Orioles find out that things really are tough all over

It was bad enough that the Orioles got shut out and swept in Texas, but that would not be the end of the indignity that would attach to them over the course of a very eventful Sunday across the major leagues.

The Orioles lost for the 10th time in 11 games and fell further out of contention in the American League wild card race, which would have been disturbing enough to the O's, their front office and their fans all by itself.

Then came the news that Cleveland Indians president Mark Shapiro is headed to Toronto to become the new president of the Blue Jays, which is the job that many thought Orioles baseball operations chief Dan Duquette would be in line for at the end of this season.

He was the first choice of Blue Jays ownership last winter when current Jays president Paul Beeston signaled his intention to retire, but the Orioles were not willing to let Duquette out of his contract without getting a lot in return from the Jays.

Still, until the story broke that the Jays had lured Shapiro away from the Indians, it still seemed plausible that Duquette might get that job this winter, though his club's recent downturn has not reflected well on his performance over the past nine months.

Oh, if that wasn't enough for one day, Chicago Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta pitched a no-hitter against the Dodgers on Sunday night for his 17th victory of the season. Arrieta, you surely recall, was a top Orioles pitching prospect who never popped here and was traded to the Cubs for Scott Feldman and Steve Clevenger.

Obviously, the Orioles could have used him the past couple of years -- he's a combined 27-11 with a 2.31 ERA since the start of the 2014 season -- but there's no guarantee he would have fulfilled his potential in Baltimore. He had reached the point where just about everyone agreed that he would benefit from a change of scenery.

He certainly has.