Hello, friends.
The Orioles have just passed a grim milestone. They now have a worse record than the team did through the same number of games last year. Even as pessimistic as I was about these jokers, I did not imagine this was a likely outcome. Here they are anyway. Last year’s Orioles were 43-50. The 2026 Orioles are now 42-51. What a disappointment. Check out Alex Church’s recap of last night’s game for more of the not-so-lovely totals on how they finally reached this point.
They made it interesting last night. Whatever else can be said about them, you’ve got to give them that. After Dean Kremer gave up four home runs and then Rico Garcia and Grant Wolfram combined to give up five runs between them to put the Orioles in a 9-3 hole, they didn’t go quietly. It’s just that it was too little, too late.
Perhaps that will be what is said about them for this season overall. Pretty much anything that you could cling to that maybe the O’s aren’t falling out of this thing has been obliterated within the last week or so. In addition to falling below last year’s pace, the third wild card team is now above .500, they are five games out of that picture, and the O’s are in last place in the division.
This thing is all but over. They can’t do it. To be sure, mathematical oblivion is a long way off. Other times this season, they’ve stabilized after bad stretches and they might do so again. It’s just that the Orioles have never managed to come back to where they should be. It’s going to be hard to do that as long as they can’t win more than three games in a row.
The Orioles have too many problems to solve and even if they solve some of them, there’s still the hole they’ve dug for themselves. In addition to just needing to have a good enough record by season’s end, the Orioles also need to have a good enough record to convince Mike Elias not to do any selling ahead of the trade deadline. Perhaps even to get him to buy to help solve some of those problems not only for the remainder of this season but for next year as well.
It is not fun that this is the case. There are not any good immediate solutions and any solutions beyond 2026 will require some pain. That could mean players you like being traded. It could mean more upheaval in the front office or on the coaching staff. I am sticking to my opinion that if the Orioles don’t make the playoffs, Elias should be removed at season’s end. There is no point to making a change sooner, barring truly horrendous behavior coming to light. Overseeing an underachieving roster doesn’t count for that. The cake is baked. It’s a crummy cake. Maybe next year’s will be better, if there is a different baker.
Orioles stuff you might have missed
Thoughts on Kremer’s splitter, Cowser’s defense, and more (School of Roch)
The praise for Kremer’s splitter is kind of tragic considering he went on to give up multiple homers on the splitter in last night’s game.
Breaking down the prospects who make the Orioles 2025 draft class its most encouraging in years (The Baltimore Banner)
You can certainly lament Caden Bodine being traded for Shane Baz, but even without him, there are plenty of early success stories for last year’s Orioles draft class. It’s much better to have it be like this than what the 2024 high picks were doing this time a year ago!
Each team’s best draft pick in the last ten years (MLB.com)
The fact that Gunnar Henderson rates the best here is extremely unsatisfying in the face of how his batting performance has tailed off so hard. After last night’s loss, he’s sitting at a .690 OPS. It’s not the only reason that the Orioles are where they are. It is a big reason.
Phil Regan, manager when Cal broke streak record, dies at 89 (The Baltimore Sun)
I think in 1995 I might have asked my dad nearly daily, “What if Phil Regan doesn’t play Cal today?” I don’t know why I was fixated on the idea that he might not do it, but that’s my main Regan memory. Condolences to his loved ones.
Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries
One lone former Oriole has a birthday today: Happy 77th to Steve Luebber, who made seven appearances for the 1981 Orioles.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: sewing machine inventor Elias Howe (1819), composer Ottorino Respighi (1879), actor Tom Hanks (1956), The White Stripes musician Jack White (1975), and Steven Universe creator Rebecca Sugar (1987).
On this day in history…
In 1540, England’s Henry VIII annulled his marriage to Anne of Cleves, the fourth of his six wives. Queen for about six months, Anne survived the longest of Henry’s wives by living for another 17 years.
In 1762, Catherine, later known as Catherine the Great, seized power in Russia following a coup against her husband, Peter III. She went on to reign for 34 years.
In 1868, the 14th amendment to the US Constitution was formally ratified. Its plain text enshrines birthright citizenship for the United States: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”
In 1943, the Allied powers of World War II initiated Operation Husky, an amphibious invasion of the island of Sicily. A bit more than a month later, the island was fully captured, with the Italian mainland set as the next target.
**
And that’s the way it is in Birdland on July 9. Have a safe Thursday. Go O’s!
