The Orioles are in free-fall. They are discovering new lows. They are… not fun to watch. What do you want me to say about them? That they can’t pitch? Well, they can’t. That their offense has been anemic, except in junk time? It is. That eventually they’ll hit rock bottom, and things will have to get better?

I don’t know that I can say that. This team is just awful. On Monday’s Bird’s Eye View, Scott asked me if it was too soon to blow this team up. I told him it was way too soon, and that we needed to wait until the end of May before we did anything drastic. Well… I can’t see things getting better, and I certainly can’t see things getting better enough to make this team relevant in October.

Of 2025.

Two On

Late Night Baseball

I love west coast games. I know they’re not everyone’s cup of tea, but as my life gets more busy, the 7:00-10:00pm window of most weekdays is not conducive to dropping everything to watch three hours of baseball. West coast baseball ensures a little quality time with me and my team. The rest of my family is in bed. It’s just me and baseball. Well, this week it’s been just me and whatever it is that the Orioles are doing.

El Toro

I love being wrong. I regarded the minor league signing of Pedro Alvarez as a waste of money. I regarded bringing him north with the club as a waste of a roster spot. So naturally, Alvarez has been one of the few non-dumpster fires of 2018. Let’s not get carried away – the dude hasn’t been the second coming of Babe Ruth, but he’s been pretty good this week.

Four home runs in 18 plate appearances. 283 wRC+. All with a BABIP of .250. None of that even refers to his hardest hit, this week.

Two Out

Dylan Bundy is regressing hard.

After looking like the ace we all hoped for, Dylan Bundy has contracted a terrible case of pitching for the Orioles, and has had a disastrous last two starts. Over those two starts (nine total innings), he’s given up five HRs, 12 runs, and 18 hits.

Bundy has been indistinguishable from the rest of the rotation: getting knocked out early, and putting his team behind the eight ball almost immediately.

Showalter Hot Seat talk

I realize you can’t do nothing when your team is 8-23. But C’mon, is Buck the problem? You still think that bringing Britton into the game instead of Jimenez is going to stop the horror show we’re being put through now? If his voice is fading in the clubhouse, are enough of the guys who he’s fallen out of favor with still be there in 2019 and beyond?

Maybe Buck Showalter isn’t the answer for the rebuild. Maybe we should just smile because he happened here. But there’s no reason to boot him in the middle of the season. It solves none of the Orioles’ problems, and it’s not going to mollify the fan base, which has already reached for its pitchforks.