Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
The last team to beat out the Atlanta Braves for a division title was the wire-to-wire World Champion 1990 Cincinnati Reds. The last team to beat out the New York Yankees for a division title? The 1997 Baltimore Orioles. In the eight seasons since then, the Orioles have finished above fourth place exactly once (2004, thanks to the collapse of the Blue Jays), finished within fewer than 20 games of first place once (2000, when the Yankees finished the season with a dreadful 3-15 slump capped by dropping the final three games of the season to the O's by a combined score of 29-6), and not won 80 games in any single season. For all the attention heaped on the Pirates, Royals, Tigers and Brewers, Kansas City and Milwaukee have been at or above .500 more recently than Baltimore, and the Tigers appear to be more likely to do so in the near future than the Orioles. Quite simply, the Orioles are one of the worst franchises in baseball, giving locals a feast of famine with the newly imported Natspos. (Seriously, is it that abhorrent to be a Phillies fan? With their new ballpark and annual runs at the wild card, the Phillies are the pick of the litter in the mid-Atlantic region, but they barely outdrew Baltimore last year. Sorry. Where was I?)
The O's have shuffled the deck chairs by bringing in yet another collection of over the hill, overrated and overexposed veterans to compliment . . . nothing. The Orioles are horrible. There's no budding future here. Just because they're able to float slightly higher in the water than the Royals doesn't make them anything but an affront to their fans.
But I'm getting carried away. Let's find some positives here: They've finally dumped the Big Ponson Toad. Tonight's starter Kris Benson is nothing special, but he's a huge upgrade over Sir Sidney. Letting J.P Riccardi overpay B.J. Ryan and giving the closer's job to Chris Ray represents both solid baseball economics and highlights one of the few young bright spots in the organization. Luis Matos recent injury just might clear room for Nick Markakis, who broke camp with the club despite having just a half season at double-A under his belt, to Wally Pip him, which would rid the O's of yet another home grown disaster.
I couldn't understand the decision to bring back Sam Perlozzo as manager as the team's winning percentage under him down the stretch was nearly 40 points lower than it was under Lee Mazzilli last year and it was a widely reported story that the Orioles appeared to collectively throw I in the towel by the end of August. But I must say, I like his line-up construction. Putting the slow-footed, but high-on-base-percentage Jeff Conine in the two-hole suggests progressive thinking, and burying big-name 2004 free agent Javy Lopez and new pick-up Kevin Millar in the seventh and eighth spots suggests a true meritocracy that refuses to allow name recognition or salary to determine playing time. In addition, Perlozzo has just two lefties in his line-up and he has them separated by no fewer than three righies in both directions. Part of that is a side-effect of one of them being the rookie Markakis, who of course hits ninth, and of having just two lefties to begin with, but Joe Torre—who started the season with his four lefties paired up in two different spots in his line-up, continues to write Bernie Williams' name into the line-up, and has buried last year's AL OBP leader Jason Giambi in the fifth spot—would be wise to take notes.
Speaking of Giambi, swelling in his right forearm resulting from being hit by a pitch on Wednesday (Bernie Williams pinch hit for him in his final at-bat of that game in Toronto) might keep him on the bench tonight. Meanwhile, Tanyon Sturtze was reportedly available on Wednesday and, having had another 48 hours to rest his balky back, should definitely be in the mix tonight. I needn't tell you, neither of these things is good news, though with Chien-Ming Wang on the mound looking to repeat his fantastic start in Minnesota last weekend, it wouldn't be the worst idea to at the very least put Giambi at DH and allow someone other than Miguel Cairo to man first base.
Baltimore Orioles
2005 Record: 2005 Pythagorean Record:
Manager: Sam Perlozzo
General Manager: Mike Flanagan
Home Ballpark (2005 Park Factors): Oriole Park at Camden Yards (94/95)
Who's Replacing Whom?
Current Roster
1B – Kevin Millar (R)
2B – Brian Roberts (S)
SS – Miguel Tejada (R)
3B – Melvin Mora (R)
C – Ramon Hernandez (R)
RF – Jay Gibbons (L)
CF – Nick Markakis (L)
LF – Jeff Conine (R)
DH – Javy Lopez (R)
Bench:
L – Corey Patterson (OF)
R – Chris Gomez (IF)
R – Luis Terrero (OF)
R – Raul Chavez (C)
Rotation:
R – Rodrigo Lopez
L – Erik Bedard
R – Kris Benson
R – Daniel Cabrera
L – Bruce Chen
Bullpen:
R – Chris Ray
R – LaTroy Hawkins
R – Jim Brower
L – John Halama
R – Sendy Rleal
R – Chris Britton
R – Eddy Rodriguez
15-day DL: OF – Luis Matos (R), R – Todd Williams, L – John Parrish
60-day DL: R – Aaron Rakers, L – Tim Byrdak, UT – David Newhan (L)
Typical Lineup
S – Brian Roberts (2B)
R – Jeff Conine (LF)
R – Melvin Mora (3B)
R – Miguel Tejada (SS)
L – Jay Gibbons (RF)
R – Ramon Hernandez (C)
R – Javy Lopez (DH)
R – Kevin Millar (1B)
L – Nick Markakis (CF)
Not that it matters for tonight, but is anyone else as surprised as I am that Camden Yards played as more of a pitchers park last year?
Randym 9 this may sound mean but are they saying "He can't throw very well" compared to a normal first baseman or himself?
I'll never understand how he can blow bubbles while running around the bases. I'd bite my tongue off if I tried that.
Jeter on fire. Nice Sheffield.
They said the bruise on his arm is huge.
I'm liking Wang's mulletish look out the back of his cap!
The more troubling thing is what the F is up with Wang?????
My feeling is that Wang is easily rattled. He always looks so calm, but he's still pretty inexperienced. When someone gets a big hit off him, it seems to shake his confidence.
You mean when the Yankees won 95 games and the division? I'll take it.
Anyone want to pack Phillip's bags?
Albert Pujols tied Todd Helton for the second-fastest active player to reach 1,000 hits, hitting a two-run homer in the first inning against Chicago on Friday night.
Pujols and Helton needed 3,003 at-bats.
Why the fascination with Proctor here? EVERYONE is rested. Why not Villone at this point? He might throw lefty, but a LOOGY he is not.
The good news is, LaTroy Hawkins is warming up for the O's. With their bullpen, I'd say no game is ever out of reach.
Ichiro. 2997
I think Joe will leave any reliever in there so long as they are retiring batters. I'd like to see Smith in the 9th.
It's been tough for Phillips, but he has looked overmatched in virtually every at bat this year. Not just rusty, but simply overmatched. As long as Giambi is out 1B (AVG nearly .100 points higher when he playe defense), you wont see much of Phillips. There is no sense in whining about, or expecting it.
Markarkis is a rookie, not much experience above AA. But the guy's a LEFTY - where is Villone?!
95 Too be fair to the local broadcast, they said "consistent over the years, but as of late has been having trouble."
I'm glad Sturtze got the out, but I really don't want to see him coming out for the 9th. Of course, if the Yanks take the lead here, Mo will get ready . . .
The DEVIL RAYS gave up on him, fer cryin' out loud!
Fortunately for us, LaTroy Hawkins can be just as bad.
Shaun,
I agree. Why not use Smith and see if je can breathe some life into the bullpen, and team for that matter. He's been solid. Give him a shot. Yanking Proctor for Sturtz to face a lefty only made sense if it was for "confidense" purposes. Even in that case, it still makes no sense.
Giambi's night tonight is exactly why Phillips simply cannot get any more starts at 1B. He can start at DH for a while to appease you guys, but I'm not willing to trade Giambi's production for some clown with a .300 avg in AAA. Giambi's offense goes right into the toilet when he's not out there on defense.
Now can someone, ANYONE, walk over to Jorge and tell him how to run the bases in this situation. I don't want to see any more of Jorge's . . . oh Bubba, thank God.
Bubba is pinch running for Posada.
With Wang on the mound, I don't mind taking that hit to put Phillips' glove at 1B. And Stormer, Phillips didn't hit an empty .300 at AAA. He hit .300 with patience and power. I wouldn't call him a clown at all. In an organization that recognized what it had, Phillips would have been playing regularly back in late '04, would have developed normally by now, and wouldn't be pressing at the plate to take advantage of the meager chances he's finally gotten.
Thank you, LaTroy Hawkins! Robbie, try laying off the stuff out of the zone, huh?
So what do you propose. Trade Giambi so that we can take a chance on Phillips? DH Phillips on a regular basis when we had Tino last year and Ruben in good form in 2004? I'm not sure how you get him into this lineup, you?
This is one of those rare times I'd gladly trade Sheff and Arod for Manny and Ortiz, just for one day.
Where is the bench? Hideous.
So Sturtz in the 9th. I'm not sure what to make of this.
At this rate, Mo is going to have one hell of a strong arm the second half of the year.
Damon grounds, Jete singles, Sheff pops and Arod K's.
Any takers?
(When was the last time anyone said that)
Oh I keep forgetting that salary has more to do with playing time than skill on this squad.
No, I'm not kidding, I'm venting, and preparing myself in advance for Arod and Sheff in the 9th. The anti Tino and O'neil in the 9th inning of games.
Except for a 3 week stretch last May, Tino last year didn't hit at all. The Yanks got AWFUL production out of their DHs last year. A league average DH, in all probably, would have meant 97 wins and homefield advantage in the ALDS. Maybe more.
And though Sierra did hit 17 homers in '04, his OBP was .296! With all the problems the Yanks had in finding a 1B that year, Phillips could have come in very handy.
mike 112 - the bench has been ugly since what, at least 2000? Too bad Chili Davis and Rock Raines can't play anymore.
With the top of the order, the team damn well should tie it up.
Now youd take Mattingly over MVP Arod??
119 Agreed, MFD - not least because Torre relies on them so much.
Ray hasn't given up an earned run yet. I'd say he's due, hmmm?
Of course I'm kidding, you can't trade Giambi. I was asking you what we should do. I would love to see Phillips in there for a while at DH. Then we could put this debate to rest one way or the other.
However, I'm a baseball fan and a Yankee fan, so it's just hard for me to say bench Bernie for Phillips, although it might be the most prudent course of action.
OK Cap'n, that's the way to start it . . .
I'd take Ortiz over any player in the league in the 9th inning, including Arod. You and I both know that if Ortiz played 1B last year, he'd be the MVP. Not taking anything away from Arod, because I think he's Gold Glove in the field, but he aint no David Ortiz in the 9th, and you know it.
Pretty little streak you got going there, Ray. Be a shame if anything happened to it. . .
All he does is press, in the 9th.
That's because Arod folds up loke a tent in tense situations! It's fine in Seattle or Texas, but he aint in Kansas anymore.
Bloop hit Matsui
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Anyone got the WOR feed? Was that pitch really over the plate at all?
Next time Joe, save Stinnett to pinch hit for Arod, would ya!
But we will still tale the penant.
(PS.... well....)
Then they spent the rest of the night talking about the Yanks breaks on strikes and balls at home. Rich.
That's just the way it works. Ryan would have had to throw a clear ball right there not to have it be called a strike. I've seen it a million times. Mats has to be swinging there. He's got to know what the ump is thinking.
Ugh. It's going to be a long wait until tomorrow.
My favorite was the "you just dont get that call at Yankee Stadium, you just dont." Remember one thing above all, these are sports journalists, not actual journalists, they don't have to think, or are ever held accountable for what they say. Open any column by Rosenthal or the like on Bonds' perjury charges. I have yet to see one article in a major publication which describes the legal standard correctly. Irresponsibly misleading people about what Bonds legal situation actually is. They are not journalists. That's why we call them "writers" and not journalists or academics, because that is what they do, write, nevermind researching the facts.
As for the O's boys---Where have they been the last few years, if anything, the calls go the other way.
Matsui tonight for example, only 6 inches outside, strike 3!
What would the harm be in that? Its only half of the question, sure, but its an important half. You leave the rest up to the home plate ump - but for whether it actually catches the plate or not, you use technology.
It would be pretty annoying if Boston wins another close game. Just sayin'.
Somebody needs to bust Papelbon too. I know that ship has sailed tonight, but I'm hoping the Yanks capitalize if they get a crack at him in the short series 5/1 - 5/2. In fact, I hope he's still perfect (afterwards, not so much).
My night just got a little better.
What is it with those Florida Marlin guys? Our guy, Penny, Burnett and Beckett have all had one thing or another. Over work, under work, wrong kind of work or just bad luck?
They also had 3 homeruns between them, just to add a little perspective. The choice between arod and ortiz in the ninth is a no brainer for anyone with any sense, just to add a little perspective.
"Umps are killing us this year."
For the whole year? Are you kidding me? Blaming the umps for one game is pretty bad, but blaming the whole year on the umps is pathetic.
The others? Bad luck, I'd say, between Beckett's blisters, Pavano's various maladies over the years, and Penny's nerve issue. But I'm no doctor! It will be interesting to see what happens with Willis and the kids Florida has now.
195 Fortunately there's more to a game than just the 9th inning, in which case you're right, the choice is a no brainer for anyone with any sense. A-Rod over Ortiz every time. Ortiz's alleged clutchy-goodness is more a myth than anything else, as 164 correctly points out.
Amen! The media ignores every Ortiz failure and never fails to show any failure by Arod over and over. When Arod gets the big hit, they'll show it briefly. When Ortiz gets a big hit, they show it for weeks afterward.
Ultimately the impression is that Ortiz has dozens of late inning heroics while Arod only has a couple. The reality is that, over the course of their respective careers, Arod has a higher percentage of "clutch" hits (just as he has a higher percentage of non-clutch hits.)
They've made baseball appreciably worse in the last ten years. Not that the Cubs should be let off the hook for blowing the '03 NLCS, but as a fan of the sport, I feel deprived of a Cubs/Yanks World Series.
Anyone who was part of the '97 or '03 championship squads is tainted in my book.
That goes for Sheff too. I wish we got Guerrero just as a matter of principle (I don't care if I ever see Pavano again).
Today was the tale of two Wangs: the Wang with nobody on base, and the Bizarro Wang with runners on, where he suddenly turned into Al Lieter...Anyone Wang can still pitch from the Windup with men on?
200 Wang doesn't seem to do a great job holding runners on out of the stretch so why not pitch from the wind up with a runner on first? More stolen bases, big leads taken by base runners and hit and run baseball but there will hopefully be fewer balls roped to the outfield. Why he pitches from the stretch with the bases loaded is a mystery anyway given his problems.
At this point, both of them are trying to fill the 3rd slot on the world famous New York Yankees, which is an impossibility. Neither of them is good enough to live up to that. Wright and Pavano aren't really good enough to live up to it either, but they have a longer track record to judge by.
The 4th and 5th starters only have to be solid to make a valuable contribution. Wang can fit that role with a very good #3 in front of him. In 1998 we had Pettitte, Cone, and Wells carrying the load with Irabu and El Duque following up behind. Irabu was 13-9 with a 4.06 ERA which is remarkable consider the bad memories we have of his time in pinstripes. El Duque was found money.
You don't even have to look at such a historical team for an example of the 1-3 pitching we've enjoyed in the past. Let's look at the Yanks 1-3 over the last 10 years with 4 and 5 in parenthesis.
1996 Pettitte, Key, Rogers (Cone, Gooden)
1997 Pettitte, Wells, Cone (Gooden, Rogers)
1998 Pettitte, Wells, Cone (Irabu, Duque)
1999 Pettitte, Clemens, Cone (Irabu, Duque)
2000 Pettitte, Clemens, Cone (Duque, Neagle)
2001 Pettitte, Clemens, Mussina (Duque, Lilly)
2002 Pettitte, Clemens, Mussina (Duque, Wells)
2003 Pettitte, Clemens, Mussina (Wells, Weaver)
2004 Mussina, Vasquez, Lieber (Brown, Contreras)
2005 Mussina, Johnson, Pavano (Wang, Chacon)
2005 Mussina, Johnson, Pavano (Wang, Chacon)
See any difference over the last 3 years?
Not that these random thoughts mean anything but:
1. The Yanks haven't won it all without Pettitte and Cone together.
2. The Yanks haven't been to the Series without Pettitte.
3. Gooden and El Duque were about as good a 4th starter as you can find anywhere in baseball.
4. Pettitte, Clemens, Oswalt went to the Series last year. We did not.
5. If we had signed Pettitte, would Clemens be retired, or a Yankee? Would we now have Pettitte, Johnson, Mussina?
Wang's enigmatic so far this year... he's either lights out or burned out. nothing inbetween ... the 3rd inning was the weirdest ... how the hell does a pitcher that finished the first 2 inning with 15 pitches suddenly missing all pitches by a mile?.. to the point he's force to use a full windup to pitch in a 2 out full count bases loaded situation.... and then still gets a bad call.. gah.
Wang's stuff is very very good though, just need to find consistency...
I suppose it's better to get bad calls early in the year than late anyway... these things.. "usually" evens out.
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