The Baltimore Orioles have done something that not even the ’88 Orioles team had previously done, losing 14 straight games twice in one season. In fact, no team in American league history has had two such streaks in a season and the dreaded feat had only been accomplished twice since 1901 until the Orioles accomplished it themselves.

The Orioles currently sit at 16 straight losses (five away from the franchise record set in 1988), 45 games below .500, and 36 games out of first place in the division.

The Orioles have had nearly 350 games with Brandon Hyde at the managerial position with just 117 wins to speak for. Of course not all of the blame can be placed on Hyde, however, a 117-226 record which equates to a .341 winning percentage is about the same as an NFL head coach winning 5.5 games a season. Eventually the team has to get better and while going through that process show signs of improvement; the Baltimore Orioles have not shown signs of improvement in the 3 years under Hyde. The farm system for the Orioles is ranked 2nd in the MLB headed by Adley Rutschman, but that falls under the GM Mike Elias.

There is hope for the Orioles; the aforementioned farm system has five players in the top 100 for MLB prospects according to mlb.com. Adley Rutschman C at one, Grayson Rodriguez RHP at eight, D.L. Hall LHP at 78, Gunnar Henderson SS/3B at 80, and Colton Cowser OF at 83.

Sitting at 45 games below .500 the season may seem lost, however, if the Orioles can finish the season with pride they could take games away from their division rivals. On September 28, 2011, the Orioles stunned the Boston Red Sox after Robert Andino’s walk-off hit against Jonathan Papelbon to knock the Red Sox out of playoff contention. The Orioles would carry that momentum into the future for three playoff appearances, including a trip to the American League Championship Series in 2014.

Jon Shearer