Duquette

I'm averaging about one national radio show interview request a day for the past week or so. What's going on here? Don't these people know the NFL starts Wednesday?  And it's September in Baltimore? Didn't these people get the memo that it's football season here? This has been the 12th year I have covered this team. The high-water mark was in 2004, when the Orioles had 78 wins. So, yeah, things are a little different. And I'm not one to try and reinvent history. In March, I thought this could be the worst team I've ever covered, and that title has had plenty of competition over the years.

Dan Duquette met with the Baltimore media about the deal today that sent reliever Matt Lindstrom and a player to be named to the Arizona Diamondbacks for lefty starter Joe Saunders and cash. Here's Duquette: On the trade: “We've liked Joe Saunders for quite a while, we've had some discussions (with him as a free agent in the winter). He's a local kid (Springfield, Va.). He's pitched in the American League. He's pitched in the playoffs. He's pitched in a tough ballpark in Arizona.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he has liked what he has read in organizational reports about right-hander Jake Arrieta, who is 3-4 with a 4.91 ERA in eight starts at Triple-A Norfolk since being demoted in mid-July. Arrieta has allowed only two runs in each of his past two starts. "Good, he had a good outing last time out," Showalter said of Arrieta's recent performance. "He's getting real close to being in the form he needs to be to help. " Arrieta is expected to be a September call-up for the Orioles, but if the starters are pitching well, Showalter said Arrieta could be considered for a bullpen spot.

It was fairly obvious when the Orioles broke camp in April that they were not going to lead the American League in team ERA and fielding percentage. They didn't figure to be the most productive offensive team, either, which left plenty of room to wonder how they were going to be competitive in what was again expected to be one of the strongest divisions in baseball. Who knew that the most important statistic in their unlikely playoff drive would be their TRM - total roster moves. Okay, maybe not the most important.

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette said the organization's move to make Brian Matusz a reliever fills a temporary need and that the left-hander still has a promising future as a starter. “It's for now,” Duquette said. “It's to address a need we have in the big league club we've been trying to address.” Asked if he believes Matusz can still become a reliable major league starter, Duquette said, "Yes, I do. " Duquette said Matusz was told he's moving to the bullpen Tuesday by Triple-A Norfolk manager Ron Johnson, and he was receptive to the move.

Without making a trade or claiming someone on the waiver wire, the Orioles have attempted to address their corner infield hole by calling up uber-prospect Manny Machado to play third base. But that doesn't mean executive vice president Dan Duquette is closing the door on adding help from outside the organization, whether it be a pitcher or a hitter. “No, we are looking around every day,” Duquette said. Will he still try and find a third baseman? “Let's give Manny a shot and see how he contributes,” Duquette said.

No sport lends itself more to comparative statistical analysis than major league baseball. Crunch the numbers in key areas, stack them up against the others in the league and simple conclusions can be made. Doing this with the Orioles' first half of the season, in comparison to the other 13 teams in the American League, here's what can be gleaned: These Orioles can't field or throw. They can't run. They can't get on base. They can't score with runners in scoring position.

Last night we posted a story that the Orioles are looking, in Dan Duquette's words, for a "set-up hitter" in the next few weeks. Duquette said it will be difficult to get a “bona fide” leadoff hitter, but he wants someone at the top or near the top of the lineup that has a high on-base percentage. Why? Well, Duquette's a big believer in on-base percentage, and the Orioles' .302 mark as a team is 26th of 30 clubs in the majors. Even more startling, the team's leadoff hitters this season have a collective .264 on-base percentage.

Add a high on-base percentage table-setter to the Orioles' wish list of major needs this month. Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette said Wednesday that bolstering the club's starting pitching remains a priority, whether it comes internally or through a trade, but he also is actively searching for a “set-up hitter” with a history of getting on-base. “We have to address the on-base percentage at the top of our lineup,” Duquette said. “We had a really good on-base man inNolan [Reimold]

Jamie Moyer, the 49-year-old lefty and former Oriole who pitched three games for Triple-A Norfolk this month, asked for and was granted his release Saturday because he hadn't been promoted to the big league club. “Jamie's a veteran, and he certainly had the right to decide what he decided,” said Duquette, who signed Moyer in early June and said Moyer would make three starts before the club would decide on a promotion. Moyer did his part, going 1-1 with a 1.69 ERA and allowing just 11 hits and no walks in 16 innings while striking out 16. But there were two issues at play.