The Orioles offense has gotten off to a slow start but Albernaz doesn't seem phased.
The Baltimore Orioles dropped a 5-2 decision to the Texas Rangers on Monday night at Camden Yards, falling to 2-2 on the young season after Jack Leiter struck out eight across six strong innings.
Chris Bassitt made his Orioles debut on the mound but lasted just 4.1 innings, needing 100 pitches to get through his first two frames while allowing four runs on six hits and four walks.
After the game, first-year manager Craig Albernaz acknowledged the offensive struggles but kept things in perspective when he spoke to reporters about what went wrong at the plate.
"We did have some chances, but obviously couldn't get the hit," Albernaz said. "We did a good job battling, got good pitches to hit, but then we just couldn't cash in when we needed to. The bats are still there, it's just we're just a click off right now. It's something once our offense gets going, I think our offense is really going to take off."
An Uneven Start Through Four Games
The numbers back up what Albernaz is saying about the Orioles being close but not quite there yet.
Baltimore is hitting just .237 as a team with 13 runs scored through four games, and the only home run off an Orioles bat so far belongs to Gunnar Henderson, who went deep in Monday's loss.
Adley Rutschman has been a bright spot with a .429 batting average early on, but the lineup around him hasn't been able to string together the kind of big innings this roster was built for.
The 3-1 Rangers have outplayed Baltimore through the first game of this series, and the Orioles will need to respond with Zach Eflin taking the mound Tuesday night as the home team tries to even the set.
Why the Offense Should Still Be Dangerous
Here's the thing about this Orioles lineup though.
Baltimore went out and completely overhauled the roster this past offseason, adding Pete Alonso, Taylor Ward, and Shane Baz while bringing in closer Ryan Helsley to shore up the bullpen.
Alonso and Henderson alone should be good for 60-plus home runs combined, and that doesn't even account for what guys like Tyler O'Neill, Rutschman, and Samuel Basallo can bring to the table on any given night.
The 2025 season was a disappointment for this franchise, with Baltimore finishing 75-87 after back-to-back playoff appearances in 2023 and 2024.
But the front office responded in a major way and this is a fundamentally different team than the one that stumbled last year.
Albernaz is in his first season as manager and the early returns have been mixed, but the talent on this roster is undeniable.
Four games is nothing and if Albernaz is right about the bats being just a click away, Baltimore could look like an entirely different offense by the time April rolls around.