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Leading Off

With just two weeks to go before the start of the regular season, there are just a couple of things to take care in Spring Training. Like… who the heck is going to be playing on this club this year? After taking a run through the Medical Wing and the Drink of the Week, it’s time for This Week on the Twitters (TWotT):

• @SeductiveTommyH is making a list and checking it twice.
• @HardballTalk shows the Mets are really pulling their weight.
• @JoelSherman1 reports the Orioles and Chris Tillman are talking extensions.
• @CarrieMuskat shows off Joe Maddon’s new look.
• @rwags614 gets competitive.
• @baseball_ref has all the good news.

 

Is Brian Matusz the New Jake Arrieta?

The Orioles are shopping Brian Matusz, and in doing so have given him waaaaay too many innings this Spring. If they can’t move him, the club is going to have to ease off him, and let the other starters “get some work in.” Matusz results have been pretty good. This leads to the question: could he be an effective starter in the majors?

Another former Oriole starter who didn’t amount to much in Baltimore was Jake Arrieta. He had a stellar 2014… are there any similarities?

 

Backup Catcher Talk

Matt Wieters has officially been placed on the disabled list, and will likely miss Opening Day. Now what?! It’s pretty clear that Caleb Joseph will take the lion’s share of the starts in Wieters’ absence, but who will back up the backup? The options come down to:

• Steve Clevenger
• J.P. Arencibia
• Ryan Lavarnway

Once a backup backup is selected, the Orioles will have to decide how they approach Matt Wieters moving forward. Who has the leverage going into into the offseason negotiations?

 

Blowing the Save

Most podcasts try to end on a high note – the perfect coda to a quality program. That’s just not our style. Each week, we’ll end on a weak note, blowing the save with an item that didn’t quite fit into the episode, or something they simply need to get off their chests. It’s our version of taking the ball and pulling a Kevin Gregg.

 

Notes and Nags

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