masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgThe Orioles have been alone or tied for first place every day since June 4. By the end of tonight, they could fall into second in the American League East.
A loss by the Orioles (53-39) at New York and a win by Boston (52-39) over the San Francisco Giants at Fenway Park would move Boston atop the division standings.
To say there is at least a small segment of some fans that are nervous is an understatement. I’ve seen fans predict the Orioles will get swept by New York, will be in second place…

The Orioles have been alone or tied for first place every day since June 4. By the end of tonight, they could fall into second in the American League East.

A loss by the Orioles (53-39) at New York and a win by Boston (52-39) over the San Francisco Giants at Fenway Park would move Boston atop the division standings.

To say there is at least a small segment of some fans that are nervous is an understatement. I’ve seen fans predict the Orioles will get swept by New York, will be in second place tonight and some even say the season is over. You can’t make this up and I didn’t.

Jones-Upset-Sidebar.jpg

I have my own concerns but certainly don’t see or share some of the panic I saw on this blog and on social media last night. But sure, the Orioles look bad right now. They can’t score runs. This same offense averaged 6.6 runs per game in June. This is more than Hyun Soo Kim being out of the lineup.

Ironically, for most of the last few games the Orioles have gotten some well-pitched games, but last night was not one. Still, the Orioles are averaging just two runs per game on this road trip and are batting .083 (2-for-24) with runners in scoring position in St. Petersburg and New York.

We can’t really expect some of these individuals to post these numbers much longer. But Manny Machado is 2-for-22, Chris Davis is 6-for-38, Mark Trumbo is 1-for-11, Adam Jones is 3-for-20. The last four games the Orioles have scored two runs, two runs, one run and one run.

The Orioles have scored just two runs on nine hits in this series. They went without a homer last night for the first time in 10 games since July 4 at Los Angeles. They’ve scored just six runs the last four games.

That has certainly created a segment of “woe is me” among what I believe to be a small but loud segment of a more even-keeled fanbase. There are ups and downs during a long season and the Orioles are in a down cycle.

The Orioles could use a win and soon. If they fall into second place tonight there may be a segment of the fanbase that won’t deal well with it.