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It was a devastating loss last night...but one thing you have to say....


Roy Firestone

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6 minutes ago, Roy Firestone said:

Three times down to their last strike in the game...this team battled and took the lead..Yes, its a disappointment and a big one...if we had won would could have punched our ticket to the AL division title...but we didnt...and we may lose  many games ahead...theres just nothing left of this bullpen...but we never give up, and always battle..Im proud as hell to be an Oriole fan...and I love our guys..

Regardless of how the rest of the season and playoffs go, this season has been a resounding success. We never know what the next year will be, but I don't think it's unreasonable to suggest that there's a window for several years to come where this team, in various iterations will be competitive.

 

 

I really hope that Elias has some salary room to improve the BP moving forward though.

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You have to love the offense and the heart these guys play with. They NEVER quit.

But as much as I love what Elias has done to build this group, not adding quality bullpen depth at the deadline may sink the 2023 team. It was a blunder. They are running on fumes, and it is costing them games and may cost them the division. Two nice comebacks in a row wrecked by the pen.

The future is bright, but my expectations in the playoffs this year are extremely tempered by the bullpen.

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One thing I have to add though: don't discount magical seasons. 2023 has had some moments that have just made me say, man, THESE GUYS.

I am a fan of other teams that had THAT season and it didn't work out and everyone said "it's ok the future is bright." 2021 Buffalo Bills, for example. Magical season, beat the Pats in a near-perfect game in the playoffs, have the Chiefs beat until...13 seconds. Everyone says "that's ok they are up and coming." Then 2022 doesn't have the same magic and they regress a bit and in 2023 they are just one of a bunch of other "pretty good" teams in the NFL.

Point being, as much as I agree the 2023 Orioles are playing with house money at this point, I HATE to waste that magic. Yes, it SHOULD be back in 2024 and beyond, but sometimes it doesn't work out that way. Don't take the magic for granted.

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The pitching may be gassed, but the game last night turned on some sloppy/unlucky play (e.g. Santander slipping and Westburg bobbling the grounder) and the O’s inability to tack on extra runs when they had bases loaded and one out.  The defense (especially OF) was horrendous at the beginning of the season and then was really good until the last few weeks.  I don’t expect the defensive struggles to continue.
 

If they can just close out the Division the bullpen should be fine for the postseason.  First, the team would get a much needed break, giving everyone at least five days off (last regular season game is 1 OCT, ALDS starts 7 OCT).  Second, the rotation will only be 3 or 4 pitchers, so that puts a starter in the pen (maybe Kremer since his stuff seams like it could play-up out of the pen).  Third, Wells looked really good last night and has the stuff to be a very reliable arm.  Finally, the news on Felix has been more encouraging than I thought possible a few weeks ago and there appears to be a reasonable chance of him coming back for the playoffs.

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3 minutes ago, jdwilde1 said:

The pitching may be gassed, but the game last night turned on some sloppy/unlucky play (Santander slipping and Westburg bobbling the grounder) and the O’s inability to tack on extra runs when they had bases loaded and one out.  The defense (especially OF) was horrendous at the beginning of the season and then was really good until the last few weeks.  I don’t expect the defensive struggles to continue.
 

If they can just close out the Division the bullpen should be fine for the postseason.  First, the team would get a much needed break, giving everyone at least five days off (last regular season game is 1 OCT, ALDS starts 7 OCT).  Second, the rotation will only be 3 or 4 pitchers, so that puts a starter in the pen (maybe Kremer since his stuff seams like it could play-up out of the pen).  Third, Wells looked really good last night and has the stuff to be a very reliable arm.  Finally, the news on Felix has been more encouraging than I thought possible a few weeks ago and there appears to be a reasonable chance of him coming back for the playoffs.

You forget Urias and Henderson failed to make plays.  Everyone was sucking mega last night.  

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4 minutes ago, Gurgi said:

You forget Urias and Henderson failed to make plays.  Everyone was sucking mega last night.  

I didn’t forget, just failed to put in the e.g.  But your point is correct.  Defense was an absolute disaster and probably cost the team four or five runs.  If the O’s played a clean game defensively they probably have a fairly comfortable win.

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2 hours ago, Tbone83 said:

One thing I have to add though: don't discount magical seasons. 2023 has had some moments that have just made me say, man, THESE GUYS.

I am a fan of other teams that had THAT season and it didn't work out and everyone said "it's ok the future is bright." 2021 Buffalo Bills, for example. Magical season, beat the Pats in a near-perfect game in the playoffs, have the Chiefs beat until...13 seconds. Everyone says "that's ok they are up and coming." Then 2022 doesn't have the same magic and they regress a bit and in 2023 they are just one of a bunch of other "pretty good" teams in the NFL.

Point being, as much as I agree the 2023 Orioles are playing with house money at this point, I HATE to waste that magic. Yes, it SHOULD be back in 2024 and beyond, but sometimes it doesn't work out that way. Don't take the magic for granted.

I think exactly the same. There are no guarantees that the Orioles will have this same chemistry next year. They need to try to keep the veteran core together with the youngsters, I'm talking about Mullins, O'Hearn, Santander, perhaps Hays, and even Mateo. Even if it doesn't make "baseball sense" from a traditional perspective.

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2 hours ago, Tbone83 said:

One thing I have to add though: don't discount magical seasons. 2023 has had some moments that have just made me say, man, THESE GUYS.

I am a fan of other teams that had THAT season and it didn't work out and everyone said "it's ok the future is bright." 2021 Buffalo Bills, for example. Magical season, beat the Pats in a near-perfect game in the playoffs, have the Chiefs beat until...13 seconds. Everyone says "that's ok they are up and coming." Then 2022 doesn't have the same magic and they regress a bit and in 2023 they are just one of a bunch of other "pretty good" teams in the NFL.

Point being, as much as I agree the 2023 Orioles are playing with house money at this point, I HATE to waste that magic. Yes, it SHOULD be back in 2024 and beyond, but sometimes it doesn't work out that way. Don't take the magic for granted.

This is a really good cautionary perspective to have, taking off the orange specs for a minute. There's a fair chunk of free agent turnover coming immediately. Half the remaining roster is aging the wrong way. The other half is younger but with some hit and miss in store. So the future is brighter than usual, but as always, still unpredictable. 

Free Agents: Here today, gone tomorrow...
Gibson, Flaherty, Hicks, Fujinami, Frazier
20% of active roster

Trending down (past peak age 27-28): Aches and pains...
Santander 29, O'Hearn 31, Mullins 30, Hays 29, McCann 34, Urias 30, Mateo 29, Means 31, Cano 30, Coulombe 34, Webb 31, Lopez 31, Wells 30, Bautista 29, Tate 30, Irvin 30, Baker 29, Baumann 29
(18/40*)

Trending up (young core): Growing pains...
Henderson, Rutschman, Kjerstad, Westburg, Bradish, Rodriguez, Kremer, Perez, Hall, Mountcastle, Cowser, Ortiz, Norby, Mayo, Holiday, Povich, McDermott, Johnson
(18/40*)

* counting 40-man roster loosely
 

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3 hours ago, Roy Firestone said:

Three times down to their last strike in the game...this team battled and took the lead..Yes, its a disappointment and a big one...if we had won would could have punched our ticket to the AL division title...but we didnt...and we may lose  many games ahead...theres just nothing left of this bullpen...but we never give up, and always battle..Im proud as hell to be an Oriole fan...and I love our guys..

Would we really had won the division last night if we’d won??

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2 hours ago, Tbone83 said:

One thing I have to add though: don't discount magical seasons. 2023 has had some moments that have just made me say, man, THESE GUYS.

I am a fan of other teams that had THAT season and it didn't work out and everyone said "it's ok the future is bright." 2021 Buffalo Bills, for example. Magical season, beat the Pats in a near-perfect game in the playoffs, have the Chiefs beat until...13 seconds. Everyone says "that's ok they are up and coming." Then 2022 doesn't have the same magic and they regress a bit and in 2023 they are just one of a bunch of other "pretty good" teams in the NFL.

Point being, as much as I agree the 2023 Orioles are playing with house money at this point, I HATE to waste that magic. Yes, it SHOULD be back in 2024 and beyond, but sometimes it doesn't work out that way. Don't take the magic for granted.

Exactly … there were the 1966 Orioles, then Frank’s head met Al Weis’s knee in 1967 and then there was Denny McClain and Mickey Lolich and the Tigers in 1968. 

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