Game Thread -- Detroit Tigers at OPACY -- Friday July 13, 2012

[Rob]

Orioles looking to start the 2nd half one an up note with Jason Hammel on the mound. Tigers ended the 1st half on a MLB best 5-game winning streak.

Line-ups:

Detroit Tigers

A Jackson CF
Q Berry LF
M Cabrera 3B
P Fielder 1B
D Young DH
B Boesch RF
J Peralta SS
A Avila C
R Raburn 2B

D Fister

Baltimore Orioles

N Markakis RF
J Hardy SS
J Thome DH
A Jones CF
M Wieters C
C Davis LF
M Reynolds 1B
W Betemit 3B
R Andino 2B

J Hammel

[Rob]

Detroit with 4 basehits and 2 runs in the top of the 1st off Jason Hammel, who has been struggling lately.

2-0 Detroit
Bottom of the 2nd

[Rob]

Hammel's last 3 starts:

16.2 ip
15 er
21 h
9 bb
14 k
1-2 w/l
8.10 era

[Grindelwald]

It was only that 1 start against LAA that really makes that ERA look bad.

[Rob]

Hammel leaves in the 4th with an injury. Landed bad after a pitch. Ayala in to replace him. Not good news for an already vulnerable starting pitching staff.

[boulderterp]

Orioles look awful per usual. They just can't hit. While other teams just hammer Oriole pitching and make it look so easy.

[Ravens2006]

Hammel leaves in the 4th with an injury. Landed bad after a pitch. Ayala in to replace him. Not good news for an already vulnerable starting pitching staff.

He's been much more human overall since his first 6 starts. Some absolute gems mixed in, but overall not nearly as dominant as early on. A 4.30 era over the last 11 starts is fine, but not ace / top of the rotation stuff. If more of Chen's pitches are landing in the bullpen in the summer heat, the bullpen can't continue it's jaw-dropping first half (it too has shown more signs of fading lately), and the offense can't score runs (a problem for years and years now that too many continue to downplay)... dreams of a competitive .500+ season could be long, long gone by the second week of August. And to date, the warehouse has done little / nothing to try to help them... much like 200... ah never mind...

[Slidemaster]

Season over if Hammel is injured for a while (if it weren't already, that is. His injury would also be a great excuse not to try making another move.

If possible, this team looks worse in person.

[Slidemaster]

What a joke.

Next season please.

[Balmerboh]

What a joke.

Next season please.

If any trades are made to get anyone over the age of 28, then I weep for the future.

[Rob]

7-1.... a common type score with the Orioles lately.

[Slidemaster]

7-1.... a common type score with the Orioles lately.

Especially if "lately" means since 1998. And there's a robbed home run. And now Gregg is pitching.

What a comedy of errors.

[boulderterp]

Angels at it again, they look unstoppable. Book it Angels-Nats WS.

[boulderterp]

Time for the hitting coach to exit.

[Balmerboh]

Time for the hitting coach to exit.

Certainly time to drop JJ from the two spot. He looks as bad as you can look. Just incredible that he is a huge part, if not the major reason, why the O's offense is putrid.

And can someone tell me why Andino is still playing? Wow - I'd put my money on this team still losing 90 games. What a disaster.

[Balmerboh]

Time for the hitting coach to exit.

Somewhere Terry Crowley nods his head and concedes that hitting coaches only matter in high school.

[Malachi]

Turn out the lights,the partys over.

[Jimmy Jazz]

Hammel's had an issue with his knee earlier in the season. That itself was a recurrence of an injury from earlier in his career. Hope he's okay. Box score looks ugly, glad I missed it.

[hector]

I find all this whining about a lack of offense to be amusing. How many of you supported my brilliant prediction in pre-season that the O's offense would be far better by signing the player with the highest average on last year's team - Hall of Famer Vlad? DD screwed up in the off-season by not following my brilliant advice and screwed up again in mid-season by bringing in Jim Thome to cure the offensive shortcomings.

I find any deference to the wisdom of so-called baseball people to be misplaced. If I made mistakes in my business like they do in theirs, I'd retire. I don't so I won't.

Your humble servant, Hector

[can you hear me now!]

you made your 95 win prediction without Vlad on the team.....as Paul Simon once said "Slip slidin' away, slip slidin' away".......they have to finish 50-26 to win 95...that ain't happening with this team (Even with Vlad)...your continual bleating about Vlad is just cover for your pack-pedaling on your prediction,,, you harangued people saying what a genius your were ..these "if only we had Vlad" threads show you are in full excuse mode to avoid looking foolish.....