Write On Sports LLC - "“Penned” up Frustration; Orioles look to upgraded bullpen to compete in strong AL East" by Mike Trapani

“Penned” up Frustration; Orioles look to upgraded bullpen to compete in strong AL East

2007-01-04 01:09:06 | By: Mike Trapani

Beautiful Oriole Park at Camden Yards is a wonderful place to watch a baseball game. It has the entire ambiance any baseball fan can revel in. Don’t tell that to Orioles fans though. Last season’s 70-92 record was the O’s 9th consecutive losing season and attendance nearly fell to under two million for the first time since 1988. If it weren’t for Yankee and Red Sox fans migrating to Baltimore nine times apiece for road trips, they may very well have gone under the two million mark. The 2007 season finds the O’s in familiar territory; looking up at the Yankees, Red Sox, and now the Blue Jays in the extremely competitive American League East.

You can’t blame the O’s for not trying. They have been one of the more busy teams this off-season, devoting most of their attention to revamping their dreadful bullpen of a year ago. Goodbye Latroy Hawkins and Todd Williams. Hello Chad Bradford, Danys Baez, Scott Williamson, and Jamey Walker.

Bradford had an excellent season as the right-handed specialist for the Mets last season. His 73 mph frisbees managed to keep hitters off balance to the tune of a 2.90 ERA. He was also quite durable, appearing in 70 games a season ago.

Baez comes to the O’s after a rough season split between the Dodgers and Braves. Signed by Los Angeles to be the closer with Eric Gagne recovering from injury, Baez struggled, blowing seven of sixteen saves before losing his closer role to Takashi Saito. He was then shipped off to Atlanta and spent some time on the disabled list. Baez returns to the strong AL East where he’s actually had success. In 2005, his last season in Tampa, Baez had 41 saves and a 2.86 ERA. If nothing else, the O’s know they can throw him out there against the Yankees to get a few outs.

The O’s bring another AL East reliever back to the division in Scott Williamson. The former Red Sox righty struggled with arm problems last season in Chicago and San Diego before finally going on the DL for the season in late August.

Walker comes east from AL Champion Detroit and should be the O’s left-handed specialist. He was extremely effective a season ago, posting career bests in ERA (2.81) and opponents’ batting average (.282). With big-time left-handed hitters like David Ortiz, Bobby Abreu, and Jason Giambi filling AL East lineups, those numbers could go up in a hurry.

The offense remains an issue. The O’s addressed the offense by bringing in Jay Payton and Aubrey Huff, but neither will provide the big bat outside Miquel Tejada that the Orioles sorely need. It’s unclear of what Huff’s role on the team will be with similar defensively deficient players like Jay Gibbons and Kevin Millar already on the roster.

Despite the bullpen upgrades and a fairly young and talented starting rotation, it’s tough to see the Orioles breaking their losing trend, especially in the AL East. The O’s, with new manager Sam Perlozzo, are headed in the right direction, but are still are still a bat or two away from a realistic playoff run.

It looks like another season of frustration for Oriole fans.