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It is possible after all for the Orioles to win another game. They are again at the point where if they went .500 for the remainder of the season, they would finish at a 86-76 record, which would be nice enough, but whatever, that's not going to get any games in October. We've been saying for weeks that they need to get hot. For the four games before yesterday, they were cold.
Sunday afternoon finds the Orioles playing a game they probably need to win, but it is not a win that will be easy to pull off. Rockies starter Jhoulys Chacin has pitched to a 1.87 ERA on the road this season. He is not left-handed, which is always a positive for the Orioles, but he is a bit of a soft-tosser, with an average velocity of 89.8 on his fastball. Chacin's success this season appears to be the answer to the question of what happens with a pitcher who walks too many guys (4 BB/9) when he suddenly stops walking too many guys (2.40 BB/9).
Chacin doesn't get many strikeouts either, with a 5.4 K/9, meaning he mostly pitches to contact, which could be good for the Orioles, only he also has a 47.3% ground ball rate and has surrendered only five home runs in 150 innings pitched. The Orioles are hard-pressed to go 30 innings without surrendering five home runs. Only one of the five home runs he's given up has been allowed on the road. That's either a guy who's pitching really well or a guy who's really been lucky.
Maybe his luck, if it is luck, will turn around and the Orioles will do the Orioles thing.
More likely, the Orioles pitching staff will do the Orioles thing and give up home runs. Scott Feldman is getting his turn Sunday. He is also a pitcher who gets a lot of ground balls, although he has not yet turned that into great success with the O's. Feldman has a 5.18 ERA with a 3.88 FIP. Maybe he has been unlucky and that will turn around too! Anything is possible.
This post is without lineups because I will be headed to the game before there are lineups to post, but being as you are resourceful people of means, I trust that you will be able to find them yourself and ascertain whether there is anything peculiar about them and why.