this is gonna be the year, folks.

3/29/2011 1:01:14 AM

[Edited on March 29, 2011 at 9:17 AM. Reason : larger]

3/29/2011 9:17:10 AM

hoping mark reynolds continues to break his strike out records every year

3/29/2011 11:53:06 AM

his strikeout numbers are epic

but the O's don't seem to be too worried about it

3/29/2011 12:00:00 PM

he's probably gonna hit 7/8. 30-40 HR from that low in the lineup is fine, even with a .200 BA and 200+ Ks

3/29/2011 12:05:07 PM

Probably more like 5/6. Jones, wieters, hardy will all be behind him. And i'll take a strikeout over a double play any day. I give no fucks about how much he strikes out.

[Edited on March 29, 2011 at 12:19 PM. Reason : .]

3/29/2011 12:14:25 PM

i'm just glad they got Izturis out of the starting lineup

the guy has a swiss cheese log for a bat

3/29/2011 12:17:54 PM

I think this team will be pretty fun to watch, but I say that pretending brian roberts will stay healthy and derrek lee wont die on the field

3/29/2011 12:26:12 PM

Is Matusz going to fulfill his hype this year? I took him as a sleeper last year and that was a mistake. I got him this year in an autodraft and probably won't keep him more than a couple of weeks unless he shows some improvement.

3/29/2011 12:52:46 PM

I've got him in one league. He improved last year over his first, so if he gets slightly better (I think his ERA was just over 4, if he can get it to 4 or less) with that offense I think he can at least win a decent amount of games.

Personally, I'd hit Adam Jones 2nd, Markakis 3rd, Vlad, Scott, DLee.. that's why I said Reynolds 7 or 8 depending on if Wieters can figure it out.

3/29/2011 12:57:53 PM

Matusz was statistically one of the best AL pitchers last season over his last 9 starts or so

his rapid improvement began when Showalter took the reins

realistically i expect him to be somewhere in the middle of where he started the season and how he ended the season

3/29/2011 1:05:03 PM

^^ why would you put jones second when he doesn't know how to take a walk? His BB% is always well below average, and his OBP is only average at best. He belongs at the bottom, and markakis makes more sense where he is because he's so good at getting on base. He'll create a ton of run-scoring opportunities for the third hitter. He's far less likely to make out #2 than jones



[Edited on March 29, 2011 at 1:39 PM. Reason : .]

3/29/2011 1:30:07 PM

what's unsettling to me is that there is currently only one lefty in the bullpen...Gonzalez, who blew countless saves last season before getting hurt

3/29/2011 2:31:35 PM

Nevermind that was stupid

[Edited on March 29, 2011 at 3:47 PM. Reason : .]

3/29/2011 3:46:01 PM

Quote :

"even with a .200 BA "

If Reynolds hits .200 this year, it will be an improvement over last season

3/29/2011 3:47:35 PM

No way he hits under. 200

3/29/2011 4:03:56 PM

last year he hit .198

i'll say this year he finishes with 110 hits in 521 at bats

3/29/2011 4:05:34 PM

^ i realize that. but he's a career .242 hitter. I'm guessing he comes back pretty close to that.

Quote :

"^^ why would you put jones second when he doesn't know how to take a walk?"

honestly, just because I really don't want to put Vlad at 3. I don't trust him, for no reason really, he's never had a "bad" year and hasn't even really dropped off much (except speed) but I figure it's got to at some point. Nobody else deserves to be hitting 3rd, and Jones had a solid spring, has some speed, so that's just where I'd put him if I made the lineup.

[Edited on March 29, 2011 at 4:07 PM. Reason : i was typing too long.. guess it still fits]

3/29/2011 4:06:27 PM

^ what are your requirements for deserving to hit 3rd?

3/29/2011 4:12:54 PM

3rd is actually a less desirable spot to hit than 2nd, 4th or 5th. You come up lots of times with 2 outs and no one on.

3/29/2011 4:27:36 PM

^ which is why it's better to leave the guy with the. 377 OBP in front of the 3rd hitter

3/29/2011 4:34:54 PM

Agreed. I've always been an advocate of stacking your best hittersat the top of the order, regardless of the typical speed requiems some managers still swear by. It gives you the best chance to have them get a 5th AB.

Look at the Yankees with Swisher hitting 2 last year and Cano at 5. Probably cost Robinson at least 50 PA's over the course of the season.

3/29/2011 4:38:12 PM

Lineup order really doesn't make a huge difference and wouldn't cost you that many runs over the course of the season, but it definitely makes sense to put guys who create the most run-scoring opportunities up front. I fuckin hate managers who insist on hitting a guy with a .330 OBP lead off just because he's fast

3/29/2011 4:47:33 PM

final cuts made: http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/2011/03/orioles_send_out_britton_harri.html

Quote :

"The Orioles have made what appears to be their final three cuts of the spring. Lefty pitcher Zach Britton, who has been the club’s best starter this month, reserve catcher Craig Tatum and infielder Brendan Harris were told that they were being re-assigned to minor-league camp this afternoon. That means the other players on the roster bubble – pitchers Chris Tillman, Brad Bergesen and infielder Robert Andino – will all break camp, if healthy, with the Orioles. It also means utility man Jake Fox, who has hit a major-league leading 10 spring homers, will be the club’s lone back-up catcher. Tatum is considered better defensively than Fox, but Fox is out of options and Tatum still has a minor-league option remaining. "

i'm surprised Andino made the roster...he's got some skills, but i haven't heard much about him during spring training

3/29/2011 5:02:36 PM

Britton might be back by the end of april

3/29/2011 5:05:22 PM

i would think so based on the injury bug going through the pitching staff...plus he's our top prospect

unless Tillman comes out hot, i have a feeling he'll be going back and forth between Baltimore and Norfolk regularly

3/29/2011 5:12:52 PM

i really hope tillman gets it together. he had a higher ceiling than matusz after he was brought over in the bedard trade.

3/29/2011 8:07:50 PM

Probables for the series vs. Rays:

4/1 Guthrie vs. Price

4/2 Matusz vs. someone
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/2011/03/matusz_will_start_saturday_van.html

4/3 Tillman vs. someone
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/2011/03/tillman_named_sunday_starter_b.html


Also, a good write-up on Markakis' value to the team in terms of his hitting ability, not necessarily in terms of power or overwhelming stats

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-nick-markakis-0329-20110328,0,3913613.story

Quote :

"In 2010, he posted the second-highest on-base percentage of his career (.370) and connected for 45 doubles, the fourth-highest total in the American League. He batted .361 against left-handed pitching, the highest average for a left-handed hitter in baseball. The normally quiet outfielder made strides in becoming more of a vocal leader, calling out his teammates for their poor offensive approach during a rough first half and arranging a one-on-one meeting with owner Peter Angelos to discuss the direction of the club."

i like this

3/30/2011 5:58:06 PM

He should really try to become more of a pull hitter. Between his own park and Yankee Stadium, he plays 90 games a year with very short right field porch. He should be approaching 30 bombs with his skillset.

3/30/2011 6:04:15 PM

www.camdenchat.com is a pretty awesome orioles blog in case no one reads it already. meant to mention it earlier

[Edited on March 30, 2011 at 9:07 PM. Reason : link]

3/30/2011 9:07:20 PM

because this should be on every page of this thread:

(someone embed please)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YKxf3OkpJc&feature=player_embedded

3/30/2011 10:59:08 PM

BLACKED OUT AGAIN

BOY THE COURTS REALLY HAVE THIS UNDER CONTROL, EH?

4/1/2011 7:30:58 PM

GN...SP

4/1/2011 7:42:49 PM

guthrie is fuckin dealing

Quote :

"BLACKED OUT AGAIN BOY THE COURTS REALLY HAVE THIS UNDER CONTROL, EH?"

sucks, man. that shit has been going on for like 4 years now. so glad i moved to DC.

[Edited on April 1, 2011 at 9:06 PM. Reason : .]

4/1/2011 9:03:33 PM

ON PACE TO WIN 162 GAMES

4/1/2011 9:23:49 PM

FUUUUUUUUUCK ZACH BRITTON IS STARTING ON SUNDAY. all they had to do was wait until after april 20 to bring him up to delay his free agency by a year

4/1/2011 9:52:11 PM

4/3/2011 4:30:02 PM

yikes...

I was ok until you had to kill a fucking fish to make a point on the internets

4/3/2011 4:48:57 PM

the o's haven't started a season 3-0 since 1997, which was also the last time they went to the playoffs. team ERA is currently sitting at 1.00. let's hope jake arrieta can keep the momentum going tomorrow.

4/3/2011 5:19:03 PM

^^i did not kill the "fish", i posted a picture

get over it

[Edited on April 3, 2011 at 8:48 PM. Reason : ^Britton had a hell of an outing today]

4/3/2011 8:43:10 PM

o's are 3-0

pirates are 2-1

APRIL 3RD AND I STILL ENJOY BASEBALL?!

4/3/2011 8:53:59 PM

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/2011/04/observations_on_the_orioles_51.html

Quote :

"Catcher Matt Wieters certainly has gotten plenty of ink here and everywhere else, but it’s worth nothing again how much he has improved with his defense, leadership and game-calling. It was striking how in control that he was over the past three days, including today, when he guided Britton through despite the fact that the young lefty essentially didn’t have his best pitch at his disposal. You couldn’t speak to an Oriole pitcher or coach this weekend who wasn’t raving about Wieters. Several Rays were also talking about how Oriole pitchers did a great job in attacking their weaknesses and Wieters obviously has to get some credit for that. Chris Tillman admitted that he was in shock with how in sync that he was with Wieters on Saturday despite the fact that the two hadn’t been paired too much over the last year or so. But the greatest compliment of all came today from veteran pitching coach Mark Connor, who isn’t easily impressed. “I’ll tell you what, Matt Wieters just does a tremendous job with those guys,” Connor said. “He’s not going to let these guys get beat with something they shouldn’t get beat with. For three nights, I sat there and just marveled at the way he called the ball game.” I think it’s fair to say that Wieters is quickly becoming one of the best defensive catchers in the game. While he hasn’t produced nearly as much offensive as I expected him to so far in his brief career, he’s far more advanced defensively than I would have ever imagined."

Yes, a small sample size, but he seems to have progressed mightily so far. The pitching stats don't lie.

He's back at it again vs. Tigers...5-1 through 5, Arrieta is taking care of business

Wieters 2-2, RBI, BB...maybe his hitting will soon catch up to his defensive prowess

[Edited on April 4, 2011 at 4:54 PM. Reason : .]

4/4/2011 4:48:59 PM

Not saying game calling ability isn't a thing, but its not really something worth discussing at the major league level. Often times the numbers allegedly supporting it do lie, or are at least misleading. I don't think its fair to say wieters is having a huge effect on this. These kids are just doing what they did at the end of last season - pounding the fucking strike zone and getting outs. Loving this team so far.

4/4/2011 5:27:12 PM

of course there is much more to it than that, just wanted to post something positive

after all of these god-awful seasons, it's nice to read about player progression

Showalter has completely changed the culture of the team, everyone is playing with sky high confidence

4/4/2011 5:32:41 PM

fair enough. somebody other than brian roberts needs to start hitting some fucking home runs though.

4/4/2011 7:01:49 PM

Bergesen taking Guthrie's start tomorrow, ol' Guthrie was hospitalized with a nasty fever

4/5/2011 3:11:43 PM

anybody see the nasty shout out on PTI today?

4/5/2011 7:18:02 PM

Well Brad Bergesen shit the bed today, along with the bullpen

Guthrie's fever fucked up the starting rotation, thus jinxing the perfect season

good news is Lee and Guerrero homered, so maybe they'll start to get some more hits...both have been a little sluggish hitting-wise so far

4/6/2011 11:51:48 PM

hell of a win tonight!

4/7/2011 11:06:18 PM

Red Sox and Rays are 5 GB as of tonight (both 0-6)

nice to not be one of the completely defeated teams at this point

4/7/2011 11:29:28 PM