Monday night Orioles game thread: vs. Athletics, 7:05

There’s nothing quite like sitting down to contemplate the Orioles chances, with the team already having lost two games in a row, knowing that Wade Miley and Ubaldo Jimenez will be starting the next two games. Oh, yes. If momentum is the next day’s starting pitcher, well, it’s no wonder that the Orioles have spent the whole season having problems.

We have arrived at a point where it’s time for the Orioles to start winning some games or else stop pretending that they’re in any kind of postseason position. The last series they won concluded on August 2. They haven’t won two games consecutively in their last 12 games and at the moment they have a losing record in August - their fourth consecutive month with a losing record.

The season isn’t over if the Orioles don’t sweep the Athletics, but if they somehow lose this series, we can probably start to turn out the lights. The O’s likely need to win or split every remaining series. It’s a daunting proposition. The reason why they’ve had a hard time is because they’re just not good enough right now to win six in a row.

The season-long starting rotation ERA of 5.65 is not an accident. This is who they have been all year and it’s probably who they will still be over the last six or so weeks of the season.