The Baltimore Orioles are making history in all of the wrong ways right now.
The team is in the midst of an 18-game losing streak, and there is no telling when it’s going to end.
Currently, the Orioles have the worst record in baseball at 38-85.
That puts them on pace to finish the year with a miserable record of 50-112.
It’s possible that the organization is intentionally tanking with draft positioning in mind, but that doesn’t make the 2021 campaign any easier to stomach for fans.
Folks in Baltimore essentially have no reason to tune in right now.
Could that change in the near future?
Beyond John Means, The Rotation Is Unwatchable
It’s probably a safe bet that there are some Orioles fans out there who only tune in when John Means is starting.
He is having a great season.
He’s got a 3.50 ERA and 1.01 WHIP over 19 starts, and he tossed a no-hitter earlier in the year.
JOHN MEANS HAS THROWN A NO-HITTER ‼️
Only one Mariner reached base and it was on a wild pitch after a strikeout 🤯 pic.twitter.com/M6qIRBTHPa
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 5, 2021
It will, however, be interesting to monitor how he does next season.
Some of his predictive stats (like his 4.75 FIP) aren’t as impressive as his ERA is.
It wouldn’t be a total surprise to see him regress in 2021.
One thing for sure, though: Baltimore’s rotation is in shambles beyond Means.
The team rounds out its staff with Jorge Lopez (6.30 ERA, 5.19 FIP), Matt Harvey (6.27 ERA, 4.70 FIP), Keegan Akin (7.92 ERA, 5.10 FIP), and Spenser Watkins (5.63 ERA, 4.82 FIP).
It’s impossible to play winning baseball when four-fifths of your rotation is essentially unserviceable.
Needless to say, the Orioles are going to need to completely revamp their staff if they want to contend in the near future.
The Team Gets Blown Out Regularly
Not only are the Orioles losing frequently; they’re losing ugly, too.
During their 18-game losing streak, they have a 13-1 loss, a 10-3 loss, a 12-3 loss, a 9-4 loss, an 8-1 loss, a 16-2 loss, a 9-2 loss, and a 10-0 loss.
It’s one thing to come up short.
It’s another thing to not even be competitive.
Baltimore fans understandably aren’t interested in watching their team get annihilated every night.
On The Bright Side, Things Could Get Interesting Next Month
For rebuilding teams, the end of the year is often an exciting time.
Expanded rosters allow for September call-ups, and this season, we might see the debut of the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball: the Orioles’ Adley Rutschman.
The 23-year-old made a name for himself during his time at Oregon State University.
There, he batted .352 with a 1.032 OPS.
That led to him being selected by the Orioles with the No. 1 pick in the 2019 MLB Draft.
Since then, he has enjoyed success at the minor-league level, batting .278 with an OPS of .871 over two seasons in Baltimore’s system.
Adley Rutschman crushes his first Triple-A blast for @NorfolkTides! pic.twitter.com/nPAxgQVEnz
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 18, 2021
Nothing is guaranteed, but it wouldn’t be a surprise at all to see the Orioles add Rutschman to their MLB roster next month.
They’re not going to do it just to appease the fans, but folks would certainly start tuning in again to get a glimpse of baseball’s top prospect.
Time will tell which route Baltimore chooses to go.
NEXT: 3 Baltimore Orioles Prospects Who Can Contribute In 2022