From bad to worse

Here is the problem with Orioles baseball right now. You have to play the eighth inning. The Orioles have allowed 11 runs in the 8th this year and from that inning on have been outscored 21 to 5 on the season. That's terrible, right? Who is to blame? Just about everyone. Take a few starters out of the mix, maybe Matt Wieters, but just about everyone else in the clubhouse has had a hand in a 1 and 7 start. The fans are lashing out. Some of the comments we've gotten have never been nastier. That doesn't means fans don't have the right to gripe. Of course you do and we are here for that. But some of the comments lately, yikes. Dave Trembley has been crushed on the message boards. He certainly should take some blame too. But I just don't think every move he makes is wrong and if he had just made a different one, it would have worked. Matt Albers and Cla Meredith have given up late-game homers. Mike Gonzalez has blown saves. Jim Johnson could not hold a two-run lead. Who you going to next in the pen? Mark Hendrickson, you're up I guess. The team is 2 for 23 the last four games with runners in scoring position and is 1 for 29 this year with RISP and two outs. Sorry, the manager is not swinging those bats then. Someone, anyone, get a clutch hit. The team can't be as bad as they look right now. Some will disagree with that. But here it is not even tax day and the club is in a major crisis. I love my job, don't get me wrong. But going in the clubhouse after the latest misadventure is awkward, to say the least. Will today bring a better result? It is hard for anyone to believe that is true right now until we see it.