2011 Baltimore Orioles mid season review
The Baltimore Orioles find themselves with a 35-45 record at the mid point of the 2011 season. They are in last place in their division and we can attribute most of that to their 6-11 record in Interleague play, and 10-18 record against the other teams in their division. They are 0-6 versus the New York Yankees, but are five hundred when playing the Tampa Bay Rays. I do not know what to think about this team, Buck Showalter has them playing well, but I think they need to find some more talent.
The offense has scored just 326 runs, and that is fifth worst mark of the 14 American League clubs. As a team, they are batting .260, which ranks fifth in the AL. They have struck out 537 times, and drawn 239 walks. Since that number is the second fewest in the AL maybe this team could use a little more plate discipline. None of their regular nine starters is batting better than .300, but none is under .200 either. They do have 721 hits, but that is just 8th best in the AL.
Their pitching staff has given up 388 runs and that is the third most in the AL. Their staff ERA is 4.43 and that is second worst in the junior league. They have struck out 538 hitters, and issued 271 walks. They have one of their regular five starters close to 10 wins, and their closer has converted 14 saves.
When we look at these numbers, I think the Orioles are in need of starting pitching help, and some tweaks to their offense. On paper, they look a lot better than this but playing the Yanks, Bosox, and Rays is a tough pill for a rebuilding club to swallow. Like the Blue Jays, they need to find out exactly what they got on their roster and in their organization and then make moves to find clear upgrades.
Related Links:
- Baltimore Orioles news and notes
- Joshua Lobdell.com
