Orioles Team Report Apr 12, 2008

Unscheduled doubleheaders—as if there were any other type in this day and age—have a way of causing problems for the managers of the teams involved in the games.

A good example is the Orioles’ Dave Trembley, who may have to make a personnel move to get a starting pitcher for Monday’s game against the Blue Jays.

Steve Trachsel was supposed to pitch in Texas on Wednesday, but when the game was rained out and rescheduled for Thursday. Trachsel pitched the first game that day, which cuts out a day from his next scheduled start in the homestand opener on Monday.

Trembley is in a quandary. He might make the decision to bring long reliever Matt Albers from the bullpen to make the spot start. However, if any of the starters between now and then don’t get deep enough into a game and need a long man, that would probably have to change.

The manager has been talking with Andy MacPhail, the president for baseball operations, about the decision. They could go to one of their minor league affiliates and call up one of the youngsters who was considered for a roster spot coming into the season.

With no answer forthcoming, it is obvious that Trembley’s best-laid plans have indeed gone awry. But that’s what doubleheaders do.

Rays 10, Orioles 5: The bullpen gave up four hits and four walks en route to helping the Rays to a five-run eighth inning that accounted for the Orioles’ third straight loss.

Manager Dave Trembley called in left-hander Jamie Walker to start the parade of ineffective relievers with one out in the seventh and he gave up a squib hit and blooper in front of Carlos Pena’s second home run of the game that tied it at 5-5. Pena hit a two-run homer in the first to account for the only runs off starter Jeremy Guthrie. In the eighth inning, Dennis Sarfate and Greg Aquino combined to give up the five runs.

The Orioles scored three unearned runs off James Shields after an error with two out in the first inning. Luke Scott sparked the rally with a two-run double. Brian Roberts and Ramon Hernandez had RBI hits to build the lead.

Notes, Quotes

• LHP Jamie Walker had never allowed a hit by the Rays’ Carlos Pena before Friday, when the Rays’ slugger hit a three-run homer to tie the game at 5-5 in the seventh inning.

• RHP Jeremy Guthrie has given up a home run in each of his three starts this season. On Friday, he was touched for a two-run clout by Carlos Pena in the first inning, but responded positively and didn’t allow another run until leaving with a 5-2 lead after 6 1/3 innings.

• 1B Kevin Millar went into the game in a 1-for-17 slump but had a career .486 average (10-for-21) against the Rays’ James Shields and came through with a two-out single in the first inning when the Orioles scored three times after an error prolonged the inning.

• LF Luke Scott, who was hitting .500 before being blanked on Thursday, got back on track on Friday, when he had two doubles including one that sent home two runs in the first inning. His average is down to .429.

• CF Adam Jones, despite having a four-game hitting streak before Friday, was surprisingly not in the lineup for the opener at Tampa Bay. He was replaced in center field by Jay Payton, who hit his first homer on Thursday but was 0-for-4 on Friday.

• RHP Chris Ray, the erstwhile closer—rehabbing from Tommy John surgery in August 2007—was in the clubhouse with his teammates. His doctor’s report was that he may be cleared to begin throwing sometime in May, which means there’s a possibility he could return to the team late in the season.

By The Numbers: 3—RHP Chad Bradford, LHP Jamie Walker and closer George Sherrill each appeared in three of the first five games.

Quote To Note: “For me, it starts with an attitude and an acceptance from everybody that this is the way we’re going to go about doing it … we’ve got guys in the game pitch-by-pitch, we’ve got guys picking each other up and saying, ‘Hey, get the guy over.’ I haven’t heard those things in a while so it’s nice to not only hear it, but to see guys picking each other up.”—Manager Dave Trembley on the new attitude in the dugout.