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Sunday, April 04, 2021
The early returns certainly look good for the Baltimore Orioles. For the Boston Red Sox, it looks a lot like last season.
Boston fell to their second-ever 0-3 start at Fenway Park and their first since 1948 as Trey Mancini and Austin Hays hit two-run doubles during a seven-run third inning that carried the Orioles to an 11-3 win Sunday.
Cedric Mullins went 5-for-5 with three doubles and a walk for the Orioles, collecting four hits in the first four innings. Maikel Franco added a first-inning, two-run double, helping Baltimore to its first three-game sweep at Fenway since Aug. 25-27, 2017.
“I think the synergy we have is really strong,” Mullins said. “Guys have been playing with each other for a few years now.”
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1. Steve Balboni's Personal Trainer Posted: April 05, 2021 at 01:04 PM (#6011708)1) They are going to be better than last year, maybe even a .500 team...but they aren't going to be good.
2) The team went 15-for-94, with a slash line of .160/.214/.234 over the weekend. Outside of JD Martinez, they went 9-for-82, with one double among those 8 hits. 24 Ks, 6 BBs. If you hit like that, you will go 0-3.
Most of the pitching was actually pretty good - Houck and Eovaldi were effective, and most of the bullpen was very good, especially Whitlock, who probably got the most "watch this guy!" coverage in Spring Training.
But, yes, if you hit .160, you will lose almost all your games.
Well three games doesn't really say much, but I'd make that argument. They were forecast as a 66 win team, but I would say they could maybe be a 72-75 win true talent team. Their worst facet is starting pitching, but the first three games were really promising. Means looked amazing*, Matt Harvey looked decent, and the Zimmerman rookie looked like he could stick around.
The lineup has no stars, but several solid players, and this year they're fielding above replacement players at all positions (i.e. not Chris Davis). The bullpen is fine. If they get reasonable 4.50-5.00 ERA starting from several of the question marks like Harvey then they could have a perfectly non-embarrassing season.
*Means really was locked in. I was watching the game closely and he was hitting the glove and hitting paint on almost every pitch. Alternating 92FB 82CU and everything perfectly placed. I really can't fault any lineup for getting shut out.
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