The Baltimore Tin Birds (if they only had heart)

Well, at least the Orioles didn't blow a lead on Sunday. OK, they were up 1-0, but let's face it--that game was a clunker. But that's OK. That happens to teams and even ace pitchers like Bedard. I think I am more disturbed by Saturday's game where they had good old Rod Lopez on the ropes early and couldn't put in the knockout punch. Then, after a bad hop double, the Rockies got the two runs back. And then silence on both sides. It's one thing for the bats to go dead as I think it's clear that the Orioles have underachieved severely in the early going and you can only hope that they "regress to the mean" at some point and start hitting like they should. But there are two painful elements of the Oriole offense that are bringing this team down. The first is obvious--the birds are playing with wifflebats. That's the only way to explain the utter lack of power in this lineup. One HR in the last six games and it's not like they are playing the Red Sox or A's. It was the Mariners and Rockies--teams that specialize in giving up runs. I've called Miguel Tejada a glorified Placido Polanco this season, but isn't that what the ENTIRE lineup is? In fact, that would be a compliment given the gaudy average Polanco is touting.

But there's something that bothers me more than the power. The Orioles have no heart. 6-15 in one-run games is bad enough, but that is a reflection of two things: your bullpen and your ability to come back late. We've been ripping the bullpen for weeks now, but the Orioles are incapable of coming back against a closer in the last inning. Even when it looks like they're about to do it, they fall over themselves (anyone remember the game against Huston Street where Patterson didn't score on the single to the outfield?). Against Brian Fuentes, it was more of the same. With Millar, Roberts, Markakis, and Tejada coming up, the Rockies should've been quaking in their boots. But did anyone in Camden Yards sense a comeback? In Fenway, no one leaves till the 27th out is recorded because they've seen comebacks happen over and over. Why can't the Orioles muster that kind of never-say-die attitude. I don't blame Millar as he tried to work the count and I personally thought he walked. Heck, Markakis was given a gift by getting hit with two strikes. But Miggy whiffed and that was it. For a guy who once asked for a trade because the team wasn't strong enough, I don't know what more he can ask for now. The last time the starting pitching was this good, he was in Oakland. What makes it more frustrating is that Tejada's 2002 MVP season was filled with moments where he engineered late inning comebacks and single-handedly put the offense on his back while Zito, Mulder, and Hudson kept them in the game. We can rip on the bullpen all we want, but seven runs in one weekend against one of the worst pitching staffs in the league isn't going to cut it.

Next up are the Nationals followed by the very impressive Diamondbacks. At the beginning of the season, we mentioned how the Orioles needed to hold their own against the NL. You can't do that unless you actually hit the ball. Time wake up Miggy and, while you're at it, why don't you give Melvin & Aubrey a nudge (don't bother with Jay or Corey--they're each in a coma). The season is salvageable, but you need to survive June.