Happy days hard to find in Baltimore

Baseball Betting Lines

07/25/2008 - (Baseball Betting) - Not only did powerful storms force the suspension of Wednesday's game with the Toronto Blue Jays at Camden Yards, the lasting impression of those wild wind gusts and massive downpours seemed to have also put a damper on the Baltimore offense on Thursday.

After posting eight runs in both of the first two games of the four-game set with Toronto , the O's forgot how to hit, managing just a single run in the concluded game from Wednesday (5-1) and Thursday's scheduled contest (7-1), dropping Baltimore to five games under .500 for the first time this season at 48-53.

Then again, this mid-summer slump is really nothing new for the Orioles, who always seem to run out of steam when the temperature and the expectations begin to rise. Over the last 10 games the O's have not only dropped seven outings to the likes of Toronto, Detroit and Boston, they've scored a mere one run in five of those games. The high-water mark for the club came just over a week ago when they defeated the Tigers for the second time in as many games by posting an 11-10 decision, but even then the team had to go to extra innings to get the job done.

Forced to complete Wednesday's abbreviated game yesterday afternoon was just one more way to show that the Orioles are not ready for prime time. Of all the clubs in the American League East, only Baltimore has a losing record in day games this season. And really, it is not even a close call with the team sporting a miserable 11-22 record under the sun.

With the pair of setbacks the Orioles have now gone almost an entire month without winning a single series. Ironically, the team last achieved that goal not only on the road, but against one of the top teams in all of baseball, the Chicago Cubs. What's even more remarkable about that long-lost achievement is that the trip was the first-ever for the O's to Wrigley Field and the final game of the set, an 11-4 decision in favor of the visitors, was played in the middle of the day.

Prior to this 10-game stretch in which the Baltimore offense has been hit or miss (pun intended), the team had scored at least two runs per outing since May 23 when it bowed to Tampa Bay, 2-0. That shutout, the third in a span of 10 games, came during a time when the Orioles were again an all-or-nothing club as they lost four out of five games by scoring a combined two runs in the setbacks. In the lone victory, the club turned the tables on the New York Yankees in a series opener in the Bronx no less, with a resounding 12-2 victory.

Players like Aubrey Huff (five home runs, 17 RBI, .315 batting average), Brian Roberts (.327) and Nick Markakis (five home runs, 16 RBI) are certainly holding up their end of the bargain during day games this season but one has to wonder why Kevin Millar (.231) and Melvin Mora (.170) seem to melt away under the summer sun.

From a pitching perspective, the team's lone representative in this year's all-star game, reliever George Sherrill, has been charged with three loses in as many daytime decisions thus far and has a disappointing 8.10 ERA over the course of 10 innings in 12 appearances. But Sherrill is not the only hurler dropping the ball because Daniel Cabrera has allowed the opposition to walk/run all over him in his eight day games this season.

Cabrera, who has a record of 1-3 and a 5.29 ERA under the sun, has more walks (32) than strikeouts (24) in his 47.2 innings. And more than just those disappointing facts, Cabrera has also been charged with hitting batters six times and uncorking six wild pitches, and that's when they haven't been teeing off for seven home runs. Once on the base paths, the opposition has stolen 10 bases against Cabrera, getting caught just twice.

So what does all of this mean for the Orioles? Everything and nothing all at the same time because the squad will again be just an observer (possible spoiler) as the real teams in the AL East start their push down the home stretch.

WHO'S HOT

While he may not be the most reliable hitter during the daytime for the Orioles this season, there's no denying that Mora has found his stroke in the last seven games for the squad, sporting three home runs and a whopping 13 RBI, while batting .464.

Also stepping up his play has been Ramon Hernandez, the catcher posting three home runs of his own and six RBI in just five games during the last week for the club.

Add Huff to the list of top producers in the last week with his nine hits and eight runs scored.

WHO'S NOT

The Orioles have had trouble getting into the win column of late, even as Hernandez, Huff and Mora shoot the ball all over the field, which leaves a guy like Brian Roberts holding the bag right now. The second baseman has been to the plate 28 times in seven games, producing six hits (.214), two runs scored and just a single RBI.

Just like the offense has disappeared for the O's in several recent games, the pitching staff has not made it easy for the club either, sporting a combined 5.63 ERA. Daniel Cabrera, who has as many walks (seven) as he does strikeouts in his last two games, has allowed a whopping 14 runs and has watched opposing hitters crank out a .372 average against him over 10 innings of work.

ON DECK

The Orioles close out a lengthy 11-game homestand this weekend with three in a row versus the top team in the American League West, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. But more than being the best team in their own division, the Angels are currently the premier club in all of baseball with a 62-39 record and a mark of 31-18 on the road. Also counting against Baltimore is the fact that LA has a 15-9 record versus teams in the East. Brian Burres (7-6) goes to the hill for the birds tonight against Joe Saunders (12-5), while Radhames Liz (4-2) and Jon Garland (8-6) matchup on Saturday. The every-tricky day game on Sunday has Garrett Olson (6-5) slated to make the start for the Orioles, pitted against Ervin Santana (11-4).

Next up for Baltimore is three-game sets versus the Yankees, Seattle and another series with the Angels, all on the road beginning on Monday.