I wonder what the record is for worst team ERA for a month?

[Frobby]

I want to congratulate the Orioles for only allowing 7 earned runs today, thereby lowering the team ERA in August from 8.60 to 8.56.

I can remember some past years where the team’s pitching totally fell apart for a month, but this strikes me as a whole new level of craptastic that may never have been approached before.   I looked at a few horrible past stretches and couldn’t find a month where the Orioles’ ERA was over 7.00.   For example, the month when Bedard got hurt and we allowed 30 runs in one game the ERA was under 7.00.   The following month where Guthrie also got hurt the ERA was  under 7.00.   In 2003 when we went 4-24 in September the ERA was a mere 5.31.   

Honestly, at this point we are more likely to finish the month over 9.00 than under 8.00.   At least, it feels that way.  
 

[Frobby]

I’m not finding a ready answer to this question, but the 1930 Phillies, which had the worst season ERA of any staff (6.71), had an 8.20 ERA in Sept./Oct.   So we are topping that at the moment.  

[spiritof66]

 

Two things about the 1930 Phillies, and I don't have time to look up or fill in numbers now:

1. 1930 was near the height of the high-scoring area lively ball era.

2. the Phillies played their home games in Baker Bowl, perhaps the most notorious bandbox in 20th century MLB: 281 feet down the right field line to a 60-foot fence.

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/just-because-the-ridiculous-dimensions-of-the-baker-bowl/

Fidgety Phill Collins was the ace of the staff, and he was a pretty good pitcher with a real bad team (5.5 rWAR in 1930).

[MurphDogg]

13 minutes ago, spiritof66 said:

Fidgety Phill Collins was the ace of the staff, and he was a pretty good pitcher with a real bad team (5.5 rWAR in 1930).

Pretty good pitcher, against all odds.

[TonySoprano]

8 minutes ago, MurphDogg said:

Pretty good pitcher, against all odds.

There was something in the air that night.

[Ripken]

We may never win again.

[e16bball]

37 minutes ago, spiritof66 said:

Fidgety Phill Collins was the ace of the staff, and he was a pretty good pitcher with a real bad team (5.5 rWAR in 1930).

The key to his success was never falling behind two, two, two-and-oh. 

[Just Regular]

 

1 hour ago, MurphDogg said:

Pretty good pitcher, against all odds.

He avoided sending a groovy kind of love to batters better than today's O's.

[olddogger]

Frobby, it looks like you'll have your answer around September 1st!

[Moose Milligan]

Ah, the Orioles. Just when you think they’ve bottomed out, they just keep finding ways to show you depths you’ve never thought of. 

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

2 hours ago, Moose Milligan said:

Ah, the Orioles. Just when you think they’ve bottomed out, they just keep finding ways to show you depths you’ve never thought of. 

And the all time worst finish to an Orioles season is in play too. The 4-32 mark of the 2002 Orioles has a real chance of going down. It's not helping either that Means is pitching mediocre, but the O's will run into some easier opponents. 

[LA2]

14 hours ago, Frobby said:

I want to congratulate the Orioles for only allowing 7 earned runs today, thereby lowering the team ERA in August from 8.60 to 8.56.

I can remember some past years where the team’s pitching totally fell apart for a month, but this strikes me as a whole new level of craptastic that may never have been approached before.   I looked at a few horrible past stretches and couldn’t find a month where the Orioles’ ERA was over 7.00.   For example, the month when Bedard got hurt and we allowed 30 runs in one game the ERA was under 7.00.   The following month where Guthrie also got hurt the ERA was  under 7.00.   In 2002 when we went 4-24 in September the ERA was a mere 5.31.   

Honestly, at this point we are more likely to finish the month over 9.00 than under 8.00.   At least, it feels that way.  
 

ftfy

I had forgotten that we weren't even the last-place team that season, finishing 11.5 games ahead of the Rays. A lot more close and/or low-scoring losses in the 4-32 streak. We stink a lot worse than that team, which had a much more solid starting rotation, sad to say.

[Hank Scorpio]

It is amazing to me that a collection of professional baseball pitchers could be in the same place at the same time exuding the same amazing level of incompetence. What are the chances!?!?!

[Can_of_corn]

11 minutes ago, Hank Scorpio said:

It is amazing to me that a collection of professional baseball pitchers could be in the same place at the same time exuding the same amazing level of incompetence. What are the chances!?!?!

Just think how bad they would be if we didn't have Holt coaching them up!

[GuidoSarducci]

5 hours ago, Hank Scorpio said:

It is amazing to me that a collection of professional baseball pitchers could be in the same place at the same time exuding the same amazing level of incompetence. What are the chances!?!?!

Depends on what you’re standards are for “professional” which by the normal definition includes anyone playing for money.

Bur right now it seems like we could have done no worse than just picking names out of hat that includes anyone that’s playing in AAA/AA right now, and is available to sign,