Same old, same old

The Orioles were swept at home by the Red Sox over the weekend, and have dropped to 2-11 against the Red Sox on the year. Add in the Yankees, and the Orioles are 5-20 against the top 2 teams in the AL East.

Pathetic.

Outside of the Yanks and Sox, the Orioles are 39-40. Some people actually take solace in that.

Not me.

What that proves is the Orioles outside of the Yankees and Red Sox are just a mediocre team. If they had a winning record outside of those 2 teams, maybe I'd feel a little better. Maybe if that was the case, I'd think that beating the Yankees and Red Sox will be the last hurdle to overcome on the Orioles path to contention over the next few years.

However, the Orioles are also 8-17 against the AL West.

16-34 on the road.

They haven't had a month above .500 all season.

And, they appear to be in the midst of another late-season collapse.

Anyway you slice it, the Orioles are not competitive. You can't "take away" teams to make yourself feel better about the Orioles' record. The Orioles are not going to avoid playing the Red Sox and Yankees in the years to come. To be the best you have to beat the best.

The O's still have a chance to redeem the 2009 season by finishing strong. They are 4-12 after the All Star Break. It doesn't look good, but it could still happen.

Just like there is a chance that pigs fly and hell freezes over.