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

Poor Gausman has pitched pretty well this season, just hasn't been able to get any run support. The bats have been quiet coming out of the break. We're averaging 2.25 runs per game and only allowing 2.75 runs per game. Pitching has been there, but the bats are cold.

 
Team is falling apart. Doesn't help that it seems like the flu is going around the clubhouse. The offense has been non-existent since the break and the pitching has actually been decent.

 
With the latest Harvey injury and the development of Arrieta and now even Gonzalez, you have to give the Orioles a FLASHING NEON WTF when it comes to developing pitchers. So frustrating.

Gotta give credit to Tillman, though. A huge effort yesterday. He's 14-2 and the team is 18-3 when he starts - 15 games over .500. In games he doesn't start, they're a game under .500. Sounds about right.

I'm going tonight - been showing up for Floppy Hat Night since I was 18 and had to beg the Memorial Stadium gate attendant to give me one, even though they're only for fans 21+. Will be interesting to see if Bundy handles his second start better than his first - going up against a very tough pitcher in Trevor Bauer, but the O's are inexplicably good at home, so maybe they have a chance.

Kind of miraculous the Orioles emerged from that road trip 3-4 and are still very well-positioned if they can get some players back.

 
Lots of rumors regarding the Orioles.  One that is getting a lot of attention:  Melvin Upton of the Padres for Ubaldo Jimenez and a prospect.

I don't know much about Upton, but with so little starting pitching, I think this trade only makes sense if they have completely given up on Ubaldo.  Even then, this is a reach.

The reports say the Orioles are looking at outfielders since Kim and Rickard are both on the DL.  Kim is going to start a rehab assignment and could be back soon.  Rickard is out 4-6 weeks.

I don't think it makes sense to trade for a guy that slots in at LF for a week, then platoons for the next 5 weeks.  That won't put this team over the top.

 
Marvelous said:
Lots of rumors regarding the Orioles.  One that is getting a lot of attention:  Melvin Upton of the Padres for Ubaldo Jimenez and a prospect.

I don't know much about Upton, but with so little starting pitching, I think this trade only makes sense if they have completely given up on Ubaldo.  Even then, this is a reach.

The reports say the Orioles are looking at outfielders since Kim and Rickard are both on the DL.  Kim is going to start a rehab assignment and could be back soon.  Rickard is out 4-6 weeks.

I don't think it makes sense to trade for a guy that slots in at LF for a week, then platoons for the next 5 weeks.  That won't put this team over the top.
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I'd trade Jimenez for a bag of air at this point just to remove the temptation to put Ubaldo in an actual game. 

They're not gonna land a game-changer starter, so screw it - try to club the opposition into the dust. Upton's got some pop.

I agree with The_Man - why the hell can't the Orioles develop (& keep & nurture) pitchers anymore? In the 60s/70s/80s there was a damned log-jam of guys waiting their turns. "McNally leaves for FA? That's ok, we have Wayne Garland" (or whoever). I don't know his contract situation, but Gausman is the first I can think of since Mussina 25 freaking years ago who they drafted, brought up and might have a lengthy, productive stay.

So, if Bundy is more like he was in the most recent start than his first........is Tillman/Gausman/Bundy enough? 

 
The Orioles' offense looked really anemic against the Yankees as they lost 3 out of 4.  They come back home and sweep the Indians.  And suddenly they have the best record in the American League.

 
I know it's dumb to get worked up over Power Rankings, but when are the O's going to get any respect? Just swept the Indians? 2 spots behind them. Have the series lead over the Red Sox this year and 1.5 games better. Behind them too. I know the O's are the sexy team, but they have the best record in the AL and have consistently been one of the best teams in the AL this season, yet it doesn't seem like anyone cares.

 
Orioles acquire LHP Wade Miley from the Mariners.  They traded AAA LHP Ariel Miranda.  One source says the Mariners are also sending some cash.

Per camdemchat.com, they thought Miranda was a non-prospect at this point.  He is 27 years old and not near MLB ready.  If he was a prospect, he would have certainly been given a chance to start by now.

The big question:  did the Orioles get an Al Saunders or a Scott Feldman?

 
Lol Al Saunders was the OC for the Skins a few years back. You're thinking of Joe Saunders.

Figure Miley can't be any worse than Ubaldo, so that has to be something, right?

 
So our big deadline deals were for Wade Miley and Steve Pearce. We'll probably sneak in as a Wild Card and be knocked out early. They either need to go all-in and make a run with this current group or start selling off pieces and build around Machado, Tillman, Bundy, Gausman, and Schoop.

 
At least Matusz started for the Cubs and let up 6 runs in 3 innings. I couldn't handle him leaving and being successful too. 

How rare would it be for a first place team to be sellers. I almost think the O's should have traded away Trumbo and Weiters. Use this off season to sign Machado and Schoop and work on SP. I don't think anyone has confidence in them going deep in the playoffs with our pitching. Sorry to sound like negative Nelson. 

 
I thought the Orioles should have been sellers last year.  Chen and O'Day would have brought in a lot of prospect and the Orioles could start rebuilding their farm system.

 
Two nights a row I stayed up to watch O's score a total of 3 runs. Going to bed early tonight, so look for an offensive explosion.

Truly great Baltimore sports moment last night when some people in Rio obviously yelled the "O" loud enough during the anthem for Phelps to hear. He burst out laughing during the medal ceremony. Couldn't hear it on TV, but his reaction and where it came during the anthem made it clear that someone did it.

 
That was some hell of a 5-5 road trip. Heading out, I thought 6-4 was a best case scenario (2-1 vs. COL, 3-1 vs. OAK, 1-2 vs. SF) so 5-5 is fine. But to go 5-5 after dropping the first 3 in Oakland was pretty great.

Sure is easier to win games when Trumbo hits HRs than when he doesn't.

Great pennant race shaping up, though Toronto is very legit. Should be a fun homestand coming up.

 
Did not expect to win that one yesterday. Maybe the offense is finally starting to come around in the 2nd half. Going to be a battle in the division the rest of the way.

 
Houston curb stomped us down there too. Reminds me of what the Royals did in the 2014 ALCS - these O's are slow and ponderous sluggers, not built to compete with fast, athletic, high OBP teams. That line drive Crush booted in rightfield was very revealing - guy shouldn't be out there in the first place, but what else are they going to do?

Strasburg might strike out 15 guys tonight. Will be up to Bundy to bounce back from his bad outing last time. Doubt anything good is going to happen.

 
The Orioles' starting pitching was looking better since the All Star break, but go completely destroyed during the past home stand.  Bundy really needs to step up with a good outing.

The big missing piece for the Orioles is the starting pitching.  If they can get average quality from them, they will be in the penant race.  If they pitch like they have the past week, they will be watching the playoffs on tv from their living rooms.

 
We're 16-20 since the break. We can't seem to but together a good stretch of hitting and pitching. If one is good, the other has been terrible. Need to be more consistent.

 
Offense has certainly come alive the past 2 games.

Sad to see Britton's shutout streak come to an end, but at least it didn't come at the cost of us losing a game.

 
Houston has our number this year. Just like we seem to have Washington's number.

Even before last night, Britton's season was starting to remind me of Gregg Olson in 1989. The guy literally didn't allow an earned run for 2 months, then got tagged with a blown save in pivotal Game 160 at Toronto. If O's had won, they would have been tied with 2 left to play. Instead they lost and were down 2 with 2 to go.

Kind of happy to get the streak out of the way. But still can't shake the feeling that his first blown save will come at the most crushing, heartbreaking moment possible.

 
The_Man said:
Even before last night, Britton's season was starting to remind me of Gregg Olson in 1989. The guy literally didn't allow an earned run for 2 months, then got tagged with a blown save in pivotal Game 160 at Toronto. If O's had won, they would have been tied with 2 left to play. Instead they lost and were down 2 with 2 to go.

I remember that game (well, a little). I believe Phil Bradley led off with a HR for the Orioles. And I remember the end. 

The Orioles came out of nowhere that year (hence the "Why Not?" slogan). 
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Bradley led off with a HR and I think the score remained 1-0 until the 9th - my hazy memory is that Toronto tied it (maybe on a wild pitch?) in the 9th and won it in the 10th. I could be wrong though - I was listening to the game on the radio in the basement of a Connecticut fraternity house. It was on the highest point in the city and on a clear September night I could (barely) pull in WBAL on the radio there. Drank many beers while listening, and had to keep fighting people off from putting music on as the game dragged on and the crowd of people there to party grew.

The previous year, the 88 O's started with the unforgettable 0-21 streak. That 89 team really was pretty amazing.

 
I was in a house I rented in Beverly Beach (I know you know where I'm talking about). I remember my then-wife being there, plus my best friend and his wife and her son (he was probably nine), along with my brother and his girlfriend. The kid cried his eyes out when they lost. The rest of us were in shock because we didn't really think it could happen, but we had The Otter on the mound so we were all in.

 
Is it me, or does it seem as though the Orioles have been really unlucky with challenges lately?

I don't believe in conspiracies (and I don't know what the conspiracy against the Orioles would be), but man, it seems like some really clear-cut calls have gone against them.

 
The Orioles really need to kick it up a notch to make the playoffs.  Ubaldo had a 4th straight good outing yesterday and got 11 runs for support.  That is a good combination.  I posted before that they may need Ubaldo later in the season since they have so little starting pitching.

Bundy really looks like he is running out of gas.  I think his fastball velocity has been down in recent starts. Tillman comes back today. The Orioles really need Tillman to come back strong.

 
Hell of an effort lately. If they could finish up this road trip with a win tonight to get to 6-3 and close within 1 game of first, that would be pretty incredible.

But I'll live with 5-4. Gonna have to go to a couple games this weekend.

 
I may have posted this here before, but am I crazy for thinking the Orioles are actually built BETTER for the playoffs than the regular season? Starting pitching is still important, of course, but I think less so in the post-season because everything is so compressed (& also because I remember those Braves teams with HOF starters come up short for a decade and a half). 

I mean, Baltimore's MO is either "bludgeon the opponent to death early through brute force" or "get to the bullpen - ours and theirs - and THEN bludgeon them to death late while our BP locks it down". Of course, there's still the "all of our hitters go cold at the same time and we can't manufacture runs" thing we've seen for long stretches this season.  Also, Wade "I Can't Get Six People Out" Miley.

Anyway, the AL post-season race this last 3 weeks is going to be insane. There are four teams in realistic play just for the AL East with the non-champs - along with 3 or 4 other teams from other divisions - rolling for the WCs. 

 
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HUGE series against the Sox. If we're going to make a run at the division, this is it. Need to take 3 of 4. A split or worse and we can kiss the division goodbye.

 
As we've seen throughout the season, this team just isn't really that good. If they don't hit 3 HRs in game and get a lead their bullpen can secure, they're not going to win very often.

Taking the long view, I feel like they've actually over-achieved a bit - considering just what a dumpster fire their starting pitching has been, and how limited the corner OFs are.

Been a fun season and of course I hope they make the playoffs, but I feel like this team's post-season life will be short.

 
When Oritz hit the 3 run homer last night, I immediately thought the Orioles' chances to win the division officially went to zero.  Coming down to the wire in a tight race, the Orioles needed to step up their game.  The starting pitching has continued to be suspect and the hitting is hit and miss (literally).  Meanwhile, Boston has really stepped up their game, winning 7 in a row, the last 3 against the Orioles.

The Orioles are currently at the 2nd wild card spot.  If they can turn things around, the can get in as a wild card and do some damage.  If they continue to play like they are, the may limp into a wild card, or miss the playoffs entirely.

 
Marvelous said:
The Orioles are currently at the 2nd wild card spot.  If they can turn things around, the can get in as a wild card and do some damage.  If they continue to play like they are, the may limp into a wild card, or miss the playoffs entirely.
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So if they win some games, they can still get in as the wild card, and if they lose most of their games they won't?

 
Adam Jones is getting blasted on some social media (& a couple of major) outlets. First, for his "baseball is a white man's game" quote last week and now for saying that it's sad that the attendence is CY is so low in a playoff race.

 
Uruk-Hai said:
Adam Jones is getting blasted on some social media (& a couple of major) outlets. First, for his "baseball is a white man's game" quote last week and now for saying that it's sad that the attendence is CY is so low in a playoff race.
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I saw that article regarding his comments on the attendance.

It's hard to get excited, because every year its the same old song and dance.  The Orioles need pitching.  They've needed pitching for years.  Yet, every winter their energy is spent trying to sign another outfielder who can "hit a home tun at any time!" (Cruz, re-signing Davis, Trumbo), but can't put the ball in play when the tying/go-ahead run is on second base with no outs.  Then the trade deadline comes and they trade for more outfielders.  They boast about their bullpen, but they wear out right when the pennant race starts, because three of five starters routinely can't pitch out of the fifth inning.

The front office strategy seems to want to win every game 12-10.  Year after year, it's been shown that this formula doesn't work.  They get to this point in the season and implode.  Its expected.  It's frustrating.  That's why fans aren't showing up.  

 
ClownCausedChaos2 said:
I saw that article regarding his comments on the attendance.

It's hard to get excited, because every year its the same old song and dance.  The Orioles need pitching.  They've needed pitching for years.  Yet, every winter their energy is spent trying to sign another outfielder who can "hit a home tun at any time!" (Cruz, re-signing Davis, Trumbo), but can't put the ball in play when the tying/go-ahead run is on second base with no outs.  Then the trade deadline comes and they trade for more outfielders.  They boast about their bullpen, but they wear out right when the pennant race starts, because three of five starters routinely can't pitch out of the fifth inning.

The front office strategy seems to want to win every game 12-10.  Year after year, it's been shown that this formula doesn't work.  They get to this point in the season and implode.  Its expected.  It's frustrating.  That's why fans aren't showing up.  
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Plus don't forget that people are getting killed almost nonstop when they visit the city.  Or at least that's what a bunch of talk radio callers would have you believe.  Of course most of these folks are from Harford County so I guess I should expect this type of fear when they happen to see someone who looks different than them.

 
Pretty exciting weekend. I was there for all 12 innings on Friday night. I love Buck but was pretty unhappy for an hour or so with his decision not to pinch run for Hardy in the 9th. But all's well that ends well.

Agree that 4-2 is what it will take. Yankees look pretty played out, but not looking forward to that house of horrors in Ontario. Still living in deep fear that Britton's only blown save of the year will be the one that costs them a playoff spot.

 
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