ALDS Game 3: Keeping hope alive

[Bemorewins]

Just now, spiritof66 said:

Hubris, stupidity, whatever you want to call it, I agree. I just have no confidence that the Orioles will be willing to compete to get guys like Seager ($35 mm) or Eovaldi (just under $20 mm).

I'm not saying that it has to be specifically at that price, but NEVER do I want us to be in contention for the best record in the league and then go get the likes of Fuji and Flaherty at the deadline. Guys who aren't any good but are super cheap. O'Hearn was a nice story and had a good season, but you don't want him anchoring the middle of your order against the best teams in the Fall. For goodness sake, we actually pinch hit for him with the bases loaded late in a the game with our season on the line. That tells me all I need to know about him as a "cleanup" hitter. 

Bottom line is we are going to need to add better players along with the good ones that we already have. Some of those guys are in our Minor League system, but not all. We need our own Eovaldi, a good experienced pitcher who you can trust in the postseason. Not a Kyle Gibson who couldn't even make your postseason rotation. Sometimes you get what you pay for. They got Eovaldi for 20M and we got Gibson for 10M. There is a difference in the quality of those 2. Even though Scherzer was hurt in this series (he will be back in the next) I would MUCH RATHER have him than Flaherty. Same goes for Chapman (while not great) is far better than Fuji, who in my opinion is not a big league pitcher, especially not on a good team.

[baltfan]

Just now, Uli2001 said:

Good find. People listen too much to the hype machine.

Gunnar is one heckuva player. 

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

7 minutes ago, spiritof66 said:

Hubris, stupidity, whatever you want to call it, I agree. I just have no confidence that the Orioles will be willing to compete to get guys like Seager ($35 mm) or Eovaldi (just under $20 mm).

Just say 'John Angelos' I have no doubt Elias would spend more on payroll if given the money. The Orioles have a bright future with ownership being the biggest question mark as it stands.

[tntoriole]

4 minutes ago, baltfan said:

They also went up against 2 young Hall of Fame pitchers and a near one in Koosman. 

Yeah except Seaver got clocked in game 1 

[Uli2001]

6 minutes ago, Rojo13 said:

We can't afford it. We have a 5 year window. You do realize Texas has a $250 million payroll, right? Ours is like 72.

I DO NOT want them signing any aging stars. The fans were happy when we signed Chris Davis, I wasn't. Now I'd sign several of these super young guys through their year 30 season.

Moneyball may have a limit. Tampa Bay has been awfully good in the regular season for a long time, have been to the playoffs yearly, and haven't been able to win it all.

[Uli2001]

Texas swept TB and O's back to back. Do they get the AL East trophy?

[Bemorewins]

6 minutes ago, Rojo13 said:

We can't afford it. We have a 5 year window. You do realize Texas has a $250 million payroll, right? Ours is like 72.

I DO NOT want them signing any aging stars. The fans were happy when we signed Chris Davis, I wasn't. Now I'd sign several of these super young guys through their year 30 season.

We don't have to match their payroll. But we can't keep playing in the shallow end of the talent pool all the time either. We "hit" on O'Hearn and Gibson IMO but those guys have a very low ceiling (which is not difference making) even at their best. I kept saying all along, I was concerned that we didn't have the pitching to win multiple series against the likes of TEX, HOU, ATL, LAD and it sure looks like that was the case. Not that I am right all of the time or even most of the time, but I don't think it takes a very keen eye to see that we need better pitching in order to legit challenge for a title. We also need some good experienced vets and probably another impact hitter or 2. (I think we have  one coming in Holliday and maybe Kjerstad/Mayo but even with that we need a good vet IMO.)

[brooks1083]

Just now, Uli2001 said:

Texas swept TB and O's back to back. Do they get the AL East trophy?

Pretty awful showing after getting 3 teams in. 0-7 overall. 0-5 against Texas. I have a feeling the Rangers will cool off for the ALCS though.

[Uli2001]

4 minutes ago, brooks1083 said:

Pretty awful showing after getting 3 teams in. 0-7 overall. 0-5 against Texas. I have a feeling the Rangers will cool off for the ALCS though.

Texas is very streaky. I wouldn't be surprised to see them swept at some point.

[Uli2001]

1 hour ago, eddie83 said:

Regular season exhaustion. 

I think so too. Playing in the AL Central and AL West is a big advantage.

[mrbig1]

See you cats next year.

[laxtonto]

36 minutes ago, Uli2001 said:

Texas is very streaky. I wouldn't be surprised to see them swept at some point.

The scary problem with Texas is the longer the playoff go on the greater likelihood they get guys healthy. It looks like Sherzer is supposed to pitch a simulated game tomorrow to see how many pitches he can get to and their other starter that was out the first two series is supposed to be coming back as well here soon as well as one of their better relievers that got dinged up in the TB series.

They may be streaky but most of that streakiness is their pitching running out of gas/guys in the rotation and over taxing a bad pen. If they get one or two more guys that can give them innings then they become the even scarier.

Now since I said it they will get swept, but they were the team I didn’t want to face in the playoffs.

[SouthernBird]

15 hours ago, SouthernBird said:

Hyde gonna leave him in until we are down 6

 

Nailed it.