Last week in my weekly observations of the Baltimore Orioles, I ended my post saying that if the Orioles could stay right at or a little above .500 by the middle of week 3 that it should bode well for the rest of the season, and that all we can do is hope they make a run. Well, the O’s made a run. Through 21 games, the Baltimore Orioles sit at 12-9, going 5-2 over the seven games between weeks two and three. Here’s why.
The offense has made adjustments
The lineup is relatively the same from a game-to-game basis, only changing when a southpaw is on the bump. But while last week I was respectfully ridiculing the team for its lack of production with runners in scoring position (RISP) and with runners on third and less than two outs, this week I am gleefully singing their praises.
The Orioles, in the bottom half of the league through week 2, raised their overall average with RISP from .224 to .280 over the last seven games, good enough to place them 8th in the league. With runners on third and less than two outs, they raised their average nearly 100 points from .208 to .303, which still has them ranked only 17th overall, but it is a significant improvement.
A big reason for the upswing is Manny Machado. We’ve talked all season about Adam Jones (.409) and Chris Davis (.391) with RISP, but Machado has quietly put himself into the conversation, hitting .409 with 14 RBI with RISP. Over the last seven games, Machado is hitting .345 overall while driving in eight runs. This is something the Orioles desperately needed, as the majority of their run production was coming from Jones and Davis, who are bound to cool off at some point.
The pitching is showing signs of life
Okay, before we get ahead of ourselves, the starters’ overall ERA has actually gone up over the last week from 4.73 to 4.88. But that number can be misleading. Jake Arrieta, demoted after his up-and-down start on Sunday, showed signs of absolute brilliance, but also showed signs of being a pitcher who just can’t find his way. From inning-to-inning he has looked like Cy Young and he has looked like Daniel Cabrera. If this guy can figure it out, he could be a top of the rotation starter. Let’s hope it’s for the Orioles.
While a pitcher has yet to go seven innings, the Orioles got three quality starts from Wei Yin Chen, Miguel Gonzalez and Chris Tillman. Tillman was brilliant in his start, seemingly giving way to fatigue before being taken out with two down in the seventh inning.
Chen showed resiliency as he clearly didn’t have his best stuff on Saturday, but he managed to make it through six, only surrendering a lone earned run.
And Gonzalez was solid, making only one bad pitch on Tuesday that resulted in a 3-run homer. When 3/5 of your starting rotation can give you quality starts, your season should set up nicely. If Jason Hammel can return to his 2012 form, the O’s could have a lot of fun this summer.
Orioles Magic, feel it happen
In 2012, the Orioles had several multiple-run comebacks to win ball games and several walk-off heroics. Over the last week, the magic has returned. Wieters had a walk-off grand slam against the Rays and Markakis had a walk-off bases loaded single against the Jays. Against the Dodgers in game one of the doubleheader Saturday, the Orioles were down 4-0 in the second inning and they came back to win 7-5. Even in their loss yesterday, they came back from three runs down in the seventh to tie the game and send it to extra innings. Seven games, four moments of magic.
So what does it all mean?
Right now, it means a lot. The Orioles sit firmly in second place in the AL East, not a small feat when they have yet to play their best baseball. They have won four series out of five against the East, going 9-6 over that span. That, my friends, is how you win a division.
They won all three series on their nine game home-stand, going 6-3. Now, the Birds embark on an 11-game road trip to Oakland, Seattle and Los Angeles to face three struggling ball clubs. Oakland has lost 5-of-6 and 6-of-10, Seattle has lost 7-of-10, and the Angels find themselves at 8-12.
This road trip provides the Orioles with a chance to gain some ground on the first place Red Sox and pad their record. Check in next week to see just how the Orioles have fared through week 4. Until then, in the words of Gary Thorne, “Adieu adieu.”
