Orioles vs. Yankees Series Notes

After the first three games of the Orioles season, I'm satisfied. So far there is some to worry about, but a lot of be excited about. The Birds are 2-1 after their first series with the Yankees, who are supposed to be 2nd in command to God, and they had a very good showing in some players that we were unsure about heading into the season.

Highlights:

• Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, and Brian Roberts: These guys have already come out in the first three games and set the tone for the offense, and defense, for the rest of the season. After three games, Jones is batting .400 with 3 RBIs, 4 runs scored, a triple, and a double. Markakis leads the team in almost every offensive category, batting .500 with 1 HR, 5 RBIs, a double, and 4 runs scored. Brian Roberts, the 31 year old Orioles veteran that can always be counted on, is batting .417 with an RBI, a double, 3 runs scored, and a stolen base. Look for these 3 to lead the offense all season long. I have a feeling that Markakis and Jones are both going to step up huge and make their names known throughout the baseball world.


• Koji and Jeremy: There were so many questions heading into the season about all of the Orioles starters, but if Guthrie and Uehara can pitch the way that they both did in their first starts, we know that the Orioles will have at least two very solid starters in the rotation. Both won their starts in this series, with Guthrie going 6 innings and giving up 3 runs on 7 hits, and Koji going 5 innings and giving up 1 run on 5 hits. Against another team these stats may not sound so stellar, but its the Yankees. I expect Guthrie and Uehara to both have solid years, especially after seeing them show in this series that they can produce against the best teams in the majors.


• The Camden Yards crowd: How great was it to hear the boos rainging down on Mark Teixeira all 14 times he came to the plate in the series. I was at the game yesterday, and even when the Orioles were losing by multiple runs, the crowd was still into it and Teixeira still got it given to him every time he stepped into the box. I really hope that the Baltimore crowd can get excited for this team and back them up, becaue when you have the support of a city behind you, crazy things can happen. The people of Baltimore are ready to see baseball back as a priority in this city, and I think that this team can take a huge step in helping to do that.
  

Lowlights:

• The Orioles Bullpen: I thought it was our bullpen that was supposed to be great, and our rotation that was supposed to suck? It was the other way around in these three games. Wednesday night Dennis Sarfate almost blew at 7-2 Orioles lead as he came in for the 9th inning to end the game, and instead gave up 3 runs, including a Derek Jeter homer, and let the Yankees get within 2. George Sherrill then came in and immediately gave up a double, but eventually got the last out for the O's victory. And then there was Brian Bass on Thursday, who was nothing short of awful in his 2 innings pitched. Coming into the game with the Orioles down one and still with a legitimate chance to rally, he gave up 5 runs after having a chance to get out of a bases loaded situation, and throwing a 10 foot toss past catcher Chad Moeller and extending the Yankees offensive explosion. For the first two games the starting pitching and the offense made up for the lack of bullpen help, but the last game proved that we may need the bullpen to be solid to win sometimes, and if they aren't, the Orioles could end up giving up a lot of late inning runs as this season progresses.


• Seeing Mark Teixeira succeed: The first two games were great for O's fans like myself that will probably always hold a grudge against this man until he retires. But on Thursday he did his part to laugh in the face of the people booing him and showed that his slump would not last. In the third game of the series, an 11-2 Yankees win, Teixeira went 2-5, crushing a homerun to left center, and scoring twice. I hope that the boos are as loud as they were this week, everytime that this man comes into The Yard.

Overall, there is a lot to look forward to for this team. The Orioles won their first series against a team that many (such as myself) are predicting to represent the AL in the World Series this October. I feel that if our starting pitching is on, our offense can show more of what it did this week, and our bullpen can chill out and pitch the way that we know they are capable of pitching, this team could take big steps and make huge improvements this year. I'm satisfied for now, and I'm more excited for this season than I have been in a while for a season. I have a wierd feeling this team may surpass a lot of expectations. The Rays are in town this weekend. We will see what happens with Hendrickson, Guthrie, and Eaton making starts in the series. How great would it be if the O's can go 2-1 against the Rays as well, and start out 4-2 against two of the top teams in the American League?

On another note, please keep the family and friends of Nick Adenhart in your prayers. This is a truly sad event involving the 22 year old L.A Angels pitcher from Silver Spring, Maryland, who had a lot of baseball left to play, and a lot of life left to live.

Peace and love.

J.F