Maryland Sports Fans

At Boston, The Orioles Win One and Lose One

Half way through a 4 game series with the Red Sox, the Orioles are no better or worse in the standing after splitting the first two games. The Orioles got solid pitching in both games, only got run support in one game.

When Rodrigo Lopez was pitching, the Orioles scored 8 runs. With Daniel Cabrera on the mound, the Orioles only managed one run. There was plenty of miscues from the Orioles durning the game, two of which came from the pitcher, and a lot of men stranded in scoring postion. It seems to me that what made the O's so successful in the being of the year was the ability to score runners no matter how many outs. Now it doesn't look like they can drive anyone home. Even last night, after the 3rd inning when the Orioles scored 7 runs, the O's only managed one more run in 6 innings. Cabrera did allow 4 runs in the 5th inning of tonights game, but the O's were averaging 7.2 runs a game coming into this battle. Their is no reason why the Orioles should have lost this game with the power and as many chances as they had tonight. This was a disappointing game for me because I expected them to win, and they failed.

Detriot Sweeps the Orioles

The O's lost their 3rd straight game to the Tigers, and for the first time this season the Orioles lose 3 in a row. I didn't get a chance to watch the game yesterday. All I know is that Steve Reed pitched very badly and allowed 5 runs in the 7th inning. Steve Kline also gave up a run that allowed the Tigers to beat the Orioles 8-6. Why the Orioles brought in Steve Reed is beyond me. He has been nothing but trouble since putting on a Orioles uniform. Send him down to the minor leagues or release. Don't let him into another game PLEASE. I will try and have a better article tonight about the Orioles and Red Soxes game.

Ponson Gives Up Too Much Again

For his second straight start, Sidney Ponson gave up too many runs for the Orioles to recover from. Last week, Ponson gave up 4 early runs against the Phillies in 7 innings, and Ponson gave up 4 runs over 8 innings against the Tigers last night. He is carrying a 5.66 ERA and has allowed 4 homers over the last two games. This guy was suppose to be the Ace of the Orioles going into Spring Training. He was demoted to the #4 starter before the regular season started, and promoted to #3 starter when Eric Bedard went on the DL yesterday. Ponson threw to home run fastballs against the Detroit Tigers and they took advantage of it. Dmitri Young and Craig Monroe hit 2 run homers to give the Tigers the lead for the game. This game was another example of Ponson spotting the opposing team at least a 4 run lead. The Orioles batters always have to play catch up when he pitches. This time they failed because Ponson couldn't keep his control of his pitches.

The O's batters had their big chance to beat the Tigers in the 9th inning. They had the bases loaded with 2 outs when the rookie, Jeff Fiorentino, struck out. I am not going to get on his case because he is a rookie. Ugueth Urbina of the Tigers just made to good of pitches against Fiorentino for Jeff to have a chance. The O's pecked away from the 4 run lead in the 6th and 8th innings. But in the end, they just came up short.

To make matters worse, the "Yank-These" are now in 2nd place and only 3.5 games behind the O's after beating the "Red Sucks."

Orioles Win Second Staight Against the Mariners

With Rodrigo Lopez struggling over his last couple of starts, the Orioles beat the winningest pitcher to face the O's, former Orioles pitcher Jamie Moyer. The Orioles have guarenteed themselves a series win against the Mariners by winning tonight in one of the Orioles shortest games of the season, 2 hours.

Rodrigo Lopez started the season as the Orioles #1 starter, but he has struggled badly in his last 10 starts. Lopez hasn't won since April 10th, and he has had a 6.53 ERA and a 0-2 record over that time. In his last game against the Royals, the worse team in major league baseball, Rodrigo Lopez allowed 6 earned runs and walked 3. Now for the good news, Rodrigo Lopez looked like a true "ACE" tonight by allowing 1 run off of 5 hits in 8 innings of work. He placed his fastball for strikes and had a wicked slider all night. Lopez didn't allow one walk and only one batter to pass first base, which eventually scored the lone run for the Mariners, and threw only 82 pitches in 8 innings. If all it takes for Lopez to pitch well is cool weather, I don't want summer to arrive.

The arch rival of the Orioles has been Jamie Moyer over the last 19 years. Until tonight, Moyer was 15-2 against the Orioles over his career and definite bird killer. Other then the first inning, Jamie Moyer pitched like a bird killer. But all the Orioles need was the 1st inning. Melvin Mora got the inning started with a single and the next batter, Miguel Tejada, doubled. With runners at 2nd and 3rd, Sammy Sosa for the second straight night hit a sac fly to score Mora. Palmeiro came to the plate with two outs against a southpaw pitcher, Palmeiro has struggled with lefties since last year, and hit a tailing slider out of the park down the right field line. Those three hits were all the Orioles need to win the game. Moyer allowed only 3 baserunners after the first inning, and only one reached 2nd base. This was a great win against a known foe of the Orioles. Jamie Moyer does have a couple of excuses for tonight, struggling with control and he is 42 years old, but it was good to beat him any way.

What made tonight even better is that the Red Sox lost its second staight game to the B-Jays. With the win tonight, the O's have a 4 game lead over the Sox.

Notes: Roberts didn't play today and listed day-to-day. Palmeiro hit his 556th homer of his career tonight.

O's Win Despite Soggy Weather

After a 20 minute rain delay, the Orioles opened their home stand against the Seattle Mariners tonight. They welcomed back ex-Oriole manager Mike Hardgrove, two years removed, with a much different lineup then he was used too.

The Orioles had southpaw Bruce Chen on the mound tonight to face the Mariners. He pitched great despite not having good control in the cold soggy weather. Chen gave up 2 runs to the Mariners off of 8 hits in 7 innings of work. Both runs came from Ichiro Suzuki getting to second base, and Richie Sexson singling him in. Was I the only one that noticed that Ichiro had his first name on the back of his jersey during the game? Richie Sexson showed tonight how valuable he would have been if he joined the Orioles tonight. Sexson was clutch in both at bats with Suzuki on second. The Mariners could have scored a lot more runs had it not been for Chen pitching himself out of jams. Chen got 2 clutch double plays, one of which was started by Chen, and he picked off a runner with Suzuki at the plate. In the end, Chen got a no decision, but he did his job in keeping the Orioles in the game. Todd Williams came in for relief in the 8th inning and pitched a scoreless inning to earn the win. B.J. Ryan closed the game to get his 13th save of the season, which is 2nd in the league.

The Orioles batters struggled during the game in clutch situations tonight. They left 13 men stranded on the bases, and they had the bases loaded twice only to score one run. Mora drove in one run with Jeff Fiorentino on second in the in the first inning. Sammy Sosa returned to the lineup for the first time since May 4th, and he tied the game up with a sac fly when the bases were loaded in the 7th inning. The 7th inning turned out to be good and bad, for the O's tied the game but Brian Roberts got hit by a pitch on the side of the knee and was taken out of the game. So far, Brian Roberts status is still in question with a bruised knee. Jay Gibbons won the game for the Orioles when he hit a solo homerun in the 8th inning to give the Orioles a 3-2 lead. On a couple of websites, I have seen that a trade of Gibbons for a veteran pitcher is a posibility. I have even mentioned this much in a previous post comments, but I don't think it is very likely now with the injuries the O's keep having. Javy Lopez was also injured during the game with a broken hand that he sustained on his throwing hand while trying to catch a foul tip. Lopez got hit by the foul tip in the third inning , and he will be out for 6 to 8 weeks.

The O's widen the Al East lead between themselves and the Red Sox with the win tonight. The Sox lost tonight against the B-Jays, and opened the gap up to 3 games. The Orioles will have to make some roster moves to replace Javy Lopez on the 40 man roster, I'm not sure how that is going to work, with Geronimo Gil being the only catcher on the team. Chris Gomez will likely be taking the place of Brian Roberts for at least a couple of days. Gomez has been a hot hitter no matter how much he plays, but he is not as versitile as Roberts.

Tomarrows game will be broadcasted on CSN at 7:05. The Orioles will have Rodrigo Lopez (2-2) pitching against the Seattle Mariners' Jamie Moyer (4-1). Can the Orioles finally stick it too Moyer tomarrow? I think so, even if they are a little beat up.

Day Off Poll

With the O's having a day off tonight, I am going to start something new. I am going to have a new poll everytime the Orioles are off.

Leave a comment on your pick..

Orioles Lose Series Against Phillies

Playing their first interleague steries of the year, The Orioles lost two out three games against the Phillies this weekend. The O's have struggled over the last couple of years against the Phillies by only winning one game out of six over the last two years. This series was no different with the Phillies winning both games 9-2 and 7-2.

The Phillies came into the series completing a series win against the Cardinals. They carried the momentum into the Orioles series when they hammered Daniel Cabrera in the first game for 7 runs in 4 innings. Cabrera had no control with his curveball or breaking ball. Cabrera had to depend on just his fast ball which is the wrong way to pitch the hard hitting Phillies.

Bedard started the second game, and he was fantastic yet again. He shut out the Phillies through 7 innings, and Bedard is still the most consistant pitcher the Orioles have at the moment. When Bedard did get into a jam, he was able to pitch his way out of it. Bedard has proven so far that the front office of the Orioles were right not to trade him. He has just been that solid with the ball in his hand. Jorge Julio and Steve Kline finished the last two inning to complete the shut out.

In the rubber game, the Orioles got off to good start with a triple from Roberts and a sac fly by Fiorentino. The Phillies were held in check by Sidney Ponson until the 3rd inning when Pat Burrell hit a three run shot. Ponson allowed another homer in the 4th inning to Lieberthal giving the Phillies a 4-1 lead. Ponson didn't give up any more runs in his 7 inning which gave the Orioles a chance to come back. Miggy Tejada hit a solo home run in the 6th inning, but he couldn't rally the rest of the team in his come back effort. The game got out of reach in 8th inning when Steve Kline came in relief. Kline gave up 3 runs and got no one out. So far this season, Steve Kline and Steve Reed have been hit and miss. It seems like if Reed is struggling, Kline is awesome. If Kline is struggling, Reed is pitching well. The last one was the case last night. Kline couldn't miss a bat, and Reed allowed one walk and no hits.

I still read in the papers, Washington Post and Baltimore Sun, that the panic button should be hit. To me, the only starting pitcher to struggle in this series was Daniel Cabrera. Bedard was lights out, and Ponson pitched well enough to win by only giving up 4 runs. Sure, Lopez has struggled as of late, but I think he is mature enough to recover soon. I believe Sidney Ponson when he told the AP reporters this:

"It's only the first series. We're not going to dwell on it," said Sidney Ponson, who allowed four runs and seven hits in seven innings. "We're much better than last year. Let's wait and see. Things are going to turn around."

O's Lose Final Against Royals

The Orioles lost the final game against the Kansas City Royals today. Rodrigo Lopez, the Orioles #1 starter, struggled early in the game and took the lose. After giving up 6 runs in the first 3 innings, the Orioles couldn't recover against the Royals relief pitchers.

Rodrigo Lopez lost control of the 2nd and 3rd inning after retiring the first 3 batters he faced in the 1st inning. In the 2nd inning, Lopez gave a free pass to Matt Stairs and was brought in off of a Diaz triple. The next batter grounded out, but Diaz scored. In the third inning, the major blows were done by 2 homers given up by Lopez. One of the homers was a single, and the other was a costly three run shot. Rodrigo Lopez got control of himself after the 3rd inning, and didn't allow another run in the next 4 inning. Steve Reed replaced Lopez in the 8th inning. He walked two batters in a row, one of which scored a run.

The Orioles did score 4 runs in the 4th inning, but they were held in check from that point on. The O's got the runs in to home from a couple of doubles, Bigbie and Newhan, and one triple by Jay Gibbons. The young relief pitchers of the KC Royals did their job after the 4th inning, and didn't allow the Orioles to get back into the game.

Notable: Miggy and Raffy were both hitless in this game. Miggy's hit streak ended on 10. The Orioles will be back for a home stand that starts tomarrow with interleague play against the Phillies. Daniel Cabrera (3-2, 4.93 ERA) will be taking the mound for the O's.

O's Keep Rollin' Past Royals

The Orioles are now guarenteed a series win with their defeat of the Kansas City Royals tonight. The Orioles had another offensive power flex his mucles as Melvin Mora hit 2 long balls in the 7-4 win. Bruce Chen won his 5 game of the season, and B.J. Ryan got his 12 save in 13 tries.

Bruce Chen had a pretty good outing tonight against the Royals with 8 strikeouts and 4 runs allowed. The bulk of the KC's runs came in the 2nd inning when Chen allowed three, but he didn't allow a long ball out of the stadium. Bruce Chen's 8 strikeouts equaled his season high, and shut the door on the Royals until the seventh inning when he allowed 1 more run. Todd Williams faced one batter in relief of Chen in the 7th inning, and he got him out with a ball that was deflected off of Williams. Todd Williams went down to the training facility between innings after being hit by a line drive. Luckily for the Orioles, the deflected ball went right to Rafeal Palmeiro to end the inning. Steve Kline came in the 8th and didn't allow a hit in the inning. B.J. Ryan shut the door in the 9th with his usual drama, for he walked the lead-off batter and allowed a 2 out single to put the Royals in scoring position. Ryan got a ground ball to B-Rob that ended the game.

The O's got most of their offense from one man, Melvin Mora, who accounted for 4 runs with a 3 run shot in the 3rd inning and a solo shot in the 6th. Mora is now hitting just under .300 for the year, and he now has 24 RBIs. Newhan also added is own homer in the 6th that scored himself and Brian Roberts. Javy Lopez also got an RBI in the 5th inning by hitting a double that barely scored Palmeiro. The offensive power of the Orioles is just amazing because it seems like every time the O's need someone to step up, one or more batter do. In both games against the Royals, the Orioles have trailed and eventually won because of big hits.

Notable: Miguel Tejada extended his hitting streak to 10 games. Raffy got 2 more hits tonight to extend his career hits to 2954.

In Raffy We Trust

Rafeal Palmeiro signed a one year contract this off-season so he could retire as an Oriole. He is chasing the 3000 hit/500 HR mark this season to solidify his entry into Cooperstown. The front office of the Orioles told Raffy that he would be splitting time as a first baseman and DH. Through all this, Raffy proved tonight why he a valuable asset to the O's organization.

Raffy went 4-5 tonight against the Kansas City Royals, the worst team in the majors, by hitting 3 singles and a solo long ball. In the 1st inning, Raffy hit a single to plate David Newhan and Melvin Mora which gave the O's a 2-0 lead. Over the next two innings, the Royals scored 8 runs and chased Sidney Ponson off the mound after 1.1 innings. Brian Robert shot a line drive homer in the 3rd inning to pull the O's within 5 runs. But it wasn't until Raffy got to the plate in the 4th inning that the O's broke out against KC's pitcher Jose Lima. Raffy hit his 4th long ball of the year to lead off the 4th. After another 8 batters and 4 runs, Raffy was up to the plate again with 2 outs when he hit a single into center to score Mora. The Rafeal Palmeiro hit put the Orioles up one run with a 9-8 lead. As if that were not enough, Palmeiro singled again in the 7th inning to plate the unofficial team captain, Miguel Tejada, to give the O's a 2 run lead at the time. Rafeal Palmeiro was clutch during this game by hitting in 5 runs, and he had his best game in an Orioles uniform over the last two years. Raffy raised his average from .222 to .246 with 15 RBIs. Great performance Raffy, what a sweet swing.

Rafeal did have some help from his fellow Orioles batters. Roberts hit his 11th homer of the year to lead the Orioles team. Jay Gibbons went 2-4 with his 6th homer, 1 single and 3 RBIs. Sal Fasano also went yard in his 5th at bat of the year. Fasano was pinch hitting for the thrown out B.J. Surhoff when he hit a solo shot. Sal Fasano's pinch hit homer was the first for the Orioles of the year from a pinch hitter.

The starting was a forgettable one for the O's, for Sidney Ponson lasted only 1.1 innings and surrendered 7 runs. The good thing is that he didn't give up a long ball, but he did allow the Royals to hit him around like a pinball machine. Thank goodness for the depth in the relief pitching. John Parrish replaced Ponson in the 2nd inning and gave up 3 walks, but he struck out 4 batters. Parrish did struggle with his location; however, he had not pitched in 15 days and was a little rusty. Parrish was then replaced by Steve Reed. Reed pitched a superb 2.1 innings and allowed only one hit. This was a great outing because of the struggles he has had since putting on an O's uniform. Reed was able to locate and keep his pitches down in the strike zone. Steve Kline took over for Reed in the 6th inning and allowed only one hit and walked one batter. Kline has also struggled at times, but he was very strong against one of the worse hitting clubs in the league. Jorge Julio replaced Kline in the 8th inning, and my heart stopped for the 1.2 innings. Julio was all over the place the whole time at the plate. It looked like the Royals were going to be able to score, but then the pitching master, Ray Miller, calmed Julio down to get a fly out. In the 9th inning with two outs, Julio walked a batter and gave up a single before Mazz pulled him out for the closer, B.J. Ryan. Ryan faced one batter to earn the save with a strikeout, and he got his 11th save of the season.

The O's continue their small winning streak by making it 3 in a row by riding Raffy and the bullpen to victory tonight. On Wednesday, the Orioles will have Bruce Chen (4-2, 3.38 ERA) against KC's pitcher D.J. Carrasco (0-0, 3.00 ERA).

O's Move Up In Rankings

According to CBS Sportsline, the Orioles are now ranked #3 in the league. The other two teams higher then the O's are the Chicago White Sox (1) and the St. Louis Cardinals (2). As everyone knows, the Orioles just finished a 4 game series with the White Sox and split the series. The O's go from facing the best team in baseball to playing the worst team in the MLB, Kansas City Royals. This should be an easy series if the Orioles can keep their heads in the game. Go O's.

O's Split With The Best Team In Baseball

The Orioles finished a 4 game series in Chicago against the White Sox earlier today. After being disappointed the first 2 games, the Orioles took the next two to even out the series. Todays game showed the White Sox how explosive the O's could be.

Both pitchers in the game, Eric Bedard of the O's and Jose Contreras of the WS, had some of their best stuff. Bedard didn't give up a run until the 7th inning, and Contreras only surrendered 2 runs until the same point in the game. The game looked as if it were going to be another pitchers duel in the the series. Then the 7th inning happened, and both teams combined for 5 runs. The only difference for Eric Bedard this game is that he actually had run support. In his last three starts, he has had none to speak of. Today, Eric didn't have to be perfect because the Orioles scored 5 runs in his 7 innings of work. Todd Williams came in relief during the 8 inning and didn't blow it this time. Williams was finally able to keep his sinker down in the strike zone today. B.J. Ryan finished the game for the O's in the 9th innning for a non-save situation. The O's manager said the following about Eric Bedard:

"Bedard was strong today and tremendous," Mazzilli said. "He was throwing strikes and getting his curveball over."

The offense was surprise today when 2 long balls came from an unlikely place. David Newhan and Sal Fasano both shot solo long balls in the game. They both earned their first homers of the season against one of the better pitching teams. Newhan added another RBI in the 7th with a sac fly. David Newhan has been a valuable utility man since last year. I was very happy this past off-season when the front office duo decided to keep him. For Fasano, this game was the first of the year. He was called up from Triple-A Ottawa on Wednesday to add some depth as a catcher. Todays homer was Fasano's first since 2001. Fasano added another RBI in the seventh as well by scoring Jay Gibbons, who doubled to lead off the inning. As an added note, Miggy added another RBI to his yearly total that is up to 38 and still leading the majors.

The two best teams in the AL squared off in this series, and they split it. When will ESPN finally give both teams some respect?

The O's continue their road trip on Tuesday when the visit KC.

Boulware Won't Be Wearing Purple

Peter Boulware was released yesterday from the Ravens for salary cap reasons. He was set to make 6 million dollars in base salary this year. The Ravens and Boulware's agent, Roosevelt Barnes could not agree to a re-structured deal.

Head Coach, Brian Billick, was quoted by the Washington Post as saying the following:

"The conversations had gone far enough that we pretty much knew where we were at," Baltimore Coach Brian Billick told reporters at the team's training facility in Owings Mills.

Peter Boulware hasn't played a down in 16 months, but he the francised record for career sacks(67.5) and has had 487 tackles during his career in Baltimore. Boulware has spent his whole career in purple, and he one of the most popular players on the Ravens defense. He will be missed very much in Charm City.

Posted by helimech24 at 09:46 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

Twins lose twin games to the O's

The O's completed a three game series today against the Twins, and took 2 of 3 games from the supposed AL Central winners. The O's got good pitching for all three games, and one was blown. Some of the Orioles problems came from fielding errors and others came from the umpires.

In the first game, Daniel Cabrera had a career day by striking out 11 batters and shut out the potent offense through 8 innings of work. B.J. Ryan closed out the game for his 8th save of the season at the time. Miguel Tejada homered in the game and drove in 2 runs. But the real story was Daniel Cabrera. He was untouchable during the whole game. He allowed only 3 hits over his 8 inning of work. This is exactly the way the Orioles need to start a series to be competative this year. Ron Gardenhire and Michael Cuddyer told the AP News the following:

"That's nasty stuff. I'm glad I wasn't hitting," Gardenhire said. "Then, I would have been frustrated. I think our hitters were frustrated."

"You've got to tip your hat to the way he threw the ball tonight," Cuddyer said. "It was 99 mph with an 89 mph slider, and he was throwing strikes."

Well Daniel, I tip my hat to you as well. After starting the year struggling, you have shown the fans your true self.

The second game went just as well for the Orioles starter, Eric Bedard. He allowed only one earned run through 7 inning and again got little support from his defense and offense. Now to be truthful, it was not all the Orioles fault. The plate umpire did blow a lot of calls during the whole game. It started getting out of hand in the bottom of the 8th inning when Luis Matos was hit by a pitch that would have loaded the bases with no one out and the score tied. But the non-call, in which Matos got his finger broken, was called a foul tip on a bunt try. Geronimo Gil was called to pinch hit for the hurt Matos, and bunted badly to the pitcher. Jesse Crain of the Twins pitched out of the rest of the inning. The top of the 9th inning was no different when Todd Williams was called on a balk for a move the Jesse Crain did in the bottom 8th. The plate ump also made Williams strike out the same player twice when he missed a swinging strike out and called it a foul tip. Luckily for Williams, the Twins couldn't capitalize on the blown calls. It didn't stop there, for the plate ump called B.J. Surhoff out on obvious balls that magically turned into strikes. This whole innings worth of events changed the outcome of the game and was eventually won by the Twins in the 10th with back to back solo shots. Melvin Mora did make some costly mistakes during the game, but I have ranted enough about this game. Let’s move on...

The final game of the series showed the Orioles resolve when the faced the Twins Ace, Johan Santana. Ponson was pitching for the O's and gave up his typical 4 runs, but did hang on to pitch into the 8th inning to earn the win. But the real story is beating last years AL Cy Young winner. Well, he didn't get the lose, but the Orioles chased him of the mound and took advantage of the Twins bullpen. Santana's ERA was just over 2.00 coming in to face the O's, and the Orioles scored 4 runs 5 inning, Santana lasted 6 inning. Ponson kept it together after the 3rd inning when he gave up the 4 runs, and he allowed the O's batters to pick him up. The O's scored 3 runs in the 8th inning to help Sidney to a 5-1 record. B.J. Surhoff was the hero today by hitting a single down the first base line to score Miguel Tejada. The O's would score two more runs when all was over, but B.J. Ryan didn't really need them. After allowing a lead off double in the 9th, Ryan retired the next three batters to earn his 9th save.

Players of the series-All three pitchers. Sidney Ponson for not imploding on himself when times got hard. Daniel Cabrera for getting back to his dominate self that we saw in Spring Training. Eric Bedard for pitching one heck of game, even with getting a no decision.

O's Avoid the Jay Sweep

The Oriole got their best start from 2nd year pitcher Eric Bedard and a clutch hit from the Sammy "The Strikeout King" Sosa yesterday to halt a losing skid. After only scoring 3 runs in 2 games, the Orioles scored 5 runs in the 8th yesterday.

Eric Bedard pitched his heart out yesterday and the best of his short career by limiting the Blue Jays to 1 run off of 4 hits. He struck out a career high 12 batters in 8 innings and earned the win yesterday. His stuff was so good that 5 batters were struck out looking. This outing was a testament to what Ray Miller is doing to the young staff of starting pitchers. He was just plainly awesome. Javy Lopez was quoted as saying the following to the Associated Press:

"Bedard was throwing amazing, and losing a game by one run again would have been hard for us," said Javy Lopez, who added a three-run homer after Sosa's hit. "The key of the game was Sammy Sosa hitting that double."

The Orioles batter finally awoke during the eighth inning with "Mr. Dependable", Brian Roberts, hitting a leadoff single to start the 8th. Melvin Mora flied out after a long struggle at the plate, and Miguel Tejada singled to move Roberts over to second. Sammy Sosa stepped to the plate to make something happen, which hasn't happened all year with men on, and doubled down the left foul line. Brian Roberts scored easily and Miguel Tejada followed after running through a stop signal, which he later apologized for. His reasoning was a true sign that he is the unofficial captain of the O's. He wanted Sosa to have the game winning hit, his first as an Oriole, to build his confidence. Javy Lopez added some more insurance runs later in the inning with a long ball to left field and scoring 3 more runs. The homer was Javy's 5th of the year.

The Orioles have yet to lose more than 2 games in a row. That is how teams have winning seasons my friends.

O's Can't Produce Against Toronto

For the second straight day, the Orioles lose to the Toronto Blue Jays. The Orioles pitching was not at fault, but it was the Orioles bats that faltered. The O's now have a losing record at home in Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Is it time to panic now?

The simple answer is...NO. O's fans, don't panic just yet. Even if the O's get swept by the Blue Jays tomorrow, they will still be in first place with a one game lead in the AL East. The Orioles had an 8 game winning streak come to halt against the Blue birds, but how long did you really expect them to continue that? No team has ever gone undefeated all season. There are no wheels falling off the winning bus yet. There is no reason to worry just yet. It is early in the season, true, but the Orioles do have a couple of things going for them thus far.

If you would have picked a reason why the Orioles would struggle for a series, pitching would be the answer. It has not been the case against Toronto the last couple of days. The Orioles have lost because the batters didn't produce. In the last two games, the Orioles have scored only three runs with the Jays scoring 7. The hot batters of late, Roberts and Tejada, cooled off a little, and no other players stepped up their game. The two pitchers that faced Toronto, Rodrigo Lopez and the struggling Daniel Cabrera, pitched great in both games by allowing only three runs between them. The most surprising aspect of the Orioles thus far this season is the starting pitching. There has been just a hand full of games that got out of control for the starters which is a testament to the pitching coach, Ray Miller. I see no reason why this would change during the season. I think it will only get better with more confidence from the starting pitchers.

As far as the hitting goes for the Orioles, every team will have games like this throughout the season. No one batter can stay on top of their game for the season. The Orioles' players will have to get over these games as fast as possible. That is what makes great teams. Not that they lose games, but that they recover quickly from losing. The same goes for the Orioles. If the Orioles can bounce back quickly like in April, they will have a chance to stay on top of the division in May. Don't worry O's fans, Miguel Tejada will right the ship and the Orioles will start winning again. And Maybe. Just Maybe. The Orioles will start making believers out of ESPN.

O's Continue Roll

The O's have won three series in a row to continue their winning streak now up to eight. The Orioles have made 2 comebacks during this series with solid relief and clutch hitting. Actually, the Orioles have been doing that for the whole streak. It has been pretty amazing seeing the O's play lately, and today was no different.

Bruce Chen didn't start off the greatest way today when he gave up a run in the top of the 1st inning. The Orioles' batters had his back though, and they cameback in the botton of the 1st by scoring two runs thanks to Melvin Mora. Brian Roberts did his job by getting on base which allowed Mora hit a two run homer. Bruce Chen got some more help in the bottom of the second with help from Jay Gibbons and Brian Roberts. Gibbons tripled with one out, and Larry Bigbie couldn't get him home. With 2 outs, B-Rob hit a single to bring home Gibbons. Newhan singled to move over Roberts, and they both pulled off a double steal. Toby Hall threw to third for a pickoff of Roberts. To bad it was off line, Brian Roberts was able to score on the throwing error, making the score 4-1.

Gibbons added to the lead by homering in the 4th inning with a solo shot. Nick Green and Aubrey Huff of the Devil Rays hit back-to-back doubles to make it a three run game in the top of the 5th. O's lead 5-2. In the 6th inning, Bruce Chen faced his last batter when Toby Hall hit a solo shot to left field. Steve Kline came in relief after the Hall homer to shut the door on any other threat. Kline didn't allow a hit and walked one player, Nick Green, in one inning. Enter Mora and Tejada in the bottom of the 7th inning; both hit back-to-back homeruns to give the O's a 7-3 lead. Todd Williams relieved Steve Kline in the 8th, and he gave up his first run of the season to make the score 7-4. Williams did minimize the damage, and he didn't allow another run. B.J. Ryan came into the 9th inning looking for his 5th, and he got it by not allowing one baserunner and striking out 2.

On Monday, the O's will be trying to continue their streak against the team they started it on, the Toronto Blue Jays. The Jays are coming to Camden Yards to face the red hot Orioles. Rodrigo Lopez (2-1, 3.98) will being going up against Gustavo Chacin (4-1, 2.48).

Player of the Series: Brian Roberts-three run homer to win Saturday, 6 hits, 4 RBIs, 1 HR, 3 stolen bases, and 2 base on balls

Lucky 7 Equals a Broken Record

After a day of rain, the Orioles and Devil Rays played the second game of a three game series. Miguel Tejada was one RBI behind Mike Bordick's April RBI record of 29 set in 2000. The Orioles were also looking to stretch their winning streak to 7 games in a row going into this game.

The Orioles were down early because Sidney Ponson didn't pitch well the first couple of innings. By scoring 1 run in the first inning and 3 runs in the second inning, the Devil Rays were up 4-0 in the game. LET THE COMEBACK BEGIN. Miguel Tejada tied the Orioles club record in the third inning with a RBI single to score Chris Gomez; O's down 4-1. In the 4th inning, the token left handed batter, B.J. Surhoff, homered over the right field scoreboard; O's down 4-2. Fast forward to the 7th inning with Melvin Mora standing on 1st base and Tejada at the plate. Could he pass Mike Bordick? With Tejada even at 2-2 in the pitch count, Miguel Tejada hits a long fly ball and it is gone. Tejada passes Bordick for the Club Record in RBI's with 31 in the month of April. After the seventh inning, the game was tied up at 4-4.

The O's were looking for a hero; enter Brian Roberts. Luis Matos started off the 8th inning with a single. Rafael Palmeiro was then intentionally walked, and Geronimo Gil flied out. Brian Roberts steps into the batters box looking for an RBI, and he got 3 with a high homerun over the right field scoreboard. He told an AP reporter:
"I don't have an answer anymore. I've run out of stupid one-liners," Roberts said when asked about his power numbers.

B-Rob has simply been clutch in every aspect of the game. If the O's need a spark, he is there. If the O's need a man on base, he is there. If the O's need a baserunner in scoring position, he steals it. If the O's need a homer, he lauches it. Does anyone remember that other second baseman who was traded.

The O's won the game 7-5 by giving up one run in the next 7 innings. A Devil Ray, Jonny Gomes, hit a solo homer against B.J. Ryan in the nineth inning. To little, to late for the Devil Rays. Ponson finally found some control after the 2 inning and lasted till the seventh inning. Steve Kline, Todd Williams and B.J. Ryan came in relief, Ryan for a save, and kept the game out of reach for the O's. What a great team effort. Bruce Chen will be on the hill for the O's in the series finale, and he will be looking to sweep the Devil Rays.