Fresh start: The Orioles still hold the second wild-card position as they open the second half of the season with a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers that begins Friday night at Camden Yards, but they'll need to buck some disturbing trends to keep that distinction much longer. They lead the Tampa Bay Rays by only a half game and they are scrambling to maintain a passable starting rotation after dispatching most of it to Triple-A Norfolk. Obviously, manager Buck Showalter is hoping the four-day All-Star break brings them back refreshed and ready to get back in the game. (US Presswire)
Peter Schmuck looks at four things (plus one) that we learned about the Orioles over the past week.