My Thoughts on Today’s Game

[AnythingO's]

Just now, eddie83 said:

First off if Elias wanted Ortiz playing everyday up here he would be already. 

Gunnar is an everyday player. That leaves Westburg, Urias and Frazier for 2 spots with Mateo as a back up. Ortiz would in the Mateo role right now and not playing all the time.  

ME wanted Westburg "fully baked" before he came up. That's why he got the special treatment. Ortiz was already on the 40-man because of draft year when he came up as an injury hedge, NOT because he was "fully baked". Ortiz performance in AAA since demotion is rivalling HK, who is on a mission. Joey doesn't have anything more to prove at AAA. Hyde and his "vet favorites" be damned. ME can send the message just as he did with Westburg. Gunnar plays FT @ 3B/SS. Joey plays SS when Gunnar is at 3B. MAteo to IL.  Westburg-Frazier at 2B in a 2/1 ratio, Frazier on bench. DH ABs available as Adley rests more. This isn't rocket science, SigBot can handle it.

[bpilktree]

1 hour ago, Pat Kelly said:

The pressure is different when there is more on the line, i.e. division lead and holding on to that, expecting to make the playoffs and winning most games.  Having low external expectations and low % chance of making the playoffs is very different than the current state of things.  It is a very young team with limited experience playing playoff games. 

So the pressure changed from last weekend in a series when playing to take the lead against the leader of your division in a 4 game series to a three game series against a team not in your league.  There is no way this series had more pressure on the team then the past 4 game series with the Rays for the division lead.   The difference in the two series’s is we pitched Bautista 3 out of 4 games in Tampa and gave him a rest this series.  If they let Bautista pitch Tuesday we most likely take 2 out of 3.  

[RZNJ]

Castellanos makes the extended snow cone catch on Tuesday.  Jake Cave makes the leaping catch against Urias tonight.  Both excellent defensive plays that changed both games.

[RZNJ]

As bad as it was, we only score one run and we were gifted that by Belt and Kikuchi.  Either one of them should have covered 1B.

Fuji could go either way.  He could be dominant.   Unfortunately, you might always have to hold your breath that he doesn’t fall apart like tonight.   The good news.   Hitters can’t hit him.   
 

Mateo.  No hit.  Choker in the field.   Thanks for last year and this April.   Goodbye.

Great start by Greyson BUT still couldn’t finish the 6th. Tough to criticize him but it seems odd that that’s the point where he hits a wall.

Also, hopefully Westburg learned his lesson.  That’s embarrassing.

 

Edited August 3, 2023 by RZNJ

[Billy F-Face3]

8 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

Fuji could go either way.  He could be dominant.   Unfortunately, you might always have to hold your breath that he doesn’t fall apart like tonight.   The good news.   Hitters can’t hit him.  

 

Fujinami admitted that he has trouble dealing with pressure. I hope the team has a remedy for that. Because they can't rely on him as a reliever if he's just going to melt under pressure. Kind of defeats the purpose of his job if they can't bring him in after a starter shows his day is done by letting a guy get on base.

[baltfan]

18 minutes ago, Billy F-Face3 said:

Fujinami admitted that he has trouble dealing with pressure. I hope the team has a remedy for that. Because they can't rely on him as a reliever if he's just going to melt under pressure. Kind of defeats the purpose of his job if they can't bring him in after a starter shows his day is done by letting a guy get on base.

He was very honest.  Said he was rushing himself because wanted to succeed.  He did adjust after the second hit by pitch. 

[BohKnowsBmore]

30 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

As bad as it was, we only score one run and we were gifted that by Belt and Kikuchi.  Either one of them should have covered 1B.

Fuji could go either way.  He could be dominant.   Unfortunately, you might always have to hold your breath that he doesn’t fall apart like tonight.   The good news.   Hitters can’t hit him.   
 

Mateo.  No hit.  Choker in the field.   Thanks for last year and this April.   Goodbye.

Great start by Greyson BUT still couldn’t finish the 6th. Tough to criticize him but it seems odd that that’s the point where he hits a wall.

Also, hopefully Westburg learned his lesson.  That’s embarrassing.

 

I'm honestly wondering if it makes sense to make him a 5-and-dive guy the remainder of the season. Seems to often lose it in the 6th after really strong 5-innings to begin an outing. Would help manage his innings / arm usage as well.

[clapdiddy]

5 minutes ago, BohKnowsBmore said:

I'm honestly wondering if it makes sense to make him a 5-and-dive guy the remainder of the season. Seems to often lose it in the 6th after really strong 5-innings to begin an outing. Would help manage his innings / arm usage as well.

I don't think him going into the 6th was a big deal.  He was still throwing high 90s. I think he'll be fine.

[purplepittabread88]

7 minutes ago, BohKnowsBmore said:

I'm honestly wondering if it makes sense to make him a 5-and-dive guy the remainder of the season. Seems to often lose it in the 6th after really strong 5-innings to begin an outing. Would help manage his innings / arm usage as well.

I think you let him play it out as it would be big for his confidence. You can tell he wants it bad, and he deserves it. He’s not just another guy, this guy has 8 solid inning potentials and we have to let him unlock it through confidence 

[Billy F-Face3]

7 minutes ago, BohKnowsBmore said:

I'm honestly wondering if it makes sense to make him a 5-and-dive guy the remainder of the season. Seems to often lose it in the 6th after really strong 5-innings to begin an outing. Would help manage his innings / arm usage as well.

I said weeks ago that it would benefit him best to go 5 innings. The problem is, we don't have anyone we can count on to get from there to the 9th. And that travesty falls at the feet of the Front Office.

[glenn__davis]

Orioles player development needs to take some ownership of Grayson hitting the 6th inning wall.  Throughout his minor league career they never let him pitch deep into games. Shouldn't be a shocker that he's struggled a bit there. 

[emmett16]

2 hours ago, RZNJ said:

As bad as it was, we only score one run and we were gifted that by Belt and Kikuchi.  Either one of them should have covered 1B.

Fuji could go either way.  He could be dominant.   Unfortunately, you might always have to hold your breath that he doesn’t fall apart like tonight.   The good news.   Hitters can’t hit him.   
 

Mateo.  No hit.  Choker in the field.   Thanks for last year and this April.   Goodbye.

Great start by Greyson BUT still couldn’t finish the 6th. Tough to criticize him but it seems odd that that’s the point where he hits a wall.

Also, hopefully Westburg learned his lesson.  That’s embarrassing.

 

I didn’t see him hit a wall.  I saw him get pulled after a fantastic 5 2/3s &  two tough ABs.  He wasn’t fatigued at all.  Take the kid gloves off and let him go after a guy that was 1 for 36.  Can’t get through 6 if you don’t give him the chance.  Belt had his number all night and  Vladdy is Vladdy.  He pitched them carefully, got to the easy out and was promptly pulled.  Absurd.  

[emmett16]

2 hours ago, clapdiddy said:

I don't think him going into the 6th was a big deal.  He was still throwing high 90s. I think he'll be fine.

He was hitting 100 v. Vladdy and he still couldn’t catch up on the 4th FB in a row.  

[OriolesMagic83]

2 hours ago, Billy F-Face3 said:

I said weeks ago that it would benefit him best to go 5 innings. The problem is, we don't have anyone we can count on to get from there to the 9th. And that travesty falls at the feet of the Front Office.

Seems like 15 relievers were traded at the deadline and O's didn't get one.

[sportsfan8703]

Just venting… to win 1-0 tonight we would’ve needed Fuji to get 3-4 outs. Maybe Perez for one. Cano 3. Bautista 3. 

It was better to lose that game with Fuji in the 6th rather than tax Cano and Bautista in a game where 1-0 was the best possible outcome. 

The blame is on the offense. The bottom 4 of the line up are really struggling.