Game 37 Open Thread - Orioles at Royals (15-21)
Baltimore Orioles at Kansas City Royals, May 11, 2008 2:10 PM EDT
The hits just keep on coming, don't they?
If internet sensation Brian Bannister (4.46 ERA) can't beat the Orioles this afternoon at the K, then no one can. After posting a 0.86 ERA in his first three starts, Bannister has struggled a bit, to the tune of an 8.02 ERA in his last three starts. That stretch actually includes his 2-0 tough luck loss to the Tribe back in April, which makes the 8.02 particularly stunning. You add it all up, and he looks middle of the road in aggregate, but it hasn't really played out that way. Or maybe it has, and that's what being in the middle is like. I don't know.
Last night during the game thread I randomly decided to check up on Shane Costa, and discovered that he's mashing in Omaha. Costa's always been able to hit .300 in the minors with ease, but what may be different this year is his power: he already has seven homers and is slugging .565. (His line on the year is .313/.357/.565.) He's 26, and in over 1500 minor league PAs he's now the owner of a .314/.370/.483 line. I'm not sure what the answer is, but I don't think it's a given that the Royals wouldn't be better served giving Joey Gathright's at bats to Costa for a few months. I'd be willing to exchange some of Joey's singles for at least the off chance that Costa might be able to drive the ball, at least a little. Given the multiple discussions of Butler and his arb-clock, it also might not be a totally insane idea to switch out Butler and Shane for a month, especially considering that Shane can play the field and that Butler has looked more like Ken Harvey than Manny Ramirez thus far. Finally, I love German, but since he's not playing anyway, we might as well see what Costa has.
Thoughts on Costa?
(Call your mom.)
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at this point
I think either Maier or Costa would be better options than Joey.
How Do You
Send your team leader in singles to Omaha?
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
I really think it only takes a few signatures
:)
I really don't know what to say... Did the post above this signature make sense? Probably not.
by RoyalsFanInMarinerTown on May 11, 2008 1:35 PM EDT up reply actions
Costa
My 8 year old would love that. He is her favorite player, for sure
I really don't know what to say... Did the post above this signature make sense? Probably not.
by RoyalsFanInMarinerTown on May 11, 2008 1:35 PM EDT reply actions
Oh, I am officially off the Gathright bandwagon for the year
DDJ is impressing me.
I really don't know what to say... Did the post above this signature make sense? Probably not.
by RoyalsFanInMarinerTown on May 11, 2008 1:36 PM EDT reply actions
Gator's Bandwagon Was
Reprocessed.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on May 11, 2008 1:37 PM EDT up reply actions
A Ford Festiva
With 22’s.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on May 11, 2008 2:29 PM EDT up reply actions
It probably wouldn't hurt the team to call up Costa, but we shouldn't expect anything from him
He had a great AAA season last year too:
.326/.402/.502
And then when he got to the majors:
.223/.257/.301
I probably disagree with you.
Is Hillman Showcasing
Gator in anticipation of the trade deadline?
D. DeJesus lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .317
M. Grudzielanek 2b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .306
A. Gordon 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .283
J. Guillen dh 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .198
B. Butler 1b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .277
M. Teahen rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .264
M. Olivo c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .246
A. Callaspo ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .292
J. Gathright cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .256
Totals 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Maybe even Trey has seen enough of the terrible beauty that is TPJ at the plate.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
I think it is desperation
I probably disagree with you.
by Scott McKinney on May 11, 2008 1:53 PM EDT up reply actions
the farm director
was on xm about a week or 2 ago. Costa was mentioned during the interview and he said that while Costa has had abs in the past at the major league level, his pt has not been consistent. He said he would like to bring him up and have him play 10-15 consecutive games. He also was very displeased with Lumsden.
Another soft tossing lefty, should be a long day
winning records follow good bullpens
My Thoughts Exactly
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on May 11, 2008 2:25 PM EDT up reply actions
They Just Compared
Him to Moyer.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on May 11, 2008 2:26 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm sure we'lll do our best to make hiim look like Moyer
winning records follow good bullpens
this is one of those games we just have to win
when it’s tomko, or even meche, you don’t necessarily expect it. but with banny on the mound against baltimore, anything less than a W will be disappointing
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Shhhhhh; Let Him
Sleep….....too late.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on May 11, 2008 2:33 PM EDT up reply actions
who will be our hero today
I hope it’s Callaspo, since he’s my BOY pick, and he hasn’t picked up a point yet, despite leading the team in OPS
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Scoring opportunity #1: Must get at least 1 run
winning records follow good bullpens
OK, I Think
Trey over-corrected Butters’ baserunning.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
Station to station my friend
winning records follow good bullpens
4 Hits, 1 Run
That’s the right way to play the game. Suicide squeeze next.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on May 11, 2008 2:42 PM EDT up reply actions
It feels like this could be a big inning, if Gathright doesn't kill it
winning records follow good bullpens
4 singles, 1 run.
Awesome.
winning records follow good bullpens
oh, wait, forgot it was the weekend
my work week goes from Sunday – Thursday, so I’m confused a lot
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What a truly unbelievable waste of an amazing scoring opportunity
winning records follow good bullpens
2 Forces At
The plate in one inning must tie the record.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
All we had to do was hit the ball OUT OF THE INFIELD
This team is so bad at the plate.
winning records follow good bullpens
2 Outs Too
Late with the fly ball. Bases loaded, 3 unproductive outs. Hah, they’re still on the air and don’t know it; Denny just said they were lucky to get the one run!
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on May 11, 2008 2:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Isn't that the truth
When your fundamentals are that poor, yeah, you’re lucky to even get a run there.
winning records follow good bullpens
How t he hell do you get 4 hits in a row and only score one run?
My brain is exploding.
winning records follow good bullpens
Butler's Baserunning Blunder
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on May 11, 2008 2:49 PM EDT up reply actions
butler doesn't run well, certainly
but doesn’t the 3rd base coach bear some blame? seems like we’ve had more baserunning errors and runners being picked off than any team in recent memory
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If He Was
Watching the 3B coach.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on May 11, 2008 2:53 PM EDT up reply actions
lot of cheering by the fans there
think they were just excited to see teh ball out of the infield
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We deserve to lose this game after that
winning records follow good bullpens
I Sense Grit
In the making.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on May 11, 2008 2:54 PM EDT up reply actions
pena is too young to have grit
but he’s certainly untalented enough
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I Forgot About
The “scrappy” phase.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on May 11, 2008 2:57 PM EDT up reply actions
DDJ's Macho
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on May 11, 2008 2:54 PM EDT up reply actions
At least bannister seems to be in the groove
winning records follow good bullpens
too bad Callaspo failed to get a hit last inning
that might have cemented his starting spot. On the plus side, this means that Pena will continue to accrue enough at bats to win my bet against NYRoyal.
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too bad Callaspo failed to get a hit last inning
that might have cemented his starting spot. On the plus side, this means that Pena will continue to accrue enough at bats to win my bet against NYRoyal.
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This has to be the greatest singles hitting team of all time
winning records follow good bullpens
Teahie Would Have
Had a 2B.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on May 11, 2008 2:59 PM EDT up reply actions
Great AB from Guillen
even if we all know he strikes out in the end
Blown Save
Not this time
winning records follow good bullpens
That was a selfish double from Guillen
Blown Save
he only had 8 in 360 PA last year
i don’t think it is that surprising. his power will develop later
Blown Save
Or he will become Ken Harvey part 2
winning records follow good bullpens
Nevermind, he doesn't have a hole in his swing big enough to drive Gator's Escalade through
winning records follow good bullpens
Another RISP stranded
winning records follow good bullpens
Bannister seems to have really upped his K rate this season
winning records follow good bullpens
Why the hell are we so afraid of Nick Markakis?
winning records follow good bullpens
It's begging for disaster
winning records follow good bullpens
what's sad is that the A's are 22-16
and there’s every reason to believe we could have had 5-6 players in their lineup playing for us right now, had we not made dumb trades, poor signings, and taken advantage of the waiver wire
Sweeney
Brown
Cust
Ellis
Thomas
Hannahan
That said, we’re still better off with the squad we have in the long run.
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I looked up his statistics..
...fully expecting a wholy flukish .340/.400/.550 line….
It appears he’s repeating his 2005-7 Royals performance of always finding a way to hit with RISP (not hitting well, but just hitting in general).
.279/.304/.393 is still pretty uninspiring this far into the season. So I’m happy! :)
by Royals Nation on May 11, 2008 3:22 PM EDT up reply actions
The man is clutch
Seriously though, he does have a good approach with RISP. Does it make him a good hitter, or even a good RBI guy? Nah. It simply transforms him from a mediocre hitter, to a mediocre hitter that is slightly above average with RISP.
winning records follow good bullpens
I'm not a believer in the 'clutch' metric
But I think certain variables are worth consideration: hitting well with pitchers in the stretch, hitting with a certain mentality (i.e. good bat control – trying to sacrifice runners home or simply trying to hit a single, etc.)
by Royals Nation on May 11, 2008 3:24 PM EDT up reply actions
yeah, it's pretty bad
it just that it looks so good next to Guiilen’s #s. That should change, though, hopefully.
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I've got that feeling in my stomach
....that our pretty little 2-0 lead could be squandered instantly and at any moment.
This team finds new ways to lose games. But they can’t keep losing with this squad…too good for it, overall. Also, our 13 (or whatever) consecutive losses against BAL is wholy flukish.
Well, Bannister is throwing a one hitter through 5
Then again, with his pitching style, I agree the wheels can fall off at any moment
winning records follow good bullpens
i was just thinking that myself
this could easily be one of those games where we hold them to two hits, only to walk a pair of hitters and give up the game winning dinger
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The Wind Prevented
One run, and Gator prevented an XBH on the same play.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on May 11, 2008 3:29 PM EDT up reply actions
Guillen's ball is a homer also without the wind
winning records follow good bullpens
Gritz Induces A
Balk with his veteran presence.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
Gotta get this run in from 3rd with <2 outs
winning records follow good bullpens
Anddddddddddd Alex fails again and strikes out.
Just wow.
winning records follow good bullpens
diagree
Gordon = Jesus Chirst
How dare you compare the next George Brett to Pete Incavagila!
Blown Save
Too Often, A-Gor=
“Jeeeeezus, Joseph, Mary and all the saints!”
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on May 11, 2008 3:42 PM EDT up reply actions
Gordon since April 19th (not counting today)
.235/.342/.368
at least he’s still taking his pitches and drawing walks
NBA Playoffs Update
Utah 16, LAL 9 – 1st Q
Blown Save
ANOTHER risp stranded
Another runner at third
winning records follow good bullpens
with <2 outs left behind
winning records follow good bullpens
its all just a function of not having enough hitters
I just hope Hillman doesn’t freak and start being even more annoying.
Yeah, stranding runners and dropping popups.
MVP baby!
winning records follow good bullpens
It needs be noted that the core of our lineup is...
...26, 24 and 22 years old respectively. There is lot of development left.
Blown Save
It's just frustrating because everywhere you look in baseball, there is a team with hitters that age
That are producing. Why can’t it ever be our guys?
winning records follow good bullpens
I bet, in most cases, those guys are surrounded by 28+ year olds who are good hitters.
Plus, its hard to learn how to hit with RISP when it rarely happens.
Blown Save
I agree wholeheartedly.
....but haven’t our mid-20 somethings actually been our finest producers? Bannister, Greinke, Gordon (I know), Butler (I know), Soria, Nunez, Ramirez…
Why I’m so tired of the ‘this team is young, given them time’ copout is that it ignores the fact that most of our team is either in their prime or older. Hence, they should be producing at their max. potential. I see a .500 team with this squad, topps. Of course that doesn’t include possible breakthroughs from players within our own ML system.
by Royals Nation on May 11, 2008 3:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, I feel like this time is a bunch of mediocre position players with low ceilings.
How do you improve that without junking half the team and spending a ton of money.
winning records follow good bullpens
Markakis Scares Me
Especially with runners on.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
Ugh, if Bannister walks Markakis...
winning records follow good bullpens
Strike'em out, throw'em out DP!
Blown Save
Yeah, that's more like it.
winning records follow good bullpens
Butters And Gritz
Trying to run Mora down could have taken a while, thank god for Callie.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
and no runs... yep, seen that before.
Blown Save
Yet ANOTHER wasted runner in scoring position
We will lose this game. You can’t leave this many guys on and win
winning records follow good bullpens
That's why Joey is in center
winning records follow good bullpens
Dow You've Done
It for sure.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on May 11, 2008 4:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Cue the Luke Scott blooper down 1-2
winning records follow good bullpens
So It Begins
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on May 11, 2008 4:02 PM EDT up reply actions
That single annoys me because now he might not make it to the 8th
winning records follow good bullpens
Mike Sweeney is hitting .321 for the A's
Why are the Royals so unlucky? We pay this guy a shit ton of money, he gets hurt, can only play half his contract. Goes to oakland for nothing. bam, is healthy and hitting again. Why does God hate the Royals?
winning records follow good bullpens
fortunately its a somewhat hollow .321
he’s not hitting for a ton of power—he’s certainly not the guy he once was
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actually the more disturbing development is that
JP Howell’s ERA has finally started to catch up with his K rate. He’s looking good out there. If Cordier pans out, too, I will not be happy.
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Yeah, but you forgot to mention it's pitching out of the Rays bullpen
He’s a junkballing lefty relief pitcher. Even if he turns into the next Jamie Walker, it’s not like we traded a #3 starting pitcher. I seriously doubt he gets moved out of the pen.
winning records follow good bullpens
It will change.
Luck will turn and things will even out. Didn’t he play until June last year before experiencing his annual injury? He’ll go into a slump and then – bam! – 2 months for a hangnail.
by Royals Nation on May 11, 2008 4:15 PM EDT up reply actions
Bannister, 7 IP, 2 hits, 96 pitches
Run him back out there for the 8th?
winning records follow good bullpens
Sounds Like It'd
Be Ramirez; he’d be good to follow Banny.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on May 11, 2008 4:10 PM EDT up reply actions
And that's why Gathright is still here.
Blown Save
He Obviously Heard
Us talking.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on May 11, 2008 4:13 PM EDT up reply actions
NBA Playoffs Update
LAL 30, Utah 34 – 2nd Q
Blown Save
Thank god David got that bunt down huh
winning records follow good bullpens
Like put the ball in play
winning records follow good bullpens
How will we blow this inning
winning records follow good bullpens
Who's On 3B?
Jesus! Let’s see if we can get 3 forces at the plate.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
WE ACTUALLY GOT A RUN IN!!!!!!!!111
winning records follow good bullpens
Yay! We plated a runner from third!
Blown Save
And It Only
Took one out to do it.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on May 11, 2008 4:18 PM EDT up reply actions
Don't look now but Jose's batting average continues to creep up
winning records follow good bullpens
I'm thinking strikeout
winning records follow good bullpens
Now That's Optimism
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on May 11, 2008 4:21 PM EDT up reply actions
With A Scowl
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on May 11, 2008 4:21 PM EDT up reply actions
STRIKEOUT
I called it.
winning records follow good bullpens
the dingdong will be waiting for him in the dugout
hillman just unwrapped it
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If Butler has to be a singles hitter, hemight as well do it with RISP
winning records follow good bullpens
So...
no save opportunity for Soria, right?
by powderbluepower on May 11, 2008 4:25 PM EDT reply actions
he isn't going to be Tony Gwynn though
Gwynn won 5 gold gloves and stole 54 bases in a season once. keep readjusting.
Blown Save
did you suggest Hillman had hosties snackcakes for Butler in the dugout?
or had you made the Gwynn comparison?
either way… great minds…
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I made a snarky comment about Ken Harvey awhile back
in regard to Billy’s thus-far-absent power, then when someone wasn’t sure whether I really meant it, I elaborated to point out he could be Gwynn too.
Sarcasm™. It's the new gravy.
Without The Footspeed
Or fielding ability.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on May 11, 2008 4:26 PM EDT up reply actions
Teahen almost beat that out.
And I NAILED the 2 runs prediction for the inning. CROWN ME!
Blown Save
Calling Dennis Green
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on May 11, 2008 4:29 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm A Man!
I’m 40! Oh, wrong rant.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on May 11, 2008 4:33 PM EDT up reply actions
2 more stranded... at least a 4 run lead is safer
winning records follow good bullpens
but at least they scored some runs.
Blown Save
I think we coulda scored 8
and if we stranded a couple he’d still be upset about it.
Sarcasm™. It's the new gravy.
Probably ;-)
I won’t be happy until we’re like, a juggernaut yo.
winning records follow good bullpens
Pitch count update on Banny please
Blown Save
Okay, screw it, send Brian out for the 9th.
109 pitches, wind blowing in – he already has 1 CG shut out right? Just let him get #2.
winning records follow good bullpens
He's not a maximum effort pitcher, has given up 2 hits all game
I see no harm
winning records follow good bullpens
there's no real benefit though
gobbles thrown 7 innings all year. if he gives up a base hit or two, put in ramirez, nunez, or soria
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im good with sending him out there...
as long as he has a strict pitch count in his next outing
Blown Save
now that i see Callaspo was going to hit this inning
i’m not to pleased by the pena substitution
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Hence my lack of bitching
winning records follow good bullpens
Yeah, Gator At
Least went 3-2 before he K’ed.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on May 11, 2008 4:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Kobe hits a shot at the buzz
LA 55, Utah 55 at halftime
Blown Save
This game is an example
of justice; the MASN guys have basically spent 18 hours talking about how great it was going to be that the Orioles could go .500 on the road trip, all but assuming the sweep.
Well, your .500 just turned into .400, now shut up.
In other news, Oriole fan text-message player of the game percentages:
Brian Bannister 30%
Jose Guillen 2%
Brian Burres, you know, the losing pitcher, 68%
Sarcasm™. It's the new gravy.
They're Almost As
Good as STL fans.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on May 11, 2008 4:52 PM EDT up reply actions
Will Joakim Soria ever give up a run
winning records follow good bullpens
Denny Called It
“The gorilla has just left the ballpark”; I was afraid it was a HR for a second.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
watched the game...
great start for bannister. he pitched great. i liked the uniforms too.
by columbusOHcubsfan on May 11, 2008 6:24 PM EDT reply actions
Was at the game
I’m sure many of you watched and could probably tell the same things but a couple things:
-It was cold as hell in May and that sucks at a Royals game.
-Callaspo looked fine at Short. He didn’t have to make any really tough plays but some nice ones all the same.
-Guillen continues to look better to me. That double was smoked to the gap.
-The Orioles looked lost against Bannister. LIke many of you said, not overpowering but nothing happened with them the whole game.
After being at Thursdays game this was very nice to see. I’m 1-2 on the season now.
by I need more Esteban on May 11, 2008 10:42 PM EDT reply actions














