The concerns for the pitching of the Baltimore Orioles remains a reality but the absence of runs and runners and hits and good plate appearances has been the most unsettling feature of a lousy start in a season of great promise. Luke Jones and Nestor discuss some grave concerns about the Birds’ early failures on mound and at the plate and where solutions might be coming.
Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discussed the Baltimore Orioles’ early-season struggles, highlighting their 4-9 record and poor performance on both the mound and at the plate. They noted that the team has scored an average of 3.5 runs per game since opening day, with only six home runs in 12 games. Dean Kramer’s 8.00 ERA and the absence of key players like Zach Eflin and Kyle Gibson were cited as major issues. Despite the challenges, they emphasized the importance of the upcoming home stand and the need for the offense to step up to compensate for the pitching woes.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
Orioles, pitching issues, hitting struggles, Dean Kramer, Kyle Gibson, Zach Eflin, Adley Rutschman, Colton Cowser, bullpen, Brandon Hyde, Mike Elias, starting rotation, home stand, fan reaction, injuries.
SPEAKERS
Nestor Aparicio, Luke Jones
Nestor Aparicio 00:01
Welcome home. We are W, N, S, T, A, M, 1570 Towson, Baltimore. We are Baltimore. Positive. I am wearing my curio wellness orange Oriel gear. Here on Friday, we will be wearing such gear at cost. This in all brought to you by the Maryland lotto. Have the magic eight ball scratch offs to give away. And then next week, we’re going to roll it into the Beaumont and Catonsville Wednesday. Then on Thursday of the following week, we’re going to be out in Timonium for Cooper’s north with our friends Patrick Russell and Terry Beck and Nick Schultz, amongst others. And then finally, the 30th will be a Cocos pub in laurelville. I got some cool confirmations on guests. This guy is going to be joining me at fadelies at some point. I hope the Orioles win between now and then, dude feels like we get together, like, I don’t know, every six to eight or 12 hours, and talk about how things have gotten worse for the Orioles, and they’re coming home to a rainstorm on Friday and really in trouble in some way, really, really scuffling right now at under 500 and wondering when they’re going to hit the ball better. And you and I have gone through the pitching. Man,
Luke Jones 01:11
yeah. I mean, I’ll be totally honest with you. Nestor, I’m kind of tired of talking about the pitching. And look, Dean Kramer, it is what it is. He gave up six runs. You know, he was chased in the fifth inning, was working on a decent outing into the fifth inning, but didn’t score a run on Thursday. You can’t win any game scoring zero runs. There’s no such thing as a zero run win. So look, the pitching is what it is. And if you had told me two weeks ago that the Orioles rotation would be scuffling, especially if you told me. Now Zach Eflin is on the IL and, you know, Kyle Gibson is starting to ramp up and pitching at Norfolk and and all that. You know well, the fact that he’s here, the fact that we’re talking about Kyle Gibson, means the things have really not gone well since February. You know what? I mean, this is not part of the plan. Oh, it’s not. But you’re waiting on something that they don’t even want here, or didn’t want here, sure, but, but I’m even talking two weeks ago. I mean, let’s face it, this club on opening day two weeks ago in Toronto, where they scored 12 runs, they hit six home runs. They’ve hit six home runs in 12 games since then, they’ve hit two home runs in their last 10 games. And I get it, Kansas City was miserable. The weather was miserable. I understand you’re not going to, most likely hit a bunch of home runs when it’s 40 degrees and windy in Kansas City, so those three games, but Arizona, I mean, that’s the roof was open, but that’s a climate controlled facility there, so you know, it’s opportune conditions, but this is a team that since opening day, they’ve averaged barely over three and a half runs per game. They’re not constructed to win games like that. You know, okay, if you had one of the best pitching staffs in the league and a healthy starting rotation, and maybe, maybe even if it’s not a pure true number one, but at least you had legit number two and number three pitchers, at least in the top half of your rotation. Then, okay, I can see winning some of those games. But you know, they’ve had some games this year, and of course, Wednesday, you know, they they lose nine nothing. So I’m not sitting here giving the pitching a pass. But we we talked all off season. We talked all spring. We talked going into the season that, yeah, especially with grace and Rodriguez being out of the picture for at least the first month, month and a half, whatever it ends up being, that that was going to be touch and go and questionable. The bullpen has been mostly fine, other than CNL Perez, so can’t really have any complaints there, but they’ve got to hit the ball. I mean, this team, from the moment Mike Elias arrived and they drafted Adley rutschman, won one back in 2019 they’re modeling, you know, what they’ve done from a draft and development standpoint, has skewed much more on the position player side, and this offense isn’t doing the job nearly consistently enough. I mean, it’s been been it’s been playing bad at times, certainly at best, it’s been inconsistent. That’s kind of the kindest way to put it. So I get it and yeah, if they scored six runs on Wednesday, they lose nine to six, right? I mean, I I understand. I’m not saying the pitching isn’t a problem, but boy, if your strength isn’t a strength, if your perceived biggest strength isn’t going to be a strength, then there is no hope, right? And, yeah, and, of course, it’s early, right? Both things can be true. It’s early, and there’s so much time to get yourself situated. They’re starting a long home stand. They’ve only played one series at home, so I’ll hear all that. But on the flip side, it’s tough to ignore these signs. And I mean, their offense is healthy, other than Colton cows are. And don’t get me wrong, that’s that hurts. It hurts their outfield defense. It hurts their upside. I mean, you’re talking about someone who’s second and Rookie of the Year vote. Thing, but the rest of their position group is intact. It’s in place, and they’ve got to start performing. Because, you know, as much as you say it’s early, what really are you pointing to right now that tells you that the starting pitching is going to get much better in the near future. I mean, okay, the hope is Zach Eflin is not going to be out too long here. But what about everyone else you know, Kyle Gibson? What exactly are you expecting Kyle Gibson to give you? I think he can raise your floor, but it’s not an ace. He’s not number two. He’s not a number three. You know, Grayson Rodriguez, once we see him start going out to an affiliate, fine. But any of the other meaningful options in terms of upside. I mean, Kyle Brad is just still pie in the sky, hoping for something in August, right? I mean, that you can’t count on that so they’ve got to hit. I mean,
Nestor Aparicio 05:51
this is, yeah. I mean, you and I talk about this, name me a team that had poor pitching that really could win. You know what I mean? I’m just I, I’m trying to think of anyone like we talk about in football, if you have a bad defense, it’s it’s hard to win a Super Bowl with a bad defense. And Peyton Manning had those years where he was something in the D and they just couldn’t hold their own water. And in balance, teams and other sports in lots of different ways, for teams that don’t have five tools, right? But the pitching part of baseball, if Earl Weaver were here, right, or, you know, Casey Stengel will come back and talk about the history of baseball. I mean, I think it’s full hard to think you can slug your way to it right, and maybe into the playoffs, or wherever they are, but I think you’re asking a lot of the off. I mean, I’m not making 00
Luke Jones 06:46
the offense has been bad. I’m not talking like I hear you totally in agreement. I agree the starting pitching is a disaster right now. But are we really surprised when we look at it? I am surprised to see an offense that has all these first round picks and all stars and guys that are supposed to be leading the way, and they’re getting shut out. I mean, that that’s my thing. My frustration is way more with the offense at this point. Look, if they lose nine to six on Wednesday, then, yeah, the pitching is a story. They got shut out. It was two to nothing going into the bottom of the fifth inning. I mean,
Nestor Aparicio 07:18
they got two runs on Tuesday night and couldn’t piss a drop after that, the wacky seventh inning we had and all that. I mean, they had a two, nothing lead. And I look up and the bases are loaded, nobody’s out, and he’s got a three, oh, count. I mean, like, Well, I mean, the pitching is that bad, so that’s why the lead story for me is that, because to me, and I don’t want to play it backwards with you. Certainly you’re more fired up than I am at this point, and you’re going to sit in a rain storm on Friday night, and I’m not, but to my point, you could, you could have scored six runs and still lost pretty badly, because it’s that hard to win when your pitching is not good. And I’m not saying it’s morale or this or that, or you fall behind and CNL Perez is out there trying to figure it out late in the game. But, you know, there is a point where this is going to be hard to do. That’s all I’m saying. I’m not saying I’d like to see them actually try to do it. I got you. I got you. I mean, that’s where, yeah, I mean, look, this is not me saying the pitching is acceptable. It’s not but what is more intact right now, the pitching or the offense? I mean, they’re not running the base as well either, you know. I mean, they had the first and
Luke Jones 08:30
second and there’s a pitch in the dirt and the guy on the back end of that gets thrown out at second base. And, you know, they’ve, you know, Tyler O’Neill the other night, even though the umpire never made a call, he gets doubled off a second base, you know, with the chance to, you know, to tie the ball game.
Nestor Aparicio 08:44
Speaking of doubled off, they hit a couple double plays too, as they continue to
Luke Jones 08:48
do that. I mean, which, which is wild, because they actually set a record last year for fewest ground, ground balls in the in the double play. So it’s kind of, it’s kind of crazy that they’re and I, and I know Kevin Brown even pointed it out on the broadcast, on the broadcast have been good. I’ll say that I agree with you, Russ, a lot with about Ben McDonald, the humor, but also the good insight. But I’m wondering Greg baders watching, you know, like they’re they’ve been tough well, but this is my point. I mean, again, I’m not sitting here saying that anyone should be happy with the fact that that Dean Kramer has an era over eight right now? That’s, of course, that’s unacceptable. But it didn’t even matter on Wednesday, it was two nothing until the bottom of the fifth inning, and then, of course, the blow up, and then the game becomes a blowout. But no, I mean score some runs. I mean, that’s what you’re supposed to do, right? If your biggest strength is not going to be a strength, then, yeah, of course, you’re not going to win when you’re weak very much. The weak. Would they
Nestor Aparicio 09:50
fire Brandon Hyde at any point? Would they? I mean, I don’t know, Rubenstein. I mean, I don’t think he has anything to do with it. I don’t think that he would be a part of. I mean, he. Got a bobble head next Saturday night. I’ve got a big fat steamer for Katie Griggs about why you have a press credential. And I don’t Peter Angelo is dead, but this is, I almost don’t even want to be mean, you know, over the weekend, and I have occasion to be but I I’m like, what happened you crappy teams fire managers when they get off the bad starts, right? Like that happens. I don’t think that should or whatever, but I’m like, I’m about to ask you, what are you most worried about? I here’s what I’m worried about. Their pitching stinks, and their pitching is gonna stink, and their pitching is never gonna get healed. So the only that’s gonna heal them is scoring 6789, runs a game. And you have some demand of that, you know, you have some expectation that they’re capable of that. And I’m saying, I mean, I think they’re capable hitting the ball, but they’re also capable of swinging through struggling against lefties, not drawing a lot of walks, hitting into double play. You know, they have all of those diseases. It’s like thinking about the Ravens last year with their real problem was penalties. You know, really like, you break the rules, you find yourself in bad down in distance. And the same thing is pressing swinging at bad pitches, getting into bad counts, just all of that. I don’t know what I’m most concerned about, other than neophyte ownership, and they don’t know what the hell they’re doing, and the stands are empty and the weather’s not great, and the pitching is never coming around, and they’re giving something away every night. But I would say the thing I’m most concerned about is the sanctity of the whole operation, and it kind of coming off the card a little bit, because the pitching is not going to save them much and and if Corbin burns came in tomorrow, or Evelyn’s Okay, they’re going to get saved every fifth day, seventh day, 10th day, where they’re not going to get quality starts. They’re just not. I mean, nobody in the staff is built for six innings and three running. Nobody and nobody left anyway, now that ethlin is out, and I’m just, you know, five and eight leads to what 11 and 15, which leads to 1922, you know, I don’t, I mean, at what point do you think they can put together and stack victories with no pitching and hitting? That is for now, suspect. I’m just going to see, you know, no Santander here they have split problems. They have defensive problems with Mateo and center field without Colton cows or, I mean, they got a lot of problems, dude. I mean, and I’m glad you’re the pissed off one here. Maybe I’ll get my press pass. But you’re the, you know, you’re angrier than I am at this point. I’m not that shocked when all the arms, did you see that list of pictures they put up in the seventh inning there. I mean, positive.com I mean, just, it’s just sort of like when you see it in a graphic, you’re, I’m like, they’re not supposed to be any good, but I hope they don’t do anything stupid, like fire the manager. I mean, you know, not that I’m standing up for him, but I’m just thinking, you know, light a fire under I don’t know what that would mean. Light of fires get better pitching, no.
Luke Jones 13:24
But again, I keep coming back to, you know, we could talk about the Ravens issues. Lamar Jackson’s an MVP at quarterback. And if suddenly Lamar Jackson’s not playing well whatsoever, what else really matters? You know what I mean? And that’s what I keep coming back to. I expect the pitching to struggle. I expect that to be at best, that you’re kind of barely getting by. You know, that’s, that’s the expectation. So even with with games where they’ve gotten four runs allowed, right? They’ve lost some of those games because they haven’t hit, I mean, again since opening day, when they put a 12 spot on the board and hit six home runs, and Tyler O’Neill doing everything he’s doing, and Adley rutschman Two bombs, and Mullins, two bombs. Yeah, they’ve scored three and a half runs a game since then, and that’s even with including a couple of those games they did score eight or nine. I mean, they’ve now been shut out twice. They’ve been held to one run twice, and they’ve been held to two runs twice. I mean, that’s nearly half their games. They’ve scored two or fewer. I mean, they’re even ball like the mariners. I mean they’re hitting like they’re pitching. I mean, maybe not that, not as bad as a starting pitching. But again, when you kind of look at it and you’re neither one is stacking up well at all. And then this is why
Nestor Aparicio 14:42
I’m worried about it, because, like, everybody hears bubble gum and sugar plums and, like, the thing’s been good for two years, right? Like, I don’t know how David Rubenstein is going to react to not good. I don’t know how I know how the fans are going to react to not good. They’re not going to go they’re not. Going to go that the end, and they’re going to tune out, and you and I are going to be talking to nobody come July, if somehow they’re 10 games under 500 and they can’t figure this out, because, like, it’s trending that way, and it’s trending that way because I don’t believe in the pitching. I mean, I believe the hitting will be fine against crappy pitching, and they’ll score 12 runs twice a week. I mean, I’m fine. I mean, I’ll buy into all of that. I don’t think anything that looks like that means they’re going to win six out of eight and 10 out of 13 and 17 out of 21 and all the stuff that they did here two years ago and last year to really stack, not just victories, quality starts, good defense, good bullpen. You know, winning games being winning games with bats late, because the thing stayed close enough to make it exciting, getting people, recruiting the community to some degree, because I am worried about all of that, because I did as much as Katie Griggs is arrogant enough not take my phone call and not meet with me. They’ve got a real depth problem here. If they’re not going to win, we’re just been assuming they’re going to win since they started the win two years ago. Fine assumption. But then you got to go do it, and you doing it with Kyle Gibson and Dean Kramer and and and Charlie Morton. And I just it, this isn’t going to ring the bell. The pitching is not going to ring the bell. I do think the inning will wake up, and I’m with you. They scored one run last 17 innings, right?
Luke Jones 16:24
Yeah. And look the pitch, the starting pitching has to be better. I don’t think Dean Kramer is actually going to have an eight era. Well, dude, there’s no billion b Well, but my point is, there’s no reason to think that it’s going to continue to be that bad, right? I mean, Dean Kramer’s now, Charlie Morton, maybe he’s 41 so maybe, you know, although you look at his peripherals compared to some of the other guys and and that’s why I said to you that Boston start, I actually had a little more optimism, trying to take a deeper dive and saying, Okay, Miss bats and had strikeouts and all that. But at some point in time you need to start performing, and they’re not getting that. I mean, Sagano, I’m I’m very much looking forward to seeing him pitch this weekend and and seeing what that looks like. His second start showed some promise, right? It wasn’t bad in his first start, he just had the the dehydration issue with the cramping, so assuming that’s, you know, you’ve got your head around that as far as what he needs to do, that’s looked promising, but, man, I mean, you just look at the rest of this right now and and to the point that we made. I mean, who’s coming to rescue them right now? I mean, okay, Kyle Gibson. I certainly hope he’s going to be better than what they’ve seen. I think again, you know, we’re not talking about guys that have career seven eras, right? So it’s going to get better on that front, but how much better and and how deep can they go in the games? As I’ve said, their bullpen to me has been, it’s been fine. You know, Perez’s
Nestor Aparicio 17:58
always been the shining star, yeah, the bull play. If we’re going to talk about anything that’s going well, Cedric Mullins, maybe O’Hearn the bullpen, the fact that Jackson holiday probably can do this, you know, shaves yet, though it’s really why, but, um, yeah, I mean the bullpen. And Cedric mo Do you have any other bright lights, literally and
Luke Jones 18:23
and this is where you still try to remind yourself, it’s 13 games, it’s early. It’s not like they have a plethora of guys in their lineup that are hitting 100 right now. You know what I mean? Like, kerstad hasn’t hit the ball. You know he hasn’t hit for any power that that’s he needs to start driving the ball. But again, what are you bringing up? Dylan Carlson, or are you going to play Ramon liriano more? I mean, you know, the cows are out for six to eight weeks. I mean, Austin ace you’re not walking through that door. Kyle Stowers isn’t walking through that door. I mean, it just, you know, kind of, it’s where they are right now. But they just, it’s just so disjointed. It’s disjointed from the standpoint of, when they have a good game, it’s a good it’s a really good game. But when they scuffle, man, they really scuffle, right? So some of that, and this is where I’m pumping the brakes, even on my own frustration that I’ve aired here and and a lot of it’s just, you know, we can keep banging on the pitching like, what’s again, what are the expectations when you have eight guys on the IL right now, this audience is here for pissed off Luke and voice of reason. But my, but again, my point with that is, if your biggest strength, or what’s supposed to be your biggest strength, isn’t going to be a strength, and what the heck else even matters? You know what I mean like so, so that’s that’s where my angst and where, you know my frustration is coming from. And watching this club right now, all that being said, 13 games in, as I said to you earlier in the week, when even the best. Teams in baseball are going to have a stretch of losing six of 10. I’m guessing even the best teams in baseball at some point in time will have something that looks very similar to losing eight of 13. It’s very much magnified at the beginning of the year. I’m not going to sit here and say that, Oh, they’re this close, because it’s not as though they’re losing a ton of one run games here, you know, they’ve had some games where, you know, not, maybe not nine, nothing, but they’ve lost by four or five runs. You know, where it’s been like that, where they haven’t pitched or hit particularly well, but it’s 13 games you’re coming home, starting a long home stand. Hopefully the weather warms up a little bit, right? I mean, we’re all hoping that, just for the sake of we’re all ready for spring and not having to put our heat back on, as we have this week. But, but at the same time, it is tough kind of looking at this. And this is where I’ll address what you mentioned about Brandon Hyde, where, look, certainly you’re not making a managerial change 13 games in or 20 games in. I mean, you know, we all, we can all think back to the Orioles firing Cal senior after, what, six games in 1988 I mean, that’s, it’s the most absurdly idiotic thing I’ve ever heard of firing a manager six games into a season. I mean, why didn’t you just fire him over the winter? If that’s how you really felt about him, right? I mean, we, we can all agree with something like that at the same time, and I’ve seen a lot of fans express this, and it’s, it’s difficult to disagree. It’s the cumulative impact here. It’s, it’s the fact that this team really has not played particularly good baseball since late June of last season. And you know, it’s one thing to talk about the pitching and talking about their injuries. And like I said, What are you really expecting out of the starting rotation right now? Of course, Kramer needs to be better, but, but in terms of what the ceiling is, even if those guys are the reasonably best version of themselves at this point in their respective careers, that’s still at best number six runs the way at best, still kind of league average and or a little worse than that. So, but you just look at everything else, with the offense, and knowing how great the offense was through the first three months last year, and how middling It was after that, the defense we’ve talked about that you know, not that it’s been horrible, but it hasn’t been, it hasn’t been memorable in a positive way that you need it to be when you have a starting rotation that’s in the state that it’s in right now, and we’ve talked about their base running. So when I when I see those things, when I see sloppiness, when I see very up and down kind of play where, again, you’re going to go through slow periods of time, you’re going to go through periods of time where you’re not going to be firing on all cylinders, but when you’ve seen that play out as long as it has, going back to the second half of last year, how can you not look at the manager and the coaching staff and ask questions? I mean, they fight, you know, both their hitting coaches were, you know, gone out at the end of last season. So I’m not going to sit here and say that if the Orioles go 70 and 90, you know, 72 and 90, I gotta sit here and say Brandon Hyde’s ironclad, safe, no questions asked. No. I mean, who should be at that point in time, right? I mean, you don’t live off of what you did two years ago forever, especially when you didn’t win a playoff game. You know, it’s not like you made it to the world. Hardest
Nestor Aparicio 23:17
part so, I mean, the hardest part is trying to judge Elias and hide against the history of Orio baseball, which has been very bad in your lifetime. To say that, to say that this seems capable and the fan base is ready to be energized and give them money and go back down there and buy into all these young players, I don’t think they can. I don’t think it’s it’s not that they can’t withstand the turd. It just would be a very, very bad time for them to have a season that never gets on track. And that’s what I’m concerned about here, is they’re falling down the mountain in a way that they have what every I wish I could curse ishi team I’ve ever seen has bad pitching. They have bad pitching and hitting that has potential. And some nights it’ll be feet, but they’re not going to just hit the ball every night. They’re not that kind of team. They don’t draw walks. They don’t move around the bases that way. It’s not like they’re the 82 Cardinals. You know, they’re going to hit a bunch of home runs, and then they’re going to run into a left hander, and they’re going to get five hits and strike out 14 times and hit the three double plays, and maybe even kick the ball around a little bit, because they don’t profile that well. So I’m trying to figure out fundamentally, other than having muscular young men with high ceilings and number ones because the organization stunk so badly that they could get players of this quality, and then the injuries man, the injuries and the injuries and more injuries. I think when the bull. Is written on whatever this season is, even if they, you know, resurrect themselves to some degree and win 93 games. You know what I mean, which, with this pitching, I don’t know how that’s happening. I mean, I I just, I couldn’t sell that. I can’t carry the water for that. I gotta kill that way. I can’t carry the water for that right now, because the pitching is just not mean well, will they hit well enough to be 500 and have some weeks where they win seven out of 10 games? Because, yeah, but I don’t. I’m worried. I’m worried that they’re not gonna that this falling down the mountain and there’s no help coming, and they’re their number one starter got hurt, and their their outfielders hurt. I mean, I I don’t know, what are they gonna be at the All Star break? Are they a 500 team at the all star team at the All Star break. I mean, we project them out of 10, 1214, games over five that. That’s where you want to see them at the All Star break. I don’t think they’re capable of being that right now.
Luke Jones 25:52
Well, and this is where a couple things. One, there’s no one in the division that’s off to a great start. I think we all maybe there was a perception with the Yankees at the start of spring training with, okay, yeah, Juan Soto went out the door. But, you know, they had Garrett Cole. They signed freed. You know, they were in a position where their rotation looked the way it did. And then what happened? Cole has Tommy John surgery. Luis heals out till July the way it sounds. And that’s, you know, it’s another one of those lat strains, right? Only, only the Yankees flat out said he had a high grade lat strain, and that’s why he’s out as long as he is so but you look at the rest of the division, and everyone’s within a couple games of 500 what good or bad? You know, above or below. So it’s not as though anyone’s off to a 12 and one start. You know, even the Yankees, who hit 50 home runs against the brewers that opening series, their bats have cooled down some since then. So So you do look at that, you know, frankly, and this kind of goes against what you just said. But I kind of think you have to be realistic about it. I mean, to me right now, I mean, the goal for them is to try to tread water as much as you can, you know, at least until you get to the point where Gibson’s part of this rotation, you get efflin back. You you hope that FM truly. You know, if he misses three weeks, it’s three weeks, if not three months, right? It’s not the end of the world. But you know, if you can hang around 500 knowing there’s three wild cards in in the league, right? Knowing that the American League, but as a whole is not it’s difficult to identify a juggernaut. I mean, even the Rangers, who are off to a pretty good start, you know, nine and four through the first 13 games, go, look at their run differential. It’s not screaming that they’re, you know, blowing teams out every single night and doing that. So Whoa. Well, never got the
Nestor Aparicio 27:46
trade to get better pitching well, so so that for weeks. But
Luke Jones 27:51
even if that’s going to come into play, you’ve got to keep yourself afloat. This is not going to be a case where Michael is just, you know, just snaps his fingers and is going to be able to trade for two top of that, top half of the rotation starters in the next 10 days. I mean, generally, it doesn’t work that way, because you have three wild cards and because you have every team in the American League, probably other than the White Sox can talk themselves into hanging around and seeing what happens, at least until June. Let’s say at least till Memorial Day. Let’s say so this is where they’ve got to find a way they’ve got to tread water at the very least. You know, can you hover somewhere around 500 and if you can’t do that, then, yeah, it will be over, and we’ll be counting down the training camps.
Nestor Aparicio 28:36
So that’s why Wednesday was so disappointing, because they had a chance to steal a series, right? And they got Kramer going to the hill, and once it got to be five, nothing. And it was disappointing.
Luke Jones 28:48
And it was disappointing even from the standpoint of it was two, nothing going to the last of the fifth inning. I mean, get you’re having an okay start. I mean, he was having an okay outing, and then it just completely fell apart. Right third time through the order, you know, gives up the second long ball, and you just say, Okay, well, this is, you know, kind of a, I don’t want to say patented Dean Kramer meltdown, because he, he those have dissipated some over the last couple years compared to where he was, say, three or four years ago. But, you know, you give up the home run to Smith, and then you give up the home run to Naylor, and it’s like, okay, well, now it’s five nothing in this game’s about shot, because you’re not swinging the bats at all. So, so yeah, it’s disappointing. And look, they’ve got, they’ve got to start making some a here in terms of, you know, how about winning two games in a row? How about winning a series? As I said, let me call a winning streak exactly. I saw people. I even saw that on my timeline earlier in the day on Wednesday. So again, it’s 13 games. And you know me, I, I don’t know if I take pride in being the voice of reason. You know, people say that you being in the voice of reason, but, but at the same time, that’s where I keep looking at this thing. And I. You know, we can keep banging on the starting pitching till we’re blue in the face. But, I mean, look at, look at the state of it. In contrast to their lineup is mostly intact. I get it. It stinks that you lost Colton cowser, right? It totally stinks. But doesn’t mean everyone else just, you know, curls up and just lay, lays down. I mean, you know, you’ve got to compete, and you’ve got to, got to score runs, right? And these guys, okay, Jackson holiday being an exception here, you know, because he, you know, he played a couple months in the big leagues last year, but you know, Adley rutschman has been in the majors three years now. Gunder Henderson’s been in the majors a couple years now. You know, they’ve got guys that, okay, I get it. They’re young. But one, one point that I said to you a lot, you know, as they were going through what they went through in the second half of last year, one of my biggest hopes was they need to grow from this. They need to get better from this. This needs to, you know, this is, you know, the proverbial iron sharpens iron, right? You go through tough times and you know you can’t you callous yourself. You hope, you know, you hope that it’s going to make you better in the long run. And again, it’s 13 games, right? I’m not going to sit here and say the season’s over, but at the same time, there’s a lot of concerning signs here, and how much the starting pitching you asked me, you asked you posed the question a few minutes ago. You know, how many teams can win with starting pitching like this? I mean, I’ll give you a perfect example of a team that got to the ALCS last year Cleveland. Go, look at their starter era. It was not good, but they had a kind of borderline legendary bullpen. Is the Orioles bullpen going to be that good? Can it be that good when you have starters who aren’t getting, even getting through five innings, let alone six, you know, with so infrequently, I mean, it’s, you know, that’s, that’s tough. So, you know, again, it’s
Nestor Aparicio 32:00
on the rain. They need a couple days of rain, yeah, and well, and it’s
Luke Jones 32:03
that, you know, based on the forecast, as you and I are talking in real time, you know, Friday seems they might have a good chance of that. But well,
Nestor Aparicio 32:09
Friday is Francis and Chicano, and that might get pushed. And then Lucas and povidge scheduled to go on Saturday and
Luke Jones 32:16
and then TBD on Sunday. TBD has got a better era than anyone else in their rotation right now. So there you go. TBT
Nestor Aparicio 32:21
has got to be better than Charlie Morton at this point, he is Luke Jones. We’re trying to figure this out. We’re going to keep an eye on the Ravens as well. And I even did some college basketball this week with Len Elmore around here. I got the draft, and Mike tenier came on earlier this week, so and Mark Messina came by for a great hour long visit about pitching and baseball and his brother and just stuff in the game. Um, you got anything for the weekend? I know you’re going down. We’re going to be at Costas on Friday, and this is a little bit of a thud. I mean, I, you know, I’m buying into what they’re selling and what they’re selling right now. I don’t like the potentiality of it right this minute. I mean, all they’re selling right now is it’s early. I mean, like truth, and I don’t say that to be flippant, and it is early. I mean, it absolutely is early. There there are a six game winning streak away from everyone feeling a lot better. Yes, even with the rotation being in
Luke Jones 33:12
the state, it sure looked heavy in that clubhouse in Arizona Wednesday afternoon. I mean, it’s just, it’s as I, as I wrote earlier this week at Baltimore positive.com certainly for the fan base, this fan base is sport. It was already sporting a hangover of what happened the second half of last year, what happened in the wild card series, what happened over the course of the off season that even at best, even if you were okay with their off season, and I never said their off season was lousy, but it was underwhelming. I don’t think it’s, I don’t think you’re talking out of Turner being a hater when you see how it played out, even if, by the way, I think they made a perfectly reasonable, fair, competitive offer for Corbin burns and and he told you exactly how he felt. He didn’t, didn’t really want to play in Baltimore unless the Orioles gave him stupid, ridiculous money. So I respect I’m okay with them not doing that, but you still didn’t get the player, and you still have to deal with missing the player as a role result. So the last thing this club needed, and how much it’s affecting the players, to a man, it’s kind of difficult to say right now. You hope not too much. I mean, these guys, you know, this isn’t their first rodeo going, knowing what’s a long season, but it’s just a lot, you know? I mean, I can think, I still think back to being at Costas with you back in June when the Orioles finished off that winning two out of three from the Yankees completely embarrassed them in that last game, and that ended up being the high water mark of their season, and that was a long time ago at this point. You know we’re talking, you know, we’re pushing 10 months ago at this point in time. So that’s a long time to not have a whole lot to feel great about, other than what you’ve been told to feel great about, as far as the. Young core, and yes, I’ve I’m as guilty as anyone in terms of talking about that, but that’s also why I’m as hard as I’ve been talking about their their offense and their position group at this point, because they’re not playing up to a standard that they need them to if this team’s going to have any real hope of, you know, contending and being in the mix and then hoping that you know you’re starting pitching gets healthier as the year goes on, which absolutely can happen. But, man, you don’t have a mike Messina in his prime walking through that door right now. You know you don’t. Jim Palmer and Ben McDonald are up in the broadcast booth, so they’ve got to figure it out. But that’s why I said, you know, their offense needs to do the heavy lifting, and not even coming close to doing that right now. So that’s why I am going to be harder on that group. And you know this again, this goes back to what Mike, Mike Elias and sigma Adele’s philosophy was from the moment they arrived. They told you over and over those first few drafts, college, hitters, hitters, hitters, hitters. And you know, to their credit, they developed it to the point where the Orioles made back to back postseason appearances for the first time since 96 and 97 I fully recognize that first time they won 100 games since 1980 when they did that two years ago, but
Nestor Aparicio 36:20
they won a playoff game in a decade. You
Luke Jones 36:21
can’t rest on your laurels, right? When you do that, it’s what’s next, in the same way that the Ravens have dealt with that, not so, not struggling in the regular season, you know, like what we’re seeing with the Orioles in this small sample. But in terms of, you know, at some point in time, people want more, people expect more. And this fan base, you know, putting aside the 30 years prior to that. But what does fan base went through in the early years of the mike Elias era, with how much they lost and knowing, you know, being told, be patient, be patient, be patient. It’s, it’s challenging when you’re talking about the second half that they had last year, and now getting off to this rough start, to continue to be patient without frustration. And to your point, what potential harm that could do to the brand. And in terms of not that, I expect people to stop going right now. I mean, again, that would be hasty to give up already not far from that. At the same time, you just start seeing some more positive sides here much sooner rather than later. So, you know, you hope it begins with Toronto coming into town, and, you know, Cleveland and Cincinnati off that after that. I mean, they’ve got a nice, long home stand here that’s going to take them into the last week of April. And you’re hoping at the end of this nine game home stand that, let’s just say, doing better than five and eight. You know, I think that’s stating the obvious right now.
Nestor Aparicio 37:47
All right, he’s Luke Jones. He’s Baltimore, Luke. If there’s any breaking news, you’ll get it first on the wnst tech service, as always, and you can join that right now by just texting 410-821-9678, just text the word join or wnst, and you will be signed up for the wnst tech service. All of it brought to you by Cole roofing and Gordian energy bill. Cole and I convened. He will be joining me at Cooper’s pub in two weeks. We’re going to be at Costas on Friday in the afternoon. My old pal, my old he was my shooting guard, my power forward, my small forward. He was everything but my center, Vino ranso is going to be coming over on Friday, the one kid I coach to semi greatness. I’ll let him tell you the story. On Friday, we’ll be Acosta honoring the life of Mister Costas. Next week, we will be at Beaumont on Wednesday, Thursday. We will follow up the following week with a big show. Excuse me, Thursday of next week, Wednesday of the following week, on the 23rd we’ll be at Cooper’s pub in Timonium and the 30th, Coco’s pub in in Laura. I’m getting all my crab cakes confused because it’s April and the Orioles aren’t winning and the Ravens aren’t doing anything. There is a liar’s luncheon next week that Luke will be attending. And my big thanks to the Marilyn lotters Put me out on the road with the magic eight ball scratch offs. I’m going to have the Back to the Future scratch offs beginning next week as well. Lots and lots of good stuff up at Baltimore positive. Hopefully you enjoyed the conversation we had with Mark Viviana last week at fadleys. Lots of other stuff going on this week as we get our way over to Costas and try to find a baseball season somewhere in here with a little bit of momentum. Need a little bit of momentum. I am Nestor. We are W N, S T A of 1570 Towson, Baltimore, and we never stop talking Baltimore positive. I.
