Let’s not sugarcoat it: the Orioles are playing bad baseball. They can’t hit. They can’t hit with runners in scoring position. They can’t hold a lead. Most importantly, they can’t build a lead, because their starting pitching has been so bad.
The Orioles rotation currently ranks last in the AL with a 5.52 ERA. Not only are the results bad, but in terms of stuff—that is, the velocity, shape and spin of pitches—this has been deemed one of baseball’s worst rotations, ahead of only the Rockies, Angels, Cardinals, White Sox and Diamondbacks.