Hot start or superior team?

[bluedog]

I was discussing this today with a friend of mine who is a big baseball nut, but isn't an Orioles fan. At what point would the O's winning streak significantly change his opinion of the quality of the team?

He said at 10 - 0 (two times through the rotation) he would believe the O's were a much better team that he originally expected.

I said at 12 - 0 (sweeps of Boston and Texas on the road) I'd believe it was no longer just a "hot start" but a pretty strong indication of the quality of the team longer term.

What say you? How many consecutive wins do the O's need for you to believe they are not just hot, but really a superior team?

[MDtransplant757]

I think we are a superior team if the SP holds up. If they do their job and get us to the 5th or sixth with a lead or tie in a close game, then we could go to the playoffs.

[Hank Scorpio]

More than wins and losses, I need to see better stuff out of our starting pitchers. They look like fresh meat loaf on the dinner table that is the American League East thus far.

Six games is effectively nothing. But obviously, you would rather win them all.

[Sessh]

We still have not seen the worst of this team. It's certainly possible that the worst would cancel out a 6-0 start or even exceed it in the other direction. How does this team respond after a loss? How do they respond

after two? Right now, the starting pitching is (kinda) working and the bullpen is being used more than I would like to see. How do we look with a tired bullpen in June? How will we win games when no one is hitting or our

starting pitching comes down to earth? How will Mike Wright do as a starter? What about Worley? What about Gallardo? There's far too many questions still unanswered. Six games can be erased in the blink of an eye.

[weams]

I was discussing this today with a friend of mine who is a big baseball nut, but isn't an Orioles fan. At what point would the O's winning streak significantly change his opinion of the quality of the team?

He said at 10 - 0 (two times through the rotation) he would believe the O's were a much better team that he originally expected.

I said at 12 - 0 (sweeps of Boston and Texas on the road) I'd believe it was no longer just a "hot start" but a pretty strong indication of the quality of the team longer term.

What say you? How many consecutive wins do the O's need for you to believe they are not just hot, but really a superior team?

Six. Consecutive wins mean nothing. Winning four series? That would mean something.

[MDtransplant757]

We still have not seen the worst of this team. It's certainly possible that the worst would cancel out a 6-0 start or even exceed it in the other direction. How does this team respond after a loss? How do they respond

after two? Right now, the starting pitching is (kinda) working and the bullpen is being used more than I would like to see. How do we look with a tired bullpen in June? How will we win games when no one is hitting or our

starting pitching comes down to earth? How will Mike Wright do as a starter? What about Worley? What about Gallardo? There's far too many questions still unanswered. Six games can be erased in the blink of an eye.

If Worley gets stretched out more, he'll make it 5 or 6 innings. If not, Wilson comes in. Wright will be good for a few wins, but I'd protect him from teams like Toronto and the MFY. Gallardo will do better, but I think yesterday's performance was because he's never done well at Fenway.

[25 Nuggets]

More than wins and losses, I need to see better stuff out of our starting pitchers. They look like fresh meat loaf on the dinner table that is the American League East thus far.

Six games is effectively nothing. But obviously, you would rather win them all.

Must say "hot start" instead of "superior team", and still have them finishing above .500 but below 90 wins. Generally agree with Hank here.

[tntoriole]

I believed "superior" before the season started and I will stick with that. There is an elegant karma to the number 21 for the Orioles. It would tie the 1935 Cubs record for most wins to start the season and be payback for 1988...lol. Perhaps we might get a little love from ESPN, etc if we did that.

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[calmunderfire]

I get tired of the haters though. All these guys who sit in the studios always trash on us. We keep winning. They can just suck on it.

[Moose Milligan]

Hot start.

The pitching has been good but we all know it's not THAT good.

Practically every team goes 6-0 at one point or another during the season. Our point just happened to come before anyone else's.

That, and I need to see how this team rebounds from a loss or two.

[ChuckS]

Hot start. The starting pitching is a dumpster fire that has yet to catch flame. Doesn't mean we can't win a lot of games, but it will be a deficiency for us this year rather than a strength that it has been so far.

[bluedog]

Yeah I agree that 6 - 0 is probably just a hot start. But at what point do you change your mind? 10 - 0? 16 - 0? I would presume that for anyone there's a point where a hot start turns into something else.

[duffaphonic]

Bundy and Gausman will help out the rotation problem.

[Barnaby Graves]

That's a real bad rotation over 162 games.

[Todd-O]

I'll answer OP question:

BOTH

;-)