Baltimore Orioles: Earning a New All-Or-Nothing Nickname

The Marlins Took it All

After breaking down the deep Rays bullpen, All Or Nothing swung back the wrong way with the O’s offense breaking down themselves against the Marlins. Going in, fans expected three or four wins against a team half-filled with emergency replacements, but the Orioles ended up with zero.

For three games, it was all pitching and no hitting with good performances from the rotation, but the hitters managed exactly one run in twenty-three innings. The two sides flipped in the finale, with the offense putting up seven but the hurlers give up eight, leaving the Orioles with a losing record again.

Winning Against the Winners

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But, the All Or Nothing pendulum inevitably swings back to the “All” side when the Orioles arrived at Nationals Park. They played by far their best game yet by pounding the ball all over the field off Anibal Sanchez while Tommy Milone and the bullpen pitched a shutout.

Over the weekend, All Or Nothing showed up mid-game, but this time on the good side. On Saturday night, the O’s were held scoreless for seven innings with no signs of life, then in the eighth they scored five off three home runs to win.

Brandon Hyde earned his pay when consecutive pinch hitters Pat Valaika and Pedro Severino both homered.  Before the Nationals’ grounds crew screwed up Sunday’s game, Stephen Strasburg was pitching a gem in his debut, until the Orioles put up another five spot to take the lead.

The All Or Nothing Orioles are inherently frustrating and thrilling to watch. That is what happens when they show up some days and not others, and rally late or blow a lead. These results are way too random to continue long term, but I can’t imagine another way for over-performing waiver claims to play the rest of the season. Will they sweep or get swept next series? At this point it seems unlikely that a third option occurs.