August 5, 2013

Talkin' Baseball: The Orioles, Royals, & Twitter Advice for Matt Garza

(Thanks again to kt1000 for filling in for the Colonel)

49er16: I've been gone for a couple of days. How the heck did the O's lose to the Mariners two games in a row?

kt1000: Pretty easy. The Orioles were 1-14 with RISP the last 2 games. They live and die with the long ball and now they get to spend the next week visiting the spacious ballparks of the NL West. I'm not hitting the panic button yet, but the hand is hovering dangerously close to it.

49er16: They remind me of the 2010 Giants. If they're not hitting HR's, they're struggling to score at all. And the O's definitely live and die by the long ball with their mediocre OBP numbers but outstanding ISO numbers.

kt1000: Which would be awesome, except 2010 Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, and the Giants bullpen aren't walking through that door. Unless Scott Feldman grows his hair out while smoking a joint.


49er16: Yeah Feldman and Norris aren't exactly scaring anyone. Look on the bright side though, the Indians pitching staff has a Kluber, McAllister, and a Scott Kazmir who could explode in any moment.

kt1000: Honestly, the team that looks unstoppable right now is Kansas City. It can't be a coincidence that got amazingly hot after dumping Frenchy. It's as if the baseball gods decided to reward them for not keeping him around any more.

49er16: You just hit on something I need to rant on. The Royals didn't make a mistake trading Myers for Shields. They made a mistake putting so much trust into Hosmer and Moustakes. If those guys perform up to their expected level, we're not even talking about how dumb that trade is.

kt1000: That's a great point. I would even include Billy Butler in that list. He's had a huge drop off in his power numbers as well. Moving on, are you ready to call the NL East for Atlanta?

49er16: Yeah that race is over. The Nats aren't coming back. Which is weird because the Braves rotation isn't exactly stellar and they rely on a lot of guys who go hot and cold. Damn you Nats. Even when you're mediocre, you ruin everything.

kt1000: I'm enjoying it because they're a victim of their own expectations. Jayson Werth said they would 120 games and I'm sure Bob Carpenter had them down for 135 or so W's. A season this disappointing couldn't happen to a more deserving fan base. And I'm not sure how Randy Knorr or some other manager is going to somehow improve them next year.

*would win

49er16: And from the minor league experts, they've used up all of their prospects and have to rebuild there again. Although having a great farm system doesn't always equal success. See: the Royals.

kt1000: What's your advice for Matt Garza using Twitter in the future?

49er16: Delete your account like Brian Wilson did back in the day. Meanwhile I realized this weekend why I don't like Joe Maddon, he receives too much credit. He's a genius for having guys dress in plaid jackets while every other manager is a dumbass for having their team dress like normal human beings.

kt1000: I like to imagine Maddon as Wile E Coyote "super genius". It's why I hate the fact everyone loves the Rays when I sort of feel like any have decent manager could have similar results with the talent that organization produces.

49er16: He looked like Wile E Coyote for two years in a row in the playoffs facing that dummy Ron Washington. And I agree with you, any decent manager (Bochy, Showalter, Francona) would be just as successful with the way they produce talent from the minors.

kt1000: To wrap this up: how should we feel that the Biogenesis story, as usual, has become all about A-Rod?

49er16: Ignore it. Before we go, what series' are you looking forward to this week?

kt1000: This week I'm going to have my eye on Tigers/Indians in the AL Central and Dodgers/Cardinals in the NL. And, as usual, I'll enjoy Braves/Nats for the schadenfreude value. What will you watch?

49er16: The first two series' you named and also the quick two-game set between Cincinnati and Oakland. Thanks again Kris for chatting.

kt1000: Thanks Keith. And take that Colonel, not one reference by me to any baseball team that plays in Pittsburgh.

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