One third through the season the O's are on an amazing 93 win pace.

[atomic]

Nobody is saying that.

But the starting pitching IS a huge reason to be concerned that this team will not repeat the same level of performance.

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Perhaps DD can trade for a serviceable starter like he did with Feldman, Norris and Sanders. Give up some prospects for a guy who will be free agent after the season but who isn't good enough to get QO.

[TradeAngelos]

Pace - 94 and change.

[weams]

The Baltimore Orioles-Smoke and Mirrors since 2012' date=' they can't really be this good, can they?[/quote']

I'm a results oriented kinda dude.

[weams]

We started 7-0 and have played .500 ball since. We are a mediocre team that has no chance of being too successful with this horrible pitching. I don't think we are winning near 93 games. We will be lucky to break .500. But when you give away a Cy Young winner like Arrietta and an up and coming stud in Edwardo Rodriguez.That's bound to happen. Orginizations are dying to get talent like that. It don't come often. We gave our chance of great starting pitching away, now we are stuck with scrubs.

Eduardo got pounded and could not throw strikes today.

[24fps]

Perhaps DD can trade for a serviceable starter like he did with Feldman, Norris and Sanders. Give up some prospects for a guy who will be free agent after the season but who isn't good enough to get QO.

I'd rather target a pitcher who's controllable through 2017 even if it costs a little more. It's obvious, to me at least, that there isn't going to be any rebuild until the end of next season. Starting pitching is the only thing keeping the current team from being truly scary. I don't think anybody in management has any interest in half-measures at this point.

[24fps]

Eduardo got pounded and could not throw strikes today.

Pity it couldn't have been the O's.

[LookitsPuck]

A 4.50 ERA is a QS. That's OK by me. Any time you get that you have a shot to win. I'd say looking at a poor stretch of 9 G and saying that means the pitching is worse than mediocre, is just being a reactionary fan.

20 games not including today. You're cherry picking.

[El Gordo]

20 games not including today. You're cherry picking.

Go back and look at the game logs. Through 45 games we weren't that bad save a few blow outs from Wright, Ubaldo and Gallardo in the beginning. SP and RP combined averaged 4.0 R per G and 3.7 ER per G. In the last 10 G SP and RP combined averaged 6.8 Runs per G and 6.1 ER. The last 9 games have been awful.

[backwardsk]

I would be shocked if we go 7-7.

We could go sub .500 in that stretch and still end up with a good June as we end with 8 games against SD and Tampa. And one against Seattle.

[Bradysburns]

Amazing considering how bad the starting pitching as been.

In the AL:

Offense

5th in runs with 255, on pace for 765

2nd in homers with 80, on pace for 240

6th in average with .261

4th in OBP with .324 (Major improvement of 2015 at .307)

2nd in slugging pct with .450

3rd in OPS with .774

Fielding pct

12th with .984 (Very poor, 2015 at .987)

Pitching

8th in ERA with 4.15

13th in Starter ERA with 4.99 (Major draw back for the team)

2nd in Reliever ERA with 2.81

I'm glad you started this thread. I was noticing we're in first place again, alone.

You gotta start to wonder at some point if this team might gel together into something really good - like win-the-division good.

If you had told me that we'd be alone in first, in June, and the following were true... I would have signed on 100 out of 100 times before the season started.

Kevin Gausman rounding into form as a potentially dominant starter.

Hyun Soo would be starting in the outfield and hitting like the South Korean Babe Ruth.

Tillman would be pitching like a frontline starter again, with a 7-1 record and a low 3.00s ERA.

Mark Trumbo be LEADING THE MAJORS in home runs at 18... with the likes of Bryce Harper and Nelson Cruz "lagging" far behind at 13 apiece.

(I should add that puts them both behind Manny Machado, with 14 homers already...)

Our bullpen would be absolutely dominating -- leading the league in wins, and second in ERA at just 2.81 (behind only Kansas City).

That would team would be SECOND in the majors in terms of home runs...

What does all of this say to me? Make a deal for a starting pitcher -- NOW!

In the mean time, Tillman and Gausman are solid. After that... very hard to be confident with the starters as a group. We need a boost there, and possibly some on-base and speed at the top of the order.

Go Os! Even if we're a three-legged dog. We have the bullpen, the scoring, and elite defense (when our starters are all healthy). We lack the starting pitching.

[Frobby]

You'd be right if the season ended today. ERA isn't such a great indicator IMO. A lot of that high SP ERA comes from Gallardo and Ubaldo. In 63% of our 55 G, pitching has given up 4 runs or less. I wouldn't call that lousy.

I'd have to do that comparison for every other team. And don't forget, that includes the excellent bullpen. It's the starting pitching we're critiquing.

Edit -- we are 13th of 15 teams in quality starts, right in line with being 13th in starter ERA.

[El Gordo]

I'd have to do that comparison for every other team. And don't forget, that includes the excellent bullpen. It's the starting pitching we're critiquing.

In the first 45 G the SP and RP combined averaged 4.0 R per G and 3.7 ER. That's not lousy IMO. In the last 10 G it's been 6.9 R per G and 6.1 ER. That's pretty lousy.

[Teddy OBP]

BTW, Gary Rasjich was quoted as saying this was the deepest draft in his 5 years here. Too bad his boss took away his 14th overall pick, a 1st round comp pick, and competitive balance pick.

MLB radio was talking down the top of the draft on Friday afternoon as not having anything that looked like a sure thing and that opinions on top prospects were widely varied. That may be some explanation for willingness to deal up high, while keeping reasonably high picks and later on for depth

[BohKnowsBmore]

21 Wins - 3 Losses in games that Pitchers allowed 3 runs or less.

3 Wins - 5 Losses in games that Pitchers allowed 4 runs.

7 Wins - 15 Losses in games that Pitchers allowed 5 runs or more.

Not that surprising that teams win more as they yield fewer runs to the opponent. Similarly, they tend to win more as they score more as well.

[LookitsPuck]

Go back and look at the game logs. Through 45 games we weren't that bad save a few blow outs from Wright, Ubaldo and Gallardo in the beginning. SP and RP combined averaged 4.0 R per G and 3.7 ER per G. In the last 10 G SP and RP combined averaged 6.8 Runs per G and 6.1 ER. The last 9 games have been awful.

Last 20 games by starting pitchers:

5/14: 7 IP, 2 R (Wright)

5/15: 5 IP, 4 R (Gausman)

5/17: 4 1/3 IP, 6 R (Jimenez)

5/18: 6 1/3 IP, 2 R (Tillman)

5/19: 6 IP, 5 R (Wilson)

5/20: 5 1/3 IP, 4 R (2 ER) (Wright)

5/21: 6 2/3 IP, 1 R (Gausman)

5/22: 5 2/3 IP, 6 R (Jimenez)

5/24: 7 IP, 2 R (Tillman)

5/25: 6 IP, 4 R (3 ER) (Wilson)

5/26: 5 IP, 4 R (Gausman)

5/27: 4 2/3 IP, 3 R (Wright)

5/28: 1 2/3, 6 R (3 ER) (Jimenez)

5/29: 6 IP, 4 R (Tillman)

5/30: 6 2/3 IP, 3 R (Wilson)

5/31: 6 IP, 5 R (Gausman)

6/1: 2 2/3 IP, 6 R (Wright)

6/2: 5 IP, 5 R (Jimenez)

6/3: 5 2/3 IP, 5 R (Tillman)

6/4: 4 IP, 5 R (Wilson)

By my count that's 6 quality starts out of the last 20 games. That's just the starters. 76 earned runs in 106 2/3 IP. That's a 6.40 ERA.

Breakdown of quality starts:

Tillman: 2 out of 4

Gausman: 1 out of 4

Jimenez: 0 out of 4

Wright: 1 out of 4

Wilson: 2 out of 4