The 2022 Orioles surprised us all with their mix of defense, timely hitting, pluck and a coaching staff that has used all the tools at their disposal to try to optimize performance. More times than not, that performance — especially on the pitching-and-defense side — has been plenty good enough.
The promotion of 2019 No. 1 pick Adley Rutschman played a huge part in the reshaping of this season’s iteration of the Baltimore Orioles. He was brought up before the game on Saturday, May 21, when the Orioles’ record was 16-24. The club appeared to be about to slip into yet another year of rebuild mode, with losses totaling in the high 90s if we were lucky.
But, a funny thing happened on the way to oblivion. Rutschman firmed up the defense behind the plate, and all the positives mentioned above kicked in. Following a win on Sept. 3, the Orioles were 71-61, in the midst of a four-game winning streak and would have the opportunity to break the brooms out against the hapless Oakland Athletics the next day.
Meanwhile, the Toronto Blue Jays sat just 1.5 games in front of the Orioles at 72-59 following the action that Saturday.
A big four-game series between the Orioles and Jays was just two days away … and suddenly the Orioles’ season of magic went off the rails. A Spenser Watkins start didn’t go well Sept. 4, and the Orioles lost that series-ending game against the A’s. The Blue Jays, playing on the road in Pittsburgh, completed their sweep against the Pirates. The Jays came to Baltimore 2.5 games in front of the Orioles and won three of four.
Since Sept. 4, the O’s have gone just 6-10, winning only two of the seven games they have played against the Jays. The Jays, with a payroll roughly 3.5 times what the Orioles’ payroll is, kicked in gear and have gone 12-6. They now have moved past both Tampa Bay and Seattle. They aren’t fearing the 2022 Orioles right now.
I wrote a piece about 10 days ago about the Orioles’ flickering playoff hopes. Since that piece, the Orioles swept the brief two-game series in D.C., lost two of three in Toronto, and then they did the unthinkable. They probably got caught up a bit in taking Detroit for granted and lost two of three to the Tigers.
So, as the Orioles open a very difficult four-game series with Houston at Camden Yards, that playoff candle is still faintly flickering. The Orioles trail the Rays by 4.5 and the Mariners by four.
The Mariners have a laughable schedule to the finish line — they play Oakland four times, Kansas City three, Texas three and Detroit four. However, the M’s started this stretch with four games against the Angels and three against the A’s … and they lost three to the Angels and have lost the first two to the A’s.
Tampa Bay just lost three in a row to Houston. The Rays have the red-hot Jays coming in for four, then close on the road at Cleveland (three games), Houston (three) and Boston (three). It could get interesting in these next four days if the Orioles can catch the Astros looking ahead.
But regardless of whether or not the Orioles make the postseason, this club can’t allow itself the luxury of losing seemingly meaningless games.
The Orioles are just six games over .500 at 77-71. After all the positives, this recent stretch puts the Orioles at risk of not even finishing .500. That would not only be a shame, it would feel almost unprofessional for this plucky team to suddenly not care enough to exert itself to the finish line.
Manager Brandon Hyde has skillfully maneuvered his 2022 Orioles to be relevant in September. These last 14 games are an opportunity to create something that can be built upon in the next couple of seasons.
The 8-1 victory against the Tigers was a promising start of a race to the finish line.
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