Out of all the numbers surrounding this Orioles team, the only ones that mean anything are the “8” in the win column and the “26” in the loss column. Everything else is noise. But some of the underlying stats behind their unpleasant start go a long way toward explaining the worst record in baseball.
Here are five stats that stand out that attempt to shed light on exactly why the Orioles are struggling as badly as they are, and whether there's any hope for a turnaround on these fronts.
49.7 – When the subject of teams pitching the Orioles backward and not giving them fastballs to hit this season was broached with hitting coach Scott Coolbaugh barely a week into the season, he believed it was more a symptom of facing the Houston Astros and New York Yankees than something the Orioles would face all year long.