Where have you gone, magical 2012 Orioles?
As the Birds continue their post-All Star Break scuffle – they’re now 10-15 since starting the break 4-0 – the chances of their earning a return trip to the postseason become more and more remote.
Of the 15 games they’ve lost since the break, EIGHT have been by just a single run. After their unheard of 29-9 record in one-run games a year ago, the universe is correcting itself (I’d argue that it’s OVER-correcting) on our O’s, as they can’t catch a break. Every ball we hit hard goes right at somebody; every broken bat bloop the opponents hit finds a hole. Every close call goes against us. And the losses just keep piling up.
While last night’s loss to Tampa wasn’t of the one-run variety (thanks to ol’ reliable Jim Johnson entering the game and throwing a match on the gas can), it was still another bang-your-head-against-the-wall defeat. After stranding 15 men on base Monday night, the O’s had much less luck getting guys on against Alex Cobb, but still found themselves with a chance to tie or go ahead late in the game.
Trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh, the Birds loaded the bases with nobody out.
Surely this was where they were finally going to catch a break, find a gap, and put up a crooked number?
Of course not. Brian Roberts grounded into a double play, scoring just a single run, and Nate McLouth struck out looking. The song remains the same.
The O’s would score twice again in the ninth on a Matt Wieters home run, but not until Tampa had extended their lead to 7-2.
So yeah, while it wasn’t the team’s ninth one run loss in 25 games to equal the same number from 162 contests last year, it was nonetheless another frustrating winnable game that went the other way instead.
While the O’s are pretty much out of things here on August 21 – 4.0 games out of the Wild Card, 5.5 out of first in the AL East (and just one game ahead of the surging MFY for fourth place) – they could certainly climb back into the race.
There’s plenty of time.
All it takes is one good long winning streak to put them back where they want to be.
The problem?
This team has done nothing all year to give us hope that they’re capable of such a winning streak. Their longest hot stretch of the season has been FIVE games. Five. And they managed that just once.
Sure, they could run off eight straight and 12 of 15.
But I’m not holding my breath.
