When the season started, most of us fans were hoping for a positive, maybe a season where the Orioles inch towards .500, or even better yet, a surprise third place finish.
With June coming up, we all know that’s not happening. I’m wondering how different the Orioles will look by let’s say – June 30th or the MLB trade deadline.
The Orioles problems were well on display this Sunday as they lost to the Blue Jays, 6-1. A positive sign for Baltimore came about in the opening frame as they used small-ball and a Nick Markakis RBI to score their first and only run of the game.
The Jays scored three runs in the first inning off pitcher Jeremy Guthrie (who took the loss to fall to 3-5). As a result, the game was over for the Orioles – already. Things got worse in the 8th as Wil Ohman – who had a string of 25 consecutive scoreless outings – gave up back-to back solo homers to see the Orioles’ hole get larger.
After the opening inning, the Orioles looked like the team we’ve seen throughout the year. They could not do much else at the plate and they only mustered six hits on the night – all singles.
They made Toronto pitcher Ricky Romero look like Cy Young had he sailed to the easy victory, giving up only a run in nine innings of work.
With five straight losses now and a 15-36 record, the local media, blogs and websites are wondering when Dave Trembley will finally be fired. Or hitting coach Terry Crowley. Or someone else.
With the day off on Monday, the intrigue should grow over the next several hours. The fans are frustrated and from what I’ve read online, they really want some kind of overhaul of the team to take place.
At this point, it does matter if if there’s a change – but when. This is a flawed with a lot of problems that will not be fixed overnight unless a miracle happens.
I mused before the season that the development of the young players – Matusz, Wieters, Reimold, Beregesen, Jones – would be key. Perhaps aside from Bergesen recently, you all pretty know pretty much how everyone else in the previous sentence is doing. Combine that with the under-performance of key players in the lineup (aside from maybe Wigginton and Patterson – to an extent), you see why the Orioles are in a mess that they are in.
When it comes down to it, the players are the ones who make or a break a team – not the manager.
However, someone is going to have to face the consequences of the mess are seeing with the Orioles right now.
