8/28 at LA Dodgers

[LA2]

11 hours ago, dtk9119 said:

This is so Orioles.. one man on due to missed throw to first and another due to wild pitch.. nothing with an actual hit 

The announcer literally said there was a "brain fart by Smith" before Urias's double. What was he refering to?

[LA2]

11 hours ago, Moose Milligan said:

No Urias slander tonight 

The announcer literally said there was a "brain fart by Smith" before Urias's double. What was he refering to?

[HowAboutThat]

10 hours ago, O's84 said:

I apologize, I was a bit rude with the way I responded. 

Anyways, I think you are looking at this the wrong way.  He's handed a 3-1 lead and got the first batter out in the 3rd.  Then Urias makes an error.  Then he implodes and gives up 4 runs.  Just cause they are unearned doesn't get him off the hook.  He turned a 1 out base runner into a 4 run inning.  This is your ace and he has been bad all month and he came up small again.  And he can't control the running game either, he allowed 4 SB.  Usually his inability to hold runners doesn't matter because he doesn't allow many base runners but that's not been the case this month and it is really hurting the team. 

Later in the 5th inning he allowed a lead off hit from the #9 batter on a 0-2 count.  Next Ohtani singed a ball at 108 MPH but thankfully it was right at O'Hearn who dropped it and didn't turn the DP but still got an out.  That easily couldn't have been a double.  Eventually his inability to control the run game combined with Gunnar's error led to another run.  So I'm not saying it's all his fault, but just pointing out that just looking at his outing with the 5 unearned runs is not looking at the whole picture

And btw, I am not closing the book on him this season because I still believe that he'll turn it around.  But it is frustrating to see him have another outing like this.

 

Thank you for your comment. I don’t really disagree, and I appreciate the detail, but let me explain.

The difference between a ringing double down the line and a routine out, is 6 inches of positioning by the third baseman. It’s the same hit ball, but success depends on the defense. 
I’ve always thought of baseball as sort of like Congress, with a series of checks and balances, overlaps in skill, so that each helps the other, and if all is working well, lapses by one group are compensated by another. 
I remember many games where the SP was giving up a lot of hard contact but the outfield defense was making every play, and the result is victory, or games where the SP was pitching great, and the defense let him down, or hits were being made and guys would run into outs on the bases. Each category needs to compensate for any problems by the others.

Last night Burnes was not pitching well. He hasn’t for several starts, and no one seems to know why. But even though he was pitching badly, if the defense had been clean, I think they would have won.

The problem the team has been having the last 60+ games is that no part of the team is good. They can’t help each other when there’s a lapse. The hitting can’t overcome bad pitching or defense, the pitching can’t protect against a lack of offense, and so on. The team is incredibly sloppy.

Last night, Gunnar made a fine defensive play, and Palmer said,” this time he set his feet before he threw.” Another time, I think it was Brown who said that Gunnar had told him he needed/wanted to throw on the run. Gunnar’s error had nothing to do with throwing, but I think he was thinking too far ahead and let the ball clank off his glove. I didn’t see Urias’ error, so can’t comment on that one, but the worst part is the sloppy play that isn’t an error. Cowser’s throw to the plate that sailed through the sky like a Russian satellite. If it had been accurate would he have gotten the out? I don’t recall, though I think the ball was there in time(at least in the vicinity, anyway) But there was no error on the play.

Thats sloppy play and it’s happening every game.

So I feel very strongly that despite Burnes’ bad night, the team would have won if it had played clean defense. He needs to be better, and no mistake, but last night it wasn’t all on him.