In the middle of June, I stopped into Fortunato Brothers carryout on York Road to pick up a pizza. All eyes were intently focused on the television set in the corner. To my surprise, it wasn’t showing Entertainment Tonight or the European Cup soccer final.

The patrons and staff were watching the Orioles play the Pittsburgh Pirates and hanging on every pitch. It had been a long time since I’d seen an entire establishment watching an O’s game.

“How did Brian Roberts get on first?” I asked. “Singled,” someone said without turning from the screen.

Two months later, and the Orioles are still attracting attention, which now encroaches on Ravens territory. They are 10 games over .500 and if the play-offs started tomorrow, they would earn a wildcard berth.

Our football-crazed town truly has a baseball problem.

Maturing Players, Plus Machado!

It wasn’t supposed to be this way; 75 wins were going to be good enough for an improving team. But they have overachieved from the beginning.

Adam Jones, Matt Wieters and Nick Markakis have come of age with a sense of purpose and resiliency – assuming leadership roles and making big plays with both the bat and the glove.

The Orioles stockpiled pitching in the offseason and their revamped bullpen has been the best in the Major Leagues. The Birds have posted an extraordinary 23-6 record in one-run games–the best in the Major Leagues– and an equally stunning 12-2 in extra-inning showdowns.

Last week, the Orioles called up top prospect Manny Machado to start at 3d base on the night of the first Ravens preseason game – followed by speculation on message boards that this was done intentionally to keep the focus on baseball.

On the next night, he clubbed two home runs and has fielded the hot corner like he’s been watching footage of Brooks Robinson. He has already shored up an infield that has looked at times like a tryout camp for hockey goalies.

The team’s surprising performance and the addition of Machado have ignited the first real Oriole Fever in years, said Tony Pente, founder of Orioleshangout.com.

“Orioles fans are excited about the next 40 days because it’s the first time in 15 years that the Orioles have been in contention this late in the season,” Pente said.

Stats Geeks Flummoxed

The team has defied not just expectations, but probability. For the stats geeks who’ve been predicting the other cleat will eventually drop, it’s been a mind-boggling season.

We’re being outscored 538-494, have committed more errors than any other team, have a terrible record when we don’t hit a home run in a game, and have made 30 or more roster moves to solve a 162-game jigsaw puzzle. And yet, we’re on track for a winning season.

There has been adversity. Nolan Reimold went down after an impressive start with a pinched nerve in his neck. Promising young pitchers Brian Matusz and Jake Arrieta have been sent down to the minors for some retooling.

Jason Hammel injured his knee and is on the DL. Brian Roberts returned for a few weeks, after an 18 month rehab from a concussion, only to have a season-ending hip injury.

Despite it all, they continue to win. Barring a catastrophic collapse, the Orioles will reverse their losing ways and end a 14-year drought. Here’s why.

New York on the Patapsco?

Manager Buck Showalter has been here before. He is always successful in his second full season wherever he goes and he developed the blueprint for the 2012 Orioles in the early nineties in New York.

Suspend disbelief for a moment . . .

Adam Jones resembles a young Bernie Williams in centerfield. Nick Markakis has the competitive fire of Paul O’Neill. Matt Wieters is as solid a backstop as Jorge Posada and Manny Machado could be a fledgling Derek Jeter.  Until his injury, Jim Thome provides what Wade Boggs did on the Yankee bench – the seasoned presence of a winner who is willing to share his secrets.

Those Yankee teams had decent starting pitching and a shutdown bullpen with John Wetteland. Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera (as well as Jeter) came later to help cement the championship seasons after Buck left. This year, relievers Pedro Strop and Jim Johnson have been untouchable for the Orioles.

Showalter’s teams were filled with role players like Mike Gallego, Luis Polonia, and Spike Owen – and we’ve seen a number of those this year in orange and black: Steve Pearce, Ryan Flaherty, Steve Tolleson, Omar Quintanilla and others still in the offing.

When playing in the Bronx, Buck’s Yankees liked to stay close and beat you late, preferably in the bottom of the eighth inning – only to shut you down in the next frame and win the game. The Orioles have done this on several occasions.

Showalter also has Dan Duquette in his corner. The new Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations is as hungry for success as his pesky manager.

“Dan Duquette has shown an ability to piece together a competitive team despite getting the job late into the off season last year,” Pente said.

“I’m looking forward to seeing what he’ll do with this organization now that he has evaluated all of the personnel and has a successful season under his belt that could attract free agents.”

Playing with Urgency

Another feature of the 2012 Orioles is their ability to rally in the face of adversity. After they dipped to 52-49 following a recent loss to Oakland at home, it looked like their winning season was in jeopardy. Since then, they’ve reeled off 12 wins in 16 games.

Last year they surged at the end, denying the Red Sox a trip to the playoffs and sending that franchise into a tailspin that it may take years to recover from. In Showalter’s first year, they finished 34-23.

Last week, they won a 1-0 extra inning game in Tampa Bay to take the series. Two days later against the Mariners, they overcame a 7-2 deficit to win the game in 14 innings – and eventually swept Seattle. They lost a game to KC and won the next night on Machado’s two home runs in his second big league game.

They are playing with urgency for the first time since 1997.

Machado and Quintanilla have flashed leather around the infield, and the defense has suddenly returned, along with the bat of Mark Reynolds.

Also in the Lineup – Luck

The dog days are over for the Baltimore Orioles. It’s August and they are on fire. It is not farfetched to entertain the idea of Showalter breaking through to his first World Series – this year or some year soon. For sure, things seem to be falling their way.

Against the Red Sox this week, for instance, Matt Wieters faced Josh Beckett in a tie game. With runners on first and second and two strikes on the batter, the big catcher checked his swing on a breaking pitch.

The umpire easily could have called a strike and ended the inning, but he didn’t.  Both runners had taken off and were standing on second and third.

Wieters bounced the next pitch high over the mound in a no man’s land between the bag at second and the pitching rubber. The infielders had to wait for what is known as a “Baltimore chop” to come down and they raced to make a play. It skittered under their gloves for a base hit and the tie-breaking run scored.

Wieters grinned. It’s been that kind of magical year.