Embarrassing Orioles pitching stat makes Red Sox look terrible

The Red Sox need to continue to dominate the Orioles if they want to stay in the Wild Card race

Not being able to beat the Baltimore Orioles in the series opener was one of the most embarrassing moments of the 2021 Red Sox season. After all, it’s not that they lost, it’s how they lost, and who beat them.

The 2021 Orioles have lost over 100 games, their third straight (full) season with over 100 losses. In each of those seasons, the Red Sox have finished above .500, including their franchise-record 108-win season and championship in 2018.

The Orioles are a team that most teams are happy to face because games against them are an opportunity to pad both personal and team stats. Alex Cora even joked about that in 2018, when Chris Sale went on the then-DL in late July. In mid-August, Cora said that Sale would not need a rehab start when he could just pitch against the Orioles. On August 12, 2018, he struck out 12 hapless birds and only allowed one hit and no walks over five shutout innings before being rested for another full month.

It’s no coincidence that when Sale made his long-awaited return from Tommy John exactly two years and a day later, it was against the O’s. Presumably, pitching against them is a confidence boost and warmup exercise combined.

The Orioles’ collective ERA is the worst in franchise history

According to Red Sox Nation Stats during Wednesday’s game, the Orioles have a 6.06 ERA at Camden Yards this season, which is the highest single-season ERA in their franchise history.

This isn’t to say that the Orioles don’t have talent. Ryan Mountcastle is a serious contender for American League Rookie of the Year, Cedric Mullins is the first 30/30 player in franchise history, and Trey Mancini has made an incredible comeback after missing the 2020 season due to colon cancer.

But their pitching is a mess, and as a result, they continue to be one of the worst teams in baseball. One executive a few years ago compared them to the Cleveland Spiders, a 19th-century National League team that finished the 1899 season 20-134.

Among the pitchers the Red Sox faced on Wednesday after starter Zac Lowther exited was Brooks Kriske, who came into the game with a 14.00 ERA. He pitched a hitless frame with one strikeout to lower his ERA to 12.60.

In fact, only Eric Hanhold, who pitched the sixth, had an ERA under six. Yet for the first five innings, the only run on the board was J.D. Martinez’s solo homer, and the Sox hit into three double plays. Their desperation to break out of the hitting slump that plagued them since their 12-run game against the Mets last week led to batters swinging with reckless abandon. Only one Sox batter drew a walk the entire game, and the Orioles pitchers combined for 10 strikeouts.

While the Sox bats heated up later in the game and won 6-0, the fact that they struggled so much through the series opener and early innings of Wednesday’s game is troubling when every game counts.