Dating back to last season, the Baltimore Orioles are currently riding a 10-game win streak. The start this year has been very impressive with the starting pitchers throwing the ball well and the offense showing signs of what many people expected from them heading into the season.
It’s amazing to think that the team can be without Adam Jones and move a rookie into the leadoff position and into centerfield and not miss a beat. There will be challenges throughout the season, but the awful start to spring training seems like a lifetime ago.
The schedule doesn’t get any easier as the Orioles head to Boston, followed by a trip to Texas, a home stand against the Toronto Blue Jays and a trip to Kansas City.
ANOTHER LEVEL FOR MANNY?
One of the top storylines I wanted to follow this season was the continued development of Manny Machado. Was his breakout season in 2015 his peak, was it his baseline, or maybe, was there another level the 23-year-old could reach? After the first week and a four-hit performance on Sunday, Machado has a batting average of .429 with three home runs and a crazy OPS of 1.359.
I think with the way this team is constructed and the potential of Joey Rickard becoming the full-time leadoff hitter, Machado’s stolen bases will dip, but there’s a chance Machado can finish with 40 bombs and get his batting average to .300. If he finishes with those numbers, we could be looking at a guy who wins the MVP.
JIMENEZ HAS A PERSONAL CATCHER
I wasn’t aware of this stat, though maybe many were, but it appears Ubaldo Jimenez has himself a personal catcher. In 33 games throwing to Caleb Joseph, Jimenez has an ERA of 2.92 and is holding hitters to a batting average of .236. In 14 games with Matt Wieters behind the plate, Jimenez has an ERA of 7.02 and hitters are batting .292.
The 33 games is a large sample size so it’s hard to chalk this up to just luck. We all know the inconsistencies of Jimenez and with the starting pitching staff having so many questions, any advantage that can be used is something the team should look at. This is something I am going to follow closely over the next couple of starts to see how the Orioles handle it.
