How one swing exposed a season’s worth of frustration for the Orioles

Join the dugout. Sign up here for Orioles updates in your inbox.

The sweep at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers rendered the Orioles’ already dismal playoff chances all but nil, leaving manager Craig Albernaz visibly exasperated during a pair of postgame press conferences.

After Albernaz received a public assurance Saturday from his boss that he would return as manager next season, the Orioles didn’t score a run in the final two games of the weekend. In the aftermath, Albernaz delivered public criticism of his team in a way he has rarely done in his first season.

On Saturday, after Rece Hinds missed a fly ball that led to the only run of the game, Albernaz expressed shock that his outfielder wasn’t wearing sunglasses. He said after the game it was “pretty frustrating.” He also pointed to “awful” bunt attempts by Christian Franklin and Hinds, as well as “interesting” swing decisions as part of the “particularly frustrating” game.

On Sunday, as a series that included 19 consecutive scoreless innings for the Orioles concluded, Albernaz seemed to be at a loss over one particular decision. His words were rawer and more pointed than at any point this season.

After Milwaukee right-hander Chad Patrick uncorked nine straight balls to load the bases with two outs, Jeremiah Jackson swung at the first pitch he saw — and grounded out. The pitch he swung at actually was not bad: an elevated fastball in the zone that Jackson is fully capable of driving.

Albernaz did not hold back in discussing his displeasure with the decision, though.

“Swinging bases loaded after nine pitches not in the strike zone was shocking, and I’m embarrassed,” he said. “Like, that’s not winning baseball. That’s not baseball, period.”

It does not seem that Albernaz instructed Jackson to take the pitch; he expected him to know.

“That’s something you would learn along the way. Not in professional baseball, just in baseball in general,” Albernaz said. “But ultimately, it falls on me because he swung, and that’s something that will be addressed moving forward. And also, the standard has to be high to win baseball games here, and that’s also going to be addressed.”

Albernaz’s criticism stood out because the Orioles have failed to play crisp baseball repeatedly this season, and he’s often responded by expressing faith in his players. His tone, in the wake of president of baseball operations Mike Elias announcing Albernaz would be back next year, changed.

For example, on Aug. 6, Angels pitcher Ryan Johnson loaded the bases with two outs by walking two batters and hitting a third. Jackson Holliday came up and swung at the first pitch — a fastball in the middle of the zone — and grounded out.

Albernaz didn’t take issue with that decision, at least not publicly.

“If he feels like it’s a good pitch to hit, you’ve got to go,” Albernaz said. “I mean, bases loaded like that, you’ve got to take your shot. You can’t be passive up there. If it’s a good pitch to hit like that, let it rip.”

But with the season winding down — the Orioles are five games out of the final wild-card spot with six games remaining — Albernaz changed his approach to dealing with a wasted at-bat.

Jackson, for his part, took ownership of the mistake after hearing what Albernaz had told reporters.

“Probably not the best idea to swing,” Jackson said. “Obviously, in a situation like that, you want to help the team win, so trying to get something over the heart of the plate. Got it. Obviously, given the at-bats before, I probably should’ve not swung, so that’s on me.”

Jackson walked reporters through his thinking and explained the decision to swing but ultimately said that working the struggling pitcher would have been a better choice.

As the Orioles face another offseason of questions, at least some of the solutions will need to come from within. Elias will attempt to bolster the roster, but the core is in place — and will be expected to deliver.

Failing to consistently do the “little things” right, in Albernaz’s mind, is what has prevented Baltimore from winning more games this season.

“The consistency of doing little things constantly right every single night all the time is the separator from good teams and the bad teams with a bad record, and we have a bad record,” Albernaz said. “The little things, it’s something that we can control, and that’s where the series go awry, like this one, we just didn’t control, but when we play our best baseball, we are on top of little things. And that’s the inconsistency that we have right now.”

His weary criticism at the end of the Brewers series may have been frustration, but it also appeared to be a strategic shift in his public approach to holding players accountable.

Albernaz has a long winter — and a potential lockout — ahead as he ruminates on how to find the consistency that has eluded his first Orioles team.