Post by Commissioner Erick on Mar 4, 2022 17:00:04 GMT -5
Baltimore Orioles (84-72) @ Toronto Blue Jays (80-76)
BAL: Darwinzon Hernandez (14-13, 4.74)
TOR: Devin Ortiz (9-12, 5.75)
Orioles 5 Key Stats:
16-9: Baltimore’s record in their last 25 games. Baltimore has continued to surge down the stretch to come back from 3.5 down in the Wild Card on August 30 to tie for the last Wild Card spot today.
4: Starters in Baltimore’s rotation. The Orioles haven’t had a day off in 13 days, and have had just one game off since September 2. Today’s starter, Darwinzon Hernandez, last pitched on Thursday and hasn’t fully recovered his stamina. Baltimore’s bullpen may need to come up huge if the Orioles want to win.
1.30: Curt Gemma’s ERA in Baltimore. Gemma’s struck out 43 hitters in 27.2 innings, providing a level of dominance at the end of Baltimore’ bullpen they haven’t had since Zack Britton left. Gemma’s saved nine of 10 games for Baltimore since being acquired.
2: Players with 96 or 97 RBIs. If Jacob Allred gets four more RBIs down the stretch, and Emmanuel Tapia gets three, Baltimore would have 5 players on its team with 100 RBIs. A few teams have come close, but I believe no team has ever had five players with 100 RBIs before.
-16.88: Baltimore’s Second Base Zone Rating. The Orioles have the worst zone rating among Second Baseman in all of baseball, with Madman Mike Floyd responsible for nearly all of it. Darwinzon being left-handed will likely protect Floyd a little bit today, but Toronto hitting balls to the right side may pay dividends.
Blue Jays 5 Key Stats:
.304: Devin Ortiz’ BABIP with Toronto. Ortiz is 2-3, but has a solid 4.19 ERA in 7 Toronto starts. He was 7-9 with a 6.32 ERA with Baltimore, torched by a .360 BABIP, a season after posting a .358 BABIP. Ortiz is a ground ball pitcher, and pitching in front of Floyd really jacked up his BABIP. With Toronto employing a Gold Glove First Baseman and strong defenders up the middle, Ortiz’ effectiveness has rebounded.
47: Starts at Shortstop for Eric Drouet. After three straight season being a Shortstop who never struck out, who hit well over .300, who stole 29+ bases, and who played solid defense, Drouet was bounced around between Second Base, Shortstop, Right Field, and the bench. He’ll finish with roughly 120 games played this year, and a WAR far short of the 2.9 he produced last year, despite hitting over .300, striking out only 15 times, and swiping 31 bags.
403: Career Home Runs by Gary Sanchez. Sanchez has continued to be a powerhouse slugger well into his 30s and his 32 home runs this year lead the team and lead all AL Catchers. In fact, only two Catchers have more than half the home run total Sanchez has hit this year. No other player even has 250 home runs in their career. Sanchez remains a special hitter, worthy of celebration.
.446: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.s’ Slugging Percentage. That number would be Guerrero’s lowest since his second season in 2021. Starting in 2022, Guerrero hit 40 or more homers in four straight years, before having that figure drop to 25 last year. He’s currently at 25 again this year. Guerrero’s never been a large doubles hitter, and if he doesn’t have another one the rest of the way, will finish this season in single figures. He’s done a good job of making contact, but he doesn’t walk at all. If he can’t get back to being a prodigious slugger, he’s not a very valuable player.
.862: Federico Pando’s OPS. It’s been a slow start to Pando’s career, as he wasn’t very valuable in 2025 as he had 20+ doubles and homers, but just a .315 OBP. Lasty year he started only 84 games and was below replacement level. This year, his age-26 season, he’s put things together. He has 30 doubles, 28 home runs, and .282 average. He also does a decent job avoiding strikeouts, with a fantastic 15.6 strikeout rate. Pando looks like a middle-order slugger moving forward.
Questions for the GMs:
For Vic Black, Jacob Allred has a bruised foot and Mike Siani is a capable backup. Will we see Allred in the lineup today?
What have you thought about Luis Paez’ play at Shortstop this year?
You’re playing with 27 players right now. Will you bring up a 28th for this game?
For Ben Smaller, you signed Taylor Trammel late in the year and today he’s your likely number three hitter. Is he playing for a job next year today, or do you like what you’ve seen enough to bring him back next season?
Tristan Casas has played well this year as both a hitter and a pitcher, but has been a part time player in both. Is he any closer to having a defined role laid out?
Why have you played Eric Drouet at other positions this year? It seems to have contributed to him having a rough season.
TRIVIA 1: Who has the most RBIs in Blue Jays history?
TRIVIA 2: Who has the most RBIs in Orioles history?
BAL: Darwinzon Hernandez (14-13, 4.74)
TOR: Devin Ortiz (9-12, 5.75)
Orioles 5 Key Stats:
16-9: Baltimore’s record in their last 25 games. Baltimore has continued to surge down the stretch to come back from 3.5 down in the Wild Card on August 30 to tie for the last Wild Card spot today.
4: Starters in Baltimore’s rotation. The Orioles haven’t had a day off in 13 days, and have had just one game off since September 2. Today’s starter, Darwinzon Hernandez, last pitched on Thursday and hasn’t fully recovered his stamina. Baltimore’s bullpen may need to come up huge if the Orioles want to win.
1.30: Curt Gemma’s ERA in Baltimore. Gemma’s struck out 43 hitters in 27.2 innings, providing a level of dominance at the end of Baltimore’ bullpen they haven’t had since Zack Britton left. Gemma’s saved nine of 10 games for Baltimore since being acquired.
2: Players with 96 or 97 RBIs. If Jacob Allred gets four more RBIs down the stretch, and Emmanuel Tapia gets three, Baltimore would have 5 players on its team with 100 RBIs. A few teams have come close, but I believe no team has ever had five players with 100 RBIs before.
-16.88: Baltimore’s Second Base Zone Rating. The Orioles have the worst zone rating among Second Baseman in all of baseball, with Madman Mike Floyd responsible for nearly all of it. Darwinzon being left-handed will likely protect Floyd a little bit today, but Toronto hitting balls to the right side may pay dividends.
Blue Jays 5 Key Stats:
.304: Devin Ortiz’ BABIP with Toronto. Ortiz is 2-3, but has a solid 4.19 ERA in 7 Toronto starts. He was 7-9 with a 6.32 ERA with Baltimore, torched by a .360 BABIP, a season after posting a .358 BABIP. Ortiz is a ground ball pitcher, and pitching in front of Floyd really jacked up his BABIP. With Toronto employing a Gold Glove First Baseman and strong defenders up the middle, Ortiz’ effectiveness has rebounded.
47: Starts at Shortstop for Eric Drouet. After three straight season being a Shortstop who never struck out, who hit well over .300, who stole 29+ bases, and who played solid defense, Drouet was bounced around between Second Base, Shortstop, Right Field, and the bench. He’ll finish with roughly 120 games played this year, and a WAR far short of the 2.9 he produced last year, despite hitting over .300, striking out only 15 times, and swiping 31 bags.
403: Career Home Runs by Gary Sanchez. Sanchez has continued to be a powerhouse slugger well into his 30s and his 32 home runs this year lead the team and lead all AL Catchers. In fact, only two Catchers have more than half the home run total Sanchez has hit this year. No other player even has 250 home runs in their career. Sanchez remains a special hitter, worthy of celebration.
.446: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.s’ Slugging Percentage. That number would be Guerrero’s lowest since his second season in 2021. Starting in 2022, Guerrero hit 40 or more homers in four straight years, before having that figure drop to 25 last year. He’s currently at 25 again this year. Guerrero’s never been a large doubles hitter, and if he doesn’t have another one the rest of the way, will finish this season in single figures. He’s done a good job of making contact, but he doesn’t walk at all. If he can’t get back to being a prodigious slugger, he’s not a very valuable player.
.862: Federico Pando’s OPS. It’s been a slow start to Pando’s career, as he wasn’t very valuable in 2025 as he had 20+ doubles and homers, but just a .315 OBP. Lasty year he started only 84 games and was below replacement level. This year, his age-26 season, he’s put things together. He has 30 doubles, 28 home runs, and .282 average. He also does a decent job avoiding strikeouts, with a fantastic 15.6 strikeout rate. Pando looks like a middle-order slugger moving forward.
Questions for the GMs:
For Vic Black, Jacob Allred has a bruised foot and Mike Siani is a capable backup. Will we see Allred in the lineup today?
What have you thought about Luis Paez’ play at Shortstop this year?
You’re playing with 27 players right now. Will you bring up a 28th for this game?
For Ben Smaller, you signed Taylor Trammel late in the year and today he’s your likely number three hitter. Is he playing for a job next year today, or do you like what you’ve seen enough to bring him back next season?
Tristan Casas has played well this year as both a hitter and a pitcher, but has been a part time player in both. Is he any closer to having a defined role laid out?
Why have you played Eric Drouet at other positions this year? It seems to have contributed to him having a rough season.
TRIVIA 1: Who has the most RBIs in Blue Jays history?
TRIVIA 2: Who has the most RBIs in Orioles history?
