Once again, the Orioles find themselves in a funk. I\u2019m not talking about the fun kind of funk. This isn\u2019t Parliament-Funkadelic up in here. Tower of Power isn\u2019t showing up to ask, What is hip? This is the stinky shoes kind of funk. The limburger. The durian fruit.<\/p>\n
Yeah, after losing yesterday, the Orioles are only 3-5. It\u2019s early and they can turn it around. The only problem with believing this is that\u2019s what many of us told ourselves last year too and look where that got us? Meanwhile, as in yesterday\u2019s 3-2 walkoff loss, familiar problems were on display. The offensive ineptitude, we\u2019ve seen that before. The defensive challenges honestly might even be new compared to last year.<\/p>\n
I feel like Lando Calrissian as he tries to fly the Millenium Falcon away from Cloud City towards the end of The Empire Strikes Back. They told me they fixed it! The Orioles have not given a whole lot of evidence that they have fixed anything. Veteran leaders where there were none before, new manager, new hitting coaches, so far it\u2019s not much different.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m reasonably sure not all of these struggles will endure – Pete Alonso is gonna hit his dingers, I still believe. Whether things will turn for the better for younger guys like Colton Cowser and Coby Mayo, or disappointing veterans like Tyler O\u2019Neill, I\u2019m less certain. And I really don\u2019t know what they\u2019re supposed to do about the number of guys on the roster who should probably just be designated hitters. I don\u2019t think we\u2019ve even seen the worst of the bullpen yet.<\/p>\n
One lesson from last year is that you can\u2019t let things slip away early on. If the Orioles can\u2019t manage to avoid a sweep by the Pirates here today, they\u2019ll be 3-6 and it\u2019ll already feel like they\u2019re at the point where they\u2019ve got to go on a hot streak to reverse their fortunes or else they\u2019ll just keep sinking. Good thing they\u2019ll be turning to Chris Bassitt, who was no good in his first start. That was sarcasm just there. The \u201cgood thing\u201d part, I was being serious when I said he wasn\u2019t good in his first start. The nightmare continues at 1:35 Eastern today.<\/p>\n
If your religious tradition attaches any significance to today\u2019s date and you will be celebrating that, I hope you enjoy it.<\/p>\n
Orioles stuff you might have missed<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what Orioles must correct to turn around tough start to \u201826<\/a> (Orioles.com) The Orioles 3-5 record has been well-earned with mediocre baseball to this point<\/a> (Steve on Baseball)
You know it\u2019s already bad when even the official team website has to publish articles like this. \u201cMore offense\u201d is the first thing listed and \u201ccleaner defense\u201d is the second, which, yeah.<\/p>\n
I think it\u2019s also a bad sign when a longtime scribe like Steve Melewski is compelled to put together such a headline already this season. Sheesh.<\/p>\n