Back In Town...

I should leave town and lose track of the O's more often it seems.



I have been in Tulsa, away from the internet and ESPN (mostly) for the past five days and the O's have won every game.



I am still catching up with all the news and boxscores and I have still not changed my expectations for the team after writing off the season last week but we would all agree that winning is better than losing.



Quick observations: Steve Trachsel pitched his annual complete game this week. How big was Nick Markakis' homerun last night?



Pretty big as it turned out, moving the WPA .132 with a single swing and effectively putting the game out of reach. (Courtesy FanGraphs.com)


Mr. Reluctant looks like he has finally pitched himself out of the setup role which is a good thing. Funny how Baez was reluctant to accept the setup role and now the O's are reluctant to have to send him to the mound in any meaningful capacity.


More analysis to follow...

Random Weekend Notes...

Friday

Erik Bedard struck out 9 tonight but was pitching out of trouble often over his six innings of work. Still, he gave up only one run as he scattered 5 hits and 4 walks. The bullpen was lights out yet again.

Tejada and Roberts made a fool out of me, turning two beautiful double plays the same day that I ripped them for not showing a knack for turning two.

The legend grows. Nick Markakis' at bat in the 8th inning was an epic battle in itself as Nick got down 0-2, fouled off pitch after pitch from Wellenmeyer and finally poked a grand slam over the fence in right center. It was probably the greatest at bat I've ever seen.

Paul Bako is becoming a reliable RBI man? I could never have imagined that he would perform this well at the plate thus far. Yes, he is only hitting .222 but has 5 RBI over 8 games.

Saturday

The most important thing about Baltimore's win on Saturday was the fact that Daniel Cabrera only walked one batter. He has never had back to back games where he walked one or less. That allowed him to scatter 7 hits and strike out 5 which kept Baltimore in the game.

Chris Gomez had the big blast with a grand slam in the 6th, only the second of his career.

Sunday

A rainout. A good thing considering it not only allows Baltimore to skip Jeremy Guthrie's turn in the rotation but lets them miss facing Zack Grienke, the Royals best pitcher.

Before the season I targeted a team ERA of 4.35, a full run less than last year, as a success mark for "The Mazzone Effect". Two weeks in to the season, Baltimore's ERA is 3.73, good for 6th in the AL. Pretty good considering the rocky start in the Minnesota series.