455 replies to this topic

[michael thompson]

As fundamentally gifted as Brian Matusz is, he is really starting to get on my nerves.

First off, during a taped pre game interview with Jim Hunter today, Hunter mentioned that Brian had a difficult start against the Yankees to which Brian basically said, "no, i didn't, i had a very good game". Uhhh Brian, your team lost the game, number one, and you had no command of your pitches the whole outing and were lucky to stay in the game as long as you did, number two.

Staring to think that we have a real pitching talent in him who is not going to realize his potential here in Baltimore because he has a very highly out-sized ego and self image....

We saw an inkling of this last year during Spring Training with his troubles and i have sensed that he also has had clashes with Showalter since Buck's arrival here in 2010.

I hope he figures things out soon. It would be the best outcome for this team, but i really am starting to wonder.

[You Play to Win the Game]

As fundamentally gifted as Brian Matusz is, he is really starting to get on my nerves.

First off, during a taped pre game interview with Jim Hunter today, Hunter mentioned that Brian had a difficult start against the Yankees to which Brian basically said, "no, i didn't, i had a very good game". Uhhh Brian, your team lost the game, number one, and you had no command of your pitches the whole outing and were lucky to stay in the game as long as you did, number two.

Staring to think that we have a real pitching talent in him who is not going to realize his potential here in Baltimore because he has a very highly out-sized ego and self image....

We saw an inkling of this last year during Spring Training with his troubles and i have sensed that he also has had clashes with Showalter since Buck's arrival here in 2010.

I hope he figures things out soon. It would be the best outcome for this team, but i really am starting to wonder.

I'm going to disagree with this take. I think most of Brian's issues are between his ears, so it's not surprising that he wouldn't be doom and gloom after the FIRST start of the season. I just don't think any of that type of stuff has anything to do with his early struggles. By all account's he has worked very hard this off-season and is poised to have a good year. He went up against the NYY & Jays, two very good hitting teams in his first two starts. He did a lot of things good today, but just didn't have it all together. I understand being frustrated with him, I am too a little bit, but I just don't have any issue with his pre-game comments or anything like that.

[BSLChrisStoner]

Matusz with his 3rd start tonight, what specifically are you looking to see?

[SportsGuy]

Matusz with his 3rd start tonight, what specifically are you looking to see?

Better fastball command...its a must if he is ever going to be a plus ML pitcher.

[Kevin Ebert]

I'm looking for his command to improve. Too many times in his first 2 starts, he'd miss the target by 2 or 3 feet. Seriously, watch where Wieters sets up the target and watch where the ball is actually caught. He's not going to get batters out consistently if he has no clue where the ball is going.

His stuff and velocity are obviously much improved from last year (which is great), but without the command coming back - it's going to be hard for him to succeed.

[Mackus]

I would like him to have a start where we don't have to look for a few small positives amidst an otherwise disastrous outing.

He's got a bit more breathing room since nobody at AAA is pitching well right now and really a threat to replace him in the rotation, but he really needs to turn things around and quickly.

[Greg Pappas]

I've been anticipating a Comeback Player of the Year-type season from Matusz, and still feel that he's getting there. Time will tell, but I think he's about to step his game up. If not, if he falters, he'll be in AAA soon-- trying to reignite his career. Here's hoping for the former.

[BSLChrisStoner]

There were some positives from Matusz last night. His stuff looked good overall. He was not helped by his defense. In the 1st, he got ahead of Pujols 1-2, with Pujols swinging through a 92 mph fast-ball up in the zone. He got got strike 2 to Trumbo, with a perfectly thrown low and away 93 heater as well. He had a nice sequence to Hunter to start the 3rd. Slow curve, fastball on the black, change-up for the k. He struck out Iannetta on a beautiful change-up. For the night, Matusz finished with 6 k's in his 5 innings of work.

The negative side was that Matusz was not able to escape the 1st, without falling behind. The Angels had 3 doubles in the inning (though Trumbo's should have been caught), and went ahead 2-0. After getting the first two outs of the 2nd, Andino was charged with a tough error, Aybar bunted for a base-hit, and Kendrick singled. Not a lot to blame on Matusz there, but it just felt like he could not come up with the big out. What you can blame on Matusz, were the walks to Iannetta, and Aybar in the 6th.

The Sun's Dan Connolly suggests (http://www.baltimore...story?track=rss) the O's should send Matusz all the way down, to build him back-up. Do you agree?

I can see where Matusz going down, having some success, and building his confidence back would be good. I can also where sending him back down would shatter any confidence Matusz currently has.

Right now, he is pretty much the 5th starter. If you look at him through the prism of being the 5th starter, I think you can live with last night. To me, I think I'd want him to stay in the bigs as long as we do continue that incremental progress.

[jgdomino]

We don't have a better fifth option at this point, and he is not getting knocked out early. He is at least getting through 5 which is good. He has also pitched against 3 of the top 5 or 6 lineups in the league.

[SportsGuy]

There were some positives from Matusz last night. His stuff looked good overall. He was not helped by his defense. In the 1st, he got ahead of Pujols 1-2, with Pujols swinging through a 92 mph fast-ball up in the zone. He got got strike 2 to Trumbo, with a perfectly thrown low and away 93 heater as well. He had a nice sequence to Hunter to start the 3rd. Slow curve, fastball on the black, change-up for the k. He struck out Iannetta on a beautiful change-up. For the night, Matusz finished with 6 k's in his 5 innings of work.

The negative side was that Matusz was not able to escape the 1st, without falling behind. The Angels had 3 doubles in the inning (though Trumbo's should have been caught), and went ahead 2-0. After getting the first two outs of the 2nd, Andino was charged with a tough error, Aybar bunted for a base-hit, and Kendrick singled. Not a lot to blame on Matusz there, but it just felt like he could not come up with the big out. What you can blame on Matusz, were the walks to Iannetta, and Aybar in the 6th.

The Sun's Dan Connolly suggests (http://www.baltimore...story?track=rss) the O's should send Matusz all the way down, to build him back-up. Do you agree?

I can see where Matusz going down, having some success, and building his confidence back would be good. I can also where sending him back down would shatter any confidence Matusz currently has.

Right now, he is pretty much the 5th starter. If you look at him through the prism of being the 5th starter, I think you can live with last night. To me, I think I'd want him to stay in the bigs as long as we do continue that incremental progress.

In his last start, he had an interview with MASN and I what I took away from it is that he understands something is wrong and if he needs to figure out what that is in the minors, he would be ok with it.

The pitcher I saw last night shouldn't be sent down though.

Right now, the only way I send him down is if he goes to the coaching staff and says that he had a good repoire with Peterson and would like to work with him for the next 2-4 weeks on things he knows Peterson can help him with.

[DJ MC]

I want to know whether Connelly thought he should have been sent down after the first game. Because frankly, if you watched the first game and last night's game and didn't see a better pitcher, you don't know what you are talking about. I should know, because I DEFINITELY don't know what I'm talking about and I see improvement

His command is better. Not perfect, but improving. He made some bad pitches last night (any other night in any other ballpark and that Pujols flyout never comes down), but made some of the batters look silly. A few pitches stayed high, but far more seemed to be down in the zone, including the first double by Kendrick; that was just a good pitch that got hit.

At this point, my worries are abating (though, like his struggles, not completely gone). If the team wants to do anything, they should start Chavez in left and Flarhety at third in his next start, though then he probably loses 2-1.

[BSLChrisStoner]

4th start for Matusz tonight, and another opportunity at a sweep of Toronto.

[Mackus]

With Tillman struggling, Britton still rehabbing, and Wada's injury becoming more serious, Matusz' leash is getting longer.

If he doesn't have a good start tonight, he would be at the point where I would have wanted to send him down if we had somebody ready to come up. Not just 'a not bad' start, but an actual positive outing.

However, we don't have anybody ready to come up and do better than him, so he will remain with the club for now, even with a bad start tonight. Hopefully he can move forward with the few positive indications from his last outing and eliminate the overwhelmingly negative ones and actually pitch like a major league baseball player (and not a backup OF brought in during a blowout). My optimism and patience for Matusz' season is wearing very thin, even if there aren't viable options to relieve him right now if he continues to struggle.

[fan4life]

So you don't see anyone at AAA as an option?

[Mackus]

So you don't see anyone at AAA as an option?

Eveland is the only current option, and I personally don't want to see him on the MLB squad. I'd rather see Matusz struggle than Eveland up here, although there is a point at which we'll have to make a change. If it was Tillman, Britton, or Wada, I'd have a shorter leash with Matusz, because I think each of those three have a (varying) likelihood of being better than Matusz. I don't really feel that way about Eveland, even with how Matusz has been pitching.

I'd only replace Matusz with Eveland if we get to the point where we think continued struggles at the MLB level are actually hurting Matusz' chances of putting himself back together and that he needs to go to AAA to have a better chance at doing so. Or if Matusz is just out of control terrible, which he hasn't quite been, yet. Any of the other three I mentioned (and perhaps even Steve Johnson down the road if he continues pitching well) I'd make the switch if Matusz doesn't show improvement from now until the point that one of them are ready.

[fan4life]

So you don't see anyone at AAA as an option?

Eveland is the only current option, and I personally don't want to see him on the MLB squad. I'd rather see Matusz struggle than Eveland up here, although there is a point at which we'll have to make a change. If it was Tillman, Britton, or Wada, I'd have a shorter leash with Matusz, because I think each of those three have a (varying) likelihood of being better than Matusz. I don't really feel that way about Eveland, even with how Matusz has been pitching.

I'd only replace Matusz with Eveland if we get to the point where we think continued struggles at the MLB level are actually hurting Matusz' chances of putting himself back together and that he needs to go to AAA to have a better chance at doing so. Or if Matusz is just out of control terrible, which he hasn't quite been, yet. Any of the other three I mentioned (and perhaps even Steve Johnson down the road if he continues pitching well) I'd make the switch if Matusz doesn't show improvement from now until the point that one of them are ready.

I think I am here as well. The other factor that allows me to keep the leash long is our winning. As long as BM isn't awful, I think I'd stick with him.

[Mackus]

Exactly the start we needed to see from Matusz tonight. Very solid stuff, command, and results. Would've liked to see more Ks, but I thought his stuff looked good and he had it under control. If Nick Johnson could field routine grounders, he'd have gone 6 shutout (and maybe even gone out for the 7th) and gotten the win.

[Mackus]

Did anyone else see Matusz' glove last night? It looked to me like he was wearing Brady's glove for some reason. I thought I saw the stitching saying Brady Anderson. Anyone else get a look?

[BSLChrisStoner]

Did anyone else see Matusz' glove last night? It looked to me like he was wearing Brady's glove for some reason. I thought I saw the stitching saying Brady Anderson. Anyone else get a look?

Yeah, this is true.

Baltimore Sports Report brought it up before: http://baltimorespor...love-27412.html

[SportsGuy]

Did anyone else see Matusz' glove last night? It looked to me like he was wearing Brady's glove for some reason. I thought I saw the stitching saying Brady Anderson. Anyone else get a look?

He had the same glove in his last start..the glove has a mechanism that injects roids into him as he tires.