Gameday Thread: Rays at O's, 06/10 -- Welcome to June, Let's Sweep

by Scott Christ on Jun 1, 2006 7:33 AM EDT in News & Rumors

Scott Kazmir, LH Erik Bedard, LH (7-3, 2.86) (5-4, 5.67)

Game time is 7:05 on CSN and FSN Florida.

Scott Kazmir is pretty much da man right now. Bedard, not so much. We know about Bedard's recent taking of the proverbial dump, so let's not get into it.

Kazmir has upped his Ks and cut the hell down on his walks. Over 69.1 innings this season, he's struck out 73 and walked 23, and is sporting a 1.33 ERA. He still walks a few more than you may WANT (mostly on bad days), and hitters are getting more hits off him than they used to, but injury aside nothing is stopping Kazmir from staying an elite pitcher for a long time.

The Mets traded him for Victor Zambrano. They are never going to live that down.

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IRRATIONAL EXUBERANCE

ORIOLE MAGIC, feel it happen
ORIOLE MAGIC, feel it happen
O-R-I-O-L-E-S!
magic, magic, magic, magic...

....somethin' magic happens...[crack of the bat]

...on your radio

Let's go for four!
Corey: the Catch that saved a season!

Okay, returning to earth, now.

by zknower on Jun 1, 2006 9:08 AM EDT reply actions

Bedard vs. Lopez

It would appear that over the past few weeks, Bedard's and Lopez's ERAs are on a collision course... Let's see if Bedard can right himself tonight and avoid the catastrophe of having three starters over 6.00...

by CStoneNo37 on Jun 1, 2006 9:17 AM EDT reply actions

A win going into the Yankees series would be huge

Especially with the pitching matchups we'll see with the Yankees:

Friday: Wright (4.80) vs. Benson (4.30)
Saturday: Johnson(5.37) vs. Halama (4.76)
Sunday: Small (7.78) vs. Lopez (6.88)

I guess I'm an optimist (you have to be to be an Orioles fan); but there isn't one of those matchups where I don't think we have the advantage.

by BirdFanInPhilly on Jun 1, 2006 10:56 AM EDT reply actions

Johnson vs. Halama

That one.

by CStoneNo37 on Jun 1, 2006 12:15 PM EDT up reply actions

Pessimism

I thought thats what O's fans are experssing these days. Anyway I do somewhat agree with you about the pitching match ups this weekend. It's this batting line ups that make me feel down.

by O face on Jun 1, 2006 12:33 PM EDT up reply actions

The big eunuch

Randy blows. The guy is nearly 43 and despite his latest start I have no faith that he has much left in the tank. I'm about one bad start away from dropping him outright from my fantasy team.

by BirdFanInPhilly on Jun 1, 2006 12:31 PM EDT reply actions

Limp Johnson

Too bad we suck against lefties. He could be soft-tossing soccer balls and we'd still look ridiculous.

"I'm a big dumb asshole with herpes and I eat babies" - Peter Angelos

by BleedingOrange on Jun 1, 2006 3:49 PM EDT up reply actions

Wow...

I knew we were bad, but I didn't realize just how bad. 218 BA; 680 OPS.

by BirdFanInPhilly on Jun 1, 2006 3:55 PM EDT up reply actions

Um

The Mets traded him for Victor Zambrano. They are never going to live that down.

Wasn't our very own Jim Duquette among the people behind that trade?

by zknower on Jun 1, 2006 1:31 PM EDT reply actions

technically...

though it was allegedly at the urging of rick peterson, so take that as a blessing, all o's fans who got on leo mazzone for the brower acquisition.

by jq higgins on Jun 1, 2006 2:42 PM EDT up reply actions

Steve Phillips

It wasn't that mastermind of baseball?

www.oriolecentral.blogspot.com

by tonytarasco on Jun 1, 2006 6:56 PM EDT reply actions

Wait...

I thought Bruce Chen pitched last night...

www.oriolecentral.blogspot.com

by tonytarasco on Jun 1, 2006 7:14 PM EDT reply actions

UGHDLKJSDFL

crap.

by CStoneNo37 on Jun 1, 2006 7:15 PM EDT reply actions

How many runs can we give up in the 1st???

ONE, NO TWO, THREE FOUR FIVE WHO KNOWS I CANT WAIT!!!! WEEEE!

"We're so bad right now that for us back-to-back home runs means one today and another one tomorrow" Earl Weaver

by Larry Bigbie3 on Jun 1, 2006 7:16 PM EDT reply actions

When it this rain delay going to end?

www.oriolecentral.blogspot.com

by tonytarasco on Jun 1, 2006 9:14 PM EDT reply actions

Bedard Sucks

He is worthless. He can't put a hitter away when he has two strikes on him and he can't put an inning away when he has two outs. Pathetic.

"You'll get better. I promise." - Cal Ripken Jr.

by Jonnypops on Jun 1, 2006 9:34 PM EDT reply actions

I wish it would have kept raining

www.oriolecentral.blogspot.com

by tonytarasco on Jun 1, 2006 9:36 PM EDT reply actions

Kazmir is out????

He only threw 44 pitches. I guess he's injured...or afraid of lightning.

"You'll get better. I promise." - Cal Ripken Jr.

by Jonnypops on Jun 1, 2006 9:38 PM EDT reply actions

Halama is in???

Wasn't he slated to pitch on Saturday? What in theeeee hell is going on?

"You'll get better. I promise." - Cal Ripken Jr.

by Jonnypops on Jun 1, 2006 9:46 PM EDT reply actions

That clears up the Loewen or Halama mystery

Welcome to the Yankees Adam. Let's see what you got.

by drj on Jun 1, 2006 9:54 PM EDT up reply actions

I don't get it.

Is this the baptism by fire approach to developing Loewen?

"You'll get better. I promise." - Cal Ripken Jr.

by Jonnypops on Jun 1, 2006 9:56 PM EDT up reply actions

Re:

See Lowen or Halama in this Sun article. Yeah, it looks like baptism by fire, and Sam got back to us later in the day with an answer.

So anyhow, did Bedard give up, get yanked, or could he possibly be injured? I know I've been hard on him, and I guess I'm hoping against hope that there's a reason other than a mental problem.

by drj on Jun 1, 2006 10:02 PM EDT up reply actions

The long delay

The delay may have tightened him up. Looks like the same thing happened to Kazmir. I'll take that as the most probable answer.

by drj on Jun 1, 2006 10:10 PM EDT up reply actions

Loewen...

...did beat Team USA in that WBC game he pitched for Canada. Then again, so did Bedard. But that lineup was composed of 1/3 Yankees with Damon, Jeter and A-Rod in it. I'm not sure either Jeter or Damon will be in the lineup this weekend though. The Yanks are banged the hell up right now.

"You'll get better. I promise." - Cal Ripken Jr.

by Jonnypops on Jun 2, 2006 12:50 PM EDT up reply actions

no sheffield or posada either

so maybe they'll have a hard time scoring.

by zknower on Jun 2, 2006 3:48 PM EDT up reply actions

Or Rivera...

...or Matsui of course...

"You'll get better. I promise." - Cal Ripken Jr.

by Jonnypops on Jun 2, 2006 6:27 PM EDT up reply actions

You guys just don't know the game deeply

Bedard said the fans shouldn't blame Mazzone.

"He just helps you concentrate more, focus more on down and away and be more consistent with all your pitches," he said of the coach. "It takes a while in any profession you're at. If somebody asks you to do something different, you're not going to do it overnight. People that don't know the game deeply, they think somebody is going to come over here and change the whole thing. In reality, it doesn't work that way."

I'm one of those who don't know the game deeply, but I figure it's going to take the ace an undetermined amount of time to respond to the Mazzone approach. Well, that is if he gives a damn.

by drj on Jun 1, 2006 9:51 PM EDT reply actions

Christ

Somebody start beating the rain drum.

"You'll get better. I promise." - Cal Ripken Jr.

by Jonnypops on Jun 1, 2006 9:59 PM EDT reply actions

crap.

i really thought we might get four straight for the first time.

Oh well, bring on the yankees, i guess.

by zknower on Jun 1, 2006 11:29 PM EDT reply actions

I think you jinxed us.

"You'll get better. I promise." - Cal Ripken Jr.

by Jonnypops on Jun 1, 2006 11:37 PM EDT up reply actions

With that Neil Diamond-esque Theme Song

"You'll get better. I promise." - Cal Ripken Jr.

by Jonnypops on Jun 1, 2006 11:38 PM EDT up reply actions

That was no

Neil Diamond song.

That was the Orioles' jingle in 1979!

Jonnypops, I thought you were of a sufficient vintage that you'd remember that.

And dammit, I don't believe in jinxes. Nyeah. :P

by zknower on Jun 1, 2006 11:52 PM EDT up reply actions

Ohhhh You Mean...

..."Orioles Magic" by Dick Steiner? OF COURSE I know what it is! Jeeez Louise. If you listen to the song...and it took my girlfriend who had never heard the song before to clue me into this (as "Orioles Magic" was always just "Orioles Magic" to me)...but if you listen to it, Dick Steiner is basically doing a Neil Diamond act thoughout the whole thing. Don't get me wrong, I still love it. But it's a funky, Baltimore crabcake kind of cheesy.

"You'll get better. I promise." - Cal Ripken Jr.

by Jonnypops on Jun 2, 2006 12:00 AM EDT up reply actions

lordy, you're right

i have no recording of that song, but as i listen to it "in my head" now, it's all neil diamond.

eeeeeewwwwww!

it will never sound the same to me.

by zknower on Jun 2, 2006 8:37 AM EDT up reply actions

Neil Diamond is the man you weirdos

LOVE ON THE ROCKS
ain't no surprise

"Occasionally he'll get naked out on the field when nobody's looking, but that actually grosses me out." - Jay Gibbons on Kevin Millar

by Scott Christ on Jun 2, 2006 6:17 PM EDT up reply actions

I like those Monkees songs he wrote...

...and I was about to say he wrote "Daydream Believer" but apparently he did not. It was written by a guy named John Stewart, and just sounds like a Neil Diamond song. Here's a link to a muzak version of it on, of all the places, the National Institutes of Health Website:

http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/lyrics/daydream.htm

"You'll get better. I promise." - Cal Ripken Jr.

by Jonnypops on Jun 2, 2006 6:34 PM EDT up reply actions