I wonder what the record is for worst team ERA for a month?

[interloper]

5 hours ago, Hank Scorpio said:

It is amazing to me that a collection of professional baseball pitchers could be in the same place at the same time exuding the same amazing level of incompetence. What are the chances!?!?!

There really is something cosmically odds-defying about it. 

[spiritof66]

One thing that has added to my disappointment and inability to watch many games is the business-as-usual approach taken by Hyde (and to a lesser extent Elias).

Hyde manages by the book -- some good decisions, some bad ones -- but he runs the guys out there and makes in-game decisions as if this were a competitive team. He seems completely incapable of doing anything creative (not counting the occasional bizarre choice of a reliever). Things might be a little more entertaining if there were more bunting for hits, runners started to avoid GIDFPs, squeeze bunts, having guys try harder to hit against the shift, that sort of thing. Maybe we would find out who can bunt and who can hit to the opposite field if he really tries, and maybe that information will be useful some day.

And as long as Elias is bringing through a parade of minimum-salary players, especially pitchers, how about giving a shot to guys who are neither in the organization or waiver claims cut by other teams? Guys pitching in Mexico or Korea or Europe or somewhere, local guys who didn't quite make it in organized ball. Guys who might be interesting to root for. Would they be worse than the current crap, I mean crop, of our "Walk a couple guys, then fall behind and here it is, right down the middle" throwers? I doubt it, but I don't know.

 

[Frobby]

So, back to the topic question, I had a look at the 11 worst team ERA’s for a season — all 5.80 or higher — and looked at the monthly splits for each of them.   The highest one was what I identified yesterday: 8.20 for the 1930 Phillies.   That was the only monthly ERA over 8.00 among those terrible 11 teams. So, I think it’s very likely that 8.20 is the record for worst team ERA in a month.   To avoid breaking it, the O’s will have to pitch to an ERA of approximately 7.64 or lower for the rest of August.   

[NCRaven]

58 minutes ago, spiritof66 said:

One thing that has added to my disappointment and inability to watch many games is the business-as-usual approach taken by Hyde (and to a lesser extent Elias).

The results this year at the ML level have nothing to do with Hyde.  If his last name was Houdini he couldn't do magic with this roster.

[Frobby]

By the way, here’s the team ERA by month: 

March/April 4.01

May 5.89

June 6.38

July  5.35

August 1-19 8.56

We can do better than this, right?   Right?

 

[Frobby]

Just now, NCRaven said:

The results this year at the ML level have nothing to do with Hyde.  If his last name was Houdini he couldn't do magic with this roster.

I don’t know.   I used to think that a manager made very little difference.  Then I watched Buck come in and turn a 32-73 team into a 34-23 team down the stretch.   So, while I don’t think this team has much talent, I will never again say that it doesn’t matter who the manager is.  Sometimes, it matters a lot.   

Now, would I replace Hyde right now?  No.   
 

[Can_of_corn]

5 minutes ago, Frobby said:

By the way, here’s the team ERA by month: 

March/April 4.01

May 5.89

June 6.38

July  5.35

August 1-19 8.56

We can do better than this, right?   Right?

 

Maybe we could if we tried.

[ChrisP]

7 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Now, would I replace Hyde right now?  No.   
 

Would anyone take this job right now?

[Frobby]

6 minutes ago, ChrisP said:

Would anyone take this job right now?

There’s nowhere to go but up.   

[Can_of_corn]

5 minutes ago, Frobby said:

There’s nowhere to go but up.   

 

12 minutes ago, ChrisP said:

Would anyone take this job right now?

It's decent money, you get to be on TV. 

 

[Surhoffan17]

21 hours ago, spiritof66 said:

 

Two things about the 1930 Phillies, and I don't have time to look up or fill in numbers now:

1. 1930 was near the height of the high-scoring area lively ball era.

2. the Phillies played their home games in Baker Bowl, perhaps the most notorious bandbox in 20th century MLB: 281 feet down the right field line to a 60-foot fence.

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/just-because-the-ridiculous-dimensions-of-the-baker-bowl/

Fidgety Phill Collins was the ace of the staff, and he was a pretty good pitcher with a real bad team (5.5 rWAR in 1930).

Yes, in 1930 an especially lively ball was experimented with.  As a result, Hack Wilson drove in 190 RBI (revised in 1999 to have been 191 RBI) and set the NL record for HRs in a season with 56.  The RBI record still stands and the NL HR record stood until 1998 when roided up Sosa and McGwire launched their assault.  

[NCRaven]

2 hours ago, Frobby said:

So, while I don’t think this team has much talent, I will never again say that it doesn’t matter who the manager is.  Sometimes, it matters…
 

I agree.  But I was referring to this team today.  Earl found out how hard it is to manage a bad team.  I doubt Buck could do any better with this team.

[Can_of_corn]

Just now, NCRaven said:

I agree.  But I was referring to this team today.  Earl found out how hard it is to manage a bad team.  I doubt Buck could do any better with this team.

Buck did 47-115 in 2018 and had a losing record as Orioles manager.

[LA2]

3 hours ago, Frobby said:

By the way, here’s the team ERA by month: 

March/April 4.01

May 5.89

June 6.38

July  5.35

August 1-19 8.56

We can do better than this, right?   Right?

 

Reminds me of the curve of Jake Arrieta's ERAs season by season with the O's:

4.65

5.05

6.20

7.23

[Can_of_corn]

3 minutes ago, LA2 said:

Reminds me of the curve of Jake Arrieta's ERAs season by season with the O's:

4.65

5.05

6.20

7.23

Ahh memories.