Besides a similar slumbering stretch by the Yankees, the best thing the Orioles have had going for them in the second half of this roller-coaster kind of season is their pitching staff, more specifically the starting rotation.
Raise your hand while keeping a straight face if you saw that coming.
Heading into the last two weeks and dozen games, the teams are separated by three games, as they have been through just about the entire crazy ride, with the Yankees now in charge with a trifecta lead in hand. Fittingly three has been the magic number throughout the year, as the record for both teams clearly shows.
The Yankees, currently 87-63, actually hit their high water mark three-plus months ago, June 12, with a 49-21 record that put them a season-best 28 games over the .500 mark for a lead of 2.5 games. It took the Orioles almost a month later, July 7, when they stood 24 games over .500 for the last time, 57-33, and held a three-game advantage.
The Yankees have gone 38-42 since June 12, while the Orioles have gone 27-33 since July 7. Had both teams played at a .500 pace to this point, or to the end of the season, they would pretty much be exactly where they are now, a fact that has both fan bases in arms about how their teams are seemingly limping to the finish line.
By the way, for the frustrated fans out there — if you buy into it, the Pythagorean Theorem has the Yankees projected for exactly their current record, 87-63, while the Orioles have played one game better (84-66) than their projection. Good luck trying to convince anybody on those numbers.
Which brings me to a favorite line, not original but appropriate: “It’s hard to play .500 when you have to.”
While the Orioles can bemoan the fact that injuries have decimated their roster, it has been the starting rotation that has kept most of these agonizing losses competitive. As much as they miss Grayson Rodriguez, the injuries to Jordan Westburg and Ryan Mountcastle have been even more devastating for a lineup that is especially challenged against left-handed pitching — something that was somewhat exposed in last year’s playoff loss to the Rangers and continues to be a challenge.
This is still a team that has a lot of potential offensive firepower, but is in need of a spark during this two-week stretch run. But in the meantime, pitching will have to carry a brunt of the burden for the rest of the season. It is too much to expect Rodriguez to be more than a strong long arm out of the bullpen, even in the postseason. Manager Brandon Hyde would be hard-pressed to remove Corbin Burnes, Zach Eflin or Dean Kremer from the playoff rotation, and the same can be said for Albert Suárez for the last few starts of the regular season.
Jim Henneman can be reached at JimH@pressboxonline.com
Photo Credits: Kenya Allen/PressBox