I feel sorry for him; he's the first manager since Davey that I haven't Bern actively rooting for his termination. He's had some bad luck. But at the same time, no team that is going to even pretend to be serious about winning can bring him back after this year's version of the annual second-half nosedive.

It was their 11th straight loss, and they need to go 3-3 the rest of the way to avoid joining the 1954 and 1988 Orioles as the only 100-loss clubs in team history.

When all they had to do was go 3-14 to avoid 100 losses, I thought they had a slight chance at it. Now? 3-3 looks close to impossible. What is it about the Orioles that makes them so horrible in September? For most of the year they're just another bad team.

At least Matt Wieters has been swinging the bat well.

9/2009 6-18
9/2008 5-20
9/2007 10-19
9/2006 10-19
9/2005 12-18
9/2004 19-13
9/2003 10-16
9/2002 4-24
9/2001 8-19
9/2000 14-15

The good old days, strong 3rd place finish in 2004. But the glory days of Tejada, Rodrigo & Javy Lopez are no more.

The thing is, getting to see some Wieters, Tillman, and Matusz, along with some of the other young players, this is to me at least one of the least unpleasant Orioles teams in the last decade.

I think the idea of general managers dismantling the bad teams in August by trading the most marketable players for low minor leaguers might be questioned this year with the results in Baltimore and Cleveland. It seeems so demoralizing to the guys left behind.

When that is combined with injuries (Adam Jones, Nolan Reimold, Koji, and Brad Bergeson lost for the season) the result is what we are watching in Baltimore. Are there good examples of teams who flipped their best players and still finished well? Or did well the next year? Pittsburgh and KC come to mind as bad examples.

Imagine if the Yankees traded Texiera and Rivera or the Red Sox sunloaded Youklis and Papelbon and then the GM tells the manager "I am going to watch to make sure you don't slump at the end of the season. And , by the way, I have no replacements for these guys but some minor league humps." And, yes, I realize Sherrill and Huff are not the caliber of my examples above.

I think the idea of general managers dismantling the bad teams in August by trading the most marketable players for low minor leaguers might be questioned this year with the results in Baltimore and Cleveland. It seeems so demoralizing to the guys left behind.

Yes, except that this didn't happen in Baltimore. The only players traded were Huff and Zaun, and, well, while I can't prove that these trades didn't demoralize the team, I think it would be rather difficult to establish. Huff was horrible, the team was playing terribly before they were traded, and in any case, neither trade directly coincided with the collapse anyway.

Huff was terrible, and getting rid of him allowed the team to play Scott, Jones, Markakis, Pie, and Reimold in the same lineup. Zaun was serviceable, but he's just a backup catcher. They traded Sherrill, which probably hurt the most among the trades. Losing Jones to injury was the most devastating development.

Still, look at Oakland. They trade Holliday and Cabrera, release Giambi and Springer, and have put together a pretty decent second half. Not every team is demoralized by trading mediocre vets that helped you play .460 ball for 4 months. On some teams, you get young guys fighting for a chance to play actually surprising you. Don't know why that can't happen in Baltimore, because they do have decent young talent.

Losing Jones to injury was the most devastating development.

Yes; losing Reimold to injury didn't help either. And Bergesen.

Still, look at Oakland.

They were 41-57
went 18-19 to reach 59-76
and have gone 16-5 since then...

do you know who has hit .338/.441/.532 in September?
who is .281/.389/.439 for the year?
who turned 24 a month ago?

or as Ron Shandler would refer to him, "post hype sleeper" Daric Barton

Shame, really. Trembley is one of those guys who I think could probably do well if he had good players. I'm all for giving him one more year, see what he does with all the young players for the whole season.

Also, as he is one of the few managers to never play any pro ball, he is automatically a role model for all of us armchair Managers.

Something about Trembley really bugs me. I don't know what exactly. I hope he's gone.

It seeems so demoralizing to the guys left behind.

I'd agree generally but in the O's case I'm not so sure. First, they didn't really unload much talent and in addition, the talent they did trade opened up opportunities for legitimate prospects.

I think the demoralization of the O's is almost entirely attributable to their pitching. Watching guys get smacked around in the first couple of innings or blow leads late in games is really hard to play through for a full season. They played decently in the first half and there is a lot to be excited about going forward- but I can see why fans (and players) get down on the squad. This last month has been gruesome.

Pittburgh, Kansas City, Baltimore...when was the last time they were playing games in September that meant anything, anyway? I'm not sure how teams like this (that are regularly far from a meaningful game in the second half of the season) can really use the team's record in August and September as a sign of anything.

The good team load up their rosters with deadline deals and are designed to be at their best in the final two months. The bad teams unload their best veteran players to said teams, and are generally at their worst in the final two months. The Orioles have lost 11 in a row:

They've scored 3 or fewer in 7 of the 11 games.
They've given up 7 or more runs in 7 of the 11 games.
It's not even like they're in many of the games - they (like many other teams) just get worse and worse as the season goes on.

They weren't that good to begin 2009, and the gap between teams like the Orioles and the contenders grows as we past August 1st.

Shame, really. Trembley is one of those guys who I think could probably do well if he had good players. I'm all for giving him one more year, see what he does with all the young players for the whole season.

I don't know whether Trembley is one of those guys (*), but I know the Orioles can't afford to waste a year finding out.




(*) Aren't most managers?

Something about Trembley really bugs me. I don't know what exactly. I hope he's gone.

From what I have seen of them, they often don't execute properly - missed cutoff men, giving away more outs on the bases than I have seen from a time in a long time (I'm told the Royals are even worse on this score) and stuff that doesn't seem to reflect well on the manager.

The good team load up their rosters with deadline deals and are designed to be at their best in the final two months. The bad teams unload their best veteran players to said teams, and are generally at their worst in the final two months.

In Baltimore's case though it's more the injuries to Jones, Reimold, and Bergesen.

Their traded players were George Sherrill, Aurbey Huff, and Gregg Zaun. A backup catcher is not going to make or break anyone. Trading a DH-type who was having a terrible a season as Huff was is a case of addition-by-subtraction, although you wouldn't necessarily notice that because thanks to the injuries all kinds of marginal talent was forced into regular roles at 1B/LF/DH. Now trading Sherrill did hurt some, not because Sherrill was all that great either but because it made an already bad bullpen even worse.

Where does McPhail fit into the equation?
Seems he's pulling all the staffing strings.
On the young outfield he gets a plus; on the "Mora still playing 3B and no clear 1B-man for next year" he gets a minus.
The bullpen is toxic; I turn off the game most times when Trembley goes to the pen 'cause these firemen are like the guys in Faherheit 451.....incendiary!

The O's have wated Brian Roberts fine career; I hope the same fate does not await Markakis and Reimold.

The O's "only" need to add corner infielders to their player mix and they're in pretty good shape it would seem. A better bat at short might not hurt either. If they stuck Figgins at 3rd and let him run home on all those Robert's doubles- they would be a lot of fun to watch, as long as you ignore the elevated portion of the field.

Could the O's justify a Figgins deal and then take a stab at something like Sheets and Harden? If they pan out, and there's some relief in that pen- the O's could make a decent run. If not, your core players are still largely in place. I'm not sure what's in the minors but as bad as things look record wise- I like the foundation at the major league level. Not sure how it looks below that.

Could the O's justify a Figgins deal and then take a stab at something like Sheets and Harden? If they pan out, and there's some relief in that pen- the O's could make a decent run.

Figgins is likely to get a 5 year deal. Given that they'd have to show enough improvement to leap over at least three of the Yankees, Red Sox, Rays, and Jays (the only likely one on the list), it'd probably be better to wait until next season, where there should be a better class of free agent, and a better awareness of what the O's have, in terms of a pitching staff.

I think the Orioles are in better shape than they have been in years, although sitting 40.5 G behind NYY, I guess it is hard to see that. I still think they can make a big move up in '10 or '11.

Something about Trembley really bugs me. I don't know what exactly.

There seems to be a vast disconnect between what he preaches and what actually occurs on the field.

I know all of that isn't Trembley's fault, but it's annoying. It's another matter entirely from Manny Acta, who seemed at times lukewarm or almost insouciant about fundamental baseball (and it showed).

Figgins is likely to get a 5 year deal. Given that they'd have to show enough improvement to leap over at least three of the Yankees, Red Sox, Rays, and Jays (the only likely one on the list), it'd probably be better to wait until next season, where there should be a better class of free agent, and a better awareness of what the O's have, in terms of a pitching staff.

Can't really disagree as I also see a good chance that Figgins gets paid way too much money. With respect to pitching- I do see an opportunity for a mediocre team to get very aggressive without spending too much money. Guys like Bedard, Sheets, Webb and Harden can be dominant and may also be available for a lot less than if they were healthy. Obviously grabbing a piar of those guys is a bit of a lotto-type strategy, but I think it might make my sense for a couple of teams. Whether the O's are one of them, I'm not sure.

Obviously grabbing a piar of those guys is a bit of a lotto-type strategy, but I think it might make my sense for a couple of teams. Whether the O's are one of them, I'm not sure.

The Jays tried this a couple years ago with Thompson, Okha, and a third person I can't remember (Zambrano?). Although it was cheap for them, it was also a massive failure. The Red Sox also experienced a somewhat similar thing this year, with the Penny and Smoltz gambles, although their gamble was a more expensive one than the Jays.

While it has worked on occasion (like with the Cards and Carpenter), I'd rather see a team just save up for a guy without question marks than to blow that cash on an assortment of guys with significant known issues.

The Braves will be looking to get rid of some pitching. Lowe or Kawakami ideally, but who knows what happens in the hallowed offices of the GM.

Reimold for Lowe? Asking too much?

#23: Guys without question marks don't sign with the Orioles.

#23: Guys without question marks don't sign with the Orioles

Or the Pirates, or the Brewers, or (more and more) the Jays.

What is it about the Orioles that makes them so horrible in September?

A lack of depth? The Orioles have been forced to make deals in August and September in the last few years just to fill out the rotation as the team wears down. MacPhail has been accumulating a lot of pitching depth, but it's only now on the precipise of being ready. The Orioles do have a number of compelling arms that should be ready for the big club (Guthrie, Bergeson, Matusz, Tillman) in AAA (Arrieta, Erbe, Patton, Steve Johnson) and another in AA (Zach Britton).

As an Oriole fan, it's best just not to watch in September. Hopefully this is the last year this happens. Of course, the "fun" part this September is seeing if the Orioles can catch the Pirates. Good times indeed.

There seems to be a vast disconnect between what he preaches and what actually occurs on the field.

I agree with this. He says all the right things, and yet somehow they really do make lots of dumb (in a baseball sense) plays.

I think the Orioles are in better shape than they have been in years, although sitting 40.5 G behind NYY, I guess it is hard to see that. I still think they can make a big move up in '10 or '11.

Absolutely. This season was unpleasant in many respects, but overall I'm very happy with the direction of the team. The rookies got a ton of playing time this year, and they appear to have a decent foundation in place.

This team finished 40 games back and had a decent season the next year. Even better for Orioles fans, they did it in a division that was not easy to get through.

There will be plenty of possibilities to upgrade first base with minimal commitment - whoever of LaRoche, Johnson, DelGado, Glaus, and the non-tenders is willing to sign for a 1 year deal will easily provide more production than the team got this year (amazingly, almost impossibly, Huff has been even worse for the Tigers than he was for the O's; he regressed far beyond the mean, all the way to the min). Michael Aubrey is making a case that he should be in the discussion, too, but I can't see the O's keeping him on the 40 man over the winter; he'll get an NRI if he doesn't sign elsewhere. Rhyne Hughes, the return for Zaun most likely will be protected, and he could provide more next year than Huff did in '09. I'm not sure the shrinking fan base will stand for that, though; they want someone they've heard of to be brought in. A multiyear commitment seems out of the question, just in case Brandon Snyder breaks out at Norfolk the way he did at Bowie.

It will also be easy to improve on Mora, but only because propping up a big aluminum numeral at third would be an improvement over Mel at this point. Beltre on a one year deal would make so much sense that my defeat-numbed mind can't imagine it happening. After that, the pickings are pretty slim. A long term deal for Figgins would be a ridiculous waste for a franchise that needs to spend its money wisely; Josh Bell may be outproducing Figgins by 2011.

The direction to take with the pitching isn't quite as clear. Much of the weakness of the current staff is a conscious sacrifice for the future: Matusz could still be pitching, but why risk it? Bergesen could have come back already from his contusion, but why risk it? Uehara is healthy enough to pitch now, but why risk it? Jake Arrieta is already a better option than three quarters of the bullpen, but adding him to the 40 man roster now really doesn't make sense. Given that those four will be available to improve the staff, how much external talent should MacPhail be looking for?

I can't see Lackey, no matter how loud the howling grows. Buying a few lottery tickets on injury rehabs like Sheets and Putz might make sense if the Red Sox don't drive the price through the roof. Certainly another guy like Hendrickson - a swing man who can provide some reliability to the bullpen - would be welcome on what will be a very young staff. Hendrickson himself could be re-signed for the same reason. But will MacPhail drop $20 million on a multi-year contract for a mid-level starter? I doubt it...

Oh, and as for Trembley - newspaper taxis are appearing on the shore of the Inner Harbor, waiting to take him away.

If it somehow unfolds that they re-sign Bedard and he leads them to a winning season we should each seek out a Mariners fan and treat him/her to lunch. And maybe a hug.

This headline reminds me: media people simply do not know what "fate" means.

The Braves will be looking to get rid of some pitching.

Why? Obviously Hudson will take a rotation slot next year assuming good health, but I don't see anyone else in their system who is anything close to being ready, and I don't see any reason why Kawakami wouldn't be a successful reliever.

-- MWE

I can't see Lackey, no matter how loud the howling grows. Buying a few lottery tickets on injury rehabs like Sheets and Putz might make sense if the Red Sox don't drive the price through the roof. Certainly another guy like Hendrickson - a swing man who can provide some reliability to the bullpen - would be welcome on what will be a very young staff. Hendrickson himself could be re-signed for the same reason. But will MacPhail drop $20 million on a multi-year contract for a mid-level starter? I doubt it...

I don't understand what benefit the Orioles get from "lottery tickets on injury rehabs." The Orioles have plenty of lottery tickets right now -- namely, pitching prospects. What do the Orioles get from the Sheetses of the world?

Braves have Vazquez, Lowe, Hudson, Hanson, Jurrjens, and Kawakami. Unless somebody gets hurt, that's one more than they need. Sure, Kawakami could relieve, but he's a little expensive for a middle reliever. Paying 6 starters just in case someone gets hurt seems like a luxury the Braves won't afford. I expect them to try and turn one of those guys into a solution in the outfield.

I expect them to try and turn one of those guys into a solution in the outfield.

Can any of them hit that well?

I don't understand what benefit the Orioles get from "lottery tickets on injury rehabs." The Orioles have plenty of lottery tickets right now -- namely, pitching prospects. What do the Orioles get from the Sheetses of the world?

Although the idea of signing a good player purely to trade him at the deadline is no longer really viable (because you can't sign a good player to a 1-year contract), these are guys that you can definitely sign to a one-year contract and then, hey, he might turn out to be back to his old dominant self! It's really the only conceivable way that the "flip at the deadline" strategy could work. And good teams are less likely to sign the lottery ticket rehab types, but they'd definitely trade for Ben Sheets after he proves his renewed efficacy with the Orioles.

I don't understand what benefit the Orioles get from "lottery tickets on injury rehabs."

More chances. I'm not certain there's room for many more - as I hinted at with respect to Aubrey, the roster is going to be pretty tight this offseason. Even so, MacPhail might think that spending $5 million on Sheets for a year gives him a better shot at a good starter than holding on to Radhames Liz for another year. And we've seen that MacPhail knows how to turn good starters, even ones with health issues, into young talent. If giving Sheets half a year's salary and starts nets the team the SS equivalent of Josh Bell or Adam Jones, it will have been well worth it.

Of course, as you're going to argue, if the team needs to give prospects major league innings in order to develop, then the veteran lottery tickets might be counterproductive. It really depends on how they evaluate the individuals - whether they'll make better progress working on things in Baltimore or Norfolk.

Kawakami could relieve, but he's a little expensive for a middle reliever.

I understand the thought process, but with two still fairly cheap starters in the rotation. and bullpen issues (Gonzalez and Soriano have 11 blown saves between them) why wouldn't you at least think long and hard about a possible higher-leverage role for Kawakami in the pen? The Braves don't have a lot of starting pitching depth, Lowe isn't getting younger, and Hudson isn't a known quantity any more. With Heyward and possbily Schaefer on the horizon sometime next year I don't see the need to rush out and fill holes on offense.

-- MWE

No love for Aubrey Huff, one year away from a terrific batting season in 2008? Was he worth more than an A-ball relief pitcher? The major lineup weaknesses for the Birds are 3rd and 1b. Were replacement minor league players given opportunities to show their stuff? No. I don't think a few games at first for Luke Scott and playing time for the other Aubrey have been helpful. MelMo has gotten almost all of the starts at 3rd. Is Wigginton going to play 3rd fulltime next year? Then why does he start at 1st so much?

Who is the closer nest year? Johnson and Chris Ray don't seem up to the job. Set up guys? Lots of iffy talent got a chance in the starting rotation. Are Hernandez and Berkens ML starters? Plenty of opportunity. The relief staff? Norfolk had few answers.

Not a great atmosphere to expose Weiters, Reimhold and the good young starters to. Would any of these trades have been possible after the season ended? Did MacPhail pick someone's pocket at the August deadline? I hope so.

No love for Aubrey Huff, one year away from a terrific batting season in 2008? Was he worth more than an A-ball relief pitcher?

He's been sub-replacement level this year and is making ~$8M. They were lucky to get someone to take him.

Trembley's option is picked up...

I am very happy for Trembley. I hope O's fans end up happy with the deal.