Jeremy Hellickson went full Oriole yesterday, going from absolutely cruising (26 pitches in three perfect innings to start the game) to blowing up (five runs in the fourth), denying his team the three-of-four they could have REALLY used in Oakland. Now they head to Seattle, which gives me nightmares, and has ever since Hisashi Iwakuma no-hit us a couple years back, needing two of three to salvage a 5-5 road trip. Not ideal!
Let’s see what’s up in the links.
Rotation Fixes Still Needed for O’s
Our own Andrew Stetka, writing in his weekly MASN guest column, reminds us that the Orioles’ rotation picture is quite murky heading into next season. Pitching isn’t cheap, so if the O’s plan to rebuilding the rotation using free agents, fans should get used to a whole lot more Ubaldo Jimenez clones, even as the original is set to leave town.
Camden Depot’s Matt Kremnitzer has all the depressing details regarding Chris Davis’ lost season at the dish. It’s not just the staring at third strikes either; even when Davis makes contact, the ol “contact-to-damage ratio,” as Buck likes to call it, is not nearly what it’s been in the past. Yay for that huge contract, right?
Beckham’s Model at Shortstop is J.J. Hardy, the Man He’s Likely to Replace
Tim Beckham has some very astute & flattering things to say about J.J. Hardy. Maybe it’s just politics, but he really sounds as though he has been admiring Hardy’s game for years.
Tim Beckham May be the Orioles’ Spark Plug
As for Beckham’s hot start at the dish, his hitting streak came to an end yesterday. Therefore, Jake Ness of Charm City Sports Network OBVIOUSLY jinxed him with this post, right?
Orioles 2017 All-Prospect Team
The Orioles have prospects…no, really! Perhaps it’s stretching things a bit to construct an entire all-prospect roster, but if you’re looking for some optimism for the future, you could certainly do worse than this piece from Baltimore Sports and Life’s Greg Goldstein, who covers the minors for Baseball Prospectus.
