Kevin Millwood pitched seven scoreless innings, and Felix Pie tripled in two runs in the seventh to give the Orioles a 2-0 win over the Rays. With the win and only four games remaining in the season, the O's will avoid 100 losses -- a somewhat impressive achievement considering how bad the team was until Buck Showalter took over as manager.
But back to the game, which was a pitchers' duel between Millwood and Jeff Niemann. Niemann (three strikeouts, one walk) was very good, allowing two runs in seven innings, but Millwood (seven strikeouts, three walks) was better. Millwood also gave up just two hits -- both singles -- and handed the ball off to the O's bullpen, which closed out the game. The win improved Millwood's record to 4-16 and lowered his ERA to 5.10. Still, in his final start with the Orioles, Millwood was extremely effective.
The O's put together six hits and drew just one walk. And not only was Pie's hit the game's deciding factor, but it was also the only extra-base hit for either team.
Jim Johnson, who first relieved Millwood in the eighth, pitched a scoreless inning, as did Koji Uehara, who also struck out two batters en route to his 11th save.
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As stated above, the O's will avoid losing 100 games, but at 63-95, they still have something to play for when they return home for four games against the Tigers to close out the season. With two more wins, the O's can improve upon last season's 64-98 record. That may not be particularly noteworthy, but it's worth mentioning that the O's have avoided an even more disastrous season with a very strong showing in the last two-plus months.
Showing posts with label Kevin Millwood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kevin Millwood. Show all posts
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Tillman sent down again; more roster moves coming
After a subpar performance last night, the Orioles decided to send Chris Tillman back to Triple-A Norfolk. According to O's manager Juan Samuel, the move doesn't mean a whole lot:
First off, I don't really have a problem with the decision. The O's need to get Millwood back on the roster to make a few starts since they would obviously love to trade him and get something of value in return. That will only be possible if he's able to pitch well and stay healthy, so we'll see how that goes. Second, the front office's hands are really tied at this point with Michael Gonzalez, Brian Roberts, and Matt Wieters all expected to join the team within the next week or so. That's a lot of roster moves and decisions to make in such a short period of time.
With Luke Scott taking Frank Mata's roster spot and Millwood taking Tillman's, (at least) three more choices will need to be made. Barring possible trades or injuries, here are a few options: 1) demote Josh Bell to Norfolk; 2) release Julio Lugo; or 3) designate Matt Albers for assignment (I believe he's out of options). I guess the O's could also release Jake Fox or demote Brad Bergesen, though that would probably mean that Tillman would be promoted.
In the long run, these roster moves won't mean a whole lot. But even really bad teams have to make difficult personnel decisions.
"We figured Tillman is not going to pitch again for five days, so why not do it now and get him on his way," interim manager Juan Samuel said. "That's the decision we made instead of waiting until" Wednesday.With Kevin Millwood scheduled to be activated from the disabled list tomorrow and slated to start against the Twins on Thursday, the O's needed Tillman's roster spot to make the move.
First off, I don't really have a problem with the decision. The O's need to get Millwood back on the roster to make a few starts since they would obviously love to trade him and get something of value in return. That will only be possible if he's able to pitch well and stay healthy, so we'll see how that goes. Second, the front office's hands are really tied at this point with Michael Gonzalez, Brian Roberts, and Matt Wieters all expected to join the team within the next week or so. That's a lot of roster moves and decisions to make in such a short period of time.
With Luke Scott taking Frank Mata's roster spot and Millwood taking Tillman's, (at least) three more choices will need to be made. Barring possible trades or injuries, here are a few options: 1) demote Josh Bell to Norfolk; 2) release Julio Lugo; or 3) designate Matt Albers for assignment (I believe he's out of options). I guess the O's could also release Jake Fox or demote Brad Bergesen, though that would probably mean that Tillman would be promoted.
In the long run, these roster moves won't mean a whole lot. But even really bad teams have to make difficult personnel decisions.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
A great night to be a Wizards/O's fan
It's not huge admission to point out that being a fan of the Wizards and the Orioles (and the Redskins too, for that matter) hasn't been a rather pleasant experience lately. The Wizards finished 26-56 last season and had a drama-filled year that included 1) Gilbert Arenas and the locker room gun situation; 2) the departure of Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison, Brendan Haywood, and DeShawn Stevenson; 3) the death of Abe Pollin; and 4) the battle between Flip Saunders and Andray Blatche, just to name a few. And, as for the Orioles, they appear to be headed in the right direction because of some of the pieces they possess in both the major and minor leagues, but right now they're 13-27 and have struggled to put runs on the board.
As I'm sure you've heard by now, the Wizards won the NBA Draft Lottery last night despite holding just a 10.3 percent chance to do so. (Check out this chart for a more visual display of the Wizards' chances.) As the lottery was playing out and it was revealed that the Wizards would have a top three pick, it was pretty exciting. Still, I fully believed that the Wiz were going to end up with the No. 3 pick in a draft with two no-doubters: John Wall and Evan Turner. But, again, that didn't happen, and somehow the Wizards ended up with the No. 1 overall pick.
Here were some of my immediate thoughts when this happened:
Wow, indeed.
As for the Orioles, they obviously didn't have an achievement on par with what the Wizards could boast, but they did turn another apparent so-so performance into an exciting one with some late-game heroics. Facing Zack Greinke, the defending Cy Young award winner, and down 3-1 in the seventh, Luke Scott hit his second home run of the game to cut the lead to 3-2. Then, in the eighth, Corey Patterson homered to tie the game (though that shot came off of Blake Wood, not Greinke).
Meanwhile, Kevin Millwood pitched eight innings, giving up just three runs, striking out seven, and amassing 120 pitches -- the most he's thrown this season. Millwood's workhorse-like outing kept the O's in the game and eventually allowed them to push the game into extra innings, when they scored on a bases-loaded single by Nick Markakis in the 10th.
It's rare enough for two of my teams to win on the same night. But it's absolutely crazy that the Wizards won the draft lottery and that the O's pulled off an exciting 10th inning comeback victory all in the span of a few hours. And, as you might imagine, it was pretty cool.
As I'm sure you've heard by now, the Wizards won the NBA Draft Lottery last night despite holding just a 10.3 percent chance to do so. (Check out this chart for a more visual display of the Wizards' chances.) As the lottery was playing out and it was revealed that the Wizards would have a top three pick, it was pretty exciting. Still, I fully believed that the Wiz were going to end up with the No. 3 pick in a draft with two no-doubters: John Wall and Evan Turner. But, again, that didn't happen, and somehow the Wizards ended up with the No. 1 overall pick.
Here were some of my immediate thoughts when this happened:
- DAGGER!!!!!!
- John Wall or Evan Turner? (I say Wall.)
- A Wall-Arenas backcourt would be thrilling to watch, but could it work?
- Kwame Brown.
- Wow, I like Ted Leonsis already.
- The Wizards wouldn't trade the pick, would they? (No!)
"President Obama can be at your games," said Wall, as he stood outside on [agent Dan] Fegan's patio. "I'll keep working hard and hopefully they'll pick me."
Fegan said he just wanted for Wall to get a "good opportunity. This is a big market with a good opportunity. I've been in situations where we wonder what the teams are going to do. This one is 'wow.'"
Wow, indeed.
As for the Orioles, they obviously didn't have an achievement on par with what the Wizards could boast, but they did turn another apparent so-so performance into an exciting one with some late-game heroics. Facing Zack Greinke, the defending Cy Young award winner, and down 3-1 in the seventh, Luke Scott hit his second home run of the game to cut the lead to 3-2. Then, in the eighth, Corey Patterson homered to tie the game (though that shot came off of Blake Wood, not Greinke).
Meanwhile, Kevin Millwood pitched eight innings, giving up just three runs, striking out seven, and amassing 120 pitches -- the most he's thrown this season. Millwood's workhorse-like outing kept the O's in the game and eventually allowed them to push the game into extra innings, when they scored on a bases-loaded single by Nick Markakis in the 10th.
It's rare enough for two of my teams to win on the same night. But it's absolutely crazy that the Wizards won the draft lottery and that the O's pulled off an exciting 10th inning comeback victory all in the span of a few hours. And, as you might imagine, it was pretty cool.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Rays rally past O's in the ninth on Opening Day
Well, that felt a little too familiar. Clinging to a 3-2 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth, the Orioles handed the ball to new closer Mike Gonzalez with the bottom of the Rays' lineup coming to bat. Gonzalez got off to a good start by striking out Pat Burrell but then allowed the next four batters to reach base -- Sean Rodriguez singled, pinch-hitter Kelly Shoppach doubled (and missed a home run by a few feet), Jason Bartlett was intentionally walked, and Carl Crawford, with the bases loaded, doubled to right field, knocking in two runs to give the Rays a dramatic 4-3 win over the Orioles on Opening Day.
Now, it would be easy to simply blame Gonzalez for the loss since he's the one who gave up the lead. But the Orioles missed a handful of opportunities throughout the game to extend the lead and put the game away for good. The Orioles did this a lot last year, and it came back to hurt them many times. Good teams tack on runs and take advantage of scoring chances.
Sure, it was the first game, but the O's left 10 runners on base and were 1-12 with runners in scoring position. Brian Roberts and Miguel Tejada, who each went 0-5, were both 0-3 with runners in scoring position. The two best chances for the O's to add some runs occurred in the top of the fourth and the top of the ninth.
In the fourth, after Luke Scott led off the inning with a towering home run to right center to put the O's up 2-0, Matt Wieters singled and Felix Pie doubled, putting runners on second and third with no outs. Then Garrett Atkins popped up to second, Cesar Izturis grounded out to first, and Brian Roberts lined out to center field. Neither Atkins nor Izturis were able to hit a fly ball or a ground ball up the middle, and Wieters and Pie were stranded.
Leading 3-2 in the ninth, the Orioles failed to capitalize on another rally attempt. Atkins led off the inning with a double. Up next, Izturis, trying to move Atkins to third with a sacrifice bunt, managed to reach first somehow by hustling down the line (First base coach John Shelby was rather pleased with Izturis on the play). Unfortunately, Atkins was thrown out at home after Roberts hit a grounder to third. After an Adam Jones ground out and a Nick Markakis walk to load the bases, Tejada worked a full count before lining out to left field. To be fair, it would be pretty difficult for anyone to hit the ball harder than Tejada did, but the ball was still caught. So not only did the Orioles fail to score to extend the lead, but they let Rays closer Rafael Soriano, who never really looked comfortable during the inning, off the hook.
But besides the loss (obviously the most important thing), things weren't all bad for the O's. They actually looked pretty good for it being Opening Day, when many teams look sloppy. The O's didn't commit an error and didn't look bad in the field. Markakis threw out a runner at home, picking up right where he left off from last season in terms of outfield assists. Tejada had a few chances at third -- and not all of them looked rather easy for him -- but he still made the plays. On offense, the O's had 11 hits, and all three of their runs came on solo homers by Jones, Scott, and Wieters. Jones had three hits, Markakis had a hit and two walks, and Wieters and Izturis collected two hits apiece.
Kevin Millwood gave up two runs and nine hits in five innings and looked pretty sharp until he started the sixth inning, when he allowed a leadoff home run to Evan Longoria and two singles to Carlos Pena and B.J. Upton. Matt Albers relieved Millwood and did a fantastic job, getting Burrell to ground into a double play and then striking out Rodriguez. Albers, Will Ohman, and Jim Johnson combined for three scoreless innings, but their solid work was erased by Gonzalez's unfortunate ninth inning.
On most nights, a similar performance by the O's will be good enough to win. But the offense has to tack on runs when given the chance. Gonzalez is a decent closing option, but it's hard to be 100 percent confident in any closer with just a one run lead.
Now, it would be easy to simply blame Gonzalez for the loss since he's the one who gave up the lead. But the Orioles missed a handful of opportunities throughout the game to extend the lead and put the game away for good. The Orioles did this a lot last year, and it came back to hurt them many times. Good teams tack on runs and take advantage of scoring chances.
Sure, it was the first game, but the O's left 10 runners on base and were 1-12 with runners in scoring position. Brian Roberts and Miguel Tejada, who each went 0-5, were both 0-3 with runners in scoring position. The two best chances for the O's to add some runs occurred in the top of the fourth and the top of the ninth.
In the fourth, after Luke Scott led off the inning with a towering home run to right center to put the O's up 2-0, Matt Wieters singled and Felix Pie doubled, putting runners on second and third with no outs. Then Garrett Atkins popped up to second, Cesar Izturis grounded out to first, and Brian Roberts lined out to center field. Neither Atkins nor Izturis were able to hit a fly ball or a ground ball up the middle, and Wieters and Pie were stranded.
Leading 3-2 in the ninth, the Orioles failed to capitalize on another rally attempt. Atkins led off the inning with a double. Up next, Izturis, trying to move Atkins to third with a sacrifice bunt, managed to reach first somehow by hustling down the line (First base coach John Shelby was rather pleased with Izturis on the play). Unfortunately, Atkins was thrown out at home after Roberts hit a grounder to third. After an Adam Jones ground out and a Nick Markakis walk to load the bases, Tejada worked a full count before lining out to left field. To be fair, it would be pretty difficult for anyone to hit the ball harder than Tejada did, but the ball was still caught. So not only did the Orioles fail to score to extend the lead, but they let Rays closer Rafael Soriano, who never really looked comfortable during the inning, off the hook.
But besides the loss (obviously the most important thing), things weren't all bad for the O's. They actually looked pretty good for it being Opening Day, when many teams look sloppy. The O's didn't commit an error and didn't look bad in the field. Markakis threw out a runner at home, picking up right where he left off from last season in terms of outfield assists. Tejada had a few chances at third -- and not all of them looked rather easy for him -- but he still made the plays. On offense, the O's had 11 hits, and all three of their runs came on solo homers by Jones, Scott, and Wieters. Jones had three hits, Markakis had a hit and two walks, and Wieters and Izturis collected two hits apiece.
Kevin Millwood gave up two runs and nine hits in five innings and looked pretty sharp until he started the sixth inning, when he allowed a leadoff home run to Evan Longoria and two singles to Carlos Pena and B.J. Upton. Matt Albers relieved Millwood and did a fantastic job, getting Burrell to ground into a double play and then striking out Rodriguez. Albers, Will Ohman, and Jim Johnson combined for three scoreless innings, but their solid work was erased by Gonzalez's unfortunate ninth inning.
On most nights, a similar performance by the O's will be good enough to win. But the offense has to tack on runs when given the chance. Gonzalez is a decent closing option, but it's hard to be 100 percent confident in any closer with just a one run lead.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Millwood trade reactions
In their first major move of the offseason, the Orioles traded for veteran starter Kevin Millwood. The Orioles sent Chris Ray and a player to be named later to the Rangers in exchange for Millwood and $3 million. Millwood will probably be the Orioles' opening day starter in front of Jeremy Guthrie.
So is the trade a good one or a bad one? Personally, I don't have a problem with the deal for the Orioles. The's O's needed a veteran starter to pitch alongside Guthrie to help protect some of the younger starters from pitching too many innings. Millwood may not have been the best pitcher the O's could have brought in, but he has pitched at least 168 innings in each season in the last five years, so that should help a relatively young rotation. A higher risk-or-reward guy, like Rich Harden or Ben Sheets, may have made more since if the Orioles were on the verge of competing, but they're not quite there yet.
The Orioles have to pay Millwood $12 million ($9 million when you factor in the cash from the Rangers), but he's also a free agent after this season, so there's no long-term commitment for the O's.
Still it hurts a little to lose Ray, who figures to have a better season two years removed from Tommy John surgery.
Here are some reactions to the trade:
So is the trade a good one or a bad one? Personally, I don't have a problem with the deal for the Orioles. The's O's needed a veteran starter to pitch alongside Guthrie to help protect some of the younger starters from pitching too many innings. Millwood may not have been the best pitcher the O's could have brought in, but he has pitched at least 168 innings in each season in the last five years, so that should help a relatively young rotation. A higher risk-or-reward guy, like Rich Harden or Ben Sheets, may have made more since if the Orioles were on the verge of competing, but they're not quite there yet.
The Orioles have to pay Millwood $12 million ($9 million when you factor in the cash from the Rangers), but he's also a free agent after this season, so there's no long-term commitment for the O's.
Still it hurts a little to lose Ray, who figures to have a better season two years removed from Tommy John surgery.
Here are some reactions to the trade:
- The Schmuck Stops Here:
"No, he's not Roy Halladay, but he's a solid veteran who was a good influence on the young players in the Texas Rangers clubhouse last season, and he's the guy who is going to take the monkey off Jeremy Guthrie's back in 2010. . . .
The trade is just as important from a public relations and marketing standpoint because it sends a signal that the Orioles are serious about improving the team for 2010. MacPhail has to follow up with several more acquisitions over the next couple of months, but he has made good on a key priority with plenty of time left to concentrate on upgrading the corner infield positions and the bullpen." - Camden Chat:
"It's clear the Rangers needed to dump salary and this is how they chose to do so. It's clear the Orioles wanted to pick up a veteran starter and this his how they chose to do so.
In 2009 the Orioles desperately needed a pitcher who could pitch deep into games, and it's likely Millwood will give them that in 2010. In 31 starts in 2009, Millwood went at least 5 innings in all but two starts, one of which was due to a rain delay. He pitched at least 6 innings in 23 of his starts. In his 13 year career Millwood has averaged 178 innings/year and has that includes his rookie year in 1997 when he threw 51 innings over 12 starts. For his career he averages 6.133 innings/game." - Jack Moore of FanGraphs:
"In 200 innings, the value of a 4.80 FIP comes out to 2.4 wins. So Millwood was a productive pitcher last year and he certainly can be a productive pitcher in the future. There aren’t very many 2.4 win players out there, and Millwood may be due for a better year, as his 2007 and 2008 years were better than his 2009. On the other hand, Millwood is aging, and it’s possible that he’s entered his decline phase and his innings may slip and his peripherals may fall farther. . . .
For the Orioles, they receive a roughly average starting pitcher. As a one year commitment, 9 million dollars isn’t egregious. It will be probably be near his market value. With the Orioles not in a position to compete, taking on that kind of salary doesn’t really make sense. This kind of money could be much better spent on international signings, draft picks, or other developmental type of projects. He will give them decent production, but is the marginal value of his 2-3 wins above replacement really worth 9 million dollars to them? I’m not sure." - Camden Crazies:
"That said, I would have much rather seen the Orioles spend $8 M on locking up Rich Harden, who has signed with the Rangers for $7.5 M (using the money they saved on Millwood). Way higher upside, and the downside is probably closer than one would think. Millwood offers only innings, which could just as easily be given to Jason Berken. The results would be worse, but the cost is much (much) lower and at least there’d be some chance of improvement. The best I can do is say that it’s not a bad move, and could be OK if Millwood can be spun of at the trade deadline for something useful."
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