masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgAt 15-18, the Orioles are now three games under the .500 mark for the fifth time this year. They have never fallen four games under .500 and need a win tonight to avoid that. That is quite a change for a team that is coming off a 96-win season.
The Orioles had four more wins at this point last year and, at 19-14, were in first place. They begin play tonight tied for last in the American League East and four games out.
O’s outfielder and team leader Adam Jones this afternoon assessed the team…

At 15-18, the Orioles are now three games under the .500 mark for the fifth time this year. They have never fallen four games under .500 and need a win tonight to avoid that. That is quite a change for a team that is coming off a 96-win season.

The Orioles had four more wins at this point last year and, at 19-14, were in first place. They begin play tonight tied for last in the American League East and four games out.

O’s outfielder and team leader Adam Jones this afternoon assessed the team at this point and admitted there have been plenty of times that he didn’t like what he saw.

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“We’ve been making more mental mistakes than we’ve had and physical mistakes also,” Jones said. “We just haven’t synched as a team yet. We just haven’t hit the stride where we put pitching and hitting together.

“But I don’t foresee anyone running away with this division. I think this is going to be an 88- to 92-(game) division winner. I think the division is that tight.

“We have to figure it out, get healthy completely and sure up some loose ends. Keep hanging in there, maintain until the All-Star break and then make a surge. It starts today. Just have to come out and play hard and give effort.”

The Orioles have lost seven of their last 10 games and are 5-8 this month, scoring just 40 runs in those 13 games. The pitching has been respectable with an ERA of 3.13.

So how do the O’s shore up what has been coming up short so far?

“It is about personal accountability,” Jones said. “We have to get the job done. We are in the major leagues for a reason. Everyone here is accountable for their actions. When I fail at something, we all fail. Right now, we are not playing well as a team. We are playing hard, but not that well yet.”

Jones today said the players are not afraid to call each other out. He said it happens, but away from the media limelight.

“One thing we have done well here is police ourselves. It is never right to do it in the media though. We understand we all have different roles, but we police each other. We are pulling for each other most importantly, and we are trying to get everybody on the same page,” he said.