Let it be known that on August 4, 2005, the Orioles and Nationals both won their games. It's true!
The last time that happened was over a month ago, on July 2 when the Orioles notched a 4-0 win over the Indians behind a stellar pitching performance from Daniel Cabrera, and the Nationals were spurred to a 4-2 victory over the Cubs by a first-inning solo homer in a 2-for-4 day for Jose Guillen.
I just thought that was interesting. See the below posts for game recaps and thoughts on the games of August 4.
Friday, August 05, 2005
MLB: Nationals 7, Los Angeles Dodgers 0 (August 4)
WP: John Patterson (5-3)
LP: Brad Penny (5-7)
WAS: 58-50 (2nd in NL East, 4.5 behind Atlanta, 1.5 ahead of Philadelphia)
John Patterson continued his stellar season by posting his first complete game and first shutout, and for once he got some run support in a Nationals win.
For most of the game it looked like another squeaker, as the Nationals only led 2-0 going into the eighth inning, but then Brad Wilkerson broke it wide open. After a Christian Guzman RBI single, Wilkerson came up with the bases loaded and crushed a pitch to deep right field for the Nationals' first ever grand slam. It also made the score 7-0 and virtually guaranteed the win.
Patterson struck out 13 Dodgers and only gave up four hits to shut down Los Angeles. It was Patterson's seventh consecutive Quality Start, but only his second win in that span.
The wins on Wednesday and Thursday were the first consecutive wins for the Nationals -- and scored them their first series win -- since they swept the Cubs in the first three days of July.
The Nats open up a three-game series against the reeling Padres tomorrow at 7:05 p.m. at RFK Stadium. Livan Hernandez (13-4, 3.27 ERA, throws right) will face Pedro Astacio (2-10, 6.06 ERA, throws right).
THOUGHTS:
This was huge. We can only hope that this was the big moment that the Nats have been looking for that will wake up their bats -- and keep them awake for a while.
Patterson pitched one of the best games I've seen from a pitcher all season, completely shutting down the Dodgers for the entire game (and also making me not look foolish for praising him so much in my last Nationals post). He's been golden for the Nationals this year, and honestly has been their best pitcher despite Livo's eight win edge over him.
Wilkerson's grand slam was a thing of beauty, not just because it locked up the game and scored the Nats some hard-to-come-by runs, but also because Wilky's year at the plate hasn't quite lived up to expectations. If he gets hot, with Nick Johnson back, the team might actually score some runs.
Now the Nats look to make this a legit winning streak when they face the Padres, who have been even worse than the Nationals of late, only managing two wins in their last 14 games and giving up their lead in the terrible NL West.
LP: Brad Penny (5-7)
WAS: 58-50 (2nd in NL East, 4.5 behind Atlanta, 1.5 ahead of Philadelphia)
John Patterson continued his stellar season by posting his first complete game and first shutout, and for once he got some run support in a Nationals win.
For most of the game it looked like another squeaker, as the Nationals only led 2-0 going into the eighth inning, but then Brad Wilkerson broke it wide open. After a Christian Guzman RBI single, Wilkerson came up with the bases loaded and crushed a pitch to deep right field for the Nationals' first ever grand slam. It also made the score 7-0 and virtually guaranteed the win.
Patterson struck out 13 Dodgers and only gave up four hits to shut down Los Angeles. It was Patterson's seventh consecutive Quality Start, but only his second win in that span.
The wins on Wednesday and Thursday were the first consecutive wins for the Nationals -- and scored them their first series win -- since they swept the Cubs in the first three days of July.
The Nats open up a three-game series against the reeling Padres tomorrow at 7:05 p.m. at RFK Stadium. Livan Hernandez (13-4, 3.27 ERA, throws right) will face Pedro Astacio (2-10, 6.06 ERA, throws right).
THOUGHTS:
This was huge. We can only hope that this was the big moment that the Nats have been looking for that will wake up their bats -- and keep them awake for a while.
Patterson pitched one of the best games I've seen from a pitcher all season, completely shutting down the Dodgers for the entire game (and also making me not look foolish for praising him so much in my last Nationals post). He's been golden for the Nationals this year, and honestly has been their best pitcher despite Livo's eight win edge over him.
Wilkerson's grand slam was a thing of beauty, not just because it locked up the game and scored the Nats some hard-to-come-by runs, but also because Wilky's year at the plate hasn't quite lived up to expectations. If he gets hot, with Nick Johnson back, the team might actually score some runs.
Now the Nats look to make this a legit winning streak when they face the Padres, who have been even worse than the Nationals of late, only managing two wins in their last 14 games and giving up their lead in the terrible NL West.
MLB: Orioles 4, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 1 (August 4)
WP: Rodrigo Lopez (10-6)
LP: Ervin Santana (6-5)
S: B.J. Ryan (23)
BAL: 52-56 (4th in AL East, 10.5 behind Boston)
The Orioles combined stellar pitching with timely hitting to end their eight game losing streak on Thursday.
Rodrigo Lopez went five innings, giving up one run on two hits to get the win, and Sammy Sosa went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer.
Sosa's homer came in the fourth inning and gave the Orioles a 4-0 lead.
The O's got their first two runs in the third inning after the Orioles got runners on second and third with none out. After Luis Matos flied out too shalow to score the runner from third and Brian Roberts struck out, Eric Byrnes turned around the O's misfortunes with runners in scoring position by hitting a pop-up into very shallow left field that bounced off of shortstop Orlando Cabrera's glove and skittered away for what was ruled a triple.
Vladimir Guerrero kept torturing the Orioles, knocking in the only Angels run in the fourth.
Todd Williams, Tim Byrdak, Jorge Julio and B.J. Ryan combined for four shutout innings to hold the 4-1 lead.
The O's travel to Texas to start a three game series with the Rangers tomorrow at 8:05 p.m. Bruce Chen (7-6, 4.31 ERA, throws left) which make his first start since his pair of emergency relief appearances for the Orioles. He will face C.J. Wilson (0-3, 7.91 ERA, throws left), who has had a rough go of it in four starts since joining the rotation on June 19. He is 0-3, averaging just over four innings per start and posting an ERA of over 10.
THOUGHTS:
After the firing of Lee Mazzilli, this game was huge. Don't get me wrong, it was big already, but the O's needed to prove that they still had a spark, and they did.
It was great to see Perlozzo up on the railing in the dugout during the game. That was one thing that I noticed that really irked me about Mazzilli, and I didn't know why until the series against the White Sox. Every shot ChiSox manager Ozzie Guillen was in, he was up on the railing, as if he was studying what was going on and was more interested than anyone else in the stadium in every pitch. Meanwhile, Mazzilli sat there, slouching, with his hands in his pockets (something he learned from Joe Torre, no doubt).
I've got to think that, as a player, you want to harder when your manager looks really into the game, not when he looks like he is completely bored.
Is Perlozzo the answer? I don't know. Maybe he should have gotten the job in the first place. You can bet, though, that if the team turns it around -- even if it's just enough to finish over .500 -- that Perlozzo will start at the top of the running to become the more-than-interim manager.
LP: Ervin Santana (6-5)
S: B.J. Ryan (23)
BAL: 52-56 (4th in AL East, 10.5 behind Boston)
The Orioles combined stellar pitching with timely hitting to end their eight game losing streak on Thursday.
Rodrigo Lopez went five innings, giving up one run on two hits to get the win, and Sammy Sosa went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer.
Sosa's homer came in the fourth inning and gave the Orioles a 4-0 lead.
The O's got their first two runs in the third inning after the Orioles got runners on second and third with none out. After Luis Matos flied out too shalow to score the runner from third and Brian Roberts struck out, Eric Byrnes turned around the O's misfortunes with runners in scoring position by hitting a pop-up into very shallow left field that bounced off of shortstop Orlando Cabrera's glove and skittered away for what was ruled a triple.
Vladimir Guerrero kept torturing the Orioles, knocking in the only Angels run in the fourth.
Todd Williams, Tim Byrdak, Jorge Julio and B.J. Ryan combined for four shutout innings to hold the 4-1 lead.
The O's travel to Texas to start a three game series with the Rangers tomorrow at 8:05 p.m. Bruce Chen (7-6, 4.31 ERA, throws left) which make his first start since his pair of emergency relief appearances for the Orioles. He will face C.J. Wilson (0-3, 7.91 ERA, throws left), who has had a rough go of it in four starts since joining the rotation on June 19. He is 0-3, averaging just over four innings per start and posting an ERA of over 10.
THOUGHTS:
After the firing of Lee Mazzilli, this game was huge. Don't get me wrong, it was big already, but the O's needed to prove that they still had a spark, and they did.
It was great to see Perlozzo up on the railing in the dugout during the game. That was one thing that I noticed that really irked me about Mazzilli, and I didn't know why until the series against the White Sox. Every shot ChiSox manager Ozzie Guillen was in, he was up on the railing, as if he was studying what was going on and was more interested than anyone else in the stadium in every pitch. Meanwhile, Mazzilli sat there, slouching, with his hands in his pockets (something he learned from Joe Torre, no doubt).
I've got to think that, as a player, you want to harder when your manager looks really into the game, not when he looks like he is completely bored.
Is Perlozzo the answer? I don't know. Maybe he should have gotten the job in the first place. You can bet, though, that if the team turns it around -- even if it's just enough to finish over .500 -- that Perlozzo will start at the top of the running to become the more-than-interim manager.
Thursday, August 04, 2005
MLB: Orioles fire manager Lee Mazzilli
The Baltimore Sun is reporting that the Orioles have fired manager Lee Mazzilli this afternoon.
The Orioles have lost eight in a row and 16 of 18 to fall 10.5 behind Boston and all the way to fourth in the American League East after leading for much of the first half of the season.
The Sun said that this is the first time owner Peter Angelos has ever fired a manager, but that's ignoring that he ran Davey Johnson out of town after the 1997 season (coincidentally the last time the Orioles made the playoffs).
The Orioles will use bench coach Sam Perlozzo as interim manager. Perlozzo was a highly-regarded candidate when the O's were looking for a manager before the 2004 season, but the job went to then-Yankees coach Mazzilli. Perlozzo said he was disappointed at that time, but he stuck with the team.
Perlozzo has never managed in the majors.
Mazzilli's record as a major league manager stands at 129-139 over two seasons.
OPINION:
I was never really on the Fire Mazzilli Bandwagon until a few weeks ago, when the team started doing REALLY bad. I always cut him some slack for being a rookie manager, which we knew when we hired him.
Recently, though, this move became a necessity. Everyone knew it was coming at the end of the season, and the only thing stopping it from happening was that Angelos doesn't like to fire people ... he just runs them out of town.
The thing that turned me was the losing. It sounds obvious, and it is. All year, we were winning despite some truly awful decisions. Maz never stuck with a lineup, he made horrible pitching changes/non-changes all the time, and he didn't seem to realize when it was time to light a fire under his team by flipping out at an ump.
This morning I was thinking to myself: This has gotten real bad. Everyone knows Mazzilli's going to be fired; just do it now. Besides, last year the Astros fired their manager mid-season and they turned it around and made the playoffs.
I'm not saying the O's are destined for that type of run, but this move CAN'T hurt. Hopefully we'll see some positives from Perlozzo as the manager.
Another thing I like about the move is that Maz was never a "Baltimore guy." When I found out late in 2003 that the O's were hiring a Yankees coach, who was born in New York City no less, my heart sank a little. It was a "If you can't beat them, become them" move. Despite that, I gave Maz a shot, and I never thought he should have been fired, like I said, until a few weeks ago. Perlozzo's a Maryland guy. He was born in Maryland. He went to college at George Washington in D.C. Plus, he's been with the O's for 10 seasons as a third base coach and bench coach.
I agree with the decision. I think it was a good move. But I hope Maz lands somewhere. He seems like a real good guy -- just not as our manager.
The Orioles have lost eight in a row and 16 of 18 to fall 10.5 behind Boston and all the way to fourth in the American League East after leading for much of the first half of the season.
The Sun said that this is the first time owner Peter Angelos has ever fired a manager, but that's ignoring that he ran Davey Johnson out of town after the 1997 season (coincidentally the last time the Orioles made the playoffs).
The Orioles will use bench coach Sam Perlozzo as interim manager. Perlozzo was a highly-regarded candidate when the O's were looking for a manager before the 2004 season, but the job went to then-Yankees coach Mazzilli. Perlozzo said he was disappointed at that time, but he stuck with the team.
Perlozzo has never managed in the majors.
Mazzilli's record as a major league manager stands at 129-139 over two seasons.
OPINION:
I was never really on the Fire Mazzilli Bandwagon until a few weeks ago, when the team started doing REALLY bad. I always cut him some slack for being a rookie manager, which we knew when we hired him.
Recently, though, this move became a necessity. Everyone knew it was coming at the end of the season, and the only thing stopping it from happening was that Angelos doesn't like to fire people ... he just runs them out of town.
The thing that turned me was the losing. It sounds obvious, and it is. All year, we were winning despite some truly awful decisions. Maz never stuck with a lineup, he made horrible pitching changes/non-changes all the time, and he didn't seem to realize when it was time to light a fire under his team by flipping out at an ump.
This morning I was thinking to myself: This has gotten real bad. Everyone knows Mazzilli's going to be fired; just do it now. Besides, last year the Astros fired their manager mid-season and they turned it around and made the playoffs.
I'm not saying the O's are destined for that type of run, but this move CAN'T hurt. Hopefully we'll see some positives from Perlozzo as the manager.
Another thing I like about the move is that Maz was never a "Baltimore guy." When I found out late in 2003 that the O's were hiring a Yankees coach, who was born in New York City no less, my heart sank a little. It was a "If you can't beat them, become them" move. Despite that, I gave Maz a shot, and I never thought he should have been fired, like I said, until a few weeks ago. Perlozzo's a Maryland guy. He was born in Maryland. He went to college at George Washington in D.C. Plus, he's been with the O's for 10 seasons as a third base coach and bench coach.
I agree with the decision. I think it was a good move. But I hope Maz lands somewhere. He seems like a real good guy -- just not as our manager.
MLB: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 8, Orioles 4 (August 3)
WP: John Lackey (9-4)
LP: Erik Bedard (5-4)
BAL: 51-56 (4th in AL East, 10.5 behind Boston)
The Orioles best starting pitcher, Erik Bedard, was pitching well -- he even had a lead -- until the fifth inning.
In the fifth, the Angels sent 11 batters to the plate, got five hits, three walks, and went through three Orioles pitchers to score six runs and take a 7-2 lead.
Orlando Cabrera, Darin Erstad, Garret Anderson and Jose Molina all had RBI singles in the inning, with Anderson's and Molina's each scoring two runs.
Vladimir Guerrero kept dominating the Orioles, hitting an RBI double in the first inning and another in the sixth.
The Orioles briefly grabbed the lead in the top of the fifth after Luis Matos doubled, Brian Roberts singled him home, Eric Byrnes singled to move Roberts to second, then Javy Lopez singled Roberts home.
It wouldn't last, though, and the Orioles dropped their eighth straight game.
This afternoon, the Orioles and Angels wrap up this three-game set, as the O's send Rodrigo Lopez (9-6, 4.85 ERA, throws right) to the mound to try to avoid the sweep. He will face Ervin Santana (6-4, 5.19 ERA, throws right).
THOUGHTS:
Another day, another loss. Big surprise.
Jay Gibbons was on Comcast SportsNet's SportsNite last night to talk a little about the Rafael Palmeiro scandal, and he actually said that the mood in the clubhouse was pretty bad. Normally, players will give some crap answer like, "well, you know, we're just trying to work through this and not get too down on ourselves." I guess it's too bad to lie about (apparently unlike Palmeiro's positive steroid test... zing!).
The Orioles are now over 10 games behind Boston, and it appears that the season is lost unless they go on a monster run, which they haven't shown any signs of doing (you need to win one game before you can go on a run).
The O's need to avoid this sweep to take something from this series. They need a win... They don't just need a win -- they've needed a win for three weeks. They NEEEEEED a win.
Hopefully they can get right against this 22-year-old Ervin Santana kid, who has had a rocky go of it so far this year. But he's smoothed it out in his last three starts and has pitched well -- just in time for the Orioles, of course...
LP: Erik Bedard (5-4)
BAL: 51-56 (4th in AL East, 10.5 behind Boston)
The Orioles best starting pitcher, Erik Bedard, was pitching well -- he even had a lead -- until the fifth inning.
In the fifth, the Angels sent 11 batters to the plate, got five hits, three walks, and went through three Orioles pitchers to score six runs and take a 7-2 lead.
Orlando Cabrera, Darin Erstad, Garret Anderson and Jose Molina all had RBI singles in the inning, with Anderson's and Molina's each scoring two runs.
Vladimir Guerrero kept dominating the Orioles, hitting an RBI double in the first inning and another in the sixth.
The Orioles briefly grabbed the lead in the top of the fifth after Luis Matos doubled, Brian Roberts singled him home, Eric Byrnes singled to move Roberts to second, then Javy Lopez singled Roberts home.
It wouldn't last, though, and the Orioles dropped their eighth straight game.
This afternoon, the Orioles and Angels wrap up this three-game set, as the O's send Rodrigo Lopez (9-6, 4.85 ERA, throws right) to the mound to try to avoid the sweep. He will face Ervin Santana (6-4, 5.19 ERA, throws right).
THOUGHTS:
Another day, another loss. Big surprise.
Jay Gibbons was on Comcast SportsNet's SportsNite last night to talk a little about the Rafael Palmeiro scandal, and he actually said that the mood in the clubhouse was pretty bad. Normally, players will give some crap answer like, "well, you know, we're just trying to work through this and not get too down on ourselves." I guess it's too bad to lie about (apparently unlike Palmeiro's positive steroid test... zing!).
The Orioles are now over 10 games behind Boston, and it appears that the season is lost unless they go on a monster run, which they haven't shown any signs of doing (you need to win one game before you can go on a run).
The O's need to avoid this sweep to take something from this series. They need a win... They don't just need a win -- they've needed a win for three weeks. They NEEEEEED a win.
Hopefully they can get right against this 22-year-old Ervin Santana kid, who has had a rocky go of it so far this year. But he's smoothed it out in his last three starts and has pitched well -- just in time for the Orioles, of course...
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