The Orioles completed their first two series of the year with mixed results, finding themselves with a 3-3 record after six games. The New York Yankees come to town tonight to start a three-game series and they are coming off a 14-run outburst against the Boston Red Sox on Sunday night.
Up and down week for the starting rotation
Did anyone predict Ubaldo Jimenez having the most dominating start for the Orioles through the first six games? I sure didn’t, but it was good to see Jimenez continue the momentum he carried towards the end of spring into the regular season. The Orioles need Jimenez to be good this year and as a fan, it was a breath of fresh air to see him throw strikes consistently. The Toronto Blue Jays have a great offense as they proved in two of the three games over the weekend which makes the dominance by Jimenez even more impressive.
Unfortunately, the struggles of March continued into April for Bud Norris. Everyone downplayed the lack of success Norris had in spring training and consistently said he got his work in so that is all that matters. However, that doesn’t cut it once the season starts and before most of the fans could even settle down after the pregame festivities, the O’s were down 4-0.
The offense will once again be among the league’s best
Alejandro De Aza will never fool anyone as a prototypical leadoff hitter, but he has done a solid job of working counts and fouling pitches off in the first week. However, he has only walked once and leads the team with 10 strikeouts, which is cause for concern. Travis Snider has been an on base machine and looks like he will be a steady presence throughout the year. I know we are talking offense, but Snider is not a defensive liability as many are suggesting after struggling in the field on Sunday. He has already made plays in the outfield that shows he will be a guy that won’t hurt the team throughout the season.
Watching Chris Davis hit an opposite field home run was one of the best moments through the first six games. When Davis is healthy and has his swing working, the power he displays to left field is downright scary. Adam Jones is completely locked in right now and I am trying not to let one week sway my opinion, but I really feel Jones could set career highs in a lot of categories this upcoming year. There is another level to Jones’ game and I think we could see it this season.
Bundy makes season debut tonight for Bowie
Bundy struggled with his command during spring training and the velocity hasn’t quite returned after having Tommy John surgery. This is a big year for Bundy so I will be following closely on how he does throughout the season. It isn’t out of the question Bundy makes it to Baltimore at some point this year, but he will have to show signs that he is close to being the guy who was rated as one of the best prospects in all of baseball.
