Rays 6, O's 2: So it begins

by SC on Mar 31, 2008 5:56 PM EDT

It is what it is. It was what it was. The first loss of God knows how many -- there could be about 100 more of these to come.

Talkin' points:

Jim Palmer -- still an arrogant SOB.
Adam Jones -- not so hot with offspeed pitches.
Jeremy Guthrie -- looked OK. Not great. Not terrible.
Matt Albers -- looked good.
Brian Burres -- yeah, he mopped up.
Brian Roberts -- MACHINE. 2-for-2 with two walks, a steal and a run scored. I'm gonna miss you when you go, Brian Bob.
Kevin Millar -- cleaned up the only opportunity he really got.
Double steals -- exciting!
Melvin Mora -- had one of THOSE games he has, where he can't do anything whatsoever right and makes idiotic sub-rookie mistakes.
James Shields -- he can pitch.
Terry Crowley -- hitters look the same as always, hacking away without working counts.

Let's talk about Luis Hernandez. He can't hit, he can't field, he has no business at the major league level. I'm done talking about Luis for right now.

Aubrey Huff flew out to end the first and got booed. Tough crowd! This is gonna be a rough year for him unless he starts hitting, and fast. Not exactly his trademark.

Jay Payton was seen, pinch-hitting for the bewildered Luis Luis late, replaced defensively by Brandon Fahey, who thankfully never got to pick up a bat.

The O's started it hot, with Roberts walking to lead off the season, Markakis getting on, a double steal, and Millar doubling them both home on a ball that Carl Crawford really should've caught. It was all downhill from there. The Orioles never seriously threatened to score again, and Eric Hinske's fourth inning bomb into the right field bleachers, making it 4-2 Rays, felt like a dagger. There should never feel like a dagger in the fourth inning of Opening Day, but there it was.

The first inning prepared us for what it'll be like when the Orioles get a few things going their way. The next eight showed us what we're generally going to be seeing.

They've got 161 more of these things to go.

Also of note, Andy MacPhail was on the MASN broadcast and announced that the team has signed Alex Cintron to a minor league deal, and he'll be heading to Norfolk. Expect to see Cintron by June, at the latest. Anyone with eyes will be able to figure out that Hernandez and Fahey aren't any good, have no future, and are a waste of time.

0 recs | Comment 38 comments

Read Related

Story-email Email | Print |

Comments

Guts

"Jeremy Guthrie -- looked OK. Not great. Not terrible."

I didn't watch the game but six runs in 5.1 IPs looks pretty bad.

Wolf, wolf, wolf.

by birdman on Mar 31, 2008 6:56 PM EDT 0 recs

He had Luis Hernandez to thank for 3 of those runs

"Baltimore? That's like being hit in the head with a crowbar once a day."

by spike2131 on Mar 31, 2008 8:14 PM EDT up 0 recs

Gotcha

Man, screw Luis.

Wolf, wolf, wolf.

by birdman on Mar 31, 2008 8:44 PM EDT up 0 recs

The march to 100 hundred losses...

...begins with one step.

Oh wait, losing sucks.

Librarians are hiding something

by dfa on Mar 31, 2008 7:20 PM EDT 0 recs

Mora

sucks! Huff will be gone in 2 months. The few bright spots from today only one will be here after June and that's Nick

by merdon1332000 on Mar 31, 2008 7:58 PM EDT 0 recs

I just got back from the game

Some observations:

Luis Hernandez sucks.

Melmo was a perpetual letdown.

The Huff booing was pretty intense.

Brian Roberts is friggin' awesome.

This team needs to, like, score runs.

"Baltimore? That's like being hit in the head with a crowbar once a day."

by spike2131 on Mar 31, 2008 8:13 PM EDT 0 recs

Agree w/ Spike on all counts

Especially Aubrey Huff. Unless he goes on an early-season tear (ha!), he's the next Steve Kline. If he wanted out of Baltimore, he punched his own ticket with that radio show.

by punkrawka on Mar 31, 2008 8:20 PM EDT 0 recs

And now ...

Bedard just finished five innings against the Rangers: five strikeouts and one dinger. Go O's!

by cubotic on Mar 31, 2008 8:29 PM EDT 0 recs

And he's out of the game

before the end of the 6th.

"I'd just like to point out that every newspaper in the country has picked us to finish last. The local press seems to think that we'd save everyone the time and trouble if we just went out and shot ourselves." - Major Leauge

by duck on Mar 31, 2008 8:33 PM EDT up 0 recs

Bedard can go on to rock or suck..

and it really shouldn't concern us unless you're just a fan of the man. We weren't going to win a championship - actually, we weren't going to have a winning record - with or without him.

Oh well. Here's to hoping for a win tomorrow. Go O's.

by Y Not on Mar 31, 2008 8:34 PM EDT up 0 recs

It's kinda like an ex...

when in HS - you find yourself wondering how's she doing and hoping she isn't too happy without you.

Not that I'm talking from personal experience or anything...

by duck on Mar 31, 2008 9:18 PM EDT up 0 recs

true enough ...

The Bedard trade was a good one. And this is one game. But the future feels a long way away right now ... (but you're going to have to wait until Wednesday for your win) ...

by cubotic on Mar 31, 2008 8:40 PM EDT 0 recs

I always hate...

...the day off after Opening Day. It feels like a total tease. I wander around in a daze all Tuesday afternoon/evening, with no purpose or direction or organizing principle...much like the Os' approach to hitting.

Also, can it really take till June to get Cintron up here? He's not a long term solution or anything, but he's got to do a better impression of a player than Luis.

by KenDixonFanClub on Mar 31, 2008 8:45 PM EDT 0 recs

I'm betting

by Mother's Day.

by duck on Mar 31, 2008 9:18 PM EDT up 0 recs

erik bedard

5 IP, 1 ER, 5 Ks.
in line for the win.

i didn't think palmer was that bad...

by thewaywardO on Mar 31, 2008 9:04 PM EDT 0 recs

Palmer

He bothers me no matter what he's doing, save for the rare occasions. He's intelligent (obviously) and is fairly good at his job, and I was happy that he didn't immediately turn the AFLAC Trivia Question into Stump Jim Palmer, but his love affair with Brian Burres and general stunningly self-absorbed demeanor will never not get on my nerves over nine innings.

Camden Chat
Bad Left Hook

by SC on Apr 1, 2008 3:07 AM EDT up 0 recs

RIP Bromo Seltzer Tower.

That unimaginative rectangular box of crap ruining the skyline is a travesty.

by drj on Mar 31, 2008 9:08 PM EDT 0 recs

No kidding

Could it be any uglier?

"Baltimore? That's like being hit in the head with a crowbar once a day."

by spike2131 on Mar 31, 2008 9:15 PM EDT up 0 recs

No, it could not.

That damn hotel ruined one of the best sightlines in OPaCY - I just loved looking over and seeing the tower in the distance. Now everything feels so damn claustrophobic and enclosed, like TEX's stadium or HOU's.

by duck on Mar 31, 2008 9:20 PM EDT up 0 recs

It also may have screwed with the airflow

I noticed the flags in the outfield barely moved today. I wonder how the new hotel may have changed the park's hitting characteristics.

"Baltimore? That's like being hit in the head with a crowbar once a day."

by spike2131 on Mar 31, 2008 9:44 PM EDT up 0 recs

I have to think it did

It pretty much completed closing off the outfield. I have to think it will affect how much the ball carries (or doesn't carry) now. We've had our first piece of anecdotal evidence with Millar's double today - would that have been a HR two years ago?

by duck on Mar 31, 2008 10:16 PM EDT up 0 recs

there were several balls that felt like they lost steam

Camden Chat
Bad Left Hook

by SC on Apr 1, 2008 1:27 AM EDT up 0 recs

awesome...

as if this team was ripping 'em out of the yard before!

by j.q. higgins on Apr 1, 2008 10:50 AM EDT up 0 recs

Picture...

I have been to Baltimore since last year when that thing was under construction... anyone have a picture?

Improving the ballclub: Not one of Peter Angelos' concerns.-SC Wed Jan 30, 2008

by dayzd toe on Mar 31, 2008 9:25 PM EDT up 0 recs

Look at the pic accompanying diary. You see the big boxy piece of architectural crap ruining what was a great view.

by drj on Mar 31, 2008 9:31 PM EDT up 0 recs

btw...

have should be haven't... and Duh. I guess I coulda done that first, huh?

Improving the ballclub: Not one of Peter Angelos' concerns.-SC Wed Jan 30, 2008

by dayzd toe on Mar 31, 2008 9:35 PM EDT up 0 recs

I just cannot believe

the City of Baltimore, as fucked up and mismanaged as it is, allowed that piece of shit to be built there. Un-fucking-believable the corruption and sheer fucking stupidity that runs that City.

by Jonny Pops on Mar 31, 2008 10:20 PM EDT up 0 recs

to be fair

it looks to me like the outside is going to end up being brick. tough to tell, but that's what the bottom is, so it would make sense that the brick is going to go to the top, right? i don't know if it will still be ugly or not, but at least it won't be grey.

also, i've heard that it's definitely going to affect air flow in the stadium and that it will probably kill a lot of home runs.

by joet on Mar 31, 2008 11:36 PM EDT up 0 recs

They could build it

out of Emeralds with Platinum trim and I'd still call it a piece of shit. It blocks the view. That view was one of the nicest things about the stadium. Now it's gone so Red Sox and Yankee fans can book rooms and watch the game from the hotel.

by Jonny Pops on Apr 1, 2008 12:12 AM EDT up 0 recs

Amen

We knew it was happening, but to see the view, even in a picture is a letdown. They can put whatever they want on it, it's still an uninteresting box blocking a Baltimore icon.

by drj on Apr 1, 2008 8:17 AM EDT up 0 recs

Cintron

Cintron will be no great shakes. However, if this is the Andy MacPhail no nonsense regime, why is a guy like Hernandez even out there? Really, Cintron was released weeks ago.

If I had to guess, it was some type of Diamond Dave allegiance to a guy who really hustled and tried hard and all that kind of crap. Duck could find truck drivers to do that.

If Cintron is remotely competent in AAA, why should Hernandez last until Mother's Day or one second beyond when Cintron is back in the swing?

by drj on Mar 31, 2008 9:38 PM EDT 0 recs

OK...

maybe I have driven that Lasorda quote into the ground, but as a LAD fan (backup team) growing up, I loved Tommy Lasorda.

"What's my opinion of Kingman's performance? I think it's f--king horses--t...opinion of HIS performance? He beat us with three f--king homeruns..."

How's that? :)

by duck on Mar 31, 2008 10:24 PM EDT up 0 recs

np duck

I like that truck driver quote. It never gets old.

PS. Sparky Anderson all the way.

by drj on Apr 1, 2008 8:09 AM EDT up 0 recs

ugh

Camden Chat
Bad Left Hook

by SC on Apr 1, 2008 8:29 AM EDT up 0 recs

why June?

Cintron went through a complete spring training. it's not like he's gotta play his way into shape. there's nothing to wait for. get him in the line-up.

I came to Camden Yards to watch the O's and all I got was this lousy "Fenway South" t-shirt.

by Dave at Bottomfeeder Baseball on Mar 31, 2008 9:42 PM EDT 0 recs

because...

No matter what the Orioles are saying, they have a lot more doing to make me instinctively think they aren't just going to drag ass on everything and wait until it's way past expiration date on someone.

Camden Chat
Bad Left Hook

by SC on Apr 1, 2008 1:29 AM EDT up 0 recs

I led the Huff boos from my section

I was in the left field nosebleeds.

Luis Gonzalez is like a girl in coed softball. He can't hit the ball out of the infield, so the outfielders all come in to the edge of the infield dirt.

B-Rob was on first with one out in (I think) the 8th. I called that Melvin would hit into a DP. Instead, he takes a called third strike as B-Rob takes off on a full count. Then he interferes with the catcher, so B-Rob is automatically out. I suppose my prediction wasn't precisely true, but the end result was, not surprisingly, the same.

by Cockeysville Rec Council on Apr 1, 2008 12:24 AM EDT 0 recs