The Phillies will head down the old interstate to take on the Baltimore Orioles in a two-game series. There’s some history between these teams, as they faced off in the unfortunate 1983 World Series that served as an end to the Phillies’ first golden age.
The Orioles also used to be the Phillies designated American League geographic rival, and would play each other every season. But since the stupid Nationals moved to Washington, the powers that be decided they were a more appropriate rival. The Phillies have been forced to find other rivals, and games against the O’s have become far more sporadic.
Fortunately for the Phils, this is a good year to renew the rivalry because the Orioles have largely been garbage this season.
Time for Revenge!
The last time the Phillies traveled to Baltimore was 2015, and it didn’t go so well. In the first game, they were shut out 4-0. While they did manage to score some runs in the second game, their three-spot paled in comparison to the 19 put up by Baltimore.
Embed from Getty ImagesThat game was slightly memorable, as it featured the Phillies dugout waving a white towel to get the attention of the bullpen, because outfielder Jeff Francoeur was fading in his second inning on the mound, and the bullpen phone was off the hook. I realize that sentence doesn’t make much sense, but nothing about the 2015 Phillies made all that much sense.
Quick Update on the Orioles
As mentioned earlier, the Orioles are garbage. They are in last place in the American League East with a 13-28 record. They do come into the game somewhat hot, having won five of their last six. Before you get too excited about that, keep in mind that those wins came at the expense of the Royals and Rays, who aren’t exactly tearing it up themselves.
The Orioles’ Offense
The Orioles’ lineup includes two players who once led their league in home runs, as well as one of the best players in baseball, and somehow it’s still bad. Sure, Pedro Alvarez can still hit an occasional home run, but that’s about all he can do. Meanwhile, Chris Davis (more on him later) is batting .170 with four home runs.
Embed from Getty ImagesManny Machado may be great, but he can’t do it all. He’s already received seven intentional walks this season, and if Gabe Kapler has any sense, that total will increase over the next two games. If Manny is fed up with all the losing, perhaps he’d like to move to another team. I happen to know a team that plays just up I-95 that seems to have a pretty good core.
The Orioles will have the benefit of missing both Jake Arrieta and Aaron Nola in this series, and will instead face Vince Velasquez and Jake Pivetta. While both men pitched well in their last outing, neither is known for going particularly deep into games. There’s a good chance we may see the Phillies’ unsettled closer situation come into play.
The Orioles’ Pitching
Remember in the offseason, when some people suggested the Phillies should go after free agent pitcher Alex Cobb? Those people are not looking especially smart right now.
Cobb eventually signed with the Orioles, and he has shown why he was so readily available. Cobb has started six games, and the Orioles have lost all of them. His ERA of 7.01 may sound high, and then you see that it’s actually gone down since the start of the month.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Phillies are not expected to face Cobb in this series. They will face Andrew Cashner, who almost defines the term “innings eater.” Just think about Jeremy Hellickson‘s Phillies career, and you’ll have a decent impression of Cashner’s abilities.
The Orioles haven’t announced a starter for Thursday’s game, which means they’ll likely piece together a bullpen game. You may be wondering if the Orioles’ bullpen is any good. Based on their relievers’ ERA of 4.57, I’d say the answer is no.
Chris Davis: More Proof that Major League Teams are Stupid
After the debacles that were the mega-contracts given to Ryan Howard and Prince Fielder, you’d think that teams would have learned an important lesson: Giving a lot of money to large, power-hitting first basemen is a bad idea. Those guys just don’t seem to age well, and usually start declining rapidly once they enter their thirties. Apparently, the Orioles weren’t paying attention.
Embed from Getty ImagesIn 2015, Chris Davis led the American League in home runs – the second time he had done so in his career. He was due to become a free agent the following year (his age 30 season), but the Orioles made sure he stayed in house thanks to a seven-year deal that would pay him $23 million per season.
Has Davis been worth the money? Um….no. He wasn’t very good in 2017, and he’s been even worse this season. But fear not, Orioles fans! He’s only under contract for four more seasons after this one!
Token Nice Thing About the Orioles
I’ll admit it, I still really like Camden Yards. While Citizens Bank Park improved on some things (it was built 12 years later, so it certainly should have!), it doesn’t come close to the charm of Camden Yards. So congrats, Baltimore! Your team sucks, but at least you still have a really nice place to watch them as they suck!
Prediction
I’m probably a little overconfident about the Phillies chances. It seems that every time I think the Phillies are about to get on a real roll, they have a bullpen meltdown. Still, I don’t see that happening this week. The Phillies will win both games, and Jeff Francoeur will be avenged!
Cheesesteaks and Rocky 