The O’s managed to pull out of their tailspin, at least momentarily, on Monday, thanks to Dylan Bundy and some superb relief work. However, they got right back on the losing track last night as Chris Tillman wasn’t able to get through three innings and the Yankees evened the series with an 8-3 laugher. Tonight’s game is big, at least symbolically: winning this series could really go a long way to putting the May skids behind them. Lose it, and the June sun that’s rising doesn’t look any brighter than the May version that’s setting.
To the depressing blog O’sphere.
Lack of Arm Strength Behind Tillman’s Struggles?
Baltimore Baseball’s Dan Connolly wonders if a lack of arm strength is the cause for Tilly’s poor performance. Dan muses that perhaps Chris could have spent some more time rehabbing his shoulder and regaining said strength before being penciled into the rotation every fifth day.
Orioles Finally Exposed as Flawed Team
I think we all knew that the Birds were a flawed team; it’s just that they have been, in recent memory, able to mask those flaws by mashing and by shutting teams down late in games. The bullpen has been…better, but the mashing just isn’t there.
Everyone’s Available: Going for it in 2017
As Birdland turns our collective eye toward potentially selling at the trade deadline (due to recent events – a winning streak could obviously stem that tide), Camden Depot’s Nate DeLong throws out the contrarian’s approach: What if the O’s made every minor league player available? What if they just went all-in on winning in 2017? His main point being that, if things are really going to get bad after 2018, then none of the Birds’ “untouchables” in their system are going to prevent that.
The Orioles Have Stayed Afloat without Their Best Players
It was true when the team was 12 games over .500, and it’s true now that they’re two games over – they’re doing all this without any notable contribution from guys like Manny Machado, Chris Davis, Mark Trumbo, or Kevin Gausman. Hey, good players: PICK IT UP!
Manny Machado is Hitting Too Many Ground Balls
We’ve talked a lot about Manny’s struggles. Why won’t his damn BABIP come up? Well, it doesn’t help that he’s hitting so many balls on the ground – over 50% in May!
