Lefty starting pitcher Mike Flanagan was one of the better pitchers in Orioles’ history. His best year with them was 1979, when he won the American League Cy Young Award. He pitched in 39 games (38 starts) for the Orioles in 1979 and he was 23-9 with a 3.08 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. He liked finishing what he started as he threw 16 complete games, five of which were shutouts. Flanagan pitched 15 years for the Orioles (1975-1987 and 1991-92) in which he pitched in 450 games (328 starts) and he was 141-116 with a 3.89 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. He only made 1 All-Star team and it was in 1978. Flanagan is #3 all-time in Orioles’ history in games pitched (450). He is also #3 in games started (328), #5 in wins (141), #3 in innings pitched (2,317 2/3), #4 in strikeouts (1,297), #10 in complete games (98) and he’s #10 in shutouts (17) in Orioles’ history. Mike Flanagan still works for the Orioles as a T.V. announcer, but he used to be one of the best starting pitchers in team history.

UPDATE: (8/25/2011) - Mike Flanagan was found dead on his property yesterday at the age of 59. This is a big loss for the Orioles’ organization. Prayers go out to Mike Flanagan’s family.

The hype surrounding 25-year old switch-hitting catcher Matt Wieters was huge and he did’t live up to it in 2010. Wieters played in 130 games for the Orioles last year and he was 111 of 446 (.249 avg, .695 OPS) with 37 runs scored, 11 homers and 55 RBIs. But, Wieters hit a lot better when Buck Showalter took over as the manager and he’s off to a good start to 2011. Wieters has played in 16 games for the Orioles so far this year and he is 14 of 52 (.269 avg, .864 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 3 homers and 11 RBIs. The Orioles hope that Wieters continues to play well and that he realizes his full potential in 2011.

27-year old righty reliever Jason Berken is looking sharp so far this year for the Orioles. He has pitched in 5 games (0 starts) for the Orioles so far this year and he is 0-0 with a 1.42 ERA and a 0.63 WHIP. He has only given up 3 hits and 1 walk in 6 1/3 innings so far this year with 9 whiffs. Berken stuggled as a rookie in 2009 as a starter so the Orioles moved him to the pen in 2010 and he adjusted well. Berken pitched in 41 games (0 starts) for the Orioles last year and he was 3-3 with a 3.03 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Berken looks like he’s going to have a bright future working out of the Orioles’ bullpen.

Young righties Jake Arrieta and Chris Tillman are having issues right now for the Orioles. Arrieta has started 3 games for the Orioles so far this year and he is 1-1 with a 7.04 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. He actually has pitched good in two of his three starts so far this year. Chris Tillman has also started 3 games for the Orioles so far this year and he is 0-1 with a 7.30 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP. Tillman hasn’t been anywhere as good as Arrieta, but he did look good in his first start of the year. The Orioles need to stick by these guys for a while this season to see what they have in them. Both of these guys have electric stuff.

Backup IF/OF Robert Andino is off to a very slow start with the bat. He has played in 3 games for the Orioles so far this year and he is 0 for 10 (.000 avg, .091 OPS) with 1 run scored. Andino is in line to get some more P.T. with J.J. Hardy out, but it won’t happen if he continues to flail and miss with his bat at the plate. I have really never liked Andino much and in due time I don’t think the Orioles will either. He thinks he’s a home run hitter…..and he’s not.

The Baltimore Orioles have placed 28-year old righty swinging shortstop J.J. Hardy on the 15-day disabled list with a oblique injury. They are expecting him to miss as much as six weeks due to this injury. Hardy has played in 6 games for the Orioles so far this year and he is 3 for 15 (.200 avg, .694 OPS) with 4 runs scored and 2 RBIs. The Orioles will replace Hardy at SS with 31-year old switch hitting Cesar Izturis. Izturis has played in 3 games so far this season for the Orioles and he is 1 for 6 (.167 avg, .542 OPS) with 1 RBI. Due to all of the offense the Orioles have added to the lineup this year, they are much better equipped to cover Izturis’ weak bat as long as he plays solid defense….which he will.

UPDATE: (4/12/2011) - The news on Hardy is that he’s not injured as badly as first was feared. Hardy will likely miss around 3 weeks for the Orioles and that is good news for them.

The Orioles have sent righty starting pitcher Brad Bergesen to AAA. He started 1 game for the Orioles this year and he worked 3 2/3 innings in which he gave up 5 hits (1 homer), 2 earned runs and he walked 2 batters while whiffing 2. Manager Buck Showalter decided that he has seen enough of Bergesen for now. The Orioles have recalled 32-year old righty Chris Jakubauskas to start tomorrow’s game in place of Jeremy Guthrie who has pneumonia. He started 1 game for the Pirates last year and he was 0-1 with a 27.00 ERA and a 3.00 WHIP. Jakubauskas has pitched in 36 games (9 starts) in his first two years in the majors and he is 6-8 with a 5.48 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. It will be interesting to see how well Jakubauskas pitches as he was hit in the head with the linedrive in his only appearance with the Pirates last year.

The Orioles are only hitting .217 as a team this year and they have a .582 OPS, but they can’t blame starting 2B Brian Roberts for that. Roberts has played in all five games for the Orioles so far this year and he is 5 for 20 (.250 avg, .936 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 2 homers, 8 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Roberts missed most of last season with a back injury. He only played in 59 games for the Orioles last year and he was 64 of 230 (.278 avg, .745 OPS) with 28 runs scored, 4 homers, 15 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. The Orioles really need Roberts to stay healthy in 2011 because he gives the Orioles a nice spark at the top of the lineup because of his speed.

The Orioles expected Jeremy Guthrie to give them a solid game in the season opener and that he did. The O’s weren’t sure what they were going to get out of young righty Chris Tillman and rookie lefty Zach Britton, but they had to be ecstatic with both of them after they pitched great games. This trio was 2-0 with a 0.45 ERA and a 0.65 WHIP against the Rays last weekend! They only gave up 6 hits while whiffing 17 batters in 20 innings in there 3 starts! In my opinion, starting pitching was the only big question mark on this team going into 2011. So, if the Orioles keep getting good starting pitching this year, they could be a surprise contender for a playoff spot.

The Baltimore Orioles are in first place in the American League East after sweeping the Rays in the season opening series at Tropicana Field. The Orioles outscored the Rays 12-3 over the weekend in the 3 game series as the pitching was off the hook. Jeremy Guthrie, Chris Tillman and Zach Britton all had solid starts and the bullpen backed them up. The Orioles ran into some tough pitching by the Rays but they got big hits when they needed them. The Orioles looked great last weekend as Buck Showalter still has the team rolling.