Offensive Struggles Continue for O’s in 3-1 Loss

The Baltimore Orioles have lost three of their last four games, with Friday night’s loss giving the Oakland A’s their 12th straight victory.

Baltimore lost Sunday’s game against Texas 1-0, Wednesday’s to Miami 3-0 and Friday’s game to Oakland 3-1. The lone run in Friday night’s game came on a bases loaded single from Pedro Severino. The offense simply has not been there this week, but there is plenty of time to turn that around.

The pitching staff has been a completely different story, especially the bullpen. The bullpen has allowed two earned runs since April 16, both of which came from Shawn Armstrong on April 20 against Miami. The starters have not been in the best shape, but at least the bullpen has been there to offer their assistance.

Oakland is a tough team to face right now. The Orioles would like to put an end to the historical winning streak, but it will not be an easy task. The Yankees also come to town on Monday and its offense seems to be heating up after a terrible start to the season.

The bats have to get going, especially when there are runners on base. The Orioles stranded 10 runners Friday night, which will make it extremely hard to win games. If the pitching can continue to give decent starts and solid relief from the bullpen, they can knock off the A’s and give them their first loss since April 8.

Chris Bassitt is expected to start for the A’s, while the Orioles have yet to officially announce their starter. John Means has not pitched since Sunday but will pitch tomorrow in the final game of the series. It is a possibility that the Orioles use their bullpen for most of tonight’s game.