We’ve reached that point in the season now, that magical benchmark where we can all sit back and take a deep breath. It’s All-Star break time in baseball and the Orioles may not be right where they want, but they aren’t far off. Sitting in third place and 4.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox, the Birds are in striking distance in the tough AL East. The offensive woes of a few weeks ago seem to be over and the pitching staff is taking a bit of a turn in the right direction. The second half of the season is sure to be exciting and provide the O’s a true test of their will and determination. It won’t be easy making the postseason, much less advancing far. That’s what makes it fun.
But for a few days we all get to take a break from stressing out over who will shore up the Orioles bullpen or why the designated hitter’s spot hasn’t produced. We get to celebrate the game of baseball and relax for a few days. That will all start tonight when Chris Davis swings for the fences in the Home Run Derby. Tomorrow we can cheer on Davis, Adam Jones and J.J. Hardy as they take the field and hopefully get to see Manny Machado and Chris Tillman get into the action as well. This break comes at a good time for the Orioles. It’s a good time for everyone to re-charge the battery and get ready for the big push to October.
Now is also the time of year where many take a look back and review things that are surprising, disappointing or just downright cool about the first half of the season. Let’s jump into doing just that.
There are quite a few disappointing teams in baseball this season. The Blue Jays, Angels, Nationals and Giants are only a few of the teams that haven’t quite lived up to their billing. The thing that makes this even more pressing is that there are less games in the second half of the season than in years past. If you haven’t realized it to this point, most teams have played between 90-95 games. That leaves under 70 left to go before the start of the playoffs. On the flip side, a couple teams have exceeded most expectations. The Red Sox, Indians, Pirates and Rockies are all right in the thick of it as we head down the stretch. The question is can all of them hang on and stay in the race as the summer days dwindle.
The whole Derek Jeter saga in New York has really caught my eye too. Could this be the end for the Yankees’ captain? He returned last week after a long absence from a fractured ankle suffered in the playoffs last year. If you blinked, you may have missed his return. Jeter legged out an infield single in his first at-bat, later drove in a run on a ground out but ultimately left the game with a Grade One quad strain. Is the injury related to the ankle? Could he have been overcompensating and suffered a different injury altogether? Either way, it’s not a good sign for a player that has gained so much respect across the league. Even if you can’t stand the Yankees (like all Orioles fans) you should at least show some respect to Jeter’s accomplishments and great career. It’s a career that could be coming to an end soon.
There were two no-hitters thrown in baseball’s first half. Homer Bailey tossed the first one for the Cincinnati Reds on July 2nd in a 3-0 win over the San Francisco Giants. He also happened to throw baseball’s final no-hitter of the 2012 season when he blanked the Pittsburgh Pirates, 1-0. Bailey became just the third pitcher in baseball history to accomplish such a feat. Nolan Ryan did so in 1974-75 and Warren Spahn did it in 1960-61.
The second no-hitter was just this past Saturday when Tim Lincecum beat the San Diego Padres 9-0. To appreciate the oddity of this no-no, you have to go back to Bailey’s no-hitter from a few weeks ago. Lincecum happened to be the LOSING pitcher in Bailey’s no-hitter. The only other man to be the losing pitcher in a no-hitter, and then throw baseball’s next no-hitter was Mal Eason for the Brooklyn Superbas in 1906.
Don’t say I never taught you anything.
What’s even more remarkable about Lincecum’s no-hitter on Saturday is that he may not have had the best pitching performance in his own division. Lincecum struck out 13 Padres, but walked four and hit a batter while throwing 148 pitches.
Zack Greinke led his Los Angeles Dodgers to a 1-0 win over the Colorado Rockies on Saturday. Greinke went the distance and allowed two hits and one walk while striking out nine on 110 pitches. If you’re doing the math at home, that’s three baserunners for Greinke and FIVE for Lincecum. Plus, Greinke did it all in 38 less pitches. Pretty remarkable stuff.
Finally the other thing that has rocked the baseball world in the first half of the season is, once again, performance-enhancing drugs. The Miami Biogenesis clinic isn’t something anyone wants to talk about. It’s a slimy, sticky and disgusting topic which most fans want to avoid at all costs. But it’s here and it’s something that will have a lasting impact. Similar to the Mitchell Report, the federal case against Barry Bonds and the perjury case against Roger Clemens, these are things that have come out of the last 20 years of baseball. Players like Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun could face suspensions of up to 150 games for their roles in this latest scandal. The impact on today’s game will be felt by those suspensions, but it will also be felt in the court of public opinion for years to come. It gets brought into the national spotlight again each time you watch Chris Davis effortlessly deposit a ball into the seats, as we expect to see so often tonight. I wrote a piece earlier this week on Davis’ place in history and what it will all mean in the long run. You can read a lot of my opinions on the matter here.
The Biogenesis story isn’t going away anytime soon. It’s just another chapter in what has been a long, grueling book on baseball’s steroid scandal.
Orioles Player of the Week:
CF Adam Jones: Mr. Jones seems to have figured a few things out at the plate. We all know a week of hitting .400 with three homers and an AL-leading OPS of 1.323 isn’t out of the ordinary for Jones, but how about four, count ’em, FOUR walks. Jones walked FOUR times over the past seven days, something that might have made you drop dead of pure shock if you weren’t paying attention like I know you are. Jones seems to have found some sort of new patience at the dish, something that can only be a good thing going forward. If he can avoid chasing too many bad pitches, the sky is the limit for the All-Star.
American League Player of the Week:
3B Adrian Beltre (TEX): Beltre hit .407 over the last week and drove in eight to go with three homers. If it wasn’t for the depth at the position, we could have seen Beltre starting in tomorrow night’s All-Star Game. Miguel Cabrera, Manny Machado, Josh Donaldson and Evan Longoria are all worthy AL third basemen. Instead, Beltre will take a few days to relax and gear up for the Rangers’ second-half push in the AL West.
National League Player of the Week:
P Tim Lincecum (SF): Despite the fact that Tim Lincecum’s no-hitter on Saturday may not have been the best pitching performance in his own division, it was still something that’s only been done 281 times in the history of the game. He started two games last week and only allowed three earned runs in 16 innings while striking out an impressive 24 batters. Lincecum may not be what he once was talent-wise, but he can still dominate a game.
Be sure to tune in tonight at 7:15 for my weekly segment on The Coach’s Buzz on CBS Sports Radio 1300 in Baltimore. We talk Orioles each week and will have lots on the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby tonight.
