As the season turns ...

The Orioles truly believe they're going to get on a roll this month. Hope arrives with each new day.

The rotation will need to perform better. The offense will need to perform better. Runners on base will need to exhibit better judgment.

That's a good starting point.

Mike Wright allowed two hits over six scoreless innings last night at Triple-A Norfolk and could soon return to the Orioles. They're going to have an open spot in the rotation with Miguel Gonzalez unable to pitch due to inflammation in his right shoulder and elbow. Wright currently is ahead of Tyler Wilson, who threw a simulated game yesterday while recovering from a strained oblique.

Wright's left calf is fine. The Orioles' starting pitching is a mess, posting a 7.43 ERA in the last nine games.

They'd have to be perfect most nights to stand a chance, with the Orioles scoring three runs or fewer in six consecutive games, 12 of 13 and 13 of 15. They barely avoided being shut out last night for the 10th time, and Drew Smyly became the latest pitcher to reach double figures in strikeouts against them.

If the wheels aren't coming off, they're wobbling like a bad shopping cart. How can they be fixed?

Manager Buck Showalter posts a different lineup practically every night in hopes of finding a combination that works, getting the team out of its rut.

Jimmy Paredes became a symbol of the team's struggles last night after entering the game in right field in the eighth inning. He drifted back on Richie Shaffer's fly ball, reaching for the fence with his right hand before he got to the warning track. The ball eluded his glove for a double.

Put him at third base and the ball finds him. Put him in the outfield and the ball finds him. It's uncanny.

A few fans on Twitter thought a bat actually died last night on the infield dirt, which would have provided another symbol of the Orioles' current stretch of futility. Actually, two bats landed on the infield dirt and were ... having a moment.

If you can find the symbolism there, keep in mind that Disqus flags certain words.

The Rays scored eight runs and I thought they were honoring Cal Ripken Jr. They kept scoring and I thought they might not stop until 2,131. Way to take it to the extreme.

Fans have asked whether I'm experiencing flashbacks to the infamous 4-32 finish in 2002 under former manager Mike Hargrove. The Orioles were 63-63 before the collapse. They were 63-63 this season before losing their last six games.

I'm confident that they're going to win more than four games this month, but the numerical similarities are disturbing.

It's gotten so bad for the Orioles, they couldn't push back Kevin Gausman to Friday night in Toronto. Steve Johnson and T.J. McFarland were needed in relief, eliminating them from consideration for tonight's start against the Rays to close the brief homestand.

Gausman hasn't won since Aug. 1, though he allowed three earned runs or fewer in four of six starts last month.

Gausman is 2-3 with a 5.76 ERA in seven career games, including five starts, against the Rays. He allowed two runs in 2 1/3 relief innings on April 7.

Evan Longoria is 3-for-13 with a double against him, Kevin Kiermaier is 3-for-12 with a home run, James Loney is 3-for-12, J.P. Arencibia is 2-for-4 with a double and home run, and Brandon Guyer is 2-for-3 with two doubles.

Arencibia had six RBIs last night, one short of his career high. That's how it's going for the Orioles these days.

Tampa Bay right-hander Erasmo Ramirez is 10-5 with a 3.68 ERA in 28 games, including 21 starts. He's faced the Orioles in three games this season, tossing 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief on May 3, working seven scoreless innings with only three hits allowed on May 30, and allowing five runs and seven hits over 7 1/3 innings on July 25.

Ramirez is 2-1 with a 3.34 ERA in five career games (four starts) against the Orioles and 2-0 with a 2.77 ERA in two starts at Camden Yards. Adam Jones is 3-for-9 with two doubles, Manny Machado is 1-for-11 with a home run and Chris Davis is 1-for-12 with a home run.

Gerardo Parra, out of the lineup again last night versus a left-handed starter, has homered and walked in two plate appearances against Ramirez.