Baltimore Orioles

Watching Orioles baseball has become a recipe for disaster for most fans of this once proud franchise. 

Each and every year, fans are spoon-fed the same old weathered lines like, "They have a lineup that can compete with any team in baseball" or "they're getting younger and should be fun to watch."

Well, six games into the 2010 season and this team's lineup is far from competitive and anything but fun to watch.

So this is one fan shouting out to the Baltimore Orioles that enough is enough. This fan base deserves better.

The 2010 season is underway, and after four games decided by one run, the Orioles begin the season with a 1-3 record.

Despite two heartbreaking collapses by Mike Gonzalez, the Orioles have to be reasonably satisfied with their offseason additions.

Garrett Atkins is hitting .375 with three RBI through four games, and Miguel Tejada celebrated his homecoming to Camden Yard by going 3-for-5 for four RBI. Matt Wieters has delivered early in the season, and looks focused on proving his late-season success was no fluke. So far, he is 6-for-14 with two RBI.

I was watching the Baltimore Orioles vs. Tampa Bay Rays game on Thursday night and when Orioles’ closer Mike Gonzalez loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth, it looked like manager Dave Trembley was going to throw up in his mouth.

I could only imagine what Trembley was thinking or how he was feeling when Gonzalez blew his second save in three chances yesterday against the Toronto Blue Jays. I know it’s only four games into the season, but Trembley has to be already losing patience with Gonzalez.

So it wasn't his back, but it looks like Brian Roberts will be headed to the DL.

Roberts came up wincing and in noticeable pain after swiping his second base of the year in the first inning of the Orioles home opener against the Blue Jays. The diagnosis: an abdominal strain.

Roberts was a spring-training worry for the Orioles, missing almost all of the preseason schedule with back issues. He reportedly had them straightened out, and he looked to be rounding into regular season form with a two-hit performance last night in the O's victory over the Rays.

For the last two years, the Baltimore Orioles relied on George Sherrill to close games for them.

Now, the Orioles look to another lefty, Mike Gonzalez, to fill that role.

Unfortunately, for the health of Orioles’ fans, the two might be a little too similar.

The Orioles entered 2010 with a litany of questions facing their pitching staff.

After a forgettable 2009, where the Orioles finished in the bottom rung of nearly every major statistical category, the Orioles have placed their faith in a group of promising yet unproven youngsters, a reliable veteran ace, and a closer freshly adorned with a two-year, $17 million contract.

As part of our journey to watch and score 162 games this season, Tuesday night featured the Orioles/Rays opener in Tampa.

Game No. 3—Baltimore Orioles vs. Tampa Bay Rays

Adam Jones went 3-for-5 with a single, double, and HR.

It's pretty clear that the 2010 MLB Draft is going to be pitcher heavy. Aside from catcher prospect Bryce Harper (aka the second coming of Stephen Strasburg in position player form), who is practically a shoe-in to go No. 1, you have to drop down to the 10-15 top prospect range to find a legit position player who is a can't miss player.

I profiled hard throwing right-hander Jameson Taillon a few days ago as a prospective future Oriole prospect, and today it is Anthony Ranaudo's turn.

With the start of the 2010 baseball season now upon us, those around the Baltimore Orioles are cautiously optimistic that after more than a decade of decay, the team is ready to turn things around. The big question, given their current streak of 12 consecutive losing seasons, is what would be considered a successful season for the O’s in 2010.

The Orioles struggled through their twelfth consecutive losing season in 2009, finishing with a 64-98 record which, surprisingly, was four games worse than their record in 2008 (I say “surprisingly” as I had expected some minimal improvement from the O’s last season).

The upcoming season looks to be considerably better, as I expect the Orioles' rebuilding process will finally start bearing fruit after more than a decade. Just how much the club’s record improves will be directly dependent on how the starting rotation performs.