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AP Jeremy Guthrie, who is 5-7 with a 3.49 earned-run average with 83 strikeouts, has been one of the Orioles’ few bright spots in the starting rotation.
BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Oh my, do the Orioles need to escape the rat race for a few days.
The team that has won over hearts and minds with its hustle and tenacity, the team that has given its fans a reason to watch again by stubbornly flirting with mediocrity, desperately needs to put its toes in the sand and bury its nose in a lightweight novel.
Anything to take its mind off of such nauseating topics as collapsing starting pitching, a frayed bullpen, a revolving door at shortstop and rejuvenated hitters watching good work spoiled, is recommended.
Hey guys, Ravens’ training camp is just around the corner.
Is it that time? You know, the part where the Orioles hang out their “Imploding Any Day Now” shingle and proceed to show you how it’s done? You know, the way they’ve turned the act into an art form over the past decade?
This team essentially has earned a pass with an unabashed rebuilding plan in motion — for example, Adam Jones is blossoming at the plate and patrolling center field with smoothness that brings the great Paul Blair to mind — but the Orioles are still approaching the season’s dog days looking like pooches again.
If June provided the predictable warning signs the Orioles could not hold up this season with their glaring weaknesses (see young, undeveloped pitching) in the brutal American League East, July is the month the team raised its terror alert to Oriole Orange. At least on the nights when anyone not named Jeremy Guthrie strolled to the pitcher’s mound for an adventure lasting five innings or fewer.
With the All-Star Game upon us, the Orioles are languishing in last place, following a 1-7 slide, dropping them to three games under .500 for just the second time this season. This time, the Birds can’t rely on Tampa Bay as a buffer between Baltimore and the AL East cellar.
Losing streaks rise up to bite the good teams and the bad, throughout any 162-game grind. Just ask the reborn Rays, who have lost seven straight and given first place back to the Boston Red Sox.
But the Orioles’ stumbles in July had to be enough to make Dave Trembley, their eternally positive manager, miss out on some hefty chunks of sleep.
Remember back in the good old days of April and May, when you were waiting for the hitters to warm up and start helping out the mighty arms doing most of the lifting? The hitters have arrived.
Second baseman Brian Roberts, outfielders Jones and Nick Markakis and designated hitter Aubrey Huff have been as effective as any foursome in the league in recent weeks. And with catcher Ramon Hernandez, third baseman Melvin Mora and first baseman Kevin Millar chipping in remarkably in the clutch, this lineup is a punch line no more.
This is where it really hurts. The Orioles just got swept in Toronto, despite scoring 19 runs in three games. They scored seven runs in what should have been a recent, series-winning victory against Kansas City, but settled for a split in the four-game set. They had been on a roll early in one-run games, thanks mainly to their bullpen. But after a disastrous July — so far — marked by one-run losses, they are 17-17 in those decisions.
The pitching staff is being held together by duct tape — I mean, Guthrie.
The starters truly are limping into the All-Star break, with a combined 6.32 ERA in their past 10 games after posting a 5.99 ERA in June. Most of the blame lies with the young trio of Brian Burress, Garrett Olson and Radhames Liz, whose combined ERA might soon require a fourth digit. Then there’s Daniel Cabrera, the enigma wrapped inside a wild pitch, a hit-by-pitch and base-on-balls. At least he’s matched Guthrie with 129 innings pitched.
The bullpen, which is still adjusting to the loss of middle relievers Matt Albers and Jamie Walker and dealing with a midseason slump by closer George Sherrill, appears to be on fumes.
This team doesn’t need to contemplate the future right now. It must not dwell on the importance of the 11-game homestand that begins Thursday and will dictate much about where the rest of phase one of the rebuilding project is headed.
This group needs a good nap.
Gary Lambrecht writes about the NFL, Major League Baseball and college sports. He can be reached at glambrecht@baltimoreexaminer.com.
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E said:
Wow. Nice examination of the problem. Too bad your arguments contradict themselves. You suggest that MLB "assign two more umps in the outfield, as it does in the postseason, to get a better look at the ball", and yet, that's exactly what they had in Game 1 of the '96 ALCS - and they STILL blew the call! Instant Replay made it apparent to EVERYONE watching that the call was blown. I firmly believe that that call set the tone for the whole series. If that "home run" was called correctly, then the Yankees don't tie the game in the 8th, changing the momentum of the game. The Orioles easily could have held on to that win, and with the ensuing win in Game 2, have taken the series back to Baltimore with a 2-0 lead, having the momentum going their way. While I disagree with IR being used to argue every little call, a major one, like the Jeffrey Maier incident certainly warrants it.
3 agree | 3 disagree
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PIG said:
NO. Brandon Fahey isn'the answer, Alex Cintron is. Have you watched our starting pitching over the last month? They held it down until the bats got "hot" but now they are struggling in a very bad way. Give Cintron some time! He has only had the position for one full week to himself. You guys kill me with this stuff. Cintron's bat is too good to replace it with Brandon Fahey. Sure Cintron has made his mistakes but he will get it straight. When Mora was moved to third, he struggled and now he is a "great" defensive thrid baseman. Our bullpen is still getting the job done but the starters need any power in the lineup that they can get and Brandon Fahey isn't going to give them that. This team is winning on offense and a strong bullpen right now. To have Cintron's bat in the 8th or 9th position of this lineup is too good to take away. And in your entire article you listed "one" error that the man has made. Brandon Fahey is not and never will be the answer. Not even now.
8 agree | 7 disagree
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On the Court said:
The loss is not even recognised. No say so in 24 hours on this game. County down the score board. All for a few egos and all bets are off.
14 agree | 14 disagree
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Sam, College Park said:
Wow, the Terps really did collapse. 73-30? It's impressive when the other team hits a 3 to give them a 43 point win at the last second.
17 agree | 18 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
How is this Gary Lambrecht guy have a job writing about football when he clearly have no idea what he's talking about. To say that Ravens need a complete overhaul through this draft is just ridiculous! About the only thing I agreed w/ in this entire article is that we need to add depth to our secondary. Having said that I think Corey Ivy actually played pretty well playing outside corner rather than his usual nickel position and Chris Mac is still one of the elite corners in the league. I just dont understand how he can say Boller is the biggest bust the Ravens have ever had. Remember Travis Taylor, we spent a 10th pick overall on the guy and he looked like a scared little kid running around trying not to get hit too hard. I think Boller could have a great NFL career if he settles down a little bit and besides if Ozzy thinks we should keep Boller around for another year, I trust Ozzy hell of a lot more than what any writer's saying. In Ozzy We Trust !!!
49 agree | 37 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Like many fans, I have been a supporter of the O's since I was a kid in the early '60's. It has now been 25 years since a World Series appearance,11 years since even being in the playoffs and 10 straight years of sub.500 results. Deal after blotched deal. The price of tickets to watch them loose again and again is,for many families, out of reach. Now we are to believe Angelos is getting over his ego and let McPhail build a winner? I don't think so. I wonder how many fans are interested now, let alone in 3-5 years when they may have a worthwhile product on the field? Good luck,O's-I'll spend my money on some other form of entertainment. A Sad Fan
73 agree | 68 disagree
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Mark said:
I can't stand either team but it was sure nice to see the Patriots lose.
80 agree | 76 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Gary, get a grip, then get a real job! This was just another football game and NY pulled one out of their rear end. You guys are too obessed with bringing down the Pats or whoever is on top at the moment. The Patriots are one of the few "teams" in the NFL. Bellicheck is a great coach even if he doesn't kiss the media's fanny when asked. Not too many loud mouth multimillionaires on the Pats like NY, Ravens et al. Get a life!
88 agree | 59 disagree
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avid reader said:
In order for the Orioles to really get better they have to trade thier owner. Peter has done nothing but bring the team down and after Cal left that was a total downfall for the franchise. Peter, put your pride down and sell the team to someone who wants to really win.
85 agree | 56 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Gary question for you. How Is It a good thing that the Ravens owner Is picking and hiring coaches? If that Is true he should name himself the head coach.Owners who run there teams like that usually have a loser of an organization the Ravens seem to be headed In that direction.I wish them well,but why Is Steve starting to look like Angelos,jr and we all know how good the orioles have been the last 10 years.The Ravens and Orioles both losers It sure look like Its going that way.
74 agree | 62 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
if troy smith is on the roster on opening day, then this coaching staff is no smarter than the last one. smith showed no signs of being able to perform against a descent NFL team. {now go ahead and say what about Pittsburgh} so where does all of this smith hype come from? the media. not talent.and people eat it up. the ravens should cut all three quarterbacks and go get billy volek who has spent the last 2 or 3 years in camerons system then draft Ryan or brohm, who ever is still on the board. mcnair is done, smith is a never will be, boller will never be given an honest chance. so to move on from all 3 will be the best option.
70 agree | 67 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I'd be quick to judge this comment. We don't need an old, hot-headed defense thinkin' they are great and all if ryan gets hired. Then what happens when the offense still don't score, fire ryan. Not the right choice. Need someone to come in and clean house, start fresh, aka marty ball. then go out and start picking an offense. Let J.O., steve, and ray go to clear out space for the salary cap and free agency.
112 agree | 117 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
If Rex is so darn great, then why did his defense rack up more penalties in 2007 than in the prior eight years combined!!! Yeah, I'm exaggerating, but the fact is that a Rex coronation wouold have the effect of reinforcing the super-egos like Ray and Ed as de facto coaches in chief. If that happens, 2008 will be WORSE than 2007.
108 agree | 111 disagree
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MH said:
well finally, the prince of Severna Park has made a good call, Billick should have been gone after the Super Bowl win. That would have been the best call this team could have made. When Elvis showed up in the building Billick should have left the building. Considering he is an offensive genius he has had some crappy offense.
94 agree | 121 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I have only one word to say about this: SCHOTTENHEIMER !
119 agree | 106 disagree
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Former Ravens Fan said:
Billick took the fall, but it's Ozzie's player selection and failures to elevate the offensive player quality. As many noted, the Ravens did NOT improve in the off season last year, they declined. We saw the result of this long term decline this year. The Ravens still have no worthy receivers. They have weak O and D lines. At the end they had no starting corners. They don't pass protect (which is why they always seek to run). The team was built around the defense by Ozzie. Ozzie should go also. As mentioned elsewhere, Ozzie took credit for the work of Phil Savage. As Bisciotti, the Head Coach takes the blame. The fault here is much higher. MOST of the blame for this team rests with the players who played when they wanted to, not for their coach.
128 agree | 88 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Fianlly someone gets it! As a mother of two boys I try to teach the lesson that cheaters never win. Well thanks to the Patriots, that lesson has been thrown out the window! Besides it being a sad year in sports, what message does this send to young athletes? Cheaters do win and they win big. How sad!
116 agree | 101 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Thank You for this article
127 agree | 120 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I am trying to have a sort of "Zen" approach. Given that the Ravens have been here 11 years, with all of the playoff appearances they have had, added to the Super Bowl, it is about time we had a bad year. Don't get me wrong, I think Billick has played his last card, and Boller never had a decent hand. I say lose Billick, develop Troy Smith ( who seems to be pretty decent) draft an offensive line and a safety or two and we may have something going on.
120 agree | 98 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
It must be embarrassing being a local sports caster
142 agree | 98 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Have fun with that suggestion, gentlemen and ladiesthe popular team always wins. Its all about a vision,if they do not think they will win and think like winners, they are loosers. Common Sense, a vision. Should we all sell our season tickets?
153 agree | 133 disagree
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Baltimore Bird Fan said:
Second worse...In my eye Rex Grossman to 1000% better then our JV QB Boller. Boller is definitly the worse QB in football (including college & high school). Please explain to me why Troy Smith isn't playing. They don't give out the Heismann for an average player. I understand it takes more that a change in QB to turn around a team. But at this point the Ravens have nothing to lose. Billick, there is another story...In my eyes he's 90% to blame for the failures in the past two-three years. Billick needs to be fired. It's amazing to me that if an employee does not perform up to his/her expectations they are usually fired or put on probation. These bozzo's get rewarded for not living up to there expectations. Also, while we are on the subject of bozzo's lets remove Angelos from baseball forever....
150 agree | 125 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
nobody is saying that troy smith is going to win us a superbowl.. but he is a leap and a jump above kyle boller. boller is terrible. he may very well be the second worse qb in football, ahead of rex grossman.
157 agree | 147 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
dude. thats a stupid comment.
153 agree | 122 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Sell the Ravens like we did the COLTS. Its been a legitimate team taht can win in thepast. Now some players that cant walk and chew gum will force bankruptsy and low attendance. Common sense.
156 agree | 153 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I think Steve Bisciotti need to have a serious talk to Brian Billick. This season is a loss. It is time to test\develop this team for next year. Troy Smith is one player that need to be tested\developed. McNair is at best a backup next year. Boller is a free agent. In addition, I think Steve Bisciotti needs to force Brian Billick to hire a quality offensive coordinator. Billick has proven himself too conservative to be an effective coordinator a and head coach at the same time
168 agree | 91 disagree
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troy smith said:
has looked Ok at best against Indy 3rd stringers and one of worst teams in NFL history. Calm down, he isn't Joe Montana, he's more likely another Stoney Case.
166 agree | 145 disagree
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Yellow Jacket fan said:
Gary, great article about Paul Johnson. We think he is the perfect fit for Georgia Tech, and I'm more sure than ever he can bring an end to the reign of the Georgia Bulldogs. Don't expect him to win them all because of the diffence in the schools, but I definitely think he can win 40 to 50% of the meetings.
141 agree | 156 disagree
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cletus said:
There is a reason why you write about sports as opposed to actually coaching sports. Think about it
188 agree | 187 disagree
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Tom O'Connor said:
I'm 52 and I can remeber the Orioles of Brooks Robinson, Mike Cuellar, Frank Robinson and Jim Palmer. I can remember Earl Weaver and his philosophy of give up two runs and give me a three run homer and I'll give you a win and play 666% ball against lousy teams and 500% against good teams and you have a penant.
198 agree | 180 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
what is wrong with Samari Rolle? Come on coach, full disclosure.
162 agree | 189 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
The Steelers will make the playoffs but will be kicked to the curb by real teams Pats or Colts. The question now is the future and it's time to fire Billick and retire McNair.
170 agree | 188 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
The steelers are going run over top of the Raven. It will be a slaughter. The Raven should fold up and leave Baltimore. Owe I forgot some are still parole and probation.
179 agree | 165 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
McAlister and Heap - OLD MEN? Mathmatically Possible ? Gee I guess so! Could be in first place after next game. " Brian the brain" and " play calling for dummies". So clever! " Billick still is trying to show the world he was right all along about the worst draft pick in team history" ? Gee maybe he should play McNair under any circumstance. If your going to be a name caller you should at least make sense. How about " Sports commentary for dummies" or Gary Lamebrain. Get rid of this guy ! He is trying to out do Preston in the negative , name calling department but his writing is even worse!
170 agree | 213 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Call the Mayflower van lines the ravens need a lift...out of town !!!!!
197 agree | 180 disagree
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Southernfarmer said:
I love the National Felons League...I mean National Football League.
186 agree | 194 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
pray to god nothing ever happens to matt stover! if he ever gets "turf toe" the ravens might as well call it a year. but than again the name of the game is football.
214 agree | 195 disagree
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Scott S. said:
The Ravens had no business winning that game, and no business losing that game....all in the same breath!
210 agree | 216 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I do not know about the rest of the O's fans, but lets face it as long as Angelos owns the team and thinks he knows how to run it each year is just going to be a rebrodcast of the previous one. Also, I stop being interested in the O's once the Ravens training camp opens up. They have an Owner who knows how to sit back and let the right people run the team. However, the O's have an Owner who's ego is the downfall of the team. This is definitely not like the past Owner's of the O's teams from the 60's, 70's and 80's who took pride in putting together a winning and not worry about the almighty dollar. RavensPaul
220 agree | 200 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Wow an article about being .500 and in third place. Who cares about that it's more important to evaluate the future of the orginization rather that go for .500. We finally have managment thats looking toward the future and your bashing the team. Shame on those who don't know anything about winning.
204 agree | 219 disagree
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The Oriole way? said:
What was known as the Oriole way of acquiring, cultivating, and retaining young ballplayers left about 10 years ago.
233 agree | 225 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
The Orioles are on a pace to score approximately 750-760 runs. That doesn't cut the mustard in the AL East. If they can signifcantly upgrade the offense and add 100 runs then we're looking at an over 500 team. But the likes of Jay Payton, Corey Patterson, and Brandon Fahey will not get the job done.
314 agree | 232 disagree
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