O's not making the playoffs

[Spy Fox]

Since the end of Game 1/162 they've been in a playoff spot every moment of the season. It'd be tragic if they finally fall out of it for the first time right at the finish line. I think there's a good chance they manage to hold on, but it'll be close.

[El Gordo]

BOS is really good, right now. Better than us. But we might be as good or better than the teams we play the rest of the way

[scOtt]

I love this board!

[scOtt]

By far the least enjoyable team to watch in the Buck showalter era.

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

We keep running the same lineups out there, keep having the same terrible approach, refuse to work counts and go to the opposite field.

We deserve to miss the playoffs based on our last month or two and we most likely will.

There's always hope, but it's really just insanity expecting different results.

Chris Davis batted second yesterday. Not that changing the order makes ONE BIT of difference!

Face it, Boston is a really good team right now! We lost 3 in a row. Ish happens. Get 'em tomorrow.

[scOtt]

Chris Davis batted second yesterday. Not that changing the order makes ONE BIT of difference!

Face it, Boston is a really good team right now! We lost 3 in a row. Ish happens. Get 'em tomorrow.

And after we beat them tomorrow they go home to beat up on Toronto.

[atomic]

Other than the division leaders every team in the AL has been bad. The Blue Jays have fallen right with us. We might make the playoffs just because no one else is doing anything.

[Going Underground]

Other than the division leaders every team in the AL has been bad. The Blue Jays have fallen right with us. We might make the playoffs just because no one else is doing anything.

Agreed. Astros collapsed and again are making a run. Tigers were free falling and now back. Mariners are all over the place. Yankees as well. The Orioles face pitchers with ERA's of 7.50,5.50 and 4.50 against the DBacks. They can't beat them then they shouldn't and probably won't make the playoffs.

[MikeAD]

Ubaldo pitched his heart out and we couldn't get a hit against Buchholz, a guy that like Ubaldo has had to battle for his spot in the rotation and bounced back and forth. We don't play small ball we don't get on base we don't move runner on the off chance someone does get on base. I agree this is the hardest team to watch since Buck started managing and I just don't know what gives. It seems the players are comfortable waiting for the long ball. The Dbacks are a scrappy team with speed and power and we cannot give an inch in this upcoming series. They will steal bases and play small ball if the balls are kept in the yard. We need to match it. Maybe Buck should play Mancini, Stubb, Bourn, Flaherty and Pena for a game and see where it gets us.

I have been positive all season and will remain positive until the last pitch is thrown but something absolutely has to give.

[BMann]

Gotta take 3 of the last 4 on this homestand, somehow. But those last 6 on the road are looking brutal right now. MLB has the O's postseason chances at 53%. I'm not sure I'd put them that high, with this schedule...

[Tx Oriole]

Either they want it too much or Buck's too tight or all they care about are homeruns. For some reason this is the hardest team to watch during the Buck time that started in 2011.

Bucks too tight?

[Orioles0615]

Agreed. Astros collapsed and again are making a run. Tigers were free falling and now back. Mariners are all over the place. Yankees as well. The Orioles face pitchers with ERA's of 7.50,5.50 and 4.50 against the DBacks. They can't beat them then they shouldn't and probably won't make the playoffs.

The poor Astros, even if they get the wildcard and win they face Texas who i don't think they have beaten in 2 years.

[GoldGlove21]

Need to win 3 out of the next 4 to have me feeling good about our chances going into the final week.

We win 3 of the next 4 and we get the Blue Jays for 4. I think that Detroit looks like a team that will sneak in.

[LookitsPuck]

We win 3 of the next 4 and we get the Blue Jays for 4. I think that Detroit looks like a team that will sneak in.

Been saying for awhile that the Tigers have the highest likelihood of finishing ahead of the O's. Easy schedule remaining. And the O's are in trouble. 6 of 10 on the road. 6 of 10 against the Jays and Yankees. 4 more home games including tonight. Miley and Gallardo are pitching 2 of them.

Oof.

[Pat Kelly]

The Tigers last 3 games are with Atlanta. O's. will need to go 6-3 to make the playoffs.

[Barnfather]

Things were chugging away quite nicely....we were never likely to regain top spot for the pennant, but the WC slot looked very achievable especially as Toronto looked like they were crapping the bed big time. Running neck-and-neck with the Red Sox all season, I half expected a series split but not to be swept and in the *manner* we were too.

Almost feels like we need two teams. A big swinging long ball hittin' team, and a small-ball manufacture runs kind of team. Naturally, there would mostly be a mix of the two but for scenario's like last night where our big bats have slumped big-time, we need to focus more on the small stuff and could easily have justified dropping Davis and Trumbo to the bench IF we had the players able to get on base available.

We've seen batting slumps before and they are painful to watch. What normally happens is we explode into action again before too long...well, we need that to happen right now because the way we are going, we will go out with a whimper.

I wonder if playing to a half-empty stadium for critical pennant-race games is affecting the team, even if just psychologically? I know it's a bit of a chicken-and-egg thing....