Tony-OH

Stowers has been very streaky for sure. Saying that, I'm not going to make conclusions based on 25 PAs especially when he has hundreds of PAs in the minors to show he doesn't have huge platoon splits.

So did Stowers, but that never stopped them from acting like he couldn't!

Yep. You know my thoughts on all of this and it is frustrating. Even not dealing guys like Mountcastle, Hays or O'Hearn this offseason to make space for guys was short sighted. Besides Gunnar, Adley and Holliday, and Westburg to a lesser extent, none of the other prospects like Ortiz, Kjerstad, Cowser, Norby, Stowers, and Mayo were given everyday opportunities from the start. When they did play them, they have a nice game and instantly be back on the bench for days at a time. Cowser finally forced the issue by having that strong start and good defense, if he had struggled at all, Hays would still be in LF. Ortiz or Westburg should have been the starting 2B last year when they wasted money on Frazier. They came into this year with Cowser and Kjerstad needing everyday PAs, but instead brought their entire outfield back. For a team that has been drafting college hitters mostly, it does seem weird that the offense stinks and they have to employ the likes of Jimenez, Rivera and Maton and the only prospects they had ready have really struggled, one of which Mayo is getting the backup experience.

Or maybe just given regular playing time instead of getting two hits and getting benched the next day.

This is Soto's pitching line since his last 4 run meltdown: Sure, he's pitching on non-leverage situations, but until his last game, he hadn't allowed a run since the last meltdown.

Every pitcher is a bad matchup for this offense currently.

Which means you'll be in the game thread was everyone "hate watching!"

He very well may not have an injury, but also very well may have back that's bothering him a bit. I don't know, but I have to hope his absolute awful slump at the plate since June is because of something not right with him physically.

I do think he's tired for sure. Saying that, he's got to improve on hitting offpseed of that percentage is going to keep going up. Let's hope we see more of this in this series: https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/sporty-videos?playId=36d2c184-58ae-407e-8729-637d0108fc64

It does make you wonder that the one guy they were willing to trade (for a pitcher throwing 91 MPH that they had to demote) is raking while they use Jimenez, Maton, and Rivera, none of whom should be playing on a true contender. Even if they DH'd him, he would look a lot better than what they are running out there. this is what Norby is doing with Miami but he could not find regular PAs with the Orioles. His BABIP is unsustainable obviously, but Norby has been raking for a long time in AAA and was ignored by the Orioles. Now, not surprisingly, he's struggled at 3B since he had very little experience there. But as I said, even at DH and being a 4th outfielder, he would have looked pretty good in this putrid lineup of late.

Over the same period (since August 11th) Cowser has slashed a poor but not complete awful .200/.290/.326/.616 with 37 Ks in 107 PAs. So yes, Cowser is part of the problem as well.

These are some good points. The loss of Mountcastle and Urias has really hurt us of late, especially since Holliday is not producing and the Orioles choose to trade Norby and Stowers for Rogers. Both of them would look better in the lineup than Maton, Rivera or Slater, or Jimenez. We already knew losing Westburg was going to hurt as well, but we thought Mayo would produce if called up, and he's struggled as bad as Holliday. The fact that Holliday and Mayo together have been pretty much zeroes makes me question the Orioles hitting development too. I mean, we expect young players to struggle a bit in the beginning, but together they have gone 5-for-64 (.078) with 34 strike outs in there first 11 games of their careers. How is that even possible? I mean, the Orioles could have batted pitchers and probably gotten better results. Since going on that tear when he hit 5 home runs in 10 games when he came back up, Holliday has slashed a pitiful .180/.229/.247/.476 with 31Ks in 96 PAs. That's an absolute zero at the plate. Over that same span, Adley Rutschman has slashed .180/.258/.231/.489 in 89 PAs. That's a blackhole too. How about that big bopper Elias got at the All-Star break. Jimenez is slashing .177/.239/.274/.513 in 67 PAs over that span. There's your 3rd blackhole. How about Ryan O'Hearn? Well he's in his annual disappearance act in the second half slashing .212/.268/.303/.571 in 71 PAs. 4th blackhole. So since August 11th, the Orioles have a lineup full of blackholes and have some how managed to go 12-13, which I guess is a good thing considering the way they've hit. Gunnar and Santander to a lesser extent have been carrying this team and one or two of these blackholes need to start producing again.

Sorry, I meant series.

Realistically, we just have to hope the Orioles can pull off a 2023 Rangers impersonation and and get hot when the playoffs start. Considering this franchise hasn't even won a playoff game since 2012, maybe they need to got in as a wild card and hopefully be a little healthier and hit a little better. But when you are starting Maton and Slater against a right-handed starter in September, and Eloy Jimenez is your first right-handed pinch hitter off the bench when he's not starting, and we do have to admit the offense is not very deep in talent. For the life of me I'd like to know why both Holliday and Mayo have been able to hit in AAA and look absolutely soul crushingly bad at the major league level. This team will ride that great first few months into the playoffs and hopefully get hot, because they're not very good right now.

If Burnes loses this game, the Orioles will be 1-4 in his last 5 starts. That is called coming up small. He pitches a lot closer to his 3.66 FIP than he real ERA.

Forget that, how much major league experience coaching? Minor League experience coaching? Oh, they're good it looking at a computer program.

Burnes should hire his own sports psychologist. Such a fragile demeanor. Can't hold runners so they take him off his game. Somebody makes error? Runs get piled on. Now watch, a little blooper. Watch him cough up a 3-run homer.

I would but unfortunately the Ravens already played. I need to go ride my bike.

Holy crap, are they interviewing the guy right after a home run? God I hate these new broadcast tidbits!

Yet the Orioles and these other networks keep running her out there.

Any distraction totally takes Burnes off his game. He's so mentally fragile on the mound.

Ah yes, the old 6th inning meltdown for Burnes. Such a clutch guy.

Well the very descriptive "skyball" is not good enough for you? I mean it could be a foul straight back, a pop up, a 400 ft home run. All you have to do is wait for the crowd to tell you if you are listening to her on radio.

Nah, I enjoy the absurdity sometimes!