And now it’s the battle of the two most disappointing teams, the Orioles and the Rangers.

Both teams were supposed to be competing for their respective division titles. Both have failed miserably. One, Baltimore, fired its manager. The other, Texas, fired its pitching coach.

But both were, if one was being honest, pipe dreams. Baltimore went into the season without investing in starting pitching, expecting to win with a dynamic young lineup. Texz went into the season without investing in a closer, expecting to win with a lineup that was enhanced with a couple hitters who could catch up to the fastball, their Achilles heel in 2024.

With both teams, their collapse happened when their bats went cold. Instead of leading the A.L. East, Baltimore is in last place. Instead of leading the A.L. West, Texas bounces between third and fourth on any given today. 

Sure, there’s plenty of time to turn it around. Theoretically. But Texas needs a bat. That is not breaking news. The Rangers needs to find a bona fide hitter to spark this offense. The trade deadline is six weeks away. If they wait until then, they won’t be doing themselves any favors and they will watch about thirty-five more games tick off the schedule. They need to find that solution soon.

Meanwhile, the Big Disappointment Series starts tonight in Baltimore. Nobody wants to be crowned the Biggest Disappointment of All. 

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