Orioles' developing aura of confidence
The Orioles created a little unnecessary drama last night by allowing the Astros to bring the lead run to the plate in the ninth inning of a game Baltimore went on to win, 7-5. But the way things have been going, even if Houston had tied or gone ahead, the O's were entirely capable of still coming back and winning. Baltimore trailed at some point in all three games against the Astos and swept the series.
Success breeds confidence and confidence has been in short supply in Orioles clubhouses in recent years. Since salvaging the final game of an otherwise disappointing four-game home series against Boston early this month, the Orioles have gone 11-5.
It's kind of interesting, when the Orioles lost to Boston back on June 1 to go three games under .500, it was the low point of the season. The O's were 7 1/2 games out of first place back then. Now they're on this 11-5 run and know what? They're still 7 games out of first. Yet, the mood is entirely different. That's because in this rebuilding season, the Orioles are not to be measured against other teams in the standings. They are to be measured against what they have been. And this is a big improvement.
Comments
I think teams/players often play better when there's no pressure. No one expected much from the '08 O's and I myself(somewhat of an eternal optimist) was hoping NOT to lose 95-100 games this year.
I also think that MLB is seeing more parity these days; there aren't the automatic doormats any more. Teams like the Rays, Pirates and Royals have become more competitve. You must factor in the possibility that some teams still may be taking us lightly and that may be working in our favour.
I know that we have had some luck also-maybe last year, Lance Berkman hits a game-winning HR instead of flying out last night.
Overall, I'm pleased with the team but believe it or not, we can still play better. Not to rain on the parade but how many baserunning blunders have we made that could have cost us a few games? The fielding has been a little worse than prior years and we all agree that the offense needs to add a few big bats.
Posted by: TerryP | June 20, 2008 9:36 AM
Bill, I agree totally - This team is gaining confidence each day. I certainly wasn't expecting this this year, but it's great to see the losing culture start to change a bit.
Posted by: Tom C | June 20, 2008 10:43 AM
They're only 5 games back in the AILC (all important loss column) for both the division lead and the wild card.
Posted by: Rusty | June 20, 2008 3:46 PM
The Orioles can take a huge step forward this year by taking two out of three from the Cubs. If the Birds can go into Wrigley and do it, that could give the players an extra boost of confidence going forward.
Posted by: Luke | June 23, 2008 6:52 PM