Os acquire Saunders.

[Purple Oriole]

I guess we'll see even more Kevin Gregg now. I don't care what he's done lately....still don't trust him.

[Satyr3206]

I'm a big Lindstrom fan, but if you had told me that we traded Jeremy Guthrie for Hammel and Saunders + cash, I'd consider that a great deal.

That's what I think.

[CA-ORIOLE]

The Orioles and their opponents average 4.41 runs/game/team. The D'backs and their opponents average 4.36. The run contexts of the two teams have been nearly identical. You can argue that those numbers don't reflect the talent difference between the NL and AL, and you'd be right. But you're not arguing that, you presented unadjusted rankings.

Wow, his away numbers the past two years have actually been very good.

[dorfmac]

I like Lindstrom, but anytime you can trade a middle reliever for a consistent, veteran starter, it's a no brainer IMO. Solid move to add depth to the rotation.

NO NO NO - moronic mentality! :angryfire:

You sound like Jim Duquette from the old days - "Philosophically, any time you can trade a reliever for a starter, you've got to do it."

You DON'T do it when you are trading an effective relief pitcher for a league average 4th/5th starter who has not been effective in the AL.

[DrungoHazewood]

I guess we'll see even more Kevin Gregg now. I don't care what he's done lately....still don't trust him.

I think come September 1st we'll see Arrieta, and Hunter and others in the pen. And they'll be options before Gregg. A lot of mediocre starters can replicate Lindstrom's performance when working out of the pen. Lindstrom's FIP and xFIP are 3.50-4.00. Once you subtract the 1.00 run/game a typical pitcher gains moving to the pen Arrieta's FIP and xFIP are better. Hunter's ERA the first time through the lineup is better than Lindstrom's.

[DrungoHazewood]

NO NO NO - moronic mentality! :angryfire:

You sound like Jim Duquette from the old days - "Philosophically, any time you can trade a reliever for a starter, you've got to do it."

You DON'T do it when you are trading an effective relief pitcher for a league average 4th/5th starter who has not been effective in the AL.

But you need to remember that an average starter is a 1.00 run/game better than league average ERA as a reliever. So if Lindstrom was a 3.50-4.00 ERA guy going forward, as his peripherals suggest, that's the equivalent of a 5.00 ERA starter. If you think Saunders is a 5.00 ERA guy in the AL East, he's providing as much value per inning as Lindstrom, but in at least twice as many innings.

[LookitsPuck]

I guess we'll see even more Kevin Gregg now. I don't care what he's done lately....still don't trust him.

No, Arrieta is replacing Lindstrom. Johnson is probably going to the pen. I wonder (hope!) that Gregg is just dropped.

That said, the White Sox lineups lefties:

Dewayne Wise, Adam Dunn , AJ Pierzynski. Dewayne hits lefties worse than righties in terms of average, but in terms of power he does better against lefties. AJ's numbers are weaker across the board against lefties. Dunn is about the same.

Their RH heavy hitters: Youkilis, Konerko, Rios

On the plus side, Rios and Konerko have been ~<.800 OPS in August. Hopefully we can keep them under wraps. Youk has been very strong in August, though.

It's a tough lineup, that's for sure. With the biggies to look out for: Youkilis, Dunn, Konerko, Rios, and AJ.

For reference, the White Sox are 5th in total runs scored this year with 596. They average about 4.77 a game. Actually more than Detroit. Top 5:

Texas

Boston

New York

LA

Chicago

As for their pitching? They're actually 5 best in runs allowed as well with only 522. About 4.18 per game. Now, their rotation isn't the Rays or Oakland, but it's still formidable.

We'll be facing:

Francisco Liriano vs. Chen

Chris Sale vs. Gonzalez

Peavy vs. ???

Quintana vs. ???

I think our best chance is Monday against Liriano. With the ChiSox he's sporting a 4.39 ERA and a 1.350 WHIP. He's walking about 4 every 9 innings. Granted, he's striking out 10 every 9 as well.

Sale is just beast-mode like. 2.65 ERA, 8.8 SO/9, 2.1 BB/9. 1.033 WHIP. He's basically another Brandon Morrow type.

Peavy is having a resurgent year. 3.09 ERA, 1.080 WHIP, 8.0 SO/9, 1.9 BB/9.

Quintana is another toughie. 2.86 ERA, 1.191 WHIP, 5.1 SO/9, 2.2 BB/9. Over his last 6 games, he's been more hittable, but he's still very good.

This is going to be a very, very tough stretch for the Orioles. We're basically running into a buzz saw. Win today, win tomorrow. See how the last 3 against the ChiSox fall into place.

Go O's!

[MrOrange82]

This trade demands nothing less than an aggressive, emphatic, unequivocal response.

Gentleman, I just completed the loudest, most obvious shoulder shrug in the history of shoulder shrugs.

Gotta go ice down.

[Bradysburns]

I wish there would be just one DD trade where it was clear the Orioles benefitted. It seems like every time we have to talk ourselves into believing that it's not horrible. Any time I hear we aquire anyone I get scared just waiting to find out what DD gave up. I would much rather have Lindstrom still in the pen and run out anyone but Hunter for the rotation spot.

When you're trading in shades of mediocrity, the distinctions are often hard to see. But DD sees them better than most. And when he's wrong, he seems ready to admit it and just move on. Saunders is a solid, veteran starter. I think this was a great pickup, personally.

It does two really important things, IMO: 1) It further pressurizes the competition to break into the rotation, or stay in the rotation. 2) It adds immediate veteran starting presence to the rotation, which was desperately needed.

As much as I'm excited by Tillman, Gonzo, Chen and especially Britton, their collective inexperience is concerning. I like the addition, even if Saunders doesn't work out.

[Va Beach O's fan]

I'm going on record now, I like this trade!!

Solid starter depth for a very cheap price.

Pitching in chase field is what drove up saunders era. He was in the upper 2's in era away from home with the d-backs. That'll work just fine.

He's coming to a new league and will get to face some teams he hasn't seen in a while. I like the move. He's had a couple bad starts that have ballooned his era but for the most part, he is a very solid starter who will give you 6 or 7 innings and only 2 or 3 runs allowed over those innings.

The o's can work with that baby! Plus i wasn't a big fan of lindstrom anyways. Arrieta can give us an inning or long relief, as can Johnson. Matusz looked good as a loogy.

Overall this team has improved quite a bit in the past month or so and it's all thanks to Dan and Buck!

In Dan I trust!

[Sanfran327]

I'm excited that Joe is coming to Baltimore. It will be strange watching him pitch for my favorite team, because I don't know if I will be able to be 100% objective. While he was in LA and AZ, I could be totally impartial when he lost and be excited when he won. I hope to head up for his debut this week... What a trip!

[WietersCorner]

It will be fun to compare how Saunders and Anibal Sanchez finished for their respective teams. I have a feeling Saunders will have better numbers and it did not cost us a Turner type prospect.

[dorfmac]

Ease up on the name-calling there, friend. Lindstrom is a nice piece but when you trade from a strength to improve a weakness, it's generally a good move.

It's a depth move. Despite what you think about Johnson/Britton/Gonzalez, they aren't proven starting pitchers. It's never bad to add to the mix, and as we've seen from Duq, if it ain't working (JC Romero is one example), he's quick to make a move.

I think you should relax and see how it plays out.

Not calling anyone names - I'm hating on the blanket philosophy that was insinuated. That mentality is a poor one to have, and we saw it backfire on us when the original Duquette implemented it.

With this particular move, I don't like Saunders, especially for a piece that has been useful, but I can put my opinion aside and reserve judgement until we see how it plays out. But to say that this move is a good one on that reliever for starter basis is foolish.

[BillySmith]

Maybe it was apparent to most of you folks, but I was just listening to Duquette and he pointed out that Lindstrom had to clear waivers as well for this trade. I would think there would be some interest in him for a bunch of teams.

[Frobby]

Plus, when was Lindstrom being used in pressure situations late in ballgames? Rarely, lately, because of Ayala, Strop, O'Day, Johnson, and more recently Patton. He was expendable, and he's further expendable now because Saunders can give you innings thereby decreasing the chance that you'll use Lindstrom. Plus the rosters are expanding and the club will have more than enough relievers to keep the late inning guys fresh.

The O's were 15-19 in the games Lindstrom pitched. He wasn't used a lot in games where the O's had the lead. I have little doubt that Arrieta can fill his role. Just think how David Hernandez looked much better in the bullpen. That's what I expect from Arrieta.