The Orioles can't really be considered a laughingstock this weekend, as they've been getting very good starting pitching (Rodrigo Lopez excepted) and have been swinging hot bats. Like Chicago, the O's come to Toronto playing their best ball of the season; unlike Chicago, the O's share a division with excellent clubs that will relegate them to selling mode this week.
Baltimore is a club with some important decisions to make. They have a nucleus of young players that might make them an interesting team in the next few years, and they're not in any pressing need to cut payroll. But the O's minor-league system is talent-thin, and this remains a flawed club at the big-league level.
Does Baltimore sell extensively and re-stock their AA cupboard? Do they hold pat with their non-Jurassic players and plan on adding a few parts in the offseason with an eye on competing? Or do they make an old-fashioned baseball trade, shipping out a surplus infielder and acquiring a needed left fielder, shortstop or catcher? Certainly, the O's should dump the Surhoffs, Grooms and Seguis of the world on desperate contenders. But how high is, say, Melvin Mora's trade value right now? Options abound.
And while Sir Sidney Ponson is unlikely to command the eight figures he's seeking as a 26-year-old free agent, he's absolutely certain to decline the Orioles' offer of $5M a season. Do the Orioles quicken the heretofore glacial pace of contract negotiations, if for no other reason than to figure out whether to trade him now?
This series should be interesting, both on the field and off.
On to the Advance Scout!
* The Orioles are blazing, earning a hard-fought split at Yankee Stadium after a 6-0 homestand against Anaheim and Texas ... Count Troy Percival as among the impressed: "They've got a good team over there. I don't care what their record is ... They're hitting their stride. I see a bright future for them" ... Surprisingly, they're tied with New York for the AL lead with five grand slams ... This will be games 3-5 of a nine-game road trip for the Birds ... Most Orioles are hoping that the team isn't too aggressive of a seller this week ... Brian Roberts: "We have a team that gets along really well...Everybody pulls for each other, and now we're starting to see some of the fruits of the tough times in the past. It would be nice to stay intact" ...
* Tonight's opponent, Jason Johnson, has pitched gems in his last two starts ... Combined line: 15 IP, 11 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 12 K ... Don't be fooled by his 7-6 score in his last decision; the Angels rallied for five off of the O's' pen ... Johnson's bid for his first career shutout was broken up by Scott Spiezio in the eighth ...
* Melvin Mora was hit in the face with a John Lackey pitch on Sunday, and was dizzy enough to be held out of the Texas series ... Luckily for Mora, only cuts and bruises ensued ... Mora: "I was scared...I didn't feel my face...I hoped that nothing broke. I don't want to get hurt now, especially with the team playing well" ... He's 0-for-8 with three strikeouts since the beaning ... Meanwhile, Mora jumped to rob Raul Mondesi of a home run on Wednesday, crashing his face against the padded wall in left ... Mike Hargrove said that Mora's face was fine after the catch ... Mora's other "cheeks" didn't fare much better this week, as Roger Clemens drilled him in the rear ... Poetically, Jeff Conine followed that pitch with a two-run shot ... Mora remained cheerful despite his recent hardships and the fact that Ichiro has passed him in the batting race: "I'm just glad we're winning" ... Hargrove: "I felt Roger hit Mora on purpose" ...
* OK, Luis Matos is having a good season ... Sample size is no longer such an issue, and Matos is at an impressive 357/400/521, with 7 homers and 12 steals ... He had four hits on Sunday ... Plus, he's not yet 25 ... Matos is the reigning AL Player of the Week, buttressed by a .600 four-game series against Anaheim ...
* David Segui is slugging just .385, but surprised K-Rod with a grand slam on Sunday ...
* Tomorrow's opponent, Pat Hentgen, has been solid in his two July starts, with just four walks and one home run allowed combined ... Pat won his first decision on Monday since May 15 ... Hentgen: "You sit there and look at your record and go, gosh, 1-5, I've got to turn it around" ...
* Travis Driskill was having a wretched run of seven straight appearances with runs allowed, including outings in which he allowed 2, 3, 4 and 5 runs ... But he snapped out of his funk with a yeoman-like 3 1/3 innings of shutout relief on Tuesday, keeping Texas at bay and earning the win ...
* B.J. Surhoff can't go every day, but he's on fire at the plate lately ... He's hitting .481 over his current seven-game hitting streak ... Yesterday, however, Surhoff re-aggravated a left quadriceps injury while trying to beat out a groundball ... He's uncertain for this weekend ...
* Jorge Julio hasn't allowed an earned run since his meltdown against the Jays on July 6 ...
* Brian Roberts collected three singles and a double in yesterday's Bronx matinee ... He's 14-for-his-last-15 on the basepaths ...
* Tony Batista's OBP has plummeted to a mere .285 ... That's what four walks since June 1 will do ... But he's actually more patient than Deivi Cruz, with three walks since May 21 ... Cruz did homer on Wednesday, though, bringing his surprising total to 12 ...
* B.J. Ryan has been awful against righties ... But he's buzzing lefties at a .176 clip, and struck out Hank Blalock with two on and one out on Monday ... Then, Hector Carrasco came in to fan A-Rod ...
* Jay Gibbons is 10 for his last 25 (.400), but has just one home run since June 28 ... That home run came Tuesday in a 4-RBI performance against Texas ... Gibbons credited his performance on Tuesday to an unprecedented "three-Krispy Kreme" breakfast ... Gibbons: "I might have three tomorrow, too, if that's what's causing home runs" ... Gibbons attempted to make peace with the Bleacher Creatures in yesterday's game by flipping a ball to the crowd ... But the fan fired it right back at him ...
* Jeff Conine is also in a groove, going 8 for his last 22 (.364) ...
* Brook Fordyce has "won" the catcher's job away from Geronimo Gil, who was finally optioned to AAA Ottawa last weekend ... The Orioles have been very pleased with Fordyce's management of the pitching staff ... Robert Machado was called up to serve as Brook's backup, and homered in his first game back on Tuesday ...
* Sunday's opponent, Rodrigo Lopez, couldn't get out of the fifth inning on Tuesday ... Opponents are hitting .307 off of last year's rookie sensation ... Lopez broke the O's string of ten consecutive quality starts ...
* Fourteen-game winner Sidney Ponson "didn't like" the Orioles' most recent contract offer, which bumped his proposed base salary from $4.25 to an even $5 million, plus incentives that could add $2.5 million over the course of the three-year deal ... The Braves are rumoured to be the leading suitor at the moment ... The Orioles are trying to avoid a "Dreifort-like" contract ...
* Omar Daal "felt good" taking his first pitches off a mound since hitting the DL with tendinitis in his left rotator cuff ...
* Ernie and Pat Bechler, parents of late Orioles prospect Steve, testified before Congress this week in support of imposing further regulations on manufacturers of ephedra ... The FDA is now considering an outright ban on the supplement ...
* One-time Baseball Prospectus darling Jack Cust got called up and sent down last weekend without so much as a plate appearance ... Eric DuBose was called up to be another lefty out of the 'pen ... DuBose had an impressive 34/107 ratio in Ottawa ...
Probable Batting Orders
vs. LH
4 Roberts
8 Matos
7 Mora
3 Conine
9 Gibbons
5 Batista
DH Segui
6 Cruz
2 Fordyce
vs. RH
4 Roberts
8 Matos
7 Mora
3 Conine
9 Gibbons
5 Batista
DH Surhoff
6 Cruz
2 Fordyce/Machado
Pitching Probables
Friday: RH Johnson vs. Lidle
Saturday: RH Hentgen vs. Hendrickson
Sunday: RH Lopez vs. Halladay
Bullpen Usage
Long: Driskill R, DuBose L
Short: Carrasco R, Groom L
Setup: Ryan L, Ligtenberg R
Closer: Julio R
Baltimore is a club with some important decisions to make. They have a nucleus of young players that might make them an interesting team in the next few years, and they're not in any pressing need to cut payroll. But the O's minor-league system is talent-thin, and this remains a flawed club at the big-league level.
Does Baltimore sell extensively and re-stock their AA cupboard? Do they hold pat with their non-Jurassic players and plan on adding a few parts in the offseason with an eye on competing? Or do they make an old-fashioned baseball trade, shipping out a surplus infielder and acquiring a needed left fielder, shortstop or catcher? Certainly, the O's should dump the Surhoffs, Grooms and Seguis of the world on desperate contenders. But how high is, say, Melvin Mora's trade value right now? Options abound.
And while Sir Sidney Ponson is unlikely to command the eight figures he's seeking as a 26-year-old free agent, he's absolutely certain to decline the Orioles' offer of $5M a season. Do the Orioles quicken the heretofore glacial pace of contract negotiations, if for no other reason than to figure out whether to trade him now?
This series should be interesting, both on the field and off.
On to the Advance Scout!
* The Orioles are blazing, earning a hard-fought split at Yankee Stadium after a 6-0 homestand against Anaheim and Texas ... Count Troy Percival as among the impressed: "They've got a good team over there. I don't care what their record is ... They're hitting their stride. I see a bright future for them" ... Surprisingly, they're tied with New York for the AL lead with five grand slams ... This will be games 3-5 of a nine-game road trip for the Birds ... Most Orioles are hoping that the team isn't too aggressive of a seller this week ... Brian Roberts: "We have a team that gets along really well...Everybody pulls for each other, and now we're starting to see some of the fruits of the tough times in the past. It would be nice to stay intact" ...
* Tonight's opponent, Jason Johnson, has pitched gems in his last two starts ... Combined line: 15 IP, 11 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 12 K ... Don't be fooled by his 7-6 score in his last decision; the Angels rallied for five off of the O's' pen ... Johnson's bid for his first career shutout was broken up by Scott Spiezio in the eighth ...
* Melvin Mora was hit in the face with a John Lackey pitch on Sunday, and was dizzy enough to be held out of the Texas series ... Luckily for Mora, only cuts and bruises ensued ... Mora: "I was scared...I didn't feel my face...I hoped that nothing broke. I don't want to get hurt now, especially with the team playing well" ... He's 0-for-8 with three strikeouts since the beaning ... Meanwhile, Mora jumped to rob Raul Mondesi of a home run on Wednesday, crashing his face against the padded wall in left ... Mike Hargrove said that Mora's face was fine after the catch ... Mora's other "cheeks" didn't fare much better this week, as Roger Clemens drilled him in the rear ... Poetically, Jeff Conine followed that pitch with a two-run shot ... Mora remained cheerful despite his recent hardships and the fact that Ichiro has passed him in the batting race: "I'm just glad we're winning" ... Hargrove: "I felt Roger hit Mora on purpose" ...
* OK, Luis Matos is having a good season ... Sample size is no longer such an issue, and Matos is at an impressive 357/400/521, with 7 homers and 12 steals ... He had four hits on Sunday ... Plus, he's not yet 25 ... Matos is the reigning AL Player of the Week, buttressed by a .600 four-game series against Anaheim ...
* David Segui is slugging just .385, but surprised K-Rod with a grand slam on Sunday ...
* Tomorrow's opponent, Pat Hentgen, has been solid in his two July starts, with just four walks and one home run allowed combined ... Pat won his first decision on Monday since May 15 ... Hentgen: "You sit there and look at your record and go, gosh, 1-5, I've got to turn it around" ...
* Travis Driskill was having a wretched run of seven straight appearances with runs allowed, including outings in which he allowed 2, 3, 4 and 5 runs ... But he snapped out of his funk with a yeoman-like 3 1/3 innings of shutout relief on Tuesday, keeping Texas at bay and earning the win ...
* B.J. Surhoff can't go every day, but he's on fire at the plate lately ... He's hitting .481 over his current seven-game hitting streak ... Yesterday, however, Surhoff re-aggravated a left quadriceps injury while trying to beat out a groundball ... He's uncertain for this weekend ...
* Jorge Julio hasn't allowed an earned run since his meltdown against the Jays on July 6 ...
* Brian Roberts collected three singles and a double in yesterday's Bronx matinee ... He's 14-for-his-last-15 on the basepaths ...
* Tony Batista's OBP has plummeted to a mere .285 ... That's what four walks since June 1 will do ... But he's actually more patient than Deivi Cruz, with three walks since May 21 ... Cruz did homer on Wednesday, though, bringing his surprising total to 12 ...
* B.J. Ryan has been awful against righties ... But he's buzzing lefties at a .176 clip, and struck out Hank Blalock with two on and one out on Monday ... Then, Hector Carrasco came in to fan A-Rod ...
* Jay Gibbons is 10 for his last 25 (.400), but has just one home run since June 28 ... That home run came Tuesday in a 4-RBI performance against Texas ... Gibbons credited his performance on Tuesday to an unprecedented "three-Krispy Kreme" breakfast ... Gibbons: "I might have three tomorrow, too, if that's what's causing home runs" ... Gibbons attempted to make peace with the Bleacher Creatures in yesterday's game by flipping a ball to the crowd ... But the fan fired it right back at him ...
* Jeff Conine is also in a groove, going 8 for his last 22 (.364) ...
* Brook Fordyce has "won" the catcher's job away from Geronimo Gil, who was finally optioned to AAA Ottawa last weekend ... The Orioles have been very pleased with Fordyce's management of the pitching staff ... Robert Machado was called up to serve as Brook's backup, and homered in his first game back on Tuesday ...
* Sunday's opponent, Rodrigo Lopez, couldn't get out of the fifth inning on Tuesday ... Opponents are hitting .307 off of last year's rookie sensation ... Lopez broke the O's string of ten consecutive quality starts ...
* Fourteen-game winner Sidney Ponson "didn't like" the Orioles' most recent contract offer, which bumped his proposed base salary from $4.25 to an even $5 million, plus incentives that could add $2.5 million over the course of the three-year deal ... The Braves are rumoured to be the leading suitor at the moment ... The Orioles are trying to avoid a "Dreifort-like" contract ...
* Omar Daal "felt good" taking his first pitches off a mound since hitting the DL with tendinitis in his left rotator cuff ...
* Ernie and Pat Bechler, parents of late Orioles prospect Steve, testified before Congress this week in support of imposing further regulations on manufacturers of ephedra ... The FDA is now considering an outright ban on the supplement ...
* One-time Baseball Prospectus darling Jack Cust got called up and sent down last weekend without so much as a plate appearance ... Eric DuBose was called up to be another lefty out of the 'pen ... DuBose had an impressive 34/107 ratio in Ottawa ...
Probable Batting Orders
vs. LH
4 Roberts
8 Matos
7 Mora
3 Conine
9 Gibbons
5 Batista
DH Segui
6 Cruz
2 Fordyce
vs. RH
4 Roberts
8 Matos
7 Mora
3 Conine
9 Gibbons
5 Batista
DH Surhoff
6 Cruz
2 Fordyce/Machado
Pitching Probables
Friday: RH Johnson vs. Lidle
Saturday: RH Hentgen vs. Hendrickson
Sunday: RH Lopez vs. Halladay
Bullpen Usage
Long: Driskill R, DuBose L
Short: Carrasco R, Groom L
Setup: Ryan L, Ligtenberg R
Closer: Julio R
