Losing

Back in Black

It is finally official that Radhamez Liz will start to day for the Orioles. He is returning from Norfolk to start his second stint with the o's this season.

It's Friday so that means black alternate jerseys.

Liz was 2-2 with a 2.67 ERA(27IP) since being sent down on July 27, and was named the International League player of the week for August 11-18.Liz is 4-3 with a 7.47 (47.0IP, 39ER) in 10 starts for the orioles this season.

Potential 2009 Free Agents

Using various sources i have compiled a list of the possible 2009 free agents. This means that all of the following players have contracts expiring or have the six years of service necessary to become free agents after the 2008 season. The players have the team they last currently played for after their names and are in alphabetical order in each position.
* - have an 09 option

First Basemen
Rich Aurilia-SF
Ben Broussard-TEX
*Carlos Delgado-NYM
Nomar Garciaparra-LAD
*Jason Giambi-NYY
Wes Helms-PHI
Kevin Millar-BAL
Richie Sexson-NYY
Mark Teixeira-LAA
Frank Thomas-OAK
Jim Thome-CWS
Daryle Ward-CHC

Second Basemen
*Jamey Carroll-CLE
Ray Durham-MIL
Mark Ellis-OAK
Marcus Giles-COL
Mark Grudzielanek-KC
Orlando Hudson-ARZ
Jeff Kent-LAD
Felipe Lopez-WAS
D’Angelo Jimenez-STL
Pablo Ozuna-LAD
Nick Punto-MIN
Jose Valentin-NYM
*Jose Vidro-SEA

Shortstops
Orlando Cabrera-CWS
Alex Cintron-BAl
Alex Cora-BOS
*Craig Counsell-MIL
Adam Everett-MIN
Rafael Furcal-LAD
Cesar Izturis-STL
Ramon Martinez-LAD
*Edgar Renteria-DET
Juan Uribe-CWS

Third Basemen
*Hank Blalock-TEX
Joe Crede-CWS
Morgan Ensberg-NYY
*Chipper Jones-ATL
Corey Koskie-MIL
Greg Norton-TB

Catchers
Rod Barajas-TOR
*Henry Blanco-CHC
Johnny Estrada-WAS
*Toby Hall-CWS
Adam Melhuse-TEX
*Mike Redmond-MIN
Ivan Rodriguez-NYY
*David Ross-CIN
Javier Valentin-CIN
Jason Varitek-BOS
Vance Wilson-DET
*Gregg Zaun-TOR

Outfielders
Bobby Abreu-NYY
Moises Alou-NYM
*Garret Anderson-LAA
Rocco Baldelli-TB
Willie Bloomquist-SEA
Emil Brown-OAK
Pat Burrell-PHI
Endy Chavez-NYM
*Carl Crawford-TB
Adam Dunn-CIN
Jim Edmonds-CHC
Cliff Floyd-TB
*Brian Giles-SD
*Ken Griffey Jr.-CWS
*Vladimir Guerrero-LAA
Raul Ibanez-SEA
Jacque Jones-DET
Mark Kotsay-ATL
Rob Mackowiak-WAS
Kevin Mench-TOR
*Jason Michaels-CLE
Craig Monroe-MIN
Jay Payton-BAL
Scott Podsednik-COL
*Manny Ramirez-LAD
Juan Rivera-LAA
Rondell White-MIN

Starting Pitchers
Kris Benson-PHI
A.J. Burnett-TOR (may opt out)
Paul Byrd-CLE
Ryan Dempster-CHC
Jon Garland-LAA
Tom Glavine-ATL
*Mike Hampton-ATL
*Rich Harden-CHC
Orlando Hernandez-NYM
Jason Jennings-TEX
Randy Johnson-ARZ
*John Lackey-LAA
Esteban Loaiza-CHW
Braden Looper-STL
Derek Lowe-LAD
Pedro Martinez-NYM
Mike Mussina-NYY
Jamie Moyer-PHI
*Mark Mulder-STL
Carl Pavano-NYY
*Brad Penny-LAD
Odalis Perez-WAS
Oliver Perez-NYM
Andy Pettitte-NYY
Mark Prior-SD
Horatio Ramirez-KC
C.C. Sabathia-MIL
Ben Sheets-MIL
*John Smoltz-ATL
Julian Tavarez-ATL
Steve Trachsel-BAL
Brett Tomko-SD
Claudio Vargas-MIL
Randy Wolf-HOU

Relief Pitchers
Jeremy Affeldt-CIN
Tony Armas Jr.-PIT
Luis Ayala-WAS
Joe Beimel-LAD
Joe Borowski-CLE
Juan Cruz-ARZ
Brendan Donnelly-BOS
Scott Downs-TOR
*Alan Embree-OAK
Scott Eyre-CHC
Kyle Farnsworth-DET
Casey Fossum-TB
Brian Fuentes-COL
Aaron Fultz-CLE
*Tom Gordon-PHI
LaTroy Hawkins-HOU
Mark Hendrickson-LAD
Trevor Hoffman-SD
Bobby Howry-CHC
Jason Isringhausen-STL
Steve Kline-SF
Brandon Lyon-ARZ
Damaso Marte-NYY
Tom Martin-COL
Julio Mateo-PHI
Guillermo Mota-MIL
Will Ohman-CHC
*Hideki Okajima-BOS
Darren Oliver-LAA
John Parrish-SEA
Chris Reitsma-SEA
Dennys Reyes-MIN
Juan Rincon-CLE
Francisco Rodriguez-LAA
Brian Shouse-MIL
Rafael Soriano-ATL
Jorge Sosa-NYM
*Mike Stanton-CIN
*Salomon Torres-MIL
Derrick Turnbow-MIL
Oscar Villarreal-ATL
David Weathers-CIN
Dan Wheeler-TB
Dave Williams-NYM
Matt Wise-NYM
Jay Witasick-TB
Kerry Wood-CHC

O's call up Mickolio

Rumor has it that the Orioles called up Kam Mickolio from Norfolk. The corresponding roster move has yet to be announced.He will be apart of trying to fill the viod left by George Sherrils injury. Thoough with Chris Ray returnings in a few weeks and gEorge Sherril being healthy the bullpen looks pretty good for next season.

Mickolio, who has been compared to a shorter John Rauch, had a 1.50 ERA spawning 18 innings and 15 appearances with 11 holds.

Scouting Report
Born: May 10, 1984
Bats: R
Throws: R
Height: 6' 9"
Weight: 255 lbs
High School: Belgrade High School had a 2.9 GPA
College: Utah Valley State College, College of Eastern Utah

Drafted:Selected by Seattle Mariners in 18Th Round (531st overall) of 2006 amateur draft

Traded by Mariners with George Sherrill, Chris Tillman, Adam Jones and Tony Butler to Orioles for Erik Bedard

Minor League Career Stats(3 Seasons):
9Wins, 5Losses, 3.18ERA, 88games, 133+innings, 1.29WHIP, 9saves

Sherril to DL

The orioles today announced the move of George Sherril to the 15-day disabled list. This leaves a big void in the back end of the O's bullpen and with Chris Ray weeks from returning who will take his spot? The answer is quite obvious Jim Johnson.

The bigger question is who will get the call up. There are a few players in Triple A that might get the call.
Bob McCrory:Has a 3.43 ERA over 61+ innings and has 10 saves

Kam Mickolio:So far at Norfolk he has 1.50 ERA over 18 innings

Scott Chiasson: The Orioles signed him not a week ago and so far has not allowed an earned run over 3 and 2/3 innings

Ryan Bukvich: 8-2 with a 3.87 ERA over 76 and 2/3 innings, has 7 starts and 23 appearences from the bullpen

Underated

Despite amassing a 3.44 ERA over 345 and 1/3 innings with 229 K's, 17 wins, and 58 appearances Jeremy Guthrie is still underrated. Guthrie, despite having a 3.15 ERA, is still not owned in nearly 40% of all ESPN fantasy leagues. He has given up one earned run in nine of his last 14 starts and in his last four consecutive starts.

The bigger question is why is he very underrated. The only two theories that I could think of only partially answer the question.

1. The first theory is that he is still a relative newcomer to the game. He only has 52 starts so far not even two full seasons as a starter. Also he was not a highly touted prospect when he came to the orioles by a 50,000 waver claim.

2. He is playing on a team that has not had a winning record in ten years and is overlooked. This is probably not the case this season where the Orioles have garnered more positive national media attention than the past couple years.

Arrieta shines in Beijing

The Orioles fifth round pick in last years draft has had a busy year. He was part of the futures game and also is currently on the USA Olympic team.

Arrieta started his first game in Beijing today. He went six scoreless innings in team USA's win over the host country China 9-1. Arrieta gave up just two hits and struck out seven to earn the win for his team. Mike Koplove, Casey Weathers, and Blaine Neal all threw one inning with Neal closing it out in the ninth. Team USA combined to give up just one run on four hits in the victory. The team improved to 3-2 in round robin play so far at this years olympics.

Arrieta would go on to say "I think the reason I was successful was because I had pretty good command of my fastball.In the later innings, I was throwing breaking balls for strikes, and I think I could have done a little better job of throwing more off-speed pitches earlier on in the count. The big thing that helped me today was the command of my fastball to overpower hitters with it and using the off-speed when I had to."

Team USA continues play Tuesday August 19Th against Chinese Taipei and on Wednesday August 20Th against Japan. Both games are at 7am Eastern time at the Wukesong Main Field.

Warning! Contents Hot

After Melvin Mora lead the orioles to a 16-8 win over Detroit Sunday and gave the Orioles a winning road trip for just the third time this year. Mora is leading MLB in most offensive categories.

He is surprising many of us, I thought that he almost did not even deserve to be in the major leagues earlier in the season, but i was wrong. he is on a streak which some analyst say could be one of the greatest ever. The only player that had a similar streak was George Brett.

Mora adds to the Orioles team hitting this season in which they had a very balanced attack. The Orioles are tied for the lead in the league with five players having 17 or more home runs. Three players have hit 20 or more home runs this season tripling the total from last season. If we only were able to have some starting pitching we could be contending right now.

2009 Lineup

1.Brian Roberts(2B)- Should be the Orioles lead off hitter next season barring any trades

2.Adam Jones(CF)-Has Good speed and is still developing his power and increasing his batting average

3.Nick Markakis(RF)-Obvious number three hitter, hits near .300 with 20 home runs and 100 RBI

4.Mark Teixera(1B)-If the Orioles can sign him then he would give the team their first 40 home run threat in years

5.Luke Scott(DH)- Streaky hitter could move down in the lineup when he gets cold. Also provides great power Numbers and should hit over 20 home runs

6.Melvin Mora(3B)-Will not get traded this off season due to his full no trade clause and the nine million he is owed

7.Short stop-Is going to be filled outside the organization through a trade for a prospect or acquiring a free agent.

8.Matt Weiters(C)-Will start on the team next season and will only grow. I have him batting eighth just because of the lack of experience

9.Reimold/Montanez/Fiorentino(LF)-With Luke Scott moving to DH one of these three players will take his spot.

Orioles sign chiasson

The Orioles just signed right hander Scott Chiasson from the Mexican League. The 31 year old had 26 saves and was 2-1 with a 1.90 ERA in 47 games with Tigres de Quintana Roo. He played pert of two seasons with the Chicago Cubs and went 1-1 with a 11.12 ERA in 10 games for the Cubs.

The signing of Scott further proves that the Orioles do not want to call up anyone from AA. Chiasson was assigned to Triple A Norfolk and it will probably be him or one of Norfolk's other that get called up soon.

orioles 2009 Infield

The Orioles Infield should shape up like this next season:
Third Base-Melvin Mora: Owed nine million next season with a full no trade clause, won't be going anywhere

Shortstop-Look for it to be filled externally with hardly no one of major league caliber in the farm system, could possibly occupied by a prospect through a trade or signing a free agent

Second Base-Brian Roberts:Probably will not be traded due to instability at shortstop, if short can get solidified then the odds of him bveing traded increase

First Base-Mark Teixera: I expect the Orioles to give him a competitive offer and he will probably want to go to his hometown clube. If he is not signed then expect Millar back holding it for a prospect like Snyder

Lets sign Texiera

In order to sign Mark Texiera it will probably require 20million or more dollars next season, but i have a way to make space. Forgetting the fact that the orioles payroll is almost 30 million dollars less than it was last year. To make money room for him the orioles should trade or dump Ramon Hernandez, Aubrey Huff, and Melvin Mora. Combined they will make 25Million next season.

The next question is what to do about those vacated positions. To replace Aubrey Huff they orioles can move Luke Scott into the DH role and have Lou Montanez,Nolan Reimold, or Jeff Fiorentino play left field. Melvin's position could be taken over by Mike Costanzo or Scott Moore until Billy Rowell is ready. Lastly to replace Ramon Hernandez you call up "The Natural" or as his moma calls him Matt Wieters.

Who is leaving?

With Chad Bradford departing from the Orioles he probably won't be the last of the high priced players on the roster

Ramon Hernandez- Terrible defensivly and having another subpar offensive year. Owed 8 million next season and i expect him to be dumped somewhere if anyone wants him

Jay Payton-Would make a nice addition to any club and he becomes a free agent after this season look for the O's to try and get something for him instead of letting him walk

Kevin Millar-Would provide great leadership and good defensive play to a contender. The front office would probably want to trade him so they have something when he hits free agency

Jamie Walker- Nice reliever to add to anyone's bullpen, trade value might be hampered by his injury earlier in the season

Aubrey Huff-Having a career year this season hitting over .300 and has hit over 20 home runs. Is owed eight million next season

Melvin Mora- Hit very well with runners in scoring position, but is owed 9 million next season and has a full no-trade clause. Probably won't be traded

Brian Roberts, George Sherril- It is very questionable weather they will get traded, I don't think they will be traded but you never know

Were still rebuilding

Even though we are trying to be above 500. for the first time in a decade this team still has a long way to go to be a true contender for years to come

I think we can expect to see the following players up here by the end of the season.
Matt Weiters-Obviously we can expect to see him soon as he has been great at each level

Hayden Penn-If he doesn't get injured again we can expect to see him real soon, possibly taking over Sarfate's spot in the rotation

Rob Mcrory- Pitching very well at Norfolk we could see him after the Orioles make some more waiver trades to make room

Kam Mickolio- Has a 0.61 ERA at Norfolk through 14+ innings

Brad Bergeson- According to Dave Trembly he is being watched very closely at Triple-A

Players who won't be called up:
Chris Tillman-McPhail wants him to develop in the minors

Most of AA Bowie-Due to them being in the middle of a playoff race, so most players will not be called up to the bigs until after the playoffs

O's win again 9-0

Baltimore scored nine runes again tonight as they shut out the Texas Rangers. The Orioles have outscored Texas 18-1 in the first two games of the series.

Daniel Cabrera went six innings giving up no runs on 4hits, he improves to 8-7 wi a 4.61 ERA on the season. Melvin Mora homered and had four RBI's bringing him to 74 on the year.

Markakis also added a three run homer giving him 17 home runs and 67 runs batted in on the season. Kevin Millar singled in the first to drive in a run and now has an even 60 RBI's on the season. Brian Roberts singled in the fifth to drive home Jay Payton and now has 37RBI's.

A few key game notes Micheal Young left in the fourth with an injured left hand. Aubrey Huff extended his hit streak to 17 games with a double in the second inning

O's win 9-1

The O's beat up on Texas tonight with Jeremy Guthrie going 7 innings just giving up one run improving his record to 9-8 with a 3.26ERA and is currently in the top ten in Innings Pitched, WHIP, and ERA. Millar put the offense onto his shoulders hitting two homers which brings him to 18 on the year two shy of his career record set back in 2003. Roberts, Ramon Hernandez, and Juan Castro also drove in two runs each. Travis Metcalf homered of Guthrie with two outs in the bottom of the fifth to give the Rangers their lone run. Orioles former closer and 1989 rookie of the year Gregg Olsen is set to enter the Orioles hall of fame tomorrow along with traveling secretary Phil Itzoe and William "Wild Bill" Hagy. Olsen leads the Orioles Franchise with 160 career saves.

Rocky Cherry

The Orioles call up Rocky Cherry to replace Chad Bradford. Cherry was 0-1 with a 2.89 ERA over 37 and 1/3 innings. The bigger question to me is why Cherry not Rob McCrory (2-3 with a 2.78ERA over 32 and 1/3) or Kam Mickolio (0.61ERA over 14 and 2/3 innings)and still have Sarfate in the rotation.

Orioles 09 outfield

The orioles 2009 outfield will look like this:

Right :Nick Markakis-obviously he is the starting right fielder

Center:Adam Jones-look for him to develop more power and hit for a higher average in his second year

Left:Nolan Reimold-Should finally get a shot next season in the majors

4th Outfielder:Lou Montanez-He has already proven how good he is in the minors so he will probably kept on the team

Luke Scott- Will probably move to the DH role after Huff, who is currently on waivers, gets traded

Bradford Trade

I know some of you might not agree with the trade, but I have faith in the front office. With our genious front office we will probably get a prospect or two that no one has heard and the will wind up being all-stars. Keep the faith my brotha's

Bradford to Tampa

Chad Bradford was just traded to tampa Bay for a player to be named later.He is 3-3 with a 2.45 ERA through 40 and 1/3 innings. The Rays claimed him of waivers to bolster their postseason bullpen where Bradford has a 0.00 ERA over 15+ Innings, no active reliever has pitched more innings without a run.

Outfield

With Jones being out for several weeks and Montanez taking his spot the O's should trade Jay Payton to a contender that needs him. This would free up room for them to call up Nolan Reimold giving Reimold and Montanez a significant amount of playing time for the front office to evaluate them

Orioles 2009 Bullpen

The Orioles 2009 Bullpen should set up like this:
Closer: Chris Ray-It all depends on how well he comes back and if they move Jim Johnson to the rotation

Set Up(8th inning guy): George Sherril- He probably will stay with the team so look for him to be out of the closers role due to eratic performance

Set up(7th inning guy): Dennis Sarfate- If he ever gains command of his stuff watch out for him to go far

Middle Relievers:
Jamie Walker-A lefty that can usually get lefties out
Randor Bierd- Is young and did well last year in limited appearences

Long Relievers:
Brian Burres- Much better from the bullpen and already proved he should not be a starter

The Orioles bullpen will look very different due to the departure of Johnson and Albers to the Rotation. You could also see Radhames Liz and Daniel Cabrera make moves to the bullpen.There could be several more peoople added to this list because of the orioles having great depth.

Others That might join the Bullpen:
Danyz Baez- Don't forget about his 3 years 19milllion
Fernando Cabrera- Has less than six years experience and should be under Oriole controll
Greg Aquino-Under Six years experience
Lance Cormier- Might return with team
Rocky Cherry- Under organization control for a while
James Hoey- Fell of the radar a little bit when he got injured
Bob McCrory-Did not pitch well in the bigs last year could fight his way back though
Jon Leicester-Might not make it up with all of the competition
Roberto Nova- Longshot possibility
Kam Mickolio-Will add to the depth and competition the way he is pitching right now at Norfolk

orioles 2009 Starting Rotation

1. Jeremy Guthrie- The de-facto ace for the club
2. Daniel Cabrera- The number two starter because he is better and more proven than the rest of the pitchers
3. Jim Johnson- He has been a starter all of his career so expect him to make the move back to the rotation
4. Matt Albers-Pitched exceptionally well before getting injured and losing his oppurtunity to jion the rotation
5. Troy Patton-Was expected to be in the o's rotation this yearuntil he got injured, but he should come back healthy and probably will win the job

The rotation could also include:
Garret Olsen
Radhames Liz
Chris Waters
Bradley Burgeson
Hayden Penn
Ryan Keefer
Kameron Mickolio
Chris Tillman
David Hernandez

O's front office

More and more i am begining to think that they are magical or just geniuses. Take this example they call up a guy who no one has heard of and who has an era over 5 and he pitches an 8 inning 1 hitter

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