Orioles acquire Gregory Soto

[sportsfan8703]

1 minute ago, Aristotelian said:

That is exactly how Hyde deployed him but he didn't get the job done. 

Welp, it just comes down to execution.  He's not going anywhere, and we can't make trades anymore.  He needs to try to "make it happen" earlier in counts and stop with the Kevin Gregg act.  

[Sports Guy]

1 minute ago, gtman55 said:

Exactly. I mean 99.9% here would agree with that, I think.

I was told last night that you go with Soto there because it needs to be a lefty and you should save Perez for a later inning high(er) leverage situation.

[CaptainRedbeard]

10 hours ago, Aristotelian said:

I liked this trade but damn he has been awful. No sugar coating it. 

Same. He’s both been bad and unlucky. The Blue Jays had two lefty hitters hit soft down the line doubles chasing sliders well off the plate. Those are whiffs for him regularly. You could tell he was exasperated on the mound yesterday.

He’s been wild and making bad pitches way out of the zone or in the middle in every appearance in an Orioles uniform, and even when he does execute a good pitch he’s getting burned. Kinda how it has to go to allow 9 H 8 ER in 1.1 IP.

 

[Tony-OH]

11 hours ago, bpilktree67 said:

You can’t hide everyone pitching in low leverage situations when you’re in a pennant race.  The 6th inning man on 1st and two outs is pretty low leverage.  It was 3 of the next 4 hitters being left handed so you want to go with a lefty, because lefty’s are 22 for 62 at .356 vs Smith on the year.  You don’t want him facing the middle of their lineup and a bunch of left handed hitters up.  

It was the right move, just Soto was unable to do his job. I don't know if he's just stressing to impress his new tam or what, but when you blow 2 of the 3 games you pitch in and have a 54.00 ERA in them, that's not a good way to earn the trust of your manager or new team.

This move has backfired on Elias already. I think the idea was probably right that Soto can miss bats, and supposedly dominate lefties, but they demoted Akin despite him doing this so far this year:

Looks like the guy that would have been a good bet in yesterday's game vs Soto.

[drjohnnyfever1]

They should have pivoted when they went out to the mound to talk to him.  He had shown enough at that point that he was struggling.  Hyde gets the gambler mentality sometimes like, Just one more roll and we'll be good.  He needs to overcome that.  It was brutal to watch if not predictable.  Moreso because Suarez really stepped up.

[gtman55]

I guess my definition of high leverage is different than others here.

To me, in a game we're you clearly aren't hitting and only have one hit, every out matters. We were up by one run, man on first and the batter was the potential go ahead run. I want somebody reliable there, not Soto.

Honestly though, I would have given Smith one more batter to see if he could get out of the inning. He was pitching well.

[Sports Guy]

All that matters with Soto is that he can get his act together heading into the playoffs. 

[Aristotelian]

I also hated the pitch call on the Kirk HR. It wasn't a terrible pitch but it was a third sweeper in a row to the same spot.

[bpilktree67]

Going lefty was the best option the numbers slow that and I don't think that is a high leverage situation in the 6th inning you will need another lefty at that point in the lineup later in a game.  The splits for the next 4 guys.

Howritz vs lefty at that point .200 with .508 OPS   

Howritz vs righty .296 with .846 OPS 

Kirk vs lefty .138  with ops .505

Kirk vs righty  .269 with .675

Varsho vs lefty .250 with .707 ops

Varsho vs right hander .189 with .673 OPS 

Barger vs lefty .111 with .333 ops 

Barger vs righty .200 and .574 OPS 

So there was 3 of 4 lefties coming up and the one right hander does not hit left handers at all.   Soto has to get those guys if he is on the team in the 6th inning especially when there is 2 outs.  

I am not sure if Soto is tipping pitches but from that angle all three guys stayed in there on a guy throwing 99 with three quarter delivery on some sliders.  The day before the trade deadline Soto in JUne and July Soto had gone 18 innings with 14 hits 7 walks 24 strikeouts and ERA of 1.5 in that span and 1.17 whip.  It looked like he had been pitching great and i am sure that is what Elias was thinking would continue when the trade talks were ongoing.  He has a bad outing in a 14-4 loss to the Yankees that day giving up 3 runs in 1 inning and has really struggled since coming here so something is clearly off when you are dominating and then just fall off the cliff.  

[bpilktree67]

1 hour ago, LookitsPuck said:

Leave Smith in. There were righties coming up. And Soto isn’t pitching well and hasn’t for the O’s, so you can’t automatically trust him like Hyde has.

The only right hander in the next 4 is Kirk who has reverse splits hitting .136 vs them.  

[sportsfan8703]

1 hour ago, Tony-OH said:

It was the right move, just Soto was unable to do his job. I don't know if he's just stressing to impress his new tam or what, but when you blow 2 of the 3 games you pitch in and have a 54.00 ERA in them, that's not a good way to earn the trust of your manager or new team.

This move has backfired on Elias already. I think the idea was probably right that Soto can miss bats, and supposedly dominate lefties, but they demoted Akin despite him doing this so far this year:

Looks like the guy that would have been a good bet in yesterday's game vs Soto.

Yup, there isn't a magical solution.  Hyde put the right guy in the right situation, and Soto just didn't execute.  Moustakas hit a Lefty/Lefty HR vs Matuz in the ALCS.  It was still the right call.  Gotta execute.  

[Moose Milligan]

4 minutes ago, sportsfan8703 said:

Yup, there isn't a magical solution.  Hyde put the right guy in the right situation, and Soto just didn't execute.  Moustakas hit a Lefty/Lefty HR vs Matuz in the ALCS.  It was still the right call.  Gotta execute.  

I'd actually argue that he executed fine on that one pitch to Varsho.  That was a slider that broke across the plate and was about 4-6 inches off the plate when he pulled it into RF.  That's, like, what Ryan Mountcastle wishes he could do, execpt from the opposite side.  

Varsho isn't a great hitter, he shouldn't have been able to do that.  I don't think he's able to do that if he tried 10 more times.

Soto has been bad so far but all that matters is what SG said above...if he can get right before the playoffs.

 

[Ceciltrav]

The price for Soto really was Seth Johnson?  That is the part that has me scratching my head?  I thought Johnson was one of our better pitching prospects?

[Sports Guy]

2 minutes ago, Ceciltrav said:

The price for Soto really was Seth Johnson?  That is the part that has me scratching my head?  I thought Johnson was one of our better pitching prospects?

He was an “old guy” in AA.

Gotta wonder if there was some shine off of him in the Os eyes to not promote him despite what appeared to be good results.

[wildcard]

My guess is that Akin joins the team tonight and Soto goes to mop up duty to find his control.   The O's pitching coaches have helped pitchers in the past and I think there is talent in Soto.

Edited August 7 by wildcard