The Orioles swept the Twins and emotions are running high. They swept the Twins by way of three fantastic starting pitching performances: 22IP/ 3R/ 1ER/ 10H/ 12K/ 6BB. For a team that many national writers expect to lose 100 games and have one of the worst pitching staffs in recent baseball history – that is a very good start. Yet, the refrain I am hearing from too many people is: “yeah great, but it was the Twins and they aren’t supposed to be good this year.” Well neither are the Orioles right?
I thought the Orioles’ best case scenario was 69 wins? I thought that the rotation would be worse then last year’s because we traded away Guthrie? If those opinions were true then the Orioles should be celebrating every series win like it’s VJ Day. If this team is supposed to be one of the absolute worst teams in baseball then the Twins should not be discounted as some are.
Listen, 3-0 is a great start no matter how you slice it. Sweeping a MLB team in a three-game set is hard enough no matter who you are playing and the Orioles deserve credit for a newly flawless weekend. I understand that no one wants to get too excited and no one should, but let’s not discount a great weekend too much.
Tonight the Yankees come into town licking their wounds after being on the wrong-end of a three-game sweep at the hands of the Rays. Brian Matusz will be going up against 2011 wunderkind Ivan Nova, who is trying to forget a fairly underwhelming spring. Matusz has his first big test of 2012 trying to keep the starting pitching mojo working against the older, but still vaunted Yankee lineup.
Other observations from opening weekend:
-Good God the Red Sox bullpen is in trouble. Their inability to hold a lead this weekend has to be troubling. Papelbon is not walking through that door anymore and Melancon and Aceves are nowhere near the intimidating force that Papelbon brought to the mound. It is still early, and they were playing a completely stacked Detroit Tigers lineup but that pen needs to be stabilized and quickly.
-The Rays continue to do what they do, just enough to win. Carlos Pena showed he is not dead yet with a big weekend and a team that looked to be offensively challenged hanging 18 runs on the Yankees. (third in the AL behind the Tigers and, surprisingly, the Mariners)
-The Jays have looked strong in the early going winning those two marathons in Cleveland.
-The Oroles have only allowed five runs so far this season – the lowest total in baseball.
-Ozzie Guillen may not last if the Marlins don’t get on a win-streak. You can not compliment Fidel Castro when your ballpark is in the center of Little Havana. You simply can’t do it. There are a lot of very influential former Cuban refugees that do not take kindly to people complimenting the brutal dictator that chased their families away. Miami may be the only city in the world you can’t make that comment, and he made it. He is in trouble.
-Yoenis Cespedes has three homers in his first 15 ABs in the majors. He also has seven Ks in his first 15 ABs. Which is more likely to keep trending as the season continues?
-Every member of the Orioles’ “core” has gone deep thus far. Markakis, Wieters, Jones and Hardy. That is very good to see all of these keys to the offense getting off to good starts.
I hate the NFL draft. It is baseball season, let it be baseball season. All drafts are boring to watch outside of the first round – all of them.
