From Bad to Worse

The O’s season continues to spiral out of control, and the offense is anemic. With the arrival of Tillman and Matusz in the last few weeks I have certainly seen a glimpse of the future, but the future, to me, seems like 2011-2012 at this point. I’d expect both to show improvement through the end of this season as well as next, but also, plenty of growing pains. It’s a real shame that Bergesen got injured b/c he had a chance at ROY, but it’s just another indication that you can never have too much pitching, and that this organization really, really needs to start catching some breaks.

I know this organization has taken steps forward this year, but playing in the AL East means that you can’t just take baby steps forward, you need to take giant steps forward, especially considering where we have started each of the last couple seasons in the AL East pecking order. It’s pretty disheartening, really. We need at least another, if not two big bats in the line-up. I read today that we haven’t HR’d in 38 innings, and since the All-Star break, our avg with RISP has been abysmal. When you aren’t hitting HR’s and not hitting with RISP, have a pitching staff with a 5+ ERA, you just aren’t going to win many games. I know Wieters power will come around (but I really question whether he’s going to be a guy that he can hit top notch pitching, in particular, power pitchers) and I’d expect that Reimold will continue to show improved power, but will these guys be guys who, when coming to the plate, the opposing team’s pitcher is shaking in his spikes? That remains to be seen. Personally, I think the O’s probably need to say goodbye to Huff unless big things change (and we would likely get 2 draft picks for him b/c he’s a type A free agent) through the end of the year, and they need to make Luke Scott the permanent DH. After his smoking hot streak earlier this season we went into interleague play and he sat quite a bit, clearly getting rusty, and hasn’t been close to the same hitter ever since. I just think he needs to play regularly, and I’d prefer to keep him off the field unless he improves over the winter, preferably at 1B. I don’t understand why HE isn’t taking groundballs every day and devoting himself to a position, one that is a gaping hole, 1B?

Maybe they just give the job to Brandon Snyder next year and see what he can do. He’s had a very nice season between AA and AAA, and as long as he finishes strong and has a good spring training, perhaps that’s the O’s hope. He’s not a gold glover, but he’s got to be better than Huff (though he has exceeded my very low expectations this year) and Scott. Every time I see Mark Teixeira hitting bombs and scooping balls out of the dirt (or throwing home, off balance to get a streaking Oriole at home plate with no outs and the bases loaded), I get sick to my stomach. I know he didn’t want to play in Baltimore, I get that. But he was the single most important FA that could have helped the O’s in so many ways, and it’s just disappointing that after a dozen years of “trying,” the O’s weren’t in a position to convince Teixeira to play for his hometown team. Just pathetic!

I wonder who is going to get outs from the BP next year as well, much less the starters. Perhaps Uehara will be a mainstay in the pen next year, and if Chris Ray continues to get back on track, that’s a start. But beyond them and Jim Johnson (maybe Cla Meredith?), there will be quite a battle for spots b/c nobody has distinguished themselves this year, IMHO. Since I am a glutton for punishment though and my focus right now is watching the young guys get better, I’ll continue to tune in, but the Red Sox sweep and for the most part, the teams’ play since the All-Star break, has made it increasingly more difficult to devote much time to this team. It’s sad, but true. Go O’s, get that Oriole Magic back!