2007
Record 69 Wins 93 Losses - 5th
American League Central
2007 Record 70
Wins 92 Losses - 4th American League
East
2007 Money -$1,896 moneyline +$475 Runline
82-73 Over/Under
2007 Review
2007 was yet another disappointment for
Baltimore as the Orioles finished with
a losing season for a franchise record
10th straight season. Only Tampa Bay
had a worse pitching staff as the Orioles
finished with a 5.19 ERA and they were
the only two teams with an ERA above
5.00. And like its A.L. East counterpart,
the bullpen was mostly to blame with
a whopping 5.75 ERA. Baltimore was second
to last in the league in profits but
notice the + on the runline results.
The Orioles lost a league high 31 one-run
games.
2008 Offense
The offense was adequate last season
as the Orioles finished 12th in baseball
in hitting at .272 but there was a power
outage. For the third straight season,
the Orioles home run total dropped and
now that Miguel Tejada is out of town,
they could dip even more. He is coming
off his worst season since 1999 as far
as home runs and RBI’s and this
was a great time to deal him considering
all of the steroid issues now surrounding
him. Baltimore has a big hole to fill
nonetheless and they need power from
other spots also.
The main offensive threat now is Melvin Mora but he has been on a three-year slide in average, home runs, RBI and on-base percentage. The Orioles hope for an upturn in 2008, but he will be 36 so his best days are probably done. Nick Markakis had a great sophomore campaign and he should continue to get better while the addition of Luke Scott should add pop. Brian Roberts is going to be traded as well so the remainder of the lineup will likely consist of unproven youngsters and veterans who are past their prime.
2008 Starting Pitching
The trade of Erik Bedard officially tabbed this
season as a rebuilding one for the Orioles. With Baltimore's best starter
now on the west coast, the rotation is officially in shambles. There is potential
but every team comes into spring training with potential and there simply
is no number one guy on this roster. The likely opening day starter is Jeremy
Guthrie, who had a solid rookie season with a 3.70 ERA and 1.21 WHIP but
he only went 7-5 and did not win a game after July 27th.
The number two spot will likely be handed to
Daniel Cabrera who has so much talent and at 26 years old, there is still
a possible breakout. However, he went 9-18 with a 5.55 ERA last season and
led the league in walks after finishing second in that category in 2006.
Adam Loewen is another one with great potential but he missed all but six
starts last year with a balky elbow, which is not a good sign. After that
it really is anyone's guess who will lock down the final two spots, not exactly
the best sign for an already suspect staff.
2008 Bullpen
The bullpen was horrific last season and there is no reason to think there will be a repeat of that this season. Closer Chris Ray and setup man Danys Baez both had Tommy John surgery and will be out for most of this season. Every job in the pen is open although the closer job looks to go to George Sherrill, who came over in the Bedard deal. He posted a 2.36 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in 73 appearances from the bullpen in Seattle. Also in the hunt to close games is Greg Aquino but he will likely end up in middle relief.
Chad Bradford and Jamie Walker are the only
two players that are back from last season's bullpen so you can see what
Baltimore is dealing with. Matt Albers, Hayden Penn, Troy Patton, Garrett
Olson and Brian Burres are all fighting for the 4th and 5th spots in the
rotation and the losers could end up in the pen with Burres being the likely
candidate for long reliever. With so many unknowns, the bullpen could surprise
and be the strength but that is a stretch and we likely are going to see
another tough year.
2008 Overall Outlook
Can the Orioles pull off a similar astounding
feat that the Marlins did two years ago? It isn't likely considering the division they play in and that they don't
have the talent to produce right away. Baltimore will add to its record of
consecutive losing seasons and this one could be one of the worst ever. While
the season is destined for failure, they are doing the right thing and building
for the future. However, they will have some big underdog prices and the
value will be there as long as we strike at the right times.
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