Through 20 games, the Orioles (8-12) have gotten progressively worse. When the offense wasn't scoring many runs to start the season, the starters picked up the slack. On a team with young, inconsistent pitching, that will only work for so long.
It's not shocking to point out that the offense has been awful. Still, looking at the actual numbers is disappointing:
wOBA: .293 (t-4th worst)
OBP: .287 (2nd worst)
SLG: .369 (t-8th worst)
BABIP: .255 (worst)
BB%: 6.8% (t-3rd worst)
K%: 19.6% (t-9th best)
That's right, the O's new-and-improved offense is currently sporting a .656 OPS. You know who has a career .656 OPS? Willie Bloomquist. And at least he has some speed.
The O's collective .255 BABIP indicates that they've been somewhat unlucky, but they also rarely walk and are content to attack pitches early in the count. It almost goes without saying, but a lot can change after only 20 games. Some more hits will almost surely start dropping in, creating more scoring opportunities. With that being said, it's concerning that more runners aren't getting on base more often. Only three Orioles (Matt Wieters, Brian Roberts, and Robert Andino) have OBPs over .300; that's not exactly a recipe for success.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
O's keep losing; offseason acquisitions not producing
Remember when the Orioles were wheeling and dealing in the offseason, bringing in several new players? Seems like such a long time ago, doesn't it? Well, the O's (6-9) are only 15 games into the season, but they've lost eight straight and simply have not been playing good baseball for the last week-plus.
Although the pitching has been far from stellar, the main culprit for the team's abysmal stretch is the lack of offense. Right now, the O's are hitting .226/.283/.368 as a team -- good enough for the third-worst batting average, tied for the worst on-base percentage, and the eighth-lowest slugging percentage in the majors. That's just not getting the job done, especially since the O's were supposed to have a much easier time scoring runs. Instead of a strength, the offense has been a huge weakness.
The players that Andy MacPhail brought in during the offseason also have not, for the most part, brought much to the table yet. Let's take a look (separated by hitters and pitchers):
Vladimir Guerrero: .242/.242/.306 (0 BB/9 K, 2 extra-base hits)
Derrek Lee: .204/.317/.278 (9 BB/13 K, 2 extra-base hits)
Mark Reynolds: .224/.304/.388 (5 BB/15 K, 6 extra-base hits)
That's right: The O's third- and fourth-place hitters have a combined four extra-base hits. Guerrero has yet to walk, which would be less of a concern if he was hitting more than a bunch of singles. But he's not.
J.J. Hardy is currently on the disabled list and has only played in six games. The O's also re-signed Cesar Izturis, who has already played in a handful of games, and as usual, provides pretty good defense and very little offense.
Koji Uehara: 4.2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 4 K, 2 BB
Jeremy Accardo: 6.1 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 4 K, 5 BB
Kevin Gregg: 5.0 IP, 3 R, 8 H, 5 K, 4 BB
Uehara is probably the best reliever in the O's bullpen, and even though it's early, his numbers reflect that. Accardo has been OK, but Gregg has been terrible. The O's are also proving that it's usually unwise to spend big money on relievers -- particularly mediocre closers. Michael Gonzalez (making $6 million this season) has been rather bad in his time in Baltimore, and Gregg ($4.2 million this season, $5.8 million next season) is already off to a terrible start.
There's still plenty of time for all of these guys to start playing better. And these new faces aren't the only players not producing; many of the guys who were already with the O's aren't doing much better. Still, the level to which the O's have been staying off the scoreboard is surprising. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any other solutions other than to hope that the offense starts to click.
Although the pitching has been far from stellar, the main culprit for the team's abysmal stretch is the lack of offense. Right now, the O's are hitting .226/.283/.368 as a team -- good enough for the third-worst batting average, tied for the worst on-base percentage, and the eighth-lowest slugging percentage in the majors. That's just not getting the job done, especially since the O's were supposed to have a much easier time scoring runs. Instead of a strength, the offense has been a huge weakness.
The players that Andy MacPhail brought in during the offseason also have not, for the most part, brought much to the table yet. Let's take a look (separated by hitters and pitchers):
Vladimir Guerrero: .242/.242/.306 (0 BB/9 K, 2 extra-base hits)
Derrek Lee: .204/.317/.278 (9 BB/13 K, 2 extra-base hits)
Mark Reynolds: .224/.304/.388 (5 BB/15 K, 6 extra-base hits)
That's right: The O's third- and fourth-place hitters have a combined four extra-base hits. Guerrero has yet to walk, which would be less of a concern if he was hitting more than a bunch of singles. But he's not.
J.J. Hardy is currently on the disabled list and has only played in six games. The O's also re-signed Cesar Izturis, who has already played in a handful of games, and as usual, provides pretty good defense and very little offense.
Koji Uehara: 4.2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 4 K, 2 BB
Jeremy Accardo: 6.1 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 4 K, 5 BB
Kevin Gregg: 5.0 IP, 3 R, 8 H, 5 K, 4 BB
Uehara is probably the best reliever in the O's bullpen, and even though it's early, his numbers reflect that. Accardo has been OK, but Gregg has been terrible. The O's are also proving that it's usually unwise to spend big money on relievers -- particularly mediocre closers. Michael Gonzalez (making $6 million this season) has been rather bad in his time in Baltimore, and Gregg ($4.2 million this season, $5.8 million next season) is already off to a terrible start.
There's still plenty of time for all of these guys to start playing better. And these new faces aren't the only players not producing; many of the guys who were already with the O's aren't doing much better. Still, the level to which the O's have been staying off the scoreboard is surprising. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any other solutions other than to hope that the offense starts to click.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Gregg over Uehara? Huh?
Leading 5-4 going into the bottom of the ninth last night, Buck Showalter opted to bring in Kevin Gregg to close the game out. Jorge Posada homered on Gregg's very first pitch, tying the game. He then gave up a double to Curtis Granderson. To Gregg's credit, he still got out of the jam, but the Orioles eventually went on to lose in 10 innings.
Showalter has refused to name a closer, and he insists that his decisions aren't being driven by saves. Well, if that's the case, then why did he choose Gregg? Let's compare the career numbers of Gregg and Koji Uehara:
Gregg: 4.02 ERA, 3.96 FIP, 8.33 K/9, 3.75 BB/9
Uehara: 3.49 ERA, 3.06 FIP, 8.34 K/9, 1.35 BB/9
Gregg has thrown many more innings because he's been in the majors longer, so maybe Uehara has gotten a little lucky and is somewhat worse than his numbers indicate. If you wanted to play that card, I guess that's at least debatable. But on what planet is Gregg the better option?
Here's what I think was going through Showalter's mind on who to choose:
1) Gregg has 123 career saves; Uehara has 13. This had to play a part, in some way.
2) Uehara has two blown saves in his short career, and both of them came against the Yankees last season.
And, yeah, I guess that's it. Individual matchups could have played a factor, but that seems rather silly as well. Honestly, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense no matter how you slice it. If Showalter had opted for Uehara instead, Koji could certainly have given up a run and the O's still could have lost. Blown saves happen.
The point is this: The O's would have had a better chance to win with Uehara on the mound instead of Gregg. Isn't that what matters most?
Showalter has refused to name a closer, and he insists that his decisions aren't being driven by saves. Well, if that's the case, then why did he choose Gregg? Let's compare the career numbers of Gregg and Koji Uehara:
Gregg: 4.02 ERA, 3.96 FIP, 8.33 K/9, 3.75 BB/9
Uehara: 3.49 ERA, 3.06 FIP, 8.34 K/9, 1.35 BB/9
Gregg has thrown many more innings because he's been in the majors longer, so maybe Uehara has gotten a little lucky and is somewhat worse than his numbers indicate. If you wanted to play that card, I guess that's at least debatable. But on what planet is Gregg the better option?
Here's what I think was going through Showalter's mind on who to choose:
1) Gregg has 123 career saves; Uehara has 13. This had to play a part, in some way.
2) Uehara has two blown saves in his short career, and both of them came against the Yankees last season.
And, yeah, I guess that's it. Individual matchups could have played a factor, but that seems rather silly as well. Honestly, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense no matter how you slice it. If Showalter had opted for Uehara instead, Koji could certainly have given up a run and the O's still could have lost. Blown saves happen.
The point is this: The O's would have had a better chance to win with Uehara on the mound instead of Gregg. Isn't that what matters most?
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Chris Tillman struggles mightily against Yankees
The Orioles lost to the Yankees 7-4 last night, and Chris Tillman did not pitch well. He failed to make it out of the second inning, giving up six runs in the process.
Tillman has taken a few steps back after his first start of the season against Tampa Bay, in which he threw six no-hit, shutout innings while striking out five and walking three. He probably got a little lucky in that start, not to mention that it was just the second game of the season, but Tillman simply has not looked good in his last two appearances.
Here are the results of his three starts this season:
4/2 vs. TAM: 6.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 5 K, 3 BB
4/7 vs. DET: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 K, 2 BB
4/13 vs. NYY: 1.2 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 2 K, 1 BB
That's certainly not trending in the right direction. Hopefully he makes it out of the first inning in his next start. (I'm only joking. Sort of.) Also, PitchFx has Tillman's average fastball velocity at 88.4 mph so far in the early season. Again, he's only made three starts, but the loss in velocity is a concern. Maybe Tillman's hurt, maybe his mechanics are off, or maybe it's something else. MASN's Steve Melewski asked Tillman on Tuesday about his reduced velocity:
Tillman has taken a few steps back after his first start of the season against Tampa Bay, in which he threw six no-hit, shutout innings while striking out five and walking three. He probably got a little lucky in that start, not to mention that it was just the second game of the season, but Tillman simply has not looked good in his last two appearances.
Here are the results of his three starts this season:
4/2 vs. TAM: 6.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 5 K, 3 BB
4/7 vs. DET: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 K, 2 BB
4/13 vs. NYY: 1.2 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 2 K, 1 BB
That's certainly not trending in the right direction. Hopefully he makes it out of the first inning in his next start. (I'm only joking. Sort of.) Also, PitchFx has Tillman's average fastball velocity at 88.4 mph so far in the early season. Again, he's only made three starts, but the loss in velocity is a concern. Maybe Tillman's hurt, maybe his mechanics are off, or maybe it's something else. MASN's Steve Melewski asked Tillman on Tuesday about his reduced velocity:
In fact, when I asked him recently if his velocity is down now from what it was in the high minors, he cited seeking better command as a reason the velocity is down and said, "if I need it, it's there."Tillman's command does seem to be better, but I'm not quite sure I buy that excuse. Anyway, maybe his velocity will pick back up after he throws more innings -- or maybe as the weather starts to heat up. Hopefully it happens soon.
Friday, April 8, 2011
O's rally in seventh, win 9-5
The Orioles (5-1) have only played six games. It's still early. (And I'm going to keep saying it's early until it's not early anymore.) But in their first five games, the O's didn't do a particularly good job of getting runners on base. That changed yesterday in their 9-5 win over the Tigers: The O's had 10 hits and drew seven walks. Every starter reached based at least once, and six different batters drew walks.
Trailing 5-4 in the bottom of the seventh, the O's batted around and broke the game open with a five-run inning. In the rally, Vladimir Guerrero singled in a run, Adam Jones hit a sacrifice fly, Mark Reynolds doubled in a pair of runs, and Cesar Izturis collected an RBI single. The O's also scored two runs in the second (solo shot by Guerrero and an RBI single by Reynolds) and two in the sixth (two-run shot by Jones). The nine runs are an early season high for the O's, who just had Luke Scott return to the lineup but were without J.J. Hardy for the night (sat out with some tightness in his left side).
Besides the offense, the bullpen was the other hero in the win. Starter Chris Tillman struggled mightily and couldn't make it out of the fifth inning (4.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 K, 2 BB). O's radio broadcasters Joe Angel and Fred Manfra also noted that Tillman was sitting around 87-89 with his fastball, which isn't a very good sign. (PitchFx data has his fastball on a downward trend since 2009, but that doesn't include a whole lot of major league pitches. Hopefully his velocity picks up in his next few starts.) After Tillman left, the O's bullpen only allowed one run the rest of the game. Jeremy Accardo was the reliever who gave up that run (in 1.2 innings), but Jim Johnson (1.2 innings) and Koji Uehara (one inning) kept the Tigers off the scoreboard.
(Note: I can't be the only one who's a little worried about Jones. He did reach base twice yesterday, including that home run, but he's seeing pitches at a Guerrero-like rate. I don't think he has the hitting ability to be a mini-Vlad; Guerrero has/had the talent to hit like that his whole career and put up fantastic numbers. In four plate appearances yesterday, Jones only saw eight pitches. Eight! If he goes 2-3 with a home run every game, well then that doesn't matter. But he doesn't always do that, obviously. I'd like for Jones to turn the corner just as most O's fans do, but I'm just not sure it's possible if he's routinely down in the count and swinging at everything in sight.)
Trailing 5-4 in the bottom of the seventh, the O's batted around and broke the game open with a five-run inning. In the rally, Vladimir Guerrero singled in a run, Adam Jones hit a sacrifice fly, Mark Reynolds doubled in a pair of runs, and Cesar Izturis collected an RBI single. The O's also scored two runs in the second (solo shot by Guerrero and an RBI single by Reynolds) and two in the sixth (two-run shot by Jones). The nine runs are an early season high for the O's, who just had Luke Scott return to the lineup but were without J.J. Hardy for the night (sat out with some tightness in his left side).
Besides the offense, the bullpen was the other hero in the win. Starter Chris Tillman struggled mightily and couldn't make it out of the fifth inning (4.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 K, 2 BB). O's radio broadcasters Joe Angel and Fred Manfra also noted that Tillman was sitting around 87-89 with his fastball, which isn't a very good sign. (PitchFx data has his fastball on a downward trend since 2009, but that doesn't include a whole lot of major league pitches. Hopefully his velocity picks up in his next few starts.) After Tillman left, the O's bullpen only allowed one run the rest of the game. Jeremy Accardo was the reliever who gave up that run (in 1.2 innings), but Jim Johnson (1.2 innings) and Koji Uehara (one inning) kept the Tigers off the scoreboard.
(Note: I can't be the only one who's a little worried about Jones. He did reach base twice yesterday, including that home run, but he's seeing pitches at a Guerrero-like rate. I don't think he has the hitting ability to be a mini-Vlad; Guerrero has/had the talent to hit like that his whole career and put up fantastic numbers. In four plate appearances yesterday, Jones only saw eight pitches. Eight! If he goes 2-3 with a home run every game, well then that doesn't matter. But he doesn't always do that, obviously. I'd like for Jones to turn the corner just as most O's fans do, but I'm just not sure it's possible if he's routinely down in the count and swinging at everything in sight.)
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
O's are 4-0: Early season thoughts
Saying that it's "early" doesn't quite cut it; it's extremely early and way too soon to draw anything conclusive from the Orioles' 4-0 start. But, hey, the O's are winning games, and anytime that happens it's a good thing.
Here are some (very) early season stats/results/thoughts that may not mean a whole lot in a week or two:
Positives
- The starting pitching has been phenomenal to start the season. In four starts, Jeremy Guthrie, Chris Tillman, Zach Britton, and Jake Arrieta have allowed only two earned runs in 26 innings pitched. They've allowed nine walks combined but have also struck out 20.
- Brian Roberts has hit both of the team's home runs, and he's made them count: They're both three-run shots.
- Nick Markakis has six hits (one double) in 14 at-bats. He's spraying the ball all over the field and looks very comfortable hitting second.
- Matt Wieters, who has five hits (one double) in 13 at-bats, is also off to a solid start.
- J.J. Hardy is doing a nice job batting in the ninth spot, with three hits (all doubles) in 11 at-bats. His presence has made the lineup more complete and more difficult to get through.
- Jason Berken and Koji Uehara have looked like the two best relievers. In three innings, Berken has allowed only one hit while striking out six, while Uehara has pounded the strike zone in 1.2 innings and allowed only one hit (that hit scored an inherited runner, but whatever).
- Overall, the defense has been pretty good. Mark Reynolds has committed the team's lone error (not that errors are the best way to determine strong defense), but he's also made a few other good plays at third. Hardy looks solid at shortstop and Derrek Lee has already saved a few errors with impressive plays at first. Also solid: Markakis's game-saving catch on Saturday.
Negatives
- Vladimir Guerrero and Adam Jones are both hitting .125 (2-16) with no extra-base hits. They've also struck out four times each and have failed to draw a walk yet. They've looked overmatched at the plate and have been swinging at everything in sight.
- As a team, the O's have only drawn six walks while striking out 28 times. This team has several hitters who are going to strike out a lot, but the lack of walks is somewhat surprising.
- As far as the bullpen goes, Mike Gonzalez probably looked the worst in his first appearance of the season (0.1 IP, 1 R, 2 BB). Hopefully he finds the strike zone in his next chance. Kevin Gregg also looked average in his first appearance and needed that Markakis catch to end Saturday's nail-biter.
- I'm not quite sure that injuries belong here since it's difficult to prevent them from happening, but they're definitely not positives. Brian Matusz is out three-to-six weeks with a strained left intercostal muscle and Guthrie will miss Wednesday's start because he's battling pneumonia, which is kind of scary. (According to Dan Connolly, Brad Bergesen will start in Guthrie's place, and the O's are hoping Guthrie can return by Sunday.) Luke Scott is also day-to-day right now with a groin strain. The lineup could certainly use his presence.
-----
Yes, it's early. And yes, the O's will lose some games soon. But there's nothing wrong with being happy with a 4-0 start.
Here are some (very) early season stats/results/thoughts that may not mean a whole lot in a week or two:
Positives
- The starting pitching has been phenomenal to start the season. In four starts, Jeremy Guthrie, Chris Tillman, Zach Britton, and Jake Arrieta have allowed only two earned runs in 26 innings pitched. They've allowed nine walks combined but have also struck out 20.
- Brian Roberts has hit both of the team's home runs, and he's made them count: They're both three-run shots.
- Nick Markakis has six hits (one double) in 14 at-bats. He's spraying the ball all over the field and looks very comfortable hitting second.
- Matt Wieters, who has five hits (one double) in 13 at-bats, is also off to a solid start.
- J.J. Hardy is doing a nice job batting in the ninth spot, with three hits (all doubles) in 11 at-bats. His presence has made the lineup more complete and more difficult to get through.
- Jason Berken and Koji Uehara have looked like the two best relievers. In three innings, Berken has allowed only one hit while striking out six, while Uehara has pounded the strike zone in 1.2 innings and allowed only one hit (that hit scored an inherited runner, but whatever).
- Overall, the defense has been pretty good. Mark Reynolds has committed the team's lone error (not that errors are the best way to determine strong defense), but he's also made a few other good plays at third. Hardy looks solid at shortstop and Derrek Lee has already saved a few errors with impressive plays at first. Also solid: Markakis's game-saving catch on Saturday.
Negatives
- Vladimir Guerrero and Adam Jones are both hitting .125 (2-16) with no extra-base hits. They've also struck out four times each and have failed to draw a walk yet. They've looked overmatched at the plate and have been swinging at everything in sight.
- As a team, the O's have only drawn six walks while striking out 28 times. This team has several hitters who are going to strike out a lot, but the lack of walks is somewhat surprising.
- As far as the bullpen goes, Mike Gonzalez probably looked the worst in his first appearance of the season (0.1 IP, 1 R, 2 BB). Hopefully he finds the strike zone in his next chance. Kevin Gregg also looked average in his first appearance and needed that Markakis catch to end Saturday's nail-biter.
- I'm not quite sure that injuries belong here since it's difficult to prevent them from happening, but they're definitely not positives. Brian Matusz is out three-to-six weeks with a strained left intercostal muscle and Guthrie will miss Wednesday's start because he's battling pneumonia, which is kind of scary. (According to Dan Connolly, Brad Bergesen will start in Guthrie's place, and the O's are hoping Guthrie can return by Sunday.) Luke Scott is also day-to-day right now with a groin strain. The lineup could certainly use his presence.
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Yes, it's early. And yes, the O's will lose some games soon. But there's nothing wrong with being happy with a 4-0 start.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Zach Britton set to make his O's debut
Things rarely go according to plan. The Orioles planned on sending Zach Britton down to Triple-A for a few weeks before bringing him back up. (Most of the decision most likely had to do with his service time and the possibility of losing a year of team control if he isn't sent back down to the minors for a while, but there's a long season ahead and things can change quickly.) Then, news of Brian Matusz's injury surfaced on Friday, and the O's announced after the game that the 23-year-old Britton would fill Matusz's rotation spot and start Sunday (today).
If service time issues had nothing to do with the decision, I don't think there's any question that Britton would have made the team out of spring training. That's usually the case for impressive top prospects, and many decisions are made because of their future financial impact. Again, for Britton, all of that will depend on several factors: how well he pitches, which other starters get hurt or stay healthy, whether or not the O's are winning games, among others. And there will be plenty of time to worry about the service time/team control issue later in the season if it's still a concern (which will mean that he's still on the roster).
But today Britton, probably the O's top prospect at this very moment ahead of shortstop Manny Machado, will make his first start in an O's uniform. Britton joins a stable of young O's starters: Matusz (24), Jake Arrieta (25), Chris Tillman (almost 23), and Brad Bergesen (25).
Don't know much about Britton? He was selected with the 85th overall pick (third round) in the 2006 MLB Draft. Starting rookie ball that same year, he rapidly ascended through the O's system. In 2010 he started the season at Double-A and impressed quickly: He ended up only making 14 starts there because he dominated the competition (2.48 ERA, 7.03 K/9, 2.90 BB/9, 0.41 HR/9). After those starts, which only amounted to 87 innings pitched, Britton moved to Triple-A, where he was nearly as solid in 12 starts (66.1 innings): 2.98 ERA, 7.60 K/9, 3.12 BB/9, 0.41 HR/9. Some of the concern surrounding Britton has to do with how little he's pitched above Single-A. However, the O's believe that he deserves an opportunity to pitch in the majors right now, and he could always return to Triple-A at some point during the season to get more seasoning at the minor league level.
This Roch Kubatko article for Baseball America (written on March 25) does a good job explaining what makes Britton so effective:
If service time issues had nothing to do with the decision, I don't think there's any question that Britton would have made the team out of spring training. That's usually the case for impressive top prospects, and many decisions are made because of their future financial impact. Again, for Britton, all of that will depend on several factors: how well he pitches, which other starters get hurt or stay healthy, whether or not the O's are winning games, among others. And there will be plenty of time to worry about the service time/team control issue later in the season if it's still a concern (which will mean that he's still on the roster).
But today Britton, probably the O's top prospect at this very moment ahead of shortstop Manny Machado, will make his first start in an O's uniform. Britton joins a stable of young O's starters: Matusz (24), Jake Arrieta (25), Chris Tillman (almost 23), and Brad Bergesen (25).
Don't know much about Britton? He was selected with the 85th overall pick (third round) in the 2006 MLB Draft. Starting rookie ball that same year, he rapidly ascended through the O's system. In 2010 he started the season at Double-A and impressed quickly: He ended up only making 14 starts there because he dominated the competition (2.48 ERA, 7.03 K/9, 2.90 BB/9, 0.41 HR/9). After those starts, which only amounted to 87 innings pitched, Britton moved to Triple-A, where he was nearly as solid in 12 starts (66.1 innings): 2.98 ERA, 7.60 K/9, 3.12 BB/9, 0.41 HR/9. Some of the concern surrounding Britton has to do with how little he's pitched above Single-A. However, the O's believe that he deserves an opportunity to pitch in the majors right now, and he could always return to Triple-A at some point during the season to get more seasoning at the minor league level.
This Roch Kubatko article for Baseball America (written on March 25) does a good job explaining what makes Britton so effective:
"His fastball's unbelievable," catcher Craig Tatum said. "He throws hard and the ball moves. He's got really good sink on the ball, keeps the ball down, goes right after hitters. He says his changeup's his third-best pitch, but with his fastball, he doesn't really need to throw too many off-speed pitches because his ball moves so much. When he figures it out with the slider, he's going to be good."A young lefty who throws a ton of two-seamers with great movement that induce ground ball after ground ball? No wonder there's so much excitement surrounding his promotion.
"The ceiling is sky high," Norfolk pitching coach Mike Griffin said. "I still think there's more in there from him that we can still see from Zach. I don't think he's reached his ability yet. He's still got a ways to go to improve and get better and be even better than he was when he was with me last year. The fastball has great life. Not good life, great life. And it's late and it's hard. He's learned to spot it up, have better command of it. The slider has come a long way from when I first saw it. It's a little bit quicker now, little bit sharper, little bit more depth to it. We've made a lot of progress trying to get him to backleg it to righthanded hitters.
"The changeup, he's still working on it. He's still trying to get consistent command on it. But what impressed me last year was, he was still working on it, but in his last two starts he threw changeups on 3-2 counts and got hitters to swing and miss at it. That tells me the kid has gained a lot of confidence in that pitch."
Britton induced lot of ground balls last summer while going a combined 10-7, 2.70, with 51 walks and 124 strikeouts in 153 innings at Norfolk and Double-A Bowie. The pattern has continued this spring. Only one out against the Astros came on a fly ball, to the last batter he faced in the fourth inning.
"He keeps the ball down," Tatum said. "He'll be like, 'I didn't hit my location that time,' and I'm like, 'I don't care where the ball is if they keep beating it into the ground.' I just like the way he attacks hitters. And once he gets the feel of his slider better, he's going to be good. I'm glad we have him in our organization, because I don't want to face him."
Saturday, April 2, 2011
O's hold on for 3-1 win over Rays
After a relatively stress-free opening day win over the Rays yesterday (thanks to Jeremy Guthrie's outstanding pitching performance), the Orioles survived a potential game-winning (or at least tying) hit because of a spectacular game-saving catch by Nick Markakis.
With the O's leading 3-1, the Rays had runners on first and second with two outs in the ninth. Ben Zobrist hit a deep fly ball to right field, but Markakis -- and his glove -- seemingly appeared out of nowhere to snatch the ball before it hit the wall. Markakis then smashed into the wall and took a moment or two before revealing to the umpires that yes, he did in fact make the catch. Thanks to Markakis, Brian Roberts's three-run homer in the eighth inning, and a solid start by Chris Tillman, the O's move to 2-0.
Tillman threw six no-hit, shutout innings in place of the now-injured Brian Matusz. Tillman was, in a sense, wildly effective (three walks), but he also struck out five and kept hitters off balance with a powerful fastball and filthy change-up.
After Tillman left the scoreless game, Jeremy Accardo took over and retired the first two batters he faced. Then, though, things got a little dicey. B.J. Upton singled and stole second, and Matt Joyce was walked intentionally. Kelly Shoppach followed with a single to left field. But Felix Pie, who had just entered the game as a pinch-runner for Luke Scott that same inning, threw a bullet to Matt Wieters to nail Upton at home. Wieters blocked the plate brilliantly and applied the tag on Upton in time, keeping the game tied.
The next inning, despite leading 3-0 after the Roberts home run, the bullpen continued to live dangerously. Mike Gonzalez relieved Accardo and walked consecutive batters before retiring Johnny Damon. Koji Uehara then came in and got the final two outs of the inning, but not before allowing an RBI single to Manny Ramirez. Still, at least Uehara pounded the strike zone -- seven of his eight pitches were strikes.
Holding that 3-1 lead in the ninth, Kevin Gregg was sent in to get the save. Upton led off with a single, and then Joyce grounded into a fielder's choice (which sure looked like a double play on replay). Gregg then walked Shoppach before getting a strike out and the huge defensive play by Markakis to end the game.
I'm going to preface what I'm about to say with this: Yes, it was just one game, and there's no sense in overreacting, especially since the O's did win. Fans know what they're going to get out of Gregg. He's never been a shut-down closer/reliever, and he's going to have some roller-coaster saves, along with some blown saves as well. That's who he is. As for Gonzalez, though, he started last season out on a rocky note, blowing two saves in his first three appearances with the O's. The O's are desperately going to need him to be effective, particularly if he's going to be the only left-handed reliever in the bullpen (which I don't think will last very long, for what it's worth). Gonzalez deserves the opportunity to overcome a bad outing or two, as do most of the players since the season just started. But if he keeps having difficulty throwing strikes and handing out free passes to opposing hitters, the bullpen as a collective unit is in trouble.
Sorry for the negative spiel after such an exciting win. The starting pitching and defense to start the season have been great, and I'm definitely looking forward to watching Zach Britton make his major league debut tomorrow.
With the O's leading 3-1, the Rays had runners on first and second with two outs in the ninth. Ben Zobrist hit a deep fly ball to right field, but Markakis -- and his glove -- seemingly appeared out of nowhere to snatch the ball before it hit the wall. Markakis then smashed into the wall and took a moment or two before revealing to the umpires that yes, he did in fact make the catch. Thanks to Markakis, Brian Roberts's three-run homer in the eighth inning, and a solid start by Chris Tillman, the O's move to 2-0.
Tillman threw six no-hit, shutout innings in place of the now-injured Brian Matusz. Tillman was, in a sense, wildly effective (three walks), but he also struck out five and kept hitters off balance with a powerful fastball and filthy change-up.
After Tillman left the scoreless game, Jeremy Accardo took over and retired the first two batters he faced. Then, though, things got a little dicey. B.J. Upton singled and stole second, and Matt Joyce was walked intentionally. Kelly Shoppach followed with a single to left field. But Felix Pie, who had just entered the game as a pinch-runner for Luke Scott that same inning, threw a bullet to Matt Wieters to nail Upton at home. Wieters blocked the plate brilliantly and applied the tag on Upton in time, keeping the game tied.
The next inning, despite leading 3-0 after the Roberts home run, the bullpen continued to live dangerously. Mike Gonzalez relieved Accardo and walked consecutive batters before retiring Johnny Damon. Koji Uehara then came in and got the final two outs of the inning, but not before allowing an RBI single to Manny Ramirez. Still, at least Uehara pounded the strike zone -- seven of his eight pitches were strikes.
Holding that 3-1 lead in the ninth, Kevin Gregg was sent in to get the save. Upton led off with a single, and then Joyce grounded into a fielder's choice (which sure looked like a double play on replay). Gregg then walked Shoppach before getting a strike out and the huge defensive play by Markakis to end the game.
I'm going to preface what I'm about to say with this: Yes, it was just one game, and there's no sense in overreacting, especially since the O's did win. Fans know what they're going to get out of Gregg. He's never been a shut-down closer/reliever, and he's going to have some roller-coaster saves, along with some blown saves as well. That's who he is. As for Gonzalez, though, he started last season out on a rocky note, blowing two saves in his first three appearances with the O's. The O's are desperately going to need him to be effective, particularly if he's going to be the only left-handed reliever in the bullpen (which I don't think will last very long, for what it's worth). Gonzalez deserves the opportunity to overcome a bad outing or two, as do most of the players since the season just started. But if he keeps having difficulty throwing strikes and handing out free passes to opposing hitters, the bullpen as a collective unit is in trouble.
Sorry for the negative spiel after such an exciting win. The starting pitching and defense to start the season have been great, and I'm definitely looking forward to watching Zach Britton make his major league debut tomorrow.
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