Another week of uninspired baseball has Birdland calling for the jobs of GM Mike Elias and manager Brandon Hyde.
Going 2-4 in their last six games, the Baltimore Orioles have hit the lowest of lows in losing their series to the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals and still have not found a way to get fired up.
Coming off a 24-2 drubbing to finish the last homestand with the Reds, the Orioles were said to be “pissed off” and would turn things around against the Nationals.
An off day and a new series saw the Birds blanked 7-0, with the offense collecting one hit against the Nats. Needless to say, there has been very little positives to speak of, including a free agent acquisition stating the clubhouse “does not need to be told how they are performing…”
As the Birds head to Detroit, salvaging a 2-1 win in Washington to avoid a sweep, let’s take a look at The Great, The Good and The Ugly from this past week.
The Great: Tomoyuki Sugano
While Cedric Mullins continues to be the bright spot for the offense, right now, it’s hard to overlook what Tomoyuki Sugano is doing for the O’s starting rotation.
Sugano completed another seven-inning gem, but unfortunately, the offense and the bullpen were unable to come through with another W for Sugano against Washington.
Sugano now has back-to-back quality starts and still has yet to allow more than three earned runs in a start. He has pitched into the sixth inning or later in three of his five starts this season.
Sugano is now 2-1 through five starts with a 3.54 ERA and 1.14 WHIP through 28 innings of work. He has held opponents to a .228 BABIP and a slash line of .252/.292/.449/.741.
The Good: Cade Povich
I know people are going to look at this and wonder how a player can last just 3.2 innings in one start and make his way into the good category. With the offense not really making much noise, except last Saturday, pitching has actually been the standout of this team.
Cade Povich followed up his season-worst outing with a gem of a game to help assure the Birds would not be swept by the Nats.
Pitching 6.2 innings and allowing only one earned run on 87 pitches (60 strikes), it was an outing that reminded fans why GM Mike Elias was so high on him.
Povich has now pitched into the fifth inning in four of five starts and allowed more than three earned runs only once. While his ERA is a little high, he hasn’t pitched necessarily poorly, and his most recent outing (his first win of the season) saw him lower his ERA 1.34 points in the victory.
With the Orioles desperately needing some rotation stability, Povich could be that one piece. He is now 1-2 through five games, pitching 25 innings with a 5.04 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP.
With his sweeper and kick changeup becoming a bigger part of his arsenal, Povich could become a key member going forward in helping the Birds turn things around.
The Ugly: Team Morale
Watching the Orioles on television doesn’t really explain how the lack of enthusiasm really hits. Seeing it in person changes everything.
As some members of The Baltimore Battery were in attendance at the final game against the Nats, one thing kept coming into the conversation, and that was the lack of desire and enthusiasm. The team looked like a bunch of individuals and less like a team.
From slow trots and walk-outs to the field with heads down, no one talking to each other, the dugout quiet and missing from the top step and even the first and third base coaches losing interest in the game, it was disheartening to watch as an Orioles fan.
The pissed off team from losing 24-2 never quite showed up, and even a 2-1 victory seemed like a little blip on the screen.
Hopefully, Povich’s outing and winning their first game (1-12) while scoring less than three runs will provide a little spark heading to Detroit.
Something needs to click soon because the first month is almost over, and a turnaround will need to get started soon.
The Orioles will head to Detroit for a three-game series starting Friday night and then return home to face the New York Yankees.
While they remain only four games back, these next six games will be a determination of if a turning point is possible or if certain seats need to be extinguished.
Will Sugano and Povich continue their growth? Will the offense wake up? Will team morale turn around? Tune in next week and check out the next edition of The Great, The Good and The Ugly.
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