REALITY: The Baltimore Orioles are 69-73 on the season, tied for 3rd with Tampa Bay in the AL East. They are just one game up on the Boston Red Sox for last place.
PERCEPTION: On August 1, the Orioles were 53-50 and in second place in the division. On July 1, the O’s were 42-36 and led the AL East.
The Orioles have fallen hard, fast. They can still finish above .500 which is the goal that Buck Showalter should be pushing hard on this team. They can’t give up. With games against the Yankees, Blue Jays, and even the Rays and Red Sox, the Orioles have a real chance to shake up the division standings, play spoiler and get above .500.
REALITY: Buster Olney of ESPN tweeted that in games that J.J. Hardy has played this season, the Orioles were 53-44. They were 15-29 without him in the lineup.
PERCEPTION: Those stats are now a few days old, but the point is still the same. The Orioles need Hardy in their lineup.
Yes, Hardy is having the worst offensive season of his career. He is hitting just .214 with only seven home runs and 32 RBI’s, but he is still an important part of this team. Cal Ripken wasn’t hitting much his last season or two but was crucial that he was in the lineup. It’s the same with J.J. However, after signing a big contract last year, the Orioles need Hardy to fix his issues this offseason. They can’t afford to have that contract be a huge mistake for the team. They need him to show that he can still hit. Get him some rest this winter and hope he gets back to form next year.
REALITY: The Orioles have scored 624 runs this season. They scored 705 total last season.
PERCEPTION: For many fans it is hard to believe this, but the O’s have scored about the same amount of runs per game this season as they did last season. With all the struggles they have had offensively this season, many would say that was a big issue as to why they aren’t going to the playoffs. There were definitely games this year that the offense was the issue. But overall, the big difference between last year’s AL East Championship game, and this year’s below .500 team is the starting pitchers’ ERA.
In 2014, the O’s ERA was 3.43 for their starting staff. This season it is 4.07. That makes a huge difference in MLB. And that has been the difference between a division title and struggling to get to .500.
The bullpen’s ERA is actually better than last season. It all comes down to the starters. Bud Norris was over a 7 ERA. Chris Tillman is over 5. Miguel Gonzalez is nearly 5. Kevin Gausman is nearly 4.5. You simply can’t win that way.
REALITY: The Orioles win when Chris Davis hits.
PERCEPTION: It’s a simple fact that most Orioles fans have seen all season. The Orioles offense lives and dies by Chris Davis. When he is striking out, so do the Orioles. When he is connecting, the Orioles’ bats as a whole come alive.
I know it’s still not likely, but the Orioles need to do whatever they can to sign him.
