Tigers Series I

[Spy Fox]

The Tigers are on a roll, and an example of how seasons can turn on a dime in unexpected ways. In mid August they were 55-63, 8 games under .500 which was close to a season worst. But after a 20-9 stretch, they now have a solid chance of posting their first winning season in 8 years, and an outside chance of reaching the postseason for the first time since we beat them in the 2014 ALDS. They are 75-72 and 3.5 games behind Minnesota for the last WC spot. 

Pitching is the main reason why, even after trading some arms at the deadline. They are 4th in MLB in ERA, have the likely Cy Young winner in Tarik Skubal, and a pretty good bullpen. Their offense has been average, led by All Star Riley Greene. Kerry Carpenter has also been excellent-- he missed most of the season with a back issue, but is playing now and playing well.

We currently have TBDs tonight and tomorrow because the Tigers used openers twice last weekend vs the A's. The bulk followers of those games are both rookies who have been effective in limited innings, some as a SP some as a RP. Then, we likely face another rookie Sunday, but one who has been more entrenched in Detroit's rotation. Looking at those games, here's my best guess: 

• Eflin vs Opener/LHP Brant Hurter? (4-1, 3.00 ERA, 33 IP)
  • Hurter threw 5.1 IP, 1 ER, 3 K as a follower last weekend
• Burnes vs Opener/RHP Ty Madden? (1-0, 2.57 ERA, 14 IP)
  • Madden threw 5 IP, 1 ER, 7 K as a follower last weekend
• Povich vs RHP Keider Montero (5-6, 4.88 ERA, 83 IP)
  • Montero threw a complete game, 3-hit shutout against Colorado on Tuesday

A lot of the Tigers hot run has come against cellar dwellers. In their 20-9 stretch, they're 1-2 in series against current playoff teams. (Beat NYY, lost to CHC and SDP.) Hopefully we can stamp out some of their momentum, but facing three straight rookie SPs who are running hot lately is a bit spooky. 

[Moose Milligan]

Hoping to get one game at this rate. 

[interloper]

I'm in shrug-mode for the rest of the season. It's just, we'll see how it shakes out at this point. The Orioles aren't a very good or healthy team right now, so... that's it! 

[Spy Fox]

4 minutes ago, interloper said:

I'm in shrug-mode for the rest of the season. It's just, we'll see how it shakes out at this point. The Orioles aren't a very good or healthy team right now, so... that's it! 

Don't worry, they'll give you just enough optimism to get out of shrug mode before the Yankees series, then disappoint you. 

[Yossarian]

I don't know what the feeling is in,  and around, Baltimore.  From my living room 3,000 miles away,  I just don't feel excited about the club right now.   We are just a handful of games away from the end of the season,  have an almost guaranteed  post season berth, and are in a tight race for another division title - and yet,  this is a very unexciting team that I expect to lose in the first round of the playoffs.   The injuries and mediocre play over the last two months have taken the wind out of my sails.  I would not be surprised at all to see us get swept by the Tigers.

[maybenxtyr]

6 minutes ago, Yossarian said:

I don't know what the feeling is in,  and around, Baltimore.  From my living room 3,000 miles away,  I just don't feel excited about the club right now.   We are just a handful of games away from the end of the season,  have an almost guaranteed  post season berth, and are in a tight race for another division title - and yet,  this is a very unexciting team that I expect to lose in the first round of the playoffs.   The injuries and mediocre play over the last two months have taken the wind out of my sails.  I would not be surprised at all to see us get swept by the Tigers.

Yep. This is probably the best team(record wise) that I just don't have a lot of interest in. I still watch and follow,  I just don't care about it when they lose.

[Three Run Homer]

13 minutes ago, Yossarian said:

I don't know what the feeling is in,  and around, Baltimore.  From my living room 3,000 miles away,  I just don't feel excited about the club right now.   We are just a handful of games away from the end of the season,  have an almost guaranteed  post season berth, and are in a tight race for another division title - and yet,  this is a very unexciting team that I expect to lose in the first round of the playoffs.   The injuries and mediocre play over the last two months have taken the wind out of my sails.  I would not be surprised at all to see us get swept by the Tigers.

I feel the same way.  There's nothing more boring and depressing than watching a team that can't score runs.  We've been getting surprisingly good starting pitching lately (except from Povich), but almost every night we are getting 0-3 runs, so every pitching or defensive mistake is magnified.

And even when our pitching is going bad we can tell ourselves that things will be better when GrayRod and Webb and Coulombe get healthy, and when Burnes returns to form.  It's a lot harder to muster any hope about the offense.  Adley and O'Hearn and Cowser all seem broken, Jimenez is a black hole and Holliday is back to looking overmatched.  Maybe Westburg and Urias will give us a lift.  

[Spy Fox]

17 minutes ago, Yossarian said:

I don't know what the feeling is in,  and around, Baltimore.  From my living room 3,000 miles away,  I just don't feel excited about the club right now.   We are just a handful of games away from the end of the season,  have an almost guaranteed  post season berth, and are in a tight race for another division title - and yet,  this is a very unexciting team that I expect to lose in the first round of the playoffs.   The injuries and mediocre play over the last two months have taken the wind out of my sails.  I would not be surprised at all to see us get swept by the Tigers.

That's the weight of expectations. Every Orioles fan knows they could be playing so much better and running away with this division if the season had gone a bit differently. 

That, and the team's plodding .500-ish results have just been kinda boring. Always one step forward, one back. These are their results in each calendar week (Mon-Sun) since Aug 5: 

• 3-3 (TOR/TB)
• 3-3 (WAS/BOS)
• 3-4 (NYM/HOU)
• 3-3 (LAD/COL)
• 3-3 (CHW/TB)

Blah.

[Moose Milligan]

50 minutes ago, Yossarian said:

I don't know what the feeling is in,  and around, Baltimore.  From my living room 3,000 miles away,  I just don't feel excited about the club right now.   We are just a handful of games away from the end of the season,  have an almost guaranteed  post season berth, and are in a tight race for another division title - and yet,  this is a very unexciting team that I expect to lose in the first round of the playoffs.   The injuries and mediocre play over the last two months have taken the wind out of my sails.  I would not be surprised at all to see us get swept by the Tigers.

I'm still watching as many games as I can, except on Sunday when I'll watch the Commies instead, probably.

I feel the same way you do, though.  Totally unexcited about this team...Prepared for someone to sweep the leg in the playoffs and have it over with.  

 

[Yossarian]

24 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

I'm still watching as many games as I can, except on Sunday when I'll watch the Commies instead, probably.

I feel the same way you do, though.  Totally unexcited about this team...Prepared for someone to sweep the leg in the playoffs and have it over with.  

 

The sad thing is -  I thought this team was very entertaining the first half of the season.  It seemed we were hitting and getting on base more.   We were stealing bases and taking extra bases on balls put in play.  The defense was much sharper.   We had more of pitching staff in tact. 

Then the injuries, the collapse of our closer, the big drop in offensive production, the head-scratching trades and acquisitions,  the sloppy defense, and the Burnes issues.

The only bright spots in the second half are the 5 weeks of Tony, a resurgence of Cedric, and Zach Elfin.

[Moose Milligan]

3 minutes ago, Yossarian said:

The sad thing is -  I thought this team was very entertaining the first half of the season.  It seemed we were hitting and getting on base more.   We were stealing bases and taking extra bases on balls put in play.  The defense was much sharper.   We had more of pitching staff in tact. 

Then the injuries, the collapse of our closer, the big drop in offensive production, the head-scratching trades and acquisitions,  the sloppy defense, and the Burnes issues.

The only bright spots in the second half are the 5 weeks of Tony, a resurgence of Cedric, and Zach Elfin.

Absolutely agree.

When we look back on this season, I think that's how it's going to be remembered...that while were able to navigate minimal injuries in 2022 and 2023, this was the year the tide turned for us in a big, big way...the first half of the season was fantastic and in the second half the injuries proved to be insurmountable.  

 

[LookitsPuck]

1 hour ago, Yossarian said:

I don't know what the feeling is in,  and around, Baltimore.  From my living room 3,000 miles away,  I just don't feel excited about the club right now.   We are just a handful of games away from the end of the season,  have an almost guaranteed  post season berth, and are in a tight race for another division title - and yet,  this is a very unexciting team that I expect to lose in the first round of the playoffs.   The injuries and mediocre play over the last two months have taken the wind out of my sails.  I would not be surprised at all to see us get swept by the Tigers.

I think most people that follow this club feel similarly. But that's because we have months of this team being mediocre to go off of. They aren't the team that played well the first 2 months any longer. I think folks need to accept that performance isn't in them and is long gone, for a myriad of reasons. 

[SteveA]

6 minutes ago, LookitsPuck said:

I think most people that follow this club feel similarly. But that's because we have months of this team being mediocre to go off of. They aren't the team that played well the first 2 months any longer. I think folks need to accept that performance isn't in them and is long gone, for a myriad of reasons. 

Nah, I'm not going to accept anything.   I'm going to keep rooting for them and hope they turn it around.   They have talent.   And if they don't I'll be disappointed.

If I rooted for the team in 1998-2011, and late-2017 thru 2021... why would I give up now?   Yeah, 34-39 over 73 games SUCKS.   But you know what?   They went several years without having a stretch that GOOD and I kept rooting for them.   Not going to quit now.

[LookitsPuck]

2 minutes ago, SteveA said:

Nah, I'm not going to accept anything.   I'm going to keep rooting for them and hope they turn it around.   They have talent.   And if they don't I'll be disappointed.

If I rooted for the team in 1998-2011, and late-2017 thru 2021... why would I give up now?   Yeah, 34-39 over 73 games SUCKS.   But you know what?   They went several years without having a stretch that GOOD and I kept rooting for them.   Not going to quit now.

OK, maybe not accept, but I've severely lowered by expectations while I watch them. They've been mediocre at best for 2.5+ months. 

I have a vested financial interest in them (season tickets, postseason, etc.). But I'm not getting my hopes up. They've just been so damn frustrating to watch.

[Just Regular]

1 hour ago, Moose Milligan said:

sweep the leg

Today I learned Steve McQueen's kid played Dutch.    RIP Chad McQueen.

But sensei, I can beat him...think either the Orioles or maybe more any random regular season opponent lately.