The Baltimore Orioles started out week five of the season playing a double-header on a scheduled day off against the Pittsburgh Pirates after severe rain caused two straight postponements. The Orioles swept the double-header and then traveled to Minnesota, where they promptly won game one of the three game series to pull a half-game ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the division.
The stay in first place was short-lived, however, as the O’s dropped the following two games to Minnesota, scoring just three runs in the process, to fall back into second place and give them a 3-2 record in week five. A loss by the Yankees (16-15) on Monday, and a scheduled off-day for the Orioles (15-14), moved the Birds back into first place by a mere percentage point as they opened week six with a three-game series in Tampa Bay.
For the month of April, the Orioles went 11-12 (Opening Day was on March 31st), and it was their third losing month since the end of June. For May, the Birds are getting a breather from the monotony of the AL East. After playing 18 of their first 24 games against division opponents, the series with Tampa is the last AL East series for the team until they play 13 straight games against the division starting June 9th when they welcome Boston to town.
The Orioles have had an up and down season thus far, with injuries to key offensive players and inconsistencies from the starting rotation preventing the team from really ever taking off to this point. Yet, without the team ever fielding its true intended lineup or getting the innings they hoped for from the starters, they still find themselves atop the division on May 6th.
The important thing to note here is that Manny Machado has returned to third base and the two-hole in the lineup, allowing Nelson Cruz to be slotted lower in a more suitable spot for producing runs. When Chris Davis finally returns from his oblique injury–and it’s looking like he is ahead of schedule–this lineup should start showing a bit more consistency. The fact that Adam Jones and J.J. Hardy have combined for fewer home runs than Nick Markakis is something nobody expected and also something that nobody should expect to continue.
Of course, we’re all waiting with bated breath to hear how Matt Wieters’ visit with Dr. James Andrews goes today.
Another thing I’ve discussed at length in these posts is the ineffectiveness of the pitching staff, and manager Buck Showalter is finally starting to show his frustration. After the game on Sunday, a game in which starter Miguel Gonzalez went just 4.2 IP, Showalter said that the pitchers are going to have to start getting deeper into games or the team is going to “pay the piper.” He also said the bullpen will get overworked if this doesn’t happen and that he will not allow that to happen.
This sounds like a message to the likes of Wei-Yin Chen and Gonzalez, especially with Johan Santana’s velocity reaching the upper 80’s in his most recent extended spring outing. With Santana’s continued improvement and Kevin Gausman champing at the bit for his opportunity, Chen’s and Gonzalez’s leashes are getting shorter and shorter with each subpar performance.
The fact is this: nobody in the rotation is doing their job. Chris Tillman assured himself of a short outing two starts ago by throwing 49 pitches in the first inning (though he bounced back a bit last night, going 6.0 innings and two batters into the seventh). Ubaldo Jimenez is averaging less than 6 IP per start. But Tillman and Jimenez aren’t going anywhere, and they shouldn’t. Their track records speak for themselves. Unfortunately for Chen and Gonzalez, they are living up to their track records, and that isn’t a good thing. When your starting staff is 25th in ERA and next-to-last in innings pitched, you’re going to need some help. Chen and Gonzalez may not be around much longer to provide it.
photo: Craig Landefeld
