The Orioles blew another one, stumbled into the division cellar, and I'm not sure things are about to get better. Talk about Oriole Tragic.
It doesn't usually take much to push me into a stage of reflection.
Quick example: Reports this week indicated that the Washington Nationals are drawing just 9,000 nightly television viewers in the D.C. area, which makes the Nats about as popular as a steak-knife infomercial. You have to hope there's something wrong with the numbers, because 9,000 is embarrassingly low.
For comparison, on YouTube yesterday the hot titles all dwarfed the poor Nats' ratings, including "How to build a working rocketship" (43,834 views), "Uncensored psychopath rage" (126,201), and, of course, the classic piece of Web cinema, "Fred's mom is missing" (2,131,905).
It's probably the time of year. Once the fireworks smoke clears and the smell of sulfur dissipates, I can't help but pause and take stock of the local baseball club.
In the past, the Orioles approached this juncture in the schedule, and it was little more than a pit stop. Cool the engine, stretch a little, rest a little and maybe stock up on trail mix for the rest of the ride.
But the All-Star break this year feels much more like a crossroads. Nine of the past 10 years, the Orioles carried a losing record into the break.
And 10 of the past 10 years, the Orioles took a losing record into the final day of the season.
This season, they have played miles above their heads but will still likely find themselves below .500 at the break next week. Another disheartening loss last night - the Orioles' fifth straight and their sixth in seven games - leaves them tied with the Blue Jays for last place. It's the first time in nearly a month they have been trapped in the division cellar.
With a series beginning today at Boston, it certainly feels like the Orioles are the verge of something. Maybe not a free fall, but at least a slow, steady drifting back down to Earth.
The sky isn't falling here, even if the Orioles are. And frankly, whatever waits around the bend shouldn't surprise. I sincerely hope you weren't fooled.
They're not the Tampa Bay Rays. Not yet, at least.
If you study the box scores and not the standings, it looks like the Orioles have already arrived at the season's crossroads - and both the offense and the pitchers opted to switch directions.
