Home | BaltimoreBrew.com
Culture & Artsby Dean Bartoli Smith1:10 pmJul 12, 20140

Resilient Orioles on “Cruz-ade” to win division

Showalter’s guys storm into first place

Above: O’s fans, sitting on Friday side-by-side as usual at Camden Yards with Yankees fans, got to exit with them, triumphant.

If you’re looking for the pivotal point in the Baltimore Orioles’ remarkable 2014 season, stick a pin in Friday, June 20th.

In Yankee Stadium, with the Orioles leading 3-2, closer Zach Britton faced Yankee slugger Carlos Beltran with two runners on. Britton needed one more out for the Birds to win the first of three in New York.

Beltran clubbed a three-run homer deep into the left field seats for a walk-off win. It was a loss that Oriole fans knew all too well – especially during 14 years of losing seasons. They had more than perfected the art of losing to the Yankees.

But since that moment, the resurgent Orioles have gone 14-6 and seized first place in the American League East. Last night, the Orioles returned the favor by walking off the Yankees 3—2 in the 10th inning after trailing by 2 runs early in the game before a sold out crowd in Camden Yards.

In the stands, on the street and on the Internet, fans can be heard tempting fate and daring to dream.

“Thou shalt recite this prayer three times before today’s doubleheader,” @Orioles Jesus urged followers on Twitter earlier this month. “Hallowed be thy name. Thy World Series Come, Thy will be done, in OPACY as it is in all of Baltimore.”

Tough Breaks

It hasn’t come easy. Sizing up the trials and tribulations Showalter’s team faces this season, the apt citation might not be so much the Loaves and the Fishes as the Book of Job.

All-star catcher Matt Wieters is lost for the season with an elbow injury. Free agent pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez, whose delivery resembles a jockey trying to control a horse rearing on its hind legs, has been a disappointment and is now on the disabled list.

Last year’s home run leader and American League MVP finalist Chris Davis is mired in a horrific slump. J.J. Hardy, Bud Norris, Chris Davis and Manny Machado have missed time with injuries.

Showalter has been juggling the bottom of his line-up with the likes of Caleb Joseph, Ryan Flaherty and Jonathan Schoop, who are still learning how to hit major league pitching.

Nelson Cruz against the Yankees Friday night. (Photo by Dean Bartoli Smith.)

Nelson Cruz against the Yankees Friday night. (Photo by Dean Bartoli Smith.)

Summing it up, Stan Charles of Press Box Magazine said “You have to respect where they are after what they’ve been through.”

In response to criticism that the Orioles didn’t do enough in the off-season to upgrade the line-up, Showalter has responded firmly with what has now become a mantra and tee-shirt giveaway: “I like our guys.”

Stepping up: Cruz , Pearce, Machado

The guys have not let their skipper down.

Mainstays Adam Jones and Nick Markakis have consistently delivered with defense and timely hitting. Nelson Cruz, acquired in free agency from Texas after serving a 50-game suspension for violating MLB’s substance abuse policy, is on a one-man crusade or (or “cruz-ade”) to slug his way into the World Series. He’s picked up the slack from Davis by hitting 28 home runs and driving in 74 runs.

Journeyman Steve Pearce, reclaimed from waivers on May 28th, has hit 11 home runs and batted .320. Pearce plays baseball with an urgency suggesting that every at bat or chance in the field could be his last. He hits to all fields, steals bases and exhibits patience at the plate.

His energy is infectious as he creates havoc for opposing teams – he has helped turn the season around. In this 60th edition of the Baltimore Orioles, Pearce is a throwback to the past and rekindles memories of players like Rich Dauer, Gary Roenicke and Chris Hoiles.

Child prodigy Manny Machado – whose tirade against A’s third baseman Josh Donaldson and a thrown bat cost him a 5-game suspension – has dispensed with his petulant ways and responded by blistering opposing pitchers with his bat and making difficult plays look easy at third base. This could be the best news of all for Oriole fans.

Managing the Bullpen

While starting pitching remains an area that lacks the consistency required for the long haul, the Oriole bullpen has been flawless. T.J. McFarland and Brad Brach have emerged as “long men” and they have shut down teams who’ve gotten to our starters and have held extra-inning leads long enough for the Orioles to win.

Sidearm specialist Darren O’Day leads the team with a 1.13 earned run average and Zach Britton now has 16 saves. Tommy Hunter is showing signs of returning to his old form.

Showalter manages the bullpen with the meticulous precision of a field general. In a recent series against Boston, he saved his pen in the first game by keeping his “shutdown arms” on ice.

McFarland pitched well but lost the opener on a broken-bat single in the bottom of the ninth. In the next game, with Jimenez on the hill, Showalter relied on a rested bullpen to save the Orioles after Ubaldo was racked up for 4 runs. The Orioles won the next two in extra innings and the series from the Red Sox.

“Showalter gives them an edge,” said Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci on the FoxSports telecast. “You’re not supposed to win when your starter gets knocked out early.”

The Orioles will need more production from their starting rotation –Wei-Yin Chen, Chris Tillman, Miguel Gonzalez, Bud Norris and Kevin Gausman — to make it deep into October.

“I wish [the starters] would pitch a little better,” said Charles. “They’re the best team in the division but they will need to put their foot on the gas pedal to compete with Oakland and Detroit.”

As for now, I agree with Buck. I like our guys.

Most Popular