A glimmer of hope from the starters

[wildcard]

Everything revolves around the starters for this team.   If they are bad the team will be bad.  It they are something better than that then things might improve.   The  reports today out for camp are that the O's think they have 6 starters that  may help the team.   That's the glimmer.

Means - Looks solid

Cobb - Looks stronger now then he has in the past two years.    And he seem healthy.   He has the talent to be really good so those two things are encouraging.

LeBlanc - has moved to the #3 starter spot.  He is crafty. He was 9-5, 3.72 ERA in 27 starts, 162 IP and a 1.179 WHIP in 2018.   So when things go right for him he can do well.   He was terrible last year, so things can go either way.   But he may be as good or better than any #3 the O's have had in a few years.

Wojo -  I have not heard much about him in ST 2.0 but he is a guy that can pitch a lot of innings.   He is probably a 5.00 ERA guy but he may be able to save the pen with the innings he can give.

Milone - has been more of a swing man over the last 3 seasons.  And he has not been that good.  Last season 4.76 ERA in 111 IP has been the high point.   

Stewart - The 25 year old is impressing O's management with his stuff.   As the 4th pick in the 2013 draft he probably has some talent if the O's pitching coaches can find a way to utilize him to maximize it.   That would be a real find.  

I think there is enough reliever talent to have an average pen if the starters could hold up for 60 games.

Its just a glimmer but for an O's team that has been terrible for a few years, a glimmer is better than nothing.

 

[eddie83]

The 60 game season and expanded rosters early on is the big hope. Helps to negate the shortage of pitching that would show up over the course of 162. Much easier workload to manage. 

Will be curious how all teams handle the workload early on. Orioles have 13 straight games to start out without an off day so they can’t get as cute.  

Cobb is the guy who could make the team less terrible.... With him who knows. I do hope Stewart gets a good look. 

[CarrRun49]

I would rather run Stewart out there 12 times than see Milone.

[eddie83]

5 minutes ago, CarrRun49 said:

I would rather run Stewart out there 12 times than see Milone.

One of those guys could be a 3 inning reliever that you can use twice a week. Could start Stewart and if other team has a bunch of lefties in lineup go to Milone or vice versa.  

[Oriole1940]

The 60 game schedule gives me some real hope for the Starters and other Positions for that matter.  A short schedule can cover a multitude of sins, and with a 60 game success, maybe it will carry over to 2021.     

[Moose Milligan]

Maybe the bullpen won't be blown out by the the 20th game.

[SteveA]

1 hour ago, Moose Milligan said:

Maybe the bullpen won't be blown out by the the 20th game.

We probably start the season with AT LEAST a 10 man bullpen, maybe 11.   Would be hard to burn them out too much.

Roster goes from 30 down to 28 2 weeks into the season (I guess August 7).

[CarrRun49]

1 hour ago, Moose Milligan said:

Maybe the bullpen won't be blown out by the the 20th game.

Even if it is, there's only 40 left!

[Frobby]

I don’t really put stock in a handful of intrasquad games and some complimentary remarks from the manager or some coaches.    I think our pitching staff will probably be a little better than last year, but only because it would almost be impossible to be worse.   Technically, I guess the 2017 starters were a little worse (5.70 ERA) than the 2019 starters (5.57 ERA), but either of those figures is so pathetic that you’d think any random staff could beat it.    

[Beef Supreme]

5 hours ago, Moose Milligan said:

Maybe the bullpen won't be blown out by the the 20th game.

The Orioles start with 13 straight games. The bullpen will be shot by Game 10.

[Beef Supreme]

9 hours ago, CarrRun49 said:

I would rather run Stewart out there 12 times than see Milone.

I hope they are committed to getting (a healthy) Kohl Stewart on the slab for at least @ 8-10 starts, regardless of how the other starts are divied.

[Aristotelian]

The O's had the worst pitching in MLB last year. If there is any glimmer of hope it is Grayson and company in the minors.

 

 

[Legend_Of_Joey]

I would rather keep an eye on the bullpen. I don’t see starters going deep into games because of the lay-off and think bullpens will be used more. 

[accinfo]

I just hope that Means is decent, high 3's ERA.  Certainly if he is better that would be great.  I just don't want him to look like last year was a fluke.  You hope Cobb can give you 4 out of 6 decent starts and you flip him for whatever you can.  Let's face it Wojo, LeBlanc, and Malone are just bodies because someone has to pitch.  I have zero expectations.  Hope one of them surprises us but even if they do they won't bring anything.  Cobb has a past of being a decent pitcher these three really don't.  I will be paying much more attention when Stewart pitches.  Certainly being a former 4th player in a draft you can hope he has some talent that these guys can find.  Certainly I look forward to Akin and Kremer hopefully showing something this year.  That is what I would consider progress.  

[DrungoHazewood]

15 hours ago, Frobby said:

I don’t really put stock in a handful of intrasquad games and some complimentary remarks from the manager or some coaches.    I think our pitching staff will probably be a little better than last year, but only because it would almost be impossible to be worse.   Technically, I guess the 2017 starters were a little worse (5.70 ERA) than the 2019 starters (5.57 ERA), but either of those figures is so pathetic that you’d think any random staff could beat it.    

wildcard takes the whole office out for dinner at Ruth's Chris for making it to the first coffee break at the project kickoff meeting.