The O’s need to string together a bunch of wins if they have any hope of contention. Games like last night’s won’t help.
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
The second edition of the Jacob deGrom vs. Brandon Young pitching matchup did not go any better than the first, with the Orioles suffering an uncompetitive 10-2 loss in Texas. The good news is that the O’s weren’t six outs away from being no-hit by deGrom like last week in Baltimore — they managed a comparatively healthy five hits this time, including a Gary Sánchez two-run homer — but he breezed through a quality start all the same. Meanwhile, Young gave up three runs, Matt Bowman four more, and Gregory Soto had a nightmarish eighth inning to eliminate all doubt about the game’s outcome. Check out Andrea SK’s recap for the gory details.
In a vacuum, there’s no shame in losing a game like this. When you’ve got a shaky rookie starting against a two-time Cy Young winner, this is the kind of result you expect. The issue, though, is that the Orioles have so little margin for error if they want to have any chance of playing their way back into contention. (Personally, I don’t think they do have a chance, but various Orioles players and coaches insist that they can.) Every loss just makes their task that much tougher.
If the Orioles lose every game the rest of the season in which they don’t have the starting pitching advantage on paper, they’re toast. They’ll have to find a way to pull a rabbit out of their hat and win some games that they have no business winning. They’ll need to figure out how to beat the Jacob deGroms or Tarik Skubals of the world more often than not, in addition to taking care of business against the lesser pitchers. That’s the only way they’ll be able to put together the kind of scorching hot streak it would require for the Orioles to get back into the playoff picture.
A win over deGrom last night would have made quite a statement. But ultimately the Orioles’ only statement was the one they’ve been making all season long: they’re just not good enough.
Links
Orioles place Tromp on injured list, purchase Stallings’ contract, recall Carlson, designate Rivera for assignment – BaltimoreBaseball.com
When was the last time the Orioles had the same roster for two consecutive days? I’m not sure I can remember.
Orioles roundtable: 4 key questions as the trade deadline looms – The Baltimore Banner
The Banner’s baseball writers offer their thoughts on how the Orioles will approach the rest of this season and 2026. They have a little more faith in Mike Elias’s upcoming offseason than I do.
Mateo likely out eight-to-12 weeks with hamstring strain (plus other Orioles notes) – School of Roch
Poor Jorge might be reaching the end of the line for his Orioles tenure. I like the guy, but it’s hard to see the O’s tendering him a contract this winter after two injury-ravaged seasons.
Trey Mancini Opts Out Of D-Backs Deal – MLB Trade Rumors
Reunion, anyone? Trey was stinging the ball for Arizona’s Triple-A team but didn’t get a call-up. Roster-wise he might not make a lot of sense for the Orioles right now, but I wouldn’t hate stashing him at Norfolk.
On Bobby Bonilla day, former O’s star Chris Davis cashes in – The Baltimore Sun
I’ve had just as many at-bats as Chris Davis this year. Why won’t the Orioles pay me $9.1 million?
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You share your day with former Orioles right-hander Pedro Araújo (32) and the late lefty Pete Burnside (b. 1930, d. 2022).
On this date in 1975, the Orioles’ Don Baylor homered three times, which — along with his dinger the previous night — gave him homers in four consecutive at-bats, tying an MLB record. Baylor’s three homers against the Tigers came off three different pitchers in a 13-5 Orioles win.
And on this day in 2013, the O’s made the ill-fated Jake Arrieta trade, sending the struggling righty and reliever Pedro Strop to the Cubs for veteran Scott Feldman. The trade turned into one of the worst in franchise history — and cast serious doubt on the Orioles’ player development system — when Arrieta immediately developed into an ace for Chicago, winning the NL Cy Young Award in 2015.
Random Orioles game of the day
On July 2, 1993, the Orioles were trounced by the first-place White Sox at Comiskey Park, 12-1. It was a rare rough day at the office for Hall of Famer Mike Mussina, who coughed up seven runs in 3.2 innings. Reliever Alan Mills was also bad, surrendering five runs, including homers by Bo Jackson, Ellis Burks, and future Oriole Ozzie Guillén. The O’s offense had no answer for White Sox starter Alex Fernandez, who held them to one run in eight strong innings.