Frustrated O’s lose 9th straight
Offense shows some late life, but not enough to end season-high losing streak
If progress for the Orioles offense comes in the form of a string of two-out singles, then so be it. That might speak more to the depths of frustration a beleaguered batting order is experiencing more than anything. It served as a sign of life Saturday afternoon, but it wasn’t enough to break this floundering team out of its season-long losing streak.
When the hole is dug this deep, results are all that matters. And manager Buck Showalter realizes that pointing to the light at the end of the tunnel won’t sit well with the Orioles reaching their 50th loss in their 69th game of the season after their 5-4 loss to the lowly Miami Marlins, a defeat that was their ninth straight and their 16th in 18 games.
They also dropped their 11th straight game at Camden Yards while losing a home series to the Marlins (28-43), who have nine more wins than Baltimore despite being in the middle of an overhaul.
Inside an empty Camden Yards hours before Saturday’s first pitch, several Orioles hitters took early swings on the field, trying to work their way out of their collective offensive funk by trying to take pitches the other way. Come game time, the Orioles had 11 hits, but stranded eight base runners. They scored four runs, and have now been held to four or fewer in 18 of the past 19 games. The only time they scored more was when they scored five June 2.
“We got 11 hits, we scored four,” said second baseman Jonathan Schoop, who showed a flash of breaking out of his slump with a solo homer in the sixth. “We got our chances. We didn't come through. So, we've got to keep grinding. We've got to keep working hard and hopefully the losing streak ends and we start winning tomorrow and keep going through until the season's over.”
Trey Mancini epitomized the frustration of the Orioles these days, emphatically removing his helmet with both hands and slamming it on the ground after stranding the tying run on third base in the seventh inning.
“I really would like to see them get a return for what they’re putting in,” Showalter said. “It’s very frustrating for me for them to see them not getting back what they’re putting into it, but at some point you’d think the game’s going to let them up a little bit. But nobody’s going to feel sorry for you. They step on your neck when you’re down and we did the same to other clubs and we’ve got to figure out a way to get back in that mode.”
For the second time Saturday, Mancini had the chance to tie the game in the seventh inning after consecutive two-out singles by Adam Jones, Manny Machado and Danny Valencia off Marlins reliever Tayron Guerrero manufactured a run to cut Miami’s lead to 5-4.
With runners at first and third, Mancini battled back from down 0-2 against righthander Brad Ziegler before hitting a ball sharply up the middle but within range of Marlins shortstop JT Riddle, who threw to first to get Mancini by a step. After crossing the bag, the typically calm Mancini slammed his helmet with a loud thud.
That came after Mancini had two on with two outs in the third two batters after Machado hit a two-run single to bring the Orioles within two runs at 4-2. But Mancini couldn’t keep the inning going, stranding two base runners with a groundout to third to end the inning.
“I was talking to Trey about it today in my office. It’s not a thing that one swing is going to get back,” Showalter said. “You’ve got to stay with the process and your approach and trust yourself. It’s so easy not to trust yourself at this point.”
Right-hander Alex Cobb (2-9) was stung by Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto, who drove in four of Miami’s five runs.