Three Months of Sundays
Today when Rad Hams takes the hill against Kevin Millwood it will represent yet another chance for the O’s to win on a Sunday. If you’ve lost track, they haven’t done that for 12 straight tries. All told they’ve been outscored 67-34 on Sundays this year.
Amazingly enough, that’s nowhere near a record. While the last time any team lost 13 or more times in a row on one day was when the Diamondbacks lost for 15 straight Saturdays in 2004, the record is 21. That honor is held by the 1939 St. Louis Browns for Tuesdays.
Don’t forget that today is “We Win, You Win” day. Everyone who buys a ticket today gets a free ticket to a future game if the O’s pull it off. The team deserves a ton of credit for cooking this one up — further proof that things are moving in the right direction.
How did you enjoy your holiday?
How ’bout that All-Star roster? Ya think Boston, Chicago, and NYY fans voted early and often on that one?
Just an absolute joke to have Jeter, Pedroia, and Varitek in that lineup. No Huff as DH and not a SINGLE player from the #1 team in baseball: the Bay Rays.
God I hate people.
Went to We Win You Win today. Neither We nor You won. And Adam Loewen left again with elbow pain. Your #1 pick. What a bust he’s turning out to be.
It was a valiant comeback effort though – enough to prove to O’s fans that the comeback magic is still there, if the bullpen could get some damn outs. Sadly, they can’t. Even The Boat and All-Star George couldn’t get it done today in the 8th.
A disappointing home stand to say the least. I hate Texas. It’s impossible to get anyone out on that team.
But at least Millar, Melvin, Roberts, and Markakis went deep. But Payton was 0-5 and Bynum lost the game on a throwing error to first.
Is it the All-Star break yet?
How about this for a grim quote from Ramon Hernandez:
“You see it happen here every year and I don’t know why. Starters, relievers, they always start getting hurt. Every year since I’ve been here, it’s been like that.”
Doomed, this baseball team is.
BLOW IT UP
f*ck “team chemistry”, this chemical reaction of a team is noxious.
was there. blame the bullpen. period.
Yup.
I’m at the point where I want to see some action. Trade somebody, promote some minor leaguers to AAA or AA, give DT an extension… something!
I might add, sign Matusz!
What can we say about Loewen? I feel bad for the guy because he clearly wants to compete and has talent but his arm keeps breaking down. Liz, Olson, and Burres are spotty at best. Albers and Loewen are done. Our depth is suddenly back at square one. Penn? Cherry?
Apparently Payton gave the finger to a fan today also. Fuck’s sake, can we get rid of this guy? And throw in our lazy ass, gloomy catcher? He must have botched four balls in the dirt today. These guys are like lead anchors. Get on it, MacPhail.
Bynum botching the throw did “cost” us the game in a sense, but why blame the bullpen? Liz gave up 6 runs and didn’t go more than 4 innings and walked 5 batters – THAT’S what’s at fault. We can’t expect our bullpen to come through ALL of the time, especially with Albers done and Loewen being hurt AGAIN. Bierd needs to get up here NOW, gah.
Loewen needs to be shut down. I will refuse to call the guy a bust, since I think it’s harsh for someone who can’t stay healthy to be labeled a bust.
I’d be flipping people off too if I went 0-5 against a team with average pitching at best…
Ramon Hernandez is no longer an asset behind the plate, he’s a liability. His refusal to use his chest as a backstop on wild pitches pisses me off, and when there’s a play at the plate, I can literally sense his apprehensiveness to give up the body and block the runner. This is not how that position is played. I don’t care about his arm strength, half of the time the throws are very inaccurate. As soon as his bat cools off (let’s face it, it will) we should trade the guy and give Quiroz a chance. Quiroz isn’t too much of a difference offensively, but he’s a major upgrade defensively IMO.
Interesting that you don’t consider a first round draft who has an 8.00+ ERA and rarely plays the game because he can’t stay healthy a bust. I don’t think that semantics allow Loewen a free pass on this one; if you aren’t doing what you’re supposed to be doing for this team, you’re a bust.
I like that you say we can’t give Loewen a “free pass” on this one like its his fault he’s in this position right now. He got rushed, partially out of need, and partially out of his contract, sure, but rushed nonetheless, and of course the strain on a pitcher’s elbow when he gets rushed like that puts him in a position to get injured constantly. Also Adam Loewen shouldn’t have been a first rounder anyway. He’s a bust as far as we way overvalued him and then severely mishandled him, but I think if he gets his feet under him, he can be very useful as a Matt Albers type of pitcher, a swingman but mostly middle relief.
Speaking of, is there any argument that Albers was the Most Valuable Oriole in the first half? He goes down and the house of cards crumbles. Obviously you hope that he can recover, but still – what a great find by the scouting department.
What a shit week, from the Nats down to the Rangers. We got overwhelmed by something, and if we don’t pick ourselves up in Toronto and Boston (and we really might not), I think the ride is over. But we were 1 game above New York in July. I couldn’t have asked for a better Independence Day gift. What a wonderful first half of the season, either way.
If the Orioles flounder suddenly and can’t get going after the break (where we have a tough schedule) I think you can then trade Huff, Sherrill, Bradford, Scott, Roberts (if the deal is right). I don’t think anyone else has any shortterm value to a contender nor does anyone else have so little longterm value that we would want to get rid of them. However, knowing this team, they’ll sweep the next 6 games and we won’t be talking about trading anyone until the offseason (which is how I want it).
I was in Philly for the fourth, watching the Mets in Citizens Bank Park. It tells you how very far the Orioles still have to go in terms of getting that fanbase back. Literally everyone was totally into the game, despite the constant rain on Friday, from first pitch to walkoff single, at a constant high level of energy. Nobody got there late or left early, and they were there to watch baseball. It was probably the best atmosphere I’ve ever seen in a baseball game. Baltimore doesn’t have that (although…Philadelphia is not on the Phillies’ road jerseys…), but hopefully they’re getting it back, slowly but surely.
What is the hold up with Matusz? I thought he was going to be a quick sign. Also – dear God, no Eckstein.
Also, you absolutely cannot trade these guys: Millar, Payton, Ramon, Bynum, Fahey, Walker, Mora. They don’t have any value to a contender. At all. And they mostly don’t have any value to a rebuilding organization, which is why you all want them gone, but geez, who would take any of them off the Orioles hands even if Baltimore footed the bill?
I think sherrill needs to be traded. While he still has upside that is. He is the savior, and lone all star on this team (roberts isnt getting that fan vote) but maybe the real george is coming out. God knows we wouldnt be where we are without him. Howwever he never was a closer, hes what 30,31 years old, and now that people know who he is, and have studied him, they’re teeing off now. They say hes got the great closer mentallity, but that doesnt mean shit when your fastball hardly breaks 90mph. Johnson can close, hes got the mentallity, we’ve seen him get out of some crazy shit this year. Remember Boston, 0 out bases loaded, up by 1, ManRam up, got the double play ball, then strikes out Papi. Not to mention JJ has the best fastball his peers have claimed to ever seen.
Let JJ close the rest of the year, Ray will be back next year, and let them battle it out in spring training for the closer role.
Theres teams out there in eaisier divisions looking to make playoff runs that could use a “closer” The Mets, Wagner hasnt gotten it done consistently. St.Louis, Isringhausen hasnt been his best this year, and as history shows, to win late in the year, and in the playoffs, you need a closer. Maybe theres a SS out there we can get in return.
if we plan on trading Huff, then we better do whatever it takes to get Texieria here next year. I dont see him signing with ATL since they’re playing below .500, and we have 3 teams in the AL east to contend with now. We must get him if huff is out of the picture because we cant afford another year of relying on Millar to bat clean up. If it costs a billion dollars, give it to him. Theres no way he could bust like Albert Belle did.
If we dont trade huff, it might still be ok. can you say “contract year 09′”
Matt Wieters! Get here quick! Already tearing up Bowie.
The only thing that worries me about Sherrill is the innings pitched increase that he’s on. He’ll have never pitched the number of innings he’s going to be at shortly. Other than that, the guy’s a good pitcher with – yes – an overinflated value right now because of the saves (a product of all those close games) and being an All-Star. He is definitely expendable, but if we hold on to him for the next 2 years (while we have him under control) we’d be just fine, I think. Based on what the Indians just got for the AL Cy Young Award winner…I’m guessing the market for George Sherill wouldn’t give us very much back. The Mets don’t have much of a farm, anyway.
We were just sitting here whining about how much Loewen sucks, and I say that probably about 80% of it was that the front office overhyped him and rushed him for no reason and everyone turns around and wants Wieters up here yesterday. You don’t rush these guys, because that’s stupid. Also 10 games is a real small sample size to announce that he’s “tearing up” the Eastern League. I mean, Bynum hit .350 after 10 games in Bmore, was he tearing up the American League and making everyone shake in their boots?
Boy, I don’t know about you all, or the players, but I’m sure glad for the day off today. I feel just a little burnt out.
i know we dont want to rush wieters. it’s just exciting thats all. i know 10 games isnt long, but i have a hunch he’ll be putting up the same numbers as he did in frederick.
Gentlemen, our pitching officially is in shambles:
Brian Burres: 6-5, 5.07 ERA, 113 hits in 91 IP, 12 HR.
Garrett Olson: 6-3, 5.04 ERA, 78 hits in 69 IP, 9 HR.
Radhames Liz: 3-1, 5.94 ERA, 34 hits in 34 IP, 7 HR.
That’s 3 out of 5 starters with 5+ ERAs, with no other options in AAA. Then you have:
Trachsel: Failed.
Albers: Toast.
Patton: Toast.
Loewen: Toast.
Walker: Injured.
Bradford: “This guy is being held together by Scotch tape and Band-Aids.” – Dave Trembley
Bierd: Mysterious 2-month injury.
Aquino: Ineffective.
Bukvich: Ineffective.
Sherrill: Losing steam.
Penn: Maybe next year.
I mean, what the hell happened? I’m almost ready to say let’s shut down Jim Johnson before his rotator cuff blows out or something. There’s plenty of relief options in the minors, but none of them are tested. And as we’ve seen with guys like Bukvich or Liz or Olson.. just because you have good numbers down there doesn’t mean you’ll be successful in the bigs.
Our second half MVP might just be Daniel Cabrera, who, along with Guthrie, is the one guy that can avoid injuries and go 6 or 7.
WOW Dan, WOW.
So I guess most of our confusion over what seemed like AM’s obsession with pitchers is solved, the dude knows that pitchers have at best a 50/50 chance of pitching decent in the majors (more like 20-30% chance realistically).
Let the fantasy trade discussion commence!
The Brew Crew have a fast and agile 3B in Bill Hall and want to move him to short, and Hardy to 2B because they wish to get rid of their current spotty 2B Ricky Weeks.
Solution…
MIL gets
- 31 y.o. 3B Huff (50R/17HR/54RBI/2 SB/.281BA/.867OPS)
- 30 y.o. 2B Roberts (57R/7HR/32RBI/24SB/.295BA/.866OPS)
BAL gets
- 25 y.o. SS J.J. Hardy (37R/12HR/38RBI/2 SB/.295BA/.857OPS)
- 26 y.o. OF Corey Hart (46R/14HR/55RBI/13SB/.296BA/.850OPS)
+ 3-5 low-level prospects which I am sure AM could finagle from them as well.
While I would love for that trade to go through, I don’t see anyway that the Brew Crew parts with Corey Hart. They just traded away their 2007 first rounder (Matt LaPorta) who could rake in AA because he was a corner outfielder and they have Ryan Braun and Corey Hart blocking him for years. There’s no way they part with that kid if they’re planning on getting rid of either of those guys. Also, they want to go for it this year, so while it would make sense to try to upgrade at 2B, it wouldn’t make much sense to lose Hart who has been a BIG reason they’ve been playing so well as of late. Finally, I’d say its a coin toss as to who has had a better offensive year thus far between Hart and Huff. Their numbers are very very close with Huff having a minor advantage in power and Hart having a major advantage in speed. I’d love to see that happen, but would be beyond shocked if it came true.
Trade speculation is going to be rampant the next couple of weeks and it’s almost impossible to know what will happen. Maybe nothing, maybe another blockbuster, maybe a couple dudes flipped for a bag of balls. The Brew crew seem like they are in it to win it since acquiring CC, but they gave up 4 prospects to do it, so I’m not sure that they are looking to give up any more.