Peter,
What have we learned about this young team thus far? It is streaky, probably not quite a winning team yet, but it has been getting markedly better. For one thing, I think it's gotten to the point where we can at least count on streaks of solid starting pitching. We've already enjoyed a turn or two through the rotation where we get consecutive quality starts. Outside of some unforeseeable circumstance (which can always happen), I think we can expect it to continue as such. How many times could we have said that in the last decade?

Isn't that improvement? Or, do you think it's a mirage? Or, what?

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Pete's reply: Eddie, I'm not sure what to think. This team could drop five of six on this road trip and we'd be back to what we were talking about last week. They are streaky and they are probably a .500 team. That's progress, of course, but it's not particularly satisfying.

Peter: So what if it's not particularly satisfying? If I had told you on March 31 that, heading into the Memorial Day weekend, the Orioles would be 24-24, after last year (and the year before that, and the year before that, and . . .)you'd have taken it, right? It looks like we're going to be riding the roller coaster for quite awhile with Buck's Boys.

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Pete's reply: True. I didn't say it wasn't more entertaining. It certainly is, but the Orioles aren't going to start filling the ballpark until they contend for a couple of years, and they're still not there. I just want to see Camden Yards go back to being the place to go on a summer night. When it was full every night in the 1990s, it was so much fun. It will never go all the way back to that level, because the Nationals carved off part of the potential fan base, but it could get back to the point where they average 35,000 if they did what the Rays have been doing the past few years.

Get Matusz and Lee back on June 1st then judge this team over the next 20-30 games. Guthrie,Matusz,Arrieta and Britton should give us a chance to win almost every time out, that's huge progress IMO.

Pete -

If this team, as currently assembled, does manage to finish at or above .500, do you have any confidence in Angelos, MacPhail & Co. to go out and get Prince Fielder (or a similar marquee-style, difference making player) this winter?

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Pete's reply: That's a fair question. I'll believe the O's will spend $100 million-plus on a player when it happens.

This is where everyone has been hiding.
I will keep this short and sweet. It was a good win today. Yes, I would like to see more consistency. Yes, Kevin Gregg drives me nuts! However, the guy I wanted Grant Balfour can give u a bit of angina too! Just look at what he did today vs the Angels. It was good to see Vlad come thru for us. It was outstanding that Nolan played a huge roll in today's win! As for tomorrow, come on Chris Tillman I want you to have your 4th solid start in a row.
Beat Gio will ya!

PS Brooksie, I still don't want Prince! I will leave it at that and end this as well.

Pete;

If you recall the magazine article in which Buck ruffled a few feathers a couple of months ago, Buck said that in conversation with PA, he was told that if he could right the ship PA was prepared to dig deep to try and sign some premium free agents. I guess we'll have to wait and see if that actually happens, but I found it encouraging. And, it sure looks like the ship is on it's way being righted. Your thoughts...

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Pete's reply: I certainly hope that's how it all plays out, but even if the Orioles want to sign a Prince Fielder and pony up a ton of money, there's still a chance the guy will choose to go elsewhere. We can only hope that the owner and the front office feel a sense of urgency to reach the next level.

The 6-1 start really spoiled us i guess, myself included. On the Thursday prior to opening day if the Orioles came out and said we will be 24-24, Matusz won't have thrown a pitch yet, our ace will be 2-4, the bullpen will lead the league in HR's, Reynolds will have 6 HR's and be hitting 200, Hardy, roberts, lee will all have spent time on the DL, Markakis will barely hit over 200 during April, we will lose 8 straight at some point and give up 30 runs in back to back games. I would have laughed at them and said you will be lucky to be at the same record you were at last year.

Some how, again myself is included, we took that 6-1 start and said this is going to continue all year. The Orioles just got to 500 on May 26th, won their 24th game which last year they didn't do until June 30th!!! After all this I just see a lot of when is the next losing streak going to happen and if they lose 5 of 6 on the road trip then we are right back where we started. How about if they go on this road trip finish 500 against teams that are under 500 we come back to the yard still at 500, have a tough series against the rays, then play 9 straight against sub 500 teams again.

This team is 3 games out with, coming into the season, their best pitcher not even throwing a pitch. Take CC or even burnett out of NY rotation, or becket or lackey out of bostons, lincecum or cain out of sf and see where they are. I am not saying matusz is as good as any of them, but he means to the Orioles what they mean to thier team. The Orioles have battled, and they are at 500 on May 26th. They have overcame adversity, injuries, horrible bullpen, non-existent offensive through long periods, short outtings by the starters.

So I am going to try to leave my past 13 years of negative memories, was there any positive, and focus on what the Orioles are capable of now that they are 500 and 3 games back on 5/26/2011 (last year they were 17 games out now).

Go O's!!!! Have another Solid outing tonight Matusz see you in June.

60 and 54 the rest of the way!

It's great to be back at .500, no mistake, and great to see Nolan R get off to a great start. But as I was reminded when I commented on current Met and former Oriole Justin Turner's good numbers in limited at bats, everyone gets hot from time to time, and 9 ABs does not a season make. But I'm enjoying it, no doubt.

I think .500 is about right for this year's O's. Today they had NR's big game, and Vladi's seeing eye single, even good work from the relief corps for once - but look at the bottom of the 11th - bases loaded, no one out, and we can't get a run across! It happens, but it hurts. Heresy to say it - and I love the guy, big-time man-crush - but perhaps Matt Weiters' gaudy numbers with RISP were also the result of small sample size.

Pete,

I'm so glad to see a civilized exchange. I hate the other kinds of threads.

How many innings will they let Britton throw this year? If they're still in shooting distance of a wild-card, what will they do if he's at the center of it but reaches his limit in September?

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Pete's reply: Good question. I believe his innings limit is about 180, and -- from conversations I have had -- I believe the team will try to spell him at times during the summer so that he is in play for most of the season. If the O's end up in a wild card shootout (which still seems far-fetched at this point), I'm guessing they would push it a bit, but they'll cross that bridge if they get to it.

I don't think anyone thought the Os were a playoff club, but there are enough solid regular players here and enough good pitching to where they can at the least compete every night. it's nice to see them win the games they should if you will, and win a few they shouldn't. They still have the power to grasp defeat from sure victory(3 yankee games and the red sox flub), but a shaky bullpen and an offense that seems to have more tough nights than good ones are gonna get you that.

Buck has them moving things forward here, knows what he needs to do and how to do it, and always has his eye on the big picture. I really don't think the guy is all that fooled by what's going on with the club. He's been around, and the winning formula is no mystery to him. And nobody's got the 'woe is me' mojo, and they responded nicely after a couple of consecutive beatdowns.

Whatever happens, still play the games.

Jonny St. Paul;

Most teams, including the O's I think, limit the increases of IP for pitchers to about 20% from the previous year. That should put Britton somewhere around 180 or so.

This winning streak was much needed as a confidence booster. Let's hope it continues, but let's not get carried away. This team is so streaky that Luke Scott should be the team mascot. As O's fans we're starved for success; however you have to learn not to get too high with the highs or too low with the lows.

Not Brooks,

I will be shocked if MacPhail actually asked Angelos for money and Angelos indeed forks them over. Their track record says it ain't happening. The problem as I've said before is that Buck is doing more with less. That is not sustainable. It creates the "illusion" that you can actually compete with less. I think this year is a bit weird, in the sense that the AL East turned into AL Least, to quote Pete. Can the O's take advantage of that? I think they can if:

1. They get production out of Reynolds and Lee (BIG if)
2. Matusz comes back and plays out of his mind
3. Nick Markakis becomes the anchor of this lineup like he is supposed to be
4. B-Rob comes back healthy enough to make a good run
5. Gregg finds some success

I think with all of the setbacks the O's have had so far, Buck is a freaking Houdini for having this team play .500 ball. Credit must also go to players like Jones, Weiters, Vlad and the starting pitching, of course.

Question for you NB? How do you think the O's will fair against the A's pitching. I haven't looked at the numbers, but I think they own the O's. West Coast hasn't been very good to the O's in recent years, especially the dreaded Colosseum.

Last year, when they fell four runs behind or trailed in the last inning, it was over. That's the big gain this year. They can (but won't always) come back.

The real story here is that the Orioles are continuing to move through the soft part of their schedule and beat bad teams. Two more losing clubs dead ahead. And June appears to be{at this time}another opportunity to beat bad teams. July is another story. A win is a win is win. Just as we were not getting any breaks a few weeks ago, we are getting most of them now.

I am not fooled by the illusion that the team will compete in the AL East. But it's nice to be .500 and the Orioles should take advantage of the matchups for the next 30 days. Enjoy it while we can. Reality will set in around the All Star game. These are heady times. We are at .500 after 48 games. After the prior 13 years that is a high water mark, indeed.

Here is hoping to a really good west coast trip. This is a test. Seattle has been pitching great and Oakland is always a tough team for the Orioles. It would be good to see 4-2.

They were lucky to draw just one out of the A's current "Big Three", Meso.

They'll be facing Gio Gonzalez, Josh Outman and Guillermo Moscoso. Much better than Gio, Brett Anderson and Trevor Cahill, for sure.

Anyway, the O's should sweep the A's, without a doubt.

We have enough hitters with gap-to-gap power that we should be able to put up at least four runs every night. Sure, Gio could easily shut them down and strike out eight, but I'm not too worried about Outman or Moscoso.

That said, I'm calling a sweep, with Tillman and Bergesen giving a good 6 innings each and Britton pitching a gem.

Jones, Markakis, Vlad and Reynolds lead the offense, which does score at least four runs per game.

And the O's are 27-24 heading into Seattle.

PS - If you want to see a REALLY bad offense with no hope, take a close look at the A's this weekend. It's ugly.

O's are gonna have a tough time in Oakland....our hitters have real trouble producing against good pitchers and we will be facing three young and talented pitchers....I'd be very happy with taking 2...

What blog am I on? Is the Bizarro World Schmuck blog? Everyone on topic, civility reigns!

Nothing too much to add except that Wieters grounding into the DP will happen from time to time and Vladdy's grounder didn't have much more going for it but divine direction.

And if we are still at .500 after the West Coast swing, I will ecstatic.

I'd love to see them on the plane. Sleeping with smiles on their faces.

I know I'm dreaming but how awesome would it be for the O's to have Jones, Wieters and Britton on the All-Star team. Not likely, but still possible.

Pete,

On behalf of the many posters on here, thanks for replying to several posts tonight. We do enjoy the civil discourse with you about the games, the team, and the progress they're making. It's much, much better than the bickering that's been going on for too long.

I still think that until the O's can rally against NY or Boston, none of this matters much. We have to find a way to beat those two teams, rub it in their face a bit, and then do it again. Otherwise, we're just beating average teams which won't get us to the next level.

To all on here, remember why it's called Memorial Day - thank a vet! Enjoy the weekend, and enjoy the games.

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Pete's reply: Great thought, PP. I'll try to be more responsive, but I will be away on vacation next week, so my participation will be light during that period.

Pete
I think that I have detected a flaw in your delivery. I remember reading your very first article in the Sun, and enjoying it very much. You told us where you came from, you joked about your own name (pretty cool that), and you promised to be honest about the Orioles. So far, so good.

But you drank the Orange and Black Cool-aid. Your writing is a bit uninspired these last few years (I understand why), but your name has gained honor in my corner, because you became an Orioles fan.

This has been a detriment to your writing while adding to my (sort-of) liking of your commentary on the team. I don't want you to become a detractor of the team, but I think that we both should be more critical of the Orioles, even if we love them.

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Pete's reply: Technically, my roots are with the Angels, so I don't think I'm actually an O's fan, but I admit to being more positive than most -- especially now -- because I feel Baltimore needs a reason to believe in baseball again. The reason I don't hammer them as much now as I did four years ago is because I believe they actually have some kind of plan now. Whether it gets them to the promised land over the next two or three years remains to be seen, but the young pitching is exciting to me.

"They are streaky and they are probably a .500 team. That's progress, of course, but it's not particularly satisfying." (Pete)

Well, it should be satisfying for most of us after 13 sub-.500 seasons! Baby steps.

Pete-
'Tall order , considering the Oakland A's'

You got that right . The A's has been O's killers for years , what was their record against us the past ten years ? Something like 50-12 ? Thats pure domination .
As for your Blog , I consider it a privilege to interact with you and my fellow bloggers .

Pete,
Just want to say I like the blog discussions being dedicated to thoughts on the Orioles and not dedicated to people behaving ignorantly. Please keep it up! It's refreshing.

Go Orioles! Go Pete!

NB -
you are correct , the A's offense is nothing to write home about , last time I checked , their team average is .237

On the flip side , guess which team leads the majors in team ERA ? Yep , the A's with sparkling 2.79 ERA .

Just imagine what kind team Os would be if their pitching staff had a 2.79 ERA ?

Did anyone saw the ESPN highlights of Posey collison ? OUCH

That Posey collison is the reason why good hitting catchers often get moved from behind the plate.

.500 record and no real production at the plate from Roberts and Lee.Matusz has yet to make a start and Ducherer has yet to make a rehab start. Who would have predicted that back in March?

This is a team that has been inconsistant so far,but shows signs that they could get a fire lite under them and make a run. Much of it come down to improved pitching, We haven't seen the final composition of the Bullpen yet, could Ducherer end up being a cog in the pen in the 2nd half like Koji has become?

Buck seems to know he's got to have Gonzalez to have an effective pen. He keeps running him out there trying to get him right, if he can get him firing on all cylinders again it could go along way to solidifying the pen.

I'd have cut the guy by now, but Buck seems to have a very steady hand in handling vets, so far he seems to have almost unlimited faith in some of these guys. Lee, Roberts, and Gonzalez, and maybe even Ducherer could be the guys the O's need to make a second half run.

Yes, Happy Hour did go a little long last night, but I did not know that I was going to wake up in an alternate universe.

jc – you said it perfectly

You have a man on second none out and one of your best RBI men at bat (Jones) Why do you have him try to sacrifice and pop up when that is not something he does well? The runner is already in scoring position.

Pete, I'm totally enjoying this stretch. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to see the Orioles finish with 90-some wins and a playoff berth. I just won't get so caught up in a five-game winning streak including a sweep of a team that's five games under from a division that's nine games under.

As with any .500 team, it can be looked at half-this or half-that. That's because that is exactly what a .500 team is. The Orioles have won their last five games. The Orioles are five games under since their 6-1 start. Which Orioles do we have? Probably both. So far, certainly both.

As for two ways to look at things, I've got one. The Orioles have given up 31 more runs than they have scored. In 48 games! That is nearly two-thirds of a run each and every game, win or lose.

The Bad: That's hardly a ringing endorsement for the acquired bats or the grown arms.

The Good: Teams learning to win need to have winners for guidance.

I will focus on The Good today because I have stated my concerns and nothing in that department has really changed.

Thank goodness for Buck Showalter. I know most of Baltimore as an affection for Brian Roberts and Nick Markakis. They deserve that affection for a variety of reasons. Nevertheless, they have been exposed to Oriole baseball to know no more than their individual abilities and a losing way. Showalter is the first manager since Hargrove (who was really dealt an awful hand) to come in and take responsibility, and give responsibility.

There were times when the Orioles had plummeted to five games under twice after an eight game losing streak when Showalter came under fire. He never panicked. He maintained responsibility for himself and for his players. Yes, some of those players did not respond in kind. That always makes the manager susceptible to criticism. But he never wavered from looking at the big picture.

That's one of the reasons the Orioles can be .500 when being that outscored.

Two others are Guerrero and Lee. Yes, both players are past their prime. Both have had divergent results this year. Nevertheless, both players have been associated with winning organizations and winning seasons. Between the two of them, they have been to 10 post-seasons and 16 post-season series. Both of these players have been All Stars beyond just being a team's rep.

All of that being said, they have seen down times, slumps, losing streaks, doing well when no one else is, you name it. And they have escaped it to be winners anyway.

No other players on this roster have this knowledge base. Some have been life-long Oriole losers. Some are discards from other organizations. Some are too young to have a knowledge base.

Guerrero and Lee may be nearly 70 points apart with one now sidelined, but they have showed the way in how to take a long season in stride. And professionally. This is what makes "great clubhouse guys" great clubhouse guys. This can only rub off to other players who need to learn how to be great clubhouse guys.

(And, yes, MacPhail signed both of them. Just remember, I gave MacPhail a C-minus. Not an F. And as long as he holds the job, the grade I give him remains in flux. This is not about him, however. I'm just throwing this in here because I know it's an ongoing agenda with many bloggers.)

Seeing the positives of these two players in the late-November of their careers makes me hope the GM and the owner also see the same positives. It may be less clear in the case of Lee given what he's done so far and with the owner given what he's done so far.

I hope this might encourage going after a difference-maker who is in his prime. Better still, I'd like to see some savvy targeting of a player or two who might be plucked from somewhere who becomes a difference-maker.

The Orioles aren't winning yet. And the five-game winning streak hasn't erased the gap between what is on the roster and what might be happening at A-ball. However, if the Orioles maintain a focus on the big picture the way Showalter, Guerrero and Lee have done at field level, this could be the springboard to a happier future.

It will eventually come down to a GM and an owner. Can they see the big picture?

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Pete's reply: Interesting take, doctor, and you're final question also is a fair one. I don't know the answer to it yet.

I also appreciate the civility of this thread.

Pete,

If the Orioles can get healthy and stay reasonably healthy for the remainder of the season, I think they have the talent to easily finish over .500.

Remember, they've been winning of late with two key starting position players and two starting pitchers on the bench. True, they haven't been going up against the big, hairy AL East teams, but a win's a win and the key to success has always been to play over .500 outside the division and at least .500 within it.

Remember, also, that when Buck took over in August last year the O's had a very tough schedule over the final two months of the season, and ended up over that time frame with the most wins of any club in the East, and second most in the AL behind the Twins.

And the team the O's had then wasn't nearly as talented or as deep as the 2011 edition. When Matusz returns, the starting rotation has a chance to be truly dominant, as Britton is a real upgrade over Millwood. Bergeson or Tillman could then be bumped to long man out of the bullpen, which would be another upgrade, not to mention what to do when Duchscherer, who has a real quality arm when he's healthy, returns.

Jones and Wieters are making real strides in maturation and leadership. Markakis and Scott will at some point start hitting, because they're simply too good not to get going (and keep in mind the team's played .500 despite subpar showings from them).

Adding in Vlad (whose power should be coming around anytime now), Hardy (a better hitter than Izturis), Lee (great glove man and a better hitter than he's shown), Reynolds (who has made legitimate offensive contributions despite the low batting average and who, like Vlad, should start going deep more often), and the wild card, Reimold (who's looking like he did in 2009) are all positives that in the end should propel this club over .500 at year's end

At least that's the glass half full take, though I believe for once O's fans have far better reason to be optimistic than anytime in recent memory.

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Pete's reply: Ken, good to hear from you. I hope you're right.

Pete,

Thank you. Thank you for taking the bold step of just eliminating the cancer. Decent is one thing, what he was practicing was off the deep end. Thank you for allowing dialogue on the boards to maintain at least a semblance of discussion and discourse.

Something that a lot of us have failed to notice. Over the last 30 days the O's are 5th in runs scored, 5th in HR, 2nd in BA, 3rd in OB%, 7th in SL% and 2nd in walks. Not surprisingly, we're 16 and 12 over that period.

Now, if we can get Lee back and Matusz pitching up to his capabilities, it may get better still. Keep the faith.

paulie;

I second your sentiments. Pete's my hero right at the moment.

the thread is more civil today I think because we're missing comment from a certain regular who in the interest of civility I won't name, but rhymes with "pain" Also, we're winning for a little bit.

I "third" paulie's comment. Huge difference in the feel to this post than other in the past. Pete your replies are also appreciated, please keep that up.

.500 is great and all but I'm not feeling really excited right now...still have the taste of those yankees and Red Sox games in my mouth. Winning this road trip will be a challenge, I think. Oakland is always tough for us, and despite their awful offense I think they will be again. Seattle is pitching and playing very well right now.
But here's hoping to a winning trip!

Don't disregard Dan QZ's comment re the O's offense the past 30 days. To win, a team has to be strong on the mound and at the plate. O's World Series teams always ranked at or near the top of the league in ERA AND runs scored.

A dominant pitching staff alone can carry a team through the post-season (anything can happen in a short series), but to get there, particularly from the AL East, you strong pitching and offense (which generally correlates with team OBP - more runners on base means more score..)

Not Brooks,

I looked at the numbers and I don't know what to make of your prediction. Although I can see why you would think that way.

"A’s starting pitchers have allowed one earned run or fewer in six of the last seven games and have a 1.96 ERA (8 er in 36.2 ip) over that span". (source MLB)

"The A’s lead the majors with a 2.87 ERA (144 er in 451.2 ip), which is nearly one-half run better than the next American League team (Los Angeles, 3.35)" (source MLB)

Now, I don't know what to make of the following:

"The A’s have lost seven of their last eight games and 10 of their last 14." (source MLB)

except that you told me and verified that their offense plain sucks. But if our offense will also struggle to score runs, it comes down to pitching. They're pitching will outperform our pitching especially Tillman and Bergesen (let's be real about that).

Fun Fact of the Day

Vlad's slash line in Oakland: .296/.386/.621

Let's go O's!

Meso;

I took a quick look at the last 14 A's games. They gave up close to 4 runs a game and, with the exception of one game when they scored 14, have scored a little less than 3 per game. In their last 9 games they've scored just 21 runs. That spells losing streak.

.500 is a benchmark, not a milestone (and not, hopefully, a millstone).

But, really, aren't we at least being entertained this year? I know how hard it is to have hope for the future. I know how every missed scoring opportunity, every loss feels like a harbinger for the next huge losing streak to oblivion.

But these guys are showing something not seen a lot of in the past decade -- scrap, fight, character and heart. So, bases loaded and no out and we don't score in extras. Accardo holds the next half and we manufacture a cheap but significant walk off run the inning after. THEY DIDN'T HANG THEIR HEADS AND THROW IN THE PROVERBIAL TOWEL.

That's got me yelling and screaming at the TV (or the computer) - both in disgust and in euphoria... often within minutes of each other.

That's new. That's exciting. That's worth holding out hope for.

Who knows, maybe Nolan'll be a force to reckon with this weekend!

Here's my rationale, Meso:

The A's are 2-7 in their last nine games, despite a 3.79 ERA in that span.

The reason for that awful record? A .570 OPS in those nine games. They've struck out 55 times while taking 18 walks in those nine games. They've hit three home runs in those nine games.

This is the definition of a pathetic offense. Aside from Ryan Sweeney, who has just 70 at bats this season, not a single Athletic has an OPS north of .735.

Their team best qualifying SLG% (a lowly .406) belongs to their leadoff hitter.

Four starters have sub-.300 OBPs.

Three of their four infielders are batting right around .200. Shortstop Cliff Pennington is hitting .252, but with a .305 OBP and a .333 SLG%, he doesn't add much else to the table.

Sure, maybe beating Gio tonight is a lofty prediction, regardless of the A's anti-offense, but I'm thinking our offense is going to light up Outman and Moscoso.

Maybe I'll be wrong. Maybe the excitement of a five game winning streak, a .500 record and not last place is getting to my head.

But this team could, and should, sweep the A's this weekend.

Let's go O's!

I think we all have short memories on here, but maybe that's good, becasue this mountain climb to .500 is really nothing to cheer about. In between the O's 6-1 start and the 5 game streak they were 13-23, which is pretty awful. During that stretch they did have B-Rob and D-Lee, and would Matusz have really made that much of a difference?

In 2005 this team was 42-28 at one point, and in 2008 they also began the season 6-1, were in 1st place as late as April 29th, and 45-41 on July 4th. My point being we have no idea how this team will project over 162. The difference between this season and those past is that Guthrie, Britton, Matusz, and Arietta are all legit major league rotation pitchers who, as an earlier poster stated, will give the O's a chance to win every time they're out. The problem this year seems to be our bullpen and hitting (which in 2005 and 2008 weren't the big issues). Those are areas the O's might be able to shore up with a mid-season trade if they do get in the buyer's market. We'll see.

On a side note, I am probably one of the few that found "he who apparently shall not be named" (Wayne) entertaining and spot on, if often redundant. I've seen people on this blog make negative references to Angelos' ethinicity and not get banned, so I am not sure why being occassionally annoying gets you barred. It seems to me the media often complains that their subjects are soft-skinned and should be prepared for the scrutiny and the heat. It would be interesting to see them apply that standard to themselves.

For me, I thought AM would stabilize this team and set it in the right direction, but his decision record doesn't seem to indicate that it has or will happen. Even if the O's are around and in the hunt come mid-season, if I'm Peter Angelos, can I trust AM with my money to make the right trade? Let's hope if the O's stay relevant and in the race that they do buy and try and make a run. After all these years of suffering, we frankly desrve something.

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Pete's reply: Let me explain that decision. We're not talking about occasionally annoying. We're talking about someone who spent the past few months slandering me on several levels and -- since it's my blog -- I finally decided I wasn't going to take it any more. I didn't mind him constantly ripping the Orioles or Andy MacPhail. They can take that and some of it was fair comment. I just got tired of his ridiculous contention that I was somehow bought off by the Orioles, or silenced by the Sun, or whatever, just because I wouldn't parrot his totally negative view of the team. Then, when I put him in the penalty box, he came back several times with totally outrageous (and totally false) personal attacks. That clinched it and I blocked his two or three IP addresses. I'll admit, there were times when he was a good contributor to the conversation, but he simply lost control of himself and forced my hand.

Last I checked, Outman is left-handed, so I think it's a pretty safe bet that we'll struggle to score runs in that game too.
Oakland is just a weird ballpark. 3-4 runs is an outburst there, even for teams that hit. Foul territory is massive.
Oak hitting and pitching stats have to be taken with a grain of salt.

Mike in Columbia -

Check the splits first:

Oakland Pitching @ Home: 2.78 ERA in 214 innings, .651 OPS against, 15 home runs allowed

Oakland Pitching Away: 2.96 ERA in 242.2 innings, .649 OPS against, 14 home runs allowed

Oakland Offense @ Home: .251 average, .675 OPS, 10 home runs in 778 at bats

Oakland Offense Away: .228 average, .630 OPS, 17 home runs in 938 at bats

The pitching has been just as good on the road. And the offense has been just as bad, if not worse, on the road.

Looking forward to some late night fun in Oakland this weekend. Things might be starting to turn around – finally. Could Buck and the young starters be the difference?

I would like to see the O’s settle in at 4 or 5 games over .500 for a stretch instead of always being a few games under. Turn the corner and maintain. Need to see it before I will believe it.

nb – I love the confidence and I hope you are right. Dig the stats.

Go O’s

NB,

Every time I see the A's uniforms I can't help think about the great teams they had 40 years ago. Reggie Jackson, Rick Monday, Bert Campaneris, Sal Bando, Joe Rudi, Catfish Hunter, and the slowest working pitcher in the history of baseball, Diego Segui. When the Orioles faced the A's ace Vida Blue, Boog Powell was usually not in the lineup. The writers for the Sun used to joke that Boog had caught a case of the "24 hour Vida."

nb I had a feeling you were gonna come back wih something like that. But the place is anti-run scoring, that's been proven time and again over the years.
I predict the winning team will score 4 runs or less in 2 of the 3 games, including tonite's game.
But Tillman has been a real Houdini of late, so I think we've got a decent shot. Better than 40%...

I'm not arguing the fact that Oakland's park, which is apparently called "Overstock.com Coliseum" now, is an extreme pitcher's park. It is, and it always has been.

But the fact remains that the A's just have a damn good pitching staff. Sure, some of their numbers are going to be influenced by such an extreme park, but in the case of the A's recent history of starting pitchers (Hudson, Zito, Mulder, Harden, Haren, Anderson, Cahill, Gonzalez) the park only exaggerates "really good" to "ridiculously good".

And when it comes to the offense, you can't get much worse than the 2011 A's. It's not about the park for them either. Those guys just flat out aren't hitting this year, regardless of where they're playing.

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Pete's reply: I'm going to have to agree here. You don't have that team ERA unless you pitch great everywhere, but the park -- whatever it's called now -- doesn't hurt. If you're looking for a silver lining, the large foul territory should help Bergesen and Tillman a little, since they are guys who do not have nasty out-pitches and run up their pitch counts getting fouled off a lot.

nb I'll start with their starters. Pun intended.

Cahill is damn good. He's a top notch starter.

Gio - I like him, but he's still inconsistent. Great games and then a few eggs too. Hopefully he lays one tonight. Definately a solid ML starter.

Anderson - I think he's overrated. I know he just threw a gem but the Angels O is almost as offensive as the As. This guy is average, I think.

Those are their top 3. As you mentioned above, their other current starters are nothing special - Outman looked very good in the game I watched but then again that was also the Angels. I think the other one is a flat out scrub. McCarthy is a below average ML starter. Braden...Harden...nothing special...I did kind of like Ross before he was hurt.

Their bullpen is also nothing special. Fuentes already has 5 losses.

Those stats you mentioned above - don't forget those are weighted with the AL West. The Angels can't hit. the Mariners could not hit until the series after they played us. Granted Tex can hit.

I like Gil's post. Way to represent the geezers on the board who actually remember the old days. And I can remember when the O's stupidly traded for and rented Reggie for a year before the evil empire bought him to be the straw stirring their drink. Oh, and I remember they acquired a taste for Catfish too. In those days, the bad old days of Charlie Finley, the Yanks were rewriting the rules of free agency and buying pennants as often as they were hiring and firing Billy Martin.

If memory serves.

Agreed on everything, Mike, except for Gio and Anderson.

Gio first: Sure he's still inconsistent, but look at how much he's improved over the past three years. His hits per nine have dropped every year from 2009 through this season. His walks per nine have dropped drastically every year from 2008 through this season. And while figuring out his command, he's still striking out close to nine per nine.

So he puts up a stinker every once in a while. What 25-year-old pitcher doesn't? The fact remains that he was one of the best pitchers in the AL last season, and he's even better this year. He'll continue to take his lumps every once in a while, like every young pitcher does, but he'll also continue to get better.

Moving on to Brett Anderson...

As you're probably the only person in the world who thinks such things, can you tell me why you think Brett Anderson is "overrated" and just "average"?

Is it the 2.82 ERA in his last 30 starts?

The 3.23 career K/BB ratio?

The 62% GB ratio he's putting up this year?

The 7.8 WAR acquired over 60 big league starts?

Sorry, Mike, but there's no way that Brett Anderson is just "average". His numbers prove that he's a very good young pitcher, and if you ask anyone associated with baseball, they'll probably tell you he's one of the better left-handed pitchers in the game. And since he's only 23, he's probably going to get a lot better.

I took a week's vacation to North Carolina, got to check the MLB network once a day to discover that the O's were streaking, and then returned home to find that this blog has returned to 100% baseball conversation.

My heart leaps with joy; my cup runneth over. Thank you, Pete!

You guys are right about the A's pitching staff... consistently solid young pitchers on the rise. For the first time in ages, though, I feel like we're putting similar pitchers out on the mound. What I do take from our current .500 ballclub is just this: we have a fair chance to win with our pitchers. They're capable of keeping us in the game if not shutting down the opposition. With Matusz soon to return, things really are looking better in Birdland.

You always say you've lived here long enough to consider yourself a Baltimorean, yet your you're not an Oriole fan? Say it ain't so Pete.

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Pete's reply: I wish I could just be a fan sometimes, but you can't get that close to a team you're covering on a regular basis. I will say this, I want the Orioles to do well because it would be good for the city and the fans deserve it. It also would make my job more enjoyable.