Baltimore Orioles: Offense couldn’t get going in loss to Rays

The Baltimore Orioles head out of Tampa Bay losing final game and the series to the Rays.

Despite the losses, the Baltimore Orioles starting pitching showed improvement. As the team heads into another series against the Texas Rangers, they could get a few more wins under their belts.

The offense was quiet today, which was too bad because Ubaldo Jimenez really pitched a gem. And, we all know that doesn’t happen very often.

Jimenez’s start today was highlighted by a season-high nine strike outs. The closest he’s been in 2017 was eight on June 29 in the game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Shut outs are rare for Jimenez, but in this game, he only gave up two runs. Prior to this game, Jimenez has given up an average of 3.7 runs per game. The most he has given up in a game was nine on June 23 against the Rays. In an April start against the Rays, he gave up three runs.

Along with the wasted Jimenez start, Zach Britton also put a little extra on his ERA. While he did give up two runs, he still has his streak of 55 converted saves going. Since the team was already losing when he entered the game, he did not technically work for a save.

The only offense belonged to Jonathan Schoop who hit his 22nd home run of the season. This puts the Orioles another home run closer to reaching 10,000. Only 12 are left. It will not be long before #10,000 flies out of the park. In July, the only days without home runs hit by O’s were the 3rd, 5th, and 16th. And, there have been several days with more than one ball hit out of the park.

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Along with Schoop’s home run, Seth Smith worked hard to get the offense going. He hit two doubles, one in the fifth with one out and in the eighth with no outs. Unfortunately, none of the batters who followed him could get the job done. Those doubles give Smith 14 for the season.

Disappointing offense came from several players, Adam Jones went 0-4, Mark Trumbo went 0-4 with two strike outs, and Trey Mancini went 0-3 with two strikeouts. Lastly, Ruben Tejada went 0-3 and left three people on base. Cobb was clearly throwing a good game today (but so was Jimenez).

Prior to the sixth inning, Jimenez only allowed three baserunners on a single, a double, and a walk. But, nearly every Rays player got on base. Only Adeiny Hechavarria did not.

Next: Could the Orioles actually make it to a Wild Card game?

The Orioles enjoy a day off tomorrow as they head to Arlington to face the Texas Rangers on Friday.