O’s focus not on future yet
Rogers Centre in a series that included two extra-inning losses and ended on the bad end of a 10-run rout.
“It’s really hard,” outfielder Trey Mancini said. “I don’t really know how to describe it, like ‘The Twilight Zone’ almost the last couple of months just the way things have gone. A lot of us are struggling and you have a choice: You can either sulk in your sorrows and feel sorry for yourself, or you can just wake up and choose to be positive and be a good teammate and help pick everybody up. I think everybody does a good job of that and tries to do that.”
The way the Orioles’ season has spiraled is bizarre. The starting rotation — which was the biggest concern entering the offseason — might now be the team’s most stable piece, especially over the past month. An injury-riddled bullpen will get back closer Zach Britton — but it’s uncertain how long he will he remain with the team as he, fellow pending free agent Brad Brach and possibly reliever Darren O’Day could be moved as the July 31 nonwaiver trade deadline approaches.
A team built on defense over the past seven years has sprung major leaks in converting batted balls to outs, regressions throughout the field that often aren’t truly detailed by the error column. The Orioles entered Sunday last in the majors with minus-63 defensive runs saved. But the biggest problem has been the offense, which is averaging 3.58 runs a game, which ranked 29th of the 30 major league teams entering Sunday. Six players in the starting lineup Sunday were hitting .233 or lower.
A week after Duquette said the team was prepared to shift its focus toward the future, Orioles decision-makers have done nothing to shift in that direction. There have been several times over the past month when it has felt as if change were near, but the Orioles continue to sit and watch as their season becomes a horror film.
They replaced struggling Chris Tillman in the rotation with rookie David Hess. And the club has handed the starting catching reins to Chance Sisco, and last week promoted rookie Austin Wynns to back him up. Those are moves to the future, but shouldn’t be con- Jonathan Schoop reacts during the ninth inning. The Orioles entered Sunday ranked 29th of the 30 major league teams in runs scored. fused for a shift in focus.
They have reportedly begun to field interest in shortstop Manny Machado, who is beginning to come down from a great start. Machado’s 50 RBIs are second most in baseball, but he’s just 4-for-25 over his past seven games.
Other than Machado, center fielder Adam Jones, Brach and Britton are pending free agents, but other players — such as Danny Valencia or Craig Gentry — could have value for contenders looking to trade for specific tools.
With the exception of outfielder Cedric Mullins, who was recently promoted to Triple-A Norfolk from Double-A Bowie, there are few replacements currently available. The organization’s other two top outfield prospects, Austin Hays and DJ Stewart, are on the disabled list, though Stewart is expected to return to Norfolk from a hamstring strain this week. Hays, the Orioles’ top prospect, struggled at Bowie, hitting just .224 with 43 strikeouts in 185 plate appearances before he was sidelined by an ankle injury.
There was some discussion about giving Mullins a big-league call-up, but the Orioles decided instead to season him in Triple-A.
The organization’s eyes are on Mullins. Not only would his switch-hitting bat give the Orioles an outfield option who can hit from the left side, but his range could help an outfield that has produced a majors-worst mi- nus-26 defensive runs saved, according to FanGraphs.
Also, the decision to option left-hander Tanner Scott to Triple-A Norfolk — and continue to carry out-of-options reliever Mike Wright (6.00 ERA) and Rule 5 draft pick Pedro Araujo (7.71) — was a peculiar move if the Orioles want to build beyond this season.
Showalter said the club wants to keep the ball in his hand, but after not allowing a run in 101⁄ innings at Norfolk, he has little more to prove in Triple-A.
Any move to the long-term future of the Orioles has to include a decision on mightily struggling Chris Davis, who has become an albatross in the lineup. The Orioles have four more seasons committed to him after 2018 after signing him to a club-record seven-year, $161 -million deal.
Davis is batting .153. His minus-1.9 WAR (wins above replacement) entering Sunday is the worst of any big league player this season.
“From my personal standpoint, my thought process is making the people we have better, getting back to the things we’re capable of,” Showalter said Sunday. “I’m not just going to hang it around one guy. It’s more than that. It’s always easy to switch players and do things, it’s not always easy — but I’m more in tune with the people we have here and trying to get them back on track.”