Talk about a reversal of fortune. Remember last weekend when the O's took two-of-three from the Tampa Rays, got great starting pitching, and crisp bullpen work (what little was necessary)? Um, yeah...that's all apparently gone by the wayside now. In effect, that trend (save for the crisp bullpen) actually continued into Monday when Chris Tillman left the Red Sox game with a 6-0 lead. However as we remember the Orioles blew that lead and ended up losing 8-7. Is that game going to turn into this year's version of the Mother's Day Massacre in that it's going to send the Orioles into a tailspin? Survey says: at this point it kind of looks that way. After being rained out on Tuesday in Boston, the O's played a solid game against NY on Wednesday before falling 4-1 in 15 innings. They proceeded to get shellacked in back-to-back games after that; 13-2 on Thursday against NY, and 17-5 last night against Washington. That sets up this afternoon's 4 PM game against Washington as potentially the most important game of the season. Every team goes through losing streaks over the course of a season, however it's important to stop them before they get too long. If this keeps going much further and the season spins out of control, then you might have to look at that Boston loss as the catalyst for another Birdland swoon.
Let's keep in mind that this was a much more costly week for the Orioles in terms of personnel as opposed to wins and losses. Brian Roberts went to the new 7-day DL for concussion symptoms after sliding into first base in Monday night's game. Derrek Lee strained his left oblique in the same game, and has had to go on the 15-day DL. Lee will be eligible to come off the DL on June 1st (the team's final game in Seattle before heading home). Roberts is actually eligible to come off the DL on Tuesday, however whether or not that happens remains to be seen. Obviously if the concussion symptoms have not subsided, he'll probably head to the 15-day DL; if not, I would hope he'll be in the lineup Tuesday night. (While he's not an everyday player, Caesar Izturis was also sent to the DL - potentially the 60-day DL - this week, adding to the Orioles newly-found depth issues.) My point in bringing this up is that the entire right side of the infield hasn't been in tact the past few games defensively. Furthermore, Roberts is an offensive catalyst for this team. Lee was starting to hit much more effectively in the three hole; now they're both gone, forcing Buck Showalter to reshuffle the order.
If you remember, last weekend I was excited to say that the O's hardly had to use their bullpen at all in Tampa. While that ensured that the relievers were fresh, it appears to have had a backfiring-like effect in reality. When called upon in Boston on Monday night, the pen appeared rusty. To top it off, the bullpen was emptied in Wednesday night's game, so the pen went from not being used to being exhausted in the span of one game. None of that explains why Thursday and Friday brought the Orioles such lackluster starting pitching. Jake Arrieta in essence gets a pass for last night's game because he's shown that he can consistently produce outs as a starter in the majors. Every pitcher is going to throw a clunker here and there, it's just a question of how you bounce back. Brad Bergesen on the other hand has had some great games here and there, however he's never exhibited the consistency that's necessary to be a big league starter. To the credit of both pitchers, they both stood up after each game and accepted accountability for their actions. While that in itself won't win you ballgames, in an era where so many athletes try to play things off by saying things such as the ball bounced the other way today, that's a refreshing thing to see.
Bringing up the injuries and the bullpen might well sound like an excuse. I have news for you folks; it is an excuse. It's also the truth. Similar to what we saw last season, you can't really expect a team to function properly if it doesn't have the components it was set up to have in the first place. That's not to say that the team was firing on all cylinders to begin with, however keep in mind that leading into that Boston game on Monday the Orioles had won five-of-six games. Most of those were pitchers duels, however the bats came alive in Tampa (and stayed alive in Boston). In the interim, Nolan Reimold, Brandon Snyder, and Ryan Adams have all been called up from Norfolk, which gives those guys a great opprotunity to make an impression with the big league club. The Orioles will need to find a way to get into some sort of groove with these guys in the lineup as opposed to Lee and Roberts. And quite frankly, given the veteran presence in the clubhouse of various guys and the professionalism on the coaching staff, I think they will find some sort of balance. One way or the other, perhaps the O's can catch a break and get Roberts back on Tuesday so we don't have to continue to use injuries as an excuse.
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