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  1. #1
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    Lightbulb New hopeful season in jeopardy ... again.



    The 2012 Orioles (through May 8) just suffered their third straight bad pitching start (Hunter, Matusz, Arrieta) surrendering 30 runs in the process. No surprise that it happened when it did. They left Boston with the best record in MLB, lowest team ERA in AL, and ranked No. 1 in the latest MLB.com power rankings. This team/organization has become famous for 'choking' when it receives national attention with expectations raised way too high. The annual collapse/decline certainly appears imminent.

    BUT there is still hope on a realistic level, the three starters who choked this time were all members of last year's edition. They were already 'infected' by the loser mentality - i.e., cannot handle the pressure of winning. The next two starters (Chen, Hammel) are new both to the team and to the AL. Neither has YET to succumb to the annual tradition. Neither has suffered a really bad outing. So they are both in a position to 'stem the tide', to resist the current trend and thereby, at least, delay the annual collapse.

    It is not necessary that the the Orioles win their next two games against Texas. But it is CRUCIAL that they get quality starts from BOTH Chen and Hammel. Otherwise, the team's confidence will be permanently damaged and they will be unable to avoid a 15th straight losing season.

    The ultimate problem with the Orioles is not their pitching rotation as much as it is the great void inside their clubhouse. NO LEADERSHIP to be found there.

    CC

    P.S. Have not yet followed up on tonight's game (May 9).





  2. #2
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    Sep 2011
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    Re: New hopeful season in jeopardy ... again.

    Talk about some doom and gloom. The orioles have plenty of leadership in the clubhouse, Wieters and Jones as players, and Showalter knows how to keep his clubhouse in line.
    Last year the Orioles had a number of injuries derail the pitching staff, they tried to resurrect the corpses of Vlad G. and David Lee, and still held hope that Brian Roberts could return to fix the offense. It was another year of business as usual in the world of the Angelos owned Orioles.

    This year thus far, the O's didn't sign any over the hill sluggers, went into the season with 6 of 8 position players carrying over from last year, and had a plan that didn't involve Kevin Gregg as their closer.

    Can the Orioles keep up their current pace? I think it's doubtful, however I do think this team has a good shot of playing .500 ball for the season, and they have already shown they can hang with every team in the AL East.





  3. #3
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    Re: New hopeful season in jeopardy ... again.

    Yes, the new faces are contributing thus far. Right now, they are in the midst of a 15-game stretch (Yankees, Red Sox, Rangers, Rays, Yankees) that will very likely go a long way in defining their season. So far, they are a surprising 7-4 (before the 2nd Rays game). It is important that they get quality starts in all four of the remaining games to finish the stretch at least 9-6, hopefully 10-5. That would be a dramatic improvement over previous seasons when meeting such an early test.





  4. #4
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    Re: New hopeful season in jeopardy ... again.

    Let's Go, O's!

    The slump you note had a lot to do with the long games we've had. Wieters especially seems to have been affected by the many extra innings he's had behind the plate. I haven't noticed a diminishment of his defense, but his offensive numbers have dropped.

    Let's also note that all of our pitching staff, with the exception of Chen who doesn't have one, has been pitching at least a touch better than they have historically. There's bound to be some regression to the mean. Buck, however, has shown genius in managing the pitching staff and in adjusting the line-up to keep guys fresh and work in new blood.

    I'm going to trust in Buck to keep this team from going into a slide.





  5. #5
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    Aug 2006
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    Panama City Beach FL
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    1,627

    Re: New hopeful season in jeopardy ... again.

    The Orioles bullpen leads the league in innings pitched, or so said the Rays announcers yesterday. That has to change, meaning that the Orioles starting pitching needs to go deeper into games if we are going to have a chance. Sure hope they do well in Boston.
    "I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused" - Elvis Costello






  6. #6
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    Re: New hopeful season in jeopardy ... again.

    I'm really liking what I see out of Chen. 7-2 and he seems to be going deeper into games.
    Disclaimer: The content posted is of my own opinion.





  7. #7
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    Re: New hopeful season in jeopardy ... again.

    Quote Originally Posted by wickedsolo View Post
    I'm really liking what I see out of Chen. 7-2 and he seems to be going deeper into games.
    Yes, Chen has been a nice surprise. And Hammel too, Orioles got the best of that deal it appears.
    "I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused" - Elvis Costello






  8. #8
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    Re: New hopeful season in jeopardy ... again.

    Quote Originally Posted by flraven View Post
    Yes, Chen has been a nice surprise. And Hammel too, Orioles got the best of that deal it appears.
    Arrieta looks good for a couple of innings and then for whatever reason he just kind of falls apart.

    I know the O's defense has been up and down, but when their starters pitch well and go 7+ innings they're tough to beat.

    I still think that they are 1 good starting guy short of being for real.
    Disclaimer: The content posted is of my own opinion.





  9. #9
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    Re: New hopeful season in jeopardy ... again.

    Quote Originally Posted by wickedsolo View Post
    Arrieta looks good for a couple of innings and then for whatever reason he just kind of falls apart.

    I know the O's defense has been up and down, but when their starters pitch well and go 7+ innings they're tough to beat.

    I still think that they are 1 good starting guy short of being for real.
    Wonder if that starter is going to be Jamie Moyer? He's had his three starts for Norfolk, now its time for the Orioles to fish or cut bait with him. Even if its just a stopgap until Britton is ready.
    "I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused" - Elvis Costello






  10. #10
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    Re: New hopeful season in jeopardy ... again.

    Moyer could be interesting as a 4th or 5th rotational guy. He's an intelligent pitcher, but the problem is the O's bats have been really bad the past couple of weeks. Moyer isn't a guy who can shut out a lot of teams anymore. Tommy Hunter is also kind of a pitcher who NEEDS bats and a good defense to be successful because he's just not going to sit down a bunch of batters every game.
    Disclaimer: The content posted is of my own opinion.





  11. #11
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    Re: New hopeful season in jeopardy ... again.

    Well, now that we know Moyer is not in the mix, we do need a good 5th pitcher. Perhaps that will be Britton, or Tillman? As for the O's bats, they have run into some pretty good teams and pitchers the past couple of weeks. I forget where I saw it but like 2/3 of their opponents have had records above .500. I think they will come around, at least I hope so.

    And perhaps Arrieta is starting to turn the corner. Besides the grand slam he gave up, he's been pretty good in his last three outings.

    What the O's should do is get a decent third basemen. The people they trot out there now leaves a lot to be desired. I would like them to go after Chase Headley in San Diego, but he would likely cost the Orioles too much in the way of prospects.
    "I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused" - Elvis Costello






  12. #12
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    Re: New hopeful season in jeopardy ... again.

    Matsusz has been terrible this year. I think they should send him down and elevate Britton.


    As far as trade possibilities, Zack Greinke is someone I'd be interested in. He's in the last year of his deal in Milwaukee and they're looking to move him. He's 28 and would easily be the 2nd or 3rd starter for the O's. He's 8-2 in 15 starts this season with a 2.81 ERA.
    Disclaimer: The content posted is of my own opinion.





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