O Well

I know it's only the end of May, but it's already about that time when Orioles fans have to forget about the O's contending this season. For some, this should be easy. It seems so natural anyway. But to some die hards out there, this season has been particularly excruciating and letting go is a little bit tougher this time around.

Despite what the naysayers may espouse, for the last few years under president of baseball ops Andy MacPhail, the O's have made tremendous strides in terms of minor league depth and talent. This has been particularly true for pitchers. This year, the Oriole starting rotation was the best the team has seen for a long while. In spite of his rough 0-4 record, Kevin Millwood has been a revelation at the top of the rotation. His presence has subsequently affected the former staff 'ace', Jeremy Guthrie, who has been spectacular so far, and apparently pitches better when he doesn't have to carry the load.

Prior to his last 4 starts, Brian Matusz was living up to much of the hype that surrounded him when the season began. He flashed all his pitches, got strikeouts in bunches, and were it not for some inherited runners scoring off of relievers, would have had a serviceable ERA. Lately, things have been unraveling a bit for young gun. At this point, I'm not too worried about him, mainly because of how good he looked for much of April and May. We'll have to wait and see.

Number 4 and 5 were a little hazy for the O's, as these spots have been over the years. Brad Bergeson seems to be regaining his 2009 form, which is a good sign, but number 5 is still up in the air. It's also the spot that entices O's fans the most, for it could end up being occupied by either Chris Tillman or Jake Arrieta, both of whom are considered top pitching prospects. As of now, Tillman holds the edge and will actually be making his first start this Saturday against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The starting pitching will continue to be a source of hope for O's fans this year and beyond. What seems to be holding them back is lack of offense and a shaky bullpen. Those are two significant issues. Lack of positional player talent and depth in particular has been and remains to be a problem for this team. This goes for both the major and minor leagues. It is my hope that the O's front office will do more to fix this issue both in the draft, through trades, and via free agency. The latter will be the most difficult since it's obvious any big name player won't be interested in coming to Baltimore.

We ARE moving in the right direction people, don't let the awful record fool you! This team is better than the numbers show and I hope to God that translates to success at some point this year. I can't take much more of this crap!