I feel the same way about say, for example, Luxembourg, as I feel about the Baltimore Orioles. I am aware both exist, however I don't really have a solid opinion on either, they are neutral, in many ways.
Come '09, that might turn to honest to goodness pity for the latter, when you consider the schedule they face in the up-coming MLB season.
By my estimation the Orioles will have to play the Yankees, Rays and Red Sox a combined total of 54 times. That's almost a third of their 2009 schedule. 54 games against three of the most stacked lineups in all of baseball. 54 games against what might be the three best starting rotations in all of baseball.
Check out this incredible late season stretch the Orioles face;
Mon, Aug 31 NY Yankees
Tue, Sep 1 NY Yankees
Wed, Sep 2 NY Yankees
Fri, Sep 4 Texas
Sat, Sep 5 Texas
Sun, Sep 6 Texas
Tue, Sep 8 @ Boston
Wed, Sep 9 @ Boston
Fri, Sep 11 @ NY Yankees
Sat, Sep 12 @ NY Yankees
Sun, Sep 13 @ NY Yankees
Mon, Sep 14 Tampa Bay
Tue, Sep 15 Tampa Bay
Wed, Sep 16 Tampa Bay
Thu, Sep 17 Tampa Bay
Fri, Sep 18 Boston
Sat, Sep 19 Boston
Sun, Sep 20 Boston
If they got on a bad roll early on in that stretch, we could be looking at a historic losing streak. The punchless O's lineup could potentially be facing the following pitchers in a 12 game span of potentially nightmarish consequences for Baltimore.
Beckett, Lester, Sabathia, Burnett, Wang, Garza, Price, Kazmir, Sonnastein, Beckett, Lester, Matsuzaka
There could be a few cold bats during that spell.
Check out their horrific 2008 pitching AL rankings;
Oh boy, those are some nasty, nasty statistics, and the lineups ahead of them just got better! Apart from saves, their pitching stats actually can't go any lower, is that good news?
The Orioles actually haven't had even an 80 win season in the last seven years, and have had over 90 losses three years in a row.
Can they top 100 losses and over 1000 runs conceded in '09? Yes they can! 2009 could be a historically bad year for the Orioles. Baltimore fans, be prepared!
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Come '09, that might turn to honest to goodness pity for the latter, when you consider the schedule they face in the up-coming MLB season.
By my estimation the Orioles will have to play the Yankees, Rays and Red Sox a combined total of 54 times. That's almost a third of their 2009 schedule. 54 games against three of the most stacked lineups in all of baseball. 54 games against what might be the three best starting rotations in all of baseball.
Check out this incredible late season stretch the Orioles face;
Mon, Aug 31 NY Yankees
Tue, Sep 1 NY Yankees
Wed, Sep 2 NY Yankees
Fri, Sep 4 Texas
Sat, Sep 5 Texas
Sun, Sep 6 Texas
Tue, Sep 8 @ Boston
Wed, Sep 9 @ Boston
Fri, Sep 11 @ NY Yankees
Sat, Sep 12 @ NY Yankees
Sun, Sep 13 @ NY Yankees
Mon, Sep 14 Tampa Bay
Tue, Sep 15 Tampa Bay
Wed, Sep 16 Tampa Bay
Thu, Sep 17 Tampa Bay
Fri, Sep 18 Boston
Sat, Sep 19 Boston
Sun, Sep 20 Boston
If they got on a bad roll early on in that stretch, we could be looking at a historic losing streak. The punchless O's lineup could potentially be facing the following pitchers in a 12 game span of potentially nightmarish consequences for Baltimore.
Beckett, Lester, Sabathia, Burnett, Wang, Garza, Price, Kazmir, Sonnastein, Beckett, Lester, Matsuzaka
There could be a few cold bats during that spell.
This is what we had to say about their World Series chances in '08. Bear in mind they hadn't completely tanked it as yet, as they did towards the end of the year;
''On the face of it, team four is not totally out of it. However, you know they are, really. They are perfectly mediocre. Not too far off .500, 5-5 their last 10, they have scored a few, they have conceded a few and they might even play spoiler in the run in. You know though, when all is said and done, they will be a good 15-20 games out in the AL East and really, what hope is there in Baltimore for the future? The Baltimore Orioles will not, it is safe to say, win the World Series in 2008. Sorry Pat.''
Check out their horrific 2008 pitching AL rankings;
| ERA | BAA | OPS | SV | WHIP | QS |
| 5.13 | .277 | .796 | 35 | 1.56 | 60 |
| 13th | 13th | 13th | 10th | 13th | 13th |
Oh boy, those are some nasty, nasty statistics, and the lineups ahead of them just got better! Apart from saves, their pitching stats actually can't go any lower, is that good news?
The Orioles actually haven't had even an 80 win season in the last seven years, and have had over 90 losses three years in a row.
| YEAR | W | L | RS | RA |
| 2008 | 68 | 93 | 782 | 869 |
| 2007 | 69 | 93 | 756 | 868 |
| 2006 | 70 | 92 | 768 | 899 |
| 2005 | 74 | 88 | 729 | 800 |
| 2004 | 78 | 84 | 843 | 830 |
| 2003 | 71 | 91 | 743 | 820 |
| 2002 | 67 | 95 | 667 | 773 |
Can they top 100 losses and over 1000 runs conceded in '09? Yes they can! 2009 could be a historically bad year for the Orioles. Baltimore fans, be prepared!
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