The Baltimore Orioles are staring down the barrel of a brutal five-game losing streak right now, and honestly, their playoff chances are on life support. It’s been a rough stretch, kicking off with two gut-wrenching losses in Denver, and then getting completely outplayed in three straight against the Red Sox. If they don’t get the bats going today against Payton Tolle, their season might just flatline.
Pitching Is Fine, So What’s The Problem?
You know what’s crazy? Their pitching isn’t even the issue. Seriously, during this five-game skid, Baltimore’s rotation has delivered three quality starts, and not a single one of their starters has coughed up more than three runs. That’s solid work, man. You’d think with that kind of pitching, they’d be winning some games, right? But nope. Their offense has been an absolute disaster, a total no-show.
How bad has it gotten for Baltimore? Over these last five losses, they are averaging a pathetic 2.4 runs per game. Let that sink in. They haven’t scored a single run since Christian Encarnacion-Strand hit a two-run homer way back in the ninth inning of Thursday’s Game 1 against the Red Sox. That’s right, Friday and Saturday were both shutout losses. That’s only the second time all season the O’s have been blanked in back-to-back games. That’s just unacceptable if you’re trying to stay in the hunt.
Can Bradish Stop The Bleeding Against Tolle?
So now the Orioles have to face Red Sox rookie left-hander Payton Tolle, who has been absolutely stingy. This guy has pitched against Baltimore twice already this season, both times over in Fenway Park. Back in June, he carved them up for six shutout innings, punching out five batters. A month later, the O’s did manage to tag Tolle for four runs, but he still struck out nine in a game Boston ended up winning 6-5. The Red Sox are basically guaranteed a win when Tolle is on the mound, sporting an insane 9-1 record in his last ten outings. That’s a huge stat to overcome.
Baltimore is handing the ball to right-hander Kyle Bradish, hoping he can be the guy to snap this brutal skid. Bradish has faced Boston twice this year, picking up a win in Boston back in July, but also taking the loss against them in April. His last six starts have been a bit rocky for the Orioles’ former ace, putting up a 5.10 ERA over 30 innings. They need him to be better than rocky today, especially with their bats colder than a Seattle winter morning.
The Orioles are desperate for a win today. They’ve gotta find some offense, any offense, if they want to keep their season from fading out. Meanwhile, our own Emerald City Nine just wrapped up their game with the Athletics, taking a tough 6-2 loss at T-Mobile Park. We always say, there’s always tomorrow, but for Baltimore, tomorrow might be too late if they don’t get it together right now.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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