Each Monday, in this spot, I’ll try to give you fan’s look at what transpired with our Birds the past week and what lies ahead for the club. My only promise is that the piece will be totally biased and from a real fan, so here it goes
1. O- fer
The Birds jaunted out to the west coast for a quick six game set and found a way to drop all six games. Two of the losses, a 10-7 and a 12-3 losses to the Angels were reminiscent of last year and the failures of the starting pitching. Some of the other losses on the trip, including a 12 inning 2-0 loss to the A’s and a 2-1 affair on Sunday, were also, well, reminiscent of last year’s team which went extended periods of time in offensive slumps. Whatever the case, this team just seems to be finding ways to lose games. I am the biggest fan in the world, but my goodness this team has become hard to watch. I kept making excuses and saying they just need to get hot, but it appears that this season could be over by Mother’s Day.
2. Simply AJ
As the window seems to be closing on this team, it reminds me of the one guy who helped to ignite this franchise after 14 years of ineptitude, Mr. Adam Jones. Jones celebrated his 1,500 appearance in an Orioles uniform He celebrated the occasion on Friday night in Oakland going 3 for 4 including his 5th homerun of the season in a 6-4 loss to the A’s. Jones became the eight player in Orioles history to play in at least 1,500 games. As usual, Adam had all the right things to say on this momentous occasion tweeting out “I’m not mushy but I’m extremely humbled to be able to have worn this jersey for 1500 games tonight. Blessed ain’t the word. So many people have been a part of this great journey so hopefully the ride continues”. Not sure what the future holds for this team and AJ, but it sure would be tough the see him in another uniform.
3. Errors, errors, everywhere.
A stalwart of Buck Showalter’s Orioles teams has been their defense. This 2018 version definitely does not fit the mold. In this six game west coast swing, the Orioles committed 8 errors. Their defense currently ranks 23rd in Major League Baseball and that’s certainly not what we’ve come to expect from a Buck Showalter-lead Orioles team.
4. No “O” in Orioles
The Orioles struck out 57 times in the six game set, including helping the A’s pitching staff set a record for opponent strike outs in a 3 game series with 40. They are averaging 9.76 strikeouts per game and only a meager 3.45 runs per game. They also went a string of 16 scoreless innings against the Oakland A’s. These kind of numbers lead teams to 8-26 records and the worst record in baseball.
5. Manny’s Days Numbered?
The buzz around L.A. earlier in the week surrounded the speculation that the Dodgers might go after Manny Machado with their own stud shortstop, Corey Seager being lost for the season with Tommy John surgery. When asked about it, Manny said all the right things, “I would like to stay here the whole year. … I want to win with this team.” For now, the Dodgers have relied on Chris Taylor, who had been their centerfielder, to man the shortstop position, although Enrique Hernandez also got a start there. Needless to say, neither of these players is of the caliber of Manny Machado, who is among the game’s elite and is currently slashing .354/.435/.658. The Orioles and Dodgers discussed a Manny trade this past offseason, but the Orioles asking price was likely too high. With the Dodgers currently sitting two games under .500 and 8 games behind the Diamondbacks would they make the plunge? Stay tuned.
This week the Orioles return home for 3 with the Royals and a 4 game weekend set with the Rays. May 12th is a double-header with the Rays as make-up from the lost game back on April 24th.
