Baltimore Orioles Continue Disappointing Trend, Fall in Latest Power Rankings

The latest weekly power rankings from Bleacher Report have dropped, much like the Orioles have in those same rankings. After finishing last week ranked 26th, Baltimore now ranks 28th in the latest iteration. 

"The Orioles are the most disappointing team in baseball," writes Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report, "sliding to the bottom of the AL East standings after winning 192 games over the last two years while making back-to-back playoff appearances. Manager Brandon Hyde was fired on Saturday, and they have an AL-worst minus-85 run differential through 45 games."

That run differential gives the Orioles a Pythagorean record of 14-31. While their 15-30 record is "only" the fourth-worst in MLB, that Pythagorean record is better than only the Colorado Rockies', who are on pace to shatter the single-season loss record.

If things do not get much better, the franchise will need more of an overhaul than just the manager. Most of the blame for this year, anyway, should rest at general manager Mike Elias's feet, who refused to do anything of note over the offseason to improve the roster.

For now, Baltimore will have to struggle through the doldrums of MLB. But hey, at least they made the postseason the last two years, right?