Yep, once again talking about the Orioles on offense

Early this month, not long after the Orioles were eliminated from the American League playoffs by the Kansas City Royals, I expressed an opinion about the Orioles offense.

An offense that produced solid stats over the full season but fell off big time late in the year.

One way to break it down is with facts and going through a period where it was really good and then going through the period when it was not.

Through July 31, the Orioles were 65-44 (.596) with the third-best record in the majors. They were on a 97-win pace. In those 109 games, or 67 percent of the season, they scored 5.07 runs per game (third in MLB) and posted an OPS of .774 (first in MLB).

So, a top three record and offense.

From Aug. 1 on they were 26-27 (.491), tied for 16^th in MLB win percentage. In that time frame, they scored 4.40 runs per game (13^th) with a .702 OPS (16^th). A middle of the pack record and offense.

The O’s offense was not terrible in that two-month span, it was merely league average. The league average for runs per game was 4.39 for the year. The O’s were at 4.40 the last two months.

Since that earlier article we now know two hitting coaches will not be back next year in Ryan Fuller and Matt Borgschulte.

Are they to blame for the late-season falloff and for the team scoring one run in two postseason games? I hope not and expect not. If they are, what is it they did for four months, they didn’t do the last two?

The club has not commented on whether these coaches were let go or not. I think that leads to some confusion for fans and media alike. Borgschulte has already taken a position as a hitting coach with the Twins, a move that became official yesterday.

Here is the O’s rank in MLB the last four years in runs per game:

* 2021 rpg – 4.07 (26^th in MLB)

* 2022 rpg – 4.16 (20^th in MLB)

* 2023 rpg – 4.98 (7^th in MLB)

* 2024 rpg – 4.85 (4^th in MLB)

So a move from 26th to 4th in the majors. From the bottom to the top essentially.

The MLB average in 2023 was 4.62 and the O’s were at 4.98. Last season the average was 4.39 and the O’s were at 4.85.

If we take runs per game for a two-year period, the last two years of 2023 and 2024, the Orioles rank first in the AL and fourth in MLB.

MLB runs per game, 2023-2024:

5.40 – Los Angeles Dodgers

5.10 – Atlanta

5.04 – Arizona

4.92 – Orioles

The New York Yankees, at 4.59, rank 13^th in scoring over that same two-year period. Baltimore’s team OPS in that span is .746 – sixth in the majors. New York ranks 11^th at .732.

But yes, the offense did falloff as last year wore on. In June Baltimore scored 5.62 runs per game, dropping to 4.60 in July, 4.46 in August and 4.32 in September. Again, MLB average this year was 4.39 so for three of the last four months, they were above MLB average.

My quick analysis: Sweeping change is not needed. Tweaks and improvements are. New voices (coaches), we now know, are coming.

Hopefully the hitting approach, practices and concepts that have taken the Orioles to near the top of the majors will not be abandoned now.