6/4 - O's From the Booth- O's Off Monday, Pick 4th Overall in MLB Draft

Good Evening O's fans.  This is the off day edition as I did not posy yesterday.  As you well know by know the O's did not fair well well in Tampa Sunday.  

The game started positive as Arrieta put up zeroes early and Weiters continued with a hot bat hitting a solo shot giving the O's a 1-0 lead.  Then in the 4th inning the mystery inside of Jake Arrieta's head started coming out.  He gave up two runs in the fourth and never made it out of the fifth inning.  He ended up giving up four runs on only two hits but four walks.  

He lost complete command of his fastball after 3 innings. This has been a trend for Jake over his past six starts where he has gone 0-5 with a 7.96 era.  

The defense did not help either as they made three more errors tying them with the San Francisco Giants for the most in the league. This all added up to 8-4 loss and again out of first place.  The O's are just 3-11 over there last 14 games and have lost four consecutive series.  Are the wheels falling off?  I don't know but the lug nuts are definitely loose.  

The injuries are just really catching up top this team. The O's had a real scare when Adam Jones was pinch hit for in the last inning yesterday because of a sore wrist.  He was plunked in the wrist by Brandon Morrow in the Jays series. On a positive note a MRI of the hands and wrists Monday came back negative and Adam tweeted that he is good for the Boston series.  If he would have been out for any period of time that would have meant all three Orioles starting outfielders would have been out.  

If the O's can get through the next couple weeks even playing .500 baseball would be great.  They just need to get through this stretch with no further injuries and get back Markakis, Roberts, Britton, and who knows, maybe even Reimold.  That remains to be seen.   

 On to Monday and the MLB draft.  The O's with the fourth overall selection took right handed pitcher out of LSU Kevin Gausman.  Kevin was first drafted in 2010 by the Dodgers out of high school but decided to go to school to get better and that he did.  

As a freshman Gausman jumped right into the LSU rotation pitching to a 3.51 era.  This year he went 10-1 with a 2.84 era and 125 strikeouts.  He averages nearly a strikeout per inning.  Kevin was 6'4 and 162 as a freshman and now has put on 30 lbs of muscle and weighs 195.  The O's selected Dylan Bundy in last year's draft and he is just mowing everyone down in the minors.  I do not know if Kevin has that kind of talent but I really like the fact that the O's are stockpiling young pitching.  

 The O's were in Boston Monday for an off day.  They start a three game series at Fenway Tuesday before returning home this weekend.  The O's will put Jason Hammel on the hill and the Red Sox counter with Oriole killer Jon Lester.  He is 14-0 in his career against the O's.  His last outing was a no decision as he was the starter in the 17 inning marathon game the Orioles won 6-4.  Lets hope the O's can at least steal two-of-three in Boston.  Let's go O's!!!!!