Showalter can’t extend success with Orioles

BALTIMORE (AP)—Coming off a solid finish in 2010, the Baltimore Orioles hoped to continue their success this season under their anointed savior, manager Buck Showalter.Unfortunately, Showalter’s baseball savvy and no-nonsense attitude haven’t been enough to offset an ineffective

 starting rotation, poor clutch hitting and at least a half-dozen injuries.

And so, barring a remarkable turnaround over the next 2 1/2 months, the Orioles will complete their 14th consecutive losing season in the AL East cellar and with little reason to believe that a turnaround will occur anytime soon.

Baltimore staggered to the All-Star break with a seven-game losing streak and a 1-12 record since June 26. The Orioles won six of their first seven games and were 30-31 on June 10, but a 6-21 stretch through Sunday left them at 36-52 and an overwhelming 18 games behind division-leading Boston.

The main culprit has been a rotation that has not come close to fulfilling expectations.

A rib injury sidelined former first-round pick Brian Matusz(notes) until June, and upon his return the left-hander struggled to regain his velocity. He went 1-4 with an 8.77 ERA and was sent to the minors before the end of the month.

His replacement in April, Zach Britton(notes), was demoted last week after going 1-5 with a 6.86 ERA over an eight-game stretch. Fourth-year pro Jake Arrieta(notes) has nine wins, but his 4.90 ERA is hardly worth bragging about. Nor is Jeremy Guthrie’s(notes) 3-12 record.

“It’s still about our young starting pitching a lot,” Showalter said. “You constantly compare yourself to other clubs in our division, and that’s something that we are going to have to get better at, get more consistent with. The conversation seems to always start and end there.”

Here’s something worth talking about: In the final 26 games before the break, Orioles starters completed seven innings only once and have a 7.76 ERA over that span. That includes unheralded performances by Chris Jakubauskas(notes) (2-2, 6.49 ERA) and Mitch Atkins(notes) (0-0, 8.22), neither of whom was expected to be thrust into the rotation.

“I think if you’re able to get consistent starting pitching on a regular basis, that’s where you start,” said catcher Matt Wieters(notes), Baltimore’s lone All-Star representative. “Our starters have to be able to go six, seven innings to give us a chance to win.”

None of this would be particularly distressing if the Orioles were hitting well, but they are not. Free-agent pickups Vladimir Guerrero(notes) (seven homers, 31 RBIs) and Derrek Lee(notes) (.235, nine home runs, 28 RBIs) have been disappointing. Luke Scott(notes) was batting .223 with only nine homers before going on the disabled list last week and Baltimore repeatedly stumbled with runners in scoring position over the past month.

“The offense and the pitching have had their good times, and they’ve had their bad times,” Wieters said.

Mostly bad.

“I know we have a good team. I just want to see us succeed,” center fielder Adam Jones(notes) said. “I’m just disappointed in the fact we’re not playing up to our capabilities. Honestly, I think we should be higher in this division. Our team is that good.”

If they don’t start showing it soon, the Orioles won’t have anything at stake in August and September.

“Talent-wise, we have it here,” Lee said. “It’s just about focusing on each game and playing that game the best we can.”

The Orioles performed marvelously under Showalter last season, going 34-23 from Aug. 2 after winning only 32 games before his arrival. Sadly, Baltimore couldn’t sustain that high level in 2011.

“We just have to start playing the game right and start playing consistently,” Wieters said. “Whether you win or lose, you have to cut out mental mistakes, get the starting pitching going deeper, getting the offense going a little bit. We have the talent in place to be playing better baseball. I think that’s the main thing. I don’t think we can worry about our record. In order to make a run, we’re just going to have to go out there and play good baseball for the whole second half.”

It would help if injured players such as Scott and Brian Roberts(notes) could contribute. Scott has been troubled by a shoulder injury and Roberts has been sidelined since May with a concussion. Shortstop J.J. Hardy(notes), backup Cesar Izturis(notes), Lee and reliever Alfredo Simon(notes) also spent time on the DL in the first half.

There’s little cause for optimism, unless one compares this year’s team with the one that reached the break last season with a 29-59 record.

“I think we’re better. We’re better as an organization,” president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said. “Sometimes it doesn’t come as rapidly as I would like it or as vigorously as I would like it, but we’re pretty clear cut on how we’re going to approach it: We’ve put an emphasis on the young arms.”

MacPhail has called upon several of those pitchers this season, and it’s likely he isn’t done yet.

“We just need more of them,” he said. “To get five good ones, you need to get eight in this day and age.”

Which means the Orioles could be active as the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline approaches.

“Opportunity is the key word there,” MacPhail said. “If we think we can do something, whether it’s on the selling side or the buying side and it makes sense to the franchise, independent to our record, I think you pursue it.”