The Orioles have now lost 13 games in a row. They’d have to win three out of four of their final games not to finish with 100 losses. What was supposed to be a season of hope and renewal has turned into a dreadful embarrassment.
Only twice have the Orioles lost more than 13 in a row. Their worst effort was the 21 game streak that began the 1988 season, April 4 to April 28th. When they were nothing more than the cast off St. Louis Browns in 1954, their first year in Baltimore, they lost 14 in a row from August 11 to August 25, 1954. Their other marks of futility were two 12 game losing streaks, one in August, 2004 and the other in September, 2002.
Sure, one can point to injuries, the lack of experience, and a couple key players being traded for prospects before the trading deadlines, but thirteen games in a row starting September 17th defies excuses. With sixty wins on that date, achieving three more wins to avoid 100 losses seemed a certainty. 100 losses weren’t even in the conversation, but as things started to look especially futile early last week, the notion suddenly seemed real.
For all the good things that happened this year, none of them matter and will never see the light of day when the book of stats show a 100 or more loss season and a 13 or greater game losing streak.
Team President, Andy McPhail has some very tough decisions to make quickly so the team is ready going into winter meetings when teams are shopping their talent and free agents are on the market.
Clearly, the Orioles need a lot of work to be a legitimate contender in the AL East. They must learn how to play team baseball, work on fundamentals, the situational aspects of the game, and show that sense of urgency Jim Palmer noted as missing.
If they don’t, they will be in the same conversation at the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Detroit Lion for years to come.
Only twice have the Orioles lost more than 13 in a row. Their worst effort was the 21 game streak that began the 1988 season, April 4 to April 28th. When they were nothing more than the cast off St. Louis Browns in 1954, their first year in Baltimore, they lost 14 in a row from August 11 to August 25, 1954. Their other marks of futility were two 12 game losing streaks, one in August, 2004 and the other in September, 2002.
Sure, one can point to injuries, the lack of experience, and a couple key players being traded for prospects before the trading deadlines, but thirteen games in a row starting September 17th defies excuses. With sixty wins on that date, achieving three more wins to avoid 100 losses seemed a certainty. 100 losses weren’t even in the conversation, but as things started to look especially futile early last week, the notion suddenly seemed real.
For all the good things that happened this year, none of them matter and will never see the light of day when the book of stats show a 100 or more loss season and a 13 or greater game losing streak.
Team President, Andy McPhail has some very tough decisions to make quickly so the team is ready going into winter meetings when teams are shopping their talent and free agents are on the market.
Clearly, the Orioles need a lot of work to be a legitimate contender in the AL East. They must learn how to play team baseball, work on fundamentals, the situational aspects of the game, and show that sense of urgency Jim Palmer noted as missing.
If they don’t, they will be in the same conversation at the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Detroit Lion for years to come.
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