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I was over hearing about Jake Arrieta pitching for the Cubs in this series long before it even began. I’m still over it. I don’t even want to think about it. Why couldn’t the Orioles unlock the potential that Arrieta had here? We may never know. But it didn’t happen and the franchise suffered for it. After watching Kevin Gausman last night, I fear, not for the first time, that he’s headed for the same fate.
What will make this whole scenario even more grotesque is that the Orioles will send out Wade Miley to start a game tonight. This is not something that has generally gone well since May. Perhaps trading for a guy whose absolute ceiling is “mediocre” wasn’t the best idea, although why Miley’s walk rate is almost double what it was last year is a real mystery for which I have no answer.
Adam Jones is once again leading off for the Orioles. Manager Buck Showalter surely has what he believes is a good reason to have Jones in the leadoff spot, but when I look at Seth Smith and his .329 OBP batting seventh while Jones and his .303 OBP is leading off, I can only grimly shake my head and sigh. There’s a lot about the Orioles this season that inspires that reaction.