Baltimore O's Examiner

Tejada’s Return

On Tuesday night Miguel Tejada will make his first start at Camden Yards against the Orioles since being traded to Houston for Luke Scott, Dennis Sarfate, Matt Albers, Troy Patton, and Mike Costanzo.

So far since the trade, Tejada has batted .300 with 41 RBI, 9 homeruns, 50 runs scored, but is now 2-over on his age. (link here)  (and here)

Brian McTaggert of the Houston Chronicle reports that Miggi is looking forward to being back in Charm City.

"If I said no I'd be lying," he said. "I really want to go back there and say hi to all my teammates and all the people I know over there and get a chance to play there again."

And anticipating the fan reaction, "I always had a good relationship with the fans," said Tejada, who remains under FBI investigation because of ties to performance-enhancing drugs. "They were like family there, and they liked the way I played. I hope they keep liking what I do."

The Astros team site showed a bit more realistic expectation for Tejada’s welcome back to town understanding that he may not be greeted as a hero after all the whining and trade demands.

“I'm not really concerned with how [the fans] respect me," Tejada said. "I don't play for them anymore.”

“I think the best thing for the team was for me to go somewhere else and for the team to get what they got," Tejada said. "They should be happy with what they got."

It’s hard to disagree with him there, we should certainly be happy with what we got.  Luke Scott is batting .281 with 11 homeruns, Sarfate is 4-1 with a 3.38 in middle relief, and Albers is 3-2 with a 2.91 in long relief and even a couple starts. 

Patton is another story on the bench for at least this season and potentially for good after shoulder surgery that has ended other pitchers’ careers.  And Mike Costanzo is still working it out at third base in Norfolk.

Take a look at The Chronicle’s Scott vs. Tejada stats matchup.  Scott matches up better than you’d think.  

With 3 out of 5 pieces making big league impact, that trade was a success on both sides of the table.  The only question remains, how does Baltimore welcome back Miguel Tejada?

(AP Photos)

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