Happy Friday, Camden Chatters. The weekend has arrived! Are we still scoreboard watching? If so, after the Orioles lost yesterday they fell to one game out the final Wild Card spot. And the team that has that last spot just happens to be the team the Orioles are playing this weekend. The Texas Rangers.<\/p>\n
The Orioles and Rangers faced each other in the second series of the season. The Rangers won two out of three that time. Not ideal.<\/p>\n
This time, if the Orioles lose two out of three, they\u2019ll find themselves two games behind the Rangers. If they get swept, it\u2019ll be four games behind and that, frankly, will be all she wrote. If they somehow take two of three, they will leave Texas tied with the Rangers. So it\u2019s a pretty big series. And if they survive this one, they are off to Minnesota to face the team that is currently a half-game ahead of them in the WC race. And that\u2019s to say nothing of the Guardians, who are also a half-game up on the Orioles.<\/p>\n
So they\u2019re in it, for now. But the problem, as I see it, is this: they can\u2019t hit. They\u2019re just so bad at hitting! If you take a glance at the team\u2019s Baseball Reference page<\/a>, there are four players on the top section with an OPS+ over 100, which is league average. They are Pete Alonso, Samuel Basallo, Adley Rutschman, and Taylor Ward. Uh\u2026get well soon, Samuel! Also, Blaze Alexander while we\u2019re at it.<\/p>\n In yesterday\u2019s game, the Orioles were facing Ryan Johnson, a starter with an ERA over 7 and they couldn\u2019t do anything with him. In the first five innings, they have five walks, three hits, and a HBP. But they also hit into two double plays and had a runner caught stealing. Their only runs scored came on a home run from Yohel Pozo. So good for him!<\/p>\n Even in their two wins over the Angels, one of the worst teams in baseball, they struggled to score runs. On Tuesday they scored just three runs in a game started by Grayson Rodriguez, and on Wednesday they were clinging to a one-run lead until an unlikely Leody Taveras home run.<\/p>\n Well, this turned into a downer. They should hire me to be their hitting coach so I can tell them to be better hitters.<\/p>\n David Rubenstein talks Orioles trades, payroll and World Series hopes – The Baltimore Banner<\/a>
Andy Kostka recounted an event the Orioles\u2019 owner had to promote his new book. This headline had me hoping for answers. I don\u2019t know that I got them.<\/p>\n