Baltimore Orioles offense to blame for recent losing skid?

The Baltimore Orioles’ recent losing streak and mounting losses have put a lot of pressure on the pitching staff. But, how much is the offense to blame?

Since their return to winning in 2012, the Baltimore Orioles have been a team that utilized a strong bullpen, a potent lineup and hoped for good starting pitching.

In their recent stretch of losing 13 of their last 17 games, the Orioles have had games in which each part of the team has faltered.

They have scored many runs and lost. They have had starters turn in quality starts, only to get shut out. The bullpen has blown a number of games.

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If you had to name one cause, could you pick something out? Of course not, it is a team game.

However, I want to analyze the runs scored during this downward stretch.

The Orioles have scored 216 runs in 49 games on the season, which is 4.4 runs a game, which is a major issue for a team that is usually one of the top ten in runs scored.

The Orioles’ stretch started with a 7-6 loss to the Washington Nationals in a game that Bard Brach blew. Chalk that one up to the bullpen (which has since turned it around for the most part).

In the next 16 games, the Orioles’ results were:

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Those numbers include seven losses by one run. All four of the wins were by two runs or less.

Perhaps more telling, only three of the losses were by more than two runs. So, the Orioles were in every game.

In six of the losses, the Orioles opponent scored four runs or fewer. If the team would have just won those games, instead of going 4-13 in their last 17, they would be 10-7 and would probably be leading the division.

Where does the blame go for this?

Part of it has to go to the lineup. Not a lot of players hitting well. Too much reliance on the home run. Chris Davis is obviously not just slumping, but practically invisible at the plate. Manny Machado has shown signs of life, but the batting average is creeping toward .200. Adam Jones has missed games due to injury.

Sure, some of the blame also needs to go to the starters. Several of the games saw the team start out with the lead, only for it to evaporate quickly. The 14-7 loss to the Twins and the 8-4 loss to the Astros, started by Ubaldo Jimenez and Alec Asher respectively, come to mind.

When your pitchers know the offense is slumping, it magnifies every mistake and pitchers may try to be too perfect.

Of course, when the pitchers are struggling, hitters try to do too much all at once, something the Orioles offense is prone to doing.

The good news is that the Orioles are currently looking at an 11-15 month with two games to go. For many teams, this month of May would leave them below .500. But, the Orioles went 15-8 in April, and that leaves them in good shape as they head toward June, even after a down month.