Poll: Fireable Offense?

[SouthernBird]

My take, our offense was not performing, Ubaldo had been great lately, we did not know

how long extras would go, Ubaldo could go multiple innings, Britton would come in IF we got a lead or Ubaldo went 6+. Ball just did not bounce our way. Not Buck's fault. He is one of the best managers in the game and we should keep him as long as we can. Also, this team has been mediocre on the road all year.

[utvolzac]

I voted "no" even though I'm extremely pissed at how he handle the entire 11th inning offensively and defensively.

But for those that voted Yes, I can see their argument.

Buck clearly can make the most out of a roster and build a contending team each year, but if the goal is win the World Series, I have serious questions that he's the man to do it.

For a manager with his winning history the fact is he hasn't shown the ability to win when it counts. Having his teams in NY and ARI immediately win a championship after he gets fired, doesn't help his cause.

With the core of this team, I'm not sure how many more chances we have left. If people want to roll the dice and get rid of Buck hoping the O'S follow the same path as NY/ARI, I can see their point.

With the state of the farm system, I think we are heading for some losing seasons with or without Buck in the near future. So the concern for returning to a perennial loser isn't as high for me as it may be for others.

[Bradysburns]

Agreed. Buck is both a blessing and a curse. You may get to the playoffs under Buck, but you sure as hell won't win a World Series. He'll choke when he's most needed to make a smart decision.

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Could it be that Buck hasn't been blessed with a WS-worthy roster? Did ANYONE on this board think this team deserved to go to the playoffs, let alone the WS, with this roster?

That's what cracks me up. Buck does more with less than any manager in baseball. Someone even pointed to Joe Girardi as a manager they'd rather have. Did somebody pass around a bunch of Flakka to this message board community? Have we lost our collective plot here?

Improve the roster, and Buck will take us to the promised land. But honestly, our "money bat" is hovering near the Mendoza line and strikes out at a Reynoldsian rate, year after year. Reimold? On your bench? We have about six 1B/DH guys, all with similar skill sets.

Let's get to the root of the issue: the roster, and the lack of OBP and bat skills. You could throw in a lack of speed, too. I think I stole more bases this year than the Orioles, and I didn't steal any.

So to sum up, your thesis is:

1) Buck getting us to the postseason was nothing special. You EXPECTED us to get in based on our roster.

2) This roster deserved - on a pure talent basis - to advance past the Blue Jays to the ALDS

3) You KNOW that Britton would have pitched 2-3 flawless innings, and that Brach and company would have done the same afterwards, to close it out in... what inning were you thinking we would get another hit or run? Maybe the 12th or 13th?

4) Someone has a Buck voodoo doll somewhere, and they stick pins in it when he reaches the first round of the playoffs

Yokay then.

[epic]

I don't think anyone thinks Britton shouldn't have pitched, what the Buck defenders take umbrage with is the idea that Britton not pitching is what cost us the game.

We lost because this team isn't built for October. Not yet. If Gausman and Bundy become anchors in the rotation then yes. Otherwise we have work to do with this roster.

This. Over and over and over again.

I'm certainly disappointed that Buck didn't turn to Britton to potentially extend the game for another 1-2 innings and rather turned to Ubaldo. It wasn't a good decision. I think everybody can agree on that. Hell, I would have thought long and hard about bringing Britton in where Duensing came in as well. Luckily that one worked out.

Buck's decision to pinch hit Reimold for Kim was also a puzzling one. I still don't understand Buck's infatuation with Nolan, especially with the bat.

While Buck definitely deserves a large amount of criticism for having our best pitcher on the bench while seeing the other team walk off in an elimination game, that sole decision did not cost us the game. The offense lost the game. Not getting a hit for the final 5 innings of the game is absolutely inexcusable. They put zero pressure on the Jay's pitchers and continued to swing at pitcher's pitches time after time. I know you all watched it, and boy was it brutal.

I'm excited for our pitching next year. Gausman has hopefully taken a big step, Tillman is still a horse, and we'll have a full year of Bundy coming off of a normal offseason of workouts. Bullpen is going to be as solid as ever. But this offense needs some work.

[Bradysburns]

Have you ever come on here and criticized a questionable decision by Buck that

1) worked even though you thought it was wrong

2.) didn't work but we won the game anyway.

If the answer is yes to either one, show me some evidence.

I guarantee you that at least 50% of the people making the most noise about the decision last night wouldn't have made one peep if Jimenez pitched scoreless baseball and we won the game.

haha - great point. if we win the game with Ubaldo going 3 scoreless and Britton closing it out against their big boppers... Buck is elevated to demigod/genius level.

To be fair to the anti-Buckers this morning, many, MANY people on the game thread were calling for Britton to appear. However, a lot of that came much earlier than the 11th inning. Which muddies the thesis considerably.

[Bradysburns]

This. Over and over and over again.

I'm certainly disappointed that Buck didn't turn to Britton to potentially extend the game for another 1-2 innings and rather turned to Ubaldo. It wasn't a good decision. I think everybody can agree on that. Hell, I would have thought long and hard about bringing Britton in where Duensing came in as well. Luckily that one worked out.

Buck's decision to pinch hit Reimold for Kim was also a puzzling one. I still don't understand Buck's infatuation with Nolan, especially with the bat.

While Buck definitely deserves a large amount of criticism for having our best pitcher on the bench while seeing the other team walk off in an elimination game, that sole decision did not lost us the game. The offense lost the game. Not getting a hit for the final 5 innings of the game is absolutely inexcusable. They put zero pressure on the Jay's pitchers and continued to swing at pitcher's pitches time after time. I know you all watched it, and boy was it brutal.

I'm excited for our pitching next year. Gausman has hopefully taken a big step, Tillman is still a horse, and we'll have a full year of Bundy coming off of a normal offseason of workouts. Bullpen is going to be as solid as ever. But this offense needs some work.

No - everyone cannot agree on that. I liked Ubaldo coming in and saving Britton for the close. It just didn't work out.

[Mondo Trasho]

This. Over and over and over again.

I'm certainly disappointed that Buck didn't turn to Britton to potentially extend the game for another 1-2 innings and rather turned to Ubaldo. It wasn't a good decision. I think everybody can agree on that. Hell, I would have thought long and hard about bringing Britton in where Duensing came in as well. Luckily that one worked out.

Buck's decision to pinch hit Reimold for Kim was also a puzzling one. I still don't understand Buck's infatuation with Nolan, especially with the bat.

While Buck definitely deserves a large amount of criticism for having our best pitcher on the bench while seeing the other team walk off in an elimination game, that sole decision did not lost us the game. The offense lost the game. Not getting a hit for the final 5 innings of the game is absolutely inexcusable. They put zero pressure on the Jay's pitchers and continued to swing at pitcher's pitches time after time. I know you all watched it, and boy was it brutal.

I'm excited for our pitching next year. Gausman has hopefully taken a big step, Tillman is still a horse, and we'll have a full year of Bundy coming off of a normal offseason of workouts. Bullpen is going to be as solid as ever. But this offense needs some work.

I'd also point out that the Jays got an extra inning and a third from their starter. 6 IP and 2 runs is pretty good. Most great teams can get 7 IP+ from a starter with 2 or fewer runs given up. If we had starters that could do 6 or 7 innings of good pitching we wouldn't have had to use our bullpen until later, which also would have extended the game.

[atomic]

Have you ever come on here and criticized a questionable decision by Buck that

1) worked even though you thought it was wrong

2.) didn't work but we won the game anyway.

If the answer is yes to either one, show me some evidence.

I guarantee you that at least 50% of the people making the most noise about the decision last night wouldn't have made one peep if Jimenez pitched scoreless baseball and we won the game.

I said in the game thread he should have brought Zach to pitch when Brach was pitching. I don't know how much more I could complain. I complained when Jiminez was brought in. I knew soon as Jiminez was called to the mound we would lose.

[Slappy]

It was an epic blunder, but O's misery gets a lot worse than this.

[JohnD]

So to sum up... Fans want manager of team not expected to make playoffs and given up on routinely in August and September to get fired... For not winning when he got to playoffs.

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[VickRoznovsky]

Hi all, I think in hindsight it's easy to say that it was the wrong decision. Many of us on here, me included would be 162 - 0 with a decade of World Series Trophies in our showcase if we could play the games in hindsight. That being said, the strategic advantage in baseball swings heavily to the Home Team in extra innings because they no longer have to protect a lead. The role of closer is removed and all you need are holds or even if you give up a run, you still have three outs to make it up. Buck however had to roll the dice somewhere; either use the one strategic advantage you still held, i.e. the best closer in baseball or roll the dice with someone else saving the game. Buck managed with the expectation that we would win; he expected us to take the lead in the top of some inning and then the game was over because their three outs in the bottom of that inning were nullified by Zach. So many risky moves in an extra inning do or die game; Buck gets paid to make those decisions and even more painfully live with them. I think he's mistaken about Kim and he doesn't seem to like him; I think he makes mistakes and last night was one. But I think he did a heck of a job with a one-dimensional offense and I'm not sure what manager you find that could have gotten us farther. Just my two cents and I don't mind getting change back =)

[Redskins Rick]

I'm tired of people giving Buck credit for every single thing. MacPhail and even Duquette deserve more credit for the Orioles success because they were the ones who put together his roster. The GM's always been more far more important to a baseball team's success than the manager.

Some of us are tired of the haters.

[atomic]

So to sum up... Fans want manager of team not expected to make playoffs and given up on routinely in August and September to get fired... For not winning when he got to playoffs.

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Buck had a 69 win season before DD came along.

[Redskins Rick]

Buck had a 69 win season before DD came along.

He also finished the year before that, 34-23 and before DD came along.

[Satyr3206]

It's simple. You have a Manager to make good decisions. Did he do that or not?