News
Rookie Reimold doing it all for the O's
Baltimore (36-44) at Los Angeles (43-35), 9:05 p.m. ET
By Spencer Fordin / MLB.com
07/04/09 2:57 AM ET
ANAHEIM -- You can count Nolan Reimold as a little surprised. And not just that he was named the American League's Rookie of the Month for June, but that Major League Baseball even has an award like that. Reimold, who has settled in nicely at left field and in the middle of the lineup, will be a key presence for Baltimore on Saturday.Reimold, who leads all AL rookies in several categories, said he was thrilled to be recognized for his efforts.
"[Manager Dave Trembley] called me into his office yesterday to tell me," he said of his Rookie of the Month designation, which was announced Friday. "It caught me completely off guard. I don't even know if anybody back home knows about it yet. I told my family, but besides that, I don't think anybody knows."
If they don't know, they will soon. Reimold started the season at Triple-A Norfolk, batting .394 with nine home runs in his first 31 games. The rookie hasn't stopped hitting since joining the Orioles, and he leads AL rookies in batting average (.296), home runs (nine), RBIs (20), on-base percentage (.375) and slugging (.533).
Perhaps most importantly, the former second-round draftee has established himself in left field.
"That is a tremendous accomplishment. He sure has put together a nice first half of the season for a guy didn't make the club out of Spring Training," said Trembley. "He's a very nice piece for the present and for the future. Along with [Adam] Jones and [Nick] Markakis in the outfield, I can't think of three more solid young up-and-coming guys."
Reimold, who bats fifth in Baltimore's batting order, edged teammate Brad Bergesen for the Rookie of the Month Award, but he said that won't really be converted into clubhouse trash talk.
"I'm not going to tease him or anything like that, but he's doing a heck of a job," said Reimold. "Every time out -- at least since I've been up here, anyway -- he's been very solid."
Reimold, when asked if his early success has surprised him, shook his head. He's put so much preparation time in, and though he expected an adjustment period, he doesn't really judge his game by his statistics.
"I try to keep away from that. I have brothers and stuff and they'll tell me about it, but I try to keep away from stats," he said. "Playing well is not a surprise to me, and I just want to play well for the rest of the season."
Pitching matchupBAL: RHP Jason Berken (1-5, 6.44 ERA)
Berken struggled again in his last outing against a powerful Red Sox lineup. The right-hander lasted five innings, giving up eight hits and four earned runs to drop his record to 1-5 this season. Berken did use an effective changeup which allowed him to limit what could have been a much wider margin in the loss, and picked up three strikeouts while walking two batters. LAA: RHP Sean O'Sullivan (2-0, 3.00 ERA)
O'Sullivan, a 21-year-old right-hander with command and a heavy sinker, continues to pitch superbly filling a hole in the rotation. His third Major League start was in the opener of a big series in Texas, and he responded with six strong innings marred only by back-to-back homers. He yielded six hits and two walks (one intentional) in six innings, striking out five batters. Bird bites
The Orioles are hitting .299 (190-for-636) with runners in scoring position, which ranks as the best mark in the Major Leagues. ... Baltimore wasn't retired in order until the ninth inning in Friday's 6-4 victory over the Angels. ... Robert Andino had his career-best seven-game hitting streak snapped on Friday night. ... Luke Scott has six extra-base hits in his last five games after having just five over 23 games before that. ... Aubrey Huff hit a key home run Friday night and is hitting .327 (18-for-55) with 14 RBIs in his last 14 games. ... Nick Markakis reached base three times Friday night and is batting .368 (14-for-38) over his last nine games. ... The Orioles are 24-17 when they score first and 12-27 when their opponent draws first blood. Baltimore is also 28-5 when it outhits the opposition and 31-18 when it scores at least four runs. Tickets
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• Sunday: Orioles (Rich Hill, 3-2, 7.08) at Angels (Joe Saunders, 8-5, 4.24), 3:35 p.m. ET
• Monday: Orioles (Brad Bergesen, 5-2, 3.53) at Mariners (Jarrod Washburn, 4-6, 3.36), 10:10 p.m. ET
• Tuesday: Orioles (Jeremy Guthrie, 6-8, 5.20) at Mariners (Erik Bedard, 5-2, 2.47), 10:10 p.m. ET
Spencer Fordin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
