Doing It The Right Way: O's Beat Angels, 3-0, The Rundown...
Pitching, defense, timely hitting & making the key plays are essential to the success of any baseball team. For the past month, the Orioles have more or less become a national joke because of how bad the team has performed. For the most part, they have not executed one or more these key elements during a game recently.However, last night, Baltimore played good baseball, one based in fundamentals and doing the little things right. More importantly, they won last night.
Instead a football score, or a score out of co-ed or beer league softball, the black and orange shutout the Angels, 3-0.
Call-up Jon Leicester pitched 5 2/3 pitches where he kept the Angels at bay, and the bullpen came in and lifted the Orioles to victory.
The funny thing is that the line-up sans Nick Markakis, Kevin Millar and Aubrey did not have any regulars in the lineup. There was no Miguel Tejada, or B-Rob, or Mora, or Ramon slotted to play. Some fans were upset from not seeing the regulars, and I was a little shocked to see the Miguel didn’t play; however, the numbers don’t lie — the Orioles have been terrible when those guys have been in the lineup.
In my honest opinion, this one of the best games they have played all year. Rather than seeing a team play uninspired baseball waiting for an October tee-time, it was about time to give the guys a shot who may never see major league playing for a long time, if ever again.
With a lineup full off career minor-leaguers, 4A players and guys who are looking for a shot, strong defense and fundamental play was norm on Thursday night rather than the same old song and dance.
Let’s just say Miggy was not happy being benched, as he opined: “They feel like they want to give me a day off. I don’t know if it’s a day off or I’m sitting on the bench,” he said. “Then I can go somewhere else next year, [if] they have somebody that can play short. That would be nice for me.”
Miggy, you’re a athlete and although you are the highest paid one the team, you don’t determine the lineup each day.
The O’s are 20 games under .500 and a stone’s throw away from the bottom.
The manager decides who plays, thus suck it up. It’s not like everyone was performing with you in the lineup.
Maybe seeing a bunch multi-millionaires sitting on the bench will wake everyone up and send a strong message.
I don't think Trembley should have been suspended for three games; however, you'll pay if you ever show up an umpire, and Cabrera, the suspension is just about right. He'll miss a start, but he was so wrong in the case that it is not even funny.
Roch Kubatko has his news and thoughts from Oriole-land in his blog, and Bill Ordine has his take from last night.
Like I mentioned above, most of the regulars were not in the lineup on Thursday and that had a few fans concerned and little miffed. At this point, this month is about evaluation and testing out the young guys, not so much winning the games. Well, the team having been so bad closing out season that you might as well light a fire under their a**es.
Dave Trembley's blowup was classic, and Childs Walker of the Sun compares him to the masters, Weaver, Piniella, et. al...
The Baltimore Examiner has a-not-so-flattering piece on the top class action lawyers in America, and Peter Angelos appears on the list...
No comments:
Post a Comment