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While it's not quite “championship or bust” time for the Baltimore Orioles, the 2024 MLB season serves as another year the O's are World Series contenders. Baltimore expects to be in the conversation for a title for much of the the next decade. Baseball is a funny sport though, an unforgivable one at times.
The Orioles haven’t played particularly well over the past two months. Perhaps they've lost an opportunity to pull away in the AL East, a division they trail by 1 1/2 games behind the New York Yankees. They can still win the division but do not control their own destiny with less than three weeks remaining in the regular season.
There is a ton of parity in MLB this season with no one team clearly standing above the rest. There are five or six teams who can say they expect to win a championship with a few others trying to dream that into existence. The Orioles are talented enough to be thinking about a penant at the very least. They won 100 games last year and might win another division title in 2024.
Every contending team has its flaws, the O's included. Baltimore has shown chinks in the armor throughout the year, but there is one big area that's been struggling mightily as of late, leading to plenty of frustrating nights for Orioles fans.
September is a great time to work out the kinks and get on track before the postseason. The Orioles have plenty to work on and will try to balance improving in stride with winning ballgames. Both will be beneficial to their chances of playing deep into the MLB playoffs.
Orioles offense searching for answers
Overall this season, the Orioles offense is among the best in MLB. Baltimore has scored the fourth-most runs, ranks second in home runs, and is fifth in OPS. Looking at the names penciled in one through nine, it shouldn’t surprise anyone to see those numbers.
Lately, things have been different though for the Orioles lineup. Baltimore scored seven runs in its last five games, winning only one. Its five through nine batters hit a combined .166 in those five games.
It hasn’t been only a few series. Baltimore's offense has struggled for over a month. Over the last 30 days, the Orioles are 26th and 24th among MLB teams in batting average and OPS. They averaged 4.23 runs per game across 26 games, down from their season total of 4.92.
Five of Baltimore's regulars – Adley Rutschman, Jackson Holliday, Ryan O'Hearn, Colton Cowser and Eloy Jimenez – are all hitting below .200 over the past two weeks. Rutschman in particular has been slumping for a bit. He sports a .585 OPS and .204 batting average since the All-Star break.
The bottom line is that the Orioles need their stars to get back on track, and the bottom of the order has to start hitting. Baltimore's roster is talented enough to expect that. They don’t have to hit .300, but a collective .166 average from more than half the lineup is abysmal.
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Baltimore's offense was its downfall in the postseason last year. In the ALDS, The Orioles scored two runs in Game 1 and one run in Game 3 as they were swept by the Texas Rangers. They had six total at-bats with runners in scoring position in those games.
The Orioles don’t want to limp into the playoffs. They should be eager to win a string of series before the postseason hits and build momentum for October. Their pursuit of the AL East and a first-round bye should exude enough motivation.
Baltimore's October outlook
The Orioles should consider themselves lucky they are still in the mix for the top seed in the American League given how they've played in the second half. They have a losing record since the All-Star break and had a losing record in August.
Baltimore has a tough schedule to close the regular season with six games against Detroit followed by trips to New York and Minnesota to play the Yankees and Twins. All three teams figure to be in playoff contention when they meet during the final week of September.
The Orioles have a couple of factors in their game they need to figure out. The lineup is one thing, but the starting rotation in the playoffs is a question mark as well. There are no locks behind Corbin Burnes, though Zach Eflin is more than likely the No. 2 starter.
Baltimore's pitching staff as a whole has been solid, but the rotation could be a vulnerability in the postseason.
The Orioles expect to be in a dog fight with the Yankees for the AL East crown through the regular season. One of them will likley be the No. 1 seed in the American League, the other the top Wild Card team. We'll see whether a first-round bye and home-field advantage through the ALCS is worth it for Baltimore.
