NumerOlogy

I started a new job in September, and the Orioles’ customary late-season snooze didn’t do much to spur me to update the site, but I guess that’s the occupational hazard of the O’s fan/blogger. Still, there are roster moves to belatedly report.

September 8: #10 Adam Jones was placed on the disabled list with a sprained ankle. The second wave of expanded-roster callups included pitchers #55 Chris Lambert, #41 Bob McCrory, and #29 Chris Waters. McCrory and Waters had been in Baltimore before, but Lambert was a first-time Oriole and the tenth player to wear double-fives.

Two other new Birds made team history by becoming the first to wear their respective numbers in a regular season game: catcher #78 Guillermo Rodriguez and infielder #83 Justin Turner. These are exciting times, huh?

The O’s used their extra coaching slot in September to call up Norfolk pitching coach Mike Griffin, who had worn #42 as a pitcher for the club in 1987. This time around, he broke in the #91 jersey.

September 9: Deciding that they were just one marginal reliever away from perfection, the Birds added #53 Sean Henn (pictured) in a trade with the Twins. Henn had been with Minnesota’s AAA club in Rochester, whose season had already concluded. He was shocked to get the call at his Dallas home ordering him to fly to Boston to meet his new teammates! Sean became the tenth Oriole to wear Arthur Rhodes‘ old number.

September 19: Having lost another outfielder (#14 Nolan Reimold) to the disabled list, the club did an about-face and reinstated #2 Lou Montanez from the DL. #31 Kam Mickolio was also shut down in mid-September, but the team mercifully did not replace him with yet another relief arm.

This finally brings the 2009 season and its manifold roster moves to a close. According to the relentless Roch Kubatko, Baltimore used 48 players in these 162 games (27 pitchers, four catchers, nine infielders, eight outfielders). There were 23 first-time Birds, nine of whom made their MLB debuts. The all-time tally of O’s players stands at 871 (counting only those who have played in games). Pity the clubhouse attendant!

So what does 2010 hold? There’s already been word that rookie phenom #52 Brian Matusz wishes to switch to #17, the number worn by his favorite player, former Cubs first baseman Mark Grace.

Until the Hot Stove Season starts, let’s all take some time to decompress…and root against the Yankees, if you’re so inclined. I know that I am.

Another September has arrived with the Orioles buried deep in the cellar of the American League East. But this month also brings the potential for expanded rosters, which makes it a time of interest as it pertains to this site. The O’s have already called up four players from AAA Norfolk, three of whom have been here before in ‘09: relievers #24 Alberto Castillo, #34 Matt Albers, and #45 Dennis Sarfate. The fourth player has not been seen in Baltimore since 2006. Outfielder Jeff Fiorentino, affectionately known as “Screech” for his resemblance to the nerdy character from “Saved by the Bell”, had worn #16 in previous cups of coffee in 2005 and 2006. However, he has now made history as the first Oriole player to ever wear #70 in the regular season, which he did in replacing Adam Jones during Tuesday night’s loss to the Yankees. Wild stuff.

A little bit of news on the coaching staff, as John Shelby left the team over the weekend due to a death in the family. Minor league instructor Don Werner filled in for him (wearing #58) and will stay with the club until next Tuesday, when minor league pitching coach Mike Griffin will take his place. (All teams are allowed to carry an extra coach this month as well.) The O’s are also expected to add a few more players that day, including an infielder (likely Justin Turner), a catcher, and probably twenty or thirty pitchers. So I’ll be back next week with more updates, and I bet you can’t wait.

From Orioles Card “O” the Day

I think we can safely say that the Orioles have just become the first team in baseball history to replace Aubrey with Aubrey. Monday, the Birds traded #17 Aubrey Huff to the Tigers for minor-league pitcher Brett Jacobson. To fill Huff’s roster spot, they recalled first baseman #9 Michael Aubrey from AAA Norfolk. Michael becomes the 26th Oriole to wear the number, and the 19th player to make his O’s debut in 2009 (per Roch Kubatko).

Of course, #9 was available because Baltimore traded Gregg Zaun to the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday 8/7 for minor-league first baseman John “Rhyne” Hughes. That paved the way for #16 Chad Moeller to return from Norfolk and reclaim his place as backup catcher. Easy come, easy go.

One more move from yesterday, as the two most frequently up-and-down members of the roster passed one another in the night. #34 Matt Albers is back to Norfolk for the third time in ‘09, and #31 Kam Mickolio takes his place in the bullpen and on the roster. Kam is in his third stint on the Birds’ roster this season and fifth overall. Both ends of this transaction were well-deserved.

What can you say about the team’s play since the All Star Break? Nothing that doesn’t give me a headache. They’re spoilers – in the sense that they’re doing their best to spoil my summer. C’mon, 2010.

This is the way things usually go with the upkeep of this site. I get busy and the team makes a minor roster move, like sending one guy to the disabled list and bringing another player off of it. So maybe I let it slide, and before I know it, I go out of town for a couple of days and all hell breaks loose. Of course, I was bright enough to book a vacation right in the middle of the MLB trade deadline, so that’s on me. Here’s a month’s worth of Orioles transactions for you, with all of the corresponding uni number news.

7/10: #3 Cesar Izturis was activated from the DL, and #63 David Hernandez was sent to AA Bowie to get some work during the All-Star Break.

7/19: #26 Oscar Salazar was traded to San Diego for reliever Cla (pronounced “clay”) Meredith. Meredith had worn #43 with the Padres, which belongs to Jim Johnson in Birdland. So Cla became the 19th Oriole to wear #26, making this trade a uni swap as well. It’s been duly noted on the Odds and Ends page.

7/20: #63 David Hernandez actually took Salazar’s roster spot, since Meredith didn’t arrive right away.

7/21: Meredith joined the team, and #31 Kam Mickolio was sent back to AAA Norfolk. This will become a theme.

7/29: The steadily worsening #51 Rich Hill finally took a trip to the DL with a shoulder injury. In a move that had been rumored for some time, prized pitching prospect Chris Tillman made his major league debut in his stead. He became just the third player in team history to wear #54, following pitchers John Habyan and Lance Cormier.

7/30: No sooner had I boarded my flight to Atlanta (the first leg of a trip to San Diego) than the Orioles announced that they were selling high, trading flat-billed closer #52 George Sherrill to the Dodgers for AA pitcher Steven Johnson (son of former #27 Dave Johnson) and AA slugger Josh Bell. The rebuilding isn’t complete just yet, after all.

7/31: After deflecting a line drive off of his shin the previous day, #35 Brad Bergesen was placed on the DL. Coupled with the Sherrill trade, the Birds had two spots to fill. They recalled #31 Kam Mickolio and reinstated #37 Chris Ray from the DL.

8/4: Say it with me: #31 Kam Mickolio sent back to Norfolk to make room for debuting starter (and 2008 first-round draft pick)  Brian Matusz. Brian helped the O’s set a modern major league record, as he was the fifth starter to win his major league debut this season. He did it in #52, which probably still has the outline of the “SHERRILL” lettering on the back. Matusz is the sweet sixteenth Baltimore player in this number. If you’re keeping track, he’s also the 41st different player to suit up in orange and black in ‘09.

Boy, the future arrived in a hurry, didn’t it?

Okay, back from my much-needed week at the beach, where I watched as little Orioles baseball as I could. Tuesday’s ridiculous nine-run comeback over the hated Red Sox notwithstanding (I caught a replay of the last two innings), the bits that I did watch were too much. Sure, it’s a rebuilding year, and there are rookies learning on the job and highly touted prospects yet to arrive, but some of the veterans are trying to drive me to an early grave. I’d name names, but the head-slapping moments are being spread around without prejudice. Anyway.

#19 Koji Uehara has made his second trip to the disabled list, and he could be out until September. I suppose that’s the risk you run when you sign a 34-year-old starting pitcher who hasn’t actually started since 2006. In his stead, the O’s recalled #63 David Hernandez for his second stint in Baltimore in this, his rookie season. Koji didn’t have to wait long for a little company on the D.L.; yesterday the Birds shelved #37 Chris Ray with shoulder troubles. #31 Kam Mickolio takes his place. This is his third go-round on the big league roster since last summer, and all three times he’s worn that number.

As I type this, Jeremy Guthrie has been knocked out in the third inning in Seattle, and Erik Bedard has seven strikeouts in three innings against his former team. Seriously, can we extend the All-Star Break by a week or so this year?

If anyone’s still visiting this site and/or following the Orioles after that nightmare of a road trip, you’re one of the diehards. There were a few player moves, and they were none too pleasant. On Friday, the team finally bid a lasting farewell to lefty specialist #32 Jamie Walker, who will have plenty of time to hunt now. He was lights-out in 2007, but Sammy Perlozzo and Dave Trembley wore his old arm out and he’s never been the same. You hate to see a personable, plain-spoken guy like Jamie go, but it was time. It remains to be seen if Matt Wieters will take #32 after a brief grace period, or if he’ll stay in #15. What we do know is that Alberto Castillo is back from Norfolk to take Walker’s spot in the bullpen. The southpaw, who wore #23 last summer, has switched to the #24 that was vacated by the abominable Adam Eaton a few weeks ago.

Friday night also saw the hasty departure of #3 Cesar Izturis, who underwent an appendectomy and was placed on the 15-day DL. Today minor league veteran slugger Oscar Salazar showed up to take his spot, and was handed a #26 jersey. He’d worn #19 during a few cups of coffee in Baltimore last year, and donned #16 in Spring Training.

May the next update be under better circumstances…

Yes, it’s true. He’s finally here. It was a long two years, wasn’t it?

But first, let’s jump back for a second. Thursday night, David Hernandez became the fourth Orioles starter to earn a win in his major league debut in 2009 (following Koji Uehara, Brad Bergesen, and Jason Berken). Word is that no other team has accomplished this feat since 1900. The really good news? There’s plenty more where that came from. It might have to wait until next year, but Chris Tillman, Jake Arrieta, and Brian Matusz are the real gems in the organization. Hernandez became the sixth Oriole to ever wear #63, and the first pitcher since Nerio Rodriguez (oof). If he sticks around for a while, will he upgrade like Bergesen did? Time will tell.

The outgoing players this week were #37 Chris Ray, who heads down to AAA Norfolk to try to straighten out his mechanics, and #16 Chad Moeller, who will provide catching insurance for the Tides if he clears waivers.

Of course, the most breathlessly anticipated debut took place on Friday, as Matt Wieters crouched behind the plate at Oriole Park at Camden Yards for the first time.  He did so in #15, which he wore in Spring Training. (Either Jamie Walker wasn’t keen to give up #32 or he wasn’t asked.) He’s the 21st player to wear those digits in Baltimore. There are some good ones mixed in there (Hoyt Wilhelm and Davey Johnson, most notably), but you have to go back a ways. If you want to keep the hype train rolling, you should probably know that Thurman Munson is the only Major League Baseball player to have #15 retired in his honor (by the Yankees, of course). With all due respect to the late New York catcher, I hope Matt has a longer career and a less tragic ending.

I was at Friday night’s game, and it was overwhelming to hear the thunderous cheers for Wieters when he was introduced pre-game, when he threw out Josh Anderson on a bunt attempt at the beginning of the game, and for each of the four times he came up to bat. He might not have gotten a hit, but he collaborated with Brad Bergesen on an excellent game and, most importantly, an Orioles win. May it be the first of many in the Matt Wieters era.