The Good & the Bad from Yankees v. Orioles (April 7-9 2017)

Two series down, two series victories and 1 game short of back-to-back sweeps to begin the season.  It’s been an impressive start to the 2017 season for the Baltimore Orioles, a lot of good and some bad.  Time to take a look back at the weekend series against the New York Yankees and see what went right and what went wrong.

GOOD: Comeback birds

In both wins for the Orioles in this series they had to come back.  In game 1 on Friday night it was a 5-1 deficit, and in game 2 it was 4-1.  Manny Machado got things going on Friday night with his first home run of 2017 then new Oriole Seth Smith gave the O’s the lead they would never relinquish.  In game 2 Machado again began the comeback in the 5^th inning and the O’s would win 5-4.  If nothing else this looks like the same Orioles who won’t give up, no matter the score.

BAD: Starting pitching

I think it’s safe to say that the main point of concern for the Orioles heading into 2017 was their starting pitching.  Well against the Yankees it was definitely a weak point.

Ubaldo Jimenez – 4.1 IP, 7 hits, 5 ER, 5 strikeouts

Kevin Gausman – 4.2 IP, 8 hits, 4 ER, 4 strikeouts

Wade Miley – 5 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 5 strikeouts

Don’t let Wade Miley’s line fool you.  He only lasted 5 innings because he had 100 pitches and SEVEN walks.  The Orioles have to get better outings from their starting pitchers.  The bullpen may be the club’s strength but if they are pitching 4-5 innings a game they will wear out quick.

GOOD: Zach Britton

Zach Britton was able to save both wins for the Orioles and in doing so was starting to look like his dominant self of 2016.  Britton pitched in both games of the opening series against Toronto but struggled despite not giving up any runs.  He even loaded the bases in game 2 before getting a game clinching double play.  Against the Yankees he was much better.  Friday night he retired the Yanks 1-2-3 while only throwing 9 pitches.  Saturday he had a scare with a long fly ball, but again was incredibly efficient facing 4 batters and needing only 11 pitches.

BAD: J.J. Hardy’s rough start at the plate

This probably pains more than most of you think.  I’ve always been a huge fan of JJ Hardy ever since he’s been an Oriole, but I have to call them like I see them.  Hardy has been struggling hard at the plate this season.  Against the Yankees he went 2 for 9 with 4 strikeouts and only 1 RBI.  His season batting average is only .125 after 5 games.  Lucky for Hardy he still plays gold glove caliber defense.  Unfortunately the injuries and his age might be too much for him to be the player he was from 2011-2013.

Other notes from the Yankees series.  Seth Smith had a good two games going a combined 4-9 and hitting the game winning HR on Friday night.  Also what happened to the Orioles pitching in general on Sunday?  O’s pitchers walked 11 Yankees on Sunday with Wade Miley and surprisingly Darren O’Day being the biggest culprits.

All in all it was a good weekend series for the Orioles.  They have played 5 games in 2017 and are 4-1, all against AL East teams.  Up next for the birds is another AL East opponent, a favorite of many pundits to win the AL East, the Boston Red Sox.  It will be another short 2 game series before they head north of the border to face Toronto again.

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The Good and Bad from Blue Jays v. Orioles (April 3 & 5 2017)

I love this time of year more than any other, IT'S BASEBALL SEASON!!! Now if you have read any of the pre season predictions for the Orioles, it's not good.  But who cares what they think the season is here and the Orioles are undefeated.  Let's take a look back at the very short opening series against division rival, Blue Jays.

GOOD: SWEEEEEPP
So what it's only two games.  You played an AL East rival and you beat them in both games.  Anytime you sweep a division rival it's a very good thing.

BAD: Average with RISP
Now when you only play two games and you win both, anything bad is kind of nitpicking, but here we go.  The Orioles only went 2-9 (.222) with runners in scoring position in the two game series.  Surprisingly, in Game 2 they never had a chance, they didn't have a runner on second or third the entire game and still somehow won, you won't see that too often.  Again it's early but the Orioles have to get better than that .222 average when they have the opportunities to score.

GOOD: Chris Davis' defense
I don't think this gets mentioned nearly enough but Chris Davis has become a really good first baseman defensively.  Most of the talk around Davis is his hitting, and rightly so when you pay a guy over $150 million to hit and he doesn't hit to your standards, he's ripe for criticism.  However, numerous times in the first 2 games Davis dug balls out of the dirt to get key outs.  On opening day there was a critical double play turned in the 9th inning that Davis saved with his glove, and I know Manny Machado made a great diving play in the 11th, but without Davis' scoop on the back end the great play by Manny means nothing.  It's not why the Orioles pay Davis the amount of money they do but it's also a part of his game we shouldn't overlook.

BAD: Base running
Again, nitpicking but twice Orioles players were thrown out at second base in the two games trying to stretch singles into doubles.  On Opening Day Chris Davis was thrown out at second in the third inning, he did drive in a run in the process but could've killed a big inning.  In game 2 Wellington Castillo was thrown out at second by Kevin Pillar.  Some might like the aggressiveness and to an extent I do as well.  You have to pick and choose when you go, sometimes that can cost you a game.

GOOD: Dylan Bundy
I was going to make this a combined good with Gausman & Bundy, but Gausman's struggles near the end of his outing made me change my mind.  Dylan Bundy however was fantastic through his 7 innings in game 2 against Toronto.  Bundy in those 7 innings only gave up 4 hits (3 of which came in one inning), 1 ER, and struck out 8.  Bundy had a very potent lineup guessing and off balance all night.  Dylan Bundy looks primed to take that next step in his career.

One more thing I'd like to mention is Zach Britton.  He pitched in both of the first two games but wasn't his dominant self.  He gave up multiple hits and in game 2 he needed a double play with the bases loaded to seal the win.  I'm not concerned but it's something to watch in his next few outings.

Follow me on the twitter @AndySnaks , I'll try and keep this updated as much as possible, this guy has been slacking.