Orioles Win Makes AL Wild Card Very Tight Race

As you know there are two wild card teams this season. You also know that after the Orioles dropped out of position for that 2nd wild card, they have won 3 straight. Well guess what? Now they have won 4! Because of the win, the wild card race is a tight one.

The Baltimore Orioles moved to 50-44 with the victory. It tied them for the 2nd spot and moved them only a 1/2 game back of the 1st wild card. The Angels hold the 1st wild card. They just dropped a game to Texas and are 51-44. The Chicago White Sox looked like they were going to win the central, but they just lost 4 straight and the Tigers won 4 straight. Therefore, the White Sox are 50-44 as well. Chicago dropped out of 1st and into a tie with Baltimore, etc. Finally, the red hot A's are also 50-44.
Here are the wild card standings
Los Angeles 51-44
Baltimore 50-44
Chicago 50-44
Oakland 50-44

The Orioles also are now only 7 games behind New York after this winning streak. We can only hope that the streak continues.

What is one reason for the streak? Ryan Flaherty suddenly decided to play some baseball. The Rule 5 pick hit his 4th home run tonight. In the process, Flaherty  improved his average to .200. It will be interesting to see how long Flaherty can keep this up.

Another reason for the success is the starting pitching. Orioles starters registered their 4th straight quality start last night. This one was registered by Chris Tillman. If you remember, Tillman didn't get out of the 1st inning in his last outing. However, this time, Tillman only gave up 1 run in 6 2/3 to improve to 2-1. Despite Tillman's struggles last time, his ERA sits at 1.15, that is because of poor defense behind him in the previous 2 starts. The O's amazingly had no defensive struggles last night. In his next outing, Tillman will again try to deliver a 2nd straight victory for the first time in his career.

The bullpen was also impressive. Strop picked up his 16th hold after pitching a scoreless 8th. This lowered Strop's ERA to 1.47. Then Jim Johnson picked up his 29th save! Johnson now has an ERA of 2.38. The back end of the Orioles' bullpen is as good as anybody. Strop and Johnson are filthy.

There were other heroes with the bat, too many to name. I will say that Jim Thome hit another massive home run. Thome now has 2 Oriole homers and we are hoping for many more. Nick Markakis had 2 hits also raising his average to .273. #21 is doing quite well in the leadoff spot.

In roster news, Steve Pearce was the roster casualty to make room for Omar Quintanilla. Pearce was designated for assignment prior to yesterday's game. This move gives the Orioles three middle infielders, but considering Chris Davis has been playing LF, it was more likely that Tolleson would get at bats than Pearce. Pearce was DFA and the Orioles now will see if he clears waivers. It would be cool if he can stay in the organization, because then they may be able to move him later. Welcome aboard, Omar!

-Noland

Make That 3 In A Row

Three straight quality starts, three straight wins. Left for dead not to long ago, the Orioles remain a half game out of the wild card race, and dare I say it, Miguel Gonzalez looks in the rotation to stay. Gonzalez had another terrific performance last night. Gonzalez pitched 6 2/3 and only gave up 2 runs to the Indians. He improved to (2-1) with the 10-2 victory. Now that is how I like to win the game. For once the O's hammered somebody. Miguel also had 5 strikeouts in his terrific performance. His ERA now sits at 2.61.

Gonzalez was replaced by Lindstrom. Matt Lindstrom was dealing, but unfortunately ran into some bad luck. Lindstrom got through a full inning and lowered his ERA to 2.42. The unfortunate part was that Johnny Damon hit a shot off of Lindstrom and injured the pitcher. I must say though that Damon checked on Lindstrom in a very classy move. Nice job by Damon there. All of us Orioles fans hope Lindstrom is ok. We definitely missed him the 1st time he got hurt.

Lindstrom was replaced by Kevin Gregg. I have to say that Gregg has certainly increased his trade value recently. Perhaps somebody actually wants this guy now. He finished the game pitching 1 1/3 scoreless innings. His ERA now sits at 3.72. To top it off, he had 2 strikeouts and didn't allow a baserunner. I sure hope we trade him now that his value is at an all-time high.

As for our hitters, everyone pretty much was on point because we scored 10 runs. However, three of them stood out from the rest in my opinion. First, Chris Davis went 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Davis improved his batting average to .264. The next person is Ryan Flaherty. No joke. Flaherty was awesome with the bat last night and has started improving of late. It will be interesting to see who stays up with a new 2nd baseman coming to town. Flaherty certainly has a stronger case after hitting a huge home run last night. He also had 3 RBIs. However, Flaherty is still just hitting .196. I still prefer Tolleson to Flaherty.

Finally, Jim Thome had an awesome night. Thome was 3-5 raising his batting average to .277 and his OBP to .370. Thome now has the highest on base percentage on the team. He also managed to pick up his 1st Oriole HR last night. That homer moved him past Sammy Sosa for sole possession of 7th place on the all time list. Great job by Thome hitting the shot. I still think we have too many 1B/DH types, but Thome is my favorite of that group. Great job last night Jim!

-Noland

Now That's How You Make A Debut

Many Orioles fans including many of my friends hated the Teagarden trade this offseason. They said I told you so when Teagarden got hurt. Who is laughing now? Teagarden, didn't start the game (his 1st as an Oriole), but man did he ever finish it. The backup catcher launched a walk off homer in his 2nd at bat for the birds. Now, it is my turn to say I told you so. I was pumped when Teagarden replaced Paulino. Turns out I was justified. Actually, I was watching the at bat with my wife and I said "come on Teagarden you have to hit a homer because Mark Reynolds is up next and Kevin Gregg is pitching." Next thing you know, he does. I then leaped for joy. There have been few times as an Oriole fan I was more excited than tonight. Feel so good for Teagarden.

Speaking of Oriole debuts, another Oriole made his regular season debut. Actually for Miguel Socolovich, it was his major league debut. Socolovich looked great in an extremely high pressure situation. He retired the Tigers 1, 2, 3 in the 10th inning. One of the batters he retired was Miguel Cabrera. Socolovich did give up a run in the 10th, but it was just a guy he left on, Patton was the guy who actually gave up the run.

Wei Yin Chen actually pitched 6 brilliant innings and only gave up 1 run. It should have been an easy win, but Ryan Flaherty had a huge error in the 9th (some defensive replacement) and Jim Johnson blew the save. It's a shame Chen couldn't get the victory, but that's just how it goes sometimes.

Kevin Gregg picked up the victory for the Orioles. Gregg pitched 1/3 inning and lowered his ERA to 3.86. Gregg improved to 3-2 on the season. Seems like a perfect time to trade him! I mean he picked up the win and lowered his ERA, it isn't going to get better than this. Offer to pay his entire salary and see if we can get a prospect or two or a spare part. Gregg and Reynolds for Rickie Weeks?

While we are on topic of getting rid of guys, I must bring up Ryan Flaherty. Do we have to keep this guy? He is dead weight on a team trying to make the playoffs. I hate to give him up for free too, but he offers nothing at this point. A defensive replacement cannot be making huge errors that turn the game.

In other news, JJ Hardy also hit a 13th inning home run to break out of a huge slump. As a huge Hardy fan that thinks some fans have been way too hard on him, this was an awesome sight. Very happy for JJ.

Finally, Nick Markakis had 3 doubles! 3 of them. What an awesome performance. If I ever said Nick wasn't my favorite baseball player, I sincerely apologize. I apologize to Nick and Orioles fans everywhere. This guy has been the heart and soul of our team in recent years. He has been all we had on many nights. Thank God that he is back in an Orioles uniform. The guy can play baseball.

Also Robert Andino had a homer tonight. More Andino!

Finally, it was Jim Palmer night at the Yard. Great to see the O's honoring their best pitcher ever. Palmer is a class act.

-Noland

Jim Johnson Bounces Back

Orioles closer Jim Johnson has bounced back and picked up his 18th save of the season. This happened Orioles beat the Red Sox again last night and remained in 1st place. Johnson, had blown a save the previous game, but managed to win that game and pick up the save in this one. All Star?

The Orioles won 2-1 behind Johnson's performance. That means that other pitchers were very very good. Leading this charge was Pedro Strop. Strop picked up his 11th hold and lowered his ERA to 1.23. All Star?

Additionally, Wei Yin Chen had a quality start. Actually, a brilliant start. Chen only gave up 1 run in 7 innings of work. Chen is now 5-2 and lowered his ERA to 3.49 in the process. He is one of the few bright spots in the rotation. Hopefully, he keeps having outings like this.

Only a couple of Orioles had hits, but they had enough. The Orioles had 5 hits, including RBIs from Robert Andino and Endy Chavez. The runs were scored by Betemit and Flaherty. I keep saying let's see what the Flaherty kid can do with regular playing time. We have 2 outfielders and Brob out, and he should play everyday at least until Brob gets back. I'll take whatever I can get out of Chavez too, but I wouldn't lead him off. Let's see if the birds can keep up this momentum for the time being.

-Noland

Johnson Blows Save, but Orioles Still Win

Jim Johnson picked up the win in the 10th inning after blowing the save in the 9th and the Orioles defeated the Red Sox 8-6 on extras last night. It says a lot about Jim Johnson that he asked for the ball in the 10th after blowing the lead. He shut down the Sox in the 10th and helped preserve the victory.

The rest of the pitching was pretty darn good. Jason Hammel gave the Orioles five innings, which could be better, but during those 5 innings he only gave up 1 earned run. With the Orioles struggles in the rotation lately, it would be hard to believe Hammel's ERA. Hammel is pitching to a 2.97 ERA this season. If the Orioles are in 1st place at the break, then Hammel stands a pretty good shot at making the All-Star team after pitching like he has. This guy has to be near or maybe even at the top of the list for pleasant surprises this season. Unbelievable.

Ayala and Strop did their thing combining for 1 2/3 of scoreless baseball. Strop earned his 10th hold and Ayala his 6th. I continue to be amazed that we got Strop for Mike Gonzalez. Pedro Strop may just be the best pitcher we have on the roster.

Obviously, with an 8-6 victory you would expect to hear more about the hitting than the pitching though. The Orioles bats were on point last night. Every Oriole except Steve Tolleson that played last night got a hit. That included Ryan Flaherty who only got one at bat. Why Tolleson is playing over Flaherty is beyond me. Flaherty can actually contribute to this team's future and if we are going to keep him on the roster with so many people out, we might as well let him play. The way Tolleson is playing we might as well.

The top hitter last night may come as a surprise. Endy Chavez went 3-5 in the game with an RBI and 2 runs scored. New OF Steve Pearce was 1-3 with 2 RBIs. Pearce also had a high quality defensive play off the green monster that drew rave reviews from the coaching staff.

Robert Andino, Matt Wieters, and JJ Hardy had two hits apiece. Andino scored twice and leadoff for the Orioles. Wieters in Hardy each drove in a run and Wieters scored. Matt Wieters hit a double and JJ Hardy hit a triple. These were the only extra base hits on the night. Let's hope the O's get more timely hits tonight against the BoSox.

-Noland

Orioles Go Back to Back to Back

The Baltimore Orioles have finally decided to play baseball against the Texas Rangers. During Game 1 of the double header, the Orioles started off with a bang. They went back to back to back. Ryan Flaherty started the party with his first major league home run onto Eutaw Street. Flaherty was followed by JJ Hardy who was followed by Nick Markakis. Ironically the last time a team went back to back to back to start a game was the 2007 Brewers. Why is that ironic? JJ Hardy batted 2nd for that during that game as well. For the Brewers Rickie Weeks led off that game and Ryan Braun hit 3rd. However, the Orioles are the 1st AL team to accomplish that feat.

Back to today's double header, the Orioles were obviously off to a good start with the homers. Even better than the start, was the starter. Wei Yin Chen pitched 7 2/3 against the potent Ranger lineup today. He was only charged with 2 runs and one of them came when Ayala took over for him in the 8th. Anybody that can pitch like this against the Rangers deserves an award. This is the biggest reason the Orioles were able to beat the Rangers 6-5 today.

Jim Johnson gave up a three run homer to David Murphy in the 9th, but held on for the win. Beating Texas is a big step for this ballclub. Johnson picked up his 9th save on the season. His ERA now sits at 0.66. Not too shabby. Johnson is the man.

The Orioles are currently down 4-3 in game 2 of the double header. Tommy Hunter will possibly be sent back down after the game, especially with Dana Eveland the starter tomorrow night. Eveland deserves the chance to start. The guy has been quite good in Norfolk and had a solid spring. Meanwhile Hunter and Matusz have been struggling. Give the guy a chance.

Josh Hamilton has hit another home run against Baltimore. Some things never change. This one landed on Eutaw Street.

-Noland

Lots of Orioles News

The game was postponed last night. Before the postponement, Endy Chavez had sore muscles and couldn't play. It now appears Chavez is headed to the DL and Tommy Hunter is coming up for the 2nd game of the double header. The Orioles are allowed 26 players on the roster for a double header, but a player has to go on the DL for Tommy Hunter to be recalled at this time. This is because Hunter was just sent down and has not been in the minors for the required 10 days. Because they are allowed 26 players today, an additional roster move is likely coming.

Also before the rain delay, Zach Phillips was optioned. He was optioned to make room for Steve Tolleson who was coming up due to the Chavez injury. I would have gone with Xavier Avery, but I understand this move. To make room for Tolleson on the 40 man roster, the Orioles moved catcher Taylor Teagarden to the 60 day DL. This seems like another interesting move to choose Teagarden over Roberts. It must mean that Roberts is closer to playing than Teagarden. Tolleson is not really an outfielder so this again is a curious move that Tolleson was brought up. It is unclear who will play left field with the Chavez injury.

Last night, Ryan Flaherty was in the lineup as the left fielder. Of course, the game never happened, but perhaps Flaherty is the guy that Showalter will choose in the absence of Chavez and Reimold. The guy sure does give you options. We also learned that Ryan Flaherty is the emergency catcher.

Jason Hammel was also skipped yesterday due to his own injury concerns. Let's hope that it isn't anything serious, because Jason Hammel has been our best starter. Hammel likely will not make the start this time around the rotation. Which leads to the final bit of news.

We still have no idea who will start Friday. Will Hammel be ready by then? Do we call up Eveland? Bergessen? Tillman? It sure will be interesting to watch.

Here is the current active 25 man roster just so you can follow along. More moves will be coming.

OF Adam Jones

OF Nick Markakis

IF Steve Tolleson

IF Mark Reynolds

IF Nick Johnson

IF JJ Hardy

IF Robert Andino

IF Ryan Flaherty

IF Chris Davis

IF Wilson Betemit

C Matt Wieters

C Luis Exposito

P Pedro Strop

P Tommy Hunter

P Stuart Pomeranz

P Troy Patton

P Darren O'Day

P Brian Matusz

P Matt Lindstrom

P Jim Johnson

P Jason Hammel

P Kevin Gregg

P Wei Yin Chen

P Luis Ayala

P Jake Arrieta

-Noland

Flu Bug Hits the Orioles

The Orioles had the flu bug hit the team hard. Jim Johnson was hospitalized early this morning with the condition. It has apparently hit him hardest of all. Johnson is having a fantastic season so this is really tough to see. It stinks that anyone is ever hospitalized, but for Johnson with his injuries the last few years it must be especially hard. He will not be available tonight so if the Orioles are winning they will have to go to someone else for the save. My vote for that is anyone but Gregg. Pedro Strop maybe?

In addition to Johnson, Mark Reynolds is also sitting out this game with his flu-like symptoms. His absence allows Ryan Flaherty to get a rare start at 3rd base.

Nolan Reimold remains day to day. Reimold was mashing the ball this year so his injury is another tough one. The Oriole left fielder remains day to day with neck stiffness.

Robert Andino is leaving the team to attend the birth of his child after today's game. Andino will miss at least two games on paternity leave. Congratulations to Robert on his new addition. I just like this Andino guy and love that he is going to see his family even if the team will miss him. His absence allows for a roster move and the assumption is that Matt Antonelli will be the guy to come up.

Interesting stuff. Lets hope the birds get healthy.

-Noland