The likeable Orioles are not very good

Posted on April 22, 2010

Cesar Izturis (left) and Ty Wigginton of the Baltimore Orioles get ready in the dugout before the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Oakland Athletics on Saturday, April 17, 2010, at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California. The Athletics defeated the Orioles 4-3. (Photo by Brad Mangin/MLB Photos)

 

The Baltimore Orioles were in town this past weekend to play a four game set against the Oakland A’s. The O’s have gotten off to a rough start this season and dropped three out of four during their stay in the Bay Area. I went to the Coliseum to shoot two of the games and found myself rooting for the Orioles. Manager Dave Trembley seems like a real good guy and they have some good young talent, led by catcher Matt Wieters. However, after they were swept in Seattle this week their record dropped to 2-14, the worst start for the franchise since losing their first 21 games in 1988 to set a major league record.

While the Orioles were in town I did my usual job of working their dugout before both games trying to get some fun candids of the players goofing around just minutes before the first pitch. They seemed like a real nice bunch of guys and were fun to shoot. After spending some time talking with a few of their guys (Will Ohman is a riot!) I was really rooting for them to do well.

As usual one of my main goals of the weekend was to get some nice stuff of the above-mentioned Wieters, and he did not disappoint before both games by allowing me to shoot him goofing around with his teammates in the dugout (see above). I shot him a bunch last season when he was first called up to the big leagues, and just like last year the teammate who was always close by giving him a hard time and making everyone laugh was Ty Wiggington. I love shooting Wiggington as he has a great smile and does not seem to take himself too seriously.

I am sad to see this club get off to such a poor start. The crowds at their home ballpark in Baltimore have been small and their season is in jeopardy of being over before May even starts. Trembley held a closed-door meeting with his club in Seattle on Wednesday and ripped into his team. “I’ve been in a position where I’m a really nice fella and I’ll cover. I’ll get questions point blank and I feel like I’m a damn presidential press secretary sometimes instead of telling it what is it. I have to smooth it over,” Trembley told the Associated Press. “I’m not smoothing it over anymore.”

The Orioles are last in the American League in runs scored and on-base percentage, 11th in ERA and 12th in batting average. Second baseman Brian Roberts, outfielder Felix Pie and left-handed pitcher Michael Gonzalez are all on the disabled list. They will be making a trip to San Francisco in two months to play the Giants. I hope they are playing better by then, and I hope Trembley still has a job.