Orioles Think Tank

Orioles farmhand Adam Loewen was the starting pitcher for Team Canada in yesterday's 8-6 upset of Team USA. He threw 3 2/3 shutout innings against what might be one of the most formidable lineups ever assembled. To top it off, his opposing pitcher was NL Cy Young runner-up Dontrelle Willis.

In the bottom of the first inning, he gave up a one out single to Derek Jeter. After walking Ken Griffey Jr. and Derrek Lee, Chipper Jones came up to the plate with the bases loaded and things got interesting. It was less than a year ago that Loewen first pitched against major league hitters during spring training. In case you don't remember, he walked seven batters through one inning and left with an 81.00 ERA. Many even speculated that this exposure led him to lose confidence and struggle through the early part of his season at Frederick. Yesterday, he put all of that behind him. Maintaining his composure, Loewen induced an inning ending double play and, in his words, "set the tone for the next couple of innings".

Here's a few quotes courtesy of Baseball America:

Asked what he knew of the opposing pitcher before the game, ""He's tall,"
[Vernon] Wells said. "He throws a baseball. And he's Canadian."

Said Team USA manager Buck Martinez, "We knew that he had that cutter--he got it in on the hands. He pitched a heck of a game, and he showed a lot of composure for a guy that hasn't pitched above
A-ball."

"What organization is he with?" Jeter asked afterward, betraying his complete ignorance of Adam Loewen to that point. Told Loewen belongs to the Orioles, Jeter's eyes widened. "I'm sure," Jeter said, "I'll be seeing a lot of him."

Here's hoping Derek Jeter is right.