It’s been a very good week for the Orioles and on a very hot Thursday afternoon, they completed a three-game sweep of the Royals, defeating them 6-5, as Vladmir Guerrero delivered a game-winning RBI-single in the bottom of the 12th inning.
The Baltimore Orioles are now at .500 with a record of 24-24.
I think it’s been a while since the Orioles have been at that mark this late in the season for a good, long while, which is pretty astounding to think about.
Nolan Reimold had a huge game and delivered much of the offense for the Orioles, going 4-for-4 with four runs driven in.
Considering Reimold’s seemingly long road back to the majors after injury, personal issues and whatever else, it’s good to see that he’s still with the team and given a chance to play.
Who knows what the future holds with him, but it is good to see that the Orioles didn’t consider him to be an after-thought.
Jeremy Guthrie was so-so on the day, as he went seven innings and gave up five runs – four earned. The Royals exploded for four runs in the second inning; however, Guthrie settled down and pitched well enough after that to give his team an opportunity to win.
The bullpen held the game in check and Jeremy Accardo got the win. Of course, naturally, Kevin Gregg made things interesting as he came up in the tenth inning and loaded the bases, but got a critical fly-out to end the frame.
With the Birds flying high, they are now only 3 games back from the American League East divisional lead. Starting today, they embark on a six-game road trip where they’ll face the Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners.
I still don’t think the Orioles will contend this season; however, with the amount of injuries they have had, plus some of the ups and downs they have encountered along the way, the fact Baltimore is .500 right now shows the talent level of this group.
Anything else is possible at this point for the Orioles. They just have to be consistent on the mound, beat up on teams that they should, and keep making the most of scoring opportunities.
If so, maybe they can stick around the American League East during the summer and make things exciting for us fans. As well, let’s see if they can play some meaningful baseball and not wilt or go into a swoon like we’ve grown accustomed to in the past decade-plus.
