Post's Barry Svrluga on the Orioles' current predicament

[Frobby]

Wow, did the Post pick the wrong week to give heavy coverage to the Orioles. Usually all they do is reprint the first 4-5 paragraphs from the Sun article, but this week they've been covering the team heavily, probably because the O's are in a tight race and the Nats are not. Today's entry is from their national baseball writer, Barry Svrluga:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nationals/for-slumping-orioles-playoff-hopes-melting-like-a-snowball-in-september/2016/09/22/3e0b436c-80f8-11e6-a52d-9a865a0ed0d4_story.html

I'm sure the Hangout will react to the following comments and the quote from Adam Jones:

They rely, Earl Weaver-style, on the home run. Yes, their 239 homers lead the majors by a wide margin-- 25 more than next-best Toronto. But they can hardly win when they don't homer, evident by their 12-25 record in such games. They rank behind 10 teams in runs scored.

So they leave the Boston series as the worst version of their offensive selves, hack-at-the-first-strike-you-see sluggers. Porcello needed just 89 pitches to dust off this free-swinging O's on Monday. In the four-game series, Baltimore drew six walks -- as many as Boston drew in the first five innings Thursday -- and produced a .157 average, a .207 on-base percentage, a .252 slugging percentage. For the series, they managed 20 hits -- and struck out 31 times.

"We're not on top of our game offensively right now," Showalter said. "But it can change in one day."

The Orioles are clear, though, that it is the results they will change -- not the process or the approach.

"The reason why we're good is we got here the way we got here," center fielder Adam Jones said Thursday afternoon. "Look at C.D.," he said, motioning at powerful first baseman Chris Davis, who carried a .220 average and 38 homers into Thursday's game.

"What do you ask out of C.D.? You ask for 40 [homers] and 100 [RBI]," Jones said. "You don't ask for anything else. You ask for 40 and 100, however you're going to get it. You want him to change? You want him to hit .270 or .280? You might get 16 homers. Never take away the aggressiveness."

[NashLumber]

Thanks for sharing this. I think this seemingly confirms that the approach will not change. Streaky is as streaky does.

[LookitsPuck]

Quite a different approach to the O's of the past (pitching, defense and the 3 run homer):

No starting pitching, only infield defense and the 1 run homer.

[schittenden]

I read that this morning. It seemed like a pretty accurate description of what ails the team right now.

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[Frobby]

Quite a different approach to the O's of the past (pitching, defense and the 3 run homer):

No starting pitching, only infield defense and the 1 run homer.

The team has hit only 19 3-run homers. League average is 20.8. That surprised me.

[Redskins Rick]

The team has hit only 19 3-run homers. League average is 20.8. That surprised me.

How many homers have they hit in the same inning this season, seams like they hit in bunches sometimes.

[El Gordo]

Well the worst OBP guys of the regulars are Jones, Trumbo, Hardy, Wieters, and Schoop. Obviously you replace Trumbo with a good glove OBP guy, but which of the other four do you replace?

[Aristotelian]

The team has hit only 19 3-run homers. League average is 20.8. That surprised me.

Doesn't surprise me. Their OBP is near the bottom of the AL.

[Triple Crown]

The Jones quote is the big issue with this team. I guess stats are the only thing that matters to too many of these players. The only stat that should matter is W's and I don't think this group of players get that. This past Red Sox series was the the spitting image of the LCS against the Royals

[Redskins Rick]

The Jones quote is the big issue with this team. I guess stats are the only thing that matters to too many of these players. The only stat that should matter is W's and I don't think this group of players get that. This past Red Sox series was the the spitting image of the LCS against the Royals

So the players don't want to win, and they just don't get it.

Glad you settled that for us, we can just go on with Football watching now.

[ORIOLE33]

I didn't have to read this, I knew they wouldn't change their approach. I hope Mancini doesn't take any advice from any of our vets.

This particular squad will never win the series.

[ORIOLE33]

So the players don't want to win, and they just don't get it.

Glad you settled that for us, we can just go on with Football watching now.

Not saying that they don't want to win, but they DON'T GET IT!

[Triple Crown]

So the players don't want to win, and they just don't get it.

Glad you settled that for us, we can just go on with Football watching now.

Being a Redskin fan, I wouldn't recommend that

[Tx Oriole]

So the players don't want to win, and they just don't get it.

Glad you settled that for us, we can just go on with Football watching now.

Isn't that something? I think the folks that post here are smart educated people but some of their posts seem so silly. I think he totally misunderstood what Adam was saying.

[isestrex]

Isn't that something? I think the folks that post here are smart educated people but some of their posts seem so silly. I think he totally misunderstood what Adam was saying.

Angles you could take from those quotes:

-Adam is an idiot. He thinks a .220 hitter shouldn't try to improve.

-Adam is stabbing DD in the back, he thinks the team was built poorly

-Adam is delusional, he thinks the Orioles are a great team just going through some bad luck

-Adam is one to talk... his own "aggressiveness" is perpetuating a 5.6 BB% and a 60% swing rate from the leadoff spot.

A reporter can talk a loaded quote like that and march into whatever direction he feels like going. Trying to determine the true heart and meaning behind a few sentences is hard work. No one on the OH should presume to think they know what Adam is thinking.