now

Personally I'd keep Kjerstadt over Cowser. And not just because of SSS.

I've liked the dream of DL starting as much as anyone but also see that he's likely a better fit for relief. To your point, a greater need in the starting rotation also brings with it a greater need to cover innings in the bullpen.

Just a note about Norby. In a players poll the other stars thought Norby had the best bat of all. He was dynamite in the AAA playoff series. But most important, as I followed the AAA box scores daily through the season, the guy was so consistent: seemingly always 1 for 4 or better. Sure would help to have a guy like that in the lineup every day to even out the streaky players like Santander, Hays, Mountcastle.

Another consolation is that in a sense, the Orioles this year were successful at playing quasi-playoff baseball for a full month to end the season. It's kind of like in the shorter playoffs of previous years, the real intensity was the LCS, just to get to the World Series. Now the real intensity is to make the playoffs and, as in days of old, "win the pennant." To me it feels like the O's reached that pinnacle of success in winning the last two games of that final Tampa series.

My point was, it took a major commitment of poor results to get Gunnar rolling. Each prospect's trajectory is unknown, but it takes that commitment to find out. Or if you're sure it's just a matter of time, as with Gunnar, then it takes that patience. With Cowser, it's going to take more patience. And so on down the line.

Putting aside the coulda shoulda of the past, they're still facing the challenge of battle-testing the prospects at the MLB level. Look how long it took Gunnar to get rolling. Of the rest, Westburg had the longest look and we still haven't seen his power. Stowers, up and down without sustained success. Cowser, a fair trial and it never (yet) clicked. It would be nice to experience our own Evan Carter or Corbin Carroll for a change. Is that Kjerstad? Can Norby be that guy? Point is, we still don't know what we have in the young talent pipeline unless we risk major playing time for them in Baltimore. Which compromises the win now position we're at already. Quite the puzzle for Elias to continue figuring out.

I think the ship of all-time great Norfolk teams just sailed. Most of those guys have to graduate (or get traded). And I think this year Elias was just committed, all the way through, to a wait and see attitude, both for prospects and the big league club. Now that the "liftoff" stage has passed, it's time to move on to different moves.

Sure. And... you never know what mediocre pitcher (seriously, Andrew Heaney, Dane Dunning?) is going to beat you on any given day in October.

Right, and same goes for pointing any fingers at this or that player or play in the series. In a way it's easier to take this kind of loss, where it was just overwhelming and mostly free of drama. Not much of the game of inches heartbreak here... just take our lumps as a learning experience and be better seasoned for next time around.

On the voodoo factor, I'm reminded that the KC juju back in 2014 was trumped, after all, by none other then Bruce Bochy.

The baffling part of all this is how to upgrade the bullpen. People speak of buying reliable pieces but is that possible? For every Josh Hader or Andrew Miller there are a dozen wildcard reclamation projects like Shawn Armstrong, Evan Phillips, Cionel Perez or Yennier Cano. On the flip side, trying to buy known quantities, the Orioles have a tainted history of multimillion-dollar busts like the parade of rent-a-clowns in the dark years (caution, PTSD alert): Norm Charlton, Terry Mathews, Mike Timlin, Ricky Bones, Mike Trombley, Tim Worrell, Mark Worrell, Mike DeJean, Steve Reed, LaTroy Hawkins, Danys Baez... At least I trust the current brain trust to do better at the DIY game and forego the midrange auction block. So from where we are, picking the right top-shelf closer is the more sensible move... even for a multiyear deal to complement Bautista.

First I'll say I think the O's are up for a comeback. We like shaky bullpens to feast on. The home crowd and first playoff jitters are done, now it's just go to work and play our game. The Tampa series split is a good template for coming back to Camden for Bradish again. So is that 2015 Jays comeback against Odor & Co. As for what happened, I agree that Baker and Webb are the obvious culprits (and Elias/Hyde for relying on them), when Palmer could have told them that it makes no sense to use literally the last guys on the totem pole in the crucial spots--especially after Webb already coughed up the game losing HR in game 1. With GRod, what struck me was the lack of confidence showing on his face during the meltdown. Understandable, of course, but I hope he learns from it, and I hope he watched Pablo Lopez yesterday up close; the announcers were remarking about his poise and demeanor so crucial to his dominance. (Or I don't know, does it work the other way around, that it's only easy to show poise and confidence when your stuff is on that day and you're getting outs??). Some of the interesting storylines now will be: - Can Mateo continue to be an impact bat? And Hicks? - Game 3 seems a great spot to start Kjerstad. - Ryan O'Hearn to the rescue? And James McCann? - Here's hoping for 7 strong each from Kremer and Gibson.

This argument sounds the same as the preseason prognosticators: just leaning toward the known names. It's like our 101-win season never happened. In fact our young unknowns and current vets had a season record just shy of the Braves, and better than the Dodgers and Rays, in a better division. Name recognition is overrated, and often just masks pessimism, afraid the other guys are always better. Remember where we started, 1966?

Cheating pre-1995 but what the heck: can't beat Mr. October.

Your new 2025 Oriole all-stars...

This situation you note above gives me a 1966 vibe. Too young and too good, to show any fear! Or for a different dose of optimism, compare '82-'83 Ripken with '23 Henderson, 40 years later. I predict 7 games over PHL for the rematch, with ex-Phil Gibson getting the win in relief.

Sure that would be nice, but it can't be a priority since it's high risk. So the emphasis is more on polished bats, then sign or trade for proven pitchers. Plus, the development of pitchers (both homegrown and imports) so far has been fruitful.

Yes, and I would bet Elias & Co. do it better than most. All hail the Sigbot!

https://www.milb.com/live-stream-games/g738540

Another quality of the Elias regime that is overlooked (and maybe hard to quantify except via frequent praise from players) is the impact of advance scouting and analytics on preparation of hitters, pitchers, and no doubt fielders too, before every game, and for every at-bat matchup. No doubt this behind-the-scenes work has a big role in the team's success 2022-23. In 2019-21 there wasn't enough talent to make a difference, but now it could be a difference maker.

Here you go: https://www.milb.com/live-stream-games/g738542 I watched it live side by side with the O's game. Interesting split screens now and then: McCann and Handley batting at the same time, or Henderson and Holliday. I also saw Westburg miss a grounder with a shallow angle and thought, Ortiz makes that play. Sure enough, a little later, Ortiz did just that. Good times, and good times ahead. BTW the announcers noted it was Norfolk's first title since 1985, as a Mets affiliate. Hmm, this bodes well considering how the Mets did in 1986!

--an instant outline for this season's entry to your annals!

Sure seems like the smartest way to go... and he's proving it so far.* *actual results in any given series or season will vary.

So we just punt on RH power altogether now? Maybe BIG RH power (Mayo) is the answer to overcome the Wall, and then he can feast even more in away games. Otherwise teams will adjust and just throw more LHP at us.

Starter, no. Backup, you have a point. Much depends on relative trade value. It will be interesting to see how playoff performances (Westburg, Mateo, Urias) unfold and affect other teams' perception of value going fwd.