Still think this team didn't choke under pressure?

[Tony-OH]

Changed the title because it was a little too aggressive.  

[SouthRider]

I've watched the Cowser AB over and over this morning.  I still can't believe he swung at a pitch that drilled him right down the middle of his body, but the more I look at it I think it was a reaction to getting drilled.  He turned his entire body and when he did that the bat came around.   Just another  lucky break for the Royals, I guess. 

I also watched the Westburg diving play.   From his position on the ground he could not see Witt.  He could only make a judgement on the runner going into second and I think he judged that would be too close.  Probably the right call if the runner is anyone other than Witt.  Another break for the Royals.  

Gunnar's last AB to end the game was pathetic.  A weak swing at a ball low and away to end the game.  I agree that their overall hitting approach needs to change. 

[BRobinsonfan]

10 hours ago, Baseball fandom said:

Good post Tony and Lord knows I got called out many times for being negative and go root for another team when all this Oriole fan was pointing out was how bad they were playing and how overrated the offense was for some time now. I mean you could even see it with all those solo homers they were hitting because this team couldn't get guys on base. For all the pitching injuries this team had especially with the starters it wasn't really the starters that ultimately did this team in but a lousy BP and lousy hitting. 

I'm trying to understand how the offense was overrated.  Yes, we obviously screwed the pooch in these TWO post season games, but during the regular season they were 2nd in the AL in OPS, 2nd in Home Runs, 4th in OBP, 2nd in runs scored, 1st in slugging.  That's a pretty good offense. 

This is not to say there are not problems.  I scratched my head over some of the in-season acquisitions, and we still have pitching issues going in to next season, and even though we were 4th in OBP we were farther away from 1st in OPS than we were from 14th.  There are things that need to be fixed, but I think there's a solid core to build around.  

[EdwinRip]

25 minutes ago, JR Oriole said:

I am pretty sure they have won 4 of them since the last time we won a single game in the ALCS.

They are going to the playoffs most every year! In their last 10 playoff appearances, they haven’t even made it to the World Series once!  Are you telling me that the Yankees and their payroll aren’t built to win it all but the winners were built for it?  When we’ve made the playoffs as often as some teams and don’t win, we may have something to talk about. 

[eddie83]

Do people think the hitting coaches want Santander to chase at pitches a foot high or Mountcastle to whiff on breaking balls.

 

The same cast of coaches and players were here last year. They weren’t figured out. The team started slumping then injuries. A narrative formed. It went away last week and reared it’s ugly head in the playoffs. Last week they used the middle of the field and opposite field. How many balls did we put in play this series that weren’t pull side? 
 

The players failed. It’s on them. It’s mental at this point. 

[eddie83]

52 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

Well that's kind of what I mean.  You look at Witt, he obviously has power but he's not trying to do too much given the situation.  He's not swinging from his heels, he's not trying to hit homers every single time.  His bat to ball skills are elite, but part of that is probably because he knows that he can shorten up and use the whole field when the situation calls for it.  

But I also mean aside from good EVs and peripherals...like, Cowser yesterday, what in the F.  Seriously, EVs and peripherals don't tell us about the absolute boneheaded decision to swing at something no matter what.  It's exceptionally rare to see a batter swing at a pitch that actually hits him.  Had you told me that would have been a deciding factor before yesterday's game, I probably wouldn't have believed you...but then thought about it and believed you because it's so pathetic and that's just where we are.  And Mounty almost did the same thing!  

So that's what I mean by also just not being talented as we think...it's past EVs and peripherals.  It's about being mindful of situations, especially at the plate in high leverage moments.  You're right, there's time to let it fly and a time to have good team at bats.  And the Orioles just flat out don't do that.

I don't know what the hitting coaches preach, I don't know what the "offensive coordinator" (what a joke that sounds like) does...but my goodness, from the looks of it they're certainly don't preach about good team at bats, situational hitting, etc.  

Witt’s speed is his most differentiating skill set. That’s what sets him apart. Stealing bags and getting infield hits. 
 

 

As good of a hitter as he is that speed changes the game. 

[Baseball fandom]

4 minutes ago, BRobinsonfan said:

I'm trying to understand how the offense was overrated.  Yes, we obviously screwed the pooch in these TWO post season games, but during the regular season they were 2nd in the AL in OPS, 2nd in Home Runs, 4th in OBP, 2nd in runs scored, 1st in slugging.  That's a pretty good offense. 

This is not to say there are not problems.  I scratched my head over some of the in-season acquisitions, and we still have pitching issues going in to next season, and even though we were 4th in OBP we were farther away from 1st in OPS than we were from 14th.  There are things that need to be fixed, but I think there's a solid core to build around.  

Wow man were you around all these games when they were scoring 3 runs or less. Those numbers are window dressing. How many times did we see them put up a bunch of runs one game and then go the next 4 not scoring then put up another double digit spot and go games without scoring again. Look at the box scores not the fancy statistics. 

[Moose Milligan]

13 minutes ago, SouthRider said:

 

I also watched the Westburg diving play.   From his position on the ground he could not see Witt.  He could only make a judgement on the runner going into second and I think he judged that would be too close.  Probably the right call if the runner is anyone other than Witt.  Another break for the Royals.  

 

He couldn't see Witt, but he had to know Witt is maybe the fastest guy in the game.  No one is going to get him running to first on a ball they had to dive for....especially diving away from first base, having to roll over and get up and make the throw.  

I don't have to know who the runner on first was to know that trying to get the runner at second base, about 10 feet away from where he was on the ground was the easier play.  

It was a break for the Royals but it was a self inflicted gunshot wound by Westburg and the Orioles.  Westy is one of my favorites but his lack of awareness in that situation was baffling.  He's a better ballplayer than that, he should know better.

[Baseball fandom]

6 minutes ago, eddie83 said:

Do people think the hitting coaches want Santander to chase at pitches a foot high or Mountcastle to whiff on breaking balls.

 

The same cast of coaches and players were here last year. They weren’t figured out. The team started slumping then injuries. A narrative formed. It went away last week and reared it’s ugly head in the playoffs. Last week they used the middle of the field and opposite field. How many balls did we put in play this series that weren’t pull side? 
 

The players failed. It’s on them. It’s mental at this point. 

You have heard the expression you can't fire the team. Going by this logic no coach or manager would ever get fire. 

[Moose Milligan]

2 minutes ago, eddie83 said:

Witt’s speed is his most differentiating skill set. That’s what sets him apart. Stealing bags and getting infield hits. 
 

 

As good of a hitter as he is that speed changes the game. 

Sure, I guess.  I mean, he only stole 31 bases...it was 8th in the league this year.  He's incredibly fast but we're not talking about Rickey Henderson stolen base totals here.

His infield hit percentage was 10.6%, so about 20 hits were infield hits.  He's still a great hitter without the infield hits, IMO.  

[eddie83]

Just now, Baseball fandom said:

You have heard the expression you can't fire the team. Going by this logic no coach or manager would ever get fire. 

What does firing a coach or manager have to do with individual players not getting the job done? There are plenty of legit reasons why a manager or coach should be gone. Losing the team, mishandling a pitching staff etc. 
 

This isn’t football where the sheer physicality of the sport plays such a big role. I can hustle my ass off trying to defend someone. Trying your hardest to hit a baseball doesn’t work. 

[BRobinsonfan]

9 hours ago, Roll Tide said:

Are you serious? This team has played poorly since the Allstar break. The Win-Loss was mentioned here over and over again. Injuries were a contributing factor but you can’t deny the offense disappeared quite often as well. Adley’s OPS is in the 5s…. We got beat …that’s true but we didn’t do anything to help ourselves. The final out both nights were on swings with the ball at the shoe laces. 

First.  Adley's fall off the cliff is most troubling.

And the 2nd half was abysmal - there's no denying that.  But how much do you attribute to injuries and how much to "approach" or coaching?  I don't think management did a great job in replacing those injured players. 

One thing I wonder about is the difference in OBP between 2024 and 2023.  It seems like OBP was down league wide - but the O's went from .321 in 2023 to .315.  It does seem like they changed they de-emphasized getting on base at the expense of the long ball.  Adley went from .374 in OBP in 2023 to .318 this year - a 56 point drop.  Home runs are nice, but you need to have some people on base when you hit them.  While our 2024 HR total was 235 (as compared to 183 in 2023) our runs scored fell from 807 in 2023 to 786 this year.   

[Safelykept]

14 minutes ago, Baseball fandom said:

Wow man were you around all these games when they were scoring 3 runs or less. Those numbers are window dressing. How many times did we see them put up a bunch of runs one game and then go the next 4 not scoring then put up another double digit spot and go games without scoring again. Look at the box scores not the fancy statistics. 

What NFL team scored the 2nd most points last year. Hint it was not the Ravens and it was not the 2nd best offense. Another hint, I live in South Florida

[terpoh]

10 hours ago, EddeeEddee said:

Actually it could be argued that Emmanuel Rivera should have been the starting third baseman based on his hot September.  But I can see why Hyde would have preferred him off the bench.

Yea, I think Rivera should’ve been the DH game one with Adley catching. But starting him at 3B wouldn’t have brought any arguments from me either. He was a great spark for us in Sept. 

[JR Oriole]

9 minutes ago, Safelykept said:

What NFL team scored the 2nd most points last year. Hint it was not the Ravens and it was not the 2nd best offense. Another hint, I live in South Florida

I am guessing the Dolphins.  A franchise that hasn't won a playoff game since December 30, 2000.  Let that marinate for a minute.  24 years without a single playoff victory.  Worst franchise in the NFL and my favorite team for decades.