The Sting of Losing Winnable Games

[OFFNY]

OFFNY said:

 

(vs. ASTROS, 8/19)

This one stung, badly.

The Orioles had a 5-1 lead after one inning, and wound up losing the game by a score of 15-8.

Not only was I very confident that the Orioles would win the game after that 1st inning, I was feeling like they would win it fairly easily ........ and they proceeded to get outscored 14-3 over the final 8 innings.

 

o

Orioles Must Regroup after Discouraging Loss to Houston

(By Steve Melewski)

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2016/08/orioles-must-regroup-after-discouraging-loss-to-houston.html

 

o

[Frobby]

But I mean the Mariners seem like they have enough. They're 6th/15 in runs scored, and they're 4th in ERA (starters are 6th, bullpen is 4th). That should add up to a playoff contender. There's no glaring weakness on the team. They've outscored their opponents by 39 runs and their Pythagorean record is 48-38, but their real record is 43-43. I'll go on record as predicting that they'll be in the wild card race come September.

I should have said, by late August. The M's are now one game behind us in the WC standings.

[OFFNY]

o

 

(vs. YANKEES, 9/04)

In a 5-2 loss, the Orioles' defense cost the team 2 runs.

The offense scratched out 2 runs, but they had ample opportunity to get more, and failed to do so.

A chance to sweep the Yankees fell by the wayside ........ and that stings.

 

o

[spiritof66]

You need to score more than 2 runs, with Miley pitching, at home against Pineda and Severino. Going 0-for-10 with RISP, without hitting any HRs, isn't going to get it done, regardless of the defense.

I didn't think Miley was awful. He's better than Gallardo IMO. But until Tillman returns, we don't have a lot of options. We're going to have to send Ubaldo, Gallardo and Miley out there and win a lot of those games, somehow.

[Frobby]

That was just a horrible game. Miley dug his own grave with the walks, we failed on countless occasions with runners in scoring position, including numerous times with a runner on 3B with less than two outs, and then Trumbo's travesty of a play in the 9th. I'm going to drink heavily and try to forget about this one.

[LookitsPuck]

What's the point of picking up defensive replacements if you're not going to play them? Trumbo is one of the worst outfielders I've ever seen.

[Spy Fox]

What's the point of picking up defensive replacements if you're not going to play them? Trumbo is one of the worst outfielders I've ever seen.

Not necessarily defending this, but I'm guessing we're only going to see those replacements in games we have the lead. Buck probably values run scoring over run prevention while we're trailing in the game.

[eddie83]

Not necessarily defending this, but I'm guessing we're only going to see those replacements in games we have the lead. Buck probably values run scoring over run prevention while we're trailing in the game.

Every manager does that. Pedro is hitting too well for him not to be in lineup, Trimbo has to DH. Perhaps we will see Davis back in the OF at some point.

[24fps]

What's the point of picking up defensive replacements if you're not going to play them? Trumbo is one of the worst outfielders I've ever seen.

Trumbo's pretty bad with the glove and reverting to form during the second half of the season offensively. Big muscles though. Meanwhile Trumbo was due come to bat 5th in the 9th and Bourn and Stubbs were available as defensive replacements in the 8th with Kim available to bat in the 9th if the 5th spot was ever reached.

I don't care in the slightest about conventional wisdom in this case. Buck missed an opportunity here IMO.

[eddie83]

Trumbo's pretty bad with the glove and reverting to form during the second half of the season offensively. Big muscles though. Meanwhile Trumbo was due come to bat 5th in the 9th and Bourn and Stubbs were available as defensive replacements in the 8th with Kim available to bat in the 9th if the 5th spot was ever reached.

I don't care in the slightest about conventional wisdom in this case. Buck missed an opportunity here IMO.

You don't take a better hitter out for defense when trailing ever. The scoreboard dictates what you do.

Using that logic Britton or Brach should have pitched instead of Drake when the Orioles were behind.

[OFFNY]

OFFNY said:

o

 

(vs. YANKEES, 9/04)

In a 5-2 loss, the Orioles' defense cost the team 2 runs.

The offense scratched out 2 runs, but they had ample opportunity to get more, and failed to do so.

A chance to sweep the Yankees fell by the wayside ........ and that stings.

 

o

o

 

And once again, the context of the O.P. of the thread comes into play in the Orioles' very next game:

The Orioles followed up a stinging, painful loss with a come-from behind win.

 

o

OFFNY said:

o

The last 2 losses have been hard to stomach. Last night, the Orioles blew a 3-run lead heading into the 7th inning. The night before, they jumped out to a 3-0 lead early in the game, had the bases loaded with nobody out an inning later, and failed to blow the Rangers out of the water. The Rangers subsequently came back to win the game by a score of 4-3. The Orioles had a runner on 3rd base with less than 2 outs in the top of the 9th inning, and Matt Wieters struck out (we needed only a sacrifice fly to tie the game.)

Those games hurt a lot.

We've also seen it go the other way.

There was the game against the Yankees on June 5th which was so frustrating for the first 7 and 2/3 innings. It appeared to be a game that the Orioles were destined to lose, as they kept coming up short in situations in which they could have at least tied the game, or even taken the lead. But Matt Wieters, with 2 outs and 2 strikes on him, came through with a 2-RBI single up the middle, and a 3rd run scored on the overthrow when Aroldis Chapman failed to back up his catcher on the throw to home plate. Zach Britton shut the Yankees down in the top of the 9th to cap the Orioles' win.

Then there was the game against the Angels in which the Orioles were down to their last strike in the top of the 9th inning, trailing by a score of 1-0. Matt Wieters came through with a 3-run home run, saving the Orioles in an otherwise bad offensive game for the team. Zach Britton again came in to shut the opponent down in the final inning, sealing another Orioles win.

So yes, these losses sting a lot. The unexpected wins seem great. Unless you are a team like the 2001 Mariners, the 1998 Yankees, or the 1984 Tigers (all of whom could easily afford to blow a game here and there without it causing the team and its fans much concern about their place in the standings), both the stinging losses and the glorious come-from-behind wins are going to happen throughout the course of the 162-game season. When they go against you, there is nothing that the team can do except put it behind them and go out and try to win the next game. There is nothing that the fans of the team can do except root for their (proverbial) heroes to do just that. Let's go Orioles, against the Padres tonight.

o

[24fps]

You don't take a better hitter out for defense when trailing ever. The scoreboard dictates what you do.

Using that logic Britton or Brach should have pitched instead of Drake when the Orioles were behind.

I thought the dictating was done by the brain of the man who's paid to make decisions.

Since the AS break:

Trumbo: .186/.271/.442/.713

Kim: .283/.350/.368/.718

Edited September 6, 2016 by 24fps
Corrected slash line

[O's are Legends]

Dropping the third game to the Rays stings. Bundy was left in the game too long, Jones didn't get to a ball he probably should have caught, the pitching wasn't good, and no pinch hitter for Joseph with lead off runner on and no outs. Joseph would end up laying down a sacrifice bunt and the O's didn't score.

[O's84]

Pitching was bad today. 3 leads blown, Bundy left in too long when it's obvious he was gassed, Buck with a rested pen and an off day tomorrow made some poor pitching decisions, Jones going 0-5 is it I think and dropping the game losing catch. Meanwhile it seemed like everytime the Rays got a runner on they scored. The offense probably should have scored a few more runs but end of the day if you score 6 runs and lose, most of it to blame is on the pitching. Can't afford to lose these games with our tough schedule coming up.

Anyway, I guess rest today tomorrow and then hope we kick the you know what out of DET.

[Ori-Al]

Dropping the third game to the Rays stings. Bundy was left in the game too long' date=' Jones didn't get to a ball he probably should have caught, the pitching wasn't good, and no pinch hitter for Joseph with lead off runner on and no outs. Joseph would end up laying down a sacrifice bunt and the O's didn't score.[/quote']

Buck managed with his head somewhere else. Leaving struggling Bundy in to blow the two run lead, and not hitting for Joseph, choosing instead to give away 1/6 of our remaining outs. And we still couldn't score a leadoff walk, something we commonly have a problem doing.

With the score 5-3, we had Pearce on third with one out, but couldn't get a productive out.

And what the heck were our hitters swinging at in the ninth?