Dallas Orioles Game Recaps
Your place to read about each and every game.
2014 Champions: Dallas Orioles
2015 Champions: Oak Cliff Pelicans 2016 Champions: Dallas Nationals 2017 Champions: ????? The American League Division has seen some serious growth not only in the number of teams but in amount of quality in the past few years. The New Guys Texas Renegades: This is an offshoot of the A's who we were able to scrimmage against this past weekend. They definitely have a few bats who can swing it, but the issue might be their pitching and having enough of it. We all know this is a major problem in any league but having enough arms to make it through the dog days of summer is rough. We've been there. We played a 9 inning scrimmage and they said they were running out of arms already. Maybe they were missing a few guys? Good group of guys and we actually get to face them next week so we're looking forward to that. Dallas Spirits: This group was in the upper echelon of the 35+ group along with Chris Cec and his Modoc crew. It seems they'd like to try their hand at a higher level of competition and I'm happy to see them come down. They clearly know how to play and should be a fundamentally sound team, as much as you can be at our age. I've heard from others in the league that they'll be a tough out come playoff time. Last Years New Guys Dallas Pirates: They had a bit of a tough year last year but the first year in the division usually isn't very pretty when you're starting from scratch. The O's were that team back in 2012 when we went 3-18, which is what the Pirates did last year I believe. I believe that they'll be better this season after a learning year last year and should make some strides towards moving up in the division. Athletics: This was another group who had a bit of a tough time last year learning the league, though they seemed to improve later on in the year. They did have a tie against the O's and a win against the Oak Cliff Pelicans so there is definitely some talent in there. They'll be another team to watch this year as they try to move up the standings. The Old Guard Braves: This squad has been around for the past few years and has been one of those teams that can sneak up on you if you're not careful. The O's swept them last year behind the strength of former Brave McEasy who tallied 20K's in 12 innings pitched. Could they be a surprise team this year and move up to compete for home field advantage in the 1st round? Do they have enough pitching to make that move? We'll find out soon enough. Indians: One of the few teams actually older than the Orioles themselves, Vincent and his Indians have been a solid member of the American League for as long as I can remember. Always ready for a laugh, Vincent is one of the best guys in this league and if you don't know him, you should. They've kept the basic same core together for a while now as well and just beware if you let PeeWee get a hold of one. Let's just say it won't come down anytime soon. Dustin should be back as well and I look forward to him starting Opening Day against us. Always fun to go against him. Look for this team to surprise a few people and fight for home field advantage in the 1st round. The Rivals Old Fashioneds: Mark Shonka and his 'Neds joined the league a couple seasons ago. They started pretty roughly as most new teams do but they've steadily moved their way up the ladder, finishing 4th in the regular season and 3rd in the playoffs, defeating the O's in the 2nd round in a entertaining back and forth game. It looks like they'll return their top two pitchers in McKinney and Shonka himself but do they have enough relief to cover those late innings? They definitely have the pieces to be a top tier team and should be fun to play them again as we have some revenge on our minds. Shonka, I'm going to make this plea very public. Throw Boston a fastball just once this year. Just once! Oak Cliff Pelicans: Patty and his Pelicans came onto the season a couple years ago and made an immediate impact, taking out the Orioles in the 2nd round before moving on to win it all. They're a great group of guys who can definitely play and have become one of my favorites to play against. They've got all the pieces you need and will be a force to reckon with this year. I'm also glad to see Langley didn't retire after all. You're going nowhere Randy! This team will be in the hunt come playoff time and not one to ever sleep on. Tube Soxs: First off, what kind of name is that? Tube Sox? Horrible. Moving past that, the Tube Soxs aka Nationals are last year's champions and the team to beat at the moment. While the O's took them down 2 of 3 last year, we never got to faceoff in the playoffs which is when you need to win. This group was the original rival to the Orioles, way back in 2013 as the Sky Sox and have been our favorite to play year in and year out. They've got talent all over with Scates, Reid, Austin, Gary, Karl, Kam, and they've added an old O's nemesis to the mix in Wyatt "Holliblaze" Holiday of old Marlins fame. Don't think I didn't see that addition, Karl! For those who don't know, Holliblaze was a top 3 pitcher in the league for a couple of seasons before the Marlins disbanded. Let's just say that Chong will be ready to talk smack to the Pelicans all over Facebook again if Wyatt still has his stuff. Orioles: Oh, don't think I can't write about my own team in this league write-up. The O's have been a great regular season team the past four years, being either the 1 or 2 seed every year going into the playoffs. Even though they owned a 16-3-1 record last year and held head to head advantages over every team in the league, they've run into a couple teams at the wrong time in the playoffs the past couple of years. Manager Tony Cass and the O's are hungry to climb back to the top of the mountain and look forward to another solid year at the top of the league. Adding some new blood and return to health for some veterans should help the squad reclaim the title of American League Champions. I don't know about you but I'm ready for Sunday! Next Game: 3/26, Home vs Indians Lake Highlands HS, 1:00 PM SP: Timmy "The Cannon" Hanan
0 Comments
It's that time of year again. The weather is warmer, days are longer, and the struggle for a decent strike zone has returned! Hell yes, it's baseball season, which means it's time for the 2017 Season Preview for your favorite team around, the Dallas Orioles.
The team has added some new blood for the spring season. JP Weber made his Orioles debut during the Dallas Open and made one of the most incredible catches we have ever seen. With his long, Fabio-like hair and top end speed, JP will be noticed on the base paths and around the league. Another couple guys who joined in the fall will make their spring debuts, Vinnie Pokornowski and Rolando Villa. Vinnie was a horse on the mound for the O's in Fall Ball, working fast and throwing strikes. He figures to play a prominent role in the rotation going forward. Rolando was no slouch himself, playing solid defense at first base and throwing quality innings when put in there. He'll be a nice option in relief and the occasional spot start. There are three brand spanking new players as well: Justin Soto, Pierce Ryan, and Zaza de la Soujeole. Justin comes to us from California and has recently moved into the area. He is a middle infielder by trade and will become Timmy Hanan's new long toss partner has it seems he actually has the arm to throw with him. A solid bat and will also throw some in relief for us. Pierce Ryan was this year's draft pick. He's a local kid who graduated from Jesuit High and played there, earning All-District his senior year for a team that went to the state regional finals. He'll be playing both infield and outfield for us. Zaza is brother to long-time Dallas Oriole, Luc. We officially have two Frenchies! Zaza plays second and it's possible we see the brother's play up the middle together at some point this year. While there are more new faces this year than ever before, we still many faces that you know and love. Manager Tony Cass, Cody Gladney, Boston Coppedge, Preston Cole, and Carlos Colon are all returning for their 6th season with the O's. Long-time regulars Luc de la Soujeole and Tim Hanan are back in action and ready to be the deadly 1-2 punch at the top of the order once again. All of our all-stars from last year are returning as well: Luc, Tanner Stevenson, Jake Bellington, and Josh McEachin. Tanner picked up a fiancée over the off-season so a new permanent nickname will be upcoming. Bachelor doesn't seem to fit a man engaged to be married. Congrats bud! Last year's spring addition, Jeff Lunsford will be back as well to see if he can lead the team in bombs this year and Alex Faught will be part-time this year as he has a crazy year ahead. The pitching staff seems to get better and better every year. Josh "McEasy" McEachin is back for his second year with the O's and looks to make it three straight years as the American League win leader. McEasy went 7-1 last year and looks to continue his strong play into 2017. Timmy "The Cannon" Hanan has returned for his 5th year on the squad and (SPOILER ALERT!) will get the Opening Day start against the Indians this Sunday. Timmy had 5 saves last year and will be a key cog in the pitching rotation. Cody "Warhorse" Gladney returns this year after a solid 4-1 record last year, which was good for 2nd on the team in wins. He's also got his son, Cade, due in about two weeks so we're all pretty excited about that. His dad will be teaching him how to place a fastball on the outside corner in no time. Remember Cody, you get one game off. Newcomer Vinnie Pokornowski should round out the rotation, giving us four solid guys who can go out and throw deep into games. Relief pitching is always tricky in this league but there are many people who we'll rely on to bridge the gaps this year. Preston Cole had a 10.5 K/9 last year which led the team. PCole not only has returned to strike out batters, he's also picked up a fiancée over the off-season and (smartly) planned a January wedding. He knows not to schedule a wedding in-season. (Looking at you Tanner!) Rolando Villa and Justin Soto will be relied on as well to get outs in the middle innings. A newcomer to the bullpen, Tanner Stevenson has been working a little bit on the mound and we should see his fresh arm come out in a few games this year. JP Weber threw well for the O's in the Dallas Open and makes a welcome addition to the bullpen, along with Sweetbeard who will make the occasional appearance as well. Offensively, the team returns a majority of players who helped the O's average over 8 runs a game. The team is a balanced up and down the lineup as ever seen before and should continue to generate runs at a quality clip. Tanner Stevenson looks to continue his .450+ batting average days in 2017 and anchor the O's offense from the cleanup spot. Boston Coppedge looks to rebound after a down year average wise and put up another 20+ RBI's again this season. Frenchie will be taking off on the basepaths and wants to have another year of double digit steals. McEasy looks to continue his strong offense start after hiting .375 last year and being in the top 3 in multiple offensive categories. Hanan was quite possibly the hottest hitter in the Dallas area from Labor Day onwards as he hit close to .700 over his final 15 games of the season. Lunsford, Bellington, and Cass all hit over .300 last year as well. The team is going to score runs. With the new additions and return of already solid players, the O's are primed to reclaim the American League crown from the Tube Sox (terrible name) aka Nationals this spring. American League Preview to come later on tonight. |
AuthorDallas Orioles Baseball Club Archives
March 2019
Categories |