Garrett Olson pitched well enough (5.1 IP, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K) and the bullpen held it down just enough for a Kevin Millar-led offense to hold off the Royals over nine rain-delayed innings, putting the O's back over .500 and continuing our utter domination of the hapless Kansas City Royals.

Millar had three hits, including a first-inning three-run homer. Luis Hernandez (who subbed for an injured Brian Roberts) was 2-for-4, and Melvin Mora had two hits, as well.

Let's all hope that Roberts isn't out for long, because we'd be glaringly lacking anything approaching a leadoff hitter, unless Diamond Dave put Markakis there instead of Freddie Bynum or something, which he would not.

via d.yimg.com

I've said this before, and I'll say it again, I'm sure. It's one thing to come into this season with low expectations, and knowing the team is going to compete for Worst Team in Baseball, and knowing how rocky and downright bad it's going to be, but it's another thing to actually sit and watch it happen.

The O's came out for 2008 with another surprisingly fast start, ending April in contention. We're a week into May, 16-16, and now we're in fourth place. And brothers and sisters, it's only going to get worse.

We're a half-game up on Toronto, and the Jays are riding a five-game win streak. It's only a matter of time before we get settled in the cellar.

I'm not being negative, I'm being realistic. Think about some of the guys starting for this team. Luis Hernandez and his .542 OPS, weak arm, and frequent boneheaded baserunning mistakes. Ramon Hernandez and his .581 OPS, detrimental alleged defense behind the plate, and frequent boneheaded baserunning mistakes. Luke Scott (.778 and nosediving) and Jay Payton (.642 and steady) are in a left field platoon.

Our starting first baseman is OPSing .672. Nick Markakis is in a massive slump right now. Our number three hitter is Melvin Mora -- .729 OPS.

This offense is offensive.

And it kind of makes you feel bad for a starting pitching crew that is performing a lot better than most would have expected. Jeremy Guthrie (4.06/1.24) is doing his thing again. Daniel Cabrera (4.06/1.35) seems to have found a balance between power pitching and trusting his stuff enough to let people try to hit it. Brian Burres (2.87/1.28) has been terrific. Garrett Olson (2.08/1.08) has been great in two starts since being called up. Steve Trachsel is a waste of time, so let's not even bother talking about him right now.

The bullpen has been a little inconsistent, but they've held their own for the most part. There's not much more you could ask of this pitching staff than what they've given us, to be totally fair.

And then there's the boneheaded baserunning and fielding and other assorted screwery. It's hard to watch a team make so many fundamental little mistakes that wind up costing them games. The A's had no business winning last night. They shouldn't have scored a run.

But then the Orioles shouldn't be making two outs on every hit-and-run they attempt and gloriously fail to execute. The Orioles shouldn't run into so many outs. But Dave has them running, despite their constant presentation of evidence that they don't know how to run the bases. Roberts is a fantastic baserunner. Markakis is a really good, savvy baserunner, last night's boner notwithstanding. But guys like Luis and Adam Jones, while they have speed, aren't good baserunners. It's one of the few times I'll go out of my way to praise Derek Jeter, but that guy is a magnificent baserunner. It's not just speed, and we all know that. Markakis isn't terribly fast, but, like Jeter, he has good instincts and rarely screws himself over.

And it's not just on the bases. It's in the field, too. Melvin Mora, God bless him, makes more idiotic mistakes than anyone I can think of. He also makes a lot of highlight reel plays. His tendency to look to get a glory out and wind up getting nobody out is a little high. Luis Hernandez? I can't really blame him. He's not really a Major League shortstop. He does not have the arm for the position.

I'm not mad about them being bad, and I'm not upset about it, and it doesn't depress me or anything. But it's hard to watch a team so bad on so many levels. They try hard, there's a lot of moxy, and there's plenty of grit. They've got some gamers. That's super.

They stink, though. We all knew they would.

(And Aubrey Huff has been fine.)

Garrett Olson pitched a quality start in his return to Baltimore, and the O's got rid of Rays starter Jason Hammel in short order to pound out a 7-4 win at home and stay tied with the Red Sox for first place in the AL East.

I watched the game but didn't talk, and here were my impressions of Olson last night, in numbered form!

1. Five walks in six and two thirds is still just not good. At all.
2. I won't, however, go so far as to say he was "the same guy" as last year. He dealt better with falling behind and even losing batters, and those that pointed out the small strike zone last night (probably a more correct strike zone than most pitchers are used to anymore) are correct. He never lost his head and threw fat pitches just to get them over. He trusted that his stuff and his defense would bail him out. It's a dangerous way to live if you're going to walk that many, but it's the right mindset, I'd say.
3. I was glad to see him wearing No. 18 instead of 57. Last year, Alberto Castillo had 18, and 18 has been worn by the likes of Pat Kelly, Javy Lopez, Jeff Conine, Bob Milacki, Damon Buford, and, of course, Larry Sheets.
4. I'd rather see Olson struggle and learn than watch Steve Trachsel simply struggle.

Nobody's hitting much, and nobody's hitting for any power. Costanzo's K-rate is absolutely terrible. Torres came up because he hit a bunch of singles -- and also because Hernandez and Fahey are just as bad, and also because there are still maybe some problems in valuing talents within the system. There's really no reason for a veteran like Cintron to be farting around in AAA when he would be the best option for the O's at short. Moore has been horrendous since his demotion, and now he's not even getting the reps at short, with Cintron playing. So why is he down there while Fahey and Hernandez and Torres are all wasting time in Baltimore? Luis Terrero continues to be a fine minor league player, leading the Tides in OPS.

Olson has been a shining star, and the peripherals for Liz and Penn are encouraging, particularly Liz's. Leicester taking starts is a little weird, since he doesn't even average four innings per. McCrory and Cormier have anchored the bullpen, but McCrory still has his problems. If Cormier or even Alberto Castillo keep pitching well, they could wind up contributing this season when the inevitable injuries hit the 'pen. Or if not contributing, at least lending more hope than dead veterans Yan and Bukvich do.

Pretty good fight last night. The right guy won. And it wasn't as close as some people might lead you to believe.

And hey, Danica Patrick actually won a race. The Orioles win two over the Yankees, and all of a sudden a marketing tool is winning IRL events and Welshmen are beating American legends on U.S. soil.

But let's get down to the nitty.

Durham 2, Norfolk 0

Nuke LaLoosh threw a shutout and Crash Davis had two solo homers as the Bulls won a close one at Norfolk.

Garrett Olson pitched really well for the Tides, and is anyone else checkin' their watches and wondering when the clock strikes 12 for Steve Trachsel? We're bumbling around with Adam Loewen and Brian Burres when there's a lefty at Norfolk that I'd rather see than either of them. Olson went seven innings (90 pitches, 62 strikes), allowing seven hits and two runs, one earned. He struck out seven and walked nobody. His season ERA is 1.61. He's got a 24-to-7 K-to-BB ratio in 22.1 innings. Bueller?

Tike Redman had a couple of hits and a walk to nudge his average up to a healthy .212, and Scott Moore actually got a hit, going 1-for-4. Mike Costanzo struck out thrice.

Bowie 5, Akron 3

Nolan Reimold, how'd your day go? 1-for-3 with a walk, a run scored, and no strikeouts? You're hitting .180 now?! I like the sound of this, champ!

Ryan Finan homered for the Baysox, a two-run shot in the sixth inning. On the mound, lefty Chris Waters lowered his season ERA to 0.87 with seven innings of work (four hits, one earned run). Of course, he's 27 years old, so one would hope he could smoke AA.

Winston-Salem 3, Frederick 2

Wieters Watch! He went 2-for-4. Wieters is hitting .415/.519/.732 with four homers. Less encouraging, Brandon Snyder is hitting .226/.276/.264 with no homers. And even less encouraging, Billy Rowell still isn't back in the lineup.

Jake Arrieta did his job for the Keys, going 7.2 IP, striking out eight and walking four, allowing two runs (one earned). The game was lost by Ryan Burch. Arrieta is sporting a 2.75 ERA through four starts.

Lakewood 9, Delmarva 2

Tyler Henson and Matthew Tucker had two hits apiece, and Anthony Martinez went 3-for-4, but the Shorebirds were blown out nonetheless.

My new favorite player, Cole McCurry, had a rocky start, going four innings and being smacked around for four runs on eight hits. He struck out five, though, and walked just one. 

Indianapolis 3, Norfolk 2

Garrett Olson had another fine start, going 5 1/3 with six strikeouts and one walk, allowing two runs on five hits. Andy Mitchell gave up a run in the seventh, and it turned out to be the deciding score in the game.

Eider Torres was 3-for-4 with two RBIs, Adam Stern had two hits. Chris Roberson and Sebastien Boucher both walked two times.

Bowie 10, Erie 3

Wham! The Baysox bats have come alive. Bowie was up 1-0 entering the sixth, then scored twice that inning, three runs in the eighth, and then four more in the ninth. Erie didn't get on the board until the bottom of the ninth.

Outfielder Luis Montanez was 3-for-4 with two homers and three RBIs, and Jeff Nettles also went yard. Mike Rodriguez, Ben Davis, Jonathan Tucker and Blake Davis all had two hits. The Baysox had 13 hits on the night as a team.

And despite all that, Nolan Reimold remained ice cold, going 0-for-5 with a strikeout. He's now hitting .143. Not a good start to the year.

All three Seawolves runs were given up Ryan Keefer. Chris Waters got the win with 5 2/3 shutout innings in the start.

Frederick 5, Salem 4

Wieters Watch! He got the day off.

Chris Amador was 3-for-4 and Daniel Figueroa was 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Jake Arrieta went 5 2/3 and struck out seven, walking three and allowing one unearned run on two hits. Wilfredo Perez allowed three runs in 2 1/3 innings of relief, making the game a lot tighter than it needed to be. Hey, it happens.

Delmarva 7, Hagerstown 6

Four runs in the bottom of the ninth gave the Shorebirds this big-time come-from-behind win. Here's the recap from MiLB.com:

Pitcher Change: Clint Everts replaces Kyle Gunderson.

Joseph Mahoney singles on a line drive to left fielder Aaron Seuss.

Tyler Henson singles on a line drive to center fielder Stephen Englund. Joseph Mahoney to 2nd.

With Matthew Tucker batting, wild pitch by Clint Everts, Joseph Mahoney to 3rd. Tyler Henson to 2nd.

Matthew Tucker walks.

Kieron Pope reaches on force attempt, throwing error by third baseman Steven Souza. Joseph Mahoney scores. Tyler Henson to 3rd. Matthew Tucker to 2nd.

Wally Crancer pops out to third baseman Steven Souza in foul territory.

Pedro Florimon Jr. singles on a fly ball to center fielder Stephen Englund. Tyler Henson scores. Matthew Tucker scores. Kieron Pope to 2nd.

Matthew Angle doubles (1) on a line drive to right fielder Michael Burgess. Kieron Pope scores. Pedro Florimon Jr. to 3rd.

Norfolk 7, Rochester 2

Luis Terrero was 3-for-4 and Mike Costanzo had three RBI, leading the Norfolk offense over Rochester. But the star of the game was on the mound, as Garrett Olson went six shutout innings with seven strikeouts and no walks, allowing just four hits.

Olson struggled with his command in his first outing, walking six over four innings, but breezed past the Red Wings, throwing 55 of his 86 pitches for strikes. Roberto Novoa allowed both Rochester runs, giving up a homer to Brian Buscher.

Only Terrero had a multi-hit game for the Tides (4-3), but everyone in the starting lineup had a base knock besides shortstop Travis Brown, who scored when he reached on one of Rochester's four errors. Norfolk was up 6-0 after just two innings and cruised to the win.

Bowie 3, Reading 2

After starting out with five straight losses for the '07 season, the Baysox have bounced back with two straight wins. Jeff Nettles and Carlos Rojas had two hits apiece, and Choryne Spoone picked up the win. Spoone pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing just one run on five hits with three walks and five strikeouts. Kam Mickolio pitched two scoreless, one-hit innings, and Julio Manon got the save with an inning and two-thirds of work, walking two and striking out four.

Ryan Finan had a home run for Bowie. Nolan Reimold was 0-for-3 with a walk, lowering his average to .148 on the young season. He's just 4-for-27 overall, and they're all singles. He has struck out eight times in seven games, walking four times. It's been a tough start for Reimold, to say the least.

Frederick 9, Kinston 8

Wieters Watch! 1-for-1 with a walk, a double and a run scored. And he left in the bottom of the fourth! Oh no! Calm down. Just a little game. Wieters isn't hurt -- he was ejected, along with manager Tommy Thompson.

Jake Arrieta's second start with the Keys didn't go as well as his first, as he struggled with his command through two and two-thirds, walking four and allowing four earned. He struck out two. Kyle Schmidt got the win in relief with this impressive line: 3 1/3 IP, 6 H, 4 ER. Chad Thall and Jason Burch held it down in the late innings, with Burch notching his third save.

Todd Davison homered for the Keys, and Brandon Snyder went 3-for-5 with two RBI. Chris Vinyard had a Mickey Tettleton game, sans home run, going 0-for-3 with two walks and three whiffs. Second sacker Miguel Abreu was 3-for-4 with two RBI.

Delmarva 4, Lake County 1 (10 innings)

Anthony Martinez homered and Tyler Henson was 2-for-5 with an RBI as Delmarva rounds out a perfect 4-0 day in the O's system. The Shorebirds rallied for three runs in the top of the tenth to secure victory.

My new favorite player, Cole McCurry, went five shutout innings with three strikeouts. Zach Clark threw four innings of relief and got the win, and Mick Mattaliano picked up the save.

In the tremendously scientific poll that has been featured on our right sidebar recently, we got a resounding answer to the question, "What O's pitching prospect excites you most?"

Results (of 128 voters):

1. Chris Tillman, 33%
2. Radhames Liz and Jake Arrieta, 14%
3. Chorye Spoone, 10%
4. Hayden Penn, 7%
5. Garrett Olson and Troy Patton, 5%
6. Brandon Erbe, 3%
7. Tony Butler and Tim Bascom, 1%
8. Pedro Beato and David Hernandez, 0% (one vote each)

I get the feeling that some of Tillman's friends and family may have gotten here via Google and upped his vote count, since it was tight between Arrieta and Tillman early on, and then Chris totally outran the pack in a hurry.

My vote went to Arrieta, the guy I think is the O's best non-Wieters draft pick in years. Getting what John Sickels calls a first round talent in the fifth round, and then giving him money to sign out of TCU was a very worthwhile gamble by a newly ballsy front office. Arrieta mowed down hitters in his debut at High-A Frederick, and it shouldn't be long before we see him in Bowie with Tillman and Spoone. He's a polished talent whose senior year in college appears to have been the result of something that was not at all his talent level.

You know who else had a rough end of his college career? John Maine. In Maine's junior year at UNC Charlotte, he posted a 3.83 ERA over 134 innings. He was the Conference USA Pitcher of the Year.

In his senior year, he went 94 innings, and his ERA stood at 5.65 when it was all said and done. His walks were up, his hits were way up, and his stock dropped. He was a sixth round draft pick.

Arrieta's junior year saw him named the Mountain West Conference Pitcher of the Year, a second team All-American, and he put up a 2.35 ERA in 111 2/3 innings. He struck out an even nine per nine innings, and had a 3-to-1 K-to-BB ratio. In his senior year, he didn't even have the same type of unsuccessful season that plagued Maine. Arrieta had a 3.01 ERA in 98 2/3 innings, but that was a disappointment for a guy that had dominated a year before. His WHIP jumped .22 points, and his walks went from 3/9 IP to 4.56/9 IP. His strikeouts went down .52 per nine.

A guy that was drafted in the 31st round 2004 (Cincinnati) and 26th round in 2005 (Milwaukee) was looking like a first round pick after his junior year. He slid to the fifth.

The O's paid him good money, but Arrieta and Wieters in the same draft? That's worth the financial risk.

Who'd you go with?

Buffalo 4, Norfolk 3

Garrett Olson was shaky in his first outing of the year, which follows Hayden Penn getting murdered in the Tides opener. Olson went four innings and allowed just three hits and a single run, but he walked six and threw 75 pitches (38 strikes). Bob McCrory wound up taking the loss when Ben Francisco scored on a sac fly off the bat of Brad Snyder in the top of the ninth. Oscar Salazar had two doubles for Norfolk. The Tides are now 0-2.

Erie 8, Bowie 3 (11 innings)

Yep, Bowie allowed a five-spot in the top of the 11th, and only managed three hits over the entire game. Chorye Spoone went 4 2/3 innings, giving up eight hits, three earned, with two walks and four strikeouts. Rommie Lewis, Jr., was the goat, giving up the five runs (four earned) in the 11th. Jeff Frazier was 4-for-6 with a homer and five RBI for the Seawolves. Nolan Reimold was 0-for-3 with two walks.

Frederick 7, Lynchburg 3

Welcome to professional baseball, Matt Wieters. Our prize prospect was 2-for-3 with two homers and a walk, scoring three times. And Jake Arrieta? Dominated -- 4 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K. Bad news, though: Billy Rowell left the game in the bottom of the first, when he reached base on an error. Brandon Snyder was 1-for-4, and Chris Vinyard went 3-for-4 with two RBI. Brad Bergesen got the win in relief.

Hagerstown 8, Delmarva 6

The Shorebirds held a 6-5 lead into the eighth, when my new favorite player, Cole McCurry, blew a save. Cliff Flagello took the loss by giving up two in the ninth.

This isn't pretty. But when's the last time it was?

Let's get started.

BRIAN BURRES, LH

   IP   W   L    K   BB   ERA   WHIP

  103   4   9   71   44   5.66  1.62

Burres might win the fifth starter's job; he might not. Trembley is high on him thanks to his "impressive" 2007, which was impressive to the tune of a 5.95 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP. Burres helped the team out in ways that have nothing to do with actual results, serving as a starter when needed, a mop-up man when needed, a long man when needed, an actual bullpen lefty (of sorts) when needed. He got knocked around, but maybe you can blame a lack of any role on that. How did he even know when he was going to pitch?

He was much better on the road (5.12/1.66 in 65 IP) than he was at Camden Yards (6.91/1.75 in 56 IP). He was hit hard by everyone, lefties teeing off at a .306 clip, and righties coming in at .281. His K-rate is OK; his BB-rate does not help him at all.

Burres' first three months were tolerable. It was the second half where he was ripped to shreds, posting a 7.92 ERA after the All-Star break.

I'd say something in Burres' favor, but there really isn't much. I actually think that projection is fairly optimistic.

DANIEL CABRERA, RH

   IP   W   L    K   BB   ERA   WHIP

  194  10  13   179  96   4.49  1.46

Talk about optimistic.

How many years in a row can one team and one fanbase be burned by a single player? Cabrera never really earned all the hopes and projections of potential stardom. He was brought up too early because the Orioles of 2004 had nothing better to do, and he's remained in the rotation save for a brief journey to the minors in 2006. He's walked 100 plus two straight years, his strikeout rate has gone down, and he just plain stunk up the jernt in 2007.

He was a replacement-level pitcher last year. He was no damn good at all.

That said, hey, electric arm, great size, he says stuff about using a changeup, and that's all well and good. When he proves it, start believing it. He's yet to come close to doing so on any consistent basis whatsoever. If he put up that line, I'd be happy with it. And I hope he blows it out of the water. If he produced, he's exactly the type of guy you can really get behind.

JEREMY GUTHRIE, RH

   IP   W   L    K   BB   ERA   WHIP

  184  10  11   137  57   4.28  1.35

St. Guts was one of the few enjoyable parts of the hapless 2007 Orioles, as he and Bedard actually had a period where they were giving us a fair chance at winning two out of five games.

His 2007 numbers would've been even better were it not for a very rough August (6.23 ERA), but his line was helped out by a pretty fair amount of luck on balls in play, too. Like Cabrera, if he puts up the line we're projecting, that'd be a success. He doesn't have ace stuff, though he's expected to carry the front end of this rotation. Should his success sustain on even that level, he could be a cog in the Baltimore rotation for a good while, though he is 29, which is a lot older than you'd guess given he was eligible for Rookie of the Year last season.

Most projections I've seen on Guthrie are not so kind, but it seems everyone is rooting for him to continue his success. It's been a bumpy road for Guthrie to get here, and when he got his shot with us, he made it a good one. The man still has a posse. Believe it!

ADAM LOEWEN, LH

   IP   W   L    K   BB   ERA   WHIP

  132   6  10   100  72   4.85 1.58

Looks like we're expecting the injury bug to bite Loewen again. He's long had durability issues, and while he's always had command problems, he was exceptionally wild during his 30 innings in 2007. There were starts where it seemed like he couldn't hit the strike zone if his life depended on it at times.

Unlike Burres and Guthrie, who are older than you would think at first glance, Loewen might actually be younger, as he's just now turning 24, and will be the youngest member of the Opening Day rotation no matter if Matt Albers beats Burres out or not.

That means there's still plenty of time for him to mature. Fellow Canuck southpaw Erik Bedard took a while himself, and was another guy that just couldn't shake nagging injuries that would disrupt his seasons. It's probably asking way too much of Loewenbrau to become another Erik Bedard, but like I always said about Bedard, lefties with Loewen's strikeout ability don't fall out of the sky. He's worth being patient with for the next couple of seasons.

STEVE TRACHSEL, RH

   IP   W   L    K   BB   ERA   WHIP

  112   4   9   41   50   5.48  1.63

Every possible sign there is points to this being a final, disastrous season in the sun for the 37-year old crafty righty. While he was competent as an Oriole (4.48/1.56 despite a hideous K-to-BB rate of 45-to-69), he flamed out bad in his return to his original team, the Chicago Cubs, going 1-3 with an 8.32 ERA over four starts.

He came back this spring as a non-roster invitee, with pretty much a guaranteed ticket to head north from Fort Lauderdale. Trax is a good guy and as a low-cost, no-risk piece of a rotation that's destined to be disastrously bad through some growing pains, he's not a bad pickup. Again, the O's went with the devil they know. Someone has to pitch those innings, and you have to accept facts sometimes, this one being that any manager, GM, owner, and team would be scared to death going out there with a rotation as volatile and inexperienced as Cabrera, Loewen, Guthrie and then two choices between Burres, Penn, Olson and Albers. Trachsel is comfort food, in a sense.

That doesn't make him any less likely to have to be pulled after two and a third innings while he's getting hammered, but it is what it is. But you do have to wonder, if they were going to just go get Steve Trachsel, why the O's didn't offer Kris Benson a minor league deal coming off of injury.

There really is a very good chance that this could be Trachsel's last season. Through trials with the Cubs, D-Rays, Blue Jays, Mets and O's, Steve Trachsel only got to pitch in two postseason games, for the 2006 Mets. And in one of those, you may recall, he went one inning and into the second without recording an out -- along the way, he walked five, gave up five hits, and five runs were scored by the Cardinals, who would grab a 2-1 series lead en route to their unlikely World Series championship. Trachsel probably would like to forget that October night, but it's almost certain that that was his final playoff game.

WHAT IT ALL MEANS!

Just among these five, we project a 34-52 record. We also project low innings pitched totals for three of the five, meaning we'd be seeing a lot of Garrett Olson, Hayden Penn, Matt Albers, Radhames Liz, maybe Jon Leicester, and potentially a couple of scrub pick-ups just to keep the chains moving from day-to-day.

But I'd rather watch this group than some of the bums that have started games for the Orioles over the last five seasons. Check this list: Victor Zambrano, Victor Santos, Jaret Wright, Kurt Birkins, John Halama, Eric DuBose, Dave Borkowski, Rick Bauer, Matt Riley, Kurt Ainsworth, Jason Johnson, Pat Hentgen, Sidney Ponson, Omar Daal (because we HAD to have a lefty, ANY LEFTY!), Damian Moss...

No longer are we trading this guy for this guy. It's a brave new world, one where there's a legitimate stockpile of actual pitching talent within the Orioles system. The only guys in that above list that had any were Riley, who was a flameout of massive proportions; Hentgen, who was long, long, long past his prime; Ponson, who is a story for another day; and Ainsworth, who was just another injury case.

They'll be bad. Most likely, really bad. But there's some hope.

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