With last night’s solid win against the Angels the Orioles secured their first winning month of the year and their first winning August since 1997. The Orioles, so far, have gone 15 and 11 this month with three games remaining. Not only is this month the only winning month for the Orioles thus far, it is the first time this year the Orioles have recorded more than 10 wins in a month. That is simply how bad the birds have been all year, looking at them now it really does feel like a different team.
Having a strong August was very important for this team because in September the Orioles will enter schedule-hell. Thanks to the unbalanced nature of the schedule September sees the Orioles taking part in what amounts to a round-robin AL East tournament, one the Orioles have had trouble with this season. The clouds may be gathering on the horizon but the Birds of August are enjoying every last bit of sunshine this new life has brought.
The Orioles, believe it or not, have a legitimate shot at having a second half at or above .500. YES! I know! I never thought I would find myself typing that sentence this year but it is true. As the Orioles play in Los Angeles today they have a second-half record of 18-24, only six games back and with the way the Orioles have been playing I think they have a real shot at this. Now what does that mean? It means that this team is for real. It means that this team would have had to get through the hellish September schedule and come out not only in one piece but actually ahead. It means that the Baltimore Orioles will have to play winning baseball against teams in the thick of pennant races. It means that the team that has gone into full-blown implosion every fall for the last decade may have finally turned the ever-elusive “corner”.
How great would that be? How fantastic would it feel to be going into the offseason saying: “Look how much they improved,” “I can’t wait to see what they do next year.” Finishing this year strongly would allow this team to go into next year with more answers than questions for a change. A delightful, welcome, fantastic change.
The Orioles may have already locked in their 13th straight losing season but, unlike our friends in Pittsburgh, things actually seem to be looking up.
