Orioles nearly flawless in field in fast start
The Orioles fast start is one of those pleasant little mysteries I'd rather not examine too closely lest the magic disappear.
Having said that, it is not all pixie dust and luck. Coming from behind or winning the close ones at the end as the O's were able to do a few times against Seattle means not allowing games to get out of hand early. And a key to that is simply playing sound defensive baseball. During their five-game winning streak, the Orioles have committed just one error.
Is that a huge deal? Maybe not and certainly they'll have their defensive lapses but the Orioles are not a team that can afford to give anything away cheaply. Making the other guys earn everything is one way to keep games close so that you do have a chance to win them at the end. It's part of that thing fans like to call the Oriole Way. As an aside, the opposition committed seven errors to Baltimore's one during the last five games.
While I'm reluctant to sound a sour note during the Orioles' bolt from the starting gate, the starting pitching has been problematic. Steve Trachsel had a good outing and Jeremy Guthrie righted himself in his second start but there's been a lot of pressure on the bullpen to supply a lot of innings -- something it has done so far with incredible efficiency. Brian Burres gets his first start today in Texas.
Comments
Bill,
I'm just going to enjoy this as long as it lasts. The O's are playing exciting baseball, and displaying passion that hasn't been seen around here in a long time.
Its been a blast so far. In each game of the Seattle series, you could mark the point of the game where in the words of Billy Packer, "the game is OVER", and the O's would have been dead and mailed it in. Not this year, at least so far.
I'm not buying playoff tickets or anything crazy like that, I'm just looking forward to every game and enjoying the ride.
After 10 years, its been a long time coming.
Posted by: Jeff | April 8, 2008 11:08 AM
5-1 is better than 1-5! Its hard to not be sour. It was just a couple of years ago that in early Aug they were in 1st place and took a bad nose dive all the way to 4th.
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We still have the scars from that one.
-- Bill O.
Posted by: Captain Jack | April 8, 2008 11:21 AM
Dare I say, that Oriole Magic is back in the air? Or it is too early for that talk?
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Capt.,
Hey, if we don't talk that way now, it may be too late to say it.
-- Bill O.
Posted by: Captain Jack | April 8, 2008 11:36 AM
I hope the O's get better and they look hungry, they just need that one Ace that can get them those tough games in the very near future. My question is how long are you going to stay with Daniel C. His average five walks per outing is going to hurt them in the long run?
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Mike,
Good question. Not sure what Plan B would be, either for the rotation .. or for him.
-- Bill O.
Posted by: Big Mike | April 8, 2008 11:48 AM
Why Burres today? I thought Albers was the 5th starter.
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They've got Burres scheduled as the fifth starter for the foreseeable future.
-- Bill O.
Posted by: Max | April 8, 2008 12:21 PM
It might not have registered as an error, but the mental/maturity breakdown of Daniel Cabrera cost the Os a run last night. Luckily, it did not cost them the game.
Posted by: Rusty | April 8, 2008 12:23 PM
I think the appropriate thing to say is, that the O's are going to be fun to watch this year. There are no expectations & they are letting it all hang out. Trembley should get the credit for the teams positive demeanor.
Posted by: JWBBZ | April 8, 2008 12:33 PM
You're right about the defense, but I wouldn't base it on errors. The Orioles right now lead the AL in defensive efficiency (scroll down.) In other words the Orioles have turned a higher pct. of batted balls into outs than any other AL team by a pretty wide margin. I don't expect that will continue.
I can tell you that the folks on the O's mailing list were skeptical of the trades and non-trades. Evaluating defense is not as straightforward as evaluating offense, and the offense did not seem improved in the least. But maybe MacPhail knew what he was doing. (George Will credited defense for the 1989 Why not? season in his book, Men at Work.)
Posted by: soccer dad | April 8, 2008 4:09 PM
Are you crazy Albers is a prefect long man for the bullpen and has showed that already. After the preformance Burres showed today i think it would hard put to scratch him out. Give Daniel Cabrera a chance. You all are ready to get rid of him think about it he is probaly one the bet pitchers on their team. Remember any pitcher can be sent down for a chance to help get better. Daniel is one who i would not be so quick to give up on and would label him as a potential sleeper for this year. O's please trade Mora you have Billy Rowell and Scott Moore trade while you can get something for him. He will not get any younger. Also get rid of Penn. What happened to all the hype about Nolan Reimold and Brandon Snyder?
Posted by: Giles Corey | April 8, 2008 10:41 PM