Miller returns to Orioles as new pitching coach, replacing Wiley
His last job in baseball was as manager of the Orioles in 1999.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BALTIMORE -- Ray Miller returned to the Baltimore Orioles as their new pitching coach Saturday. He replaces Mark Wiley, who was reassigned after his beleaguered staff compiled the worst ERA in the American League.
Miller has been out of baseball since the end of the 1999 season. He was in uniform for Saturday's game against the Atlanta Braves.
Miller was Baltimore's pitching coach from 1978-85 and in 1997 before being hired as manager in 1998. He lasted two seasons, going 157-167 before being replaced by Mike Hargrove.
Under Wiley, the Orioles led the league with 323 walks and ranked last with a 5.34 ERA. He will serve as a scout.
"He has been a true professional," Orioles executive vice president Jim Beattie said. "We just felt it was important to try a different approach to see if we can have more success with our pitching staff in the second half of the season."
In Miller's first tour as Orioles pitching coach, the Orioles had two Cy Young Award winners (Mike Flanagan and Steve Stone) and five different 20-game winners (Flanagan, Stone, Jim Palmer, Scott McGregor and Mike Boddicker).
His decision to return came about a week after Flanagan, now the Orioles' vice president, called to ask his former coach for some suggestions about the plight of the Baltimore staff.
"You could tell he had a lot of interest in coaching and he'd been following us," Flanagan said.
The Orioles eventually offered Miller the job, and he took it after rejecting several other opportunities over the past 41/2 years.
"I was offered really some nice things, but I really didn't feel an allegiance. Here, I feel an allegiance," Miller said.
In 1997, Orioles pitchers compiled a 3.91 ERA -- second-best in the AL -- after finishing ninth in 1996 at 5.14.
"We'll see if we can reduce the walks and the number of pitches and get the defense involved," Miller said. "This team can score some runs and we've got a pretty good bullpen out there, so let's get these starters going and have some fun."
Wiley was in the fourth season of his second stint as Orioles pitching coach. He began his major league coaching career with Baltimore in 1987 and returned in 2001.
He left the clubhouse early Saturday before talking to reporters.
"I don't think anybody knew. We're all pretty shocked," Orioles rookie pitcher Matt Riley said. "Mark had a tough job this year. There were lots of young pitchers. With three rookies in the rotation, that's tough."
Dodgers
LOS ANGELES -- Robin Ventura hopes his pitching career started -- and finished -- on the same day.
Ventura, a big leaguer since 1989, worked a scoreless ninth inning Friday night in the Los Angeles Dodgers' 13-0 loss to the Anaheim Angels.
"Pretty uneventful. It's down pretty close to the bottom," the 36-year-old infielder said a day later when asked where the experience ranked on his personal highlights list.
Ventura retired three batters on flyballs and allowed a single to Darin Erstad.
"I just tried to throw it over the plate," Ventura said. "It was definitely weird."
Ventura said the last time he pitched was "a lot of years ago."
"I was not very good. I can honestly tell you that," he said.
The loss was the fifth straight for the Dodgers after they won two of three against the New York Yankees.
"You have games like that -- not too many," Dodgers manager Jim Tracy said. "Once or twice a year, you go through something like that. You hope you don't see that again too often."
Ventura said pitching coach Jim Colborn approached him late in Friday night's game to tell him the Dodgers were thinking about having him pitching an inning.
"I said I'd do it. I hope I don't have to do it anymore," Ventura said.
"It says something about who he is," Tracy said. "He's the consummate professional player in every aspect of the game. It speaks volumes. What Robin did afforded us the opportunity of saving (Darren) Dreifort for an inning today."
When asked if Ventura's pitching career was over, Tracy smiled and replied: "I'm very hopeful of that. He said he's unavailable today."
The last position player to pitch for the Dodgers was Chris Donnels on May 5, 2001, at Wrigley Field.
A's
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Arthur Rhodes has accepted that his new career as a closer is over for now.
The Oakland Athletics have made Octavio Dotel their ninth-inning man, acquiring the 30-year-old right-hander from Houston in a three-team trade Thursday. Dotel is expected to be in uniform for Saturday's middle game of a three-game set against the San Francisco Giants.
"I'm not relieved. I'm disappointed," said Rhodes, who had blown five of 14 save chances and had a 5.28 ERA. "Hey, they got to do what they got to do. I've been struggling in the closer role. They go out and get somebody and, hey, I tip my hat to them. They're not going to let me sit out there and struggle all the time and pitch bad the whole rest of the season. ... I'm back in the setup role, where I'm better at."
Rhodes was a setup man in Seattle before signing a $9.2 million, three-year contract in December to replace Keith Foulke, who left for a big-money deal with the Boston Red Sox. The A's were hoping they'd be able to count on the same pitcher to finish games for at least a couple of seasons, but it didn't happen.
Jim Mecir and Chad Bradford also handled some of the closer duties -- and they, too, had trouble. On the team's recent road trip, the bullpen was 0-3 and managed one save in four opportunities, compiling a 10.59 ERA (20 earned runs in 17 innings) in nine games.
"Every year before the (trading) deadline the A's have done something to strengthen the team," Mecir said. "(The bullpen) has been a weak spot. All relievers are supposed to be ready all the time. If you do know your role it makes you more comfortable. It's a mental boost."
Rhodes claims the team didn't warn him about being replaced.
"Nobody said nothing," he said.
Yet A's assistant general manager David Forst said GM Billy Beane had spoken to Rhodes about the development.
"My guess is he'll be comfortable going back to what he knows," Forst said of Rhodes.
Dotel is 0-4 with a 3.12 ERA and 14 saves in 17 chances in his first year as a closer following Houston's offseason trade of All-Star Billy Wagner to Philadelphia. The four losses have all come at home, where Dotel has a 3.72 ERA. He has been tougher away from hitter-friendly Minute Maid Park with a 2.35 ERA.
Dotel is a hard thrower with 50 strikeouts in 34 2-3 innings.
He has spent five of his six major league seasons with the Astros, so Dotel had mixed emotions about leaving. He told reporters he was excited to be wanted by the A's and hopes to fit in right away.
"You've got a lot of relationships you have," A's manager Ken Macha said, understanding Dotel's situation. "Who knows, after two weeks he might be very happy he's here."
His new teammates are excited to have him.
"I think it's really going to put a lot of people in places they can succeed," said Gold Glove third baseman Eric Chavez, who is working his way back from a broken hand. "We're right there, as bad as we're playing. This will lift us up."
Blue Jays
TORONTO -- The Toronto Blue Jays placed outfielder Frank Catalanotto on the 15-day disabled list Saturday with a strained right groin.
The Blue Jays activated right-hander Kerry Ligtenberg from the 15-day DL. Ligtenberg, 1-2 with a 5.25 ERA, missed 13 games with a strained hip.
Catalanotto has already missed 23 games with the injury this season, and it's the second time he's been placed on the DL because of it. He re-injured the groin June 17, and hasn't played since.
Catalanotto is hitting .327 with one home run and 23 RBIs this season.
The injury is the latest blow to the Blue Jays lineup, which is already missing first baseman Carlos Delgado and center fielder Vernon Wells. Delgado has been out since May 30 with a strained right ribcage muscle, while Wells has been sidelined since June 16 with a strained right calf.
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