We made Kuroda an ace

[Dipper9]

We were embarrassing at the plate last night. Nationally televised game and we cant get a guy on 2nd with multiple lead off hits/errors etc. We hit almost nothing hard. It was only one game, but it was one really ugly game everywhere other than on the mound.

Question for you and MSK.

Did the Orioles have great pitching in the playoffs, or was the Yankees offense just embarrassing?

[MachadOboutManny]

Question for you and MSK.

Did the Orioles have great pitching in the playoffs, or was the Yankees offense just embarrassing?

Some of each. Dont forget Texas. Their offense was embarrassing as well. Saunders was fine, but Texas had some awful ABs.

Its usually not just one or the other when we're not talking about the Cy Young contending SPs having CG SOs. Its usually some them -- some the opposition. Yesterday we missed some pitches to hit and Kuroda was very good most of the night.

When Cano is right, no pitching gets him out consistently, but he was not right. It wasn't all us, just as it wasn't all Detroit when they swept the Yanks. Some Det, some Yanks stinking the place up.

[mikethegimp]

Exactly! There must've been something in the scouting report about swinging at the 1st pitch. Every one of them were doing it.

[mikethegimp]

Yeah, sounds good. But when u see the team play great baseball 1 night, then the very next night play horrible baseball, you get a little frustrated. I think I speak for most when I say that we expect great things and effort from this team. And we're just not getting it so far. Adam Jones is not the leader that everyone thought he would be. Same goes for Wieters. We need leadership like what Thome brought last year.

[MemorialStadKid]

Question for you and MSK.

Did the Orioles have great pitching in the playoffs, or was the Yankees offense just embarrassing?

The 2012 ALDS was very interesting. I believe the Yankees' age finally caught up to them at the end of last season, if you look at the squad now, with the injuries, they are made up of a lot of very solid guys. I honestly wouldn't be afraid of the Yanks even if Jeter, Granderson and Tex were 100%.

Our pitching was above average in spots and that allowed us to progress as far as we did last year. If we had a legit ace during the ALDS, we might have gone all the way, also, Markakis needed to be in the games.

To answer your question - it was both.

MSK

[OFFNY]

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The next time that we face Kuroda, I hope that we knock him out of the box so that we can start a thread titled, "We Made Kuroda an Ass."

Any volunteers for the potential OP ???

[gallden]

Man, one good season and the sense of entitlement around here is almost at Yankee-fan level proportions.

This part should be read again.

[CheeryO]

I will not get into the typical rants I've done in the past.

I will only say this: we do need a true MOO bat in order to get past guys we should have beaten.

Kuroda is solid, very solid, but we could have done a lot more than we did tonight. I am tired of watching the Orioles lose when we could have somehow scratched out a win with more patient at-bats and some small ball here and there.

Really, we should be like 9-3.

MSK

Kuroda practically has Ace stuff. He is as good or better than any current Oriole starter. No way anyone can say the O's "should" have won this game. They will beat a pitcher like Kuroda sometimes, but when he has his best stuff he can beat any team.

[weams]

I will not get into the typical rants I've done in the past.

I will only say this: we do need a true MOO bat in order to get past guys we should have beaten.

Kuroda is solid, very solid, but we could have done a lot more than we did tonight. I am tired of watching the Orioles lose when we could have somehow scratched out a win with more patient at-bats and some small ball here and there.

Really, we should be like 9-3.

MSK

I absolutely agree with you. We should have gotten John Buck.

[weams]

So would you prefer the "pessimism" of the past?

Lock me up for EXPECTING the Orioles to win. :slytf:

What the heck is wrong with some of you folks?!?!?! I felt the Orioles should have taken 2 of 3 because CC = automatic loss for the Orioles. We could have gotten past Kuroda if there was some more plate discipline. First strike or not, you don't swing at every single first pitch he throws. We never wear down the other pitchers unless they get pulled for giving up HRs. CC and Kuroda going the distance is horrible.

I just feel that the Orioles should be able to get past Kuroda.

MSK

Twice in a row I'm agreeing with you Sometimes pitchers find an edge that is not PED retated in their golden years. Sometimes it is a rosin ball. Sometimes it is a scuff ball, sometimes it's a vasoline ball. If Cervelli is really the PED cheat that everyone seems to think, what would keep him from doctoring up the ball a bit? It's part of Yankee lore isn't it? Kuroda's pitches sure have movement that "finger pressure" doesn't explain to me. So, tip your cap.

[weams]

Did they move any more than Jim Johnson's two seamer?

Maybe not. But Jim Johnson is a much bigger stronger guy. But hey, maybe he just has a deformed hand or something. It was a shockingly good performance, I'll grant you.

[TGO]

Bumping because vatech's work above deserves to be read (and weams has put it on the homepage, too).

[OFFNY]

.

Another team made Kuroda an ace today.

HIROKI KURODA O (vs. BLUE JAYS, 4/20)

IP:. 7.33

H:o 3

R:O 1

BB: 1

SO: 7

Pitches: 108 (64 Strikes, 44 Balls)

2013 ERA: 2.35