Blue Jays AL East Recap: Jays Fall Behind

Baltimore Remains Inconsistent
37-89

The Orioles lost their weekly opener to the Indians, managing just a win. After being shelled for 15 runs on Friday, the Orioles bounced back and secured just their second series win of the season. This puts the Orioles a game below .500 and 4 games out of first. They now trail the wild card by 3.5 games. They’ll get a chance to rebound further in the standings when they play the Jays and Rays this week.

The Orioles offense has looked more like its old self, but with the rotation in a dismal way, it has often not mattered. Chris Tillman has looked lost on the mound since his season started, and highlighted the lack of depth their rotation really has. Dylan Bundy remains the strongest member of the staff but has largely cracked under pressure lately.

With the upper management trying to ease the workload on Dylan Bundy, they’ll get some good news. Their taxed bullpen is now returning to normalcy. Darren O’Day returned during the course of the week and Zach Britton is on track to return by the All-Star Break. When fully stocked, they have one of the best bullpens in the game. Time will tell if it will be enough to help the team rebound.

Not everything was positive on the injury front as the Orioles lost J.J. Hardy to a fractured wrist, which will keep him out until at least August.

Final Takeaway:

The Orioles have a talented offense and a brilliant bullpen but their rotation is another matter entirely. Baltimore can succeed if their offense can roar back to life, but every loss makes that less likely.

Next: Blue Jays’ Jose Bautista cements himself as all-time great