TT: The other shoe has dropped

[Tony-OH]

The O's are 3-10 in last 13 games just five games above .500. The AL central teams are bullying them and treating them with zero respect. Why should they?

Big leads blown, poor starting pitching, errors, base running errors, batters who watch three straight strikes and walk back to the bench, and a manager who refuses to pinch hit at the bottom of his lineup. If that's for you, then you've enjoyed this team over this stretch.

This could be a slump, or it could be that the other shoe has dropped on a team that looked like it was winning on smoke and mirrors earlier in the year rather than being good.

This might be a bit of a rant, but there are bad at bats, then there are embarrassing at bats and Chris Davis in the 8th inning today had what can only be described as an embarrassing at bat with the tie run at 2nd. After getting to 3-0, he watched two straight fastballs in the middle of the plate and then a curve ball, never moving the bat from his shoulder. Not that his choke job should come as a surprise, after all, he was slashing .148/.289/.262/.552 when runners are on base this year coming into the game. Eight of his 10 homers have been solo jobs.

 That's not what you want from your $21 million a year first baseman. 

That wasn't the only embarrassing at bat. How about JJ Hardy watching three straight fastballs for strikes to end the game? I know he homered earlier in the game when the pitcher accidentally hit his bat, but how does he get to bat with Hyun Soo Kim or even Wellington Castillo on the bench? I guess his veteranosity outweighs his .524 OPS he was sporting coming into the game or his .196/.234/.265/.498 slash line against RHP.

The problem with this season is we spent the first part trying to figure out how in the hell the Orioles were winning so many games? Now, we are seeing their true colors come out. This team is slumping, and they are never as bad as they look when slumping, but this is not a good team. This is a team that is still threatening to send out one of the worse starting pitchers in MLB on Sunday in Ubaldo while picking up a waiver wire utility guy like that is going to change their fortunes.

Whether the bad losses and blown leads have affected the hitters or not, this offense is in one of it's cold spells, the kind of cold spells that teams constructed of one dimensional power hitters go into. Then again, they really haven't been all that good most of the year. 

The shoe has dropped and unless some guys turn it around big time this team is going to be near the bottom of the Division by the All-Star break.

[Camden_yardbird]

How about this.  You are seeing a slump (The Orioles are not this bad) and you are seeing a team at the end of its playoff window.  The Orioles are a team dealing with contracts for aging players who are underproducing but can't be replaced, the kind of contracts you make to keep a core together for a run, but look bad at their end.

Seasons aren't linear, the team is playing down now, they will play up in the very near future.

Competitive windows are the opposite, without significant resources (payroll) you can't compete forever.

[fansince71]

2 minutes ago, birdwatcher55 said:

Excellent post! Time to blow it up and move Machado, Davis and Gausman. I'd listen to offers for Bundy, too. And when Britton returns, send him packing. Time to start building for 2020 and beyond.

Never gonna happen, Dan's not interested in a rebuild.

[FlipTheBird]

11 minutes ago, birdwatcher55 said:

Excellent post! Time to blow it up and move Machado, Davis and Gausman. I'd listen to offers for Bundy, too. And when Britton returns, send him packing. Time to start building for 2020 and beyond.

So just punt the next three seasons right away? Over a few late-May losses? You're crazy.

[FlipTheBird]

29 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

The O's are 3-10 in last 13 games just five games above .500. The AL central teams are bullying them and treating them with zero respect. Why should they?

Big leads blown, poor starting pitching, errors, base running errors, batters who watch three straight strikes and walk back to the bench, and a manager who refuses to pinch hit at the bottom of his lineup. If that's for you, then you've enjoyed this team over this stretch.

This could be a slump, or it could be that the other shoe has dropped on a team that looked like it was winning on smoke and mirrors earlier in the year rather than being good.

This might be a bit of a rant, but there are bad at bats, then there are embarrassing at bats and Chris Davis in the 8th inning today had what can only be described as an embarrassing at bat with the tie run at 2nd. After getting to 3-0, he watched two straight fastballs in the middle of the plate and then a curve ball, never moving the bat from his shoulder. Not that his choke job should come as a surprise, after all, he was slashing .148/.289/.262/.552 when runners are on base this year coming into the game. Eight of his 10 homers have been solo jobs.

 That's not what you want from your $21 million a year first baseman. 

That wasn't the only embarrassing at bat. How about JJ Hardy watching three straight fastballs for strikes to end the game? I know he homered earlier in the game when the pitcher accidentally hit his bat, but how does he get to bat with Hyun Soo Kim or even Wellington Castillo on the bench? I guess his veteranosity outweighs his .524 OPS he was sporting coming into the game or his .196/.234/.265/.498 slash line against RHP.

The problem with this season is we spent the first part trying to figure out how in the hell the Orioles were winning so many games? Now, we are seeing their true colors come out. This team is slumping, and they are never as bad as they look when slumping, but this is not a good team. This is a team that is still threatening to send out one of the worse starting pitchers in MLB on Sunday in Ubaldo while picking up a waiver wire utility guy like that is going to change their fortunes.

Whether the bad losses and blown leads have affected the hitters or not, this offense is in one of it's cold spells, the kind of cold spells that teams constructed of one dimensional power hitters go into. Then again, they really haven't been all that good most of the year. 

The shoe has dropped and unless some guys turn it around big time this team is going to be near the bottom of the Division by the All-Star break.

I'm completely done with JJ Hardy. If he never put on an O's uniform again, that'd be fine by me. Like the guy and all, but he couldn't be more toast.

[Can_of_corn]

2 minutes ago, FlipTheBird said:

I'm completely done with JJ Hardy. If he never put on an O's uniform again, that'd be fine by me. Like the guy and all, but he couldn't be more toast.

That is a bit harsh.  There are always coaching jobs and old timers games.

[Spy Fox]

Is it seven straight losses in one-run games now? Incredibly frustrating but it shows that we're not being outplayed as badly as the 3-10 record would suggest.

Before the season started I would have happily signed up for 25-20. But they do need to stop the bleeding soon. It would be depressing to be back down to .500 so quickly after starting 22-10. 

[FlipTheBird]

2 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

That is a bit harsh.  There are always coaching jobs and old timers games.

I'd bet cash money on JJ losing the "old timer's softball home run derby" that they have scheduled for that weekend series in August, celebrating 25 years of Camden.

[FlipTheBird]

1 minute ago, birdwatcher55 said:

Your choice. Pay now or pay later. Fading veterans + mediocre farm system = dark years.

Are we calling everyone over 28 a veteran now?

[24fps]

18 minutes ago, fansince71 said:

Never gonna happen, Dan's not interested in a rebuild.

When it comes to rebuilds, Dan doesn't call the tune.  Dan dances.

[Frobby]

8 minutes ago, birdwatcher55 said:

Your choice. Pay now or pay later. Fading veterans + mediocre farm system = dark years.

These are decisions to be made in July, not now, IMO.

[Frobby]

I think the statement in the OP that this is not a good team is an overreaction and premature.    There are reasons to be concerned, but the bottom line is we are 25-20, which is a 90-win pace.    The path to get there has been a little bizarre, but the team is about where I would have expected them to be.    

My biggest regret so far this year has been some of the big leads we've blown.    Losses like yesterday and today are bound to happen at times, but 5 run leads should be safe.   

[TouchemAll]

54 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

The O's are 3-10 in last 13 games just five games above .500. The AL central teams are bullying them and treating them with zero respect. Why should they?

Big leads blown, poor starting pitching, errors, base running errors, batters who watch three straight strikes and walk back to the bench, and a manager who refuses to pinch hit at the bottom of his lineup. If that's for you, then you've enjoyed this team over this stretch.

This could be a slump, or it could be that the other shoe has dropped on a team that looked like it was winning on smoke and mirrors earlier in the year rather than being good.

This might be a bit of a rant, but there are bad at bats, then there are embarrassing at bats and Chris Davis in the 8th inning today had what can only be described as an embarrassing at bat with the tie run at 2nd. After getting to 3-0, he watched two straight fastballs in the middle of the plate and then a curve ball, never moving the bat from his shoulder. Not that his choke job should come as a surprise, after all, he was slashing .148/.289/.262/.552 when runners are on base this year coming into the game. Eight of his 10 homers have been solo jobs.

 That's not what you want from your $21 million a year first baseman. 

That wasn't the only embarrassing at bat. How about JJ Hardy watching three straight fastballs for strikes to end the game? I know he homered earlier in the game when the pitcher accidentally hit his bat, but how does he get to bat with Hyun Soo Kim or even Wellington Castillo on the bench? I guess his veteranosity outweighs his .524 OPS he was sporting coming into the game or his .196/.234/.265/.498 slash line against RHP.

The problem with this season is we spent the first part trying to figure out how in the hell the Orioles were winning so many games? Now, we are seeing their true colors come out. This team is slumping, and they are never as bad as they look when slumping, but this is not a good team. This is a team that is still threatening to send out one of the worse starting pitchers in MLB on Sunday in Ubaldo while picking up a waiver wire utility guy like that is going to change their fortunes.

Whether the bad losses and blown leads have affected the hitters or not, this offense is in one of it's cold spells, the kind of cold spells that teams constructed of one dimensional power hitters go into. Then again, they really haven't been all that good most of the year. 

The shoe has dropped and unless some guys turn it around big time this team is going to be near the bottom of the Division by the All-Star break.

No argument from me I agree

[Spy Fox]

3 minutes ago, Frobby said:

My biggest regret so far this year has been some of the big leads we've blown.    Losses like yesterday and today are bound to happen at times, but 5 run leads should be safe.   

By my count we have as many losses in which we blew a five-run lead (3) as we do wins by five or more runs (also 3). 

[24fps]

9 minutes ago, birdwatcher55 said:

Peter is puppet master. Ha ha. 

It's true that if he wanted to, PA could unilaterally decide that he wanted a rebuild and Dan and everyone else would have to comply.  IMO the likelihood of that ever happening without a long and involved process including substantial input from several trusted sources is virtually nil.  The possibility of DD rebuilding on his own initiative is nonexistant.  He would be dismantling an investment that is now into the hundreds of millions of dollars and began as long as 10 years ago depending on where you start to measure.  

That's a decision well above DD's pay grade.