Orioles surprise

[hedgehoglover1]

I still can't believe how long they've been keeping this surge going. Roberts is breaking out as a hitter. Sosa was well worth the cash. Tejada is doing amazing. The pitching is solid (The bullpen could use a little work, however). I have a feeling this might be the year. At an O's-Yanks game I went to a while back (where they completed the sweep), on the way out a New Yorker yelled something to the effect of "They don't make Orioles sweatshirts!...We'll be playing in October!" I'm thinking we might get those sweatshirts this year.

[Regole]

;_; ...Sosa...

>/

[hedgehoglover1]

;_; ...Sosa...

>/

Bwahaha...

[All-Night John]

I don't think their pitching is good enough to contend for the division. They might make a run at the Wild Card, and their offense could slug them to victory in a 5 game series, but I'd be surprised if they made it that far.

[hedgehoglover1]

I don't think their pitching is good enough to contend for the division. They might make a run at the Wild Card, and their offense could slug them to victory in a 5 game series, but I'd be surprised if they made it that far.

Their offense is incredible, don't underestimate it. The starting pitchers are really good. Ponson seems to have found his, erm, zone, having gone 4-1 so far this season. Lopez is doing great too. I'll be keeping hope until at least August.

[All-Night John]

Their offense is incredible, don't underestimate it. The starting pitchers are really good. Ponson seems to have found his, erm, zone, having gone 4-1 so far this season. Lopez is doing great too. I'll be keeping hope until at least August.
I'm not underestimating their offense. But offense will only take you so far. You won't win in the playoffs without pitching. And I don't think it will keep up this pace all season. Roberts will come back down to Earth at least a little. Palmeiro's old and barely doing anything now. Just wait until the hot summer months. Sosa's been alright, but he's still a shell of his roided-up self. We'll see. It's still early.

As for their pitching, I wouldn't be so encouraged by Ponson. Saying he's good because his record's 4-1 is quite disingeneous. Record is just about the worst thing to judge a pitcher buy. He's era is still 5.50. That's not good. In fact, it would be the worst of his career if the season ended today. Opponents are almost hitting .300 against him, and his k/bb rate ain't so hot, either. His VORP's only 1.2. I don't know why you say Lopez is doing great; he's not, and the numbers show that. He's just benefited from the offense, like Ponson. Bedard and Chen have been their best pitchers, especially Bedard, but the teams he's faced haven't exactly been the cream of the crop, and there's no way to tell if a second-year player can keep up for a full season. No way to tell if Chen will keep it up. He hasn't had a decent season since 2000, and we're still dealing with a small sample size here.