The Orioles are 4-19 in September, 15-36 since August 1, and have lost 10 in a row. The end of this cannot come soon enough, and I'm sick of saying that every September. Would it be too much to ask of this team to find ONE pitcher that can throw 200 innings?It seriously just does not happen anymore. During the 11-year suck bonanza, here are the pitchers that have thrown 200 innings in a season for the Orioles:
| Pitcher | Year | Innings | ERA | Adj. ERA+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Cabrera | 2007 | 204.3 | 5.55 | 83 |
| Rodrigo Lopez | 2005 | 209.3 | 4.90 | 88 |
| Sidney Ponson | 2004 | 215.7 | 5.30 | 87 |
| Mike Mussina | 2000 | 237.7 | 3.79 | 125 |
| Sidney Ponson | 2000 | 222.0 | 4.82 | 98 |
| Scott Erickson | 1999 | 230.3 | 4.81 | 97 |
| Sidney Ponson | 1999 | 210.0 | 4.71 | 99 |
| Mike Mussina | 1999 | 203.3 | 3.50 | 134 |
| Scott Erickson | 1998 | 251.3 | 4.01 | 113 |
| Mike Mussina | 1998 | 206.3 | 3.49 | 129 |
Once you get past the first three years (1998-2000) that had workhorse Erickson, Mussina, and fatty Ponson back before he was sweating pure mayonnaise and re-fueling with gin and kerosene, there's just nothing going on. Ponson in '04, Lopez in '05, Cabrera last year, and they all sucked in their 200 innings.
The last good 200-inning pitcher we had was Mike Mussina. Eight years ago. For those unfamiliar with time terminology, that's nearly a "decade."
I hate this crummy team. Every September I get like this. Even the obvious bright spots start to get under my skin. Yay, Nick Markakis! Big whoop, they'll squander his career until he wants the hell out of here, then the fans can call him a traitor and hiss at him the rest of his life.
If we're good some year, I fear I'm going to TOTALLY turn into Randy Quaid in Major League II. "They'll blow it in the playoffs!"
For now, though, the Quaid in the early part of that fine motion picture suits us just fine as a whole, I think. "YER ALL GARBAGE. ALLA YA! BACK UP THE TRUCK. BACK IT UP!"
And exhale...