BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Orioles find themselves sitting in last place in the AL East, but the team is refusing to hit the panic button as they welcome the division-leading New York Yankees for a three-game series.
The Orioles are coming off a tough three-game series against the Tigers where they were swept in Detroit. The team understands that climbing out of last place in the division won't happen overnight.
"It's hard. This is a tough deal. It's a tough sport. It's a tough league, but they're going to come out of it. It's a bunch of great guys that are trying a little bit too hard that need to relax and play," Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said.
"Really good teams are never too far away from figuring things out and I consider us a good team. So it's a matter of staying positive and really just put our best foot forward. Really get after it, trying to do something out there and compete," Orioles centerfielder Cedric Mullins said.
After making the postseason two years straight, a 10-17 start to the season has put many players on the roster in unfamiliar territory.
"This is kinda new to some guys that have had success their entire lives, careers, whatever you want to call it. [They] just haven't really hit that moment of having to respond to struggle. I think we're at the point now where guys are understanding it's a grind but you have to take it day by day. Pitch by pitch. Compete every single day," Mullins said.
"There are a lot of people in that clubhouse that really want to perform well and part of my job is to take a little bit of pressure off of them. They put so much pressure on themselves just try to get them to relax and enjoy being in the big leagues," Hyde said.
Despite recent struggles, Mullins says he's taking positives from every game and is confident the club can turn their season around.
"This past week, I'd say we're getting better at just getting guys on and getting guys in scoring position. That next big step for us is getting them in. Getting runs on the board. Taking advantage. I think that's really it," Mullins said.
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