This is a weekly column that dives into eight random thoughts about the Orioles/MLB. Why eight? It’s a nod to Cal Ripken Jr. of course. That, and doing 2,632 of these would be a little overboard. – A.S.
1. Just so we’re all in agreement, Chris Parmelee for President, right?
Chalk it up to another scrap heap find by Dan Duquette, I suppose. Parmelee has come up from Norfolk, been inserted right into the Orioles lineup and done damage. Like Nolan Reimold, I don’t think Parmelee is a long-term solution for the O’s in a corner outfield spot, but he’s providing something for right now. That seems to be just fine with the Birds, because it’s how they operate. This team wants production from players now, and isn’t worried about two months down the road because another situation will present itself by then.
Whether it’s an injury, a chance to make a trade or the team providing another opportunity for a 4-A player that can make an impact, the Orioles always seem to find these types. Ride the hot hand until it cools off. It’s a simple thing to do.
2. The addition of Parmelee came with the strange demotion of Wei-Yin Chen, who either isn’t happy about it or allowed his agent, Scott Boras, to make people believe he’s not happy about it. I’m not sure which. Whether or not Chen is actually upset or not, he’s in the wrong here. What most people don’t realize is that Chen is only going to miss one start, and he is set for a June 26th return against the Indians at Camden Yards.
He’s also not making any less money, as he’s still set to collect on a major league contract. I can see the optics of why this all looks strange. Chen has the lowest ERA of any Orioles starter at 2.89 and gives the team its only left-hander in the rotation. It’s not like Chen doesn’t have a future in the rotation the rest of the season. He’ll be back in just over a week and likely won’t see the minors again unless the O’s decide to option him around the All-Star break, as they do with many players to get an extra bench spot when a pitcher isn’t going to start again for about a week.
This roster manipulation may seem sketchy, but these are the rules, and the O’s play by them better than most. They don’t care about egos or who is in a contract year (which Chen is). They care about the team, and frankly, Chen should too.
3. I’m not concerned about the injuries to Adam Jones. I’m not concerned about the injuries to Adam Jones. I’m not concerned about the injuries to Adam Jones.
If you repeat this sentence over and over again, you might start to actually believe it.
Let’s be honest though, any time Jones sits out of a game, it becomes a bit concerning. This is a guy that just doesn’t miss time unless something is really going on. Part of it is the grind of a long season, the other is the fact that Jones simply goes all out at all times. He’s constantly fouling balls off his ankles, running into walls and playing the game with max effort every inning. The body wears down eventually. Jones should be back in a few days, and it doesn’t appear to be anything serious. I’m actually happy with the fact that the Orioles are getting ahead of it and sitting him down for a few days. It won’t hurt the O’s to have Jones miss some outings against the Phillies. I’d rather have his bat and glove in there against teams like the Blue Jays.
4. Speaking of the Phillies, when did they let Eastern League teams start playing in Major League Baseball? We saw everything on Tuesday night. A record eight home runs from the O’s, a position player pitching and a bullpen phone that was off the hook.
Tuesday’s game, while not quite as extreme, brought back memories of the dreaded time the Orioles lost 30-3 to the Rangers. August 22, 2007 is a date that’s burned in my mind. More so than most games, that one is etched in my mind as one of the worst moments of the “dark years.” I feel for Phillies fans, who are really going through something similar right now. They have a franchise that seems doomed with awful contracts and bad baseball players.
I don’t really care that they are going through it, because it’s only to the benefit of teams like the Orioles who get four games against them. I understand it though, and I guess that’s what’s important. It sure is nice to be on the other side.
5. It’s completely insane to me how some were talking about the concept of “selling” no more than two weeks ago. Even as recently as 10 days ago, some were saying the O’s would be better off shipping multiple pieces of their roster away in exchange for prospects as an effort to replenish the farm system. Now, with the Birds sitting pretty in the AL East, all of that talk has gone away.
I’ve said all along that there’s no reason to panic about a slow start. The division isn’t bad, but no one is running away with it. Even with a recent 11-game winning streak, the Blue Jays sit fourth. The Orioles are just a few games out of first place in late June. Obviously winning 11 out of 13 games helps in that cause, but this roll the Orioles are on won’t last, and they still won’t be out of things.
There was nothing to panic about two weeks ago, and that’s still the case.
6. I can’t see things going well for Kevin Gausman’s return to the rotation on Saturday in Toronto, but that’s only because it’s the Blue Jays and their offense is pretty stellar, especially at home. I am however, elated that Gausman is getting thrown into the rotation at all. It’s overdue. I only hope he stays there. The chances of that are slim, only because the O’s have so many options.
Obviously right now with Miguel Gonzalez on the shelf and Wei-Yin Chen taking a brief breather in the minors, the opportunity has presented itself. Gausman should be ahead of Mike Wright (Friday’s starter) in the pecking order for a spot.
Bud Norris is the biggest factor in all of this. Whether or not Norris can keep a rotation spot remains a large question for this team. I think in the long run, it would be better to see Norris in the back end of the bullpen. I feel like his stuff plays there and could even be better in a relief role because he could ramp it up a notch. It reminds me of what we’ve seen with Tommy Hunter in the past.
7. I’m very skeptical of the return of Jonathan Schoop. The injury he suffered not long ago was fairly serious and I’m surprised he’s due to go out on a rehab assignment already. I’m not trying to play doctor, or pretend like I star as one on television (or the internet) either. Something just tells me the Orioles are going to have to do their best to quell any expectations for Schoop’s return pretty soon.
I really hope there’s no setback, because it’s been widely reported that one minor one could cost him his season. If the injury isn’t nearly as serious as the O’s led on to start, it’d be a first. Typically they play these things close to the vest and don’t reveal much information, so the fact that they’ve said he’s getting close speaks volumes.
8. As July approaches, trade talk is seriously heating up. The one thing I would caution you on is to be skeptical of any trade discussion that might catch your ear. Much of the chatter and rumor surrounds names like Dylan Bundy, Kevin Gausman and Hunter Harvey with some combination of a current starter like Bud Norris, Miguel Gonzalez, Wei-Yin Chen or Ubaldo Jimenez.
Don’t buy any of it. I don’t think you’re going to see the O’s make a big splash, or even a minor one like they did last year in acquiring Andrew Miller. In playing the Phillies this week, some of the rumors have surrounded the possibility of trading for Cole Hamels, which is something that seems completely far-fetched to me. I think the Orioles are happy with the pitching depth they have and really believe that they have enough strong arms to contend and go deep in the playoffs.
This was proven last year. Pitching was not the reason the team lost to the Royals in the ALCS. The bats fell apart and offense was nowhere to be found. If the O’s make a big deal for pitching, it would shock me.
