The Baltimore Orioles have been the small fish in the big pond for many years in the AL East. At one point during the 2009 season, the Orioles were leading the division; that was an old memory at the end of the season. The Orioles finished the 2009 season with a 64-98 record in last place. The Orioles only had 25 road wins in the season that was their last in the American League; only one team had fewer NL road wins: the Pittsburgh Pirates with 22.
Playing the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox potentially 19 times a year has taken its toll on the Orioles. The Orioles are usually good starters, but they fade quickly as the season progresses. Only one pitcher on the Orioles’ starting staff had 10 wins and that was Jeremy Guthrie, but he also had 17 losses. When the ace of a pitching staff has 7 more losses and then wins with an ERA over 5.00, the team won’t win many games and neither will the Orioles.
No Orioles starter topped .300; the highest was Nick Markakis at .293. Markakis also leads the team in RBI with 101. Luke Scott leads the team with just 25 home runs. The last winning season the Orioles had was in 1997, finishing with a 98-64 record losing to the Cleveland Indians in the American League Championship. Even the historically awful Tamp Bay Rays have had a winning season more recently than the Orioles.
We’ve learned in years past that spending the most money doesn’t win championships: Take the New York Yankees this decade for example. 2010 should be a better year for the Orioles, but their past indicates that if it is, it won’t be much better. If the Tampa Bay Rays can make a World Series run, there’s no reason the Baltimore Orioles can’t make it some season down the road.