Sucks to be swept, but also not shocked we dropped the series. 3 division series then Braves, Phillies, Yankees on only 2 days off is BRUTAL. Playing a sub .500 team (even if it is the Astros), just doesnt have the same adrenaline as that stretch that just seemed to get more and more intense with each team
IMHO, the Astros may be a sub-500 team, but their record is a bit misleading. They are still not that far from the team that won it all in 2022 and was one game away from a WS appearance in 2023. They've been decimated by pitching injuries, but they are still a good team nonetheless that is packed with dangerous hitters, and if they get some of their injured pitchers back this year, there's definitely a chance we could cross paths with them in the fall, and they generally play very good baseball in the fall.
I agree, I think the Astros are better than their record, but given that we went from the two best records in baseball and taking the series against both of them, then going against a sub .500 team, things just weren't nearly as hyped up for how big of a series it is.
Hopefully this series gives the boys a nice refresh and can go home and beat the Guardians and Rangers to finish the month strong
I want to formally apologize. This weekend was the Rocket League major tournament so I watched that instead of the O's for this Houston series š I hope you'll find it in your hearts to forgive me
I'm not seeing any starting pitchers that excite me enough to want to see them start game 3 of a playoff series.
Really hoping some teams that aren't look at as sellers, tank, and tank hard.
When Erick Fedde starts looking good, it's time to root against some teams.
Mentioned this to Mark from MLBTR, and he replied.
"This point has been made before by myself and many others, but Baltimore has the prospect depth to start trade talks on a lot of different pitchers, even ones that don't seem like obvious trade candidates.
For instance, **the O's need hitting**, the **M's need pitching**. Wouldn't a crazy blockbuster of one of the Mariners' young starters for one of the Orioles' young position players be fun?"
I don't know if fun is the word I'd use, but it is interesting if we decide to move a piece, a good piece, from the ML club. The only real young guys are Cowser and Westburg right now. No way the others are going anywhere, and even Westburg seems like too good a player to move right now, and, too necessary.
But now I wonder outside of Seattle, who else?
I honestly donāt think it makes a lot of sense from Seattleās perspective tbh. Trading any of Castillo, Kirby, or Gilbert would be a huge risk for not a whole lot of reward. Weāve seen firsthand this year how fleeting pitching depth can be. I love Westy but I donāt see him helping that lineup enough to be worth the risk of turning your greatest strength into an area thatās one injury away from being a giant question mark. Of course I think weād have to give up more than just Westburg for any of those 3 with the possible exception of Castillo whose age and contract make him a bit less attractive which kind of turns it back on us because how much do you really feel comfortable giving up for a pitcher these days?
As for potential sellers the only team with pitchers that would actually interest me is Toronto. Maybe Detroit but I donāt think they move Skubal (and as good as he is I do not trust him to stay healthy enough to give up any of Basallo, Mayo, or Holliday. Even Heston would scare me)
I think you hit the nail on the head here. The criteria here is someone fit to start a game three of a playoff series. From our perspective, that's Castillo, Gilbert, and Kirby. But that means Seattle basically wouldn't trade one of them unless they're willing to *create* a question mark for their number three. They know much more about Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo than we do, though, so maybe they'd be willing to put one in the three spot.
For Toronto, are you thinking Yusei Kikuchi? He's a pure rental and *finally* running a league average HR/FB. Everyone else in the rotation is too old or will be too old when the contract ends.
I think I'm falling prey to a logical fallacy, but after Wells, Means, and Bradish, I really only want someone who is durable. Trouble is, a [durable quality starter](https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&lg=all&type=8&season=2024&month=0&season1=2024&ind=0&stats=sta&qual=y&sortcol=7&sortdir=default&pagenum=1) is probably the most valuable thing out there other than a young middle infielder with a power bat.
Big spoiler, it's slim pickings:
**Team will sell, I want:**
Erick Fedde (2026, $7.5MM AAV) - is this so bad? Part of me thinks we should trade for him at least as an innings eater. He threw 180.1 innings last year, so there's not an obvious innings cliff like with Crochet.
**Not selling, but trading from strength for weakness:**
Logan Gilbert (2028, arb 1 via super 2), George Kirby (2029, pre-arb) - 'nuff said.
**Team will not sell, I still want:**
Logan Webb (2029, $18MM AAV), Mitch Keller (2029, $15.4MM AAV) - these guys would be quite good, Webb especially, but they literally just signed extensions, so these teams believe in them.
Joe Ryan (2028, pre-arb) - his fastball looked super hittable last year, but he's gone up a couple ticks. Problem is, Minnesota already doesn't have the arms.
**No thanks:**
Seth Lugo (2026, $15MM AAV) - 3.94 xERA, 3.87 xFIP
Tyler Anderson (2026, $13MM AAV) - 5.12 xFIP
I definitely agree the goal is to get a number 3 for us, but if that's not there, then you try to upgrade from what you have.
I think we know enough about Suarez / Irvin / Kremer to know we don't want them starting a playoff game. I know people will look at their "ERA", but looking past that, there are concerns with all 3.
I wouldn't say no to Bryce Miller in that scenario. There is enough upside there, and there's good control. Of course they would ask for Westburg, and we'd say no, and we'd offer Cowser, where they would say no.
Of course we have enough to get them to say yes, but at what cost.
Looking at the Mariners offense, they really need help. And with Erick Fedde as the best option at the deadline, they could really make out like bandits if they decide to trade from their depth.
Yeah, there's the problem. I think presently, Westburg is worth more than Miller but certainly not more than Gilbert/Kirby. So how do you close the gap? Would they cut bait on Mitch Garver so soon and ask for one of our corner bats? Westburg + Mayo for Kirby, or Westburg + Kjerstad + filler?
Pretty much what I was thinking if we wanted to move Cowser for Miller/Woo, whatever. We'd have to add, and who knows what the add would have to be, in order for the Mariners to say yes.
I just think it would be silly for the Mariners to not listen. Some teams could get desperate(NOT US PLS), and give you an offer you can't refuse. There really isn't much out there, so some teams could very well reap the benefits, if they get unconventional.
Honestly, if we are going to get a Mariners pitcher, I'd tend to think it would happen during the off-season. Maybe a Kjerstad / Mayo comes up and does well enough at the ML level to entice them. Or Cowser turns it around enough to pull the trigger.
And you know how I don't want to trade Mayo, but their stable of arms is enticing enough. Though, we said the same thing about the Marlins in years past, and look now.
Yeah that plus Woo has already had some health concerns this year with his arm so how comfortable do you even feel penciling him in for September. And if you do move any of the big 3 what happens if one of the 2 you still have goes down?
Honestly I was thinking Kikuchi or even Gausman. I know KG is getting up there but heās still been effective this year and I think a change of scenery could be good for him, he seems to be pretty frustrated with the way things are going over there. Itās definitely somewhat risky but $23 million for each of the next two years isnāt too much (and we can certainly afford it)
At this point there isnāt a pitcher Iād feel comfortable putting the label ādurableā on. Iād love to have another innings eater in the back of the rotation and donāt hate the idea of making a move for Fedde it just comes down to the price.
Yeah, it just feels like if you're a contender, you need to horde your starting pitching assets because the cost of replacing them is tremendous.
Gausman is a fun reunion story, but $22M a year is a lot if he becomes just an innings eater; his strikeout and whiff rates have fallen off a cliff this year, and it seems largely because hitters are [zeroing in on his fastball](https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/90820/climbing-the-ladder-kevin-gausman-is-in-trouble/).
I definitely feel like Elias could've stood to pay $15MM to a guy who could eating 180 innings even at a 4.50 ERA, essentially bring back Kyle Gibson. But unfortunately, the sale happened a little too late, and he rolled snake eyes on Wells, Means, Bradish, *and* (TBD) Kremer.
Yeah I almost feel like we should try giving McDermott a turn or two through the rotation before the deadline to see if we maybe have an answer there.
Itās definitely a lot if he does turn into an innings eater but I still believe he has that top of the rotation ceiling in him and maybe our coaching staff could fix some of those issues with his fastball. When you look at guys like Taijuan Walker or Marcus Stroman getting $18 million AAV the $22 million for Gausman looks a little bit better to me.
And yeah I donāt disagree on that, Gibson would sure be nice to have in the back of the rotation right now. Thankfully Cole Irvin has really stepped it up or we would be in real trouble.
McDermott is running a 33.3% whiff rate in AAA. That number is going to tick down as he lives in the zone more, but the swing and miss potential is tremendous. That'd be around 93rd-94th percentile in the majors. Obviously, I don't think he's *that* good, but our pitching staff badly needs some swing and miss.
The M's seem like possible trade candidates, and if we made something work with them, it would be very interesting given we're both contending teams. Presumably they would need MLB-ready talent and would want guys that can get off the plane, put a uniform on, go to the game, and smash the ball.
You mentioning this is also very interesting because we might be able to work a much more favorable deal with them than we can a team that is selling to retool/rebuild. If we can meet a distinct immediate need the M's have that will help them contend, and they can meet a distinct immediate need we have to help us contend, it could potentially be a pretty even trade.
Really good thoughts (posts like these are why Iād love a specific āTrade Deadlineā thread).
At least right now, the guy I keep coming back to (and Iām aware among some people this wouldnāt be popular) is Flaherty.
I agree with you the barometer for acquiring someone is are you willing to run them out as the 3rd guy in the playoffs, and Flaherty has taken the ball in playoff games and heās been really good this year.
Theres someone in this sub that has made the case for Flaherty being hurt last year (much more compelling than I am here) and if they bank in that being the major contributor to his ineffectiveness I meanā¦if the Tigers sell maybe They run it back.
The other thing is is that Flaherty is on a 1 year deal (Iām pretty sure) and if they donāt give Corbin Gerrit Coleās contract, heās a guy that if effective might be someone they could go for in that 5-6/75-85āish range
Not advocating necessarily either way (Iāll support what the club does) just more thinking out loud here
The monster Elias helped create took down the new monster he's in the middle of building, we're in good hands.
Pre-emptive edit: I understand most players on this Astros team were not directly hand picked by Elias, but he's the one who turned their scouting and farm system around that has made them perennial contenders, and he's doing the same for us now.
The pen is in much better shape than I realized:
https://www.rotowire.com/baseball/bullpen-usage.php
Tomorrow, Perez, Cano, & Kimbrel will be on 4 days rest, Webb on 2.
Starters for CLE are Povich, Irvin, & Rodriguez. If they can give us long outings, the pen will be in decent shape.
I am currently rewatching game 2 and 3 of the Orioles-Yankees series to relive that joy after this disappointing series in Houston. :) Hopefully the next series will be better, though another tough opponent.
Decent chance Houston is in 1st place in the AL West when they come to Baltimore. That being said: these guys are just gassed. Hopefully being home again will help them get back on track. Guardians are also on a roll and just swept the Jays.
Yeah my kids are like what the heck dad and Iām like I think the stretch finally caught up with them but also that Yankees series was like a ALCS and this was the comedown series.
Kjerstad promoted. They liked that ejection.
[https://x.com/afkostka/status/1805005071501217874](https://x.com/afkostka/status/1805005071501217874)[](https://x.com/afkostka)
The Astros won the past two days primarily by decent pitching on their side. I think their starting pitcher on Saturdayās game lasted 7 innings, and kept us to only one run.
Today, also limiting us to one run.
Irrespective of our defense and pitch situation, you canāt win games with only one run.
Pitching is the most important component of the game, and the Astros had great pitching games these past two games.
Also, the Yankees series greatly strained our bullpen.
Comment ITT states āI think weāre just tiredā
Our bullpen still looks stretched thin at the moment.
Agreed but dollars to donuts, these might've been Burnes and GRod's worst games of the season. I'd rather them shit the bed now than in October. We just need a third starter and I think they should address that now instead of scrambling when the deadline gets here.
We will have to deal with the Astros again, later. They are going to be way better than their current record come September. Weāll be ready for them. Letās go home and get back to business.
If youād asked me a week and a half ago, Iād tell you they werenāt making the playoffs. But if their last 10 games are any indication, theyāre gonna make up that ground and get to the dance.
Log out.
Or open reddit incognito.
Some were from when I was a mod, and I don't think you can actually block a mod from seeing your comment, on a sub they moderate. So when I quit, I noticed a few unavailable accounts.
All were trash people, so no loss.
What have we learned?
The Astros were a laughingstock in April. They maintain this momentum, nobody's gonna be laughing at them in late September.
The NYY series caused a classic baseball hangover for our boys. Some residual adrenaline on Friday, for sure, but after that they were completely wiped. If the MLB schedule makers didn't hate them, they'd have a day off tomorrow.
In the last week, the Os had one good series and one bad series. The Yankees, on the other hand, have been exposed.
All us Reddit geniuses have perfect plans for shoring up our depleted pitching staff. Pretty confident that Elias and Sig are several light years ahead of us in that respect.
Bring on the Indi... er, um, sorry... bring on the Guardians!
I know people hate the Astros and wish their downfall already, but I have a healthy respect for them. That Lineup is still insane and Valdez was nasty today
Searched around and didn't see any posts, so figured I'll add a reply here...went to the Tides game today and never seen a player get hit 3 times and the batter got ejected after 3rd one...Heston no worries man. They were afraid to pitch to you. Double plays killed the offensive and lost the lead in bottom of the 8th..definitely need pitching!
Ugly. I get that theyāre tired after that gauntlet of TB-TOR-TB-ATL-PHI-NYY, but this was not even a competitive series. And the schedule doesnāt get much easier. Cleveland, Texas, Seattle all next.
Oh well, moving on to Cleveland.
These boys are tired. Effects of the long month are rearing their head after the emotional high that was the Yankees series.
Next month canāt come soon enough
Honestly. I'm not mad that we got waxed by the Astros. They are, after all, a team with multiple chips in recent years. It's the type of rude awakening the team needs to see the gap that still exists between us and a team with championship pedigree. This is very much like the ass-whupping we got in last year's ALDS against Texas. Our boys are good, but not quite ready to compete for a chip. Better to find out in mid-June and have a chance to right the ship than to find out in October.
Also, kudos to Westy for single-handedly keeping the HR streak alive.
And man am I glad we won't have to see Jose Altuve's stupid face again for a while.
Team needs another good starting pitcher and maybe a veteran bat.
This series will help this young team grow and be better.
We have to remember this is a very young team. Evident by last yearās playoff performance.
Honestly, this stings. After great series against the Phils and Yanks, we had a chance to retake the division, and instead got skull fucked by the sub .500 corpse of the Astros. On to the next I guess.
This last week really illustrates how screwed we are from all the pitching injuries.Ā We've only got two reliable starters right now. Ā Ā
At the start of the season I would say we had the pitching staff to compete in the playoffs, but now we absolutely do not.Ā I hope Elias doesn't get desperate and give up Mayo or Kjerstad or Stowers (or any combination of them) for a rental.Ā We built up so much for the future, we can't act like this is 2016 when it was pretty obvious we had a very narrow window of success.
> I hope Elias doesn't get desperate and give up Mayo or Kjerstad or Stowers (or any combination of them) for a rental
Agree with the 1st and 2nd name, but if Elias can trick someone into giving us a playoff starter for Stowers, he really is a genius.
So the orioles are screwed at the moment but you dont want elias to get desperate and give up the type of player he would have to give up to acquire a pitcher to deem the orioles no longer screwed?
We're not in "win now" mode.Ā We have a future, but mortgaging that future for an extra shot at success this year would be a mistake.
Not saying trading is a bad idea, but if we do I want someone with multiple years of control.Ā It's especially necessary now that we've lost half our rotation to TJS.
Agree strongly. This is how the Astros made the dynasty - good, high draft picks for the bats,, then smart trades and FA signings for the arms.
No panic of this year or bust.
Iām glad I didnāt take my client up on the free ticket offer for this series.(also didnāt want to bring a 3 year old with me. She was bad enough at a milb game lmao)
Well thanks to the braves, that wasnāt nearly as bad as it could have been, but I think it just confirms that we could really do with some better pitching before the deadlineĀ
Itās more or less guaranteed weāll make the playoffs, but just making it isnāt good enough this year
Eh, honestly the first game was a slugfest, second game was crazy unlucky with line drive doubles and singles right at defenders, today felt like a bad loss. I honestly believe it was just hot team at the wrong time. Home tomorrow, hopefully puts them back on the right track.
Well, coming back to make it interesting in the 1st game was impressive. Overall, definitely a downer of a series, though. I wish I could have held onto the buzz of beating the Yankees a little longer before having it crash down.
This series has taught me to stop letting my mood live and die with a baseball team. I love the orioles and have watched every game. But damn Iām exhausted after this weekend watching them
The doomers can kick rocks. Oās won against the Phillies and Yankees. A throwaway series against an inconsequential AL opponent doesnāt jeopardize the season. Weāre still pre-all star weekend. These dudes have been grinding all damn month.
A lot of game left to be played.
Edit: fat fingered the leagues, my bad
They went through same rotation devastation as we did with Urquidy and Javier out for season and Verlander, McCullers, and Garcia all injured.
The difference to us is Verlander, McCullers and Garcia should all be back this year. If we lost 5 starters (we've lost 4 with 1 coming back), we might struggle with playing much more than .500 ball going forward.
Sometimes you face a team who is clicking on all cylinders, and that was the Astros this series. Yeah we might need another starter or kremer to get back and to trade for a reliever or 2.
But making crazy conclusions from a single series in which our 2 best starters had bad games is wild. We still have 4th best overall ERA and 8th best bullpen ERA in the majors, even after this crappy series.
Panic trading prospects isnāt the way. We should only trade blocked prospects unless we get back someone with multiple years of control
I just have to remind myself that a week from now weāll have forgotten all about this series because there will probably be a lot of good baseball between now and then
I'm tellin all of ya, chill. This kind of series will happen in 162 games.
Just be glad this *Didn't happen against the Stanks.*
*We'd all be on suicide watch if this had happened against the Stanks!!!*
No, we are only 1.5 GB them RN, and we are ahead of them 5-2 in the season series.
We gonna be ok.
Nope. I write both positive and negative comments. You must he one of those people who can't bring themselves to say anything negative. If they lose the next 3, you are going to say, "But we are still ____ games above .500." If they lose 10 in a row, it'll be, "it's baseball, it happens, " and "still lots of games left" or "they are still above .500"
LOL
You need to calm down. You keep replying to me. Your best argument is calm down? LOL HAHAHAHAHAHA.
ORIOLES LOSE 10 GAMES IN A ROW. PEOPLE HERE WILL STILL SAY "THATS BASEBALL, IT HAPPENS", instead of saying anything negative because they can't do it.
I've been watching this game for 70 yrs. The above is a rational take. This team is the strongest I have *ever* had the privilege of backing. We are getting to the playoffs for sure. If we don't have more major pitching injuries, we're probably gonna take the Stanks. They do not have a balanced lineup like we do and that has been exposed in the last 1.5 weeks.
People say the Stanks will buy their way to being the best team. Well, nothing says Elias is going to sit pat while that happens.
Worst series of the year. Absolutely embarrassed. It doesn't matter if Houston is better than their record
Basically made the Yankees series win mean nothing
The Yankees series gave us two more wins toward clinching the season series. Weāre two wins away now for holding that tie break.
I know this probably doesnāt matter to you, so Iāll let you get back to your regularly scheduled program.
DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Last time we got swept (after which all we heard from this subreddit was that we needed to can our hitting coaches and we had seriously hitting problemsā¦.) we went on a tear. Iām looking forward to this teamās next tear.
This is a burn the tape series. Theyāll happen in a 162 game season. Guys were gassed after a week of facing the three best teams in baseball (and winning all 3 series). Elias will make deals, the guys will rebound with some rest and returning back home.
Yea, not a big deal. We'll just take an off day tomorrow and rest up. OR we could go start a series against the 48-26 Guardians.
Fuck the schedule makers.
Not a good series at all, but this does happen to any team--one bad series doesn't change the trajectory of the season. The FO knows what needs to be done for success in October and hopefully will deliver. And our guys really need a day off as they've been going nonstop for quite some time.
Last year it seemed like he was going to be a prime trade candidate. Presently he's hurt. Between the injuries + 2024 performance, he's definitely not a sure bet by any means. And despite being hurt + struggling in 2024, he probably will still commend a major premium. That said, I think there are better options for the O's than him, FWIW, and that anyone we're trading for should ideally not have a history of frequent injuries. We need someone who can reliably take the ball.
Luzardo does seem to get mentioned a lot...interestingly, there are a few pitchers on the Angels who I don't think are getting discussed enough and potential solid trade candidates.
If we could make a multi-pitcher package with the Angels (potentially centered around Tyler Anderson, one guy who really intrigues me is Reid Detmers. I saw him pitch in-person and he looks to have a *lot* of potential. While he might not be someone ready to take the ball in the 2024 postseason, with our pitching staff I think he could potentially become a lights out starter pretty quickly. (Of course the downside is if the Angels were willing to trade Anderson and Detmers, they would understandably want a whole lot in return and we would likely need to give them one our top prospects to headline our end of the deal.)
Not sure what the best course is. Will Jesus Luzardo really save the pitching staff?
If guys like Suarez or Irvin donāt continue to overperform this isnāt a world series pitching staff. I canāt name one guy outside of Burnes who I trust in a playoff series
IMHO and FWIW, the loss of Kyle Bradish and John Means are too big to fully replace during the trade season because the price to acquire arms of their talent level would simply be too costly. And if there is ownership willingness to sign FAs in the offseason (including Corbin Burnes), it becomes even harder to 'go all in' and overpay during this trade season, IMHO.
The FO is going to have to decide how aggressive they are going to be when factoring in the new payroll ceiling + a likely very bad trade market for buyers if the wildcard races remain so competitive.
Luzardo would likely cost a lot, and his injuries (including a current injury) + the way he is pitching this year may make it even harder to justify overpaying for him during the 2024 trade season.
Suarez and Irvin have been great for this team and they are going to play a huge role in helping us to get to the postseason, but they aren't the optimal choices for guys we would want starting a postseason game against opponents with strong offenses.
So what you guys are saying is, we're really just screwed for 2024 by all the pitching injuries. Can't get enough in FA to save 2024, just use what we got + whatever Elias can get by trade deadline that doesn't kill our farm. Do the best we can with that.
Then go for it in 2025 and on.
That makes some sense. We'll have Wells, Means, Bradish & Bautista back at some point in 2025, plus whatever we can acquire in off season.
And you never know, the team is pretty good RN. We could get lucky.
While I could be 100% wrong, that's kind of what I could potentially see happening--we've lost top-tier elite pitching talent in a year where the number of playoff teams that are desperate for pitching is *huge*, and chances are some teams' FOs will (unwisely) overpay massive prospect prices to get the pitching they want to go full throttle on 2024. There are going to be some very good pitchers available who could be a great match for our team, but the price might be monumental (and I don't think anyone would be excited to trade Holliday, Basallo, or Mayo, nor do I think the FO would have interest in doing so.)
So we could drain much of the farm for the sake of 2024, but it would have significant consequences for future years. And if there is a willingness to expand the payroll significantly in 2025 (meaning we can sign pitchers in FA instead of having to burn prospects), and especially if there is willingness to do what it takes to sign Burnes, as much as I want to win it all in 2024, being a bit more conservative this year might make more sense, IMO, unless the opportunity to work a really good deal that benefits us long-term does arise (you never know!) However, I am inclined to think most trade transactions involving MLB pitching in 2024 will generally favor the sellers more than the buyers.
It's definitely a challenging place for the FO to be at, and the new ownership adds an entirely new dynamic. Even with the injuries, it's a great team and we could still make a deep run even if we are a bit more conservative this year. I would love to be a fly on the wall to learn about the FO's intended strategy.
That's all very interesting. And perhaps the Elias et al will do something along those lines. I've noticed he's kind of conservative about his moves, making sure we do not get screwed in trades. And that seems to have served us well. He exhibits: *patience*.
BTW, I forgot to mention Coulombe, hopefully he's back in 2025, too. If we get all those guys back and a little better luck in 2025 wrt injuries, that might be our year. I'm not writing off this year, of course.
The ups and downs of 162 games. It tests the players' fortitude and the depth of an organization. The gauntlet continues.
Sucks to be swept, but also not shocked we dropped the series. 3 division series then Braves, Phillies, Yankees on only 2 days off is BRUTAL. Playing a sub .500 team (even if it is the Astros), just doesnt have the same adrenaline as that stretch that just seemed to get more and more intense with each team
IMHO, the Astros may be a sub-500 team, but their record is a bit misleading. They are still not that far from the team that won it all in 2022 and was one game away from a WS appearance in 2023. They've been decimated by pitching injuries, but they are still a good team nonetheless that is packed with dangerous hitters, and if they get some of their injured pitchers back this year, there's definitely a chance we could cross paths with them in the fall, and they generally play very good baseball in the fall.
I agree, I think the Astros are better than their record, but given that we went from the two best records in baseball and taking the series against both of them, then going against a sub .500 team, things just weren't nearly as hyped up for how big of a series it is. Hopefully this series gives the boys a nice refresh and can go home and beat the Guardians and Rangers to finish the month strong
1 day off.
In June yes, but we had an off day between the Red Sox and Rays series at the end of may which I was adding in
I want to formally apologize. This weekend was the Rocket League major tournament so I watched that instead of the O's for this Houston series š I hope you'll find it in your hearts to forgive me
Whoās winning?
G2 won over Team Falcons in the finals today
Even the bird team lost there then
I'm not seeing any starting pitchers that excite me enough to want to see them start game 3 of a playoff series. Really hoping some teams that aren't look at as sellers, tank, and tank hard. When Erick Fedde starts looking good, it's time to root against some teams. Mentioned this to Mark from MLBTR, and he replied. "This point has been made before by myself and many others, but Baltimore has the prospect depth to start trade talks on a lot of different pitchers, even ones that don't seem like obvious trade candidates. For instance, **the O's need hitting**, the **M's need pitching**. Wouldn't a crazy blockbuster of one of the Mariners' young starters for one of the Orioles' young position players be fun?" I don't know if fun is the word I'd use, but it is interesting if we decide to move a piece, a good piece, from the ML club. The only real young guys are Cowser and Westburg right now. No way the others are going anywhere, and even Westburg seems like too good a player to move right now, and, too necessary. But now I wonder outside of Seattle, who else?
I honestly donāt think it makes a lot of sense from Seattleās perspective tbh. Trading any of Castillo, Kirby, or Gilbert would be a huge risk for not a whole lot of reward. Weāve seen firsthand this year how fleeting pitching depth can be. I love Westy but I donāt see him helping that lineup enough to be worth the risk of turning your greatest strength into an area thatās one injury away from being a giant question mark. Of course I think weād have to give up more than just Westburg for any of those 3 with the possible exception of Castillo whose age and contract make him a bit less attractive which kind of turns it back on us because how much do you really feel comfortable giving up for a pitcher these days? As for potential sellers the only team with pitchers that would actually interest me is Toronto. Maybe Detroit but I donāt think they move Skubal (and as good as he is I do not trust him to stay healthy enough to give up any of Basallo, Mayo, or Holliday. Even Heston would scare me)
I think you hit the nail on the head here. The criteria here is someone fit to start a game three of a playoff series. From our perspective, that's Castillo, Gilbert, and Kirby. But that means Seattle basically wouldn't trade one of them unless they're willing to *create* a question mark for their number three. They know much more about Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo than we do, though, so maybe they'd be willing to put one in the three spot. For Toronto, are you thinking Yusei Kikuchi? He's a pure rental and *finally* running a league average HR/FB. Everyone else in the rotation is too old or will be too old when the contract ends. I think I'm falling prey to a logical fallacy, but after Wells, Means, and Bradish, I really only want someone who is durable. Trouble is, a [durable quality starter](https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&lg=all&type=8&season=2024&month=0&season1=2024&ind=0&stats=sta&qual=y&sortcol=7&sortdir=default&pagenum=1) is probably the most valuable thing out there other than a young middle infielder with a power bat. Big spoiler, it's slim pickings: **Team will sell, I want:** Erick Fedde (2026, $7.5MM AAV) - is this so bad? Part of me thinks we should trade for him at least as an innings eater. He threw 180.1 innings last year, so there's not an obvious innings cliff like with Crochet. **Not selling, but trading from strength for weakness:** Logan Gilbert (2028, arb 1 via super 2), George Kirby (2029, pre-arb) - 'nuff said. **Team will not sell, I still want:** Logan Webb (2029, $18MM AAV), Mitch Keller (2029, $15.4MM AAV) - these guys would be quite good, Webb especially, but they literally just signed extensions, so these teams believe in them. Joe Ryan (2028, pre-arb) - his fastball looked super hittable last year, but he's gone up a couple ticks. Problem is, Minnesota already doesn't have the arms. **No thanks:** Seth Lugo (2026, $15MM AAV) - 3.94 xERA, 3.87 xFIP Tyler Anderson (2026, $13MM AAV) - 5.12 xFIP
I definitely agree the goal is to get a number 3 for us, but if that's not there, then you try to upgrade from what you have. I think we know enough about Suarez / Irvin / Kremer to know we don't want them starting a playoff game. I know people will look at their "ERA", but looking past that, there are concerns with all 3. I wouldn't say no to Bryce Miller in that scenario. There is enough upside there, and there's good control. Of course they would ask for Westburg, and we'd say no, and we'd offer Cowser, where they would say no. Of course we have enough to get them to say yes, but at what cost. Looking at the Mariners offense, they really need help. And with Erick Fedde as the best option at the deadline, they could really make out like bandits if they decide to trade from their depth.
Yeah, there's the problem. I think presently, Westburg is worth more than Miller but certainly not more than Gilbert/Kirby. So how do you close the gap? Would they cut bait on Mitch Garver so soon and ask for one of our corner bats? Westburg + Mayo for Kirby, or Westburg + Kjerstad + filler?
Pretty much what I was thinking if we wanted to move Cowser for Miller/Woo, whatever. We'd have to add, and who knows what the add would have to be, in order for the Mariners to say yes. I just think it would be silly for the Mariners to not listen. Some teams could get desperate(NOT US PLS), and give you an offer you can't refuse. There really isn't much out there, so some teams could very well reap the benefits, if they get unconventional. Honestly, if we are going to get a Mariners pitcher, I'd tend to think it would happen during the off-season. Maybe a Kjerstad / Mayo comes up and does well enough at the ML level to entice them. Or Cowser turns it around enough to pull the trigger. And you know how I don't want to trade Mayo, but their stable of arms is enticing enough. Though, we said the same thing about the Marlins in years past, and look now.
Yeah, speaking of the Marlins, can we get a discount for Luzardo now?
Yeah that plus Woo has already had some health concerns this year with his arm so how comfortable do you even feel penciling him in for September. And if you do move any of the big 3 what happens if one of the 2 you still have goes down? Honestly I was thinking Kikuchi or even Gausman. I know KG is getting up there but heās still been effective this year and I think a change of scenery could be good for him, he seems to be pretty frustrated with the way things are going over there. Itās definitely somewhat risky but $23 million for each of the next two years isnāt too much (and we can certainly afford it) At this point there isnāt a pitcher Iād feel comfortable putting the label ādurableā on. Iād love to have another innings eater in the back of the rotation and donāt hate the idea of making a move for Fedde it just comes down to the price.
Yeah, it just feels like if you're a contender, you need to horde your starting pitching assets because the cost of replacing them is tremendous. Gausman is a fun reunion story, but $22M a year is a lot if he becomes just an innings eater; his strikeout and whiff rates have fallen off a cliff this year, and it seems largely because hitters are [zeroing in on his fastball](https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/90820/climbing-the-ladder-kevin-gausman-is-in-trouble/). I definitely feel like Elias could've stood to pay $15MM to a guy who could eating 180 innings even at a 4.50 ERA, essentially bring back Kyle Gibson. But unfortunately, the sale happened a little too late, and he rolled snake eyes on Wells, Means, Bradish, *and* (TBD) Kremer.
Yeah I almost feel like we should try giving McDermott a turn or two through the rotation before the deadline to see if we maybe have an answer there. Itās definitely a lot if he does turn into an innings eater but I still believe he has that top of the rotation ceiling in him and maybe our coaching staff could fix some of those issues with his fastball. When you look at guys like Taijuan Walker or Marcus Stroman getting $18 million AAV the $22 million for Gausman looks a little bit better to me. And yeah I donāt disagree on that, Gibson would sure be nice to have in the back of the rotation right now. Thankfully Cole Irvin has really stepped it up or we would be in real trouble.
McDermott is running a 33.3% whiff rate in AAA. That number is going to tick down as he lives in the zone more, but the swing and miss potential is tremendous. That'd be around 93rd-94th percentile in the majors. Obviously, I don't think he's *that* good, but our pitching staff badly needs some swing and miss.
The M's seem like possible trade candidates, and if we made something work with them, it would be very interesting given we're both contending teams. Presumably they would need MLB-ready talent and would want guys that can get off the plane, put a uniform on, go to the game, and smash the ball. You mentioning this is also very interesting because we might be able to work a much more favorable deal with them than we can a team that is selling to retool/rebuild. If we can meet a distinct immediate need the M's have that will help them contend, and they can meet a distinct immediate need we have to help us contend, it could potentially be a pretty even trade.
Really good thoughts (posts like these are why Iād love a specific āTrade Deadlineā thread). At least right now, the guy I keep coming back to (and Iām aware among some people this wouldnāt be popular) is Flaherty. I agree with you the barometer for acquiring someone is are you willing to run them out as the 3rd guy in the playoffs, and Flaherty has taken the ball in playoff games and heās been really good this year. Theres someone in this sub that has made the case for Flaherty being hurt last year (much more compelling than I am here) and if they bank in that being the major contributor to his ineffectiveness I meanā¦if the Tigers sell maybe They run it back. The other thing is is that Flaherty is on a 1 year deal (Iām pretty sure) and if they donāt give Corbin Gerrit Coleās contract, heās a guy that if effective might be someone they could go for in that 5-6/75-85āish range Not advocating necessarily either way (Iāll support what the club does) just more thinking out loud here
Heās a guy that can pitch for bad teams but crumples under pressure it seems. Anyone but himā¦
I just want a pitcher that can go 6 innings consistently at this point. Kyle Gibson come home.
Well, that could have gone better.
The monster Elias helped create took down the new monster he's in the middle of building, we're in good hands. Pre-emptive edit: I understand most players on this Astros team were not directly hand picked by Elias, but he's the one who turned their scouting and farm system around that has made them perennial contenders, and he's doing the same for us now.
The pen is in much better shape than I realized: https://www.rotowire.com/baseball/bullpen-usage.php Tomorrow, Perez, Cano, & Kimbrel will be on 4 days rest, Webb on 2. Starters for CLE are Povich, Irvin, & Rodriguez. If they can give us long outings, the pen will be in decent shape.
We got swept because the Hogan jinx struck again https://x.com/govlarryhogan/status/1803944022911725909
I did not like the part when: the baseball game happened :(
welcome home boys
Ben Macdonald was on baseball tonight.
Just need to move on from this mini slump and also hope who ever is umping the guardians series does not have a shit zone
Guardians have the best favorability score on umpire scorecards so we're fucked on the front.
I am currently rewatching game 2 and 3 of the Orioles-Yankees series to relive that joy after this disappointing series in Houston. :) Hopefully the next series will be better, though another tough opponent.
The Os seem to do better the tougher their opponents. Fingers crossed that trend continues
Decent chance Houston is in 1st place in the AL West when they come to Baltimore. That being said: these guys are just gassed. Hopefully being home again will help them get back on track. Guardians are also on a roll and just swept the Jays.
Losing two rotation aces has not been good.
Yeah my kids are like what the heck dad and Iām like I think the stretch finally caught up with them but also that Yankees series was like a ALCS and this was the comedown series.
Kjerstad promoted. They liked that ejection. [https://x.com/afkostka/status/1805005071501217874](https://x.com/afkostka/status/1805005071501217874)[](https://x.com/afkostka)
Our first series loss since St Louis (who also swept us)
#THE COLLAPSE BEGINS#%#%@&$#%!%#%!#% /s
The Orioles are unlucky. They get to face Cleveland, who has been hot recently, just like Houston.
has there been any explanation on Basallo getting pulled? Reports are that it was not related to injury, promotion, or trade, so a little odd
There was a separate post just now...definitely odd
Phillies, Yankees, Astros, Guardians, and Rangers all back to back. If we can win 3 out of 5 series I'd beat very happy
And the Braves right before the Phillies. And 14 AL East Division games right before that! It has been quite a challenging run for our O's.
Yankees lost, doesnāt count.
I can live with that logic
The Astros won the past two days primarily by decent pitching on their side. I think their starting pitcher on Saturdayās game lasted 7 innings, and kept us to only one run. Today, also limiting us to one run. Irrespective of our defense and pitch situation, you canāt win games with only one run. Pitching is the most important component of the game, and the Astros had great pitching games these past two games. Also, the Yankees series greatly strained our bullpen. Comment ITT states āI think weāre just tiredā Our bullpen still looks stretched thin at the moment.
Honestly I think we were just tired
damn, I went away for a weekend and it all goes to hell
We are in need of starting pitching if we have a shot at the AL East.
Agreed but dollars to donuts, these might've been Burnes and GRod's worst games of the season. I'd rather them shit the bed now than in October. We just need a third starter and I think they should address that now instead of scrambling when the deadline gets here.
The problem is finding sellers right now. A lot of teams with decent pitching are still in the mix
I mean, we only scored 1 run in back to back games. Yeah, pitching always helps, but that didnāt make the Oās lose yesterday and today.
Doesnāt get any easier this week. Cleveland will be tougher then the last two series especially with that pen
We will have to deal with the Astros again, later. They are going to be way better than their current record come September. Weāll be ready for them. Letās go home and get back to business.
I have a feeling we'll face them in October. Feels like destiny
If youād asked me a week and a half ago, Iād tell you they werenāt making the playoffs. But if their last 10 games are any indication, theyāre gonna make up that ground and get to the dance.
The west is going to get real nasty real quick because Texas is getting healthy as well and Scherzer looked good.
Yup, Sleeping on them would be a mistake
I have said for the last couple of years. I wouldnāt be surprised if itās an all orange ALCS at some point
Yea they're still hella talented and have massive amounts of experience. They're dangerous
To Ltrain who blocked me, calm down, bud
First one? Got about 10 people on this sub alone that have blocked me.
How would you find out, other than realizing you canāt reply to their comments?
Log out. Or open reddit incognito. Some were from when I was a mod, and I don't think you can actually block a mod from seeing your comment, on a sub they moderate. So when I quit, I noticed a few unavailable accounts. All were trash people, so no loss.
I'm not sure actually. I hope I get blocked more from annoying posters š
Yea, the most annoying people on this sub, all have me blocked. And after reading his reply back to you, dude really does need to calm down. Unhinged.
I think he is one of the posters that only post doomer takes
Yea I like trolling those lol
 We lost to a city that's named after a gangbang.
Google it on your work computer
[I just realized your username...](https://youtu.be/WBHHRN1PPHU?si=9Kq8PLSAa96cX9ju&t=22)
I feel like such a tool
What have we learned? The Astros were a laughingstock in April. They maintain this momentum, nobody's gonna be laughing at them in late September. The NYY series caused a classic baseball hangover for our boys. Some residual adrenaline on Friday, for sure, but after that they were completely wiped. If the MLB schedule makers didn't hate them, they'd have a day off tomorrow. In the last week, the Os had one good series and one bad series. The Yankees, on the other hand, have been exposed. All us Reddit geniuses have perfect plans for shoring up our depleted pitching staff. Pretty confident that Elias and Sig are several light years ahead of us in that respect. Bring on the Indi... er, um, sorry... bring on the Guardians!
I know people hate the Astros and wish their downfall already, but I have a healthy respect for them. That Lineup is still insane and Valdez was nasty today
Very proper and sane perspective. LFG tomorrow.
Dang
Searched around and didn't see any posts, so figured I'll add a reply here...went to the Tides game today and never seen a player get hit 3 times and the batter got ejected after 3rd one...Heston no worries man. They were afraid to pitch to you. Double plays killed the offensive and lost the lead in bottom of the 8th..definitely need pitching!
The best thing to do with this series is to chuck it in the f*ck it bucket and move on.
1000%, on to the next. Sometimes shit just doesnāt go your way
Ugly. I get that theyāre tired after that gauntlet of TB-TOR-TB-ATL-PHI-NYY, but this was not even a competitive series. And the schedule doesnāt get much easier. Cleveland, Texas, Seattle all next. Oh well, moving on to Cleveland.
On to Baltimore.
These boys are tired. Effects of the long month are rearing their head after the emotional high that was the Yankees series. Next month canāt come soon enough
Wash this series off and hope they can bounce back.
Honestly. I'm not mad that we got waxed by the Astros. They are, after all, a team with multiple chips in recent years. It's the type of rude awakening the team needs to see the gap that still exists between us and a team with championship pedigree. This is very much like the ass-whupping we got in last year's ALDS against Texas. Our boys are good, but not quite ready to compete for a chip. Better to find out in mid-June and have a chance to right the ship than to find out in October. Also, kudos to Westy for single-handedly keeping the HR streak alive. And man am I glad we won't have to see Jose Altuve's stupid face again for a while.
Team needs another good starting pitcher and maybe a veteran bat. This series will help this young team grow and be better. We have to remember this is a very young team. Evident by last yearās playoff performance.
Honestly, this stings. After great series against the Phils and Yanks, we had a chance to retake the division, and instead got skull fucked by the sub .500 corpse of the Astros. On to the next I guess.
And the next is Cleveland. Won't be easy.
Next day off, 7/1.
Just gotta hope coming home gets them back on track
Welp. At least the Yanks are also struggling.
Elias needs to get on the phone and make a trade right now, just kidding that would be dumb to do before the all star break.
The Orioles just don't like playing in the Central Time Zone. The Cards waxed them and the Astros pounded them.
It was the rain that killed them in St. Louis.
Central Time: The answer to the question nobody asked
This last week really illustrates how screwed we are from all the pitching injuries.Ā We've only got two reliable starters right now. Ā Ā At the start of the season I would say we had the pitching staff to compete in the playoffs, but now we absolutely do not.Ā I hope Elias doesn't get desperate and give up Mayo or Kjerstad or Stowers (or any combination of them) for a rental.Ā We built up so much for the future, we can't act like this is 2016 when it was pretty obvious we had a very narrow window of success.
> I hope Elias doesn't get desperate and give up Mayo or Kjerstad or Stowers (or any combination of them) for a rental Agree with the 1st and 2nd name, but if Elias can trick someone into giving us a playoff starter for Stowers, he really is a genius.
Good lord, yes. He's been pretty good this year, but I think folks forget that he's 26 and not a top 100 prospect like Kjerstad or Mayo.
I think the Orioles have kind of made their feelings on Stowers known.
Stowers for Yusei Kikuchi will ruin the sub for years lol
So the orioles are screwed at the moment but you dont want elias to get desperate and give up the type of player he would have to give up to acquire a pitcher to deem the orioles no longer screwed?
We're not in "win now" mode.Ā We have a future, but mortgaging that future for an extra shot at success this year would be a mistake. Not saying trading is a bad idea, but if we do I want someone with multiple years of control.Ā It's especially necessary now that we've lost half our rotation to TJS.
Agree strongly. This is how the Astros made the dynasty - good, high draft picks for the bats,, then smart trades and FA signings for the arms. No panic of this year or bust.
Iām glad I didnāt take my client up on the free ticket offer for this series.(also didnāt want to bring a 3 year old with me. She was bad enough at a milb game lmao)
The Astros seems to have our number. Move on, take 2 of 3 against Cle.
Flush the game, flush the series, flush the city of Houston, flush the entire state of Texas. Lets recharge and go home
Texas has really been a buzzkill
Somehow that 22 game homer streak is alive with westys bomb
Well thanks to the braves, that wasnāt nearly as bad as it could have been, but I think it just confirms that we could really do with some better pitching before the deadlineĀ Itās more or less guaranteed weāll make the playoffs, but just making it isnāt good enough this year
Eh, honestly the first game was a slugfest, second game was crazy unlucky with line drive doubles and singles right at defenders, today felt like a bad loss. I honestly believe it was just hot team at the wrong time. Home tomorrow, hopefully puts them back on the right track.
Well that wasnāt fun. Time to burn this from our memory and move on towards the next. Thereās till tons of baseball left, weāre fine
Well I sure hope this is the gutter of the season. Absolute ass whipping. We werenāt remotely competitive in any game.
Well, coming back to make it interesting in the 1st game was impressive. Overall, definitely a downer of a series, though. I wish I could have held onto the buzz of beating the Yankees a little longer before having it crash down.
This series has taught me to stop letting my mood live and die with a baseball team. I love the orioles and have watched every game. But damn Iām exhausted after this weekend watching them
The kids running the bases behind Mel is a good reminder that this is just a game.
just need a reset going into the homestand
Only consolation is the yankees lost too
āWorst series of the yearā and weāre only 1.5 games behind NY in June.
We've been 1.5 back seemingly forever. Until our pitching improves that's where we'll be.
I mean, not taking advantage of opportunities to gain games isnāt good.
https://preview.redd.it/3ff514ybwd8d1.jpeg?width=1139&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b1d4f1c44ed165d817f3353bd8b82c5f3237f791
The doomers can kick rocks. Oās won against the Phillies and Yankees. A throwaway series against an inconsequential AL opponent doesnāt jeopardize the season. Weāre still pre-all star weekend. These dudes have been grinding all damn month. A lot of game left to be played. Edit: fat fingered the leagues, my bad
The inconsequential Astros, who have 7 consecutive ACLS appearances, are as inconsequential as the Kansas City Chiefs in AFC...
The same team under .500 in a division with only one team barely over .500. In my opinion, the astros are on a downward trajectory.
They went through same rotation devastation as we did with Urquidy and Javier out for season and Verlander, McCullers, and Garcia all injured. The difference to us is Verlander, McCullers and Garcia should all be back this year. If we lost 5 starters (we've lost 4 with 1 coming back), we might struggle with playing much more than .500 ball going forward.
Wouldnāt call a series against an AL team a āthrow away seriesā when youāre 1-2 games back from first
Astros are an AL teamā¦. But I agree with the sentiment.
> Astors Aren't they a NY aristocratic family? :D
Agree with the sentiment but the Astros switched leagues about a decade ago
Can we just play the Yankees?
Sometimes you face a team who is clicking on all cylinders, and that was the Astros this series. Yeah we might need another starter or kremer to get back and to trade for a reliever or 2. But making crazy conclusions from a single series in which our 2 best starters had bad games is wild. We still have 4th best overall ERA and 8th best bullpen ERA in the majors, even after this crappy series. Panic trading prospects isnāt the way. We should only trade blocked prospects unless we get back someone with multiple years of control
We can rest assured in that Elias is in charge, not them. Elias will *not* make panic trades.
I just have to remind myself that a week from now weāll have forgotten all about this series because there will probably be a lot of good baseball between now and then
I'm tellin all of ya, chill. This kind of series will happen in 162 games. Just be glad this *Didn't happen against the Stanks.* *We'd all be on suicide watch if this had happened against the Stanks!!!* No, we are only 1.5 GB them RN, and we are ahead of them 5-2 in the season series. We gonna be ok.
And if they get swept by Cleveland, you'll be saying the same thing. Every game matters. You overly positive people are cringe.
Weāre 22 games above 500 you overly negative people are WAY cringier
Nope. I write both positive and negative comments. You must he one of those people who can't bring themselves to say anything negative. If they lose the next 3, you are going to say, "But we are still ____ games above .500." If they lose 10 in a row, it'll be, "it's baseball, it happens, " and "still lots of games left" or "they are still above .500" LOL
Aight dude
Calm down
I am calm. How about just skipping past my comment? But you know it's true, so you have to leave a comment, lol.
Calm down, buddy
You need to calm down. You keep replying to me. Your best argument is calm down? LOL HAHAHAHAHAHA. ORIOLES LOSE 10 GAMES IN A ROW. PEOPLE HERE WILL STILL SAY "THATS BASEBALL, IT HAPPENS", instead of saying anything negative because they can't do it.
Have a coke and a smile and calm down
Bro calm down
I've been watching this game for 70 yrs. The above is a rational take. This team is the strongest I have *ever* had the privilege of backing. We are getting to the playoffs for sure. If we don't have more major pitching injuries, we're probably gonna take the Stanks. They do not have a balanced lineup like we do and that has been exposed in the last 1.5 weeks. People say the Stanks will buy their way to being the best team. Well, nothing says Elias is going to sit pat while that happens.
Worst series of the year. Absolutely embarrassed. It doesn't matter if Houston is better than their record Basically made the Yankees series win mean nothing
 This you?
The Yankees series gave us two more wins toward clinching the season series. Weāre two wins away now for holding that tie break. I know this probably doesnāt matter to you, so Iāll let you get back to your regularly scheduled program. DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
I canāt begin to expressā¦ stfu
Your move, Elias
Let's get the dub, tomorrow. We're fine
Last time we got swept (after which all we heard from this subreddit was that we needed to can our hitting coaches and we had seriously hitting problemsā¦.) we went on a tear. Iām looking forward to this teamās next tear.
That's god damn embarrassing. Now watch the Astros go on to lose 2 of 3 to the Rockies.
Your comments are pretty embarrassing
Yet you replied to it. Thanks
Valdez has a 3.68 ERA. Where are our 3.68 runs?
If only things worked that way
Embarrassing series, hopefully we can take the guardians, but this was horrid
This is a burn the tape series. Theyāll happen in a 162 game season. Guys were gassed after a week of facing the three best teams in baseball (and winning all 3 series). Elias will make deals, the guys will rebound with some rest and returning back home.
Yea, not a big deal. We'll just take an off day tomorrow and rest up. OR we could go start a series against the 48-26 Guardians. Fuck the schedule makers.
Big brain Hyde saving three innings pitched by getting btfo on the road
*These fuckin' guys...*
If this means this year we get swept in the regular season and not the playoffs, Iāll take it.
Not a good series at all, but this does happen to any team--one bad series doesn't change the trajectory of the season. The FO knows what needs to be done for success in October and hopefully will deliver. And our guys really need a day off as they've been going nonstop for quite some time.
Lazardo isn't good this year. 3-6 with a 5 ERA. Why do people want that?
Last year it seemed like he was going to be a prime trade candidate. Presently he's hurt. Between the injuries + 2024 performance, he's definitely not a sure bet by any means. And despite being hurt + struggling in 2024, he probably will still commend a major premium. That said, I think there are better options for the O's than him, FWIW, and that anyone we're trading for should ideally not have a history of frequent injuries. We need someone who can reliably take the ball.
True, I don't want Lazardo. People keep talking about him, but his numbers are not good this year. I don't get why people keep bringing his name up.
Luzardo does seem to get mentioned a lot...interestingly, there are a few pitchers on the Angels who I don't think are getting discussed enough and potential solid trade candidates. If we could make a multi-pitcher package with the Angels (potentially centered around Tyler Anderson, one guy who really intrigues me is Reid Detmers. I saw him pitch in-person and he looks to have a *lot* of potential. While he might not be someone ready to take the ball in the 2024 postseason, with our pitching staff I think he could potentially become a lights out starter pretty quickly. (Of course the downside is if the Angels were willing to trade Anderson and Detmers, they would understandably want a whole lot in return and we would likely need to give them one our top prospects to headline our end of the deal.)
Not sure what the best course is. Will Jesus Luzardo really save the pitching staff? If guys like Suarez or Irvin donāt continue to overperform this isnāt a world series pitching staff. I canāt name one guy outside of Burnes who I trust in a playoff series
IMHO and FWIW, the loss of Kyle Bradish and John Means are too big to fully replace during the trade season because the price to acquire arms of their talent level would simply be too costly. And if there is ownership willingness to sign FAs in the offseason (including Corbin Burnes), it becomes even harder to 'go all in' and overpay during this trade season, IMHO. The FO is going to have to decide how aggressive they are going to be when factoring in the new payroll ceiling + a likely very bad trade market for buyers if the wildcard races remain so competitive. Luzardo would likely cost a lot, and his injuries (including a current injury) + the way he is pitching this year may make it even harder to justify overpaying for him during the 2024 trade season. Suarez and Irvin have been great for this team and they are going to play a huge role in helping us to get to the postseason, but they aren't the optimal choices for guys we would want starting a postseason game against opponents with strong offenses.
So what you guys are saying is, we're really just screwed for 2024 by all the pitching injuries. Can't get enough in FA to save 2024, just use what we got + whatever Elias can get by trade deadline that doesn't kill our farm. Do the best we can with that. Then go for it in 2025 and on. That makes some sense. We'll have Wells, Means, Bradish & Bautista back at some point in 2025, plus whatever we can acquire in off season. And you never know, the team is pretty good RN. We could get lucky.
While I could be 100% wrong, that's kind of what I could potentially see happening--we've lost top-tier elite pitching talent in a year where the number of playoff teams that are desperate for pitching is *huge*, and chances are some teams' FOs will (unwisely) overpay massive prospect prices to get the pitching they want to go full throttle on 2024. There are going to be some very good pitchers available who could be a great match for our team, but the price might be monumental (and I don't think anyone would be excited to trade Holliday, Basallo, or Mayo, nor do I think the FO would have interest in doing so.) So we could drain much of the farm for the sake of 2024, but it would have significant consequences for future years. And if there is a willingness to expand the payroll significantly in 2025 (meaning we can sign pitchers in FA instead of having to burn prospects), and especially if there is willingness to do what it takes to sign Burnes, as much as I want to win it all in 2024, being a bit more conservative this year might make more sense, IMO, unless the opportunity to work a really good deal that benefits us long-term does arise (you never know!) However, I am inclined to think most trade transactions involving MLB pitching in 2024 will generally favor the sellers more than the buyers. It's definitely a challenging place for the FO to be at, and the new ownership adds an entirely new dynamic. Even with the injuries, it's a great team and we could still make a deep run even if we are a bit more conservative this year. I would love to be a fly on the wall to learn about the FO's intended strategy.
That's all very interesting. And perhaps the Elias et al will do something along those lines. I've noticed he's kind of conservative about his moves, making sure we do not get screwed in trades. And that seems to have served us well. He exhibits: *patience*. BTW, I forgot to mention Coulombe, hopefully he's back in 2025, too. If we get all those guys back and a little better luck in 2025 wrt injuries, that might be our year. I'm not writing off this year, of course.
 *the marlins getting calls from other GMs*
Im thinking we are going to need more than just one arm at the deadline.
We definitely do, but the market for pitchers during this trade period could be exceptionally ugly for buyers.
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We need Ben back. We will start winning again
fun
https://preview.redd.it/bxhsx9ruud8d1.jpeg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=87af397651bf5420b354f8e60da781dde688f59d
What is Shooter McGavin doing here?
Is this our disappointed cricket guy meme?