[Fangraphs] Jeff Sullivan is resigned to the Orioles beating projections

[Hallas]

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/well-the-orioles-are-doing-it-again/

At this point he doesn't even really bother to talk in depth about why it's unsustainable.  Sure, he brings it up as a cursory point, but it's as if the O's have managed to beat out whatever defensive stance that he/they would normally have w/r/t the Orioles playing over their heads.

[Frobby]

Quote

It’s more of the same. This is the Orioles’ recipe, and it has ever so much to do with Buck Showalter and how he handles their bullpen. The Orioles bullpen has been by far the biggest reason why the team has so dramatically over-performed in the last half-decade. What makes things extra funny is that the Orioles bullpen is presently without the injured Zach Britton, who’s one of the most valuable relievers in the sport. Darren O’Day has an ERA north of 5. Things haven’t gone quite as the Orioles wanted, but the bullpen is still No. 3 in baseball in Win Probability Added. It was No. 1 over the previous five years combined. Throw in some unexpected quality work from the rotation and you’ve got a 22-10 record.

People who criticize Buck's handling of the pitching staff need to read this over and over and over.    Buck is as good at managing a bullpen over 162 games as any manager I've seen.    And sometimes that means pushing the starters beyond the point that's optimal for them on a given night, if it's necessary to avoid overtaxing the bullpen over the long term.

This was an excellent article.  I must say, filmstudy made a lot of the same points in his post earlier today.

[Hallas]

56 minutes ago, Frobby said:

People who criticize Buck's handling of the pitching staff need to read this over and over and over.    Buck is as good at managing a bullpen over 162 games as any manager I've seen.    And sometimes that means pushing the starters beyond the point that's optimal for them on a given night, if it's necessary to avoid overtaxing the bullpen over the long term.

This was an excellent article.  I must say, filmstudy made a lot of the same points in his post earlier today.

It's also really unfortunate that he failed in a much bigger stage w/r/t bullpen management last year since people are more likely to judge him negatively for a playoff mistake than judge him positively for his overall body of top-tier work.

[MagicBird]

This article is reality.

But reading here the last few years with all the pissing and moaning about Chris Davis and Trumbo contracts and all of DD's bad moves and stupidity you'd never know this team has been fun to watch and cheer for after that 14 yr run of futility.

[Hallas]

1 hour ago, MagicBird said:

This article is reality.

But reading here the last few years with all the pissing and moaning about Chris Davis and Trumbo contracts and all of DD's bad moves and stupidity you'd never know this team has been fun to watch and cheer for after that 14 yr run of futility.

We're fans.  What kind of fans would we be if we didn't bi**h and moan about our team?  Isn't that like a given for all sports fans?

[MagicBird]

4 minutes ago, Hallas said:

We're fans.  What kind of fans would we be if we didn't bi**h and moan about our team?  Isn't that like a given for all sports fans?

Somewhat.  

But sometimes its better to enjoy the ride.