Welcome back to the bar.
Sorry we hadn't been open for a while, but I figured most of Baltimore needed a shot -- or 15 -- after Monday's 4-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.
Pull up a barstool and try not to weep into the peanuts. I'll pour you a stiff drink. I'd make it a double, but there might be someone on base.
Yes, Monday was a particularly fist-pounding loss for the Orioles. And it was fairly typical these days. They knocked out 15 hits and chased one of baseball's best pitchers, David Price, after five innings. And yet the Orioles scored just three runs. They were 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position and stranded a total of 15 baserunners.
In their past seven games, in which they are 2-5, the Orioles have left an inexcusable 59 runners on base.
That's horrific. No other way around it.
To me, that's the most frustrating thing about these Orioles: The inability to score when they aren't hitting home runs. That inability to get a single when a single is needed or a sacrifice fly when a sacrifice fly is needed.
Maybe you are different. Maybe it is the closer situation. Or the starters failing to go deep into games. I'm sure you have more than one nit to pick about this team -- and don't get me wrong, it is a pretty good club. Let's not forget how bad these guys were two seasons ago. Just the fact that you still care about baseball games on Aug. 20 is a victory in Baltimore.
But you -- and they -- want more than just a competitive season now. And I want to know what's your biggest frustration involving these Orioles?
Daily Think Special: What's the most frustrating thing about these Orioles?