A winning second half so far for O's, but what does it mean?

By Steve Melewski

Orioles

August 05, 2021, 4:06pm

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Even after losing the last two games by a combined 23-4 score, the Orioles are playing much better ball in the second half. It has been just 18 games, but their 10-8 record (.556) is decidedly better than the record of 28-61 (.315) from before the All-Star Game.

So, what does this mean, and is this 18-game record significant?

It is hard to draw any conclusions or believe we have a handle on how the last 55 games will go because of the past 18. The last two losses were ugly, with some misplays and blunders not much seen in the first 16 games out of the break.

The mostly improved starting pitching getter deeper into games and producing better starts, led by the resurgence of Matt Harvey and John Means' return to the rotation, has been huge. While many of the young pitchers have had disappointing seasons between performance and injuries, etc., Harvey and Means heading up the rotation the rest of the way and pitching as they have since the break could help keep this team remain competitive.

Cedric Mullins, Ryan Mountcastle and Trey Mancini have been a big three, carrying this offense most of the year. When they get a few others pitching in, such as Austin Hays or, more recently, Pedro Severino, that provides a big lift and more spots in the lineup where something good could happen.

Mancini recently said this: "This is a huge half for us going into next year. It really is. And I said this before, but so much momentum can be built the last couple of months of the season going into the next year. And I'm excited to see improvements that we can make in this half of baseball."

I agree with Mancini. The Orioles could build some momentum if they play more competitive baseball the rest of the way. It could also provide a lift for a fan base that had a tough time dealing with mounting losses. That is understandable, but a rough season should not have been too shocking for a rebuilding club.

One thing we need to see is cleaner baseball than we saw Wednesday at New York. Popups falling in and miscommunication is not acceptable, and it had looked like the Orioles were beginning to clean that up. If they get beat or their starter gets an early knockout that they cannot overcome, so be it. But helping the other team beat you often can be discouraging.

Working against a strong finish is the tough schedule. The Orioles host the Tampa Bay Rays this weekend and play 10 of their next 13, 19 of the next 28 and 35 of the last 55 games versus American League East teams. So far they have played division teams 38 percent of the time. The rest of the way that goes up to 64 percent.

Since the All-Star Game the Orioles are 2-4 within the division, going 0-2 in series while going 8-4 in non-AL East games and going 2-0-2 in those four series. You could point out (and you would be right) that they gave away a game at Tampa Bay that would make that 3-3 and not 2-4, and that would have looked a lot better in that small sample.

At the same time, expecting to see the Orioles play .500 or better against a steady diet of AL East foes the rest of the way seems to be asking too much. But that is why they play the game. The Orioles are 1-8 against Tampa Bay, and three of their next seven series are against the Rays.

So, yeah, challenging.

And keep in mind that all four of the Orioles' division rivals made moves at the trade deadline to try to get better. They are all playing .500 or better and all four think they can be in the playoffs. They all won't, but they will be pushing hard for that the next two months. No one will overlook any team, including the one in Baltimore, as every win is so big the rest of the way.

So yeah, again challenging.

The rest of the way it will be fun to see if the starting pitching can continue to do better, or whether Mullins can finish off a strong Most Valuable Oriole type of season or even get his name on the American League MVP ballot of some writers. Will the team play more mistake-free games? Can they hold their own against the brutal schedule?

If they do, it could indeed provide a springboard into the 2022 season.

Grayson was good again: Double-A right-hander Grayson Rodriguez had another strong outing, ended only by a pitch count that reached 89 last night at Somerset. He allowed one hit and no runs over 4 2/3 innings with one walk and nine strikeouts. Rodriguez got his first six outs via a strikeout as he lowered his ERA to 2.63. Somerset leads the league in team OPS at .784 and went just 1-for-15 versus Rodriguez.

Bowie threw a four-pitcher, 15-strikeout shutout. Tim Naughton worked one-third of an inning while Diogenes Almengo threw three scoreless and Felix Bautista pitched the final inning, completing a five-hitter.

Adley Rutschman hit a solo home run, No. 18, for Bowie.

In Game 1 of a doubleheader for Triple-A Norfolk, lefty Bruce Zimmermann pitched three innings plus one batter on a rehab assignment. He did not allow a run on two hits with four walks and five strikeouts, throwing 75 pitches.

In Game 2, lefty Kevin Smith threw five hitless and scoreless innings with five walks and six strikeouts and lowered his ERA to 4.40.

In Aberdeen's win, right-hander Garrett Stallings allowed five hits and two runs over five innings, improving to 8-3 with a 4.56 ERA in 16 games.