Bob Haynie: It's August And The Orioles Are Relevant
It's August. The month were Baltimore sports fans start to truly get excited about the upcoming NFL season and turn the page from yet another disappointing campaign for the Orioles.
Well, not in 2012.
After Tuesday night's come-from-behind 11-5 victory over the New York Yankees, the Orioles are only 5.5 games out of first place in the AL East and 1.5 games out of an American League wild-card spot.
Every time we (I) try to stick a fork in the Birds, they seem to come to life. I thought they were done after a 2-4 home stand that featured a crushing 14-9 loss to the Oakland A's last Friday. The once silent Baltimore bats have started to produce as veterans like J.J. Hardy and Nick Markakis have been helping Adam Jones put runs on the board. RHP Chris Tillman, who beat New York Tuesday, has helped the rotation immensely with a 4-1 record since being recalled from the minor leagues.
Even though the Orioles didn't make any moves before the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline, that doesn't mean that won't do anything in August.
It has been a surprising season for Buck Showalter and his troops. Don't be shocked if we are still talking about the Orioles being relevant on September 1st too.
