You may not think “swupt” is a word.
You are wrong. (Technically, you are right. But, today, you are wrong.)
To be swupt is to lose all four games of a four-game series to the Boston Red Sox. Which is what the Baltimore Orioles did this week.
Losing 2-5, 2-5, 1-5, 3-5. Or, to simplify things, losing the series 8-20.
(Orioles Magic? Orioles Tragic.)
Losing ugly and losing, at least for the moment, their hold of a post-season wild card spot.
With just one week left in the regular season, there aren’t many moments left to right this shaky ship.
Broadcasters and managers and players will tell you that it is very hard to win all four games of a four-game series. (They will also tell you that visiting teams hate four-game series for weird reasons … like players don’t like to stay in the same hotel and town for so long. It’s four games. It’s one game more than a typical three-game series. Are players seriously that sensitive that playing one more day is such a burden? You know what’s a burden? Watching your very most favorite team in the whole wide entire world give up five – FIVE! – unearned runs in a single game and then lose that game to the Red Sox, 5-1.)
The Red Sox must have been miserable this week what with the burden of this four-game series and all.
Here’s rookie Red Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi overcoming the sadness of a four-game series by celebrating following one of their wins this week by dancing like Michael Jackson.
Look how happy they are! (The Orioles were happy once.)
Just for the record, the University of Virginia kept Benintendi, then a center fielder at the University of Arkansas, hitless during the 2014 NCAA Regionals Tournament.
I know, because I was there. Here’s an ESPN screen cap of the Baseball Bloggess and Editor/Husband watching it happen.
Sure, no one looks very happy, but Virginia shut out Arkansas that day 3-0.
The Orioles are seven games back and in third place in the AL East. They are a half game back of the second Wild Card spot.
Dear Orioles, There are nine games left to play. Fix this.
The Baseball Bloggess 
I’m going to send messages out to the universe to move the O’s up to second place e. But it might be more advantageous if we both sent our requests directly to the O’s😊
I’m not even sure that divine intervention can save the Orioles. But, nine games left … it’s not over yet!
Editor husband appears to be watching; Baseball Bloggess is looking down at her scorecard. Davis’ error in that five-unearned-run inning seemed to dissolve the Orioles. The Red Sox still have nine games to go. Ortiz deserves an MVP nod. What a way to go out.
Indeed! I am tidying up my scorecard during a break in the action. Benintendi went 0-for-3 that day. Virginia won … then beat Maryland in the Super Regionals in the next round, went to Omaha, and lost a heartbreaker in Game 3 of the World Series to Vanderbilt. But … Virginia got its revenge in 2015. :)
I have been watching your team – since we only get the minimum of highlights – I hope you get in – you have a pretty good chance at it! We (Rockies) are helping the Dodgers and probably the Giants next to gain in that wild card and division race. The upside to this is our team is in LA to be a part of Vin Sculley’s last called games. What a legend and what memories they are bringing to light again. The 2nd upside is Rockies are a whole different team ( 3rd place) than a year ago ( basement)- much better in many areas except pitching. But we knew that going in…Here’s to the last days of baseball and then our drought begins.
Nine games left … I’m not giving up yet! :)
“Swupt”? Hey, Dizzy Dean woulda understood swupt. That makes it OK by me.
Sorry about your O’s, but at least they were consistent, gave up exactly 5 runs each game.
v
Good enough for Dizzy Dean? I’ll take that! :)
I feel your pain…
We just need a super dose of Orioles Magic …
Ugh. As Micheal (yes spelled that way) Ray Richardson once famously said in basketball, “the ship be sinkin'”. Yet and still, they aren’t out of it. They just had a poor week. Consistently poor, as one commenter noted, by giving up 5 runs in each game. However, now they have to dig themselves out of a hole and hope for help.
And as one of the spectators in attendance when David Ortiz destroyed the phone in the dugout, I LOVED that the O’s gave him that as a retirement gift. Though I have said for years that someone on the O’s should have exacted retribution at Fenway. An eye for an eye, or a phone for a phone in this particular case.
The phone was the perfect gift! I saw the O’s comment on the video they showed with the gift ceremony last night. They considered showing video of every time Brian Matusz struck Big Papi out, but instead they showed a highlight reel of every home run he hit off the Yankees, so both the Orioles and Red Sox fans at the game could enjoy it together. (Nice of the O’s to notice that the Red Sox fans nearly outnumbered the O’s fans this week.)
Hi Jackie,
I enjoy following your blog and your very interesting posts! You are so passionate about baseball & your beloved Orioles but this takes a lot of research on your part.
I wanted to pass along some information to you that you may already know about and may or may not have an interest in. A book has been released on Amazon only titled It’s Not Just Black or White by Richard Abrey. It’s about a black only team in Farmville in the 60’s, 70’s and Dick Abrey was the only white player on the team. He was a UVA student & loved baseball so much that he found this team & played for them. I am passing this on second hand so my facts may not be totally correct. Dick Abrey is a friend of my brother-in-law which is how I know about it. Right after your post about Gordonsville I heard about this & thought you might be interested.
Nancy
Thank you for this Nancy … I didn’t know about this book, but it’s exactly the kind of Virginia story I”m looking for. Within minutes of getting your message I had ordered the book and it loaded onto my Kindle (yay, technology!) I can’t wait to learn more about Dick Aubry’s story!
Even your little Mookie couldn’t make you feel better about this one…:)
I do love Mookie …and all those players (like Jonathan Schoop and Adam Jones) who have such a joyful spirit when they play. But, I like Mookie MUCH better when he’s not doing doing his joyful thing against the Orioles. :(