Bob Haynie: Orioles, Blue Jays Not Friendliest Of Rivals
The Baltimore Orioles took three of four games from the Philadelphia Phillies as they continue to play good baseball. The Phillies may be the worst team in the majors and the Birds handled them accordingly.
Now the Orioles will set their sites on a familiar opponent in a familiar venue.
The Toronto Blue Jays are next on the schedule for manager Buck Showalter's team and they will faceoff at Rogers Centre. While these two clubs may be familiar with each other, they aren't exactly the friendliest of rivals.
Remember Toronto's Marcus Stroman throwing at Orioles' C Caleb Joseph? Or Baltimore's Darren O'Day throwing at Blue Jays' RF Jose Bautista? How about Bautista and Adam Jones getting into it this past April? And that whole Manny Machado-Josh Donaldson (then with Oakland) thing from last season will not soon be forgotten.
When the Blue Jays and Orioles meet, there is always a chance for some added drama. There is also a good chance we will see an exciting series.
Heading into this weekend, the Orioles and Blue Jays are two of the hottest teams in Major League Baseball.
Toronto has won 13 of their last 15 contests to move to within two games of first place in the AL East. The Orioles have won 11 of their last 14 and are only three games behind the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays.
Led by 3B Donaldson, the Blue Jays lead the majors in runs scored with 376. They are tied for second (Dodgers) in home runs with 84.
The Orioles have been slugging away themselves, as of late. They hit eight HR's in one game this week against Philly and are fourth in the majors with 82 long balls. The Birds have scored 295 runs in 2015 which is tied for sixth (Diamondbacks) in MLB.
The Blue Jays swept the Orioles at Rogers Centre in April, so the Birds will be looking for a measure of revenge. At 22-12, Toronto is one of the toughest home teams in the league.
Only three games separate the top four clubs in the AL East.
Starting on Friday night, the Orioles and Blue Jays will compete see what team will move up--or down--in a division that promises to be competitive all summer long.
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