MASN is now available without a cable subscription.
Happy Tuesday, Camden Chatters! I hope you’re all doing well on this lovely day. After a day off yesterday, tonight the Orioles are headed to our nation’s capital for three games against the Nationals. The good news is that the Nats (barely) have a worse record than the Orioles. They are 9-13, a half-game behind the 9-12 Birds. The bad news is that the Orioles are currently playing like a baseball team that doesn’t understand the rules of baseball.
The other bad news about tonight’s game against the Nationals is that their starter is Mitchell Parker, who has a 1.85 ERA in four starts this season. He’s also a lefty. So…yikes. For a full preview of the series, check our front page at 10 a.m.
The big news of yesterday’s off day, except for people laughing about how the Orioles played on Sunday, was the announcement that the Orioles have joined the rest of us here in the present day. Starting immediately, MASN+ will broadcast both Orioles and Nationals games to consumers without a cable subscription.
This is big, if overdue, news. As more and more people quit cable in favor of streaming services, a lot have missed out on watching the Orioles. Now, those folks can come back into the fold. At $20 a month, the price seems a little steep to me. It is in line with the cost of streaming services for other MLB teams, though, so I guess that’s just the going rate.
If access to Orioles games was the only reason a person still had cable, dropping cable in favor of this streaming package seems like it makes good financial sense. Six months of MASN+ will run $120, which is less than most people’s cable bills for just one month of service. It could help people make that final push.
For those who have already cut the cord, however, I wonder about the impact. People who have gotten used to not having the Orioles on TV every night may not want to shell out an extra $20 a month for something they have already learned to live without.
I know people who have come to accept listening on the radio with a few chances to watch the team on Apple TV or Roku. Especially with the way the Orioles are playing now, who would be in a rush to add them on?
So what do you think? This is a question for the local Orioles fans. If you have cable, will this option make you likely to drop cable and pick up the streaming option? If you don’t have cable, are you willing to pay the extra to now have access to watch the games?
My household still has cable. Part of this is because of the Orioles, but also I just like the cable setup more than relying on a bunch of different streaming options to meet all my needs. But it’s expensive.
At the moment, our cable and internet bill is the second-largest bill we have after our mortgage. The temptation is there to cut back now that this option is on the table. But probably not this year. I don’t have a lot of confidence in the MASN+ Roku app to be perfect on day one.
Links
Morton’s latest struggles create more rotation questions – MLB.com
The problem with questions about the rotation is that there are no easy answers. No minor league pitchers are knocking on the door. No major league pitchers are soon to return from injury. There is Kyle Gibson, I guess.
Baltimore Orioles: 3 Potential Paths to Fix the Pitching – Eutaw Street Report
ESR tries to find some answers, but even they would probably admit they are a little out there. It’s because we’re all desperate!
These 5 numbers show how bad the rotation has been – The Baltimore Banner
It’s just so bad. We all know it’s bad. Andy Kostka gives some cold hard data about how bad it is.
O’s, No! | Defector
“But a 24–2 beatdown is as good a time as any to note that the Orioles lost an ace over the winter and replaced him with a mummy, and are having a terrible time pitching in a season that should sit in the middle of an era of full-bore World Series contention.”
Birthdays and History
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have four Orioles birthday buddies, including Jimmy Key (64). Key was a lefty starting pitcher who spent his 15-year career in the AL East. He had nine seasons with the Blue Jays, four with the Yankees, and two with the Orioles. He was an important part of the 1997 division-winning team, making 34 starts with a 3.43 ERA.
Also born on this day in history are 2022 four-gamer Rylan Bannon (29), late-eighties pitcher Dave Schmidt (68), and 1963-65 catcher John Orsino (b. 1938, d. 2016).
On this day in 1914, Babe Ruth made his first pitching appearance as part of the Baltimore Orioles of the International League. He threw a six-hit shutout at age 19.
One year ago today, the Orioles defeated the Los Angeles Angels, 4-2. Albert Suárez pitched 5.2 shutout innings with four hits and five strikeouts. Yennier Cano pitched 1.2 scoreless and Craig Kimbrel earned his sixth save despite allowing a walk and a hit. Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman each had two hits at the top of the lineup while James McCann and Colton Cowser homered from the bottom. The win gave the Orioles a record of 15-7.