Baltimore Orioles: No Time for Mercy on the Phillies
Jun 12, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado (13) celebrates with teammates in the dugout after scoring during the third inning against the New York Yankees at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
With the Philadelphia Phillies coming into town for two games, followed by two more at their park just up I-95, the Baltimore Orioles need to take advantage of a weak foe and inflict some more pain upon them. But it doesn’t always work out that way. Remember the 73-89 Chicago Cubs of 2014 – the ones who took three straight from the Orioles at Wrigley?
The O’s really need to take at least three of these games to kick off the final stretch of 100 games in the season. Winning 3-of-4 is actually what they did do in 2014 in a similar scenario with NL East foes Pittsburgh and Washington.
In spite of the difficult start for this season’s Birds, they are actually only one game behind where they were at this point last year. Being 32-30 through the first 62 games of 2014, the Orioles won an amazing 64 of the final 100. That is a difficult act to follow, and probably they don’t need to quite do that to win the AL East, but they do need to win with consistency. And there is no better place to start than with the hapless Phillies.
Philadelphia fans have now fully entered into the same experience of regular failures and frustration that O’s fans suffered through for more than a decade. The team is not great at all, and they are saddled with some underperforming long contracts. Not much is going well.
More from Baltimore Orioles
- What other Baltimore Orioles Offseason Storylines will you be interested in seeing?
- Baltimore Orioles to Face Numerous Playoff Contenders Down the Stretch
- Baltimore Orioles Showing Encouraging Signs During Recent Wins
- The Baltimore Orioles and the Expanded September Roster
- Orioles Josh Rogers Expectations in his Major League Debut
With a record of 22-42, it qualifies for the worst mark in all of MLB. The Phillies have lost six consecutive games, some in painful fashion. Though only a game under .500 at home, their road record is an unbelievable 7-26. I’m not sure when I’ve ever seen a number like that!
There is an explanation for this, and I’ll give it to you for no extra charge. Understand that this comes from someone who grew up in New Jersey, but in the Philly TV market, not New York. As well, I went to college in downtown Philadelphia. It’s all about cheese steaks.
Don’t believe it when anyone anywhere outside the Philly-to-New York area advertises “genuine Philly cheese steaks.” It’s not true … not even with Jersey Mike’s. If they ask you if you want lettuce or mushrooms or something like that on it, they don’t know what they’re doing! Trust me on this!
OK, rant done, back to baseball …
More from The Baltimore Wire
- What other Baltimore Orioles Offseason Storylines will you be interested in seeing?
- Baltimore Orioles to Face Numerous Playoff Contenders Down the Stretch
- Baltimore Orioles Showing Encouraging Signs During Recent Wins
- The Baltimore Orioles and the Expanded September Roster
- Maryland Football: Terps honor Jordan McNair, beat Longhorns 34-29
The Phillies rank dead last in all of MLB in runs scored (197), runs per game (3.08), home runs (36), OPS (.638), while possessing the highest WHIP (walks, hits, innings pitched) with the ghastly number of 1.435.
They are 27th in team batting average (.238), 26th in runs allowed per game (4.50), 24th in ERA (4.14), and 28th in walks – meaning they have given up the third-most amount of them.
Altogether, this adds up to a 22-42 record. No mercy.