Caleb Joseph

David Fulmer- Flickr

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 10^th 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.

Keith Allison- Flickr

The Toronto Blue Jays hold a 4.5 game lead over the second place Baltimore Orioles in the American League East. This weekend could be a huge game-changer for both teams as the Blue Jays will travel to Camden Yards to take on the Orioles in a 4-game set.

So far this season, the Jays have had great success. Their 39-28 record is tied for second best in Major League Baseball and their 19-11 mark on the road is a big reason why they are first in the AL East. It is hard to look at this Blue Jays’ team without noticing Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion. The hard-hitting duo has combined for 35 home runs and 98 RBIs. The Blue Jays are a scary-looking team, as long as these two are in the lineup. Bautista’s inability to stay healthy the last few seasons has been a big reason why the Blue Jays have not seen the postseason. However, if the two can somehow stay healthy for a whole year, the sky is the limit for the Blue Jays.

With all of the attention on the bats, not many people have noticed the Blue Jays’ 11^th ranked starting pitching. Mark Buehrle has emerged as the Ace for Toronto as his 2.04 ERA is second in the American league, behind only the New York Yankees’ Masahiro Tanaka. The big surprise so far for the Jays has been 23-year-old Drew Hutchison. The Florida native owns a season mark of 4-4 with a 3.96 ERA. Buehrle and Hutchison will start the first two games against the Orioles. Although the Blue Birds have struggled the past week, losing four of their last five, they are still a dangerous team and could be trouble for the division hopefuls New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles.

The Orioles, on the other hand, have been an up and down team this season. Although they are second in the AL East, they are only two games above .500. Prior to the start of the season, the Orioles had what was considered the most dangerous lineup on paper. However, the injury to All-Star catcher Matt Wieters has proven to be a big obstacle for them. Wieters is scheduled to visit Dr. James Andrews on Monday to check out his throwing arm. He is still throwing every other day, but is still experiencing some discomfort. If Wieters goes under the knife to repair his arm, the Orioles will be forced to finish the season with rookie Caleb Joseph and newly acquired Nick Hundley.

Besides Wieters, both Chris Davis and Manny Machado have been struggling. Although Davis has ten homeruns, last year’s performance by him has put a lot of weight on his shoulders. The two former All-Stars are nowhere near the level of play that carried the team last year. Davis has already missed some of the season as he had a DL stint for an oblique that kept him out of play for a few weeks. Machado has not shown the same desire for the gaps that he had last year. He has a batting average below .220 and, in last night’s 6-0 win against the Boston Red Sox, he batted in the seven hole. Machado has been usually holding the second spot in the batting order. VP Dan Duquette has said that a demotion for Machado could be possible, if the third baseman does not start to pick up his play.

Although the Orioles have some problems, they are still within striking distance of first place Toronto and will have a chance to get even closer with the weekend’s series between the two. The Orioles are coming off a rubber match victory over the Red Sox that brought them within 5 of the Jays and increased their record to 33-31. Chris Tillman had a shaky, but great start against the Red Sox in the second game. He went six innings and gave up only one run, but he took the loss, as the Orioles’ bats were unable to get it going.

Kevin Gausman will start the first game of the Blue Jay series and he will look to add a second straight quality start. In his last start against the Oakland Athletics, the 23-year-old was beautiful. He got the win while holding one of the league’s best teams to one run on four hits, striking out 6. In game two of the series, Ubaldo Jimenez will get the ball and will look to start earning his money, as he has been anything but an “Ace” so far for the Orioles. The 50 million dollar man has pitched to an ERA over 5.00 and has yet to find his groove. The Orioles will also be hoping that Nelson Cruz will find his swing again, as the veteran has been struggling as of late. JJ Hardy is still looking for his first home run of the season. The short stop has hit at least 20 home runs in every season that he has been with the Orioles.

This series could be a game-changer for both teams. The Orioles could come away only trailing the first place Jays by a half game. Or, the Blue Jays could show the rest of the division that they own the AL East this year. Not many series in the last few years between these two have carried as much weight as this weekend’s series will, but Camden Yards will be most likely filled as if this series will decide the season.

AJ Risser is a writer for CouchRiderReport.net, follow him on Twitter.

Couch Rider Report~Home of Original Sports Perspective

Baltimore Orioles Surging Ahead

Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays set for Showdown