Bob Haynie: The Orioles Make Their Move As July Begins
A week ago, I was writing about the Baltimore Orioles getting swept by the Toronto Blue Jays. The Jays were hot, at the time, and took a couple of close games from the Birds to continue their roll.
What a difference seven days makes.
The Orioles just got done sweeping the New York Yankees at Camden Yards. They will head into Tuesday's series opener against the White Sox in Chicago with a record of 47-36. They are 11 games over .500, which matches their season-high.
It look as though the reinforcements are coming too.
Brian Roberts returned to manager Buck Showalter's lineup on Sunday against New York and appears to be healthy. Then again, I'm not a doctor. If he can stay on the field, that is obviously a bonus for Baltimore.
Left-hander Wei-Yin Chen is on the verge of coming off the DL also. His return will help a beleaguered starting rotation.
Speaking of the rotation, the Orioles actually got some good performances this week from their starters. Let's not forget that rookie Kevin Gausman picked up his first career victory with 4.1 innings of scoreless relief against the
Yankees on Friday night.
Is this a sign of things to come? We'll see soon enough.
It's July and the Orioles are in contention. That's what we all wanted.
Now we wait to see if they can take the next step and catch the Boston Red Sox.
