Subscribe to our newsletter
Search
Close this search box.

Avoiding a step back: 2013 Orioles vs. 2012 D-Backs

orioles hats all lined in a row
Share
Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Reading Time: 3 minutes

A lot has been said going into the 2013 season of Orioles baseball about how the team will respond to its first postseason berth in 14 years. Many so called “experts” seem to believe the O’s will take a major step back this season due to an inability to recreate 2012’s success in one-run games and strength in the bullpen. The buzzword everyone seemed to like was “luck.” It’s not a word you will hear me use about the 2012 O’s, because what they did was not lucky. The Orioles used a number of players having excellent years to excel and make the playoffs. The Birds were 93-69 just one season after going 69-93. They also went a staggering 29-9 in one-run games and 16-2 in extra-inning affairs. These numbers really are stunning when you think about it. Take a look back at them again. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

What most Orioles fans may not know about what those “experts” are predicting is that their premonition is simply following a familiar script. It’s something we saw with the Arizona Diamondbacks just last year. I’ve lived in the Phoenix area now for just over two years. I saw first-hand the transition from the 2011 D-backs to last year’s version, which wasn’t nearly as good. In 2010, Arizona stumbled to a 65-97 season and its third straight year out of the playoffs. The 2011 version featured a squad with a great bullpen led by closer J.J. Putz. The D-Backs were a respectable 9-4 in extra-inning games and a very sturdy 28-16 in one-run contests. They made the postseason before bowing out to the Brewers in a five-game division series. Is any of this sounding familiar yet?

Flash ahead to last year’s Diamondbacks now and realize that they DID take a step back. While it wasn’t a major one, Arizona went just 81-81 last year and finished third in the NL West. The eventual World Series champion Giants battled the Dodgers down the stretch for a postseason spot, but it really wasn’t even close. Arizona struggled to find its footing all year, partially because of injuries, but mostly because the numbers in one-run and extra-inning games did in fact go down.

The key in my eyes to avoiding this drop off for the Orioles this season won’t be trying to recreate the magical numbers in tight games and the extra-inning supremacy of last year. Instead, the 2013 O’s will be forced to be better in many other facets of the game to make up for other areas that may not be as strong.

Starting pitching will have to improve. The Orioles will need more than one starter to make 30 starts and get at least 10 wins this season. Wei-Yin Chen seemed to be a model of consistency in the rotation, but he was the only one. Jason Hammel was good when he was in there, but injuries derailed him in the second half. Miguel Gonzalez was a nice surprise in the second half, but his brilliance will have to be shown over a 162-game season.

The Orioles will also have to rely less on the long ball and more on manufacturing runs at times. It seemed at times last year that the Birds wouldn’t score runs if it wasn’t on a homer. Improving speed and aggressiveness on the basepaths will be a huge part of this and something players like Brian Roberts, Nate McLouth and even Alexi Casilla can hopefully help with.

Either way Buck Showalter and Dan Duquette are forced with an enormous task this season. Not only must they keep momentum from a stellar season on the field, but they also need to keep interest peaked off it. If the O’s get off to a slow start, things could turn ugly. I know they did here in Phoenix last season when the Diamondbacks started to struggle. Fans used words like “Fluke” and “Luck” and phrases like “One-Year Wonder” to describe the D-Backs. Not only must the O’s prove some of the “experts” wrong again this year, but they have to do it with the fans as well.

3 Responses

  1. Andrew:

    I’m not entirely grasping your point.

    You seem to be critical of the “experts” for saying the 2012 Orioles were a fluke team based on their record in close games. However, the D-Backs performance in 2012 would point to me that there is a real possibility of the 2013 Orioles regressing in record because of a natural restoration to balance in tight contests. That seems to be a perfectly valid prediction to make to me. Yet, you also seem to agree that the 29-9 record won’t stand.

    What are you arguing exactly? How are the “experts” wrong?

    1. Hi Kline,

      Thanks for your input.

      In no way am I trying to be critical of any experts in this piece. It’s merely meant to be thought-provoking and present a few things that the O’s will need to do in order to avoid a step back similar to the one the D-Backs took. I have no idea if the experts are wrong because the season has yet to start. None of us really know, that’s the beauty of a 162-game season.

      1. There are a lot of fans that are being homers and saying that we will win 90+ games easily and win the AL East. Thank you for writing this article and showing why it just isn’t that easy to replicate what they did last year, and it will take improving on areas that they weren’t as good at last year to continue their success. For me it comes down to the starters consistantly getting to the 7th or later, the offense improving on their batting average and cutting down on strikeouts. If we can do those things, it will help our team build on what they already have. You can’t help but to be excited for what we can do this year, but ultimately I see us winning around 86 games this year which in my opinion will put us at a shot for a wildcard.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

3 Responses

  1. Andrew:

    I’m not entirely grasping your point.

    You seem to be critical of the “experts” for saying the 2012 Orioles were a fluke team based on their record in close games. However, the D-Backs performance in 2012 would point to me that there is a real possibility of the 2013 Orioles regressing in record because of a natural restoration to balance in tight contests. That seems to be a perfectly valid prediction to make to me. Yet, you also seem to agree that the 29-9 record won’t stand.

    What are you arguing exactly? How are the “experts” wrong?

    1. Hi Kline,

      Thanks for your input.

      In no way am I trying to be critical of any experts in this piece. It’s merely meant to be thought-provoking and present a few things that the O’s will need to do in order to avoid a step back similar to the one the D-Backs took. I have no idea if the experts are wrong because the season has yet to start. None of us really know, that’s the beauty of a 162-game season.

      1. There are a lot of fans that are being homers and saying that we will win 90+ games easily and win the AL East. Thank you for writing this article and showing why it just isn’t that easy to replicate what they did last year, and it will take improving on areas that they weren’t as good at last year to continue their success. For me it comes down to the starters consistantly getting to the 7th or later, the offense improving on their batting average and cutting down on strikeouts. If we can do those things, it will help our team build on what they already have. You can’t help but to be excited for what we can do this year, but ultimately I see us winning around 86 games this year which in my opinion will put us at a shot for a wildcard.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get notified of the Latest Sport News Update from Our Blog
Join our newsletter and get 20% discount
Promotion nulla vitae elit libero a pharetra augue