Fresh off a disheartening tour through the Midwest in which the O’s were just a game away from being double-swept, the Orioles needed to bounce back in a big way in front of their hometown fans this weekend.
And they did not disappoint. They took care of business and got back on the winning track.
While a sweep against the visiting Blue Jays would have been sweet, we’ll take two out of three just the same. When you’re down on your luck like the Orioles were recently, you’ll take any swing in the right direction.
So it goes beyond a three-game set really. Just like that, a few good results have the good vibes restored in Birdland, and that could resonate for weeks to come.
The Orioles also have a chance to add to their sparkling MLB-best 15-4 record at Camden Yards this week versus the Twins, while first place remains just a half a game away.
Buckle up, and let the good times roll (hopefully).
Let’s take a look at a few takeaways from the past week of O’s baseball:
– The bats stay hot: The Orioles have been absolutely raking since the turn of May, and the past week has been more of the same. The Orioles are hitting .285 as a team while scoring 35 runs (5.8 per game) on 13 homers over the last six games. They’re also hitting a stellar .372 with runners in scoring position during that span.
– A sign of a turnaround? After posting a woeful 8.43 ERA as a unit in Detroit, the Orioles starting trio consisting of Kevin Gausman, Chris Tillman and Wade Miley turned in a fine performance versus Toronto and ended the series with a combined 2.37 ERA. Hopefully, this is just the start of a good trend.
– Ditto: The O’s bullpen has also picked its game up recently after a rough start to the month of May and now owns a stellar 1.28 ERA over the last five contests. Orioles relievers allowed just two runs over nine innings against the Blue Jays while racking up twelve K’s.
– Home kings: After reeling off eight straight wins at home before losing on Sunday, the Orioles 15-4 home record is the best in the league. And for those that like to dream, that puts the Orioles on pace for an insane 64-17 record at Camden Yards this season.
– Payback: For what it’s worth, the Orioles are now 7-2 on the year versus Toronto. I guess it’s payback?
Now, let’s go to our three stars of the week:
Third Star
GulfBird Photo/Craig Landefeld
Chris Davis. While he did cool down versus Toronto, you can’t knock Davis off this list after all the noise that he made in the Motor City. Crush went 5-for-12 in Detroit with five runs, two doubles, three homers and six RBI, and is still hitting .275 with ten runs, five homers and nine RBI over his last ten games.
Second Star
GulfBird Photo/Craig Landefeld
Mark Trumbo. After going 5-for-15 in Motown with four runs, two doubles, a homer and a pair of RBI, Trumbo did not skip a beat upon returning home to Camden Yards and burned the Blue Jays by going 8-for-13 with five runs, one home run and three RBI. The O’s star slugger is now hitting an incredible .377 with fourteen runs, four homers and ten RBI over his last sixteen games.
First Star
Who else but Beef?!?!?! Fresh off the disabled list, Welington Castillo wasted no time re-introducing himself in Detroit by finishing the series 6-for-10 with two runs and three RBI. Then, Castillo followed up by clubbing two homers, one a walk-off, versus the Blue Jays on Friday and finished the series 4-for-12 with three homers and seven RBI. The Orioles red-hot backstop is hitting a sparkling .400 with nine runs, four homers and thirteen RBI over his last ten games.
