On Monday night as I sat in a room full of people watching
The Bachelor there were many questions running through my mind. Others in the
room were wondering would Sean pick Catherine or Desiree or what happens if
Chris Harrison sleeps with one of the girls?
I on the other hand, had drifted into Birdland, and had a different line
of questioning. Who will be the Orioles
5th starter or who will be our middle relievers? How much will
Matusz thrive in a full season in the pen? You know, important things…
Matt Wieters hit a comebacker; C.C. Sabathia fielded it, and
tossed the ball to Baltimore’s Forgotten Son Mark Teixeria for the final out of
the ALDS. The game was over, and an
improbable playoff run that a fan base had been starving for was over as well.
At first it felt like
a punch in the gut that made breathing very difficult, but as the air returned
to my lungs it became pretty clear that the feeling of devastation, anguish,
and utter despair was 1,000,000 times better than the past 15 seasons of
losing, losing, and a side order of more losing.
The five game series with the hated New York Yankees was a
nut-cutting and nail-biting rollercoaster.
Every game was close; we were all collectively hanging on every pitch;
every game came down to a play here a play there. At the end of the day the plays did not fall
our way enough times and the Yankees escaped to the ALCS. The O’s took the vaunted Yankees to the brink
while only hitting .190 over those 5 games.
If you had just looked at the O’s hitting stats from the series, you
would have figured they were blown out each game. But the pitching was spectacular, top to
bottom, and they kept the Orioles in every game of that series. It didn’t matter whether it was the starting
pitchers going 6+ innings and keeping the game close, or the trusty bullpen
taking over and locking down hitters who made more per game than our relievers
made in a month.
Dan “The Duke” Duquette has done a great job of maintaining
continuity with our pitching staff as well as adding a few arms over the
offseason. No major additions were made
to the Orioles pitching staff, but for the first time in a long time there are
a lot of options for Buck Showalter and pitching coach Rick Adair to tinker
with.
Like a tattoo artist inking a sleeve on a group of body
builders, there are a lot of arms to cover.
So, Drink your coffee, grab your smartphone, head to your favorite
stall, and settle in because I’m about to break down our staff with more bite
than Miguel Gonzalez’s splitter.
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