Zach Eflin 2024

[Sports Guy]

3 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I think that was a long-term decision, not a one-game decision.  He’s got a lot of innings to throw down the stretch and hopefully into the postseason. Saving an inning here and there is helpful.   He’s on pace to throw about 180 innings, which would be a career high.  

Save the innings when you are playing lesser teams and have a bigger lead.

It was a bad decision and that explanation from him is pure lunacy.

[Just Regular]

27 minutes ago, Frobby said:

There’s not too many O’s fans here who remember the pre-1966 Orioles.  Palmer tells stories of rooming with Roberts as a rookie and how much he learned from him.  I never had the pleasure of seeing him pitch.  

That's what made the David Rubenstein anecdote about Gus Triandos in the booth with Jim Palmer so special.

Palmer was just left with..."he was gone before I was here..", and that is a pretty rare feat for any fan talking Orioles baseball with Cakes.

We've just about got Anthony Santander's QO etched in stone, so the era of Zach "Qualifying Offer" Eflin is perhaps about to begin.

[Aristotelian]

39 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I think that was a long-term decision, not a one-game decision.  He’s got a lot of innings to throw down the stretch and hopefully into the postseason. Saving an inning here and there is helpful.   He’s on pace to throw about 180 innings, which would be a career high.  

It was also an opportunity to get Soto on track. That was the long term upside of the move. Didn't work out but if Soto could string together some clean innings he can be valuable. Hyde always seems to challenge guys to see how they will handle situations. Sometimes they will turn into Webb/Coulombe dependable guys, sometimes not. They obviously like Soto enough to trade for him and the guy throws 99.

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, Aristotelian said:

It was also an opportunity to get Soto on track. That was the long term upside of the move. Didn't work out but if Soto could string together some clean innings he can be valuable. Hyde always seems to challenge guys to see how they will handle situations. Sometimes they will turn into Webb/Coulombe dependable guys, sometimes not. They obviously like Soto enough to trade for him and the guy throws 99.

Fuji threw 100.

[Frobby]

9 minutes ago, Aristotelian said:

It was also an opportunity to get Soto on track. That was the long term upside of the move. Didn't work out but if Soto could string together some clean innings he can be valuable. Hyde always seems to challenge guys to see how they will handle situations. Sometimes they will turn into Webb/Coulombe dependable guys, sometimes not. They obviously like Soto enough to trade for him and the guy throws 99.

If Soto had pitched a relatively stress-free inning we probably wouldn’t have heard any complaints about removing Eflin.  Well, he didn’t, but we had some cushion and that was a decent place to try him given that he was coming off a good outing vs. the Nats.  

[interloper]

1000% fine with removing Eflin there. We NEED this guy healthy for the playoffs. 

Also was kind of hoping to get Kimbrel in the game in the 9th with a 4 run lead. Seemed like it would have been a good opportunity. But I get Hyde not wanting to mess with a win. 

Edited August 16 by interloper

[Just Regular]

Looking at the early part of Eflin's career it just reminded me of Chris Tillman.

Eflin had two 10 start seasons with an ERA around 6.00 as a greenhorn.

Him in his prime right now vs. Tillman at his peak is I think about the right range.

[Aristotelian]

4 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Fuji threw 100.

Sure. Think of this as six weeks to audition guys for the playoff A team. Fuji didn't make it. Soto may not, but he might. He appears healthy and has saved 30 games before. Right now we really have perhaps three dependable relievers (and that is including Burch Smith!). Perez is close, but we could really use another guy to step up to give Hyde another. I predict Hyde will continue push Soto and Kimbrel into situations we might find uncomfortable from a "win the game" standpoint. If one of those two guys makes the A team it is a success.

[Number5]

12 hours ago, 24fps said:

Statistically, over the course of his 9-year career he's the very definition of an ordinary starter - 99 ERA+ with a 60-60 record and FIP in the low 4's.  Why wouldn't they? 

I disagree.  Yes, he has seemed to be the very definition of a major league average starter, but I don't equate MLB average with "ordinary," especially when we're talking about starting pitchers.  We sure haven't had an overabundance of MLB average starters pitching for us this century.  To me, a MLB average starter is a welcome addition, and a very good pick up at the trade deadline.

Edited August 16 by Number5

[Say O!]

2 hours ago, Frobby said:

I think that was a long-term decision, not a one-game decision.  He’s got a lot of innings to throw down the stretch and hopefully into the postseason. Saving an inning here and there is helpful.   He’s on pace to throw about 180 innings, which would be a career high.  

Agree with this.

In post-game presser, Hyde said that several folks conferred in the dugout after the 6th.  So we don’t know what Eflin may or may not have said to the coaches about going out for the 7th.  Per Savant, Eflin was also ~1mph slower on all his offerings last night compared to his average, so perhaps he was a bit tired.

[Prodigyx]

I think if Hyde had more trust in anyone in the bullpen then he would have brought him back out, but he doesn't so he would rather a reliever come in stress free with the bases clear.   Which is why he laughed once he said it because it didn't work out that way because of Soto.

[24fps]

16 minutes ago, Number5 said:

I disagree.  Yes, he has seemed to be the very definition of a major league average starter, but I don't equate MLB average with "ordinary," especially when we're talking about starting pitchers.  We sure haven't had an overabundance of MLB average starters pitching for us this century.  To me, a MLB average starter is a welcome addition, and a very good pick up at the trade deadline.

I fully share your feelings.  My point was that it's no surprise some people were disappointed and complaining that he wasn't a "better" pickup because internet debates necessarily revolve around statistics.  I happened to see a couple of his starts against the O's where he dominated and couldn't be happier that he was added to the rotation. 

[Just Regular]

I know it is honeymoon now, but I don't mind conserving Eflin a little bit.

His longer range health record has not been great, though in the last 24 months he has been outstanding.    The beginning of that though was the '22 Phillies bringing him back as a reliever after an injury was suffered early season as a starting pitcher.

Kyle Gibson and Zach Eflin were functionally pretty similar performers as early season SP's on Dombrowski's 2022 club.

[OrioleintheATL]

GREAT start to being an Oriole!

[Mendoza Line]

4 hours ago, Sports Guy said:

Save the innings when you are playing lesser teams and have a bigger lead.

It was a bad decision and that explanation from him is pure lunacy.

I have a bigger issue with him burning Cano in a game with a 4 run lead in the 9th after pitching Wednesday. If we are in a 1 run game tonight you are down your best (or 2nd best) reliever. This was a perfect spot to pitch Kimbrel.