SB Nation - Chris Tillman

Orioles considering oft-injured Ben Sheets, others?

Eli Greenspan — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 19:03:51 -0000

MASN.com is reporting that the Orioles will consider adding a "high risk, high reward" pitcher like Ben Sheets. The Orioles have several young players that very well could make the Orioles a contender sooner than expected.

With Matt Wieters, Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, and veteran Brian Roberts, the Orioles are poised to put up better offensive numbers than they did last season, which should benefit pitchers Brian Matusz, Chris Tillman, and Brad Bergeson.

The Orioles still have Nolan Reimold and Felix Pie, who both went on impressive streaks during the season. Still, inconsistency is a big issue.

Before adding a pitcher like Ben Sheets, who may only be able to give you 5-6 innings per start, improving the bullpen is important to making the investment worthwhile. The Orioles were 28th in the league in bullpen ERA (4.83), and could use an experienced closer to hold leads or to keep games close.

Guys like LaTroy Hawkins, Kevin Gregg, Scott Eye, or Juan Rincon would improve the inefficiencies in the bullpen.

Thanksgiving in Birdland - 2009

Stacey — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:00:14 -0000

There are a lot of things to be thankful for in Birdland this year. More than any year in recent history, I'd say. After years of futility, years of floundering, the Orioles are almost respectable again. They're not there yet, but it's close. I can feel it. To get there the Orioles need to show marked improvement from the teams over the past decade and they also need to prove they can compete with the rest of the teams in the AL East. Will it ever happen? I'm certain part one will. Part two is currently a mystery. But the pieces are starting to come together.

This team is getting younger, and it's getting better. Chris Tillman (21). Brian Matusz (22). Brad Bergesen (23). Adam Jones (23). Matt Wieters (23). Felix Pie (24). Nick Markakis (25). Nolan Reimold (25). That's a hell of a core, and that doesn't even take into account the young guys still in the minors. There could be injuries, there could be busts, but that is potentially the nucleus of a championship team. There are a lot of pieces that need to be added to it, of course, but it's there.

The Orioles used to be the worst kind of bad team, because not only were they bad, they were old and expensive too. That is no longer the case. Melvin Mora and his $8M/year are gone. So is Jamie Walker ($4.5M). Danys Baez (>$7M), gone. Ditto Aubrey Huff ($8M). After reaching a payroll of over $93M in 2007 that resulted in a paltry 69 wins, the 2010 Orioles currently have obligated less than half of that.

It's easy to look at where the Orioles are now and who is ahead of them in the division and feel discouraged. But another viewpoint is this: the Orioles have a young team that's full of talent and they have money to spend. They have a GM in Andy MacPhail who has proven that he's capable of showing patience, making big trades, identifying potential high-reward players, and sticking to his plan. How he'll handle Free Agents signings (impact FAs, not players like Mark Hendrickson) remains to be seen, but MacPhail has done so many things right so far that there is reason to believe in him.

Catch me any other day and I'll have a little more cynicism and a lot more doubt about the future of the Orioles. But it's the time of year to give thanks, so let's put that other stuff on the shelf for today and thank Wieters for the direction this team has taken.

The Changing of the O's - Pitching

Stacey — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:55:23 -0000

Every starter for the O's since 2007, with number of starts in parentheses. Only Guthrie has survived. 2010 is the list of starters currently in the O's system who could make the rotation at some point. I didn't include Koji or Hendo as they'll hopefully be in the bullpen the entire year. One thing I'll say for the O's in 2009 is they cut down on the slop (Adam Eaton excepted).

2007 Baltimore Orioles	2008 Baltimore Orioles	2009 Baltimore Orioles	2010 Baltimore Orioles
Daniel Cabrera (34)	Daniel Cabrera (30)	Jeremy Guthrie (33)	Jeremy Guthrie
Erik Bedard (28)	Jeremy Guthrie (30)	Jason Berken (24)	Brian Matusz
Jeremy Guthrie (26)	Garrett Olson (26)	David Hernandez (19)	Brad Bergesen
Steve Traschel (25)	Brian Burres (22)	Brad Bergesen (19)	Chris Tillman
Brian Burres (17)	Radhames Liz (17)	Rich Hill (14)	Jake Arrieta
Garrett Olson (7)	Chris Waters (11)	Chris Tillman (12)	Troy Patton
Adam Loewen (6)	Steve Traschel (8)	Koji Uehara (12)	David Hernandez
Jon Leicester (5)	Brian Bass (4)	Mark Hendrickson (11)	Jason Berken
Radhames Liz (4)	Adam Loewen (4)	Adam Eaton (8)
Jaret Wright (3)	Dennis Sarfate (4)	Brian Matusz (8)
Victor Santos (3)	Matt Albers (3)	Alfredo Simon (2)
Victor Zambrano (2)	Alfredo Simon (1)	Chris Waters (1)
Kurt Birkins (2)	Lance Cormier (1)

Orioles' slump not helping Dave Trembley's chances

Eli Greenspan — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 05:29:38 -0000

More photos » by Mark Avery - AP

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The Orioles are currently mired in a 12-game losing streak, winning two of their last sixteen games. Trembley has done his best to work with what with the roster given to him, adjusting to midseason trades of George Sherrill and Aubrey Huff. With the Orioles 41.5 games back, currently in line for the 3rd pick in next years draft, Trembley appears to be bracing for his release.

"You worry about it, but you try not to show it," Trembley said. "I can only imagine how difficult this has been for a whole lot of other people other than just myself. It's been difficult for the people that have loved the Baltimore Orioles for a long time. It's been difficult for the fans. I've been treated wonderfully by people here, gotten tremendous encouragement. But I also understand the other side of it. There's a lot of frustration."

Trembley and has staff did a pretty good job handling the teams younger talent this season. Matt Wieters turned a slow start into a very nice finish, hitting .308 in the second half with a total of 8 home runs in 91 games. Increased playing time for Felix Pie also appears to have had a positive impact on his career. Pie hit .290 since the All-Star break with a .346 on-base percentage, giving him a shot to win a spot in the outfield next season.

Orioles rookie Brian Matusz was not ready for the major leagues, but showed promise in eight appearances, posting a 5-2 record. Another rookie, Chris Tillman, did not have as much success and will likely head back to the minors for more seasoning.

The Orioles have some money to spend this offseason, making them potential players on the free agent market. Adding an infielder like Mark DeRosa or Akinori Iwamura could help their offense, while targeting a veteran pitcher to help anchor that rotation.

As for the manager spot, the Orioles would be smart to check the market, but they must realize that there are few, if any, managers that could have done much better than Trembley did with this Orioles squad.

Orioles 4, Rays 2: Matt Wieters rewards his faithful disciples

Stacey — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 03:51:17 -0000

More photos » by Rob Carr - AP

Carl Crawford raises his hands to the heavens, wondering what he did to deserve the wrath of Wieters. (AP Photo/Rob Carr)

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Do you know what September 16, 2009 and April 10, 2007 have in common? They are the only two games in Carl Crawford's career in which he was thrown out stealing twice. Twice tonight Crawford got on base, twice he tried to steal second, and twice Matt Wieters gunned him down. In fact, neither of the plays were particularly close as both times Crawford slid right into Brian Roberts' glove. In a game where the offense was dead for both teams, those plays were huge.

I was checking Crawford's game logs tonight after he got thrown out twice and saw that before tonight he's been thrown out twice in a span of 24 games. And do you know who threw him out one of those times as well? That's right, our savior.

Chris Tillman pitched a very good game today, going 6.2 innings and allowing 1 run on a solo HR by ZAUN. He didn't strike anyone out, which was weird, but he was effective all the same. He retired the first 10 batters he faced and ended up giving up just 5 hits. I suppose now we sit around and wait to hear if Tillman will be joining Matusz in being shut down for the year.

The Orioles scored their first run of the game in the 2nd inning. Melvin Mora led off the inning with a double, moved to third on a fly ball by Luke Scott, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Wieters. Their second run came in the 4th. Brian Roberts hit a sharp ground ball to first that Willy Aybar couldn't handle. Two outs later, Luke knocked Brian in with a shot off the top of the scoreboard. That was all the offense the Orioles would muster until the bottom of the 9th.

Of course, it's a shame the O's even had to go to the bottom of the 9th. They took a 2-1 lead into the top of the 9th (after a rain delay of over an hour) and Jim Johnson continued to look like garbage. Ben Zobrist took him deep to center field to tie the game at 2. Thanks for nothing, Jim.

While I may have a hard time forgiving Jim's transgressions, Matt Wieters is compassionate and loves unconditionally. Matt Wieters doesn't blame Jim Johnson for his faults because he's just a human. Matt Wieters saved Jim Johnson from doom when, in the bottom of the 9th, he hit his first career walk off HR. It wasn't as beautiful as his home run last night, but ten times as important.

Thank you, Matt Wieters, for the blessings you have bestowed upon us.

Poll

Who was tonight's Most Birdland Player (MBP)?

Matt Wieters (Sacrifice fly, threw out Crawford twice, walk off HR)

223 votes

Chris Tillman (6.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R)

17 votes

240 votes | Poll has closed

Yankees 13, Orioles 3: This ugly loss isn't enough to dampen my mood.

Camden Chat — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 04:58:59 -0000

More photos » by Mark Lennihan - AP

Nice chain, Cesar. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

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The Yankees are the best team in baseball, and before yesterday hadn't lost back-to-back games at home since 17-18 June. The Orioles finish the season 5-13 against them, and when you compare rosters it's not hard to understand why. But this final series, despite today's ugly loss, was one of the most satisfying that I've watched this year.

Friday night's game was delayed by over an hour due to rain that continued to fall pretty much all night. The Yankee Stadium crowd was louder and more intense than usual. And Chris Tillman (born in 1988 for crying out loud), in his 9th major league start, responded by striking out 8 Yankees and getting the win.

On Saturday, Brian Matusz (born in 1987 and making his 8th major league start), dominated the Yankees for 7 innings. After allowing a two out double to Alex Rodriguez in the first inning, Matusz didn't give anything else up until a 1 out walk to Melky Cabrera in the 5th inning. When he finally got into a little bit of trouble in the 7th, he reached back and found something extra, striking out Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter to end his day.

So they lost today. Oh well. I didn't watch the game but from what I can tell Jeremy Guthrie got knocked around a bit but controlled the damage pretty well, and then the Yankees feasted on two pitchers (Chris Waters and Bob McCrory) who have no business being in the major leagues. The Orioles offense wasn't able to do much against CC Sabathia to no one's surprise, but rookies Justin Turner and Nolan Reimold put up a good show. Turner reached base three times and had an RBI, and Reimold had two hits, including a double.

The Orioles are a long way from contending in the AL East, but if and when they do get there, it'll be thanks to Chris Tillman, Brian Matusz, and the other young pitchers the O's are hoping will turn out. Andy MacPhail has said that the Orioles probably can't match the offenses that the Yankees and Red Sox are capable of assembling, so instead they have to grow enough arms to compete that way. If this weekend is any indication, Andy MacPhail knows what he's talking about.

-Stacey

Poll

Who was today's Most Birdland Player (MBP)?

Nolan Reimold (2-4, double, only O with multiple hits)

49 votes

Justin Turner (single, 2 walks, run, RBI)

14 votes

Joe Flacco (Ravens are birds too!)

44 votes

Can I vote for Brian Matusz again?

54 votes

161 votes | Poll has closed

Orioles 10, Yankees 4: Orioles don't care who's night it's supposed to be.

Camden Chat — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 05:48:11 -0000

More photos » by Frank Franklin II - AP

3 months ago: Baltimore Orioles' Cesar Izturis (3) follows through on an RBI single during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees on Friday, Sept. 11, 2009, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

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Tonight's game was one of the most ridiculous exercises I've witnessed in recent history. The game started late due to rain and even when it started it was still pouring. Both teams played through the sloppy weather and the sloppy umpiring until they finally called a rain delay with two outs in the top of the 7th at about 11:30 PM. They could have called the game but instead started playing again at just about 12:50 AM. Yes, they resumed a game at nearly 1 o'clock in the morning, when the teams play again at 1 p.m., just twelve hours later.

Andy Pettitte, the Orioles arch-nemesis, didn't look so tough tonight. In the 2nd inning the O's scored their first run off of him on back-to-back doubles by Melvin Mora and Luke Scott. They'd strike again in the 5th. Brian Roberts got his first RBI of the night on a sacrifice fly to score Felix Pie (who'd reached base on a walk). Three batters later, with the bases loaded, Pettitte hit Mora on the elbow to force in a run. Melvin was in quite a bit of pain. He took his base but eventually had to come out of the game.

Damaso Marte relieved Pettitte to start the 6th inning and the O's greeted him quite rudely. They loaded the bases on two singles and walk for Brian Roberts. Roberts lined a hit into left center to score two runs and Cesar Izturis followed him with another RBI single. Nick Markakis would knock in the fourth run of the inning with a sacrifice fly.

The O's weren't finished, though. They came back in the 7th for 3 final runs off of Kevin Millar's BFF Edwar Ramirez. Ramirez struck out Wieters and Fiorentino to start the inning, then proceeded to give up RBI singles to Izturis and Markakis. The Orioles wouldn't score again after the rain delay, but 10 runs is pretty impressive.

Although he allowed four runs, Chris Tillman pitched a pretty good game. It didn't look good in the first inning. After striking out Derek Jeter to get things started, he walked Nick Swisher, gave up a single to Mark Teixeira, and then did what he does every now and again. He left a fastball up and over the plate and Alex Rodriguez just CRUSHED it. It was a no doubter into the second deck in left field and gave the Yankees at the time a 3-0 lead. They'd score their fourth and final run in the fourth inning as a result of some sloppy fielding. With two outs and a runner on first, Brett Gardner hit a ground ball to Luke Scott at first base. Luke ranged wide to get it and looked a little uncertain on the throw. He finally shuffled it to Tillman, who was hesitantly running to first. Gardner was hustling down the line and beat Tillman, which extended the inning so that Jeter came to bat and got an RBI single to right.

Tillman only pitched 5 innings and gave up 4 runs on 9 hits and 2 walks. He struck out a career high of 8 and earned his 2nd career win. The line wasn't that pretty but I'll take it for Tillman's first ever start against the Yankees and in New York, especially on a night when the crowd was especially electric and loud for some reason.

Mark Hendrickson pitched the final three innings after the rain delay, saving most of the bullpen for the game later today. In doing so, Hendrickson earned his first ever major league save.

Finally, I guess I should address a history making hit that occured tonight. In the top of the 9th inning, at approximately 1:17 a.m., rookie Justin Turner got his first major league hit, a clean single up the middle to center field. Congratulations, Justin! I hope it's the first of many.

You can put this one in the win column as the Orioles get their first win in New Yankee Stadium. They play again on Saturday afternoon at 1:05 PM as Brian Matusz looks to lead the O's to back-to-back wins.

-Stacey

Poll

Who was tonight's MBP?

Brian Roberts (1-3, BB, 2 R, 3 RBI)

12 votes

Nick Markakis (2-5, BB, 2 RBI)

3 votes

Cesar Izturis (2-5, BB, 2 R, 2 RBI)

2 votes

Chris Tillman (5 IP, career high 8 Ks)

29 votes

Mark Hendrickson (3 scoreless innings post rain delay, first career save)

40 votes

86 votes | Poll has closed

Baltimore Orioles Top 20 PRE-SEASON Prospects in Review

John Sickels — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 12:00:20 -0000

More photos » by Rob Carr - AP

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Nolan Reimold (AP Photo/Rob Carr, File)

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Baltimore Orioles Top 20 PRE-SEASON Prospects in Review

This list was originally published November 18, 2008. This is a REVIEW of the PRE-SEASON list for 2009, not a revision of that list. This is a REVIEW of the old list. I'm not doing new grades or lists until I start working on the 2010 book.

1) Matt Wieters, C, Grade A: Hitting .272/.320/.388 in the majors. Have faith.

2) Chris Tillman, RHP, Grade B+: 2.70 ERA with 99/26 K/BB in 97 Triple-A innings, 4.58 ERA with 18/14 K/BB in 35 major league innings. Have faith.

3) Brian Matusz, LHP, Grade B+: 1.91 ERA with 121/32 K/BB in 113 innings between Class A Frederick and Double-A Bowie. 6.46 ERA with 23/10 K/BB in 24 major league innings, 38 hits. He was rushed, but....have faith.

4) Jake Arrieta, RHP, Grade B+: 3.37 ERA with 144/49 K/BB in 142 innings combined between Double-A and Triple-A. On schedule.

5) Brandon Erbe, RHP, Grade B: 2.40 ERA with 49/33 K/BB in 60 innings for Bowie, 38 hits allowed. Command needs work, but stuff is there.

6) Nolan Reimold, OF, Grade B-: hitting .276/.368/.461 in the majors, having a fine debut.

7) Zach Britton, LHP, Grade B-: 2.74 ERA with 128/54 K/BB in 138 innings, 123 hits for Class A Frederick. Looks very good on paper, 3.40 GO/AO ratio with a solid strikeout rate is a great combination.

8) Brandon Snyder, 1B, Grade B-: Hit .343/.421/.597 in 58 games in Double-A, but just .257/.313/.365 in 63 games in Triple-A. I don't think he's going to hit quite enough to be a regular first baseman.

9) David Hernandez, RHP, Grade B-: 4.24 ERA with 43/32 K/BB in 74 major league innings, 81 hits. Has done OK but components aren't great, I worry that the ERA is going to inflate.

10) Troy Patton, LHP, Grade C+: 1.99 ERA with 47/18 K/BB in 63 innings in Double-A, but 6.45 ERA with 26/14 K/BB in 45 innings in Triple-A, 62 hits. Now on disabled list.

11) Kam "The Almighty" Mickolio, RHP, Grade C+: 3.50 ERA with 52/16 K/BB in 44 innings for Norfolk, 1.46 ERA with 13/4 K/BB in 12 innings for the Orioles. No reason he can't be a good reliever.

12) Bill Rowell, 3B, Grade C+: .225/285/.339 with 33/111 BB/K in 395 at-bats for Frederick. Still just 20 years old, but hasn't developed at all.

13) Ryan Adams, 2B, Grade C+: Hitting .288/.349/.381 for Frederick. Showing less pop than last year.

14) Xavier Avery, OF, Grade C+: Hitting .261/.307/.345 with 30 steals in 40 attempts for Class A Delmarva. Athletic, fast, but raw with the strike zone, 26 walks with 102 strikeouts in 440 at-bats.

15) Oliver Drake, LHP, Grade C+: 3.62 ERA with 98/40 K/BB in 121 innings for Delmarva, 116 hits. Doing fairly well, need to see at higher levels.

16) Brad Bergesen, RHP, Grade C+: 3.43 ERA with 65/32 K/BB in 123 major league innings, 126 hits. Looks like a perfectly competent inning-eating strike thrower.

17) Pedro Beato, RHP, Grade C: 4.74 ERA with 85/46 K/BB in 125 innings, 147 hits between Frederick and Bowie. Stock has dropped.

18) Caleb Joseph, C, Grade C: Hitting .290/.338/.445 for Frederick. Solid but not terrific performance.

19) Lou Montanez, OF, Grade C: Has missed most of the season with a thumb injury.

20) L.J. Hoes, 2B, Grade C: Hitting .248/.289/.304 with 17 steals in 22 attempts for Delmarva. Not very impressive with the bat.

The Orioles entered 2009 with a strong conglomeration of prospects at the top of the system. Wieters, Tillman, and Matusz have had some growing pains in the majors, but I fully believe in all three of them, though Matusz in particular looks like he was rushed. Reimold has been strong, Hernandez has held his own, Bergesen has been very effective, and Arrieta is ready for a trial. There have been some disappointments, particularly the lack of development from Rowell, but overall Baltimore fans have to be pleased with the young talent.

Twins win fourth straight, 2-1 over Orioles

Jon Marthaler — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 04:40:29 -0000

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Wasn't this the way it was supposed to be this year? Your light-hitting Twins scored runs on a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly, but Scott Baker's seven strong innings (a run on four hits) and strong relief pitching slammed the door on Baltimore.

Minnesota shot itself in the foot early against Baltimore's Chris Tillman, bouncing into three double plays in the game's first five innings. In the sixth, though, Alexi Casilla tripled and went home on a wild pitch, and singles from Denard Span and Orlando Cabrera knocked the young Orioles starter out of the game. Jason Kubel eventually sacrificed Span home with a fly to left, giving Minnesota the lead it needed.

That old-school Twins defense made a comeback on Monday night, as well. Span ended the fifth by making a catch in the Twins bullpen while sitting on Jesse Crain's lap, and Casilla turned in an infield gem just moments before his triple. (Casilla, by the way, went 2-3 and is now hitting .202, proof that miracles do happen.)

Jose Mijares worked a perfect eighth, and Joe Nathan started out the ninth with a pair of strikeouts before being seized by the spirit of Eddie Guardado. Two full-count walks brought up highly-touted rookie catcher Matt Wieters, but he could only fan on a Nathan slider to end the game.

Once again, the Twins have won four straight, and are threatening to - be still, wildly beating heart - actually put together a five-game winning streak for the first time this year. Throughout the season, this has been the team's cue to crumple like a cheap bookcase; if they're serious about making a run, it'll have to be built on streaks like this one.

The three stars of the night:

3. Denard Span
Two singles and two walks in four trips to the plate. We love Span very much, and for good reason - his OBP is nearing .400, second on the team only to you-know-who.

2. Joe Nathan
Never a dull moment with this guy, is there? He made it exciting, but three strikeouts is nothing to sneeze at.

1. Scott Baker
Now THAT'S what we were supposed to see, this year.

Orioles vs Twins coverage

Rays 3, O's 1: Maybe the O's are confused?

Stacey — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 02:53:31 -0000

More photos » by Steve Nesius - AP

4 months ago: Baltimore Orioles starter Chris Tillman pitches against the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009 in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius)

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I mean, did someone tell them that it's GOOD to give up home runs? Because they gave up 3 more today and 19 of the last 20 runs scored against them have come on home runs. The Orioles have now given up 157 home runs this year, most in the American League (2nd is the Angels with 144). In the majors, only Milwaukee has given up more at 162.

Tonight Chris Tillman made his fifth major league start against Jeff Niemann, who's doing a bang up job for the Rays this year. Both Tillman and Neimann looked strong today but young Chris again struggled with the home run.

Tillman continues to show a mix of talent and inexperience as for most of the game he looked just great. He started the game off shaky, retiring the leadoff batter before a Carl Crawford double and two walks to load the bases. Pat Burrell flew out to end the inning with no runs, but the Rays worked Tillman for 31 pitches. Tillman then settled down and didn't allow his next hit until the 4th inning, unfortunately a home run off the bat of Pat Burrell in to the left field corner. Gregg Zaun followed the HR with a single but Tillman ended the inning by striking out Gabe Gross on a nice curveball. After an uneventful 5th inning, Ben Zobrist led off the 6th with a HR for the Rays' 2nd run of the game. Tillman ended the 6th inning having given up 2 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks, with a pitch count of 100. I assumed that would be the end of the line for Tillman, but he returned to the mound in the 7th and on his first pitch, B.J. Upton homered to left field. One pitch, one extra run, and THEN Tilman's night was over.

Chris Tillman pitched a good game tonight although it's hard to overlook three home runs, even if they all were solo shots. All three were hit on the first pitch of the at-bat, and all were fastballs over the middle of the plate. Burrell and Zobrist's home runs were on pitches up in the zone, while Upton's home run pitch was right down broadway. Those pitches will be crushed on a regular basis by major league players, as Tillman is quickly learning. Other than those three pitches, Tillman's game was a different story. After the first inning he didn't give up any walks and only two hits other than the HRs. I'm sure Tillman feels lousy about the end result but it wasn't bad, and his mistakes were easy to identify which hopefully means easy to fix. Cla Meredith and Chris Ray closed out the game for Tillman, each pitching a scoreless inning.

Jeff Niemann pitched well tonight and the Orioles were unable to capitalize on the few opportunities that came their way. The 5th inning was their biggest chance when they loaded the bases with no outs but were unable to score even one run. A Matt Wieters single, a double by Melvin Mora, and an infield single/misplay by Niemann put Felix Pie on first to load the bases. #9 hitter Cesar Izturis lined a pitch up the middle that looked like a hit until Jason Bartlett came out of nowhere, knocking the ball down almost catching it on a dive. The runners had to hold and Bartlett alertly threw home for the force. Then with 1 down, Brian Roberts hit into a double play to end the inning. It was very frustrating, but given the same situation again I'd be happy to see Brian at the plate, in fact the only batter I'd rather see would be Nick Markakis. Roberts has only grounded into three double plays all year (well, four now), lowest on the team among regulars despite having more plate appearances than every player other than Markakis.

It's hard to be too tough on Roberts as he was responsible for the O's only run via an 8th inning HR, his 11th of the year. He also hit his major league leading 46th double in the 3rd but was stranded at second. Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, and Luke Scott were all hitless on the night, and it's tough to score runs when you 3-4-5 hitters don't get on base at all. Nick's 38 game on base streak came to an end as he failed to reach for the first time since the 4th of July.

The O's look to avoid the sweep tomorrow with a pitching matchup of Brian Matusz vs. James Shields. Matusz is trying to get on track after two bad outings in which he pitched to a combined line of 8.1 IP, 18 H, 9 ER, 5 BB, 8 K and looking much different from the Brian Matusz who pitched excellently against Detroit in his major league debut and made us all swoon. Hopefully that's the Matusz we'll see tomorrow.

In minor league news, Jake Arrieta got the win tonight for the Tides, pitching 7 innings with 6 H, 1 R, 2 BB, and 6 K. After an uneven start to his AAA career, Jake has now turned in three consecutive good starts and only his second 7 inning outing since being promoted.

Poll

Who was tonight's Most Birdland Player (MBP)?

Brian Roberts (2-4, double, home run)

90 votes

Matt Wieters (2-3, BB)

34 votes

Chris Tillman (6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K)

47 votes

171 votes | Poll has closed