The_Man
Footballguy
Not sure what you mean -- Davis sucks vs. lefties and Sale is one of the AL's toughest southpaws. No surprise he sat.
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***Official 2018 Baltimore Orioles Thread*** Pitching Can’t Get Any Worse (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter avoiding injuries
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Doctor Detroit
Please remove your headgear
10.8k last night and 12k tonight? Seriously.
Here is an ESPN article suggesting that the Orioles could be a team of destiny.
Some specifics:
Some specifics:
The Orioles are playing their best baseball since the very beginning of the season.
Alrighty then, I'm all in! What a reslillient bunch this O's team is. It's awesome that these cardiac kids keep pulling out the one run and xtra inning games but the way they keep taking 2 outta 3 and 3 outta 4 against top flight competition is even more encouraging. After 3/4 of a season I'm ready to dust off the moth balls and pull out all the gear- jersey, hat, foam finger, natty boh, the works. I got my raincheck tickets from Sunday's game and I'm trying to work the details with my brothers on which Rays game we'll attend. I'm stoked!!
Dr. D, there are more than a few reasons for the poor attendance but two major ones are the decade long losing streak and the utter lack of marketing and promotion by the team itself. I can't recall any singular ad on tv or radio that would encourag fans to come to the bnall park to watch the birds. I mean, if your team is doing this well you'd think you'd want to pimp that and drum up support, right? Well not this mangement team. go figure.
Dr. D, there are more than a few reasons for the poor attendance but two major ones are the decade long losing streak and the utter lack of marketing and promotion by the team itself. I can't recall any singular ad on tv or radio that would encourag fans to come to the bnall park to watch the birds. I mean, if your team is doing this well you'd think you'd want to pimp that and drum up support, right? Well not this mangement team. go figure.
I was discussing the lack of attendance with my wife recently. I came up with the following:1. The Orioles have just lost a lot of fans over the past 14 years. Losing and a down right poorly run organization has done that. 2. Camdem Yards was the original small, trendy stadium. 15 years ago, it was a cool, trendy place to go, even for non-baseball fans. It was also like a tourist attraction, where everyone wanted to go to it. THe novelty has worn off and the Orioles sucking for so long has really made Orioles Park lose its position.3. The Nationals have definately taken away fans. The Orioles used to say 25% of their attendence was from the DC area, and they may have been right.I think the Orioles could have prevented a lot of this, certain slowed the decline, by having a competently run organization. I think they can recover some, but building a fanbase back up takes time.
pantagrapher
Footballguy
Just surprised he sat out two straight, especially with a hot bat. Is he that much worse against lefties than Lew Ford?'The_Man said:
The_Man
Footballguy
.250 with 3 HRs and 25 strikeouts in 84 ABs this year. And, meanwhile, you know Lew Ford hit a HR in each of the last two games, right? That's the kind of crazy, unbelievable year it's been.
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
One other thing to add: when Camden Yards opened, Baltimore hadn't had a football team for almost a decade so there was zero competition for peoples' sports dollars. As long as they were competitive, people went to see them. Once the Ravens took hold and the Os started sucking, that flipped. It's a Ravens town now and they Orioles have a long road in front of them to get that house full again.'Marvelous said:
The_Man
Footballguy
Looking at this week's attendance from an on-the-ground perspective, everyone I know who can possibly stay out of downtown Baltimore this week is staying out of downtown. Because of the Grand Prix, roads are closed and traffic is a nightmare - today, it finally reached gridlock status.
Next week, numbers will bounce back to 20,000+ and stay there for the rest of the season and even go higher if the team stays in it.
Cracks me up though -- in most industries, if a company has declining sales and has totally chased its customers away, the company takes that as a sign of its own failure and tries to change things to satisfy the market. In baseball, it seems the customer is being held responsible.
Next week, numbers will bounce back to 20,000+ and stay there for the rest of the season and even go higher if the team stays in it.
Cracks me up though -- in most industries, if a company has declining sales and has totally chased its customers away, the company takes that as a sign of its own failure and tries to change things to satisfy the market. In baseball, it seems the customer is being held responsible.
I'll add another thought on attendence. During the rain delay Sunday, we walked around the park looking for a place to eat. The food selection at Orioles Park is very lacking. There was one place to get crab cakes. There is one Boog's BBQ, which is where we ended up. But at every turn, you can get hots dogs and chicken tenders. There were some sausage places, like that is so much different than hot dogs. They need a lot more variety.Nationals Park has a much better selection of food. If they want to increase the fan experience, that would certainly be one place to look. I am actually not much into buying food at the park, but with a 2 1/2 wait until they cancel the game, there is plenty of time to check things out.On the upside: $8 to park in the further stadium parking lots and $10 to park in the near parking lots is good. Also, they let you bring in as many drinks (in plastic containers) as you like. We brought in two waters and two cokes, which they would charge $4.50. That's $18 worth of beverages.
You can bring in food, too. Sunday I stopped at the store on the way to the game and I brought in a bag of peanuts, some trail mix, a bag of pistachios, and some peaches. Add two gatorades and two waters and we saved a ton on not buying stadium fare. In the past I've also made italian snausages at home and brought them in as well. If only they coud offer a Nascar package and allow byob I'd be set.
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
We used to go the "2 Buck Night" at Memorial Stadium, where you could sit anywhere down the lines in the upper deck for $2. Back then, you could bring your own beer in as long as it was "loose" (IIRC, no cans or bottles). We had one of those 5 gallon Thermos coolers with the spout on the bottom. Buy 2 cases of Natty Boh for a total of about $9. So, for under $20, 4-5 guys could catch a game. And this was when they were good (late 70s/early 80s).You can bring in food, too. Sunday I stopped at the store on the way to the game and I brought in a bag of peanuts, some trail mix, a bag of pistachios, and some peaches. Add two gatorades and two waters and we saved a ton on not buying stadium fare. In the past I've also made italian snausages at home and brought them in as well. If only they coud offer a Nascar package and allow byob I'd be set.
2 outta 3 against the yanks, on the road, with one really bad inning in the field preventing a sweep. I'll take it. And the defense has really come together in the second half, especially with Machado pushing Reynolds to first. That's a move that worked great for both corners. Add in McClouth in left and suddenly our big "E" problem in the first half goes *poof*.
Fun Oriole fact of the day: The o's are 4-12 against Texas and LA and 70-47 against the rest of the rest league
. This includes the Yanks(7-7), TB(6-6), A's(3-3), Tigers(3-3), and CHW(6-2). Dem O's can play with anybody, any time ,any place!!! Except Texas 
Fun Oriole fact of the day: The o's are 4-12 against Texas and LA and 70-47 against the rest of the rest league
. This includes the Yanks(7-7), TB(6-6), A's(3-3), Tigers(3-3), and CHW(6-2). Dem O's can play with anybody, any time ,any place!!! Except Texas
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Raider Nation
Devil's Advocate
Okay, that's enough of this WINNING business!60-51. Amazing season, fellas!
To put that into perspective, there are 51 games left and the O's only need to go 11-40 to match their projected season win total.
Orioles win and the Yankees lose today. The Orioles are 1 game behind the Yankees in the standings. It is really getting exciting to be an Orioles fan. They have a huge 4 game series against the Yankees in Baltimore this coming weekend.
Reynolds has really become a good first baseman. He has been excellent at diving and stretching for balls while keeping his foot on first base. Who would have thunk Reynolds in the field could actually be a good thing.
Reynolds has really become a good first baseman. He has been excellent at diving and stretching for balls while keeping his foot on first base. Who would have thunk Reynolds in the field could actually be a good thing.
Orioles win and Yankees lose. Orioles are now tied with the Yankees for the AL East. And Tampa is 1 1/2 games back. I am hoping the Rays and Orioles can send the Yankees way down the standings in the next 5 games.Also, from Brittany Ghiroli:
I have already set the DVR to record this. It could be really interesting.
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The_Man
Footballguy
Posted a variation of this over in the Yankee thread - just to be factual, I swear, not to do any gloating.
There's a lot of talk about how lucky the Orioles are to be 17 games over .500 with a -17 run differential and that they're somehow doing all this with smoke and mirrors.
But to me it's been kind of a tale of two seasons. Up until just before the end of July, the Orioles were 52-49 with a -63 run differential. That is very, very hard to do and a sign of a lot of luck.
Since then, they are 25-11 with a +46 run differential. That is the sign of a good team. That 36 game span includes two series at Yankee Stadium, and series at Tampa, at Detroit, at Texas, and home vs. Chicago. First they were lucky. Now they are good.
That hot streak pretty much coincided with jettisoning Hunter, Arrieta and Matusz from the rotation, Britton and Tillman coming in and pitching great, and the insertion of Machado at 3B, Reynolds at 1B, and McLouth in LF. Defense has gone from a huge negative to a significant positive.
There's nothing greater in the world than the feeling that you can't wait to get to the ballpark to play another game. You know that's how the Orioles feel right now. The Yankees? Maybe not so much.
There's a lot of talk about how lucky the Orioles are to be 17 games over .500 with a -17 run differential and that they're somehow doing all this with smoke and mirrors.
But to me it's been kind of a tale of two seasons. Up until just before the end of July, the Orioles were 52-49 with a -63 run differential. That is very, very hard to do and a sign of a lot of luck.
Since then, they are 25-11 with a +46 run differential. That is the sign of a good team. That 36 game span includes two series at Yankee Stadium, and series at Tampa, at Detroit, at Texas, and home vs. Chicago. First they were lucky. Now they are good.
That hot streak pretty much coincided with jettisoning Hunter, Arrieta and Matusz from the rotation, Britton and Tillman coming in and pitching great, and the insertion of Machado at 3B, Reynolds at 1B, and McLouth in LF. Defense has gone from a huge negative to a significant positive.
There's nothing greater in the world than the feeling that you can't wait to get to the ballpark to play another game. You know that's how the Orioles feel right now. The Yankees? Maybe not so much.
The Orioles are playing very good baseball over the past month. Anyone who claims they are just lucky is really not paying attention.The defense, especially at the corners of the infield, have gone from a huge negative to a positive. Machado had really solidified 3B. But the shocker is how well Reynolds is playing at 1B. He has repeatedly made plays catching errant throws while keeping his foot on the bag. He dives and keeps his foot on the bag. These are plays you just don't see.The Oriole hitters are hitting much better too. Reynolds, who gets really hot when his is hot, has 8 home runs in 7 games. This includes three 2-homerun games against the Yankees. Hardy is hitting much better. Jones is coming out of a power slump. Davis is hitting again. It is all clicking.And finally, the starting pitching. I wrote when the sent Arrieta, Matusz, and Hunter down, they needed at least two other starting pitchers to step up. They have gotten very good starting pitching from Miguel Gonzalez, Chris Tillman, and now Zach Britton. Plus a couple of strong spot starts by Steve Johnson. It is absolutely incredible that so much has come together so quickly.They now get Jason Hammel back. Hopefully Joe Sanders can pitch some and add a veteran presense to the pitching staff.One note on the Nationals: Their starting pitching, as great as it has been, has virtually no playoff experience. I think Edwin Jackson has pitched one playoff game. They are playing great, but the lack of experience in pressure situations may come back to bite them.
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
I've seen and heard quite a bit nationally about how this year's Orioles are finally bringing back the glory days of.....'96/97? While those were the last years the Os did anything, they were kind of anomolies - quite a bit of losing before and even more after. The Orioles bought the bulk of those teams (nothing wrong with that, of course, but it was far from a dynasty). Those teams were loaded with stars, both traded-for and rented. That they DIDN'T win a WS was a failure to me.
To me, this team is more like the '89 "Why Not?" Orioles (bunch of relatively unknowns and a murderous bullpen) with a healthy dose of '82 thrown in (that being the mix-and-match young starting pitching and young stars plus a ton of good role players).
To me, this team is more like the '89 "Why Not?" Orioles (bunch of relatively unknowns and a murderous bullpen) with a healthy dose of '82 thrown in (that being the mix-and-match young starting pitching and young stars plus a ton of good role players).
Raider Nation
Devil's Advocate
Since I'm the one who posted that stat, I assume you are attributing the bolded to me?
Tuco
Footballguy
Oh man. Even though the Orioles won the game last night, I woke up this morning with the feeling that they lost big time. Markakis is batting 0ver .330 since he came back with an OBP around .400. He's one of the top OF's in the game and he is among the leader in XBH's the second half of this season. He's been a fantastic leadoff man and makes the opposing pitcher throw a lot of pitches.
How do you replace that?
I'm hoping they call up LJ Hoes to take his roster spot. Batting over .300 in AAA with close to a .400 OBP. Even if that translates to .260/350 it could absorb the blow. I just don't want to see Chris Davis out there or Betemit playing every day.
How do you replace that?
I'm hoping they call up LJ Hoes to take his roster spot. Batting over .300 in AAA with close to a .400 OBP. Even if that translates to .260/350 it could absorb the blow. I just don't want to see Chris Davis out there or Betemit playing every day.
The_Man
Footballguy
Next few games are make or break for the Orioles. I think yesterday's off day came at just the right time - things were feeling a little down after the Markakis injury and the Yankees rout.
Was very cool to hear the huge ovation given to the Orioles they showed on the big screen at the Ravens game last night.
I'm playing hooky to go on Thursday - can't wait.
Was very cool to hear the huge ovation given to the Orioles they showed on the big screen at the Ravens game last night.
I'm playing hooky to go on Thursday - can't wait.
Doctor Detroit
Please remove your headgear
Going tomorrow night and I'll actually root, root, root for the home team since my team has no shot at the wildcard anymore, which is a shame.
O's might as well just win the division.
O's might as well just win the division.
The_Man
Footballguy
Holy crap. I literally have no recollection of writing this and no idea what I was trying to say.
Hey Dr D how was the atmosphere at camden yards? On tv it sounded electric! What a game!Going tomorrow night and I'll actually root, root, root for the home team since my team has no shot at the wildcard anymore, which is a shame. O's might as well just win the division.
I can feel it just watching on tv. Today's game was a nail biter. From the 6th inning on, when the Orioles were in the field and there were two outs, the crowd was on their feet cheering for the 3rd out. It looks like every game is a playoff game for the Orioles for the rest of the season.Hey Dr D how was the atmosphere at camden yards? On tv it sounded electric! What a game!Going tomorrow night and I'll actually root, root, root for the home team since my team has no shot at the wildcard anymore, which is a shame. O's might as well just win the division.
And that's alright cuz this is fun as hell! It is so nice to scoreboard watch this late in the season; I almost forgot what it feels like. And now with Jeter hobbling this might be our chance to put some ground between us and the Yanks.Oh yeah, the Ravens looked good on Monday, too.I can feel it just watching on tv. Today's game was a nail biter. From the 6th inning on, when the Orioles were in the field and there were two outs, the crowd was on their feet cheering for the 3rd out. It looks like every game is a playoff game for the Orioles for the rest of the season.Hey Dr D how was the atmosphere at camden yards? On tv it sounded electric! What a game!Going tomorrow night and I'll actually root, root, root for the home team since my team has no shot at the wildcard anymore, which is a shame. O's might as well just win the division.
Doctor Detroit
Please remove your headgear
AWESOME! Crowd was like a big waive following with the ebb and flow of the game, good times.Hey Dr D how was the atmosphere at camden yards? On tv it sounded electric! What a game!Going tomorrow night and I'll actually root, root, root for the home team since my team has no shot at the wildcard anymore, which is a shame. O's might as well just win the division.
If the Orioles and Tigers win their divisions, they'd play in the ALDS. Man that would be sweet.
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The_Man
Footballguy
Bad news - woke up this morning with a serious case of pennant fever. Which means I'm leaving the office sick at about 11:30 to go to today's game!
Plays like the one made by Machado last night - and Hardy, rotating over to cover third - make you believe there's really something special going on.
Plays like the one made by Machado last night - and Hardy, rotating over to cover third - make you believe there's really something special going on.
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
Have fun, GB. Gonna be a beautiful day.
It's almost time, pal. Have a
or ,sit back, and enjoy the show. What a great day for a game. If Chen pitches to his level he may give the pen a rest and hopefully put the O's 4 games in front of the Rays at the same time. I love weekday afternoon baseball My productivity level will be low to non-existent for the next few hours. Sorry Boss!
Tuco
Footballguy
I was there too. Atmosphere was GREAT! Much better than this past Friday when I saw them play the Yankees. I wish I knew you were going, would have liked to have gotten a beer with you. (formerly known as avoiding injuries)AWESOME! Crowd was like a big waive following with the ebb and flow of the game, good times.Hey Dr D how was the atmosphere at camden yards? On tv it sounded electric! What a game!Going tomorrow night and I'll actually root, root, root for the home team since my team has no shot at the wildcard anymore, which is a shame. O's might as well just win the division.
Doctor Detroit
Please remove your headgear
I had too many beers last night, today was rough.I was there too. Atmosphere was GREAT! Much better than this past Friday when I saw them play the Yankees. I wish I knew you were going, would have liked to have gotten a beer with you. (formerly known as avoiding injuries)AWESOME! Crowd was like a big waive following with the ebb and flow of the game, good times.Hey Dr D how was the atmosphere at camden yards? On tv it sounded electric! What a game!Going tomorrow night and I'll actually root, root, root for the home team since my team has no shot at the wildcard anymore, which is a shame. O's might as well just win the division.
Next time for sure!
Bottomfeeder Sports
Footballguy
.500
The_Man
Footballguy
Wow, what a great day. Felt like a holiday downtown - Oriole Day. Perfect weather, great crowd, and - ho, hum - another extra-inning win.
A few things stood out:
The crowd. So into the game. It really feels like a Memorial Stadium crowd. When Camden Yards was full, even during the playoff seasons of 96 and 97, it was full of a lot of DC and corporate types. Now it's just a bunch of Baltimorons having a great time and hanging on every pitch.
Manny. Game winning play in the field Wednesday, game winning hit Thursday. He made a lot of really tough plays look absolutely routine out there yesterday. Pretty amazing the guy had all of two minor league games at third under his belt before getting called up. The guy next to me got a real nice "Man-ny, Man-ny" chant going. As someone who reveres Eddie Murray and grew up chanting "Ed-die" I thoroughly approve this effort and hope it catches on.
Bonus dose of "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" when the middle of 14th rolled around -- not too often you get two seventh inning stretches in one game!
According to ESPN, the Orioles's 13 straight extra-inning wins is tied for the second-longest streak in major-league history (the 1949 Indians won 17 straight and the 1995 Indians won 13 straight). They are now 27-7 in one-run games this season. If their .794 winning percentage holds up, it would be the best all-time.
These are historical marks. To be an Orioles fan this season has been to watch a team perform better in clutch situations than any previous team in the history of baseball. If you haven't been to a game yet, I urge you to go. It's a great atmosphere and you should grab a piece of it now because you never know when it will be like this again.
A few things stood out:
The crowd. So into the game. It really feels like a Memorial Stadium crowd. When Camden Yards was full, even during the playoff seasons of 96 and 97, it was full of a lot of DC and corporate types. Now it's just a bunch of Baltimorons having a great time and hanging on every pitch.
Manny. Game winning play in the field Wednesday, game winning hit Thursday. He made a lot of really tough plays look absolutely routine out there yesterday. Pretty amazing the guy had all of two minor league games at third under his belt before getting called up. The guy next to me got a real nice "Man-ny, Man-ny" chant going. As someone who reveres Eddie Murray and grew up chanting "Ed-die" I thoroughly approve this effort and hope it catches on.
Bonus dose of "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" when the middle of 14th rolled around -- not too often you get two seventh inning stretches in one game!
According to ESPN, the Orioles's 13 straight extra-inning wins is tied for the second-longest streak in major-league history (the 1949 Indians won 17 straight and the 1995 Indians won 13 straight). They are now 27-7 in one-run games this season. If their .794 winning percentage holds up, it would be the best all-time.
These are historical marks. To be an Orioles fan this season has been to watch a team perform better in clutch situations than any previous team in the history of baseball. If you haven't been to a game yet, I urge you to go. It's a great atmosphere and you should grab a piece of it now because you never know when it will be like this again.
Doctor Detroit
Please remove your headgear
One big inning and a couple of baserunning plays did them in.
Bottomfeeder Sports
Footballguy
Well a winning season. I miss the days when this season would be a disappointment when there was no thought of a losing season, but more than a generation of Oriole fans now have known winning as only the exception..500
The_Man
Footballguy
18 straight winning seasons from 1968-1985. Winning used to be a forgone conclusion. But after 14 straight losing seasons from 1998-2011, I'm not going to lie -- it's pretty satisfying. I love the way this team grinds out every single game. After the current 3 games in Seattle, they play 10 with the Red Sox and Blue Jays. I think their grinding style will be great vs. these two teams with nothing to play for - they'll just keep coming at them and coming at them until the other team tosses in the towel and calls it a night. The double header vs. Toronto next Monday for sure - I just can't see the Blue Jays flying in late from a Sunday game in Florida and being real excited for 18 innings of baseball starting at 4 p.m. the next day.Would love to see the Orioles go 2-1 in Seattle, then 7-3 in those next 10 games vs. the AL East cellar dwellers. That would get them to 91 wins before the season-ending 3 games at Tampa. If the Orioles finish with 92 wins, the Angels would have to finish the season on a 12-4 run to tie them.Well a winning season. I miss the days when this season would be a disappointment when there was no thought of a losing season, but more than a generation of Oriole fans now have known winning as only the exception..500
Also, Orioles will probably hold the tie-breaker with the Yankees. They are 9-9 head-to-head, but the Orioles are 5 games up in the loss column for Division wins. If the Orioles and Yankees finish tied, there's a one-game playoff for the division, even if the loser is already assured of a Wild Card spot.
So, in theory, the Orioles could finish the regular season at Tampa on Wednesday, Oct. 3, then play a one-game tie-breaker game Thursday with the Yankees (at home or in New York), then go to Oakland for the one-game Wild Card game Friday, then go to Texas to start the Divisional playoffs on Saturday.
The_Man
Footballguy
With King Felix going tomorrow, big game tonight for the Orioles, with a win assuring them of a series split and leaving the West Coast no worse than 3-3. Hearing the Yankees might get rained out tonight. They don't have another off day scheduled this season, so that could leave them playing 16 games over the next 15 days. Will be interesting to see how their aging and beat up team stands up to that kind of stretch.
