Do You Prefer Texas or Tampa Bay?

[Uli2001]

I didn't see this topic here. To me, the answer is Texas. I think the O's can beat either one, but TB is more familiar with the Orioles pitching. Plus TB will be a rivalry series, which tends to make things more unpredictable.

[Sports Guy]

Texas..they don’t have a good bullpen.

They are the best case scenario despite some thunder in the lineup.

[TonySoprano]

Of the two, Texas was the preferred choice in this poil 

 

[Moose Milligan]

Texas.  As @Sports Guypointed out, their bullpen is not good.  

[Jagwar]

I think it's absurd that the O's have the best record in the AL, and somehow wouldn't have to face MIN until the ALCS.

Give me Texas please. The Rays bullpen is nasty, and I don't want another series like the KC sweep. 

[Moshagge3]

I'm thinking as much with my heart as my head. It would be a bummer if, after the roller coaster of 162 games  and those eight hard-fought wins against the Rays and all those agonizing days where the teams were two games apart, it was all for nothing except one extra home game in yet another series against them. I don't want to ever see the Rays again in 2023. I want Adam Frazier's double off Fairbanks and Mullins's sac fly to have closed the book on them for the year.

Thinking with my head, I also would rather play the Rangers. The Rays have almost as good a lineup but more speed and a scary bullpen.

[Sports Guy]

40 minutes ago, Jagwar said:

I think it's absurd that the O's have the best record in the AL, and somehow wouldn't have to face MIN until the ALCS.

Give me Texas please. The Rays bullpen is nasty, and I don't want another series like the KC sweep. 

Minnesota has some pitching though. 

[Frobby]

Easily Texas.  They really didn’t play well after May.  They went 55-52 from June 1 on.  Tampa’s been neck and neck with us for months.  

[dystopia]

Texas. Obvious answer is obvious. 

[waroriole]

Texas definitely. They’ve struggled the past couple of months. Tampa is the second best team in the AL. It’s ludicrous that we would potentially match up in the ALDS. 

[Emory Eagle]

Texas, except if Texas beats the Rays... well I guess in that case they'll be playing well enough that I might want to change my answer to the Rays!

[hutchead]

I guess I prefer Texas although I do have some reservations about playing them because the only series I was able to see live this year is when Texas came to Baltimore in late May. And they dominated us that series outscoring us 19-8. They came close to sweeping us until we sqeezed across the tie breaking run in the 8th inning of the final game.

[tntoriole]

1 hour ago, Moshagge3 said:

I'm thinking as much with my heart as my head. It would be a bummer if, after the roller coaster of 162 games  and those eight hard-fought wins against the Rays and all those agonizing days where the teams were two games apart, it was all for nothing except one extra home game in yet another series against them. I don't want to ever see the Rays again in 2023. I want Adam Frazier's double off Fairbanks and Mullins's sac fly to have closed the book on them for the year.

Thinking with my head, I also would rather play the Rangers. The Rays have almost as good a lineup but more speed and a scary bullpen.

This is continued evidence of how dysfunctional the playoff system continues to be despite attempts to fix it. 
 

The reality is that there should only be two rounds , ALDS and ALCS , and the two teams with the best records in both leagues should have byes to the ALCS.  
 

The current system is a joke 

 

Oh.. and I much prefer Texas 

Edited October 2, 2023 by tntoriole

[foxfield]

2 minutes ago, hutchead said:

I guess I prefer Texas although I do have some reservations about playing them because the only series I was able to see live this year is when Texas came to Baltimore in late May. And they dominated us that series outscoring us 19-8. They came close to sweeping us until we sqeezed across the tie breaking run in the 8th inning of the final game.

I do not have a preference.  To get Texas the y would have to play pretty well in Tampa.  It's the playoffs, nobody is going to give the Orioles anything.  The best thing is that no body expects the Orioles to win, which is pretty much where we have been all year.

[yark14]

Texas.

For the pure reason that I live in Texas and it's an easy drive up to Arlington to catch some games.