Bob Haynie: Some Orioles Thoughts
The Baltimore Orioles begin an eight-game homestand on Tuesday. They will be bringing an impressive 23-15 record with them to Camden Yards to face the San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees.
As we hit mid-May, the Orioles are very much contenders in the AL East. I have said it before, Baltimore is a very good baseball team. They are however, dealing with some issues in their rotation. Can they overcome them? We'll find out soon enough.
Righty starter Miguel Gonzalez went on the DL last week with blister problems. GM Dan Duquette said on Monday that lefty Wei-Yin Chen will be joining Gonzalez on the disabled list with a strained right oblique.
Steve Johnson replaced Gonzalez in the rotation and got hit pretty hard by the Twins. Who will take Chen's spot? Right-hander Jair Jurrjens, a former All-Star with the Braves, appears to be a strong candidate.
I have talked before about the rotation and it's need to step up to help keep the bullpen fresh. With the latest injuries, that task has just gotten tougher.
While the rotation takes it's lumps, the Baltimore offense keeps getting it done. Heading into Monday's action, the Birds were leading the majors in runs scored with 190. Manny Machado, Adam Jones and Chris Davis are having All-Star seasons. The month of May has also seen the reemergence of J.J. Hardy and Matt Wieters as threats at the plate.
This should be a fun homestand for the Birds. With the Rays and Yanks looming, it's chance for them to do some damage to division foes.
