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PERCEPTION IS REALITY: O’s Winning Despite Lack of Offense

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Reality: The Orioles are not hitting the ball, but continue to find ways to win.

Perception: The Birds are 16th in baseball in payroll…that’s good, because their best players are not highly paid. Nick Markakis has the highest salary this year, and I’m fine with that. He should have been an All-Star and he has played well offensively and defensively. Adam Jones is next highest, and that’s fine too. Ubaldo Jimenez is the 3rd highest, and Chris Davis is the 4th highest…they are not producing.

Jimenez is on the DL, but has not been good this year at all. Davis has the worst batting average on the team, except for Caleb Joseph. Frankly, I’m not even worried about Davis’ lack of power. To me it feels like all he does is strike out. He is totally lost 90% of the time at the plate.

Nick Hundley is our highest paid catcher, but he’s not hitting much better than Joseph, and Joseph is playing much better defense.

Is it time to worry about Nelson Cruz? In the last six games, he’s hitting .125 with only three hits, and six strike outs. And remember Steve Pearce? He’s hitting .211 with four hits and four strike outs on this road trip.

It’s amazing to me the Orioles continue to find ways to win even with their best players failing to produce. Cruz kept them alive in the first half of the season, and so far Jones has done that early on in the second half of the season.

Reality: The Orioles are 3-3 after the first 6 games of their West Coast road trip.

Perception: They could have gone 5-1 in those six games, as they had the lead with six outs to go in two of their three losses. But those things are going to happen, and yes, it’s a long season.

To me, being 3-3 against two of the very best teams in baseball, on the road, shows that the Orioles are a legitimate contender in the American League. If not for two late inning losses, they would be 5-1 – a record no one seriously could have thought they’d be after playing the A’s and Angels.

Before the All-Star break, I said they Orioles needed to win at least half of this 10-game road trip. They are on-pace to do just that, as they head to Seattle for four games.

This is a tough 10-game stretch, but the Orioles are doing what they need to do. They are now 14-9 against the AL West, arguably the best division in baseball. That record is the best record of any team in the AL against teams in the AL West.

They will need to keep that up, as this tough schedule isn’t over with the road trip. They come home for three against the Angels and three against the Mariners, and then face the Blue Jays, Cardinals, and Yankees.

The Boys of Summer will need to beat the heat through the dog days of summer if they want to remain on top of the AL East and prove they deserve talk as a World Series contender.

Reality: The Orioles are buyers are the MLB Trade Deadline.

Perception: The non-waiver trade deadline is next Friday. Over the last two seasons, the Orioles have made some moves in July…but they were early in the month. This year, they are waiting until the final week. They are buyers, but what they are buying?

Jorge De La Rosa is a left-handed starting pitcher for the Colorado Rockies. He has been on their radar for quite some time, but do the Orioles want to give up what the Rockies are asking for?

De La Rosa is 11-6 this season with a 4.19 ERA. He has had an up and down season: 4.39 ERA in April, 1.93 ERA in May, 7.11 ERA in June, and 1.78 ERA in July. He has given up 103 hits in 116 innings and struck out 86.

To me the benefit to De La Rosa is that he is left-handed. But he is no different than a Joe Saunders or Scott Feldman (who the Orioles traded for the last two seasons). He’s a middle-to-back end of the rotation guy.

The Rockies are said to be asking for Gausman and another top prospect pitcher. That is too much to give up for another Jimenez. I would be much more inclined to give up Gausman or Bundy and another top prospect if Chris Sale or Ian Kennedy were coming to Baltimore. Those are the two SP that I want. But, as usual, the Orioles will go after cheaper, middle-rotation guys.

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