look well in a hurry when the Orioles come to town. So what’s left for hope? The Orioles host Kansas City for four games opening a short seven game home stand with Boston the other visitor next week. The Oakland Athletics come to town for three games before the Angels settle in from August 10 to 12. The Orioles could only manage a split against KC when they played the Royals in Kansas City in May and as weak as the Athletics have been this year, the swept the Orioles in Oakland in early June.
Looking beyond the next 30 days, the late schedule rides heavily on division rivals with home and away series against all four teams. The other rivals include home and away against Cleveland, one team with a worse last place record than the Orioles, the Minnesota Twins who could be trying to claw their way into the AL Central race, and the Texas Rangers, a much improved team that has clobbered the Orioles especially late in the season also come to town. Fans should not let individual team records fool them, every single team in the American League has some substantial strengths to deal with and are quite capable of dominating a three game series. There are no Washington Nationals or Pittsburgh Pirates in this league.
2009 is the season this team must show improvement in the second half to validate their rebuilding process which is now in full swing. Matt Wieters, Norm Reimold, and Brad Bergesen look like they’re on their way to being established major leaguers but their inexperience cannot escape notice. Speculation runs hot that another pitching prospect, Chris Tillman, could be starting for the big club as soon as the Orioles return home early next week.
While it is a delight to see young players with tremendous potential coming to Baltimore as part of the big design of becoming a team that can take on the Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays, who is there on the big team who sets the kind of example players like Derek Jeter sets which shows the Yankee way or how Cal Ripken Jr. was the roll model for so many players to don the black and orange? Likewise, does Dave Trembley and his staff maintain the kind of high expectations, discipline, and leadership required to mold these enthusiastic youngsters into a winning team in the tough American League East?
It’s on to Boston tonight where the Red Sox are returning to their happy home of Fenway Park after an absolutely disastrous road trip to open after the All Star break. Unless the Red Sox are in the throes of a historic meltdown, they will be in fighting shape ready to take on a team they have mastered with little difficulty in recent years especially when playing in Boston.
While the Orioles could possibly be seen as lucky to escape Boston with a single win, having won just one game out of six since the All Star break coupled with their likely fate in “Bean Town” cannot be the prelude to yet another miserable late season collapse.
Sadly, our question posed in our last evaluation of the Orioles on what it would take for them to finish at the .500 breakeven point has surely been resoundingly answered by their performance this week. Over their next thirty games, they play the Red Sox six games with a home series coming from July 31 to August 2. They also face the Tigers for four games and White Sox for three more games in Chicago, the two teams locked in battle for the AL Central title. From August 14 to 17, four games against the Los Angeles Angels who have dominated the Orioles convincingly in recent history. Add to that trips to Toronto after visiting Detroit and opening a road trip in Tampa for three games at the end of this thirty day span, the Orioles have played miserably against these division rivals particularly on the road. As inconsistent as the Blue Jays have been, they can look well in a hurry when the Orioles come to town. So what’s left for hope? The Orioles host Kansas City for four games opening a short seven game home stand with Boston the other visitor next week. The Oakland Athletics come to town for three games before the Angels settle in from August 10 to 12. The Orioles could only manage a split against KC when they played the Royals in Kansas City in May and as weak as the Athletics have been this year, the swept the Orioles in Oakland in early June.
Looking beyond the next 30 days, the late schedule rides heavily on division rivals with home and away series against all four teams. The other rivals include home and away against Cleveland, one team with a worse last place record than the Orioles, the Minnesota Twins who could be trying to claw their way into the AL Central race, and the Texas Rangers, a much improved team that has clobbered the Orioles especially late in the season also come to town. Fans should not let individual team records fool them, every single team in the American League has some substantial strengths to deal with and are quite capable of dominating a three game series. There are no Washington Nationals or Pittsburgh Pirates in this league.
2009 is the season this team must show improvement in the second half to validate their rebuilding process which is now in full swing. Matt Wieters, Norm Reimold, and Brad Bergesen look like they’re on their way to being established major leaguers but their inexperience cannot escape notice. Speculation runs hot that another pitching prospect, Chris Tillman, could be starting for the big club as soon as the Orioles return home early next week.
While it is a delight to see young players with tremendous potential coming to Baltimore as part of the big design of becoming a team that can take on the Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays, who is there on the big team who sets the kind of example players like Derek Jeter sets which shows the Yankee way or how Cal Ripken Jr. was the roll model for so many players to don the black and orange? Likewise, does Dave Trembley and his staff maintain the kind of high expectations, discipline, and leadership required to mold these enthusiastic youngsters into a winning team in the tough American League East?
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