More on the offense as O's await red-hot Athletics

If we use the stat OPS - on-base plus slugging - the 2020 Orioles look a lot better than the 2021 club. And it's not very close.

Counting all batters - qualifiers and non-qualifiers - the 2020 Orioles had six players with an OPS of .800 or better and two at .900 plus. And another player at .791. This year's club has just two players at .800 or above through 18 games and just four players on the entire club at .704 or above.

Yep, only four players at .704 or above. Yikes. Last year's club had 12 players at .704 or above.

In 2020, the list of those with an OPS .800 or above included Ramón Urías (.967), José Iglesias (.956), Anthony Santander (.890), Ryan Mountcastle (.878), Renato Núñez (.816) and DJ Stewart at (.809).

Those Orioles hit .258/.321/.429/.750 for 60 games and scored 4.67 runs per game.

These Orioles have just three at .775 or above with Cedric Mullins (.870), Freddy Galvis (.813) and Stewart (.775).

These Orioles are batting .218/.296/.363/.639. That is over 100 OPS points fewer a year later. They are averaging 3.94 runs per game.

When the Orioles scored three runs or less last year, which they did 40 percent of the time in a 60-game schedule, they went 1-23. This year they have scored three or less 50 percent and are 1-8.

Last year, they went 24-12 (.667) in games when scoring four or more. This year they are 7-2 (.778) in such games.

This is all telling us - maybe screaming at us - that the offense has a lot of room for improvement and should be able to make it. There was nothing prolific about the Orioles offense in 2020, but compared to this year's club, they look like the '27 Yankees.

Long way to go, lot of runs to be scored.

They hope.

Bring on the Athletics: After a 3-2 road trip, the Orioles begin their second homestand tonight. They went 1-6 during the first. As they try to improve on that, they get set to host the hottest team in baseball.

The Oakland A's started this year going 0-6 and then they won and lost one. Since then, they have won 11 in a row. They are 12-1 over the last 13 games. They are so hot right now that they went to the last of the 10th on Wednesday afternoon losing by two runs to Minnesota and two batters were quickly retired with the placed runner out at second base.

But two walks loaded the bases. Then one error by Minnesota pulled Oakland within a run. Then a second error allowed two runs to score and that is how a three-run rally kept the win streak going. A rally with two outs and no hits.

Before that crazy 13-12 win on Wednesday, Oakland pitching had not allowed a run in 40 of the previous 41 innings and in four of the previous five games. Yep, they pitched four shutouts in five games.

Then I try to figure this part out. The A's recently threw four shutouts, they have won 11 games in a row, they allowed just 33 runs in the 11 games, yet their team ERA is 4.71 and that is 13th in the American League. The A's team pitching ranks 13th in the league. The Orioles are eighth at 4.16. Don't quite understand that one.

But the hard-to-beat A's will be at Camden Yards tonight. Their current streak is the ninth in club history of 10 or more consecutive wins. The last team to win 11 a row? That was also Oakland, from May 16-27, 2019.