Another bad loss, Kittredge jumps right in, and is there any hope in sight?
Good Morning Birdland,
These Orioles stopped being fun a long time ago. It’s so bad that yesterday’s embarrassing 19-5 loss almost didn’t even register on my emotional scale. It’s a holiday weekend, and the team has been awful. I’m only gonna let you hurt me so much before I turn that part of my brain off and enjoy other things in life.
The bullpen was horrible, because that’s just what they do in the month of May. The offense only started scoring late and once the game was well and truly out of reach, because empty stats is all they can muster.
One kernel of positivity was Cade Povich. He was pretty good again, tossing five innings and allowing one run on four hits, three walks, and six strikeouts. It feels like he is rounding into being that durable backend arm the team was hoping for. As someone that was on the Povich hype train this offseason, I am proud to be vindicated.
However, the most annoying outcome of this season would be the starting pitching being decent by season’s end while the rest of the roster, which seemed to be on better footing coming into the year, is a disaster throughout.
Povich has improved to a 4.86 ERA and 4.52 FIP. Tomoyuki Sugano has been the ace with his 3.07 ERA and 123 ERA+. Zach Eflin’s stats have a ballooned after that one bad start against the Nationals, but you assume he will be fine overall. If Grayson Rodriguez and Kyle Bradish return at any point, they will step right into the rotation as well.
It’s not the best five-man group in baseball, but it’s not the worst either. Of course, we have months of baseball in between today and that “dream” of a rotation. But at least there are signs of improvement. The same cannot be said for the team overall.
If you’re up for it, there are two games on the docket today. But there is still rain in the Boston area, so who knows if they will actually play both games this time either. Game 1 is scheduled for 1:05 between Eflin and Hunter Dobbins. Game 2 is set for 6:35, where the Orioles have not yet named a starter to face Lucas Giolito, although Trevor Rogers is with the team and expected to pitch at some point.
Links
Can the O’s save their season? History offers hope — and cause for concern | The Baltimore Banner
Folks, it ain’t happening. The team will (hopefully) get healthier, and that should improve things a bit. But the level at which they are being outplayed in every fact of the game cannot be undone by a few activations from the IL.
Orioles pitching worsened by position players | Roch Kubatko
Just make the doubleheader games seven innings long, like they do in the minors. If the two teams do not think it’s worth it to use an actual pitcher in the late innings, then it’s probably something the league should try to sort out.
Kittredge quick to make strong impression in Orioles’ bullpen | Orioles.com
Given how the bullpen has now started to struggle in May, the Orioles really need Andrew Kittredge to be the impact late-inning arm they hoped for him to be. Through one outing he already has a higher WAR than Cionel Pérez, Seranthony Domínguez, Yennier Cano, and Gregory Soto, among others.
Peter Schmuck: The column I never wanted to write | Baltimore Baseball
Here is Schmuck’s tribute to baseball writer Jim Henneman, who passed away at 89 this week. Given that Henneman retired from writing when I was very young, I do not recall his writing, but the outpouring of love seen after his passing surely reflects just home important he was in the Orioles ecosystem.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- The late Willy Miranda (b. 1926, d. 1996) was born on this day. He played shortstop with the Orioles from 1955 through ‘59.
This day in history
Few interesting things have happened in Orioles history on this date, according to Baseball Reference. So here are some happenings beyond Birdland:
1607 – James, the first permanent English colony in North America, is founded.
1935 – The Cincinnati Reds and the Philadelphia Phillies play the first night game in MLB history. The Reds win the home game 2-1.
1940 – Igor Sikorsky performs the first successful single-rotor helicopter flight.
1956 – The first Eurovision Song Contest is held in Lugano, Switzerland.
1962 – American astronaut Scott Carpemter orbits Earth three times in the Aurora 7 space capsule.