For Orioles, History Suggests Their Playoff Hopes Are All But Over

Image credit: (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire)

The Orioles dropped to 16-33 with a 19-5 loss to the Red Sox in the first game of a doubleheader on Friday.

Baltimore went into the bottom of the eighth inning trailing by three runs, but a 13-run eighth inning with a position player on the mound, Emmanuel Rivera, sent the Orioles to a 14-run loss that is their second-worst loss of the season. The Orioles lost to the Reds 24-2 earlier this year.

It may seem odd to even mention this for a team with one of the worst records in baseball, but this loss has dropped the Orioles to a point from which no playoff team has ever recovered.

Even if the Orioles win the nightcap, their best possible record at the 50-game mark will be 17-33. No MLB playoff team has ever had 33 losses at the 50-game mark of the season (thanks to Baseball Reference’s Stathead) .

The worst record at the 50-game mark for a playoff team is 18-32, which has only been done twice. The 2005 Astros started 18-32 on their way to an 89-73 record and a wild card spot. The 1974 Pirates also started off 18-32, but finished 88-74 to win the NL East. The 2019 Nationals went from 19-31 to winning the World Series. They are one of only three teams to win the World Series after having a losing record at the 50-game mark.

For a team that won 101 games last year and entered the season with championship aspirations, the implications are sobering. Stretching back to last season, the Orioles are now 76-86 over their past 162 games.