Can we please release Mike Gonzalez?!?!?

[Guest IRemember70]

Because there are zero logical reasons to believe he can not replicate what he has previously done.

Then he should go to winter league, like Colon, and get it figured out. Losing shouldn't be an option so we can all wait on the 6 million dollar man to get his act together.

[flashjordnk]

I guess you have a different view of what this season is about. I want this team to challenge for a WC and in the process, have a winning record. You appear to still be in 2007 mode where we are going to stick with veterans who are giving us NOTHING when they enter a game. MG is costing us games, costing us chances to have a winning record.

That is why I want him gone. Because when he IS gone, he can no longer lose us games. It's simple logic.

So you'd rather keep Accardo around first? A guy who's had many less good years in his career, so you'll send the lesser overall career pitcher a message that he better shape up or we'll ship him out?

I mean I'm all for sending out Gonzo if you're doing that kind of thing. But let's be serious this is a bullpen that included Rupe and Accardo. It's not like our options are stellar anywhere else.

You're just on a witch hunt for Gonzo. But he's not the only goat in the bullpen right now. We've have Gregg, Accardo, Gonzo, Berken AND Rapada all with a 5.00+ ERA right now. Let's not act like they all shouldn't be cut. If we're going to cut bait with bad pitchers, let's do it with all of them. Not just the current flavors that you don't like for the moment.

[Guest IRemember70]

Our chances are better with him, then without him. The cost is sunk. His mechanics can be pathetic, but have improved since he went back to the 'Cobra'.

I see his stuff, and it is better than most. I see the options that exist internally, and see little chance to improve. I see what he has done this year, in-conjunction with what he has done previously, and believe he can only improve.

You are kidding?

[Gofannon]

Not sure why you continue to defend this man, but I am not willing to keep throwing him out there and HOPING he comes out of it while he continues to blow games. You think he is in a funk and will come out of it based on his career numbers. We got it. But there is NO evidence that will happen. Normally when aging guys decline, its fast and its severe. Gonzo has been in decline for two years.

Gonzalez was not in decline last year. He was hurt for the first 3 games of the year and pitched horribly during the one week a year that people in Baltimore pay attention to the Orioles. Here are his stats last year:

First 3 games of year: 2 IP, 4ER, 4BB, 5 H, 3 SO, 4.50WHIP

The 26 games after injury: 22.2 IP, 7ER, 10BB, 13 H, 28 SO, 1.01 WHIP

Everyone remembers last year as an atrocity because the first week was such a fantastic flame-out at a time when people were actually watching what happened, and then he was useless for the rest of the first half of the season. That doesn't mean he wasn't a valuable part of the bullpen the second half of last season.

That said, he's been pitching with the team for a year + 2 months, and he's been injured, ineffective or both for the first half of both seasons. Also, when he's off, he's not even close and is horrible to watch. I entirely understand why the perception is that he's been atrocious the entire time, but it's not correct.

With all that in mind, if he comes in the game, I leave the room. Mike Gonzalez has single-handedly allowed me to catch up on my family's laundry over the past six weeks. You know within the first five pitches what version of Mike Gonzalez you're going to see that night, and if it's Bad Mike Gonzalez, it's going to be awful.

In an ideal world, he'd agree to go to the minors to get himself straightened out. If that doesn't happen, he can't pitch in a close game of any kind or even if the team has a lead. He should have the shortest leash imaginable - if he somehow finds his way into a game that's still in doubt, there needs to be another reliever up in the bullpen and ready to replace him as soon as we know what we're getting that night.

The question becomes, is it worth it to handcuff a bullpen by having a pitcher you can't use in close games but isn't stretched out enough to eat innings in blowouts?

[JERSEYORIOLE]

Because there are zero logical reasons to believe he can not replicate what he has previously done.

I find this response alarming. Stats only prove what happened in the past. It is not possible that he no longer has it? It happens all the time. There is zero logical reason to believe that someone can get worse? Really? Garrett Atkins could not replicate what he had previously done.

[NewMarketSean]

So you'd rather keep Accardo around first? A guy who's had many less good years in his career, so you'll send the lesser overall career pitcher a message that he better shape up or we'll ship him out?

I mean I'm all for sending out Gonzo if you're doing that kind of thing. But let's be serious this is a bullpen that included Rupe and Accardo. It's not like our options are stellar anywhere else.

You're just on a witch hunt for Gonzo. But he's not the only goat in the bullpen right now. We've have Gregg, Accardo, Gonzo, Berken AND Rapada all with a 5.00+ ERA right now. Let's not act like they all shouldn't be cut. If we're going to cut bait with bad pitchers, let's do it with all of them. Not just the current flavors that you don't like for the moment.

And that is why I am furious that MacPhail threw together this mess, wasting $26 million and a draft pick on two guys who have wet the bed more times than not. Meanwhile, he gave up on Albers and Beato for nothing, who were better than what we have now. I'd like to jettison 3/4 of our bullpen but I know I can't do that.

Since I know MG is not gonna get cut, I'll back off. But I'll be here laughing each time he goes out there, craps his pants but still gets to cash his nifty $6 million dollar check.

[Guest IRemember70]

I guess you have a different view of what this season is about. I want this team to challenge for a WC and in the process, have a winning record. You appear to still be in 2007 mode where we are going to stick with veterans who are giving us NOTHING when they enter a game. MG is costing us games, costing us chances to have a winning record.

That is why I want him gone. Because when he IS gone, he can no longer lose us games. It's simple logic.

Bingo!!!! Gonzo should except a trip to minors or be sent packing. PERIOD!

[JERSEYORIOLE]

Why would it make more sense to extrapolate the poor results shown to date, vs. expecting results closer to career averages?

This is the the thought process that results in an Atkins signing. When you think somone will return to career averages.

[HokieOs]

If his ejection leads to a suspension it will be of the umpire.

If Jeff Nelson wasn't suspended for his joke of a game last year... last night's umpire won't have anything happen to him for last night's game.

Just unreal umpiring. My girlfriend (who I was LITERALLY teaching the game last night) had just begun to pick up the strike zone and knew that the count was listed Ball-Strike-Out. So after the first pitch to Markakis, she comments to me "wow what a horrible pitch!!! How could you miss the plate by that much?" then looks at the MASN scoreboard and laughs saying "Wait, I thought you said that balls are listed in the first column". When I told her it was called a strike, even she was rattled off some obsene words.

[Gofannon]

And that is why I am furious that MacPhail threw together this mess, wasting $26 million and a draft pick on two guys who have wet the bed more times than not. Meanwhile, he gave up on Albers and Beato for nothing, who were better than what we have now. I'd like to jettison 3/4 of our bullpen but I know I can't do that.

Since I know MG is not gonna get cut, I'll back off. But I'll be here laughing each time he goes out there, craps his pants but still gets to cash his nifty $6 million dollar check.

I never ever thought I would see the day that people were complaining that the Orioles "gave up" on Matt Albers. Just take five seconds and look at the stats from the Matt Albers Era with the Orioles, then throw in the torn labrum and the weight issues. No one shed a single tear when the O's released him, and to complain that he's not here anymore based on his 6 weeks with the Sox is hindight at its worst. It's like complaining that the O's got rid of Mike Timlin and he was solid for the Sox. In these cases, future success DOES NOT mean it was wrong for the O's to get rid of these guys.

Mike Gonzalez is officially driving people insane (which I totally understand).

[Spoonless]

I think the issue with some evaluations of Gonzalez is that people are looking at either his career numbers or his current season numbers in a vacuum. The point about his numbers after returning from injury last year is that he's shown recently that he can still pitch to his career peripherals.

His career stats show that he can be a worthehile pitcher. His numbers after his return last year show that he should still be able to be at least a close approximation of that pitcher. His current numbers show that you can't be putting him in high leverage situations at the moment. It's my opinion that he will end up being a decent arm by the end of the season, and I feel his history provides enough of a case for trying to get him going.

I wouldn't DFA him or release him, but I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up on the 15-day on a trumped up injury so he can work some things out. Obviously he is not pitching well so far, but I don't think you just get rid of him at this point.

[Ommaculate]

If Jeff Nelson wasn't suspended for his joke of a game last year... last night's umpire won't have anything happen to him for last night's game.

Just unreal umpiring. My girlfriend (who I was LITERALLY teaching the game last night) had just begun to pick up the strike zone and knew that the count was listed Ball-Strike-Out. So after the first pitch to Markakis, she comments to me "wow what a horrible pitch!!! How could you miss the plate by that much?" then looks at the MASN scoreboard and laughs saying "Wait, I thought you said that balls are listed in the first column". When I told her it was called a strike, even she was rattled off some obsene words.

This was the turning point. Bases loaded and a horrible first strike call made Markakis swing at the second ball. Then he hits an out dribbler. If the Ump did his job I think we win with that at bat.

[Dipper9]

Atkins came to Baltimore after 3 successive years of regression.

Gonzalez came to Baltimore after an outstanding 2009. His 2010 numbers resembled what he had done throughout his career. His 2011 is the aberration.

One of these things is not like the other.

So, just so I can get this straight, the man has pitched 22 good innings for the Orioles in 8 months of baseball since his $12 million signing? Am I close with this?

Okay, I see now why he's a great pitcher!

[Sports Guy]

There are a few issues here:

#1: A lot of people never wanted Gonzo to begin with. It was a horrible signing made worse by the fact that we lost a pick. HOWEVER, even those of us(at least most of us) who felt it was a poor signing, still figured he would be a very good reliever because, as Chris has pointed out, he always has been..when he was healthy.

But because a lot of people didn't want him, everything gets magnified...Not to mention, AMs inability to build a pen just frustrates everyone, which makes everything even worse.

#2: Chris continues to point out the career stats and yes, they are more relevant than the 12 IP this year. The thing I don't see being acknowledged is that maybe Gonzo just isn't as good as he was. Maybe his stuff isn't quite as good. Maybe his mechanics aren't as good. Maybe he has simply just lost it?

#3: Should we release him? Of course not...at least not now. The Orioles lost a pick and have pissed away a lot of money on him, so you have to continue to put him out there and see if he can succeed so that a trade can be made in July. If he is still terrible in a month or so, then cut him because he isn't going to improve his value that much over a month's period to where a trade is going to matter. But there is still plenty of time for him to get on a roll, as he was starting to do recently, before July.

[Phantom]

There are a few issues here:

#1: A lot of people never wanted Gonzo to begin with. It was a horrible signing made worse by the fact that we lost a pick. HOWEVER, even those of us(at least most of us) who felt it was a poor signing, still figured he would be a very good reliever because, as Chris has pointed out, he always has been..when he was healthy.

But because a lot of people didn't want him, everything gets magnified...Not to mention, AMs inability to build a pen just frustrates everyone, which makes everything even worse.

#2: Chris continues to point out the career stats and yes, they are more relevant than the 12 IP this year. The thing I am don't being acknowledged is that maybe Gonzo just isn't as good as he was. Maybe his stuff isn't quite as good. Maybe his mechanics aren't as good. Maybe he has simply just lost it?

#3: Should we release him? Of course not...at least not now. The Orioles lost a pick and have pissed away a lot of money on him, so you have to continue to put him out there and see if he can succeed so that a trade can be made in July. If he is still terrible in a month or so, then cut him because he isn't going to improve his value that much over a month's period to where a trade is going to matter. But there is still plenty of time for him to get on a roll, as he was starting to do recently, before July.

I agree with everything said here. Everyone needs to calm down and take a breath. Gonzo may be finished, and to find out we will need to suffer through more appearances. It's not fun, but it's necessary.