The Baltimore Orioles have been the worst team in baseball this season. Not only have they gone through a 20 game road losing streak, one of five teams in MLB history to do so, but they are currently on an 18 game losing streak regardless of venue. It has been another brutal season in Baltimore.
That 18 game losing streak has been one for the ages. In that time, the Orioles have been outscored by 102 runs, an average of nearly six runs per game. In fact, heading into Monday, only three teams in the majors have been outscored by more than 102 runs over the course of the entire season.
Baltimore Orioles setting new bar for futility
With this stretch, the Orioles have been outscored by 233 runs on the season. The Pirates are the next closest team, having been outscored by 189 runs. After that? One has to go to the Texas Rangers, who seem to be a comparative juggernaut as they have only been outscored by 148 runs this year.
The Orioles’ recent run of futility is also historic. They are the first team in the modern era to be outscored by at least 100 runs in any 18 game span. Considering that time frame also includes the Orioles team that began the 1988 season with 21 consecutive losses, the 1962 Mets, and the 2003 Tigers, that level of incompetence is truly astonishing.
That is not the only astonishing aspect of the Orioles’ incredible futility. They are on pace to lose 108 games for the third consecutive season if the COVID shortened 2020 campaign is taken out of the equation. The last team to lose that many games in a season for at least three consecutive years? The expansion Mets.
Certain teams are attached to losing in baseball history. The 1899 Spiders and the expansion Mets are the two teams that most frequently come to mind. That is the company that the Orioles are keeping these days as their rebuild appears to be never ending.
The Baltimore Orioles are setting a new bar for futility. Their 18 game losing streak has been a complete disaster in more than the standings.