The third inning of Wednesday night’s game against the Athletics was a nightmare for the Orioles. The A’s put 11 consecutive runners on base and hung up a 10-spot in the frame against starter Andrew Cashner and reliever Cody Carroll. Here’s how it went down:
- Nick Martini single
- Jonathan Lucroy single
- Ramon Laureano walk
- Matt Chapman two-run double (2-0)
- Jed Lowrie RBI single (3-0)
- Khris Davis RBI single (4-0)
- Matt Olson three-run home run (7-0)
- Stephen Piscotty single [Andrew Cashner is then replaced by Cody Carroll]
- Marcus Semien walk
- Nick Martini single
- Jonathan Lucroy two-run single (9-0)
- Ramon Laureano pop out
- Matt Chapman RBI single (10-0)
- Jed Lowrie fly out
- Khris Davis strike out
For those counting at home, that inning featured eight singles, two walks, a double, and a homer.
The Orioles were already the laughingstock at the league, entering Wednesday’s action with a 41-103 record. With another loss tonight, they would be on pace to finish the season 46-116. 116 losses would rank as the fourth-most in the modern era (1900 to present). The 1962 Mets went 40-120, the 2003 Tigers went 43-119, and the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics went 36-117. A .284 winning percentage, which is what a 46-116 record comes out to, would rank as the 15th-worst in the modern era.
The O’s also entered Wednesday with a -242 run differential, which is obviously up to -252 after that disastrous third inning. That already ranks as the 11th-worst run differential in the era of the 162-game season. If we say the O’s lose 10-0 tonight [Update: they did], they would be on pace for a -282 run differential, which would be the sixth-worst in the 162-game season era. The record in a 162-game season is -337 by the ’03 Tigers.