Josh Q. Baseball: OK, here we go! Up is down. Down is up. Topsy Turvy. Everything is upsy-daisy. Topsy Turvy. Everyone is acting crazy. A little over a week in the books and we got a whole bunch of who woulda thunks.
Who woulda thunk the Baltimore Orioles would be 6-1? Who woulda thunk the Kansas City Royals would be 5-2? Not me. Since Kansas City entered the Major Leagues in 1969, there’s been only one other season in which each team won at least five of its first seven games. That was in 1973. The Boog Powell Orioles. The Brooks Robinson Orioles. The Jim Palmer Orioles. The Cookie Rojas Royals. The Paul Splitorff Royals. The Freddie Patek Royals.
The Royals have done it this year with their young pitching staff. Anchored by Brian Bannister. Brian Bannister, who got the win last night against the Yankees, is 14-6 since winning his first game for the Royals last June 1. The only major league pitchers with more wins than Bannister over that time are Chien-Ming Wang and Brandon Webb. And not for nothing, the Royals bullpen has surrendered only two runs in 20 innings this season.
The Orioles, on the other hand, have been scoring runs. A slew of runs. A plethora of runs. Well, you told me I have a plethora. And I just would like to know if you know what a plethora is. I would not like to think that a person would tell someone he has a plethora, and then find out that that person has no idea what it means to have a plethora. The Orioles knows what it means to have a plethora.
The Orioles have outscored the opposition, 38-21 during this win streak. Luke Scott, imported from the Houston Astros during the offseason in the Miguel Tejada deal, is crushing the baseball. Smashing it, bashing it, taking a hammer and trashing it. Kevin Millah, the O’s cleanup hittah, has scohed seven runs in seven games. Wicked good! Their bullpen has been just as impressive. Relievers with names like Dennis Sarfate and George Sherrill have made it difficult to score against in the late innings. Relievers with names like Dennis Sarfate and George Sherrill have a collective ERA of under one run. That’s a significant change from last season. Last season, when Baltimore’s bullpen ERA ranked 13th in the league.
Who woulda thunk Mark Reynolds would be the home run king. Nobody beats the king. Nobody! Mark Reynolds, in his second Major League season. Major League: When these three oddballs try to play hardball, the result is totally screwball. In his second major league season, he hit his fifth home run yesterday in the Diamondbacks‘ eighth game. Only eight other players have reached five home runs in as few team games, in either their rookie or sophomore major league season. The last to do it was Miggy Cabrera for the 2004 Marlins in his second season. In case you have a fantasy baseball team, stop reading this now and go add Mark Reynolds.
Who woulda thunk the Tigers would be 0-7? Not only 0-7. Not merely 0-7. Not just 0-7. But 0-7 scoring only fifteen runs. This is a line-up that boasts Miguel Cabrera. This is a line-up that boast Magglio Ordonez. This is a line-up that boasts Gary Sheffield. This is a line-up that boasts Ivan Rodriguez, Edgar Renteria, Placido Polanco and Carlos Guillen. Folks were talking about the club record of 957 runs scored by the 1934 Tigers of Hank Greenberg, Charlie Gehringer, Billy Rogell and Goose Goslin to be in serious jeopardy. Our love’s in jeopardy, baby. But no.
The Tigers have scored only fifteen runs. The last American League team with so few runs in its first seven games was the 2003 Tigers. The 2003 Tigers who scored a pedestrian twelve runs in their 0-7 start on their way to a 43-119 season. Yikes. Sign of things to come? Probably not. But still.
Everybody was talking about Homer Bailey. Everybody was talking about Francisco Liriano. Everybody was talking about Phil Hughes. Everybody was talking about Clay Buchholz. Now everybody’s talking about Johnny Cueto.
The Johnny Cueto legend continues. Yesterday, Johnny had eight strikeouts. Yesterday, Johnny had no walks. Johnny now has eighteen strikeouts and no walks in two career games. Yowza! He’s the only player to debut since 1900 with that many strikeouts and no walks in his first two starts. Pretty, pretty good. The only pitcher with as wide of a strikeout/walk margin in his first two major league starts was Karl Spooner, who had 27 strikeouts and six walks (+21) in his first two starts in September 1954, for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Dem Bums. Stay gold, Johnny, stay gold.
Jordan Schaffer gets caught with the dope. Pettitte no good without the dope. Giambi Juice breaking down without the dope. Clemens and Bonds get no takers because of the dope. And that’s the straight dope, dope. Roll Sox roll!
Public Acknowledgements: Hunchback of Notre Dame, Three Amigos, Sonny Bono, Buster Olney. Mattress King, Greg Kihn and The Outsiders
Peace out homies. Six Two and Even!
Need More? Baltimore Orioles,Detroit Tigers,Johnny Cueto,Kansas City Royals,Mark Reynolds,MLB,Steroids
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