Right Off Russell

That Yankees are back in town for the first time since early May as again the Orioles look to play spoiler to a division leader.  The O’s have struggled mightily against the hated Yanks since the opening series of the season having won only 1 of 9 games.  The Yankees are playing well right now and seem to be in cruise control with a 6 game lead over the Red Sox in the AL East.  Can the Orioles do anything to slow down the Yanks onslaught?

I have been pleased with the outings of some of the Orioles young pitchers recently.  Brian Matusz was sharp yesterday.  Chris Tillman despite reported fatigue has also looked good for stretches.  David Hernandez and Jason Berken also pitched fairly well their last outings and will have a shot to prove how far they have come when they take on the Yanks this series.  Also, it has been good to see Jeremy Guthrie string together 2 good starts.  If he makes it three, I will be convinced that he has found his rhythm and can finish the year strong.  Guts rounding out the year well is big for the Orioles and the hope that he can be counted on to be a top of the rotation guy for a few more years. Read more »

The third preseason game for the Ravens brings their first chance to travel and should give us the best idea of what areas the team has improved on over last year and what areas still need work. Pre-season game #3 is often the final tune up for most starters and we could see many 1st teamers for the Ravens playing up to 3 quarters. The game will give us a chance to evaluate our best against the Panthers best for an extended period.

Watch most closely how the Ravens receivers, particularly Demetrius Williams, Justin Harper and Kelley Washington, fare against a strong Carolina defense. The performance of these three could tip the scales and determine whether or not Ozzie Newsome tries to make a move to upgrade. Also, keep an eye on how tackles Michael Oher and Jared Gaither perform against Julius Peppers and his line mates. It will be a real test for Oher especially. Read more »

Bart Scott caused a bit of a stir with his comments following the Jets pre-season game with the Ravens.  Scott voiced that Rex Ryan “was the head coach of that football team [the Ravens] last year, whether you guys know it or not.”  Scott also felt that since the defense controls things in Baltimore that Ryan was the de facto man in charge.  His comments were, of course, seen as a dig at Ravens coach John Harbaugh.  Scott says that he did not mean the comments in that light, that he was speaking highly of Ryan rather than putting down Harbaugh:

“The question Monday night was what I thought about Rex Ryan as a head coach,” Scott said. “I was explaining to the reporters that Ryan had already been a head coach, that he was the bridge between Harbaugh and the players last year. He had already worked with Harbaugh before, so when the players didn’t know why he did certain things, they would go to Rex and he would say: ‘Don’t worry about him. I’ve known him for a long time, trust him, and he is just doing what is best for the players.’ He gave John Harbaugh instant credibility.”

Read more »

The Orioles and MASN have teamed up to make Orioles tickets even more affordable and accessible for the final month of the season.  Beginning with the game on September 4, fans can purchase MASN Maximum Access tickets in the upper level of the ballpark for only $1 each, for each of the final 10 non-prime home games this season.

This opportunity is valid for all non-prime home games in September and October and is limited to 500 seats per game.  In anticipation of a high demand for this offer, there is a purchase limit of 10 tickets per game per household

Really? $1 tickets. I miss the days when Camden Yards sold out. Now it’s empty and becoming even emptier and promotions like this are necessary. My how the mighty have fallen.

Don’t get me wrong, as a consumer I think it is a good thing, but for me, money has rarely been an issue of not heading to park (distance and time). That being said B’more has a large population that can’t afford tickets and this should be helpful for them. The problem is that the only way to buy the tickets are over Ticketmaster Online. Generally speaking the demographic that would find the discounted tickets useful are not always connected to the interweb. Also, how many fees are going to be tacked on by Ticketmaster. $1 tickets are going to turn into $7 tickets pretty quickly.

Anyway, do these cheap tickets make you want to go to the game?

              
At long last the Indians are coming to town.  It is strange that we are nearly in the month of September and this is the first time the Orioles and Indians have seen each other.  Unfortunately, for both teams and more unfortunately for their fans there is not a whole lot riding on these games.  That is unless you consider that the Orioles have played themselves into the hunt for the #1 pick in the 2010 Draft.  Ahh, it is depressing again that those are the standings I keep an eye on most.  At least there are lots of young guys to watch which keeps me interested as well.

Cleveland comes to town in a rebuilding mode, much like the Orioles.  Cleveland went through a pretty extensive purge at the trade deadline that landed them some nice looking prospects as well as some good major league ready talent.  But who is left for the Indians?  They still have a big name with a big game in Grady Sizemore.  Travis Hafner is also still around, but with a less potent bat.  The Indians also have a yound and coming middle infield combo in Asdrubal Cabrera and Luis Valbuena.  Shin Soo-Choo has had a solid year as the Tribe’s RF as well.  But like the Orioles, the Indians are not particularly strong at either hitting or pitching. Read more »

With the number of big plays the defense made Monday night it would be easy to chalk this up to another stellar defensive effort. A closer look reveals that the Ravens have some things to work on. Granted it is hard to get a full evaluation out of the first team defense when they were only in together for little more than a quarter. We can take a look at the defensive units and evaluate how they performed individually and also evaluate how some key reserves looked. Read more »

Here are a few quotes from Josh Perrault as he talks about playing in Arizona this fall.

My family and I are real excited to have the opportunity to play in the Fall League.  First, I expect the competition to be strong.  Top players from each organization will be there trying to show off their talents. Therefore, it will give me an opportunity to see how I match up against top talent.  I’ll love the challenge.  

Second, playing in Arizona will allow my family, who can’t see me play during the season, a chance to watch me compete. Most of my family’s experience of me playing baseball is only heard through Internet radio, but now they’ll be able to see me play in person, which will be a blessing to all of us.  Their support will be a great!

dnkbdotcom on flickr

I think Oriole coaches are tired of taking the blame for the multiple baserunning blunders this season. 3rd base coach, Juan Samuel, was especially outspoken in a recent Baltimore Sun article

“For some reason, they’re not processing it,” said Samuel, who has served as the Orioles’ base running coach the past three seasons. “It’s just a lack of concentration, because they know. They are major league players, or at least we think some of them are. To me, some of them are not. Some of them to me have to be thankful that expansion came because some of them wouldn’t be here. Some of the stuff that you see them do is not OK. You’re going to tell me that they are in the big leagues and don’t know how to run the bases?”

Read more »

Thanks to Ryan from Let’s Go Tribe! for giving us some insight into the Indians as they prepare to raid Camden Yards this weekend.
The Indians went through quite a firesale, what players that they acquired are you most excited about?

Of the players received in the deals leading up to the July 31st trade deadline, all the “upside” guys won’t be major-leaguers for another 2 or 3 years. Jason Knapp (Cliff Lee deal) and Nick Hagadone (Victor Martinez deal) are two pitchers that, if everything breaks right, could be impact starters. Of the major leaguers or near-major leaguers in the deals, Chris Perez (Mark DeRosa) has had the biggest impact this season; after a couple initial disasters, he’s been spectacular in a setup role. Carlos Carrasco (Lee deal) should be ready to step into the rotation as early as September; his initial outings in Columbus have been promising. Justin Masterson, who should familiar to Orioles fans, is transitioning into a starting role, although he’ll have to overcome a major weakness against left-handed hitters.

On the flip side of that, was there a player traded where you felt the Indians did not get enough in return for?
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By Mark Brennan

So I arrived to the Jets/Ravens game a little late (you know, cheaper beer is on the outside) and missed Haloti Ngata’s pick six. Then Ray Lewis should of had another one. I know one thing. The Ravens are not the team to give a rookie QB his first start against.
 
But we all know what the D is gonna bring to the table. The more pressing question is what will the offense bring?
 
Here is my take on what I saw last night from Joe Flacco and Co.
 
Let’s start with Flacco.  His arm is gonna make some things happen this year. Sitting upstairs you can see the power and the zip he’s got on his throws. Read more »