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.

Follow my on the Twitter @AndySnaks

The Good and Bad from the Orioles-Red Sox series (April 17-20)

Hard to imagine that we are about a week from the end of the first month of the season.  It feels like you wait forever for a season to start and before you know it, it just flies by.  So I'm requesting that Major League Baseball slow the season down so we can enjoy it more.  Before I even begin let me just say i mention Adam Jones now because he just keeps mashing the ball.  Adam Jones is on another level when it comes to hitting, so he gets honorable mention before I even begin my post.

GOOD: Jimmy Paredes
Jimmy Paredes made his season debut on Saturday coming off the disabled list and he looked great.  In 3 games, Paredes went 7 for 13 and scored 4 runs.  Paredes can be a nice little utility player filling in when needed, and if keeps hitting like this he'll find his way in the lineup more and more.  Now of course you cant expect Paredes to continue hitting at this pace but, for someone coming off the DL it's nice to see him making an impact immediately.

BAD: Alejandro De Aza
As refreshing as Paredes performance was, De Aza's was a little disappointing.  I might of jinxed De Aza, a few posts back I praised De Aza's strong start to the 2015 season.  Well, De Aza might be the happiest Oriole to be leaving Fenway Park.  De Aza played in 3 of the 4 games in the series and he went 0 for 11.  Not exactly what you want or expect from your lead off hitter.  I'll chalk this up to a minor slump and hopefully De Aza rebounds in Toronto.

GOOD: Ryan Flaherty
I may be one of this guy's biggest critics.  I'll put it bluntly, I'm not a fan of Ryan Flaherty, I believe he's an average hitter and fielder, not special at either.  However, when the guy plays well you have to give credit where credit is due.  Flaherty stepped in for the injured Jonathan Schoop and had at least 2 hits in every game.  Flaherty went 6 for 11 had 1 home run and 2 RBIs.  My biggest problem with Flaherty is consistency, now with Schoop out for the foreseeable future it will be interesting to see how Flaherty plays as the Orioles every day second baseman.

BAD: Orioles defense
Year after year the Orioles routinely have one of the best defenses in baseball.  In fact the last time the Orioles didn't have multiple gold glove winners was in 2010.  This weekend in Boston wasn't their best defensively.  Although most of the damage was done in one game.  Wei-Yin Chen gave up 5 runs in their rain shortened loss on Monday, all 5 were unearned due to 3 errors.  This is much more of an anomaly than anything ill ever post, but the Orioles did end the series with 5 errors in 4 games.  That's never good to have more errors than games played.

Orioles are now 7-6 after 13 games, all against AL East opponents and they make their first trip north of the border to tangle with the Blue Jays for the second time this season.

Follow me on the Twitter https://twitter.com/AndySnaks

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.

Follow me on the Twitter https://twitter.com/AndySnaks

The Good and Bad from the Orioles-Blue Jays series (April 10-12)

The Orioles start the season with 19 consecutive games against AL East opponents.  It's hard to say that the first 19 games are one of the most important stretches in the season, but it would also be nice as defending division champs to make a strong statement to start the 2015 campaign.  This past weekend the Toronto Blue Jays came to Oriole Park and showed that maybe just maybe, they might be able to make some noise in the east.

GOOD: Ubaldo Jimenez
After last season I never though i would say this, Ubaldo Jimenez looked great.  Ubaldo has been the target of a lot of criticism since he signed a 4 year $50 million deal, and then posted a 4.81 ERA his first season in Baltimore.  We kept hearing the Jimenez had a very good spring, sometimes you have to take that with a grain of salt because of some of the lineups you face in March.  Well, at least for start number 1, Ubaldo was great.  He pitched 7 innings only giving up 1 hit, 8 strikeouts and more importantly only 1 walk.  I don't expect Ubaldo to pitch like this every start, but if he can be more consistent it will be a huge boost for the pitching staff.

BAD: The Rest of the pitching staff
When you take away Ubaldo's performance and a couple relief appearances here and there, it wasn't a good weekend for Orioles pitchers.  Take away the 7 scoreless Ubaldo threw Saturday night, Orioles pitchers gave up 23 runs in 20 innings, that's not good.  Bud Norris might have had the most disappointing performance of all.  Norris only lasted 3 innings giving up 8 runs on seven hits on his Friday start.  Chris Tillman who looked so good opening day, couldn't get through 3 innings on Sunday.  Now it wasn't all bad, there was one point on Sunday where 12 straight Blue Jays were retired, but all in all a bad weekend for Orioles pitchers.

GOOD: Adam Jones
The only way to describe Adam Jones this weekend is impressive.  Jones was the Orioles main offensive weapon, he went 7 for 10 scored 5 runs, hit 2 home runs and drove in 5.  Adam has been a model of consistency during his entire time here in Baltimore, which is why I scratch my head when fans give him so much grief.  He's a multiple time all star and gold glove winner, and barring any kind of injury you can pencil him right now to bat .280, hit 25-35 home runs and drive in 85-100.  As much as we talk about other players, this Orioles team runs through Adam Jones, 2015 should not be any different.

BAD: Manny Machado
Manny is one of my favorite Orioles, but doesn't mean he is exempt from any criticism.  The start of the 2015 season has been a tough one for Machado.  He did go 1 for 4 in Sunday's loss and he even had a stolen base.  Unfortunately, that one hit on Sunday was so far his only of the season.  Manny has started the season 1 for 19, not very good.  There is one positive from Machado however, his defense seems as strong as ever.  Machado is a great young talent and while the 1 for 19 start is concerning, I'm willing to chalk this up as just an early season slump.

The Orioles tour around the AL east continues tonight when the last place New York Yankees (yes I know it's only 6 games, it just feels nice to say) travel to Baltimore to start a 3 game series.  Be sure to check out my good and bad from this series as well.

Follow me on the Twitter https://twitter.com/AndySnaks

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???

Follow me on the twitter https://twitter.com/AndySnaks

Top 5 Moments from Division Series

It's been a  very exciting MLS postseason.  In the American League we have two teams that haven't been to a World Series in 30 years.  In the National League we have two teams that are making a habit of playing in the NLCS.  None of the division series went to a full 5 games.  The last time that happened was in 2009.  There were plenty of terrific, edge of your seat moments but for me there are 5 that stood out above the rest.

5) Clayton Kershaw loses Game 1 after being spotted a 6-1 lead

For most people who watched baseball this season there was no doubt who the best pitcher in baseball was.  Clayton Kershaw was outstanding, You could almost guarantee a win every time he took the mound this season for the Dodgers.  So when LA gave Kershaw a 6-1 lead in Game 1 of the NLDS, most figured the Dodgers would easily go up one game to none over St. Louis.  Then, the 7th inning happened.  The Cardinals exploded for 8 runs, 6 of which were attributed to Kershaw.  Matt Carpenter delivered the fatal blow with a bases clearing double and that 6-1 lead for the Dodgers turned into a 7-6 deficit.  St. Louis would win the game 10-9 and it seemed like the Dodger never could quite recover from the shocking game 1 defeat.

Cardinals 8 Run 8th Inning

4) Kansas City Royals extra inning magic

Not many people gave Kansas City much of a chance just to get past Oakland in the wild card game.  So once they did that there was no way they would beat the team with the best record in baseball, right.  Well not only did they beat the Angels they swept them.  In the first 2 games of the 3 game sweep the Royals needed extra innings to notch victories.  They also did it with the long ball, KC only hit 95 home runs in the regular season, but in the postseason they made it look easy.  Its those extra inning wins made America fall in love with this Kansas City squad.

Eric Hosmer 11th Inning HR

3) Yusmeiro Petit throws 6 scoreless in 18 inning marathon

This postseason gave us the longest game in postseason history and Petit's performance stole the headlines from Jordan Zimmerman who at one point retired 20 Giants in a row.  The Nats lost game 1 at home and desperately needed this game to not go down 0-2 heading to San Francisco.  Petit came into the game in the 12th inning and in his 6 innings of work he allowed just 1 hit walked 3 and struck out 7.  The Nats could not get anything going against him, and then in the top of the 18th Brandon Belt hit the deciding HR that basically ended the series.

Petit's Scoreless Relief

2) Matt Adams' 3 Run HR in Game 4

Sorry Dodger fans but one teams heartbreak is another teams great moment.  Game 4 the Dodgers sent Kershaw back to the mound in a must win game.  Game 4 really didn't go much differently than game 1.  Kershaw looked good early, the Dodgers gave him a lead, and he couldn't hold onto it.  Now you can debate whether or not Don Mattingly should've take him out in either game 1 or 4.  But lets be honest, is there a better pitcher in the bullpen that you would put in over a guy like Kershaw, probably not.  Well he didnt and maybe that's why the Dodgers aren't moving on.

Matt Adams go ahead HR

1) Delmon Young's bases clearing double

This could be looked at as extremely bias, but I don't care.  For most of Game 2 the Orioles were trailing the Detroit Tigers and it looked like the Tigers were about to tie the series up heading to Detroit.  Then, the Tigers bullpen made an appearance and it was all over for Detroit.  Steve Pearce singled in a run, then JJ Hardy walked to set the stage for Delmon Young.  Young had great postseason numbers and he didnt wait long to send Detroit fans into a deep depression.  With the crowds response and what the hit meant to the outcome of the series, Delmon Young's 3 run double was for me the top moment of the Division Series.

Delmon Young 3 run double

Follow me on the twitter @AndySnaks

How far can the 2014 Orioles go?

So August is quickly coming to a close and the baseball pennant races are heating up.  However when you look to the AL East the race is far from close.  As we stand right now (Aug 22) the Baltimore Orioles, yes the Baltimore Orioles have the largest division lead in all of baseball.  Even the most die hard of Orioles followers couldn't have imagined this at the beginning of the 2014 season.  But here we are with about 35-38 games left and that's where we are.  So now the question arises, just how good is this Baltimore Orioles club and is a deep postseason run in their future?

When July 31st came and went ill admit I was a tad disappointed that the Orioles didn't add a big name.  In my opinion the Orioles were maybe one front line starting pitcher away from being a real serious World Series contender.   Instead the birds traded for Andrew Miller, a relief pitcher.  Not necessarily a name that would make you run to the box office and start demanding playoff tickets.  However, Miller has pitched extremely well.  In 8 games with the Orioles he's pitched 7.1 innings and has allowed only 1 earned run equaling a 1.23 ERA.  The two teams that made the biggest splashes at the trade deadline were Oakland and Detroit.  The A's picked up Jon Lester from Boston and Detroit added to their already stellar pitching staff by acquiring David Price from Tampa Bay.  Oh but how baseball can turn on you in a heartbeat.  Both guys have pitched well for their new ball clubs so that's not the issue.  When both teams made those trades they were in first place in their respective divisions.  Now, both teams are trailing and if the season ended today they would face each other in the Wild Card game.  When you look at the Orioles they only led the AL east by a game and a half on July 31st, now its 9.  Sometimes you don't need to add to your team, sometimes the team you have is plenty good enough to get where you need to go.  Some would argue that the AL East is down this season, and maybe that's true.  In a recent stretch against the Angels, Athletics and Mariners, all who were playing great baseball, the O's went 10-6, not too shabby.

So how are the Orioles doing it?  Well for one its not just one guy carrying the load.  It's easy to look at Nelson Cruz and Adam Jones with their numbers and say they are the reason the Orioles are 21 games over .500, and it's tough to argue that.  But so many other guys have contributed in big win.  Caleb Joseph has 8 home runs and set an Orioles record for a catcher by hitting home runs in 5 straight games.  Jonathan Schoop, though the average is disappointing he's homered 12 times and had a huge bases clearing double against the White Sox a few nights ago.  Old reliable Nick Markakis looks to be fully healthy as he has 11 bombs and his hitting his usual .292 at the top of the Orioles lineup.  Steve Pearce, who has had to play a lot his year because of injures, is hitting above .280 with 13 home runs.  JJ Hardy's power numbers are a tad down this season but he has his best batting average since 2008 and is still playing gold glove defense.  Even Chris Davis who cant seem to break .200 still has 21 home runs and 60 RBIs.  When Manny Machado has been on the field he's shown why he should be considered one of baseball's brightest stars.  Everybody who has picked up a bat this season has helped the Orioles win, which take a ton of pressure off the pitching staff.

Speaking of the pitching, as great as the hitting has been its the pitching that have gotten the Orioles to where
they are at right now.  Three Orioles starters have 10 wins or more, and only 1 starter has an ERA above 4 and as of yesterday he's no longer a starter.  The Orioles pitching was one of the biggest questions marks coming into 2014 but they have answered the challenge, especially in the second half.  Since the all star break the Orioles are 21-11 as a team and have posted a 2.93 ERA, nearly a run less than the first half of the season.  Wei-Yin Chen might be having the best season of all of them, he's 13-4 with a 3.76 ERA.  Chris Tillman seems to have rebounded from some struggling starts and has the best ERA among starters.  Kevin Gausman, in his first extended time as a starter as shown the top 10 draft pick promise we were all hoping for.  Then when the starters are done they throw it over to perhaps the best bullpen in baseball.  I mentioned earlier how good Andrew Miller has been since the trade.  Darren O'Day is my sleeper pick for Orioles MVP.  I know its tough to give it to a reliever especially if its not a closer.  However, any time you can have a guy on your staff with a sub 1 ERA, and he pitches in the most critical spots, 7th inning or later.  That is a huge weapon for any team.  Zach Britton has turned into a pretty damn good closer.  He's had some hiccups along the way but 27 out of 30 is awesome for a guy who has never closed in the big leagues.

I hate to use this phrase but barring a major collapse the Baltimore Orioles will not only make the playoffs but be winning their first division title since 1997.  If I would've wrote this blog a month ago my most feared teams would be Oakland and Detroit.  Both of those teams are struggling and might not make it past the Wild Card game.  So, if you're an Orioles fan do you fear anybody in the American League?  Not to sound cocky, but I don't think so.  Look, as I mentioned earlier in this post in the Orioles toughest stretch of the season they went 10-6.  Other than maybe the Tigers (who they are 1-5 against this season), the Orioles have shown they can compete with and beat any team in baseball.  For the Orioles its all about staying consistent.  I don't believe that teams can peak too early, this Orioles squad is a damn good team.  If somehow Chris Davis breaks out of his season long slump (highly unlikely I know), then teams should really watch out.  Injuries play a huge role and so far the Orioles have weathered that storm as well, Wieters is done for the season and Manny Machado is on the DL for the second time this season.  The last thing is this club believes they can win.  That might seem childish but if you truly believe that you can win every game in which you take the field that goes a long way.  Anything less than an appearance in the ALCS would be a huge disappointment for this club, and saying those words make the previous 15 years almost bearable.

Follow me on the Twitter https://twitter.com/AndySnaks

Things I'd do as MLB Commissioner

Well we have a few more days until baseball gets back into the swing of things and we start the postseason push.  I love baseball, it is by far my favorite sport to play and watch, always has and always will be.  That being said the game I love isnt without its problems.  It's probably because of these problems that baseball is not nearly as popular as it once was.  So it got me thinking, how can we make the game better, more watchable, more enjoyable, and what decisions could be made just in general to make baseball better.  Now, ill be the first to admit, im not a genius (just ask my friends), but i think most people who love baseball can agree that Bud Selig has not been the best commissioner the sport has ever had.  Some of my suggestions you might think are great others not so much, just saying these are thing i would change.

1) All Star Game goes back to being just an exhibition

This one might be the simplest but the the one that at least to me makes the most sense.  The fact that home field advantage is being decided at the All Star Game is completely moronic.  This was a panic move made by Bud Selig after the 2002 All Star game ended in a tie.  So of course you cant have a game that means absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things end in a tie can you????  There are a couple reasons why the All Star Game shouldn't decide home field advantage.  First, the managers still treat this like an exhibition.  If you are really trying to win a baseball game you don't bring in a different pitcher every inning, you ride the starter as long as you can and only go to the bullpen only when needed.  Also if this game counts, discontinue the rule that every team needs to be represented.  I'm sure Anthony Rizzo (Cubs), Jose Altuve (Astros) or Paul Goldschmidt (D-Backs) really don't care if their league gets home field advantage in the World Series.  Here is a simple solution, the two teams that are in the World Series, the one with the better record gets home field advantage, I know its crazy talk.

2) Going back to a more balanced schedule

Having to play each team in your division 18-19 times can be an unfair situation for some teams.  If a team is playing in a much weaker division they can beat up on all of their division rivals and play mediocre ball against everyone else and still win the division easily.  It can be unfair when you play in a very competitive division as well.  Last year the AL East had 4 of the 5 teams finish above .500, the only division to do that last season.  So obviously playing in the AL East last year was tougher than say the NL West, whose only above .500 team was the division champ LA Dodgers.  My proposal would be going down to 12 games.  You still play enough within your division that the games still mean something but also open it up to potential new rivalries and playing more teams from the other league.

3) Expand Instant Replay

Baseball purists are going to hate me for this one but why have the technology if you are not going to use it to its fullest capacity.  First of all Major League Baseball still has no idea what they are doing with instant replay.  They don't seem to differentiate between challenges by the manager and just a plain review by the umpires.  The fact that some plays aren't review-able is crazy and ill give you an example.  Watching an O's-Red Sox game earlier this season and the Red Sox won the game on a sac fly.  In the heat of the moment it was unsure if Dustin Pedroia left third base too early.  Replay showed he did but he also went back to the bag just to make sure, so it didn't really matter.  However the broadcasters said even if Pedroia did leave early the play is not review-able, that's insane.  Can you imagine if a team clinches a pennant on a sac fly but replay shows he left early but the umps cant review it?  In my opinion, everything except balls and strikes should be review-able.  Some would argue that it would slow down the game even more, I disagree if you plan properly.  If you have a station at every ballpark and they are watching the game and can see every replay angle available, no reason why a quick decision cant be made.

4) Install some kind of pitch clock (like a shot clock in basketball)

People complain that baseball is far too long and honestly its hard to argue that point.  There is no reason why a 2-1 game should take 3 1/2 to 4 hours to complete.  It might take adjusting for the players but basically what I would propose is once the pitcher has the ball he has 10-12 seconds (whatever you want to make it) to throw the ball or you add a ball to the pitch count.  Same goes for the hitter because i know at times the batter is the one who holds up the game.  Now ill admit this so called pitch clock might take some adjusting but again something has to be done about the length of some of these games.

5) Reinstate Pete Rose

This one has nothing to do with the on field play but it might be the most controversial.  Pete Rose is arguably the greatest hitter to ever play the game and for him not to be in the Hall of Fame is a travesty.  Yes, he bet on baseball and yes he lied about it for a very long time, but before we condemn Pete lets look at other guys in sports Hall of Fames.  Ty Cobb, the record Rose broke for most all time hits, was a horrible racist and there are stories of him running into the crowd and getting in fights.  O.J. Simpson is still in the pro football hall of fame.  My point is guys have done a lot worse than betting on baseball and it didnt affect their status among their sports elite.  The sad thing is even if Pete Rose was reinstated, there is no guarantee he'd get in .  The baseball writers are a bunch of bitter old men, some who wont vote for a guy because no one deserves 100%, or they wont vote for someone on their first ballot because in their minds that certain player shouldn't be a first ballot hall of famer.  Bottom line is Pete Rose did this to himself but still being able to vote for him should be an option.

That's all i could think of right now, im sure as the season rolls on I'll think of my situations and things I would change about the sport I love more than any other.  Also, i'll try to update this blog more often, it's been way too long since my last entry.

Follow me on the twitter at https://twitter.com/AndySnaks

Maryland witnessing a Baseball revival

There are a lot of people who live in the state of Maryland, and among the masses a lot are baseball fans.  To be brunt baseball fans have not had a lot to cheer for in recent years.  Well forget cheering its been down right embarrassing to say you were a fan of either the O's or Nats.  However something has changed in 2012, and for some reason the baseball gods have smiled down on this region.  Unless you have been living under a rock you know that the Orioles and Nationals are playing some of the best baseball all year.  As of now the Orioles are 81-62 tied for first and the Nats have a 8 1/2 game lead in the NL East with a 89-54 mark.  I don't know how long it will last or if even both teams will even make the playoffs but damn this has been a fun ride.

Since the Nats moved from Montreal you could say that they have been mediocre at best (81-81 being best record until this year).  Then in back to back drafts they were lucky enough to land Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper, both being huge parts of their success this season.  They traded for Gio Gonzalez in the off season, signed free agent Edwin Jackson and there was a buzz about this team.  Not many thought they would be this good but playoffs was not out of the question.  At times the Nats hitting has struggled, however when nobody in your starting rotation has an ERA above 4, you don't need to score a lot.  Other than maybe the Reds no other team has played better and more consistent than the Nationals.  The Nats caught fire early starting 14-4 and have never really looked back.  It's unfortunate that for the majority of this season the "Strasburg Shutdown" has been the main topic of conversation when it comes to the Nats.  I look at it this way, Strasburg pitches once every five days and even though he is a great pitcher, baseball is not a one man game and Strasburg is not the only reason the Nats are in first place.  That being said if the Nats fall short in the post season the shutdown will be questioned for a long time.

One of my favorite Orioles Moments

Now for the Orioles, just like everybody else I really don't know how they are playing as well as they are.  In a game where stats are more important than any other sport, the stats tell you the Orioles should really be in last place.  They have a negative run differential, which I hate talking about but its true, 16th in runs, 21st in batting average, and 18th in team ERA, and they are 19 over .500.....huh??  Now I know those numbers aren't great but the O's do have some impressive stats.  They are 27-7 in one run games which is the best in MLB history, and they have won 13 straight extra inning games.  Not to mention a bullpen that ranks top 3 in ERA in the American League.  The best way to describe the Orioles in 2012 is the song Orioles Magic.  "Every day there's a different star, that's the magic of Orioles baseball".  Its true, just look at the recent 3 game series against Tampa.  Game 1, JJ Hardy had 4 hits and 5 RBIs, Game 2 Nate McClouth game winning hit in the 9th, Game 3 Manny Machado game winning hit in the 14th.  This truly is a team that believes it can win every single game and through 5 1/2 months who's to argue with them.

The best thing about these teams playing well is the fans coming back to the ballparks.  Both for numerous reasons have struggled drawing fans over the past few seasons, with neither cracking the 2 million fan mark.  The last time the Nats had over 2 million was 2008 (first year of Nats Park), for the O's 2007 was their last time over 2 million.  In fact the O's and Nats have only drawn over 2 million in the same season twice, 2005 and 2006, well 2012 might be that year as well.  As of now (Sept 14) the Nats have already hit the 2 million mark with 2,078,208.  The Orioles have some work to do, right now its at 1,893,421 with 7 home games left.  Is it doable, i think so as long as they average 15,200 fans a game they will hit 2 million, and with Boston coming to Baltimore and Brooks Robinson statue being handed out, it should happen.  Bottom line its nice to see excitement for baseball in Maryland.

In a region that is mostly dominated by football with the Ravens and Redskins, baseball is making a strong push, of course this hinges on the O's and Nats playing well consistently and not being one year wonders.  You know what would really help, a battle of the beltways World Series.  What?? it could happen, and just remember when it does you heard it here first.

Follow me on the twitter https://twitter.com/AndySnakovsky

Sorry Ryan but I just don't believe you

Since the announcement was made yesterday I have been pondering what exactly I would say about Ryan Braun winning his appeal. Well quite frankly I don't believe his claim to innocence is as strong as he makes it out to be. I hate the fact that I dont believe him because Braun is one of my favorite players but Ive been burned before. One thing that stuck out for me is Braun saying he was tested 25 times and passed all of them. So what, you can be in a fight 25 times and never kill someone but if you kill someone in fight 26 does that soften the blow? I know a little bit of a stretch but I think you know what I'm getting at. There are so many questions that have yet to be answered that maybe taking such a strong stance on this issue might be a little premature. My biggest problem with this whole thing is that the Braun camp is that they are attacking the credibility of the collector rather than trying to clear his name. I know there needs to be a protocol for these type of things but until you can show me how this guy did alter the sample, I will stay on the side of Ryan Braun tested positive for a PED.

The main reason Ryan Braun won his appeal was that the urine collector (who does it part time, weird) did not send the sample right away. He got the sample on a Saturday and did not send it to Montreal until Monday. This is directly from the MLB CBA "Absent unusual circumstances, the specimens should be sent by FedEx to the Laboratory on the same day they are collected." That obviously didn't happen and that's why Braun won. I have beat up on Braun this whole post but MLB only has itself to blame. First of all how do you not know that FedEx is open on Saturday? Last time i checked Sunday was the only day mail isn't delivered. In a way you cant blame them for taking that stance, and i also understand following procedure. If you don't have a protocol to follow it allows the opportunity for samples to be tainted or messed with. Plain and simple MLB screwed up and in principle they were right in that the collector did not follow the rules of the CBA. In my opinion however unless you can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that either the collector deliberately tampered the sample or because it was kept in the basement it was altered, you cant overturn the suspension.

Whether or not you personally think Ryan Braun took any PEDs, his name will always be linked with Manny, Palmeiro, McGwire and everybody else associated with PEDs. Braun says he is a victim of the process but the real victims are the fans of major league baseball. Now we have to hear about another star player who will have that infamous cloud of suspicion over him. I want to be wrong about Ryan Braun and if I am I will be the first to admit it. I just cant get over the fact they were more worried about the process of the test rather than proving Braun didn't test positive. People will also doubt Braun because the year in question was his best statistically. All in all it is yet another black eye for the sport of baseball, one that might take a while to heal.

I'm going to post two Videos and let you all decide for yourself who you want to believe.

First this is Braun's press conference from earlier today.
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:7611725

Next is Dr. Gary Wadler who is the Chairman of the World Anti-Doping Agency
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:7612292

Follow me on Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/AndySnakovsky

"Baltimore" Back on the Road Jersey

When the Orioles went into Texas Monday Night a little bit of history was made. For the first time since 1972 Baltimore was on the road jersey. To be honest i don't see the big deal, i really don't care what it says on the front of the jersey. Maybe i have a little different perspective because i have always seen "Orioles" on every jersey (i was born in 1986). Also I am a little surprised on how passionate the Oriole fans were on the subject. Sometimes it seemed the fans were more worried about what was on the jersey and not who was wearing the jersey. I also heard some fans boycott the team until they made the change this season, which is stupid. Hey i am an Oriole fan just as much as any other person in Baltimore, but i just feel there are more important things than the uniform. Be mad at the team because they have had 11 losing seasons, be mad that until McPhail this was one of the worst run franchises in baseball, but don't be mad at a team because on what it says on the uniform.