Hustle & Patience

I can't put my finger on the exact time. It was either after Dave Trembley was fired or after Nick Markakis blasted the team in the papers. But for about the last month or so, the O's have hustled on the field. They have put in the effort. It hasn't necessarily been reflected in the final scores. After all, they are a team with many holes. But for those of us who watch this team on a nightly basis, you could see the subtle differences. Guys really hustling down the line. There is running to first base and then there's RUNNING TO FIRST BASE. Beating out a double-play can sometimes be the difference between winning and losing. It's VERY refreshing to see this team finally start to get it.

Did everyone see Corey Patterson over the weekend? The OPPOSITE-FIELD, 2-strike double with 2 outs to drive in 2 runs? The 10-pitch at-bat vs. Cliff Lee? Patterson is starting to distinguish a ball from a strike. He is starting to lay off the high heat and the breaking ball away in the dirt. He did not possess this skill until recently. The protect-the-plate, go-with-the-pitch double had me dumbfounded. There are alot of people that criticize Patterson because of his uppercut swing. They say with his speed, he should be beating balls into the ground. I don't necessarily agree with this. In my opinion, more important is the need to be selective at the plate. Potential power scares pitchers. They are more careful with their pitches and thus tend to make more mistakes. If Patterson stops swinging at balls he has the potential to be a lethal force with his combination of speed and power. Remember that this guy was once the jewel of the Cubs' organization. Some guys are late-bloomers. They just take a little longer. Look at David Ortiz or Jayson Werth.

Let me give some props to Adam Jones also. He is still swinging at bad balls but I did notice one thing he has changed. Jones is cutting down his swing significantly with 2-strikes. He is putting more 2-strike pitches into play. This has to be considered a big improvement. If he keeps the count alive he can give himself a chance to get that mistake pitch. That's what Jones is at this point in his career. A mistake-pitch hitter. The at-bat where he took Cliff Lee yard was encouraging because he hung in there until Lee made a mistake. Then he showed that awesome, raw-power which keeps us drooling at what could be one day.

I read in the paper today that Buck Showalter will not be managing the team to start the 2nd half of the season. I have mixed feelings about this so will leave any judgements or opinions until a later time.