Yeah, Buck Screwed Up, But It Was The Hitting That Lost This Game.

[Ori-Al]

I know I was far from the only O's fan who was certain our season was done when we saw Ubaldo trot in from the pen instead of Bundy (why was he on the roster - to be a spectator?) or Britton (particularly after UJ put runners on the corners with one out), but lets be real - what lost that game was the same thing that lost so many games in the second half. That was our pathetic, swing at anything, anywhere, turn walks into strikeouts, rank at or near bottom of league in AVG and OBP offense. Seven innings (first three, last four) without a hit. Couldn't manage just three runs in nine (or 10, or 11) innings. Game should never have gotten to UJ if offense did their job.

Again, no revenge for 1989.

[ORIOLE33]

Totally agree.

[hendu]

Also agreed, but we now have two pages of the same two threads.

1. Buck sucks

2. The offense sucks

[Frobby]

I know I was far from the only O's fan who was certain our season was done when we saw Ubaldo trot in from the pen instead of Bundy (why was he on the roster - to be a spectator?) or Britton (particularly after UJ put runners on the corners with one out), but lets be real - what lost that game was the same thing that lost so many games in the second half. That was our pathetic, swing at anything, anywhere, turn walks into strikeouts, rank at or near bottom of league in AVG and OBP offense. Seven innings (first three, last four) without a hit. Couldn't manage just three runs in nine (or 10, or 11) innings. Game should never have gotten to UJ if offense did their job.

Again, no revenge for 1989.

Not exactly a new thought. There must be about 5 threads dedicated to that opinion today.

One point -- we were 9th in both BA and OBP. I would not call that "at or near the bottom of the league." Our BA was one point below league average and 14 points above the bottom of the league. Our OBP was 4 points below league average and 13 points above the bottom of the league.

What is more true, however, is that our offense really nosedived in the second half of the season. At the 81-game mark, the team had an .801 OPS and was averaging 5.25 runs/game. In the 2nd 81 games, the team had a .719 OPS and averaged 4.06 runs/game. The home run production stayed steady (128 vs. 125 in the two 81-game halves) but everything else disappeared. That held true again last night.