— Orioles Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer has never been shy in sharing his opinion, whether it was as a player or now as a broadcaster. So it probably comes as no surprise that Palmer had no problem with outfielder Nick Markakis' comments in Friday's editions of The Baltimore Sun that questioned the offensive approach of his teammates.
"I'm sure he's frustrated," Palmer said Friday before the Orioles' series opener with the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. "I'm sure he said that to his guys. I don't mind the fact that he went public with it. He's no different than anybody. He's a competitive guy. He wants them to do well, and that's part of the equation."
In an extensive interview earlier this week, the normally mild-mannered Markakis said that "sometimes, guys are going up there and it looks like they have no idea what they're doing," and acknowledged that the team's offensive woes won't change until players make adjustments in their approach.
Markakis, who entered Friday's game hitting .300 with a .394 on-base percentage but has drawn criticism because of his declining power numbers (three homers, 21 RBIs), is one of the few Orioles who has consistently shown patience at the plate.
Therefore, Palmer said, if the message was going to come from someone on the team, Markakis was the guy to deliver it.
"I think anybody who has watched Nick play or knows Nick knows that he's not a really outspoken guy, but he's an aware guy," Palmer said. "If you look at Nick, this year compared to last year, he's having a great year. He's walking more, his on-base percentage [is good]. He doesn't get too many opportunities to drive in runs, but he's up around .300 with runners in scoring position. He's been very consistent.
"What he said is what good hitting teams are. They have a plan. Let's go up there, let's look for a good pitch and if we don't get a good pitch, let's not swing at it. That's really what the game is about. The key to pitching is to throw enough strikes to get them to swing at balls. The problem with the Red Sox and the Yankees and the really disciplined ballclubs [is] they don't swing at balls, so they constantly get into hitting counts."
Overall, the Orioles entered Friday second-to-last in the American League in on-base percentage and slugging percentage. They had the fewest walks in the league, and they saw the fewest pitchers per plate appearance (3.73).
They also had the fifth-worst "chase percentage" in baseball, swinging at 30.2 percent of pitches thrown out of the strike zone.
That had led to many criticizing the aggressive approach advocated by longtime hitting coach Terry Crowley, but Markakis said that it's the players — and not Crowley — who should be held accountable for the team's poor offensive performance, a sentiment with which Palmer agreed.
"Everybody wants to point their finger at Terry Crowley because it's an easy thing to do," Palmer said. "The pitching is as bad as the hitting. Are they talking about firing [pitching coach] Rick Kranitz because we don't have any No.1 draft choices [on the staff]? Because we do. [Brian] Matusz has lost seven in a row — not that they are all his. You can let Terry Crowley go, and if we swing the bat and have the inefficient game plan that we have, what does it matter? You can bring Shoeless Joe Jackson in here as the hitting instructor. I thought it was nice that he supported his hitting coach because if you asked Nick, 'Would you be as good of a hitter without Terry Crowley?' he'd tell you no.
"Crow can walk out holding hands with Adam Jones from the on-deck circle to home plate, put his arm around him, and he's still going to swing at a slider in the dirt. Until that changes, and he either shortens the swing or has some plate discipline, there you have it."
Bergy in line to start in a week
Despite allowing three runs, five hits and two walks in a start for Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday night, Brad Bergesen is the favorite to start next Saturday for the Orioles, according to interim manager Juan Samuel, whose team won't need a fifth starter until that day.
In order to keep him available to make that start, Bergesen will pitch Monday night for the Tides on three days' rest.
"Right now, we have to see what's going to develop the next couple of days," Samuel said. "If things go according to plans, my guess would be probably Bergy. That would be my guess. From my understanding, he only went a couple of innings yesterday on three days' rest so next time out, he should be able to go the distance. If that's what we need, he's going to be ready to pitch up here."
Bergesen was on a strict pitch count of 65 to 70 pitches on Thursday so that he'll be available to come back Monday. The Orioles want to see Bergesen pitch well for the Tides so he'll make their decision easier. If he struggles again, they could start Chris Tillman, who was demoted to the bullpen earlier this week, or give long man Mark Hendrickson a spot start.
O's, Mummey agree to terms
The Orioles reached a deal Friday with their first pick in the top 10 rounds as fourth-round pick Trent Mummey, an outfielder from Auburn University, agreed to terms with the club. Mummey, the 118th overall pick in the draft, was signed for $252,000, the slot figure for his spot.
Mummey is expected to be in Baltimore in a couple of days to take a physical and finalize a deal. He'll then report to short-season Single-A Aberdeen. The Orioles have agreed to terms with 25 of their 49 picks from this month's draft, including five of their top 15 selections.
Around the horn
In a move aimed at opening up roster space, the Orioles traded Double-A pitcher Ryan Ouellette to the Chicago White Sox for future considerations. … Outfielder Felix Pie (torn muscle in back) could report to one of the Orioles' minor league affiliates to start a rehab assignment as early as next week. … Reliever Michael Gonzalez (left shoulder strain) will throw a simulated game on Saturday. … Koji Uehara (right forearm strain) is also expected to throw on Saturday. … The Orioles struck out 15 times on Wednesday against the San Francisco Giants, the most since they fanned 17 times against the Boston Red Sox on May 30, 2008. .. The Delmarva Shorebirds, a single-A affiliate of the Orioles, announced that they will host the 2011 South Atlantic League All-Star Game at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium. "We are extremely excited to host the 2011 All-Star Game and to showcase Arthur W. Perdue Stadium and Delmarva's attractions to the rest of the league," Shorebirds general manager Chris Bitters said in a statement.