Earlier this week, the Baltimore Orioles were able to snap their miserable losing streak just before it reached 20 games.
THE STREAK IS OVER.
THE ORIOLES WIN! pic.twitter.com/qCNMdyc16E
— Connor Newcomb (@ConnorNewcomb_) August 26, 2021
That’s hardly something to be proud of, but many folks were very relieved to see the agonizing skid come to an end.
Orioles fans likely weren’t the only ones who were relieved—the league presumably was, too.
Today, we’re going to talk about why Baltimore’s losing streak was bad for baseball, and we’re also going to take a look at what the rest of the year holds for the Orioles.
Non-Competitive Teams Are Bad For Baseball
MLB wants its product to be competitive.
At the end of the day, competition is exciting, as that’s what drives a healthy fanbase for any sport.
When a team loses 19 straight games, that’s the exact opposite of a competitive product.
For almost three full weeks, every team that the Orioles played was on the receiving end of a free victory.
How is that good for the spirit of the game?
All teams go through ups and downs throughout the course of a 162-game season, but something is wrong when a team can’t buy a win for more than half a month.
A Losing Streak Like As Long As 19 Games Makes Fans Apathetic
Somewhere along the way during the losing streak, most Orioles fans likely checked out.
Can you blame them?
There’s no reason to watch a non-competitive team on a nightly basis.
Diehard fans refuse to miss a game no matter what, but there’s virtually no chance that casual Orioles fans will watch another game this season.
The fear is that the fans’ apathy will extend into next season.
Some folks might not tune into Orioles games again until they’re given a reason to.
Given the timeline of the organization’s rebuild, that could be years down the road.
On The Bright Side, The Orioles Have Won Two Straight
For the Orioles fans that are still tuning in, they have been rewarded with two straight victories.
The O’s beat the Los Angeles Angels with Shohei Ohtani on the mound on Wednesday night, then Baltimore managed to pull off a dominant 13-1 victory over the Angels on Thursday.
The Orioles will look to keep the momentum going in their next series against the Tampa Bay Rays, although that might be a tall task.
Three straight has a nice ring to it.
Last Thoughts: Fans Should Keep An Eye Out For A Potential Adley Rutschman Call-Up In September
Baltimore clearly has nothing left to play for this season, but there could be some excitement on the way in the form of Adley Rutschman.
Rutschman—a catcher in the Orioles’ system—is the top prospect in all of baseball.
There’s a chance he could make his MLB debut in September.
Adley Rutschman is so smooth. pic.twitter.com/ZGEIXpwrVs
— The Verge- An Orioles MiLB Podcast (@BSLOnTheVerge) August 25, 2021
Perhaps Rutschman’s debut could be enough to get Orioles fans’ attention again.
The 23-year-old looks like he could be the next big thing.
Over three seasons at the collegiate level, he batted .252 with a 1.032 OPS.
Over two seasons in Baltimore’s farm system, he has so far managed a slash line of .276/.385/.483.
Those are obviously some very encouraging numbers.
Time will tell if we see him this season.
September call-ups are right around the corner.
NEXT: No Real Reason For Orioles Fans To Tune In At The Moment