The last week and a half have been disappointing but not disastrous. The Orioles still have a hold on first place, and it will be on the line when the team they play the team with whom they are tied this weekend.

While the Orioles have lost 5 in a row, the Rays have lost 3 straight. So, even great teams go through phases. With the Orioles, it’s hard to know whether it’s back to reality or just a phase. My gut tells me they have major problems.

The players that have exceeded expectations, to a large extent, don’t have a track record. Particularly, I mean the pitchers. The players in the rotation don’t have a history of great major league seasons. Some of them could be trending up, but it’s hard to imagine all of them are. There are too many holes in the rotation for me to be confident that the Orioles can hold onto first place for a significant period of time.