Just a quick thought on yesterday's game. I am a big fan of Brian Burres but have always thought the place for him to be most effective is the bullpen. And everytime he has an outing like yesterday, he'll start to convince me I'm wrong for four innings and then confirm my assertion in the 5th.
He's a fine pitcher and an asset to the organization but he has to go back to the pen at the first opportunity. He's just more help out there and I'm going to prove it....
Feels like 1989. The Blue Jays are coming to town and we're going to duke it out for first place...
I like Guillermo Quiroz. He's a good backup...
Hey Don Geronimo! Happy Trails...
Showing posts with label Brian Burres. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brian Burres. Show all posts
Monday, April 14, 2008
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Picking Up The Pieces
It's been real busy at work these last two weeks and quite frankly, I wasn't seeing much worth writing about on the field so apologies for the lack of posts this month. With only four games to go, it's time to start sifting through the wreckage so I'll start with some stats.
I stated at the beginning of the month that some Oriole hitter would have to go on a tear to reach 20 homers this year and wouldn't you know that Nick Markakis did it. He hit 6 in August and has continued that pace with 6 more in September. He now sits at 22 homeruns, not to shabby for a 23 year old rightfielder.
Nick also has accumulated 110 RBI so far. Quick, name last Oriole who drove in 110 RBI in a season by the age of 23? Give up? Well, there was no last one. No Oriole had done that before Markakis (Cal drove in 102 during his age 22 season). So hats of to Nick for a record-breaking season.
+++++
Does anybody realize how long it's been since we had a good regular leftfielder? The last guy who manned that position well was B.J. Surhoff! More on leftfield later...
+++++
Brian Roberts is quickly setting the standard for Oriole secondbasemen for years to come. If he can manage two more doubles this year he will own the top three spots for 2B by a secondbagger in Oriole history. If he can steal two more bases, he will join Roberto Alomar as the only two secondbasemen in history to hit 40+ doubles and steal 50+ bases. Enjoy him folks, he's a special player.
+++++
Baltimore Orioles' ERA+ in 2004 and 2005: 101 and 106 respectively
Baltimore Orioles' ERA+ in 2006 and 2007: 84 and 88 respectively
I know he hasn't had much to work with but the Oriole staff has actually gotten statistically worse since Leo Mazzone's arrival.
+++++
Forget the wins. There are only three Oriole pitchers who have come on the scene in their rookie year with such positive results: Mike Boddicker, Mike Mussina and *mumble*rodrigo lopez*mumble*. Well, two outta three ain't bad...
I stated at the beginning of the month that some Oriole hitter would have to go on a tear to reach 20 homers this year and wouldn't you know that Nick Markakis did it. He hit 6 in August and has continued that pace with 6 more in September. He now sits at 22 homeruns, not to shabby for a 23 year old rightfielder.
Nick also has accumulated 110 RBI so far. Quick, name last Oriole who drove in 110 RBI in a season by the age of 23? Give up? Well, there was no last one. No Oriole had done that before Markakis (Cal drove in 102 during his age 22 season). So hats of to Nick for a record-breaking season.
+++++
Does anybody realize how long it's been since we had a good regular leftfielder? The last guy who manned that position well was B.J. Surhoff! More on leftfield later...
+++++
Brian Roberts is quickly setting the standard for Oriole secondbasemen for years to come. If he can manage two more doubles this year he will own the top three spots for 2B by a secondbagger in Oriole history. If he can steal two more bases, he will join Roberto Alomar as the only two secondbasemen in history to hit 40+ doubles and steal 50+ bases. Enjoy him folks, he's a special player.
+++++
Baltimore Orioles' ERA+ in 2004 and 2005: 101 and 106 respectively
Baltimore Orioles' ERA+ in 2006 and 2007: 84 and 88 respectively
I know he hasn't had much to work with but the Oriole staff has actually gotten statistically worse since Leo Mazzone's arrival.
+++++
Forget the wins. There are only three Oriole pitchers who have come on the scene in their rookie year with such positive results: Mike Boddicker, Mike Mussina and *mumble*rodrigo lopez*mumble*. Well, two outta three ain't bad...
Friday, June 1, 2007
This Pitching Staff Won't Waiver
I love winning, man, I love winning! You know what I mean? It's, like, better than losing?
- Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh
The O's are back to .500 for the first time in weeks and there are three big reasons Sam Perlozzo's been able to keep this team afloat (and himself employed): Steve Trachsel, Jeremy Guthrie and Brian Burres. What do the 14 year veteran, the rookie former first round pick and the lefty converted from reliever to starter all have in common? All were picked up by the O's after other teams had waived them and all have been at the center of Baltimore's recent turnaround.
Jeremy Guthrie
When the O's claimed Guthrie off of waivers from the Indians this winter, I was sure he was destined for Norfolk. When I found out he was out of options, I figured he had an outside chance of making the team as a middle reliever, which he did, and performed quite well in that role until Jaret Wright went on the DL. Guthrie was pressed into duty and has impressed ever since.
When he moved into the rotation, I figured he would be the kind of pitcher that hitters would really catch up with the second or third time through the rotation but as I've said before, he's proven me wrong and been just the opposite in an extreme way.
BA vs Guthrie 1st PA: .322
BA vs Guthrie 2nd PA: .193
BA vs Guthrie 3rd PA: .081 (!!!)
With a trend like that, Guthrie could well be a workhorse. He seems to get better as the game moves along. this former first round draft pick has blossomed under Leo Mazzone's tutelage.
Steve Trachsel
Trachsel was waiting by the phone as Spring Training began and was seen as a desperation move for the Orioles, a scrapheap signing because nothing better was available when Kris Benson went down for the season with shoulder trouble. I thought the stepdown from Benson to Trachsel was no that far when the signing was made. I expected Trachsel to come close to duplicating Benson's mediocre numbers from the previous year which was probably the best we could have hoped for.
However, Trachsel has been our most consistent pitcher all year. While this may not last (Steve has walked 31 and only struck out only 18 thus far), Trachsel has made batters miss enough and induced enough groundballs to post a WHIP of 1.29 which is good enough in the AL to imagine future success.
Brian Burres
Burres was a 31st round draft pick for the Giants in 2000 and the O's claimed him off of waivers in January 2006. After some light relief work last year, Burres was a major player in the bullpen this season posting a 1.35 ERA as a reliever. When lefty phenom Adam Loewen was lost to a stress fracture in his arm, Burres was pressed into service and has performed better than expected. Although he may ultimately better at relief, it's nice to know we have a capable spot starter in the pen.
We must give credit to Mazzone on these guys since he has a track record of taking John Burketts, Jorge Sosas and John Thomsons and getting the most out of them. Kudos also to the front office for finding these guys in the first place and improving the team while giving up nothing for them.
- Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh
The O's are back to .500 for the first time in weeks and there are three big reasons Sam Perlozzo's been able to keep this team afloat (and himself employed): Steve Trachsel, Jeremy Guthrie and Brian Burres. What do the 14 year veteran, the rookie former first round pick and the lefty converted from reliever to starter all have in common? All were picked up by the O's after other teams had waived them and all have been at the center of Baltimore's recent turnaround.
Jeremy Guthrie
When the O's claimed Guthrie off of waivers from the Indians this winter, I was sure he was destined for Norfolk. When I found out he was out of options, I figured he had an outside chance of making the team as a middle reliever, which he did, and performed quite well in that role until Jaret Wright went on the DL. Guthrie was pressed into duty and has impressed ever since.
When he moved into the rotation, I figured he would be the kind of pitcher that hitters would really catch up with the second or third time through the rotation but as I've said before, he's proven me wrong and been just the opposite in an extreme way.
BA vs Guthrie 1st PA: .322
BA vs Guthrie 2nd PA: .193
BA vs Guthrie 3rd PA: .081 (!!!)
With a trend like that, Guthrie could well be a workhorse. He seems to get better as the game moves along. this former first round draft pick has blossomed under Leo Mazzone's tutelage.
Steve Trachsel
Trachsel was waiting by the phone as Spring Training began and was seen as a desperation move for the Orioles, a scrapheap signing because nothing better was available when Kris Benson went down for the season with shoulder trouble. I thought the stepdown from Benson to Trachsel was no that far when the signing was made. I expected Trachsel to come close to duplicating Benson's mediocre numbers from the previous year which was probably the best we could have hoped for.
However, Trachsel has been our most consistent pitcher all year. While this may not last (Steve has walked 31 and only struck out only 18 thus far), Trachsel has made batters miss enough and induced enough groundballs to post a WHIP of 1.29 which is good enough in the AL to imagine future success.
Brian Burres
Burres was a 31st round draft pick for the Giants in 2000 and the O's claimed him off of waivers in January 2006. After some light relief work last year, Burres was a major player in the bullpen this season posting a 1.35 ERA as a reliever. When lefty phenom Adam Loewen was lost to a stress fracture in his arm, Burres was pressed into service and has performed better than expected. Although he may ultimately better at relief, it's nice to know we have a capable spot starter in the pen.
We must give credit to Mazzone on these guys since he has a track record of taking John Burketts, Jorge Sosas and John Thomsons and getting the most out of them. Kudos also to the front office for finding these guys in the first place and improving the team while giving up nothing for them.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Stunned Silent
Maybe this blog thing wasn't such a good idea...it's way too depressing sometimes.
It's been over 72 hours now and I think I'm finally in a good place to write about the Orioles again.
I was plugging away at a post Sunday afternoon that was going to be all about the positive steps the O's were making. It was going to be about how the O's have won 7 out of 10, taken two straight series against division rivals. It was going to be about using this last 10 game stretch to springboard into a stretch of games against the woeful Blue Jays, Royals and Nationals to finish the month. It was going to be a hopeful entry that the O's were righting the ship and on their way to respectability. Baltimore was up 5-0 with one out in the ninth and Jeremy Guthrie was leaving the game.
Then the wheels fell off. I won't detail it again, it's been done plenty in the last four days.
Whose fault is it? Nobody's really. (Yes, I mean it...) The only man who you can lay some blame on is Mr. Perlozzo and that's only for his mismanagement of the bullpen. Mr. Reluctant couldn't hold the lead, couldn't muster two outs. (But to be fair, he may have a tired arm. All the major components of the bullpen are on record paces for appearance and innings. At some point Sam, you have to leave a starter in who doesn't have it to take one for the team.) Ray didn't have it and that will happen. If Melvin Mora would have been at third instead of nursing a jammed finger in the 9th, the O's probably survive. If Ray holds on to the ball, the O's survive. It sucks but it happens. I should take my own advice obviously but you can't have an NFL mentality when watching baseball.
There was nothing wrong with Perlozzo taking out Guthrie. They're trying to stretch him out and I'm sure next time he'll get the chance to finish. You don't want to get the guy hurt by having him do too much, too soon. I'm sure Mazzone had some input on that and I'll defer to him on that decision. If your bullpen can't hold a five run lead and get two outs, there's not much to be thrilled about in tighter situations.
Then to add insult to injury, Baltimore lost two nip and tuck games to Toronto the last two nights.
To highlight the good, the loss on Sunday doesn't diminish Guthrie's accomplishment. That was a beautiful game he pitched on Sunday. And Brian Burres pitched a great game to win on Friday. These were two guys thrust into the rotation due to injury and they have performed admirably. Both of these guys were claimed off of waivers when other teams didn't want them. The front office got them for nothing. If only one of them develops into a serviceable starter this year, the Duquette/Flanagan duo have a nice feather to put in their cap. (I have watched Burres pitch tonight and he did a nice job again.)
The bats need to wake up. Only the Royals and the Angels have hit fewer homeruns in the AL this season. If you have pitching like the Angels, you can win like that for awhile but we don't have that kind of pitching. Right now the two major issues are the overworked bullpen and the lack of power in the lineup. Even with the injuries to the starting rotation, the starters are pitching well enough to win.
It's been over 72 hours now and I think I'm finally in a good place to write about the Orioles again.
I was plugging away at a post Sunday afternoon that was going to be all about the positive steps the O's were making. It was going to be about how the O's have won 7 out of 10, taken two straight series against division rivals. It was going to be about using this last 10 game stretch to springboard into a stretch of games against the woeful Blue Jays, Royals and Nationals to finish the month. It was going to be a hopeful entry that the O's were righting the ship and on their way to respectability. Baltimore was up 5-0 with one out in the ninth and Jeremy Guthrie was leaving the game.
Then the wheels fell off. I won't detail it again, it's been done plenty in the last four days.
Whose fault is it? Nobody's really. (Yes, I mean it...) The only man who you can lay some blame on is Mr. Perlozzo and that's only for his mismanagement of the bullpen. Mr. Reluctant couldn't hold the lead, couldn't muster two outs. (But to be fair, he may have a tired arm. All the major components of the bullpen are on record paces for appearance and innings. At some point Sam, you have to leave a starter in who doesn't have it to take one for the team.) Ray didn't have it and that will happen. If Melvin Mora would have been at third instead of nursing a jammed finger in the 9th, the O's probably survive. If Ray holds on to the ball, the O's survive. It sucks but it happens. I should take my own advice obviously but you can't have an NFL mentality when watching baseball.
There was nothing wrong with Perlozzo taking out Guthrie. They're trying to stretch him out and I'm sure next time he'll get the chance to finish. You don't want to get the guy hurt by having him do too much, too soon. I'm sure Mazzone had some input on that and I'll defer to him on that decision. If your bullpen can't hold a five run lead and get two outs, there's not much to be thrilled about in tighter situations.
Then to add insult to injury, Baltimore lost two nip and tuck games to Toronto the last two nights.
To highlight the good, the loss on Sunday doesn't diminish Guthrie's accomplishment. That was a beautiful game he pitched on Sunday. And Brian Burres pitched a great game to win on Friday. These were two guys thrust into the rotation due to injury and they have performed admirably. Both of these guys were claimed off of waivers when other teams didn't want them. The front office got them for nothing. If only one of them develops into a serviceable starter this year, the Duquette/Flanagan duo have a nice feather to put in their cap. (I have watched Burres pitch tonight and he did a nice job again.)
The bats need to wake up. Only the Royals and the Angels have hit fewer homeruns in the AL this season. If you have pitching like the Angels, you can win like that for awhile but we don't have that kind of pitching. Right now the two major issues are the overworked bullpen and the lack of power in the lineup. Even with the injuries to the starting rotation, the starters are pitching well enough to win.
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