Being an Orioles fan since Cal Ripkin and Rafael Palmeiro were players it was a shock to see them actually get into the playoffs. 
But one thing since then always stuck in my mind and what plagues the team, imo. 

Their pitching staff is just awful, I have no idea why they can't get decent ones and seriously, their trades are just hilarious - they have a person on their team who served time for PEDs and they wasted money on him. And his stats were barely out of minor league status. 

I just want them to be a viable team in the AL East I know .455 isn't bad seeing how the season just started but those pitchers will come back to bite them. 
D:

   Tigers have been terrific on the road this year, latest with a sweep against the Red Sox. So far, there is very little not to like about the Tigers. Victor Martinez has played out of his mind, and has less strikeouts than homeruns, Davis has been a great surprise in left field, and the Fister trade doesn't look too bad at this point. Miggy has picked it up this month too. Starters have done well, especially Ricky, who looks like he's finally playing up to his potential we've seen over the last few years. And now having an extra starter that seems to be good in Robby Ray is comforting as well. And already having more steals than all of last season is pretty nice too.
   And at this point, none of the other teams in the division have done anything to show that they can catch up to us. And even the bullpen has come together, with even Coke and Jaba turning out some good outings lately. Yeah, we still have pretty much nobody at shortstop, but everybody else is pulling it together, and is able to get around that. 
   

Well, Josh Beckett just threw the first no hitter of the year against the Phillies and it was also the first of his career. He's one of my favorite pitchers career wise, so I'm very happy for him.

patar4097 :

"Tigers have been terrific on the road this year, latest with a sweep against the Red Sox."

Like that's an accomplishment. We're about to lose our 10th straight game. Worst losing streak we've had in somewhere around 20 years.

You beat a bad baseball team. Congratulations.

Tim Lincecum threw his second no hitter against the Padres yesterday. This is the third no-no we've seen this year. Beckett, Clayton Kershaw, and now Lincecum.

Well, after losing our top spot in the division for a few games, the Tigers are on a winning streak again. JD Martinez has turned out to be great, especially with Hunter hurting right now. Hopefully we don't go on another horrible streak again. Unless we make a huge move at the deadline, I'm not sure how far we'll get this year. Joba's been great, but Nathan has been downright awful at points. I couldn't trust him in a playoff game with a 1 run lead.

Thankfully, it looks like the Red Sox will be sellers at the deadline.

The last thing I wanted was for us to trade prospects for fill in rental talent.

The only thing I even hate about this season was the fact we signed Stephen Drew. He's going to hurt Xander Bogaerts development at shortstop.

Players the Red Sox will no doubt have available at the deadline: Jon Lester (though he won't move for anything less than a haul, as he's going to get a QO at the end of the year), John Lackey (who would also take a haul as he's under major league minimum next year), Jake Peavy (who can be had for literally nothing), Koji Uehara (Best closer in the AL outside of Greg Holland. There will be interest), AJ Pierzynski (Please take him away), Stephen Drew (Ditto), Shane Victorino (If he can get healthy by the deadline), and Jonny Gomes (Good fill in talent).

There are other players who will be made "available" like our various set up men, but I don't expect us to make a big move.

It looks like this is going to be Moneyball all over again and like the A's are going to win it all. The A's already have the best hitting team in baseball and have the best winning percentage with a .037 lead over the 2nd best team. Now they go ahead and bring in one of the best pitchers in the N.L. 


With a 2.83 ERA and a much better hitting team to back him up, the A's might just as well win 90% of the rest of Samardzija's starts and gain an even bigger lead.

I am just surprised with how well the Seattle Mariners are doing at this point in the season. That is all I can really say. And how bad the Yankee's are doing.

It is really too bad that the jays are completely falling apart. I knew them having such a good record was only an illusion. Toronto is getting hit very hard with the injury bug as well, unfortunately. Do to their great start though, they are still within striking distance of a playoff spot, even though the west is extremely strong this year. I do beleive that the west will grab both wild card spots this season, so there will only be one AL east representative in this years post season. This is just how things are looking, and so much can change still, as it is not even at the all star break, but thats just the way things look right now. The trade deadline is coming up soon, and it will be interesting to see if Toronto feels the need to make a push for a guy like David Price, who is rumored to be involved in a swap with the jays for Norris, Sanchez and Pompey.

I am surprised that heading into the All-Star Break, Seattle a has nice lead on the 2nd Wild Card Spot. They have a .537 average in the toughest division in the league this year. Seattle is 7 games over .500 going into the All-Star Break, even with going 4-6 in their Last 10. Their Road record is what is really getting to me though: 27-18, compared to a 24-26 Home Record.

All in All, Seattle is just having a phenomal year... by Seattle standards.

patar4097 :
mlb789 :
bobq :

What do you guys think about Seattle this year? I am interested in hearing your opinions.

thing1 :

I was very aware that Seattle had the pitching staff of the future. I just wasnt sure if they would be legit as early as this season, since most of their quality pitchers are rolling out of their farm system the past couple years. I knew this team was going to be very good very soon, as they had the number 1 overall farm system a year or 2 back. Now that all their filthy pitching prospects are making the big leagues, theyre going to be great for years to come. Im not surprised that they are as good as they are, Im a bit surprised that it happened so early in these young players careers though.

thing1 : Like I said in the other thread, they have been looking great lately. Cano still isn't showing the power he's capable of, but he's still putting up good numbers. After that disappointing start, it was only a matter of time until they started to get back into it. I still don't see them taking the division, although I can't really say one team is better than the other at this point. But like bobq said, they should be a good team for years to come.

patar4097 : Right now, they have the 2nd wild card spot for the American League... If they hold on to it... how far do you see them going?

thing1 : It really depends on who they play. I think that the Tigers and the A's have the best chance of beating them, but I think that if the Angels hold on to their spot, the Mariners will beat them in the one game series. Still at this point, even though the A's haven't proved they can do it in the playoffs still seem like they would win the series between them, but I think there is too much time in the season to be sure, along with the trade deadline still a little while away.

    Well now, the trade deadline has passed, and some insane trades went down today. The biggest ones involve Lester and Gomes going to Oakland for Cespedes. A's continue to beef up their starting rotation, while losing a great bat. Although, with the way some other trades went down, starting pitching was definitely the biggest part.
    Speaking of starting pitchers, the Tigers were able to get David Price from the Rays for a prospect and up and coming left handed starter Smyly. Mariners were also in the trade, getting Austin Jackson from the Tigers, and giving the Rays a prospect. Huge deal for the Tigers, and although it stinks to see these players go, I think Price gives us a better chance come playoff time.
    And with even more starting pitchers moving, the Cardinals got Lackey for pitcher Kelly and first baseman Allen Craig. The Red Sox seemed to be trading anybody they could, sending the lefthander Andrew Miller to Baltimore for a pitching prospect. The Sox also traded away Stephen Drew to the Yankees, and New York got another infielder in Martin Prado.

patar4097 : The Yankees also released Brian Roberts. So essentially, they replaced Kelly Johnson and Brian Roberts with Stephen Drew and Martin Prado. They also traded away some cash or a player to be named later, but that is not that important. I think that the Yankees made some smart moves. I would say that Drew is a slight improvement from Kelly Johnson, and Prado is a big step up from Roberts. Prado has always been one of my favorite players because he can play ANYWHERE. He is also a pretty good hitter. I am glad to have him on the Yankees.

patar4097 : If Seattle keeps this crap up, they are going to lose that chance to be in the Wild Card spot. As I type this post, the Mariners are currently 2 and a half games out. The Angles have the first spot by 5 and a half game lead over the Blue Jays, who have the 2nd Wild Card Spot. 

Seattle did make a few moves recently, though, so not all hope is lost. 

   No talk for a while here, huh? Well, anyways, the playoffs seem to be pretty much set. The only thing that can change now in the NL is the Pirates still can take over the division from the Cardinals. Definitely doable, although I don't see them taking that one. The Royals are very close to eliminating the Mariners, but still have a chance to take over Detroit, although it's unlikely at this point, especially if they lose tonight. 

   And tonight was also Jeter's final home game, and it could not have been scripted any better than that. The Yankees were up by three going into the top of the ninth. And of course, the O's are able to tie up the score. And who do you think is batting third in the bottom of the inning? Obviously, it was Jeter. First batter is able to get a base hit, and with Gardner up next, he's able to sacrifice bunt him over to second base. The crowd goes crazy, everybody's standing, and Jeter slaps the first pitch past the first basemen, and the runner scored for a walk-off hit.
   
   I'm not really one that wants the season long retirement ceremony to become a "thing", because eventually, you get tired of hearing about it, although it seems like it is now already, it was a really cool thing to see. I'm intrude to see how it's going to go down in Boston. He said he will play, but not as a short stop, according to him.

patar4097 : Slow your horses there. Seattle's Magic Number is still 2 thanks to a Mariners win, and an Oakland loss. Now, while I agree with you that Seattle doesn't have much of a chance seeing as how the Mariners have to play their last 3 games vs the Angels, and the A's have to play the Rangers, seeing as how the Angels have a better record than the Mariners, and the Ranges have a worse record than the A's, I don't see the A's conceding and going 0 - 6 or 1 - 5 in their last 6 ( they are currently 0 - 3 in their last 3 games, with 3 games left ) . One of those has to happen for the Mariners to get in, and Seattle has to win out, or the A's have to lose their last 3, ending in 0 - 6, and Seattle looses 1 game, and even then, it would force a 1 game playoff. 

legacyme3 : I think I got that right. I know football playoffs since the Ravens are in the hunt almost every year, but don't know the Baseball playoff way since Seattle hasn't made it since 2001, I think. Did I get my scenarios right?