15 days in, fun summer or not?

[maybenxtyr]

Just going off of the two weeks of data, which of these teams do you think Baltimore is better than?

Boston? New York? Toronto? Cleveland? Minnesota? LA Angels? Houston? Seattle?

That's 8 out of 15 teams that I think have a legitimate shot at the playoffs this year. Once again, two weeks in and I think Baltimore is only better than Seattle. I'll enjoy baseball this summer, just not because I feel this team is a playoff contender.

[OFFNY]

o

 

Mychal Givens successfully blocking home plate with his balls at Yankee Stadium ........ that play alone went a long way toward making me (generally) happy with the 2018 baseball season so far.

 

o

[pastorfan]

21 hours ago, Can_of_corn said:

Outfield is slow, first baseman is in decline, second baseman lacks range, SS and 3B are playing out of position and the catchers can't throw.

Other than that it's fine.

Yep!

[now]

Fun when they win, not fun when they lose (of course)!

Fun watching Mancini hit.

Not fun watching Jones get slower every year.

Fun watching Santander hit in the clutch and dive for catches.

Not fun watching Beckham run through a stop sign; but fun watching the coach's reaction!

Fun watching Machado's sweet stroke.

Not fun watching Schoop struggle early after tearing it up in Florida.

Not fun watching CD flail helplessly.

Fun watching the Bull take walks or rake.

Fun watching Bundy and Cashner deal.

Not fun watching Gausman and Brach nibble, spit, and cough up leads.

Not fun watching O'Day and Givens run hot and cold.

Fun watching Gentry contribute.

Not fun watching Tillman labor.

Fun watching Wright surprise with a good start; not fun watching him melt down.

Fun seeing Araujo succeed; not fun seeing Cortes fail.

Fun seeing Bleier be a rock.

Fun watching Joseph's smarts, and Sisco's quick bat. 

Super fun watching them take 3 of 4 in NY. Next stop, Fenway...

 

[Mayor McCheese]

Sure it will be fun.  They may have some real bad losses but IMO they are going to be a competitive team.  Hopefully by May we should have Trumbo, Hays, and Cobb all back on the rooster.

Glad to see that both Rasmus or Cortes played themselves off the team.... what a train wreck.

Mike Wright is officially out of the Rotation, with Tillman right behind him.

 

[wildcard]

5 minutes ago, Mayor McCheese said:

Sure it will be fun.  They may have some real bad losses but IMO they are going to be a competitive team.  Hopefully by May we should have Trumbo, Hays, and Cobb all back on the rooster.

Glad to see that both Rasmus or Cortes played themselves off the team.... what a train wreck.

Mike Wright is officially out of the Rotation, with Tillman right behind him.

 

I guess that is why Cobb started on the farm.

[Dipper9]

I've realized in the first two weeks that I've had about enough of the home run or no run offense.  This ballpark has made sense to build the team for years as a home run hitting team, but its become boring.  When a team routinely has runners on the bases with 1 or less outs and then we see bad at bats with strikeouts or pop-ups, that's just not fun.  I've had enough of that.  What I am enjoying early this year is Cisco, Mancini, and some of the younger guys trying to have good at bats.  The starting pitching has even been fun.  But Davis, Scoop, and others selfish at bats are hurting my fun.  

That said.  Its baseball.  Its the Orioles.  I will watch every game on TV or in person at the Yard.  As recent WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry says..."That's what I do!" 

[OFFNY]

2 hours ago, now said:

 

Fun when they win, not fun when they lose (of course) !!!

Fun watching Mancini hit.

Not fun watching Jones graduaklly get slower every year.

Fun watching Santander hit in the clutch and dive for catches.

Not fun watching Beckham run through a stop sign ........ but fun watching the coach's reaction !!!

Fun watching Machado's sweet stroke.

Not fun watching Schoop struggle early after tearing it up in Florida.

Not fun watching Chris Davis flail helplessly.

Fun watching the Bull take walks or rake.

Fun watching Bundy and Cashner deal.

Not fun watching Gausman and Brach nibble, spit, and cough up leads.

Not fun watching O'Day and Givens run hot and cold.

Fun watching Gentry contribute.

Not fun watching Tillman labor.

Fun watching Wright surprise with a good start ........ not fun watching him melt down in his very next outing.

Fun seeing Araujo succeed; not fun seeing Cortes fail.

Fun seeing Bleier be a rock.

Fun watching Joseph's smarts, and Sisco's quick bat. 

Super fun watching them take 3 of 4 in New York. Next stop, Fenway Park ........

 

o

 

Thank goodness that Brad Brach actually did this all within a single inning of the same game.
 

He went from ice-cold to hot when he loaded the bases with nobody out (and the Orioles clinging to a tenuous one-run lead), and then induced 2 of the Yankees' most dangerous batters to make 3 outs in 2 plate appearances to end the game in favor of the orange-and-black.

 

o

[Frobby]

3 minutes ago, Mayor McCheese said:

Hopefully by May we should have Trumbo, Hays, and Cobb all back on the rooster.

Just noticed the funny typo.   Wish I knew how to do a good photoshop.  

But my real reason for quoting the above is that I’m not expecting to see Hays any time soon.     The fact that they sent him to Bowie instead of Norfolk tells me that they want to develop him a bit more before they bring him up again.    He didn’t hit that well during last year’s call up (.555 OPS) or this spring, and still has some plate discipline issues.   And, at least so far he’s not off to a really hot start at Bowie (.672).   I have high hopes for Hays’ long term future, but will be a bit surprised if we see him before September.     

[wildcard]

29 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Just noticed the funny typo.   Wish I knew how to do a good photoshop.  

But my real reason for quoting the above is that I’m not expecting to see Hays any time soon.     The fact that they sent him to Bowie instead of Norfolk tells me that they want to develop him a bit more before they bring him up again.    He didn’t hit that well during last year’s call up (.555 OPS) or this spring, and still has some plate discipline issues.   And, at least so far he’s not off to a really hot start at Bowie (.672).   I have high hopes for Hays’ long term future, but will be a bit surprised if we see him before September.     

Just another perspective on why Hays went to Bowie.   

The O's didn't want to start him in a pitcher's park in Norfolk.   They would like to see him get hot and force his way to the majors.   A lot depends on how Santander and Rasmus are doing when Hays gets hot.   My guess that this will all come together shortly after Santander's 44 days are up.

What has happened in the majors and the minors for the O's so far is not too predictive of the future.  It pretty hard to hit when its 40 degrees.

[now]

1 hour ago, OFFNY said:

o

 

Thank goodness that Brad Brach actually did this all within a single inning of the same game.
 

He went from ice-cold to hot when he loaded the bases with nobody out (and the Orioles clinging to a tenuous one-run lead), and then induced 2 of the Yankees' most dangerous batters to make 3 outs in 2 plate appearances to end the game in favor of the orange-and-black.

 

o

Yup, hard to imagine a wider scale of cold << >> hot in a single inning!

[Frobby]

9 hours ago, wildcard said:

Just another perspective on why Hays went to Bowie.   

The O's didn't want to start him in a pitcher's park in Norfolk.   They would like to see him get hot and force his way to the majors.   A lot depends on how Santander and Rasmus are doing when Hays gets hot.   My guess that this will all come together shortly after Santander's 44 days are up.

What has happened in the majors and the minors for the O's so far is not too predictive of the future.  It pretty hard to hit when its 40 degrees.

You and I differ in terms of the “risks” of sending Hays to Norfolk. I don’t believe our players are delicate flowers who need to be protected from a pitcher’s park.   Mancini wasn’t.   Sisco wasn’t.   And Hays won’t be.   

[eddie83]

9 hours ago, Frobby said:

Just noticed the funny typo.   Wish I knew how to do a good photoshop.  

But my real reason for quoting the above is that I’m not expecting to see Hays any time soon.     The fact that they sent him to Bowie instead of Norfolk tells me that they want to develop him a bit more before they bring him up again.    He didn’t hit that well during last year’s call up (.555 OPS) or this spring, and still has some plate discipline issues.   And, at least so far he’s not off to a really hot start at Bowie (.672).   I have high hopes for Hays’ long term future, but will be a bit surprised if we see him before September.     

I will be shocked if he isn’t here before September. Gentry is playing well but he isn’t a regular. I can’t see who plays a bulk of the season in RF?  Who are they going to use out there?

[Frobby]

On 4/12/2018 at 9:10 AM, wildcard said:

I said over the winter that Bundy was going to be an ace.  I still believe that.   Cashner, Cobb and Gausman will be solid.  Between Tillman, Ynoa and Hess I think they will find a #5 but it will not be pretty.   Someone is going to come up with a 4.50-4.80 ERA.   

Britton will be back June 1st.   And I think he will be the Britton on old.  There is enough depth in the pen to put up a 3.50 ERA for the season.  

The hitting will be OK.   Hays will be ready by mid May or June.   Sisco is a hitter for average and he will drive in runs.  He is unlike most of the O's hitters.  Not swing for the fence all the time.  He is surprising me with his defense and throwing so far.     I think the offense will be better than last year.   Maybe 750-780 runs. 

The defense is going to be much better.  Manny and Beckham are going to get better and better.   Hays will be solid in right.  This should be a very good defensive team.

I think they will be in contention for a wild card spot right till the end of the season.

 

 

Bumping for hilarity.   

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

1 minute ago, Frobby said:

Bumping for hilarity.   

So basically the exact opposite happened this season.

I will admit after Cobb was signed I thought this team would contend for the wildcard.