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By Roch Kubatko
Baltimore Sun Staff
Originally published August 6, 2002
TORONTO - As Jason Johnson prepared to throw yesterday morning, pitching coach Mark Wiley stood to the left of the mound with his hands on his hips. Manager Mike Hargrove, hitting coach Terry Crowley and trainer Richie Bancells watched from behind the cage. Two injured players, Jeff Conine and David Segui, waited to bat.
Johnson hasn't been activated yet, and he's already pitching in front of a large crowd.
The Orioles are expected to keep Johnson on the disabled list beyond Wednesday, when he's eligible to return to the active roster. He indicated yesterday that he would go Friday against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park, a move that would keep the other starters on normal rest, but the Orioles are listing Thursday's spot as "undecided," when Travis Driskill's turn comes up.
Johnson's most recent turn fell Sunday, when rookie John Stephens went six innings in a 5-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. Hargrove said he's still discussing rotation options with Wiley. "We'll see where it's best to plug [Johnson] in," Hargrove said.
Before the Blue Jays took batting practice yesterday, Johnson threw three simulated innings with short periods of rest in between. First base coach Rick Dempsey served as his catcher, while Conine and Segui represented the first hitters he has faced since a magnetic resonance imaging test confirmed tendinitis in his right shoulder.
"I felt absolutely great," said Johnson, who's 3-8 with a 4.44 ERA in 79 innings. "My arm feels 100 percent better than it did all year, and I think I finally got the explosion back on my fastball that I had last year."
His changeup was a little hard, which Johnson blamed on the layoff, but it improved during the last inning. "I've got one more sideline before the next start, so I can get my changeup back then," he said.
Johnson said he went three innings instead of four so he could pitch on Friday.
"He's got great stuff," Hargrove said. "I don't see how anybody hits him."
from the ticker preview:
Baltimore's Jason Johnson (3-8, 4.44 ERA) returns from the disabled list and tries to avoid his fourth straight loss on Friday. He has lost his last three starts, allowing 13 runs in 17 2/3 innings.
Johnson surrendered six runs and nine hits in 5 1/3 innings in a loss to Toronto on July 22. He was placed on the disabled list seven days later due to tendinitis in his right elbow.
The 28-year-old righthander has struggled on the road, going just 2-3 with a 5.59 ERA in seven starts this season.
Johnson is 1-1 with a 7.94 ERA in four career appearances against Detroit, which he faces for the first time this season.
The Tigers won a three-game series over the Texas Rangers with a 2-1 victory in Thursday's finale. Bobby Higginson and Wendell Magee each had run-scoring hits as Detroit improved to 2-2 on a seven-game homestand.
Detroit's Mike Maroth (3-4, 4.77) makes his first career appearance against Baltimore on Friday.
Maroth has allowed seven runs in 10 2/3 innings in his last two starts. He lost in Oakland on Sunday, when he gave up three runs in seven innings.
The 24-year-old lefthander, who celebrates a birthday next Saturday, is 2-1 with a 1.71 ERA in four starts at Comerica Park this season.
from Pat Miller at covers:
The Tigers -- although fresh off taking two of three from the Texas Rangers -- have
been struggling to put up runs of late. The AL East division basement-dwellers are
just 3-9 in their last 12 games, and the 'under' is 8-3-1 during the stretch.
During their past 10 contests, Detroit is averaging just under four runs.
As solid as Maroth has been at home in his rookie campaign, his offense is
supporting him with an unacceptable 2.75 runs per game. That stat will likely not
improve tonight, as the Tigers are hitting a very light .210 as a team during their last
10 games.
Despite the 'over' being a steady 5-1 in this seasons' meetings, I see this
one shaping up to be a low-scoring affair. Here are a few 'under' trends worth noting:
The 'under' is 11-4-1 in Detroit's last 16 home contests.
The 'under' is a perfect 4-0 when Maroth starts at Comerica.
The 'under' is 3-1-2 in Johnson's last six road starts.
The 'under' is 7-3 in Maroth's 10 career big-league starts.
The Tigers score less than four runs per game on the season.
Any thoughts? I'm looking at that under...
By Roch Kubatko
Baltimore Sun Staff
Originally published August 6, 2002
TORONTO - As Jason Johnson prepared to throw yesterday morning, pitching coach Mark Wiley stood to the left of the mound with his hands on his hips. Manager Mike Hargrove, hitting coach Terry Crowley and trainer Richie Bancells watched from behind the cage. Two injured players, Jeff Conine and David Segui, waited to bat.
Johnson hasn't been activated yet, and he's already pitching in front of a large crowd.
The Orioles are expected to keep Johnson on the disabled list beyond Wednesday, when he's eligible to return to the active roster. He indicated yesterday that he would go Friday against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park, a move that would keep the other starters on normal rest, but the Orioles are listing Thursday's spot as "undecided," when Travis Driskill's turn comes up.
Johnson's most recent turn fell Sunday, when rookie John Stephens went six innings in a 5-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. Hargrove said he's still discussing rotation options with Wiley. "We'll see where it's best to plug [Johnson] in," Hargrove said.
Before the Blue Jays took batting practice yesterday, Johnson threw three simulated innings with short periods of rest in between. First base coach Rick Dempsey served as his catcher, while Conine and Segui represented the first hitters he has faced since a magnetic resonance imaging test confirmed tendinitis in his right shoulder.
"I felt absolutely great," said Johnson, who's 3-8 with a 4.44 ERA in 79 innings. "My arm feels 100 percent better than it did all year, and I think I finally got the explosion back on my fastball that I had last year."
His changeup was a little hard, which Johnson blamed on the layoff, but it improved during the last inning. "I've got one more sideline before the next start, so I can get my changeup back then," he said.
Johnson said he went three innings instead of four so he could pitch on Friday.
"He's got great stuff," Hargrove said. "I don't see how anybody hits him."
from the ticker preview:
Baltimore's Jason Johnson (3-8, 4.44 ERA) returns from the disabled list and tries to avoid his fourth straight loss on Friday. He has lost his last three starts, allowing 13 runs in 17 2/3 innings.
Johnson surrendered six runs and nine hits in 5 1/3 innings in a loss to Toronto on July 22. He was placed on the disabled list seven days later due to tendinitis in his right elbow.
The 28-year-old righthander has struggled on the road, going just 2-3 with a 5.59 ERA in seven starts this season.
Johnson is 1-1 with a 7.94 ERA in four career appearances against Detroit, which he faces for the first time this season.
The Tigers won a three-game series over the Texas Rangers with a 2-1 victory in Thursday's finale. Bobby Higginson and Wendell Magee each had run-scoring hits as Detroit improved to 2-2 on a seven-game homestand.
Detroit's Mike Maroth (3-4, 4.77) makes his first career appearance against Baltimore on Friday.
Maroth has allowed seven runs in 10 2/3 innings in his last two starts. He lost in Oakland on Sunday, when he gave up three runs in seven innings.
The 24-year-old lefthander, who celebrates a birthday next Saturday, is 2-1 with a 1.71 ERA in four starts at Comerica Park this season.
from Pat Miller at covers:
The Tigers -- although fresh off taking two of three from the Texas Rangers -- have
been struggling to put up runs of late. The AL East division basement-dwellers are
just 3-9 in their last 12 games, and the 'under' is 8-3-1 during the stretch.
During their past 10 contests, Detroit is averaging just under four runs.
As solid as Maroth has been at home in his rookie campaign, his offense is
supporting him with an unacceptable 2.75 runs per game. That stat will likely not
improve tonight, as the Tigers are hitting a very light .210 as a team during their last
10 games.
Despite the 'over' being a steady 5-1 in this seasons' meetings, I see this
one shaping up to be a low-scoring affair. Here are a few 'under' trends worth noting:
The 'under' is 11-4-1 in Detroit's last 16 home contests.
The 'under' is a perfect 4-0 when Maroth starts at Comerica.
The 'under' is 3-1-2 in Johnson's last six road starts.
The 'under' is 7-3 in Maroth's 10 career big-league starts.
The Tigers score less than four runs per game on the season.
Any thoughts? I'm looking at that under...
