Yennier Canó 2023

[Jagwar]

4 minutes ago, DirtyBird said:

But win just 1 of 4 and we earn the tie breaker, so essentially give up 1 game in division race at most

Agreed. My point was that head to head matchups can potentially move the needle for two teams chasing the division title. If we still hold a 4-game lead when the Rays come to town, anything can happen. 

[dystopia]

9 hours ago, banks703 said:

But s#it can’t happen if they want to win the division. 

The Braves lost 16-13 to the D-Backs back in July. Be happy we won the game. There are going to be games where nobody can pitch.

[btownoriole]

1 minute ago, dystopia said:

The Braves lost 16-13 to the D-Backs back in July. Be happy we won the game. There are going to be games where nobody can pitch.

Or look no further than the opening series at Fenway where the O’s turned a 10-4 8th inning lead into a 10-9 win and a 7-1 lead into…well, let’s not go there.

I’m just glad today is the last game there this season.  It has been a house of horrors for the bullpen and defense.  And yet they can do no worse than go 3-3 there for the season.

[Aristotelian]

19 minutes ago, Jagwar said:

Agreed. My point was that head to head matchups can potentially move the needle for two teams chasing the division title. If we still hold a 4-game lead when the Rays come to town, anything can happen. 

What is the probability of them sweeping us? If it happens we probably lose the division regardless of what happens in the non head to heads. Fortunately the probability is low. 

[Frobby]

25 minutes ago, dystopia said:

The Braves lost 16-13 to the D-Backs back in July. Be happy we won the game. There are going to be games where nobody can pitch.

Right.  A win is a win.  Our pitching has been very good from July to now.  One bad game against a good lineup in a hitter’s ballpark doesn’t mean it’s suddenly falling apart.  The only thing truly important about yesterday’s game is we put another W in the books.  

[banks703]

19 minutes ago, Frobby said:

That was his worst outing in quite some time.  One problem with him as a closer is he’s fairly vulnerable to LHB.  Boston sent up a parade of them at the end.  

Yes sir and that is what other teams will do to them.

If the O’s are going to make any noise in the playoffs, they either need Cano to find his August self or they need a miracle return from Felix. 

[banks703]

52 minutes ago, bpilktree said:

If the other guys do well it will help him and Hyde out.  I still think you need to match up more with him then just giving him the 9th.  If the lefties are up use Coulumbe or Hall in 9th and Cano in 8th. 

This is what I have always advocated for .. not a set/traditional role but rather pitch the best pen guys in the highest of leverage situations.

That said… Felix spoiling us has given me great internal conflict because he’s clearly best used to finish a game so my brain and my heart are in perpetual disagreement. 

[banks703]

18 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Right.  A win is a win.  Our pitching has been very good from July to now.  One bad game against a good lineup in a hitter’s ballpark doesn’t mean it’s suddenly falling apart.  The only thing truly important about yesterday’s game is we put another W in the books.  

I agree with you here but my worry still is that Cano isn’t successful enough against lefties and I don’t know that he has the mental makeup for closing. Did you notice the ball from Hays that he cut off that was on a one-hop line to McCann? That was clearly out of frustration and not his ball to cut anyway. I’m not sure that I want a guy who can unravel in that way pitching the most important situations to win games.

Cano is a fantastic story and I will pull for him and whoever is out there all the time but I just don’t like what I’m seeing from him pitching in that role. Was he the most obvious choice to take it on when Felix went down a few weeks back? Of course but I just don’t like what I’m seeing out of him. 

[Jagwar]

34 minutes ago, Aristotelian said:

What is the probability of them sweeping us? If it happens we probably lose the division regardless of what happens in the non head to heads. Fortunately the probability is low. 

You're right the probability is low, but it isn't zero. 

I remember my dad taking me to the final game of the 1982 season, the O's trying for the improbable sweep of the Brewers after being 3 games back with 4 to play. They may have lost that final game (curse you Robin Yount!) but the opportunity to win the division was enhanced by the head to head games. 

[Frobby]

1 hour ago, banks703 said:

I agree with you here but my worry still is that Cano isn’t successful enough against lefties and I don’t know that he has the mental makeup for closing. Did you notice the ball from Hays that he cut off that was on a one-hop line to McCann? That was clearly out of frustration and not his ball to cut anyway. I’m not sure that I want a guy who can unravel in that way pitching the most important situations to win games.

Cano is a fantastic story and I will pull for him and whoever is out there all the time but I just don’t like what I’m seeing from him pitching in that role. Was he the most obvious choice to take it on when Felix went down a few weeks back? Of course but I just don’t like what I’m seeing out of him. 

Do we have a better option?  I agree it’s not ideal.  Like several others have mentioned, I wouldn’t mind putting a lefty out there if the other team has several lefties due up.  But that can be dangerous if the other team has RH pinch hitting options, especially in Fenway.  The Sox had at least Duvall available to pinch hit last night.

[dystopia]

44 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Do we have a better option?  I agree it’s not ideal.  Like several others have mentioned, I wouldn’t mind putting a lefty out there if the other team has several lefties due up.  But that can be dangerous if the other team has RH pinch hitting options, especially in Fenway.  The Sox had at least Duvall available to pinch hit last night.

We’ve got Perez, Coulombe, and Hall for lefties. 

[OriolesMagic83]

4 hours ago, Aristotelian said:

What is the probability of them sweeping us? If it happens we probably lose the division regardless of what happens in the non head to heads. Fortunately the probability is low. 

Very miniscule, since the O's have the 4th longest streak of not getting swept.  O's bats seem very hot right now, so the O's should be able to win at least one game with the bats.