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Post by Evil Yoda on May 16, 2015 21:20:50 GMT -5
Up 'til now, I'd convinced myself that you could get Bloomingdale's results on a Big Lots budget. But, no, you cannot. Time to adjust expectations for the year.  |
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Post by rentedmule on May 17, 2015 7:37:41 GMT -5
Can you get results from a Bloomingdale's budget? Or is it something else?
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Post by Evil Yoda on May 17, 2015 10:06:08 GMT -5
Can you get results from a Bloomingdale's budget? Or is it something else? It might also be front office staff, minor league development staff - even the field manager and coaches. Buck's history has been that he "wears out his welcome" after four or five years. Who knows? What seems to be the case is that they're suffering from not having replaced any key departures with comparable help. That's the Big Lots budget. What's less clear is why the pitching has taken a step backward (except for Ubaldo) and why the fielding has done likewise (injuries doubtless account for this, but why is the NO depth at all. Guys get hurt; teams need to be ready for that). Manny's fielding problems are a particular concern; it seems like the physicians took out his fielding instincts when they fixed his knees. His hitting has improved some, which is a positive sign. But really, if they didn't have Jones (who has faded from his admittedly exceptional start) they wouldn't really be hitting at all. Can't hit well, can't pitch well, can't field well... not going to end well. |
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Post by Deleted on May 17, 2015 23:57:39 GMT -5
Tillman, a woeful offense and an erratic defense are the main causes of the O's problems so far. I don't think all of that can be blamed on free agent losses, although I agree that at some point the Orioles have to realize that it's much more difficult to win consistently on a shoestring budget.
Maybe Mike Wright can give the O's a much-needed shot in the arm. Granted, it's only one start and the baseball landscape is littered with guys who looked good the first time around and not so much thereafter. Still, when a guy can consistently throw 96 mph without walking anyone, he's earned a chance to stay in the rotation (he probably earned that in spring training, for that matter).
When Norris comes back, he can go to the bullpen as far as I'm concerned. With the season fast approaching the quarter pole, I think it's time to putzing around with a guy who typically can't past the third or fourth inning. |
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Post by Evil Yoda on May 24, 2015 19:01:36 GMT -5
Paredes can hit. So can Jones. After that, it's strictly Little League caliber.
Folks I won't miss next year: Chris Davis, clearly cut from Mark Fydritch cloth, Bud Norris, Brian Matusz (a cheater, I can't stand 'em).
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Post by Deleted on May 25, 2015 0:20:49 GMT -5
Paredes can hit. So can Jones. After that, it's strictly Little League caliber. Folks I won't miss next year: Chris Davis, clearly cut from Mark Fydritch cloth, Bud Norris, Brian Matusz (a cheater, I can't stand 'em). Mark Fidrych blew out his arm after his lights-out rookie year. I'm not sure his circumstances parallel those of Chris Davis.
As for Matusz, his transgression is a fairly common practice among pitchers and is understood to be for improved grip, and not for altering the movement of the ball. I think you'll eventually see this rule modified if pitchers keep getting ejected and suspended as a result. The worst consequence is that a suspension of this type does not allow for a roster replacement while it's being served.
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Post by Evil Yoda on May 25, 2015 9:20:15 GMT -5
Mark Fidrych blew out his arm after his lights-out rookie year. I'm not sure his circumstances parallel those of Chris Davis. In the sense that both of them appear to have had one good year in them it does.  As far as I know Davis isn't hurt, and he's legally able to take Adderall this year, so I don't know what his problem is: is it focus? Has he been figured out and can't adapt? As for Matusz, his transgression is a fairly common practice among; pitchers and is understood to be for improved grip, and not for altering the movement of the ball. I think you'll eventually see this rule modified if pitchers keep getting ejected and suspended as a result. The worst consequence is that a suspension of this type does not allow for a roster replacement while it's being served. My view is that men should play within the rules. If there's a problem with the rules, lobby for a change. Don't just ignore them. What Matusz did doesn't rise to the level of what Gaylord Perry used to do, but it's still wrong in my view. |
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Post by Evil Yoda on Jun 1, 2015 21:37:01 GMT -5
When they hit, they don't pitch. When the starters do well, the relievers screw up. Add in a strangely inconsistent offense, and you've got a recipe for a truly bad ballclub. They'd be last in the central, fourth in the west, seven games out. The only reason they're in the middle of the pack is that the rest of the east is also poor.
These guys don't play like winning matters to them.
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Post by mmmbeer on Jun 2, 2015 8:38:27 GMT -5
I'm sure it matters to them. The way the team is built, IMHO, they have to have a lot go right to win consistently. It did in 2012. Not in 2013. It did in 2014. Doesn't look like it will in 2015. See a pattern? In order to compete every year, they have to give some big/unwise contracts realizing some of those won't work out & will be waste some money (see Cruz in Seattle in 2 years). If they don't do that, and they cannot consistently draft and develop, then making the playoffs every other year is a reasonable expectation.
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Post by Evil Yoda on Jun 2, 2015 20:47:21 GMT -5
They're not playing like it does. They make a lot of mistakes - mental and physical. I really feel that the evidence supports the contention that winning has never mattered to Angelos, and I wonder if that percolates down through the organization, eventually infecting everyone. How does Buck feel, one wonders, when Duq let two good players walk away and replaced them with far less capable men? It can't make him feel like expending his best effort; when the front office isn't in your camp, there's little you can do.
The farm system seems to take top draft pick pitchers and turn them into really mediocre players. Who's the last really good pitcher to come up through the Orioles system? Is there someone more recent than Mussina? If so, I can't remember who. (Note: Britton is a success doing what he does, but he was drafted as a starting prospect and did not pan out that way. Arrieta didn't improve until he left.) There's something poisonous about the entire organization. I really wish Angelos would sell, even if the new owner moves the team elsewhere. I'd rather they return to winning ways for another city than stay here and be what Angelos has debased them into. It's really painful to watch, compared to the great teams of my childhood.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 2, 2015 23:22:08 GMT -5
I don't think it's a question of desire on the part of the players; this team just isn't that good. They lost too many key contributors from last season and didn't replace them. Last year's team had Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis in the lineup every day, and got an added boost from a breakout season by Steve Pearce. Now the former two are gone and Pearce is hitting below the Mendoza line. But you can't count on reclamation projects year in and year out.
Production from unexpected places is fine; it's been a hallmark of Duquette's time here. But at some point there has to be stability throughout a lineup and the Orioles simply don't have it. The corner outfield slots are still in flux, Chris Davis has had one good week and Jimmy Paredes is starting to show why he couldn't make the team out of spring training and Travis Snider isn't going to be winning any Gold Gloves. Hardy may be headed back to the DL with a possible oblique injury, and if he does, there's another hole in the lineup with the good-field, no-hit Everth Cabrera likely getting the nod.
I guess the plus side has been the pitching of Chen, Gonzalez and Ubaldo, all of whom have ERAs under 3.50. Tillman, however, has to get his act together in a hurry. Needless to say, the Orioles are in trouble. But on the other hand, one hot streak could propel them to the top of the great, gray swamp that is the AL East. |
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Post by Evil Yoda on Jun 3, 2015 11:41:20 GMT -5
Angelos really should have let Duquette go to Toronto when he wanted to. It's a mistake to force an employee who does not wish to work for you to continue doing so. I just don't understand that move.
We may be getting some insight here into why Duquette was out of the game for a decade or so. Or, perhaps, why three men turned down the job after interviewing (when, presumably, they learned about some conditions of their employment); Duquette was the fourth choice.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2015 23:00:54 GMT -5
Angelos really should have let Duquette go to Toronto when he wanted to. It's a mistake to force an employee who does not wish to work for you to continue doing so. I just don't understand that move. We may be getting some insight here into why Duquette was out of the game for a decade or so. Or, perhaps, why three men turned down the job after interviewing (when, presumably, they learned about some conditions of their employment); Duquette was the fourth choice. I agree about Duquette. A lot of time was wasted during Toronto's flirtation with him that could have and should have been spent improving the roster. I can almost understand Angelos's perspective in this instance, but it's never a wise idea to hold someone to a job they'd rather not be in. |
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Post by mmmbeer on Jun 4, 2015 7:24:52 GMT -5
I'm sure, legally, PA was correct.  I can't imagine a scenario where one could expect a disgruntled/disinterested employee to give their best. So PA has cut off his nose to spite his face. yipee. I think we all agree that the losing doesn't bother PA all that much. His #1 concern is figuring out how to financially enable his sons to hold onto the team (see Modell, Art). |
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Post by Evil Yoda on Jun 4, 2015 16:22:00 GMT -5
Angelos seems to be chiefly motivated by a desire to acquire more and more money. As far as I can tell, as an outsider, that's his sole motivation. If he felt that allowing Duquette to move on would cost him money, he wouldn't do it. I suppose it's also possible that Angelos is motivated, as would be a lawyer, to demand that those involved in a contract honor it. Legally, it's not an unreasonable expectation. Strategically and tactically, in circumstances like this, it is unwise. It may even be unethical (the law and a contract need not be ethical). It is almost certainly unkind and unnecessary.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2015 22:41:30 GMT -5
Five out of six now after a 5-2 win over the Sox tonight. One of the better wins the Orioles have had in a while: Good starting pitching, solid bullpen work, some timely hitting and a couple of excellent defensive plays. I'm very cautiously optimistic, but maybe the Orioles are beginning to build on something.
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Post by Evil Yoda on Jun 12, 2015 12:52:33 GMT -5
We'll see. I need them to maintain quality play for a month or so, like they've been terrible for a month or so, before I regain any optimism. That doesn't mean they have to win all those games. It does mean they have to play most of them well, even if the opponent plays just enough better.
The fielding looks better than it has all season. The bats are waking up. The pitching is still kind of a question mark, and I still have zero confidence in the developmental ability of the minor leagues. It's starting to look ominously like Gausman and Bundy are the latest pitchers they've failed to develop (in fairness, Bundy's arm trouble predates them drafting him, more than likely).
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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2015 22:52:43 GMT -5
Great start to the Yankee series tonight. Every starter had at least one hit and I thought Ubaldo did a terrific job pitching out of that nasty scrape in the first inning. I kept waiting for the roof to cave in right then and there, but it never came to pass.
This is the weakest Yankee team I've seen in a long time. They're getting about zero production from the bottom four hitters in their lineup, they have no outfield arms and they simply don't get to balls that other teams make outs on. They're just old and not terribly athletic at this point. I can't see them holding this division over the course of the entire season.
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Post by Evil Yoda on Jun 13, 2015 10:42:04 GMT -5
Great start to the Yankee series tonight. Every starter had at least one hit and I thought Ubaldo did a terrific job pitching out of that nasty scrape in the first inning. I kept waiting for the roof to cave in right then and there, but it never came to pass. Ubaldo has been a very pleasant surprise this year, over what I expected. And last night he did some good work. I'd prefer he not get in those jams, because then he could pitch deeper. But no one's going to pitch flawlessly every game (well, maybe Clayton Kershaw comes close, but...) If he'd got good and every other starter had held his own (Tillman and Norris regressed) they'd have a very serviceable rotation. This is the weakest Yankee team I've seen in a long time. They're getting about zero production from the bottom four hitters in their lineup, they have no outfield arms and they simply don't get to balls that other teams make outs on. They're just old and not terribly athletic at this point. I can't see them holding this division over the course of the entire season. I expect they will collapse in the second half, because I don't see those older guys lasting an entire season the way young guys can. But, then, I'm sort of surprised they're doing as well as they are. Especially ARod. Kinda makes me want to check ARod's trash can for empty syringes. But maybe the year off just let him heal from a lot of little naggers. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 14, 2015 0:08:58 GMT -5
Great start to the Yankee series tonight. Every starter had at least one hit and I thought Ubaldo did a terrific job pitching out of that nasty scrape in the first inning. I kept waiting for the roof to cave in right then and there, but it never came to pass. Ubaldo has been a very pleasant surprise this year, over what I expected. And last night he did some good work. I'd prefer he not get in those jams, because then he could pitch deeper. But no one's going to pitch flawlessly every game (well, maybe Clayton Kershaw comes close, but...) If he'd got good and every other starter had held his own (Tillman and Norris regressed) they'd have a very serviceable rotation. This is the weakest Yankee team I've seen in a long time. They're getting about zero production from the bottom four hitters in their lineup, they have no outfield arms and they simply don't get to balls that other teams make outs on. They're just old and not terribly athletic at this point. I can't see them holding this division over the course of the entire season. I expect they will collapse in the second half, because I don't see those older guys lasting an entire season the way young guys can. But, then, I'm sort of surprised they're doing as well as they are. Especially ARod. Kinda makes me want to check ARod's trash can for empty syringes. But maybe the year off just let him heal from a lot of little naggers. Even if he hits 60 homers this season, A-Rod is hurting this team because now that he's practically a DH-only, the Yankees have to keep playing Carlos Beltran in rightfield in order to keep both of their bats in the lineup. Beltran was a terrific player in his prime, but now too many catchable balls drop in because he can't run and baserunners are taking their liberties with him because he can't throw. The Yankees are just giving up way too many four-out innings to be successful long-term. |
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Post by mmmbeer on Jun 15, 2015 6:53:37 GMT -5
June is off to a pretty good start. The SP is still a cause for concern.
If they can finish the month a couple games over .500, then they have an opportunity to compete for the division.
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Post by Evil Yoda on Jun 15, 2015 9:55:58 GMT -5
June is off to a pretty good start. The SP is still a cause for concern. I saw a dugout iso where Wright looked a little disconsolate after he came out. Hopefully he understands you don't always have a stellar day. His stuff didn't look like it was moving very well, which against major league hitters will get you beat. If they can finish the month a couple games over .500, then they have an opportunity to compete for the division. I still don't think they have enough to win the division. But if the Yankees collapse they could finish second. But the East is only sending one team to the post season, the winner, so second will just be the first loser. I don't know why Angelos chose, following a strong season in '14, to cheap out and not have Duquette replace departing hitters with comparables. But he didn't. Or maybe Duquette was sure he'd eventually land in Toronto and didn't want to create a strong competitor. Who knows? As we've discussed I believe the situation was mismanaged. The off-season was not run like a team that had tasted success and wanted more of it. This year is probably their window for awhile. Guys like Weiters, Chen and Davis will be looking for better paydays, and they won't get them here. Nor will they be replaced. In a few years, unless Angelos has died and someone better has taken over the team, we'll watch Machado in pinstripes. |
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As far as I know Davis isn't hurt, and he's legally able to take Adderall this year, so I don't know what his problem is: is it focus? Has he been figured out and can't adapt?