Robert Drake

Orioles pitchers walking dudes was like watching Ravens' receivers dropping passes. Just bad, bad, bad.

A guy with more than a 100K posts about a baseball franchise is certainly living vicariously through said baseball franchise.

Gunnar Henderson and his manager made an egregious mistake at the worst time. The fact you need that explained to you is both baffling and embarrassing.

Speak for yourself. It's been 40 years since this team made it to a World Series. They are the #1 seed, they blow it, it's on them, they are responsible . Are you one of these guys who think the O's are just gonna roll for 5-6 years, so we'll have plenty of opportunities? Bollix. These opportunities are scarce. The fact many teams blow these opportunities is completely and utterly irrelevant to the Orioles. What logic are you employing here? Other teams choke frequently, therefore if we choke it's not a disaster? Ridiculous. I'm sorry, the O's aren't the Dodgers or Yankees in the playoffs every year, if you get one shot a decade, you better close the deal. Guess you didn't find those Showalter failures distressing, or found them somehow excusable and I don't agree with that. Don't agree with rationalizing failure which is what some of you do. My point was this team could of been made better in the off-season and management decided not to do that. Should of went big in the off-season, the money will have to be spent, you should of started spending it last off-season.

I'm new, but the loser mentality I encounter in some of these threads has to be a form of PTSD. The O's are the number one seed in the AL, they don't get to the WS, it's a f-ing debacle. Full stop. You are only getting so many shots at this. They got magic in a bottle this year, you win now or live with the very real possibility that might have blown your only opportunity. There is no guarantee they becomes the Astros. The GM and owner already showed their hand in the off-season not going after elite pitching or a superstar bat because they didn't think our window was open, like correct me if I'm wrong, you ain't signing a decent pitcher unless you're giving them a multi-year commitment, why wasn't that commitment started this off-season? It maximizes your opportunities.

There wasn't a realistic scenario a month ago where they weren't going to make the playoffs, but let me just say that if they don't make the World Series, it's a black mark, it's not OK, under any circumstances. If they missed the playoffs I'd be firing more than the manager. They've been the best team in the AL for quite a while now. This isn't part of the "process". Their window is open. They are standing on the ledge. If they don't crawl through the window, that's a failure flat-out and failing is what they're doing now. 4 losses in a row is not acceptable, to lose 4 in a row when you need those games for a division title is a firing offense, sorry, it's a choke, it's not a learning experience.

As a new guy, I'll say something perhaps a bit controversial, if the Orioles lose the division, I'd fire Hyde. Wouldn't hesitate. That sends a big message to young players that failure is not going to be tolerated. I'm not one of these fans that thinks losing is a step in the process. It's WS or bust as far as I'm concerned. Losing the first 2 to the Rays at home when you absolutely need those victories is not acceptable. To lose 2/3 to the lowly Cardinals, at home, makes one apoplectic with rage. If this team allows a division title to slip out of their grasp after the way they've played all year, that's a choke and that's a firing offense in my opinion. I'm not one of these fans that believes this team is just going to continue to get better and better for five-years before the whole thing comes unraveled again. This team could be wrecked by injuries next season and finish last. Their window is open and the hour glass is running. The fact that Jack Flaherty was allowed to pitch again is a black mark against management. Just utter incompetence at the organizational level. The trade looks almost criminal in retrospect. It's Elias's biggest black eye. He got fleeced. Never thought losing 3 lower-tier prospects for a WS-winning starting pitcher would constitute larceny, but the Cardinals flat-out robbed us. And the Orioles seem completely out of ideas on how to get the guys they do have to pitch better or hit better.

Great roster; bad team. We just lost a series to a bad team. No excuses. Don't care how talented the top of their roster is, they've not done anything all year, but they looked like world champs the past 2 nights because we made them look like champs. Just a depressing result. This team comes up short too often against quality opponents, the Astros, Phillies, Dodgers, now the dysfunctional Padres? The failures are multi-faceted too. They can't hit or they can't pitch or the manager makes stupid decisions, or they make inexcusable fielding errors. Was just scanning over some hitting stats and I realized that the Orioles have one hitter, one, in the top 50 for BA. The Braves have 5! The Rangers 3. A bunch of teams have multiple guys in the top 50. We need better pitching for sure, but honestly we need much better hitting. Winning one-run games was not sustainable. I think the team will win the division. Might win a playoff series, but Elias failed the team by not making moves for expensive pitchers in the off-season. The money will eventually be spent if they really want to win, it should of been spent already.

Really? Lamar Jackson is the second winningest quarterback in the NFL. He has the sixth highest winning percentage currently ALL-TIME. This is an incredibly stupid comment.