1. Washington Post Live

I was on Washington Post Live today. Washington Post Live broadcasts each day on Comcast Sportsnet. I was on for a segment today, answering questions from the show’s host, Russ Thaler, and a couple of panelists (Sportstalk 980’s Al Koken and Michael Lee of the Post). Throughout the majority of the 10 or-so minutes I spent on the show were dedicated to talking about my career. Thaler – who couldn’t be a nicer guy – asked me about growing up in the broadcasting business, as well as about why I have stuck with the Orioles even after the return of baseball to Washington. At the end of the segment we talked about the Redskins.

I really enjoyed myself on the show. The Comcast Sportsnet studio is in Bethesda, Maryland, which is a goregous area. I spent much of the afternoon just walking around and checking things out. I ended up watching the O’s game today and hanging out at a sports bar not far from the Comcast headquarters. The day went well though. Going on the show was a neat opportunity and I couldn’t have had any more fun.

2. Daniel Cabrera: Back for the very first time!

Cabrera’s turn around is for real. He pitched another solid game today, 7 more innings of 3-run baseball. He did allow 10-hits, because he didn’t have his best stuff, but he was able to work his way out of jams throughout the afternoon. Today’s effort was his seventh-straight quality start, a personal best for the hard-throwing 26-year-old. More impressive than that is the fact that Cabrera didn’t walk anybody on Wednesday. That means that Cabrera has walked three of fewer batters in six of his last eight starts. A year or two ago, while the Domincan Republic born flame-thrower was leading the world in free-passes the notion that he would ever be able to command his fastball seemed like a pipe dream. Thanks to the diligent work of both Cabrera and first-year O’s pitching coach Rick Kranitz though, it’s becoming a reality.

Cabrera is not the pitcher he was when he came up. And I don’t just mean that he is better now. He is different. He now throws more two-seamers than ever. He used to stick with his over-powering four-seamer. His reliance upon the two-seamer is the main reason that he no longer throws in the upper-90’s like he did when he came up. Now he throws in the low-to-mid 90’s, but his increased control and the fact that he is pounding the strike zone makes that okay. If taking some velocity off of his heater is what it’s going to take for Cabrera to work deep into games and become an ace, than here’s to him throwing in the 80’s.

3.  George Sherrill: Value is on the rise.

Sherrill doesn’t look like a big-league closer. He isn’t big, and he’s far from being an intimidating looking guy. More than that he doesn’t have the prototype stuff that a closer flaunts. His fastball doesn’t light up radar guns and he doesn’t have a second pitch that makes scouts wipe their glasses. But looking the part in’t as important as playing the part, and to this point Sherrill has been money at shutting down games for the Orioles. He recorded his 15th-save today, an impressive feat considering that the O’s have only won 21-games. 

There is a ton of baseball still to come this season. I get that. I’m not that guy who wants to print playoff tickets and sent players to Cooperstown based on what they’ve done over the course of a 40-game stretch to start the season. But the fact that Sherrill, acquired from Seattle in the Adam Jones-for-Erik Bedard trade this winter, is 15-for-17 in save opportunites in mid-may is a pleasant surprise. If nothing else his early-season success is increasing his value as a back-end arm.

I still think the Birds will deal him at the deadline. If they do, the will get something good back for him. If they don’t, they’ll be hanging on to a solid reliever who can close games for several years to come (depending on whether or not Chris Ray is ready to be the team’s 9th-inning arm again come next season).