Yesterday’s game was frustrating to watch and certainly right now, this must be the lowest point of the baseball season for the Baltimore Orioles and us fans.
The Orioles got scalped by the Braves, 4-0, thanks to Jair Jurrjens’ gem down in Atlanta.
They got beat by one of the best pitchers in the business.
Aside from Adam Jones’ squeaker down the middle in the seventh inning, Baltimore was thoroughly dominated. They could not hit, had some questionable approaches at the plate, and Jurrjens feasted on them.
I’m not going to badger the Orioles for losing. They got beat by an amazing pitcher.
However, they are now nine-games under .500.
The positivity from Fan Fest, Spring Training and the beginning of the season is now gone.
Right now, the Orioles are looking like what some thought they would be – a middle of the road, to mediocre team.
Most of us fans pretty much knew that the current span of interleague games – against the Reds, Cardinals and Braves – would test the Orioles.
Next week, the gauntlet continues as they face the Red Sox – a team much different than they saw when they last played them – and the ever, so tough, Rangers.
You just have to shake your head.
So far, the Orioles aren’t doing too well. My tag team partner, James, expressed himself this morning about the team, and it’s hard to add to anything else that was said.
Simply put, the young pitching isn’t excelling and the hitting has been mediocre at best.
It is what it is.
I really hoped that the Orioles would, or possibly might make a run at .500; alas, it might not be the case this season.
Winning half your games should never be a tangible goal for any franchise; however, if you’ve been down as long as the Orioles have been, you’ve got to start somewhere.
The other night, a co-worker and I were talking about the opening of Camden Yards in the 1990’s and how the Orioles were once the ‘Yankees’ of baseball.
In the early part of last decade, the new ballpark brought sell-out after sell-out, fans bleeding orange and black, plus a buzz that made every game at the Yard a must-see.
When the Orioles had a losing season in 1998, I was in the middle of college. I thought at the time, “oh, it’s a bad year, and they’ll (the Orioles) will come back”.
It’s been 13-years-and-counting since they have last won.
So much has changed. Cal is gone, there’s been a revolving door of managers and most games at Camden Yards – a place that was once rocking – aren’t even half full.
The American League East has too changed and perhaps not for the better.
The Rays seem to win on a shoestring budget and know how to scout; the Red Sox and Yankees, thanks to cable money are now the powerhouses of the game. It’s also funny how the Blue Jays find a way to put a competitive team on the field every season.
For the Orioles, it’s been purgatory for them each season. They’ve been counted as being a bottom-feeder, a last place team and a organization that cannot get things going at all.
Never did I think in 1998 that the Baltimore organization would head down the road of the Pittsburgh Pirates (who may finally see a winning season after 18 years of torture).
If you want another example of a rotten team that is starting to turn things around, look down 295 and watch the Washington Nationals.
The bottom line is this: the Orioles have to keep doing what they are doing in terms of drafting and building. Rome was not built in a day, and it will take a while – if not a long time – for the Orioles to get out of the hole they are in.
It starts with leadership at the top, and Buck Showalter fills the role nicely; however, a team also needs talent. The verdict right now is still out on Andy MacPhail, but he’s had quite the job do of helping to restore the Orioles to prominence.
The Orioles are getting there, but anyone with common sense knows that more has to be done.
The way the Baltimore squad was constructed, they were bound to struggle. Now, we are seeing it.
But as a fan, I hope for better days. That’s what makes me who I am. I’m sure each and every hardcore Oriole fan feels the same way.
Things will get better. I hope it’s sooner rather than later.
