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.

The Good and Bad from the Orioles-Yankees Series (April 13-15)

I think we can officially say we are in the baseball season.  Three series under most teams belts, before you know the end of April will be here and we will start separating the contenders and pretenders.  The Orioles have had an OK start to the 2015 season, like I've said many times before, not getting too excited not getting too worried about anything happening on the field.  That being said let me overly dissect this past series where the Orioles took 2 out of 3 against the hated Yankees.

GOOD: Miguel Gonzalez

Wow, what else can you say about Miguel's performance on Tuesday night.  Miguel pitched 7 strong innings giving up just 1 run on 4 hits and struck out a career high 10.  Gonzalez always seems to perform well against the Bronx bombers and Tuesday was no different.  Gonzalez after just two starts has an ERA of 1.42.  It was also nice to see him get through seven innings, that needs to happen more form the Orioles pitching staff.

BAD: Tommy Hunter

Mr. Hunter did not have a very good series against the Yankees.  Hunter only pitched 2 innings in the series but in those 2 innings he gave up 5 hits and 6 earned runs.  In game 1 of the series he gave up a grand slam that proved to be the difference.  In game 3 he turned a Orioles 4 run lead into a 2 run lead, even the outs he was recording in game 3 were hit hard.  Again too early to panic but if Tommy Hunter wants to stay in the late inning role he's been a custom to, 6 earned runs in 2 innings wont cut it.

GOOD: Caleb Joseph

Let's give some love to the catcher for the Baltimore Orioles.  One of the main topic of discussions for Orioles fans is when is Matt Wieters coming back.  Well if Joseph keeps playing like he did against the Yankees, fans wont be so quick to rush Wieters back.  Caleb Joseph registered 7 hits in 11 at bats scored a run and drove in 2 in the 3 game set.  Now Joseph isn't as good at throwing guys out like Wieters is but, cant complain with how Joseph is holding his own while the all star backstop gets healthy.

BAD: Inconsistent Chris Davis

Oh Chris Davis what are we going to do with you.  Chris Davis for me might be turning into one of the most frustrating players on the ball club.  The first 2 games of the series Davis went 0 for 7 with 6 strike outs, and some of those strike outs he looked really, really bad.  Then Wednesday comes around and he drives in 3 runs including a huge 2 run double that gave the Orioles the cushion they needed for the win.  Even with the 2 hits and 3 RBIs last night, he still struck out 3 times.  I'm not asking for 2-3 hits every night from Davis but it would be nice to see him be a little more productive, you can still make an out and have it help your ball club, not much help can come from striking out 9 times in three games.

GOOD: Adam Jones staying hot

I mentioned Adam Jones in my last post about how he played in the Blue Jays series.  Well he continued hitting the ball extremely well hitting home runs in games 1 and 2 and having at least 1 hit in every game of the series.  It's tough to argue that anyone in baseball right now is seeing the ball better than Adam Jones.  Oh yea, and he's playing gold glove caliber defense as well, Tommy Hunter should thank him for Wednesday night.

Up next for the birds is a 4 game series in Boston against the Red Sox.

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The Good and Bad from the Orioles-Rays series (April 6-8)

Well it's finally here baseball is back, thankfully.  After a rather unique off season in Baltimore with players leaving and the General Manager wanting to get a job with another team in the division.  We can finally put that all aside and focus on whats important, the on the field play.  There were plenty of good and some bad things from the opening series in Tampa.  The great thing about baseball is there is plenty of time to fix whats ailing you, it's also way too early to panic about anything.

GOOD: Orioles win series
It might be the most simple, but it's the one thing you need the most.  Sweeps are nice and can really spring you into a long winning streak.  However, if you continue to take 2 out of 3 or 3 out of 4, getting 90 wins for the season gets a whole lot easier.  Also, when it comes to playing teams like Tampa, winning series are a must.  The Rays are not expected to do a lot in the AL east this season so just about every time you play them, if you're the Orioles you should win the series.

BAD: Chris Davis goes hit less, strikes out 3 times
Again I cant say this enough, it is extremely early in the season but in the 2 games Davis played he was really quiet.  Davis has a lot of pressure on him to perform this season, after the down year in 2014 and the suspension Davis has a lot to prove.  He's got permission to take Adderall this season so it will be interesting to see what his numbers will be in 2015.  Hopefully for Orioles fans his first two games aren't going to be the norm this year.

GOOD: Steve Pearce
Steve Pearce came to play to start 2015.  He hit home runs in the first 2 games, last two Orioles to do that to start a season both led the league in home runs by the end of the season (Davis in 2013, Cruz in 2014).  I don't think Steve Pearce will lead the league in home runs, but I do think he'll have a really good year if he plays consistently.



BAD: Orioles Starters not going deeper
Before I start my analysis, I'll be the first to admit that I'm kind of nitpicking here.  However, Chris Tillman was the only starter to pitch more than 6 innings in the opening series.  Wei-Yin Chen only lasted 4 and a third, and even though Miguel Gonzalez only allowed 1 run, he couldn't get through the 6th.  The Orioles bullpen might be the strongest aspect of the club but, you cant use 3-5 pitchers from the bullpen every game and expect them to perform well all season.  I'm willing to give a slight pass because it's early in the season but it needs to get better.

GOOD: Travis Snider's first impression
As good as Steve Pearce was in the opening series, Travis Snider was better.  Just look at opening day alone.  Travis Snider drove in the first run of the season, made a diving catch in the outfield and threw out someone at the plate.  He followed that up with another RBI in game 2 and he was on base 4 times.  Travis Snider will very quickly endear himself to Orioles fans if he continues to play this hard.  I'm not saying he'll make us forget Nick Markakis, just make the break up hurt a little less.

The most important thing to realize is that baseball is not a sprint it's a marathon.  After three games for the Orioles there is nothing that is getting me overly excited, but there is also nothing that has me overly worried either.  The birds took 2 out of 3 and now head home for the first time this season to face the Blue Jays on Friday.  Did I mention I love baseball???

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