The Baltimore Orioles came into 2025 with expectations sky-high. It’s a young, electric roster. A front office that appeared ahead of the curve. And a fan base ready for another postseason run. But just a month into the season, reality has hit hard — and one CBS Sports writer is starting to second-guess himself.
In CBS Sports’ weekly “Batting Around” roundtable published May 1, R.J. Anderson confessed that Baltimore had been the team to surprise him the most — in all the wrong ways.
“I must confess I did not foresee them completing the first month of the season with the worst run differential on the Junior Circuit,” Anderson wrote. “Maybe they will [recover] — I’m not going to give up the ghost just yet.”
Anderson admitted he overlooked the “serious downside risk” in the Orioles’ pitching staff, a concern that has since become the club’s Achilles’ heel. After finishing April with a run differential worse than the rebuilding Pirates and White Sox, it’s hard not to wonder if Baltimore was overhyped heading into 2025.
What Went Wrong on the Mound?
Anderson’s pre-season optimism wasn’t unfounded. Baltimore added arms like Charlie Morton to pair with Kyle Gibson, Dean Kremer, and new Japanese acquisition Tomoyuki Sugano. However, as of May 3rd, the Orioles ranked in the bottom five in team ERA (5.29), WHIP (1.54), and home runs allowed (41).
Gibson has struggled with command. Morton hasn’t looked like the version of himself, even shifting to the bullpen. Sugano has already allowed 32 hits, six of them home runs. And the bullpen—once considered a strength—has had seven save opportunities c, but it blew one.
The downside risk Anderson warned about has become an ugly reality.
Can the Offense Carry Them?
GettyThe Orioles’ high hopes for 2025 are being tested by a shaky rotation and the worst run differential in the American League.
Despite the pitching implosion, the Orioles are far from hopeless. Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, and Cedric Mullins have kept the offense somewhat afloat. Baltimore currently ranks nineteenth in the AL slugging percentage (.384) and is in the top ten in home runs.
That’s the sliver of hope Anderson clings to. The bats are still kind of dangerous. And if the pitching stabilizes even slightly, Baltimore has the lineup to make up ground fast in a competitive AL East.
Local outlets like The Baltimore Banner are counting on the offense to wake up, with columnist Jon Meoli writing in a column back on April 16, “It will be a successful season if the Orioles can overcome this slow start and still get where they want to go, which is to be playing in October.”
Not Ready to Give Up the Ghost
Anderson’s “not giving up the ghost” line reflects the larger national sentiment. The Orioles aren’t a lost cause, but they’re skating on thin ice. Their margin for error is shrinking, and their pitching woes threaten to waste an otherwise talented roster.
CBS’s roundtable wasn’t short on surprises, but Baltimore’s shocking collapse in run prevention was perhaps the most glaring. Still, Anderson — like many around the league — isn’t ready to jump ship just yet.
Because if they do, turn it around? He’ll be able to say he never gave up the ghost.
MLB Writer Still Holding Out Hope for Orioles Despite Alarming Start