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The Baltimore Orioles come into today’s game against the New York Yankees, with a three game cushion in first place of the A.L. East. They have won eight of their last ten, and have outscored their opponents in those games by 17 runs. Many believed this team was doomed with the season-ending surgery to All-Star catcher Matt Wieters, but the combination of rookie Caleb Joseph and newly acquired Nick Hundley has put a confidence in the eyes of manager Buck Showalter and Orioles’ fans everywhere. Hundley delivered the walk-off single, last night against the Yankees in the 10th inning to win the game and has seen his bat start to come alive. Joseph is proving himself to be a very worthy defensive option at catcher for the O’s, as he is throwing out a little more than 50% of base stealers.
However, the real jump-start the Orioles needed, they found in Steve Pearce. The 31-year-old has found himself to be the emerging push for the Orioles since his return to the team. Pearce has bounced around numerous teams in the past few years, and the O’s had even released him earlier this year. When an injury to slugger Chris Davis left the Orioles in need of a first baseman, Pearce, who was about to sign with the division rival Toronto Blue Jays, answered the call and has come back strong. Now hitting in the number two spot in the lineup, Pearce has found his groove and is helping this O’s team stay on top of the East. He is hitting .319, with career-high 11 home runs this season. His previous season high in homers was four, but he has shattered that in only 55 games so far this season.
Pearce is not the only one, though, who is contributing to this Baltimore team. Nelson Cruz has more than made up for the absence in production that Chris Davis has experienced so far this season. Even with Davis considered to be “struggling”, he still has 14 home runs and 46 RBIs. Adam Jones is again having a great year and is on pace to have another 30 home run year. While shortstop J.J. Hardy has not quite found his home run swing, hitting .283, which is well above his career average of .261. Everything seems to be clicking offensively for this Oriole’s team and they will again be up near the top in home runs.
If there is one worry in the eyes of the Orioles, it is their pitching. The team’s 3.85 ERA is much better than last year’s 4+, but the team still lacks consistency and a true number one ace. The team thought they had their ace in Chris Tillman, but he has also been somewhat inconsistent. However, Tillman’s last few starts have been very promising and he may be finding his form that won him 16 games a year ago.
A big disappointment so far for the team has been free-agent acquisition Ubaldo Jimenez. Jimenez is far from having the season he had a year ago. He is up near the top of the league in walks and has pitched to a dismal record of 3-8. Now, some of that is due to the lack of run support that he receives, but at the same time, having a 4.52 ERA will not win your team much at all. Last year, Jimenez was unstoppable in the second half of the season, as he pitched to a sub 2.00 ERA. The Orioles are hoping that Ubaldo again has a career second half, or it may be awhile before another big name pitcher is brought in from the outside again by the Orioles’ front office.
This Orioles’ team has everything it needs to make it to the post season and even make a run at the World Series. In order for that to happen, the offense must keep up its pace to back an inconsistent pitching staff. If they continue to hit the ball over the fence, and Tillman and Ubaldo pitch like the O’s see them being capable of, then the sky may be the limit. Don’t forget, if Chris Davis finds his swing again and starts hitting like he did a season ago, this team from Baltimore could be the most dangerous if they reach the playoffs. With the unexpected apparent weakness of the A.L. East, the Orioles may find it easy to run away with the division and the way they are playing as of late, they will do just that.
AJ Risser is a writer for Couch Rider Report, you should check him out on Twitter.
