As runs dwindle, frustration and losses mount

Is this season spiraling out of control for the Orioles?

How did they manage to average 5.6 runs per game, bat .286 and hit 1.45 homers per game in April, but score just 3.2 runs per game since? They are 13-19 since May 1.

In the first three games of the series at Houston, the Orioles have been outscored 14-7 and outhomered 6-0. They have gone without a homer three straight games to match a season high. They have gone without a homer nine times in the last 14 games. We know they need to hit the longball to score consistently. They're not even doing that right now.

The Orioles have scored two runs or less in four of their last six games and 13 times in the past 24 games.

Yep, all these numbers are real bad. Are the players pressing? Are they just not good enough? Was the April offense an outlier?

Many talk show callers and even some on this blog have given up on the year already. They have thrown in the towel. They are blaming Dan Duquette a lot. They don't represent all of you fans, but the voices being heard now are venting and lashing out. Twitter ugliness from fans has become a nightly event on my timeline.

The frustration of the fans was just cranked up further watching 21-year-old Lance McCullers dominate the Orioles last night. From the third inning on Tuesday night, the Orioles went 1-for-21. From the fifth inning last night, they went 1-for-16.

Remember when fans were blaming Chris Davis for all that ails the offense? Now he has company. They're blaming just about everyone now, from the clubhouse to the warehouse.

Losing stinks and the O's fans are stirred up. It seems to hurt more when expectations are there for a winning season and, coming off a 96-win year and American League East championship, expectations were high for this team.

I know many feel this season is lost. You may be right but I can't throw dirt on this team with 110 games remaining. This season is still two games from the being 33 percent finished.

If you say, "What is there to hang my hat on?" there are a few things. The starting pitchers have gotten deeper into games. Ubaldo Jimenez has turned it around. Chris Tillman and Bud Norris need to do the same, and they just might. Matt Wieters and Jonathan Schoop may return to the lineup. Adam Jones may return to hitting well.

Beyond that, the July trade deadline is coming. Duquette has been his busiest as O's GM in July. He may have pitching to trade, which would interest many teams. I would think Kevin Gausman, Mike Wright and Tyler Wilson have added rotation depth from which to deal. If Duquette dangles one or more starters, teams will be interested.

For now isn't it time, maybe past time, for the team to look at someone from Triple-A with Nolan Reimold and Chris Parmelee topping that list? They don't have outfielders with options, but they have to find a way to get someone fresh into this lineup, and soon.

I don't see anyone at Triple-A as the answer to what ails this offense, but at this point they have to start to take a look.

Off-topic for a second, but if Eduardo Rodriguez pitches well against the Orioles next week in Baltimore I may have to stay off Twitter ... for about a week.

Is clubhouse leadership an issue? I would have thought there was plenty remaining in that clubhouse, but one player did admit to me recently that Nick Markakis' leadership loss has had an impact. Strange as this may sound, I think Schoop's loss is felt in the clubhouse. There was something about his easy smile and playful fun nature that played well in there. They miss Johnny Baseball in more ways than you may think.

In his postgame interview on MASN last night, manager Buck Showalter said: "We've got to figure it out with people that are capable of doing it and have done it in the past and will do it again. You want it to happen yesterday. There is no one more frustrated than I am about it, but so are the players. It's a very easy time to beat up on them (the players), OK? Course there is a time and place for that too."

Right now the frustration of losing and the lack of runs is being felt from the dugout to the clubhouse to the fanbase.