On April 29th, I previewed the Month of May for the Orioles.
http://baltimoresportsandlife.blogspot.com/2009/04/orioles-may-preview.html
Based on that, lets review the stated goals, and where the O’s stand with 1/2 the month complete.
Goals & Thoughts for the Month
The goal 1) Baltimore is 4-6 against the American League East. During May, the O’s have 16 games against their division foes. The goal should be 8-8 for the month.
The result through 15 days 1) The O’s are 3-6 against the East in May.
The goal 2) The Orioles are 7-7 at home this April… with today’s game remaining. You have to defend the home-field… 8-6 is probably a realistic expectation for May, but 9-5 should be the goal.
The result through 15 days 2) The O’s are 4-3 at home in May.
The goal 3) The O’s have won just 2 of their first 7 games on the road… 7-8 in May would be a strong-month.
The result through 15 days 3) The O’s are 2-4 on the road in May.
The goal 4) If the O’s can win today, they would close out April at 10-12. The Orioles would then have to go 16-13 in May to head into June at agame over 500. (26-25) Looking at the schedule, I am anticipating a 15 win and 14 loss record for the month.
The result through 15 days 4) The O’s are 6-7 for the month… would need to finish 9-7 in next 16 games to finish 15-14 for the month.
The goal 5) Greg Zaun calls a decent game, gives a great target… and I am sure he is a better hitter than he has looked. That said, he is a 38 year old journey-man catcher that is batting .111 (6 hits in 54 at-bats), with a.423 OPS… Matt Wieters needs to be recalled… You can understand the O’s not be excited about Wieters obtaining Super 2 status, and potentially paying out $10-$20M to him in additional salary. However, that can be avoided if the O’s work towards signing him to a long-term Longoria-esque contract.
The result through 15 days 5) I still think Matt Wieters should have been up April 17th, but at this point, I totally agree with Wieters being held in Norfolk until early June to avoid obtaining Super 2 status.
The goal 6) Rich Hill will take the mound tonight for Norfolk, as he makes his 2nd rehab start. That should put him in-line for his first Oriole start May 8th or 9th. When he is recalled… Hendrickson goes to the bullpen, and I hope Walker is released.
The result through 15 days 6) Hill will make his first Oriole start tomorrow Sat May 16th… Hendrickson has gone to the bullpen, and I still hope Walker is released.
The goal 7) Besides the recall of Hill, and Wieters, and the release of Walker,and Moeller… I am hoping to see the release of Eaton, Bass; with the recalls of Albers and Patton by the end of May.
The result through 15 days 7) Hill will be up tomorrow… Wieters will be up the first week of June… Reimold has been promoted… Moeller and Eaton’s days are numbered… Bass has had some decent outings, but I would still prefer Albers… With Hendrickson in the bullpen, Walker’s days with the team have to be in question… Patton has now allowed 5 er in 34.1 innings, with Hill moving to the bigs… Patton should be in-line to move-up to AAA.
The goal 8) Jones has an OPS of 1.065, Markakis has an OPS of 1.026, Roberts has an OPS of .940…. They are not going to fall off a cliff, but maintaining this level of production is not going to happen. In May,when they come back to Earth a bit… you will need increased production from Huff, Scott, Mora, and Wiggington.
The result through 15 days 8) Jones and Markakis have continued to mash… Huff, Mora, and Wigginton are producing… Scott was warming-up prior to his injury.
The goal 9) It was a rough first 48 Oriole at-bats for Felix Pie, but he needs to play on a regular basis in May. You do not give up on a 24 year old that has had his level of success at the AA, and AAA levels after 48at-bats. He is 8 for his first 48… he has an on-base% of .259… I want to see him have at-least 70 at-bats during the coming Month. If Pie gets 70 May at-bats, I anticipate him getting around 18 hits….. Making him cumulatively 26 for 118… which would give him a .220 average… if that is the case, his on-base% will probably be around .312. A .220 average, and a .312 on-base% at the end of May, would be nothing to write home about, but would position Pie with something to build onheading to June. If Pie has not reached that level of production by the end of May, at a minimum he will be in a straight platoon with Montanez….. Or possibly Reimold will be promoted and take the position on an everyday basis.
The result through 15 days 9) Pie has only 16 at-bats in May, but has 6 hits… he has raised his average to .209, with a .303 on-base%.
The goal 10) Guthrie is 2-1, 5.20 era, 27.2 innings, 34 hits, 11 walks, 5 homers allowed, with 16 k’sUehara is 2-1, 4.56 era, 23.2 innings, 21 hits, 6 walks, with 14k’s, heading into today’s game.Neither one is an Ace, and they get crushed under those expectations.Monday night, Guthrie labored… but he had more life and movement onhis fastball, and his velocity was consistently at 94. His control has been a bit of an issue so far in 2009, but his mechanics lookedimproved.Guthrie should have at-least 5 starts in May… and they need to bebetter than his first 5 starts of 2009. Looking for 35+ innings for the month, with no more than a hit per IP, a better walk-rate, and less homers allowed.
Uehara has allowed 2 er or less in three of his four starts… has gone 7 innings, and 6.2 innings in his last two starts… he has already made several adjustments during this year. It will be interesting to watch how the league adjusts to him, as the book on him increases.
The result through 15 days 10) Guthrie has made 3 May starts and has pitched 19 innings, allowing 19 hits, 5 bb’s, and 3 homers allowed. In 12.2 May innings, Uehara has allowed 13 hits, 4 er, 1 bb, with 13 k’s.
Baltimore has 16 games left in May… 9 on the road, and 7 at Oriole Park.
3 @ Kansas City May 14th – 17th
3 @ New York May 19th – 21st
3 @ DC May 22nd – 24th
3 vs Toronto May 25th – 27th
4 vs Detroit May 28th – 31st
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Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.