Hello, friends.

This sucks. There is no need to pretend any differently. The Orioles are in a dark place. There are no signs of life that they might emerge from this place. All that is there is losses that keep accumulating while the rotation is largely crap and the offense is inexplicably absent. It’s now been more than a week since the team has scored more than three runs in a game. They have lost six of their last eight games. The reigning AL Cy Young, Tarik Skubal, awaits as they try to avoid being swept by Detroit today. It’s not great.

As for yesterday’s games, there was the first game of the doubleheader in which Brandon Young walked way too many guys and the offense couldn’t hit with runners in scoring position. Check out my recap of the game for that one.

The second game of the day saw the Orioles attempt to shake Charlie Morton out of his struggle by going with Keegan Akin as an opener and then using Morton as a bulk guy in relief. That was still bad, and the offense still couldn’t hit with runners in scoring position either. Check out Stacey’s recap for those not-so-lovely totals.

If you weren’t paying attention yesterday, which was probably for the best if you weren’t, there was some Orioles roster movement. Tyler O’Neill is now on the injured list due to neck inflammation, with Dylan Carlson taking his place on the roster. In between games of the doubleheader, the O’s sent Young back to the minors to give them an extra reliever for the next few days. That’s Grant Wolfram (at least for now), who made his MLB debut last night, retiring one of the three batters he faced.

The Orioles are 10-16 now. Unless something very weird happens later, with Dean Kremer pitching for the O’s in the same game as the Tigers are using Skubal, then by this time tomorrow it will be a 10-17 record. That’s a 60-win pace over a full season. It remains early and there is time for things to change, but that’s a tough hole to be in. To get to 86 wins for the season – which isn’t even guaranteed to be a playoff bid even with three wild card teams – the O’s must now go 76-60. THAT is a 91-win pace. It’s beyond imagination that this team could pull it off with how they look right now.

I’ve largely not been enjoying the rotation, for obvious reasons, but for me the thing that’s really distressing is the offense. Ryan Mountcastle at a .566 OPS. Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, and Jordan Westburg all below .700. So are Heston Kjerstad and Ramón Laureano. I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know if the Orioles know what’s going on. They better figure it out because more seasons than just this year are in danger if the position player core careens into a ditch.

Orioles stuff you might have missed

The Orioles believe they can get out of this rut – and find a leader to guide them there (The Baltimore Banner)
Any time you want to get that process started, fellas. The clock is still ticking.

Umpires are hurting the Orioles. Brandon Hyde wants hitters to speak up. (The Baltimore Sun)
Orioles batters are getting screwed the worst by home plate umpires and it’s not even close to second place. There needs to be some demonstration without getting ejected.

Can the Orioles figure out their starting rotation before it’s too late? (Yahoo Sports)
I’d say that this is the only question worth asking about the Orioles right now, except there’s also this whole thing where the offense collectively sucks.

Tomoyuki Sugano talks about life with Orioles, the U.S. (Baltimore Baseball)
Among the things shared in this article, Sugano says his golf handicap is five. I don’t know what that means.

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

Today in 1968, Tom Phoebus threw a no-hitter for the Orioles as they beat the Red Sox, 6-0, at home in Baltimore. Three of the O’s runs were driven in by Brooks Robinson.

In 2010, the Orioles won their first home game of the season, with Alfredo “The Sauce” Simon collecting his first career save. They had a 4-16 record after this win. Ouch.

There is one lone former Oriole who has a birthday today. 2019 pitcher Aaron Brooks is turning 35. He pitched in five games with the Athletics a year ago but for 2025 is in the Mexican League.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: Taj Mahal honoree Mumtaz Mahal (1593), philosopher/author Mary Wollstonecraft (1759), code inventor Samuel Morse (1791), Civil War general and 18th president Ulysses S. Grant (1822), composer Sergei Prokofiev (1891), baseball Hall of Famers Rogers Hornsby (1896) and Enos Slaugher (1916), civil rights activist Coretta Scott King (1927), Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies (1963), and musician Lizzo (1988).

On this day in history…

In 711, the Moors launched their invasion of the Iberian Peninsula, beginning an occupation that lasted until 1492. This is the sentence I remember from high school Spanish class above all others: Los moros invadieron a España en 711.

In 1805, during the First Barbary War, American marines and local allies attacked the city of Derna. This is the “shores of Tripoli” reference still honored in the Marines’ Hymn.

In 1945, deposed Italian dictator Benito Mussolini was arrested while attempting to flee the country to Switzerland. He was shot the following day.

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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on April 27. Have a safe Sunday. Go O’s!