Angels 6, Orioles 1: So this Alfredo Simon kid...not bad!

by Stacey on Jul 23, 2011 9:35 AM EDT in Post-Game

So it's time for us to all come to terms with the fact that Alfredo Simon is the best pitcher in the Orioles rotation. This is not necessarily praise of Simon, although he has done well lately. Since returning to the rotation, Simon has made two of the best starts the rotation has seen in over a month. Unfortunately, his efforts didn't matter much since the offense wilted in a heat that was oppressive even by Baltimore standards (104 at game time). The Orioles went into the ninth inning down by just a run, but all hopes for a walk-off victory were squashed by Vernon Wells' grand slam off of Kevin Gregg.

In his last start against Cleveland, Simon pitched 7 innings of one-run ball, giving up just two hits and one walk. He wasn't as dominant last night, but he got the job done and ultimately pitched 6.2 innings, again giving up just two runs. The second run scored after he left with Jason Berken on the mound. I'm not ready to jump on the Simon train, but it's certainly refreshing to watch a pitcher who doesn't get the crap beaten out of him on a regular basis, you know?

Ervin Santana, starting for the Angels, shut the Orioles down good. Through the first five innings the Orioles had just one baserunner, which came in the second inning when Luke Scott reached on an error. Their first hit was a Blake Davis double in the sixth, and their only run came in the eighth when a Mark Reynolds walk and a Felix Pie single set J.J. Hardy up for the RBI chance. Hardly lined the ball back up the middle to score Reynolds, but Nick Markakis grounded out to end the rally.

Kevin Gregg came on to pitch the ninth and hold the one-run lead, which is moronic because if he's not going to get the save how is he supposed to muster up any adrenaline? The inning started off with a ground ball to Derrek Lee, who could not live up to his Silky D nickname; he booted the ball to put a runner on with no outs. After Jeff Mathis bunted Mike Trout over to second, Gregg walked Maicer Izturis, he of the 7.3% walk rate. As Torii Hunter was called out on strikes, the runners pulled off a double steal. It's unclear if Wieters would have gotten Trout at third, but either way Reynolds couldn't play the ball. With first base open, Gregg intentionally walked Bobby Abreu to get to Vernon Wells. Hey, that's not a bad idea! Wells and his OBP of .254 will surely be an easy out. Or, would be if Kevin Gregg didn't throw a fastball down the middle. Wells smacked it into the O's bullpen to give the Angels a 6-1 lead. And that was the ballgame, folks. The Orioles went quietly in the ninth and retreated to the cool air conditioned clubhouse.

The Orioles and Angels are back at it tonight as Brad Bergesen and Joel Pineiro take the mound for their teams. Will anyone brave the heat and go see them? I'll be there, sweating myself silly. Bring lots of water!

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All those runs on Gregg were unearned, so his ERA actually dropped ... to 3.89.

BB/9: 6.32
HR/9: 1.22
WHIP: 1.62

How Andy MacPhail thought giving this guy a contract, let alone two years with an option for a third, will always be beyond my ken.

"That ball is gone. We'll pause ten seconds to commit suicide ... I mean, for a station identification." - Joe Angel, 6/17/11

by Eat More Esskay on Jul 23, 2011 9:53 AM EDT reply actions

ugh

Youth may come and go, but immaturity can last a lifetime.

by Zeke McGeek on Jul 23, 2011 10:06 AM EDT up reply actions

Simon

…is talking advantage of an opportunity and stepping up, which is really great to finally see someone do on this team, but he is not a longterm answer. He has gotten me to turn my opinion on him slowly (Maybe I think of him as a Armando Benitez/Dan Cabrera hybrid?), but he’s not a starter. I think we can expect to see him throw some good starts actually. Maybe he has a good run, but right now it’s about bridging a depth issue in the organization, caused by a lot of young arms faltering.

Simon has my respect for stepping up.

by basemonkey on Jul 23, 2011 12:16 PM EDT reply actions

For now

Simon is the best pitcher in the rotation. I like to see his success because it shows all of us including himself that he is capable of it. That way he has a point of reference if/when he struggles. I think he could be a 5th starter but most likely will be a back end of the pen guy when Britton/Matusz return. Still though it is great to see two nice QS back to back.

by smith1468 on Jul 23, 2011 1:08 PM EDT reply actions

Fair enough

but 3 games isn’t 10. Simon could be a decent starter but time will tell. As I’ve said before, the more successful arms the better. Maybe if two guys pitch consistently the rest will get the idea and things will improve for next year. If Simon can pitch this well into September and drag a few youngsters along for the ride, maybe that’ll spark them to pitch right. All Santana did was throw strikes, and all Baltimore got was 3 hits. If you can’t move the ball all over the strike zone then move it a bit and let your fielders do thei job.

I know, I know, with Reynolds and our left fielders even that simple tactic is very risky.

by dsciswe on Jul 23, 2011 1:17 PM EDT reply actions

I was thinking if there was any chance that Weak Sauce could be a late bloomer. In looking at his minor league track record, man is that a record of SUCK.

Folksy literate type.

by birdman on Jul 23, 2011 2:36 PM EDT reply actions