Orioles in Big Trouble

The Baltimore Orioles have been struggling lately, they are still contending, but everyday looking more and more like pretenders. If you had told me before the year, that the Orioles would start like this, I would not have believed you. This team came out guns blazing and actually looked like a playoff team for the first time in a long time. However, now we are in trouble. Unless something is done we will fall off now just like every year since 1997, it will just be later this time.

So how bad is it?

The Orioles lost to the Twins last night 19-7. Chris Tillman (who pitched 8+ in his last outing and looked brilliant) gave up 7 runs in 2/3 of an inning. He didn't even get out of the 1st. Just when you think Tillman put it together, he didn't. Same old Tillman, I mean the guy still hasn't won back to back big league start. That fact alone is utterly insane. It gets worse...

We all know we have been without our leadoff hitter Nolan Reimold for the majority of the year. Reimold was actually our second leadoff hitter after Brian Roberts was hurt. Brian Roberts makes an amazing comeback and then...he gets hurt again. Roberts appears done, in all fairness though Roberts wasn't doing much since he came back other than the 1st game. This is where it gets really ugly though, Roberts backup at 2nd base, Robert Andino, also got hurt recently and is on the DL. So we are now left with Tolleson and Flaherty at 2nd. It still hasn't reached the worst part, Jason Hammel is on the DL and we don't know for how long. Hammel has been our most reliable starter and has been lights out. His injury now marks us having 4 guys from our opening day starting rotation now out of that rotation.

How do we fix it?
The X-Man commeth
Xavier Avery needs to be back in Baltimore. For whatever reason he gives the team a spark. They play with more energy when he is on the team. He should be here. If you are worried about their splits, have no fear. I have another solution. Bring up LJ Hoes. Hoes and Avery should platoon in left for Baltimore for the rest of the year. It is by far our best option and the two are rather close.

Trade the calvary

I am not saying trade the farm, I am saying trade the "calvary" guys. I most often hear the calvary referred to as Tillman, Matusz, and Arrieta. These are the 3 guys to trade. Their value has soured over time, but I am done with this group. The only one I have any hope that he will regain his former self is Arrieta. Even with him I say get rid of him.

Make the Grienke trade and bring Rickie Weeks with Him

Sure Weeks is struggling, but he is a heck of a lot better than what we have at 2nd base. Grienke is sorely needed at this time, we need an ace. Trade for him and extend him. He already said he doesn't want to play in a major market, so maybe just maybe that gives us the edge. We are said to have the inside track at least.

Trade for Jason Vargas and Offer to take Chone Figgins

It can't be said enough that we need pitching. One way to get pitching is to offer to take bad other teams bad contract. Figgins is a bad contract, and he can help us. He is a solid glove at 3b and a decent leadoff hitter. I know he has underperformed, but he can help. Offering to take back Figgins will also limit what we have to give up. There is a chance that by offering to take Figgins and offering to give up a prospect, that we can actually get King Felix. Imagine that guy in Baltimore.

Who do we trade?

Try to limit the prospects. In 1997 in order to make a playoff run, we gutted our farm system. Due to that and extremely poor drafting/development since then we have struggled to recover. We don't want to get into that situation again to try to make a run. So trade the guys we deem losers that we think failed.

Trade Matusz

Trade Tillman

Trade Arrieta

Trade Gregg

Trade Chavez

Trade Pearce

Trade Reynolds

Trade Adams

Trade Mahoney

Trade Flaherty

Trade Betemit

Trade Exposito

Trade Bergessen

Start with that group and see what we can get. If they want Davis in a deal and it nets us a part of our future then go for it. No matter what though, I say trade all of that group either now or in the offseason and see what we can get. They offer us little at the moment. Those three arms hold a lot of value in Milwaukee if we want to offer some up for Grienke. Kranitz actually had some success with the calvary back in 2010. All I know is I want pitchers and guys that want to win. Mark Reynolds doesn't say I want to win to me. The best move we have internally though is Hoes/Avery. Don't forget either that Zach Britton pitches tonight. Britton is the 2nd best pitcher in the organization behind Bundy. So it may be alright for one night.

-Noland

40 Man Roster Moves Coming in Baltimore

My beloved Baltimore Orioles are holding strong on that second wild card spot right now. These guys are holding off some tough competition in the AL currently and don't have much cushion. They also have withstood an injury to their most patient and perhaps best hitter Nick Markakis. Unlike many other hitters on this team, Markakis is consistent and can find ways to produce when he is struggling. We were in 1st place until he went out with a broken hamate bone. Well guess what?...

He's back! Markakis was activated from the disabled list a couple of days ago and Joe Mahoney was optioned to AAA Norfolk. It sure is going to be good to see this guy back in the lineup. During a game this past week on his rehab assignment, Markakis hit 2 home runs! We sorely need Markakis back in the lineup if we want to make a playoff push.

He will not be the only person returning tomorrow when the Orioles return to action though. We also have Taylor Teagarden and Endy Chavez possibly returning to the lineup. Now, Teagarden I am excited about. He is a catch and throw guy and a good defensive catcher. Teagarden should call a good game and help the pitching staff. That is something that Ronny Paulino couldn't do to save his life. Paulino was so bad, that Wieters caught a lot of day/night double headers which is not good for him. If we are going to make a run, we need a fresh Wieters, which means we need a catcher that can be solid behind the plate. Paulino was swinging a decent stick though, so maybe we can get something in a trade.

Chavez is a different story. He was supposed to bring us a great glove in the outfield, but he wasn't much better than Reimold in the field and he was awful at the plate. What should we do with this guy? Is it time to cut bait? I would hate for Chavez to get Avery's at bats, and don't see any advantage he brings over the X-Man. The only thing I can think of is that it gives the X-Man more time to develop. I actually like bringing up Hoes for left and platooning him and X. That could be just what we need out there. Of course we may have to get rid of Reynolds and/or Betemit to pull that off, but I am ok with that. If we want to make a run, then lets put an actual baseball team on the field. No more worthless fielders in the field. Fix the defense, stop giving up easy runs and see what happens. I think the pitching staff will be happy if that move is made.

As for the trade deadline, I will have more on that soon. As much as I want to see a big deal like Grienke, I don't want to give up the farm. I would be more impressed if Duquette found a taker for Reynolds, Chavez, Betemit, Gregg, and Paulino. Unlikely, but possible.

-Noland

Chris Tillman Just What the Orioles Needed

If you told me to pick a young Orioles starter that would falter before the season, my pick would have been Chris Tillman. I have been close to giving up on Tillman numerous times. The guy has thrown a fastball with no movement and looked like he was done many times. However, he worked his behind off in the offseason and really tried to rediscover that top prospect status he had in 2009. Looks like at least for the meantime, it worked.

Today, Chris Tillman did not give up even a single earned run over 8 1/3 as the Orioles won 4-2. The only runs they gave up were due to errors. Tillman pitched the most brilliant game outside of the shutouts this season. He definitely pitched the most brilliant game outside of Chen and Hammel. The youngster had 7 strikeouts in his dominant performance and actually had movement on his pitches. When it was all said and done, Tillman had 125 pitches as he left his ERA at 0.00. Like I said, the move possibly should have been made a month ago, because Tillman was on fire at AAA and our other young starters have been dreadful. At this point in the season, Tillman is our third best starter behind Hammel and Chen.

After the game, Tillman was optioned to AA Bowie. Before you get upset though it wasn't a bad move. This move was just to keep Tillman on schedule. He will pitch Monday for Bowie, during the all-star break and then come back and pitch the 3rd game after the break. After that Chris Tillman shouldn't be going anywhere unless he completely bombs. Great work by Tillman!

The Orioles are using the all-star break as their chance to get back to a 4 man bench. Replacing Tillman is 1st baseman Joe Mahoney, who is already on the 40 man roster. Mahoney possibly is being showcased for a trade, or maybe it was just that he was next in line. Nobody else really fit that was currently on the 40. Personally, I would have gone with LJ Hoes, but Mahoney has experience in the outfield and he can work out there in right. This also saves another 40 man roster move. Let's see what Mahoney can do before the break.

The Orioles move to 2-0 since Avery was called back up, just sayin'

Adam Jones hit his 20th home run of the season.

This game was against the Mariners. Hey, remember when Steve Phillips said the Mariners won the Bedard trade? Hahahahha. Tillman and Jones torched their old team last night.

-Noland

The Recent News From Birdland

Sorry I have been gone for a few days. I had a long drive back from VA and didn't really post when I was there, except about the Orioles game. Then, as soon as we got back, we had to finish packing everything up and move. We finally got internet in our new place, so here I am.

Anyways, a lot has happened since my last post with the Orioles.

Before we get to the other news, I want to congratulate Jim Johnson, Adam Jones and Matt Wieters on making the all-star team. This is the first time since 2005 that the Orioles will have multiple all-stars. 3 all-stars is great, but 4 is better, so vote Hammel for that final spot. Personally, I voted for the BeltwaysBallot.

First, we start with the new addition to birdland. Jim Thome, 41, has joined the Orioles via trade. For a team in desperate need of offense that is barely clinging to a playoff spot, Thome is a welcome addition. Thome provides punch to an offense that has little right now. Unfortunately he does not upgrade the defense or the starting pitching, which may be bigger issues at this point. I am ok with the prospects given up to obtain Thome so we will wait and see what happens here. Hopefully, this shifts Mark Reynolds out the door quick.

Unfortunately, to add Thome to the 25 man roster, the Orioles for some strange reason demoted Xavier Avery again. That demotion gives the Orioles one true OF on the 25 man roster. The decision was insane. Avery was providing good defense with a solid bat. He is not the problem. Leave him up at least until Cakes gets back unless a better player is acquired. Avery is the 2nd best OF we have available right now. This thing boggles my mind. He hit his 1st home run in the last week as well. At this blog, we are big supporters of Xavier. He is Jenna's 2nd favorite player. Thome does look good in orange and black though. Too bad its about 10 years later than everybody wanted it.

Once again Mark Reynolds has got to go.

The offense is stone cold right now and needs to bust out. They have had one good game lately and it was when Avery hit the bomb. Have been horrible on offense of late.

Once again Mark Reynolds has got to go.

Matusz and Hunter were demoted recently. Eveland took Hunter's turn and Matusz's turn doesn't come up again until Friday. Chris Tillman is expected to come up and pitch in Hunter's spot on Thursday. About time! Tillman was scratched tonight from his start in Norfolk. Tillman has allowed 2 runs or fewer in 8 of his last 11 Norfolk starts. Given how horrible Hunter, Matusz, and Arrieta have been, it is just time for Tillman.

The Orioles best pitcher last year, Zach Britton, appears ready now and will likely take the ball Friday for the Orioles. With Britton and Tillman likely joining the rotation, the Orioles hope to have at least four good starters in the rotation. Chen and Hammel have been carrying the rotation thus far.

Dontrelle Willis has retired.

Taylor Teagarden started his rehab assignment today!

Wilson Betemit has an 11 game hit streak.

The Orioles have made 10 moves to the 25 man roster in 6 days and more appear to be coming. The trade deadline is upon us. This should be an interesting one for the O's. oh and...

Mark Reynolds has got to go.

-Noland

Markakis Has Broken Bone in Wrist

The most dependable of Orioles is headed to the disabled list for the first time in his career. Right fielder Nick Markakis has a broken bone in his wrist and will have surgery to repair it tomorrow. He is expected to miss 3-4 weeks. Markakis started all 50 games prior to last night (48 in RF, 2 @ DH). This is a big blow to the Orioles' playoff chances having Markakis out for 3+ weeks. It is also one that I am not sure the Orioles can overcome. Yes, he was having a down year by his standards, but he is a hitter pitchers fear. Without him in the lineup, it will be much more difficult for Adam Jones to get quality pitches to hit. Losing your #1 hitter and your #3 hitter kills any lineup. The new lineup will have to somehow account for the loses of Reimold and Markakis.

There is good news though because Brian Roberts should be back soon. He is scheduled to finish his rehab stint June 11. Zach Britton is scheduled to be back after his rehab start in the next day. Britton's return will help fortify a struggling rotation while Roberts return will help a weak lineup. We just better hope Roberts is something close to his old self with Markakis and Reimold out still.
Here is my proposed lineup until Roberts gets back.
2B Robert Andino
SS JJ Hardy
C Matt Wieters
CF Adam Jones
1B Chris Davis
DH Wilson Betemit
RF Markakis' replacement
3B Ryan Flaherty
LF Endy Chavez


Once Roberts is back
2B Brian Roberts
SS JJ Hardy
C Matt Wieters
CF Adam Jones
1B Chris Davis
DH Wilson Betemit
RF Replacement
LF Endy Chavez
3B Robert Andino

Wieters is the only guy that makes sense @ #3 in my opinion. Unless we are trying to have a good hitter behind Jones. If that is the case then we need to swap Davis and Wieters. However, I would have my best hitter hit 3rd and Wieters is a better hitter than Davis.

You will notice that Mark Reynolds is not in either lineup. I am not a fan. I would try to trade him asap and eat some salary. I'd do the same thing with Gregg. We have to get another OF with Cakes and Reimold out. We need to do it asap.

What are the internal options?
Xavier Avery could come back up. The only problem with that is many in the organization think he is getting into bad habits. He may be getting into bad habits, but he is better than Chavez. He's certainly better than no options. If we want to compete for the playoffs, we might have to call Avery back up.

Jai Miller is still in the organization, but he is not playing well. He strikes out about every other time to the plate. That can't cut it in the big leagues.

Lew Ford is also an option for the Orioles. Ford is hitting .370 with 2 homers this season in Norfolk. This is in only 12 games, but perhaps Ford is the best option. We don't have much OF depth in the minor leagues.

Sure would have been good to still have Matt Angle on the 40 man at this point huh? Good thing we kept Josh Bell and Jai Miller when we let Angle go. That to me was the worst move of the offseason. Letting Matt Angle go was a really poor decision. We need to get someone to the Orioles that will hit. If we pay a price it is ok, but we can't give up our first good season in years without a fight. It should be interesting.

-Noland

More Oriole Roster Moves

The Baltimore Orioles are now in a tie with the Tampa Bay Rays for 1st place in the AL East. This is partially because Tommy Hunter has been awful lately to lose the Orioles the best record in baseball. During his last start he couldn't get past the 4th inning. Because of his poor pitching, the Orioles optioned Hunter today. It is the 2nd time this season that Hunter has been optioned. The first time Hunter was optioned he didn't actually go to Norfolk because another player went on the DL so he was recalled. This time he is going down and there is no telling how long he will be down there.

Recalled in Hunter's place is Miguel Gonzalez. The pitcher was not on the Orioles 40 man roster, but with the roster at 39, Gonzalez was simply added. He signed with the Orioles as a minor league free agent February 28th. Last year he was with the Red Sox pitching in Single A, Double A, and Triple A. Through 5 minor league seasons Gonzalez was 18-22 with a 3.92 ERA. This season though Gonzalez has been much better pitching to a 2-1 record with one save and a 1.50 ERA. He was as deserving as anybody of a promotion.

In addition to that, Endy Chavez is on his way back off the disabled list. Unfortunately, for Xavier Avery, that means Avery is on his way out. Avery started out amazingly with the birds, but has cooled as of late. He is in a 3-30 slump and was 0-3 with 3 strikeouts last night. If you asked me last week if I would be upset with Avery being sent out I would have said yes. However, now I say that since Chavez is back it is ok. Probably better for Avery to get the extra work at Norfolk. If Reimold is done for the year though, I would not keep Avery down for too long.

-Noland

Orioles Win in 15

Adam Jones homered in the 15th inning to give the Orioles a 4-3 win over the Kansas City Royals last night. Jones' 12th homer on the season leads the team and keeps the Orioles in 1st place. It is amazing how much Jones is mashing this year. With 12 homers in 38 games, Adam Jones is currently on pace to hit 51 home runs on the season. That would be the most home runs by an Oriole since Brady Anderson had the magical 50 home run season in 1996. It would also make the price to extend Jones skyrocket. Let's see if they get some sort of extension done soon.

The pitching staff was the big story today as they only gave up three runs over 15 innings. Starter Tommy Hunter, only gave up 2 runs in 7 innings. Now the Orioles have 4 quality starts in 11 days and look to be rebounding from the stretch of poor pitching. Back to back quality starts is a good thing. Hunter obviously was not alone in his brilliance on the mound. Dana Eveland threw three scoreless innings for the birds, in the 10-12 innings to keep the score tied. The performance from Eveland was huge. After Eveland was the winning pitcher....Kevin Gregg. Yes, Kevin Gregg got the win last night. Gregg pitched well in one of his first appearances since the 17 inning marathon against Boston. The save went to the great Jim Johnson. Johnson recorded his 13th save of the year and looks to be headed to the all star game. Ironically, the all star game is going to be in Kansas City where the O's were last night. I will have my all star ballot posted sometime in the next week.

There were other Oriole hitters that came through last night. JJ Hardy went 3-6 with a double, raising his average to .261. Nick Markakis went 2-7 and also had a double. Wilson Betemit went 2-7 with a home run and a double. Chris Davis also had multiple hits as he went 2-4. This is the most notable Davis news since he got the win last week. Finally, Xavier Avery was 2-6 last night. Avery had two singles and also had a sacrifice bunt. Seeing how poor the Orioles have been at bunting lately, it was nice to see Avery lay one down. This guy can play.

-Noland

Wei Yin Chen Shuts Down Yankees

Right now, Wei Yin Chen is the best Orioles starter. He is mr. dependable among the group. The guy we can count on. Once again, Chen had a terrific outing tonight. Not only that, but he did it against the team we struggle with the most. Chen was brilliant as he moved to 4-0 on the season. He gave up two runs on four hits over seven innings. The runs he did give up were on a home run hit by Curtis Granderson, but Xavier Avery looked like he was going to catch it. It appeared that a fan hit Avery's glove and we had a Jeffrey Maher 2 on our hands. Only this time it was at our own stadium. I don't know why we can't overturn these home runs, especially with instant replay. These Yankee fans have got to learn that they can not do that. This outing was only the Orioles 3rd quality start of the last 10 games.

That is not all the news about the Orioles' new x-man. This guy plays with such a great energy and effort. We have not seen too much of this over the last 14 years as O's fans. The guy is a breath of fresh air. Avery went 1 for 3 with a beautiful bunt single. Again, the hustle plays, how many bunt singles have we seen lately? He also scored his third run of the season following a walk. Avery is also showing patience, something that has been very rare out of Oriole pitchers. The guy drew a walk against one of the best pitchers in baseball, before this year the Orioles would get shut down by some turkey with a 6.00 ERA and let him only throw 85 pitches in the process. Avery is a keeper.

Steve Tolleson also had a big night for the birds. Every game there's a different star, that's the magic of Orioles baseball. I guess the magic is back. I was not expecting big things from Tolleson when he came up, but so far he has delivered. Tolleson was 2 for 3 with a double. The guy is now hitting .400 in his short time with the Orioles. Small sample size I know, but we have to be pleased with his contribution. Tolleson has come a long way since his previous pro experiences.

JJ Hardy was another Oriole that had a big night at the plate. Hardy was also 2-4 with a double and also drove in two runs. The Oriole SS has been on a tear lately. JJ has raised his average to .252 after being in the .100s all of April. Perhaps it is time to switch him and Nicky in the order?

Adam Jones continues to pace the Oriole offense. Jones went 2-3 with a walk last night. He also registered his 11th home run on the season. This is incredible. At this rate, Jones may get to 50. Absolutely, unbelievable job by Adam Jones. For sure, this guy will be an all-star. I guess it was a really good move to keep him this offseason. We can definitely build around Adam Jones if he is mashing like this.

Pedro Strop got his 5th hold in this game as he held the Yankees scoreless for an inning. Strop now has an ERA that sits at 1.29. This guy has been one of the best set-up men in baseball. He has been setting up for the best closer in baseball. Oriole closer Jim Johnson converted his 12th save in 12 chances last night. The closer has converted 20 straight saves dating back to last season. His ERA now sits at 0.54. If we come into the 8th with a lead, I feel pretty comfortable and that might be the biggest reason we are still in 1st place.

-Noland

Dylan Bundy Update

Top prospect Dylan Bundy continues to impress at Delmarva. The guy pitched 5 innings for the first time last night and gave up multiple hits for the first time as well.It looks like Bundy will be on his way to Frederick soon. The way this guy is pitching, he could be in Baltimore at some point next year.

On the year, Bundy has pitched 25 innings thus far. He has only given up 4 hits during that time. Bundy has also only allowed 2 runs during that time, but neither run was earned. His strikeout to walk ratio is unheard of, Bundy has 36 strikeouts and 2 walks. The guy is making hitters look ridiculous. South Atlantic League hitters are hitting .051 against Bundy.

In other Orioles news, Jason Hammel returned last night. Hammel went 5 innings, but could have been much better. The Yankees scored 5 runs against Hammel and it led to a losing effort. It is good to see Hammel back healthy, especially with the way he has been pitching, but he had his worst outing last night. We need to see Hammel pre-injury.

Rookie outfielder Xavier Avery, had his best night last night as well. Avery hit a triple and drove in his first run in the loss. The young man went 2 for 5 and scored 2 runs as well. I am a big Xavier Avery fan so I hope that he does very well here.

Let's hope tonight brings a better result for the birds.

-Noland

It Is Finally Good To Be An O's Fan

This team is just awesome. I just love to watch them right now. So much effort. Love the guys they are bringing in, especially the baby birds. Bill Hall comes up and in his first Orioles game goes yard. If you know anything about Bill Hall's track record, he is an animal on Mother's Day. Baltimore took down the Rays again tonight increasing their AL East lead to 2 games.

The Orioles had two more players get extra base hits in this game as well. My new favorite Oriole, Robert Andino, hit a double and so did Steve Tolleson. These roster moves that the Orioles have made lately have all turned to gold. This stuff is insane. The other Oriole that was a stud again was...Adam Jones. This is not really surprising as Adam Jones continues to tear the cover off of the ball. This guy needs to be an all-star starter. Absolute stud right now.

Brian Matusz solidified his role on this team with a solid performance tonight. Matusz went 5 2/3 innings and left with a 4-3 Oriole lead. He picked up the win, improving to 2-4 on the season. He appears to be in Baltimore for the time being. The biggest reason for his victory was the continued dominance by the bullpen tonight.

Luis Ayala took over for Matusz and got his third hold. Ayala pitched a scoreless inning plus and now has an ERA of 1.04. Following Ayala was the brilliant Pedro Strop. Strop got his ERA down to 1.35 while picking up his 4th hold. Finally, was the great Jim Johnson. Johnson finished off the scoreless bullpen effort with his 11th save. Great job by the Orioles pen.

To make room on the 40 man roster for Bill Hall, the Orioles designated Brad Bergesen for assignment. This would make it pretty clear that Bergesen is down the Oriole pecking order. The Orioles also need to make room for Xavier Avery on the 25 and 40 man rosters as Avery will be up for tomorrow's game. That move will not be officially announced until tomorrow, but I welcome Avery to Baltimore. I have said it makes little sense that he is not the guy up so they call up him and Bill Hall, which are both great moves. Mark Reynolds being on the DL does not bother me too much. I mean I hate to see the guy hurt, but this is a solid 25 man roster while Reimold is out. My wife and I are big Xavier Avery fans. Love having Bill Hall on board as well as I said earlier in this post. Should be a fun ride the rest of this year.

-Noland

Lots of Orioles News

The game was postponed last night. Before the postponement, Endy Chavez had sore muscles and couldn't play. It now appears Chavez is headed to the DL and Tommy Hunter is coming up for the 2nd game of the double header. The Orioles are allowed 26 players on the roster for a double header, but a player has to go on the DL for Tommy Hunter to be recalled at this time. This is because Hunter was just sent down and has not been in the minors for the required 10 days. Because they are allowed 26 players today, an additional roster move is likely coming.

Also before the rain delay, Zach Phillips was optioned. He was optioned to make room for Steve Tolleson who was coming up due to the Chavez injury. I would have gone with Xavier Avery, but I understand this move. To make room for Tolleson on the 40 man roster, the Orioles moved catcher Taylor Teagarden to the 60 day DL. This seems like another interesting move to choose Teagarden over Roberts. It must mean that Roberts is closer to playing than Teagarden. Tolleson is not really an outfielder so this again is a curious move that Tolleson was brought up. It is unclear who will play left field with the Chavez injury.

Last night, Ryan Flaherty was in the lineup as the left fielder. Of course, the game never happened, but perhaps Flaherty is the guy that Showalter will choose in the absence of Chavez and Reimold. The guy sure does give you options. We also learned that Ryan Flaherty is the emergency catcher.

Jason Hammel was also skipped yesterday due to his own injury concerns. Let's hope that it isn't anything serious, because Jason Hammel has been our best starter. Hammel likely will not make the start this time around the rotation. Which leads to the final bit of news.

We still have no idea who will start Friday. Will Hammel be ready by then? Do we call up Eveland? Bergessen? Tillman? It sure will be interesting to watch.

Here is the current active 25 man roster just so you can follow along. More moves will be coming.

OF Adam Jones

OF Nick Markakis

IF Steve Tolleson

IF Mark Reynolds

IF Nick Johnson

IF JJ Hardy

IF Robert Andino

IF Ryan Flaherty

IF Chris Davis

IF Wilson Betemit

C Matt Wieters

C Luis Exposito

P Pedro Strop

P Tommy Hunter

P Stuart Pomeranz

P Troy Patton

P Darren O'Day

P Brian Matusz

P Matt Lindstrom

P Jim Johnson

P Jason Hammel

P Kevin Gregg

P Wei Yin Chen

P Luis Ayala

P Jake Arrieta

-Noland

Anyone Looking Good @ Norfolk?

With a few Orioles struggling, the question usually goes to who do we bring up? In order to look at that we have to look at how each person is doing at Norfolk. Unfortunately, the Tides look bad and are in last place, but that doesn't mean they are all bad.

Here is a look at some of the people we may be seeing in Baltimore this year.

Xavier Avery is hitting .276 with a .364 OBP. This certainly has to be encouraging for the Orioles with Avery showing some plate discipline. The odds of seeing him this year aren't too great with the money tied into Chavez, but it is a possibility. The outfield will probably stay as is though unless Reimold moves to DH if Johnson is sent out.

Everyone else is under a .250 average other than the catchers. Not much chance of seeing any of them with those kinds of stats. The two catchers aren't likely to come up either with what we got in the system.

Ryan Adams has been especially awful hitting .179. Many fans wanted to see him as our everyday second baseman so I am thrilled Buck didn't listen to the fans. Andino is proving Buck to be right and Adams is as well.

The pitchers have been much better other than perhaps the three most important ones. Brad Bergessen is 0-1 with a 8.33 ERA. Not good for someone that thought he was back in form. And the sad thing is Bergessen hasn't been the worst one.

Tsuyoshi Wada has been awful on his rehab assignment. Wada lost his start and has a 20.25 ERA. That is not a misprint, Wada's ERA actually is 20.25. Let's hope Wada gets a lot better before he heads up north.

Chris Tillman has been slightly better than the other two, but not good. Tillman is 1-2 with a 4.73 ERA. He has been the best from that group, but he is far from the best so far in Norfolk.

Pat Neshak who didn't give up a run in spring training, still hasn't given up a run. You have got to think Neshak heads north soon. I'd replace Kevin Gregg with Neshak today.

Miguel Gonzalez has also not given up a run. Heck, Gonzalez hasn't given up a hit. He seems to be a guy that came out of nowhere. Are the Orioles really ready for an M.Gonzalez though? If it gets rid of Kevin Gregg, I say heck yes!

Who replaces Matusz if he struggles tonight? Dana Eveland and Jason Berken look like solid choices. Berken hasn't given up a run yet in 9 innings, but has not really been stretched out enough to start in the big leagues. Considering his past success, Berken might be a likely candidate to take over for Gregg as well. Eveland is 1-1 with a 2.41 ERA and seems to be the guy to be next in line if Wada isn't ready.

What about Zach Phillips? Phillips has a 2.25 ERA and is still one of the next guys in line.

Here is where I think everyone stands.
Starter who replaces someone for ineffectiveness in order. If Matusz is bad tonight he's in AAA
Eveland
Wada
Tillman
S.Johnson
Berken

Bullpen replacements, hopefully for Gregg
Neshak
Berken
Phillips
Eveland
Gonzalez

I'd expect some type of move after this road trip.

-Noland