The Week That Was

Things are looking up for the moment in South Bend. Notre Dame is 4-1 heading into their bye week and have their best chance in years to beat USC when they visit in two weeks. The Irish survived by the skin of their teeth against Washington, defeating them in overtime 37-30. Watching the Huskies you could see what a difference head coach Steve Sarkisian has made. The Huskies now have an energetic coach, instead of a bumbling, in over their head coach. Irish QB Jimmy Clausen had a tremendous day, as did WR Golden Tate. The Notre Dame offense has been spectacular this year and is the reason the Irish are playing better. You can't ask for much more than Clausen has done this year. He is completing 67.6% of his passes, and has thrown 12 TDs against 2 INTs. The Notre Dame haters want to say he hasn't done it against any good defenses, but does he control that? He has done about all you can ask of your quarterback, and I would take him over almost every QB in college football besides Tim "God" Tebow. The defense still is struggling but made huge plays when needed to on Saturday, with three goal line stands. I will have much more on the USC game next week, but I can't wait for that one.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers have a huge game of their own this Thursday. They travel to take on #24 Missouri in a prime time, 9:00 PM game. The Huskers came so close to winning at Blacksburg, and now have another chance to get a signature win under coach Bo Pelini. Check back on Thursday when I preview this game in Cram Session.

The San Francisco 49ers continue to put the rest of the NFL on notice, as they obliterated the St. Louis Rams 35-0, to improve to 3-1 and more importantly, 3-0 in the NFC West. I couldn't be a bigger Patrick Willis or Mike Singletary fan right now.

The Miami Dolphins got their first win of the season, destroying the Buffalo Bills. I didn't think the Dolphins were as bad as their 0-3 record indicated and kept trying to remind myself that they started 0-2, and 2-4 last year, and still made the playoffs.

The Washington Redskins improved to 2-2 with an ugly come from behind win against the putrid, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The offense continues to struggle, with Jason Campbell throwing 3 INTs. Campbell did make 2 good throws, on his touchdown passes to TE Chris Cooley and WR Santana Moss. As most of you know I am no Campbell fan, and while I would like to see Todd Collins given a chance, I realize it probably won't happen. The Redskins face a winless team for the third straight week on Sunday, when they travel to Carolina. I am not liking their chances on the road, as I don't think the Panthers are as bad as their record indicates.

The NHL season began this past Thursday and their are high hopes for the Washington Capitals. I think the Capitals will win the Stanley Cup this season and they did nothing to dampen my confidence, looking awesome in wins over the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs. I won't get into hockey much until after college basketball season but will be keeping my eye on the Caps.

Mercifully, the Major League Baseball season finally came to a close for the Baltimore Orioles. The O's finished in last place in the AL East and last place in the American League with a 64-98 record. It was a familiar story for Baltimore as they started off playing alright and then saw the wheels fall off in the second half of the season. I was happy that they avoided 100 losses, but I still think unfortunately we are a few years away from contending. The goal next year should be 82, win 82 games and have their first winning season since 1997.

Before the playoffs can begin the AL Central still has to be decided between the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins. Last year I did awful in my MLB playoff predictions but will try to do better this year.

American League

Division Series

#1 New York Yankees over #3 Minnesota Twins, 3-1
#4 Boston Red Sox over #2 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, 3-1

American League Championship Series

#1 New York Yankees over #4 Boston Red Sox, 4-2

National League

Division Series

#1 Los Angeles Dodgers over #3 St. Louis Cardinals, 3-2
#2 Philadelphia Phillies over #4 Colorado Rockies, 3-2

National League Championship Series

#2 Philadelphia Phillies over #1 Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-1

World Series

#1 New York Yankees over #2 Philadelphia Phillies, 4-1

As much as I hate to say it I am sticking with my preseason prediction of the New York Yankees as World Series champions. Hopefully, I have cursed them with this prediction.

Orioles Magic

Monday, August 3 - Thursday, August 6

Baltimore Orioles (44-60) at Detroit Tigers (54-49)

Pitching Matchups

Monday: BAL - Chris Tillman (0-0, 5.79)
DET - Justin Verlander (12-5, 3.16)

Tuesday: BAL - Brian Matusz (0-0, 0.00)
DET - Jarrod Washburn (8-6, 2.64)

Wednesday: BAL - Jeremy Guthrie (7-10, 5.37)
DET - Edwin Jackson (7-5, 2.64)

Thursday: BAL - David Hernandez (3-3, 3.28)
DET - Rick Porcello (9-7, 4.36)

The annual second half swoon for the Baltimore Orioles has begun. The Orioles are just 3-12 since the All-Star break and things don't get any easier. Next up for the Orioles is a 4 game road series against the AL Central leading Detroit Tigers. The Tigers record of 54-49 isn't that impressive but their starting pitching rotation is. The Tigers bolstered that pitching staff right before the trade deadline by trading with the Seattle Mariners for Jarrod Washburn. Washburn is one of the league leaders in ERA and gives the Tigers a lethal 1-2-3 rotation of Justin Verlander, Edwin Jackson, and Washburn. It is just the Orioles luck that they get to see those 3 in this series. Even the Tigers weaker starter, Rick Porcello, would be considered a God send for the Orioles, with his 4.36 ERA.

The Orioles were also active before the trade deadline, trading their closer George Sherrill to the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor leaguers Josh Bell and Steve Johnson. It was sad to see Sherrill leave as he had proven to be a very effective closer, but the move still made sense. I think it is clear that the Orioles won't have a true shot at being contenders until 2011, Sherrill was older and also as a closer, relatively easy to replace. I hadn't heard of either of the prospects the Orioles got back but the consensus seems to be that Bell could be a key piece of the Orioles resurgence, and Johnson might have a future as a reliever.

In this series, the Orioles throw Chris Tillman for his second start, and because of Brad Bergesen going to the DL, rookie Brian Matusz will make his debut. Tillman struggled in his first career start against Kansas City, so hopefully, he can bounce back against Detroit. Jeremy Guthrie starts on Wednesday, and currently leads the majors in home runs allowed. David Hernandez starts the series finale and tries to rebound from a poor start against Boston.

Melvin Mora made waves yesterday when he criticized manager Dave Trembley for benching him. If we could release Mora now I think the Orioles should. He is on the downside of his career and will definitely not be an Oriole next year. It is not too surprising that unrest is starting to become public. Some of the players have been with the Orioles long enough where losing season after season has to be weighing on them.

With the pitching matchups so heavily against the Orioles in this series, I expect Baltimore to take just one of four.

Orioles Magic

Monday, July 27-Thursday, July 30

Kansas City Royals (38-59) at Baltimore Orioles (42-55)

Pitching Matchups

Monday: KC - Bruce Chen (0-5, 6.58)
BAL - Rich Hill (3-3, 7.64)

Tuesday: KC - Brian Bannister (6-7, 3.76)
BAL - Jason Berken (1-8, 6.55)

Wednesday: KC - Zack Greinke (10-6, 2.04)
BAL - Chris Tillman (0-0, 0.00)

Thursday: KC - Luke Hochevar (6-3, 4.84)
BAL - Brad Bergesen (6-5, 3.45)

There aren't many teams worse than the Baltimore Orioles this year, but one of them, the Kansas City Royals, make their way to the Yard this week for a 4-game series. The last time the Orioles played the Royals was in early May. At the time the Royals were the darlings of baseball, a surprise first place team. However, since then the Royals remembered that they are garbage, and are back to being a last place team.

While to most this is a series between two of the worst teams in the American League, Orioles fans see it as another sign of hope. That hope is in the form of 21-year old pitcher Chris Tillman. Tillman was part of the Erik Bedard to Seattle trade and is considered one of the top prospects in all of baseball. The Orioles have already seen tons of promise out of rookie pitchers Brad Bergesen and David Hernandez. If Tillman can live up to the hype the Orioles could have 3/5 of a dominant rotation for years to come.

Tillman will face off against the Royals Zack Greinke on Wednesday. Greinkemania has calmed some in the last few months but Greinke is still a dominant pitcher, with just a 2.04 ERA, the best in baseball. On Monday night, the Orioles welcome back Bruce Chen, as he meets his counterpart in terribleness, Rich Hill. Chen played for the Orioles for a short time but I always remember going to the Yard and seeing his Joke of the Day. Maybe he can dust it off for old times sake on Monday.

While Bergesen and Hernandez have impressed as rookies, Jason Berken has been horrible. It is of course way too early to give up on Berken as a player, buf if he has another poor start on Tuesday night it might be time to send him back to the minors.

The Royals are pretty awful offensively, but have a couple players to keep an eye on. 2B Alberto Callaspo leads the team with a .304 average, DH Mike Jacobs has 13 home runs to lead the Royals, and LF David DeJesus is the team leader with 46 RBIs.

The Orioles made a change in their lineup on Sunday against the Red Sox, moving Nick Markakis to the cleanup spot, replacing a struggling Aubrey Huff. Huff's average has dropped to just .248, and I am really hoping the Orioles can move him by the trade deadline.

At first glance, I was confident of the Orioles taking this series, because they are at home. However, the pitching matchups favor the Royals in 3 of the 4 games. I think the Orioles wind up with a split.

Orioles Magic

Friday, July 24 - Sunday, July 26

Baltimore Orioles (41-53) at Boston Red Sox (55-39)

Pitching Matchups

Friday: BAL - Brad Bergesen (6-4, 3.51)
BOS - Brady Penny (6-4, 5.02)

Saturday: BAL - Jeremy Guthrie (7-8, 5.12)
BOS - Jon Lester (8-7, 3.87)

Sunday: BAL - David Hernandez (2-2, 3.55)
BOS - John Smoltz (1-3, 6.31)

This weekend, in what is seemingly Mission Impossible for the Orioles, they travel to AL East rival Boston, and try to win a game on the road. The Orioles dropped to 1-14 on the road this season against the AL East following Wednesday's loss at New York against the Yankees. Things could start to get ugly for the Birds this season as their schedule is filled with games against the best division in baseball, the AL East. However, the Orioles might have a decent chance at success this weekend at Boston. The Red Sox are in the midst of a 5 game losing streak and have fallen out of first place.

The biggest reason for the Red Sox swoon over the past 5 games has been the wall that their offense has hit. Reigning AL MVP 2B Dustin Pedroia leads the Red Sox with a .304 average. LF Jason Bay leads the team with 20 HRs and 72 RBIs. His former Pittsburgh teammate Adam LaRoche was acquired by the Red Sox on Wednesday and figures to make his debut this weekend. Other dangerous offensive weapons for the Red Sox include 1B Kevin Youkilis (.299, 17 HRs, 57 RBIs), 3B Mike Lowell (.289, 10 HRs, 42 RBIs), and DH David Ortiz (.228, 12 HRs, 51 RBIs).

The Red Sox have some definite questions in their rotation, and two of their biggest question marks take the hill this weekend. Friday's starter, Brad Penny, hasn't won a start since June 17th, and the Red Sox have lost the last four games he has started. John Smoltz starts Sunday, and he has been mostly ineffective since making his debut in June. He's been lit up in 3 of his first 5 starts, including his last start, where he gave up 6 earned runs in just 5.2 innings of work. Jon Lester takes the mound Saturday and has been pitching great for the past two months.

The Orioles definitely have the edge in the pitching matchups on Friday and Sunday. I have written often about how excited I am about rookie Brad Bergesen, but another exciting rookie starter that has emerged is Sunday's starter David Hernandez. Hernandez has had just one bad start since being called up in May, and has given up just 5 earned runs in his last two starts. If Hernandez and Bergesen end up being as good as the promise they have showed, along with top prospect Chris Tillman, then the Orioles have a bright future indeed.

I think the Orioles will avoid the sweep this weekend, but I expect the Red Sox to win the series.

Orioles Magic

Friday, July 17 - Sunday, July 19

Baltimore Orioles (40-48) at Chicago White Sox (45-43)

Pitching Matchups

Friday: BAL - Jason Berken (1-6, 5.87)
CWS - John Danks (7-6, 3.91)

Saturday: BAL - Jeremy Guthrie (6-8, 5.35)
CWS - Mark Buehrle (9-3, 3.66)

Sunday: BAL - Brad Bergesen (6-3, 3.54)
CWS - Jose Contreras (4-7, 4.54)

Adam Jones, coming off knocking in the winning run in the All-Star Game, and the Orioles return to action tonight in Chicago, taking on the White Sox. The White Sox are right in the thick of things in the AL Central, despite being just 2 games above .500. The Orioles are just 5 games worse than the White Sox but have no hope of contending. It really sucks that they play in the AL Beast. The Orioles goal is try to avoid a late season collapse, which has been the norm over the past 10 years, and maybe even finish at .500. The Orioles would have to go 41-33 the rest of the way for that to happen.

The White Sox have an average offense that contains a couple of major threats. RF Jermaine Dye leads the team in average and HRs, batting .302 with 20 HRs. 1B Paul Konerko leads the team in RBIs with 60, is also hitting .302, and has hit 16 HRs. Other players to watch out for are C A.J. Pierzynski (.299, 10 HRs, 27 RBIs), SS Alexei Ramirez (.281, 11 HRs, 42 RBIs), and DH Jim Thome (.255, 14 HRs, 50 RBIs).

The White Sox throw two of their best starters in this series, John Danks and Mark Buehrle, and hope to get a third straight solid performance out of Jose Contreras. Buehrle leads the White Sox in wins and ERA, and has 66 strikeouts to 26 walks this season. Danks had a tough time against Minnesota in his last start but prior to that had not allowed an earned run in two straight starts. Contreras has an awful record but as mentioned above, he has pitched very well in his last two starts. If Contreras can become consistent it would greatly improve the White Sox hopes of catching the Detroit Tigers.

Every time I write one of these and I see that Jason Berken is starting I want to poke my eye out. Can the Orioles please call someone up to take his place in the rotation? He is absolute garbage and the O's stand no chance of winning any time he pitches. As I have stated in this space many times before Jeremy Guthrie has been a complete disappointment. He started the season as the ace but now could be considered nothing more than our third starter. The Orioles best chance to win in this series will come Sunday, when their new ace Brad Bergesen takes the mound. If Bergesen can continue to pitch at a high level the rest of the season I think he has a great chance at being named AL Rookie of the Year.

Luke Scott was screwed when he wasn't at least given the chance to be one of the final additions to the All-Star team. Scott leads the O's with 18 HRs, and is third on the team with 51 RBIs. Plus, his .305 average leads the team. Someone who needs to get out of a funk is Brian Roberts. Roberts has seen his average dip to .273 while battling injuries. Hopefully, the break gave him some time to heal nagging wounds.

I think the O's get beat tonight and Saturday, before avoiding the sweep on Sunday.

Orioles Magic

Friday, July 10 - Sunday, July 12

Toronto Blue Jays (43-44) at Baltimore Orioles (38-47)

Pitching Matchups

Friday: TOR - Brett Cecil (2-1, 6.23)
BAL - Jason Berken (1-5, 6.25)

Saturday: TOR - Ricky Romero (7-3, 2.96)
BAL - Brad Bergesen (5-3, 3.59)

Sunday: TOR - Marc Rzepcyznski (0-0, 1.50)
BAL - Jeremy Guthrie (6-8, 5.35)

The last time I previewed a series between the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles the landscape of the AL East was quite different. The Blue Jays had gotten off to a hot start and were in control of first place in the AL East. However, since that time order has been restored and the Blue Jays now sit a game under .500, in 4th place.

It is kind of hard to understand why the Blue Jays are struggling. They have a +32 run differential, hit .273 as a team, and their pitching isn't that bad (4.33 team ERA). A lot of it probably has to do with them playing in the greatest division in baseball, the AL East. The Jays just got swept by the Tampa Bay Rays, and the last time they played in Baltimore they were swept.

3B Scott Rolen leads the Jays with a .330 batting average and brings a 25 game hit streak into the series. 2B Aaron Hill is having a fantastic season as well, hitting .298, leading the team with 20 HRs and 59 RBIs. Another dangerous bat in the Jays lineup is DH Adam Lind, .309 average, 19 HRs, and 59 RBIs.

The Orioles avoid the Jays ace Roy Halladay but do get to face underrated Ricky Romero on Saturday. Romero is not far behind Halladay with a 7-3 record and a 2.96 ERA. The Orioles Jason Berken takes the mound tonight and tries to just once have a quality start. Jeremy Guthrie starts Sunday, and his struggles continues this past week against Seattle when he couldn't make it out of the 4th inning due to control issues.

This is a great opportunity for the O's to head in to the All-Star break with some momentum. The Jays are reeling and aren't throwing out the best starters in this series. I like the Orioles to take 2 out of 3.

Orioles Magic

Monday, July 6 - Wednesday, July 8

Baltimore Orioles (36-46) at Seattle Mariners (42-39)

Pitching Matchups

Monday: BAL - Brad Bergesen (5-2, 3.53)
SEA - Jarrod Washburn (4-6, 3.36)

Tuesday: BAL - Jeremy Guthrie (6-8, 5.20)
SEA - Erik Bedard (5-2, 2.47)

Wednesday: BAL - David Hernandez (2-2, 4.15)
SEA - Felix Hernandez (8-3, 2.62)

The Orioles journey out west continues in Seattle for a three game series. As I predicted, the Orioles were only able to take 1 out of at 4 at Anaheim. It won't get any easier in Seattle. The Mariners were atrocious last year but it has been a different story for them this year. They find themselves in contention for the AL West and Wild Card.

I usually lead off with the offensive side of things but the main reason the Mariners have had a sudden turnaround has been their pitching. The Mariners have a fantastic 3.73 team ERA. The Orioles will get to see the best starting pitchers that the Mariners have over the next three games. Don't let Jarrod Washburn's 4-6 record fool you, he has been the victim of poor run support as his fantastic 3.36 ERA will attest.

On Tuesday, Baltimore gets to face former teammate Erik Bedard. This will be Bedard's first start off of the disabled list. The Orioles traded Bedard two years ago for All-Star Adam Jones and closer George Sherill. So far it would seem the Orioles won that deal. Jones and Sherrill have each earned All Star nods since coming to Baltimore while Bedard has been a regular on the DL. However, this year Bedard has pitched well and has been discussed as possible trade bait.

It doesn't get any easier for the Orioles on Wednesday as King Felix Hernandez starts. Hernandez was one of two Mariners named to the All-Star team. He has been lights out this year and one of the better pitchers in baseball. At just 23 years old it is scary about how potentially dominate Hernandez could be in future years.

While pitching has dominated the headlines for Seattle this year, they do have some potent bats in the lineup. RF Ichiro Suzuki is having another fantastic season and was the other Mariner named to the AL All-Star team. He leads the American League with a .362 average. 1B Russell Branyan is quietly having a strong year. He is hitting .293, with 20 HRs and 45 RBIs. 2B Jose Lopez leads the team in RBIs with 48. The Mariners also have DH Ken Griffey Jr. who hopefully will hang it up after this season, as he is hitting just .214 with 10 HRs and 26 RBIs.

The Orioles are throwing two potential stars at the Mariners. Brad Bergesen continues to pitch excellently and gets the start tonight. David Hernandez has had some quality starts recently and pitches Wednesday night. It is cautious optimism that O's fans have for Bergesen and Hernandez because of the status of Tuesday's starter, Jeremy Guthrie. Guthrie came out of nowhere a few years ago and became the ace after the trade of Bedard. However, Guthrie has been terrible this year, with an ERA over 5.00.

The Orioles have one All-Star, the aforementioned Adam Jones. Jones is hitting .308, with 12 HRs, and 46 RBIs.

I like the O's chances of taking this series, expect nothing but low scoring games.

Orioles Magic

Thursday, July 2 - Sunday, July 5

Baltimore Orioles (35-43) at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (42-34)

Pitching Matchups

Thursday: BAL - Jeremy Guthrie (6-7, 5.11)
LAA - John Lackey (2-3, 5.06)

Friday: BAL - David Hernandez (1-2, 4.19)
LAA - Ervin Santana (1-3, 7.47)

Saturday: BAL - Jason Berken (1-5, 6.44)
LAA - Matt Palmer (7-1, 5.00)

Sunday: BAL - Rich Hill (3-2, 7.08)
LAA - Joe Saunders (8-5, 4.24)

The Orioles experienced a roller coaster of emotions over the past 2 days. On Tuesday night against the Boston Red Sox, the O's made a miraculous comeback from a 10-1 deficit in the 7th inning, to defeat Boston 11-10. However, yesterday the tables were turned as Baltimore blew a 5-1 lead in the 9th inning, losing in 11 innings 6-5. It was a crushing loss as a win would have given Baltimore a rare series win against Boston. Now the Orioles head West, where they have a history of struggles.

Baltimore opens their West coast trip at Anaheim. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (worst name in sports) have seemed to right the ship after a slow start. They are back in their familiar spot of first place in the AL West and are starting to get some of their injured starting pitchers back.

One of the reasons the Angels have remained upright despite poor starting pitching has been their hitting. The Angels hit .278 as a team, led by 3B Chone Figgins, who is hitting at a .312 clip. CF Torii Hunter has avoided the supposed 33 year old wall and is having a tremendous season. He is hitting .305, with 17 HRs, and 59 RBIs. LF Juan Rivera isn't too far behind his fellow outfielder. Rivera is hitting .304, with 14 HRs and 46 RBIs.

Starting pitching has been an area of injury and inconsistency for the Angels. The Angels team ERA is high at 4.74. John Lackey takes the mound tonight, he missed most of the season and has struggled since returning. Ervin Santana will make his return from the DL on Friday. He is another pitcher that has been consistent for the Angles but has had injury troubles this season. Joe Saunders leads the Angels in wins and he get's the nod on Sunday.

The Orioles only have one bonafide starting pitcher right now and he won't be pitching in this series. Jeremy Guthrie has been up and down, as has Rich Hill, who can throw a shutout one game, and then get shelled and not even last an inning in another. With Koji Uehara on the shelf for the next couple of months, the Orioles have had to keep Jason Berken in the rotation by default, despite him being an abomination.

The Orioles are a bad road team and have a bad set of pitchers set to start this July 4th weekend. If the Orioles can at least get a single win in Anaheim, it has to be considered a success.

Orioles Magic

Monday, June 29 - Wednesday, July 1

Boston Red Sox (46-29) at Baltimore Orioles (34-41)

Pitching Matchups

Monday: BOS - Jon Lester (6-6, 4.68)
BAL - Jason Berken (1-4, 6.32)

Tuesday: BOS - John Smoltz (0-1, 9.00)
BAL - Rich Hill (3-2, 6.03)

Wednesday: BOS - Josh Beckett (9-3, 3.48)
BAL - Brad Bergesen (5-2, 3.76)

Interleague play is over and after finishing a respectable 11-7 in Interleague play the Orioles move back to only playing the American League. They welcome the Boston Red Sox to town as Camden Yards prepares to turn into Fenway Park lite over the next three days. Red Sox fans take over the stadium and almost always get to see the Red Sox whoop the Orioles. Things figure to not be much different in this series.

The Red Sox are atop the AL East and their potent lineup has a lot to do with it. 1B Kevin Youkilis leads the team in hitting with a .312 average. LF Jason Bay has made it easy for Red Sox fans to forget Manny Ramirez. He has provided just as much production without any of the headaches. Bay leads team in home runs with 19 and RBIs with 69.

Boston just lost Daisuke Matsuzaka to the disabled list and have employed the aging John Smoltz to take his spot in the rotation. Smoltz was clubbed by the Washington Nubionals in his debut last week, and will look for better results when he takes the mound on Tuesday. Wednesday's pitching matchup should be a treat as Red Sox ace Josh Beckett takes on the O's new found ace, Brad Bergesen. The poo poo platter of Jason Berken and Rich Hill get the starts on Monday and Tuesday for Baltimore.

Orioles Magic

Tuesday, June 23 - Thursday, June 25

Baltimore Orioles (32-37) at Florida Marlins (35-36)

Pitching Matchups

Tuesday: BAL - Koji Uehara (2-4, 4.30)
FLA - Andrew Miller (2-3, 4.56)

Wednesday: BAL - Jason Berken (1-3, 6.84)
FLA - Ricky Nalasco (3-6, 7.15)

Thursday: BAL - Rich Hill (3-1, 5.18)
FLA - Sean West (2-2, 3.97)

It is a lot more fun to do these previews when the Orioles are winning so it is with great excitement that I bring you this edition of Orioles Magic. The Orioles just completed a series sweep of the defending World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies in Philadelphia. Baltimore has now won 5 in a row and is slowly climbing their way back to the .500 mark.

The Florida Marlins are just a game under .500 after taking 2 out of 3 at home against the New York Yankees. The Marlins started the year 11-1 but haven't played the Washington Nubionals in a while so their record has floundered since then. However, they are still just 3 games out of first in the pathetic NL East.

The Marlins have struggled offensively, with only SS Hanley Ramirez batting over .300. 2B Dan Uggla leads the team in HRs with 13 but is hitting just .213 on the season. 1B Jorge Cantu leads the team in RBIs with 44.

The Orioles are lucky to be avoiding the Marlins best pitcher in this series, Josh Johnson. As is the norm the Marlins are stacked with young pitchers. The O's face Ricky Nalasco on Wednesday, Nalasco got off to an awful start, but has not given up more than 2 earned runs in his last three starts. The Orioles face the Marlins rookie Sean West on Thursday, who has shown some early promise.

The Orioles pitching has improved as of late but they will be hard pressed to win this series with the arms they are throwing out there. Koji Uehara hasn't won a game since April, Jason Berken has been awful, and the O's never know what they are going to get out of Rich Hill.

Offensively, 1B Aubrey Huff has bumped his average up to .276. Like the Marlins, the Orioles only have one player hitting over .300, Adam Jones (.316), but have a bunch of guys hovering around .300; Luke Scott (.298), Nick Markakis (.292), and Brian Roberts (.291)

Orioles Magic

Friday, June 19 - Sunday, June 21

Baltimore Orioles (29-37) at Philadelphia Phillies (36-28)

Pitching Matchups

Friday: BAL - Rich Hill (2-1, 5.81)
PHI - Antonio Bastardo (2-1, 5.25)

Saturday: BAL - Brad Bergesen (4-2, 3.79)
PHI - J.A. Happ (4-0, 3.53)

Sunday: BAL - Jeremy Guthrie (4-7, 5.42)
PHI - Cole Hamels (4-2, 4.48)

The Orioles head to Philadelphia to take on the defending World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies. The O's are coming off an impressive series win against the New York Mets, while the Phillies were just swept at home by the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Phillies best player had been LF Raul Ibanez, but he was just placed on the disabled list due to side effects of steroids, I mean an injured groin. However, the Phillies still have dangerous hitters without Ibanez, such as 2B Chase Utley, who is hitting .308, with 15 HRs, and 44 RBIs, RF Jayson Werth (.261, 12 HRs, 36 RBIs), and 1B Ryan Howard (.257, 19 HR, 51 RBI). Someone who the Phillies are not getting production from is SS Jimmy Rollins. Rollins is going through an awful season, hitting just .225, with 6 HRs, and 27 RBIs.

The Phillies haven't had the greatest pitching this season. Ace Cole Hamels has been battling injuries, 102 year old Jamie Moyer is finally pitching like he is 102, and their closer Brad Lidge, who was perfect last year, struggled before finally being put on the disabled list. The Orioles face the Phillies most consistent pitcher on Saturday, J.A. Happ. Happ started the year in the bullpen but is now in the rotation and has steadied the Phillies staff.

The Orioles started the season with Jeremy Guthrie as their ace, but Guthrie has been terrible, so the Orioles now rely on rookie Brad Bergesen as their ace. Bergesen hasn't allowed more than 2 earned runs in his last four starts. It is great to finally see an O's pitcher showing some promise.

Orioles Magic

Shaking things up in this edition of Orioles Magic. The Orioles welcome the New York Mets to the Yard. Rather than have me bring you a preview, I have decided to let guest contributor Matt, a huge Mets fan, do the honors.

Coming off an 19-9 month of May, Mets fans thought that only brighter days were ahead. This winning month, one of the best in franchise history, was highlighted by the beginning of the injury bug (Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes) but nothing seemed to phase them. All of us knew, that once June hit a lighter schedule was in place in the beginning (Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Nubionals), followed by tough interleague play. Unfortunately for the Mets (and fortunately for the Orioles), everyone has seemingly started dropping like flies, whether it be John Maine having shoulder discomfort, or even 34-year-old journeyman Ramon Martinez breaking his pinkie.

Things have gone from bad to seemingly worse in our view. First getting swept in Pittsburgh to the lowly Pirates. Then the Phillies came to town, and after holding them off for a 6-5 victory in game 1, the Mets decided to blow 2 games in extra innings, giving us that gut wrenching feeling we are far too used to. This pain went into Friday nights game with Luis Castillo dropping a routine pop up (TWO HANDS!!!) and then our ace Johan Santana getting shelled for 9 runs in 3 innings to our inter-city rival the Yankees.

Needless to say this Orioles/Mets series will be quite interesting. For the Mets, Tuesday they will be throwing out Mike “Big Pelf” Pelfrey (4-2, 4.68) who is coming off a 6 inning performance against the Phillies and has been much improved since the 2^nd half of last year. The middle game will be pitched by Tim Redding (0-2, 6.18) who is also coming off an impressive start against the Phils where he went 7 innings allowing only 3 runs, followed by Livan Hernandez (5-1, 4.33) who is coming off his worst start of the year giving up 6 runs in 5 innings to the Yankees. The keys for the Mets in this series will be whether or not they can put some terrible losses behind them (a dead horse subject), and continue to get quality pitching from Pelfrey and Redding, and attempt to get good hitting out of their backup players. One player that has been on fire, throughout the month of June is third baseman David Wright who is hitting .364 for the season, and .489 for the month.

For the Orioles, they are coming off a series where they welcomed the Atlanta Braves to Baltimore and took 2 out of 3 from the Bravos. For this series Jeremy Guthrie (4-6, 5.52) takes the hill on Tuesday night, Koji Uehara (2-4, 4.37) on Wednesday night, and Jason Berken (1-3, 7.32) in the finale. The keys for the Orioles will be whether their offense can continue to have an explosion like they did against NL East foe Atlanta, or if the offense will revert back to its form for most of the last three weeks. Orioles super prospect Matt Wieters will have to get things going as he is only hitting .233 through 12 major league games.

Orioles Magic

Friday, June 12 - Sunday, June 14

Atlanta Braves (29-30) at Baltimore Orioles (25-35)

Pitching Matchups

Friday: ATL - Tommy Hanson (0-0, 9.00)
BAL - Jason Berken (1-2, 7.04)

Saturday: ATL - Kenshin Kawakami (3-6, 4.62)
BAL - Rich Hill (2-1, 5.24)

Sunday: ATL - Derek Lowe (7-3, 3.44)
BAL - Brad Bergesen (3-2, 4.04)

Interleague play returns as the Orioles welcome the Atlanta Braves to the Yard. After a 5 game winning streak elicited some hope a few weeks ago, the O's are back to playing like crap. The Braves are hovering around .500 and trying to stay in the NL East race.

When you think of the Braves one man comes to mind, 3B Chipper Jones. The 37-year-old is having another solid season and leads the Braves in almost every offensive statistical category. He is batting .320, with 8 HRs, and 31 RBIs. The Braves other major offensive threat is C Brian McCann, who is hitting .312, with 6 HRs and 24 RBIs.

For years, pitching was the Braves rock. You could count on the Braves having at least steady pitching from the ace to the number four spot in the rotation. Times have changed and now the Braves have the ace, but not much else. The Orioles are terrible on Sundays and unfortunately for them they get to see the ace, Derek Lowe on Sunday. Lowe is 7-3, with a 3.44 ERA and has been exactly what the Braves were hoping for. Tommy Hanson makes his second career start tonight for Atlanta, he gave up 6 earned runs in his first start against the Milwaukee Brewers. The O's are fortunate to be avoiding the Braves second best pitcher, Jair Jurrens, who leads the team in ERA, at 2.85.

The Orioles have been struggling for about a week offensively, which has coincided with their poor play. Adam Jones has cooled a bit, Brian Roberts has been mired in a slump, and Aubrey Huff is only hitting .258 for the season. Matt Wieters is starting to get his stroke, but still is hitting just .208 since being called up a few weeks ago. It seems like Luke Scott hits a home run just about every night, he leads the team with 15. Also worth mentioning is the play of call up Nolan Reimold, who is hitting .271, with 7 HRs and 16 RBIs.

Jason Berken starts for Baltimore tonight, and brings his 7.04 ERA with him. Saturday, the O's hope they get the good Rich Hill who seems to alternate between looking amazing and then downright awful. In his last start against Oakland he couldn't find the plate and was pulled in the first inning. Rookie Brad Bergesen starts Sunday, and he has pitched very well as of late, and has been the Orioles most consistent pitcher thus far.

Orioles Magic

Friday, June 5 - Sunday, June 7

Baltimore Orioles (24-30) at Oakland Athletics (22-30)

Pitching Matchups

Friday: BAL - Jeremy Guthrie (4-4, 4.86)
OAK - Dallas Braden (4-5, 3.63)

Saturday: BAL - Jason Berken (1-1, 2.25)
OAK - Trevor Cahill (2-5, 4.33)

Sunday: BAL - Rich Hill (2-0, 4.15)
OAK - Vin Mazzaro (1-0, 0.00)

The Orioles quick run through the AL West continues in Oakland this weekend. The O's dropped 2 of 3 in Seattle and have recently seen their hitting completely disappear. This of course comes during a time where they actually pitched very well against Seattle. Just can never seem to get good hitting and good pitching going at the same time.

The Athletics have been a bit of a disappointment in this young season. With the addition LF Matt Holliday, and 1B Jason Giambi, along with some good young pitching, the A's were expected to contend in the AL West. Instead they sit in last and Holliday is already talking about how he would be alright with being traded.

You know your offense is strugg a ling when your catcher leads your team in batting average. That is the case with the A's and C Kurt Suzuki (.284, 2 HRs, 18 RBIs). DH Jack Cust leads the team in HRs with 8, and Holliday leads the team in RBIs with 33. As a team Oakland is hitting just .239 for the season, which is atrocious.

As mentioned before, the A's have some good young arms, and pitching is actually the reason the A's record isn't worse. The O's face their wins leader Dallas Braden tonight, who despite an ERA under 4.00, has a losing record, due to the A's inept offense. Braden also leads the team in strikeouts. On Sunday, the Orioles will hope to crack rookie Vin Mazzaro, who in his debut against the Chicago White Sox, gave up no runs over 6.1 innings.

Rich Hill takes the mound for the O's on Sunday. He is coming off a brilliant shutout performance against the Mariners on Monday. Jason Berken gets the start on Saturday, he has shown some potential in his few starts. The O's bats cooled against the Mariners but Luke Scott continues to hit the ball very well, but the O's will have a hard time getting the offense going against the good pitching they will face this weekend.

The Week That Was

The supposed best player in the NBA walked off the court on Saturday a loser. The Cleveland Cavaliers were upended in six games by the Orlando Magic and their dream season of beating nobodies, and performing lame skits before games came to an end. James refused to shake hands with the Magic afterward or even address the media, leaving his teammates to do the job a leader such as himself should have done. The Magic proved to be far superior to the Cavaliers, who still appear to be LeBron and little else. Mo Williams had supposedly become the second banana, but he only showed up for Game 5, and otherwise was virtually useless.

On the other side of the spectrum you have the Los Angeles Lakers, who crushed the Denver Nuggets on Friday, to wrap up that series, 4-2. The Lakers have taken a beating this postseason, with claims that they haven't played hard consistently, but they will be playing in the NBA Finals Thursday, while LeBron and his puppet watch at home. Kobe carried the Lakers in this series, when he needed to be a facilitator, he facilitated, when he needed to score, he scored. That is what a leader truly is. It is funny and annoying to me how if Kobe had pulled what LeBron pulled people would have been all over him for being such a poor sport. LeBron does it and all of the LeBronites want to make excuses for him. Check back Thursday, when I have a comprehensive preview and prediction for the Disney NBA Final between the Magic and the Lakers.

The Stanley Cup Finals started Saturday night and in just two short days they appear to be over. For the second straight year the Detroit Red Wings have taken a 2-0 lead over the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins are actually playing much better this year but all it led to was consecutive 3-1 losses. The series resumes tomorrow night in Pittsburgh, in what is a must win game for the Penguins.

Orioles C Matt Wieters made his long awaited debut Friday night against the Detroit Tigers. It was a weekend of ups and downs for Wieters. Friday and Sunday he went hitless, and sandwiched in between those games was Saturday night, where he had a double and a triple. There is a ton of hype and pressure surrounding Wieters. Orioles fans are looking to him as a possible savior for a franchise that has been mired in crap for a decade now. Orioles fans will have to understand that Wieters can be a piece in the O's resurgence but he won't be able to bring that resurgence single handedly.

Orioles Magic

Thursday, May 28 - Sunday, May 31

Detroit Tigers (26-19) at Baltimore Orioles (21-26)

Pitching Matchups

Thursday: DET - Armando Galarraga (3-4, 5.74)
BAL - David Hernandez

Friday: DET - Dontrelle Willis (1-1, 3.57)
BAL - Brad Bergesen (1-2, 5.49)

Saturday: DET - Justin Verlander (5-2, 3.55)
BAL - Jeremy Guthrie (4-4, 4.90)

Sunday: DET - Edwin Jackson (4-3, 2.58)
BAL - Jason Berken (1-0, 3.60)

The Orioles welcome the AL Central leading Tigers to Camden Yards. What could just be any other series in May has instead taken on extra significance for the Birds. The number one prospect in all of baseball, C Matt Wieters will make his debut Friday night for Baltimore. Wieters has been hyped up for some time and finally Orioles fans will get to see the potential power and switch hitting catcher.

The Tigers have earned themselves some separation from the other weak AL Central teams. They are a balanced team with some big bats in the lineup and good arms in the rotation. Offensively they are paced by 1B Miguel Cabrera (.374, 10 HRs, 37 RBIs), 3B Brandon Inge (.274, 12 HRs, 33 RBIs), and CF Curtis Granderson (.247, 11 HRs, 27 RBIs).

The O's will face Edwin Jackson on Sunday, who leads Tigers starters with a 2.58 ERA, they also get to face Justin Verlander on Saturday, who leads the Tigers in strikeouts with 85 in 10 starts. Wieters will face Dontrelle Willis in his first at-bat Friday. Willis recently returned and after a rough first outing, had a very encouraging second outing. Willis was once one of the bright young pitchers in the game, then seemingly lost his mechanics. Hopefully, the Orioles get to face bad Willis on Friday.

The Orioles have been calling up other players besides Wieters. David Hernandez makes his first career start Thursday as the Orioles try to figure who pitches three through five are. RF Nolan Reimold has played well since being called up. He is hitting .265, with 4 HRs, and 9 RBIs in just 13 games this season.

The Orioles have won 5 of 6, the Tigers will be stiff competition, a split would be nice.

Orioles Magic

Friday, May 22 - Sunday, May 24

Baltimore Orioles (16-25) at Washington Nationals (12-28)

Pitching Matchups

Friday: BAL: Rich Hill (1-0, 3.18)
WSH: Jordan Zimmerman (2-1, 6.35)

Saturday: BAL: Koji Uehara (2-3, 4.34)
WSH: Ross Detwiler (0-0, 3.60)

Sunday: BAL: Brad Bergesen (1-2, 5.35)
WSH: Shairon Martis (5-0, 4.53)

It's the 2009 Battle of the Beltway! Look at those records, we sure do have some good teams in our area! I will admit that the Battle of the Beltway used to excite me. I have hated the Washington Nubionals ever since they came from Montreal. It wasn't really anything they did, it was their "fans". Most of their "fans" deserted the Orioles and quickly jumped on the Nationals bandwagon. Some did something even more disgusting, they became fans of both teams. I have been to many Battle of the Beltway games, and nothing irks me more than seeing a fan with a Nubionals hat and an Orioles shirt. Pick a side!

The Nubionals are the worst team in baseball and come into this game losers of 10 of their last 12 games. Their problems actually mirror the Orioles problems. They have a decent offense that can put up runs, but they have absolutely no pitching and a hideous bullpen. Free agent pick up, LF Adam Dunn has been everything the Nationals could have hoped for and more. He is hitting .280, with 12 HRs and 33 RBIs. 3B Ryan Zimmerman is off to a hot start, hitting .353, with 10 HRs and 32 RBIs. SS Cristian Guzman has one of the highest averages in baseball, .373.

With a semi decent pitching staff, and a somewhat competent bullpen the Nubionals could at least be 10 games under .500 instead of 16. Countless times this season the Nubionals have led games going into the 8th and 9th innings, only for their bullpen to blow it. Jordan Zimmerman takes the hill tonight, he was recently called up by the Nubionals and is a glimmer of hope for the future. Shockingly, they have a pitcher that is undefeated, Shairon Martis comes into his start Sunday, 5-0.

The Orioles come into the series losers of 4 in a row, and were just swept in embarrassing fashion by the hated New York Yankees. They are already out of contention and its another wasted season in O's town. The one thing they can give their fans is a season series win over the Nubionals, please don't screw that up Baltimore.

Orioles Magic

Thursday, May 14- Sunday, May 17

Baltimore Orioles (14-20) at Kansas City Royals (18-16)

Pitching Matchups

Thursday: BAL - Jeremy Guthrie (2-3, 4.97)
KC - Gil Meche (2-3, 4.43)

Friday: BAL - Adam Eaton (2-3, 7.18)
KC - Zack Greinke (6-1, 0.51)

Saturday: BAL - Koji Uehara (2-3, 4.01)
KC - Kyle Davies (2-1, 5.22)

Sunday: BAL - Mark Hendrickson (1-4, 6.35)
KC - Luke Hochevar (0-1, 36.00)

The Orioles begin a 10 game road trip today in Kansas City. The O's just completed a 7 game home stand where they finished 4-3, not the best, but better than their recent efforts.

Despite their struggles for the past 11 seasons the Orioles have owned one team in Major League Baseball, the Kansas City Royals. However, this isn't your typical Royals team this year. They are currently tied for first place in the AL Central. However, they have shown signs of being the same old Royals as they enter this series losers of 5 straight.

Pitching has carried the Royals early in this season, with their most famous story being SP Zack Greinke. Greinke was put on the cover of Sports Illustrated a few weeks back and instead of succumbing to the SI cover jinx, he has thrived. Greinke just suffered his first loss of the season in his last start and even there he only gave up 1 run. A win by the Orioles on Friday against Greinke would be shocking.

Offensively, the Royals are led by 1B Mike Jacobs. Jacobs is hitting .262, with 7 HRs and 21 RBIs. Their other strong offensive presence is 2B Alberto Callaspo, who leads the team with a .324 average.

Orioles Magic

Wednesday, May 6 - Thursday, May 7

Minnesota Twins (13-14) at Baltimore Orioles (10-17)

Pitching Matchups

Wednesday: MIN - Kevin Slowey (4-0, 5.17)
BAL - Mark Hendrickson (1-4, 5.79)

Thursday: MIN - Glen Perkins (1-2, 3.34)
BAL - Brad Bergesen (1-0, 5.17)

The Orioles managed to win a game in Tampa Bay and end their six game losing streak. Besides that, they're still garbage. They begin a seven game home stand tonight, starting with a quick two game set with the Minnesota Twins. This might be an alright matchup for the O's as the Twins offense is anemic and the Orioles may not have to score more than 5 runs to beat them. However, Orioles pitching tends to make just about every offense look good.

1B Justin Morneau is the Twins offense. He leads the team in almost every statistical category. He is hitting .318 with 6 HRs and 21 RBIs. However, C Joe Mauer recently returned from the disabled list and has been swinging the bat very well.

Pitching has also been an issue for the Twins. The Orioles will meet their wins leader, Kevin Slowey, tonight but he has been fortunate that the offense has decided to show up on nights he pitches as he has an unimpressive 5.17 ERA.

From top to bottom the Orioles have no pitching. Their ace Jeremy Guthrie has a 5.05 ERA, their closer George Sherrill has blown 2 saves, forcing Orioles manager Dave Trembley to go to a closer by committee format, between Sherrill, Chris Ray, and Danys Baez (ugh). When you have a closer by committee, it really means you have no closer. The Orioles haven't won a series in 2 weeks, a 2 game sweep here would be nice.

The Week That Was

The First Round of the NBA Playoffs is finally finished and the Second Round tipped off yesterday. The Los Angeles Lakers are back in action tonight after almost a week off, as they are set to take on the Houston Rockets. The Lakers easily disposed of the Utah Jazz in the First Round, 4-1. Conventional wisdom would say the Rockets should pose a much greater threat, but the Lakers dominated them in the regular season, winning all four meetings. Of course, the playoffs are a completely different animal.

The Chicago Bulls season came to an end as they lost Game 7 at Boston. People seem hesitant to say anything beyond this series being the greatest first round series ever, but to me this was the greatest series I have ever seen. I will not say ever in the history of basketball, but as a basketball fan since I was 6 years old I have never seen a more competitive and entertaining series. Sure both coaches made some bonehead moves but for sheer entertainment value, it doesn't get any better than what I just witnessed over the past 2 weeks.

Check back tomorrow as I will have a full preview and predictions for the Second Round of the playoffs.

The NHL Playoffs are also in to their second round and to the excitement of the Washington, DC area the Washington Capitals are still playing. The Caps recovered from a 3-1 deficit against the New York Rangers, winning that series. That has set up a dream matchup in the Second Round between Alex Ovechkin and the Caps versus Cindy Crosby and Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Caps took Game 1 at home in exciting fashion and the series continues with Game 2 tonight. This series could really bring in the casual hockey fan, and possibly provide a boon to the NHL.

The Baltimore Orioles completed a miserable week that saw them go 0-6. They now sit at 9-16 and the wheels are coming off already. The team can't win unless they score 6 runs or more, which is an impossible pace for the offense to maintain. It is just as frustrating as ever to watch this team. No Orioles Magic today, but they start a 2 game road series at Tampa Bay. My expectations are low.