Raise your hand if you think Watkins was a better choice than Bradish?

[wildcard]

14 minutes ago, Bmorebirds24 said:

Where do I complain About Hyde trying to win? I’m asking a question about yanking starters earlier than I would think. Yes the arms out of the pen have looked great. However them arms can wear down too. No need to twist the narrative when I am simply questioning a philosophy if its organizational thing or is this Hyde’s philosophy. 

Hyde said Watkins was getting hit hard before he was pulled though he was not giving up a lot of runs yet.  Hyde being proactive when starter are getting tired is a good thing and the way the pen is pitching makes that even more likely to happen.

Hyde let Bradish go 6 on Saturday, so if the starter pitches well Hyde will let them go  deeper into games.

[ChipTait]

18 hours ago, wildcard said:

Hyde said Watkins was getting hit hard before he was pulled though he was not giving up a lot of runs yet.  Hyde being proactive when starter are getting tired is a good thing and the way the pen is pitching makes that even more likely to happen.

Hyde let Bradish go 6 on Saturday, so if the starter pitches well Hyde will let them go  deeper into games.

Lyles also broke the 100-pitch barrier…. So they are being stretched out.

[Frobby]

I’m raising my hand!

[jabba72]

[Tony-OH]

9 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I’m raising my hand!

Haha, me too, now!!  

[Roll Tide]

5 hours ago, Tony-OH said:

Haha, me too, now!!  

I still think Bradish is the better pitcher long term. Watkins has been impressive over his last handful of starts.

[Frobby]

2 hours ago, Roll Tide said:

I still think Bradish is the better pitcher long term. Watkins has been impressive over his last handful of starts.

I think so too, at least potentially.  But not right now.  

[Roll Tide]

10 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I think so too, at least potentially.  But not right now.  

Yep … I’d like to see Watkins be able to complete 6. Other than that he’s looked good and certainly has given the team a chance to win even in the tight games.

[LA2]

How has a staff that has lost its two top talents managed to put together such a brilliant first half? As Tony has meticulously shown, there are certainly some pitch improvement and mix factors that help explain the amazing performance of the O's pitchers so far. After watching pitchers like Watkins and Kremer get hit hard, but escape with little ERA damage though, one factor I hope the front office doesn't take too lightly in the coming weeks is the defensive constellations that have gloved and thrown their way out of so many jams. With Urias' successful return giving us both a good situational hitter and glove at third, we are free to move on from the Nevin vs. Rodriguez dilemma and afford to keep Mateo at SS--it is not beyond the realm of possibility also that Mateo can cut down on his K's and gain more opportunities to wreak havoc on the base paths. Just one of many defensive questions we will be facing soon, to be sure.

[baltfan]

8 minutes ago, LA2 said:

How has a staff that has lost its two top talents managed to put together such a brilliant first half? As Tony has meticulously shown, there are certainly some pitch improvement and mix factors that help explain the amazing performance of the O's pitchers so far. After watching pitchers like Watkins and Kremer get hit hard, but escape with little ERA damage though, one factor I hope the front office doesn't take too lightly in the coming weeks is the defensive constellations that have gloved and thrown their way out of so many jams. With Urias' successful return giving us both a good situational hitter and glove at third, we are free to move on from the Nevin vs. Rodriguez dilemma and afford to keep Mateo at SS--it is not beyond the realm of possibility also that Mateo can cut down on his K's and gain more opportunities to wreak havoc on the base paths. Just one of many defensive questions we will be facing soon, to be sure.

The wall has been a huge help.  Just this past week Trout and Ohtani had back-to-back outs on balls that would have been homers.  What that does for the psyche of young pitchers cannot be underestimated.  I also agree the defense is huge.  Urias seems to have found his bat after some bad luck.  His two hits on Sunday where he didn't try to do too much were impressive.  I suspect he is here to stay in some utility role going forward. 

[ChuckS]

2 minutes ago, baltfan said:

The wall has been a huge help.  Just this past week Trout and Ohtani had back-to-back outs on balls that would have been homers.  What that does for the psyche of young pitchers cannot be underestimated.  I also agree the defense is huge.  Urias seems to have found his bat after some bad luck.  His two hits on Sunday where he didn't try to do too much were impressive.  I suspect he is here to stay in some utility role going forward. 

Utility role future may be underselling him a bit.  I think it may be difficult to displace him as a starter before 2024. He figures in heavily next season at a minimum. 

[LA2]

2 minutes ago, baltfan said:

The wall has been a huge help.  Just this past week Trout and Ohtani had back-to-back outs on balls that would have been homers.  What that does for the psyche of young pitchers cannot be underestimated.  I also agree the defense is huge.  Urias seems to have found his bat after some bad luck.  His two hits on Sunday where he didn't try to do too much were impressive.  I suspect he is here to stay in some utility role going forward. 

Yes, I was thinking of that, too. It's almost like having a ghost 4th outfielder out there! But has it actually been proven that it's helped against opponents' shots significantly more than stolen home runs from players like Mancini, Mountcastle, Urias, Santander, and Hays? I'm sure Elias' analysts mapped and calculated it all out before the move, but I'd like to know.

[Frobby]

38 minutes ago, baltfan said:

The wall has been a huge help.  Just this past week Trout and Ohtani had back-to-back outs on balls that would have been homers.  What that does for the psyche of young pitchers cannot be underestimated.  I also agree the defense is huge.  Urias seems to have found his bat after some bad luck.  His two hits on Sunday where he didn't try to do too much were impressive.  I suspect he is here to stay in some utility role going forward. 

I find it fascinating that the wall appears to have had a huge impact on our pitchers, judging by home/road splits, but has had very little impact on our hitters.   What I mean is, yes the hitters have lost a bunch of homers to the wall, but our offense is about the same at home and on the road, whereas our pitching has been much better at home.  

[SteveA]

As I said in the game thread last night, Watkins 2022 season is starting to remind me of Jeff Ballard's 1989 season.   I don't see how he can get people out but he is doing it.

[jabba72]

15 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I find it fascinating that the wall appears to have had a huge impact on our pitchers, judging by home/road splits, but has had very little impact on our hitters.   What I mean is, yes the hitters have lost a bunch of homers to the wall, but our offense is about the same at home and on the road, whereas our pitching has been much better at home.  

Our defense is strong or effective in the right positions at the moment. Our pitching staff for the most part isnt walking guys but also not K'ing very many. So more balls are in play that our fielders are getting to.