Battle of the Alamo… except the Texans win
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Once again been falling behind with this. Figured out though how to work out my
schedule around blogging and all. Hoping
to actually make a new website even this weekend, so be on the lookout for
that. Thanks to Jordan from
Oriolesprospects.com for helping me set things up. Once things are said and done with a new
site, expect expanded sections, new pieces, and even some extra writings by
some guest writers. So instead of being
let down by the Orioles pathetic start to a season, we can all look forward to
the continued advancement of this blog and hope it can rise to the top!
Today,
instead of going through each game and each issue, I am going to do an entry
Steve Melewski style, where I will just write bits on a bunch of individual
topics (all Orioles related of course).
If you haven’t been watching, the O’s are 13-29 now, 17.5 out of
first, and are looking at giving up already on this season. Many will say it is already a done deal.
.500 Homestand: Going .500
against teams like the Mariners, Indians, and Royals is pitiful for any ball
club. We came into this home stand
hoping to take at least 5 or 6 to get a jump on the games back they were under
.500 in the overall standings. How can
we expect to beat the Sox, Yanks, Twins, or Mets even with performances like
these. I mean, come on, we almost got
shut out by Jake Westbrook.
The
Rhyne Hughes Effect: Rhyne Hughes joined the Orioles on April 24th
in Boston, and in his first 3 games with the club, went 5-13 with a double, 2
runs scored, and 3 RBIs. Since that
third game up, he went 5-34 in 12 games with only one double, one run scored,
and one RBI. Teams figured out what kind
of hitter he was, they watched some film, and basically were able to shut him
down. Corey Patterson came in and went 6
for his first 13 in 3 games played, with 4 runs scored and a home run, but in
the 6 games since then, is 4-23. His
numbers in terms of runs scored and RBIs are up still, but the hitting is
definitely more of an issue since his first 3 games. In the second and third games against the
Indians he went a combined 0-7, in which he showed very little plate
discipline.
Jones
Hit Streak: Adam Jones is on a 7 game hitting streak. Why that’s only sort of positive? Well, it may show that he can at least get a
hit in consecutive games, but just one hit in 4 or 5 at bats is not nearly good
enough on a consistent basis. In this 7
game span, he is 9-29 (.310). The issue
is more with his strikeouts. Jones has
shown no ability so far this season to judge pitches well and take when
needed. On a 2-0 count last night, he
swung at a dropping curveball. On a 2-0
count, a hitter like him should be taking no matter what unless it’s a fastball
down the middle or a bit outside that he wants to take yard. Otherwise, he needs to be patient and learn
to settle in the box for a bit.
Trembley Pitching Decisions: Saturday night, nobody really had a true
reason to go against Trembley’s pitching decisions. Any coach would have done the same. Where it is getting on my nerves was on a
night like Wednesday, where Trembley used 6 pitchers to get through 2.2 innings. I understand the whole matchup scenario, but
seriously, it is becoming a joke. Yes,
the Rays and Yankees even match up sometimes with a righty or lefty, but it
gets to the point where you are switching out pitchers for a sub-par bottom of
the lineup guy. Just like a starter
pitches against everybody and not just the ones that work out for his dominant
side, relievers need the chance to face batters from both sides. Unless you are using a specialist for one guy
(like we did against Pena on the Rays), there is no reason a reliever should
not be intended for use for less than one inning. That is just sad.
Trembley in General: He is getting
to me a bit. I have been a huge supporter,
but all of the crazy talk about hating him and all has actually caught up with
me. I have been one for thinking that a
lot of it is up to MacPhail giving him nothing to work with and the players not
performing, but I am starting to get the sense with some of his decisions that
he may be more fit just for minor league baseball. He may be a guy that the whole clubhouse can
relate to, but it is not working out on the field. Crowley may be good, but he has no control over
a guy like Jones swinging at a wild pitch or Atkins hitting into a leadoff double
play (yes, I believe he could do that).
We will have to see what the Orioles decide to do.
Cook-off
and Reunion: The O’s have announced a
few big events. The Cook-off and 1970s
team reunion lunch. Both events can be
found at the links provided if you just click on each name. They are events used to bring fans in, but
both were planned horribly in my opinion.
The cook-off is on a Wednesday of a work and school week right in the
middle of the day, and the luncheon costs $250 per person. Neither of those criteria are really
persuading fans to come in for O’s events.
I
will be posting a lot tomorrow about my O’s experiences the past few weeks, so
be on a lookout for that. Pictures and
everything. It will be a whole section
of my new site hopefully, too.
Make sure to keep up also with the few sites I have posted on the side here, and feel free to check out my post on Brian Matusz below.
2131 and Beyond 