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Oriole Magic
Cabrera’s On His Own
Daniel Cabrera has to feel like he’s on a one man team when he pitches. No matter what the Orioles are doing overall, whenever Cabrera takes the mound his only hope of winning is to throw a perfect game.
And even then he’s not guaranteed of anything because there’s a solid chance the score would be 0-0 after 9 innings!
Bad fielding. Non existent hitting. And flat out awful managing have all wasted some great pitching efforts by Cabrera this season.
Where do I start with describing how last night was not Cabrera’s fault in any way, shape, or form?
Shall we begin with the hitting?
In the 6 innings that the Orioles had to bat while Cabrera was the pitcher of record last night, they recorded 1 lousy run on only three hits.
By my count, Miguel Tejada is the only one on this team who Cabrera should even want to talk to today as his homer was the only run support Daniel got. The other 8 batters only managed to scrape together 2 hits while Cabrera was still in the game.
I know Curt Schilling isn’t exactly a pushover, but 3 hits?
I’ve had it with Terry Crowley still being employed with the Orioles. Baltimore has to be the only team in baseball that has a hitting coach that openly encourages swinging at the first pitch and being extremely aggressive at the plate regardless of the game situation!
I’m sure there’s a place for that somewhere in the baseball world, but it’s been years of The Crow and we’re not seeing any improvements in the approach Oriole hitters take at the plate! Aggressive first pitch swings weren’t working several years ago, and they still aren’t working now.
We’ve changed hitters quite a bit, but we’re seeing the same plate discipline (or lack thereof). The constant in this equation is Terry Crowley.
Maybe it’s not his fault. Maybe he’s not screwing up the hitters. But he sure isn’t helping them. I’m ready to try someone new.
But even without run support Cabrera was still locked in a 1-1 game into the 7th.
Daniel was certainly doing all he could to keep the score tied, but after a while it’s not a matter of wanting to win. The body just doesn’t keep up.
Cabrera threw somewhere in the neighborhood of 397,642 pitches last night. He had lost any semblance of control in the 6th inning. Everyone in the stadium knew it, every watching on TV knew it, and every listening on the radio knew it.
But Sam Perlozzo? He didn’t know it.
Instead of replacing Cabrera with his $42 million bullpen to start the 7th, Perlozzo left the worn out pitcher in the game. Sure he got two outs, but he then walked 2 to set up a Boston rally.
That didn’t have to happen! Cabrera was giving everything he had, but his control had gone away. He couldn’t help but walk two guys. Only he shouldn’t have still been in the game to have the chance to walk two guys!
It’s okay to bring in relievers to start the 7th inning. There’s nothing bad about that. That’s why you have them!
But leaving Cabrera in to drown wasn’t Perlozzo’s only major goof in this one. Replacing him with Jamie Walker to face David Ortiz with a runner in scoring position was just insane!
Ortiz came to the plate in that at bat with a 5 of 9 life time record against Walker. That’s a .556 average.
So what the blue hell was Sam Perlozzo thinking when he allowed Walker to face Ortiz?
After Ortiz batted in the go ahead run the fun really got started.
Chad Bradford has been good this year. But he wasn’t good last night.
But was he taken out of the game before the Red Sox broke the game open? Of course not!
Why? Because Perlozzo was the only person who didn’t know that Bradford didn’t have his control.
Games like this are just maddening. And they are flat out unacceptable.
Bad hitting. Bad hitting coaching. Bad managing. All offset another really good start by Cabrera where he didn’t deserve to lose.
I won’t get mad at the bullpen for an absolutely atrocious meltdown. It was their fault, but they’ve earned a little leeway as far as bad games go.
The hitting and the bullpen mismanagement have been on going problems though and I’m done with trying to shine a positive light on them. I’ve had it. Last night pull me out of the clouds and brought me back to reality. The reality is that the Orioles aren’t good enough to compete for the division yet.
I’ve known that all along. I think 82 wins and 3rd place are the high end goals for this team. But for a while there I let myself believe more.
This is a team that’s improved from 2006. It’s a team that has a lot to build on for 2008. Everything is moving in the right direction finally.
But some major changes need to be made. Perlozzo either needs to learn how to manage a game or find employment elsewhere. Terry Crowley can take the first bus to where ever. I don’t care anymore. And the offense needs to get it’s head out of it’s collective butt.
There are 141 games left to show improvement on these issues if there’s going to be any serious hopes of something good happening by 2008.
David Ortiz photo from BBC.co.uk
Head in butt photo from Fathom.org
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16 Responses to “Cabrera’s On His Own”
April 26th, 2007 at 4:42 am
Ok, I’ve had 12 hours to calm down. My teeth have stopped grinding and I’m ok again.
Why is Perlozzo still managing this team?! I’ve read everything thats been said about him in the last 18 months and I honestly never agreed with any of it. But last night…
I finally got my girlfriend to sit down and watch the game on T.V. (she loves the Yard, but can’t stand to watch on TV) and after the top of the 6th I told her “Well at least D-Cab can’t lose. The bats aren’t helping, but he is coming out of there.” Perlozzo made me a liar as he marches Daniel back on the mound for the 7th. Why?! And don’t get me started on bringing in Walker.
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1…breath.
5 days ago I was ready to start saving for playoff tickets, now I’m hoping they make it above .500. April 26th - a new record for lose of hope.
Yeah I overreact.
April 26th, 2007 at 5:10 am
Mike, I’m with you. I’ve been a Perlozzo supporter for a year and a half. But last night….man if I was the GM I’d have walked down to the dugout and fired him on the spot.
It was unholy bad. A complete disregard for the obvious condition of the pitchers, no conceptual understanding of the statisically best matchups. It was awful!
I understand that the front office hired Jamie Walker for the specific purpose of getting out lefties in clutch spots.
That’s what Ortiz was last night. He’s a lefty and he was in a clutch spot. That’s what Walker was brought in to handle.
But Ortiz was 5 of 9 against him! (Now 6 of 10!)
Just because Walker can get out every other lefty in the league doesn’t mean he’s the best option to face THIS lefty in a clutch spot!!!!
April 26th, 2007 at 5:53 am
I’m as pissed off as all of you. Especially since the girlfiend was watching it with me. All she did was gloat, dance, etc…
What pisses me off even more is the article on ESPN about that stupid bloody sock. Regardless of whether it was paint or blood, this is the most outrageous comment I’ve ever read by Franconia, “What Schill did that night on the sports field was one of the most incredible feats I ever witnessed.”
OK. First, it wasn’t incredible. So he got stiches and maybe a cortisone shot so it wouldn’t hurt. The stiches moved a bit and his wound bled…big f-ing deal. I’ve played sports many many times and I’ve hurt myself and played through the bleeding. It’s called Man-ing up.
Second, If it hurt him that bad, then he wouldn’t have been effective or been able to physically pitch. That should tell you that it did hurt THAT bad. If it did, he would have been falling off the mound, giving up bombs, etc… Everyone knows that to be an effective pitcher, your ankles must be 100% to push off the rubber.
Lastly, IF (thats a big IF) he was hurting that bad then Franconia is quite possibly the least intelligent manager ever considering they were in the playoffs. You have to think a guy from the bullpen whose arm is tired from pitching in the game before is a better bet then a pitcher who can’t push off the mound. If I’m the manager I go with the tired arm.
God I hate Curt Schilling… Can the press stop making him into some kind of f-ing hero…
End rant.
April 26th, 2007 at 5:58 am
i didnt see the game- is that an old pic or did he wear specs?
April 26th, 2007 at 6:32 am
The Cabrera and Ortiz photos are stock photage I found on the internet (thank you google)
The guy with his head up his butt though is an actual photo of Sam Perlozzo taken in the 7th inning last night. (Or a reasonable faxcimile)
April 26th, 2007 at 6:52 am
haha- i bet you by the end of the season youd be off the perlozzo boat- i didnt expect you to jump ship after a month. the guy is an ignoramus
April 26th, 2007 at 8:08 am
I hate Perlozzo but you’re WAY WRONG on this one Mike!!!! Who else but Walker do you want facing Ortiz?? Parrish was unavailable after throwing 34 pitches on Tues. Burress!? Hahahahahahahahahahaha!!! As for leaving Cabrera in, also the right move. Bottom of the lineup due up and you want to test Cabrera. He’s going to be facing the Sox 4 times a year for the next 10 years, he needs to learn how to pitch in the 7th and 8th innings of a close game. 101 pitches is too much!?!? Please! We’re not going to the playoffs so it’s about the growth of the young pitching. Last night Perlozzo was trying to test Daniel and I agreed with it. Now don’t get me started on Crowley. Swinging at the first pitch against Schilling makes sense because he doesn’t walk people but Crowley’s team’s always swing at everything. He needed to go A LONGGGGGGGGG TIME AGO!!
April 26th, 2007 at 8:41 am
I don’t care that Cabrera had 101 pitches going into the 7th. Hell I don’t care if he had 300, or 40 going into the 7th.
What I do care about was that he had lost his command by the end of the 6th and was clearly done.
You want to extend his longevity? Do it in a side session in an offday. Have him work on it all winter. Don’t do it in a divisional game.
As for Walker, yes. I’d rather have Parrish who threw 34 pitches on Tuesday face Ortiz. Absolutely. Like you said about Cabrera. It’s not a ton of pitches.
It’s 34 reps of a muscle group. I can do 34 reps of any muscle group in my body today and have enough left in the tank to do 5 or 6 more tommorow. (what it probably should have taken to get through the Ortiz at bat)
So absofreakinglutely I’d rather have had Parrish in there. No question.
Why? Because Ortix didn’t have a .556 lifetime average against Parrish!
April 26th, 2007 at 9:38 am
I’m glad you’re not our Mgr. Blowing out J Parrish’s arm to win a game in April!?!? In case you don’t remember he does have a history of arm injuries unlike Cabrera who usually gets better as the game goes on. Look at his ERA last year from the 7th inning on. I believe it was 0.85.
April 26th, 2007 at 10:19 am
And I’m glad that you’re not our manager since you agree with the boneheaded move to put a pitcher in against a hitter that’s got a 55% chance of getting a hit.
And I don’t care what Cabrera did in the 7th inning or later last year. The point is that he was done in the 6th in THIS GAME. Everyone but Perlozzo knew it.
As for ERA in the 7th and beyond, just about every starting pitcher has a good era in the 7th and beyond, and one that’s significantly lower than their ERA in innings 1 through 6.
Why, you ask?
Because if a pitcher’s having a crappy game, he’ll get pulled in the 4th, and won’t put up any numbers in the 7th, thus not changing his average.
But if he’s made it to the 7th he’s obviously having a good night and will likely continue having a good night.
I’ll bet you that just about every single starter in the history of baseball has a better ERA in the 7th and beyond than he does in innings 1 through 6.
The 1 - 6 ERA includes the disaster games where the guy is pulled in the 2nd. Cabrera ESPECIALLY has these kid of numbers inflating his 1 thru 6 ERA.
So of course the numbers say he gets better in the later innings. It doesn’t mean it’s reality.
If you look at ONLY the games where Cabrera pitched into the 7th and beyond, I’ll bet you find that there’s no pattern showing that he usually gets better as the game progresses.
But if you compare his 7 thru 9 numbers to his 1 thru 6 numbers that include blow out losses where he’s pulled in the 3rd, then of COURSE the 7 - 9 numbers will be better.
And Parrish’s arm can handle 1 batter. Anyone else in that bullpen was better suited to face Ortiz than the guy Ortiz now has a .600 lifetime average against. EVERYONE.
April 26th, 2007 at 10:21 am
im with you boehm
April 26th, 2007 at 10:59 am
Although Greg makes some convincing points, I have to agree with Mike B. on Cabrera’s game last night. I have watched Cabrera pitch enough to recognize when you need to stick a fork in him because he’s surly well done. 101 pitches may not be many in years past, but today’s fire-balling pitchers don’t save much to finish up the game that goes longer than 100 pitches. If you want your pitching staff to develop more stamina, you need for your pitching coach to order up more long tossing between games.
As for Crowley, check the record. I’ve said for years he’s just another Oriole hanger-on, living on past glory of one good year coaching for the Twins. I watch other teams the Orioles play and they seem to have a game plan. The Oriole hackers seem to be without a plan, still trying to pull outside pitches and hitting nothing but grounders. I realize that some players are un-coachable. For instance Millar. For good or bad, he will never try to hit a outside pitch to right field or lay off the inside pitch. Content to wait for the opposing pitcher to make a mistake and lay one down the middle. Good pitchers like Schilling, will just keep sawing off his bat until he strikes out.
April 26th, 2007 at 11:04 am
You guys are making the same mistake most fans make. You want the mgr to manage every game like it’s the 7th game of the World Series. You have to think about the long term. You can’t take every starter out at the first sign of trouble and overuse certain guys in the bullpen to win a single game. As for Cabrera he was ONE pitch from getting out of the 7th inning. The 6th inning had zero carry over to his performance in the 7th. It will only make him a STRONGER pitcher which is Perlozzo’s #1 job because this is a 4th place team going nowhere until he,Bedard and Loewen become complete pitchers. And again Mike you don’t accomplish that by taking them out early just to win a SINGLE game.
April 26th, 2007 at 11:16 am
Zero carry over from the 6th to teh 7th? Did you even watch the game?
Daniel walked the lead off batter on 5 pitches. The only strike he got was on a foul ball.
The 2nd guy sacrificed himself on a bunt to move the runner. That’s not good pitching that earned an out. It’s a gimmie.
The 3rd hitter flied out on a 2-1 pitch, after fouling off the 2-0 offering. He worked the count and forced Cabrera to throw a hittable pitch at 2-1.
The 4th batter gave Cabrera a strike looking to see if he had control. That was the ONLY pitch Cabrera threw in the inning that wasn’t either a ball, or fouled off. And it was to a hitter who everyone, including Cabrera, knew was taking all the way.
The next pitch to batter 4 was a foul. The next FOUR were balls. So he had an 0-2 count to Youkilis and still managed to walk him.
That’s 16 pitches he threw in the 7th.
10 of them were balls.
3 were fouled off.
2 were put in play.
And only 1 was a full fledged strike.
Explain to me how this shows that Cabrera was in control?
Yes I want Perlozzo to manage in terms of a 162 game season, not 1 single game. But pulling a pitcher who was OBVIOUSLY exhausted is part of playing for 162 games. Leaving him in to possibly risk his effectiveness in his next start, or worse…cause injury, is NOT playing for 162 games.
April 26th, 2007 at 12:51 pm
Every pitch that was swung at that inning was a full fledged strike. That means that 6 of the first 12 were strikes. And again you forget that the BOTTOM of the lineup was up. If Youkilis swings at the 2-2 slider would it have still been OBVIOUS that Daniel was tired?!? No you’d be on here singing his praises at a gutty 7 inning performance. It’s easy to second guess AFTER the result plus we never have all the facts that the mangager has. Which relievers were available? Which were sick or hurt? Or angry that they caught their wife with the mailman?? Or worried about their mistress’ pregnancy test?? Only the manager has ALL the info needed to make that decision. That’s why you judge a manager over a full season not one or two decisions. Is Sammy a lousy Manager? Yes but not based on last night. We’ve seen Bunty McVersatile for almost 2 years and he can’t pick the right guys for his bench and he bunts WAY too often. But his handling of a bullpen is tough to judge without knowing all the facts. On a lighter note the Bears will beat Norfolk in 6 in round 2.
April 26th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
Who’s second guessing after the fact?
I said Cabrera was cooked after 6. I said it at the time. I was right. He was.
Youkilis didn’t swing at the 2-2 slider because it was a ball. If he’s fanned on it I’d be praising Youkilis for giving us a gift out in a clutch situation, not Cabrera for finding a way.
I don’t even know where you’re going with the relievers wives doing the mailmen and having pregnacy tests with whores. You’re reaching now. I mean you’ve hated Perlozzo openly here for a while, and the first time I’m pissed at his managing to jump all over me like I don’t know what I’m talking about.
I’m starting to think you just like to be confrontational.
(For the record I’ve got nothing against D-Cab’s performance last night. He was stellar for as long as he could hold on. My problems are with him being left out to dry.)
As for Norfolk, Hershey has faced them in the playoffs several times. They’ve lost exactly ONE game to the Admirals in the playoffs over the years.
Hershey is Norfolk’s Kryponite come playoff time.
Of course Hershey was Albany’s Kyptonite for the last 3 years, but they managed to give the Bears a serious run for their money in 4 of the 5 games of round one.
That’s why they play the games! It’ll be a good series.
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