Location: Baltimore, Md. | Ballpark: Camden Yards (48,876) | Spring Training: Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Owner: Peter Angelos | GM: Andy MacPhail | Manager: Dave Trembley | World Championships: 3
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POWER RANKINGS
Power Rankings
Date
Ranking
Previous
07/07/2009
25
24
Here's a missive that landed in the e-mailbox right after Baltimore's stirring 11-10 come-from-behind victory over the Red Sox last week: "I'm glad you think the O's aren't worthwhile as they come back from 10-1 to beat you're [sic] 1 ranked Sox with Felix Pie right in the middle of it. Beautiful when stupid statements are proven to be just that....isn't it?" Of course, the O's then blew a four-run lead in the ninth inning the next night and a pair of four-run leads over the weekend. How about this: let's all agree to think before we type, okay? I'll try to do the same ... Laserbolt-armed prospect Chris Tillman looks ready and the Orioles have "help wanted" signs hanging in the rotation ... Focus, Brian Roberts, focus.
06/30/2009
24
22
Would it be OK if I ignore the Orioles until they free themselves from the tyranny of mediocrities like Melvin Mora and Felix Pie? I could really use the time to concentrate on more worthy franchises. Thanks.
06/23/2009
22
28
Every time the Orioles fan blogs go off on an "It's happening! They've turned the corner! Yay!" lark, the team promptly falls on its face. So in the wake of a solid stretch against the Braves, Mets and Phillies, expect a multiple-game tumble this week, complete with Rich Hill becoming the first professional pitcher to employ a GPS unit to locate the strike zone.
06/16/2009
28
27
They scored 19 runs between June 1 and June 12 and then 19 runs on the 13th and 14th against better-than-OK Braves pitching. Go ahead, you figure it out ... Here's what little I know about Brad Bergesen, seemingly the first Baltimore pitcher to string together back-to-back competent starts since Mike Cuellar. He's 23, throws a sinky-fastball thing and has "BB" stenciled on all his belongings. Beyond that, you're on your own.
06/09/2009
27
19
They scored 10 runs during the just-concluded six-game road trip and 13 in their last eight games. This reads like a typo, but they've drawn only three walks in their last 38 innings. The offensive personnel may not be elite, but I have to believe it's better than this.
06/02/2009
19
23
They're officially frisky. ... I'm going to need more evidence than a decent performance against the inert Mariners lineup before I pronounce Rich Hill cured. ... Gotta love how Orioles fans are showing up at Camden Yards for the first time in years. Twelve years from now, 21,000 hardy souls will be able to proclaim, "I saw Matt Wieters' fourth-ever big-league game." You can't put a price tag on that.
05/26/2009
23
23
It's unfair to base conclusions on a single mailed-in series in May, but from here it looks like maybe three Orioles regulars -- Adam Jones, Brian Roberts and Nick Markakis -- actually give a crap ... Would you liken the Orioles pitching staff to slop or sludge? Dumpster juice, maybe? A bonus special free prize goes to whoever comes up with le mot juste.
05/19/2009
23
25
Felix Pie is quick, young, athletic and blessed with at least average baseball instincts. So why is it that he takes so many Knoblauchian routes to the ball and plays so many outs into triples? ... Astonishingly, the Nolan Reimold/Bob McCrory roster do-si-do didn't register outside the houses of their respective families. If you need another reason why our nation's Marmaduke-rich newspapers must be saved, that's it. ... Rich Hill almost looked like he knew where his pitches were headed during his 2009 debut, so congrats on that.
05/12/2009
25
28
That I've bumped up the Orioles a few slots after a week in which they treaded water says all you need to know about the state of baseball's nether regions. There simply aren't enough bottom-five slots to accommodate all the teams that deserve them ... As for the O's themselves? Meh. Koji Uehara looks more like a legit pitcher with every start. So congratulations on that.
05/05/2009
28
23
All the desperate, teary pleas for Matt Wieters' elevation don't change the fact that he's slugging in the mid-.300s in triple-A ... A theory: O's fans would be more tolerant of Felix Pie's directionally impaired baserunning and lazy defense if his last name were pronounced like "pie" (as in the delicious dessert) and not "pee-AY." Who doesn't like pie, besides socialists and prom chaperones?
Preseason Power Rankings
Date
Ranking
Previous
02/16/2009
20
-
I see two big obstacles: the 55-odd games they'll play against the Red Sox, Yankees and Rays, and the absence of anything vaguely resembling starting pitching. ... If all goes as planned, they'll exit 2009 with three bona fide young stars (Nick Markakis, Adam Jones and the supercalifragilisticexpialidociously hyped Matt Wieters) in the everyday lineup. ... Kudos to team prez Andy MacPhail for righting the ship, even as he continues to field 18 "say, let's trade for Johnny Damon!" calls a day from owner/baseball dilettante Peter Angelos.
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