This is my weekly view of everything Orioles and baseball. It’s a wrap up of the last seven days and a look ahead for Baltimore’s baseball team. I’ll provide a unique perspective on the game from a different place, the west coast.
To say the Orioles had a rough week on the field would be an understatement. After sweeping the Rangers in Texas coming out of the All-Star break, the O’s have lost five out of seven. Last week’s pair of one-run losses to the Royals in Kansas City makes it especially tough to swallow. KC is a team most think the Birds should be able to beat, and only taking one of the four games is looked at as a disappointment, no doubt. The fact that the Red Sox finally solved the mystery of how to get past the O’s doesn’t make things any easier to swallow. Prior to the weekend series, Baltimore had won five of the seven meetings between the two teams this year.
As I wrote in previous weeks, with a later All-Star break than usual this year, the end of the season will sneak up on people. The Orioles are 58-48, with just 56 games remaining in the regular season. That means there’s just 34.6% of the season left to be played. Does that seem like a big number to you? It sure doesn’t to me.
I’ve also pointed out that this next stretch of the schedule is one the O’s have to make some ground up on. The next 18 games will be played against teams that are, at least in my mind, below average. In fact 15 of those 18 games will be against teams with losing records. The exception is a three-game series against the Diamondbacks in Arizona, and at 54-and-51, even they are nothing to write home about. The O’s get the next six at home with the Astros and Mariners entering the Yard. No one is going to tell you the team has to go 6-0 or bust, but this is the chance the Birds have to make a dent. Following the conclusion of the home stand, it’s a west coast swing that sees the O’s play two in San Diego, three in San Francisco and those three in Arizona. The stretch of games closes with three more against the Rockies back in Baltimore. If the Orioles can’t get at least 12 of the next 18, I honestly think winning the AL East will be tough. The O’s may look as if they’ve been sleepwalking through the last week, but if they can wake up before the Astros come knocking on the door tomorrow, this would be the time to go on a run similar to the one we are seeing the Rays put up right now. The Birds have the potential to run through this portion of the schedule and win 16 out of 18. They CAN be that good. The question is, will they actually perform that well?
The competition will stiffen after this stretch of games as Baltimore will be faced with contending teams like the Rays, Athletics, Red Sox, Yankees and Indians. Sure there are a few White Sox and Blue Jays games sprinkled in there, but the majority of these games will be against teams that are still in the hunt. That makes it tough. The one positive you can take from this final stretch is that the O’s will be playing teams they are trying to catch in the standings. It’s always easier to chase down a team when you are playing them. Either way, it’s a big challenge for the final push to what will hopefully be a second straight playoff berth.
If Major League Baseball decides to turn a blind eye on David Ortiz and his absolute meltdown from Saturday night, it would be an awful shame. Bud Selig needs to come down on this type of behavior and suspend “Big Papi” for two or three games. My eyebrows raised earlier in the season when Ortiz uttered his now famous, “This is my (expletive) city,” phrase in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings. While the situation was somber and that of rebuilding morale at the time, I never thought Ortiz should’ve said such a thing on national television and in front of the tens of thousands in the crowd. Why expose people to that kind of language when you don’t have to? Saturday night’s telephone beat down was just another example of Papi’s antics and he should be sat down for a couple of games and lose a few game checks. Is this the type of person that MLB wants as a face of the game? I wouldn’t want MY children acting like that, so why should we let young folks look up to him?
For those who missed it, the Angels’ second straight disappointing campaign took another hit yesterday when Albert Pujols was placed on the 15-day disabled list with an ailing foot injury. It’s likely going to keep him out for the rest of the season. It’s been a real shame to watch Pujols’ decline over the past few seasons since leaving St. Louis. The Angels are a team that tried to go all in with payroll and compete with the Dodgers across town, but it hasn’t worked out. They are now a team that would love to trade away some players, but the large contracts will prevent much action. Pujols is a glaring reminder of this, and will be for some time.
Another weekend story you may have missed is that of Tino Martinez resigning as hitting coach of the Miami Marlins. I know what you are saying right now -Tino Martinez was the hitting coach of the Miami Marlins? Is this the same Tino Martinez that starred at first base for the Yankees back in the day? Yes, it’s the same Tino Martinez. This story takes a twist when you find out why he resigned. You may think Martinez left because he can’t get the Marlins to hit. In reality, a few players have come forward and claimed that Martinez abused them physically and verbally. The whole thing smells a bit “fishy” to me, but Martinez did admit to using a few “four-letter words” and at one point grabbing second baseman Derek Dietrich by the front of the jersey during a batting practice session. Martinez never came across as this type of guy, so I’m not entirely sure what to make of it. Hopefully he can get himself right and find whatever type of treatment he may need to land back on his feet.
Finally, the trade deadline is nearly upon us and that means over the next 48 hours or so, you will hear the Orioles linked to just about every player in baseball in some sort of rumor. Every year this time rolls around and each season we THINK the O’s may make a big splash. I don’t see it happening this time around. I don’t think the Orioles have enough pieces in the farm system to make a significant move to acquire a bat or an arm. They also don’t seem inclined to take on any big contracts and increase payroll. We shall see come Wednesday at 4 pm Eastern. There are talks of bringing in a hitter such as the Twins’ Justin Morneau, Mariners DH Michael Morse, Padres slugger Carlos Quentin or Phillies infielder Michael Young. It wouldn’t surprise me if any of those guys were in Baltimore by the end of the week, but it also wouldn’t surprise me if they stayed put. The Birds could also still be in search of someone to replace Jason Hammel in the rotation. All I know is, I’m not getting too attached to any rumor or report until I hear the deal is done. Whether or not the O’s do stand pat, one thing is for sure; the players on the roster now have to step up and play better than they have of late if they want to play in a second straight postseason.
Orioles Player of the Week:
CF – Adam Jones: The unquestioned leader of the team is continuing another stellar season while manning center field for the O’s. Jones hit .310 last week and knocked in five while hitting two homers. It wasn’t a good week offensively for Baltimore, but Jones has been the closest thing to a consistent hitter the Birds have had.
American League Player of the Week:
1B – Edwin Encarnacion (TOR): After hitting .520 with two homers and eight RBI, Edwin Encarnacion gets the nod as the AL PoW this time around. He posted a 1.461 OPS while walking five times and striking out just once in seven games. If only Gary Thorne could remember how to pronounce his name.
National League Player of the Week:
RF – Giancarlo Stanton (MIA): Ever since Giancarlo Stanton returned from an early-season injury, he’s been just about everything you’d expect Giancarlo Stanton to be. Last week the Marlins superstar hit .478 with three homers and six RBI while posting a 1.687 OPS. As long as he keeps aiming to knock out that atrocious statue in center field in Miami, I’ll root for the guy.
Be sure to tune in for my weekly appearance on The Coach’s Buzz on CBS Sports Radio 1300 tonight at 7:15 pm. You can also now view some more of my thoughts on the Orioles at MASNSports.com every Thursday where I will guest blog throughout the rest of the season.
That’s this week’s West Coast View. Go O’s!
