Orioles manager Dave Trembley issued the challenge Wednesday, imploring his starting pitchers to throw more strikes, attack hitters and work deeper in games. "If they don't get better, that opportunity won't be there forever," Trembley said.
Unlike Garrett Olson and Radhames Liz, who are still novices in the major leagues, Daniel Cabrera's opportunity has lasted more than four seasons and he still hasn't proved he can be consistently relied on to do anything more than take the ball every fifth day.
In his matchup with Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay yesterday, Cabrera continued his regression after a fine start, allowing a season-high seven earned runs in five-plus innings of the Orioles' 7-1 loss before an announced 23,329 at sun-splashed Camden Yards.
The Orioles also fell, 5-1, yesterday in the resumption of their rain-suspended Wednesday night game, scoring just one run in 13 innings on a long and frustrating afternoon. They lost three of four to the Blue Jays and are 48-53, a season-worst five games under .500.
"Today was a tough day," Cabrera said. "It looked like everything I threw out there, they could hit it like they know it's coming. It's tough."
In fairness to Cabrera, he would have had to been nearly flawless to out-duel Halladay (12-7), who held the Orioles to Luke Scott's sacrifice fly over seven innings and is 18-4 against them in his career.
But Cabrera didn't give his teammates much of a chance. The leadoff batter reached against him in five of six innings, and he allowed runs in every inning from the third to the sixth. And only Nick Markakis' strong throw to retire Matt Stairs at the plate prevented the Blue Jays from scoring in the second.
"He threw a lot of pitches that were supposed to be sinkers and they were just over the plate," catcher Guillermo Quiroz said. "He didn't have the two-seamer working. Every time he threw it, he didn't have success with it."
With Halladay on the mound, the Blue Jays (51-51) all but put the game away with two runs in the third inning, one scoring on a wild pitch and the other coming home on Lyle Overbay's single.
Cabrera (6-6) surrendered 11 hits, walked two, hit a batter and also tossed two wild pitches. His performance continued a disturbing trend for the Orioles, who thought the right-hander, 27, had turned the corner by allowing three earned runs or fewer in nine of his first 12 starts this season.
