The Orioles come to town to kick off the Jays' second homestand of the season -- which, by definition, will be much more successful than their first. Baltimore is currently part of the four-way logjam atop the curiously lethargic AL East of early April.
It's only fitting that a 4-4 club has overachieved and underachieved in relatively equal amounts. The starting rotation, which is likely to be the club's Achilles' heel throughout the season, has been shaky except for fledgling Jay-killer Matt Riley. The bullpen, in contrast, has been a significant asset thus far.
On the offensive side of the ledger, the Orioles are exhibiting the patient approach favoured by co-GMs Mike Flanagan and Jim Beattie, but have not hit for any kind of meaningful power, which has led them to strand scores of baserunners. Here, the exception has been Javy Lopez, who has been tearing the cover off the ball as an Oriole -- much like he did during his unexpected comeback season of 2003. Defensively, the O's are excited about Miguel Tejada's range and effort defensively, but jack-of-all-trades Melvin Mora is struggling to adjust to his new gig at third.
The Jays face a whole lot of inexperience on the mound this weekend, and will be countering with three pitchers with something to prove. Two wins out of three should gear the club up for Boston's first visit next week.
On to the Advance Scout!
* Rainy nights in Boston washed away two O's games this week, but Baltimore was glad to get a game in last night, as they pummeled Pedro and then bested the Red Sox in extra innings, 12-7 ...
* New skipper (and old friend) Lee Mazzilli has flashed the trademark humour that made him such a clubhouse hit as both a player and as a coach ... Mazzilli on Sunday's 10-1 thrashing by Tampa Bay: "Other than walks, home runs, wild pitches and errors, we played a pretty good game" ... Mazzilli believes in keeping his lineup constant, rather than shuffling or experimenting: "I told you, I'm a creature of habit" ...
* Tonight's starter, 24-year-old Matt Riley, stymied Boston's bats last Thursday en route to a 3-2 victory ... The Jays would do well to be patient against the lefty who went five strong at the Dome last summer ... Although he allowed three hits, Riley walked four Red Sox last week ... He's got lively movement on his curve ... Riley was scheduled to start last night, but was bumped to tonight due to the rainouts ...
* The stunning resurgence of Javy Lopez doesn't look like a one-year phenomenon at this (admittedly early) point ... He's been more than full value for his free-agent dollars, hitting .500/.568/.813 ... He's started his American League career on an eight-game hitting streak ... He's hit two home runs and walked five times, while striking out twice ... He had a four-hit afternoon at Tropicana Field on Saturday ... Javy will DH when he's not catching ...
* Meanwhile, Miguel Tejada, the prize catch of the winter for Flanagan, Beattie and Angelos, had yet to register an extra-base hit until he homered last night into the Monster seats, kicking off the Birds' decisive five-run rally in the eleventh at Fenway ... Not to compare him to another highly-regarded Baltimore shortstop, but he's working on a 602-game ironman streak ... Tejada was sitting on zero RBIs until his solo jack last night, and that is relevant, since he's had 13 plate appearances with runners in scoring position ... He's averaged 117 RBI over the past four seasons ...
* Used primarily as a long reliever, swingman Rick Bauer earned raves for his stellar five innings of shutout relief on Saturday, allowing one hit and no walks while striking out four ... When Ontario's own Erik Bedard was yanked, Baltimore was trailing 3-2; the O's came on to win 11-3 ... Bauer: "I had everything down and I was able to throw a lot of strikes" ...
* But his lefthanded counterpart in long relief, John Parrish, has been horribly erratic ... In five innings spanning three appearances, Parrish has walked seven ... Parrish let loose with an Ankiel-like three wild pitches on Sunday afternoon, two of which plated runs ... In a classy move, Lopez tried to deflect the heat from his younger teammate, publicly taking responsibility for not blocking the pitches more effectively ...
* He's getting hot again ... Melvin Mora has hit in five of his last six games (.407), and he added four hits to the barrage on Saturday ... Overall, he's off to a .343/.410/.486 start as the former utilityman is settling in at third ... But not without difficulty. He's appeared tentative at the hot corner and has already committed five errors ...
* Luis Matos is off to a tough start offensively, and risks losing playing time to Tim Raines Jr. ... Matos is just 1 for his last 19 (.053) ... Matos is 3-for-4 on the basepaths in a season where basestealing has been rare in the early going ... Matos stayed in the game last Saturday after being plunked in the batting helmet by Jeremi Gonzalez ... Matos contributed with his glove last night, though. He made a fine running catch amidst the tricky fence angles of Fenway to rob Bill Mueller of a game-winning hit in the tenth ... Tejada: "When Matos made that catch, everybody felt we would win this game" ...
* Veteran LOOGY Buddy Groom had a poor 2003, but his first three appearances this year have been excellent (3 2/3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K) ...
* After his promising half-season last year, Larry Bigbie has not taken a good approach at the plate this season ... He's hitting just .206, with a .229 OBP ...
* A major disappointment in his sophomore 2003 season, Rodrigo Lopez has been moved to the bullpen -- where he's been very effective (6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K) ...
* Tomorrow's starter, ex-Giants phenom Kurt Ainsworth, was rocked in his only previous start, in which the Red Sox didn't let him complete the second inning ... It wasn't all his fault. In the same inning, Tejada committed an indecisive E-10, considering a throw to the wrong base before firing too late to first; Lopez failed to block the plate on a close play; and Matos misjudged a fly to centre, conceding a cheap double ... Hate to say it, but he should significantly improve on his 37.80 ERA and .636 opponents' batting average against the Jays ...
* Brian Roberts led off last night's game with a long home run to right ...
* Jorge Julio blew his only save opportunity last Friday, yielding a pinch-hit game-tying home run to Robert Fick ... He did, however, look sharp in slamming the door last night with a five-run lead ...
* David Segui, who has been awarded the lion's share of the playing time at DH, was ejected on Sunday after a rant in response to a called third strike ... Mazzilli on what Segui said to the plate umpire: "It wasn't 'Happy Easter,' I know that" ... With Baltimore down 7-4 last night, Segui blasted a three-run shot off of Pedro to square the game at 7-7 ...
* Sunday's starter, Eric DuBose, has some ungainly numbers through his first two starts ... In 11 1/3 aggregate innings, he's been tagged for four homers while walking eight and striking out only four ... The former Oakland first-rounder's season line is 0-2, 5.56 ... DuBose wrote off his poor showing on Sunday, in which he gave up three homers, as a series of isolated mistakes and not a lacklustre performance overall: "You take away three pitches and you've got a good game. That's the difference between having a good outing and a bad outing" ...
* Raffy Palmeiro has yet to discover his power stroke on his most recent Oriole tour of duty, with just seven singles and one double on the season ... He's slugging just .300 ... That one double, though, moved Palmeiro up to #17 among all-time doubles leaders ...
* Similarly, Jay Gibbons is slugging only .333 with just seven singles and a triple on the season ...
* The Orioles were fined an undisclosed amount after recalling Ontario's own Erik Bedard ten days after March 30, which is the date rosters had to be set. Instead, the rule states that the ten-day period starts to run with the team's first game ... The Orioles were relieved to learn that they will not forfeit or replay their 11-3 win last Saturday, in which Bedard (ineligibly) started but was shelled in three innings ... The Devil Rays weren't happy with the decision ...
* Co-GM Mike Flanagan on the paucity of AL lefthanded starters beyond the three in his rotation (DuBose, Riley and Bedard): "I used to say it's not a conspiracy...Now, I'm saying it is a conspiracy" ... With three lefties in the pen, Flanagan explained that his club was designed to neutralize some of the more potent lefthanded bats in the AL East, such as Giambi, Ortiz and Delgado ...
* Marty Cordova will start a rehab assignment within the next week, as he continues to recover from elbow surgery ...
* Jason Johnson harbours some ill feelings toward the two-headed leadership of the O's: "They didn't even give me a chance. They didn't even call my agent. They just assumed that I was going to ask for too much money in arbitration" ... Beattie explained that he simply wanted to offer Johnson a fresh start, since they didn't want to go through the arbitration process ... Another new Tiger, Ivan Rodriguez, was certain he was about to become an Oriole before Lopez signed on the dotted line: "I had come within minutes, maybe hours of getting a deal done. I don't know what happened" ...
* Never one to toot his own horn, Peter Angelos described Philadelphia's new Citizens Bank Park as simply further evidence of "the Camdenization of baseball" ...
Probable Batting Orders
*Note: The Jays are not scheduled to start a lefthanded starter this series.
vs. RH
4 Roberts
5 Mora
6 Tejada
3 Palmeiro
2 J Lopez
9 Gibbons
DH Segui/Surhoff
8 Matos
7 Bigbie
Pitching Probables
Friday: LH Riley vs. Batista
Saturday: RH Ainsworth vs. Towers
Sunday: LH DuBose vs. Hentgen
Bullpen Usage
Long: Bauer R, Parrish L
Short: Groom L, R Lopez R
Setup: Ryan L, DeJean R
Closer: Julio R
It's only fitting that a 4-4 club has overachieved and underachieved in relatively equal amounts. The starting rotation, which is likely to be the club's Achilles' heel throughout the season, has been shaky except for fledgling Jay-killer Matt Riley. The bullpen, in contrast, has been a significant asset thus far.
On the offensive side of the ledger, the Orioles are exhibiting the patient approach favoured by co-GMs Mike Flanagan and Jim Beattie, but have not hit for any kind of meaningful power, which has led them to strand scores of baserunners. Here, the exception has been Javy Lopez, who has been tearing the cover off the ball as an Oriole -- much like he did during his unexpected comeback season of 2003. Defensively, the O's are excited about Miguel Tejada's range and effort defensively, but jack-of-all-trades Melvin Mora is struggling to adjust to his new gig at third.
The Jays face a whole lot of inexperience on the mound this weekend, and will be countering with three pitchers with something to prove. Two wins out of three should gear the club up for Boston's first visit next week.
On to the Advance Scout!
* Rainy nights in Boston washed away two O's games this week, but Baltimore was glad to get a game in last night, as they pummeled Pedro and then bested the Red Sox in extra innings, 12-7 ...
* New skipper (and old friend) Lee Mazzilli has flashed the trademark humour that made him such a clubhouse hit as both a player and as a coach ... Mazzilli on Sunday's 10-1 thrashing by Tampa Bay: "Other than walks, home runs, wild pitches and errors, we played a pretty good game" ... Mazzilli believes in keeping his lineup constant, rather than shuffling or experimenting: "I told you, I'm a creature of habit" ...
* Tonight's starter, 24-year-old Matt Riley, stymied Boston's bats last Thursday en route to a 3-2 victory ... The Jays would do well to be patient against the lefty who went five strong at the Dome last summer ... Although he allowed three hits, Riley walked four Red Sox last week ... He's got lively movement on his curve ... Riley was scheduled to start last night, but was bumped to tonight due to the rainouts ...
* The stunning resurgence of Javy Lopez doesn't look like a one-year phenomenon at this (admittedly early) point ... He's been more than full value for his free-agent dollars, hitting .500/.568/.813 ... He's started his American League career on an eight-game hitting streak ... He's hit two home runs and walked five times, while striking out twice ... He had a four-hit afternoon at Tropicana Field on Saturday ... Javy will DH when he's not catching ...
* Meanwhile, Miguel Tejada, the prize catch of the winter for Flanagan, Beattie and Angelos, had yet to register an extra-base hit until he homered last night into the Monster seats, kicking off the Birds' decisive five-run rally in the eleventh at Fenway ... Not to compare him to another highly-regarded Baltimore shortstop, but he's working on a 602-game ironman streak ... Tejada was sitting on zero RBIs until his solo jack last night, and that is relevant, since he's had 13 plate appearances with runners in scoring position ... He's averaged 117 RBI over the past four seasons ...
* Used primarily as a long reliever, swingman Rick Bauer earned raves for his stellar five innings of shutout relief on Saturday, allowing one hit and no walks while striking out four ... When Ontario's own Erik Bedard was yanked, Baltimore was trailing 3-2; the O's came on to win 11-3 ... Bauer: "I had everything down and I was able to throw a lot of strikes" ...
* But his lefthanded counterpart in long relief, John Parrish, has been horribly erratic ... In five innings spanning three appearances, Parrish has walked seven ... Parrish let loose with an Ankiel-like three wild pitches on Sunday afternoon, two of which plated runs ... In a classy move, Lopez tried to deflect the heat from his younger teammate, publicly taking responsibility for not blocking the pitches more effectively ...
* He's getting hot again ... Melvin Mora has hit in five of his last six games (.407), and he added four hits to the barrage on Saturday ... Overall, he's off to a .343/.410/.486 start as the former utilityman is settling in at third ... But not without difficulty. He's appeared tentative at the hot corner and has already committed five errors ...
* Luis Matos is off to a tough start offensively, and risks losing playing time to Tim Raines Jr. ... Matos is just 1 for his last 19 (.053) ... Matos is 3-for-4 on the basepaths in a season where basestealing has been rare in the early going ... Matos stayed in the game last Saturday after being plunked in the batting helmet by Jeremi Gonzalez ... Matos contributed with his glove last night, though. He made a fine running catch amidst the tricky fence angles of Fenway to rob Bill Mueller of a game-winning hit in the tenth ... Tejada: "When Matos made that catch, everybody felt we would win this game" ...
* Veteran LOOGY Buddy Groom had a poor 2003, but his first three appearances this year have been excellent (3 2/3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K) ...
* After his promising half-season last year, Larry Bigbie has not taken a good approach at the plate this season ... He's hitting just .206, with a .229 OBP ...
* A major disappointment in his sophomore 2003 season, Rodrigo Lopez has been moved to the bullpen -- where he's been very effective (6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K) ...
* Tomorrow's starter, ex-Giants phenom Kurt Ainsworth, was rocked in his only previous start, in which the Red Sox didn't let him complete the second inning ... It wasn't all his fault. In the same inning, Tejada committed an indecisive E-10, considering a throw to the wrong base before firing too late to first; Lopez failed to block the plate on a close play; and Matos misjudged a fly to centre, conceding a cheap double ... Hate to say it, but he should significantly improve on his 37.80 ERA and .636 opponents' batting average against the Jays ...
* Brian Roberts led off last night's game with a long home run to right ...
* Jorge Julio blew his only save opportunity last Friday, yielding a pinch-hit game-tying home run to Robert Fick ... He did, however, look sharp in slamming the door last night with a five-run lead ...
* David Segui, who has been awarded the lion's share of the playing time at DH, was ejected on Sunday after a rant in response to a called third strike ... Mazzilli on what Segui said to the plate umpire: "It wasn't 'Happy Easter,' I know that" ... With Baltimore down 7-4 last night, Segui blasted a three-run shot off of Pedro to square the game at 7-7 ...
* Sunday's starter, Eric DuBose, has some ungainly numbers through his first two starts ... In 11 1/3 aggregate innings, he's been tagged for four homers while walking eight and striking out only four ... The former Oakland first-rounder's season line is 0-2, 5.56 ... DuBose wrote off his poor showing on Sunday, in which he gave up three homers, as a series of isolated mistakes and not a lacklustre performance overall: "You take away three pitches and you've got a good game. That's the difference between having a good outing and a bad outing" ...
* Raffy Palmeiro has yet to discover his power stroke on his most recent Oriole tour of duty, with just seven singles and one double on the season ... He's slugging just .300 ... That one double, though, moved Palmeiro up to #17 among all-time doubles leaders ...
* Similarly, Jay Gibbons is slugging only .333 with just seven singles and a triple on the season ...
* The Orioles were fined an undisclosed amount after recalling Ontario's own Erik Bedard ten days after March 30, which is the date rosters had to be set. Instead, the rule states that the ten-day period starts to run with the team's first game ... The Orioles were relieved to learn that they will not forfeit or replay their 11-3 win last Saturday, in which Bedard (ineligibly) started but was shelled in three innings ... The Devil Rays weren't happy with the decision ...
* Co-GM Mike Flanagan on the paucity of AL lefthanded starters beyond the three in his rotation (DuBose, Riley and Bedard): "I used to say it's not a conspiracy...Now, I'm saying it is a conspiracy" ... With three lefties in the pen, Flanagan explained that his club was designed to neutralize some of the more potent lefthanded bats in the AL East, such as Giambi, Ortiz and Delgado ...
* Marty Cordova will start a rehab assignment within the next week, as he continues to recover from elbow surgery ...
* Jason Johnson harbours some ill feelings toward the two-headed leadership of the O's: "They didn't even give me a chance. They didn't even call my agent. They just assumed that I was going to ask for too much money in arbitration" ... Beattie explained that he simply wanted to offer Johnson a fresh start, since they didn't want to go through the arbitration process ... Another new Tiger, Ivan Rodriguez, was certain he was about to become an Oriole before Lopez signed on the dotted line: "I had come within minutes, maybe hours of getting a deal done. I don't know what happened" ...
* Never one to toot his own horn, Peter Angelos described Philadelphia's new Citizens Bank Park as simply further evidence of "the Camdenization of baseball" ...
Probable Batting Orders
*Note: The Jays are not scheduled to start a lefthanded starter this series.
vs. RH
4 Roberts
5 Mora
6 Tejada
3 Palmeiro
2 J Lopez
9 Gibbons
DH Segui/Surhoff
8 Matos
7 Bigbie
Pitching Probables
Friday: LH Riley vs. Batista
Saturday: RH Ainsworth vs. Towers
Sunday: LH DuBose vs. Hentgen
Bullpen Usage
Long: Bauer R, Parrish L
Short: Groom L, R Lopez R
Setup: Ryan L, DeJean R
Closer: Julio R
