This 2021 season has certainly reached a new low. After this last series sweep to the hands of the AL-East-leading Rays, the Orioles have now dropped their last 15 games, all by multiple runs. This is a MLB record.
It will be really tough to speak about anything positive that happened in this series, as there was almost nothing. So let’s get the misery out of the way.
The starting pitching in this series was flat out horrendous. There were 17 runs let up all together by the starters, and Matt Harvey’s 4.2 innings was the longest outing out of the four.
Due to the utter lack of Major League level pitching we saw this series, the Orioles stood no chance. Going into the fourth inning of game one, the Orioles led 1-0, before Harvey imploded. In game three, Spenser Watkins had a two-run lead, before even throwing his first pitch. By the end of his first inning, the Orioles had already lost their lead.
And there you have it, those were the only two instances in this four-game series that the Orioles had any type of lead. Much like the starting rotation, the bullpen was of no help in this series either. Of the 34 total runs allowed this series, the other 17 came from the bullpen. The Rays killed the Birds with the long ball, sending out seven home runs in these four games.
Offensively, the bats just looked lost. The Orioles were only able to muster up eight total runs in this series, which would have been enough to outscore the Rays in one single game this series.
Cedric Mullins was ultimately shut down in this series and had the coldest stretch of four games this year. He went 3-for-15 with a home run in this series but didn’t record a single multi-hit game. Behind him, no one else really came to play either.
On a positive note, Ryan Mountcastle was able to reach the No. 20 mark in the home run column with his blast in game three. Ironically, that home run came off former O’s pitcher, Shawn Armstrong.
Also, Jorge Mateo continues to prove he is the best pick up for the Orioles this year. In his first 13 games with the club, Mateo is hitting .340, has stolen three bases, has played second base, shortstop, and outfield, and also is on a 10-game hitting streak. In this last series, Mateo notched a multi-hit game in three of these four games.
The one positive coming out of the pen continues to be Marcos Diplán. Now with nine innings under his belt, Diplán has still been dealing. He tossed 2.1 innings in this series, allowing just one hit and an unearned run. Although unearned, this is the first run to ever cross the plate while Diplán was on the mound.
Here are the final scores of this incredibly ugly series:
Game 1: Rays 9, O’s 2
- Loss: Harvey (6-12)
- Mullins: 1-for-3, RBI
- Mateo: 2-for-4, run scored
Game 2: Rays 10, O’s 0
- Loss: Means (5-5)
- Mateo: 2-for-4
Game 3: Rays 8, O’s 4
- Loss: Watkins (2-5)
- HR: Mullins (21) Mountcastle (20)
- Mateo: 1-for-4, run scored
- Scott + Tate: 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB
Game 4: Rays 7, O’s 2
- Loss: López (3-14)
- HR: Urías (6)
- Urias: 2-for-4, HR, 2 runs scored
- Mateo: 2-for-4
What are your thoughts on this series sweep? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook and Twitter and our podcast “The Walk-Off” on YouTube and Spotify! And, make sure to use the hashtag #thebaltimorebattery when sharing our content to show your Birdland swag!
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