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Orioles third baseman Melvin Mora has come to the mound on numerous occasions during Chris Tillman's first eight starts. Matt Wieters, or whoever was catching Tillman that day, has also been a frequent visitor. But with the rookie right-hander in a tough spot Saturday against the Texas Rangers, Tillman turned and saw second baseman Brian Roberts approaching the mound.
"He said, 'Hey, I think they have your signs. You may want to switch them up,' "Tillman recalled. "He thought the runners at second base were relaying the signs to hitters. That was really the first time he approached me when I was pitching. It was very helpful."
Roberts, normally reluctant to occupy a vocal leadership role on the club, said he's "gone out of character" a couple of times this year, one of the more uneven seasons of his career.
Currently hitting .284 with 14 homers, 65 RBIs and 27 stolen bases, Roberts is on pace to set career highs in hits, runs, doubles and RBIs, while he has played in 134 of the Orioles' 137 games despite several bouts with injury and illness.
His 49 doubles leave him one shy of becoming the fourth player in major league history to have three 50-double seasons; the other three - Tris Speaker, Paul Waner and Stan Musial - are in the Hall of Fame. He has played solid defense and carried the Orioles offensively at times from the leadoff spot, as he did during one power binge in mid-August that brought five home runs in a six-game span.
On the downside, he has gone hitless for at least 13 straight at-bats five different times this season. He has been held without a stolen base for at least 13 consecutive games four different times and is on pace for his fewest steals since 2005.
In a game against the Oakland Athletics on Aug. 11, Roberts forgot how many outs there were, one of the most egregious mistakes in a season full of base-running gaffes by the Orioles. The two-time All-Star, whose gritty and aggressive style has made him perhaps the most popular Oriole since Cal Ripken Jr., has also been criticized by fans who have questioned his focus and hustle at times this year.
"If I'm being judged on one base-running mistake, then that's fine," Roberts said. "I answer to myself, I answer to God, I answer to [manager] Dave Trembley and [owner] Peter Angelos. And if they've had complaints, I'd certainly talk to them about it. I care what the fans think, but in some respects, I don't. I've busted my butt for this organization for eight years. I've done it this year, and I'll continue to do it next year.
"I'm not worried about that. If people get judged on their work every single day by 50,000 people or the 3 million people that watch, they'd probably get criticized, too. I have no problem taking criticism. It doesn't bother me. I understand that I signed a large contract, but I'm also not going to try to live up to what people think I'm supposed to be. I can't do that because I'll never be able to live up to everybody's expectations."
When he discusses Roberts, Trembley focuses more on the 31-year-old's impact in a clubhouse that is getting younger by the day. Trembley references the meeting the two had in the visiting dugout at Angel Stadium in early July. Roberts, who requested the talk, was upfront about his role and his struggles earlier in the season.
"He said that he understands his responsibility a lot clearer as one of the leaders on this team. He's done what we've asked him to do," Trembley said. "I think Brian has been accountable and supportive of the young players and the direction that the team is going. He's a guy that you can count on. It's real simple. You can count on Brian Roberts wanting to play every day, playing banged up, and giving you what he's got."
With Mora's expected departure this offseason, Roberts is about to become the longest-tenured member of the club. Fourth-year outfielder Nick Markakis will be next, and he has played 500 fewer games in an Orioles uniform than Roberts has. Roberts acknowledged that will bring added responsibility that he has already started to act on.
"I've talked to a lot of people about it, thought about it a lot, prayed," Roberts said. "Leadership comes in obviously a whole lot of ways. I think I've done things [this year] that I wouldn't have done in the past, but I'm not going to change everything about myself. I am who I am for the most part.
"It's a lot like Nick. He could lead, too, but he's not going to grab some guy by the throat and say, 'Hey, what are you doing?' We both want to go out there and play every day, play hard. But I have at least tried to help guys that might want help and our young guys are very receptive. They want to get better, and they want to learn. They don't have egos. That makes you want to help them even more."
During a game in Toronto in early August, Roberts settled next to Wieters in the dugout after the plodding catcher got a bad jump from second and didn't score on Adam Jones' single. Trembley said Roberts has also had a couple of talks with Jones throughout the season.
"He's definitely done more of that than he has in the past," said Markakis, Roberts' closest friend on the team. "I think that's what this team needs. If there is any one person that is going to do it, I think Brian should be the one. He deserves to do it."
Closer Jim Johnson agreed, saying: "I think he understands guys here look to him for certain things. He's going to be the elder statesman. It comes with the territory."
Several times during a difficult second half, Roberts has publicly backed the embattled Trembley, who doesn't have a guaranteed contract for next season.
"I do like playing for him. I think Dave is a great guy," said Roberts, who has had four managers in his Orioles tenure. "I can't sit here and say what's fair or not fair or who should be doing what. That's not my job. My job is to play second base and to hit, but I certainly think it's hard to judge someone on wins and losses at this stage.
"I can't imagine that would be the first thing that they'd say the criteria was. I can't imagine that anybody could look at themselves in the mirror and say that would be fair to him. I understand that we all need to be held accountable for how we perform, but my point has always been if you don't have the horses to run the race, you're not going to win consistently. That's as simple as I can put it. I don't know what buttons that you'd want the man to push to go out and beat the Yankees three times right now."
Roberts signed a four-year, $40 million contract extension in February, showing his faith in Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail's rebuilding plan. Since making his big league debut with the Orioles in 2001, Roberts has never been on a team that has won more than 78 games in a season.
Sports Illustrated recently called Roberts and Texas Rangers third baseman Michael Young the two best active players never to reach the postseason, a designation that the Oriole called "bittersweet." With his team one defeat away from clinching a 12th consecutive losing season and flirting with a 100-loss campaign, Roberts said he hasn't second-guessed his offseason decision to commit long-term to the only organization he has known.
"I'm not going to feel strong about it until we're playing meaningful games in September, but I'm glad to see what's going on and I've been pleasantly surprised by some things I wouldn't have even expected," he said. "I don't think anybody expected too much from Nolan Reimold, and he's proven that he can play at this level. Nobody really talked about [Brad Bergesen] and to me, he's a quality major league starter. A lot of people talked about Tillman, [ Brian] Matusz and Wieters, but there have been other guys that didn't get a whole lot of hype that have certainly showed that they can help us."
"He said, 'Hey, I think they have your signs. You may want to switch them up,' "Tillman recalled. "He thought the runners at second base were relaying the signs to hitters. That was really the first time he approached me when I was pitching. It was very helpful."
Roberts, normally reluctant to occupy a vocal leadership role on the club, said he's "gone out of character" a couple of times this year, one of the more uneven seasons of his career.
Currently hitting .284 with 14 homers, 65 RBIs and 27 stolen bases, Roberts is on pace to set career highs in hits, runs, doubles and RBIs, while he has played in 134 of the Orioles' 137 games despite several bouts with injury and illness.
His 49 doubles leave him one shy of becoming the fourth player in major league history to have three 50-double seasons; the other three - Tris Speaker, Paul Waner and Stan Musial - are in the Hall of Fame. He has played solid defense and carried the Orioles offensively at times from the leadoff spot, as he did during one power binge in mid-August that brought five home runs in a six-game span.
On the downside, he has gone hitless for at least 13 straight at-bats five different times this season. He has been held without a stolen base for at least 13 consecutive games four different times and is on pace for his fewest steals since 2005.
In a game against the Oakland Athletics on Aug. 11, Roberts forgot how many outs there were, one of the most egregious mistakes in a season full of base-running gaffes by the Orioles. The two-time All-Star, whose gritty and aggressive style has made him perhaps the most popular Oriole since Cal Ripken Jr., has also been criticized by fans who have questioned his focus and hustle at times this year.
"If I'm being judged on one base-running mistake, then that's fine," Roberts said. "I answer to myself, I answer to God, I answer to [manager] Dave Trembley and [owner] Peter Angelos. And if they've had complaints, I'd certainly talk to them about it. I care what the fans think, but in some respects, I don't. I've busted my butt for this organization for eight years. I've done it this year, and I'll continue to do it next year.
"I'm not worried about that. If people get judged on their work every single day by 50,000 people or the 3 million people that watch, they'd probably get criticized, too. I have no problem taking criticism. It doesn't bother me. I understand that I signed a large contract, but I'm also not going to try to live up to what people think I'm supposed to be. I can't do that because I'll never be able to live up to everybody's expectations."
When he discusses Roberts, Trembley focuses more on the 31-year-old's impact in a clubhouse that is getting younger by the day. Trembley references the meeting the two had in the visiting dugout at Angel Stadium in early July. Roberts, who requested the talk, was upfront about his role and his struggles earlier in the season.
"He said that he understands his responsibility a lot clearer as one of the leaders on this team. He's done what we've asked him to do," Trembley said. "I think Brian has been accountable and supportive of the young players and the direction that the team is going. He's a guy that you can count on. It's real simple. You can count on Brian Roberts wanting to play every day, playing banged up, and giving you what he's got."
With Mora's expected departure this offseason, Roberts is about to become the longest-tenured member of the club. Fourth-year outfielder Nick Markakis will be next, and he has played 500 fewer games in an Orioles uniform than Roberts has. Roberts acknowledged that will bring added responsibility that he has already started to act on.
"I've talked to a lot of people about it, thought about it a lot, prayed," Roberts said. "Leadership comes in obviously a whole lot of ways. I think I've done things [this year] that I wouldn't have done in the past, but I'm not going to change everything about myself. I am who I am for the most part.
"It's a lot like Nick. He could lead, too, but he's not going to grab some guy by the throat and say, 'Hey, what are you doing?' We both want to go out there and play every day, play hard. But I have at least tried to help guys that might want help and our young guys are very receptive. They want to get better, and they want to learn. They don't have egos. That makes you want to help them even more."
During a game in Toronto in early August, Roberts settled next to Wieters in the dugout after the plodding catcher got a bad jump from second and didn't score on Adam Jones' single. Trembley said Roberts has also had a couple of talks with Jones throughout the season.
"He's definitely done more of that than he has in the past," said Markakis, Roberts' closest friend on the team. "I think that's what this team needs. If there is any one person that is going to do it, I think Brian should be the one. He deserves to do it."
Closer Jim Johnson agreed, saying: "I think he understands guys here look to him for certain things. He's going to be the elder statesman. It comes with the territory."
Several times during a difficult second half, Roberts has publicly backed the embattled Trembley, who doesn't have a guaranteed contract for next season.
"I do like playing for him. I think Dave is a great guy," said Roberts, who has had four managers in his Orioles tenure. "I can't sit here and say what's fair or not fair or who should be doing what. That's not my job. My job is to play second base and to hit, but I certainly think it's hard to judge someone on wins and losses at this stage.
"I can't imagine that would be the first thing that they'd say the criteria was. I can't imagine that anybody could look at themselves in the mirror and say that would be fair to him. I understand that we all need to be held accountable for how we perform, but my point has always been if you don't have the horses to run the race, you're not going to win consistently. That's as simple as I can put it. I don't know what buttons that you'd want the man to push to go out and beat the Yankees three times right now."
Roberts signed a four-year, $40 million contract extension in February, showing his faith in Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail's rebuilding plan. Since making his big league debut with the Orioles in 2001, Roberts has never been on a team that has won more than 78 games in a season.
Sports Illustrated recently called Roberts and Texas Rangers third baseman Michael Young the two best active players never to reach the postseason, a designation that the Oriole called "bittersweet." With his team one defeat away from clinching a 12th consecutive losing season and flirting with a 100-loss campaign, Roberts said he hasn't second-guessed his offseason decision to commit long-term to the only organization he has known.
"I'm not going to feel strong about it until we're playing meaningful games in September, but I'm glad to see what's going on and I've been pleasantly surprised by some things I wouldn't have even expected," he said. "I don't think anybody expected too much from Nolan Reimold, and he's proven that he can play at this level. Nobody really talked about [Brad Bergesen] and to me, he's a quality major league starter. A lot of people talked about Tillman, [ Brian] Matusz and Wieters, but there have been other guys that didn't get a whole lot of hype that have certainly showed that they can help us."
Roberts' ups and downs
Orioles leadoff man Brian Roberts has been a streaky hitter for most of his career, but he has taken it to a new level this season.The good
| April 13-25 | 11-for-22 |
| May 25-29 | 9-for-18 |
| June 10-14 | 10-for-18 |
| July 12-21 | 12-for-26 |
| Aug.18-23 | 10-for-24 |
The bad
| April 29-May 4 | 0-for-18 |
| May 30-June 3 | 0-for-17 |
| June 25-30 | 0-for-18 |
| July 5-11 | 0-for-13 |
| Aug. 26-30 | 0-for-14 |
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