Daniel Cabrera going Nuke LaLoosh. Corey Patterson swinging at everything in sight. Massachusetts masses on every city sidewalk. Ah, there's nothing like a weekend series with the Red Sox to get that feel-good vibe going. Next stop ... the Trop!
Cabrera's meltdown on Friday was painful to watch. And I didn't even watch the entire first inning. Cabrera last 1 1/3 innings, walked seven and surrendered seven earned runs. He's prone to occasional lapses in command, but this was extreme. The most discouraging thing was Cabrera seemed to have no clue how to fix it. He looked lost.
Still, I expect Cabrera to come back strong Wednesday in Tampa Bay. Friday's train wreck simply serves as a reminder that for all of his upside, he has a wild side as well. Ask Trot Nixon, who almost got a taste of Cabrera's upside upside his head.
While Cabrera was bad for less than two innings, the offense was nearly nonexistent for the better part of three games. The Orioles have been held to one run or fewer in three of their past four games and went 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position on Sunday.
Two mainstays at the top of the order - Brian Roberts and Melvin Mora - have been particularly cool, combining to go 4-for-30 as the Orioles lost the final four games of their season-opening homestand.
The O's hodge-podge outfield has combined to hit .232 (19-for-82) with 13 RBIs in six games. Take out Jay Gibbons' respectable numbers (8-for-22, 5 RBIs), and the remaining five outfielders are at .183 (11-for-60) with 8 RBIs. In a 4-1 game Sunday, Boston's Tim Wakefield fanned Patterson, David Newhan and Luis Matos in order with runners on first and third. I think Patterson swung twice at one pitch.
Something has to give in the outfield, where manager Sam Perlozzo has shuffled his deck on a daily basis. Kudos to Perlozzo for trying, but there simply aren't enough at-bats to go around, and Nick Markakis isn't getting any better sitting on the bench.
Whatever happens, Raul Chavez won't be around to see it. The O's No. 3 catcher was designated for assignment on Sunday when the club brought in Cory Morris to fortify the bullpen. Chavez had no at-bats in roughly a week with the club; his 2006 Orioles highlight film will in all likelihood begin and end with him running down on orange carpet to indifferent applause on Opening Day. And no, Raul, those weren't boos you heard - they were 'Who?'s.' And so Operation Raul to the Rescue comes to an end, and all it cost the O's was Eric DuBose. Nice move.
Anyway, Chavez won't be the one to bring this offense out of its funk. Leave that to the Devil Rays' pitching staff ... "McClung" is just another word for "he's a lock to lose."
