Random Thoughts from The O's lost weekend in Cleveland

Friday 4/15 against the Tribe

-3rd inning - 2 extra outs with the throw to 3rd that Reynolds dropped and the Brantley bunt that Reynolds needed to call Britton off on; I suppose we stole an out but that was a mental error and a heads up play by the O's
- first pitch strikes - in the 5th Masterson had thrown 11 first pitch strikes in a row
- for first 6 games we were getting nearly all the close calls and this losing streak drives home the point that you need to get some breaks
-I understand Vladdy is a free swinger but man, when he is not hitting there is no one more frustrating! Take a pitch Vlad, settle down and stop pressing; we know what you are capable of
- big break on Scotts single up the middle when Lee was dead at third but Cleveland didn't catch the relay throw, but
- huge play by Everett on Jones' ground ball to end the 4th inning and save a run
- Lee may not be hitting, but his glove is phenomenal; I have been preaching for years how underrate a 1st baseman's defense is, and when you have someone who catches nearly everything that is thrown over at him, you realize what we've been missing
- Nobody on the O's hits more balls hard that turn into outs than Wieters
- Wieters has a hose!
- Hafner's HR in the 6th was on a 2-0 and it was right in his wheelhouse
- Masterson 80 pitches through 6 with 60 of them strikes, 20 out of 26 first pitch strikes and 73% strikes total!
- no shame in Britton's night as the 3rd inning could have been considerably better
- with the lack of offense the starters have so much press sure on them, and b/c Tillman lasted only whatever number of innings it was, the pressure was that much greater
- not turning double play in the B7after Rupe gave up a leadoff single to La Porta on a terrible 2 strike pitch
- Rupe isn't good but our offense is worse%
- with one exception, Cleveland made all the plays; Markakis' 1 hopper that SS Azdrubal Cabrera made to start the inning ending double- play
- too little too late
- so far, the bullpen and offense have been awful


Many random observations watching the O’s and some of the Sounders match on Saturday, 4/16

- we are just missing a lot of great pitches to hit, Markakis!
- Vlad sits Sunday and Fox DH's
- first pitch strikes again – The tribe’s pitchers are doing a great job of throwing strike ONE!
- Guthrie didn't have the velocity and movement he has had and got behind many hitters
- I lack patience watching this team and frequently fast forward through, especially watching guys like Gonzalez throw
- I have the same problem when watching the Sounders, and after watching the FA Cup semifinal, it's even more painful
- Scott made a really nice catch in LF
- work on hitting the ball the opposite way and these guys will improve dramatically; come on Jim Presley!
- Reynolds has swung the bat pretty well overall; pulls everything though
- hitting with RISP has been pathetic; hitting into double-plays at a much higher rate
- great play by Reynolds on the one hopper in the 8th but Lee dropped the throw; in the little I have seen of Reynolds at 3rd, his errors and general struggles seem to be with his throws, not with catching the ball (see Monday night to support this thought from two days earlier!)
- Berken – looked very solid and may be next in line to take a crack at the rotation

Sunday 4/17 against the Tribe

Sunday – very abbreviated

- The Tribe play fantastic defense the entire series; they made both routine and tough plays throughout the series
- The Tribe missed very few good pitches to hit, b/c I thought Bergy pitched pretty well; he seemed to get ahead more than Guthrie did yesterday but I don't know the numbers
- The first walk Carmona issued was in the 7th to lead off the inning

The Tribe simply beat the O’s like a drum, playing far superior defense (and I think the O’s put more pressure on their defense than the tribe did on the O’s). Again, the offense and the bullpen have been a disaster. We are getting good hits to pitch and simply not hitting them. Not sure what the answer is and whether this is just everyone hitting poorly at the same time, but it puts so much additional pressure on a starting staff that has already lost their #2 starter. And with the knowledge that the bullpen is a disaster, that adds to the pressure.