Reality: Reality: The first series is in the books, and it will go down as a loss.
Perception: But it’s still too early to predict how the rest of the season will go.
Our sister site Russell Street Report tweeted this at the start of last night’s game:
PREDICTION: If the O’s win tonight many will say they can win it all. If they lose many will say they’ll finish last. Neither will be right.
They are right. We are a society of over reactors. After Opening Day, everyone thought Nelson Cruz would be this year’s Chris Davis and the O’s were headed to the World Series. After game 2’s loss, the thought were the Birds weren’t that good, but Cruz still was. After a series loss, many might think this will be a long season.
Well, yes, it will be a long season, but not because of how we expect the team to do, but because there are still 159 games to be played before we get to the playoffs. There will be winnings streaks and there will be losing streaks, being 1-2 does not count as either.
Reality: The Orioles pitching staff may have two losses, but they haven’t pitched that bad.
Perception: Chris Tillman pitched well on Monday. Ubaldo Jimenez pitched pretty well Wednesday except for 2 pitches. Wei-Yin Chen pitched okay too. He gave up 11 singles, but didn’t give up the anything extreme. Yes, it’s too many hits, but it wasn’t a bad outing.
The O’s bullpen has looked real good early on, which is a good sign. And Tommy Hunter has pitched better than Jim Johnson, so that’s a plus.
Reality: Nelson Cruz cost the O’s a run last night by playing in Left Field.
Perception: My question would by why is Buck so set on finding ways to get Nelson Cruz in the field? To me, the best line-up for this team see’s David Lough as the everyday left fielder, and Nelson Cruz as your every day DH. That leaves Delmon Young and Steve Pearce as bats off the bench.
Cruz dove for a ball off the bat of David Ortiz last night and missed it badly. The first thing I saw on twitter was from some Orioles beat writers who thought Lough would have caught that ball. If the Birds pitching staff is the biggest question mark of this season, then we need to have the very best defense behind them. Lough is better than Cruz in LF and as an everyday player could be better than McLouth was last season, as an everyday player.
Most teams have a set line-up for at least eight of the positions. Many don’t platoon players in multiple positions. I love the Buck works his line-ups and works his roster to make things fit the best that he can. But with the addition of Cruz this off-season, the Orioles line-up is a threat every night. You saw that Wednesday night, as the Red Sox pitched around Davis and Cruz made them pay with a two-run shot. Cruz is a threat at the plate, but he could also threaten to hurt his own team by playing the field every night.
No, last night’s misplay is not enough to pull the plug on Cruz playing left field… we all make mistakes. But when you go back and look at his time in Texas, you’ll see that he can hurt a team defensively, and for an Orioles team who needs solid defense to back their pitching staff, can you afford to have Cruz in the field?
Young and Pearce aren’t any better than Lough at the plate, so to me it’s an easy solution. Lough should play every day in Left Field while Cruz is the DH.
3 Responses
What is your take on Buck not pulling Ryan Flaherty in the bottom of the 9th last night, despite Flaherty being without a hit in the series?
I think that’s Buck being Buck. He’s a little stubborn (but I usually like it). He sticks with guys, even in “slumps”. Ryan will break out, and Buck was hoping it was last night. Pearce off the bench hasn’t seen action either so the chance of a hit was the same with Pearce or Flaherty.
I thought the same thing Mike H. Lombardozzi hit some lasers on Wedesday night, I would have pinch hit for him too.