2010 Orioles Gameday Thread

[ForceEight]

24 runners left on base.

[Spen]

Does that usually come back to hurt a team?

 

I wonder who I blame?

[83eh01]

Does that usually come back to hurt a team?

 

I wonder who I blame?

 

Maybe it's my fault since I picked Crawford in my Beat the Streak.

[ForceEight]

Does that usually come back to hurt a team?

 

I wonder who I blame?

Roger Goodell. Write a letter.

[millz58]

Has anyone else noticed that Palmer's voice sounds deeper than usual? Just based on what I heard last night and so far tonight. Nice to see Guthrie have a quick 1st inning, good swingin' K on Crawford, and for at least one RISP to be picked up early. Garza looks pretty good too.

[dc.]

I couldn't hear him last night because I was out... but tonight I definitely was noticing it.

 

I don't know if it's deeper or just that he's a little calmer, more settled, slower. He used to be all "Oh, yeah, Jim Hunter, when you say that I can relate!!" Tonight it sounds very "Well, that's a strike because it went over the plate."

[millz58]

I couldn't hear him last night because I was out... but tonight I definitely was noticing it.

 

I don't know if it's deeper or just that he's a little calmer, more settled, slower. He used to be all "Oh, yeah, Jim Hunter, when you say that I can relate!!" Tonight it sounds very "Well, that's a strike because it went over the plate."

Definitely a bit more settled, not jumping on or into comments, he sounds a bit hoarse right now actually, so maybe he's just under the weather.

[dc.]

Yeah, I think it's just laryngitis - was clearing his throat all game.

[ForceEight]

Manfra and Angel have been really fun to listen to, actually. Especially so.

[millz58]

Manfra and Angel have been really fun to listen to, actually. Especially so.

Those two have been fun, I haven't caught any radio yet this season, but I do enjoy Angel especially.

[Spen]

Whew, had me sweating.....

[ForceEight]

Whew, had me sweating.....

And after two strikeouts, no less. Gonzalez is weird.

[Spen]

And after two strikeouts, no less. Gonzalez is weird.

 

I would have been livid if they lost.

[millz58]

And after two strikeouts, no less. Gonzalez is weird.

Really though, he's an NL transplant, can we save the 'weird' label until he goes through a few rotations? I know his delivery is funky, if that's what you meant. but I wouldn't expect him to do well immediately in this league (division).

[dc.]

His numbers, historcally, kind of scare me.

 

ERA has been consistently solid. So has K/9 innings.

 

But WHIP, Walks, Hits... all much higher than you'd like.

 

And despite consistently posting an ERA under 3 - he's never had a stable closing job. He went 24/24 one year for Pitt. But before that in Pit and after it in Atlanta, no one used him as a closer.

 

Last year he was just 10/17 in save opps - despite a low ERA and WHIP.

 

 

Add it all up??? He's the type that lets guys get hits and get on base - even in the NL. His blown saves last year (7 of them in 17 chances) hardly hurt his ERA (2.42) because he was letting someone else's runners score. But that's still his save blown.

 

He's going to be a George Sherrill. Living on the edge. He'll strike out 10 per 9 innings (avg)... he'll also walk 5 per 9 innings (avg). Not closer material.

[millz58]

Cool; he definitely lived on the edge tonight. The Sherrill comparison makes me shudder. Maybe another metric should gauge the closer's effectiveness with inherited runners (included).

[cravnravn]

Need to get a closer can't live on the edge like that..Reminds me of Don Stanhouse, or Sammy "sniff, sniff" Stewart

Edited April 9, 2010 by cravnravn

[millz58]

Need to get a closer can't live on the edge like that..Reminds me of Don Stanhouse, or Sammy "sniff, sniff" Stewart

the way Gonzalez moved side-to-side erratically on his deliveries made me imagine him on the edge of a high rooftop, one leg kicked over the edge, the opposite arm back over the roof... searching for his center, pitch going wherever it would. It's like he has no idea where his balance point is so instead of driving into his pitches he's letting his upper body dicate his whole movement. wacky, dangerous and ineffective.

[Spen]

I just got back from the print shop where I picked up my "lights out" very in demand Mike Gonzalez T-shirt and I had a question.

 

Is Luke Scott too selective at the plate? It seems like he is always waiting for the perfect pitch......

[dc.]

Luke might be, yes.

 

Meanwhile, had to laugh on my way out of the ballpark as there were still a few guys selling programs and souvenirs...

 

"Get your Mike Gonzalez collectible program hereeeeee!" with a wry grin.

 

He wasn't lying... Gonzalez and Atkins on the cover. Sure he wasn't selling any though.

[Spen]

Perfect! Wieters gets on in the 9th despite needing base runners Wiggington fights off the very first pitch he sees to weakly ground into a double play.

 

It really is a textbook display of how not to start a season. You have a team that has higher expectations than they have in years - and trying to convince its fans of that, and you have blown saves, leave tons of men on base, and make poorly timed errors. Way to build some enthusiasm.

[millz58]

Perfect! Wieters gets on in the 9th despite needing base runners Wiggington fights off the very first pitch he sees to weakly ground into a double play.

 

It really is a textbook display of how not to start a season. You have a team that has higher expectations than they have in years - and trying to convince its fans of that, and you have blown saves, leave tons of men on base, and make poorly timed errors. Way to build some enthusiasm.

yep, that's why I really didn't even watch much after the Flyers/Rangers game came on. It's going to be difficult (for me at least) to watch any baseball at all until NHL playoffs are done, and by then the O's might be 20 games back already. Sure looks like that's the pace they're on.

[dc.]

Millwood! AHH! The last few years we've had a guy pitch like Millwood did today into the 8th and 9th... he had 69 pitches through 7 innings. Was about to have 80 through 8 when Miggy muffed the grounder.

 

Anyway, last few years... Dave/whoever has pulled the starter and - ouch - closers blow it. Playing it "safe."

 

We leave Millwood out there and - ouch - he turns into a gopher ball boy.

 

Just brutal.

 

Got a killer sun burn in LF again though. If you were watching, probably saw me on both HRs in the 8th. They landed 5 rows behind me and 10 feet to my right.

 

Meanwhile... totally agree. TY SWING BAT!

[millz58]

I don't remember in recent years having a starting pitcher reliably (even frequently) go into the 6th inning, let alone the 8th or 9th. And yes, though, when any of them would stumble into those later (read, 5th or 6th, maybe 7th) innings, there would be a quick pull by trembley to bring in the so-called "middle-relief", which would normally not work out, and then put closers in bad positions or put other bullpenners in untenable positions. The management of our rotation and bullpen has been the single largest problem this team has faced in the last 15 years, the close second being the development of minor league talent. Both have suffered the abuse of free agency and bringing-in of retreads.

[vmax]

I didn't expect the orioles to be doing this bad. I was leaving town on Friday (Opening Day) and Tejada had just tied the game up...the crowd was excited and I thought the O's were going to get their 2nd win.

I come back to find out they were swept.

It seems their division is loaded and that it's going to be a slow and frustrating start for this season until they can find an opponent that they can compete with.

Edited April 12, 2010 by vmax