PiR: O’s, Gallardo, Rickard Start off 2016 On the Right Foot

REALITY: The Baltimore Orioles have won their last eight regular season games.

Dating back to last year, #Orioles have won 8 straight regular season games. Won last 5 of last season.

— Eduardo A. Encina (@EddieInTheYard) April 8, 2016

PERCEPTION: I know, you can’t count “last year to this year” stats as continual, but it’s fun when they add up favorably for your team. As bad as they started in spring, it’s nice to see them show all the naysayers something. This team is going to fight and claw their way through the season…that’s what Buck Showalter teams do. They will not go without a fight, and I believe they will be in the playoff fight for a long time.

REALITY: Baltimore has gone to the playoffs six of the 11 times they have started 3-0.

Out of the 11 seasons the @Orioles have started off 3-0, they've gone to the playoffs 6 times.

— O's Stats & Facts (@BirdlandStats) April 8, 2016

PERCEPTION: It is a long season, but at the end of the year, the playoffs can come down to just a one or two game difference. Anytime you win three games in a row during the baseball season that is a positive accomplishment, whether it’s at the beginning, middle, or end.

It always seems that in the NFL every game counts the most, because it’s such a short season. But when so many playoff teams in the American League hover around 82-87 wins, it also means that every game counts in the long baseball season too. A loss in April or May can come back to haunt you when you lose out on the Wild Card by just one game.

But if you want to feel good, of the last four times the O’s started 3-0, they made the playoffs three times. The last two years the O’s beat the Twins three in a row at any point in the season, they went to the playoffs.

REALITY: The Orioles let Wei-Yin Chen go as a free agent, and signed Yovani Gallardo to replace him.

Career numbers:
WYChen: 3.72 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 1.2 HR/9, 4.14 FIP
Gallardo: 3.66 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 0.9 HR/9, 3.75 FIP
Chen 80M – Gallardo 35M.

— Steve Melewski (@masnSteve) February 21, 2016

PERCEPTION: We will have to wait and see how it stacks up at the end of the season, but after one start each, it looks good. Plus, the O’s saved a whole lot of money but making this switch.

In Chen’s first start with the Marlins, he gave up five earned runs. Gallardo gave up one run and only two hits and got the win.

I think it really will be a wash by season’s end between these two pitchers, but I think it will be a positive one. The Orioles offseason should be good enough to cover up a lot of mistakes by their pitchers, but so far we haven’t seen many of those mistakes.

I still believe that Chen will be very good with the Marlins. He has the capability to flourish in the National League because of his consistency, and I wish him well. But for the money the Orioles saved by signing Gallardo, I think it will be a good swap.

REALITY: The Orioles tried to sign Dexter Fowler but instead filled his spot with Joey Rickard / Nolan Reimold.

Statistical comparison:
Dexter Fowler (Cubs) 5-for-10, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Joey Rickard (O's) 5-for-11, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Yes, it's early. #LongSeason

— Mark Viviano (@MarkWJZ) April 8, 2016

PERCEPTION: It’s early, and I really don’t see how Rickard continues at this pace, but so far, so good for the youngster. The fans are fully behind Rickard and his teammates are enjoying the ride too.

He is one of those guys who is easy to like. He looks just like you or me, but because he works so hard, he has been successful in this game. If you notice, most of his hits have been soft pop-ups that fall safely between the infield and outfielders. He is a perfect example of a Buck Showalter kind of guy and as long as he doesn’t hit a fatigue wall, he should be just as good as any corner outfielder the Orioles ran out there last year.

REALITY: The Orioles have 25 men on their roster, but may only play with 24.

Get warm on that bench Kim…. Joey Freakin' Rickard!!!!! #Orioles

— Joe Polek ????????⚾????⚽???? (@JoePolek) April 8, 2016

PERCEPTION: Hyun-soo Kim is only on the 25-man roster because he would not accept a demotion to the minors. So basically, the Orioles have two Rule 5 players on their team…meaning they have two players that have to stay on their major league roster all season (three if you throw in Dylan Bundy).

Kim will get some playing time, especially if Adam Jones heads to the DL. But if Rickard keeps playing as well as he has, Kim will be the last option.

So far, 11 Orioles have played offensively, out of the 13 on their roster. Ryan Flaherty and Kim are the only ones to not see action. If Jones goes on the DL, expect to see both of them in the lineup at some point, but Kim looks to be the last resort for Showalter.

REALITY: The Orioles are 3-0.

PERCEPTION: It’s a great start for the team predicted to finish in the bottom half of the AL East. Now they just need to keep it going. They have divisional games next, so they need to keep winning series. Three games at home against Tampa and then three games on the road in Boston. Let’s keep the good mojo going and get through April as well as we can.

This is a team that needs to keep their spirits high. If they are in first or second at the All Star break, you should see the Birds make a move for a pitcher and fight for the division and/or wild card all the way to the end.