Pitcher Jim Johnson, celebrating an early September win with catcher Matt Wieters, is expected to be kept by the Orioles but moved back to his eighth-inning relief role. (AP photo / September 5, 2009) |
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -
- Three years after spending more than $40 million to overhaul their bullpen, the Orioles will again have to make significant upgrades in that area this offseason.
The bullpen's latest collapse Monday - Matt Albers and Chris Ray combined to cough up a three-run seventh-inning lead against the Tampa Bay Rays - left the Orioles' bullpen with a 4.93 ERA, the second worst in the American League, behind only the Kansas City Royals.
"The bullpen's struggles have shifted my thinking to the point where I know we're going to probably have more resources in that area than I originally anticipated," Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said. "The bullpens are hard because they're the most mercurial things in our sport. You just have to pay attention to it every year, and this year is going to be no different."
The only active member of the Orioles' bullpen who is certain to stay with the major league club is Jim Johnson, who could be headed back to his eighth-inning role after blowing three of nine save opportunities after the trade of George Sherrill. If the Orioles have concluded that Johnson isn't a good fit for that role, they could try to acquire a closer in a trade or via free agency, or use Koji Uehara to anchor the back end of the bullpen.
"You need to shore up and identify what is going to be the back end of your bullpen, and that's where a guy like Koji now comes in," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said. "I think he's a guy you might have to look at. He's experienced, poised, he throws strikes, he has a swing-and-miss pitch, works fast. Or I think you might have to look at finding somebody similar to how Andy found Sherrill, a guy that maybe never [closed] before, but had the stuff and the makeup to do it. That's not a knock on anybody, but Johnson was very, very good in his role as an eighth-inning guy. We've taken him out of his role."
It's not as if the relievers ahead of Johnson have performed well either. The bullpen currently has a league-worst 6.75 ERA in September. Of the current group, Danys Baez is eligible for free agency, as is Mark Hendrickson, who is currently in the rotation though the Orioles have interest in signing him back as a reliever.
Cla Meredith has pitched well for stretches, and there's a good chance that he'll be back and the club will likely give Ray another year to try to figure things out, but Albers, Brian Bass, Bob McCrory, Dennis Sarfate, Chris Lambert, Alberto Castillo, Chris Waters and Sean Henn are all candidates to be dropped from the roster.
"It just seems like it's been snowballing lately," Johnson said. "When guys are busting their butt and making plays and coming back, and it's a recurring theme that we don't get the job done on our end, now guys start pressing on themselves. That's the easiest thing to do. Maybe sometimes we're waiting for something to go wrong instead of waiting for something to go right."
"We'll know definitively about that when we get to Baltimore, but right now, I would say that it's doubtful," Trembley said. Head athletic trainer Richie Bancells "is telling me right now that if this was [earlier in] the regular season, he more than likely would be out for a good while."
Pie batted .266 with nine homers and 29 RBIs in 101 games. Though he lost his starting left-field job in mid-May with the emergence of rookie Nolan Reimold, Pie hit .290 in the second half with seven homers and 21 RBIs in 48 games.
He is the third Orioles outfielder to be shut down in September, following Adam Jones (sprained left ankle) and Reimold (left Achilles surgery). McCrory, who had an arthrogram taken on his right shoulder Tuesday, is not expected to pitch again this season.
The bullpen's latest collapse Monday - Matt Albers and Chris Ray combined to cough up a three-run seventh-inning lead against the Tampa Bay Rays - left the Orioles' bullpen with a 4.93 ERA, the second worst in the American League, behind only the Kansas City Royals.
"The bullpen's struggles have shifted my thinking to the point where I know we're going to probably have more resources in that area than I originally anticipated," Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said. "The bullpens are hard because they're the most mercurial things in our sport. You just have to pay attention to it every year, and this year is going to be no different."
The only active member of the Orioles' bullpen who is certain to stay with the major league club is Jim Johnson, who could be headed back to his eighth-inning role after blowing three of nine save opportunities after the trade of George Sherrill. If the Orioles have concluded that Johnson isn't a good fit for that role, they could try to acquire a closer in a trade or via free agency, or use Koji Uehara to anchor the back end of the bullpen.
"You need to shore up and identify what is going to be the back end of your bullpen, and that's where a guy like Koji now comes in," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said. "I think he's a guy you might have to look at. He's experienced, poised, he throws strikes, he has a swing-and-miss pitch, works fast. Or I think you might have to look at finding somebody similar to how Andy found Sherrill, a guy that maybe never [closed] before, but had the stuff and the makeup to do it. That's not a knock on anybody, but Johnson was very, very good in his role as an eighth-inning guy. We've taken him out of his role."
It's not as if the relievers ahead of Johnson have performed well either. The bullpen currently has a league-worst 6.75 ERA in September. Of the current group, Danys Baez is eligible for free agency, as is Mark Hendrickson, who is currently in the rotation though the Orioles have interest in signing him back as a reliever.
Cla Meredith has pitched well for stretches, and there's a good chance that he'll be back and the club will likely give Ray another year to try to figure things out, but Albers, Brian Bass, Bob McCrory, Dennis Sarfate, Chris Lambert, Alberto Castillo, Chris Waters and Sean Henn are all candidates to be dropped from the roster.
"It just seems like it's been snowballing lately," Johnson said. "When guys are busting their butt and making plays and coming back, and it's a recurring theme that we don't get the job done on our end, now guys start pressing on themselves. That's the easiest thing to do. Maybe sometimes we're waiting for something to go wrong instead of waiting for something to go right."
Pie's season likely over
Outfielder Felix Pie will likely join the list of Orioles to be shut down before the end of the season. Trembley said Tuesday that Pie, who strained his left quadriceps trying to beat out a double play Friday, is doubtful for the team's remaining five games."We'll know definitively about that when we get to Baltimore, but right now, I would say that it's doubtful," Trembley said. Head athletic trainer Richie Bancells "is telling me right now that if this was [earlier in] the regular season, he more than likely would be out for a good while."
Pie batted .266 with nine homers and 29 RBIs in 101 games. Though he lost his starting left-field job in mid-May with the emergence of rookie Nolan Reimold, Pie hit .290 in the second half with seven homers and 21 RBIs in 48 games.
He is the third Orioles outfielder to be shut down in September, following Adam Jones (sprained left ankle) and Reimold (left Achilles surgery). McCrory, who had an arthrogram taken on his right shoulder Tuesday, is not expected to pitch again this season.
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I,ve stopped watching the Orioles all together. In my many years of sticking with them {since '54} they ought to be ashamed to styep on the field. THEY ARE JUST PLAIN AWFULL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
StanH. (09/30/2009, 6:35 PM )