Through two weeks and 14 games of the 2013 MLB season, the Orioles find themselves at 7-7, .500 for the sixth time this season. By comparison, the 2012 Baltimore Orioles were never below .500 and only found themselves at an even record on one occasion when they were 3-3 after an April 11th loss to the Yankees. So why are the Orioles struggling to sustain any momentum this season? Here’s why.
They are consistently inconsistent
All season long, the Orioles have won one, lost one. After winning on Opening Day, the O’s record went as follows: lose, win, win, lose, lose, lose, win, win, lose, win, lose, win, lose. The biggest frustration with this season is that the Orioles have only been truly beaten by the other team on three occasions: April 8th against Boston, April 12th against the Yankees, and April 17th against Tampa Bay.
The loss in the second game of the opening series against Tampa was because of a poor shift that allowed for two infield singles, and Home Run Hunter being left in the game in the 9th to serve up a walk-off home run to Matt Joyce. This was a very bad loss, as you can read here.
The two losses against the Twins were the result of a 9th inning error by Chris Davis and a misplayed fly ball by Adam Jones with the bases loaded and two outs. Both miscues led to runs that were the difference in the game.
The series opening loss against the Yankees was the result of another misplayed fly ball by Jones with two outs and the bases loaded, allowing three runs to score to break a 2-2 tie, and in the very next inning the O’s killed a rally by hitting into a triple play.
The starters need to go deeper
The O’s starters have a combined ERA of 4.73, ninth worst in the majors. No starter has made it through the seventh inning in any start, and Chris Tillman and Jake Arrieta have failed to make it through the sixth inning in any of their three starts. Amazingly, the bullpen has only pitched the 17th most innings of any bullpen in the Majors, and they have a solid ERA of 2.86. Having said that, the Birds need to get more innings out of their starters or this bullpen will be taxed by the All-Star break.
The offense needs to be better
Just last week I was bragging about how prolific and potent this team’s offense was. This week, some serious holes have punched their way to the forefront. Adam Jones and Nick Markakis are pacing the offense, as they have only combined to go hitless in three games this year, and never on the same day. Jones is still red-hot, batting .390 and Markakis has been nothing if not steady, hitting .310 and getting on base at a .375 clip. After these two, it gets dicey.
Chris Davis, still batting .340, got off to a monster start but has cooled considerably. After hitting six home runs and driving in 19 runs in his team’s first nine games, Davis has no home runs and no RBIs in nearly a week. Couple that with Matt Wieters hitting just .217 and it’s no wonder the O’s haven’t been able to make a run.
Collectively, the team is hitting .224 with runners in scoring position. What’s worse is the team is hitting just .208 with a runner on third and less than two outs. This is the most glaring weakness of this team, as it was for much of last year, and the Orioles did nothing to address the issue in the offseason. They still have yet to find a replacement for Mark Reynolds. Yes, Davis has taken his spot at first base, but nobody has taken Davis’ spot at DH adequately. Orioles’ designated hitters are just 3-46 this season (.065), worst in the Majors for any team with 30 or more at-bats from their DH. Enough said.
So what does this all mean?
Well, it means more than it did a week ago. Look, the Orioles have played 11 of their first 14 games against division opponents, and by the time we reach the end of week three, it will be 16 of their first 22 games. These games have a higher intensity level than non-divisional games. If the Orioles can stay right at or a little above .500 through the middle of next week, it should bode well for the rest of the season. Until then, all we can do is hope they can make a run.
