Trachsel Back On Track as O's Win Again

It looked like Steve Trachsel was at it again. Just three batters into Kansas City's lineup, the O's were down 2-0 in the first inning. Trachsel settled down after that, and the O's offense came through, as the Birds won their eleventh straight against Kansas City, 7-4.

After Alex Gordon's 2-run shot made it 2-0, Melvin Mora hit a 2-run blast of his own in the third to even the game at two. The score remained tied until the fifth, when the O's were able to take a lead they would never relinquish.

With two outs and Freddie Bynum on 1st, the Royals decided to intentionally walk Nick Markakis to get to Aubrey Huff. Markakis had beat them the day before with a 3-run blast, and they didn't want to get beat by the long ball again. That's just what happened though, as Huff came through with a 3-run home run, putting the O's ahead 5-2. After going 34 games without a 3-run homer, the O's have done it in back-to-back games. The O's were able to add two more runs in the seventh on a wild pitch and a Kevin Millar single.

Trachsel was pulled in the sixth inning, with one out and one on. His final line read two runs off five hits, with one walk and two strikeouts. Trachsel may have been pitching to keep his starting job, as Trembley is thinking about switching to a four-man rotation.

The O's bullpen looked rusty but were able to hold Kansas City to five hits and two runs to seal the win. George Sherrill came in to start the ninth, and allowed the tying run to come to the plate before striking out Alex Gordon and inducing a double-play to end the threat.

With the win, the O's are now in third place and still have two games to play against the Royals. The O's are back at .500 with an 18-18 record. Garrett Olson looks to keep the streak going later tonight.

(photos courtesy of MLB.com)

Cabrera Cruises in Complete Game Win

Daniel Cabrera took it upon himself to end the O's recent 5-game skid. Cabrera went the distance, pitching the first complete game by an O's pitcher this season, and the O's defeated the Royals 4-1.

Nick Markakis was the offensive catalyst for the Birds. With two outs in the first, Markakis drew a walk, advanced to 3rd on Aubrey Huff's single, and trotted home on a wild pitch. Just two innings later, Markakis blasted his seventh home run of the season, a 3-run shot (the teams' first 3-run homer of the season). The O's took a 4-0 lead and never looked back.

Cabrera was in control the entire game. He retired the side in order seven times, and only had one "bad" inning. In the fifth, Cabrera walked a batter (his only walk of the game) and allowed two hits (he gave up three hits in all). Kansas City took advantage of their only opportunity of the game, and scored their lone run.

With the win, Cabrera improved to 3-1 on the season. He struck out seven batters, saving the best for last. Cabrera struck out the final two batters in the ninth to end the game and give the O's a much-needed win. And check out this stat...Cabrera had 18 ground outs compared with two fly outs. Eight of those ground balls were fielded flawlessly by Freddie Bynum, who also had two hits in the game. Looks like the O's have found their answer at short...


The O's moved into fourth place, and with three games left against the Royals, they have a real shot to gain some ground before heading home to face Boston. The O's have now won 10 straight against Kansas City.

(photos courtesy of MLB.com)

O's Swept in Oakland

The O's bats came alive in the finale against the A's this afternoon, but it wasn't enough, as the O's dropped their fifth straight, 6-5 in the tenth inning. Mark Ellis hit a walk-off home run with two outs to complete the sweep.

The O's had come back from a 4-2 deficit, taking a 5-4 lead with a 3-run eighth. With two outs, Brian Roberts entered the game as a pinch-hitter and drilled a 2-run single. Mora followed with an RBI double, and the O's were on top. Nick Markakis struck out looking, stranding Roberts at 3rd and ending the rally.

The lead was short-lived, as the A's tied the game at 5 in the bottom of the inning. George Sherrill came on to relieve Chad Bradford with the bases loaded and only one out. Sherrill was able to escape the inning, only allowing the tying run, but was charged with his second blown save (his first isn't in the record books yet, that came in the suspended game).


Reliever Lance Cormier got two quick outs with just five pitches in the tenth. Two pitches later, the game was over.

There were some bright spots for the O's. They collected 13 hits, and finally were able to score some runs. It just wasn't enough...


The O's are now in last place, and take on Kansas City tomorrow. Daniel Cabrera will look to help the O's end their season-worst five-game slide.

(photos courtesy of MLB.com)

O's Lose Four Straight, Drop Under .500

The O's lost their fourth straight game, and dropped below .500 for the first time this season since Opening Day, when they were 0-1.

It was another close game, as the O's lost 4-2 to the A's last night.

I'll have to be honest with you; this was the first game this season I did not watch. Believe me, I wanted to...I was on campus for eight hours trying to finish my semester-long projects. My girlfriend texted me throughout the game, and the texts were not what I wanted to hear, considering what I was doing at the time. Nothing would have made life better than knowing the O's were trouncing the A's while I was trying to get a few 'A's.'

I left campus and got in my car just in time to hear the post-game chatter. It sounded like Burres pitched well enough to win, and that the bullpen once again kept the game close, so the offense could win it with just one swing of the bat.

Unfortunately, the O's don't have anyone right now that can swing and win. After four straight losses, the O's are now in 4th place, and the stats are pretty ugly. The Birds have lost eight of the last ten, and not including the suspended game against Chicago, are averaging just under three runs per game.

The starters, for the most part, have kept the team in the game, and the bullpen, which again sparkled, has done an incredible job.

You can't win if you don't score. Look, I'm not bashing my Birds. They're on an unforgiving road-trip against some of the best teams in baseball right now. They haven't had a day off in weeks. They're losing by a run or two; they certainly aren't getting beat badly.

All I'm saying is that the O's need to score a few more runs per game. If not, the cellar seems imminent....the O's are alone in 4th, only 1/2 game in front of Toronto...stay tuned!

(photos courtesy of MLB.com)

O's Vets are making Rookie mistakes...

This isn't how it was supposed to happen...

The O's are rebuilding, a process that is long overdue. They weren't expected to contend this year; experts were anticipating a 100 loss season.

I've always believed in the Birds, and have had a great time watching them play this year. These last few games, though, have struck a nerve...

The O's have lost three straight games, the last two of them by one run. These were games that the O's could have, and probably should have won.

And here's what I don't get...it's the veterans, not the rookies, making the mistakes.

I fully expected the young kids to make some mistakes that would change the outcome of the game. But these last few days, it's been the team leaders, the experienced players, that have lost the game or killed a rally with careless mistakes.

Starter Steve Trachsel has been the one inconsistency in the O's starting rotation. His veteran experience was supposed to keep the O's bullpen fresh, but he hasn't been able to pitch into the fifth inning lately.

In the series finale against the Angels, Brian Roberts was thrown out in the first inning attempting to steal 3rd. That wasn't too bad, though he would have scored the O's first run had he stayed at 2nd. It got worse when he was picked-off 1st in the ninth inning of a one-run game...that just can't happen.

In the same game, Ramon Hernandez ended the first inning rally when he went into a home run trot rounding 1st, then was thrown out at 2nd. Kevin Millar was stranded at 3rd; he would have scored if he had been running on contact instead of assuming the ball was out of the park.

Millar may have cost the O's the game last night, when he fielded a ball hit toward 2nd base instead of letting Roberts make the play. With Millar off the bag, and Jamie Walker hesitating to cover, the A's were able to score the first run of the game (a game they eventually won 2-1).

Here's hoping that the vets on the team start making the routine plays, giving the rookies something positive to learn from...go O's!

O's Lose a Heartbreaker in Oakland

Garrett Olson pitched the best game of his young career, but the O's bats were held silent yet again, as the Orioles dropped the first game of the series, 2-1, in the tenth inning.

Olson pitched into the seventh, allowing just four hits and one run, while striking out seven (a career high). Olson walked just one batter, and was pulled after that with two on and one out in the seventh. Matt Albers was able to get the second out, and Jamie Walker was summoned to face the left-hander at the plate. After two infield singles, the A's went ahead 1-0.

This post was almost labeled, "O's Find Another Way to Lose." With the bases loaded in the seventh, Kevin Millar fielded the ball instead of heading to 1st and letting Roberts make the play. Walker hesitated, and no one covered first. The A's never should have scored that run, and Olson should never have been charged with a run.

The O's had runners at 2nd and 3rd with one out in the eighth, but were unable to score. They were finally able to tie the game in the ninth; Ramon Hernandez had the O's only RBI.

Jim Johnson took the loss, ending his scoreless streak this season.

All in all, this was a tough loss to swallow. The Orioles just keep finding ways to lose...

Game 2 is slated for later tonight; Brian Burres looks to end the O's 3-game losing streak...with the loss, the O's fell to .500 with a 16-16 record...they're now in 3rd in the A.L.East.

(photos courtesy of MLB.com)

O's Drop Finale in Anaheim

The O's bats awakened against the Angels this afternoon. The Birds had 15 hits in the game, a season high, but managed just five runs, falling to the Angels 6-5.

The O's made some offensive blunders in the first, and that would come back to haunt them as the game progressed. Brian Roberts led-off the game with a double, but was caught stealing third with one out. Had he stayed put, Mora's single would have scored him. After Huff and Millar both singled, scoring Mora, Ramon Hernandez hit a long ball off the wall. He thought it was gone, and went into a home run trot. Huff scored easily, but both Millar and Hernandez thought the ball was gone. What should have been a 2-run double ended the inning, with Millar held-up at third and Ramon getting thrown out at second. The O's had five hits in the inning, but scored only twice.

Starter Steve Trachsel looked horrible. Check out his final line...3 innings, 7 hits, 6 runs, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts, and 3 home runs. Trembley may have to send Trax to the bullpen...

The O's bullpen was superb yet again, with new reliever Lance Cormier, Dennis Sarfate, and Jim Johnson pitching five innings of shutout ball, allowing just one hit.

The O's had a few long balls of their own; Markakis and Mora, in their new order in the lineup, each hit solo shots, bringing the Birds close to tying the game in the later innings. In the end though, Trachsel's six runs allowed would prove too much to overcome. It was the first time this season that the O's lost when collecting ten or more hits.

With the loss, the O's are now in a 3-way tie for 2nd place, along with Tampa Bay and New York. They take on Oakland tomorrow night; Garrett Olson will be making his second start of the season.

O's Can't Get Monkey Off Their Back

Cabrera had yet another strong performance, pitching into the eighth inning, but the O's again struggled to produce at the plate. They managed just three hits in the game, falling 3-1 to the Angels.
Cabrera ended up leaving in the eighth with one out. He allowed three runs on six hits, walking two and striking out six. He also hit a batter in the sixth, when the Angels broke through and scored their first two runs. Until then, Cabrera had only allowed two hits.

The O's went ahead 1-0 in the second inning. Luke Scott singled to plate Huff, but got caught in a run-down trying to advance to 2nd, ending the inning.

The Bird's bats were held in check after that; they managed just one hit (a Melvin Mora double) for the rest of the game.

The O's play game three of their ten-game road trip this afternoon against the Angels before heading to Oakland for a three-game set.

Boston beat Tampa bay again; the O's and Rays are tied for 2nd place, 2 games behind the BoSox.

(photos courtesy of MLB.com)