Because You Asked - The Wrath of Khan
Because You Asked - The Wrath of Khan
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
Everybody loves a good sequel. If only there was more than a small handful. The Godfather Part II. Rocky II. Kill Bill Vol. 2. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The Empire Strikes Back. Aliens. And every single "Because You Asked..." They should have done Cast Away II, where the plane's going down and Tom Hanks is thinking, "Really? Again? Oh come on!" And how could they resist squeezing out one more Police Academy? There were still so many unanswered questions. Speaking of...
Quick non-AFL check
Quick non-AFL check
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
Players from the Orioles' organization are spread out beyond Arizona. Lou Montanez has played two games in Puerto Rico, going 3-for-7 with a double, home run, RBI and walk. He's also been hit by a pitch. Busy man. Luis Lebron, added to the 40-man roster yesterday, has pitched in four games in the Dominican. He's tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out two. Radhames Liz has made two starts in the Dominican, allowing one run and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings....
Lincecum goes back-to-back
Lincecum goes back-to-back
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
San Francisco Giants right-hander Tim Lincecum won another NL Cy Young today, but he also became only the second pitcher to receive fewer first-place votes than another candidate. Lincecum received 11 first-place votes, 12 second-place and nine third. Runner-up Chris Carpenter received nine votes for first, 14 for second and seven for third. St. Louis teammate Adam Wainwright received 12 votes for first, five for second and 15 for third. Javier Vazquez finished fourth, and Dan Haren...
Revisiting the Steve Johnson roster decision (plus AFL update)
Revisiting the Steve Johnson roster decision (plus AFL update)
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
Andy MacPhail, president of baseball operations, said it's "understandable" that so many fans are obsessing over Steve Johnson's exclusion from the 40-man roster. But he also noted during our brief conversation earlier today that Johnson spent the majority of the 2009 season pitching at the Single-A level. The Orioles are counting on other teams passing on the chance to select him in the Rule 5 draft. It might be a different story if Johnson had finished the season at Triple-A Norfolk and...
Yo, Adrian
Yo, Adrian
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
If you woke up feeling a little different today, perhaps a little more energized, it's because free agency has officially started. It's not too late to rush out and buy a cake. You should have gone to sleep earlier so today would arrive faster. Sort of like Christmas. I'm not quite as pumped about it. The rumor mill spins out of control and the Orioles will be linked to just about every player on the market. I find it more annoying than anything else, and I'm not alone. The Orioles'...
No runs, no hits...one Erik?
No runs, no hits...one Erik?
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
ESPN's Keith Law posted his top 50 free agents, which you can read by clicking here (you need to be an insider). The top three shouldn't surprise you: Matt Holiday, Jason Bay and John Lackey. Law ranks third baseman Adrian Beltre at No. 27, with the following comment: The last time Beltre entered his walk year, he had a career season, with 48 home runs and a .388 OBP in 2004, levels he had never seen before and wouldn't see during the course of his five-year contract with Seattle. This...
Roster move
Roster move
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
The Orioles have claimed catcher Craig Tatum off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds and designated pitcher Chris Waters for assignment. Tatum, 26, batted .239 with three homers and 21 RBIs in 64 games at Triple-A Louisville. He appeared in 26 games with the Reds and went 11-for-68 (.162) with one homer and six RBIs. Tatum is a former third-round pick who will compete for a backup spot in spring training. Baseball America rated him as the best defensive catcher in the Reds' system in...
Born to blog, and to update Bergy
Born to blog, and to update Bergy
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
My ears are still ringing from the Springsteen concert last night, so I'm having trouble hearing this blog. At least I still have my voice, though I tried my hardest to destroy it during Thunder Road. There's nothing like a 3 ½-hour show from The Boss to leave you exhilarated and drained at the same time. I could have sprinted all the way back to my car, but I would have collapsed on the hood and slept for days. (And the only redemption I can offer is beneath this dirty...
Rough day for Perrault
Rough day for Perrault
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
Orioles farmhand Josh Perrault served up a two-run homer to White Sox prospect C.J. Retherford in the bottom of the eighth inning, giving Peoria Javelinas a 5-4 win over the Phoenix Desert Dogs in the AFL championship game. The Desert Dogs had won five straight titles before today. Perrault was charged with two runs and three hits. He also struck out two. Matt Angle, leading off and playing center field, was 2-for-4 with a triple and run scored. Third baseman Josh Bell, batting sixth, went...
The Wieters strategy (w/interesting Matusz stat)
The Wieters strategy (w/interesting Matusz stat)
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
The Rays keep playing that exaggerated infield shift with Matt Wieters at the plate. Second baseman Sean Rodriguez drops into shallow right field, shortstop Jason Bartlett swings around to second and third baseman Evan Longoria occupies the shortstop position. It's an interesting perception of Wieters, considering that one of the most common questions posed to him last year was, "When are you going to pull a ball for a home run?" He kept going to the opposite field. Wieters flied to...