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. The news of the week for the Orioles is obviously that they’ll be without J.J. Hardy for some time. The loss of Hardy will most definitely hurt the Birds, but there’s no doubt they can withstand it. This is where the Orioles are thankful they have a player like Ryan Flaherty to come back from Norfolk and step in. He can play anywhere, and while he won’t provide much with the bat, he can play well enough defensively to withstand the loss of Hardy for now.
It’s more disappointing to lose Hardy, who appears to be cursed with injuries lately. He’s getting up there in age and it’s tough to see him go down once again. We may be seeing the beginning of the end of his time in Baltimore as his contract slowly dwindles into next year.
2. The one positive that Hardy’s injury brings is that it gives us a chance to see Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop play the middle infield together. That’s a thing of beauty. I know there are a lot of people who are opposed to seeing Machado move off of third base, even in the short-term, but goodness it is fun to watch. He has so much range that seeing him make all of the different throws and turn double plays is just a joy.
It’ll be interesting to see what the Orioles try to do long term with Machado. Putting him at shortstop opens him up to more risk of injury, but having a bat like that in the position is so valuable. It’ll all depend on who the Orioles get down the road to fill the spot left when Hardy leaves.
3. Count me squarely in the camp that believes both Nolan Reimold and Hyun-Soo Kim need to see a bit more playing time. Joey Rickard was a great story to start the season, but he’s significantly slowed down. Even more so than his offense, Rickard’s defense has looked especially shaky. Some of the routes he takes to fly balls make Mark Trumbo look like a good fielder.
Even in limited playing time, Reimold and Kim have both proved to be capable with the bat. It’s clear that the Orioles were going to be a bit weak in the corner outfield spots this season, so they need all hands on deck to help pull the load.
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4. The Orioles have another significant injury on their hands, this time in the minor leagues. Hunter Harvey is down after having surgery for a hernia. This is yet another setback for the young arm, but luckily it’s not one that actually impacts his pitching. I’ve had experience with hernia surgery, and though I’m not a professional athlete, I know that the recovery does take time.
Some had hopes Harvey would be ready for a September call-up this year, but I think that timeline has been backed up yet again. Hopefully he’ll get a full season under his belt soon and avoid the disabled list after this latest hiccup.
5. Chris Tillman has been a pleasant surprise in the early part of the season. Tillman is sporting a 2.81 ERA with a 33/12 K/BB ratio in six starts this season (granted one of those was shortened by rain on Opening Day). Tillman’s numbers look nifty, but you wouldn’t know it watching him pitch at times. He still struggles to find the strike zone on a consistent basis and can often be frustrating to watch. But he’s putting the O’s in a position to win more times than not. That’s all you can ask for from this pitching staff. Much was made in the offseason of the need for Tillman to have a “bounce back” season this year. While he likely won’t put up these type of numbers all year, it’s a nice start and it’s helping the team.
6. The one thing I’ve learned from watching a few games with the Yankees this week is that the New York club really stinks. At least, they’ve played very poorly through the first month-plus of the season. Despite a 7-0 win over the Birds last night, the Yanks simply aren’t a very good team. I actually liked New York to win the division this season, but I’m not sure I can hang on to that belief if they continue to show what they have.
The one player that had started to hit a bit, Alex Rodriguez, is now shelved with an injury. I fully admit that the Orioles have their flaws, plenty of them in fact. But the Yankees and their fans have reason to worry if things keep heading down the road they are currently heading.
7. Speaking of the Yankees, we have a controversy on our hands. This is all very silly, but the response from Buck Showalter about “tarp-gate” seemed heated. If you haven’t heard, you can catch up over at Dan Connolly’s blog.
This all sounds like sour grapes from Joe Girardi, but in all honesty, there’s probably something to it. I don’t put it past anyone to try to gain a competitive advantage, especially in that way. Showalter denied it prior to yesterday’s game, as he should. What I really took note of was how quickly he came to the defense of head groundskeeper Nicole McFadyen. That was fun to see. Showalter gets fiery when defending the organization against others, and that’s exactly what you want out of your skipper.
8. Rumored Orioles target Tim Lincecum will hold a showcase event in Arizona tomorrow to throw for more than a dozen teams. The O’s are of course slated to be on hand to watch the two-time Cy Young winner, but don’t expect much to come of it. I have to think the Orioles are completely satisfied with letting Lincecum sign with another team.
Unless the 31-year-old, who is coming off hip surgery, is willing to take a minor-league deal, I’d expect the O’s to steer clear. If I had to guess, Lincecum is likely headed back to San Francisco or another National League club. He can potentially fill a long-relief role with someone, as long as he remains healthy.
