That's Why You Stink Fellas: Inside The Numbers With the 2009 Orioles

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Summer is here and for Baltimore fans, that usually means three things: oppressive humidity, Ravens training camp is just around the corner, and the Orioles have almost been eliminated from playoff contention.

It's been that way for 11—likely going on 12—years, but at least this year there is a glimmer of hope in the persons of Nolan Reimold, Matt Wieters, and, coming soon, Brian Matusz, Chris Tillman, and Jake Arrieta.

Wieters, Reimold, and former Minor League Pitcher of the Year Brad Bergeson have already made an impact. Combined with current stars Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, and Brian Roberts, the O's would seem to have a nice foundation, on paper.

But as we hopefully wait for these young players to morph into stars, there is the present, which is well...the same Orioles they've been for the last 12 years.

The team is currently last in the mighty American League East with a 32-40 record, although that does give the O's the honor of being the best last place team in baseball. So they've got that going for them.

How did the Orioles get there? It's as simple as pitching, pitching, pitching.

Here's just some random pitching categories the O's are at the bottom of:

• 5.01 ERA—13th in AL, 28th in MLB
• 417 strikeouts—13th in AL; 27th in MLB
• 5.3 runs allowed per game—13th in AL, 28th in MLB

The strikeouts stat can be excused because pitching coach Rick Kranitz has emphasized a "pitch to contact" philosophy. The Orioles are actually one of the best in terms of not giving up walks, surrendering 225 free passes, the fifth fewest in MLB.

The problem is, when they've pitched to contact, they've been hit. Hard. Check out that unsightly 4.96 team ERA (and that was before tonight's 11-3 beating at the hands of the Florida Marlins) and 1.45 WHIP (again set to go up after tonight). The low walks total makes that WHIP—walks/hits per innings pitched—worse because teams are reaching off hits.

Here's a season's pitching line a die hard O's fan will be able to guess:

Recognize that line? No, that's not a winning Keno ticket, that was Adam Eaton's stat line in his all-too-long stint in an Oriole uniform. Eaton managed to last eight games before General Manager Andy MacPhail mercifully cut the cord.

But I won't pick on Eaton too much. His stint in Baltimore seems like it happened six years ago. Here's a more disturbing stat line:

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