Rangers 4, Orioles 2: Jim Johnson blows it
by Stacey on Jul 6, 2011 12:35 AM EDT
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This is the part of the season that I kind of hate. I don't want to be accused of being too negative, but it can really wear on you to have to write about a team and just loses and loses and loses. Tonight's loss really sucked for a few reasons: the Orioles offense was shut down again, the spot start by Mitch Atkins was quite good and the Orioles wasted it, normally reliable Jim Johnson blew the game, and of course, the Orioles were winning for most of the game just to lose it late.
So, how about that Mitch Atkins? He had himself a heck of a first major-league start (it wasn't his major-league debut, that came pitching in relief for the Cubs in 2009). I tell you, Chris Waters would be so proud of him. Atkins allowed five singles through the first four innings, but no Rangers crossed the plate. He retired the side in order in the fifth, then allowed one run in the bottom of the sixth on a Nelson Cruz single. When it was all said and done, Atkins pitched six innings and allowed just one run on eight hits, all singles. He struck out four and didn't walk any. Against one of the better offenses in the league, Atkins held his own. It's a shame the Orioles couldn't do anything with it.
Both Oriole runs scored on home runs. The first came from J.J. Hardy in the top of the first inning. It was Hardy's thirteenth home run on the year as he continues to slaughter the baseball. The other home run came off the bat of Matt Wieters leading off the fourth inning. At that time that gave the O's a 2-0 lead, but everyone watching knew that two runs was probably not going to cut it.
Jim Johnson was called on to hold a slim 2-1 lead in the seventh inning. It was Johnson's thirty-eighth game of the year and he just didn't have it. He walked two of the first four batters he faced, retiring the other two. A single by Josh Hamilton combined with a throwing error from Nolan Reimold allowed both runners to score, then Hamilton scored on a double by Adrian Beltre. That gave the Rangers a 4-2 lead that they wouldn't relinquish.
It really stinks that the Orioles lost that way, but it's hard to get too down on JJ. He leads the team in appearances and for the most part gets the job done. He had a bad night tonight, but his defense let him down so only two of the runs were earned. You can't expect to win a game, especially a game against the Texas Rangers, with only two runs. The offense really needed to do more.
Anyway, Neftali Feliz shut down the Orioles in the ninth, handing them their seventh loss in their last eight games.
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Really nice game from Wieters too
And since the game was lousy, I learned that Manny Machado and Jon Schoop are the two youngest players in all of advanced A ball, and after Bryce Harper are the two youngest players above lo A in all of baseball.
Also interesting is that Xavier Avery and LJ Hoes are among the ten youngest players in the Eastern League as well, which is interesting because the other youngest guys in AA are almost all elite prospects – Jacob Turner, Anthony Gose, Mike Trout, Jonathan Villar, Nick Franklin.
To be understood is to be a prostitute. ~ Fernando Pessoa
Defence and baserunning
Just goes to show that strong defence and gutsy baseruning can steal a win. Atkins pitched well and the O’s would’ve had 2 more runs but for stellar plays by Andrus. Baltimore did not have a lot of hustle on the basepaths (and outside of Guerrero, who really pushes the other team to make tough plays?) and Texas did, so Texas won. If Andrus is tentative Reimold’s error doesn’t matter.
Another two reasons why the O’s lose when they should win. No clutch hitting stands out. But poor D (a lot of that has to do with the lack of range so many have) and tentative baserunners hurt. And the bullpen has pitched in the most innings of all of baseball, which is no surprise. Having a 36 year old with bad knees as your most aggressive runner on he basepaths is bad.
Time to let the SP pitch 6+ regardless of the score and save some bullpen careers. And start telling guys to take the extra base. Not much you can do about the lack of range everywhere.
Telling guys to take the extra base...
…is how Juan Samuel lost us a lot of games last year. We don’t have good speed, as a team. At least we can now accept the reality.
And Atkins was making his first ever major league start. Let’s let him enjoy one decent one before we start making his arm fall off by pitching past his limit to spare the pen.
To be understood is to be a prostitute. ~ Fernando Pessoa
Are you implying that Guerrero pushes teams to make tough plays?
Did you miss the double play he hit into where the Kinsler took a break, ran over to the stands and grabbed a few sips of beer before throwing to first and still threw him out by 2 steps? What world are we living in where Guerrero is forcing the other team to make plays???
Meanwhile, you also must have missed the play where Reimold turned a routine groundball to SS into a single through pure hustle.
Despite the ridiculousness of the first part of your post, I do agree that Atkins should have come out for the 7th and just been on a very short leash.
I am eating you, motherfucker. You cannot hurt me. - PhilR8
by O'sFan21 on Jul 6, 2011 2:01 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Around the minors 7-5:
Norfolk lost to Charlotte 5-2. Brian Matusz continued to struggle, going 5.2 innings and allowing 4 earned on 7 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 3. 2 of his 7 hits allowed were homers, and one of those was to Lastings Milledge. GB/FB was 5/1. Ryan Adams went 1-4 with 2 Ks. Josh Bell is back in the lineup and went 0-4, as did Brandon Snyder. Jake Fox went 0-4 with a K.
Bowie lost to Reading 6-2. Xavier Avery went 0-4 with 2 Ks. Joseph Mahoney went 0-1 with a strikeout, he left the game after that at bat. A quick internet surgery yielded nothing. LJ Hoes went 0-3 with a walk and a K. Ronnie Welty went 0-4.
Frederick had the day off.
Hickory beat Delmarva 5-2. Ty Kelly went 1-4 with a walk and 3 Ks. Rob Nowak went 0-3 with 2 Ks. Michael Ohlman went 1-4. Randy Hendry went 2 innings, striking out 4, walking 2 and allowing 2 earned runs.
Aberdeen lost again, 8-5 to Aberdeen. Glynn Davis went 0-2 with 3 walks. Mychal Givens went 2-5. Connor Narron went 1-4 with a walk and his 4th error of the season.
The GCL Orioles beat the GCL Sox 5-3. Roderick Bernadina went 0-2 with a walk. Matt Hobgood’s went 3 innings allowing 2 earned runs on 3 hits (including 1 homer), striking out 3 walking none. Ryan Berry struck out 4 in 3 innings, walking 1 and allowing 1 hit.
The DSL Orioles were off today.
Sorry about not posting around the minors last night.
If you look at those UZR ratings or whatever
Librarians do it in the minors!
Bg thx, your posts are majorly appreciated
Guts QS, O's lose. And now the news...
Damn internet surgery never yields the results you want it to...
When they look up from the gutter where their dreams have gone to die they will see only orange and black. -EME
We'll always have the gamethread.
Say no to Prince Fielder in 2012.
by Knubles and Bits on Jul 6, 2011 6:14 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
Camden Chat: Our team sucks, but our blog doesn't.
I am eating you, motherfucker. You cannot hurt me. - PhilR8
by O'sFan21 on Jul 6, 2011 8:51 AM EDT up reply actions 5 recs
haha I think we've found our new tagline
Felix Pie is a ninja robot sent from the future to make everything adorable.
I thought about proposing it or something similar
on the jeopardy post, but then forgot.
I am eating you, motherfucker. You cannot hurt me. - PhilR8
sugar coated poo poo
Stacey, you can only put so much sugar on shit. I don’t blame you at all. Enjoy the summer.
i blame her...
and her relentless negativity. if we just smiled and talked nice about the team more, they’d surely turn it around.
"the secret to a happy ending is knowing when to roll the credits"
I blame the damn lawyers. What? Oh, sorry, forgot.
No wait, I’m not: PA is a lawyer!
Guts QS, O's lose. And now the news...
Just ask Teabagger Luke...
It’s all Obama’s fault!
I think this team is precocious
We don’t usually swoon like this until AFTER the break.
Like a bad, suave dude. You know what I'm sayin'. COOL. SC 7/24/08
Any chance Atkins can actually repeat this performance?
I am a little jaded toward hot starts from our pitchers. On a positive note, Weiters seems to be heating up.
sure there's a chance...
it is not likely, though.
"the secret to a happy ending is knowing when to roll the credits"
Wieters isn't heating up.
If anything, the only remarkable thing is how consistent he is. He’s even down from his season peak (2nd week of June).
Don't forget - sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel is a train coming head on
Same chance Dave Borkowski had
Like a bad, suave dude. You know what I'm sayin'. COOL. SC 7/24/08
by 33 on Jul 6, 2011 10:09 AM EDT up reply actions
I think we all need to step back and enjoy this moment: JJ is a good player, and yet he found it in himself last night
to reach down deep for that Extra Sucktitude that can spell the difference between the occasional accidental win — which almost happened here, remember — and another impressively embarrassing loss to add to this campaign, our eleventy-third consecutive year of pathetic cellar-dwelling and division-leading self-loathing. I, for one, will not take work like this for granted: Thanks, Jim!
Share the ineptitude! Stoop to the occasion! Go O’s!
Guts QS, O's lose. And now the news...
but still somehow forcing the defense to make a play
Unclear whether it’s a play associated with a ball that he hit, or one from an inning (or game) or two later, but regardless.
I am eating you, motherfucker. You cannot hurt me. - PhilR8
Gonzalez and/or Viola
Why are they on the team, if not to face Hamilton in the 7th? Getting lefties out is the one thing Gonzalez isn’t completely horrible at, and it’s not as if JJ was getting squeezed or getting unlucky; he just didn’t have it. That happens to every reliever at some point, but why not bring in the lefty to face Hamilton?
by Reboulet's Moustache on Jul 6, 2011 10:14 AM EDT reply actions
First of all - awesome name
But I agree completely – it was so clear that JJ just didn’t have it and it’s hard to imagine a more obvious time for a lefty specialist to be used.
I am eating you, motherfucker. You cannot hurt me. - PhilR8
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