Should Baltimore Orioles Be Concerned About Their Struggles?

Should the Baltimore Orioles be concerned with how they have played in the second half of the season?

Sep 11, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Dean Kremer (64) makes his way to the bullpen before the start of the game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. / David Butler II-Imagn Images

As September nears the midway point, the Baltimore Orioles have been playing very mediocre baseball for an extended period of time. 

After their hot start to the season, it looked like the Orioles were going to be cruising to a playoff spot and competing with the New York Yankees for the American League East crown.

While Baltimore will still likely be a playoff team and the AL East is still within reach, their second half hasn’t been near the level of play that was seen in the first 81 games.

To start the year, Baltimore was 51-30, but since that point, they've been just 32-34.

Thanks to the Yankees limping in the second half as well, neither team has separated themselves from the other in the division race.

While the Orioles might be struggling and clearly have some flaws, they are still a contender in the American League.

But recently, Will Leitch of MLB.com spoke about why Baltimore should be concerned about their recent struggles as they gear up for the playoffs.

"Here's something nobody expected anyone to say about the Orioles: We're all worried about the hitting. Gunnar Henderson is still launching the ball, and Anthony Santander is hitting plenty of homers, but, seriously, what has happened to Adley Rutschman? He’s hitting .204 since the All-Star break and only has one homer in his last 42 games. Are we sure he's not hurt? Add to that Jackson Holliday going through another tough stretch, and that once-vaunted Orioles lineup looks a lot thinner ... Orioles fans have been freaking out for a couple of months now. You can see why."

The struggles they have undergone for this long is certainly surprising.

This is one of the most talented lineups top to bottom in baseball, but right now, they have multiple players who are really under-performing.

Since the All-Star break, Adley Rutschman is hitting .205 with just two home runs in 44 games. As one of the best catchers in baseball, this has been a horrible stretch for him.

In addition to the struggles of Rutschman, Jackson Holliday is also having a tough second-half of the season, as he is batting just over the Mendoza line at .201.

The Orioles without a doubt have one of the best lineups in the playoffs when everyone is healthy and hitting right. However, that hasn’t been the case for quite some time now.

If Baltimore is going to ease the concerns that many people have right now, they need to get their hitters out of this extended funk.