Sunday afternoon Orioles game thread: vs. Blue Jays, 1:35

This series has not gone how the Orioles might have hoped. After a high-octane Thursday game where they still lost because their starting pitching was terrible, the Orioles offense has gone into a slumber. Now they need an unlikely Sunday outcome just to get a series split against the last place Blue Jays.

If the pattern established already this season holds, the Orioles will need that offense to show up again today to have any chance of winning. Chris Tillman is pitching in the afternoon contest. His continuing struggles in the 2017 season are straining the bounds of the English language to describe them. Just saying he’s been bad is not sufficient and hasn’t been for a while.

The O’s enter today’s play 2.5 games back of the second wild card spot. That still belongs to the Twins, and they must also pass the Angels on the way. The Twins play in the 2 o’clock hour, while the Angels start around 3 o’clock. In addition to rooting for a Tillman miracle and the offense to re-emerge against Jays starter Brett Anderson, root for Royals and Rangers wins.

There are 26 games to be played and the Orioles probably need to win 16 of them. The number of losses they have left to give can be counted on both hands. Now would be a good time to start another seven game winning streak somehow.