Prozac, Stepping up and a Confidence Builder

[wildcard]

According to his game log, O'Day has allowed multiple hits in the same inning 3 times in 29 appearances, and had never allowed more than 2 hits in an appearance. He has walked more than one batter one time all year, and he's only walked 7 on the entire season. He has allowed more than two baserunners exactly twice all season. To suggest that he frequently is pitching himself into trouble from which he then has to extract himself is just not an accurate portrayal. Two times in one month does not make it a "recent trend."

Its not an accident or poor pitching. Its intentional. And he has said its intentional.

http://www.masnsports.com/media.php?show_id=2509453&p=

[Frobby]

Its not an accident or poor pitching. Its intentional. And he has said its intentional.

http://www.masnsports.com/media.php?show_id=2509453&p=

That's fine. He clearly pitched around Bautista yesterday. But he's only walked 7 batters all season, and I doubt they were all intentional pitch-arounds.

Stanhouse was in a whole different universe. I don't think his walks were as tactical as you describe. I don't think he was pitching around guys. Rather, he was a chronic nibbler and frequently got himself in trouble. Frankly, he was a lot closer to Kevin Gregg than he was to O'Day. In 1978 he saved 24 and blew 7; in 1979 he saved 21 and blew 6. Those aren't very good ratios for a closer. The year Gregg was our closer, he saved 22 and blew 7.

[wildcard]

That's fine. He clearly pitched around Bautista yesterday. But he's only walked 7 batters all season, and I doubt they were all intentional pitch-arounds.

Stanhouse was in a whole different universe. I don't think his walks were as tactical as you describe. I don't think he was pitching around guys. Rather, he was a chronic nibbler and frequently got himself in trouble. Frankly, he was a lot closer to Kevin Gregg than he was to O'Day. In 1978 he saved 24 and blew 7; in 1979 he saved 21 and blew 6. Those aren't very good ratios for a closer. The year Gregg was our closer, he saved 22 and blew 7.

You think of Stanhouse differently than I do. Stanhouse was an All-Star in 1979 with the O's. He was a big part of Oriole Magic that took the O's all the way to the World Series. He won 7 in addition to the 21 saves. That is 28 games with 6 blown saves. That's an 82% success rank which was pretty good in those days. You say he was a nibbler and I will not disagree this that. However, another way to say that is he would not give in to the hitter. He would push the limits by walking batters, pitching around batters until the bases were full.

All I was saying about O'Day was that the last few times out reminds me of that kind of mentality. I was not making a comment on O'Day whole career or his overall walk rate or his baseball judgement. I was just commenting on his last few tense outing.

Saber.org does a pretty good job on capturing the way I think of Stanhouse:

But Baltimore generated a record of 102-57, the best in baseball for 1979.

For at least 21 of those victories, Don Stanhouse could count himself among the Orioles? heroes ? one for every save he achieved in 1979. In July he was invited to accompany Ken Singleton as Orioles representatives at the All-Star Game in Seattle.

After posting a record of 7-3 with a 2.85 ERA during the regular season, Stanhouse was summoned from the bullpen to relieve Jim Palmer in Game One of the ALCS against the California Angels. True to the fundamentals of ?the Oriole Way,? Stanhouse won the opener on pitching, defense, and a three-run homer ? hit by Pat Kelly in the bottom of the tenth inning, Victory was no easier for the Orioles in Game Two, as Stanhouse entered with nobody out in the bottom of the eighth inning to preserve a 9-4 lead for Mike Flanagan. Stanhouse gave up two runs, then two more runs in the ninth before ending the game with the bases loaded. When asked why he had not sent his ace reliever to the showers, Weaver candidly answered, ?I still had three cigarettes left!? The Orioles went on to win the ALCS series on a complete-game shutout by Scott MacGregor.

Stanhouse saw action in three games of the 1979 World Series. In Game Two he yielded an RBI single to Manny Sanguillen to give the Pirates a 3-2 lead. He also pitched in Game Five and the deciding Game Seven, in which Pittsburgh claimed the world championship. It was a classic World Series, with the Pirates coming back to win after being down three games to one. Stanhouse was not a factor during the Series as he had been most of that year

http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/afc0b3d4

[Ed-die... Ed-die]

Stan the Man Unusual...

No thanks.

Give me O'Day and Britton everyday.

[Frobby]

You think of Stanhouse differently than I do. Stanhouse was an All-Star in 1979 with the O's. He was a big part of Oriole Magic that took the O's all the way to the World Series. He won 7 in addition to the 21 saves. That is 28 games with 6 blown saves. That's an 82% success rank which was pretty good in those days. You say he was a nibbler and I will not disagree this that. However, another way to say that is he would not give in to the hitter. He would push the limits by walking batters, pitching around batters until the bases were full.

You are right in one respect -- relievers were used a little differently in those days and so the save totals and percentages were not comparable to today's. In 1978, Stanhouse's 24 saves ranked 3rd in the AL and his save percentage of 77% was middle of the pack, whereas today it would be totally unacceptable for a closer. In 1979, his 21 saves tied for 3rd in the AL and his 78% save rate was, again, respectable for that period. Stanhouse threw more than one inning about 40% of the time. So, it wasn't really fair for me to compare his save ratio to Gregg's. By the same token, I do think their pitching philosophy was pretty much the same -- nibble, nibble and "don't give in." As to Stanhouse's 7 wins in 1979, 4 of them came in games where he blew the save, so I don't give him much credit for those.

In any event, I really don't see O'Day as that kind of pitcher at all, even if he has pitched himself into a bases loaded jam with nobody out twice in the last month.

[weams]

So you agree with Frobby. That is not really breaking news.

I think the man is pretty smart and wise. Yes. You have your days as well.

[weams]

So you agree with Frobby. That is not really breaking news.

I also agreed with RZ, which is not as much of a given. He's smart too. Congrats on your new bird.

[Old#5fan]

I have liked the way O'Day has pitched carefully lately. He had some issue with allowing some home runs late last year and early this year. He appears to have figured out a way to limit that. As a cerebral pitcher, he has created his own matchups. Walking who HE wants to.[/quote.\]. Yeah and he barely missed giving up a grand slam to Navarro and that would have been a disaster of epic fail proportions. I got nearly sick when I saw where he left that pitch and the swing Navarro put on that ball as it was right in his wheelhouse and he was very lucky there!

[Old#5fan]

That's fine. He clearly pitched around Bautista yesterday. But he's only walked 7 batters all season, and I doubt they were all intentional pitch-arounds.

Stanhouse was in a whole different universe. I don't think his walks were as tactical as you describe. I don't think he was pitching around guys. Rather, he was a chronic nibbler and frequently got himself in trouble. Frankly, he was a lot closer to Kevin Gregg than he was to O'Day. In 1978 he saved 24 and blew 7; in 1979 he saved 21 and blew 6. Those aren't very good ratios for a closer. The year Gregg was our closer, he saved 22 and blew 7.

You are spot on as usual Frobby as I also recall Stanhouse as a frustrating nibbler to the extreme bar none. He absolutely did not want to throw a strike unless he had to and even then it seemed to be a borderline one.