Tony-OH

Actually, he's added more horizontal movement and a little less vertical to his curveball making it less of a 12-6 curveball going from 8.6 inches to 11.3 this year. He also throws it just 11.2% of the time vs 27.2% (2nd most of his pitches) when he first arrived. On top of it, since it's his 4th pitch, he's throwing it over more for strikes as a get me over since batters aren't looking for it. The biggest improvement to his repertoire is his changeup, which was terrible in the minor leagues and when he arrived in the big leagues. He's added 11.7 inches of vertical movement and .5 inches of horizontal movement to what was once a straight hard change. The command of his cutter is another great improvement from last year to this year. He's keeping low and away and with it's late good break, it's like a nice little slider . Last year he missed too much in the middle of the plate where it becomes a bp fastball. Kremer can now give a batter five looks with a fastball that can reach 95-96 on occasion with good riding life up in the zone, a cutter that moves away on righties, a change that moves away from lefties, a curveball that moves down and away on righties and even an occasional sinker instead of a cut on the fastball. When you combine that with a career best 5.3% walk rate, you get a guy who is totally different then the one that arrived in the big leagues. With his better command, it's hard not to like what he's done, even if he does still give up some hard contact and doesn't miss a ton of bats. For me, he's got a great chance tp be part of this rotation moving forward into the future, even if it's probably more like a 4th starter.

Yeah, that does not sound good at all. I feel bad for the guy. He's a good dude.

He's also a very good example of how well the developmental staff is with taking good arms and finding the right repertoire for them.

I happened to come upon the article John Eisenburg did of me when I was Afghanistan in 2004-05. Maybe some you weren't around then so I thought I'd share. I know it's off topic with all the good things going with this team, but it's an interesting look back. ******************** LIKE MANY PEOPLE who root for the Orioles, Tony Pente would love to find Carlos Delgado or a new starting pitcher among his holiday gifts. But Pente has more basic desires this year, such as a safe return to his wife and four children in 2005, and good things for the people of Afghanistan, where he is in a yearlong Army deployment. Pente, 34, is an intelligence specialist with deep Baltimore-area roots. He grew up in Anne Arundel County and graduated from Northeast High School. His grandfather is the unofficial mayor of Little Italy whose bedroom serves as the projection room for the open-air summer movie festival. A baseball fanatic, Pente founded and owns OriolesHangout.com, a popular Web site among fans of the team. Started as a lark in 1996, it now includes daily game reports, news and analysis from the Orioles' minor league system and a sizable bulletin board community. "It's amazing how far we've come," Pente wrote in an e-mail from Afghanistan after I contacted him recently. "And we have big plans for the future." But first things first. He still has three months to go in Afghanistan, where his work has included supporting the recent presidential election. "Things are getting pretty monotonous now," he wrote, "but it's extremely satisfying to see that we've helped change a country from a lawless safe haven for terrorists into a democratic country headed in the right direction." When his time is up, he will return to Hawaii, where his family currently resides. Married to his high school sweetheart, he hopes to move everyone back to the Baltimore-Washington area in 2006 and retire from the Army in 2008. "I figure I can serve my country for the first 20 years of my adult life and then spend the next 20 years involved with baseball," he wrote. He was a player himself, a high school outfielder who also played on military teams. He said he made the cut from 90 outfielders down to six at an Orioles tryout camp at Memorial Stadium in 1990 and was asked to come back. But his chance evaporated when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and the Army called. He spent the next year producing intelligence products for Desert Storm. After taking the basic course for military intelligence warrant officers in 1996, he was assigned to Fort Bragg, N.C., and began tinkering on the Internet. His account came with 500k of Web space, and he decided to start a page devoted to the Orioles, as much to amuse himself as anything. They had brought in Roberto Alomar, Rafael Palmeiro, Pat Gillick and Davey Johnson, and "I couldn't have been more excited about the team I've always loved," he wrote. He spent the next few years surviving start-up kinks, adding content, developing a following, moving back to the D.C. area, covering Oriole minor leaguers and bringing in a Webmaster. A network takeover put some money in his pocket. His baseball acumen was indisputable; one National League assistant general manager invited him to become a scout after a conversation in the Camden Yards press box. But he had another life, a job in intelligence. "One time I flew across an ocean, briefed a foreign government, got back on a plane, and the following day, I was at Bowie watching a prospect pitch. That was quite surreal," he wrote. By 2003, the site had become a reliable source for Orioles minor league news and opinion, and Pente was working harder than ever. But he knew an overseas deployment was coming in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The Army dispatched him to Hawaii for a three-year assignment in June 2003 and on to Afghanistan in March 2004. OriolesHangout.com is still going strong with managing editor John Domen and Webmaster Richard Legendre in charge. (Legendre is the site's "unsung hero," Pente wrote.) Pente has broadened its scope by posting moving diary entries from Afghanistan. "I figured it would be neat for my family and friends to see what it was like for me over here," he wrote in his e-mail to me. "Although my work is still mainly classified, I'm able to talk about everyday life here as well as the few times I've been out on some missions. "The hardest entry to write was the one that chronicled my youngest son Matt's journal once I left [Hawaii]. It broke my heart to see how much he missed me and how it had affected him." Although Pente doesn't have much time to think about baseball now, he monitors the site and the bulletin board and keeps up with the Orioles' moves, or lack thereof. "Once I get back to Hawaii [in April], I will be more active in the Hangout again," he wrote. Meanwhile, he continues to post diary entries from Afghanistan, which have prompted such a response that he recently posted a bulletin board thank-you note: "I'm probably preaching to the choir with most of you who have read these diaries, but I hope the one thing you take from them is the fact that I'm just a regular guy. That's why I write them from my perspective. I try to give you the thoughts that crossed my mind as I go through this deployment so you can see that I'm probably a lot like you." Just an Orioles fan. But a special one, indeed.

Damn, when was the last time this team went on the road and beat the best team in the AL this late in the year?

Bautista is a about as money as it get right now.. They literally have hope he makes a mistake.

Haha, I love how pissed off Kremer was that he got taken out. That's a gamer right there. Fantastic job by him tonight.

Kremer is such a different pitcher than the guy who was acquired them. Really have to give props to the staff for changing his repertoire.

It did not look like their was interference but Adley's face looks like he got away with one. Wonder if it was like a string of something.

96 mph, so his adrenaline is pumping.

Kremer has to be on short leash here in the 8th. I like letting him start the inning though.

He's been very impressive overall. Not sure how he hit soo poorly this year in college with the approach I've seen from him so far.

Hays hammered his for sure.. Something cool about hitting one onto the Railroad tracks!

Mayo was hit by a 95 MPH fastball in the arm and was taken out of the game. Hopefully it's just for a precaution.

It will be really interesting to see how he handles High-A pitching. He really has shown an advanced bat and if he can put up some numbers at High-A at his age it will really improve his prospect status. I'd like to see him the priority play between SS and 2B.

Right now Mountcastle is swinging through pitches in the middle of the plate. He's just not seeing the ball.

Hyde has to get Mountcastle out of the #4 spot.

I don't think anyone is saying that. I think what people think is the Orioles depth within their system is position players. Without the unlimited funds of the big boys, the Orioles have to figure out whether it's worth paying those player as they mature or whether to trade for or sign expensive players. Personally, as much I like Trout and think he's still an impact player and probably will be several more years, I do not think he's worth the risk at his salary and with the players the Orioles would have to give up. Would you be upset if this was the starting Orioles lineup in 2024? C- Rutschman 1B: Mayo 2B: Norby SS: Ortiz (until Holliday is ready) 3B: Henderson LF: Cowser CF: Mullins RF: Stowers DH/UTL: Westburg/Vavra What if you keep Hays and Mullins is moved, then you have Cowser in CF and Hays in LF. Either way, there's enough talent in the system that I'm sure the resources should go to a 30+ year old star unless we think we are just that one impact guy away from a WS championship. Even then, that's probably a deadline deal where the guy will be a free agent, not someone signed into their 40s.

This is excellent D! Great job compiling some video of his defense. From what I see, his hands and arm accuracy are fine, but he's got a little below average arm strength overall.

His slider location has really improved even though the slider itself is not really a great pitch movement wise. He ditched the cutter for the slider just so batters can't sit on the changeup as his offspeed pitch and that's made him more effective against rigties.

Well the new rule has kept Gunnar Henderson in the minors so whether it's late in the year or early in the season, teams will find a way to use the rules to their favor, not the players.

I'm just surprised Dusty stopped wearing his mask in the dugout finally. I don't take too much out of what he has to say. Basically he just claimed his team has terrible advanced scouting if he's saying its because they've never faced him before. It really is shocking that an organization that has been so advanced would have such an old school manager.

I saw that.. lol Just in case anyone missed how good his slider was last night, here's some highlights. https://www.mlb.com/video/00u7jzgkdtP9kH55c356/reels/bradish-s-slider-on-8-26