Baltimore Orioles: 7 Reasons to Still Watch Games

Aside from this intro slide's accompanying photo (Nolan Reimold walk-off homer against the Chicago White Sox on August 10), the Baltimore Orioles haven't had much to celebrate during the 2011 season.

The team is on pace to lose 100 games, something we as O's fans have heard the past three seasons. Luckily, it has yet to be achieved in recent years, but is looking increasingly more likely by the day.

The pitching staff boasts the worst team ERA in the MLB, at a putrid 4.86.

Honestly, I was surprised to see that it was that low.

Yeah, this team sucks.

But in all of this cruddy pitching and sometimes fundamentally messy play, one can still catch something worth seeing in an O's game. And I don't mean done by the opposing team. No, believe it or not, but there have been some good things done by Orioles players this season, like the before mentioned walk-off bomb, for example.

I'm going to do my best to convince you that, as a faithful O's fan, you should watch as the Birds make their best attempt to lose 100 games this year.

Young Core of Position Players

During the 2011 season, there have been three very obvious standout performers for Baltimore's beloved baseball team: J.J. Hardy, Adam Jones, and Matt Wieters.

Hardy has proven to be the best offseason acquisition for the O's not only last winter, but for the past few years. His bat has regained the life it had early on in his career in Milwaukee, and he's been fantastic on the defensive end of the game at shortstop. If he doesn't win the AL Comeback Player of the Year award, then the MLB really does hate the Baltimore Orioles.

Adam Jones has continued to grow as a hitter, becoming the most dangerous all-around hitter in the O's lineup, and has taken steps forward defensively in center field after he seemingly regressed some in that regard during the 2010 campaign.

Matt Wieters has been the best defensive catcher in baseball, and has been a top hitter from the catcher position. He was also the O's lone All-Star representative.

Add the fact that Nick Markakis has nailed base hit after base hit while playing his high-quality standard of right field, and you've got an exciting four to watch grow as ballplayers.

Raw Power

The title of this slide is a reference to a movie. I'll admit it's a loose one, but if you can guess it correctly, I'll give you a virtual high-five.

More importantly though is how true it is in regards to the Orioles. For the first time in years, the team is a legitimate power threat.

At this moment, the Orioles are tied for third in the majors in total team home runs, behind only the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. They've hit 143 homers this year, and are also the only team in baseball with at least three players who have 20 or more big flies.

With guys like Mark Reynolds, Jones, and the resurging Hardy in the heart of the lineup, it's no wonder that home runs have become a daily sighting at Camden Yards.

So even though everything else with this team is painful to watch, at least a home run by your team is guaranteed enjoyment.

It's too bad the pitching has been so terrible...

September Call-Ups

Even though the O's farm system isn't impressive in the least bit, there are still some exciting young players, such as the pictured Matt Angle, a toolsy outfielder who almost certainly will be back in Baltimore come September.

More often than not, a player who is called up when MLB rosters are expanded from 25 to 40 men is someone who didn't force their way up to the majors, but the team's management would like to get a look at. It's possible to find a gem under these circumstances, however, not very likely.

Still, it can be fun to watch a whole new crop of young players get some at-bats and reps in the field, especially on a losing team like the O's. The eager youngsters will be fighting for a big league job next year, as well as offering the regulars more opportunity for a break.

I'm sure many of you O's fans out there are tired of watching the same ol' 25 men lose all the time and would like to see an expanded roster of different men lose once in a while. Well, September is your chance to see just that.

Young Starting Pitching

Is anyone else as curious as I am to see whether this group of young starting pitchers actually decides to start pitching well at some point this season?

Jake Arrieta is done for the year after having surgery to remove something similar to a bone spur in his pitching elbow, so fans won't be able to see him for the rest of the 2011 season. But there's still Zach Britton, Brian Matusz (pictured), and Chris Tillman.

Britton had great success during the first couple months of the season, but after May he's been quite terrible, and spent a few weeks back down at the Double-A level. Part of that was to keep his major-league service time down, but he also needed to work on a few things in a less-pressurized environment.

Matusz tore up the league during the last two months of the 2010 season, but didn't condition himself correctly over the offseason, and thus injured himself in spring training as well as lost speed on his fastball. He's been trying to work back from that ever since. It's been a long process, and many fans are worried that he may never return to what he once was.

The shuttle between Baltimore and Triple-A Norfolk is Tillman's best friend. He's been called up and sent down more times than I can count, and that can't be good for his development. The thing is, though, that he absolutely dominates the minor leagues, but can't turn that into consistent major-league success for whatever reason. If he can eventually achieve that, it would do wonders for the Orioles' rotation.

Tuning in to see these three pitch can be a painful but interesting experience, with everyone hoping they figure it out at the big league level.

The Most Beautiful Ballpark in Baseball

If anything, watching the O's play at Oriole Park at Camden Yards is a treat, especially on a sunny afternoon.

The O's play in arguably the best ballpark in the majors. It's so much better to watch them play at home as opposed to watching a game of theirs on the road.

And while the ballpark looks great on TV, it's even better in person. Going out to a game in downtown Baltimore is always a fun experience, whether the O's win or not, simply because of how awesome the ballpark is.

If I lived in Baltimore, I'd be attending Camden Yards at least once every homestand. It's just a great place to be.

You'll only be able to see baseball at Camden Yards for so much longer this year. Why not take advantage of it?

Jeremy Guthrie

Sure, Jeremy Guthrie hasn't exactly been vintage Jeremy Guthrie this year, but he hasn't been bad, and I think any fan will agree with me when I say he deserves better than the Baltimore Orioles.

The fact that his career win-loss record is under .500 is a product of the lack of run support he's been given by his teammates ever since he got to Baltimore, and yet he handles his frustration with something he can't control like a pro. He's shown his frustration only two or three times in the four years he's been with the O's, and two or those times were this season.

Guthrie has been the O's best pitcher since Mike Mussina, and deserves every bit of support this fan base can offer him, because he's worked his butt off for this club. He's the definition of a team player.

So if anything, continue to watch and support the O's for Jeremy Guthrie, because he deserves it. And who knows whether he'll be around next season; there were rumors of dealing him during the last trade deadline, and there will be plenty of rumors and interest come this offseason.

Simple Love for the Team and the Game

You don't want to be a bandwagon fan like so many other teams' fans are, do you?

No matter how bad the O's play, they're Baltimore's baseball team, and as a fan, you have to love them through thick and thin.

I know, it can be very, very trying at times. The way the team plays makes you want to give up until they're good again, because it'd just be easier to handle. No fan of a team likes to see their team lose, especially for 14 straight years.

But because you love the Orioles, and the game of baseball, the team is still worth following. Hey, when they eventually turn things around (because they have to at some point, don't they?) you can tell your kids and/or grand kids that you were there for all the muckity-muck; you were around for the bad into the good.

And sticking around through the bad will make the good feel so much better.