The Baseball Report: Orioles Could Set Franchise Mark For Futility
Ryan Mayer
The Baltimore Orioles are in the midst of a historically bad season. Entering play on Tuesday, their record stood at 43-107, a full 60 games behind the Red Sox in the division. The 107 losses also tied a franchise mark for most losses in a season since the organization moved to Baltimore in 1954. The last time the team had 107 losses was the 1988 season, when they started out 0-21 en route to a final record of 54-107.
To add further insult to injury, the team still has 12 games left on the schedule, which puts them in range of passing the organization's worst-ever mark of 111 losses. That was set back in 1939, when the franchise was still the St. Louis Browns. To avoid that mark, the Orioles would need to go 9-3 over the next 12 games, and they haven't posted that good of a 12-game stretch at any point this season.
The Orioles have two more games against the Blue Jays before finishing the season with three games each against the Red Sox and Yankees and wrapping up with a four-game set in Houston. Even if they go 6-6 in that stretch, they would finish with a 49-113 record which would make them the first team since the 2003 Detroit Tigers to lose 111 games or more.
While things are bad in Baltimore, they couldn't be much better in Cleveland, as the Indians wrapped up their third consecutive AL Central title over the weekend with a 15-0 shutout of the Detroit Tigers. This three-year stretch is topped only by the five straight division crowns that the team won from 1995-1999. In all likelihood, the Indians will face the Astros in the divisional series in Houston, as the defending champs have a 10.5-game lead on Cleveland for home-field advantage.
For a larger update on the playoff race, check out the video above.
