Baltimore Orioles: Time to Back Off the Pitching
Baltimore Orioles fans have spent most of this season worrying about the starting rotation, whereas now it is the formerly powerful run-scoring offence that has fallen silent.
On Wednesday night they managed only a single run on a Manny Machado homer in a 3-1 loss to Colorado. While Dylan Bundy was setting down 16 consecutive Rockies, again the Orioles could not score with runners on base. Actually, between Tyler Wilson finishing the Tuesday game and Bundy, they retired a total of 30 consecutive Rockies hitters. Should that not ought to translate in a win somehow?
The prefect first five innings probably worked toward the Orioles’ demise last night. If there had been even a hit or two in the first five frames, Showalter would not likely have sent Bundy out for the sixth inning. But you have to send a pitcher back out that has given up nothing at all. I don’t blame Buck for that. But unfortunately, it unraveled rather quickly with a walk and two homers. Suddenly the lights-out stuff was hanging in the middle of the plate, and the damage was done.
Even so, the best and most optimistic takeaway from the evening was the dominant stuff from Bundy. All his pitches were working, and Orioles fans got to see both the power arm and the finesse pitcher that Bundy can be. He is putting it together and it is going to be very, very good.
But again it was the offense that disappeared for Baltimore, as the O’s did well to get four wins in the six home games. The Orioles are 7-6 since the All-Star break, having scored only 36 runs while giving up 38. The O’s were 2-for-20 with runners in scoring position in the Colorado series; and since the ASG, they are 9-for-70 in those 13 games (.129). A total of 70 opportunities in 13 games is not extraordinary, and to think that they have only gotten nine hits with RISP in 13 games is ghastly.
Remember when the Orioles were either first or second with the Red Sox in the early portion of this season with RISP? Now the O’s rank 10th in the American League at .270. Beyond that, they rank 13th in RISP opportunities, as only the A’s and Rays have fewer. That is not going to make for a championship team.
It is the pitching that has held the Orioles in these recent games and given them the chance to win most of them, it is not the powerful hitting that is carrying the team at this juncture.
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As I’ve written before, I find a number of the Orioles beat writers to be overly critical of the fanbase for their verbalized concerns when the O’s go into these losing skids. Why wouldn’t followers of the Birds have a sort of baseball fan bipolar disorder?
Consider the following:
Since June 22nd, the Baltimore Orioles won seven in a row, then lost five in a row, then won six of seven (with an Ubaldo loss), then lost four straight, then won five straight, and now have lost the last two games. All totaled that is 18-12, which is pretty good. But it wears on the psyche.
Add to this that the Orioles are headed to Minnesota for a single game in the hands of Jimenez, before facing the Blue Jays with Melvin Upton added to the roster. UJ should be well-rested. What could go wrong?