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***Official 2018 Baltimore Orioles Thread*** Pitching Can’t Get Any Worse (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter avoiding injuries
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The_Man
Footballguy
Rise and shine, Orioles fans -- they're calling up Dylan Bundy!
Speculation is that he's just an emergency arm in case they need bullpen help after going through so many pitchers last night. It would be o.k. if they just forfeited tonight's game to King Felix and used the day to recuperate and fly back east. After lost the first 2 in Oakland, I'll take 3-3 on the West Coast.
How about that Steve Johnson? Guy is nails.
Speculation is that he's just an emergency arm in case they need bullpen help after going through so many pitchers last night. It would be o.k. if they just forfeited tonight's game to King Felix and used the day to recuperate and fly back east. After lost the first 2 in Oakland, I'll take 3-3 on the West Coast.
How about that Steve Johnson? Guy is nails.
Per this website, Orioles playoff changes are now at 77.6% before the end of last nights/this mornings game. It is up from 8% on August 23 and 3% on August 2. The continue to defy the odds.
I went to bed at 11:15 pm and the Orioles were down 2-0. Woke up at 3:30 am and the game was in the top of the 17th tied 2-2. I watched the last 2 innings of the game.I noticed that there was almost nobody in the stands at the end of the game, but of the few remaining, there were a number of Oriole fans. You could hear "Let's go O's" chants in the background. It looks like Oriole fans have a lot more staying power, believing they will win it in the end.
Didn't stay up for last night's marathon but am watching tonight's extra inning affair and it's been a mixed bag. Good start by Saunders, and by did we need that!, but it was thwarted by Felix shutting down our O. The pen is okay but understandably tired but boy howdy our defense has been great at the end. And now Jones puts one out of the park and Boooyah!!! I'm waiting ot see if Johnson can give one more good outing before his well deserved day of rest.
Here we go Orioles, Here We Go!
Here we go Orioles, Here We Go!
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make that two with no outs...
THROWN OUT AT SECOND ON AN ATTEMPTED STEAL! GREAT THROW BY TEAGARDEN!!! It's a sweep! YESSS!!!
The_Man
Footballguy
15 straight extra inning wins, the second-longest streak in MLB history.
27-8 in one-run games, the best percentage in MLB history.
Does that make the 2012 Orioles the most clutch team in big league history? Probably not, though it's fun to make the argument. More to the point, they've certainly been a great team to watch this season.
I love to watch them grind it out, inning after inning, game after game. They just never give up - they're already the first team in MLB history to win twice in a season after falling behind 5-0 in the first inning on the road. I'm sure it's partly wishful thinking, but I feel their non-stop grinding style will benefit them vs. teams trying to play spoiler over the next couple of weeks - the pressure they apply for nine straight innings (and often more!) will eventually make their opponent playing out the string in a meaningless game feel like, "Enough of this crap."
In late July, the Orioles were 52-49 with a -63 run differential. Since then, they've gone 33-15 with a +53. They were lucky early on, but for a long time now they've been lucky AND good.
27-8 in one-run games, the best percentage in MLB history.
Does that make the 2012 Orioles the most clutch team in big league history? Probably not, though it's fun to make the argument. More to the point, they've certainly been a great team to watch this season.
I love to watch them grind it out, inning after inning, game after game. They just never give up - they're already the first team in MLB history to win twice in a season after falling behind 5-0 in the first inning on the road. I'm sure it's partly wishful thinking, but I feel their non-stop grinding style will benefit them vs. teams trying to play spoiler over the next couple of weeks - the pressure they apply for nine straight innings (and often more!) will eventually make their opponent playing out the string in a meaningless game feel like, "Enough of this crap."
In late July, the Orioles were 52-49 with a -63 run differential. Since then, they've gone 33-15 with a +53. They were lucky early on, but for a long time now they've been lucky AND good.
Tuco
Footballguy
I read everything you post. If you want to talk O's more in depth, check out http://forum.orioleshangout.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/2-Orioles-Talk
The_Man
Footballguy
Taking my daughter to the game tonight - front row by the LF foul pole. Tonight's game is the first with serious pucker factor in a long time. If they drop 3 straight at home to Toronto, full-on choke alert might go into effect.
Team definitely looked tight last night, maybe for the first time all year. McLouth has filled in admirably, but O's are starting to miss Markakis. F Sabathia
Team definitely looked tight last night, maybe for the first time all year. McLouth has filled in admirably, but O's are starting to miss Markakis. F Sabathia
Hey, The_Man, how'd your daughter enjoy the slugfest? What a way to break out of a collective slump! I was there as well, sitting right behind the plate about 20 rows up. Saw all the homers to center and every one of them looked like a rainbow running away from the night. Beautiful site! I'm hopeful the O's were just wore out from the west coast-east coast road trip with xtra inning games followed by a double dip the first day back. With a day of rest after tonight's game we should be able to make a push at the right time.Oh yeah, I agree- F Sabathia!'The_Man said:
The_Man
Footballguy
We had a great time. In bottom of the 4th, I got a bunch of texts "Hey, we see you on TV" so that was pretty funny. Turned out to be a beautiful night for a ball game. Also loved the "Let's go Hoes" chants for the rookie, wish he could have gotten a hit.
If Thome continues to come on as a legit LH force, that changes things for this lineup significantly. But when's the last time you saw a team leading in the race for a playoff position come in to the next-to-last series of the season with TBA as its announced starter for all 3 games? I think they set it up so that Tillman is the guy to pitch the tie-breaker or Wild Card game, because he's their best pitcher now. Gonzales is #2, I think he goes Monday on 4 days rest, or maybe they push him back a day to give him a little extra rest. Chen is very shaky right now. I think they have to give Steve Johnson another start in the Boston series. The guy has now thrown 21 straight scoreless innings...
If Thome continues to come on as a legit LH force, that changes things for this lineup significantly. But when's the last time you saw a team leading in the race for a playoff position come in to the next-to-last series of the season with TBA as its announced starter for all 3 games? I think they set it up so that Tillman is the guy to pitch the tie-breaker or Wild Card game, because he's their best pitcher now. Gonzales is #2, I think he goes Monday on 4 days rest, or maybe they push him back a day to give him a little extra rest. Chen is very shaky right now. I think they have to give Steve Johnson another start in the Boston series. The guy has now thrown 21 straight scoreless innings...
The_Man
Footballguy
Have you ever seen a time leading a playoff race go into the next-to-last series of the season with TBA announced to start all 3 games? I feel like Showalter has to run away with Manager of the Year - to take this team from 14 straight losing seasons to the top of the AL East with a patchwork team is pretty amazing.
I think they would like to set up the post-season rotation for Tillman, but they might need him for Game 162, if there's still something to play for.
Just trying to guess the rotation for the last week. I don't think they'll skip Chen entirely, as bad as he's been in September. Buck's whole approach has been to keep things steady and play game 150 of the season like game 15. I think skipping him now would run counter to what he's done all season. That being said, the guy looks kind of out of gas and maybe they'll push him back. Here's my guess (based on The Sun saying Tillman and Johnson were likely to start the weekend series):
Fri: Tillman
Sat: Johnson
Sun: Saunders (4 days rest, sets him up to start Wild Card game)
Mon: Gonzalez (on 5 days rest, they have been giving him extra rest whenever possible)
Tues: Chen (gives him a full week off, maybe recharges him)
Wed: Tillman
This would allow them to pitch Tillman in Game 162 if needed, or save him for the Wild Card game if it's not meaningful. This would also put either Johnson (or Hammel, if healthy) in position to pitch a Game 163.
Then you'd have
Wild Card: Saunders
ALDS Game 1: Gonzalez
Not great, but about the best the O's can hope for
I think they would like to set up the post-season rotation for Tillman, but they might need him for Game 162, if there's still something to play for.
Just trying to guess the rotation for the last week. I don't think they'll skip Chen entirely, as bad as he's been in September. Buck's whole approach has been to keep things steady and play game 150 of the season like game 15. I think skipping him now would run counter to what he's done all season. That being said, the guy looks kind of out of gas and maybe they'll push him back. Here's my guess (based on The Sun saying Tillman and Johnson were likely to start the weekend series):
Fri: Tillman
Sat: Johnson
Sun: Saunders (4 days rest, sets him up to start Wild Card game)
Mon: Gonzalez (on 5 days rest, they have been giving him extra rest whenever possible)
Tues: Chen (gives him a full week off, maybe recharges him)
Wed: Tillman
This would allow them to pitch Tillman in Game 162 if needed, or save him for the Wild Card game if it's not meaningful. This would also put either Johnson (or Hammel, if healthy) in position to pitch a Game 163.
Then you'd have
Wild Card: Saunders
ALDS Game 1: Gonzalez
Not great, but about the best the O's can hope for
It looks like the general goal is to give Chen and Gonzalez extra days off. I think Gonzalez may get pushed back to Wednesday, and if he is not needed, then he gets the wildcard or 1st game of the Division series. They pitched Gonzalez on 10 days rest a month ago and he came back really strong. I have been perplex on why Stevie Johnson gets so few starts. He has pitched very well.I think the Rays will get Chen, Britton, or Hammel in the first two games. If the last game is significant, then pitch Gonzalez. If not, some one else (Arrieta) and then Gonzalez gets the next game.
I was having some fun with the Pythagorean Expection for baseball teams.
Here is a link with an explanation and formula.
On July 31, the Orioles were 55-49, with 436 runs scored and 487 runs allowed. The expected wins is 46.75 and the Orioles were 8.25 wins above the expection.
From August 1 through today's game, the Orioles are 35-18, with 252 runs scored and 202 runs allowed. The expected wins is 31.8, so the Orioles are 3.2 games above expection. Even with the positive run differential over nearly two months, they are still screwing with the sabermetric formulas.
The Orioles will most likely be 1 game behind the Yankees after tonight with 5 games left to go. They said on the broadcast today that if they are tied, the one game playoff will be in Baltimore.
If the Orioles and A's tie for the wildcard, the one game wild card game will be in Oakland since the Orioles went 2-4 in the regular season against the A's.
Here is a link with an explanation and formula.
On July 31, the Orioles were 55-49, with 436 runs scored and 487 runs allowed. The expected wins is 46.75 and the Orioles were 8.25 wins above the expection.
From August 1 through today's game, the Orioles are 35-18, with 252 runs scored and 202 runs allowed. The expected wins is 31.8, so the Orioles are 3.2 games above expection. Even with the positive run differential over nearly two months, they are still screwing with the sabermetric formulas.
The Orioles will most likely be 1 game behind the Yankees after tonight with 5 games left to go. They said on the broadcast today that if they are tied, the one game playoff will be in Baltimore.
If the Orioles and A's tie for the wildcard, the one game wild card game will be in Oakland since the Orioles went 2-4 in the regular season against the A's.
wow, hard to believe the O's were able to make up all that run differential in the past two months. What a fun season. It's like a breath of fresh air. After tonight's performance by Tillman and the big thumping of the Red Sox tomorrow's Brooks Robinson statue unveiling should make Camden Yards electric! Can't wait!!!
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
I think I'm still in shock. 90 wins. If you had given me a choice in April to bet on the Orioles having either 90 wins or 90 losses, I'd have bet my house on the latter.
Tip of the hat to Andy McPhail. He deserves a share of the credit for the success this year. He got the farm system going again. And you could argue that the Bedard trade is the wellspring of all of this.
So - who's MVO? Johnson has been damned near perfect and will get some Cy Young votes (hell, the entire bullpen would get my vote). Adam Jones carried the team the first half of the year. Weiters hasn't hit for much average, but has had some big hits and has been stellar behind the plate. Tillman has been lights-out down the stretch.
Tip of the hat to Andy McPhail. He deserves a share of the credit for the success this year. He got the farm system going again. And you could argue that the Bedard trade is the wellspring of all of this.
So - who's MVO? Johnson has been damned near perfect and will get some Cy Young votes (hell, the entire bullpen would get my vote). Adam Jones carried the team the first half of the year. Weiters hasn't hit for much average, but has had some big hits and has been stellar behind the plate. Tillman has been lights-out down the stretch.
McPhail will not get as much credit as he deserves since the Orioles had such a bad season last year. A lot of the pieces to this year's team were put in place by McPhail.I still believe that something odd happened last year, when Mike Connor, a long time Showalter friend and pitching coach, performed so poorly and resigned during the season. The pitching staff was in shambles all last year. I certainly don't want to take anything away from Duquette. He looks to have a Midas touch, where every personnel move he made looks golden. Some of them are just unreal, including trading for Omar Quintinilla when Roberts and Andino were huring and Qunitinilla comes in with red-hot hitting. And picking Nate McLouth of waivers, who is now an integral part of the team, staring in LF and hitting lead off. These moves never work out so well.
The_Man
Footballguy
The real MVP is Buck. Every button he pushes - like turning to Flaherty a little more at 2B lately and having him hit a grand slam last night - just works.
But I'd give the award to Adam Jones. He's carried this team. More than that, this is his team. He's the guy that basically said all this losing is crap and it's not going to be tolerated any more. He's going to play all 162 games this year, and he's busted his ### in every single one of them.
But I'd give the award to Adam Jones. He's carried this team. More than that, this is his team. He's the guy that basically said all this losing is crap and it's not going to be tolerated any more. He's going to play all 162 games this year, and he's busted his ### in every single one of them.
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
I can live with that. Adam seems to have fed off of Buck more than anyone else.
I agree with Jones as MVO. While Weiters and J. Johnson were also steady constants throughout the season Jones really came across as the leader of the lineup. Losing ROberts, Reimold, and Markakis gave Jones an even greater responsibility and he rose the challenge. Interestingly enough it's been the rest of the lineup that's been carrying him the last few games so it wouldn't surprise me if he breaks out tonight and helps push the team to the palyoffs.
Which begets one of my favorite nicknames to come out of ESPN land- The Fighting Showalters! Succinct and Apt.
Not getting much help from anyone else however, but with a win tonight our magic number to at least make the wild card becomes 1 over the Rays and at worst 2 over the Angels. Rather we win the division of course but getting in as a wild card goes under the beggars can't be choosers column.
The_Man
Footballguy
So in the 4th inning, Jones leads off with a grounder to SS, busts his ### running down to 1B and is safe by an inch when the throw makes the first baseman jump off the bag to catch a high throw. Then Davis hits a HR, and the O's win by 1 run. If Jones isn't on base it might be a whole different game.That being said, Davis is so locked in right now it's scary. I'm literally a little surprised when he doesn't hit a HR.
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
The "leader" mantle fits Jones like a glove (much moreso than Markakis, who was thought to be the heir-apparent). In a lot of ways, he reminds me of Frank Robinson although Frank was nastier and meaner. Frank's Kangaroo Court brought accountability (and, some humor) to a team that had zero history. I think Adam is doing something like that in a lower-key way. I loved his (paraphrasing) "I haven't earned this money yet" comments either during or right after he got the big extension. He's smart, knows his Os history, and is committed to Baltimore.
The_Man
Footballguy
He caught the first pitch from Brooks last night, then went around and all 6 of the HOFers sign it. That kind of stuff goes a long way in Baltimore.
Nice way to close out the home side of the regular season, a sweep against the same team we kept out of the playoffs last year. If only we had gotten some help. Oh well, second Angels game is looking good right now. Speaking of which, someone get me Mike Napoli's home address stat, I think I want to send him a bouquet of roses or soemthing.
Doctor Detroit
Please remove your headgear
CongratsYESSSS!!!!!!!!!!!! The_Man, Urak-Hai, Marvelous, Tuco, and all the other O's fans and watchers, pop the cork and raise a glass- We're in!!
Thanks, DD. It has been sooo frustrating watching this franchise regularly get close to mediocrity the past decade only to have the rug pulled out in the end Finally a happy ending. I still don't know how all the parts fit just right but right now I don't care, all I know is we are in the playoffs!!! Yessiree!CongratsYESSSS!!!!!!!!!!!! The_Man, Urak-Hai, Marvelous, Tuco, and all the other O's fans and watchers, pop the cork and raise a glass- We're in!!
Bottomfeeder Sports
Footballguy
There goes my catching up on my sleep.YESSSS!!!!!!!!!!!! The_Man, Urak-Hai, Marvelous, Tuco, and all the other O's fans and watchers, pop the cork and raise a glass- We're in!!
Doctor Detroit
Please remove your headgear
Detroit had 12 consecutive losing seasons and went 19 years between playoff appearances. I know every detail of being a bad franchise and watching bad teams. It's why I can empathize with good O's fans and have discussions with them about stuff like bandwagon fans (which should be invited with open arms) and enjoying the moment. I went to a lot of games this year, I think they were like 7-1 or something when I was there. Glad to see the fans coming out and the Orioles hats out everywhere, I think this had to happen this year with the Nats being so good so you wouldn't lose more of your fan base. Buck Showalter has done great things almost everywhere he's went, but he really has helped the O's keep their fans from the prying Nats.Best of luck in the playoffs unless you play the Tigers.Thanks, DD. It has been sooo frustrating watching this franchise regularly get close to mediocrity the past decade only to have the rug pulled out in the end Finally a happy ending. I still don't know how all the parts fit just right but right now I don't care, all I know is we are in the playoffs!!! Yessiree!CongratsYESSSS!!!!!!!!!!!! The_Man, Urak-Hai, Marvelous, Tuco, and all the other O's fans and watchers, pop the cork and raise a glass- We're in!!
Amen to that bottofeeder! I'm geeked.There goes my catching up on my sleep.YESSSS!!!!!!!!!!!! The_Man, Urak-Hai, Marvelous, Tuco, and all the other O's fans and watchers, pop the cork and raise a glass- We're in!!
The_Man
Footballguy
What a weekend. That's one that goes down in the memory books. And I actually appreciate that there didn't have to be any extra inning Oriole Magic for once. Just a playoff team taking care of business and sweeping a cellar dweller with nothing to play for. Chris Davis is unbelievable right now - yesterday he hit a foul that had to come close to the warehouse and then a couple of pitches later drilled a HR to left-center.
The Brooks night was special. So cool how it had to be rescheduled from May for September and it became the centerpiece of a weekend-long celebration of this magical season. But I also loved the mounting excitement in the closing innings yesterday. The 8th inning throw Wieters made from his knees to get Pedroia - by a mile - was otherworldly. So fun to hear Palmer call these games - he's made no secret of his disgust at bad Orioles baseball over the last 15 years and is now an unabashed cheerleader of their current outstanding play.
All of that being said, I want more. I don't want a coin flip Wild Card game, especially not one in Oakland. I want this team to keep playing so bad that it's getting harder and harder to watch the games. I feel like I can't bear for something bad to happen.
And you know how stuff goes down in baseball. The team that's 71-0 when leading after 7 innings, that's won 16 straight extra inning games, that hasn't suffered a walkoff loss all season -- that's the team that's going to lose a lead after leading after 7 innings, then go to extras and lose a walkoff game.
The Brooks night was special. So cool how it had to be rescheduled from May for September and it became the centerpiece of a weekend-long celebration of this magical season. But I also loved the mounting excitement in the closing innings yesterday. The 8th inning throw Wieters made from his knees to get Pedroia - by a mile - was otherworldly. So fun to hear Palmer call these games - he's made no secret of his disgust at bad Orioles baseball over the last 15 years and is now an unabashed cheerleader of their current outstanding play.
All of that being said, I want more. I don't want a coin flip Wild Card game, especially not one in Oakland. I want this team to keep playing so bad that it's getting harder and harder to watch the games. I feel like I can't bear for something bad to happen.
And you know how stuff goes down in baseball. The team that's 71-0 when leading after 7 innings, that's won 16 straight extra inning games, that hasn't suffered a walkoff loss all season -- that's the team that's going to lose a lead after leading after 7 innings, then go to extras and lose a walkoff game.
The_Man
Footballguy
So the Orioles are looking like the Wild Card now. No chance the Yankees lose to the Red Sox Triple-A lineup.
If they win their next 2 and don't tie for 1st with the Yankees, they will still host the Wild Card - either Oakland wins the next 2 to win the West and Texas falls behind the Orioles, or Oakland loses 1 or 2 and falls behind the Orioles.
Unfortunately, Maddon is a man. There's no way his Rays dog it like the Red Sox do. To be honest, now that they're eliminated and playing with no pressure, I think they're going to be very tough to beat. Not having a great feeling about how this is all going down - right now, my guess is that O's and A's both go 1-1 and that the Wild Card game is Friday in Oakland.
If they win their next 2 and don't tie for 1st with the Yankees, they will still host the Wild Card - either Oakland wins the next 2 to win the West and Texas falls behind the Orioles, or Oakland loses 1 or 2 and falls behind the Orioles.
Unfortunately, Maddon is a man. There's no way his Rays dog it like the Red Sox do. To be honest, now that they're eliminated and playing with no pressure, I think they're going to be very tough to beat. Not having a great feeling about how this is all going down - right now, my guess is that O's and A's both go 1-1 and that the Wild Card game is Friday in Oakland.
Buckshowalter has been awesome, but I really don't understand having Chen come out to pitch the 7th inning without the bullpen warmed up. I realize he wants starting pitchers to go deep into games, but Chen has been struggling. With the expanded rosters, there are no issues about over-using the bullpen. Granted, the inning started with an error by Manny. But Chen struggles after that.
If Chen was pulled after 6 innings, he would have only given up 1 earned run and it would look like a great outing.
If Chen was pulled after 6 innings, he would have only given up 1 earned run and it would look like a great outing.
The_Man
Footballguy
Davis has hit HRs in 3 more straight games since I posted this. Now homered in 6 straight games, with 7 HRs during that stretch. The one he hit tonight was a moon ball. Actually so was last night - off the roof of the dome.
