Escape to the House that Ruth Built

It’s hard to imagine being happy to come to New York, but the Metrodome was the house of horrors for the Orioles and it’s nice to get out of there. Glancing at the schedule, the Orioles aren’t due to go to Minnesota again this year and that’ll suit the team just fine. Maybe opening the season on the road and in a dome just didn’t seem right. Maybe seeing yet another playoff team give Sidney Ponson a chance was a little too much too stomach. Whatever it was, the Orioles couldn’t pitch, couldn’t hit, and couldn’t field. There were exceptions. Aubrey Huff had a nice start to his career. Daniel Cabrera pitched pretty well and the new bullpen pretty much all came through–albeit in mostly mop-up roles. The site of Bedard giving up back-to-back home runs was tough, but that was nothing compared to the batting practice he was throwing by the end of the game. This was neither the Bedard from spring trianing nor the Bedard that gave Oriole fans hope at the end of last season that there was finally a legitimate big-game pitcher for the Orioles for the first time since Moose broke our hearts to wear pinstripes in Gotham. As for the lethargic bats, you expect that at the beginning of the season when you come up to the cold weather–but these guys were playing in a dome! The top of the order couldn’t get anything going and Kevin Millar was looking like the guy who struggled in the first half of 2006 because he wasn’t getting enough at bats. Well, if he keeps this up and Jay Payton rolls off the DL, Millar may go back to lacking at bats.

But while it’s easy to get down on the team, it is just three games with 159 to go. The Orioles have had some gaudy Aprils over this nine year stretch, only to prove to be a facade for the problems that they face as the season goes on. These three games are an anomaly. Bedard has always struggled against the Twins, the top of the lineup won’t be kept down forever, and they simply hit a speed bump against a solid team. I’m less concerned about these three games and more concerned about what’s ahead: the Yankees at Yankees Stadium followed by the Tigers at home. As the pitching staff continues to get its bearings, facing the Bronx Bombers can be a confidence killer if they tee off. Loewen did a number on the Yanks last season, but it’s hard to maintain dominance over a lineup like that and asking the 22-year old to step up doesn’t feel good–especially against Oriole legend Mike Mussina in a battle of past vs. future. With Steve Trachsel coming in on Saturday as the new guy, that also feels like a lot to pin your hopes on. If the Orioles don’t start hitting, they are in a world of hurt. You’d hate to make it to Sunday winless with the Yankees smelling blood–even though the Bedard/Rasner pitching matchup favors the Orioles. Forgive me for being paranoid, but I was there in 1988 and I listened to every one of those 21 losses. For the last 19 years, the first victory has been extremely important to calm my nerves. The schedule makers didn’t make things easy for the Orioles and if they continue to play lackadaisical baseball, they risk another crack at “Blackjack”.