Baltimore Sports Then and Now

Despite their struggles in 2010, the Orioles have won seven games in extra innings.

After finally becoming the last team to reach 30 victories in 2010 with a dramatic extra inning win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday, the Baltimore Orioles can now set their sights toward continuing to improve over the final two and a half months of the season as they try to avoid a 100 loss season.

It might seem like a long-shot considering that they would have to win 33 of their final 69 games (.478) to accomplish that goal after playing at a .322 clip through the first 93 contests.

However, though victories have not been plentiful so far in 2010, the Orioles have shown an unusual fortitude for late game comebacks and that might be something they can build on over the final two months.

What the Orioles desperately need is a spark, both on and off the field.

If Andy MacPhail finally gets off his duff and brings in a new manager and Brian Roberts and Matt Wieters are able to get back to top form when they return from the disabled list, they could give Baltimore the push they need.

The rumor has been that Buck Showalter would be named the manager of the Orioles sometime before the end of July. Some speculation has been that MacPhail was waiting until after Roberts and Wieters returned to the lineup so Showalter could have his lineup at full strength.
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The Orioles have been unable to overcome the loss of Brian Roberts in the lineup.

If you are looking for a reason the Baltimore Orioles haven’t been able to consistently score runs in 2010, I give you just two words: Brian Roberts. Proving that the 32-year-old second baseman is one of the most underrated leadoff men in baseball, the Orioles have struggled to score without their primary table setter.

Given the quiet consistency Roberts has demonstrated over the last six seasons, it is perhaps easy to take his greatness for granted. Between 2004 and 2009, Roberts batted .290 and averaged 101 runs, 46 doubles, 35 stolen bases and 62 RBI while twice earning All-Star appearances.

In 2009, the Orioles averaged 4.62 runs per game and scored in the opening inning 53 times.

The Orioles have basically been without Roberts throughout all of the 2010 season as he has played in only four games.

Without their table-setter, the Orioles have been one of the worst offensive teams in baseball and are threatening to post one of the worst records in baseball history. Read the rest of this entry →

Brian Roberts has established a new career-high for doubles and is among the league leaders in runs scored.

After a miserable post-All Star Break performance, the Orioles are providing fans with some September highlights.

The Birds are still losing more than they’re winning with a 6-7 mark this month; however, the team already has exceeded its September win totals from 2008 (5-20) and 2002 (4-24).

The O’s are already more than halfway to their traditional 10 September wins, a mark they reached in 2007 (10-19), 2006 (10-18), 2005 (10-18), and 2003 (10-16).

The team’s best September mark this decade came in 2004 when they went 18-10, which they followed up with a 42-28 start to the 2005 season. How does 60-38 sound?
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A strong second half by second baseman Brian Roberts is a key for the Orioles.

The second half of the 2009 season for the Baltimore Orioles isn’t necessarily about wins and losses, but it is about changing a negative aura that has been more than a decade in the making.

Baltimore has posted a winning mark in the second half of the season only three times since 1998 and not since 2004.

But the struggles have gone beyond just registering losing seasons. Almost every year, the Orioles have sleep walked through the last two months of the season.

Over the last four years, the Orioles have posted a .355 winning percentage after August 1 and since 1998 the team has won only 40.8 percent of their games over the last two months.

In comparison, in the first half of those same four seasons, the Orioles had a winning record twice and a .488 winning percentage.

Even this season, though Baltimore has a losing record at the All-Star break (40-48), the team has played with great intensity and had some dramatic come-from-behind wins.

If the Orioles really want to be competitive in 2010 and beyond, they need to show that they can play with that same level of intensity for the entire season. The Birds cannot have another second half of the year where they look like a team just playing out the string.

So, for the Orioles to start building for 2010 today, these five players need to lead the way and have a big second half of the season.
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