Orioles Beat Royals

The Baltimore Orioles defeated the Kansas City Royals handily last night. Baltimore won 8-2 behind excellent pitching, defense, and hitting. This is one of the most complete games the Orioles played all year. At what point do Orioles fans get excited about this team.

Jason Hammel had his best game since the knee injury. He pitched 6 strong innings earning a quality start and his 6th victory this year. Now 6-1, Hammel is showing to be quite the offseason addition. The righty did not give up a run and lowered his ERA to 2.78. What a fantastic outing. With starting pitching like that it is difficult to lose.

The bullpen was also very good. Stu Pomeranz gave up KC's only 2 runs. Pomeranz got the call back up to Baltimore yesterday. He was having a terrific season and those are the first runs he has given up in Bowie, Norfolk, or Baltimore this year. This guy deserves to be in the big leagues with how he has pitched. I am not going to let one outing change my mind on that. He was followed by Dana Eveland. Eveland pitched a scoreless ninth to secure the victory. The lefty lowered his ERA to 3.95.

Next, we need to talk about the performance of JJ Hardy. Hardy made a fantastic leaping catch to rob Billy Butler in this game. It was critical to the outcome and Butler is an Oriole killer. Great to see Hardy make such a fantastic stop. The guy did it with his bat also. JJ was 2-4 in the game with a double. He also walked, drove in 2, and scored. This game is all about scoring runs and when you score or drive in someone else it is huge. Big game from JJ.



Nick Markakis had a big night with the stick. He went 3 for 4 with 2 doubles. Markakis now has 11 doubles for the season and continues to hit well. In the process, he raised his average back up to .271. Not only that, but his on base percentage is .350. He gets on base and has increased power numbers and while this is a down year, you can live with this production from Nicky.

Adam Jones with all the contract talk in the air, had a great game. Jones drove in 2 more, strengthening his MVP case.

Meanwhile, Chris Davis had his best offensive game in a while. Davis was 2-4 with his 7th homer. He also had 3 RBIs and raised his average to .299. Davis pictured above had an awesome night.

Also if you go to the game on Monday you will get these sweet camouflage T-shirts assuming you are one of the first 10,000 fans in attendance.

-Noland

Roster Moves and Mascot Analysis

The Orioles made several roster moves today following the 17 inning marathon yesterday. As expected, Stu Pomeranz came up north, but he wasn't alone. One of my favorites, Jason Berken, also came up north. An expected move happened in Wada being placed on the 60 day DL to make room for Pomeranz on the 40. However, that was the only expected move. Hunter was sent down to Norfolk to give Berken a shot at coming up. Berken will likely get the start Friday if he is not needed before then. If he is needed, than another roster move will need to be made by Friday. Additionally, Exposito was not sent out for Pomeranz, but Ronny Paulino. I don't think anyone saw Paulino getting sent down. This is wild.

If you wanted a look at the mascot analysis for the Baltimore Orioles, my cousin Adam found this picture featuring it. This is interesting stuff.

That is pure craziness. In another wild story, Brandon Snyder is starting at 3rd base for the Rangers and has 2 RBIs tonight. Would you rather have this guy than Nick Johnson? Mark Reynolds? Crazy game this baseball.

-Noland

Who Has The Best Record in Baseball?

It would be the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles are 19-9 behind the best bullpen in baseball. A bullpen that got a boost yesterday from their DH. Say What? Yes, designated hitter Chris Davis came in from his DH spot to pitch the 16th and 17th innings yesterday. Oh, and he pitched those innings without giving up a run. What an unexpected pleasant surprise. The bullpen did terrific again yesterday, but they are battered from their sweep of the Red Sox. This sweep included multiple extra inning games. Everyone in the bullpen is taxed so a move had to be made.

P Stu Pomeranz is headed to Baltimore from Norfolk. Pomeranz has given up two runs this season, but more importantly for the O's he hasn't pitched since Friday. They need a fresh arm down there. Pomeranz is not on the 40 man roster though so a corresponding roster move must be made. The expectation is that Wada will be transferred to the 60 day DL clearing a spot for Pomeranz. Luis Exposito is expected to be sent down to Norfolk to clear a spot on the big league club. Stu, this bullpen needs innings and is pitching pretty amazing. Let's keep this going. For those wondering, Stu Pomeranz was signed to a minor league contract in spring training. These depth moves pay off.

-Noland