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Baltimore Orioles: Not looking good in weekend games

By Kristen Bentley

SARASOTA, FL - FEBRUARY 23: Chance Sisco #15 of the Baltimore Orioles celebrates with teammates after hitting a three-run home run against the Tampa Bay Rays in the ninth inning during a Grapefruit League spring training game at Ed Smith Stadium on February 23, 2018 in Sarasota, Florida. The Rays won 6-3. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
SARASOTA, FL - FEBRUARY 23: Chance Sisco #15 of the Baltimore Orioles celebrates with teammates after hitting a three-run home run against the Tampa Bay Rays in the ninth inning during a Grapefruit League spring training game at Ed Smith Stadium on February 23, 2018 in Sarasota, Florida. The Rays won 6-3. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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Yes, yes, we all know that spring training games don’t count, but just in case you didn’t know, the Baltimore Orioles are currently 0-3 with a tie in the first spring training weekend.

In the first four games of spring training, the Baltimore Orioles are not looking like the team to beat. Instead, they are looking like the team that’s easy to beat.

And, in nearly every game, the Orioles have brought their A-squad to play.

The results over the weekend

In the first game of the season on February 23, the Orioles lost to the Tampa Bay Rays 3-6. The second game, on Saturday, resulted in a 6-9 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. Saturday evening, in a split-squad game, the O’s tied 1-1 with the Minnesota Twins. Finally, on Sunday, the O’s lost to the Boston Red Sox 1-7.

Troubles with pitching

Of course, losses in any part of the season are troublesome, but these are not close losses. The pitching, especially the starters, are giving up too many runs early in the games. For example, in Saturday’s game against the Phillies, Dylan Bundy gave up five runs in two innings pitched. Then, in Gabriel Ynoa‘s first start against the Red Sox resulted in two runs given up in his two innings. The Orioles pitchers have got to stop this.

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And, sadly, the relievers aren’t doing much better. Against the Red Sox, Jose Mesa gave up three runs in .2 innings pitched. He’s not going to land a spot on the 25-man roster if that type of performance continues.

Mixed bag of offense

The offense has been mixed, as the minor league guys who are fighting for spots on the roster are the only ones who are producing much. As the weekend comes to a close, the top batting average belongs to Audry Perez who is batting .667 in three at-bats. The second best averages belong to Alex Presley and Chance Sisco, who both are batting .600 with five at-bats and three hits. Of the veterans, Manny Machado has the highest average: .500 with four at-bats, a double and a hit. He is tied with Anthony Santander and Luis Sardinas.

After this group, Tim Beckham has an average of .333 with six at-bats and two hits. Mark Trumbo has an average of .250 and everyone else is batting .200 or under. Sadly, Chris Davis, who spent the off-season working on his swing, has an average of .167. Craig Gentry, Caleb Joseph, and Trey Mancini have yet to get a hit in their handful of at-bats. The same with Jonathan Schoop, but he gets a pass because he’s injured.

Only two Orioles have hit home runs. Chance Sisco on opening day and Audry Perez, who is actually two for three in two games.

Next: Ed Smith Stadium tops in the Grapefruit League

Bad habits are hard to break. It would be nice to see the O’s use spring training to set the stage for the regular season.

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