8 in a Row

8 losses in a row for the Orioles. Things just really aren't good right now. I like how the O's management made a move to shake things up by releasing Todd Williams and moving Danys Baez to the DL. Hopefully Corey Doyne and James Hoey are able to step up and prove they can be major league caliber pitchers.
I feel the O's also need to shake up their lineup and give some chances to some guys in the minors right now. The runs scored over the losing streak have been 4,4,3,1,6,4,1,2. That comes out to 3.13 runs per game over that stretch. The O's obviously don't deserve to win games over that time period.

The problem driving in runs really is troubling. Miguel Tejada is hitting well, but is still struggling for power. After a decent power surge a couple of weeks ago, he has gone the last week with just one extra base hit, and still has just 17 on the year. Nick Markakis is hitting for power and driving in runs, but isn't reaching base like I expected him too. Those two offensive leaders for the O's could be doing better, but are still helping this team.

The greatest problem is coming from 2 of your key contributors. Jay Gibbons and Corey Patterson have OBP's of .257 and .258. When one of those guys should be a key RBI guy and the other is a critical baserunner for your team, that doesn't bode well for your team's success. I really feel that there are players in the minors who should be given the chance to play with these guys struggling so badly. Both have done decently for the Orioles in the past, but neither should get a free ride for bad play.

One solid move I've seen lately is to give Freddy Bynum more at bats. He is no superstar, but has done better than Patterson and Gibbons in his small number of at bats. He has earned the right to play more with those 2 players struggling so badly. Just because he started the season as your 25th guy on the bench doesn't mean he has to stay there all year.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=t_ibp&cid=418

I'm looking at Bowie for guys who could help the O's, because the O's roster at Norfolk looks abyssmal. Although the Tides' Tike Redman would probably be a better option in the OF right now for the O's.

Since Nolan Reimold is on the DL, he isn't an option to be called up. He is an impressive player who was hitting .329 in Bowie to start the year. He will likely be a starting outfielder for the O's next season. However, Jeff Fiorentino and Val Majewski are decent options who could produce better than Gibbons or Patterson. They are both hitting in the .270's with decent power numbers. At this point I would rather have a couple of young guys who are eager to prove themselves getting at bats than a couple of sulking young veterans.