Bird Watching - In The Biggest Series Of The Year, The Orioles Got Swept By Boston And Lost Their Wild Card Spot
Just a piss poor showing from the Orioles in a series where they needed to at least split the four-game set. Instead, the Sox came in here, took the Orioles hopes of winning the division, and pissed all over them. If it could go wrong for the Orioles, it did. If it could workout in favor of the Sox, it did. That doesn’t hide the fact that Boston is a MUCH better baseball team, they made that clear. They are the best and hottest team in the A.L. and look like the easy favorites to make a deep run into October. The Orioles had their chances all series, but just couldn’t get the shut down inning, or limit the Sox damage. Mookie Betts did Mookie Betts things, and we got to say goodbye to David Ortiz for the last time in Baltimore, thank god, I’ve seen #34 waddle around the bases wayyyyyy too many times here in Baltimore.
The Sox first four-game sweep of the O’s in Baltimore since 2002 drops the Orioles to 82-71, 7 games back in the division, and a half game back of the last wild card spot. Quite a swing from last week when the O’s were a game back of Boston- since then they have lost 6 of 8 and it’s starting to look like this team will be left out of the playoffs, and with their play, rightfully so. At least SOME of the fans showed up for the biggest series of the year, doesn’t look like many of the players showed up.
What The Hell Happened To This Team?
First off, credit to the Sox for sweeping two four-game sets in a row, that has to be one of the hardest things for a team to do in MLB. They’re extremely hot right now and went through the O’s like a warm knife through butter. O’s got a good start from Ubaldo Jimenez (5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 8 K, left with a lead) and that’s about it. Gausman went 6.1 and gave up 5, Bundy went 5 and gave up 5, and Tillman turned in what could have been his worst outing of the season, 1.2 IP with 5 H, 3 R, 3 BB, and 2 Ks. Even with the terrible starting pitching, these games ever got out of control like they felt they were going to. O’s lost by scores of 5-2, 5-2, 5-1, 5-3. The O’s had plenty of chances with runners in scoring position, but much like the second half of the year, they couldn’t drive them in. They went 2-15 with RISP and left 21 guys on in the four games.
It looked like every batter went up there trying to hit the ball 600 feet, just terrible hitting. Not moving guys over, bases loaded with 0 outs and only getting one runner in. Shit that will make you pull your hair out. Everyone was pressing, and you could tell, it looked like they’re grabbing the bats so tight that there should be a pile of sawdust in the batters box. The only guy who seemed relaxed was Trey Mancini. Trey got the call up on Sunday, and proceeded to hit a home run on Tuesday off Eduardo Rodriguez for his first career hit, and went yard again on Thursday off David Price, Mancini drove in half of the Orioles eight runs in the series.
Besides Mancini and his dongs, no one did anything. Adam Jones went 2-15 with a homer, Mark Trumbo went 2-16, Chris Davis went 2-15, J.J. Hardy went 2-13, Manny Machado went 2-14, Matt Wieters went 0-10, and Jonathan Schoop was 3-15. So seven of the nine guys went a combined 13-98 (.132) with four runs driven in during the biggest series of the year. That probably wouldn’t be good enough if the Orioles scrimmaged the Terps baseball team, let alone the red hot Sox.
The team who was once almost unbeatable at home has now lost 15 of 23 at Camden, and coming off their best road trip of the season, you thought they could at least get ONE win at home. You could see this downfall coming a mile away. Since the All-Star break they have the lowest average in the A.L. (.235), lowest OBP (.294), only the Angels (260) and Athletics (257) have scored less runs than the Orioles have, they lead the A.L. in homers since the ASB with 102, but only have more RBIs than Oakland and the Angels.
This is something that needs to be addressed too. Tillman’s start was the SEVENTH time an O’s starter didn’t make it through 2 innings. That is insane. 7 fucking times Buck has had to go to his bullpen before the Orioles could get six outs. Duquette tried to skate by last year by adding Yovani Gallardo, hoping Kevin Gausman would improve, and see what he could get out of a healthy Dylan Bundy. Two of those worked out. He traded for Wade Miley before the deadline, and he’s been more dreadful than Gallardo. This team will go absolutely nowhere until the pitching gets better. Yes the bats have to do their job, but it doesn’t help when they’re behind 3-0, or 4-1 after an inning every night.
The Orioles starters have given up 102 runs in the first inning this season alone….let that sink in. So now, instead of coasting into these last nine games with a lead in the wild card race, they have to play six games against teams looking to spoil a season, and three against a team they are fighting for a wild card spot. They have no one to blame but themselves, not the fans, themselves. Following this sweep, they are now 31-35 in the second half of the season, over that same time the Red Sox are 40-26. There is the difference between winning a division, and fighting for a wild card spot.
Upcoming
Friday, September 23 vs Arizona- Yovani Gallardo (5-8 5.77) vs Shelby Miller (2-12 6.90)
Saturday, September 24 vs Arizona- Wade Miley (8-13 5.65) vs Robbie Ray (8-13 4.66)
Sunday, September 25 vs Arizona- Dylan Bundy (9-6 4.13) vs Braden Shipley (4-4 5.49)
Tuesday, September 27 @ Toronto- TBD vs Aaron Sanchez (13-2 3.12)
Wednesday, September 28 @ Toronto- Ubaldo Jimenez (7-12 5.71) vs Francisco Liriano (7-13 5.08)
Thursday, September 29 @ Toronto- Chris Tillman (16-6 3.84) vs Marcus Stroman (9-9 4.50)
It was revealed this week that Kevin Gausman has soreness in his intercostal (wtf is an intercostal?) and will be pushed back, and the Orioles are going to see if he can go Tuesday or Wednesday, so that shook things up a bit. Other than that, you have Yovani Gallardo and Wade Miley pitching must-win games for the Orioles, funny how things always work out like that. I think the Orioles have to win 7 of their next 9 to even SNIFF the wild card, they’ve dug themselves into a hole, lets see if they can make one final run this season.