The O’s have hit their low-water mark for the season (so far) at five games below .500 after blowing a 4-0 lead in Houston last night and losing their fourth in a row following their walk-off win last Friday. Way to seize the momentum, huh? Hopefully this is rock bottom. The links are sad today.
Alejandro De Aza, DFA’d by the O’s last week, will ultimately stay in the AL East, going to Boston for…wait for it…cash considerations. Because of course. Keep clicking back on that link for updates, if you’re so inclined.
Buck Showalter isn’t Happy with Travis Snider
And with good reason. After walking in the fifth to become the O’s first baserunner since their four-run second inning (and their last until the ninth – ugh, I know) Snider promptly forgot how many outs there were and got doubled up to end the inning. Buck Showalter called it “unacceptable,” and reiterated that the coaches had reminded Snider of the number of outs many times. Just awful. I really want to like “Lunchbox,” but it’s getting progressively harder.
How the Orioles have Replaced Nelson Cruz
Of course, your gut reaction is likely “yeah, right, they haven’t.” That’s not entirely accurate though, and if you’re interested in exploring exactly how the Birds have done replacing Cruz in the lineup and in the field, Patrick Dougherty of Baltimore Sports and Life has the piece for you.
Ryan Flaherty’s Quicker Swing Flashing Results
Ryan Flaherty has triples in back-to-back games and is one of the O’s hottest hitters (which is either encouraging or very depressing, based on your outlook). How’s he doing it? Nick Cicere of Camden Chat looks at his changed mechanics.
What the Orioles’ Record Means
At 23-28, the O’s would historically be pretty much done at this point. However, in this year’s weak AL East, and with two wild cards per league nowadays, the decision to “sell” at the deadline is much murkier than it used to be. Camden Depot’s Matt Perez dives into the history of how teams that are below .500 this late in the year usually end up.
