Orioles hit rock bottom

Baseball Betting Lines

06/19/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Orioles are just 2-13 in the month of June and are now in last place in the American League East standings after losing eight straight home games to Colorado, Washington and Arizona. The team's collapse over the past week has also led to the dismissal of Manager Sam Perlozzo.

Perlozzo was fired after Sunday's loss to the Diamondbacks and was replaced by bullpen coach Dave Trembley on Monday. Trembley will come on as an interim manager until the Orioles can find a permanent replacement.

Trembley inherits one of the worst teams in baseball, as the Orioles have compiled a 29-40 record on the season. The O's have not won a series in the month of June and have been swept in back-to-back three-game sets. Baltimore had no answer for the Diamondbacks over the weekend, as they were outscored 21-11 during the series.

The tone of the series was set in Friday night's opener, when the Orioles suffered a 7-3 setback. Starter Erik Bedard was forced to watch his solid start go to waste, as the Orioles' bullpen blew a one-run lead in the seventh inning. Bedard had set the O's up for a win by allowing just two runs on six hits through seven innings.

Saturday contest brought more of the same for the Orioles, as they lost 8-4. Daniel Cabrera got off to a rocky start, allowing five runs in the first three innings before eventually suffering his eighth loss of the season. The O's were quiet at the plate as well, collecting just seven hits on the night.

Sunday's finale exposed the Orioles bullpen once again, as another late inning collapse resulted in a 6-4 loss. Starter Brian Burres was solid in the loss, allowing just three runs on five hits through seven innings. However, the bullpen failed to close the deal, surrendering three runs in the eighth inning to seal the Orioles fate.

First baseman Kevin Millar was adamant about his team's lack of focus over the past few weeks.

"We need to find a way to win a baseball game," Millar said. "How is that? I don't know. Sometimes (the media members) have all the answers, sometimes you don't. Sometimes, we've got all the answers. It's the same cliche. We need to keep battling, come out here tomorrow, work hard, early hitting, blah blah blah. Bottom line (is), we've got to win a baseball game."

PERLOZZO OUT AS MANAGER

Baltimore became the first team of the 2007 season to unload its manager, firing Perlozzo just 60 games into the season. He did not have much success since replacing Lee Mazzilli late in the 2005 campaign, accumulating a 122-164 record in less than two full seasons.

Perlozzo had been criticized all season for his inability to manage one of the league's highest paid bullpens and became the center of rumors after the O's were swept by the Washington Nationals last week.

The Orioles overhauled their bullpen last offseason, but have received minimal results. The main source of disappointment has been right-hander Danys Baez, who signed a three-year, $19-million deal last winter, but has turned out to be a bust so far. Brought in to be Baltimore's primary setup man, Baez posts a disappointing 0-4 record with a 6.52 ERA in 31 appearances this season.

Although Baez has not helped the situation, he can hardly be blamed for Perlozzo's dismissal. Perlozzo was rumored to be on the hot seat coming into the 2007 season and did not do much to help his cause, since the Orioles have spent most of the season under .500.

According to team executive vice president Mike Flanagan, Perlozzo has been offered another job in the organization. However, there were no details given as to what the job would entail, or whether Perlozzo was interested in accepting another position.

During Monday's press conference, Flanagan expressed the club's need for a change.

"It was a tough homestand and a tough month, maybe some of the most horrific losses that this club has ever endured," Flanagan said. "There's been a level of frustration on our parts, and we just felt after our last homestand that it was time to make a change."

Early reports speculate that the Orioles have already contacted former Florida Marlins manager Joe Girardi as a potential replacement for Perlozzo. However, Trembley will be in charge when the O's kick off their three-game set with the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night.

BULLPEN GETS ANOTHER NEW LOOK

The Orioles did make some recent moves that will hopefully improve their struggling bullpen. Baltimore called up relievers Jim Hoey and Cory Doyne from Triple-A Norfolk on Saturday and placed Baez on the disabled list. The club also released right-hander Todd Williams to make room for the newly promoted pitchers.

Both Hoey and Doyne have earned the right to pitch in the majors, as each has compiled an impressive stat line at the minor-league level. Doyne was having a terrific season as a closer for Norfolk, having collected 19 saves and posting a 1.99 ERA in 29 appearances. Hoey has also pitched well this season, having recorded 40 strikeouts over 25 2/3 innings.

Jim Duquette, the Orioles' vice president of baseball operations, hopes that the pitching changes will have a positive effect on the rest of the team.

"We've been talking about a couple of changes here for the last few days," he said. "The two guys we brought up have been pitching very well in Triple-A. You never how they're going to pitch here, but obviously we've seen Hoey in the past. We didn't see the best out of him at the end of last year, but he'd been pitching very well in Double-A and Triple-A."

While Doyne is making his first trip the majors, Hoey will be giving it his second shot after joining the team for a brief stint last season.

"I think it's going to be a lot better, especially since last year I was tired toward the end," Hoey said. "I was trying to sling my slider up there and just trying to get my ball over the plate. This year's going to be totally different."

As for Williams, the club was forced to release the right-hander due to contract restrictions that would have allowed him to become a free agent rather than accept a minor league assignment. Williams was having an awful season anyway, posting an 0-2 record with a 7.53 ERA in 14 appearances. He sealed his fate after surrendering five runs over three separate outings last week.

INJURY NEWS

Baez has was placed on the disabled list with a sore arm. Although the injury has been bothering him for more than a week, the trip to the DL will also give the right-hander some time to re-focus in hopes of salvaging his second half of the season.

Starting left-hander Adam Loewen is officially done for the season after opting to have year-ending elbow surgery. After a month of rest and light rehabilitation, Loewen decided to have the surgery last Thursday. The operation, performed by Dr. James Andrews, was deemed a success and should allow Loewen to begin throwing in December. If everything goes to plan, the young southpaw will be at full strength by spring training.

"When it all comes down to it, I'm not going to be pitching this year," Loewen said about the reasoning behind opting for the operation. "But I'll be at full strength next year -- that's what (Dr. Andrews) expects and that's what I expect. In the big picture, it's just a short bump in the road. Next year is going to be the next big thing for me."

WHO'S HOT

Miguel Tejada has been one of the few bright spots for Baltimore in the month of June, hitting safely in seven of his last 10 games. The shortstop has done everything he can at the plate this season, batting .302 with seven home runs and 37 RBI.

Right-hander Jeremy Guthrie has been solid in each of his last seven starts. The former reliever has pitched seven or more innings in each of those outings, allowing just 10 runs on 30 hits through 52 1/3 innings. Unfortunately, he has not received much help from his teammates, as he is just 1-0 during that time period.

WHO'S NOT

Cabrera has struggled during the month of June, going 1-3 in his last four starts. The right-handed hurler has had some control issues this season, walking 34 batters over his last 10 starts. On the season Cabrera is just 5-8 with a 5.20 ERA.

Corey Patterson continues to struggle at the plate, going just 2-for-22 over his last 10 games. The center fielder cannot seem to find his swing, as he's batting just .205 with one home run and 17 RBI on the year.

ON DECK

The Orioles will travel to San Diego for a three-game set against the Padres from PETCO Park. Steve Trachsel (5-4, 3.94) will face off against San Diego ace Jake Peavy (8-1, 1.82) in Tuesday night's opener. Guthrie (3-1, 2.57) will take on Justin Germano (5-0, 2.36) on Wednesday night, before Bedard (4-4, 3.64) and David Wells (3-4, 4.86) face off in Thursday's finale.