Yes, folks – the Baltimore Orioles are in first place in the American League East, and this afternoon, they beat the Chicago White Sox, 5-3.
They took three out of four from the White Sox, and sit atop of the division with an 8-5 record.
I was a little bewildered by the Hammel trade when it happened; however, he is working out quite well – so far. He struck out ten in six innings, gave up two runs, and got the win – his second of the season.
Jim Johnson earned his sixth save of the season. Yes, he made it exciting again – loading the bases – and striking out Alex Rios to end the game. in the bottom of the ninth
After being silenced at the plate last night, the Orioles got it going on Thursday. They scored twice in the opening frame, and then Adam Jones hit a three-run homer – his 5th of the year – laid the hammer down on the White Sox.
Chicago scored twice in the third inning off an Alex Rios double, and a Dunn single; however, Baltimore took care of it on the mound after that.
With that being said, the Orioles go out to California and take on Albert Pujols and the Angels over the weekend.
Yes, I am sure many are expecting the Orioles to sink and look like the team of seasons gone by over the past decade; however, they look like a different, focused and confident team. Jones is looking more and more like he will have a career year; Reimold seems to be a fixture, and I’m just excited to see some progress.
Whether the winning ends next week, or last through the season, it’s nice to see the Orioles flying high for a bit.
I don’t think – now moreso than ever – that the Orioles will be historically awful. They will probably inch closer to .500 than we ever thought, but that depends on what happens this summer and what they do in inter-divisional play.
