Sunday: Reactions from the Clubhouse
No team can feel good about a 1-5 season start, but it's safe to say the Orioles are in a position to feel worse than most who might find themselves in that position. It was a quiet clubhouse following the 5-2 loss to Toronto on Sunday- another game in which there were positive performances but not enough overall good team play for the Orioles to claim victory. The starting pitching of Kevin Milwood was the most obvious positive (7 2/3 innings, 1 earned run) while the hitting was clearly lacking (1-for-8 with runners in scoring position following a shutout loss the night prior). I asked manager Dave Trembley if from where he sits does he see his hitters pressing? He responded with a qualified "yes"- saying "it's only natural that you start trying to do maybe a little bit more than you should be doing because you want to do well, and that's not how it goes. You just have to be relaxed, be confident."
I don't get the sense that the Orioles' team confidence is crushed after 6 games. There are enough veterans on this team who've been through struggles and losing streaks who know to find perspective for a 6-game span. The fact that it's the first 6 games of the season adds emphasis on the struggles. The fact the O's are attempting to show progress after 12 straight losing seasons adds emphasis, too- especially to the fans, less so the players (none of whom have been here for 12 years). I asked Miguel Tejada and Millwood (combined 24 years Major League experience) what they make of a 1-and-5 start. Tejada said the team is trying hard and actually playing well for the most part- they just need to come out Monday and start a winning streak. Millwood told me that he sees a team that's playing good baseball, but coming up short in completing the job to get wins.
We've made the observation over the past several years that the Orioles are build to have little room for error in the tough A.L. East. That was literally the case on Sunday when Tejada's error at 3rd base with 2 out in the 8th inning opened the door for a Toronto comeback that was the O's eventual un-doing. By the way- that was the team's first error of the year. There will be great emphasis on Tejada's misplay, but to do that is to overlook the greater team aspect of the sport: they can't expect to win when they score just 2 runs. So far, Baltimore is averaging about 3 runs per game. No wonder their record is 1-5. And making it more annoying: the starting pitchers have an ERA of 3.90 which is not emblematic of a team stumbling out of the gate.
Looking for some good news? The team is expected to announce the status of 2nd baseman Brian Roberts on Monday. It's critical to get him back in the lineup sooner than later. He's in doubt with a abdominal muscle strain suffered on Friday. If Roberts goes on the disabled list- the hopes of many Oriole fans will be severely disabled, as well.
