5/23 @ Toronto

[mvp 78]

Devers is good at baseball.

[Maxbialystock]

if Cora trots him out for the 7th that will be a yuuuuuge mistake.

 

Why do you insist he doesn't listen to you when he does? No Weber in the 7th.

[TylerD]

I think we got this one folks.

[mvp 78]

Pearce heating up?

[Maxbialystock]

Weber did a heck of a job controlling the Jays today. The newer "W's" to our pitching staff have really made contributions so far.

 

Sure have. Another day off for JDM, so Betts gets to DH, Beni to CF, and JBJ to RF.

 

Pearce and JBJ maybe coming around, but it's hard to tell against the Jays. Still, it's nice to see those solid hits (and the cheap ones too).

[iortiz]

Seems like Pearce is back gentlemen.

[Bellhorn04]

Pearce heating up?

 

You know it.

[Maxbialystock]

Pearce heating up?

 

Yes, sort of. Remember, it's the Jays bullpen. But 3 hits are sure nice to see. Finally.

[mvp 78]

Yes, sort of. Remember, it's the Jays bullpen. But 3 hits are sure nice to see. Finally.

 

Hits in the past 4 starts and 4 hard hit balls today. Looks better than what we've seen from him previously.

[iortiz]

This Os are probably the worst team in history.

[d-money]

The s***** birds just gave up a run.

[mvp 78]

[d-money]

This Os are probably the worst team in history.

 

What?! Did you honestly think they would show a pulse? That team basically has a noose around its neck before the start of a game lol.

[vegasbob]

Velazquez is the new toast.

[vegasbob]

It will be enlightening to see how it goes in Houston as compared to Toronto. Need to have JD ready to go . Certainly will see some big league pitching there.

[Slasher9]

Dub.

dirty water.

[TylerD]

Solid win! Let’s get Houston now!

[Maxbialystock]

Time to hop a plane and head for Houston. 3 of 4 tougher than it should have been, but it's still 3 of 4.

 

Sure looks like the next three starters will be Sale, Price, and ERod. Me, I'd have Leon catch all three games, but I'm fine with whatever Cora decides.

 

JDM still day to day but leaning toward IL, I'm afraid. I like the way Cora is passing the DH slot around. I also like that he keeps playing guys whose bats are cold because, like Pearce and just maybe JBJ, they might heat up. I'd say Beni's hitting has really fallen off in May, but his OPS for the month is a respectable if not exciting .802.

 

If ERod's last start was an anomaly, Cora has 4 good to very good starters plus Weber, a decent bullpen, and enough hitting if not yet back at 2018 levels.

 

In other words, this is as good a time as any to get back in the ring with the Astros.

[iortiz]

What?! Did you honestly think they would show a pulse? That team basically has a noose around its neck before the start of a game lol.

 

Poor Os fans even I wanted to punch something after this lose LOL!. They really suck.

[a700hitter]

What?! Did you honestly think they would show a pulse? That team basically has a noose around its neck before the start of a game lol.

The O's play Russian Roulette with all the chambers full.

[Maxbialystock]

Orioles payroll is 4th from the bottom. Peter Angelos has been furious at MLB ever since they brought a 3d Washington team (the first two ended up in Minneapolis and Arlington (TX) to DC. This one is is pretty good and drawing fans, many of them away from Camden Yards. Right now the Orioles average attendance is in Rays territory--16K/game. The Rays bring in 14.5K/game. In 2001 the Orioles were drawing 38.7K/game. In 2005 they drew 32.4K/game and the new Washington Nationals drew 33.7K/game.

 

The Orioles franchise goes back to 1901 and the creation of the American League--and were called the Milwaukee Brewers and just a year later they became the infamous St Louis Browns for 52 years. They almost went bankrupt, but found a home in Baltimore, where they have now been for 65 years This is why I think of Baltimore as a good baseball town, but of course what really helped them was being close to the National Capital Region, whose population has grown exponentially since World War II. I also think Camden Yards is a terrific ball park.

 

Fairfax County, where I live, had a population of 41K in 1940, and is now at 1.1M. And most of Fairfax County is within 60 miles of Camden Yards. Unfortunately, and this helps explain why the Orioles attendance keeps plunging, driving those 60 miles must be done basically during rush hour for night games. Thus I'm looking at my apple map which tells me that, while the Orioles are 41 miles away, it takes over 2 hours to get there. And don't forget that most night games start at 7 and can easily go to 11 pm, which means getting home after midnight.

 

Montgomery County in Maryland (but is basically in the outskirts of DC) was at 84K in 1940 and today is at 1M and change. They too find the Nationals a better option, plus they have lots of DC Metro stops (more than Fairfax County), and Nationals Park has their own Metro stop.

 

All of the above makes Nationals Ballpark, which is also a good (but not as good) venue, a much more attractive option.

Edited May 23, 2019 by Maxbialystock

[bkzwhitestrican]

I think poor attendance has more to do with how bad the O's roster is. Why would fans pay a considerable price to watch a team of castoffs lose 75% of their games? When the O's were pretty good between 2012-16, their average attendance was 28,310. And it was 30,426 in 2014 when they made it to the ALCS. Those aren't amazing attendance numbers but they're respectable.

[Maxbialystock]

I think poor attendance has more to do with how bad the O's roster is. Why would fans pay a considerable price to watch a team of castoffs lose 75% of their games? When the O's were pretty good between 2012-16, their average attendance was 28,310. And it was 30,426 in 2014 when they made it to the ALCS. Those aren't amazing attendance numbers but they're respectable.

 

Undeniably poor play--bad roster--is a big factor. But you are dead wrong if you don't think demographics and the size of your fan base don't matter. I don't know if I would call Baltimore a failing city, but their population in 1950--right before the Orioles arrived--was 950K. Today it is 602K. DC also peaked in 1950 at 802K and fell to 572K in 2000, but now is back up to 702K. Plus a whole lot of people simply moved to Montgomery County, Fairfax County, Arlington County, Prince Georges County, Alexandria, Loudon County, and even Stafford County (from which two of our staff commute every day to our office in Arlington, maybe 3 miles DC).

 

I think Angelos has not been a good owner, hence his unwillingness now to build a good team, but I also think he isn't wrong about the demographics.

[Maxbialystock]

Before I forget, well done Sox and of course station13!

[iortiz]

The O's play Russian Roulette with all the chambers full.

 

LOL! Literally.

[Jasonbay44]

Another issue with Baltimore, is that it is a s*** hole and very dangerous. I know numerous people who've said they'll never go to another game again after the riot games. Bad team, s***** city, with awful roads and lots of crime? Its not hard to figure out why no one goes to the games.

[a700hitter]

Another issue with Baltimore, is that it is a s*** hole and very dangerous. I know numerous people who've said they'll never go to another game again after the riot games. Bad team, s***** city, with awful roads and lots of crime? Its not hard to figure out why no one goes to the games.

If I was the owner of the Orioles, I would have made a huge stink with the city and the state about the incompetence of the government that put my customers in danger. You are right. That episode ruined the Orioles' business. Even when the Orioles were good, their fan base was not very dedicated, but Red Sox fans and Yankee fans would fill that place for 18-20 games each season. For several years, I tolerated the brutal traffic and went to Baltimore 1 or 2 times a year for a series. It was Fenway South. Once the riots happened, I thought it was just not worth it. I had heard horror stories of people who were in Baltimore when the riots happened. Baltimore had been a sketchy place before the riots, but the city had insulated the inner harbor area from danger. It was safe and nice for tourists and fans, but once the city officials let that safe space be breached, I wrote it off as did many many thousands of other fans. If you watch the Yankee games in Baltimore, the place is pretty empty. It had never been that way before.