Something is rotten in the state of Maryland. The ballclub from Baltimore is in full free fall, and manager Sam Perlozzo has been let go. As everyone knows, when your superiors make poor decisions, you will be the one to suffer for it. Perlozzo ultimately couldn’t rise above his organization’s ineptitude, and now he is looking for work again.
The Orioles, meanwhile, are talking to former Florida Marlins manager Joe Girardi about the vacant position. Girardi, you may recall, led a team with a $15 million payroll to 78 wins last season. That’s a little less than Baltimore is paying Danys …read more

At the risk of straining something while patting myself on the back, I called Wednesday’s Jake Peavy/Brandon Webb matchup the one to watch. Although the outcome wasn’t quite what I’d hoped for, the game was tremendous. Peavy fanned 16 batters and nearly tied Tom Seaver’s record of 10 straight strikeouts. Only a questionable call on a check swing to start the fourth fifth inning kept that from happening. Still, it was fun to watch, and Webb pitched a fine game himself.
But that’s in the past now. What do we have going on today? If you’re a fan of offense, I’ve …read more

Some brutal pitching matchups today. About the only game I can recommend watching is the one in Milwaukee. Hint: The Brewers aren’t playing there.
It won’t stop snowing in Cleveland, so the Indians will “host” the Angels at Miller Park. For those of us out on the west coast, that’s a bit like the Padres playing a home game in San Francisco.
Heh.
Anyway, Ervin Santana takes the mound for Anaheim, while C.C. Sabathia goes for Cleveland. Watch Vlad Guerrero in this one; he’s batted .357/.400/.714 against Sabathia over 15 career plate appearances. The game starts at 4:05 p.m. PT.
I wish I could …read more

Happy Friday, folks. What are we watching today? For the most part, the back end of everyone’s rotation. Hey, that can be fun.
American League

Red Sox at Rangers, 11:05 a.m. PT – Tim Wakefield gets the start for Boston. It’s always fun to watch his knuckleball flutter. Plus, someone’s got to justify Doug Mirabelli’s presence in the big leagues. Also, Sammy Sosa is back; I haven’t seen him yet — does he still have anything left?
Orioles at Yankees, 4:05 p.m. PT – Yuck, did I just recommend sitting through a Red Sox and a Yankees game? Anyway, Adam Loewen is an …read more