Well THAT was not fun

As I type this the Orioles are 3 outs away from an 11-0 win over the Twins, which would end an 8 game losing streak. After starting out 6-1, the wheels fell off the wagon in a BIG way. The bats went cold and the pitching went south. It wasn't pretty.

A lot of people were pie in the sky over the fast start. I said then that it wasn't a good idea to get too excited (and since I had Chuck D backing me up we all know that I was right). So now that the 11-0 win is final and the O's are off that infamous schneid, we can all all hope that they are going to go back on a roll.

Friends have been asking me about the team over the last week or so. And I tell them what I am going to tell you: I still believe that the Orioles are going to be over .500 at the end of this season. But that is predicated on them not suffering major injuries. The sad fact is that now that Zach Britton is with the team, the cupboard is pretty much bare as far as replacements / help in the minors go. So injuries (like the ones to Brian Matusz and JJ Hardy) can quickly put this team in a tailspin (8 games sounds about right). Last report I heard was Matusz had finally done some 60 and 90 feet long toss without pain but was still weeks away from returning, and I have sen no reports on Hardy. And as much as people have enjoyed blaming a lot of the team's woes on Andy MacPhail, it really isn't on him. There was well over a decade of bad drafting and questionable trades before MacPhail ever walked through those doors, and it takes more than a few years to recover from that. The Erik Bedard and Miguel Tejada trades brought a lot of nice pieces, but those are pretty much all in the majors now. And there is no one on the team that can give them that kind of haul again. If this team IS still floundering in a couple of months do not be surprised to see the likes of Vladimir Guererro, Derrek Lee, Luke Scott, and even Jeremy Guthrie putting their condos up for rent. It won't be a Syd Thrift level fire sale, but it could be like the Florida Marlins 1998 moves (minus a championship), with hopefully the same results (a World Series trophy 5 years later).

It's going to be a long season, kids. Try to not get too emotionally invested. At least, not until after the All-Star break.