9/22: Rays at Orioles

[PaulFolk]

RAYS:
Iwamura 2B
Upton CF
Pena 1B
Longoria 3B
Floyd DH
Navarro C
Gross RF
Hinske LF
Bartlett SS

Price P

ORIOLES:
Roberts 2B
Markakis RF
Jones CF
Huff 3B
Salazar 1B
Scott DH
Hernandez C
Montanez LF
Castro SS

Bass P

[GeorgeD]

I honestly can't explain why I am watching this game.

[Pheasants]

Our AAA team hit Price well in two games; I wonder if the O's can hit him.

[GeorgeD]

I think they'll score a couple runs in five innings against Price.

[Scrat1]

I honestly can't explain why I am watching this game.

Sweet Lou; Adam Jones; Salazar. Those are the only reasons I have to watch.

[GeorgeD]

Sweet Lou; Adam Jones; Salazar. Those are the only reasons I have to watch.

True. I don't know if Salazar will be around next year, though. And I wouldn't be shocked at all if Montanez isn'y with the team, either.

[Big Mac]

Sweet Lou; Adam Jones; Salazar. Those are the only reasons I have to watch.

It's pretty sad that one of your reasons for watching this game is a 30 year-old minor league journeyman.

50-50-50 is the only reason I keep watching the games. Huff needs 2 more doubles and Markakis needs 3. Time for us to make history.

[Scrat1]

True. I don't know if Salazar will be around next year, though. And I wouldn't be shocked at all if Montanez isn'y with the team, either.

I'm very big on Salazar. I hope he gets a bench spot and sees a good bit of playing time next year.

[Big Mac]

I'm very big on Salazar. I hope he gets a bench spot and sees a good bit of playing time next year.

That makes one of us. I think he can be a decent bench player, but that's hardly any reason for me to get excited. Guys like Salazar grow on trees.

[Scrat1]

That makes one of us. I think he can be a decent bench player, but that's hardly any reason for me to get excited. Guys like Salazar grow on trees.

I agree that he is nothing spectacular, but I don't know about the growing on trees part. 971 OPS over 59 at-bats is pretty impressive. SSS, yeah, and I certainly don't think he'd put that up over a full season, but if you grab some AAA player at random it's pretty unlikely they'd come even close to that.

As I said, I'll be glad to have him on the bench.

[Big Mac]

I agree that he is nothing spectacular, but I don't know about the growing on trees part. 971 OPS over 59 at-bats is pretty impressive. SSS, yeah, and I certainly don't think he'd put that up over a full season, but if you grab some AAA player at random it's pretty unlikely they'd come even close to that.

As I said, I'll be glad to have him on the bench.

Well, of course not at random, but every organization has 2-3 guys like Salazar. He's a decent bench bat, but contributes nothing on defense.

[Scrat1]

Well I already loathe Price.

[Hallas]

Lets try and jinx Price by commenting on his no-no...

[GeorgeD]

Well I already loathe Price.

All I can say is I'm glad he's on the Rays instead of the Yankees.

[blueberryale77]

Oh come on! No replay of Brian's sweet diving play because we need to see Roch and Amber stand in the press box and talk?! Good Lord MASN is awful! :angryfire:

[Scrat1]

All I can say is I'm glad he's on the Rays instead of the Yankees.

Yeah I'll definitely give you that. Or the Red Sox for that matter.

[GeorgeD]

Lets try and jinx Price by commenting on his no-no...

What if, for argument's sake, someone did that to us at some point in the near future, like maybe tomorrow or something...or sooner

[blueberryale77]

While I'm complaining about video replays or lack thereof, why does MLB.com Gameday feel the need to post video of every home run ball boringly sailing over the fence but very rarely do they bother to post the great defensive plays or even the more exciting run-scoring plays that involve plays at the plate or runners taking extra bases?

[Big Mac]

I am so sick of Ramon's lazy defensive play:angryfire:

Why would you try and back-hand that, get in front of it and block it!

What's the problem Ramon are you too lazy?too stupid?both?

[blueberryale77]

I am so sick of Ramon's lazy defensive play:angryfire:

Why would you try and back-hand that, get in front of it and block it!

What's the problem Ramon are you too lazy?too stupid?both?

He's sulking tonight because Wieters is in the building. :D

As for every other day that he sucks and doesn't try not to, I can't tell you.

[blueberryale77]

Bass is out of gass... just like the entire city of Asheville. :(

[PaulFolk]

I'm sure Trembley will be second-guessed for that decision to take out Bass in the middle of a no-hitter. I guess he just didn't want to see an O's pitcher walk in a run again. Bass had walked three in a row and threw more balls (37) than strikes (36).

[Greg Pappas]

That jog to second by Luke Scott on the hit by Hernandez was simply embarrassing.

Where is the pride in one's play?

Were I Trembley, I'd sit him and anyone else that fails to perform as a Major Leaguer. That's pathetic.

Sorry. Mini-Rant over.

[Pheasants]

Last game, Bass began to lose it in the fourth and lost it completely in the fifth. Exact same thing happened. I think Trembley left him in too long. Even with a no-hitter.

[El Gordo]

How many times has Markakis killed a rally with a lme AB recently?

[blueberryale77]

That jog to second by Luke Scott on the hit by Hernandez was simply embarrassing.

Where is the pride in one's play?

Were I Trembley, I'd sit him and anyone else that fails to perform as a Major Leaguer. That's pathetic.

Sorry. Mini-Rant over.

I think I have to agree with Gary and Buck on that one... it wasn't laziness on Scott's part, it was poor baserunning instincts/coaching. The O's as a team are really pretty deficient in that area. They're either too aggressive or not aggressive enough. With only a couple of notable exceptions, they're rarely just right. When it's the whole team except for a couple of guys who were smart baserunners before they got to the majors, a big part of it has to fall on the coaching staff.

[Greg Pappas]

I think I have to agree with Gary and Buck on that one... it wasn't laziness on Scott's part, it was poor baserunning instincts/coaching. The O's as a team are really pretty deficient in that area. They're either too aggressive or not aggressive enough. With only a couple of notable exceptions, they're rarely just right. When it's the whole team except for a couple of guys who were smart baserunners before they got to the majors, a big part of it has to fall on the coaching staff.

The way I saw the play, it was hit into the Left-Center area, and while watching Luke, he was jogging the whole time toward second. For me, instincts kick in with effort, not as a seperate entity. You run hard toward second on a hit and as you get near the bag you have to use your instincts/judgement to make the call on whether you go or not. Jogging along is lazy in my view, not an instinctual or coaching problem.

[mrbig1]

anybody want to bet we don't score here.

[blueberryale77]

The way I saw the play, it was hit into the Left-Center area, and while watching Luke, he was jogging the whole time toward second. For me, instincts kick in with effort, not as a seperate entity. You run hard toward second on a hit and as you get near the bag you have to use your instincts/judgement to make the call on whether you go or not. Jogging along is lazy in my view, not an instinctual or coaching problem.

Yeah, I can see that argument... but I think he was going fairly close to full speed until he looked out where the ball was and started to slow down. He wasn't dogging it Ramon style or anything. It looked to me like the thought process was more defeatist (I can't make it to third) than lazy (I might have a chance to make it to third but it's too much trouble). I tend to give the benefit of the doubt to guys who usually seem to be playing hard when it comes to whether something was a simple mistake or not bothering. I do think the pattern means something.


...and on the subject of atrocious baserunning, what the funk was that Huff and Salazar?!?!?! :angryfire::mad::cussing:

I wonder if they will use the Jay Payton "It's not my fault, the scoreboard operator sucks" excuse?

[mrbig1]

I knew it.

[Greg Pappas]

Yeah, I can see that argument... but I think he was going fairly close to full speed until he looked out where the ball was and started to slow down. He wasn't dogging it Ramon style or anything. It looked to me like the thought process was more defeatist (I can't make it to third) than lazy (I might have a chance to make it to third but it's too much trouble). I tend to give the benefit of the doubt to guys who usually seem to be playing hard when it comes to whether something was a simple mistake or not bothering. I do think the pattern means something.


...and on the subject of atrocious baserunning, what the funk was that Huff and Salazar?!?!?! :angryfire::mad::cussing:

This team needs a wake up call... whatever that may be. The season isn't over, but some guys are on cruise control.

Again... Pathetic. No excuses. :mad:

[mrbig1]

This team needs a wake up call... whatever that may be. The season isn't over, but some guys are on cruise control.

Again... Pathetic. No excuses. :mad:

That's been going on for the last month or so.

[blueberryale77]

That's a shame. BRob was having such a good game defensively. I hope he gets enough chances to at least get back up to a .990 fielding % (he just dropped to .989). :(

[mrbig1]

OK, we suck.

[blueberryale77]

Remember how it used to seem like the Orioles would implode every time Cal Ripken made an error? Of course, for most of his career, normal mode for the Orioles was actually distinguishable from implosion mode.

[GeorgeD]

I think they'll score a couple runs in five innings against Price.

I guess even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every now and then. (Price: Two runs, one earned in 5.1 IP)