The Orioles have been cruising along nicely in the early going, starting off at 10-4 and building a 3.5-game cushion in the AL East. The return of Kevin Gausman should give the rotation a much-needed boost.
Press play or read below for more:
The Orioles took two of three from the Toronto Blue Jays in a big early season series and now will look to continue their winning ways this weekend in Kansas City against the defending champions. I have been very critical of the starting rotation and despite teetering on disaster in all three games, the trio of Mike Wright, Ubaldo Jimenez and Chris Tillman were able to neutralize a very potent Blue Jays offense.
The offense has cooled down in recent games, but Joey Rickard and Manny Machado continue their sizzling pace. Another good sign moving forward throughout the season is Chris Davis’ ability to draw a walk. After a career high four walks on Thursday night, Davis now has 15 in 14 games and an on base percentage of .397. The maturity of this lineup will only pay dividends as the season progresses.
The big storyline to follow over the next couple of days is how the Orioles handle their roster. It has become routine for the Orioles to make daily transactions, but in what could be the biggest upset to date, the O’s have not had to make any moves in 2016. That changes with the expectation of Brian Matusz and Kevin Gausman being activated over the next couple of days.
The Orioles essentially have a wasted roster spot with Hyun-Soo Kim on the team, but it appears he is safe for now. I’m not sure how the team can continue to operate this way, but that is a debate for another day. The most likely scenario will be T.J. McFarland and Tyler Wilson being sent down when Matusz and Gausman return.
Matusz will finally give Buck Showalter the lefty specialist that he needs to play the matchups in the late innings, a huge reason the team lost last Saturday night against the Texas Rangers.
In spring training, I considered Gausman the key piece in helping lead this team to the playoffs and I stand by that still. If Gausman can prove to be the guy many believe he will be, it will be a lot easier to stomach the starts where the pitchers struggle to go six innings.
It has been a long time since Showalter has had a healthy roster and with the return of Matusz and Gausman, the team will finally look like the group many envisioned throughout spring training. Now if they can just figure out what to do with Kim.
