Orioles Weekly Wrap: September 25th - October 1st

Welcome, one and all, to the final 2015 edition of the Weekly Wrap. It's been a good run; except for a severe swoon in August, the Orioles looked to be in contention for at least a Wild Card spot most of the way.

Results and Standings

The Orioles went 2-5 against the Red Sox and Blue Jays, scoring just 19 runs while allowing a whopping 41. They currently sit at 78-81, 14 games back and tied for third/last place in the AL East. They were also eliminated from the Wild Card standings. Their predicted end-of-season record is 80-82.

Best Hitter / Worst Hitter

Manny Machado led the team in hitting this week with 156 wRC+ on the back of a .240/.321/.640 line that included three homers. Midseason acquisition, and (it must be said) relative disappointment, Gerardo Parra posted just an 11 wRC+ with a .143/.217/.190 line.

Best Start / Worst Start

Wei-Yin Chen walks so few batters that when he strikes guys out, he has really good games. This week was no exception, as in his start on the 26th against the Red Sox he struck out seven and walked just two. He did give up 5 hits and ran his pitch count up pretty high which forced him out after 5.2 innings. But those 111 pitches were very effective. Conversely, Chris Tillman may have gone 7.1 innings in his start against the Blue Jays, but he benefitted from some well-timed luck. He struck out only three, walked two, and surrendered a home run.

Have a Game, Why Don't Ya?

The Orioles opened their four-game set against Toronto with a 4-3 loss, but Ryan Flaherty played a big part in keeping the Orioles in the game. His biggest contribution came in his first plate appearance against starter Marco Estrada with the Orioles already behind 1-0. With Matt Wieters and Jonathan Schoop on base thanks to some singles, Flaherty blasted an opposite-field home run to put the Orioles up 3-1. He would not reach base again in the game and was lifted for David Lough in the 8th. The Blue Jays rallied for two runs in that inning and one in the top of the 9th to come from behind and win the game.

Clutchiest Relief Performance

In the fourth game of that same series, Darren O'Day helped preserve a 6-4 Orioles win. He entered the game in the top of the 7th, replacing Brian Matusz, who'd just given up a ground rule double to Ezequiel Carrera. That was the third run in the inning and made the score 6-4 Orioles. But with two outs already recorded, O'Day got Chris Colabello to ground out to end the inning. He stayed on to pitch the top of the 8th and hit Matt Hague with a pitch, but he retired Josh Thole on a pop fly and struck out both Munenoi Kawasaki and Darwin Barney.

Upcoming

The Orioles close out the season with a three-game series against the New York Yankees.