***Official 2018 Baltimore Orioles Thread*** Pitching Can’t Get Any Worse (2 Viewers)

[Koya]

5 6 straight wins. Season-high 28 29 games over .500. Can go 8 7-8 and still get to 95 wins. What a great year and what a fun win today

This has been, well, amazing. It's been SO long. And maybe because I lived on the west coast during the (albeit unfulfilled) run in the 90s, or because those teams never REALLY felt like true "Orioles" teams for some reason... As if the park overshadowed the paid for players that never connected with the fans... But there was that disconnect. Maybe the lack of media and coverage out of market contributed to that lack of connection.

Dare I say that I, as a 41 year old man, have not felt this way since I was a kid. Literally.

I LOVE THIS TEAM.

There. I said it. Thank you buck. Thank you for brining the Orioles back.

I know Baltimore is a "football town" but to me, it has always been and always will be an Orioles town.

 

[avoiding injuries]

Anyone see the De Aza interview after the game? What a nice guy. Spoke very highly of the club, the chemistry that the team has and then said he really wants to remain a member of this team in the future.

I was disappointed he wasn't pied. He deserved it.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Anyone see the De Aza interview after the game? What a nice guy. Spoke very highly of the club, the chemistry that the team has and then said he really wants to remain a member of this team in the future.

I was disappointed he wasn't pied. He deserved it.

I think Adam's arm has gotten tired from so many pies. Buck probably told him to take the night off.

The starting pitching has been astoundingly good. I was trying to think of the last non-Jiminez start that gave up more than 4 runs. I know Oakland scored 7 on the Orioles right after the AS break. I think Gausman started that, but seem to recall most of the runs coming against the bullpen.

What was the last bad start?

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Anyone see the De Aza interview after the game? What a nice guy. Spoke very highly of the club, the chemistry that the team has and then said he really wants to remain a member of this team in the future.

I was disappointed he wasn't pied. He deserved it.

I think Adam's arm is tired

 

[The_Man]

AJ got him after the interview. Fans were still there behind the dugout to see it.

Last 11 games, the starters' ERA is 1.73. Will be fascinating to see how Buck sets up the ALDS rotation. Maybe go 4-man, just because there's not much difference between 1 and 4 (or 5, for that matter - Gausman's youth makes him inconsistent, sometimes the worst in the rotation but also sometimes the best). Tillman has had 18 straight starts of 3 or fewer runs. Flipside is, he's probably struggled as much as anyone lately, only going 5 innings in his last couple of starts.

Would love to see the O's really put it to the Yankees today - today and tomorrow will have the NY invasion in full force for Jeter's farewell. Be nice to send them packing with a couple more losses, because it might be quite some time before they're back in such numbers.

 

[Marvelous]

Anyone see the De Aza interview after the game? What a nice guy. Spoke very highly of the club, the chemistry that the team has and then said he really wants to remain a member of this team in the future.

I was disappointed he wasn't pied. He deserved it.

I think Adam's arm has gotten tired from so many pies. Buck probably told him to take the night off.

The starting pitching has been astoundingly good. I was trying to think of the last non-Jiminez start that gave up more than 4 runs. I know Oakland scored 7 on the Orioles right after the AS break. I think Gausman started that, but seem to recall most of the runs coming against the bullpen.

What was the last bad start?

A lot changes in the playoffs. With a 4 man pitching rotation and more days off, you can bring in your relievers a lot earlier. If a starter goes 5 innings and gives up 1 run, that will probably be a successful start in the postseason for the Orioles. I suspect Guasman is going to the bullpen and will be pitching a couple of innings every other day.

 

[The_Man]

So that was ok.

 

[dutch]

The nicest part is that the O's are 7 up on NY in the loss column, and 8 on the Jays.

Baltimore is now 68-50. If they just go .500, they finish 90-72.

To tie them, NY would have to go 29-15. Toronto would have to go 27-14.

And right now Baltimore is playing at a much better than .500 clip - they're on pace to win 93 games.

I guess another way of putting it is ... Magic Number!

To win East over NY: 38

To win East over TOR: 37

<Don Meredith>Turn out the lights, The party's over</Don Meredith>

In just over a month the O's have trimmed the magic number down to 3 against Toronto and 2 against NY. Since August 12th, the O's are 21-10 while NY is 15-15 and Toronto is 14-13. We won, they lost so we cruise to the division. Now let's see if Buck can hold this patchwork team together to at least make it to the ALCS when we may get Davis back.

 

[The_Man]

Started looking ahead at the schedule - I think the Orioles clinch on Sept. 19, vs. Boston, in the first game of the season's final home series. I have the Orioles going 5-4 heading into that series and the Yankees going 5-5 to get the Magic Number to 1.

Yeah, looks like I might have to revise this for being too pessimistic. Orioles have gone 5-1 since I posted this. If they go 2-1 vs. Toronto, they clinch whenever they win the second game and get it done before Friday. Would be kind of crazy if they win tonight and then we send Ubaldo out there to pitch the pennant-clincher - just like Duquette drew it up in Spring Training. As much as I don't want to see them go 1-2 vs. the Blue Jays, I am still almost hoping for a Friday clincher - because that will be one hell of a baseball party.

 

[MattFancy]

What I think is a testament to how good this team has been all year is their longest winning streak is 6. So it's not like they've gone on a huge winning streak and that's how they got such a large lead and good record. They just continue to win series after series. I think they've only lost back to back games twice since the All-Star break. That's impressive.

 

[Bottomfeeder Sports]

Guys Earl Weaver used to say that you can't talk about the playoffs until you are 30 games over .500

 

[The_Man]

Is it selfish and wrong to say I wouldn't mind if the Orioles lose tonight? Because there is no way I can get to the ballpark, but I can go tomorrow and would love to be there for something I've never seen in person - clinching a division title.

So impressed with Buck yet again during that whole head-hunting foolishness in last night's game. Orioles have their sights set on much bigger things than proving their manhood to the Blue Jays (who, despite being in second place, are now closer to last than first). And one of the great joys of my baseball life is hearing Jim Palmer call out bad baseball. He destroyed Toronto's pitcher last night and talked about how Earl Weaver's teams never got into fights because fights had nothing to do winning games. Blue Jays manager handled it very poorly, gave a no comment after the game instead of owning up to his rookie's bonehead move.

Speaking of bonehead moves, I still feel like the players-only meeting after Manny's bat-throwing incident was the key moment of this season. Orioles were 31-30 when it happened on June 8. After Adam Jones and Markakis laid down the law, the team has been 59-30 since. I don't feel like that's a coincidence - after that, they stopped farting around and started playing disciplined baseball.

 

[Marvelous]

No one mentioned this yet. The Yankees have been eliminated. The whole baseball world should be rejoicing.

The magic number vs. Toronto is 1.

 

[Swing 51]

Baltimore Orioles suspended slugger Chris Davis was one of several people who lifted an overturned truck to help accident victims Monday afternoon, a witness at the scene told MASNSports.com.According to the firsthand account given to the website, Davis waved people over to help him lift what was described as a heavy pickup truck in order to unpin a man who was trapped underneath.

MASNSports.com reported that the Orioles confirmed the account provided by Mike Soukup, one of the people who helped Davis.

Soukup told the website that the accident occurred on I-295 and that Davis, who currently is serving a 25-game suspension for a positive amphetamine test, was among the first people who attempted to help.

"When I turned to look at the first man, I instantly noticed a VERY strong resemblance to Chris Davis," Soukup wrote in an email to MASNSports.com. "He didn't have any Orioles gear on (so I wasn't sure .. there was no big '19' on him anywhere!), except his tennis shoes were black and orange.

"We glanced at each other with a 'good job' look and I said, 'Chris?' He said, 'Yeah?' 'Chris Davis?' 'Yeah?' I said, 'One hell of a way to meet Chris Davis.'"

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/11538186/chris-davis-baltimore-orioles-helps-lift-overturned-truck-assist-victims-crash-scene

 

[Koya]

Baltimore Orioles suspended slugger Chris Davis was one of several people who lifted an overturned truck to help accident victims Monday afternoon, a witness at the scene told MASNSports.com.According to the firsthand account given to the website, Davis waved people over to help him lift what was described as a heavy pickup truck in order to unpin a man who was trapped underneath.

MASNSports.com reported that the Orioles confirmed the account provided by Mike Soukup, one of the people who helped Davis.

Soukup told the website that the accident occurred on I-295 and that Davis, who currently is serving a 25-game suspension for a positive amphetamine test, was among the first people who attempted to help.

"When I turned to look at the first man, I instantly noticed a VERY strong resemblance to Chris Davis," Soukup wrote in an email to MASNSports.com. "He didn't have any Orioles gear on (so I wasn't sure .. there was no big '19' on him anywhere!), except his tennis shoes were black and orange.

"We glanced at each other with a 'good job' look and I said, 'Chris?' He said, 'Yeah?' 'Chris Davis?' 'Yeah?' I said, 'One hell of a way to meet Chris Davis.'"

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/11538186/chris-davis-baltimore-orioles-helps-lift-overturned-truck-assist-victims-crash-scene

Solid

Puts my whining about his suspension into perspective for sure.

 

[TobiasFunke]

Here's hoping a bunch of DC and suburban Maryland bars have two celebrations a couple minutes apart tonight

 

[The_Man]

Here's hoping a bunch of DC and suburban Maryland bars have two celebrations a couple minutes apart tonight

I thought you were going to come in here and tell us that the Orioles' 4-1 record since Davis's suspension has no bearing on whether or not Buck should be Manager of the Year.

On a completely different topic, here is the list of active MLB players who have played more than 1000 games without ever appearing in the post-season:

Adam Dunn 1988 (#14 All-Time)

Alex Rios 1586

Brian Roberts 1418

Nick Markakis 1358

Jose Bautista 1238

Edwin Encarnacion 1194

Billy Butler 1156

Josh Willingham 1143

Alex Gordon 1020

Looks like that club is about to lose 4 members – Dunn, Markakis, Butler and Gordon. It actually will probably lose 5, because it’s hard to imagine Brian Roberts will be an active player after this season ends.

Pretty cool for those 4, but especially for Nick who has spent so long being a consummate pro for so many bad teams. I just got ##### chills thinking about him stepping to the plate at Camden Yards to lead off the bottom of the first in Game 1 of the ALDS. I still think we might have beaten NY in the 2012 ALDS if CC hadn’t broken Nick’s hand earlier in September.

Must have sucked so much for him to miss those games, and it’s going to be so sweet for him to play now. Sure hope the O’s and he can reach agreement on a reasonable new deal, as there’s no reason for him to play anywhere else.

 

[Bottomfeeder Sports]

Is it selfish and wrong to say I wouldn't mind if the Orioles lose tonight? Because there is no way I can get to the ballpark, but I can go tomorrow and would love to be there for something I've never seen in person - clinching a division title.

Sorry!

 

[dutch]

Magic Number??

0!!!!

Celebrate good times, COME ON!

 

[dutch]

[SIZE=14.2857141494751px]The_Man, Roadkill, Uruk-Hai, ClownChausedChoas2, James Dalton, Koya, Marvelous, avoiding injuries, Matt Fancy, DCThunder, and every other O's fan I inadvertently didn't list, this buds for you [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.2857141494751px]And ain't the beer cold![/SIZE]

 

[dutch]

sittin' here watching Jones pie the fans

 

[ClownCausedChaos2]

The_Man, Roadkill, Uruk-Hai, ClownChausedChoas2, James Dalton, Koya, Marvelous, avoiding injuries, Matt Fancy, DCThunder, and every other O's fan I inadvertently didn't list, this buds for you

And ain't the beer cold!

 

[Raider Nation]

Congrats, fellas. Helluva season.

 

[The_Man]

New Magic Number. 11 postseason wins.

So drunk and happy. Have so much love for Buck and Adam Jones

 

[Koya]

Woot WOOOOOOO!!!!

Your first love is always the most pure. Go O's!!!!!!

 

[Uruk-Hai]

The_Man, Roadkill, Uruk-Hai, ClownChausedChoas2, James Dalton, Koya, Marvelous, avoiding injuries, Matt Fancy, DCThunder, and every other O's fan I inadvertently didn't list, this buds for you

And ain't the beer cold!

Typical of this season that Jiminez wins the clincher

 

[ClownCausedChaos2]

So, I woke up this morning and, yep...still awesome.

 

[STBootleg]

[SIZE=14.2857141494751px]The_Man, Roadkill, Uruk-Hai, ClownChausedChoas2, James Dalton, Koya, Marvelous, avoiding injuries, Matt Fancy, DCThunder, and every other O's fan I inadvertently didn't list, this buds for you [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.2857141494751px]And ain't the beer cold![/SIZE]

 

[TobiasFunke]

Here's hoping a bunch of DC and suburban Maryland bars have two celebrations a couple minutes apart tonight

I thought you were going to come in here and tell us that the Orioles' 4-1 record since Davis's suspension has no bearing on whether or not Buck should be Manager of the Year.

On a completely different topic, here is the list of active MLB players who have played more than 1000 games without ever appearing in the post-season:

Adam Dunn 1988 (#14 All-Time)

Alex Rios 1586

Brian Roberts 1418

Nick Markakis 1358

Jose Bautista 1238

Edwin Encarnacion 1194

Billy Butler 1156

Josh Willingham 1143

Alex Gordon 1020

Looks like that club is about to lose 4 members – Dunn, Markakis, Butler and Gordon. It actually will probably lose 5, because it’s hard to imagine Brian Roberts will be an active player after this season ends.

Pretty cool for those 4, but especially for Nick who has spent so long being a consummate pro for so many bad teams. I just got ##### chills thinking about him stepping to the plate at Camden Yards to lead off the bottom of the first in Game 1 of the ALDS. I still think we might have beaten NY in the 2012 ALDS if CC hadn’t broken Nick’s hand earlier in September.

Must have sucked so much for him to miss those games, and it’s going to be so sweet for him to play now. Sure hope the O’s and he can reach agreement on a reasonable new deal, as there’s no reason for him to play anywhere else.

 

[The_Man]

Pretty cool for those 4, but especially for Nick who has spent so long being a consummate pro for so many bad teams. I just got ##### chills thinking about him stepping to the plate at Camden Yards to lead off the bottom of the first in Game 1 of the ALDS. I still think we might have beaten NY in the 2012 ALDS if CC hadn’t broken Nick’s hand earlier in September.

Must have sucked so much for him to miss those games, and it’s going to be so sweet for him to play now. Sure hope the O’s and he can reach agreement on a reasonable new deal, as there’s no reason for him to play anywhere else.

Not gonna lie. It got a little hard to swallow at this moment last night, when the cameras were on Markakis right as the PA guy announced, "Your 2014 American League East Champion Baltimore Orioles."

 

[The_Man]

The smell of Tito Landrum is very strong on De Aza.

Buck said he was going to take Ubaldo out after the 4th, and when he went to tell him, he said the look in Ubaldo's eyes made him listen to his heart more than his head, and sent him back out there for the 5th. I think he retired the last 10 straight he faced.

Glad I can go to bed without having to care about tonight's game. Between the Ravens game Thursday night, through the late game Sunday night, and the last two nights, I am operating on a big-time sleep deficit.

 

[STBootleg]

Pretty cool for those 4, but especially for Nick who has spent so long being a consummate pro for so many bad teams. I just got ##### chills thinking about him stepping to the plate at Camden Yards to lead off the bottom of the first in Game 1 of the ALDS. I still think we might have beaten NY in the 2012 ALDS if CC hadn’t broken Nick’s hand earlier in September.

Must have sucked so much for him to miss those games, and it’s going to be so sweet for him to play now. Sure hope the O’s and he can reach agreement on a reasonable new deal, as there’s no reason for him to play anywhere else.

Not gonna lie. It got a little hard to swallow at this moment last night, when the cameras were on Markakis right as the PA guy announced, "Your 2014 American League East Champion Baltimore Orioles."

I actually tried to take a picture of Markakis with my phone on the television screen at that exact moment, was too slow though.

That picture says it all.

 

[avoiding injuries]

How awesome was that post-game celebration last night? Adam with the fans, the players in the clubhouse, Buck watching the guys celebrate from the dugout, even Ubaldo with his parents. It was PERFECT.

In 2012 they found out they were playoff bound while on a plane. This was long overdue.

I recorded and will probably watch it again when I get home. Awesome.

 

[DCThunder]

[SIZE=14.28px]The_Man, Roadkill, Uruk-Hai, ClownChausedChoas2, James Dalton, Koya, Marvelous, avoiding injuries, Matt Fancy, DCThunder, and every other O's fan I inadvertently didn't list, this buds for you [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.28px]And ain't the beer cold![/SIZE]

Go to War Miss Agnes!

 

[Koya]

Proudly showcased the Orioles Cufflinks (the "ol" real bird, have had them for a while) and the O's hat... looked great against my blue suit.

Hat's a funny story. I have this GREAT old hat, with a late '60s maybe early '70s bird on it. Found it from nowhere. Must have come with me since I was a kid, or I grabbed it at Dad's house and brought it home.

So I'm looking at it, with the nice aged patina and wondering... ####, was this a hat I grew up with? Maybe even my dad had, before I was born? Could it be worth anything?

Excitedly, I check out the tag to look at any specific marks to help me google it and ID.

Much to my chagrin, I find exactly what I need. a www.internet####ingaddress.com

So much for my youth. Must have got this late '90s or 2000s (twinscap.com, not a live site even anymore), Cooperstown Connection.

Now, flip side is I have this other hat, super floppy. It's a '60s - '70s logo but the black bottom goes all up the beak. The tag just says "Major League Baseball" and some stamp for the United Hatters, Cap and Millinery Workers Union. I've googles to my hearts discontent, but can't find much of anything. Have a feeling this Gem was my dads when I was growing up and it was "borrowed" at some time (size large, so not my gift when I was a kid)

 

[Koya]

[SIZE=14.2857141494751px]The_Man, Roadkill, Uruk-Hai, ClownChausedChoas2, James Dalton, Koya, Marvelous, avoiding injuries, Matt Fancy, DCThunder, and every other O's fan I inadvertently didn't list, this buds for you [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.2857141494751px]And ain't the beer cold![/SIZE]

WOO ####### HOO!

Thanks. The grief I received wearing my cap today was all the joy I needed.

 

[Koya]

O.

 

[Koya]

R.

 

[The_Man]

I.

 

[ClownCausedChaos2]

O.

 

[JZilla]

N.

 

[Koya]

Terrible. Who let the Senators in? Poor showing O's!!!

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Tillman with 20 consecutive starts allowing 3 or less runs. Adam Jones with 2 homers. God bless Eric Bedard.

 

[ClownCausedChaos2]

So, we're pretty much on cruise control in this thread for the next week, huh?

 

[The_Man]

Flaherty playing first tonight! Kelly Johnson batting 5th.

I love how Buck is slow playing things right now. Rarely have I seen a team grind out every single game, night after night, like this one. I'm a big fan of giving them a break and letting them get refreshed. The effort will be there when the games start mattering again, and the bullpen will be fresh. Still worry about the defense without Machado/Davis, and about how foolish they can look vs. an ace who keeps them from hitting the long ball, but I'm looking forward to them giving a representative effort in the playoffs.

 

[ClownCausedChaos2]

One-hit by the Yankees, and I didn't care. Not even for one second. God, I love this feeling.

 

[avoiding injuries]

40 for Cruz. Please sign him again.

 

[The_Man]

So you think Markakis might be feeling a little fresher now?

I thought undefeated champion Father Time could have drawn an excessive celebration penalty for what he did to Jeter in the bottom of the 9th last night. Jeter struck out on 3 pitches to end the game with the tying run on base, but I don't think he could have touched Britton if he got 10 strikes to try and hit him.

Prediction for Thursday night in the Bronx is a lot of rain - but you know MLB is going to make the teams slog through it for Jeter's NY farewell. No way they would have them make up a meaningless game on Monday after the regular season ends, and no way they're going to cancel the game and tell everyone who paid thousands for scalped tickets that they can redeem their tickets at face value for a 2015 regular season game.

Then the O's will have to clear Customs on the way to Toronto. With possible rain delays and what's sure to be drawn-out pageantry, they might not get to their hotel until 5 a.m. Friday. I hope Buck fields the full JV line-up that night.

 

[The_Man]

Do you know how I know that Buck doesn't care about today's game?

It's not that Clevenger is batting fifth.

It's that Clevenger is playing first base.

 

[The_Man]

Buck says they're leaning toward going with 11 pitchers for the ALDS. I feel like that's a pretty clear-cut group:

Tillman

Chen

Gonzalez

Norris

Gausman

Britton

O'Day

Miller

Hunter

Brach

Matusz

I guess you could consider McFarland over Brach, but Brach is better and you still have 3 LHs without McFarland.

Definitely in - 11 position players

C: Joseph, Hundley

1B/3B: Pearce

2B/SS: Hardy, Schoop, Flaherty

OF/DH: Markakis, Jones, Cruz, De Aza, Young

Then it comes down to Parades, Kelly Johnson, Lough, Quintin Berry, Christian Walker, and anyone else you think has a shot.

Parades and Johnson look like easy calls. Parades is a switch-hitter, Johnson gives you a lefty bat and infield depth. And I don't think Walker is a realistic option. So the last spot comes down to Lough or Berry. Really tough call. Lough gives you a little more fielding and hitting, but Berry could swipe that vital base for you that wins a game. He offers the X Factor. I would probably lean toward Berry at this point, but it might well come down to matchups and if Buck thinks one overs a real edge over the other vs. their ALDS opponent.