Aye, we finally have a win to talk about! On Saturday, the Birds picked up their first victory of the spring, an 8-1 win over Minnesota. It was looking like they might even start a little winning streak, as they jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning against the Twinkies on Sunday. However, Birds pitching continued their very disturbing trend of getting shelled, and Minnesota quickly stormed back on their way to a 14-5 victory. Miguel Gonzalez was once again awful, allowing six earned runs while getting only five outs, raising his ERA to 22.24 so far in March. Shades of Bud Norris…
Anyway, let’s hit the links.
Orioles Shouldn’t Panic About Miguel Gonzalez, Yet
So, speaking of MiGo being awful, are we ready to press the PANIC button yet? Mark Brown of Camden Chat says that while Gonzo looks to be on the Bud Norris path, his track record buys him some time to figure things out, which the Birds really need to hope he can accomplish. Otherwise, they’ll need to explore other options, preferably much earlier in the year than they did with Norris last season.
Alvarez Impressive in Orioles Debut
Pedro Alvarez stepped on a baseball field as a Baltimore Oriole for the first time on Sunday, and promptly smacked an RBI double to the wall in right-center field in his first at-bat. CSN Mid-Atlantic’s Rich Dubroff has some quotes from Buck about his new player, including Skip not wanting to hear about a player’s baggage or previous problems.
Showalter: No MRI for Wieters’ Elbow Yet
The Birds may have gotten their first meaningless win on Saturday, but it looks like there was a price to pay. Matt Wieters left the game after the first inning with elbow pain, exactly what you want to see out of a guy a couple years removed from Tommy John Surgery. Ugh. There isn’t an MRI scheduled yet, and X-Rays are clean, but it feels like we’ve been down this road before, and it ends in tears. Those who already wished he didn’t accept that qualifying offer now have even more to gripe about. Hopefully Matty Backstop is back behind the dish sooner rather than later.
Gallardo Already Popular Among O’s Starters
Yovani Gallardo makes his second start for the O’s today, as they take on the Phillies at Ed Smith Stadium. Roch Kubatko reports that the other starting pitchers like him. So, that’s good, I guess.
Fowler Says O’s Wanted Him to Pay Them for Lost Draft Pick
Just when we all thought we were over the Dexter Fowler nonsense and had moved on, Fowler tells Peter Gammons that the Orioles wanted him to “pay them” for the draft pick they would have lost by signing him. Sounds made up to me. But hey, who knows?
