Can't Put it All Together

Another loss by the Orioles that was a product of not being able to put all the pieces of the puzzle together.  Tonight the Orioles offense was on fire.  The starting pitching was not great, but still left the O's a chance for the win.  And then came the bullpen... allowing 9 runs in 3 innings...  That is just inexcusable. That is just how this Orioles team is.  They have flashes of being a better team, but then they get dragged down.  It just leaves fan with this hopeless feeling like; "shouldn't they be able to play better day to day if they are capable of this?"  It is an extremely hopeless feeling when you are amidst a HUGE skid.

So Much to Cover

Major League Baseball, I have but one question; Which school of thought do you subscribe to, that there are unwritten rules of baseball that should be followed?  or that throwing at a batter is unacceptable?

I ask this question because the MLB has cleared nothing up, and made a complete joke out of the suspensions handed down for the Orioles-Red Sox melee.  I understand the four games for Gregg and Ortiz (Ortiz charged the mound, so his suspension is greater.  Gregg being a closer, the suspension is likely for less games).  The three games for Gonzo is also difficult to argue.  However, where is the suspension for the Red Sox pitchers who hit Orioles after warnings had been issued?  Where is the Kyle Weiland suspension?  And where is the subsequent Francona ejection?  Last I heard Weiland did not even receive a fine.

Day 24 of one of the most humiliating runs the Orioles have ever had (feels a bit like the beginning of last year, hopeless).  The biggest question that STILL needs answered is "what has changed that has made the Orioles change from the brink of mediocrity to completely terrible?"

There are two major things that changed at almost the exact same time as the Orioles went into their serious downspin.  I have addressed one of these occurrences already; Mark Connor's resignation.  It is easy to point at his resignation and blame that for the team's woes (mainly because it feels like the Orioles have gone months without a quality start).  It is also highly likely that a big part of the problem is the change in pitching coach.  The other significant event, however, is that John Russell moved from being the Orioles third base coach and became the bench coach.  Since Connor left the Orioles are 6-20, but since Russell has taken over as bench coach, the team is 4-16 (that is 2-4 after Connor, before Russell moved). 

That is not a lot to go on to be able to tell if Russell's move might be part of the issue, but that is why it is worth a look at the matter of wins and losses.  In the four games the O's lost post Mark Connor (before Russell's move) the Orioles lost by 3 runs of fewer in 3 of the four losses.  In the 16 losses the Orioles have had since Russell moved, they have lost by 3 runs or fewer in only 5 of the games (including a 9-3 to Pittsburgh, 10-5 loss to Cincinnati, 13-4 and 13-5 losses to Texas, getting outscored 32-13 in a four game sweep in Boston, and last nights 8-4 loss at home.

Is it possible that John Russell (someone without a great track record managing) is a bad voice to have in Showalter's ear?

This Has Got to Stop

The belief (one that I share myself) is that Buck Showalter should be in Baltimore for years to come.  However, upon inspecting tonight's lineup, Vladimir Guerrero is still penciled in as the clean-up man.  While I understand that the Orioles do not have a true clean-up hitter (no Vlad is not, anymore) and it can be effective to stick with a guy when he is slumping, but the fact of the matter is that it has been too long, and the O's are struggling too much.  I am not saying "bench Vlad."  I am just saying, put him in a lower batting slot.  While his average is still up around .280, the fact of the matter is... he is NOT putting up RBIs.  The Orioles over some of their struggles have put up multiple games where their hit totals are close to 15, but they have put up 5 or less runs.  It is unacceptable, and it starts with the middle of the lineup.  I truly believe that in times of deep peril (like the Orioles are facing) you turn to the players who are hot, and you slot them in places where they can give you the best results.  Move Vladdy down, and maybe he will pick back up with the pressure off of him.  Isn't it at least worth a shot?  There is not much to lose at this point.

Another Excuse. Only This One is Justified

For years us Oriole fans have endured countless excuses on the poor performance of the team.  While many of them have merit (we are members of the AL East), excuses become a losers easiest medicine.  That is something Baltimore baseball fans have had to perpetually deal with, year after year. 

Injuries are another scapegoat everyone blames (even us fans).  That is because, frankly, injuries can often surprise you.  This year with a laundry list of Orioles being hurt at one point or another (Roberts, Scott, Hardy, Lee, Matusz, Arrieta, Izturis, Uehara) its easy to say "THAT IS WHY WE ARE BAD!"  But the reality is folks, every team has injuries.  Furthermore, not that many of them are unpredictable...  Roberts- it was a foregone conclusion that he would be out AT LEAST a couple months (evident by keeping Izturis around), Hardy- has had frequent injury woes, Lee- picked him up while he was injured, Uehara- injured a couple times each year, Matusz and Arrieta- At least one starter goes down every year per team, its not unpredictable that two would.  Injuries are part of the game, they are no excuse.

There is one place where the Orioles fans might find a valid scapegoat.  That is when it comes to Pitching Coach Rick Adair.  Those who are calling for his firing are acting on our quickest of impulses.  They see the formula- Orioles Pitching Decent - Mark Connor = Orioles Pitching TERRIBLE.  The only problem is Adair may not be to blame.  It is just a bad situation.  Pitching coaches work so closely with the starting pitching in the majors.  They know their exact flaws and strengths.  They know them, in many cases, better then their mothers do.  Rick Adair being thrust into that role and not finding immediate success is not a surprise (time is required).  The pitching staff's inadequacies currently may not be due to Adair (in general), but more due to the learning curve.  I hate to say it, but Connor kind of left us here in Birdland... alone.

The excuses in Baltimore have to end, but that doesn't mean sometimes you don't just have bad luck.