How far can the 2014 Orioles go?

So August is quickly coming to a close and the baseball pennant races are heating up.  However when you look to the AL East the race is far from close.  As we stand right now (Aug 22) the Baltimore Orioles, yes the Baltimore Orioles have the largest division lead in all of baseball.  Even the most die hard of Orioles followers couldn't have imagined this at the beginning of the 2014 season.  But here we are with about 35-38 games left and that's where we are.  So now the question arises, just how good is this Baltimore Orioles club and is a deep postseason run in their future?

When July 31st came and went ill admit I was a tad disappointed that the Orioles didn't add a big name.  In my opinion the Orioles were maybe one front line starting pitcher away from being a real serious World Series contender.   Instead the birds traded for Andrew Miller, a relief pitcher.  Not necessarily a name that would make you run to the box office and start demanding playoff tickets.  However, Miller has pitched extremely well.  In 8 games with the Orioles he's pitched 7.1 innings and has allowed only 1 earned run equaling a 1.23 ERA.  The two teams that made the biggest splashes at the trade deadline were Oakland and Detroit.  The A's picked up Jon Lester from Boston and Detroit added to their already stellar pitching staff by acquiring David Price from Tampa Bay.  Oh but how baseball can turn on you in a heartbeat.  Both guys have pitched well for their new ball clubs so that's not the issue.  When both teams made those trades they were in first place in their respective divisions.  Now, both teams are trailing and if the season ended today they would face each other in the Wild Card game.  When you look at the Orioles they only led the AL east by a game and a half on July 31st, now its 9.  Sometimes you don't need to add to your team, sometimes the team you have is plenty good enough to get where you need to go.  Some would argue that the AL East is down this season, and maybe that's true.  In a recent stretch against the Angels, Athletics and Mariners, all who were playing great baseball, the O's went 10-6, not too shabby.

So how are the Orioles doing it?  Well for one its not just one guy carrying the load.  It's easy to look at Nelson Cruz and Adam Jones with their numbers and say they are the reason the Orioles are 21 games over .500, and it's tough to argue that.  But so many other guys have contributed in big win.  Caleb Joseph has 8 home runs and set an Orioles record for a catcher by hitting home runs in 5 straight games.  Jonathan Schoop, though the average is disappointing he's homered 12 times and had a huge bases clearing double against the White Sox a few nights ago.  Old reliable Nick Markakis looks to be fully healthy as he has 11 bombs and his hitting his usual .292 at the top of the Orioles lineup.  Steve Pearce, who has had to play a lot his year because of injures, is hitting above .280 with 13 home runs.  JJ Hardy's power numbers are a tad down this season but he has his best batting average since 2008 and is still playing gold glove defense.  Even Chris Davis who cant seem to break .200 still has 21 home runs and 60 RBIs.  When Manny Machado has been on the field he's shown why he should be considered one of baseball's brightest stars.  Everybody who has picked up a bat this season has helped the Orioles win, which take a ton of pressure off the pitching staff.

Speaking of the pitching, as great as the hitting has been its the pitching that have gotten the Orioles to where
they are at right now.  Three Orioles starters have 10 wins or more, and only 1 starter has an ERA above 4 and as of yesterday he's no longer a starter.  The Orioles pitching was one of the biggest questions marks coming into 2014 but they have answered the challenge, especially in the second half.  Since the all star break the Orioles are 21-11 as a team and have posted a 2.93 ERA, nearly a run less than the first half of the season.  Wei-Yin Chen might be having the best season of all of them, he's 13-4 with a 3.76 ERA.  Chris Tillman seems to have rebounded from some struggling starts and has the best ERA among starters.  Kevin Gausman, in his first extended time as a starter as shown the top 10 draft pick promise we were all hoping for.  Then when the starters are done they throw it over to perhaps the best bullpen in baseball.  I mentioned earlier how good Andrew Miller has been since the trade.  Darren O'Day is my sleeper pick for Orioles MVP.  I know its tough to give it to a reliever especially if its not a closer.  However, any time you can have a guy on your staff with a sub 1 ERA, and he pitches in the most critical spots, 7th inning or later.  That is a huge weapon for any team.  Zach Britton has turned into a pretty damn good closer.  He's had some hiccups along the way but 27 out of 30 is awesome for a guy who has never closed in the big leagues.

I hate to use this phrase but barring a major collapse the Baltimore Orioles will not only make the playoffs but be winning their first division title since 1997.  If I would've wrote this blog a month ago my most feared teams would be Oakland and Detroit.  Both of those teams are struggling and might not make it past the Wild Card game.  So, if you're an Orioles fan do you fear anybody in the American League?  Not to sound cocky, but I don't think so.  Look, as I mentioned earlier in this post in the Orioles toughest stretch of the season they went 10-6.  Other than maybe the Tigers (who they are 1-5 against this season), the Orioles have shown they can compete with and beat any team in baseball.  For the Orioles its all about staying consistent.  I don't believe that teams can peak too early, this Orioles squad is a damn good team.  If somehow Chris Davis breaks out of his season long slump (highly unlikely I know), then teams should really watch out.  Injuries play a huge role and so far the Orioles have weathered that storm as well, Wieters is done for the season and Manny Machado is on the DL for the second time this season.  The last thing is this club believes they can win.  That might seem childish but if you truly believe that you can win every game in which you take the field that goes a long way.  Anything less than an appearance in the ALCS would be a huge disappointment for this club, and saying those words make the previous 15 years almost bearable.

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15 Years in the Making: My Postseason experience at Camden Yards

The magical season that was the 2012 Baltimore Orioles came to an abrupt and disappointing end on Friday night in the Bronx.  A season that literally came out of nowhere.  A season that most thought would end like any other, with 90-98 losses or even more.  However something was different in Baltimore this season and as the months went by and the momentum built the city of Baltimore become more and more anxious with anticipation that this might be the year.  Not only did the Orioles end the 15 years of losing they also clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 1997.  I was 11 years old when the O's were last in postseason and trust me the way the O's were going it didn't seem like they would ever get back.  Once the Orioles announced they were selling playoff tickets I jumped all over the opportunity to be a part of that atmosphere.  Just like all season the Orioles didn't make it easy on themselves and they had to win a 1 game playoff against the 2 time defending AL champs on the road, which they did and it set up a tremendous homecoming.

Starting Lineups for Game 1

So its the morning of Game 1 and of course the night before I couldn't sleep.  The game was scheduled for 6 pm, I woke up at 9 am, 9 hours before first pitch.  This day was the slowest day ever, but finally the time came when we headed to the ballpark.  The minute we entered Oriole Park you could feel the excitement, the fans of Baltimore were ready to unleash 15 years worth of frustration, then the heavens opened up.  It almost seemed like a cruel joke mother nature was playing on Baltimore.  Fifteen years we had to wait and the rain was making us wait more.  Finally after 2 and a half excruciating hours they were ready to play ball.  The wait didn't temper the enthusiasm of the Baltimore crowd, the game could've started at 2 am and the reaction would've been the same.  I would be re missed if I didn't mention the first pitch ceremony.  Perry Hall student Daniel Borowy, the special needs student who was shot on the first day of school, threw out that first pitch not many dry eyes in the house.  Then the towel waving began (they handed them out before the game) and playoff baseball was back.  It was everything I imagined and more, I have been to dozens of games over the years and never have I been part of a crowd that hung on every pitch.  Game 1 in the ALDS was like every other O's-Yanks game, hard fought and down to the wire.  Nate McLouth's go ahead 2 run single in the 3rd sent to crowd into a frenzy.  The Yanks quickly tied it up and it stayed that way for most of the game.  The loudest the crowd got in my opinion was the top of the 7th.  Troy Patton started the inning by walking the first two guys and it looked bleak for the birds.  Darren O'Day came into an impossible situation especially after Jeter's sac bunt.  But O'Day got the next 2 outs without a run scoring that included a strikeout against A-Rod that ended the inning, wow is all I can say about the noise of the crowd.

Here is a link to O'Day's escape in Game 1 http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=25357305&c_id=mlb

Game 1 didn't end the way O's fans wanted it to with a 7-2 loss but despite the loss the crowd, the atmosphere and just seeing playoff baseball back in Baltimore was so special, but I had Game 2 on the horizon.

Johnson reacting to the O's Game 2 Win

Game 1 was disappointing which made Game 2 all that more important for the Orioles.  Yet again mother nature did her best to piss off Orioles fans, the delay wasn't nearly as long but enough to irritate us.  Game 2 started and you could feel the sense of urgency in the crowd.  Game 2 nearly followed the same script as Game 1.  The Yankees took a first inning lead after a nifty little move by Ichiro to avoid a Matt Wieters tag.  The Orioles would respond with a 2 run third inning after a Chris Davis single.  The only difference was the Yankees never tied or took the lead back.  However that didn't make the game any less stressful.  You would think after all of the one run games and extra inning wins that id be used to it by now.....nope.  The Yankees threatened in the 6th, 7th and 8th and only mustered one run, so we headed into the 9th with the O's up 3-2.  Usually this is automatic for Baltimore since Jim Johnson had 51 saves, but he got hammered the night before and maybe a little doubt crept in.  It also wouldn't be easy with the top of the Yankees lineup hitting.  Johnson however did what he did all year, shut it down.  It came down to a 3-2 pitch to A-Rod and swing and miss ball game over, the first home playoff win in 15 years and it kind of felt like they won the World Series.  The fireworks started going off, im slapping high fives with random people and yelling at the top of my lungs.  For at least a brief moment all the heartache of 15 years gone and forgotten.  Baseball was back in Baltimore and it felt fantastic.

Chris Davis' 2 Run Single to put the O's up for good http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=25364151&c_id=mlb

Jim Johnson gets the Save and tied the ALDS at 1-1 http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=25365099&c_id=mlb

Maybe the most enjoyable part of these two games was enjoying it with my family.  Its amazing what affects sports have on you and I saw that first hand in those 2 games.  The city of Baltimore has been aching for a winner and in 2012  they got one.  Will this lead to more winning seasons?  Only time will tell but being excited for next baseball season is a weird and wonderful feeling.  No the Orioles didn't win the World Series and some would argue they should have actually won that series against the Yanks, none of that matters.  The Orioles gave the city of Baltimore a season none of us will soon forget.

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Maryland witnessing a Baseball revival

There are a lot of people who live in the state of Maryland, and among the masses a lot are baseball fans.  To be brunt baseball fans have not had a lot to cheer for in recent years.  Well forget cheering its been down right embarrassing to say you were a fan of either the O's or Nats.  However something has changed in 2012, and for some reason the baseball gods have smiled down on this region.  Unless you have been living under a rock you know that the Orioles and Nationals are playing some of the best baseball all year.  As of now the Orioles are 81-62 tied for first and the Nats have a 8 1/2 game lead in the NL East with a 89-54 mark.  I don't know how long it will last or if even both teams will even make the playoffs but damn this has been a fun ride.

Since the Nats moved from Montreal you could say that they have been mediocre at best (81-81 being best record until this year).  Then in back to back drafts they were lucky enough to land Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper, both being huge parts of their success this season.  They traded for Gio Gonzalez in the off season, signed free agent Edwin Jackson and there was a buzz about this team.  Not many thought they would be this good but playoffs was not out of the question.  At times the Nats hitting has struggled, however when nobody in your starting rotation has an ERA above 4, you don't need to score a lot.  Other than maybe the Reds no other team has played better and more consistent than the Nationals.  The Nats caught fire early starting 14-4 and have never really looked back.  It's unfortunate that for the majority of this season the "Strasburg Shutdown" has been the main topic of conversation when it comes to the Nats.  I look at it this way, Strasburg pitches once every five days and even though he is a great pitcher, baseball is not a one man game and Strasburg is not the only reason the Nats are in first place.  That being said if the Nats fall short in the post season the shutdown will be questioned for a long time.

One of my favorite Orioles Moments

Now for the Orioles, just like everybody else I really don't know how they are playing as well as they are.  In a game where stats are more important than any other sport, the stats tell you the Orioles should really be in last place.  They have a negative run differential, which I hate talking about but its true, 16th in runs, 21st in batting average, and 18th in team ERA, and they are 19 over .500.....huh??  Now I know those numbers aren't great but the O's do have some impressive stats.  They are 27-7 in one run games which is the best in MLB history, and they have won 13 straight extra inning games.  Not to mention a bullpen that ranks top 3 in ERA in the American League.  The best way to describe the Orioles in 2012 is the song Orioles Magic.  "Every day there's a different star, that's the magic of Orioles baseball".  Its true, just look at the recent 3 game series against Tampa.  Game 1, JJ Hardy had 4 hits and 5 RBIs, Game 2 Nate McClouth game winning hit in the 9th, Game 3 Manny Machado game winning hit in the 14th.  This truly is a team that believes it can win every single game and through 5 1/2 months who's to argue with them.

The best thing about these teams playing well is the fans coming back to the ballparks.  Both for numerous reasons have struggled drawing fans over the past few seasons, with neither cracking the 2 million fan mark.  The last time the Nats had over 2 million was 2008 (first year of Nats Park), for the O's 2007 was their last time over 2 million.  In fact the O's and Nats have only drawn over 2 million in the same season twice, 2005 and 2006, well 2012 might be that year as well.  As of now (Sept 14) the Nats have already hit the 2 million mark with 2,078,208.  The Orioles have some work to do, right now its at 1,893,421 with 7 home games left.  Is it doable, i think so as long as they average 15,200 fans a game they will hit 2 million, and with Boston coming to Baltimore and Brooks Robinson statue being handed out, it should happen.  Bottom line its nice to see excitement for baseball in Maryland.

In a region that is mostly dominated by football with the Ravens and Redskins, baseball is making a strong push, of course this hinges on the O's and Nats playing well consistently and not being one year wonders.  You know what would really help, a battle of the beltways World Series.  What?? it could happen, and just remember when it does you heard it here first.

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