It’s been a tumultuous season for Cleveland, what with management’s miserly distress, José Ramírez’s fall apart from movie star to the replacement-level hitter, and the Twins’ surge atop the AL Central standings. In April, in excessive want of outfield assist, Cleveland despatched Cameron Maybin to the injury-ravaged Yankees for not anything more than coins in going back, and the veteran outfielder has responded via hitting .314/.391/.500 in the Bronx.
But not anything from the first three months of the 2019 season changed into greater ignominious than Cleveland’s performance in Baltimore this weekend. The Orioles hadn’t gained consecutive games because early May. They hadn’t won any collection since taking of three from the White Sox in April. And they hadn’t gained any recreation by using more than four runs seeing that one of these wins in opposition to Chicago. On Friday, Baltimore walloped touring Cleveland thirteen-zero. On Saturday, they repeated the feat, with the same very last rating—marking the first time in MLB records that one crew had won consecutive shutouts with as a minimum thirteen runs scored in every sport. For days, Cleveland made Baltimore appear to be the distinguished group in baseball.
Through the Orioles’ different 82 games so far, though, Baltimore has seemed like the worst group in baseball—and one of the worst in baseball records. The 2019 season is congested with groups vying for the lowest of the standings, and that site visitors have produced a few stretches of actually terrible baseball: The Marlins inspired some “worst ever” chatter this spring after a ten-31 begin, and the Tigers might be headed that manner after a five-20 June. But none of 2019’s different tanking groups can match the 24-60 Orioles loss for loss, and home run allowed for great domestic run allowed.
A survey of Baltimore’s roster famous that each the lineup and pitching workforce boast one, and handiest one, vibrant spot. In the former, Trey Mancini (135 wRC+) has prospered whilst younger gamers like center fielder Cedric Mullins II (-10 wRC+ inside the majors; 51 within the minors) and shortstop Richie Martin Jr. (37 wRC+, all within the majors) have foundered at the plate, and Chris Davis (42) has written a tragedy all via himself. The defense remains disastrous after trending that manner ultimate season, and Orioles catchers rate among the worst framers in the league.
On the pitching facet, rookie left-hander John Means is headed to the All-Star Game on the power of a 2.50 ERA and one of the majors’ best changeups. Before this season, Means changed into a non-prospect: an 11th-round draft pick in 2014 with a profession three. Eighty-three ERA within the minors, whose exceptional showing on any Orioles prospect list became twenty-eighth in 2017, previous to going unranked earlier than each the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Means has seven of Baltimore’s 24 wins, and fellow starters Andrew Cashner and Dylan Bundy have at least pitched with intermittent effectiveness among bouts of home run hassle. But each different Oriole who has made a start this season beyond that trio—a group 10 deep—has combined for a 7. Fifty two ERA and allowed 2.9 homers consistent with nine innings. The bullpen hasn’t fared an awful lot higher, with closer Mychal Givens struggling to rein in each walks and homers en path to a five.06 ERA; average, the pen ranks thirtieth in WAR, 29th in ERA, and 28th in WPA.
