BALTIMORE -- This was supposed to be the soft part of the schedule. A four-game home series against the struggling Minnesota Twins, coming off a four-game sweep of the Oakland A's and a respectable two-game split against a hot New York Mets team, and with the Los Angeles Angels and Toronto Blue Jays going buck-wild (card) on each other in Anaheim, this was where the Baltimore Orioles were supposed to make their move in the standings. And that's exactly what they've done. Only they're moving in the wrong direction.
Following Saturday's 3-2 loss in their third straight defeat, the Orioles are in danger of getting swept by a Twins team that landed in Charm City having lost 21 of its previous 30 contests. Based on the measurables -- prior to Thursday, Baltimore was 16 games over .500 at home while Minnesota was 16 games under .500 on the road -- a series win for the O's seemed probable at the least. A sweep was a distinct possibility. A split? That seemed like the worst-case scenario. But like the old saying goes, that's why they play the game. And for three nights in a row now, the Twins have played it better than the Orioles.
It was easy enough to blame the starting pitching for Thursday's 15-2 blowout, when Miguel Gonzalez got roughed up for seven runs on eight hits in five innings. On Friday night, it was only natural to point the finger at Darren O'Day, who blew a two-run lead by allowing six baserunners and a season-high three earned runs in two-thirds of an inning.
But the common thread in both games is an issue that has been ongoing for nearly four months now and once again reared its ugly head on Saturday. And for a team that has relied on home runs to score 46 percent of their runs this season (the second-most in MLB), it was the inability of the Orioles to consistently generate any kind of sustained offensive threats.
Facing a relatively anonymous Twins pitching staff that entered the series ranked 12th in the American League (4.24 ERA), the Orioles have managed to scratch out just seven runs over the past three days. Their lagging lumber has been especially conspicuous late in the game: Against a bullpen that's missing regular closer Glen Perkins (out with a neck injury) and instead features journeyman Kevin Jepsen (who had just five saves in seven seasons prior to 2015) to protect late leads, the Birds have amassed a grand total of one hit in eight-plus innings.
On Saturday, of the seven hits the O's recorded, four of them came from Steve Clevenger and Henry Urrutia, two guys who were called up from Triple-A Norfolk last week to try to inject some life into the Birds' languid lineup. The rest of the team went just 3-for-24, including a 1-for-15 performance from Baltimore's No. 1 through No. 4 hitters. Things have gotten so bad that in the sixth inning, with one out and runners on second and third, the Twins intentionally walked Clevenger, a 29-year-old third-string catcher, to get to J.J. Hardy, who entered the game mired in a 4-for-47 slump. After Hardy drove in the Orioles' second run with a sacrifice fly, Urrutia singled to load the bases again. But Manny Machado struck out to strand all three baserunners.
"We haven't been hitting clutch," Machado said. "It happens."
Put simply, the O's lack of O is killing them.
"Any time you're in the big leagues, the margin of error is small," said Chris Tillman, who lost for the first time in eight decisions despite allowing just four hits in 6 2/3 innings. It was the second night in a row that Baltimore wasted a quality start from one of its hurlers. "They have a good lineup," Tillman observed. "They do the small things to win ball games."
Meanwhile, the Birds' bats have been stuck in neutral.
"Not mounting a whole lot offensively," Buck Showalter said after Saturday's loss. "They're pitching well and we're not grouping a whole lot together. That's a bad combination."
Just how bad is it? If Baltimore drops Sunday's finale to the Twins, who have won in each of their first six meetings between the two teams this year, it would mark just the second time in Orioles history that Minnesota has swept the season series. It would also mean that the Twins, who came to town two games under .500 and 3.5 games behind Baltimore in the AL wild-card race, would leave town ahead of the Orioles, a fate that seemed inconceivable just three days ago. Even if the Birds are able to avoid the sweep, it feels like the damage is already done.
"It can turn very quickly," Showalter said. "It's not like you just throw your gloves and balls out there and things happen. You gotta make ‘em happen in between the lines."
And more often than not lately, the Orioles haven't been.
