The West Coast View: August 26

I think Buck Showalter described things perfectly for the Orioles following Sunday’s big series-clinching victory over the A’s when he said, “It’s been on. Trust me, it’s been on.” He was asked about the team’s upcoming three-city road trip where they will face the Red Sox, Yankees and Indians, all teams that are competing for a playoff spot in the American League. It was a candid moment from Showalter, who typically toes the company line of taking things one game at a time and not allowing his players to get too far ahead of themselves. Showalter also admitted to going into yesterday’s contest with a bit more urgency than they typically would have. “There’s not many days when I go, ‘We need to play well today and see if we can get a W.’ This was one of those days.” He knew it, the players knew it, and everyone responded by getting a huge victory to salvage a 3-3 week and score a 5-4 homestand. That’s the kind of mindset this team has to have right now, one of survival. Especially with the schedule ahead.

It’s been this way for a while now with the Orioles. Call it treading water, hanging around, whatever you like. The trick is that they are doing it. We are now entering the final week of August and Baltimore has another pennant race on its hands. Was it tough to see the O’s lose two out of three to the Rays at home last week? Sure it was. Was it back-breaking? Not at all. It was also difficult to see Chris Tillman go out and pitch his tail off on Saturday afternoon, only to lose 2-1 on a late homer. But the response to get the series was crucial. As I’ve said for a while now, it’s all right in front of them. The Orioles can go out and make the playoffs right now without any help from another team. They can do it by themselves if they simply go out and win. With 33 games to play, the fun really starts now.

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I can’t help but feel bad for Nick Markakis at times. I think he gets a lot of criticism, and a lot of it is unwarranted. Sure he’s not having the best of seasons and when you look at the money he is making you start to wonder why, but is it all bad? Markakis has mostly been a staple in right field over the past eight years for the O’s and has done nothing but put up solid numbers. Is the fact that he is still in single-digit homers in late August and on-pace to set career-low averages in many offensive categories a reason to throw him to the side? If the 29-year-old goes out over the next five weeks and puts up astronomical stats, is all forgiven? Will all the venom that’s been spewed during his long drought without an extra-base hit disappear? Markakis doubled and homered in Sunday’s win, snapping a 31-game skid without an extra-base hit and a 51-game drought without a homer. Perhaps it’s what he needs to get going and quiet his critics.

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It’s come time to start thinking about September and what players will be added to the roster. MASN Sports’ Roch Kubatko offered some good thoughts on this topic early last week and it got me thinking about the impact certain players could have. Wilson Betemit comes to mind first. He’s actually expected to join the team in Boston this week, but it will be a nice addition to have him back as a bat who can face right-handed pitching. Danny Valencia is another name that could be back up to help out in the DH spot. There could even be a spot for Jonathan Schoop, Alex Liddi and Jason Pridie on the roster depending on the O’s needs are. What I’m most interested to see with the September call-ups is the pitching staff. We all know that Jason Hammel will likely be back and could factor in to the bullpen or a six-man rotation. Will he return to the Hammel of old or will he look like an old Hammel? It will also be fun to see Tsuyoshi Wada for the first time. He’s pitched great for the Norfolk Tides over the past month. Kevin Gausman will also get another look, likely in an expanded bullpen role. I’m curious to see if Josh Stinson and Zach Britton are called upon to help out in September. The other thing that must be factored in when all of this is discussed is that the Tides are in playoff contention, just on the outside of the wild card picture. There’s something to be said about that.

Orioles Player of the Week:

SS – J.J. Hardy: No one really stood out offensively for the Birds over the last week, but the mainstay at shortstop continues to produce pretty well. Hardy hit .348 and outslugged Chris Davis. The O’s will need his production, and mainly the power that Hardy has shown over time, down the stretch to make a run at a postseason berth.

American League Player of the Week:

C – Jason Castro (HOU): The Astros backstop has been solid all season but ramped it up a notch last week. Castro posted a .529/.619/1.294 slash line while clubbing three homers and knocking in five. The Astros even won a pair of games with his help, which isn’t something they’ve been able to say very often this year.

National League Player of the Week:

LF – Khris Davis (MIL): Don’t worry, the Orioles didn’t trade Chris Davis. This is KHRIS Davis, the young left fielder for the Brewers who is making an impact. Who’s that Ryan Braun guy anyway? Davis hit a pair of homers and knocked in five on his way to a .409/.500/.818 stat line last week. Hopefully he’s doing it the right way, the clean way, unlike some in Milwaukee.

Be sure to tune in for my weekly appearance on The Coach’s Buzz on CBS Sports Radio 1300 tonight at 7:15 pm. You can also now view some more of my thoughts on the Orioles at MASNSports.com every Thursday where I will guest blog throughout the rest of the season.

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