Leading Off

The baseball season has officially begun! There are real games to discuss, and quite a lot has happened. The guys open the podcast with an invitation for you to let us know how much you hate the new-look website. Send hate mail to [email protected] – that’s where we’re getting the rest of it. After a quick jaunt through The Drink of the Week and the Medical Wing, it’s on to see what happened TWotT:

* Prime Game ticket pricing

* Red Sox complain about pace of game

* IHJJR is misguided on the condiment race

* Games in April / Games in September

* Can we stop saying “Jeffrey Maier?”

 

Top of the Rotation to You

Before the season, we agreed that the real wild card for the Orioles’ success would be the starting rotation. We needed the top of the rotation to be strong and the back of the rotation to be serviceable. Once through the rotation was not pretty.

Chris Tillman: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K,

Ubaldo Jimenez: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 6 K

Wei-Yin Chen: 5.2 IP, 12 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 5 K

Miguel Gonzalez: 3.1 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Bud Norris: 5.0 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

It certainly didn’t help that the offense took a siesta until the 9th inning in most games, and the margin of error was very thin. But once through the rotation, you can see the reason why many national “experts” picked the Orioles to finish last in the AL East – this is the team’s Achilles Heel.

The guys discuss the similarities/differences between Start #1 and Start #2 for Chris Tillman and Ubaldo Jimenez.

 

Things We Said Today

It’s early in the season, and there is literally nothing we can talk about that can’t be countered with the “small sample size” argument. But… THIS IS ALL WE HAVE! What else are we supposed to factor into the discussion? A team is never as bad as it looks during a losing streak, and never as good during a winning streak. After a 2-4 start, you can say plenty about the 2014 Orioles. Then again, the guys go through a list of some things you can’t say. Not yet. Not this early.

 

Fantasy Boss

Last week’s category was NP. This may get contentious.

Jake’s Pick: J.J. Hardy

Scott’s Pick: Matt Wieters

 

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Who had a great week? Who had a tough week? Who made us ashamed to be Orioles fans? Find out in this week’s GB&U. The guys run through their Good, Bad, and Ugly for the week. Be sure to drop us a line and send us yours.

 

Blowing the Save

Most podcasts try to end on a high note – the perfect coda to a quality program. That’s just not our style. Each week, we’ll end on a weak note, blowing the save with an item that didn’t quite fit into the episode, or something they simply need to get off their chests. It’s our version of taking the ball and pulling a Kevin Gregg.

 

Notes and Nags

Are you listening to this show on iTunes? Are you subscribed? You totally should be! And while you’re there, be sure to leave a review of the program. Love it? Hate it? Confused? Let us and other listeners know. As always,