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Baltimore Orioles

What they're saying about the Orioles

By Kevin Cowherd
Baltimore Sun
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After what has been one of the most surprising, bizarre and improbable baseball seasons, the Baltimo

After what has been one of the most surprising, bizarre and improbable baseball seasons, the Baltimore Orioles have clinched a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 1997. And what a ride it's been. Here's a team with plenty of talent, but also its fair share of surprise contributions from unseasoned players and league retreads -- and they've passed the 90-win mark. It was the rebirth of Orioles Magic, in the form of so many wins eked out in one-run ballgames and extra innings. This year has been utterly crazy, and anyone outside of the Orioles clubhouse who says they saw it coming all along is full of it. But in keeping with the feel-good optimism of this playoff berth, we have 12 reasons why the craziness could extend all the way through October. Let's be clear: this is not a guarantee. But to borrow the mantra from the 1989 squad, a team that similarly defied expectations but fell just short of the postseason: Why Not? -- Brandon Weigel (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

Here's a look at what some other media outlets are saying about the Orioles:

** Matt Snyder of CBSSports.com takes a semi-tongue-in-cheek look at the Orioles' October travel plans after clinching a playoff spot:

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Have you stayed with us before? Yes, but not this bunch. The Orioles franchise has three World Series titles, seven American League pennants, eight AL East championships and one wild-card appearance. But they haven't been to the playoffs since 1997.

How did you enjoy your last visit? So-so. The '97 O's beat the Mariners in the ALDS and went to the ALCS, where they lost to the Indians, four games to two.

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Frequent flyers? This is uncharted territory for many Orioles' regulars. Matt Wieters, Adam Jones, Jim Johnson, Robert Andino, Chris Davis and most of the pitching staff have never been to the playoffs. Mark Reynolds was on the '07 Diamondbacks, Nate McLouth was on the '10 Braves, J.J. Hardy has been to the post-season twice, Joe Saunders has been three times and Jim Thome is a post-season veteran.

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** Ben Reiter of SI.com says there's a different feel to the AL East title chase with the upstart Orioles in the hunt:

Even though the clubs ended Sunday tied atop the AL East, and even though Baltimore has not spent a single day alone in first place since early June, doesn't it seem as if the Yankees are trying to keep pace with the Orioles, and not vice-versa?

... Even so a few factors suggest that the Yankees should emerge after Wednesday night as the division's champions. One is that they will finish with three games at home against those broken, feckless (Red) Sox – and on Wednesday are set to receive the greatest gift any title hopeful can be given, a start by Daiuke Matuszaka – while the Orioles must play three in Tampa, where the Rays will still possess slim wild-card hopes (which will be extinguished with one more loss, or one more A's win.)

** Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com says the Orioles have a couple of "secret weapons" for surviving postseason play:

Much has been made of the fact that only one Orioles pitcher, left-hander Wei-Yin Chen, will finish with more than 20 starts. But two Baltimore starters who became relievers, right-handers Tommy Hunter and Jake Arrieta, are proving to be major forces in their bullpen.

One rival official marveled that Hunter reached 100 mph in a recent outing against the Red Sox, according to brooksbaseball.net. Hunter, entering Saturday night, was averaging 95.3 mph as a reliever after averaging 90.8 mph as a starter – a jump of 4.5 mph. Not surprisingly, his swing-and-miss percentage had increased while his opponents' slugging percentage had fallen.

Arrieta, meanwhile, is showing even more dramatic improvement in those two departments – but unlike Hunter, he actually is throwing fewer fastballs as a reliever and using his curveball and slider far more often – nearly 50 per cent of the time, in fact.

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