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Playing Along With 2006 - The Orioles
Using Diamond Mind Baseball V9.0 and their annual projection disk (released 4/18/06), I will be playing the 2006 season as Sam Perlozzo reincarnate. I will be guiding the Baltimore Orioles to near certain mediocrity in a land (the AL East) where mediocrity just isn't going to cut it.
Follow along as I agonize over my lack of relief pitching, my less than stellar outfield, and my lack of anyone approaching major league quality at first base. This is...the 2006 Orioles. I will allow the computer manager to play all other teams, and I will allow the maximum number of players on my roster (DMB allows 80), so I won't need to get into the minutae of sending players up and down on the Ottawa express. I will play my best players, but only rely on how their performing for me (I won't be taking their "projected stats" into account) to make my lineup decisions. Basically, I'll be going with the Orioles opening day roster and see how things pan out from there. Join me as I introduce the 2006 Orioles from a first person point of view. |
"I know most of you guys have been here for a while. Some of you longer than others. What I'm going to talk about is the Oriole way. It's solid defense, good pitching and timely hitting. It's doing the little things. It's practicing throwing to the cut-off man. It's going over run-down plays in spring training. It's all about doing things right the first time and wanting it more than the next guy. It's taking pride in putting on a uniform that symbolizes a winning attittude. It's the Oriole way."
And with that, we broke camp and headed to Baltimore for our opening day game against thw Tampa Bay Devil Rays. So yeah, the pundits, as usual, predicted a Yankee-Red Sox race in October. The Blue Jays signed our best reliever in the offseason. But this year, I have "the man" - Leo Mazzone is going to teach my guys to throw low and away, throw quickly, and throw strikes. My starting rotation: Rodrigo Lopez Erik Bedard Kris Benson Daniel Cabrera Bruce Chen Bullpen Todd Williams Chris Ray Tim Byrdak La Troy Hawkins Sendy Rleal John Halama Jim Brower Catchers Roberto Hernandez Infield Javy Lopez Brian Roberts Miguel Tejada Melvin Mora Chris Gomez Kevin Millar Outfielders Jay Gibbons Nick Markakis Luis Matos Jeff Conine David Newhan Let's get ready for opening day! |
I write down my opening day lineup -
Roberts, 2b Mora, 3b Tejada, SS J. Lopez, DH Gibbons, RF Conine, LF Millar, 1B Hernandez, C Matos, CF R. Lopez, P vs. Scott Kazmir (0-0), LP I realize that's going to strike fear in very few ballclubs, but I figure, "what the heck?" Let's go out there and surprise some people. |
April 3rd, 2006
Sam Perlozzo checked the scoreboard. 6th inning, down 3-0. "Ok, not too bad," he thought. Sure, the offense was struggling, as predicted. But surely...even in the worst-case scenario his team would have a hit already, wouldn't they?! "Let's see....0 runs, 0 hits, 1 error. This is not good." |
Orioles Opening Day Downer
Code:
4/3/2006, Tam06-Bal06, Camden Yard |
April 5th New and Notes:
Kris Benson makes his Oriole debut, getting the nod as the starting pitcher today. Casey Fossum will start for the Devil Rays. A lefty on the mound probably means that Corey Patterson will sit, as will fan-favorite Nick Markakis. Look for Markakis to play a little outfield today in his major league debut. No major shuffling of the lineup yet, it's way too early, though I will be watching Javy and his move to DH. |
Down 1-0, in the bottom of the 7th, it took 16 innings, but Kevin Millar became the first Baltimore Oriole of 2006 to get an extra-base hit. Kris Benson has been outstanding, holding the Rays to 5 hits and 1 run through 7 in his Orioles debut. Kevin Millar is on 2nd as the tying run with nobody out...
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Orioles Rally Comes Up Short Again
For whatever reason, the Oriole formula in 2006 is to allow the opponent to get out to a lead and hope for a late-inning comeback. For the second day in a row this formula failed. It certainly wasn't Kris Benson's fault. In his Oriole debut he managed to allow only 1 run in 7 innings. No, we can look to two factors in the 4-1 loss - an anemic offense, and a defense that has a tendency to implode at the most inopportune times. Witness today's 9th inning. The O's allow the first two Devil Rays onbase via consecutive errors in the field (Brower and Mora were the culprits here), providing all the Rays would need to pad their precarious 1-0 lead. The O's would stage a meager comeback in the 9th, but again it's all for naught as the O's fail yet again, 4-1. Code:
4/5/2006, Tam06-Bal06, Camden Yard |
News and Notes - April 6, 2006
The O's meet the Rays in the final game of their 3 games series today. Erik Bedard will get the start for the Orioles, he will face lefty Mark Hendrickson. Another lefty means yet another day for rookie Nick Markakis to sit on the bench. Melvin Mora and Javy Lopez are a combined 0 for 17 with 7 strikeouts in 2006. Despite facing a lefty, Corey Patterson will make his first start tonight batting in the 9th position. |
Oriole Bats Finally Awaken
It took 3 games, but the Oriole bats finally broke through the Devil Rays pitching staff, tallying 7 runs in a 7-5 victory at Camden Yards. The Orioles doubled their hit output for the season, stroking 13 hits, including four for extra bases. Jeff Conine was 3 for 4 with a double, triple and 2 RBIs, while Ramon Hernandez chipped in 3 hits of his own. Erik Bedard became the Orioles' first winning pitcher of the year, pitching 7 strong innings, allowing 4 runs, but only 2 earned. Nick Markakis makde his major league debut in leftfield in the 9th inning as a defensive replacement, while Chris Ray earned his first save as a major leaguer pitching a 1-2-3 ninth. "It felt good to get one in the win column. Now we just have to continue to do the little things to expand upon this one win," said manager Sam Perlozzo. Code:
4/6/2006, Tam06-Bal06, Camden Yard |
News and Notes
Daniel Cabrera faces Matt Clement in the first game of the series with the Red Sox. Look for Nick Markakis to come off the bench, as both Jay Gibbons and Jeff Conine have been hitting for the O's. Mora scored a run and had an RBI, despite going hitless in his 3rd consecutive game. The possibility of Chris Gomez spot starting for him increases as each game goes by. Melvin says his contract situation isn't effecting him, but an 0 for 12 start in the 2006 season speaks volumes. Perlozzo was impressed with Patterson's first start as an Oriole, "He only had the one hit, but he hit the ball hard a number of times." The Red Sox come to town with a 2-1 record, but only a .243 team batting average. Of course, the Orioles are only hitting .250, with 0 homeruns. |
Bosox Rock Orioles, 13-1
Red Sox Nation was joyous yesterday, as they came to town and witnessed a 13-1 drubbing at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Matt Clement was masterful, pitching 7 innings of shutout ball to get his first win of the year. Daniel Cabrera struggled the entire day, allowing 8 hits and 6 runs in only 2 and 2/3rds innings of work. Jason Varitek and Coco Crisp slugged homeruns for the visitors, while the home team played another game without hitting one of their own. "I'm not worried," said Sam Perlozzo when asked about the power outtage. "We have a lot of things that we need to improve upon other than just hitting homeruns." They they do. The top 3 batters in the lineup (Roberts, Mora and Tejada) struggled again, going a combined 1 for 10. Melvin Mora is really pressing, as he has 0 hits in 16 atbats with 7 strikeouts. "I've been in slumps before. All I need is a few more atbats to work out of it," said Mora. "We're doing a lot of things wrong. The good thing about baseball is you're never as good or as bad as you look, and you always have the next day to make up for today's shortcomings." The Orioles have scored an American League low 12 runs in their first 4 games. Code:
4/7/2006, Bos06-Bal06, Camden Yard |
Baltimore Sun Article - Outfielders Struggle For Atbats
As predicted before the season began, Sam Perlozzo's outfield has too many players and too few atbats to spread between them. It's only a matter of time before someone on the roster becomes impatient with a lack of playing time. A 1-3 start to the season may exacerbate the situation. "Certainly, we've struggled at times," said Perlozzo. "But the guys need to be patient and know that I'm going to go with the hot bat. Everyone's going to get their chance." Their chances may be few and far between. David Newhan, Luis Matos and Nick Markakis seem to be the odd men out in this situation. Of the 43 atbats by Orioles outfielders this year, 35 have been taken by Conine, Gibbons and Patterson. "We all need our atbats in order to stay fresh. So far it hasn't been a problem. I'm hoping we all have the opportunity to stay at the top of our game," said Newhan. Notes: The Orioles are currently 12th in the AL in ERA at 5.50 and 11th in fielding with a .970 fielding percentage. The Oakland A's and LA Angels are the only undefeated American League teams with records of 5-0 and 4-0, respectively. |
Manager's Notes
Game 2 of the three game series against the Red Sox will start in about half an hour. David Wells makes his first start of the year for the Sox while the Orioles send Bruce Chen to the mound. I thought about calling on Rodrigo Lopez as he's well rested, but I thought I let Chen get the shot today. We're going to need all 5 starters all year, it's best to make everyone feel just as important as the next guy. Definite starters today are Gibbons, Conine, Lopez and Patterson. Patterson has 3 hits in his two starts, and he's definitely earned it - I'll probably move him up from the #9 spot as well. I'm also thinking about giving Melvin Mora the day off. It would be nice to score some runs today. |
We take a 1-0 lead into the third. Chen had a shaky 1st, but a better 2nd. We scored in the first after Tejada doubled Chris Gomez (starting in place of Mora) to third. The next batter, Jay Gibbons, hit a weak grounder to first for the RBI. In the second inning, Jeff Conine pulled a muscle running to first - he's listed as day-to-day. David Newhan will replace him in LF.
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Orioles Win a Tight One, 2-1
Bruce Chen, LaTroy Hawkins and Chris Ray combined to shutdown the potent Red Sox offense, and Brian Roberts hit an RBI triple in the bottom of the 8th to key Baltimore's 2-1 victory over the visiting Boston Red Sox. Code:
4/8/2006, Bos06-Bal06, Camden Yard |
Author's Aside:
Man, what a great game! A game like this really brings out what makes Diamond Mind Baseball such an awesome simulation. The ability, in key situations, to go into pitch-by-pitch mode really brings out the tension of a great baseball game. Some keys from the game: In the top of the 4th, we're leading 1-0. Men on first and third with one out. Varitek hits a groundball to Gomez who attempts the double play, but Varitek JUST beats it out, scoring Ortiz from third. Game tied 1-1. Bottom of the 6th, tied 1-1. Hernandez and Roberts lead off with cheap singles, making it first and second with nobody out. I abhor the sacrifice, but with Chris Gomez at the plate, I take the chance. On a 2-1 pitch (he whiffed on the last pitch), he bunts to Youkilis and is successful. 2nd and 3rd, one out with Tejada and Gibbons coming up. Tejada takes the first two pitches for balls, fouls off the next two and then POPS up to third. ARGH. Gibbons follows up with a CALLED third strike on a 3-2 pitch. Take the BAT off your shoulder, jerk! After 7 strong innings, I bring in LaTroy Hawkins. He K's Gonzalez to start the 8th. Next up is Coco Crisp - he has been destroying me in the series (3 for 8 at that point). Of COURSE Crisp lines a single to center. Mark Loretta comes up, and I know Crisp is going to attempt to steal. For some reason, Loretta swings on the first pitch and pops out to left - phew! Two outs, but up comes David Ortiz, who has two hits already. I know Crisp is dancing off of second...so i begin the atbat by throwing over to first. He's back in time. First pitch from Hawkins - a ball. Second pitch from Hawkins - a ball. Sigh. I throw to first to keep Crisp honest. Next pitch - a ball. Son of a...can you get the ball OVER, Hawkins!? 3-0 count, they're probably not going to run Crisp now as Ortiz is setting himself up for a walk. Knowing that Ortiz can kill me with one swing of the bat, I think about pitching around him. Ah, who cares...I tell Hawkins to throw strikes - the 3-0 pitch is fouled off. 3-1 the count. The 3-1 pitch - CALLED strike on the outside black of the plate! Nice placement! I throw to 1st since I know Crisp will be trying to get a good jump on the 3-2 pitch with two outs - Crisp gets back in time. The 3-2 pitch.....fouled off into the stands. Again I throw to first. The 3-2 pitch again....SWING and a MISS! A K for Hawkins after being down 3-0 in the count! Bottom of the 8th: Corey Patterson leads off and lines one right down the right field line. I'm thinking, "Hey! That's his third consecutive game with a hit!" However, Corey wants to show his manager how aggressive he is by stretching the hit into a double - OUT at second! Super, Corey. Great job. Hernandez follows with a ground ball through the hole on the left side, and I'm thinking, "Way to go, Patterson, you moron!". Instead of first and second, nobody out, we have man on first and one out. Brian Roberts is next, and he just hasn't hit the ball hard at all thus far. Roberts hits a ball deep to center the falls beyond Crisp's glove, Hernandez SCORES from first, and Roberts tries for the inside-the-park homerun (!) but he's out at the plate! Geez, both outs this inning have been on the bases! However, we're FINALLY getting to David Wells, who was looking like Cy Young through seven innings. Chris Gomez lines out to Gonzalez for the final out of the inning. Top of the 9th - I bring in Chris Ray to hopefully close the game against Manny, Willy Mo Pena and Jason Varitek. Ray gets Ramirez to K on a check-swing 3-2 pitch - phew. Trot Nixon pinch hits for Pena and singles, just out of the reach of Brian Roberts' glove. Uh oh. Harris pinch runs for Nixon and steals second, despite my incessant pick off attempts. By this time, Ray has thrown 16 pitches, along with two pickoff attempts. I'm wondering how many pitches he has left, 10? On a 2-2 pitch, Ray gets Varitek to swing and miss for the second out. Still, Kevin Youkilis is up with the tying run at second. On a 1-0 pitch, Youkilis pops out to center, Ray has his second save in as many chances, and I have a thoroughly satisfying 2-1 victory. :) |
Standings to Date:
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Manager's Notes:
Last game of the series vs. the Red Sox today. Curt Schilling (0-0, 2.16) vs. Rodrigo Lopez (0-1, 4.91). Nick Markakis will start in leftfield for us in Jeff Conine's absence. I'll have Melvin Mora back in the lineup as well. I want to give Javy Lopez a shot at firstbase today (oh, that should be fun) and maybe call on Newhan to DH. After this, we head to Tampa for a 4 game set against the Devil Rays. |
Son of a bitch - the Red Sox surprised us by pitching lefthander Lenny DiNardo instead of Schilling...I'll have to see how that effects our lineup.
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Well, we made the kid look good, while R. Lopez had another solidly mediocre outing. Melvin Mora got his first hit of the year (yay), but also struck out in the bottom of the 9th with the bases loaded (boo). Nick Markakis got his first major league hit, a blooper in the 9th inning. The Red Sox hit 3 homeruns against us while we still have yet to hit ANY in 2006. Very disappointing loss - hopefully we can right the ship down in Tampa Bay.
Code:
4/9/2006, Bos06-Bal06, Camden Yard |
End of Week 1 Statistics
DMB team batting -- 2006 Baltimore
Regular season -- as of 4/9/2006
DMB team pitching -- 2006 Baltimore Regular season -- as of 4/9/2006
League Standings DMB league standings -- Inter-league Regular season
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Baltimore (2-4) at Tampa Bay (3-3)
Benson (0-1, 1.29) vs. Fossum (1-0, 1.09) Good grief, another lefty! Hopefully Mora got off the schneid yesterday with his first hit of the year. I gave Newhan a shot in the OF, but he pulled an 0-fer, so I'll probably give Markakis a shot to see what he can do. I want to give Roberts some rest, but I don't feel this is a good game to do so after he broke out yesterday. Gibbons is 0 for his last 6, I'll give him a rest today against the lefty. On the pitching front, I want to get Sendy Rleal out there as he may be moving up into one of my "set-up with the lead or tied" type of roles. Currently, Todd Williams resides in that role, but has been less than impressive his two times out there (although not as bad his last time out). |
Nothing-Nothing in the bottom of the third, and that's when Kris Benson implodes - sigh. Burroughs leads off with a single up the middle (that hits off Tejada's glove). Toby Hall is the next batter, and he hits a blazing ground ball down to third. Mora dives for it, stops it and throws to second, but Burroughs beats it out. Sometimes rallies start with lame beginnings, just like this. Benson loses it - double - double - ground out - double, and we're down by 4. 4-0 at the end of three. Argh.
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Ok, we're down 4-0 at the end of 4 and a half, but that's ok, I'm fairly confident our offense can comeback since we've already put up exactly ONE INFIELD HIT thus far. Man, this offense stinks.
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Orioles Go Meekly Into That Good Night
Yet another poor game. Benson has the one bad inning, and that's more than enough against this offense. 7th game in a row with 0 homeruns. I think we need more protein in our diet. Code:
4/10/2006, Bal06-Tam06, Tropicana Field |
American League Leaders thru April 10th
DMB batting leaders -- A Regular season -- as of 4/10/2006
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Baltimore (2-5) at Tampa Bay (4-3)
Bedard 1-0, 2.57 vs. Hendrickson 0-1, 16.88 Hendrickson is a guy we actually scored a few runs off of earlier in the year. At this point, I'm not looking to give guys rest because they need it - I'm looking for offense, wherever I can get it. Gomez will be starting as my DH, instead of Javy Lopez, who gets to rest his .167 batting average. I put Patterson in the 2nd spot because he's gotten a hit in every game I started him. I drop Melvin Mora to 7th to hopefully take some pressure off. |
In the top of the 3rd, Corey Patterson hits Baltimore's FIRST homerun of the year to spot us a 1-0 lead. Hurray, THAT drought is over!
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Wow. Yet another awful game. Bedard pitches a beauty, the bullpen implodes and Aubrey Huff takes us deep twice - his third homerun against us. HRs in Oriole Games this Year: Huff 3, the Orioles 1. Sigh. Hey, at least we put together 12 hits this game and only 11 men LOB! woohoo!
Code:
4/11/2006, Bal06-Tam06, Tropicana Field |
Other Games of the Day:
Code:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP |
Game 3 of the 4 game series against Tampa Bay
Cabrera 0-1, 20.25 vs. McClung 0-0, 23.14 Cabrera gets an opportunity to show his first game was a fluke. He, along with Bedard, are my two favorite pitchers on the team. We finally get to face a right-handed pitcher, so I can fatten up with my left-laden lineup. Of course, Conine is back from his injury, but I think I'll let him rest an extra day and start Newhan, Markakis and Gibbons in the outfield. After yet another 0-fer, I'll rest Roberts and replace him with Gomez. |
At the last moment, I decide to start Patterson at center again (how can I keep him out of the lineup), and put Conine in at first base. Markakis will have to sit today, with Patterson hitting the ball so well.
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Orioles Bats Awaken to Thrash Devil Rays, 15-1
To score runs, we struggle, struggle, struggle....and then, WHAM! Patterson continues hit hot ways (2 HRs), Gibbons hits his first, as does Tejada. Go figure. Code:
4/12/2006, Bal06-Tam06, Tropicana Field |
Other Scores of Interest
Code:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DPWith the Red Sox loss, the Blue Jays are now in 1st place at 5-3. |
Game 4: Baltimore (3-6) at Tampa Bay (5-4)
Chen 0-0, 1.29 vs. Waechter 1-0, 1.29 After yesterday, we're feeling pretty good for ourselves. Despite scoring 15 runs, we're looking to go back to a more normal looking lineup. Patterson will remain in the 2-spot for me until he falters. He still strikes out too much, but the guy has been red-hot (7-game hitting streak) and has certainly earned the starting job. Brian Roberts will be back at leadoff. I really like Gibbons in the 4-hole against righties - he will remain there. Markakis continues to hit well in very limited duty. I might push him about Newhan as far as preferences. |
Again, the bats are in overdrive, and we pick up our second win in a row!
Code:
4/13/2006, Bal06-Tam06, Tropicana Field |
DMB league standings -- A
Regular season
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nice read
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Thank you! I was beginning to think this dynasty was destined to have the worst view to post ratio of all time! :)
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We're back home to face the Los Angelese Angels of Anaheim (whatever). They're currently 4-5 and losers of 5 in a row, so you're know they're destined to bust it wide open on us.
The king of mediocrity (thus far) Rodrigo Lopez will get the first start for us. We'll be going against Jeff Weaver. I like when we face righthanders - I think our offense is a lot more potent from the left-hand side of the plate. Perhaps that's why we struggled offensively so far this season - because of the lefties we face? Hmm....never thought about it that way. Everyone who started last game plays again, except I'll rotate Markakis out and Newhan in. That will probably miff Javy Lopez, who was "resting" last game. Melvin Mora is 7 for his last 17 - after thinking about moving him up, I think I rather like him in the 6-7 hole. Besides, Patterson still has a hit in every game for me. He still strikes out a lot, but until he goes hitless a day, he'll remain in the #2 spot. Los Angeles Angels (4-5) at Baltimore (4-6) Weaver (0-1, 23.14) vs. R, Lopez (0-2, 5.02) |
Let's see....Patterson gets a hit for the 9th game in a row. Darrin Erstad gets a hit for his own nifty little 10 game hit streak.
Rodrigo Lopez was cruising along with a 3-1 lead in the top of the 7th. He retires the first two batters, then begins to tire and walks two in a row. I bring in the lefty, Tim Byrdak, to go against Erstad. Of course, the computer outmanages me and brings in Molina who lines a double to deep left field (where I have David Newhan and his weak arm playing). That clears the bases and ties the game, 3-3. I have enough of Byrdak, and Sendy Rleal comes in to stop the damage. In the bottom of the 7th, Newhan makes up for his weak arm and hits his first homerun of the year to give us a 4-3 lead. Rleal pitches the 8th (I contemplated bringing Hawkins in, but thought Rleal was pitching well), and Ray pitches another 1-2-3 9th inning for his 3rd save. Our 3rd victory in a row! Code:
4/14/2006, LAA06-Bal06, Camden YardOther Games of Note: Code:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP |
Back for game 2 of the 4 game series against that team from California.
Angels (4-6) at Baltimore (5-6, 4th place, 2.5 games behind Toronto) Colon (1-1, 4.38) vs. Benson (0-2, 3.38) Benson hasn't been bad at all, it's too bad our offense has failed for him. I pretty much will be going with the same lineup as yesterday, except I'll sit Millar down and replace him with Javy Lopez. I just can't justify Lopez not being in the lineup for the 3rd day in a row - he'd probably sic his agent on me :). Patterson, obviously, has won the centerfield starting job and carries a 9 game batting streak. So far, Joe DiMaggio seems unfazed. |
Orioles Lose in Extra Innings to Angels, 6-4
This was definitely a war of attrition. Too many little mistakes here and there. I've noticed that Corey Patterson has a tendency to drop catches in the outfield. They're not errors, per se, but I think they are balls he should catch. Chone Figgins led off the game with one of these. Patterson is definitely a liability in the field. We just made a lot of bonehead plays today - two guys get picked off, 3 errors. Tejada hit a homerun in the bottom of the 8th to tie it - that was a bright spot. The relievers pitched great, except for Halama. Oh, and Javy Lopez hit a two-run shot for his first homer of the year - he earned himself some playing time with that one. Corey Patterson's hitting streak ends, while Darin Erstad's is extended to 11 games. Code:
4/15/2006, LAA06-Bal06, Camden Yard |
Other Games in the AL East
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP |
DMB league standings -- A
Regular season
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Game 3 of 4
Anaheim (5-6) at Baltimore (5-7, 2.5 GB Toronto) Lackey (0-0, 8.31) vs. Bedard (1-0, 2.08) Pretty much the same lineup again for us. Brian Roberts is in a killer slump right now, but there's not much I can do to get him out of it. Lopez gets another start after his first homer of the year. It's a toss-up between Newhan and Markakis in LF. I might give Hernandez a day off at catcher. |
Orioles Trounce Angels, 7-1
Another great game by Bedard, and an offense that has completely come alive. Mora has raised his average to .250 with a 7-game hitting streak. I may have to move him up further in the lineup, but I love him in that 6-7 slot. Roberts had two hits....hopefully he's breaking out of his 7 for 50 slump. This game was so good, even Jim Brower was effective in picking up his first save of the year. Code:
4/16/2006, LAA06-Bal06, Camden Yard |
Standings Through Sunday, April 16th
DMB league standings -- Inter-league Regular season
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Hitting and Pitching Statistics Through April 16th
DMB team batting -- 2006 Baltimore
Regular season -- as of 4/16/2006
DMB team pitching -- 2006 Baltimore Regular season -- as of 4/16/2006
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Game 4 of 4
LA Angels (5-7) at Baltimore (6-7, 2.5 games behind Toronto) Escobar (1-0, 4.26) vs. Cabrera (1-1, 6.52) Everyone hit well last game, but I'm going to need to make a couple changes. Lopez moves back to DH, Patterson to CF. Ramon Hernandez is back behind the plate, while I give Conine the day off so Millar can get back in the lineup again. Hopefully Cabrera can capitalize on his fine performance 4 days ago. |
O's Lose a Heartbreaker, 4-3
Cabrera pitches a gem, but finally runs out of gas in the top of the 7th, giving up back to back 4-pitch walks and a run-scoring single. Tim Byrdak and LaTroy Hawkins come in to slam the door, only to see Chris Ray blow his first save. With Melvin Mora on at first with 2-out in the bottom of the 9th, Ramon Hernandez sends one deep to the warning track in left field, but it's caught by Garrett Anderson to end the game. Darrin Erstad's 12 game hitting streak is over, but Jay Gibbons has a six-game string of his own. Code:
4/17/2006, LAA06-Bal06, Camden Yard |
Cleveland in town for a 3-game series...
Cleveland (8-5) at Baltimore (6-8, 3 games behind Toronto) The hitters continue to hit, while the guys who have underperformed from day one (Roberts, Mora, Javy Lopez) went 0-fer last game. Because of this, I decide to sit both Roberts and Lopez and replace them with Gomez and Conine. Not sure what else to do. Toronto (Byrd 2-0, 2.81) at Baltimore (Chen 1-0, 3.21) |
Markakis' Slam Keys 7-run 4th Inning Leading O's to Victory
The O's saved it all for the 4th inning last night, and it was more than enough to lead them to victory over the Cleveland Indians. Bruce Chen allowed a single run before tiring in the 7th inning, handing over to a bullpen who held itself together for the victory. The highlight of the game, however, was Nick Markakis' first major league homerun, a grand slam that gave the Orioles a 6-0 lead. Ramon Hernandez followed with his first homerun as an Oriole allowing the Birds to cruise to the 7-2 victory. Asked about his first homerun, Markakis said, "Oh man, I'm just happy I'm able to contribute! We got a great bunch of guys here and I'm learning everyday. It's been fun so far. I'm hoping we have a lot more fun this year." Code:
4/18/2006, Cle06-Bal06, Camden Yard |
Other AL East Games
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DPNote: In the Boston game, David Ortiz had TWO three-run homers in the first inning! Not a bad way to start the night! The Red Sox had already batted around and led 6-0 before making their first out! Code:
Tampa Bay INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERAOuch! |
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