I'll admit it. I'm a whiner and complainer about this team....but I need to say this..

[Orioles West]

I get it -- although I'm not quite as fickle. 

The O's of my youth spoiled me rotten.  Baltimore had one losing season from the time I was born until the part of my contract serving in the USMC (1965-1985).

That losing season was when I was two-years old, so I missed most of it.

We all know about the last few decades.

The worm has turned and not just with the amazing 101-wins last year. There is a vibe, a swagger, and I could feel it in Sarasota a few weeks ago, even in stands. Sitting with optimistic fans again, was weird and wonderful.

Baseball is about as humbling a sport as there is, but it sure is a good feeling to wake up everyday and KNOW your team has a shot to win the day.

[Roy Firestone]

I have a major sense of humor about myself as an Oriole fan.I'd be honored to use my name to describe runners left on base with less than 2 outs..also striking out with RISP (which we do too much) and an inability to get a SAC fly with the game on the line...

[Roy Firestone]

In 1966, the Orioles won the World Series and won 97 games during the season...the next year the Orioles won on 76 games. So, I take NOTHING for granted.(Injuries are a huge part of a team's failure)..nothing is promised.

[Roy Firestone]

2 hours ago, btdart20 said:

We were hitting the ball hard last night.  Even early.  Just took time for them to fall in.

Grayson did good for not having his A game too.  I'm confident he wouldn't have given up any runs in OPACY.  Those off the wall would be outs.  The pop-up in RF would have been seen...  

BoSox rotation and some RPs are under-the-radar good too.

I wish we could face Isaiah Campbell of the Red Sox every night. It's like dining at Sizzler's... an "all you can eat" hit and run buffet.

Edited April 12 by Roy Firestone

[dabirds]

1 hour ago, Frobby said:

I think my only real issue with this team so far this season is that it hasn’t scored much in early innings.  So far, they’re 25th in MLB in runs scored in innings 1-3, 8th in runs scored in innings 4-6, and 2nd in runs scored in innings 7-9.

I don’t think that’s really a meaningful trend, though.  Anything can happen in a 12-game sample.  Last year, with mostly the same players, the O’s were 4th in MLB in runs scored in innings 1-3.   (Yet I still remember Roy frequently complaining about how we never scored runs early in games.)

Bottom line, overall the O’s are 4th in runs scored per game and also 4th in fewest runs allowed per game.  That’s a formula for domination, no matter when the runs are scored.   

It seems their offense takes awhile to click and the starting pitching takes a couple of innings to get in a groove.  It is probably nothing, but I also wonder if maybe there isn't something they could look into in how they are warming up/preparing for the game that might be able to help this on both sides.  

[btdart20]

7 minutes ago, Roy Firestone said:

I wish we could face Isaiah Campbell of the Red Sox every night. It's like dining at Sizzler's... an "all you can eat" hit and run buffet.

  

Jansen's a mixed bag too.  That twitchy start to his pitching motion should either be a balk or considered part of his windup (and fair game for a huge jump on the bases).

Bello and Crawford are pretty good.  Whitlock is solid.

[Malike]

19 minutes ago, Roy Firestone said:

I have a major sense of humor about myself as an Oriole fan.I'd be honored to use my name to describe runners left on base with less than 2 outs..also striking out with RISP (which we do too much) and an inability to get a SAC fly with the game on the line...

Your name is already taken, Roy. The Firestone is a Sac Fly.

[ThisIsBirdland]

3 minutes ago, Malike said:

Your name is already taken, Roy. The Firestone is a Sac Fly.

Don’t see why we can’t start calling runners left in scoring position ROYs, at least in the game threads. His fandom has earned it if he’s down.

”Too many ROYs left out there tonight”

”Adley’s been cleaning up on the ROYs this month”

[Just Regular]

Isaiah Campbell being helpless last night was for me a good illustration of Stuff+'s limitation.

Eric Longenhagen's observed it overweights left-right movement on pitches.     Campbell has a hot slider, he's trained up for big movement and can't necessarily throw it for strikes.

Cowser spits on it - a slider specialist has to throw a cookie, and its party time.

Some of why I think Sigbot is leaning so far left with its Bat selections is "all the RH RP in the world" are training for this, and Raysian clubs will be streaming them frequently.

All the Yankees slider guys they package for Joey Gallo or Juan Soto like clockwork each July - none of them have really cut it in the Show.

[RZNJ]

3 hours ago, ThisIsBirdland said:

Based on the game threads, if this team is like an early relationship I'm assuming you must've been tough on the girlfriends back in the day 

Sounds like if Roy didn’t score by the 3rd inning.  Game over.

[Hallas]

2 hours ago, Frobby said:

I think my only real issue with this team so far this season is that it hasn’t scored much in early innings.  So far, they’re 25th in MLB in runs scored in innings 1-3, 8th in runs scored in innings 4-6, and 2nd in runs scored in innings 7-9.

I don’t think that’s really a meaningful trend, though.  Anything can happen in a 12-game sample.  Last year, with mostly the same players, the O’s were 4th in MLB in runs scored in innings 1-3.   (Yet I still remember Roy frequently complaining about how we never scored runs early in games.)

Bottom line, overall the O’s are 4th in runs scored per game and also 4th in fewest runs allowed per game.  That’s a formula for domination, no matter when the runs are scored.   

They enjoy getting no-hit by junkballers for 4 innings because it makes for fun late inning comebacks, right?

[Roy Firestone]

1 hour ago, ThisIsBirdland said:

Don’t see why we can’t start calling runners left in scoring position ROYs, at least in the game threads. His fandom has earned it if he’s down.

”Too many ROYs left out there tonight”

”Adley’s been cleaning up on the ROYs this month”

I am Roy Firestone and I support this message.

[Roy Firestone]

1 hour ago, RZNJ said:

Sounds like if Roy didn’t score by the 3rd inning.  Game over.

Maybe not game over..but game becomes more annoying...

[Roy Firestone]

1 hour ago, Malike said:

Your name is already taken, Roy. The Firestone is a Sac Fly.

Honored,  Malike.