Baltimore Orioles Midseason Report: Seeing Past the Ugliness

From the very beginning, the goal of the 2009 season for the Baltimore Orioles has been to be respectable on the field while continuing behind the scenes to develop the pieces needed to eventually lead the Orioles back to contention in the American League East.

With the season now three months old and nearing the mid-point, it’s time to see just how the Orioles have been doing in meeting their objectives.

It is probably generous to call the performance on the field so far respectable. Sporting a 32-40 record, the Orioles are in last place in the AL East.

However, there have been a few rays of hope that give indication of a brighter tomorrow.

To illustrate how the Orioles have reached their current record as well as what blocks in the foundation have been laid so far in 2009, let’s look in-depth at five players, moments or statistics that reflect the current state of the Birds and then five that reflect some hope for the future.

How the Orioles Got Here—32-40, 12 games out in the AL East

Starting Pitching: 19-30 record, 5.40 ERA

Sometimes I think the “Baseball Gods” have a cruel sense of humor. After relishing in some of the best starting pitching in the game for more than two decades, the starting pitching for the Orioles in the current decade has been abysmal.  

Baltimore has not had a pitcher win more than 15 games in a season since Mike Mussina won 18 games in 1999 and no Orioles pitcher has reached the 20 win mark since Mike Boddicker in 1984. Given the current starting staff, it will be a while before anyone challenges that level.

So far in 2009, the nine pitchers who have started games for the Orioles have a combined record of 19-30 with an earned run average of 5.40. The average length of start has barely been above the minimum needed to qualify for a win at about five and a half innings (5.4).

Road Blues: 11-23 record, .238 batting average, 29 home runs, 3.88 runs scored per game

No team in baseball has had as much of a disparity between performances at home and on the road in 2009 as the Orioles. Baltimore is 11-23 away from home and their bats seem to be getting lost in the baggage claim at the airports.

As a team, the Orioles are hitting .238 while scoring 3.88 runs per game with 29 home runs and 126 runs batted in on the road.

Adam Jones is the only starter hitting above .300 on the road and veteran Melvin Mora is languishing at .200 with no home runs and four runs batted in away from home.

Felix Pie: .224 batting average, two home runs, six runs batted in, one stolen base

Felix Pie is a reminder that not every trade works out.

A talented prospect who had struggled during his brief appearances at the major league level with the Chicago Cubs, many thought all he might need was a fresh start.

When Baltimore acquired Pie in the off-season for pitcher Garrett Olson, some thought the trade had the potential to be a windfall for the Orioles while others saw it as two teams trading disappointments.

You can’t blame Andy MacPhail for making the trade as Pie has been compared to current Orioles centerfielder Adam Jones and who wouldn’t want two Adam Jones’ in the lineup?

Given a chance to start in leftfield, Pie struggled from the very beginning and is now relegated to an occasional late-inning appearance as a pinch runner or defensive replacement.

But, he has played a little better in his few appearances in June, so who knows, maybe it is still too early to bury Pie just yet.

June 5-7: Starting pitching vs. the Oakland A’s—4.2 innings, 18 earned runs, 34.68 ERA

Perhaps no series better exemplifies some of the struggles the Orioles have had on the mound in 2009 than the three game set against the Oakland A’s.

In the series that concluded a disappointing West Coast road trip, starting pitchers Jason Berken, Rich Hill and Jeremy Guthrie were abysmal.

Neither Hill nor Guthrie made it out of the first inning. Berken made it into the fourth inning, but surrendered nine earned runs in the loss.

The Orioles’ hitters didn’t fare much better in the series as they hit .200 and scored only five runs as the Orioles were out-scored 21-5 in the three games.

Six losing streaks of three or more games with only two winning streaks of three or more games

One sign of a struggling team is the susceptibility to long losing streaks and inability to post sustained periods of success.

Through the first three months of the 2009 season, the Orioles have had six occasions where they have lost at least three games in a row, with three of those streaks being at least five games.

At the same time, the Orioles didn’t post a streak of three or more wins in a row until they won five straight games over the Blue Jays and Tigers in the last week of May.

Of course, they followed that brief winning streak with losses in 10 of their next 12 games.

They recently put together a second five-game winning streak against the Mets and Phillies, but then lost three straight to the Marlins.
   

Why the Future Will Be Brighter:

Matt Wieters, Nolan Reimold

You can’t talk about the future for the Baltimore Orioles without starting with these two talented youngsters.

Since being called up on May 14 and being given a chance to play regularly in leftfield, Reimold has showed flashes of brilliance with a .276 batting average, eight home runs and 17 runs batted in.

When Matt Wieters made his much-anticipated debut for the Orioles on May 29 it was more of an event than a game. No one really cared that Wieters didn’t have a hit in the game, they were just excited to see him.

After a rocky start, Wieters has settled down and illustrated why he has been such a hot prospect.

In 20 games, he is hitting .250 with two home runs and six runs batted in. However, in his last 12 games Wieters has hit .318 with both home runs and all six of his RBIs.

He's also been a tremendous asset defensively and related well with the young pitchers on the Orioles staff.

Brad Bergesen, Jason Berken, David Hernandez

There has been much discussion and excitement about the pitching prospects that the Orioles have been cultivating in the minor leagues. They may not ever reach the level of Palmer, McNally and Cuellar, but they certainly should be an improvement over the starters the Orioles have thrown out there in recent years.

The first three of the young guns have made their major league debuts this season and while they have all had rocky moments, each has shown promise that one-day they can be a quality major league starter.

You can actually argue that Bergesen should be considered a quality major league pitcher right now. In 12 starts, he has posted a 4-2 record and a 3.94 ERA.

He earned a complete game victory over the Atlanta Braves and has pitched into the sixth inning in 11 of his 12 starts.

It has been more of a struggle for Jason Berken, but he registered a victory over Toronto in his major league debut and also has had solid starts against the Detroit Tigers and New York Mets.

Though David Hernandez is now back at Triple-A, he pitched well in three starts with the Orioles and allowed only one run in earning the victory in his career debut against Detroit.

The best part is that this was just the first wave of talented young pitchers. Within the next year, you can likely expect to see Chris Tillman, Jake Arrieta and Brian Matusz making their debuts at Camden Yards.

June 18: Baltimore Orioles 5, New York Mets 4

If the Orioles ever want to be a true contender, they will have to get used to making the kind of comeback they made against the New York Mets on June 18.

Trailing 4-2 after seven innings, the Orioles scored once in the eighth inning to cut the margin to 4-3.

However, with superstar closer Francisco Rodriguez ready to shut out the lights in the ninth, the Orioles didn’t seem to have much hope of continuing the comeback.

Matt Wieters led off the inning with a double and the Orioles eventually loaded the bases with no outs. A walk to Adam Jones forced in the game-tying run and the winning run soon scored on a single by Aubrey Huff.

Batting Leadoff and Playing Second Base: Brian Roberts

Now that the Orioles are seemingly out of contention, some in the national media have rekindled discussions about how Brian Roberts would be a welcomed mid-season addition for any of a number of contending teams.

The response from Orioles fans, and I hope also from the Orioles front office should be: NO, NO, NO!

Brian Roberts is good for the Orioles and by signing a four-year contract in the off-season, Roberts has shown that he wants to stay in Baltimore.

Roberts remains one of the top lead off men in baseball (.292 batting average, 53 runs, 15 stolen bases) and if the Orioles do start making a run at respectability in the next couple years, there is no doubt that Roberts will be among those leading the way.

What an Outfield Duo: Adam Jones and Nick Markakis

Though Jones’ bat has cooled off a bit over the last couple weeks, he has clearly illustrated this season that he is the real deal and will be a quality centerfielder in this league for many years to come.

When you combine Jones with rightfielder Nick Markakis, the Orioles possess two of the brightest young outfielders in the game of baseball.

The best part is that both players are dynamic in how they play and still only starting to tap their full potential. Jones won't be 24 until August and Markakis will turn 26 after the season.

The Birds will be able to pencil both Jones and Markakis in the starting lineup for years to come and the duo should eventually become the two faces of the organization with multiple All-Star appearances between them.

The Orioles may not have had the successful first half of 2009 that they would have preferred, but the foundation continues to be laid for what should certainly be an exciting future.