This 21-29 team deserves no excuses, though its top baseball executive is fond of making them when he opens his month about once a month, and failing to take two-of-three from an opponent that is in even worse shape than them right now would render the next eight weeks fodder for how deep they should gut this roster ahead of the trade deadline<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0Here are some keys to a series in which, believe it or not, the Orioles will be favored in a few games. <\/p>\n Pitch Around Riley Greene<\/p>\n The Tigers are 29th in MLB averaging 3.9 runs per game. They\u2019ve lost six straight games and failed to scored over two runs in five of those games and managed three runs in the other. They have scored more than three runs once in the last 10 games and scored three runs or less in 12 of their last 14 games; they scored four runs in those other two defeats.<\/p>\n Riley Greene is doing everything he possibly can \u2013 although even he isn\u2019t hitting homers or driving in enough runs (because almost no one else is getting on base). Greene has a monster .333\/.430\/.486 line, and rookie Kevin McGonigle is getting on base nearly 40% of the time, but that\u2019s about it. Only two Tigers have hit even five home runs \u2013 Dillon Dingler and Spencer Torkelson \u2013 and their rut has shown no signs of breaking.<\/p>\n If the Orioles let their bats get going here, shame on them.<\/p>\n Flatten Flaherty<\/p>\n The Orioles are absolutely horrible against some of the worst starting pitchers in MLB. The list of starters who have had their best outing of the season against them is long. It cannot get longer Friday night. Ex-Oriole Jack Flaherty<\/a> has been pummeled all season, he was on of Elias\u2019s epic trade deadline failures back in 2023, and he has nothing going for him now.<\/p>\n He is walking a ton (9th percentile) and getting no chase (11th percentile) and his breaking balls are so poor (2nd percentile in run value) that he almost has to throw his fastball \u2013 which has no movement and is also getting crushed. All the Orioles can do is hit fastballs. He has a 33% ground ball rate; everything is being barreled and lifted. If they manage to put the ball in play and don\u2019t try to hit everything over the fence \u2013 big ask, I know \u2013 there is an opportunity to do damage vs a starter who is 0-5 with a 5.77 ERA. Of course, Chris Bassitt in on the mound for Baltimore, so he might be just what the Tigers lineup needs, too.<\/p>\n The Best Players Play All Three Days<\/p>\n Elias is a fool when it comes to deploying assets. That\u2019s in constructing a roster where the pieces fit and compliment one another, and in putting together a lineup that makes sense. It\u2019s go time. Adley Rutschman can play all three of these games after another off day Thursday. Sam Basallo needs to play every game, including Saturday where make-believe Orioles free-agent target Framber Valdez starts. Doesn\u2019t matter that he\u2019s a lefty.<\/p>\n Former MLB executive Jim Duquette made these points repeatedly on \u201cThe Daily Flock\u201d this week and I could not agree more. Basallo is having some of their best at bats with men on base and Rutschman\u2019s switch hitting bat is cooling off, but desperately needed.<\/p>\n Leody Taveras, the only centerfielder on the roster, need to be there all three days. And if Elias had any guts or accountability, these other outfield transactions would take place before first pitch \u2013 HYPER.<\/p>\n
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