Nearly no-hit, AFL upcoming, and some injury updates (both good and bad).
Good Morning, Birdland!
There is no shame in getting beat. This is Major League Baseball. Every player in the league is supremely talented and likely putting their best foot forward on a daily basis. Losses are part of the game, including shutouts.
The problem is that last night’s 1-0 loss to the Tigers is not some blip on the radar for the Orioles. No, it has become the overarching story for the last three months. The team’s offense, once a league-wide juggernaut, has evaporated, and they appear incapable of winning a baseball game.
In general, five runs is considered a “magic number” in baseball. If a team scores five runs, the odds are very good that they will win the game. And it makes sense if you think for a moment about how you interpret pitching numbers. For a starting pitching, a 4.50 ERA is fine. It’s competent. Anything worse is a little concerning. Anything better feels quite encouraging. So it stands to reason that when your offense scores five times, you are in a good spot.
The Orioles just simply cannot product five runs on a regular basis. Over their last eight games, the O’s have scored five or more runs once. They have scored two runs or fewer five times in that same timeframe. Unsurprisingly, they are just 2-6 in those eight games. Prior to their back-to-back series against the Rockies and White Sox, the Orioles have failed to score five runs in five consecutive games.
This is a widespread issue. There is no one player to point to. It’s nearly everyone. Adley Rutschman continues to struggle. Jackson Holliday still looks overmatched. Ryan O’Hearn’s bat has dried up. Colton Cowser runs extremely hot and cold. The list goes on. Gunnar Henderson is almost the entire offense at the moment, with an occasional power assist from Anthony Santander.
As a result, Brandon Hyde is trotting out lineups that border on desperation. The skipper only has so many options at his disposal, so you can’t really blame him for trying Cedric Mullins in the heart of the lineup for a bit.
With all of that said, this team is still in good position to make the playoffs. They need to do whatever it takes to right the ship to some degree before October rolls around. Otherwise, another sweep and quick trip back home is on the table.
Links
The Orioles have hit rock bottom. They need it to be a wake-up call | The Baltimore Sun
Sure, but it’s not like they aren’t trying to fix it. It’s possible that they just can’t. That would be a real bummer and make the entire season feel like a disappointment, but as mentioned above, this has not been just a bad week. It’s deeper than that.
Prospects we want to see in the AFL — one from each team | Orioles.com
The inclusion of Samuel Basallo is rather illogical. He is not the type of player that tends to go to the Arizona Fall League. He has played a lot of baseball this year, is not Rule 5 eligible this winter, and is unlikely to break camp with the big league team next year. But it would be fun to watch him!
This, that and the other | Roch Kubatko
Somehow, the Orioles pitching staff has sorted itself out. They have been quite good recently, and the injury news is positive for Jacob Webb and Danny Coulombe. But the offense is putting a ton of pressure on them, and the injury news has not been as positive on that side of the ball.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Delmon Young turns 39 today. He spent parts of two seasons with the O’s from 2014-15, including a postseason double that has been etched in the memories of Orioles fans for eternity.
- Chad Bradford is 50. The submariner bounced around the league for more than a decade. That included two seasons in the Orioles bullpen from 2007-08.
This day in history
1987 – The Orioles are blown out by the Blue Jays, 18-7. They also give up an MLB record 10 home runs in the game. On top of all of that, Cal Ripken Jr.’s record of consecutive innings played at shortstop comes to an end when his dad, O’s manager Cal Sr., subs in Ron Washington in the eighth inning.
1988 – The O’s get beat by a familiar face, Red Sox pitcher Mike Boddicker. It is the righty’s first time facing the club he spent nine seasons with.