FlipTheBird

Assuming the Yankees still start Sonny Gray, it'll probably be the same guys, ya know...

Machado was an uber prospect and we literally didn't have anyone who could play third base competently. That move was planned for months. Hays is not an uber prospect, nor is he markedly better (yet) than what we've got. He'll get some hacks, but it's not like Buck doesn't know who this guy is or how he might deploy him.

Which is fine. The only thing it's testing is your patience. We could see Hays on any given night as a pinch hitter against a LHP.

I'm working in reality, here. We know that's not happening. And right now, I'm fine with it. Mark has a modest 7-game hit streak going, and he's not hurting anything defensively at DH. If he can go on a heater, which we know he's capable of, it'd be a nice little September gift.

Seth Smith has a .357 OBP and .813 OPS against righties this season. He's going to start against them. If Hays sits against a starting LHP, I'd be more curious. But it's doubtful he starts against a RHP, unless Buck wants to spell Mancini for a game.

Yeah, if you can keep Trout from killing you, the Angels' lineup is lacking. The A's have a bit more pop, but did just lose Alonso from the heart of their order.

2017 has indeed been a banner year for O's OF prospects. But nobody's hammering on the door just yet. Let's see how they do in 2018.

He's no defensive whiz, but he can actually play the outfield, yes. I'm glad the O's have managed to finagle things to keep him around. Could be a sneaky good get.

John Sickels listed him as the O's No. 5 prospect entering the year, even with his uncertain health status. Thinks the power will absolute stick, and sees him as a classic right fielder.

Given that his proposed scenario means flipping Britton, Brach and O'Day, I'd hope the starting rotation would look a little better.

It'd be a lot of question marks that could go either way. And guys like Yacabonis and Crichton aren't "in the wings," they're retreads that would probably bring replacement-level value at best.

Of course they can absorb the loss much better than a team like the Orioles could. But given that this is the type of injury that can potentially ruin a pitcher, it's awful news for an organization regardless of their current situation.

Of course they can. It doesn't make it any less disappointing for the organization or the player (especially the player). Urias came with the most hype of a SP prospect in a number of years, and now he's in really bad shape. Tough break no matter how flush your club is.

Lord only knows what Tillman has waiting for us tomorrow. Here's hoping.

Absolutely a factor. That, and and teams are still shying away from HS arms unless they're Uber talent, like Greene. I don't think they'd have drafted him if they weren't prepared to make sure ink winds up on paper, though. Pitchers are gambling more than position players are by choosing to forgo the cash for college, what with how often they get hurt nowadays.

Indeed. I suppose it's not impossible that the O's get that idea, but Scott wasn't even a full-time start in JC. He's always been projected as a relief pitcher. He made no starts in 2016. As you've pointed out, the reason the organization is having him start this year is to give him exposure and time to work on all of his pitches, rather than using him inconsistently out of the pen.

He's been more steady of late, which is good. I'm still a proponent of not rushing him. Let him keep working, let him keep getting better. This team is not a Tanner Scott away from great success. No need to make the call until he's completely ready.

I am not sure why this is that much of an argument. Anyways, Trout has batted second for 23.9% of his at bats this year. The rest have been at the three spot. His numbers are nearly identical (scaled to AB's) in both spots. Again, don't really understand what this debate entails.

Britton's out. The guys that are left are tired. We've played so, so many close games. It was going to happen eventually.

I believe that was just a stat mixup. Davis hit .221 last year. He's hitting .226 now.

RBIs are circumstantial. He's still posting a .330 OBP. His bat will come around. Everyone here knows that Davis does everything in streaks.

He's off to a slow start, yeah, but so's nearly everyone in the lineup. Before the Boston series, Manny looked just as lost. Adam Jones has shown a stronger approach at the plate, but the team as a whole hasn't started hitting yet. This will change.

I mean, I still hate the Yanks as a precedent. I just don't blame them for this game.

I hate the Orioles for blowing the game. It's on them.

There seems to be a few misguided posters who either think the O's take it easy after winning the first two games of a series... or have fallen prey to some "curse" that prevents sweeps. I say this because I've seen numerous folks complaining about it already this year. A sweep isn't easy. Just because you won the first two games doesn't make the third game any easier. You're still facing a competitive MLB opponent.