The West Coast View: June 3

This is my new-look weekly view of everything Orioles and baseball. It’s a wrap up of the last seven days and a look ahead for Baltimore’s baseball team. I’ll provide a unique perspective on the game from a different place, the west coast.

Another week is in the books and the league is finally starting to recognize that the Orioles mean business. Lots was written and said over the offseason about how Baltimore’s 2012 ride was one of “luck” or “good fortune” and that things would change in 2013. We are now into the month of June and the O’s find themselves just two and a half games back of Boston for first place in the AL East. It’s no longer a secret that the Birds are good.

This past week was especially impressive to me. The Nationals may be down on their luck of late, and the Orioles might have avoided seeing Stephen Strasburg, but winning three out of four against the neighbors to the south is quite a feat for the O’s. Getting by Jordan Zimmermann and Gio Gonzalez was no small task and Freddy Garcia capped things off with a gem to close the series.

Then came this past weekend’s series against the defending AL champion Tigers at Oriole Park. The accomplishment of taking a series from THAT team is something to take note of. The prowess that Detroit shows in its rotation and lineup would scare any mortal man, or group of 25 men. The O’s didn’t fear Detroit this weekend and I don’t think they fear any team at this point. They shouldn’t either. Teams should start to fear them instead.

These Birds can hit with anyone, they can field with the best of them, and if the pitching holds up a little more, well it could be a fun summer in Baltimore. These guys keep proving it each time they take the field.

As you look ahead to this week for the O’s, don’t see Houston and Tampa Bay on the schedule and think it will be a walk in the park. Baltimore heads out on a six-game road trip for three with the Astros and three with the Rays, both of whom are playing pretty good baseball.

The Astros have won five straight games entering Monday night’s tilt with the Angels. They are a scrappy bunch who are playing hard for first-year manager Bo Porter. They obviously don’t have the talent they’d like, but they shouldn’t be taken lightly either.

The Rays are also playing good baseball, having won seven out of eight contests. Despite a few injuries, most notably to ace David Price, Tampa Bay is still ticking and is only a half-game back of the Birds in the division.

I wanted to take a quick moment to mention that Saturday’s ejection of Jason Hammel set something off in me that took a while to calm down from. Umpiring in Major League Baseball this season has reached a few new lows. We’ve seen home runs that were called doubles even after instant replay and clearly blown calls on the base paths. Just yesterday we saw Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina get tossed for throwing his helmet down in frustration. That’s called a uniform violation and warrants a fine, not an ejection. Saturday’s quick hook for Hammel can be understood by some. The veteran right-hander had just allowed three straight homers and was obviously frustrated, but it was also obvious that he wasn’t throwing directly at Matt Tuiasosopo. The main reason I KNOW that home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt knew he was in the wrong, was because he didn’t toss Buck Showalter in the aftermath. Showalter was as red as I’ve ever seen him in arguing the move, so why didn’t he get run as well? That’s something only Mr. Wendelstedt really knows, but he won’t have to be accountable for it at all.

Has anyone noticed exactly what the St. Louis Cardinals are doing this season? They only have the best record in baseball at 37-19 and it seems no one is talking about them. The Cards have a top-ten offense, but they really get by on the superb pitching staff. They’ve posted a ML-best 2.99 ERA to this point with virtually no help from the 24th-worst bullpen in baseball. St. Louis’ starting staff is 32-11 and has pitched a league-high 360.1 innings with a 2.55 ERA. Those numbers are just stunning.

American League Player of the Week:

MIN: Ryan Doumit (C) – Because I couldn’t select Chris Davis as both the AL PoW AND Orioles PoW, Ryan Doumit gets the nod. Doumit hit .300 over the past seven days with three homers and an AL-best 11 RBI. More importantly for Doumit, he helped his Twins to a 6-1 record on the week.

National League Player of the Week:

PHI Domonic Brown (OF) – If you had Domonic Brown leading the NL in home runs in early June, step forward and collect your winnings. Just kidding, you are lying if you tell me you had Dom Brown in this spot. With a remarkable SEVEN long balls last week, Brown leads the Senior Circuit with 16 on the year. He also hit .444 with 13 RBI for the Phillies, which isn’t too shabby.

Orioles Player of the Week:

1B – Chris Davis: If my foreshadowing wasn’t enough for you, Chris Davis gets the nod once again as Orioles PoW this week. Davis bashed four homers and continues to lead all of baseball with 20 on the year. He hit .481 with six RBI over the past seven days and is making his case to start the All-Star Game at first base this July.

Speaking of the All-Star Game, I’ll reveal my picks for each roster in the coming weeks. I can’t wait to see how many O’s land on the AL squad.

Also be sure to tune in for my weekly appearance on The Coach’s Buzz tonight. The Eutaw Street Report can be heard at 7:15 in Baltimore on CBS Sports Radio 1300 or at Radio.com each Monday. You can also go to CoachBuzz.net to hear the show.