Orioles re-up with Delmarva, two others

On Monday, the Baltimore Orioles agreed to retain the Class-A Delmarva Shorebirds, High-A Frederick Keys and Double-A Bowie Baysox as minor league affiliates for the next four years.

“We’re very excited,” Shorebirds general manager Steve Yaros said.

“The relationship has always been very, very good with the folks from baseball operations.

“I’m really impressed with the way (Orioles Assistant General Manager and Director of Minor League Operations) Dave (Stockstill) has run things for two years now. He basically has been keeping the squad together and allowing some of these players to mature here as opposed to very quickly moving them out.”

The Shorebirds have been an Orioles affiliate since 1997, Bowie since 1993 and Frederick since 1989.

“We are extremely pleased to continue to work with Bowie, Frederick and Delmarva,” Stockstill said in a press release. “Each has proven to be an outstanding affiliate for the Orioles. The facilities, the people and the locations are all excellent ingredients for the partnerships to continue to benefit the Orioles, Baysox, Keys and Shorebirds. We look forward to the future as we all work together in the Oriole family.”

The four-year deal is longer than the normal two-year deals struck by the Orioles and Shorebirds in the past.

“It definitely saves you a couple of hours of paperwork in a few years, which is nice,” Yaros said. “But I don’t think it ever would have been an issue (of the Orioles not wanting to remain affiliated). The fact that we’ve had this great relationship and the team’s proximity to Baltimore makes this an ideal location for the Orioles and an ideal situation for us.

“I like to think that out of the three clubs — Frederick, Bowie and Delmarva — we have the best of all worlds. We have die-hard Baltimore Orioles fans here on the Eastern Shore, where the other two teams, there’s other options.”

The deal comes just a week after the Orioles agreed to a partnership with the Norfolk Tides to become the club’s Triple-A affiliate, ending its relationship with Ottawa.

“I think it is a tremendous bonus for Delmarva,” Yaros said. “I think the synergy of having the Triple-A club, what, two and a half hours away from us, like a two-hour drive to Baltimore. Now the fans, because we have the die-hard fans here, I believe that in my heart, they would go to Bowie, they would go to Frederick, to watch these guys climb the ladder. But no one was driving to Canada, no one was driving to Ottawa. Now they have a chance to shoot down, when we don’t have a game, to watch the Triple-A stars.”

Gibbons activated by Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles activated outfielder Jay Gibbons from the 15-day disabled list in time for Monday's 6-4 win at Toronto.

Jay Gibbons was injured May 26 when he smashed into the right-field wall. (Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
Gibbons, who had missed 15 games, was pencilled in as the designated hitter and went 2-for-5 at the plate with one run scored and three strikeouts.
Gibbons, 29, injured his back, left hip and right knee as he dove for a fly ball off the bat of Vladimir Guerrero and crashed into the right-field wall during the eighth inning of a 5-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on May 26.
Guerrero rounded the bases for an inside-the-park home run that scored Orlando Cabrera ahead of him.
Gibbons is averaging .271 with 10 home runs, 29 runs batted in and 22 runs scored in 47 games this season, his sixth with the Orioles.
Gibbons is a career .262 hitter with 112 HRs, 360 RBIs and 308 runs in 652 MLB games since debuting for Baltimore on April 6, 2001.

Baltimore Orioles Select Pitcher Jason Mills in MLB Draft

Fairfax, Va (June 8, 2006)--George Mason pitcher Jason Mills is one of three Patriots drafted in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft on June 6 and 7. The Baltimore Orioles selected the right-hander in the 48th round yesterday. The Washington Nationals selected Robby Jacobsen and J.J. Pannell in the 22nd and 50th round respectively during the two-day 50-round draft.
Mills was injured early in the season, appearing in only two games this season in relief. He earned one save and had a 9.00 ERA.
The Hatfield, Pa. native had a tremendous junior season, leading the Patriots with 23 appearances and six saves. He moved into second place on the school's career saves list with 10. The 6-foot-4 Mills was a perfect 4-0 with a 3.25 ERA. The Patriots recorded a 15-0 record when he entered with the game tied or Mason leading.
Mills sophomore season stood out as well, leading the team in appearances with 22 and saves with 4. He posted a 4-3 record, including 1-1 as a starter, with a 4.41 ERA.

Jordan calls the shots on draft day for the Orioles

The Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, which begins Tuesday, does not match the glitz of those held by the NFL and the NBA.
But the stakes are just as high.
“We spend a lot of time and money on this,” said Joe Jordan, the director of scouting for the Orioles. “We started working on the 2006 draft within a week of last year’s draft.”
What guidance or direction does owner Peter Angelos give to Jordan?
Jordan, from Oklahoma, said this is what Angelos told him after he was hired in November 2004: “You are the scouting director. Take who you want. I will support you.”
Added Jordan: “He gave me full reign. That’s the same thing we are working on now.”
The Kansas City Royals have the first overall pick when the draft begins at 1 p.m. Tuesday, via a conference call in New York. The draft concludes Wednesday.
The Orioles have the ninth-overall pick. Their next pick is at 32.
Jordan said he has met more than 100 prospects in person. One of them is Jeremy Jeffress, 18, a high school pitcher from South Boston, Va. Jeffress has a fastball that has been clocked around 100 mph this spring.
Will Jeffress, from rural southern Virginia, be available when the Orioles have the ninth overall pick?
“I think there is a chance he won’t be,” Jordan said.
When does Jeffress think he will get picked? “Hopefully the top 10. I am ready to get started,” said the 6-foot-1, 190-pounder, whose favorite pitcher is Dontrelle Willis of the Marlins.
Orioles director of minor league operations Dave Stockstill said he and Jordan are in constant contact with one another when it comes to the draft.
“We communicate daily,” Stockstill said. “I have seen some of the players who we are interested in drafting work out, but I don’t tell (Jordan) who to draft. My role is to let Joe know where our holes are within the system so we can draft accordingly.”

For the Orioles, There's Give and Take

There is only thing to do when Vladimir Guerrero is up at the plate, Melvin Mora said several hours prior to the Baltimore Orioles' 7-6 win against the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday, and that is to walk him. It had seemed a silly argument from Mora at the time. He sat in a chair in front of his locker and playfully recounted how a line drive from Guerrero had almost taken off his head on Saturday, which had led him to this particular theory because, after all, he has six children and any time Guerrero comes up to bat, the third baseman wishes he could play somewhere in shallow left field.
And it was Mora who joined Ramon Hernandez, Miguel Tejada and Chris Ray on the mound when Guerrero came to the plate in the ninth inning with two men on base in a one-run game with only one out. There would be no visit from Manager Sam Perlozzo on this one. He had been ejected in the fifth inning after arguing a bunt play. Mora made a suggestion that everyone had agreed to.
"That guy can kill you," Mora said. "You don't let the best guy kill you."
The Orioles walked Guerrero to load the bases. That brought up Garret Anderson, who of course is also a dangerous hitter, the cleanup batter in Los Angeles's order, but he certainly isn't Guerrero.
"Sometimes you have to take chances," Hernandez said.
On the first pitch from Ray, Anderson sent a ground ball to second baseman Brian Roberts, who turned a double play to end the game. Ray recorded his first two-inning save, his 13th overall this season, and Mora had proved quite the sage.
"Don't let Vladdy beat you," Mora said. "Let the other guys try to beat you."
An eruption from Perlozzo had been coming. He had seemed more prickly this week than at any other point in the season. While in Seattle he yelled at several players who had been playing cards a day after he held a postgame meeting following a loss in which he thought the team lacked effort. Players seemed more aware of him than usual.
Perlozzo seemed combustible and he finally blew up in the fifth inning. With two runners on base and no outs, Angels center fielder Chone Figgins sent a bunt down the third base line. The ball crawled up the line with Mora, pitcher Kris Benson and catcher Hernandez converging, and on replays, it appeared to cross into foul territory. Benson appeared to have a clear view.
"That was foul," Benson said. "You could tell there was dirt between the ball and the line."
Hernandez tapped the ball with his glove and as soon as he did so, home plate umpire Tim Timmons ruled that the ball was in play and that Figgins was safe.
"I think it was foul," Hernandez said. "As soon as it left the line I hit it with my glove because it was looking like it was coming back in."

Quarterly Report on Major League Divisional Races (NL WEST)

By Jonathan Wachs
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

Now that most teams have played around forty games, let’s look on in the Divisional Races:

NL WEST

Here’s a division where all the teams are in the hunt for the title. Not much has been determined in the first quarter of the season except that the division is not nearly as bad as many thought it would be. All four teams currently have winning records and they are only separated by 2.5 games.

Arizona has been led by Brandon Webb (7-0), who is probably the early leader in the NL CY Young race. Unfortunately, the rest of their pitching staff has about a 6.00 ERA. Jose Valverde (13 saves), Luis Vizcaino (3.38 ERA) and Brandon Lyon have led a bullpen that is improved over last year’s version. After a miserable start, Shawn Green has been on a torrid pace and Chad Tracy was recently rewarded with a $13 million plus contract extension for his fine work. The offense has been a moneyball fan’s dream: Craig Counsell (.387 OBP), Conor Jackson (.372) and Luis Gonzalez (.387) have certainly managed to get on base. Most analysts of the minor leagues rank Arizona near the top of the list and they are going to need to dip into their system to get some rotation help if they are to win the division or compete for the wildcard.

Colorado has been one of this year’s early surprises. One of the best bets in recent years was against the Rockies on the road, but they have dramatically improved this year. The skepticism usually associated with their gaudy numbers are not valid this year as guys like Brad Hawpe who is hitting .340 overall is hitting .383 on the road. Matt Holliday has added 11 dingers and Garrett Atkins has filled out what has been a very productive, albeit no name, middle of the order. In Jeff Francis and Aaron Cook, the Rockies have developed two nice young starters. Brian Fuentes (10 saves, 1.45 ERA) is having his second straight good year. The Rockies appear to finally have a sound plan in place. In a division that will beat up on each other, you can’t count the Rockies out.

The Dodgers have gone the high risk/high reward strategy the last couple of years. Nomar Garciaparra is the perfect example. He has hit .369, but injuries have limited him. J.D. Drew has 8 homers and 33 RBI so far, but don’t you wish wagerweb.com let you bet on whether or not he would make it through the season? Kenny Lofton (.350 OBP) keeps chugging along, but the Dodgers are waiting for Furcal (.244) to get going. Brad Penny has been pitching well (4-1, 2.53), but also has a dicey injury history. Will Eric Gagne be healthy and effective for the second half of the year? Like Arizona, the Dodgers have a strong farm system. Unlike Arizona, they may be willing to trade a few to fill holes.

Most of the attention surrounding the Giants has been around Barry Bonds. The fact that Bonds is hitting close to .250 and still has an OBP close to .500 speaks volumes about the Giants offense, especially without Moises Alou. The starting rotation led by a resurgent Jason Schmidt (3.07 ERA), the recently returned to action Noah Lowry (3.38 ERA) and Jamey Wright (3.38 ERA) have pitched well enough to keep them in contention, but it would seem another bat is needed for them to stay in the race.

The San Diego Padres recently won 15 out of 18, but still appear to be the weakest team in the division. Mike Piazza has hit 6 homers and has hit better of late, but 15 RBI for a cleanup hitter is just not going to cut it. The challenges of Petco aside, this team has a definite power outage. Only Khali Green has joined Piazza in hitting over 5 homeruns to this point. As usual, Brian Giles continues to get on base with an OBP over .400 and Trevor Hoffman (7 saves, 1.20 ERA) and Scott Linebrink (3.27 ERA) lead a strong bullpen.

So it will come down to Arizona’s farm system, Colorado’s youngsters, The Dodger’s health, The Giants pitching and San Diego’s ability to keep doing it with mirrors. Stay tuned.

Quarterly Report on Divisional Races --- NL CENTRAL

By Jonathan Wachs
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

After a few weeks and with some surprises, the NL Central has begun to look a lot more as expected, particularly at the very top.

With a lineup containing the best player on the planet, the Cardinals have recently started to pull away and
seem well on their way to their third straight division title. Pujols’ numbers are mind-boggling (22 homers and 54 RBI). Barring an injury or a stunning slump, he’s practically locked up the MVP Award in May. Underrated David Eckstein has an OBP of .390 and provides the kind of spark few leadoff hitters can match. While injuries and age have slowed Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen to some degree, they are both still dangerous hitters. Juan Encarcion and Yadier Molina have been disappointments, but the rest of the lineup has picked them up so far. Chris Carpenter has continued to pitch like an ace and starters Mark Mulder, Jeff Suppan, and Jason Marquis form a solid rotation that always keeps the Cardinals in the game. After a slow start, closer Jason Isringhausen has rounded into form. Only injuries will keep the Cards from playing in October.

Losers of 10 of their last 15, the “Big Red Mirage” are starting to play like their talent level indicates they should. Bronson Arroyo has been an outstanding acquisition and is obviously thrilled not to have to face those tough NL lineups, but you simply can’t send out such a mediocre starting rotation and expect to stay in the race. I told you a few weeks back to bet against them and those who listened are a bit richer today.

The Astros got off to a hot start before their starting pitching went through a horrid stretch. Roy Oswalt remains one of the league’s top pitchers and Wayne Rodriguez has been a nice surprise, but Andy Pettitte has struggled, Brandon Backe is out for the year, and the rest of the rotation has been inconsistent. Brad Lidge has struggled (mostly with his control), but expect him to turn things around. Morgan Ensberg hit home runs in six straight games early in the year and Lance Berkman would be an MVP candidate in a league without Pujols. Also, very quietly, Brad Ausmus has put together a very good year (.418 OBP). The Astros could stay in the wildcard race and may soon get the kind of help that could rocket them to the finish line.

The Brewers are fun to watch. They lead the majors in home runs, and youngsters Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, and Bill Hall mix nicely with veterans Geoff Jenkins, Carlos Lee, and Corey Koskie. The only thing is they may be too dependent on getting home runs and they strike out too much. A bit of small ball might help them at times. Getting Ben Sheets healthy would help a rotation that has one underrated star (Chris Capuano) and mostly back-of-the-rotation types. Derrick Turnbow is showing he’s no fluke, but the bullpen lacks depth. This year’s trendy sleeper pick will stay around a while, but ultimately doesn’t have enough for the playoffs.

First the Red Sox, then the White Sox, now the Cu … stop right there. Derrek Lee’s injury has revealed just how impotent the rest of the Cubs lineup is. Juan Pierre has an OBP of .271. Aramis Ramirez is hitting only .231. It’s ugly on the North Side. Greg Maddux’s May has been very different than his April and still no sign of Mark Prior. Dusty Baker must be on edge. No playoffs here, folks.

The Pirates were expected to be an improved team this year, but their starting pitching has failed them. Zach Duke has hit a bit of a tougher time facing teams the second time around, and whatever happened to Oliver Perez, who was thought to be a fast rising star? Not much hope in the Steel City either.

So early on, it looks like it’s the Cards division to lose and the Astros waiting for Roger Clemens to make them serious wildcard contenders.

Baltimore Orioles (20-24) At Seattle Mariners (20-25)

Fresh off their first series sweep of the season, the Seattle Mariners look to extend their winning streak to a season-high four games when they welcome the Baltimore Orioles to Safeco Field tonight for the opener of a three-game series.
The Mariners kicked off their current six-game homestand in fine fashion, taking all three contests of an interleague set with the San Diego Padres over the weekend. Seattle completed the sweep with a 10-8 victory on Sunday.
Carl Everett went 3-for-5 with a home run and Raul Ibanez belted a three-run shot to lead the Mariners' offense. Ichiro Suzuki also finished 3-for-5 to extend his hitting streak to 15 games, while scoring twice and adding an RBI.
Felix Hernandez (3-5) got the win for Seattle despite allowing seven runs on seven hits in six innings of action. J.J. Putz earned his sixth save with a scoreless ninth.
Seattle will try to continue its winning form behind one-time Oriole Jamie Moyer, who has just one win this season despite a solid 3.72 earned run average. The 43-year-old has been a victim of poor run support, as the Mariners have scored just three runs in his four defeats.
His lone victory in 2006 came at the expense of the Orioles on April 30, when he surrendered three runs and six hits in 6 2/3 innings of work in a 4-3 Seattle triumph.
Moyer, who pitched for Baltimore for three years from 1993-96, has owned his former club at Safeco Field. In 12 starts against the Orioles in Seattle, the veteran lefty is 9-0 with a 2.28 ERA. He has made 16 overall home starts versus Baltimore and is an amazing 11-0 with a 2.09 ERA in those games.
In 29 career appearances (27 starts) against the O's, Moyer owns a dominating 17-3 record with a 2.99 ERA.
He will try to rebound from his worst performance of the year, however. Wednesday in Oakland, Moyer was tagged for seven runs -- five earned -- and a season-high 11 hits over six innings in a 7-2 loss.
Baltimore counters with a tough lefty of its own in Erik Bedard, who moved to 5-2 after holding the Red Sox to a run and two hits over seven frames Wednesday in Camden Yards. The Canadian has struggled on the road this season, posting a 1-2 mark with a 6.14 ERA in three starts.
Bedard is 1-1 with a 3.09 ERA in two career starts against Seattle. He lost to the Mariners at Safeco Field last September despite giving up just two runs in five innings.
The Orioles come in off back-to-back defeats to the nearby Washington Nationals, including a 3-1 setback on Sunday. Corey Patterson went 2-for-4 and Miguel Tejada knocked in the lone run for Baltimore, which mustered just six hits on the afternoon.
Bruce Chen (0-5) continued his early-season struggles, yielding three runs on seven hits with two walks and four strikeouts through four innings to take the loss. He actually lowered his earned run average to 8.08.
The Mariners won two of three games at Camden Yards to end April, but Baltimore is 15-7 versus Seattle since the start of the 2004 campaign. The O's won seven of 10 meetings between the clubs last season.