. >> >> amber: now, it's alberto castillo's job to bring something to the team. he does have big league experience. he was with the team a little bit last year. he told me down in aaa, his job was to throw that in a 3/4 position. he was sidearming a lot. he has been consistent with the arm strength. he is ready to take on the oakland a's, if he has to. last year with the oriole, they were hitting .256 against him -- lefties were hitting .256 against him. we'll see. a lot of left handers in that oakland line-up. we'll see if he is called as a left handed specialist, jim and rick. >> jim: thank you, amber. jamie walker is no longer on the club and we'll see what is going on with sudden cesar izturis. they were talking about the orioles not being able to hit but one guy who was hitting now gets append sites. it's been that kind of a week for him. disappointing end to jamie walker's career. the fact of the matter is, when you are on the team to get left handed batters and you can't get them out, something had to be done because that was his role. going back to his fi

it appears his successor alberto castillo is struggling to do the same. we saw that last night. alberto has pitched in four games here with the orioles, he's faced seven left-handed batters and out of those seven, four have reached base successfully. three of them have hit home runs off of him. so it's obviously becoming a recurrent problem within the bullpen. today dave trembley was asked whether or not the left-handed specialist is an important role? >> ets important. you have to have that ability to match up, plus you have to force the other guy into making a move. and if you don't force him into making a move, he's got to know that you've got that bullet, i mean, it's a strategic thing. i'll be real honest with you, there's times when you put a left-hander in there and get a left-hander out, it doesn't happen once, you're okay with it. it doesn't happen twice, the red light goes on. three times, you start going, hey, maybe you got to start putting guys in and play the game as if you don't have a left-handed guy. and that's honest. >> so trembley is saying at some point you'v

now, the orioles send alberto castillo to the minors and brought back chris ray. for the latest on that and the weather on south florida. what is the weather like? >> i'll tell you, it has been a big story here today in miami- dade county. the winds have been very, very strong. when the team came off the bus about 4:00, everybody was trying to get inside the stadium here, but everybody got soaked. dirt was flying up in the air. the tarp on the field was flying flop the air as the grounds crew was trying to get tractors on top of it to pin it down to try to protect the field. it was a scramble everywhere. quite a mess. our television truck, the stairs, the steel stairs of our television truck got blown out of place, but things have calmed down quite a bit now. the tarp is off the field. we are told that in about 20 minutes another cell is headed our way. we don't know if it is going to hit right in this area. if it does, it is fast-moving, which is good news, and we should see baseball here on time, if not with a little bit of a delay that is good news for somebody

wigginton will take it to : alberto castillo does exactly what his role is, to get left handers out. now he has to deal with matt holliday who had a three-run homerun his last at-bat. alberto handcust easily and kennedy to get left ers out co out of the bullpen. and they are hoping that castillo can fill that role and they were hoa ttleat least that holliday, a homerun in the 5th

coming on to pitch, alberto castillo jurs just his fourth appearance. >> jim: yeah, his job it to get left-handed batters out. 1-5, he's only faced eight. 1-8 totally. came in the other night and the first left-hander he faced, he walked. >> gary: here is cora, the left- handed batter. the leadoff batter will take the pitch up high for a ball. runner at first, castillo. there is one away. castillo hitting .323 off left- handers. he's 20-62. while at the other end of it, he's on at first base, you we go cora -- get cora at the plate, .310 off left-handers. those are your eight and number nine and number one guys both of whom to with -- do well against the leftiies. >> jim: the reason for alex is basically he's a line drive hitter. he's not going to overswing. all the good left-handed hitters that hit left-handed pitchinghave in common is the front shoulder stays close so they can cover the plate. >> gary: he's got a base hit. markakis over to get it will hold the runner at second base. now there are two on with one away as the mets threaten to get back one or maybe both of those runs t

. >> and alberto castillo was sent down to triple-a and in his place chris ray has been recalled to help the bullpen. the word is he is back on track. he looks good, finishes on his pitches, as well as he found some consistency with that arm slot. that's what he has been looking for. in eight games in triple-a, he dropped his e.r.a. to 2.25. he struck out 13 batters and walked only four. all reports are he is ready to go here today in miami. interestingly jim and buck, with chris ray up and alberto down, this leaves the orioles without a left-handed specialist in the bullpen. jim, buck? >> jim: thank you very much, amber. you sat in that manager's chair and you have tried to jug the bullpen and the roles. is it bet tore have a left- handed specialist or a right- hander who can get left-handers out? >> i'll take quality over a left-handed pitcher any time. i think having chris ray back will only add depth to this bullpen. mark henrikson is a long guy. i don't have any problem with danys baez or chris ray pitching against any left- hander. >> jim: tonight from muggy miami, it is the opener