Win or lose, this year's O's continue to battle and play with hustle
Remember this time last year how frustrating it was to watch the Orioles play? Ground balls weren't run out. If they were trailing after the 6th inning, they almost always lost. Late inning rallies were something that happened on other ballclubs---not the Orioles.
Even though the Orioles have lost 13 out of their last 17 games; that's not the case this year.
The Orioles have a lot of faults, but failing to play hard is not one of them.
We saw it last night as the Orioles battled back after being down 5-0 in the 2nd to the best team in baseball [Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim]. The O's came up one run short in the 9th and lost 6-5.
Dave Trembley pointed this out in his pre-game press conference yesterday. He was asked by a reporter whether he was concerned about a possible drop in morale because of the fact the O's haven't won a series since June 26th against the Cubs.
Trembley said he sees no indication that his club is giving up or giving in. He mentioned Melvin Mora's effort in Thursday's game when he ran-out an infield single. Also, he talked about the Bird's 9th-inning rally last Sunday against Justin Verlander and the Tigers.
I have to agree, the Orioles have been losing, but no one can question their heart and work ethic. They are still battling.
Night and day difference from last year.
Up until this weekend, I didn't even realize the team had a losing record. That's how much I've enjoyed watching them play. It's obvious to fans that this years Orioles team is putting everything they have into each and every game. Let's hope they keep it up because it's been a fun summer!
I don't know Amber; call me crazy, but this may just be something that carries over into next year. I remember when the '83 players were talking about how they knew they'd go far because of how they finished out in '82. Somehow I see a little bit of that this year. I don't like to figure that players get to a point where they just stop trying, but of course it happens. I haven't given up on this year just yet, but it's not looking good. Anything can still happen. Even if we don't manage to get into the playoffs, I feel that if everyone has the mindset that we can build off this year, it just may carry into next year, and we won't lose as many games. It doesn't look like we are going to do much before the trading deadline, but it's good to look to the bench and see players still in high spirits despite how things are going. This group actually looks like they want to all stay together. That's very encouraging to us fans that still follow them despite how they're doing. It shows that there is quite a bit to look forward to.