So yesterday at the O's game was a disappointment. The Yanks took one from the O's in what was a long, badly pitched game by both teams. It was a frustrating game to watch because of how many men were left on base. It seemed that there were plenty of opportunities for the O's to score, but they only took advantage of a few.
Daniel Cabrera is incredibly inconsistent. He can be completely awful one inning while looking amazing the next. He gave up 8 baserunners in the first 2 innings, while giving up 4 runs. However, he managed to retire 13 of 15 batters after that. There is no doubt that he will lead the league for the 2nd year in a row in base on balls, but will the Orioles really allow him another chance to make it 3 straight years? Its hard to watch him when he is off, but its amazing how much potential to be a dominating pitcher he has.
The atmosphere at the game was decent. It was nice to see a full crowd, even if many of the fans are Yankee fans. The New Yorkers usually show up in force, but with many O's fans in Cooperstown this weekend, it did seem like they had an easier time getting tickets. Atleast A-Rod didn't hit his 500th to a roaring Yankees crowd at Camden Yards.
O's fans showed they were there when the scoreboard said to cheer on a 3-2 pitch. Of course if Cabrera had a guy 0-2, hardly a peep was made. Yanks fans showed that they are superior to Orioles fans, by starting random cheers, and making noise when they should.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Orioles Look to Sweep Yanks
Well the Orioles have taken the series from the Yanks, and look to get a sweep today with D-Cab on the mound. This will be my first game attending Camden Yards this season. Its hard to believe, but its hard to make it up for a game with a child under 2 years old. More day games would definitely make attending easier. My wife and her Yankee fan cousins will be coming along and rooting for Alex Rodriguez to hit his 500th and lead the Yanks to a win. However, my son is 1-0 in favor of the Orioles in this series so far. Going up 2 games in his young career as a fan would definitely be a great start. So lets make it a sweep, and keep the Yankees as far away from the playoffs as possible!
Training Camp Begins
Well the training camps have started, and football will only pick up steam from here. The Ravens and Redskins have both had mostly quiet offseasons, which I take as being a good thing.
The Ravens have made the switch from Jamal Lewis to Willis McGahee. While it is sad to see Jamal go, his best years are likely over. McGahee should be in his prime, and ready to show it now that he is out of the hell known as Buffalo. I am excited to see what McGahee does this season. I think the offense will do well with McNair in his second year, and with Clayton and Demetrius Williams having improved. One of the big questions is how much Jon Ogden has left in the tank. I think this will be his last year, so the Ravens need to get as much out of him while they can.
Defensively the Ravens lost Adalius Thomas, which is a huge blow. However, the Ravens have always been good at replacing defensive starters. They should still be very strong on D, and a top 10 defense seems likely. Like Ogden, Ray Lewis is winding down. However, his energy is great for this team, and I see him leading them to the playoffs again in 2007.
More surpisingly than the Ravens having a quiet offseason was the Redskins having one. Isn't it this time of year that Sean Taylor should be running over somebody in his car or drinking himself into an embarassing stupor? Not this time around! And much hasn't even been said about him having issues with the coaching staff. Thats a great sign.
The 'Skins also didn't have any stupid Archuleta-like signings this offseason. London Fletcher was brought in, and he is a great pro who should help the defense mentally as well as on the field. They made reasonable picks in the draft, and didn't kill themselves with any stupid trades. Is TJ Duckett available again? Of course I would have liked to have seen them address the D-line more, but can the production along the line truly get any worse than last year?
Offensively, 2007 will be an interesting year for the Skins. Under Al Saunders' offense for a second year, I expect to see a lot of growth. Jason Campell now has some experience as well, so I expect a lot out of him as well. Its great to have Portis and Betts back, and hopefully their health isn't an issue this year. I definitely expect the Redskins to improve this season. With a first year coach in Dallas, a Tiki-less Giants team, and a moody Donovan McNabb leading the Eagles, the Redskins should have a good chance to work their way towards a playoff spot this season.
The Ravens have made the switch from Jamal Lewis to Willis McGahee. While it is sad to see Jamal go, his best years are likely over. McGahee should be in his prime, and ready to show it now that he is out of the hell known as Buffalo. I am excited to see what McGahee does this season. I think the offense will do well with McNair in his second year, and with Clayton and Demetrius Williams having improved. One of the big questions is how much Jon Ogden has left in the tank. I think this will be his last year, so the Ravens need to get as much out of him while they can.
Defensively the Ravens lost Adalius Thomas, which is a huge blow. However, the Ravens have always been good at replacing defensive starters. They should still be very strong on D, and a top 10 defense seems likely. Like Ogden, Ray Lewis is winding down. However, his energy is great for this team, and I see him leading them to the playoffs again in 2007.
More surpisingly than the Ravens having a quiet offseason was the Redskins having one. Isn't it this time of year that Sean Taylor should be running over somebody in his car or drinking himself into an embarassing stupor? Not this time around! And much hasn't even been said about him having issues with the coaching staff. Thats a great sign.
The 'Skins also didn't have any stupid Archuleta-like signings this offseason. London Fletcher was brought in, and he is a great pro who should help the defense mentally as well as on the field. They made reasonable picks in the draft, and didn't kill themselves with any stupid trades. Is TJ Duckett available again? Of course I would have liked to have seen them address the D-line more, but can the production along the line truly get any worse than last year?
Offensively, 2007 will be an interesting year for the Skins. Under Al Saunders' offense for a second year, I expect to see a lot of growth. Jason Campell now has some experience as well, so I expect a lot out of him as well. Its great to have Portis and Betts back, and hopefully their health isn't an issue this year. I definitely expect the Redskins to improve this season. With a first year coach in Dallas, a Tiki-less Giants team, and a moody Donovan McNabb leading the Eagles, the Redskins should have a good chance to work their way towards a playoff spot this season.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
O's take Series from Chicago
So a young pitcher for the Orioles leaves the game with a lead on a Sunday afternoon. I've seen this before. Danys Baez and Chris Ray enter the game late in order to protect the lead, and the Orioles win!!! What? Baez and Ray came through to keep a win from slipping away from a deserving starter? Thats right...it happened.
While Jeremy Guthrie wasn't so lucky on Mother's Day, Garrett Olson got the help he deserved today to earn his first Major League win. Its great to see a 23 year-old pitcher come to the Majors and pitch well in his first 2 games. Olson hasn't been brilliant, but he has shown a lot of potential and pretty good composure on the mound. He improved in his 2nd start today by going longer in the game, giving up fewer walks, and striking guys out at key times. If not for Jermaine Dye tapping into his 2006 season, then Olson might not have given up any runs today.
Now Steve Trachsel is slated to retake his position the next time through the rotation, but I think the O's feel very confident now that Olson will be able to come up from Norfolk again and help them out. I like that he got 2 starts under his belt rather than just one emergency start and a quick trip back to AAA. Hopefully, Trachsel's bit of rest got him back on track, but if it hasn't I would like to see Olson back in B-more sooner than later.
As mentioned before...I was pleased that Chris Ray and Danys Baez didn't ruin this for Olson today. Baez looked much better than he was before hitting the DL. Of course that shouldn't be hard to do. Just one more good outing, and his ERA is likely to dip below 6.00! Chris Ray got things done, but he still looks shaky to me. However, I can't complain if these guys keep runs off of the board.
While Jeremy Guthrie wasn't so lucky on Mother's Day, Garrett Olson got the help he deserved today to earn his first Major League win. Its great to see a 23 year-old pitcher come to the Majors and pitch well in his first 2 games. Olson hasn't been brilliant, but he has shown a lot of potential and pretty good composure on the mound. He improved in his 2nd start today by going longer in the game, giving up fewer walks, and striking guys out at key times. If not for Jermaine Dye tapping into his 2006 season, then Olson might not have given up any runs today.
Now Steve Trachsel is slated to retake his position the next time through the rotation, but I think the O's feel very confident now that Olson will be able to come up from Norfolk again and help them out. I like that he got 2 starts under his belt rather than just one emergency start and a quick trip back to AAA. Hopefully, Trachsel's bit of rest got him back on track, but if it hasn't I would like to see Olson back in B-more sooner than later.
As mentioned before...I was pleased that Chris Ray and Danys Baez didn't ruin this for Olson today. Baez looked much better than he was before hitting the DL. Of course that shouldn't be hard to do. Just one more good outing, and his ERA is likely to dip below 6.00! Chris Ray got things done, but he still looks shaky to me. However, I can't complain if these guys keep runs off of the board.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Markakis Heating Up?
Its beginning to look like Nick Markakis might be a second half player. He came up huge tonight with a 3-5 night with a walk and 2 RBI. The O's don't win against the ChiSox without Nick. He is currently hitting .342, with a .432 OBP, and a .984 OPS in July. Thats a hell of a month so far. If you look at his progression each month this seasons, he has gone from .245 in April, to .286 in May, to .292 in June, to .342 in July. Maybe he is a guy who just plays better as the weather heats up.
I remember hearing people say after Nick's rough start to his career that the O's made a mistake in bringing Markakis up too early. However, he acclimated well, and was an amazing player in the 2nd half of '06. He has done well so far in 2007, but he hasn't been amazing. However, his play seems to be picking up lately, and he is starting the second half of '07 in a much better place than he did in '06. If he has a similar 2nd half this season, his numbers will be extremely impressive. While I have a tendency to root for homegrown guys with the Orioles like Larry Bigbie and Luis Matos, Nick Markakis is not just another prospect. He is a legitimate big leaguer, who will be a top player for a long time. This is one of the bright spots to savor as an O's fan.
I remember hearing people say after Nick's rough start to his career that the O's made a mistake in bringing Markakis up too early. However, he acclimated well, and was an amazing player in the 2nd half of '06. He has done well so far in 2007, but he hasn't been amazing. However, his play seems to be picking up lately, and he is starting the second half of '07 in a much better place than he did in '06. If he has a similar 2nd half this season, his numbers will be extremely impressive. While I have a tendency to root for homegrown guys with the Orioles like Larry Bigbie and Luis Matos, Nick Markakis is not just another prospect. He is a legitimate big leaguer, who will be a top player for a long time. This is one of the bright spots to savor as an O's fan.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Slowest Sports Week of Summer
The slowest sports week of the summer has hit, and its time to move on towards more exciting times. However, football season is still some time away. Baseball is the only sport going on right now, unless you want to count international soccer or summer league basketball. The Orioles have gone past the halfway point of the season and find themselves 15 games out of 1st in the AL East and 14 in the Wild Card. Erik Bedard has had two exciting performances in a row after last night's outing. He truly is a stud, and the O's need to make sure he stays with this team for a while. However, there really isn't too much to get excited for right now with the O's. They really aren't scoring runs consistently lately. Miguel Tejada's absence seems to really be felt.
They have yet to score 400 runs on the year, and only Chicago and Oakland have yet to do so as well in the AL. Chicago is a joke like the O's, but atleast the A's still have a positive run differential. Orioles pitching has been decent this year, but its wasted with an unproductive offense.
They have yet to score 400 runs on the year, and only Chicago and Oakland have yet to do so as well in the AL. Chicago is a joke like the O's, but atleast the A's still have a positive run differential. Orioles pitching has been decent this year, but its wasted with an unproductive offense.
Monday, July 2, 2007
All Stars Announced
So the All Stars were announced yesterday evening, and the Nats and O's each got just one lone representative. This really isn't a surprise for two teams who are way below even through the 1st half of the season. Dmitri Young is a decent choice for the Nats. Obviously there won't be any pitching representatives from this team with its awful staff. So an everyday player makes the most sense. Ryan Zimmerman is a player I would argue could have made it over Dmitri Young. He has more RBI and runs, which I feel are the most important stats for an offensive player, but he is only batting .245. Young's .340 batting average is a lot more impressive, and he is slugging over .500 as well.
Brian Roberts definitely earned his place for the Orioles. He is one of the best leadoff hitters in baseball, plays good 2nd base, and leads the league in SB. Miguel Tejada was another possibility before his injury, but it would be odd to see him rewarded in somewhat of an off year. There is also a lot more competition for the All Star spot at SS then there is at 2B. Erik Bedard and Jeremy Guthrie are having good years pitching, but neither has too much of a track record, especially Guthrie. Bedard's strikeout totals are impressive, but there are too many players with a better win-loss record and superior ERA this year in the AL for Bedard to get a spot.
Brian Roberts definitely earned his place for the Orioles. He is one of the best leadoff hitters in baseball, plays good 2nd base, and leads the league in SB. Miguel Tejada was another possibility before his injury, but it would be odd to see him rewarded in somewhat of an off year. There is also a lot more competition for the All Star spot at SS then there is at 2B. Erik Bedard and Jeremy Guthrie are having good years pitching, but neither has too much of a track record, especially Guthrie. Bedard's strikeout totals are impressive, but there are too many players with a better win-loss record and superior ERA this year in the AL for Bedard to get a spot.
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