The 2023 high water mark thread

[Moshagge3]

[Jagwar]

50 minutes ago, SteveA said:

.500 the rest of the way would be a 97-65 season, our second best since 1983, exceeded only by 98-64 in 1997.

If Bautista's injury is serious and he's done for the season, .500 the rest of the way might be a blessing.

[Frobby]

This is as far over .500 as any Oriole team has been in 26 years.  The 2014 team reached +32 before finishing at +30.   So, this team has tied that mark, but much earlier than the 2014 team did.  

[Number5]

Edited August 26, 2023 by Number5

[CallMeBrooksie]

53 minutes ago, Jagwar said:

If Bautista's injury is serious and he's done for the season, .500 the rest of the way might be a blessing.

You're just expecting the O's to just blow every save from here on out? Seems a bit dramatic. Felix blew his fair share this year as well. 

[Uli2001]

1 hour ago, Frobby said:

This is as far over .500 as any Oriole team has been in 26 years.  The 2014 team reached +32 before finishing at +30.   So, this team has tied that mark, but much earlier than the 2014 team did.  

I will stick with my prediction of 104 wins.

[Bahama O's Fan]

9 hours ago, Jagwar said:

If Bautista's injury is serious and he's done for the season, .500 the rest of the way might be a blessing.

I am hoping, with a theoretically easy schedule now, that a closer is not needed as often.

[Jagwar]

9 hours ago, CallMeBrooksie said:

You're just expecting the O's to just blow every save from here on out? Seems a bit dramatic. Felix blew his fair share this year as well. 

I suppose for me it's more about the way that Bautista influences the way Hyde manages a game. When you know you have a wipeout closer who strikes out 2 batters an inning, your late game strategy lets you play for 1 run instead of the big inning in close games. Especially in extra inning games with the placed runner at second base. 

[CallMeBrooksie]

1 hour ago, Jagwar said:

I suppose for me it's more about the way that Bautista influences the way Hyde manages a game. When you know you have a wipeout closer who strikes out 2 batters an inning, your late game strategy lets you play for 1 run instead of the big inning in close games. Especially in extra inning games with the placed runner at second base. 

You're describing a scenario that just doesn't come up that often. If losing one reliever suddenly makes the O's a .500 team, they really weren't that good to begin with, were they? I think you're short-changing how good this team is.

[Jagwar]

1 hour ago, CallMeBrooksie said:

You're describing a scenario that just doesn't come up that often. If losing one reliever suddenly makes the O's a .500 team, they really weren't that good to begin with, were they? I think you're short-changing how good this team is.

Not at all short changing the team. But I could just as easily suggest that you were understating Bautista's importance to the team's. Not only his talent but his ability to handle the most highly leveraged situations at the end of a game. 

I'm just trying to imagine Cano or Wells or whomever coming into a game in the 9th to protect a 1-run lead. I'm not sure of the exact number, but BBREF game logs show Bautista has done that 15-16 times this year. He most often blew them away with 2-3 Ks, with a handful of blown saves. He did it with 100+ MPH heat and a wipeout slider. It's just not the same with Cano throwing 94-97 and Wells throwing 92-94.

I'm hoping the team can adjust and still get the top seed in the AL playoffs, but it's going to take a lot of things going right. 

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

[Moose Milligan]

[jdwilde1]

10 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

EDDIE-EDDIE-EDDIE!!!

[BRobinsonfan]

12 hours ago, CallMeBrooksie said:

You're describing a scenario that just doesn't come up that often. If losing one reliever suddenly makes the O's a .500 team, they really weren't that good to begin with, were they? I think you're short-changing how good this team is.

The team is very good... even without Bautista.  But to say Bautista is just "one reliever" is like saying Brooks Robinson was just "one infielder."  To pretend the loss of Felix doesn't hurt is just wishful thinking.     

[Frobby]

2 hours ago, BRobinsonfan said:

The team is very good... even without Bautista.  But to say Bautista is just "one reliever" is like saying Brooks Robinson was just "one infielder."  To pretend the loss of Felix doesn't hurt is just wishful thinking.     

Nobody said it doesn’t hurt.   Nobody is pretending that.  It’s just not insurmountable.  Like I said, even a bad closer converts 75% of his save opportunities.  Kevin Gregg.  Mike Timlin.  Jorge Julio was 82-83%. There’s probably 11ish closer save opportunities remaining.  We might blow 2-3 more saves.  We might have some that are more stressful than they would have been with Felix.  We might have a game or two where we wish Cano had been available to cover the 8th inning instead of the 9th.  Like tonight’s game.  But the team can fight through it.