Thursday Thoughts: Well, That Stunk

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. Can we all just agree that getting no-hit stinks, and then move on? I mean that really, really stunk. It wasn’t fun for anyone who is an Orioles fan, and it put the worst cherry on top of the most awful sundae that was a rough west coast road trip. Hisashi Iwakuma is a very good pitcher, and fully capable of throwing a no-hitter, so it’s not like the O’s were baffled by some no name guy.

It still doesn’t make it any easier for fans. The fact that it spoiled a pretty good outing from Kevin Gausman makes it all the tougher to take.

2. The fact that Jason Garcia has appeared in one game since his return from injury is beyond frustrating. It’s not that I’m clamoring to see Garcia pitch, but he’s taking up a major league roster spot that he clearly doesn’t deserve. The Orioles must not be trying to make the playoffs, because if they were, they would use 25 players like all the other teams do.

Buck Showalter can’t trust Garcia in any scenario. Even yesterday, down three runs, Buck turned to Brian Matusz to pitch the eighth inning. That’s the same Brian Matusz who was forced to throw 2.1 innings a day earlier. I get that today is an off day and Matusz can rest, but why not throw Garcia out there for one inning in that scenario? Buck is currently managing a team with one hand tied behind his back, and it’s not fair.

3. We’ve all come to grips with the fact that Chris Davis is making a lot of money this offseason, and it’s not coming from Baltimore, right? Davis has looked a lot more like 2013 Davis in recent days, and he’s going to turn it into a nice contract for himself. I am in the camp that never thought Davis would return, but I know there are some out there that had hope.

That hope? Lose it, and lose it now. Davis upset a lot of people with his suspension at the end of last season, and not just the players. He burned a bridge and I’ve expected him to be gone in 2016 ever since. I’ll wish him well wherever he goes next season and hope he doesn’t hit home runs against the O’s like Nelson Cruz has done this year.

4. Can we talk about Gary Thorne for a second? I like Gary, I’ve had the privilege to meet him a few times, and he’s a very nice guy and very engaging and kind. He also couldn’t give a crap about the Orioles. Many complain that he gets too excited on home run calls for the other team. I know some will have an issue with the way he called yesterday’s no-hitter.

It doesn’t really matter. Thorne has been with the Orioles for about ten years and is still calling players like Chris Davis, Eric Davis. He does not care. His slips of the tongue are unfortunate sometimes, but they are just that, slips of the tongue. The day he takes the time to learn to properly pronounce some players’ names will be the day we all cease to exist on this planet. I’m frustrated with it all too, but sometimes you just have to embrace a bad thing as good. Treat it like that really awful cult classic that you have to watch every time it comes on TBS.

5. Now that the Blue Jays are in first place, the Orioles can forget about catching them. They are going to run away and hide with the AL East crown that used to be in Baltimore. For the O’s, as bad as things have been, it’s all about chasing the Yankees and Angels.

The beauty is that the Birds only have to catch one of them to make the postseason. At this point, I’m hopeful they can do that. To make the playoffs with 24 players and a team that’s about as good as a .500 club would be impressive. Play in a postseason game, maybe win it and earn a shot at losing in the Division Series. If not, there’s always the realization that the O’s just may not be good enough.

6. The injury to Matt Wieters doesn’t seem overly concerning, but it continues the mystery of where the catcher goes next season. I don’t think he’s been near the defensive player this season that he’s been in the past. I’m sure some team will swoop in and pay the Scott Boras dollars for him, but I continue to believe there’s some small chance that the O’s can get him on a one-year, “make-good” deal next season.

I know there’s a camp out there that wouldn’t even want any parts of that, and would just as easily turn the job over to Caleb Joseph on a full-time basis. I have no clue what Joseph would look like as an everyday catcher. I know he looks very good as an every-other-day catcher, but there’s a big difference between the two.

7. Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun said a dumb thing from his dumb Twitter account earlier this week and it got everyone thinking about a dumb conversation again. I continue to ask, when are we going to give this up? Why is there a constant comparison between Baltimore’s baseball and football teams? I don’t recall a time where the Orioles and Ravens ever lined up on the same playing field to compete. I also don’t think it’s in the works.

If you are a fan of both teams, just realize that you don’t have to choose one or the other to love more. If you are a fan of only one of the teams, and I mean truly a fan of just one and you don’t really care about the other, this conversation isn’t even about you. There’s no reason for you to throw one under the bus like Preston did. I’d argue that Baltimore is a football and baseball town because it has both teams. I wouldn’t argue that Baltimore is a basketball or hockey town, because there is no NBA or NHL teams in the city. It’s pretty simple logic.

8. I saw where Old Bay, which is one of my favorite things on the face of the planet, is partnering with the Ripken Foundation to create a special edition tin to honor the anniversary of Cal Ripken breaking Lou Gehrig’s 2,131 record. Then I realized that it’s been 20 years since 1995 and felt insanely stupid and old. It’s really been 20 years? I am a fairly young guy in comparison. I was six when all of that went down, but I remember it all so vividly. I was lucky enough to be at both the 2,130 and 2,131 games, and was in baseball heaven. I was in awe of what a spectacular event both games were. To think that it’s been 20 years since then has me dumbfounded. Tip of the cap to Cal, because that’s definitely one streak that will never be broken.