Kuzul

With 22 games left of the regular season, the Baltimore Orioles enjoy their place in the rear view mirror of the New York Yankees in the race for the AL Eastern crown. However, with the devastating loss of Nick Markakis and a murderous stretch of contending teams in the final three weeks of their season, the Orioles dream season may end in nightmarish fashion with the Tampa Bay Rays passing them in the division and for a wild card spot.

In his first meaningful September, Markakis was the catalyst for the Orioles offense before breaking his thumb in game three of last weekend‘s series with the Yankees. He led the AL in hits since the all-star break at the time of his injury and was as productive as Derek Jeter at the top of the lineup. Though he wasn’t the typical leadoff hitter, Markakis drove in runs and set the table at the top of the lineup in an atypical fashion.

He will be missed this week when the Rays invade Camden Yards. Despite the unbelievable starting pitching the Orioles have gotten over the second half of the season, this will not be the same offense they faced in Tampa last month.

Evan Longoria has been the same catalyst for the Rays as Markakis was for the Orioles. Longoria, however, is a legitimate run producer in the middle of the Rays lineup, even after he struggled to find his rhythm because of a lengthy stay on the disabled list. Over the last week Longoria has hit .316 with 2 HR, which is not good for a pitching staff that has been vulnerable at times this year.

The biggest challenge for the Orioles right now is trying to contain B.J. Upton. He blistered the league, hitting .412 last week with 4 HR, hitting .407 overall for September. This is not good news for a team that just lost the glue of their offense, Markakis.

Though most in Charm City are just happy to have a team in the hunt this September, the reality is that the series against Tampa sets the tone for the final stretch of the season. By the end of the week, Baltimore could find themselves where the Rays are currently—not in the playoffs—after the series at Camden Yards.

Last week was about the promise of trying to sweep the Yankees and get to first place in the division. This week is about finishing no worse than .500 in a six game stretch against teams that are their bookends in the wild card race. 

After three games in Tampa, the Orioles head to Oakland for the most critical weekend series of year. If the they can take three of those first six games, the road trip could pay dividends in Seattle where they have enjoyed success this year.

Baltimore will play all AL East teams after leaving the pacific northwest to finish the regular season. They’ll end the season with three games at Tampa, although Boston and Toronto may prove to be difficult before they get there.

Although Baltimore has enjoyed being in the Yankees rear view mirror all season, the Rays are now officially in their blind spot. With Longoria and Upton producing, and the A’s enjoying a magic carpet ride of their own, Baltimore’s task of winning the division is becoming increasingly daunting.  

Losing Markakis, however, is the blow that makes the hill a steeper climb for the Orioles to keep a wild card spot. These next few weeks will test the resilience that has defined them this season.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

By MARK F. GRAY

@thesportsgroove

As the Baltimore Orioles were capping a series win over the Detroit Tigers, the season was personified in nine innings.  The Orioles, tied with the Oakland A’s behind the Tampa Bay Rays, in the American League Wild Card standings, erased a 5-0 deficit with gutsy pitching and timely offense to win the final two games of a series that began with a controversial loss.

Wei-Yin Chen, who leads the team with 12 wins, gave up five runs in the top of the first inning but held the Tigers scoreless for the next four and two thirds before turning the ball over to the “Orange Curtain.”   This opportunistic offense scored four runs in the top of the second, thanks to a three run blast from Chris Davis, and scored three more runs in the third to basically put the game on ice.  The “Orange Curtain,” or bullpen as most would call it, kept Detroit scoreless over the last seven and one-third innings that sent them to Texas tied atop the AL Wild Card race.

Therein lies the recipe for the Orioles contention in the American League’s postseason hunt. Statistically, this is an average team that has been outscored by over 40 runs on the season. There is no guarantee for a quality start from a pitching staff with an earned run average over four runs per game each night.  

Despite three American League All Stars, the team is clearly the sum of its parts.  Consider: the team lost its most consistent starting pitcher Jason Hammel in his first start after the all star break.  Adam Jones has been stuck on 24 home runs for the entire month of August but is hitting .293 over that span despite his power outage.  Chris Davis recently had a three home run barrage against the Toronto Blue Jays and has been an unexpected power generator with 23 on the season.  Davis power has been an unexpected surprise given Mark Reynold’s hasn’t found his power stroke this year.

Orioles’ starting pitchers aren’t going to wake up the echoes of the Cy Young staffs of the ’70s and ’80s.  Their 4.13 ERA is pedestrian at best. Chen and Hammel were as good a one-two combination Baltimore has seen since 1997 when David Wells and Mike Mussina helped them lead wire to wire before Hammel‘s injury. Jake Arrieta and Brian Matusz have been replaced in the rotation by Miguel Gonzalez and Zach Britton. For the last month, Gonzalez and Britton have consistently given Baltimore quality starts—taking some of the pressure off the bullpen.

However, Buck Showalter has masterfully worked his bullpen, which is third in the American League with its 3.07 ERA led by closer Jim Johnson who leads the league with 43 saves.  However, Showalter’s penchant for creating the right matchups once the perilous starters get beyond the fifth inning has been brilliant.  He has been able to bridge the middle inning gaps by working Darren O’Day, Kevin Gregg, Matt Lindstrom, and Luis Ayala. Baltimore has not lost a game this season when leading after the seventh inning because Pedro Strop has been the perfect set up man for Johnson in the eighth.

Perhaps Showalter’s greatest job, in what could be an AL Manager Of The Year season, is keeping the team level. In his second full season he has created a culture where they live in the moment and never get too high or too low.  Each game has a life of its own which is why they haven’t been mired in month-long losing streaks that have defined their last 15 years.  There is no one superstar who opposing teams can focus on pitching around in the lineup and there is a different hero every night.

A season with no promise in March has given hope to the Charm City fan base that the Orioles can play at least one postseason game in October.  However, there are four other teams within two games of first place in the wild-card race and on paper Baltimore appears fifth best.  However, for those who remember the days of the miracles on 33rd Street before there was Camden Yards, there is a sense that the Orioles Magic is back.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com