Baltimore Orioles Manager Assesses Team Mindset After Rough Few Months

The Baltimore Orioles manager offered up what he thinks the team mindset is like right now after a horrid stretch of baseball.

Aug 16, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde (18) stands in the dugout during the second inning against the Boston Red Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles started out as one of the best teams in MLB, but have played some really rough baseball over the past few months and it might have put a dent into team morale.

There is still plenty of talent on the Orioles' roster, but a lot of them haven't put their best foot forward.

Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde offered an assessment on the team's mindset after the months-long rough stretch.

"We haven't played our best baseball the last couple months, whether it's injury related or not," he said per MLB's Dawn Klemish. "When that happens, there's frustration, and guys want to play better. It's not lack of work or mindset or anything like that, it's just, when you've been grinding for a while, you've just got to keep trying to win tonight's game and take care of tomorrow, tomorrow."

The Orioles are 30-33 since the start of July.

No other team headed to the playoffs has had the same or worse record in that span. They had a 53-31 record in the months before that, so something has clearly gone wrong.

Baseball is an incredibly mental sport, which means the headspace of their stars is very important right now.

While the offense hasn't been outstanding over the last few months, the pitching staff is really what has taken a hit.

Starting pitching in Baltimore was supposed to be a strength, but injuries have made things very hard for them. The front office made some moves to try and supplement the rotation, but results have been a mixed bag.

Since the start of July, Orioles starters have an ERA of 4.51 which ranks at No. 19 in that span. Cade Povich and Corbin Burnes have been particularly disappointing in the second half.

The bullpen has been even worse with a 4.80 ERA, the fifth-worst mark in the league. There are only a handful of relievers in Baltimore who can be trusted right now.

On the offensive side, there are a couple of batters who need to turn things around if they want to compete in the post season.

Adley Rutschman has had the worst stretch of his career since the start of July, posting a .187/.278/.273 slash line with just three home runs.

Jackson Holliday is also struggling at the plate once again, failing to find consistency early in his career.

There is still time to turn things around for the Orioles before the playoffs, but not much.