Matthew Taylor: O's sudden shift hurts more this time around

The Orioles are out of playoff position for the first time all season one week after an improbable division title seemed entirely possible following a Kevin Gausman gem at Fenway Park. An uplifting win that puts the postseason in reach has yielded to listless baseball. This all feels familiar, but worse. After all, we saw the same routine last season.

You'll recall that the 2015 O's were a half-game out of the American League wild card race and five games back in the division on Aug. 19 following a stirring walk-off victory against the eventual National League champion Mets. They proceeded to post a season-worst six-game losing streak and lose seven of their next eight. During that time, they were leapfrogged by two teams in the wild card race and added three games to their division deficit. Making matters worse, they posted a second six-game losing streak the following week to put the entire season to bed.

The suddenly slumping 2016 Orioles have lost six of eight games, including this week's four-game sweep at the hands of the Red Sox. It was Boston's first four-game sweep at Camden Yards since 2002. In the process, the O's moved from one game out of first place on Sept. 14 to seven games out in the division and trailing the Tigers by a half-game for the wild card. That's a stunning six games lost in the division and 3 1/2 games in the wild card in just over a week. Dare we still dream of the playoffs?

What a difference a week made in 2015. What an even bigger difference a week made in 2016. It's not just about a week, however. Consider the O's monthly records from the last two seasons.

2015

* 18-10 in June
* 11-14 in July
* 11-18 in August

2016

* 19-9 in June
* 12-14 in July
*13-16 in August

It has taken longer for the floor to start dropping this time around given the O's hot start to the 2016 season, but the fall has been more precipitous. Last year, the Orioles spent 11 days in first place if you include off-days. This year, they've spent 111 days in first place. That's why it hurts more this time around.

There are a lot of thoughts that run through this baseball fan's mind as the pennant race becomes a distant chase. One is that I should get a new hobby. Another is that I was wrong when I thought that the Orioles made the smart long-term play by not signing Nick Markakis and Nelson Cruz.

Watching this season's all-or-nothing offense, I miss the respective on-base talents of Markakis and Cruz. Their OBP averages over the course of two seasons away from Baltimore - .359 for Markakis, .363 for Cruz - would rank better than any full-time player on the O's roster this season (Manny Machado leads the way at .349). Neither player alone or even in tandem would cure the O's ills, but they could sure help ease the suffering with their presence on the base paths and in the clubhouse.

The Orioles' problems start with their pitching and are about more than a week or two of bad baseball. Regardless, two years of cold streaks during the season's hottest months has me appreciating 2014, and the players who made it possible, more than ever before.

Matthew Taylor blogs about the Orioles at Roar from 34. Follow him on Twitter: @RoarFrom34. His ruminations about the Birds appear as part of MASNsports.com's season-long initiative of welcoming guest bloggers to our site. All opinions expressed are those of the guest bloggers, who are not employed by MASNsports.com but are just as passionate about their baseball as our roster of writers.