The product on the field was never supposed to look this bad.
Some growing pains were expected, along with rough stretches over the course of a long season, but this Baltimore Orioles team was projected to contend for the AL East and remain firmly in the postseason picture.
Instead, as May passes the halfway point, the Orioles sit at 21-29 and already 13 games out of first place. At times, they have looked eerily similar to the 2018 club that collapsed into a 47-win season and ultimately sparked organizational change from the roster to the front office.
At their current pace, the Birds are headed toward a 68-win season — far closer to the top of the draft order than the American League Wild Card race.
After being swept by the Tampa Bay Rays and heading home to face the Detroit Tigers, it is time for the debut edition of The Ugly, The Sad & The Pathetic.
THE UGLY: TREVOR ROGERS
Trevor Rogers could have easily landed in any of the three categories, but based on his recent stretch, he remains firmly in “The Ugly.”
With an opportunity to steady his season, Rogers instead watched things spiral further during his latest outing in St. Petersburg. Even he acknowledged it afterward.
“Excuse my French, but they [the Rays] beat my ass tonight,” Rogers told the media.
Rogers surrendered seven earned runs on eight hits in just 3.2 innings against Tampa Bay.
After opening the season 2-0 with three consecutive quality starts, Rogers has gone 0-5 over his last five appearances, with his ERA skyrocketing from 1.89 to 6.87.
His May numbers are even more alarming: a 15.26 ERA with 13 earned runs allowed in only 7.2 innings while opponents are batting .348 against him.
For the season, Rogers is 2-5 and has not pitched beyond five innings since April 19. He has also allowed at least three runs in every start since April 14.
Expected to anchor the Orioles’ rotation in a contract year, Rogers instead finds himself searching for answers as both his value and role continue to come into question.
THE SAD: TYLER O’NEILL
When the Orioles committed $16 million annually to Tyler O’Neill, they were betting on middle-of-the-order production despite his lengthy injury history. So far, they have not received it.
While O’Neill has stayed on the field more consistently this season, the offensive results have been underwhelming.
Over the last week, O’Neill managed just two hits in 20 at-bats — one of them a home run — while striking out four times and drawing only one walk.
His season numbers paint an even bleaker picture. Through 29 games, O’Neill is slashing .159/.281/.244 with just 13 hits, including one double and two home runs, alongside 22 strikeouts.
THE PATHETIC: THE ORIOLES’ OFFENSE WITH RISP
At some point, this problem was supposed to improve. Instead, it has only become more glaring.
During the three-game sweep against Tampa Bay, the Orioles went just 4-for-28 with runners in scoring position, good for a .143 average. The struggles extended throughout the entire road trip, where Baltimore finished 9-for-54 (.167) in those situations.
What makes the issue even more frustrating is the lack of visible adjustment. Before the road trip, O’s manager Craig Albernaz mentioned bunting would become a greater emphasis offensively. Yet over six games against Washington and Tampa Bay, the Birds recorded only two sacrifice flies and failed to show any meaningful change in their approach.
The Orioles are inching dangerously close to panic mode, and the urgency is only growing. This core has been together for almost four years, and the expectation was that experience would help steady difficult stretches. Instead, the same issues continue surfacing night after night.
For Baltimore’s sake, the club hopes to return to The Great, The Good & The Ugly next week. But if this stretch continues, The Ugly, The Sad & The Pathetic may become a recurring feature.
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