O’s-A’s-Hannah Open Thread (+Fall League Notes)
The skies are darkening fast as I type this, which tells me that tonight’s Chris Waters vs. Dallas Braden matchup might not come off as planned. That’d wreak havoc with the schedule overall because there’s already a doubleheader scheduled tomorrow, and they can’t play on Sunday on account of the Ravens. This could get rather interesting.
The Orioles return home today after a dismal 0-6 roadtrip at 63-76 and fading fast. There’s good news, though, and it’s that the A’s are no better. Perhaps we can get well here.
As we look ahead to the offseason, the team announced today that the following players would be headed to the Arizona Fall League to play for the Surprise Rafters:
Matt Wieters, Nolan Reimold, Brandon Snyder, Brian Matusz, Chad Thall(?), Kam Mickolio, and Bob McRory.
The following players are headed to play in Hawaii for the West Oahu Canefires:
Wally Crancer, Tyler Henson, Tim Bascom, Sean Gleason, Cliff Flagello, Brian Parker, and Chris Salberg.
The most hideous yet? 5 bases loaded walks??? Every end of year it’s some new embarrassment. Unbelievable.
Good lord.
Well, Bass was decent. Yeah he had that bases loaded walk, but after that he was able to get outs. But damn, what is it with these pitchers? Burres stinks. Word on the street is that Bass might compete for a starting rotation job out of spring training. He’s a young dude, at least.
I second Andrew on the DT quote regarding F-Cab. Tell it like it is, boy… that dude has no place on this club. Now, if we can only realize that Walker, Burres, etc don’t either.
How bout Chris Waters? I mean, he won’t give you 7 innings, but he’s not out there serving up grand slams and walking in runs. I say there’s a good chance he turns into a number 4 or 5 type guy with a high 4 ERA, but who isn’t an absolute bum 100% of the time out there. We need some of those guys.
DT! Hey, we might just have the same manager for more than a year and half! This is great news.
Some interesting MacPhail quotes about the two new pitchers, this from Orioles.com:
Bass, a right-hander, went 3-4 with a 4.87 ERA for the Twins this season, and executive Andy MacPhail said he was a key acquisition. MacPhail, the team’s president of baseball operations, said that Baltimore’s scouts had seen Bass multiple times and that he could help the Orioles either out of the bullpen or by joining the late-September rotation.
“I think we’re going to have to attack it with numbers, with pitching,” MacPhail said. “That’s pretty much the general theory, with the two individuals you asked for. The attractive thing about Brian is that he throws strikes, not unlike a lot of Twins pitchers. He doesn’t walk a lot of guys and he keeps the ball on the ground. We have two pretty good scouting reports on him. … Once Minnesota didn’t bring him up, we made the call and said, ‘Hey, if you’re not going to use him, we could.’
“And they were accomodating on behalf of the player. It’s no surprise to me they didn’t call him up, because they do have some real pitching depth at their Triple-A club in Rochester.”
As for Simon, he took a little bit more legwork. The 27-year-old began this season with the Monterey Sultans of the Mexican League, posting a 7-2 record with a 2.67 ERA. Before that assignment, Simon had put together a 5-16 record and an ERA over 6.00 in each of his two seasons at the Triple-A level, but the Orioles still think he can help.
“Simon is the first product of John Stockstill’s international foray,” he said, speaking of the team’s director of international scouting, who is in his first year in that capacity. “It surprises me that it’s Mexico. John has been to Japan, he’s been to the Olympics in China, he’s been to Mexico, [and] he’s been to the Dominican.
“He’s been to just about anywhere that one would hope he would be, and one of the pitchers he saw that he liked was Simon. … It’s not a high-profile high expenditure, but we think he was better than what else we have at our disposal.”
And from DT regarding F-Cab’s flipping incident:
“There is no substitute,” he said, “at any time, for respect and integrity.” Yeah, boy.
i doubt they’ll even bother to make the game(s) up.
Doesn’t every team have to play 162? I honestly have no idea.
I was at the game last night. And yes, SCI, it was by far the worst. Somehow, I was more dejected leaving that game than last year’s 30-3. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it more dismal in the stadium since I can remember.
5 bases loaded walks was one of the most pathetic things I’ve seen in a while. Well, at least since I watched the Skins offense (or lackthereof) 24 hours prior. Thanks for stopping the bleeding, Hanna.
I’m glad someone else said it (Brendan) so I don’t get bitched at it for saying it.
Last night’s fiasco was FAR worse than that 30-3 ass-stuffing the O’s took last year.
That night was a once-in-a-lifetime, lightning-in-a-bottle hitting exhibition by the Rangers.
To call last night’s display “bush league” would be doing a disservice to bush-leaguers everywhere. It was worse than bush-league.
Don’t worry, though. MacPhail’s gonna fix it.
I doubt anyone would get bitched at for saying that. This is really painful.
Was that MacPhail comment meant in jest?
No, it wasn’t “in jest”.
I’ve said time and time again that I think Andy MacPhail has done a good job.
15 months in, though…Andy hasn’t done a whole lot of fixing. That’s the truth.
We’ll see in this off-season how much repair work he can do. Will the club spend money on pitchers? I’m sure they’re going to say they will…but WILL they?
I really need to see a ravens win tomorrow. The way the O’s play, if the ravens put up a lackluster performance, like they are very capable of, i might slit my wrists. Who wins more games in September. O’s or Ravens? I say ravens.
The Ravens have rescued the city long enough.
It’s time for the Orioles to start investing in their organization and put winning teams back on the field.
They’ve bilked $180 million or so out of Comcast (and their customers) over the last three years as part of that MASN fiasco. When are they going to start spending that money on the player roster?
I think everyone agrees that last night was the rock bottom of of ‘08. Who would bitch at you for saying so? Drew, you truly are the jaded boyfriend in a bad breakup.
I’ve got 3 more games on my season ticket package this year and I better see one freakin’ win. I’ve seen 2 wins in 15 games this year. Maybe I’m the problem actually.
Is anyone rooting for any NL teams during the monswoon and offseason? I know many here don’t like NL ball, and I am sure as hell not rooting for another AL team (that’s like dancing with your sister at prom), but the Dodgers have finally grown on me not just because I’m originally from Orange County and they were my grandparents’ team, but they’re the only other baseball team other than the Orioles that I can consistently think of players from before my time, during my childhood, and present time. Plus they had Jesse Orosco, F*** Mariano Rivera, that dude is my ‘grand daddy of relief pitching’.Reply - Quote
i guess they can make it up sunday. i didn’t realize that was an off day for each team. weird.
@ t.w.o. — it’s only that way because they moved the game up a day (today’s doubleheader) so as not to conflict with the Ravens. Playing tomorrow isn’t an option.
@ Drew — I basically agree. I don’t want the A’s or the Twins, I want the Tigers or the White Sox.
Hard to fix 10 years of bad drafts, bad luck, bad management, bad free agent signings, and injuries in 15 months, Drew.
Drew, I’d like to hear what players you think the O’s should spend their money on. But I doubt I will.
I can see spending money on a shortstop (regardless of the mediocre FA shortstops that are out there) and a couple of FA starting pitchers, but not a guy like Sabbathia because you’re spending everything you have on a guy that only pitches once a week and will inevitably get injured 2 years into his absurd 7 year deal.
> Playing tomorrow isn’t an option.
is there some legal reason? i mean don’t they have to get it in?
From what I understand it’s a logistical thing. I think they technically could play tomorrow, but it’d create one hell of a mess downtown (which was the original reason for moving it). My guess is they’ll find an open date somewhere and squeeze it in. Or, you might be right about just not playing it at all. I think that’s happened before in situations like this when there were no playoff implications.
i can’t imagine they’d do it on an open date b/c A’s would have to play in Texas, Baltimore and then on West Coast in three consecutive days.
Well, for starters, I’d take Burnett and Lowe as starters. They’re better than any of the turds we’ve trotted out there this year…on their worst day(s). Guthrie is the only reasonable major league pitcher we’ve used and he’s someone else’s #3, but our “ace”.
Your assessment that Sabathia is going to get hurt two years into his absurd 7-year deal is interesting. What’s the lottery number going to be on September 6, 2010? I assume you’re two years ahead of the rest of us.
If you want to use “he might get hurt 2 years from now” as an excuse for not spending money, you should go work for the Orioles.
That’s probably the excuse they’ll use.
No one wanted to pay Ryan Dempster or Kyle Lohse because they’ve been injured a lot and, well, they’re about 30-10 (combined) or thereabouts this year with an e.r.a. well under the league average.
Ben Sheets is available too, but he always spends 30-45 days on the DL each year. Somehow, though, his numbers are better than anyone we have.
So there you have three names, just for starters (no pun intended). They cost money, mind you.
Or, Dan, you know what the O’s can do?
Nothing.
They can let someone else sign Burnett or Lowe or Sheets and then we’ll be sitting here again next September having a big circle jerk amongst the six of us who frequent TLC bemoaning the fact that we’re in last place — again.
That should be fun.
hahahahahaha “the six of us who frequent TLC”. Nice one, Drew. I can assure you it’s more than that.
There is something seriously wrong in this organization when it comes to developing pitchers. There’s no possible way they can all be this bad.
These swoons have really taken on a mystical element. This kind of thing simply doesn’t happen to any other team. Not this way, not this consistently.
And you’re right, Greg. It makes me a little bit — not that much, but a little — worried about the next wave of guys.
It’s weird because the problems have surpassed managers, pitching coaches, front office staff, minor league coaches (who don’t seem to have a problem getting their teams to win anyway)… all of the previous have been replaced within the past year and a half. It has to be a philosophy of some sort, because it also transcends all pitchers.
Drew, I completely agree with you about signing guys like Burnett and Lowe. You can look back at my comments - I’m all for it. But much better to do that than sign one ace pitcher who is so expensive that you can’t make any other moves. Then your #3, 4, and 5 starters are still garbage and if either Guthrie or CC got hurt, we’re right back to where we are right now. But sign a couple of veteran starters, absolutely. That leaves you with your 4 and 5 spots open for the young guys to latch onto. But yes, let’s spend some money, I’m all about it. As long as it’s done smartly and without giving guys albatross contracts.
I totally agree, Dan, and I think pretty much everyone around these parts is on that page. It’s going to be a very interesting hot stove season.