Duquette: "We will have more than enough offense"

[Frobby]

When it comes to scoring runs, this team will be in the Great Middle. If you look at last year, there were 10 AL teams who scored between 756 and 835 runs. The AL average was 804 and the median was 805. I think you'll see the Orioles right around that number. Back in January I pegged them for 815, plus or minus 25. I might have been slightly high there, but that's the ballpark.

On the pitching side, the teams tend to be spread out further. On offense, the best and worst teams were separated by 241 runs, the 2nd and 13th place teams were separated by 114 runs. But for pitching, the best and worst teams were separated by 296 runs, the 2nd and 13th by 216 runs.

So my bottom line is that Duquette's sentiment is correct: pitching will decide how successful this team is.

[Mackus]

Does Knott make more sense? Yes. But Perez is ABSOLUTELY a fit to a team that looks ridiculous vs LHP. If someone doesn't fit at this point, it's Millar. He's a likeable guy that can smack a fastball, but on this team, given the roster, give me Perez over Millar.

No frickin way do I take Perez over Millar. Perez is getting very old, and wasn't particularly good to begin with. If he declines like his age suggests he will, he'll be a detriment, even against LHP.

Millar at least will have a good OBP, although I don't particularly think he'll be of much value this year on the field.

[Sports Guy]

Does Knott make more sense? Yes. But Perez is ABSOLUTELY a fit to a team that looks ridiculous vs LHP. If someone doesn't fit at this point, it's Millar. He's a likeable guy that can smack a fastball, but on this team, given the roster, give me Perez over Millar.

Perez has seen his OPS versus lefties really drop over the the last 3 years.

He can't play the OF and is 37.

I am not sure how much he will really hit lefties.

I am not saying i don't want him but i do not think he is the best fit for us either.

[Fan4Life]

Perez has seen his OPS versus lefties really drop over the the last 3 years.

He can't play the OF and is 37.

I am not sure how much he will really hit lefties.

I am not saying i don't want him but i do not think he is the best fit for us either.

I see Durazo is available... AGAIN...

[square634]

The more I think about it, the less I have a problem specifically with Bynum. I do not deny the possible value of a late defensive sub or pinch runner. Bynum could be a fairly valuable player off the bench. My problem is his inclusion in a man bench with no power. I actually think Gomez is the one we shouldn't have signed. I know that Gomez hits LHP better than Bynum, but I still wouldn't want to pinch hit with him. Gomez is also older and slower than Bynum. It should be one or the other on this team, not both.

[markdublya]

I agree. If they're not going to give Knott a chance, I'd rather have a dude in a wheelchair out in LF, as long as he can hit LHPs.

To be clear, I DON'T want Perez in LF!! I want him to DH every single game that a lefty starts, and pinch hit when appropriate.

[Sports Guy]

I'm going to write it again. Knott and/or Dubois will be up here getting significant time soon. The Orioles are in temporary mode right now because Wright has looked so bad and Traschel has been inconsistent. They are scared to death that the season might start with Cabrera having two of his 3-4 IP, 6 BB, 100 pitch starts in a row, that Loewen gets knocked around early, and that Wright/Traschel continue to only give 4 IP per start so they are going heavy on pitching to begin the season. This roster make up is very, very temporary.

One thing to keep in mind that nobody has brought up is that Williamson is hardly a "full" pitcher out of the pen. The team is quite obviously being very, very careful with his innings so he isn't a guy that they would use 2 days in a row or 3 out of 5. I think that is smart. This guy could be very helpful is used carefully, but he will break down if we use him too much.

There will soon be 12 pitchers, Payton back, Bynum down, and Knott or Dubois on the roster. When Payton went down, it really did almost ensure that Bynum was going to make the team. The loss of Payton left the team without three good defensive outfielders and with nobody to cover center behind Patterson.

Again, I'm not defending this current roster. It isn't what I would have done, but I also don't think it is going to make a hill of beans of difference over the next 10 games because all the hitters are so fresh (maybe 1-2 runs). Over the long haul, this roster make up would hurt a lot more, but that isn't going to happen.

VaTech i do hope you are right. However, this stuff with Trax and Wright is still pointless. I have aksed you a few times and i will continue to ask...Why not skip Trax's first start? It makes so much sense to do that.

We can use Markakis to cover CF in the event of an injury to CPat.

[TGO]

vatech, that is a very good explanation and I hope they do bring back Dubois or even better Knott when Payton returns, but why don't they just skip Trachsel's first start if they're so worried about him and Wright and Cabrera? They have the day off to do that.

EDIT: SG beat me to it.

[rolliefingers]

To be clear, I DON'T want Perez in LF!! I want him to DH every single game that a lefty starts, and pinch hit when appropriate.

I'd prefer that as well. I'm just saying that our LHPs problem is more pressing than our LF defense problems.

[Ovechkin]

VaTech i do hope you are right. However, this stuff with Trax and Wright is still pointless. I have aksed you a few times and i will continue to ask...Why not skip Trax's first start? It makes so much sense to do that.

We can use Markakis to cover CF in the event of an injury to CPat.

You'd have to start Trachsel next Tuesday. Is that really that much of an advantage?

[Frobby]

VaTech i do hope you are right. However, this stuff with Trax and Wright is still pointless. I have aksed you a few times and i will continue to ask...Why not skip Trax's first start? It makes so much sense to do that.

At least Trachsel has looked decent in his recent outings. If anyone should be skipped right now, it's Wright. But I'm in favor of giving these guys some rope and seeing if they hang themselves.

[Sports Guy]

I agree. I would have skip his first start. That would seem to be the answer. I know that we like to assume these guys are stupid, but they're not based on the totality of what they've done over the last 3 years so they must know something we don't about the skipping Traschel thing. I keep telling myself that anyway.

I'm not sold on Markakis in CF in place of CPat. If you did that, it would be because Bynum wasn't on the team so the outfield defense would be something like Knott in left, Markakis in CF, and Gibbons in RF. That would be by far the worst range of any outfield configuration in the majors IMHO. I wouldn't want to do that to my pitchers. Like it or not, these guys are serious about pitching and defense. I happen to agree with that sentiment, but maybe not to the same degree that they do.

You would only need to use Nick in CF for the rest of a game or so. It wouldn't hurt anything.

[Sports Guy]

At least Trachsel has looked decent in his recent outings. If anyone should be skipped right now, it's Wright. But I'm in favor of giving these guys some rope and seeing if they hang themselves.

Well fine, if you want to skip Wright instead, that is fine. One of them should be skipped the first week.

[Mackus]

I agree. I would have skip his first start. That would seem to be the answer. I know that we like to assume these guys are stupid, but they're not based on the totality of what they've done over the last 3 years so they must know something we don't about the skipping Traschel thing. I keep telling myself that anyway.

I'm not sold on Markakis in CF in place of CPat. If you did that, it would be because Bynum wasn't on the team so the outfield defense would be something like Knott in left, Markakis in CF, and Gibbons in RF. That would be by far the worst range of any outfield configuration in the majors IMHO. I wouldn't want to do that to my pitchers. Like it or not, these guys are serious about pitching and defense. I happen to agree with that sentiment, but maybe not to the same degree that they do.

Obviously Markakis wouldn't start (m)any games in CF. He'd be there to finsih out the game Patterson got hurt in and then Payton would probably play there once healthy, or you put Bynum on a plane and have him come start in CF.

Having Bynum on the team solely to backup Patterson is about as smart as having a 3rd catcher solely for the scenarion where Hernandez is DHing and Bako gets hurt.

[rolliefingers]

I'm not sold on Markakis in CF in place of CPat. If you did that, it would be because Bynum wasn't on the team so the outfield defense would be something like Knott in left, Markakis in CF, and Gibbons in RF. That would be by far the worst range of any outfield configuration in the majors IMHO.

That's a WEE BIT hyperbolic, don't you think? I agree it'd be pretty poor, but 1.) I can't believe it's the WORST and 2.) as SG pointed out, you'd only need that alignment for one game, tops.