Reality: The Baltimore Orioles starters are ranked 21st in MLB with a 4.62 ERA.
In 4 starts this year vs. the AL East, Chris Tillman is 3-0 with an ERA of 1.46.
— Steve Melewski (@masnSteve) May 4, 2016
Perception: Everyone knew coming into this season that the Orioles season was going to hinge on the success of the Birds starters. Overall, they haven’t been stellar, but they really haven’t been terrible. Yes, they need to go deeper in games, but they are not getting shelled as a whole.
Over his past 3 starts, Chris Tillman has an ERA of 1.37 (3 runs over 19 2/3 IP) with 22 strikeouts.
— Steve Melewski (@masnSteve) May 4, 2016
When you look at all O’s pitchers, they are ranked 9th in baseball with a 3.66 ERA. Chris Tillman has looked like the 2014 Tillman that we were all hoping to see. In Monday’s game, Tillman went 7.0 strong innings and was hitting the mid-90s with his fastball. Opponents are hitting just .205 against him. Let’s hope it continues.
Reality: Jake Arrieta has won 17 consecutive decisions and is 6-0 this year with a 0.84 ERA.
#Cubs Jake Arrieta is now 17-0 with a 0.66 ERA in his last 19 regular season starts.
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) May 4, 2016
Perception: Fans never like to see a guy who used to be on their team succeed with a different team, but Baltimore seems to be having an even harder time with it, when it comes to Jake Arrieta.
We all know how good the Cy Young Award winner has been over the last two seasons. You can be upset if you want to be, but without a doubt, Arrieta was not going to succeed here. Many, including Zach Britton, believe it was not the Orioles organization that kept Arrieta from succeeding in Baltimore, but that it was a rocky relationship with former pitching coach Rick Adair. Adair was very strict on how he wanted Arrieta (and all the Orioles) to pitch. Britton thinks Arrieta would have been successful with the O’s if he was here now with current pitching coach Dave Wallace.
My question is this: does Arrieta’s success now make the front office rethink trading away young pitchers? Or, was this just one of those freak isolated incidents and it will not be considered at all in future player moves?
The Orioles have plenty of good young pitchers that they have been holding on tightly to… Kevin Gausman, Dylan Bundy, Tyler Wilson, Mike Wright, Hunter Harvey…and have had many opportunities to trade them away. Could that be in response to Arrieta, or just something that Dan Duquette believes needs to happen to help this club succeed in the future?
Reality: Mark Trumbo is 10th in MLB in Average, tied for 4th in HR, tied for 7th in RBIs, and 10th in hits.
Trumbo first 25 games with O's: .337/.381/.612, 8 HR, 22 RBI
Cruz first 25 games with O's (2014): .289/.373/.557, 7 HR, 25 RBI
— BalSportsReport (@BalSportsReport) May 4, 2016
Perception: You might be watching Orioles games and thought something seemed familiar with Mark Trumbo. Well, you would be right. ESPN’s Eddie Matz wrote about it Tuesday.
Remember Nelson Cruz? The Orioles got him just before the 2014 season, on a one-year deal, after a lot of people thought he might be past his prime. Cruz turned in one of his best seasons and propelled the O’s to the postseason.
Trumbo is on a one-year deal, trying to resurrect his career and so far so good for the Bomber.
They were both struggling outfielders who held their own in Camden Yards, even if it was shaky at times. When you look at their stats through their first 25 games in Baltimore, they are eerily similar. I just hope that Trumbo leads the Birds to the playoffs and then stays here with a new contract.
Reality: The Orioles are fighting for 1st in the AL East with a 16-11 record and a .593 winning percentage.
Perception: If you project out a .593 winning percentage over the entire 162 game season, that equals 96 wins. That would get the Orioles to the playoffs, and would probably get them an AL East title. All Orioles fans would have to be happy with that season, right? But for some reason, I am still seeing some frustrations with this team. Yes, they let one get away against the White Sox, but they are still playing good baseball, and with Adam Jones missing a good amount of games, and now J.J. Hardy on the DL, the Orioles are finding ways to win.
The O’s are good enough and they will fight for the playoffs all season long. As a fan, that is all that I can ask for from my team…a chance at the playoffs. Because one you get there, anything can happen…and Why Not?!
