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I feel like there are probably three ways that we could deal with having the worst bullpen in the AL: 1. Starters going deeper into games; 2. Scoring more runs so it doesn't matter who is pitching late; 3. Stop having crappy players in the bullpen. The first and second may be within the capability of the current roster. The third is probably not.
We're probably due for at least another two innings of bullpen tonight, because Orioles starter Jake Arrieta has yet to pitch more than six innings in a game this season. Arrieta's kind of proof that pitcher wins and losses are not filled with meaning, as he has a 3-1 record to go with his 5.01 ERA compared to a 1-4 on a 3.00 ERA for Jeremy Guthrie. Last time Jake faced the Royals was July 30 of last year and he only went 4.1 IP, giving up three earned runs in a game the Orioles ultimately lost thanks to Alfredo "Weak Sauce" Simon giving up a walk-off three-run home run to Alex Gordon. Pre-Buck days: they doesn't matter.
The Orioles hitters will go up against Kyle Davies tonight. He has a 7.98 ERA this season, 5.59 for his career. His WHIP over 736 career innings is 1.61 and batters are .286/.364/.461 off of him. Major league hitters are collectively the career numbers of Nick Markakis off of Davies. Though the 2011 version of Nick isn't showing it, that's an impressive feat of pitching suckitude.
If bats can't come alive against the likes of Davies then we will have to reconcile ourselves to a year where the team hitting may well stay at a pace of a .238 batting average and a .297 on-base percentage. Have I mentioned how depressing that statistic is to look at night in and night out? I thought it couldn't get much worse than last year's .259/.316 and yet here we are, pining for the halcyon days of Terry Crowley. That's what it's come to. Right now I can sit here and feel like we were better off with the Crow.
No-hitter karma is in the air after last night's performance by Francisco Liriano. I expect to be perfect gamed. Jake, if you keep it as respectable as Edwin Jackson did for Chicago last night, that's about all we could ask in response.
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